Kai carefully stirred the sugar over the fire, watching as it slowly melted inside the frying pan. He had never expected to find something that tasted exactly like sugar inside a dungeon, but after checking it with his Food Appraisal skill, he had confirmed it was safe.
The sweet smell soon began spreading through the area as he worked, and Kai couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself. Maybe if he could figure out how to make candy with the strange ingredients here, it could become another thing he could trade for valuable items.
He was just about to test the melted sugar when he heard movement behind him. Kai immediately turned around and saw the girl slowly sitting up.
She looked confused for a moment before her eyes landed on him. Kai smiled awkwardly, about to greet her, but before he could say anything, the girl suddenly raised her hand.
"Stay away from me!" the girl shouted, her voice sharp as something suddenly wrapped around Kai’s body.
Kai barely had time to react before his entire body was trapped inside something soft and sticky. His arms were pinned against his sides and he couldn’t move properly.
He looked down and realised he was completely covered in pink cotton candy. How had she even made this so quickly?
"Wait, wait, wait! Calm down!" Kai shouted, struggling against the sticky mass around him. "I’m not trying to hurt you!" Kai said, his voice muffled slightly by the cotton candy.
The girl stared at him suspiciously, keeping her distance while Kai continued struggling. "That’s exactly what someone who was trying to hurt me would say," the girl replied cautiously.
Kai sighed. Of course she wouldn’t believe him. He had found her unconscious in the middle of a dangerous dungeon and now she had woken up to find some random guy cooking beside her. From her point of view, he probably looked suspicious as hell.
"Look, if I wanted to hurt you, would I really have stayed here and cooked food beside you?" Kai asked, trying to reason with her. "I could have just left you here while you were unconscious," Kai said, hoping she would at least think about it.
The girl hesitated for a moment before reaching for her phone. Kai watched as she quickly checked something on the screen. Her expression changed slightly as she read through whatever was displayed.
"You really are Kai?" she asked, looking at him with surprise.
"Yes! Finally, you believe me," Kai replied, letting out a tired sigh.
The girl stared at her phone again before looking back at him.
She seemed to have finally connected the information she had with the person standing in front of her. "Hori told me about you," she said, lowering her hand slightly.
Before she could release him, Kai noticed the cotton candy around his body beginning to loosen slightly.
He didn’t wait. He twisted his body and moved closer to the fire, allowing the heat to melt the sticky candy around him.
After several seconds of struggling, he finally broke free and stumbled onto the ground. Find the original chapter at g.com.
"That was not how I expected this meeting to go," Kai muttered, brushing pieces of cotton candy from his clothes.
"I’m sorry," the girl said, lowering her head slightly. "I thought you were one of the people who came after us."
Kai looked at her for a moment before waving his hand. "It’s fine I’m still alive, so I guess we’re good," Kai said casually.
Before the girl could respond, a loud growl echoed through the cave.
Both of them froze.
Kai slowly looked at her stomach before looking back at her face. The girl immediately looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"Are you hungry?" Kai asked, already reaching for one of the fish he had caught earlier.
"...A little," she admitted quietly.
Kai smiled and placed the fish over the fire. "Then you should eat first. We can talk while you eat," Kai said as he began preparing the meal.
The girl watched him work, seemingly surprised that he wasn’t asking for anything in return. Soon the smell of roasted fish filled the area, and when Kai finally handed the cooked fish to her, she hesitated before taking it.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Kai nodded before sitting across from her. "Now, can you tell me what happened? I was told you were with Hori," Kai asked.
The girl’s expression immediately became serious. She lowered the fish slightly and stared at the ground for a moment.
"I was with my twin sister when the goblins attacked us," she explained. "They came out of nowhere and started taking people away. My sister was captured, and I tried to get away before they caught me too," she said, her voice becoming quieter.
Kai listened carefully without interrupting.
"Then, while I was escaping, a child suddenly fell onto me," she continued. "At first I didn’t understand what was happening, but then I realised it was Hori. He was terrified and kept talking about his uncle Kai."
Kai’s expression softened when he heard Hori’s name.
Kai nodded slowly. "So you were the one who sent me that message?" Kai asked.
"Yes," she answered.
Kai finally understood. All those messages and rumours he’d been hearing weren’t random after all. Hori had really been with her this entire time.
"But if Hori was with you, where is he now?" Kai asked.
The girl’s expression darkened.
"Some men found us," she said. "They tried to take Hori away from me. I fought them, but there were too many of them."
Kai’s hands tightened slightly.
"I tried my best to protect him, but one of them used some kind of sleep venom on me," she continued. "The last thing I remember was Hori being taken away while I was struggling to stay awake."
Kai stared at her in silence.
"So those men took Hori..." Kai murmured.
The girl nodded.
"I don’t know where they went," she said. "But before I lost consciousness, Hori kept shouting your name."
Kai looked toward the dark paths ahead. After everything he’d gone through, he had finally found someone who knew where Hori was.
And now Hori had been taken again.
Kai slowly stood up, his expression becoming serious.
"Then I’ll find him," Kai said.