---
Finally, we all rested under the big tree.
Bima had finished giving his horses some water.
Loka and Roro had already prepared the food, while Yusa and I got the drinks ready.
We all gathered together to eat and relax a bit.
"This is delicious. Loka, since when did you start making this food?" I asked while eating the meal Loka had prepared.
"This? I made it before we left, as provisions for our journey. After this, we might not be able to eat good food again, so I prepared everything ahead."
"Wow, you cooked a lot," Yusa said, surprised at how much food there was.
"Not all of it was my cooking. Roro helped me prepare everything too."
"That's true. But Loka's cooking is still the best," Roro added.
"Haha, you're too kind, Roro."
"Hahaha..."
"Alright, just take your plate."
"Thank you."
"Everything looks delicious. Which one should I try first?"
"Just take everything. Eat it all now—if we keep it till evening, it might spoil."
"Good point. Alright, I'll just take everything then."
"Wow, this is amazing!" Yusa was amazed by the taste of Loka's cooking.
(Chewing)...
"Hmm, even this shredded chicken is so good. I didn't expect you two to be so good at cooking."
"Hahaha, my sister is amazing at cooking. She used to run a wedding organizer business. Besides cooking, she's also good at decorating and designing rooms," Bima said proudly.
"No wonder—you're a professional!"
"One day, if you ever want to get married, you can ask my sister to do your bridal makeup. Hahahaha!" Bima joked.
"Hahahaha..." We all laughed.
"Haha, makes sense. You probably spent so much time decorating others, you forgot to find a partner for yourself. Hahaha..." Yusa teased Loka.
"....."
(Everyone fell silent)
"Let's just eat."
We all finished the food prepared by Loka and Roro. Not a single bit was left—it was all gone.
After eating, we rested for a while under the large tree.
"Ahhh, I'm so full."
"That was really delicious."
"Thanks for the meal."
"Alright, I'll clean up now."
"I'll help you, sis."
"Thanks, Roro."
"Hwaaah (yawning) I'm feeling a bit sleepy. I'll lie down for a bit." Bima lay beside the tree.
"Yeah, I'll rest a bit too. By the way, what time is it now? I haven't checked in a while."
"No idea, Jay. I threw away my phone a long time ago."
"Me too. My phone stopped working ages ago."
"We really need a clock to track time. All this time we've just been looking at the sun."
"Haaah, all done."
"Loka, do you know what time it is?"
"Hold on, Jay. Let me check."
"Alright."
"It's 12:45. We'll leave around 3 PM."
"How do you know it's 12:45?"
"It's right there on the status panel, at the bottom."
"Really? Let me check. S T A T U S O P E N!"
I looked at the time on my status panel. Loka was right—there was a time indicator at the bottom corner.
Now I no longer had to worry about not knowing the time.
"Makes sense now why no one sells watches in the store. I was planning to buy one."
"No need to worry about the time. We won't really need a watch."
"Hahaha, alright then."
We rested for around 15 minutes.
Suddenly, a system notification popped up. A new quest would begin in about 1 hour.
Since we had time, we continued resting before the quest started.
[Notification! The next Quest will appear in 60 minutes]
"Another quest? I'm getting tired of hearing that word," Yusa grumbled.
"Hahaha, don't worry Yusa. I can take them all down with just one punch."
"Rest first. The quest starts in about an hour. We need to prepare our bodies."
"You're right, Loka."
"Ahhh, this feels great. It's way cooler than when we were on the road. The breeze here is so refreshing."
"You're right, Roro. Take a nap if you're tired. I'll wake you when the quest starts."
"Thank you, Jay. In that case, please wake me up later."
"Alright."
"Jay, I want to nap too. Please wake me up."
"Me too."
"Yeah, go ahead and rest. I'll keep watch here."
Loka, Bima, and Roro fell asleep under the big tree.
The breeze made the place feel cool and calming. Resting their bodies would help their stamina, which was very important going forward.
"You're not sleeping, Yusa?"
"No, Jay. I'll stay here and keep you company."
"Alright, if that's what you want."
---
In a village near Malang, East Java...
"Hey, kid! Where are you going this late at night?"
An old man asked a young man walking in the middle of the night.
"I'm looking for an inn around here," the young man replied.
"What's your name? You don't look like you're from around here."
"My name is Arya. I'm a traveler."
The young man turned out to be Arya.
"Alright. If you're looking for a place to stay, come with me."
