Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

"Maya, how would you like it if I became your first customer?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion.

"My first customer? You? Well, I appreciate the gesture, but our restaurant is pretty expensive. It’s not somewhere you go to eat for free."

"Do you guys accept monster cores as payment?"

"Uh, yeah, we do, but—"

"Great. Then it should be fine."

Maya looked skeptical at first but after a few seconds, then she finally relented and a smile bloomed on her face.

"Alright, you have a deal. You become my first customer, and I’ll instruct you on where to find the Skylina guild."

With joy evident on her face, Maya began walking toward the restaurant where she worked.

The moment we stepped in, I could practically taste the ale in the air. The atmosphere was cozy; there was soft music playing in the background. It was from a dwarf sitting at the back of the restaurant playing a musical instrument.

The staff mainly consisted of girls of different races. Though they were mostly elves and demihumans.

Just their beautiful appearance and energetic personalities were enough to stun the customers.

Suddenly, I understood why Maya had a hard time competing with them. She just didn’t have that natural charm, but at least now she’ll have a chance to practice.

"Here is your table, and, um, the menu."

I glanced over the menu for a few seconds before turning to Maya.

"What do you recommend?"

"If I were in your shoes, I guess I would order the cheesecake. It’s very delicious, and sometimes Big Mama lets me lick the batter from the spoon."

"Big Mama?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, the owner. She’s also the head chef. She can be hard at times, but she treats us like her real daughters. She also fiercely protects us if a customer gets grabby."

"Oh, I see. Since you recommend the cheesecake, I’ll just go with that."

"Alrighty, I’ll have it out for you in a jiffy," Maya said, bowing deeply, even though her posture was stiff.

As she left, I couldn’t help but notice a few of the staff staring. Some shook their heads and whispered in hushed voices.

I guess this whole arrangement would look weird from the outside. It looked as if they all just assumed she had screwed up and now she was wasting time and money on an insect.

Even a few of the customers had begun to notice my strange presence, but none approached me, so they were of little consequence.

A few minutes later, Maya finally returned and placed the cheesecake down on the table. Though I found her expression concerning when she did return. It was the same expression as when she was scolded before.

"Not bad, you were right. This is delicious.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I’m impressed. You did a good job recommending this. It seems you know the items served here a lot."

Maya scratched her cheek bashfully.

"Why, I do spend a lot of time sampling the food, so I have an idea of what everything tastes like."

"That’s your gift."

She looked at me with confusion.

"My gift?"

"Yes. It’s like knowing the product in your store. You can help the customers choose the best items on the menu. If you do that and smile a bit more, then I’m sure you won’t have any problems competing with the others."

With rose-red cheeks, Maya bobbed her head.

"Thank you."

After a few minutes, when I was done eating, I retrieved the monster core from my storage space and gave it to her as payment

"Whoa! This is too much. Just for one cheesecake, you’re giving me a D-ranked monster core. I can’t accept this."

"I don’t have any lower-ranked cores, so just consider it a tip."

"This is simply too much for a tip!"

Her shouting drew the attention of the other customers, causing her to lower her head in embarrassment.

"For this much, you could’ve gotten 50 cheesecakes. No, maybe even a hundred. Are you sure about this?"

"I’m certain. Now, for your end of the deal."

"Oh, yes, of course. I’ll show you to where Skylina is," she said, picking me up before moving briskly toward the exit.

"By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you plan to do at Skylina?" she asked as we walked along the busy streets of the city.

"I’m meeting with someone."

It was someone who claimed they had important information I needed. That’s why I went through the hassle of coming here.

"Well, you should be careful. The adventurers who attend this guild are known for their wild temperament," Maya warned.

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the inn with a sign that read ’Skylina’.

"So this is where we part ways," I said.

"Wait, here, take this." Maya stopped me before I entered the inn and stretched out a piece of paper toward me. "It’s a gift for everything you did to help me."

"What is this?"

"If you ever need help, just burn this paper. It can help you contact my grandmother."

"Your grandmother?" I asked, feeling confused.

This prompted Maya to kneel down and whisper something so only the two of us could hear.

"My grandmother is actually a famous witch. If you ever need help with anything, she’ll help. Just tell her that I sent you."

"Oh, I see. Thanks again!" Maya shouted, waving as she left.

I watched her leaving until her figure disappeared into the sea of heads before turning my attention back to the inn.

"Here goes nothing."

Without hesitation, I skittered into the inn and began glancing around. The inn was crowded, and the ruckus they were making made it hard to concentrate, but after a few seconds, I finally found the person I was looking for.

She was passed out drunk at her table, surrounded by empty stacks of mugs.

I vibrated my wings and flew over the crowd of drunk customers until I landed on her table. It was then that I brushed my antennae against her face and called out to her.

"Amanda."