Reyhan looked at the rabbit girl who seemed to be about the same age as his younger sister, yet her life was plagued by various misfortunes. A feeling of sympathy and pity welled up in his heart.
"If you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay here. As you can see, it's just me and Rudy on this island," said Reyhan without thinking too much.
"You can think about it first, there's no need to rush…" he continued as he brought three bowls of instant noodles and several pieces of grilled fish.
[Master… at last you reveal your true nature, full of lust… have you decided to take your first concubine, a rabbit girl at that?...]
The System's voice, which hadn't been heard in a long time, suddenly echoed in Reyhan's mind. But upon hearing the System's words, Reyhan almost choked before even sitting down.
(What the heck?! I'm only inviting her to stay because I pity her! Don't start making weird narratives!) Reyhan replied in his mind, annoyed.
(Besides, where have you been all this time?… I haven't seen you for a whole month) Reyhan complained to this irresponsible System.
[This System has been busy with its own matters, besides, you still don't have access to the System… and cannot use its functions yet.]
Hearing that sarcastic answer, Reyhan fell silent and ignored the irresponsible System. He then handed out the bowls of instant noodles and grilled fish to Liora and Rudy.
"Please eat this, we don't have any other food besides this and the coconuts outside…" Reyhan said to the still-silent Liora.
Then he immediately began eating without waiting for Liora's response.
Smelling the aroma of the instant noodles and seeing Reyhan eat so eagerly, Liora could only push aside her shyness and start eating.
As soon as she put the noodles in her mouth, her eyes widened. The savory, rich flavor of the seasoning blended with the warmth of the broth made her tongue tremble.
"Rey…han… what food… is this?" she mumbled softly, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of the waves.
Reyhan, still chewing, only glanced at her briefly, then replied casually, "That's instant noodles. A food from… well, you could say from my homeland."
Liora looked back at her bowl, then scooped up some broth and drank it slowly.
"I… have never eaten something like this before…" she said, this time her voice clear.
Reyhan only smiled. (Of course you haven't) Reyhan thought to himself.
From Liora's story, the world's level of development was comparable to the medieval era. However, since Liora had only been a village girl and hadn't seen much of the world, it was still uncertain how far civilization had truly advanced here.
...
In truth, Reyhan was already sick of eating instant noodles and fish for the past month—so much so that he almost threw up every time he ate them.
But there was nothing he could do, due to the limited food sources. Thankfully, there were fresh coconuts to drink every day as some form of comfort.
...
They ate in peace as Reyhan and Liora talked about various things. Outside, the calls of seabirds echoed in the distance, and the midday sunlight shone down on their simple dining table.
For a moment, the atmosphere felt warm—as if the outside world no longer mattered.
...
After eating, Reyhan let Liora explore the island with Rudy. He went back to his room after receiving a notification that a mission had been completed.
"Open mission list," Reyhan said as he sat on his bed.
{MISSION LIST}
{Own an island: Completed}
{Welcome your first guest: Completed}
Rewards:
1. Currency Exchange Machine
2. Automatic Vending Machine — All in One
3. Unlock Building Center }
Currency Exchange Machine: You can exchange valuable items or currencies from various countries in this world into special currency required for various resort facilities.
Automatic Vending Machine: You can buy various types of food and drinks here.
Building Center: Here you can choose the type and size of building you want to purchase using money. You can choose the default design or design the building yourself using the AI program provided.
...
When Reyhan saw the rewards, he jumped with joy—especially the Automatic Vending Machine (AVM), which made him want to try other foods as soon as possible.
"Finally, I can say goodbye to instant noodles and fish… this really wasn't easy… for me…" Reyhan murmured softly, moved.
Just thinking about all the foods other than instant noodles made him feel excited. He then went outside to look for a place to put the AVM and the Currency Exchange Machine.
When he stepped outside, he happened to run into Liora and Rudy, who had just finished touring the island.
"Hey Reyhan, what are you going to do now?… Do you want to go fishing?" Liora asked when she saw Reyhan hurrying out.
Reyhan told her that daily activities here were mostly fishing due to the lack of resources.
Looking at Liora, Reyhan approached her and held her shoulders with both hands, giving her a little shake.
"Hehehe… Liora, you are my lucky star… since you arrived, I feel like my life has gotten better…" Reyhan said enthusiastically.
Liora, misunderstanding Reyhan's words, felt a faint blush appear on her cheeks.
(What did Reyhan mean by that?… Does he like me?… Is this… a confession?… Then how should I respond?… We've only just met…)
Various thoughts swirled in Liora's mind, and she didn't notice that Reyhan had already walked away.
Reyhan didn't pay much attention to Liora. At that moment, he was talking to the System in his mind.
"System… are you there?"
[Ding… Host, do you want to ask about how to set up the rewards? In that case, you just need to claim the reward and… boom! Something will appear. Then place it in an open area to set it up.]
Hearing the System's suspicious explanation, Reyhan could only go along with it and claimed his first mission reward—the Currency Exchange Machine (CEM).
Then something like a cube appeared in front of him and fell to the ground. The cube was about the size of a human head, perfectly symmetrical, and its dark, ink-like color made it look mesmerizing.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the cube, Liora and Rudy, who were nearby, were surprised. Rudy only stared at the black cube curiously, while Liora gasped and asked Reyhan,
"Reyhan, can you use magic?" she asked with curiosity.
"Maybe… something like that. After all, my abilities are pretty special… so don't ask too many questions, okay!?" Reyhan replied.
Since he figured he would often do strange things in other people's eyes, it was better to just attribute it all to magic.
"Alright… Reyhan… but what is this weird black thing?" Liora asked curiously.
Reyhan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the black cube and was surprised to find it as light as cotton.
(System, how do I use this thing?) Reyhan asked in his mind.
[There's a small button on one side of the cube. You just need to place the cube on the ground and press it for ten seconds, then move ten meters away from it.]
Following the instructions, he carried the black cube to an empty spot more than ten meters to the left of his house and set it on the ground. Reyhan then pressed the small button for ten seconds and brought Liora and Rudy away from it.
What happened next was—the cube began to change.