episode_0011

It’s making money.

Observing the recent progress, the is making money in its own way.

Of course, the money didn’t burst out like a geyser, but the ledger is steadily filling up, and the incoming guests are showing a clear upward trend.

Passersby who are curious, or heroes gathering through word of mouth.

Perhaps they all wanted to relax for a moment, away from their busy daily lives, and melted away their tension on the massage bed, forgetting about their fierce battles.

Seeing them satisfied and recharged as they left, I couldn’t help but feel proud.

By the way, the shop doesn’t just have massage beds.

There is also a relaxation room for about two people to rest comfortably after a massage, in case they want a good night’s sleep.

Although the construction was halted, there are plans to install a makeshift sauna with a small partition in the spa tub.

I haven’t expanded it to save on maintenance costs, but I’m not using up all the space either.

“Tomboy,” “Majesty,” “Dark Horse,” “Pollen Allergy”… By the way, checking, most of the customers are female heroes.

The strange fact is that 100% of the customers who have visited so far are female heroes.

It’s not ‘female-only,’ it’s ‘hero-only,’ so if you’re a guest, there’s no gender distinction, but somehow only female heroes have come.

A couple of men did wander in yesterday, but after seeing my face, they left a message saying, “Oh, you’re a guy,” and disappeared.

…I understand their disappointment with the same gender, so I didn’t feel the need to hold them back.

‘Besides, it seems like there are some strange misunderstandings…’

Although business is going well and I’m happy about it, I can’t help but feel a bit strange.

Even if I provide a full-course massage generously, female guests still seem to feel something is lacking.

They run away saying, “Among these menu items… Oh, never mind!” when it’s time to pay the bill.

I don’t want to make a fool of myself by jumping to conclusions, but it keeps leading to strange misunderstandings.

This prosperity is partly thanks to the word of mouth from ‘Tomboy,’ so I might have to ask if they plan to revisit next time.

Anyway, that’s the end of my thoughts.

As the customers left, I was about to start cleaning again.

Jingle jangle!

“Oh, welcome!”

A reflexive greeting as soon as the customer arrived.

As a service industry worker, I greeted them brightly and then lost my mind when I looked at them.

‘What, are they an incredibly strong opponent…?’

I think I have a good eye for these things.

Even if I’ve been a perennial B-rank, I’ve been a hero since I was a student.

Strong opponents in the S-rank or A-rank top tier have a powerful presence from their appearance.

So my intuition judged her as a strong opponent at first sight.

If there’s one thing that catches my eye, it’s that the opponent is a perfect stranger.

Top heroes are easy to remember, but this glamorous woman wasn’t on that list.

I couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful platinum hair.

She had elegantly braided the beautiful platinum hair and twisted it around like a ribbon to create an updo.

Neatly tied up, but the side hair hung down like a curl and swayed.

Her eyes, reminiscent of the blue sea, exuded calmness, and her closed lips revealed a sense of determination.

She was a beauty without needing any additional embellishments.

She was taller than me by at least half a head, and she was wearing sturdy gauntlets, a breastplate, proper protective gear on her legs, and a massive greatsword hanging from her waist.

It was like the classic RPG female warrior vibe.

A warrior who seemed textbook-perfect with no gaps.

The woman calmly met my gaze and then opened her tightly closed lips.

“Excuse me, is this the ‘Hero-exclusive Healing Center’?”

“Yes… Yes! Have you come as a guest?”

The smooth voice and sharp kindness were more surprising than I thought.

“Can I first find out what this place is all about?”

“Oh, here’s the menu!”

The menu was handed over in response to the abrupt demand.

The blonde warrior calmly examined it.

“……”

“……”

It felt like being interrogated.

It felt like being sent by the Association for inspection, or being interrogated at the police station.

“A massage session costs fifty thousand won.”

“Yes… It’s a one-hour course, would you like to try it once?”

“Well, I’ll take a moment to consider, please wait.”

The blonde warrior took something out of the brown belt wrapped around her waist.

It was a leather pouch that adventurers would carry around in an RPG concept.

She untied the strap, opened it, and poured out all the contents onto the counter.

Ching ching ching!

A huge amount of money.

It fell with a jingling sound.

She handed over the money.

‘……Huh?’

Although she handed it over confidently, the place where the warrior handed over the money was filled with coins.

