A Takoyaki Deluxe, please

"Well, this is a new sight," Thalia observed, her gaze fixed on the wooden fortress ahead. It bore more resemblance to a small fortified camp or a temporary base than a true fortress, constructed from sturdy wooden walls. It featured an outpost tower at each corner, each manned by an archer, signaling a prepared defense. The fortress was accessible through a single gate, around which several 'thugs'—as they had taken to calling their enemies—patrolled.

Unfortunately, Alice's level 3 Clairvoyance fell short of reaching the base. She couldn't approach too closely without risking detection, and unlike her formidable companion, her modest physical stats rendered her a very easy target.

Alice examined the fortress with the only tool at her disposal—her keen eyesight, a frustrating reminder of her current limitations. Her Clairvoyance was proving inadequate for scouting the perimeter effectively. In truth, the only truly useful skill she had was the recently enhanced level 3 Whisper of Alacrity. While her other abilities promised greater utility at higher levels, they offered little immediate advantage.

She knew there had to be something she was missing. 'I mean, a Seer could not be this pathetic at the start, right? How can I make use of my two superior stats effectively?' she pondered. Sure, her Mystique accelerated her speed of thought, which was great, but what about Essence? Was it just for MP and MP regeneration? Then there was the issue with the skills. Why were they so uninspiring? It wasn't just hers; the truth was Thaleia's skills were slightly underwhelming too. It was her own technique, titles, and enlightenments that granted her current level of prowess; the skills were just minor additions.

Alice knew there had to be more to it. Skills should play a more significant role in The Game. She even thought that the reward she obtained from gaining a better understanding of the game, 1 SP, was some sort of hint, but maybe she was just overthinking.

"Should I go in, usual be-careful-with-the-archers, kill-them-all approach?"

The Amazonian interrupted her train of thought. Truth be told, even if the enemies had a fortified camp this time, that 'strategy' should still work. But she still felt a bit bad for herself. What was her role as a guide? What was she doing? Nothing, really. True, she had used Premonition, thinking in her head that she would tell Thaleia to go forward in 3 seconds, and then she saw 30 seconds into the future, but all she could see was Thaleia easily dispatching the foes, with no problems. It wasn't revealing much.

"Wait for a bit. I want to try something."

She held Thaleia back for a bit and decided to give Clairvoyance one last try after the cooldown was over. She had been experimenting with the skill lately and had a hunch she was close to discovering something.

***

Dante smiled.

To an observer, the scene would appear both surreal and oddly heartwarming. Here was a 21-year-old, tears mingling with smiles, standing in the midst of an ancient throne room. Before him stood a skeleton, clad in a tattered yet dignified robe, commanding an aura of authority. This presence was only slightly undermined by the awkward elevation of its right hand, seemingly in anticipation of a high five. This peculiar tableau unfolded while the fortress crumbled and a relentless army of skeletons surged through the front gates.

"You owe me this one," Dante chuckled, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Go on, take care of the rest. We have a kingdom to conquer."

Virgil lowered his hand, left hanging but undeterred. If skeletons could express joy, one would surely see a grin on his bony face. He held onto his staff and dashed down the stairs, leaving Dante alone. He had a mission to fulfill.

Dante walked to the far end of the hall and sat in the old wooden chair. He knew Virgil was giving his all in the fight, but there was no need to. After all, this battle was already won. Without the catapults and the commander, and with the confrontations limited to the space of a castle hallway, there was nothing the enemies could do but fall under Virgil's staff.

Dante rested assured that no matter what attacked his fort, no one would ever touch him... because Virgil was there.

So Dante sat relaxed, with the mentality of someone who had found his piece of land after aimlessly sailing in the unknown. He watched as Virgil easily dispatched the rest of the skeleton army, while giving rational thought to what had happened before.

For once, he was surprised to meet a being who actually spoke in this region-sized underground so-called Tutorial. He was pretty confident that The Game intended to immerse him in as much isolation as possible, with nothing but his own words for days' end. That said, he was not surprised that the skeleton spoke English, his own language. It was obvious that The Game had made it so he could understand. Dante was meant to understand him. That was how the script was meant to unfold.

