Dravin had predicted that Freya would devour his cooking.
But what made his jaw drop wasn't her ravenous eating, it was the fact that from the very first bite, he received a series of notifications, with his charisma points increasing in increments of 5,000 four times.
And that wasn't all. Now, in front of him, hovering above Freya's head, a status screen had appeared:
Dravin squeezed his eyes shut and blinked, but the pink translucent status was still hovering above her head.
"What the hell is that?" he yelped.
Freya knocked the dining table, making him flinch.
"What are you looking at? Can I have this?" With demanding eyes, she pointed at Dravin's plate.
Her pleading face reminded him of his sister, but if his sister were a cute kitten, Freya's nonchalance was that of a lion cub.
Dravin nodded and pushed his plate forward. Freya immediately stacked it on top of her empty one and went back to devouring the savory beef Wellington.
"What are you looking at?" Freya asked again.
But Dravin was stunned again as Freya chewed. The status above her head continued to increase.
Freya took another bite.
Ding!
Dravin chuckled. "I can see a pink translucent status hovering above your head. Do you know about that?"
"What does it say?" Freya asked back, still eating.
"Satisfaction Index."
"What's the number?"
"Now it's 70%. It's been increasing as you eat. And I got Charisma points as a reward."
Freya stopped eating and froze for a moment. She took a quick glance at Dravin before continuing.
"You just unlocked the hunter's eyes. And by the number it shows, it looks like you succeeded in your first mission." She looked up. "Should I congratulate you?"
Dravin chuckled. "Cut the crap. What are these hunter's eyes?"
Freya took her last bite of the beef Wellington. Dravin was amused at how clean the plates were, with not a single crumb left.
"So your bully system didn't tell you? They are eyes that can see the Pleasure Index of humans. And they can see the Satisfaction Index of hunters." Freya crossed her arms. "But, why must I tell you? It's not my job. Don't waste my energy. Just ask your bully system."
Dravin scoffed. "Why did you call it a bully?"
"Just because."
Her food was gone. Now her mood was wrecked again? She wasn't a lion cub; she was a lion all on her own.
But with that stern expression still on her face, Dravin could tell the tone of her voice was much warmer. It made Dravin want to make her loosen up even more.
"I still can't reach Rubby. And I'm sure you didn't come here just because you wanted to taste my food, right? We need to make a plan for the month," Dravin explained.
Then Freya burst into a mocking laughter.
Dravin frowned. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because it's funny. How funny that a system has a name," Freya said, giggling in between her words.
Freya's words only made Dravin feel like he was being played.
"Funny? You don't have a system like me?"
"Me?" She chuckled. "I don't need that kind of system to do my job."
"But you need me." Dravin's face turned serious, making Freya immediately fall silent with a disgusted look on her face.
"That's not what I want," Freya said, not backing down.
"Still, the fact that you came here against your will means you need me. So don't act all high and mighty just because it hurts your pride to admit that you need me."
Freya's jaw was visibly clenched, and her face was scrunched up.
It had been so long since Dravin met an arrogant woman who irritated him like this. If only she would act a little sweeter, it would add to her beauty, which was like an angel fallen from heaven.
Ding!
[Please ask your co-hunter for a tip from 1 up to 10 times before the time's up, she needs to say it herself how many times she wants to give you in 2 minutes - time remaining: 1:59]
I fucked up.
Why didn't this notification pop up before I started bickering with Freya? I already called her arrogant. Will she still give me the maximum tip, though?
The screen in front of Dravin didn't disappear, and the seconds kept counting down.
So after the time was up, the chance for a tip would be gone?
Arrghhh… Dravin ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
Freya put her glass on the table after drinking and stared intently into Dravin's eyes. "Fine. I still stand by my belief that I don't need you. But this world does. So—"
"Freya." He cut her off. "Say you'll give me a tip for my cooking, ten times my rewards. Now!"
Freya frowned, then gave him a sly smile. "Ah… did your system bully you again?" She chuckled. "Interesting."
<1:24>
"Just say it!"
"Why does it have to be ten times? Can't I give two, five, or just zero tip?" Her sly smile deepened.
"No. It's just asking you to say ten times."
"What if I don't want to say it? Is there a punishment?"
Dravin clenched his jaw. He still wasn't sure whether she really didn't know about his mission from the system or was just pretending. She was impossible to read.
<0:54>
The countdown made his heart beat faster. He didn't have time to persuade her with beautiful words. He sighed in frustration.
"Yes. Some people would die, and the demons would have the upper hand."
Freya laughed. "You're a smooth talker. Even your lies sound like the truth."
"Because it's not a lie. I need that ten-times tip to make my mission plans run smoothly. So, if you don't give me that, it will be a setback that may cause more people to die from demon possession."
The smile on Freya's face faded, and the corner of her lips twitched. She seemed affected by the logic behind his words.
"You… you'll do anything to get what you want, won't you?" she mocked.
<0:37>
"I'm forced to. It doesn't matter what we want, we have the same goal," he persuaded.
Freya flinched. Her face was unreadable. She remained silent, weighing Dravin's words.
<0:25>
Dravin clicked his tongue. "You have ten seconds left to say it. Ten…"
"Nine…"
"Eight…"
"Seven…"
"Six…"
"Five…"
"Four…"
"Three—"
"I give you nine times your reward as a tip." She smirked.
<0:11>
Dravin scoffed. Damn, she knew it.