The room was quiet, lit only by faint daylight filtering through the cracks in the wooden walls, while the air still carried a slight scent of medicine and dust as Roma sat casually nearby, watching the young man who had just woken up and was trying to steady his breathing after the emotional outburst.
For a while, neither of them spoke, and the silence lingered between them until Roma finally broke it.
"…What's your name?" he asked.
The young man wiped his tears quickly, trying to compose himself before replying in a weak but steady voice, "…Arun."
Roma nodded.
"…Alright, Arun."
He leaned back slightly before continuing in a calm tone, "…Tell me what happened."
Arun fell silent for a moment, his expression tightening as memories surfaced, and after a few seconds, he finally began speaking.
"…I was part of that family."
Roma didn't interrupt and simply listened.
"…But I wasn't important," Arun continued, letting out a bitter laugh. "…Just a distant cousin of the young master… someone no one cared about."
Roma nodded internally, thinking to himself, "…Standard background character."
Arun continued, his voice slowly growing heavier as he spoke, "…There was a man in our family… someone everyone called trash… weak… useless… always humiliated."
Roma raised an eyebrow slightly, already recognizing the pattern.
"…Ah… the classic setup."
"…One day, he disappeared," Arun said, his tone steady but filled with suppressed emotion. "…No one cared."
"…But after a year…"
His fists clenched slightly.
"…He came back."
Roma leaned forward just a little.
"…Stronger?"
Arun nodded slowly.
"…Much stronger… and not alone."
The room grew quiet as the weight of those words settled.
"…Why?" Roma asked calmly.
Arun's expression darkened as he hesitated briefly before answering.
"…Because… our young master tried to lay hands on his sister."
Roma responded almost immediately.
"…Ah."
"…That man endured everything," Arun continued, his voice trembling slightly, "…but that… he couldn't."
"…So he left… got stronger… and came back."
Roma exhaled slowly.
"…And destroyed everything."
Arun nodded.
"…He killed all the strong ones… spared the weak… and said we could never use the family name again."
Silence filled the room once more as Roma leaned back slightly and spoke in a calm, almost detached tone.
"…Fair."
Arun blinked, clearly surprised.
"…Fair?"
Roma shrugged lightly.
"…In this world… that's mercy."
Arun lowered his head.
"…Maybe."
Roma looked at him quietly for a few seconds, his gaze steady and thoughtful, before finally asking, "…What will you do now?"
Arun froze slightly.
"…I…"
He had no answer.
Roma nodded faintly.
"…As expected."
He leaned forward again, his expression becoming more serious as he began speaking slowly, as if choosing his words with care.
"…I'm not from this bandit life."
It was a complete lie.
"…I ended up here… by circumstances."
Another lie.
"…But I have a goal."
Arun's eyes focused on him.
"…What goal?"
Roma paused for a brief moment before replying in a calm and steady voice, "…To create something new… something for people like you."
Arun blinked.
"…Like me?"
Roma nodded.
"…War victims… survivors… people who lost everything… a place where they don't have to struggle alone… a group… an association."
Arun stared at him, his breathing slowing as he listened.
Roma then added quietly, "…And I want you to join me."
Silence filled the room again as Arun's eyes trembled slightly.
"…Why… me?"
Roma smiled faintly.
"…Because you survived."
The words landed heavily, and Arun clenched his fists slightly.
"…I…"
Roma didn't interrupt and simply watched him patiently.
A few seconds passed before Arun finally looked up.
"…If… such a place exists… if I can be part of it…"
He took a deep breath.
"…Yes… I will join your group."
A faint sound echoed in Roma's mind.
DING.
[Member Recruited]
[Group Size: 2]
Roma kept his expression steady, but inside, his thoughts exploded.
"…YES."
Roma simply nodded calmly.
"…Good."
He stood up and said, "…Rest… you'll need your strength."
Arun nodded, still emotional.
"…Thank you…"
Roma waved his hand slightly.
"…Don't mention it."
Then he turned and walked out of the room.
As soon as he entered the next room and closed the door behind him, he could no longer hold it in.
"…HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He immediately covered his mouth, trying to suppress the sound.
"…Calm down… calm down…"
His shoulders shook as he struggled to contain his laughter.
"…It worked… it actually worked…"
At that moment, the blue screen appeared again in front of him.
[Congratulations]
Roma froze.
"…That's it?"
Silence followed.
"…No rewards? No power? No nothing?"
There was no response, and Roma's face darkened slightly.
"…You useless piece of—"
[Additional Information Available]
Roma paused.
"…Now you speak?"
[All recruited members will be marked on the system map]
Roma blinked.
"…Map?"
[Host can always locate members]
Roma stared blankly.
"…That's it?"
"…Tracking device?"
He rubbed his face in frustration.
"…I risked my life for GPS?"
[Additional Mechanic Unlocked]
Roma stopped mid-complaint.
"…Continue."
[When member loyalty reaches 1 or higher, the member gains a special ability, and the host can copy that ability]
Roma froze completely.
"…Wait…"
"…Repeat that."
[Host can copy member ability]
Roma's eyes widened.
"…Now we're talking."
He immediately asked, "…What ability?"
[Depends entirely on the member]
Roma frowned slightly.
"…That sounds risky."
He quickly opened the panel.
[Member: Arun | Loyalty: 9]
Roma froze again.
"…Nine?"
"…Already?"
He stared at the panel, then at the wall, and then back at the system.
"…That crying worked way too well."
At that moment, a new notification appeared.
[Member Ability Granted]
[Ability: Food Maker]
Roma stared at it blankly.
"…Excuse me?"
[Food Maker: Can create edible food using chakra]
Roma slowly sat down.
"…Food… maker?"
"…I risked everything… for cooking skills?"
He looked at his hand, hesitating for a moment before focusing slightly.
Soon, a small piece of simple food appeared in his palm, warm and real.
Roma blinked.
"…Oh."
He took a bite.
"…Not bad."
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then suddenly—
"…WAIT."
His eyes widened slowly as realization dawned on him.
"…This means… unlimited food… no need to buy food… no starvation… no dependence…"
He stood up abruptly.
"…This… is actually useful."
Then he paused again, his expression turning complicated.
"…But not cool."
Roma looked at the system with a conflicted expression.
"…From now on… I guess I'm a cultivator… who can cook."
[End of Chapter 5]