Chapter 165

Seoli digging into the ground with her tiny hands.

No matter how muddy her hands become, the smile on her face never fades.

“Wow…!”

Perched on Seoli’s small palm lies a small box.

“Mommy! Treasure!”

“Yes, it is a treasure. Since Seoli found it, it belongs to Seoli.”

At my words, Seoli tilts her head.

“Mine? The treasure is mine?”

“Yes.”

Seoli alternates her gaze between the item storage in her own hand and my face.

Then, as I smile and stroke her head, a bright smile appears on Seoli’s face, which was earlier filled with confusion.

“Seoli’s treasure!”

Seoli lifts the box high, then embraces it tightly.

Because of this, my clothes become dirtier, but seeing Seoli’s happy face, I can’t help but smile.

“Shall we keep searching?”

“Yeah!”

As I take a leisurely stroll around with Seoli, Nisia carrying a few boxes approaches us.

“Wow! Mommy! Treasure!!”

Seoli jumps around happily.

Nisia grins, strokes Seoli’s head gently, and then turns to look at me.

“Edu, you stay here.”

“Good job. Can you transfer the items you obtained to Jason’s Arsenal?”

“Yes.”

Nisia heads towards the Arsenal.

While I take care of Seoli, my friends, Mili, and Sita go back and forth between Jason and Fangju several times.

After a long while, my friends, Mili, and Sita gather once again.

I can see Fangju’s sky turning red above, and the item storage chambers stacked up in Jason’s Arsenal come into view.

There’s a messy pile of large and small boxes.

Even if most of what’s inside are small consumables or raw material items, looking at how they’ve been accumulated, one can’t help but feel overwhelmed by their sheer number.

“Everyone worked hard!”

“Worked hard!”

Seoli repeats after me.

She looks awfully cute clutching the small item storage unit I had earlier said she could have.

I gently pat Seoli’s head.

And then I give an order to Bungbungi.

“Bungbungi, can you go forward?”

[Beep / (｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )BUG]

Bungbungi appropriately moves forward.

Hands, catching my hint, picks up one of the nearby item storage units and opens it.

With a creaking sound, the box opens.

Inside is a capsule-shaped object with a light reddish hue.

“It’s a recovery capsule.”

A basic consumable item that restored HP in AOE.

Still, it is useful even later since, unlike several in-game recovery items, it doesn’t restore a fixed amount but rather replenishes a percentage of max HP.

“Huh, so these really contain items…”

Edward, still apparently incredulous, says it with a slightly amazed tone.

“Well then, let’s open them up quickly and relax. Can everyone help?”

“Sure.”

My friends, Mili, and Sita surround the mountain of item storages.

Except for Seoli, who opens an item and gleams her eyes, everyone pitches in to help, making the stacks of boxes that were piled up disappear quickly.

The items, organized by type.

Stacked recovery items such as recovery capsules and mana capsules, and next to them, stacks of buff items like mental awakening reagents and sensory enhancement reagents.

Besides those, some raw material items and money as well.

However, the important part isn’t these. What I’m searching for is-

“Edu, there’s something strange in here?”

Saying this, Jane pulls out what looks like a peanut about the size of a pinky’s knuckle from within the storage.

My eyes widen as I recognize the item I’ve been hunting for.

“That’s it!”

“A jackpot!”

“…Sorry for shouting. Can you pass that over?”

“Yup, here.”

I accept the peanut-shaped item from Jane.

This is it, the growth item: the Seed of Possibility.

Small and unremarkable in appearance, this seed was, contrary to its looks, both the beginning and the end of item-based growth, or ‘specs up.’

Because, among countless items, this was the only one that permanently raised stats.

Still, like items of this kind, eating a few wouldn’t lead to significant changes. It was a long-term growth factor, akin to ‘accumulating specks of dust to form a mountain,’ so its priority was generally low.

But free stats?

With such an easy condition—just chew and swallow—for stats to grow exponentially, it was nothing short of a scandalous convenience.

“Edu, what is this seed?”

“Oh, this? Growth-“

I stop mid-sentence, realizing my mistake.

‘Hmm, I shouldn’t blurt it out here, should I?’

The Seed of Possibility was a rare item obtained only from item storage chambers, with a limited number available.

There was barely enough for myself. Sharing it with everyone simply wasn’t possible.

‘No one can resist free stats, huh.’

Investing in party characters was something one did only after completing one’s own characters.

So, with great resolve, I decided to tell a harmless lie.

