…Creeeak! Slam!
The girl, having safely returned home, hurried straight to the kitchen.
She carefully set the paper bag filled with groceries on the table, and just then, someone toddled out from one of the rooms.
“Uuuum……. Sis, you’re back……?”
A little girl, probably around five or six years old.
It was, of course, the girl’s younger sister.
“Yes, I just got back. Is Father still asleep?”
“Yeah……. Daddy’s still sleeping…….”
The little sister rubbed her sleepy eyes, slowly nodded, and then stared intently at the paper bag.
“What’s this? Is it… food?!”
“I’ll make you some delicious Potato Soup right away. In the meantime, could you go gather some twigs for firewood?”
“Wow, really?!”
At the mention of soup, a pure, innocent smile bloomed across the little girl’s face.
With a look of delight, the younger sister dashed outside to collect firewood.
“Alright, I need to hurry and get things ready so Father can eat as soon as he wakes up.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As she prepared the ingredients, the girl quietly recalled the mysterious experiences she had just gone through.
How she had ventured deep into the forest and almost lost her life to wolves.
Had God not helped her, she surely would have died there.
God did not merely save her from danger, but also performed a miraculous healing, restoring her many wounds in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, even though she was but a mere creature, God never spoke down to her, nor treated her carelessly in any way.
“God is more compassionate than anyone, and cherishes us more than anyone else…….”
At church, they said that God knows everything about us.
But the God she met in person would instead ask about her small and large concerns, listening as if hearing each story for the first time.
It was as if she was being urged to pour out all the knots in her heart and lighten her burdens.
In fact, after confiding her worries to God, the girl felt as if a great weight had been lifted.
‘……A being so compassionate and warm that I can’t even fathom. Serving God with all my heart and soul must be the only way I can repay Him.’
At that moment, the soup began to bubble.
Soon, the fragrant, savory aroma of Butter spread warmly throughout the house.
The girl took a small spoonful of soup to taste.
“……Hmm.”
The Potato Soup was a little bland.
She desperately wanted to make it tastier, but there was no way a poor family like hers would have expensive items like Salt or spices.
“No, it’s fine. This is still delicious.”
“……Wh-what is all this?”
Just then, the girl’s Father entered the kitchen slowly, leaning on his crutch.
“Father, you’re awake? We’re having Potato Soup for dinner tonight. Thanks to God watching over us, I was able to find food like this.”
Her Father opened the bundle of groceries on the table, and could not hide his shock.
White Bread, pure as snow, with not a single grain of coarse flour mixed in. And clean, fragrant Butter without any impurities. These were luxuries fit for nobility… no, for royalty.
The girl’s Father immediately put on a stern, frightening expression.
“I recall you said you were going to the forest to look for food……. Was there, by any chance, a tree in the forest that grows bread and butter? Janet, you didn’t steal these from the village, did you?”
His suspicion was perfectly reasonable.
In their household, seeing White Bread was a once-a-year event, only on the Harvest Festival.
As for luxuries like Butter, there was no need to even mention it.
At her Father’s questioning, the girl shook her head firmly.
“I swear to the heavens, I would never do anything to tarnish your name. It’s just that……..”
She took a deep breath and began to explain everything that had happened to her.
“……So you’re telling me that God saved you when you were being chased by wolves, and even provided you with food like this?”
“Yes! God has been watching over our family. And that’s not all, Father. I also received a Divine Revelation!”
But her Father, struggling to sit on an old chair, ran his hand down his face.
“Ah, Janet. Ever since your mother passed away, I’ve prided myself on raising you two without shame. But it seems I was wrong.”
“Father…….”
“Tell me the truth, even now. Where did you steal it from…….”
Her Father was sobbing quietly.
Tears ran down the old man’s cheeks.
Seeing that, the girl’s heart ached as if being pricked.
Ever since he injured his back and lost his job, her Father had grown weaker in both body and spirit day by day.
“Father, God is watching over us. He will surely listen to my prayers.”
Then, the girl put her hands together and prayed with all her heart.
‘With the ingredients You have bestowed, I offer this food to You first. O Holy God, please drive away the darkness eating away at my Father’s heart……..’
Suddenly, a small piece of parchment appeared before her eyes.
[System]
-Would you like to offer a tribute? …… (Y/N)
-Tribute: Plain Potato Soup
- Creator’s Favorability: ★★☆☆☆
The girl had never experienced anything like this before.
And judging from her Father’s reaction, it was clear that only she could see it.
‘……This must be because I received a Divine Revelation.’
Thinking so, the girl folded her hands and prayed devoutly.
“I offer this Potato Soup to God.”
“Tell me the truth. Where did all these ingredients come from……. Huh?!”
All at once, a bright and gentle light filled the kitchen, and the soup bowl on the table vanished in an instant.
“What… what is this……?!”
Turning to her Father, the girl spoke in a soft voice.
“God has answered my prayer.”
Meanwhile, I had just returned to the real world.
Back when I was watching the girl enter her Humble Cabin.
Growl—
My stomach rumbled loudly, probably because I hadn’t eaten anything since waking up.
But all I had at home were instant foods I’d bought online.
