episode_0002

“Groan….”

A sound different from waking up.

Literally a dying sound, flowing down the spine. The head throbs like when it first landed here.

It feels like doing intense exercise with a cold or flu.

Anyway, it must mean I’m still alive.

They say if you know how to fall properly or get caught on a structure midway, your chances of survival increase.

Even considering that, human resilience is still…

Falling from that height and just spraining an ankle, maybe I’m not so ordinary after all.

Of course, not me.

“…Ugh. Hey, are you okay?”

“…It hurts. Hold me.”

If I had fallen as is, I would have undoubtedly died.

However, in a life-or-death moment, thanks to Chaeseol pulling me close, I wasn’t seriously injured.

Considering I only sprained my ankle, I should be thankful it ended with just this level of injury.

I’ll have to carry the little guy for a while.

“I’m happy.”

“Is it necessary to bury your face in my back? More importantly, is this the time for such talk?”

“How about ‘I love you’ then?”

“No, that’s not the issue…”

Forget it.

And thank you.

After those words, we silently made our way forward.

Below the cliff was a series of lush forest paths.

The dampness reminiscent of the Amazon seemed to sap energy with every step, causing a dot damage effect.

About 10 minutes passed imperceptibly.

As the consequences of lack of exercise approached my thighs.

In the distance, the smell of food and voices began to drift towards us. Finally, we entered the outskirts of the village we had been searching for.

But joy was short-lived as we were soon dumbfounded by what we encountered.

“…Honestly, I expected it, but deep down, I didn’t believe it.”

Elves, epitomes of pointed elegance, stood beside rugged, muscular beings of various races.

There were horned demons with heads more eye-catching than wings.

Lastly, even knights clad in plate armor.

It was truly a fantasy spectacle.

Although it seemed straight out of a comic, it was undeniably real.

“This seems really messed up, doesn’t it?”

Even if you don’t want to accept it, you have to.

If you can’t adapt anywhere, you’re bound to be left behind. Moreover, in this world, difficulty directly correlates with survival.

Just as poking your cheeks several times starts feeling meaningless.

“Stop right there!”

Wait a minute.

Come to think of it, they’re all still speaking Korean.

As I turned my head in disbelief, a knight with crimson feathered shoulders halted us.

Despite being closer to elves than humans, I hadn’t misheard.

Expectations rose that communication might be possible despite using Korean.

“You seem like unauthorized wanderers. Why are you roaming the village?”

While words may get through, conversation might not.

As expected, “wanderer” seemed to refer to people like us.

The problem was the imminent danger that had just dropped on us.

I need to think. I have to come up with something.

Otherwise…

“Refusing to answer questions is also punishable.”

I might face that huge, sharp sword.

But my mind had long turned into sand squeezed dozens of times.

No more good ideas came to mind. Is this how I die?

Seemingly impatient, the knight began to point his sword towards us.

“Wanderers, for refusing to answer, you are… Hrk.”

“….”

“Hrk, hrk.”

What’s going on?

As he approached to strike us,

He sniffed our necks, exploring every nook and cranny as if inhaling a scent sample.

“Daring to have the scent of Yehanwool…”

“Hey, hold on for a moment.”

“…I see. So that’s what it was.”

The elf knight, having smelled enough, sheathed his sword as if realizing something.

With a fluttering cape, he turned his back and started heading back to the group.

“The wanderers who went out to scout the forest have all returned.”

Forest scouting?

Are they talking about the forest we were just in?

I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like there has been a misunderstanding.

Judging by a glance, it seems like they are entrusting the dirty work to people like us.

Are we the last resort for them?

“From what I can gather, it seems they failed to find the ‘Oben leaves’ again. Why is that person assigning such an important task even to insignificant individuals like us?”

Tsk.

Tsk? This guy not only looked down on us blatantly but also insulted us.

Oh well. My second goal now is to pluck all your fur before going home and get myself a long padding jacket.

