The rocky alcove was narrow, damp, and smelled of old, dried moss. But to Hidayat Nur Mustafidl, this place was more luxurious than a five-star hotel penthouse. The reason was simple: no horned rabbits, no moss wolves, and no transparent tigers trying to rip his intestines out.
Dayat slumped in the corner of the small cave. His breath still sounded like someone who had just escaped a debt collector chasing him across a village. His imaginary jacket had long vanished from his mind; now he only felt the cold stone wall piercing his back, which was clad only in a dirty t-shirt.
"Dol..." Dayat called out weakly, his eyes half-closed. "The door... please lock the door. I'm scared a salesman might come in."
Dola stood at the cave mouth. She had just arranged a pile of rocks and thorny branches to cover the entrance, leaving a small hole for ventilation and surveillance.
"Perimeter defense mechanism complete," Dola reported. She turned, her dimly glowing blue eyes illuminating the small cave. "No biological entities detected within a 10-meter radius. Master is safe to enter rest mode."
"Okay... great..." Dayat shivered. The adrenaline that had pumped through him earlier had now deserted him, replaced by a chill that pierced his bones. The forest at night turned out to be far colder than a convenience store's AC.
Dayat hugged his knees, trying to trap his own body heat. His teeth chattered. Clack-clack.
Dola observed her master with her head tilted slightly. Her internal HUD (Head-Up Display) flashed a series of red data.
[WARNING: Subject 'Dayat' body temperature dropping to 35.8°C. Risk of mild hypothermia detected. Muscle tremors observed.]
"Master," Dola stepped closer. Her steps were silent on the stone floor. "Master's body temperature is dropping drastically. Master requires an external heat source."
"I... I don't have a blanket, Dol," Dayat babbled, his eyes already closed. "Just burn... burn the forest down so it's warm."
"Burning the forest will attract predators within a 5-kilometer radius. Option denied," Dola replied logically.
Dola scanned the cave. No dry wood sufficient for a safe small campfire. No cloth. Only cold stone and herself.
Dola paused for a moment. Her logic processor calculated variables.
[Solution Identified: Conduction Heat Transfer.]
[Available Heat Source: Bio-Synthetic Core Unit (Self).]
[Unit Skin Surface Temperature: 37.5°C (Stable).]
Without hesitation, Dola sat beside Dayat.
"Master, permission to execute emergency thermal procedure," she said flatly.
Dayat only mumbled incoherently, "Hnggg... whatever..."
Dola shifted her body until it pressed tightly against Dayat's side. She pulled Dayat's left arm, then wrapped her own right arm around the young man's shoulder, pulling him into a position technically called a "side embrace," but visually looking like Dayat was cuddling spoiled-ly against his robot girlfriend.
The effect was instant.
"Warm..." Dayat hissed. His pale face slowly relaxed. He instinctively nuzzled his head onto Dola's shoulder, seeking the heat source like a cat seeking sunlight.
Dola didn't move. She let Dayat's body weight rest on her. She was a machine (according to her own understanding). She felt no awkwardness, shame, or heart flutters. She was simply executing a support function.
However, as Dayat's breathing became regular and he entered deep sleep, something strange happened.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Detecting Unknown External Energy Input.]
Dola's eyes blinked rapidly.
What is this?
The sensation started from their point of physical contact—the touching shoulders and arms. It felt like a very subtle, yet consistent static electric current flowing from Dayat's body into Dola's synthetic "skin".
Usually, Dola's operations consumed energy. Every second she was active, her core battery percentage dropped.
But now?
[Battery Status: 68%... 68.1%... 68.2%...]
The number was going up.
Dola froze. Her logic rejected this data. The laws of thermodynamics stated energy could not be created, only changed in form. Dayat was an ordinary human sleeping, not a power generator. How could simple skin contact result in recharging?
The current felt warm. Unlike sharp pure electricity, this energy felt... alive. Fluid. Flowing into Dola's circuits, traveling to her main processor, and clearing out piled-up data cache.
[Energy Source Analysis: Beta-Mana Waves.]
[Origin: Subject 'Dayat'.]
[Status: Unconscious/Passive.]
"Master..." Dola whispered, looking at Dayat's innocent (and slightly drooling) sleeping face. "What are you, actually?"
Dayat didn't answer, only snoring softly.
Suddenly, a larger system notification appeared in Dola's vision, covering Dayat's face with blue holographic text.
[EXCESS ENERGY DETECTED.]
[INITIATING SYSTEM UPDATE PROTOCOL (AUTO-UPDATE).]
[Target Module: Long Range Sensor.]
[Cost: 0 Reserve Energy Units (Free).]
Dola wanted to cancel the process. Updating in enemy territory without preparation was risky. But her system gave her no choice. The energy from Dayat forced the update to happen.
Dola's body hummed softly. The blue neon lines on her bodysuit glowed brighter, pulsing in rhythm with Dayat's breath. It felt like a momentary fever. Heat spread through her visual circuits.
