NOVEL NEXT chapter 3
3. Goblin
If she ate, her energy would gradually return.
The lunchbox summoned with points had a recovery ability.
However, it was only a momentary boost of energy.
Just a few hours ago, her body was frozen solid by the biting cold wind.
It seemed she barely escaped death.
It wasn’t the kind of situation where one could easily recover just by lighting a fire next to it or having a bit of a meal.
She had to be as cautious as possible.
“…?”
She soon opened the lunchbox lid, with a confused expression, as he had said.
A fragrant aroma stimulating her appetite spread inside the tent.
Unconsciously, she opened her mouth.
“Wow, it smells so good.”
She had never smelled such a fragrance since birth.
It was a fact unknown to Han.
She had lived in a world where she had never encountered spices.
Even if she tried to describe it as a stimulating taste, it was only a few bitter herbs or meats at best.
This was the world she lived in.
She tapped the small white eggs with her fingers.
“These small white eggs… what are they?”
She tilted her head in wonder.
There was a soft, fluffy feeling about them.
With a spoonful of it, she even sniffed the fragrance.
The small white eggs she was puzzled about turned out to be white rice.
“What?”
Her strange reaction sparked a question in Han’s mind.
“Could it be she’s never seen rice before? That reaction of not even knowing what it is… Even after looking at it, there’s no other way to see it.”
Her continuous poking as if seeing something strange was certainly odd.
It was a reaction that, as a Korean, Han could not comprehend.
How could someone not know rice?
In ancient times, even in the medieval era, rice was a well-known existence.
No, could there be anyone on Earth who did not know of the existence of rice?
But if she did not know that, it would be even more bewildering.
However, soon she followed Han’s advice.
She cautiously scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth.
“Wow!”
Once again, her mouth widened.
“I can eat this white thing! Thank you, God!”
She bowed her head towards Han’s large hand.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
Han gently stroked her head with his massive hand.
And with that, it was the end.
Whish…
His hand began to vanish as if breaking apart.
“Oh? God?”
To her eyes, it might be an incomprehensible sight, but to Han, it was a familiar experience.
This was the effect of the physical force running out.
While saving her, he had witnessed this sight before.
Soon, he faced the message that appeared before his eyes.
[Your ‘Large Hand’ duration has been completely consumed.]
[To increase the duration, please level up.]
[As a current level 1, your duration is only 10 minutes. Your Large Hand duration will increase with each level up.]
With a polite gesture, she bowed her head towards Han.
“Thank you very much, God.”
Along with her gentle expression of gratitude,
Han felt a strange sensation seeping into his body.
It felt like the deep respect and indescribable emotions she held for herself were penetrating right in front of her.
[Celebrations! The first disciple following you has been born!]
[Reaching Level 2 enables you to act as a genuine race deity!]
[You have acquired 1000pts as a level-up reward!]
[The duration of ‘Giant Hand’ has been extended to 30 minutes!]
“Oh-ho.”
Leveling up, huh.
It seemed somewhat similar to a game he was familiar with.
—
Kim Han
• Class: Lesser Race Deity
• Current Level: 2
• Traits
① Omniscient: One who stands above all elves.
② Race Management: Capable of governing the race.
• Current Point Balance: 1,000pts
[From now on, you can check the status of the elves!]
Level up.
The list Han could now face revealed quite a variety of things.
He opened the store.
Beginner’s Store
▷ Temporary Beginner’s Tent: 100pts
▷ Fire Starting Kit: 100pts
▷ Food Set: 100pts
▷ Candlelight: 100pts
▷ Table Set: 100pts
▷ Camping Stove: 100pts
……
(Current Point Balance: 1,000pts)
“Candles with a table, and even a camping stove? There’s really everything here.”
And the items were not the end of it.
Scrolling down the list, there were dozens of small, trivial items like buckets that seemed to serve no purpose.
It appeared that the system as a true deity had started to unfold.
The fact that with each level-up, new menus were added implied that as he continued to grow, more menus could be unlocked.
But what caught his eye the most was…
Tap.
A status window appeared as he lightly touched her head.
Irina (Meager Survivor of Ruins)
• Current Status: Eating (Energy is depleting. Critical state.)
• Level: Current Pious Stage
•Characteristics: Possesses the talent of conveying the words of God.