“It’s nothing special, it’s related to my abilities.”

“Edu’s abilities?”

“Yup.”

Clarissa, after momentarily making a quizzical expression, nods at my answer.

As I observe her, I take another glance at the seed.

‘Blue, so it’s the MP-enhancement seed, good!’

I turn the adorable seed over once and pop it straight into my mouth.

“Crunch.”

Anticipating a rise in stats, the moment I chewed the seed, I could only regret my naive thoughts.

“!!!”

I find myself regretting my naive thoughts.

“Eep?!”

“E, Edu? What’s wrong?!”

“Ugh…”

With tears welling up and a contorted face, I desperately whisper to Nisia who approaches me.

“N, Nisia…”

“Yes, Edu? What’s wrong?”

“S, the taste…!”

“Taste?”

“Taste… It’s gone!!”

A smoky sensation and a taste that defies description—sour and unpleasantly slimy. It was, in a word, terrible.

Still, I couldn’t spit out something I had gone to such lengths to obtain, so I gritted my teeth, chewed it all up with great effort, then gulped.

As the horrifying aftertaste slid down my throat, an alert soon appeared before my eyes.

– You have consumed the consumable item ‘Seed of Possibility.’ Reward: +5 to MP.

“…”

My eyes narrow.

Only now does a long-forgotten item description from AOE return to my mind.

– Seed of Possibility.

A mysterious seed that bestows the grace of growth to those who chew it thoroughly. However, it not only tastes really bad but also loses its effect if not consumed within a specific period.

Come to think of it, every time a character in AOE ate this seed, they would make that unmistakable ‘uuuhh, urkhh’ sound.

Although game characters could be riddled with bullet holes and recover with a few beeps or a needle jab, it still earns respect that such a horrifying thing could make even them go ‘uek.’

“Huff…”

“Are you okay, Edu?”

“I’m fine now.”

As I whisper this exchange, Edward approaches from the other side.

“Hey Edu, about that seed you ate earlier.”

In Edward’s hand, clutched in a lump, it was written as a Seed of Possibility but called something akin to garbage.

“Hiit.”

“Hmm? Why are you looking so glum, Edu? Are you not going to eat it?”

“No, I thought it might be a good idea to share all the good things with everyone.”

“Hmm?”

Edward tilts his head.

Clarissa peeks out from behind.

“Edu, didn’t you say the item you ate earlier was related to your abilities?”

“T, that’s…”

My lips falter.

As several thoughts pass through my mind, I realize that there’s no other way but to confess the truth.

With that decision comes a neat bow as I kneel and bow to everyone.

“Eh, Onee-san!?”

“Edu?”

“I’m sorry… I lied… to everyone…”

“Alright, raise your head Edu.”

“Y, yes. Onee-sama! Please raise your head!”

At Edward and Mili’s urging, I slowly raise my head.

Already, my friends, Mili, and Sita had gathered around me.

“What kind of lie made you act this way?”

“T, that thing, right?”

“Yup, you’re talking about that peanut-like thing, right?”

“Yup, actually… it’s a seed that makes you stronger. So, I got greedy and… well.”

At my words, friends and Mili and Sita stare at me in silence. Just as I began to feel anxious, Edward chuckled.

“I thought you were saying something else, wouldn’t it make sense for you to use something like that?”

“Yes, Edu found it first, didn’t she? We just helped along.”

“Right, don’t bother your head with pointless worries.”

One by one, my friends offered words of encouragement.

Jack also revealed he was on the same page as the others by smiling and nodding.

“I think so too, Onee-sama. If it’s something like this, Onee-sama should definitely use it.”

“M, right. Onee-sama! Onee-sama does so much more significant work, so something like this is definitely needed!”

Sita and Mili, who stood up for me.

Ah, to have such good friends and two little sisters, and I still entertained such dark thoughts.

As I reflect on my actions, Jina approaches with a curious expression.

“But why did you bring this up all of a sudden? Edu eating it all by herself would have been fine.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“Yup, tell us!”

Jina, her curious eyes wide open.

I hesitate, then cautiously reply.

“It’s, it’s really awful…”

Upon hearing my reply, Jina blinks her eyes.

Soon enough, a mischievous grin spreads across her face. Jina then throws herself at me and hugs me tightly.

“Oooh, is our little Edu just someone who can’t handle bitter tastes?”

Jina fondly pats my head.

“Hey, don’t mock me!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry. I just couldn’t resist because Edu was so cute.”

