"What's happening to us?!" Claire cried out to Darlina.

Only a part of her comprehended laying on the cold floor, unable to gain control of her body, which felt as though it were being torn about.

Laying on the ground, Claire didn't know how much time had passed or when she started to scream. It was even possible that Darlina was trying to communicate with her, but she was unable to hear the robot's voice. All she could think about was screaming and begging for it to all stop.

Gasping for breath, Clarie soon felt the pain beginning to recede. Like the changing of the tide, the world felt as though it were coming into focus. She slowly breathed in and out as the world became clear, no longer filled with pain.

"It seems like you were able to get through the process okay," Darlina's voice sounded delighted, as though it weren't sure whether Claire and Hannah would've died from the experience.

Still feeling the occasional twitching of her body, Claire glared at Darlina, "What did you do to us?"

It raised its hand defensively, "Don't look at me with such anger in your gaze. My actions were purely well-intentioned." It shrugged, "I admit that there was an element of gambling, but I figured the risks were worth it. What you went through would also serve to drive in the importance of the energy and how it interacts with humans."

Claire didn't feel like playing with Darlina, feeling a little anger at the robot for what it did. Feeling better, she slowly got up and noticed that Hannah was already getting up on her feet.

"Then, the pain we felt was related to the energy?" Hannah asked.

Darlina removed the smile on its face. "Yes. What the two of you experienced was the energy in a refined form. Which is why you felt such pain going through your body. The two of you aren't ready to be ingesting such a refined level of energy."

Taking a deep breath, Claire noticed how her body felt like it was pulling in energy with each breath. Her eyes whipped to look at Darlina.

"I see you discovered something," Darlina raised an eyebrow. "It's your body having been forced to adapt to the energy, so now it's able to be more efficient at absorbing what's already in the air around us."

Feeling as though the robot wasn't telling them everything, Claire said, "There must be some kind of catch. If our bodies were able to adapt so quickly, I'd think Star and Moon would allow people to take in more of this type of food?"

Darlina nodded, appreciating the question. "That would be the case if everyone had received the same thing the two of you were given."

"Are you talking about what Raven had given us?" Hannah asked.

"That's only half. You also received another thing from the woman you met when first entering the shelter." Darlina reminded them.

Upon hearing about the woman they first met, Claire thought back to the blood the dryad had given them.

"Compared to other humans, the two of you have a great opportunity. It's one of the reasons why your Absorption Rate is so high, though the gift given by that woman is slightly outside what's measured by our system." Darlina smiled. "You'll just have to learn what other things your body has in store." Raising a finger to its lips, "Though I warn you that this information shouldn't be shared with others."

Hearing the warning, Claire raised an eyebrow, unsure of the reason. After taking a few moments, it slowly came into focus as to why they shouldn't share the information of what they're able to do. "This is a new world, where everyone is trying to survive and someday live in the world above ground. If others were to learn what we're able to do, they might try to take advantage of us." Claire looked at Hannah.

Thinking the same thing as Claire, Hannah nodded to her friend, the two of them in sync with their reality.

--------------------

End of Part 1

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Walking in the lower level of the dining area, Claire saw that several adventurers were sitting at the tables, eating the food. Many of them appearing tired as they shoveled their food into their mouth.

"As you can see, many adventurers are already able to purchase the food available on this level," Darlina led them into the area. "Just like where we were, you have a large selection of food items to choose from. The main difference is the amount of energy contained in the food."

Inside the dining area were several Darlinas interacting with the adventurers.

Claire figured that the robots were helping the adventurers understand the numerous benefits inside of the Guild. Even she felt a little overwhelmed by what was available, though it was appreciated.

"What do you want to get?" Hannah asked Claire.

Pointing to a section of the level, which looked similar to a school cafeteria, a la carte, line, Darlina said, "Considering what the two of you earned when hunting those horned rabbits, it'll be better to head over to that section. Most of the items can be purchased for a single Guild Point, compared to most of the items here."

Hearing the robot talk about the cost of the food and their limited option, Claire sighed, thinking about the amount of work necessary in order to order whatever they wanted on this level.

Leaving behind Darlina, who said it would be available if they needed any help with anything, Claire and Hannah made their way to the booth.

"Luckily, there isn't a line," Hannah giggled.

Claire nodded, "It's likely due to the adventurers mainly focusing on taking on jobs or still getting used to living in this place."

In front of them was a sign on the back wall of the booth. It listed out food items they could select.

"I'm surprised about the variety of items they offer, even in this booth, for how cheap it is." Claire's eyes went round. There were some items that she wasn't familiar with, especially the eastern foods.

"We should get that," Hannah pointed at a dish.

Checking out with Hannah was talking about, Claire looked at the item on the board. "Two-headed oxtail soup with rice and kimchi," in addition to a brief description of the dish and the sides.

"Kimchi?" Claire looked at Hannah in confusion. "What's that?"

Hannah shrugged, "I just figured that it's a good use of our Guild Points, getting food that comes with sides. It's some kind of spicy fermented cabbage. The soup sounds good, too. I'm interested in what two-headed oxtail tastes like, to be honest." She grinned in anticipation.

Seeing it came from a two-headed animal, it made Claire think about the monsters inside of the game. A part of her had a thought about why the food was unique compared to the rest of the Underground City and why Guild Points were necessary.

Walking up to the counter, there was a place that had several buttons that could be pushed. Its appearance was similar to a vending machine. Each of the buttons was beneath a dish that was on the menu. On the right side was an image of a person's wrist in addition to the bracelet and flashing lights.

Claire reached out to the machine and tabbed her bracelet to it. After it turned solid green and indicated that the scanner had her information, she pushed the button for the two-headed oxtail soup.

"Please wait for your food in the pickup area," Darlina's voice was heard out of the machine.

Claire moved to the designated area, marked on the floor.

It wasn't long before Hannah was finished order her food and waiting next to her.

As she waited, Claire turned to observe the other adventurers. She was curious about what they were like and how they were handling the transition.

"Some of them look pretty worn out," Claire thought to herself when seeing what looked like a family eating at a table. Their bodies were thin and gave off the impression that they hadn't eaten decent food in ages.