Chapter 43: Help Gone Wrong Part One

Cashel understood everything Lionface had said, although it was taking a while to fully process. But if there was one thing that was extremely clear, it was that he was getting a house.

One problem solved.

Lionface, on the other hand, said nothing else. He simply tilted his head, as though waiting for Cashel to say something.

"Is that all?" Cashel asked, already raising a hand toward his mask.

When Lionface gave a nod of approval, Cashel smiled. He pulled his mask down, adjusted the weapon case over his shoulder, bowed respectfully, and turned around.

However, before he could reach the doorway...

"Bishop!"

Cashel turned his head around without stopping.

Lionface waved excitedly, an unusual gesture from a large, scary-looking man. "Say hello to the ladies for me, or else I’ll send Nathan."

Cashel made a disgusted face behind his mask. He only muttered a sure before vanishing behind the elevator. He made his way outside the INX building, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

The sky outside had already begun turning a dark gray, with mist filling the upper area of the city. Cashel took a detour off the main road toward where they lived and stopped at a jewelry shop.

There, he ordered two rings crafted in the exact same style as his own, one for Nina and the other for Olga. After that came a quick stop at the mall for groceries and household supplies before he made his way to a familiar bakery and picked up a three-tiered ice-cream cake.

However, in a secluded corner of the bakery where he picked a seat to wait, he stared at the cake, then at the bags, and frowned.

The cake was going to be a problem.

He still had a few more places to visit before heading home, and carrying an ice-cream cake around was a good way to turn it into mud.

He tilted his head, racking his brain, when an idea finally formed.

’Inventory.’ The thought had barely formed when his System screen appeared before his eyes.

[INVENTORY]

[Available Space: ∞]

[Stored Items: Weapons, Potions, Materials...]

He looked at the cake, then back at the screen. ’Can I really put this in there?’

He immediately focused on it, and the cake vanished. He opened his inventory again.

There it was.

[Cake ×1]

He narrowed his eyes, reached out mentally, and selected the item. The cake appeared on the table exactly as it had been before. Still cold, perfect... not even slightly disturbed.

He looked down at the shopping bags. ’If it works on the cake...’

One by one, he stored the groceries, momentarily checking the durability of the spatial storage by putting away an open bottle and resummoning it to check if it spilled or something.

[Groceries ×20]

[Household Supplies ×1]

[Packaged Gifts ×3]

Cashel glanced at his now-empty hands, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"No more carrying bags," he muttered under his breath and got to his feet.

He paid for the cake and exited the bakery. As he turned a corner toward the main road, a familiar silhouette and frame caught his eye near a quiet alleyway.

It was Nathan.

He paused, pulling his hands from his pockets as he turned to call out to him, but the words stopped in his throat when he noticed there was someone else there. Standing right in front of him was Lionface, and his mask was raised slightly, revealing his mouth.

Cashel narrowed his eyes as he watched the two.

"He’s a funny young man."

Cashel flinched. That was the only thing he managed to read from the lip movement.

The two then proceeded to laugh, with Nathan smiling like he was on cloud nine.

Cashel’s face twisted in disgust behind his mask. ’He wasn’t actually lying when he said they were very close, huh?’ he thought, finally clearing up the doubts he’d had.

’Unbelievable,’ he added, shaking his head as he flagged down a cab. ’The rat really does sell out every single detail of my life.’

By the time the cab dropped him off near his neighborhood, it was already late morning. The street was quiet and almost deserted. The small shop he usually passed, despite how far their house stood from the others, was already locked. Several other vendors were packing up as well.

Lionface was definitely not exaggerating about the weather. The smell of rain from afar and the thunderous clouds drawing closer was enough to tell him how soon it would arrive.

Cashel hurried up the stairs to the front door, casting the car a glance. The moment he stepped inside, as he proceeded to toe his shoes off and call Andeen, he was hit by a bizarre mixture of spices that had no business being together and the stench of something burning.

"What in the..."

Cashel dropped his weapon case by the entry table and rushed straight toward the kitchen.

Behold. Olga stood by the stove, holding a wooden spoon like a mop as she stared down at a bubbling pot filled with an unidentifiable, pitch-black substance.

Cashel’s face went pale. ’Is that..soup?’ His gaze dropped to the spoon in her hand, then back to the pot. He had barely digested the sight when Nina came out of the kitchen, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand and leaving a large streak of white flour across her face, her expression twisted in frustration.

It was then that he spotted Andeen sitting calmly by the kitchen window, her legs drawn up to her chest. She blew softly on a steaming cup of tea, completely unbothered by whatever disaster was unfolding around her.

Before Cashel could even speak, his System screen materialized before him.

[Additional Bound Targets Have Been Recognized.]

[Registration complete.]

[Reason: Both targets possess a direct and established relationship with the Primary Bound Target.]

[Support Network updated.]

[Primary Bound Target: Andeen Altar.]

[Linked Bound Targets: Nina Altar, Olga Altar.]

[System functions have been expanded.]

[Rewards, abilities, beasts, cards, credits, equipment, and other resources obtained by Linked Bound Targets may now be transferred to the Player.]

[Warning: Resources directly purchased by the Player through the System remain temporary unless obtained through a valid Bound Target reward.]

[New Function Unlocked: Support Investment System.]

[The Player may invest personal resources into Bound Targets.]

[Eligible investments include money, gifts, equipment, food, necessities, property, and other meaningful forms of support.]

[Investment detected.]

[Recent purchases have been identified as Support Investments.]

[Matching Rings ×2]

[Recipient: Nina Altar.]

[Recipient: Olga Altar.]

[Cake ×1]

[Recipient: Household.]

[Additional Household Supplies detected.]

[Total Investment Value: $2,500.]

[Converting Investment Value into Points...]

[Converting Base Return: 25 Points.]

[10,000X Return Effect activated.]

[Investment Return: 25,000 Points.]

[Total Points/Credits: 726,760.]

[Congratulations....]

[The Player’s unusually generous behavior has been recognized.]

Cashel blinked in complete disbelief at the panel. Then he looked back at the three women.

"I leave for... what, a few hours?" Cashel said slowly. "And you three decide to burn the house?" His voice dropped, filled with frustration, exhaustion, and dread.

Andeen turned toward the sound of his voice, while the other two finally noticed his presence. Nina smiled as well. She then lifted her cup and calmly gestured toward Olga.

"They made breakfast, honey." She took another sip of tea. "It’s really good."

Cashel slowly turned toward the pot, then back toward Andeen.

"That’s breakfast?"

"Yes."

Cashel’s eye twitched.

’I need to sit down.’