You can keep it stored in the closet during summer and use it when winter comes.

“Don’t stand around foolishly, report to the alliance.”

With those words, he moved his steps somewhere else.

Although I’m grateful for being guided here by chance, it seems like everyone living here is unlucky.

Anyway, things seem to be falling into place. Now that we know about the existence of the alliance, it’s a decent development.

“Looks like a dog’s nose despite its appearance. Maybe it takes after your personality.”

“Nope.”

Chaeseol rummaged through her pockets with a pout.

Soon, she pulled out a leaf that emitted a familiar scent, though there was no response, those bright eyes were a memorable sight.

“This, could it be?”

“Just brought it in case.”

“It’s quite big. Thinking ahead in that situation.”

For now, let’s consider this matter settled.

After hitting my head on the fountain, I ended up here, chased by monsters.

Passing through a strange forest and arriving at the village, we are classified as wandering individuals without freedom.

It seems there are authorized individuals among them.

We don’t know how long it will take to return home, but at least to live somewhat humanely, we need that authorization.

First things first.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything else here.”

I don’t know how the place the guy mentioned looks or what it is for, but speculating from the name “alliance,” it might be an institution where various races come and report tasks or convey information.

In our terms, it could be a government. In gaming terms, maybe a currency exchange or guild lobby.

From the start, it was so conspicuous that you couldn’t just pass by.

Creak-

When the old latch caught the attention of the alliance leader, the various beings inside fell silent.

Even though we are mere wanderers, why would all eyes be on us just because we opened a door?

If not, maybe the place he mentioned isn’t here.

As sweat dripped down my spine, a momentary gaze stopped due to a sudden mood shift.

The concentrated attention dispersed in an instant.

“Why were they staring so intently? Did they think we did something wrong?”

More importantly, where are we supposed to report?

Carrying Chaeseol is becoming a challenge.

Despite brushing it off due to the mood, the fact that we still stood out remained unchanged.

Then, I noticed a pile of familiar-looking grass clippings in the distance.

This ordinary yet oddly shaped grass was unique in the world.

Excited that I finally found it, I started running towards it.

“Oh, the wanderers back from scouting. You can leave the ‘shells’ over here.”

“Shells?”

The owner of the clinking voice was a cat-like humanoid.

With striking yellow hair, surprisingly kind…not that it matters.

Shells?

It seems reporting what happened in the forest is not the end.

I tried to mix the similar-looking leaves together, but upon closer inspection, those “shells” were completely different.

The only similarity was the scent.

In the end, it’s another crisis.

Time is of the essence. If you delay, you’ll raise suspicion. Finding an unknown object, especially one that seems different only to you, undoubtedly spells trouble.

Escaping is no longer an option.

I picked it up on my way here.

It turns out it has a mutation.

But what was I supposed to bring?

Darn it, no matter what I say, it feels awkward.

Is there no way out?

“Phew, we really need to find the O’ben leaf quickly. Even with the alliance of wanderers, there’s been no progress…”

“Um, excuse me! What is the husk, and what about the O’ben leaf?”

“Oh my, are you a newcomer? Seems like you didn’t receive the message.”

Ironically, the direct approach worked.

Indeed, being shameless wasn’t a unique trait of this world but rather a characteristic of that elf.

To think I obtained such crucial information so easily.

She kindly and thoroughly provided answers to my questions.

“The husk is similar to the O’ben leaf but consider it a low-grade product with 1/10th of the effect. On the other hand, real O’ben leaves, well, you know without me saying. They’re so sought after that they become blood feuds in various places.”

“Is that so…?”

“I’ve never actually seen one, but they say there are eyes embedded in the leaves.”

Wait a moment.

“…What happens if a wanderer finds an O’ben leaf?”

“Most likely, apart from receiving a permit, they’ll end up with significant injuries.”

This…

It seems like things might resolve more easily than expected.