The sun was scorching, and the air was stifling. Even though I had taken out and put on some light clothes, it hardly made a difference. Just the short trip outside to bring the Golden Triangular Horned Cow back made me sweat profusely.
I regretted not having installed an air conditioner beforehand.
But how could I have guessed that I would suddenly be warped to a seaside cliff in the middle of summer, building and all?
[Item: Ice Cream Coffee (★★★★☆)
Status: Good (Remaining Time: 01:00:00)
Effect: Your body becomes very cold.]
At that moment, I noticed the effect description of the Ice Cream Coffee.
A cold sensation surged through my body, accompanied by a sweet taste. It was as refreshing as the coolness provided by Willis Carrier, the inventor of the air conditioner. As the heat subsided, I finally felt a bit of energy.
I drained the remaining coffee and muttered to myself.
"This must be what they call the heat of midsummer…"
"Isn't it more accurately called the heat of midsummer, meow?"
While making a quip, Meeum also slurped down the Ice Cream Coffee. It seemed that being a furry creature made her even more sensitive to the heat.
I managed to get some milk, but the situation remained unresolved: where exactly was this place, and how could I return?
At least the coffee was delicious, which was a small comfort.
"…? What is it?"
At that moment, Asga seemed to sense something and lifted her head.
It was strange. I had just cooled down, but I could feel the heat again. Moreover, the heat grew more intense, as if a fire had been set nearby.
Following Asga's gaze, I turned my head and was startled.
It wasn't just a feeling.
There was really a fire in front of the shop.
"Fire…! Where's the fire extinguisher? I need to get the fire extinguisher!"
In a panic, I tried to put out the fire and was surprised.
Upon closer inspection, the fire was in the shape of a child. It looked like a fire spirit.
And the fire spirit, which was slowly approaching me, started to cry.
It sounded strange to say that fire was crying, but that was the only way to describe it. Tears from the spirit's eyes turned into steam and disappeared.
"Sniff, sniff…"
It was a clear "I have a problem, please ask me quickly" kind of look.
The sad crying continued for a while.
After glancing at me and then crying again, it seemed the spirit had no intention of moving from there.
After a moment of thought, I approached the fire spirit.
I was concerned because it kept crying, and it was hard to ignore the "please come and talk to me" look in its eyes.
Also, if the spirit, exhausted from crying, entered the shop, it would be problematic. The tables and chairs were all made of wood.
"Hey, why are you crying?"
The fire spirit lifted its head, sprinkling steam.
It was difficult to understand the spirit's words, which seemed to lack grammatical structure and consisted only of a string of words.
After sweating profusely in the intense heat and repeating questions for a while, I finally grasped the following:
This spirit's name is Pepe.
It is a fire spirit that serves a master called "Eternal Flame."
One day, a fragment of the master's flame went missing. Pepe, on the master's orders, set out to find the missing fragment.
"Fragment, runaway, bad."
"Meow…"
"Hey, Lime, what's wrong?"
"Meow…"
Lime had quietly hidden behind me, as if trying to avoid Pepe.
Lime, could it be that you…?
I calmed down the clingy Lime and continued listening to the story.
After searching for a long time, Pepe finally found the missing fragment. Eager to bring it back, Pepe swallowed the fragment. However, it turned out to be a cold flame fragment, not the one Pepe was looking for. As a result, Pepe's body cooled down, and it could no longer swim in the sea.
"Master, waiting, sea."
The story was that Pepe needed to return to the master but couldn't cross the sea because of the cold.
After careful consideration, I decided to speak carefully to avoid hurting the spirit.
"Pepe, you know… fire goes out when it touches water."
But Pepe shook its head firmly.
"Swimming possible, with ring."
"…Ring?"
"Ktuga's ring, fire. Pepe, can swim."
"Could you be talking about this?"
Nod.
Pepe pointed to the ring on my finger, which had a red stone.
Ktuga's ring. I bought it from Grandma Kim Deok and used it for roasting coffee.
"Eternal Flame, ignition."
Would it work? Since Pepe's body is fire and the ring is used to ignite fire, it might be okay.
I hesitated but used the ring's power on Pepe.
Whoosh.
Fire enveloped Pepe's body, and I felt an intense heat.
"Pepe, warmth, happiness."
However, the intense flames only lasted a moment. Pepe's body cooled down again.
"Pepe, cold, sadness."
Pepe shed tears. As I pondered how to comfort this steam-emitting spirit, a cheerful sound that didn't fit the situation rang out, and a notification window appeared. It was a quest.
[Main Quest: Rescue the Fire Spirit Pepe
You have encountered the lost and pitiful spirit Pepe.
Warm Pepe's body and send it home.