After laughing and letting go of me, Jina picks up the Seed of Possibility from Edward’s hand.

“It looks like a normal bean though. And if it tastes bad, why don’t you just swallow it whole?”

“That won’t work; you need to chew it to get the effect.”

“Ah, I see. There’s a restriction like that? Let me try.”

“Wait-”

Before I can stop her, Jina nonchalantly pops the Seed of Possibility into her mouth.

And as soon as her teeth close around it.

Jina’s body stiffens, convulsing as her face distorts.

“Holy-!”

“Jina…?”

“This isn’t tasteless, this is- ugh. Food shaped like garbage.”

Jina collapses.

“Jina!?”

Startled, I reach out for her just as Edward’s voice sounds from behind.

“Wow, you’re putting up quite the show. Regardless of the bad taste, if it helps with growth, shouldn’t you steel yourself and endure?”

“Edward? Just-”

Edward swiftly pops the Seed of Possibility into his mouth, his face unchanging as he calmly bites down with a smile.

“Hooh, so it’s-”

Suddenly, Edward sits down.

And his head droops.

…Did he just die while sitting?

Just as I’m shocked, Jina and Edward snap back to life.

“Both of you alright?”

“G, good. Absolutely terrible.”

“Ugh, I can still feel that sensation lingering…”

Edward, clutching his head, and Jina, grimacing as she sticks out her tongue.

“So, what should we do with these?”

Edward points at the Seeds of Possibility still in his hand.

“Shouldn’t we just store them away for now?”

“No, Clarissa. They’ll turn into plain beans with no effects if we wait too long.”

That’s the inherent limitation of the Seeds of Possibility.

Back in the game, since I wasn’t the one eating it, just feeding it off without delay was enough, but now reflecting on it, this was a cruel chain of events.

A game-breaking gimmick requiring eating the terrible seed thoroughly within a given time.

This might even have been a setup by the developer assuming someone would take over.

“…Truly a terrible item.”

Clarissa, sharing my thoughts, grimaces.

“You’re right… Hmm?”

“Edu? Why is that?”

“Because I feel like I hear something.”

“Sound?”

Clarissa nods, her ear attentive.

A steady rhythm approaches slowly.

Only as it draws closer do I identify the sound.

‘Footsteps?’

At the same moment of realizing this, a pale-skinned girl appears yawning from around the corridor.

Her mature figure unmistakably asserts its presence even under soft lighting.

“Muna?”

“Yup, what’s up?”

Her curt tone remains as unique as ever.

She casually plops herself down in front of me and questions.

“Hmm, what’s this?”

Muna gestures towards Edward’s hand.

Seeing her curious look, I quickly respond to avoid adding more victims.

“It’s called the Seed of Possibility. It aids growth, but the taste is so awful-”

“Crunch.”

In one swift movement, Muna dumps the seeds from Edward’s hand into her mouth.

She begins chewing, a smile spreading across her face.

“Hoh, what is this? It’s really bad, but…”

Despite saying so, she doesn’t stop chewing.

After chewing for some time, Muna gulps down the Seed with a ‘gulp.’

“…Eh? Did Muna just eat all of that?”

“Yup, is that a problem?”

“That’s not the issue, but are you alright?”

“Yup, I’m fine. It’s awful, but kind of fun.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The mutual gaze exchanged between me and everyone else.

Our deep conversation via brief eye contact concludes as we all smile and respond.

“No, Muna, you came at a great time. If you found it funny, would you like to try a bit more just now?”

“More?”

“Yeah, a little secret between me and you – eating this fruit apparently makes you stronger.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, take some more!”

Jina slyly extends the Seeds of Possibility towards her.

“Sure.”

As Muna eats the Seeds of Possibility with a crunch, the other friends start fetching more seeds.

All emerging Seeds of Possibility find their way to Muna.

A perfect distribution, indeed.

As I beam watching this, Nisia cautiously approaches.

“…Edu, is it okay to handle these like this with Muna?”

“Eh, Nisia, handling? Muna is also doing it of her own will, so we shouldn’t call it that.”

“…Is she?”

“Yup.”

This is solely because Muna willingly does it.

Moreover, the Seeds of Possibility are excellent items that provide free growth.

So our actions are but consideration for Muna, who dislikes movement.

Absolutely, certainly not because the seeds taste trashy and none of us want to eat them.

Yeah, that’s it.

“…”

“…Are you serious?”

“…”