Loading... 30%... 60%... 100%.
[UPDATE COMPLETE.]
[New Feature Unlocked: Enhanced Scanning Range v1.2.]
[Effective Radius: Increased from 10m² to 15m².]
[Feature Addition: Basic Material Density Analysis.]
Dola blinked. The world in her eyes became sharper.
She tried activating her new sensor. An invisible scanning wave spread out of the cave.
Usually, her "vision" would blur after 10 meters, blocked by the data fog of war. But now, she could "see" through the cave walls further. She could feel the texture of the rocks out there. She could detect insects crawling behind bushes 15 meters away. An extra five meters might sound small, but in a life-or-death situation, it was the difference between survival and being eaten.
Dola looked at her own hands, then looked at Dayat again.
This was an Anomaly.
In her creation database, upgrades required a connection to a central server, licensed technicians, and expensive credit costs. But Dayat, a human who didn't even know how to cook cassava without a guide, had just provided a hardware upgrade simply by... sleeping next to her?
"Initial Hypothesis," Dola noted in her secret log. "Master Hidayat's body functions as a Bio-Reactor or natural Mana transmitter. Physical contact facilitates the transfer of said energy to my system."
Dola brought her face closer to Dayat's, observing the young man's facial features. Ordinary. Standard nose, small acne scars, messy hair. He didn't look like a grand mage or a god.
"Is this the reason Master was chosen to come to this world?" Dola muttered softly. "Or... is this the reason I am here?"
The question hung in the damp cave air. Dola didn't have the answer. All she knew was a new statistical fact:
[Strategic Conclusion: Maintaining physical proximity to Master Dayat increases operational efficiency and system evolution potential by 200%.]
Dola tightened her embrace. This time, not just to maintain Dayat's body temperature, but also—subconsciously—to "absorb" more of this comfortable anomaly.
Time passed. Dawn began to break outside, changing the forest sky color from pitch black to violet.
Dayat stirred. His eyes blinked, blinded by the morning light entering through the rock crevices. His body felt stiff from sleeping on the stone floor, but strangely, he wasn't cold. Instead, his right side felt very warm and soft.
He turned his head.
Dola's face was only centimeters away from his. Those blue eyes were open, staring straight at him.
"WAAAA!" Dayat reflexively recoiled, his head hitting the cave wall. Thud!
"Ouch! Dammit..." Dayat rubbed the back of his head. "Why was your face so close, Dol?! You gave me a heart attack!"
"Good morning, Master Dayat," Dola greeted calmly, as if nothing happened. She sat back up straight, tidying her slightly messy silver hair (a strange detail for a robot). "I was monitoring Master's vital signs during the sleep phase."
Dayat narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Monitoring while cuddling? Are you making a move on me?"
"That was a heat transfer procedure to prevent hypothermia. Master was shivering last night. I was merely executing life support functions."
"O-oh..." Dayat's face reddened slightly. He vaguely remembered feeling cold and then suddenly warm. "Alright then... thanks. Eh, but why do you look... different?"
Dayat pointed at Dola. He couldn't explain it, but Dola looked "fresher". The lights on her suit were brighter, her eyes sharper.
"Accurate observation," Dola nodded. She stood up, then walked to the cave mouth. "During the night cycle, my system underwent an automatic update."
"Update? You got Wi-Fi here?"
"Negative. The trigger source is unconfirmed, but suspected to originate from environmental anomalies," Dola lied—or rather, saved the hypothesis until the data was valid. She didn't want to tell Dayat he was a walking battery yet. She feared Dayat would get a big head or get scared.
"What is clear is that my Scanning range has increased to 15 square meters," Dola continued. "And I can now analyze the density of solid objects."
Dayat gaped. "Free? No data plan needed?"
"Free."
"Damn... That's so cool!" Dayat immediately forgot about the cuddling incident earlier. He stood up, dusting off his pants. "That means we're getting better! 15 meters is decent for escaping."
Dola removed the rocks covering the cave easily. Morning sunlight burst in.
"Correct. And with this new sensor, I detect something interesting to the North, 15 meters from our current position, covered by thick bushes."
"What is it? Another monster?" Dayat was ready to draw his folding knife.
"Not biological," Dola replied, her eyes glowing as she scanned the distance. "Geometric. Unnatural straight lines. Right angles."
Dola turned to Dayat.
"Master Dayat, forests do not create perfect right angles. That is man-made. There is an artificial structure nearby."
Dayat's heart pounded hard. An artificial structure? Did that mean other humans? Or... treasure?
"Ancient ruins?" Dayat asked hopefully.
"Probability 85%. Let's check. Ready your knife, Master."
They stepped out of the cave, welcomed by the fresh yet deadly fantasy forest morning air. Dayat felt stronger after a good sleep (and being charged by Dola's hug). And Dola... Dola felt more "alive" with Dayat's mysterious energy now flowing in her circuits.
The second day's adventure began.