“Dream on.”

Rudis pushed away Xenon’s handsome face with an irritated expression. An ordinary person might have become flustered, blushing and speechless, but after eight years of visiting the tavern daily, Rudis was already immune to such situations.

“That hurts, you know? I’d be so happy if a cute girl like Rudis liked me.”

“Good grief.”

Xenon was always like this. With his playful tone and slick behavior, he enjoyed provoking reactions from others. When Rudis showed a tired, bored expression, Xenon would appear even more satisfied, smiling contentedly.

“Oh, by the way, have you heard of a fruit called Paliso? I heard about it from a traveler recently…”

And just like that, he would throw out valuable information, making it impossible to truly dislike him. Rudis perked up her ears and jotted down the crops that would be popular this year.

* * *

‘I don’t have much Paliso in storage… Since it’s a spring crop, I should plant it right after this harvest.’

Deep in thought while leaving the tavern, Rudis noticed villagers gathered in the plaza, buzzing with conversation. Their voices were filled with confusion and excitement.

‘I can’t miss this.’

Rudis stopped walking and turned toward the commotion. Such situations were usually quest-related. Moreover, this level of disturbance likely indicated a main quest necessary for story progression. With excitement building, Rudis headed to the plaza.

“This is terrible…”

“How could this happen in our village?”

“What will become of the ‘Spring of Beginnings’ now?”

The murmurs, each with serious expressions, became clearer as she approached.

“What happened?”

Rudis naturally blended in with the crowd and asked.

“Oh, Rudis, you’re here. Something terrible has happened. A thief has struck our village.”

The people who had been talking loudly enough to be heard from the tavern were now whispering as though sharing a great secret. Rudis lowered her voice accordingly and asked again.

“A thief?”

“Yes. Someone stole the ‘Sparkler’ that was meant for the ‘Spring of Beginnings.'”

“What? What’s that?”

Rudis tilted her head with a serious expression. It seemed like something grave had happened, but she couldn’t figure out what this “Sparkler” was supposed to be.

“You know, that sparkling thing.”

“The sparkling thing…”

A sparkler called “Sparkler.” What an intuitive name. Simultaneously, Rudis tried to recall what sparkled during the “Spring of Beginnings.”

“Could it be that shiny thing used during the dance?”

“Yes, yes! That’s it. That’s the ‘Sparkler.'”

The villagers continued their conversation with grave expressions.

“Oh my. How did they lose something so precious?”

“I heard they were moving it from the tavern for festival preparations when it happened.”

“This is serious.”

“What about the ‘Spring of Beginnings’? Does this mean we can’t have our festival at all?”

“That might be the case. How can we have the ‘Spring of Beginnings’ without the ‘Sparkler’?”

“Oh no, we’re doomed. Completely doomed.”

Still shocked that such lighting equipment had a name—and such an intuitive one at that—Rudis listened to the villagers’ conversation with growing questions.

Was the ‘Sparkler’ that important? Important enough to cancel the festival without it?

As far as Rudis knew, the “Sparkler” was just a light that occasionally shot beams when the final couple danced at the festival. Could there be a secret she wasn’t aware of? While lost in confused thoughts, someone approached her.

“Rudis, could you find the ‘Sparkler’ for us? As you know, I’m too old, and others are busy… We’re begging you!”

As unnecessary excuses piled up, the familiar system window appeared in Rudis’s view.

[New Quest Generated!

Quest Name: The Real Beginning

Quest Description: Find the ‘Sparkler’ and submit it to the Lord to prepare for the ‘Spring of Beginnings.’ ‘Sparkler’ 0/1

Deadline: Before the ‘Spring of Beginnings’

Reward: ???]

Personally, she thought the quest name was a bit excessive for finding a light fixture she considered dispensable. But with the system window appearing, there was no way to refuse.

“Sure! Leave it to me. I’ll look for it.”

“Really?! Thank you!”

At Rudis’s enthusiastic response, the people who had been buzzing with worry and concern just moments ago dispersed like an ebbing tide, as though by prior arrangement. It would have been hurtful if she hadn’t known this was a game.

‘Alright. Let’s find this Sparkler or whatever it’s called.’

With a new quest, the first order of business was collecting clues. Rudis quickly composed herself and spoke with villagers, distributing the gifts she had brought.

“Ms. Meilin! Hello.”

“Oh, Rudis. Can you believe winter is finally over? Last winter was exceptionally cold. Speaking of which, could you get me 100 fresh Kiki berries? I want to make jam…”

Most conversations ended with idle chatter or quests, but occasionally…

“I heard part of the western forest collapsed in an avalanche recently… I hope nobody was hurt.”

She could gather valuable clues like this.

It might seem like meaningless small talk, but from experience, these were often key clues. New changes in this world typically meant new quests.

‘The western forest, huh… I should bring some weapons.’

She needed to prepare for the high possibility of encountering monsters. Right now, she had nothing because she’d packed her bag with villagers’ gifts. There hadn’t been room for weapons in her limited inventory.

After meeting with people until her bag was empty, Rudis headed back to her farm.

* * *

When she arrived at the farm, Iska had already left for the day. Seeing the neatly arranged farming tools and perfectly organized fields, Rudis smiled briefly.

Even if she distrusted everything else in the world, Iska seemed reliable. He truly was a trustworthy worker.

Mentally saying “bravo,” Rudis entered the storage shed to organize her bag. She packed some weapons, a few potions, and several accessories useful for nighttime before heading to the western forest.

‘It’s already 8 o’clock. I should look around quickly and get back.’

Rudis entered the western forest. As the villager had said, one part of the forest had collapsed in a landslide. Steep piles of earth, broken trees, and uprooted bushes were scattered chaotically.

‘I’m not sure what connection there could be between the stolen Sparkler and the collapsed forest, but I need to examine all possible clues.’

Rudis muttered to herself while slowly surveying the surroundings.

With luck, she might find the Sparkler right here. Of course, if the quest was complex, she might spend considerable time following one clue to the next.

Please let this end quickly. Time-limited quests that link to others are honestly too stressful.

Though she grumbled jokingly to herself, her steps were heavy with tension. Rudis took a small item from her bag to illuminate the area.

‘I hope the thief dropped it here during the landslide.’

But that seemed unlikely.

What’s that…?

While thoroughly combing the forest, something strange caught her eye. Deep in the forest, a cave was partially hidden between tree branches and rocks. But it didn’t seem truly hidden—a faint light leaked from inside the cave, almost like an invitation to enter.

Rudis slowly approached the cave entrance. Human traces were scattered messily around. Broken branches, clumsily covered soil, and footprints scattered here and there—not just from one or two people, but signs of large-scale movement.

Sigh…

Rudis exhaled softly while gripping her knife handle tightly.

‘They make me do all sorts of things, and now I have to catch thieves too?’

Though scared, she stepped forward boldly. She had something to rely on. If she got seriously injured or if it became 2 AM, the priest would save her.

Reassuring herself this way, Rudis carefully moved deeper into the cave. While looking around romantically imagining hidden treasure chests nearby, suddenly—

“Ugh.”

Someone’s groan echoed.

Is there really something here?

Rudis gripped her knife handle more firmly and took a deep breath.

‘Right. I can’t back down now. I won’t die anyway. I’ll just faint and wake up in front of Noah. Losing some money and items is much better than dying.’

Rudis advanced one careful step at a time. Moving silently, slowly, and cautiously. Following the faint light leaking through the winding narrow cave, she found an unexpected person.

Blindfolded, with hands and feet bound, in a half-undressed state.