Chapter 13: The Scent of Home
Ryan returned to the village from the Altar of Blood, still gripping the heat of battle in his limbs, only to realize something strange—many players already had their class-specific weapons.
He narrowed his eyes.
This wasn’t supposed to happen until later in the day, at least not until afternoon. It seemed that whatever he’d triggered when opening the dungeon had accelerated the timeline. The ripple effects were already showing.
But he didn’t rush to submit the quest. As soon as he re-entered the village, something else caught his attention.
A smell.
That scent—rich, savory, overwhelming—grabbed him by the nose and pulled straight toward the house. Even in the game, he could recognize it in a heartbeat. That had to be the girls. They were back from grocery shopping.
His stomach growled. Loudly.
Ryan couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten anything that actually tasted good.
Ever since the Orb of Wishes had thrown him back in time, he had spent twenty long years literally paralyzed, forced to watch his younger self from a distance.
And when he finally merged with his past self again, it had been during the family’s absolute low point. They were barely scraping by, surviving off the cheapest, blandest food imaginable. It had been years since they’d had a proper meal—forget meat, even the smell of it had been absent from their home for far too long.
He parked his paladin character right beside Warden Nard, didn’t even bother claiming the quest rewards, and instantly logged off.