Evelise bolted toward the workbench, dropping her pouch of herbs with a soft thump.

A new message appeared the moment she touched the table.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]

[New Task Acquired!]

[Task 1: The Herbalist's Touch]

[Objective: Let Evelise craft medicine and heal your wounds.]

Sid squinted at the text.

"Okay, first of all— I am fine. Second, this clearly says let Evelise craft, which means I should probably stay the hell out of her way."

Evelise didn't even look up. She was already spreading herbs over the table, separating leaves, stems, and roots with quick, practiced movements. There were no tools — just her hands. Her focus was razor sharp, her expression calm and precise.

Sid leaned on the counter, watching in silence. There was something strangely peaceful about it. The way she ground the herbs between her palms, mixing them with water from a cup, forming small patches of green paste— it was like watching a forgotten art.

For once, she wasn't being sarcastic, loud, or threatening him with torture devices. She was just herself. After a few minutes, she held up a small patch of cloth layered with the green mixture.

"Done. This one will stop infections and close wounds fast. Alright, sit down."

"Wait, what for?"

Evelise flexed her fingers dramatically, eyes glinting.

"Because now… I do magic. You're not the only one with a 'cheat skill' you keep bragging about."

Sid paused, his expression caught somewhere between fear and curiosity.

"You sure this is safe? Not another one of your torture methods—"

Before he could finish, she pressed the herbal patch onto his arm with surprising gentleness. The cool, soothing scent of crushed leaves filled the air as the mixture sank into his skin. The faint glow from her hands flickered once, like sparks of faint green light dancing over the wound. Sid blinked.

"Whoa. Okay, that's— actually working?"

Evelise grinned proudly.

"Of course it is. You're looking at a miracle herbalist. A cheat skill user, thank you very much."

Sid chuckled under his breath, watching the wound fade slightly before his eyes.

"Guess I am not the only one with magic now."

"Please. Yours is just luck. Mine's talent."

Evelise didn't stop with just one patch. Once Sid saw how fast it worked, she decided to keep going— pressing her cool, glowing hands over every bruise, scratch, and cut he had. Each time the green paste touched his skin, the light shimmered faintly, and the injury vanished like it had never existed. The skin underneath looked brand new, smooth, and untouched by pain. Sid stared at his arm in disbelief.

"Okay… that's actually insane. I don't even need my instant relief skill anymore. You just— touch it, and boom, gone."

Evelise smirked, the color in her cheeks deepening as she tried to hide how proud she was.

"Well, of course. You're lucky I'm the one patching you up."

"No kidding. You're like a walking miracle. That's way beyond herbalism— that's actual magic. You're definitely cheating! You can just slap someone with a herb and they'll be healed! You could be a saint! Wait… don't tell me you're actually some kind of known saint here!?"

Evelise rolled her eyes but smiled faintly.

"You're way too overreacting. But actually… this is my hidden talent. Not because I wanted it, but because I had to hide it. I wanted to use it to heal people, I really did. But… people don't like miracles they can't control. And when they can't control something, they turn it into something evil."

Sid went silent, watching her expression soften— there was pain in her eyes, something old and buried beneath her teasing tone. After a long pause, she glanced up and forced a small, brave smile.

"But it's fine. Seems there are only two living things here now, right? No reason to hide anymore. This hidden talent I kept locked away finally gets to shine, haha."

Sid grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah… guess not. I can't wait to be scratched by you again!"

Evelise shot him a glare sharp enough to kill.

"Hehe— just kidding! Just kidding, I swear!"

The soft hum of the system interrupted their banter.

[Task Completed: The Herbalist's Touch]

[+10 Bond Points gained]

[Current BP: 10/100]

[Heart Status: Violet]

Evelise's chest faintly glowed again— the violet heart pulsing with new light. Sid couldn't help but stare. The color was beautiful now, warm and alive, beating slow but steady. It was strange, but seeing that glow made him feel something calm.

He sighed, leaning back against the table.

"Well, that's another one down. The cabin's clean, the supplies are sorted… what's next, huh?"

Evelise paused, sniffed her sleeve, and immediately made a face.

"What's next? A bath. I'm getting itchy, and I smell like dried blood and zombie rot. If I don't wash this off soon, I'll start thinking I'm still dead."

Sid grimaced.

"Fair. I'm not much better. I smell like a compost heap with legs."

"Then it's settled. We're taking a bath. Now."

Before he could even argue, the familiar system tone chimed again.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]

[New Task Acquired!]

[Task 2: First Shower]

[Objective: Help Evelise prepare for her first shower since revival.]

Sid stared at the glowing text, deadpan.

"You've got to be kidding me. Why does every task with you get weirder than the last one?"

They started with the obvious— the kitchen sink. Sid turned the faucet and twisted every knob, but all it did was groan out a dry rattle. Evelise tried another in the corner, tapping it impatiently like that would somehow fix it. Nothing came out.

"No water."

They searched the whole cabin next. But there wasn't any. Not even a rusted pipe. Sid sighed, hands on his head.

"So… how did the people here even clean themselves? With dust?"

Evelise chuckled, but the sound came out dry.

"If there's a river nearby, we could—"

"Hard pass,"

Sid cut her off.

"I bet those rivers have become home to sleepers. The water's probably contaminated. Eek!"

"What now then? Ha?"

Sid trailed off, thinking. Then something clicked in his mind.

"Wait. I think I saw something earlier when I was rebuilding the cabin."

Evelise tilted her head.

"What something?"

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