"You know a place?"
"Nope! In a small village like this, there's no such thing as a fancy inn like in the city.
If you want a proper one, you'll have to go to downtown Malang."
"Then where are you taking me?"
"To my house. If you need a place to sleep, I have a room you can use. Not very big, but it's comfortable enough."
"Alright then, I'll come with you."
The old man took Arya to his house and offered him a place to stay.
Arya, exhausted from his journey to Trowulan, decided to rest there for a while.
"We're here. This is my home—my castle!"
"You have a forge next to your house?"
"Hey, hey... you're a sharp one, kid. That forge is my workplace.
I used to be a blacksmith. I made knives, machetes, saws, and other sharp tools."
"You still make them now?"
"Of course! If I stopped, how else would I earn money to eat?"
"I want to see them. May I?"
"Eh, do you know what time it is? Go sleep first. I'll show you in the morning."
"Alright, how much for the stay?"
"You can pay whatever you like. Here's the key. Your room is to the right of the kitchen."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, you're welcome."
---
The next morning…
"Wow, you're already up? It's still early."
"What are you making, Grandpa?"
"This? A knife. Someone ordered it."
"Can I see?"
"I haven't finished sharpening it yet. Hold on."
"How much do you sell these weapons for?"
"Depends. I price them based on the difficulty. The cheapest goes for around 1,000 gold coins, and the most expensive around 100,000.
Honestly, I don't really know how much a gold coin is worth in rupiah—I just guess. Hahaha..."
"Do you know how to sell them?"
"Hahaha, don't underestimate me, kid!
I might be an old man who doesn't know much about tech, but I've learned a lot from experience.
I just open this, click here, then hit 'sell'. That's how I do it."
"This old man must be a blacksmith. I have to recruit him, no matter what!" Arya thought.
"Hey kid... hey...!"
"Eh, yes. Sorry, I was daydreaming. Grandpa..."
"Hestama. Call me Grandpa Tama."
"Alright, Grandpa Tama. Would you like to come with me?"
"Come with you? Where?"
"I'm planning to go to Trowulan. To the Dungeon."
"What's in it for me?"
"Good point. Then… is there anything you want in exchange for coming with me?"
"Come here. Let me whisper it to you."
"....."
"Well?"
"Alright, I agree. Here's my rent. I'll stay one more night. We leave for Trowulan tomorrow morning."
"Deal..." (They shook hands)
---
After we rested and fell asleep under the tree, it turned out I dozed off too.
When I woke up, I saw Bima and Loka were already awake.
The Quest we were supposed to do had already been completed by Loka and Bima.
They fought the monsters and finished it while we were still sleeping.
"Oh no, I overslept! Where are Bima and Loka?"
I was panicking, realizing I had missed the quest.
"Oh, Jay, you're awake?" Bima greeted me.
"Hey Jay, looks like you just woke up," Loka said too.
"I forgot there was a quest! Why didn't you wake me up? Roro, Yusa, wake up..."
"Wait Jay, no need."
"No need? What do you mean?"
"Yeah, Bima and I already completed the quest. No need to worry."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's right, Jay."
"Just the two of you? How?"
"Hahaha, because we're strong, of course!"
"But why didn't you wake us up?"
"You three looked exhausted—we didn't want to disturb you."
"Sorry. I've been getting headaches lately and weird dreams."
"Are you sick, Jay?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired."
"Don't worry about the quest. Bima, the others, and I can handle it as long as it's just a normal fight."
Loka reassured me.
"Thanks, Loka, Bima."
Not long after that, Yusa and Roro woke up.
Just like me, they asked about the quest.
Loka and Bima explained everything.
"You're all awake?"
"Hey everyone, looks like I slept too long," said Roro.
"Oh right, how about the quest?" Yusa asked, worried.
"It's already done. If you're still sleepy, feel free to nap some more."
"I think I've napped enough. If I sleep more, I won't be able to sleep tonight," Yusa replied.
"Are we going now, Loka?"
Since everyone was awake, it seemed like a good time to move.
"If you're all ready, then sure."
"Alright. Let's go now."
"Yes, we still have time to arrive earlier."
"Then let's head out."
"Yeah..."
Everyone was awake, and we decided to continue our journey to Trowulan.
Today's quest was done, and there probably wouldn't be another.
There was no reason to wait any longer.
We chose to move quickly—so we could finally reach Trowulan…
…and reunite with Arya.
To be continued...