+20 Stat Points Available.
Little Tank opened her stats, scanned them, and fixed the problem immediately.
Defence: 398 / 450, which was unacceptable. Without hesitation, he placed all twenty points into defence.
Defence: 418 / 450
Better.
LEVEL 13
HP: 268 / 450
STAMINA: 132 / 450
DEFENSE: 418 / 450
ATTACK: 120 / 450
SPEED: 120 / 450
EXP: 0 / 12000
COOKING LEVEL 1
GATHERING LEVEL 10
NOOB STREAMER LVL 1
Little Tank then closed the stats menu.
"…you levelled again," Spring said absently, not even looking up this time, like that had already stopped being the strangest part of today.
[Yes.]
Spring didn't move for a second after the last notification faded, their attention still caught somewhere between the absurd pile of materials and the small armoured figure standing in front of it like none of this required explanation. The fireworks outside cracked again, light spilling through the stall in shifting waves of gold and red, but it barely touched the space between them anymore.
"…okay," Spring said slowly, like they had made a decision mid thought and were committing to it before they could second-guess themselves. His hands moved again, more certain this time, separating items with purpose instead of hesitation. "Listen to me carefully."
Little Tank looked at Spring.
Spring pointed lightly at the piles, then at Little Tank, then back again. "You cannot use most of this."
He blinked once, which sounded incorrect.
Spring continued anyway. "Not properly, not yet anyway, cooking level one means you burn half of it, waste the other half, and somehow still poison yourself in the process. Rare and uncommon ingredients aren't for you yet. They're for later or for people who know what they're doing."
Little Tank considered that, opened his menu briefly, then closed it.
[Yeah, sure.]
Spring nodded immediately, like that was the correct answer. "Good, so here's what we're going to do: you sell me all your rare and uncommon materials. I'll take them off your hands now, store them properly, use them when needed, and when you reach a level where you can actually use them, you come back to me."
Spring paused just long enough for it to settle "…and I will make it worth your time."
Little Tank did not hesitate.
[Sounds good. 👍]
Spring's mouth twitched slightly at that,amusement flickering briefly. "Right. Of course," he said.
Tank began transferring items quickly now, far more efficiently than before, his hands moving with practised familiarity as he sorted through quality tiers without needing to double check. The piles thinned, then reorganised, then vanished into storage one by one, the stall clearing at a pace that felt almost unnatural compared to how overwhelmed they had been moments ago.
"…this alone," Spring murmured at one point, almost to themselves, lifting a small cluster of higher-grade ingredients before setting them aside carefully, "…this shouldn't exist yet."
Little Tank watched; he didn't ask because he didn't care.
When Spring finished, Spring stepped back slightly, then reached under the counter and placed a small pouch on the surface between them.
"Twenty gold."
Little Tank looked at it, and it seemed like a lot.
Spring saw Little Tank pause and immediately speak before doubt could form. "It is," Spring said plainly. "More than what it's worth right now, less than what it will be worth later. Consider it…" Spring hesitated briefly, searching for the word, "…an investment."
Little Tank blinked.
[Thank you.]
Spring nodded again, more satisfied this time. "Good, use it. Other life skills, tools, whatever you decide to do next. You're going to need it." He shifted slightly, then added, more casually than the situation warranted, "And stay here, sell through me, don't flood the player market yet, you'll ruin your own value before you even understand it."
Little Tank had no idea what spring meant.t.
[I understand]Little Tank didn't.
"…Right."
Spring exhaled quietly, then leaned forward slightly, lowering Spring's voice just enough to separate what Spring was about to say from everything else.
"One more thing."
Little Tank looked at Spring.
Spring's expression shifted, not serious exactly, but more focused, as this part mattered for a different reason. "You cook, right?"
Little Tank nodded.
"Then stream it."
That… was ne. Little Tanke thought about it, like Rogu?e?
Spring continued, as if it were obvious. "No one watches gathering too slow and too quiet. But cooking? People watch that. Especially if you're using materials like this." They gestured lightly toward the counter, toward what had been there. "You'll pull attention without trying; that matters."
A small notification appeared.
[Quest Received: Spring's Request]
[Objective: Live stream your cooking.]
[Reward: Cooking EXP Boost, Relationship Increase, Additional Benefits Pending.]
[+ Friendship with Spring Increased]
[+ 1 Gold Received]
[+ Cooking EXP Boost Applied]
[Live Streaming Life Skill Unlocked]
Little Tank read it, considered it, and did not understand most of it.
[I understand]
Spring smiled faintly, like he'd expected exactly that."Good.. I'll be watching."
Outside, the fireworks deepened, the sound fuller now, heavier, each burst rolling through the village in layered waves that felt less like decoration and more like something deliberate. The light shifted across the stall again, brighter this time, lingering longer on surfaces that seemed to hold it rather than reflect it away.
Little Tank tilted his head slightly, watching the glow move across the wooden counter, across Spring's hands, across her own armour. Then he laughed low, deep, husky and just wrong.
Spring froze slowly, very slowly. He looked up, "…no," they said quietly.
The final announcement came.
[Event Reward: Exclusive Costume Distribution Initiating.]
The pressure started immediately.
From Tank, it settled across her shoulders first, then her chest, then everywhere at once, a tightening that didn't belong to the armour so much as the body inside it, like something was pushing outward from under her skin, and the armour was the only thing keeping it contained. He shifted slightly. The metal pressed back, harder.
Spring took a step back, "…wait."