When Sid finally finished, the cabin looked almost alive again. His stamina bar hovered dangerously low, pulsing red at the edges of his vision. A table now stood steady in the center, two repaired chairs rested by the wall, and a clean wooden shelf stood ready for storage. Sid wiped the sweat from his forehead, breathing hard.
"That's half my stamina gone… guess I'll need to refuel. These tasks never stop coming."
He opened his palm, summoning an energy drink from his inventory. The cold can appeared in a flash of light. He cracked it open with relief.
"At last… an energy drink. I wonder if it still tastes like the ones back on Earth— the only thing that kept me awake during those endless streaming nights—"
Before he could take a sip, Evelise suddenly kicked one of the table legs. The jolt startled him, spilling half the drink onto the floor.
"Crap! Hey— what the hell are you doing?"
"Examining."
She said flatly.
"Examining?! You're kicking it like it owes you money!"
Evelise ignored him, stepping around the furniture with her arms crossed. She crouched slightly, testing the legs, the corners, even pressing her palm against the table surface. Her sharp eyes scanned every detail like a strict inspector deciding whether to approve or destroy his work.
Sid wiped the spilled energy drink off the floor, grumbling under his breath. He still cradled the half empty can like it was a precious relic, careful not to lose another drop. His eyes followed Evelise as she paced from the table to the chairs. She leaned in close to inspect the edges, ran a finger across the wood grain, and even tapped the surface a few times as if testing its stability. Sid raised an eyebrow.
"Wow… you're really taking this 'examining' thing seriously, huh?"
She pressed a palm against the tabletop, leaned her weight into it, and gave it a firm push. It didn't even creak.
"Hmm…"
Then she moved to the chair, sat down hard, and bounced slightly, testing its balance. Sid's brows twitched.
"Careful! You break that, and I'll make you sit on a log instead."
Ignoring him, Evelise stood, lifted one leg, and gave the chair a sharp kick. The impact echoed through the cabin but the chair didn't even shift an inch. She blinked, surprised, then turned away as if hiding her reaction.
"Hmph. At least it didn't collapse. I suppose your hands have… some talent."
Sid put a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded.
"Wow, is that… praise? From the great Evelise herself? Hold on, I need to write this down somewhere before it disappears from history."
Her ears flicked in annoyance.
"Don't get cocky. I'm only saying it's… passable. Barely."
The same thing appeared again.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]
[+7 Bond Points gained]
[Current BP: 20 / 100]
[Heart Status: Black]
The black heart on her chest pulsed once before fading again. Evelise yawned, stretching her arms and legs lazily before kicking rapidly like an actual rabbit. Sid blinked, caught off guard by the motion.
"Well, after all that work, I think I deserve a rest. I'll be in my room."
Sid stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Rest? You didn't do anything except watch me sweat for three hours."
She ignored him completely, walking toward the small side room. Finally, Sid had a moment alone. He exhaled in relief, lifting the half-spilled energy drink like it was a long lost treasure. The last time he'd tried drinking one, ghouls had crashed through the ground before he even tasted a drop. He twisted the cap and grinned faintly
."Finally… peace and caffeine. My favorite combo. Let's see if the apocalypse hasn't ruined this too."
The liquid slid slowly toward his lips but before it could even touch his tongue, Evelise's voice exploded from the other room, followed by a loud creak.
"Wha—?! ARGH! I forgot, the bed is destroyed!"
The drink spilled again. Sid froze, his expression twitching, then his temper finally snapped.
"Why the fuck does something always stop me from drinking this damn energy drink?!"
He crushed the can in his fist and hurled it against the wall.
"FUCK!"
From the other room, Evelise's voice rang out, loud and commanding.
"Human! You're fixing this too! NOW!"
The system chimed again.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]
[New Task Acquired!]
[Task 4: A Comforting Bed]
[Objective: Fix her bed, make a mattress, and add clean sheets to make her space warm and safe.]
Sid stared blankly at the glowing text, his jaw tightening.
"Fuck this dead world… where's the logout button? Or can I just rage quit here? Can I—"
"HELLO?! Am I speaking to somebody?!"
Evelise's voice thundered from the other room. Sid groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Why does it feel like she's the one giving the orders here? I'm supposed to be the master, not the other way around… Arghhhh, fuck."
Sid walked in, each step creaking against the old wooden floor as he approached the wreck. The frame was split, the slats snapped, and the old mattress had turned into dust. As he crouched beside it, more blueprints appeared before his eyes.
[Repair Bed Frame]
[Ingredients: 2x Plank, 4x Nails. Tools: Hammer, Saw]
[Replace Broken Slats]
[Ingredients: 2x Plank. Tools: Hammer]
Sid lifted what was left of the mattress, his face twisting in disgust. The thing sagged like wet bread, patches of mold crawling up the fabric. When he poked it, it gave off a damp squelch. Then came the smell… rancid and heavy, like something had died inside it months ago.
"Oh, hell no!"
He dropped it instantly and stepped back, waving his hand in front of his face.
"This thing smells like it crawled out of a zombie's armpit. How the hell did you even sleep on this?"
He blinked a few times, waiting for the usual glowing lines of blueprints to appear, but nothing came. No plans, no recipes, not even a single repair guide. He stared harder, even squinting, but still, nothing. His system was completely blank.
"What the…"
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