Jenna's teasing voice lingered in the air like smoke, and Natasha instantly stiffened at the implications.
Her face went pale—not from fear exactly, but from the sudden awareness that she'd been caught in a vulnerable moment. She knew how easily things could be twisted in this new world, how a single misunderstood gesture or word could change dynamics completely. And she didn't want Elric to misunderstand her intentions.
She opened her mouth, trying to speak, trying to defend herself or explain or deflect. But the word stuck in her throat like a physical obstruction.
No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to call him that—to use the term that Jenna had so casually employed, the one that would cement her position as something less than equal.
A few days ago—was it really only a few days? It felt like months—she had been his academic counselor, a respected university professor with authority and dignity. Not some companion begging to stay alive, not some kept woman trading her body for food.
That line between teacher and survivor, between who she was and who she'd become, still made her deeply uneasy. It was a boundary she could cross in action but not yet in words.
Before the tension could rise further, before Jenna could push her advantage or Natasha could find her voice, Elric exhaled audibly and raised a hand in a gesture of dismissal.
"Enough. Both of you."
His tone was calm—not angry, not frustrated, just... done. But it carried enough firmness to silence them both immediately. The authority in that simple statement was absolute.
"I have something to tell you," he continued, standing up from where he'd been sitting and glancing between them with those eyes that seemed to see more than they should. "From now on, you'll both have a new task."
Natasha blinked, confusion replacing the defensive tension in her expression. "Task?"
Elric nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. Starting today, I want you to reach out to any of your friends—especially the ones who are smart, capable… and beautiful. Invite them here."
Both women stared at him in confusion, trying to process what that meant. Why would he want more people? Weren't resources scarce enough already?
"As long as one of them shows up," he said, "you'll get rewarded."
Elric needed more qualified survivors—and not just anyone who could walk and breathe. People who could adapt to this new world, evolve beyond their old limitations, and contribute to the growth of his system in ways both practical and mystical.
He'd already noticed through observation and the System's subtle hints that Natasha and Jenna's social circles were full of exactly the type of women the System classified as "high compatibility subjects." Educated, attractive, from good backgrounds—the kind of people who'd survived the initial chaos through luck or resources rather than just brute strength.
And in this collapsing world, new recruits meant more than just additional bodies. They meant more "energy sources"—both for physical survival and for his evolving Devil Fruit Tree that grew stronger with each compatible woman integrated into his...
"Wait," Jenna said, blinking rapidly as understanding began to dawn. "You're saying… you want us to bring in more people? More women?"
"Exactly."
Elric reached into the air—and with a faint shimmer of blue light that distorted space itself, a roasted lamb shank materialized in his hand as if plucked from invisible storage.
The savory scent filled the entire room instantly, overwhelming everything else. Crisp, golden skin glistening with rendered fat. Juices that caught the light. It smelled like heaven to people who hadn't eaten well in days, like the promise of life itself.
Jenna's eyes widened dramatically, her mouth falling open. "W-What the hell… where did that come from!?"
Natasha didn't even flinch—she had already seen Elric pull items from his mysterious inventory before, had watched bottles of water materialize and food appear from nowhere. The initial shock had worn off.
But the smell still made her stomach growl audibly despite having eaten not long ago. The body's response to such rich food was automatic, instinctive.
She tried to hide it, tried to maintain her composure and dignity. But her eyes were locked on the food with undisguised hunger, tracking it like a predator watching prey.
Just the aroma alone was enough to make her dizzy, to make her mouth water uncontrollably.
"This," Elric said calmly, setting the roasted lamb shank down on the table between them with careful deliberation, "is your first reward."
He let them stare at it for a moment, let the implications sink in.
"Bring in one qualified person, and you get a meal like this. Keep doing it, and the rewards will grow—food, clothes, protection, even privileges in the shelter."
His eyes flickered with quiet authority, with the confidence of someone who held all the cards. "In this world, effort is everything. You earn what you eat."
Natasha nodded quietly, understanding immediately. The system made sense—incentives for cooperation, rewards for contribution. It was logical, almost corporate in its structure.
Jenna, though, couldn't stop staring at the steaming meat—the glint of grease catching the light, the faint crackle of heat still radiating from it.
She could still taste the hunger from before she met Elric, could still feel that hollow ache that twisted your stomach and made you dream of food even while sleeping. That desperation that made you consider eating things you never would have before.
Now, just one task—just one person recruited—could bring her something this delicious. The math was simple.
For a moment, her survival instincts drowned out everything else. Even the uneasy feeling that Elric's "recruitment plan" was far more calculated than it appeared, that there were layers to this she didn't fully understand.
"If you can't complete the task," Elric said flatly, his voice carrying an edge now, "then you'll just be stuck eating someone else's leftovers."
He let the words hang for a moment—the threat implicit, the memory of Jenna's humiliation still fresh—then smirked slightly.
"But since this is the first day, I'll give you both a bit of motivation."
He snapped his fingers with theatrical flair.
Two more roasted lamb shanks shimmered into existence beside him, materializing in perfect condition, glistening golden-brown in the artificial light.
"Today," he continued, his voice magnanimous, "everyone eats for free."
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