Irina.
That was her name, discovered for the first time.
Now, Han could directly check her status window.
Watching Irina quietly as she busily ate, he murmured unconsciously.
His gaze was fixed on the words displayed on the status window, ‘Ordinary Faith Level’.
“Just as I grow by leveling up, perhaps this girl Irina may also gradually grow as I pour more attention onto her.”
Therefore, it seemed that continuous interest in Irina was necessary.
Moreover, since she became a disciple of Han at some point, it was undoubtedly important for him to nurture the disciple’s growth.
Having grasped the essence of the system at once, he clearly understood the direction in which he had to grow.
Gathering disciples and helping them grow.
He couldn’t ignore that the progress of these disciples would lead to his own growth.
However, there was one more thing that aroused Han’s interest.
[Race: Elf]
The fact that her race was not human but Elf felt somewhat strange.
“Surely, her ears are unusually long to be considered human…”
Of course, it was evident at a glance that she was not human.
The tightly worn hat by Irina.
Through it, her long pointed ears protruded.
“But aren’t Elves a race typically found in environments like forests? Yet, here we are in the middle of a city. Though in ruins.”
The background he was currently looking at was undoubtedly the center of a city.
However, the appearance was reminiscent of an apocalyptic era where the end had settled.
It was a frozen desolate wasteland with snow falling.
Of course, Han didn’t know much about Elves.
All he knew was what he had heard through YouTube or internet articles.
Nevertheless, it was common knowledge that Elves were beings who mainly lived harmoniously in green forests.
A tribe that coexisted with trees in a lush forest, feeding on the energy flowing from nature.
They were a race that shared the natural power of the forest.
So, it was unlikely to find a race like this suddenly in a frozen wasteland.
“I heard that Elves slowly wither and die if they don’t receive the energy of the green forest.”
Han silently observed Irina eating.
Initially, Irina seemed cautious as she encountered a lunchbox for the first time, but once she realized it was food, she diligently started eating.
“Wow. It’s really delicious, my Lord! Thank you so much!”
With each bite, she wore a warm smile as if nothing could make her happier.
Unintentionally, Han found himself smiling as well.
Gurgle.
Soon, he too began to feel a strong hunger.
“Ah. Just looking at her makes me hungry too.”
He murmured while patting his growling stomach.
He realized he had been starving all day until leaving work.
Staring at Irina for so long in that state, he even forgot that he needed to eat.
Eventually, just as Irina was filling her stomach to the brim, he decided to prepare his meal.
As the realization of hunger hit him, a craving for instant noodles, in particular, struck him.
“Eating instant noodles late at night may not be good for health… Well, who cares.”
Indeed.
When food tastes good, that’s all that matters.
***
Bubbling.
As the water began to boil, he split the prepared instant noodle block in half and dropped it in.
The strong scent of the broth pricked his nose one after another.
The successive stimuli forcibly triggered his salivation.
Unknowingly, saliva began to fill his mouth as he swallowed repeatedly, gazing down at the pot bubbling away.
“It must be delicious.”
The waiting time felt long, as if he wanted to slurp down the simmering noodle broth this instant.
But he had to endure.
Just like everything must have a beginning and an end.
As the seemingly endless waiting time neared its end, when his patience was slowly wearing thin.
Finally, as the golden time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds came to an end, he turned off the heat.
Then he sat down at the table.
Glancing at the noodles for a moment.
Slurp!
After swallowing a bite, he unknowingly closed his eyes.
The intense flavor tantalized his mouth to the point of happiness.
“Indeed, instant noodles taste best on an empty stomach.”
From the strong aroma of the noodle soup, there was something that stimulated the human taste buds.
It felt like a strong addiction that would haunt even his dreams if left uneaten.
Swiftly, as if hiding from his own eyes, he hurriedly stuffed the noodles into his mouth.
By the time he had almost emptied the pot.
Beep-!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, something like a loud alert sound rang out of nowhere.
A message appeared before him.
As he was about to finish the remaining broth, he froze in place.
[Warning!]
[An unexpected change has occurred to the character Irina! Hurry, check on her!]
“What, what is this?”
Reflexively, he jumped up from his seat and ran towards the open refrigerator.
In front of Irina’s tent, an uninvited guest appeared.