His thoughts were interrupted by the slightly expected announcement from the System:

Hidden Quest completed: Defeat the Halberd Knight and annihilate his army 

Rewards: 

1 SP 

100,000 TC

2000 Stone

2000 Wood

"Is this your way of saying, 'Here, don't cry, take this'?" Dante laughed, mocking himself. He always had a carefree attitude, capable of viewing his actions from a third-person perspective and joking about them as his friends back on Earth would. Well, maybe not with the harsh insults his best friends hurled at him, but close.

This memory of his friends made his face brighten. Man, Alex was annoying, but Victor was a threat all by himself. The closer you were to him, the more confident he became, and the harder he cooked. Hell, if their 'boys chat' got leaked, they were straight off to whatever lay beyond a life sentence.

Amid these fond memories, however, there was a feeling, almost a certainty, that he would never see them again. It was a sentiment ever present in his mind, yet he had to seal it away as best as he could. First, he had to survive, to go beyond the Tutorial, before even starting to think about such matters. 

He tried to seal it with hope—a small hope, but nevertheless present. He remembered how someone he really admired once said that hope was not something you prayed for; hope was something you fought for. Those words had changed his life back then and would most certainly give him strength now. After all, in this world, hope meant putting your luck entirely in The Game's hands. And to tell the truth, he was not very fond of that…

"Well, the champ is back," Dante commented as Virgil made his entrance into the throne room. "Nice job." He smiled, a heartwarming, genuine smile.

Dante stood up from the old chair and walked towards what had made this journey possible, what had allowed him to overcome solitude, to stand tall in this unforgiving new world, to endure days with no voice but his own.

And finally, he stood in front of it, after all these days, ready to do something he should have done long ago. He looked at it, then stretched his hand forward with nervousness but conviction:

"A Takoyaki Deluxe, please."

The plate before him seemed oddly familiar. He could almost swear he'd seen it before, despite the name eluding him. The dish, adorned with ball-shaped snacks meticulously crafted for visual appeal, emitted a tantalizing aroma. Moreover, it boasted an extra layer of allure with a delicately arranged assortment of seafood and sauces atop.

"Well, let's see how this goes," Dante mused, settling onto the old, dusty floor—a witness to the downfall of a formidable knight and his loyal mount. A knight who had erred grievously in assaulting this fortress, and, even more so, in calling him…

"It would have been amusing if it tasted like chicken," Dante chuckled, recalling the recent events with a hint of amusement. "Well, it tastes good, albeit more like a dessert, I suppose, or perhaps a side dish… Anyway, it's delightful. Not quite the stuff of dreams, but battling over a thousand skeletons for this wasn't in vain."

He savored the last bite of his dish, while Virgil stood by, silent as always.

"Well, I suppose it's time to get to work," he announced, rising to search for a trash bin. Then it hit him, "You've got to be joking. How am I supposed to throw this away?" He laughed once more.

"Hey Virgil, you wouldn't happen to eat plates, would you?" he quipped, though his silent companion merely shook his head. Dante was already perusing the available items on screen when he found what he needed. "So we have the basic trash bin for 500 TC, the not-so-basic trash bin for 1000 TC, the large trash bin for 2000 TC, and… well, there are like 5 more, including a… trash bin with a pocket dimension for 500,000 TC… Buahahaha," he couldn't contain his amusement. "I mean, if we take down a couple more armies, maybe we can afford a decent trash bin, what do you think?"

Without expecting a response, he selected the large trash bin, and it materialized in front of him. It was suitable for the job, likely holding around 200 liters. After discarding the plate, he was about to ask Virgil to move it but then remembered he could very well do at least this much himself, even if he had only one arm.

He reopened the screen and purchased the item he knew had to be there. However, he encountered several options:

Starting Map (Cost: 5000 TC)

Next Map (Cost: 15,000 TC)

Following Map (Cost: 50,000 TC)

Advanced Map (Cost: 150,000 TC)

Very Good Map (Cost: 500,000 TC)

Could-Be-The-Last Map (Cost: 1,500,000 TC)

"Well, I saw that coming." He bought the first map, opened it, and then, without delving too deeply, purchased the second map. "So, the second map is an expansion of the first, covering more zones and providing slightly more information," he reflected briefly but decided against buying the Following Map for now. While he acknowledged the importance of information, he felt compelled to review the rest of the options before investing so heavily in another map.

He had already spent some time navigating the management screen during the battle. Given his current speed of thought, a second was worth much more. He already had a notion in mind but opted to review everything once more, just in case he had overlooked something.