Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 19: Small Feast, Big Celebration

"1, 2, 3... Cheers!"

We all shouted as we raised our glasses filled with orange juice, and clinked them together in a toast before drinking them. While my tone remained rather quiet, everyone else was loud enough for some patrons to hear. Even though I noticed this, I was just as happy on this occasion. We had beat our first [Quest] and to be honest, I wanted to enjoy it because we fought such a hard battle just to complete it.

After arriving back to <Initio>, we reported our completion back to the guild and were given 1500 [Lapi] as our reward. According to Mari, the party leader was to obtain the money so they could evenly split it amongst themselves and each of their party members. Officially, I was the assigned leader for the [Quest] (because Arthur had given it to me under the guise that he was "lazy"), so I got the money. But under Mari's suggestion, we split 500 [Lapi] to each of us. Two 500 [Lapi] for Arthur and Mari respectively, and another for me and Kazu for us to share.

Now, to be honest, I didn't defeat the [Wild Bear] alone. Without Kazu, my whole plan would have fallen apart and Arthur and Mari wouldn't have been able to hold it out for much longer. Sure, he fell in danger when the bear changed its focus towards him, but his magic helped out a lot. So it would've been extremely wrong for me to leave Kaz penniless, so I gave him 300 [Lapi] for him to save or spend in the near future.

As for what was happening right now, well, let's just say Arthur used his prize money to treat us to a virtual feast in the same inn Kaz and I were staying. And I was worried about this, even though we were in an online game. You see, in the real world, he was always the type spend a lot when it comes to food and video games and he'd ultimately end up with something like around only $1.25 in his pocket. So, it was pretty easy to worry when it came to Zac and his money.

This time, though, I pushed my worries aside for now considering how he'd been able to get us some new, unfamiliar meals that according to Kaz, "were often found in fantasy novels". And I had to admit, the inn's roasted beef was very delicious and on par to what Mom often made us in real life. Even my brother started grinning once he took a bite on a piece of beef.

"Thanks for the feast, Arthur! This tastes awesome!" Kaz said as he continued chowing down on some of the food.

"I know, right? It costs about 50 [Lapi] on meals and 30 [Lapi] on orange juice each from a guy with a [Cooking] skill who was working here as part of his [Quest]. And trust me, this is worth it after what we have been through!" Arthur said as he leaned his back on the wooden chair's back.

"Player? You mean one of the NPCs here didn't cook them?" I asked, shocked at what he'd just said.

"Yeah. Hate to offend them even though they're not real, but some of their food is a bit dry." Arthur then looked at the door that I guessed it led into the kitchen. "I'm just glad that a player was working here when we arrived at this inn."

"Well, I'm not surprised, though," Mari spoke up as she took a small sip of her juice. "Most of the food from NPC shops tends to be dry and salty. Not to mention the food is required to help maintain our HP and MP in the long term."

"What do you mean?" As Kaz asked this to Mari, I stared at her in order to hear more about what she just mentioned.

"Well, the food in this game isn't just for enjoying without worrying about its negative impact on our health. High-leveled meals often give us buffs that could aid us in [Quests]. Not only that, this game has a hunger and thirst meter, so if you run out, your HP and MP will slowly decrease until you eat another meal or drink."

Wow. This meant that even though we were playing with virtual bodies, we still had to care for them so we wouldn't be a burden in excursions or [Quests]. Maybe this game has some real-life elements after all...