TVLM 07

Chapter 7 ….

“What’s this?”

Angelica’s eyes widened. She had expected the appearance of Beginner Quest 3, but a hidden quest had caught her completely off guard.

[A hidden quest…]

Last night, Sabu, who had slept under the bed, noticed Angelica waking up and leapt onto the bed.

He then read the message window floating in front of Angelica.

Curious, Angelica reached out to stroke Sabu’s fluffy fur and asked,

“By the way, Sabu, can you see this message window? I thought only I could see it.”

[I can see it because I am connected to you. Other humans cannot see it, so don’t worry.]

“Good, that’s a relief.”

Sabu carefully examined the message window before suddenly turning his head back.

[Rika.]

“Huh?”

Angelica answered softly with a smile, and Sabu let out a heavy sigh.

[Even I don’t know about this hidden quest.]

Angelica just stared at him, her eyes wide. Sabu continued,

[I roughly know what quests will appear before you.]

“Really?”

Angelica’s eyes sparkled.

[I was born to help you, so I’ve known, from the moment you were born, which quests would appear before you. Not all, but quite a few.]

“Impressive!”

[But…]

Sabu’s expression grew serious.

[This is different from the usual quests. It seems to be part of a quest even I do not know about.]

That meant it was potentially dangerous.

Sabu studied the quest message window intently.

Unlike the windows that had appeared before Angelica, this one glowed red, giving off an ominous feeling.

Angelica followed his gaze and also studied the window. She already knew it was different from the quests she had received before.

But the word “hidden” caught her attention.

Having been obsessed with games in her previous life, Angelica knew very well the enormous rewards that came with hidden quests.

“Hidden quests usually give rewards that are otherwise hard to get…”

She hesitated for a moment. She had considered accepting the quest immediately, but seeing Sabu deep in thought with serious eyes made it difficult to act hastily.

After a brief silence, Sabu spoke.

[Rika.]

“Yes?”

[I will always help you.]

“Yeah! I know.”

Angelica smiled at his warm words, but Sabu’s expression was far from cheerful.

[However, there may be parts I cannot help with because I don’t know them. Even so, I will do my best. Are you okay with that?]

Angelica nodded.

“I’m more than okay.”

Just having this cute spirit by her side was already a huge help—even if Sabu didn’t realize it.

[Then you may accept the quest. Ultimately, your decision comes first.]

Hearing this, Angelica reached out. First, she accepted Beginner Quest 3.

Its task was connected to Beginner Quest 2: she had to harvest three potatoes.

“Three potatoes should be easy enough.”

Angelica giggled and moved her finger—but instead of accepting the hidden quest, she pressed the minimize button.

The hidden quest window disappeared from view, replaced by a small note icon in the upper-left corner.

Tapping the icon brought the hidden quest back, but Angelica minimized it again and got out of bed.

The puppy leapt off the bed and called to her.

[Rika, why didn’t you accept it right away?]

Angelica didn’t answer and went to the kitchen. She placed one pre-boiled potato and an appleberry on a plate.

Sitting at the small table with the plate, Sabu waddled over and jumped onto the table.

[Rika.]

When Sabu called again, Angelica popped an appleberry into her mouth, savoring the sweet, tangy flavor as she replied,

“I’m thinking about it a bit more for now.”

Seeing her smile, Sabu slumped down in resignation.

[Alright. Do as you wish.]

Angelica ate the appleberry and potato eagerly and shared some with Sabu. Although he didn’t need food, as a spirit, he still enjoyed the taste and ate it happily.

While sharing appleberries with Sabu, Angelica fell into thought.

In truth, she wanted to accept the hidden quest immediately, but something bothered her.

Until now, quest titles had never appeared before accepting them.

“They only showed after I accepted them…”

But the hidden quest already had a title: “Help Grandma.”

It seemed designed to tempt her. This world—or this game—knew her weakness.

“Grandma…”

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the quest to deliberately show her that word.

A figure she could never forget from her past life came to mind—

The only person who had ever supported her in her previous life as Jung Yuri.

No parents, no relatives, no friends—only one person cared for her: her grandmother.

Her warm, kind grandmother had raised her from infancy after being abandoned by her parents.

In her impoverished life, only her grandmother had been her sanctuary.

But when Yuri turned seventeen, her grandmother passed away from old age.

Left alone, Yuri couldn’t even hold her grandmother’s funeral.

That had left a deep wound in her heart. Whenever she passed elderly people on the street, she felt she could not simply walk by.

And now…

“To see the word ‘grandma’ here…”

Angelica felt her vision blur. Just recalling the memory of her past life made her eyes well up with tears.

[Rika?]

Seeing her eyes redden while eating appleberries, Sabu panicked and called out urgently.

“Uh… yeah?”

Angelica quickly wiped her eyes and replied.

[Why are you crying? Is something wrong?]

She shook her head and smiled brightly.

“No. I’m just young, so tears come naturally.”

Even recalling just a little of that memory triggered tears in her child body.

Angelica reasoned this away.

“Did I just recall a sad memory?”

Although she didn’t tell Sabu the reason, he understood. Being mentally connected to her, he immediately sensed her sadness. But since she didn’t want to speak, he didn’t press further.

“This is delicious.”

Having finished her appleberries and potato, Angelica patted her full stomach. Fortunately, the tears had stopped, and Sabu didn’t ask more questions.

Smiling, Angelica stood up. She had no immediate plans to accept the hidden quest.

She didn’t like a quest that blatantly exposed her one weakness: the word “grandma.” It felt like a trap designed to lure her.

So she decided not to rush and focus first on completing the quests she had already been given.

Before going out, she put on the equipment she had stashed in a huge bag. It was a shabby beginner set, but wearing it made her feel confident.

Looking in the mirror, Angelica asked Sabu,

“Sabu, how long until the potatoes grow? Days… or months? Does that mean I can only complete Beginner Quest then?”

That was a serious issue—she couldn’t eat the potatoes immediately!

Her pupils shook in dismay. Although there were forest fruits, she wanted the potatoes she grew herself.

Her shoulders drooped, but Sabu chuckled and replied,

[Beginner seeds are very resilient. Otherwise, completing the quest would take weeks.]

“Then…?”

Hope flickered in Angelica’s eyes.

[Don’t worry, just open the door.]

Swallowing hard, Angelica carefully opened the cabin door.

What she saw was not sprouts, but a fully grown potato field.

“Wow, this is amazing!”

Angelica couldn’t stop exclaiming. From the moment she discovered the potato field, her face was lit up with a smile.

Every time she dug with the hoe, more potatoes came up, and she was overjoyed.

Sabu’s mouth curled up in a smile as he watched.

“They grew so quickly! Is this the power of the beginner seeds?”

Sabu nodded.

“Long live beginner seeds!”

Angelica grinned, filling her old basket with potatoes. The three potatoes required for Beginner Quest 3 were already in her pocket, completing the quest.

As a result, she easily obtained one of the beginner set items: normal-grade “shabby pants.”

The shabby pants were worn over old suspenders, making her look like a proper little farmer—though slightly loose.

With a bountiful harvest and the pants, her smile didn’t fade. Soon, her basket was full.

She placed it in the cabin, then decided to take the next step she had resolved upon while harvesting.

That step was:

[Hidden Quest: Help Grandma (1)
Task: Please help the grandma somewhere in the forest.]

She accepted the hidden quest.