Traditionally, alcohol has been used to warm the body. A coffee with alcohol should be effective.
Upon completion, the Eternal Flame will commend you.
Required Item: Irish Coffee
Deliver Irish Coffee to Pepe 0/1
Reward: Foamhaut's Starlight, Dungeon Map]
There were two notable aspects of this unexpected quest.
First, it was a main quest, not a side quest.
Until now, main quests only appeared for significant events. Therefore, this quest, which involved helping Pepe, whom I had encountered by chance, might hold the key to my current situation.
Second, the map given as a reward.
Foamhaut's Starlight… I didn't know what it was, so I would leave it for now.
The important thing was the map.
With a map, I could understand the layout of this place. It might show an exit or provide a clue to escape this mysterious dungeon.
There was no time to hesitate. I checked the recipe and immediately asked Pepe:
"Pepe, how old are you?"
"Age, question, old-fashioned."
"…"
"Korean, hierarchy, bad."
What a sharp spirit…
"That's not what I mean. I need this information to help Pepe."
"Pepe, fast, 1200 years old."
It's quite a lot more than I expected… but it's not a minor, so it should be fine.
I told Pepe to wait a moment and returned to the shop.
To make the Irish Coffee required for the quest, I needed whiskey. When I selected whiskey from the dimensional shop, a warning window appeared.
[Excessive drinking is harmful to health and can cause status abnormalities.]
[Are you 19 years old or older?
Yes ☜ / No]
Quite thorough…
I chose 'Yes,' and a small glass bottle of whiskey appeared in my hand. When I opened the cap, a strong smell wafted out. It seemed to be quite potent.
I added sugar to the whiskey and heated it to a temperature just below boiling. Then I added espresso and warm water in sequence.
Next, I needed whipped cream. I obtained it by operating the milking machine installed on the Golden Triangular Horned Cow.
Filling the glass to the brim with the whipped cream completed the Irish Coffee.
[Item: Irish Coffee (★★★★☆)
Status: Good (Remaining Time: 01:00:00)
Effect: Your body becomes very warm.]
A rich aroma wafted from the glass. The harmonious blend of sugar, coffee, and whiskey was soothing.
I immediately brought the glass to Pepe, who was waiting.
"Pepe, try this."
"Smell, good, drink."
Pepe took the glass. The moment Pepe's hand touched it, the glass started to melt, but fortunately, Pepe managed to drink it all before it completely melted.
As the last drop of Irish Coffee disappeared into Pepe's mouth, a powerful flame enveloped Pepe's body.
"Pepe, warmth, happiness."
Sweat trickled down my face. The heat was so intense that I had to step back to avoid getting burned.
Success!
[Congratulations! You have completed the 'Main Quest: Rescue the Fire Spirit Pepe.'
Please claim your reward.]
[You have obtained Foamhaut's Starlight. You can observe the Foamhaut star in this space.]
[You have obtained the Dungeon Map.]
"Pepe, thank you, I will repay you."
"It's okay, you don't need to repay me."
It was a side effect of completing the quest to get the map.
"Benefactor, come to my home…!"
However, the alcohol content in the Irish Coffee seemed to be too strong. Pepe, now tipsy, suddenly became excited.
"Invitation, party, excitement…!"
Every time Pepe moved, flames burst out in all directions. If this continued, the flames would burn down the house.
"Ah, calm down, Pepe! Just, be a bit more calm…!"
"Invitation, refusal, impossible…!"
The flames left scorch marks on the brick walls of the shop. The fire was about to spread to the trees in the yard.
Pepe was calmed down by Asga. She barked at the burning flames.
"Calm down. What kind of rudeness is this to my master!"
"World, twilight, demon king…? Why, here, exist?"
"Fire spirit, show respect to my master."
"Hey, Asga, calling me your master might cause misunderstandings."
I hope there's no misunderstanding. The only contract between Asga and me is an employment contract that complies with labor laws.
Calling me a master sounds a bit… off.
"Master, unknown, sorry."
Puff, the flames subsided.
It seemed that a dramatic reconciliation, or rather a hierarchical reorganization, had taken place between the non-human entities.
Pepe, now much calmer than before, hung its head sadly.
"Pepe, no friends. Alone, return, loneliness. Apology, reflection, farewell."
Tears from Pepe's eyes turned into steam and scattered. Pepe bowed deeply. I hurriedly called out to Pepe, who was about to leave.
"No, Pepe, I'll accept the invitation. Thank you."
"Really, happiness, excitement!"
I glanced at the map I had just received as a quest reward.
A small island in the middle of the sea. A large star was marked where Pepe's home was located. An 'Event' marker was blinking.
I'm not sure what kind of event it is, but…
Pepe's invitation might be the solution to this hopeless situation.