Utopian System

Facing the two statues, Elio naturally gravitated towards the god's familiar form. After everything that had happened, there was something comforting about using the same interface he'd known all his life.
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The menu that materialized made him blink in confusion.

Endless lists of items with names that looked more like abstract art than words scrolled before his eyes. If it wasn't for the occasional familiar dish scattered among them, he might not have realized these were food items at all.

"Well, this is... different," he muttered to himself.

A soft chirp made him smile. His scorpion, Poison Stinger, had materialized now that he could open his book, its metallic form catching the light as it peered at the menu. Its head tilted comically to one side, pincers clicking in what could be curiosity.

"I know, right?" Elio chuckled. "I can't pronounce half of these."

A warm glow announced Emberg's presence at the other side. The fire elemental craned its neck to look at the menu, then made a sound suspiciously like a snort when it saw something called Xaellarian Luminfruits.

Poison Stinger pointed with its pincer at an item that seemed to be moving on the screen. The description read: "Void-touched Ice Cream, Made from milk harvested from cosmic cows that graze on stardust(JK)."

The scorpion's tail curled into a question mark shape, making Elio laugh. "No, I don't know what a cow is either."

He reached for his book to check his mana and froze. The amount Dionz had given him was... impossible. Poison Stinger nudged his hand with its head, sensing his shock.

"I... uh..." Elio shook his head. "Let's just order some things? A thousand points should let us try quite a few..."

Both creatures perked up at this, though Emberg gave him a look that suggested it hadn't missed his deflection.

Soon the space before them was filled with dishes that defied reality. A soup that contained what looked like living jumping balls. Fruits that glowed and pulsed like heartbeats. Bread that floated a few inches above its plate.

Poison Stinger approached a crystal fruit cautiously, prodding it with its pincer. The fruit immediately changed color to match the scorpion's, making it jump back in surprise. Emberg's flames flickered with silent laughter.

"You don't even need to eat," Elio said, watching as Emberg cautiously sniffed at a piece of meat that glowed like embers.

The salamander responded by deliberately taking a large bite, then puffing its chest out proudly when the meat burst into harmless flames in its mouth. Its expression clearly said: "So what? I'm doing this because I want to."

Not to be outdone, Poison Stinger began systematically testing different foods, its reactions becoming more expressive with each new taste. A particular iridescent jelly made it do a little dance of appreciation, its tail swaying back and forth.

Emberg found something called "Phoenix Wing Curry" that actually colored its feathers, making them shift through rainbow colors. The salamander spent several minutes preening, clearly pleased with the effect.

The scene should have been purely joyful, but Elio's thoughts kept drifting. Poison Stinger noticed first, crawling into his lap and looking up at him with its crystalline eyes. The scorpion's tail and tentacles formed many question marks.

"Just thinking," Elio said softly, absently petting Poison Stinger's head. "Beat a trillion monsters around 50 times... that's what it would take to reach this place legitimately. Like facing the monster sea alone, but worse."

Emberg stopped admiring its rainbow feathers, moving closer to press against Elio's side. The warmth was comforting.

"And Zahyla... no, Nala... she's been doing this for over five million years." His hand tightened around a spoon. "Watching people try and fail, over and over..."

Poison Stinger chittered softly, its pincers making gentle clicking sounds that somehow managed to convey sympathy. The scorpion picked up something that looked like a star trapped in crystal and placed it deliberately in front of Elio.

"Heart's Comfort," he read. "Tastes like your happiest memory?"

Both creatures nodded encouragingly. Emberg even dimmed its flames to a gentle, comforting glow.

The first bite brought tears to his eyes, it tasted exactly like that moment when he and Zara had first… when everything had seemed possible...

Poison Stinger quickly scrambled up his chest, using its pincers to wipe at his tears in a gesture that was both clumsy and incredibly gentle. Emberg coiled around his shoulders, its warmth like a hug.

"I'm worried about her," he admitted to his companions. "Zara's trapped in there with a goddess, because of me. Because she tried to protect..."

Poison Stinger firmly pinched his nose, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to stop his spiral of self-blame. The scorpion's expression somehow managed to convey extreme disapproval at his self-deprecation.

Emberg, meanwhile, had spotted the Void-touched Ice Cream and was making increasingly dramatic gestures toward it, clearly trying to distract him. The salamander even pretended to faint at the thought of not trying it, flames flickering theatrically.

A laugh escaped Elio despite himself. "Alright, alright, we'll try the cosmic cow ice cream."

Around them, the alien foods continued their fascinating displays, dancing lights, shifting colors, impossible physics. His companions' antics grew more elaborate with each new dish, their determination to make him smile obvious and touching to him.

Poison Stinger got brain freeze from the ice cream and spent five minutes running in circles, tail straight up in indignation. Emberg tried to help by warming the scorpion's head, only to accidentally melt the remaining ice cream, leading to an elaborate pantomime of apology that had Elio clutching his sides with laughter.

They couldn't speak, but their presence said everything necessary: You're not alone. We're here. We'll figure this out together.

And for a moment, surrounded by impossible foods and the silent support of his companions, Elio could almost believe it.

After finishing their feast of impossible foods, Elio decided to thoroughly explore the statue's options. The sheer number of categories was overwhelming… weapons, armor, materials, and countless other items he'd never seen before.

"Let's check these systematically," he muttered, focusing first on the weapons and potions sections. Emberg floated nearby, its tongue coming out often with curiosity as it peered at the menu. Poison Stinger clicked its pincers impatiently, pointing at various glowing items.