A dull ache throbbed in Leon's skull as he slowly blinked awake.
His vision swam, his mind groggy. He let out a low groan, pushing himself upright.
"Ugh… What the hell happened?"
He glanced around. It took a second to register, but he was back in his room.
"Wait… how did I get here?"
Before he could piece things together, a familiar blue screen flickered to life in front of him.
[You lost consciousness after taking a bite of your meal.]
Leon froze.
And then—it hit him.
That writhing, grotesque slab of meat. That indescribable taste—like something that had crawled out of hell and died on his tongue.
His stomach churned violently just thinking about it.
"That… that was food?!" he blurted out.
The system, as usual, responded without emotion.
[Yes.]
Leon's face twitched.
"No. That was not food. That was a goddamn biohazard! That was worse than trash! That was a violation of my human rights!"
[You are not human anymore.]
Leon sucked in a sharp breath. "You—you little—!" He nearly punched the screen, but stopped himself.
The system continued, ignoring his outburst.
[For demons, that meal was a delicacy. They have lived through war, exile, and starvation. Taste is irrelevant to them—only survival matters. Their bodies have adapted, and so have their taste buds.]
Leon groaned, slumping back onto the bed.
"Damn it… So that's how bad things have gotten."
A twinge of guilt crept in. As much as he despised that nightmare disguised as food, he couldn't ignore the fact that his people had been forced to live like this.
But still—
"Can't they hunt something normal?!" he snapped. "That thing was moving on my plate! I swear I ate a goddamn demon parasite!"
[The meat was from an Ironhide Lizard. A highly poisonous species.]
Leon froze, his face going pale.
"Excuse me?!"
[You heard correctly.]
"Are you telling me I ate something that could've killed me?!"
[No. Your body has already developed poison resistance due to prolonged exposure.]
Leon stared at the floating text. "...Prolonged exposure?"
[Yes. You've been eating similar meals since childhood. Well it may be more correct to say that the body you are inhabiting is accustomed to the poisonous food.]
Leon nearly choked on air. "I—what?!" He grabbed his throat, as if expecting to drop dead at any moment.
The system remained indifferent.
[All creatures in this wasteland are either too strong to hunt or too poisonous to consume safely. The demons have adapted. Your body is adapting as well. Eventually, you won't even notice the taste.]
Leon's eye twitched violently.
"Oh, hell no. I am NOT 'adapting' to that!"
[Then do something about it.]
Leon stiffened.
The words hit differently this time. It wasn't just a statement—it was a challenge.
If he wanted real food, if he didn't want to suffer through eating actual poison, he needed to change things himself.
He exhaled slowly, crimson eyes narrowing.
"Tch… Fine. If the food here is this bad, then I'll just have to find a way to fix it."
"Tch… Fine. If I can't eat their food, I'll cultivate my own."
[Yeah, good luck with that. Nothing grows in this barren land. Did you think the inhabitants never tried?]
Leon smirked. "Hah, but they didn't have a system, did they?"
[I highly doubt that changes anything.]
Leon scoffed. "We'll see about that. First thing in the morning, I'll inspect the land myself."
For now, there was a more urgent matter at hand.
"But first, can you give me something to eat that won't send me into a coma?"
[You can browse food in the system shop.]
Leon's brows lifted in interest as a small shopping bag icon appeared in the corner of his vision.
He clicked it.
The screen shifted, displaying a vast menu of food items, ranging from the mundane to the exquisite. Each had a price tag in system points.
[System Shop – Food Category]
Dried Bread – 10 SP
Grilled Meat Skewers – 20 SP
Fresh Fruit Platter – 30 SP
Bowl of Steaming Ramen – 40 SP
Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza – 50 SP
Cola (Ice Cold) – 15 SP
Exotic Feast of the Gods – 500 SP
Leon's eyes zeroed in on one particular item.
"Pizza. That's it. I need pizza."
He clicked on it without hesitation. 50 SP deducted.
And what's pizza without a drink? He scrolled back and added a cola for 15 SP.
[935 SP remaining.]
A golden light flashed, and in the next instant—
A steaming hot pizza sat on a plate before him, perfectly baked with gooey, melted cheese and crisp pepperoni slices. Next to it, a frosted glass bottle of cola, beads of condensation dripping down its sides.
Leon's eyes widened, his stomach growling in anticipation.
"Now THAT'S what I call food!"
He wasted no time, grabbing a slice and taking a huge bite.
A burst of savory, cheesy goodness exploded in his mouth.
"Mmm!" He moaned in pure bliss, his body melting into the bed as he chewed. "This… this is heaven."
He gulped down the bite and popped open the cola, taking a deep, satisfying sip. The ice-cold fizz danced on his tongue, washing away the trauma of his previous meal.
"This is it. This is life."
Leaning back against the pillows, he polished off the entire meal within minutes, savoring every last crumb.
With his stomach finally content, a heavy drowsiness settled over him.
"Damn… I missed real food."
Letting out a satisfied sigh, he sank deeper into the bed, feeling the warmth of the meal settle in his gut.
The last thing he thought before sleep claimed him was—
"Tomorrow, the real work starts. I can't let down the names of transmigrators by giving it without doing anything."