In other words, an enormous amount of coins spilled onto the counter.

“Okay, one, two, three, four……”

“……”

I was hoping for gold coins, but there were none.

Even among the coins, there were more 100 won coins than the most valuable 500 won coins, and even the 10 won coins that were said to be extinct were mixed in.

“Ninety-two one-hundred won coins… Forty-five five-hundred won coins……”

The blonde warrior meticulously organized the money with a serious expression, stacking the coins into a tower.

After finishing the calculation quickly, she whispered bitterly.

“I’m short 1740 won.”

“……”

She sighed lightly as she said that.

After sweeping the money into her pocket, she politely bowed and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I thought I could take a break because I was tired, but I’ll gather more money and come back.”

“Y-you will?”

“Yes, if I think about eating triangle kimbap and cup ramen for dinner, I’ll have to endure a little pleasure.”

I was astonished by her calm tone.

“Uh… Is that menu okay for a balanced diet? Won’t it affect your hero activities?”

“I can’t help it, it’s the cheapest option.”

…It seems like she’s struggling with living expenses.

She seemed to be someone completely different from what I had imagined, from the coins.

She was polite and sharp, but her behavior was very different from her appearance, so I asked despite feeling rude.

“Um… are you a hero by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then, may I ask which rank you belong to?”

“Yes, I am ranked 447th in the C-rank, ‘Rowdy Radiya.’”

……C-rank.

I wasn’t ignoring her, but I was surprised once again by her rank and nickname.

“‘Rowdy Radiya’ ranked 447th?”

“Yes.

My full name is ‘Rowdy Wooden Cart,’ but for some reason, I’m evaluated as nothing special compared to my appearance.”

‘Well… that makes sense….’

To be honest, I completely understood that.

Her appearance seemed like she could easily cut down any request or monster, but she was C-rank.

It might sound arrogant, but I didn’t even know that C-rank went up to 447th.

Radiya even added an explanation herself.

“I’ve been active for quite some time, but my hero achievements aren’t good. I borrowed money to equip good gear, but I haven’t properly defeated an enemy in a year.”

“Not even once in a year?!”

“Yes, I was born with a sudden mutation, but I still don’t know my awakened ability and I don’t have a sense of combat, so even when I teamed up with other C-ranks, I only provided small help, and my achievements weren’t good. Although assists are recorded, I haven’t defeated an opponent on my own.”

“……”

Heroes are recognized by their achievements.

However, not being able to properly deal with monsters or creatures for a year is quite a fatal record.

A somewhat awkward atmosphere settled in.

Although not one to show much change in expression, the long eyelashes drooping down indicated that even they were feeling a bit down.

“To be honest, I just failed to defeat a monster and was on my way back. I happened to pass by a sign that said ‘Hero Healing Center’ and thought I might take a break there, but since I couldn’t produce results, I can’t afford to rest.”

“….”

“I apologize for causing inconvenience in many ways. Well then.”

It hurt in the chest.

Despite being composed and nonchalant as if nothing was wrong, the words still stung when heard.

I wasn’t exactly a top-notch hero myself, so I could somewhat empathize.

It was the first time I met her today, but she seemed like the type who didn’t express emotions well, yet those emotions briefly showed through.

Clang!

As Rania was about to leave, hesitating while looking at her heavy figure, I quickly blurted out, “Oh! And come to think of it, you’re the 10th customer?”

“Me?”

Smiling warmly at Rania, who looked puzzled, I said, “Actually, the store has just opened not long ago! For the 10th customer, I want to offer a free service as a commemoration. How about it?”

“For me, you mean?”

“Yes, it’s a one-time experience chance! It won’t come again. Wow, wow, wow!”

A poorly thrown bait.

It wasn’t a completely false story.

Checking the ledger, she was indeed the 10th customer.

There was no event planned, but since there were no other customers at the moment, I could afford to offer a free service for about an hour.

The only concern was whether this clumsy kindness would hurt the other person.

I wanted to help Rania, who seemed to have a story even though I just met her today, and I was worried that this kindness might not just be seen as sympathy.

“….”

However, Rania slowly turned towards me.

A small smile bloomed on her lips, showing a hint of vitality beneath the tired appearance.

“Is that so? Then, I’ll accept that kindness and take a break for a while without refusing.”

There seemed to be a bit of energy seeping through the tired, faint signs of weariness.