Suddenly, I thought of the girl in that tiny world.
By now, she was probably eating Potato Soup with her family.
“Haa……. I’m kind of jealous.”
Just as I sighed and reached for the cupboard—
—Ding!
[System]
-A Believer has sent you an Offering!
“……Offering?”
At the same time, another System window popped up.
[System]
-Would you like to receive the Offering? …… (Y/N)
-Offering: Plain Potato Soup』
-Origin: Fortress World, Sunrise Forest, Humble Cabin』
[Plain Potato Soup]
-A potato soup where the natural flavor of potatoes and the savory richness of butter harmonize together. A taste that warms the heart.
※ The only drawback is that it’s a bit bland since there’s no Salt!
Origin, Fortress World……
So this Potato Soup was sent by that girl just now.
‘She even made sure I had something to eat… What a sweet kid.’
As I reached out to the System window, a dazzling light began to gather.
The crystals of light gradually took the shape of a bowl.
And soon, a bowl of soup appeared in the palm of my hand.
‘Hmm, it seems receiving Offerings doesn’t consume any Divine Power.’
Steam rose from the soup in the shallow wooden bowl, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Chunks of potato peeked out from the creamy, snow-white soup, like baby-soft skin.
And on top, beautifully arranged pieces of toasted bread.
It looked so delicious that my stomach rumbled again.
But the problem was…..this—
“……Why is it so small?”
The bowl of Potato Soup I received as an Offering was barely the size of a shot glass.
[System]
-Offerings are influenced by the Creator’s level.
-As your Creator level increases, you will gradually be able to receive complete Offerings.
-Some Offerings possess special effects.
※ Isn’t it the thought that counts, no matter the size? Of course, the bigger the better.
The explanation almost sounded like it was teasing me.
‘Seriously, who is this tiny bowl supposed to feed… Still, since she sent it with such sincerity, I should try it.’
I slowly brought the tiny bowl of soup to my lips.
…Sip!
As soon as I took a warm sip, a harmonious symphony of flavors spread throughout my mouth.
The clean taste of potato, the savory richness of butter, the gentle umami of milk, the subtle sweetness of onion, and, as the finishing touch, the crispy texture of lightly toasted bread.
“……Mm, that’s good.”
It wasn’t an amazingly superb flavor.
But after a long time of eating only instant food, it felt like a soft blanket was wrapped around my weary tongue.
‘Now that I think about it, when was the last time I ate a warm meal made by someone else…….’
If there was anything lacking, it was just that it was a little bland without any Salt.
I took out Salt and Pepper from the kitchen cupboard and added them to the Potato Soup, then tasted it again.
“.Mm! That’s it. With Salt and Pepper, it’s so much better.”
With a handful of Salt and Pepper in each hand, I headed for the Fortress World.
“If we’re going to eat, we might as well eat deliciously, right?”
By then, the girl’s whole family was gathered around the kitchen table.
On the table were bowls of steaming soup and plenty of neatly sliced White Bread.
“Dad, can’t we eat yet? I’m hungry…….”
There’s nothing worse than making a hungry child wait with food right in front of them.
But the girl’s Father gently soothed his impatient young daughter.
“Anna, just a little longer. Your sister is offering a very important prayer right now.”
“Okay, I understand. Then I’ll pray with her too.”
“Good girl…….”
Only a few minutes ago, the girl’s Father had witnessed with his own eyes the soup bowl suddenly vanish from the table.
He still couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
At last, the girl finished her prayer and slowly opened her eyes.
“……Janet, what did God say to you? Tell your Father too.”
At her Father’s urgent question, the girl answered with a bright smile.
“He said He wanted to repay us for sending the food.”
“Repay us? God would……?”
“Yes, and He said a gift would arrive soon, and to enjoy our meal with it.”
Her Father gulped nervously.
However, even after some time, nothing new appeared on the table.
Pitter-pat! Patter-patter-pat!
Instead, a strange sound started coming from outside the house.
Something was pouring down, rattling eerily against the window.
“……What’s that sound?”
Looking out the window, the girl’s Father could hardly believe his eyes.
A rain of something blackish and pure white was falling from the sky.
No, judging by the grains, it was more like hail.
The girl’s Father reached out and caught a handful of the black and white grains falling from the sky.
“This, this is Salt? And Pepper too! It’s a miracle. This is the Miracle of the Creator……!”
Salt and Pepper—the so-called ‘white gold’ and ‘black gold’—were pouring down like a shower.
Just then, the girl, who had kept her lips tightly sealed, slowly began to speak.
“He said this: ‘So you can enjoy your meal even more, I, God, send down Salt and Pepper.’ And He also said—”
Gazing at her dumbfounded Father, the girl softly murmured,
“……If it tastes good, it’s zero calories.”
At that, the girl’s Father burst into loud sobs, clasping his hands together.
“O God! Please forgive this disrespectful one who dared to doubt the Creator!”
The black and white hail continued to pour down for quite some time.
Without any warning, Salt Mountain and Pepper Mountain had sprung up beside the little Humble Cabin in the woods.
These black-and-white mountains would later be remembered among the Believers as the first Miracle of the Creator.