Ch.7Chapter 7. Life’s Fucked.

But the fact that I survived that way wouldn’t matter to anyone who heard it.

Eventually, I became notorious among adventurers as an ominous totem that brings death to those who take me along. Because of this, I was essentially blocked from getting any porter requests.

Of course, such rumors usually flare up briefly like a trend and are forgotten with time, but the special privilege I possessed had the effect of dragging out even these temporary incidents…

‘Hyoseong Woo? Where have I heard that name before?’

‘That’s the guy. The one blacklisted by the Adventurers’ Guild.’

‘They say he sends everyone who goes with him straight to hell.’

‘Rumor has it some assassination guild put out a contract on him.’

‘And he’s always going around saying “Hyo-Hyo” or something.’

‘Eek! A monster! Get out of our empire right now!’

“I don’t do any of that stuff.”

I understand that when your name is remembered for a long time, false rumors follow, but the reality is that I’m just a dog-food-eating foreign laborer working diligently in this world with only romance in mind.

For someone like me, being vilified just because I desperately survived feels truly unfair.

“…Sigh, this ability doesn’t help me at all.”

While others typically receive abilities that provide at least some minor help—unless they’re idiots like Dukhun Oh—I’ve never once properly benefited from this ability I acquired.

People tend to remember bad things more vividly.

If I were a civil servant handling complaints at a local office or a customer service employee at a repair center, surely all kinds of troublemakers would remember my name and flood me with complaints, blocking any path to promotion.

So much for my option of taking civil service exams and getting an iron rice bowl job where I could snack when bored.

Life is fucked.

“The fundamental problem is this world that just fills heroes with hot air.”

Of course, it’s problematic that those in power manipulate heroes with sweet talk from their narrow perspectives, but considering that most people involved are grown adults, I can’t just blame the world entirely.

Even if you have money and connections, one swing of a blade from a madman with nothing to lose can end your life instantly.

Similarly, in this world, even if you obtain the legendary ore called mythril and craft a weapon, you might constantly be targeted by those coveting it, get your skull split from behind, lose your life, and leave your precious item to someone else.

So how should one live in such a harsh world?

Even if you have power, hide it as much as possible, stay humble, and look for opportunities.

Even if given mythril, I’d first make a crutch with it and pretend to be disabled. Then when someone underestimates me, I’d bash their heads in, eliminate all witnesses, and whine while trying to collect even the smallest crumbs.

That’s how most high-ranking people survive, so why couldn’t I do the same?

So please, Status Window, give me just enough power to make one crutch out of mythril.

“Hey, Status Window!”

The status window appears in response to my angry shout.

I hoped there would be something there to overcome this miserable situation, but there’s nothing like that, Hyoseong.

No explosive growth in your aptitude stats, no ability reversal device, nothing at all.

“Why do I always draw blanks in this lottery?”

“As long as it’s not me~!”

And just then, a shout from the lottery booth in the marketplace as I was passing by.

Seeing people grabbing each other’s collars and squabbling, it seems like a scene of living and dying by luck, but I’m someone who stays completely away from gambling.

Of course, people should work diligently. If you get obsessed with gacha-like things, you’ll end up losing both money and life.

“Still, I wish some luck would come my way occasionally.”

As I was walking down the street thinking it would be nice if a piece of mythril for making a crutch just fell from the sky, I noticed several papers posted on a bulletin board in the plaza.

Imperial announcements, local territory notices, and job postings…

“Can I take requests here too?”

Come to think of it, the Adventurers’ Guild mainly deals with day labor, short-term work, subjugation, or exploration—all fragmented tasks—making it unsuitable for long-term employment.

So such official documents are often posted on bulletin boards like this.

Of course, while they’re stable, they don’t pay well, so I hadn’t bothered with them before. But given my situation, I couldn’t help but consider these options now.

“Let’s see, a suitable job… Hmm?”

As I was scanning through the posted documents, one caught my eye.

On a rather old piece of paper written in poor handwriting, there was also an official mark of the Magic Tower stamped on the request.

Did a mage from the Magic Tower staying in this city need something done and write this document?

However, the content only stated “There’s a lot to do. Come to the designated location,” without any other noteworthy information.

The only thing that stood out was the compensation… Gack! What is this?

The pay is ten times more than what I got working as a slave for heroes!

“What is this… What kind of work pays this much?”

“You’re taking that request? Are you in your right mind?!”

At that moment, an old man passing by approached me and began expressing his shock.

I found his reaction quite unexpected.

Not only was he shouting without even greeting me first, but why was he suddenly treating me like an escaped mental patient?

“Ahem, I apologize. I couldn’t help myself when I saw someone willingly choosing the path to hell…”

“Ah, well, if that’s what it is.”

If someone says I’m heading to hell, I should heed their warning.

If you want to survive for a long time, you should take such advice to heart.

I looked down at the document in my hand again and quietly asked the old man:

“But why is this request in my hand dangerous?”

“Because it has the Magic Tower’s mark on it! Don’t you know how arrogant and dangerous the mages affiliated with the Magic Tower are?”

Well, I’ve heard many rumors.

In fact, a mage who was recently torn to pieces had been summoned and received support from the Magic Tower to learn magic. His insufferably arrogant personality was clearly influenced by the Tower.

“The mages who enter the Magic Tower are all capable, but they’re so focused on research that they lack ethical awareness. They treat those who couldn’t enter the Tower as dull and stupid beings, and consider such people as consumables that can be sacrificed for their research at any time.”

“Come on, would they really kill people so easily? Despite the chaos in this world, the Empire is still a law-abiding society.”

“The Empire actively sponsors that Magic Tower. Without proper backing, they wouldn’t even blink if one or two people died.”

Yikes, so even here, those with money and connections rule everything?

How can a commoner like me, who doesn’t even have a chance to make money, live with such unfairness?

“I’m warning you out of concern, but if you’re taking the Magic Tower’s request because of the high compensation, you should think carefully. Unless you’re willing to die for money!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the advice.”

After receiving such rare advice in this harsh world, we parted ways.

Left alone in the plaza, I took time to reconsider the contents of the request in my hand.

“Well, yes. It’s probably best not to take such a dangerous request, right?”

Just from the rumors, the Magic Tower seems to be crawling with psychopathic scientists.

If I blindly trust the law and follow them, I might end up being subjected to live experiments in some hidden place, or be taken along to collect materials only to become monster bait.

That won’t do. My life is precious, even if I have nothing else.

“Of course, life is more important than money.”

Damn those Magic Tower people. Do they think I’ll just follow along because they offer high pay?

Don’t think you can buy me with money!

****

But it was too much money to pass up, and having found no decent source of income, I eventually ended up visiting the residence of the Magic Tower mage.

It’s not my fault.

It’s the world, this world that’s making me so frustrated…!

“Sigh, life really is miserable.”

But even considering the risks, it was clearly an offer hard to refuse.

The amount written on the request alone would require me to do the dangerous porter job for heroes dozens more times to earn.

With that alone, I’d have enough funds to embark on the “personal adventure” I had initially planned.

When you think about it, isn’t it better to get it over with in one go rather than face dozens of risks?

“…Well, if I’m pursuing romance, I should be willing to take some risks.”

Worst case, I’ll just strip and run.

Having made my decision, I knocked on the door of the building I arrived at and took time to look around.

“Excuse me, is anyone home?”

The place where the mage was staying appeared to be a mansion slightly larger than average.

Given the size of the house, there were several windows, but they were all covered with curtains, making it impossible to see inside.

It gave me a chilling feeling for a moment.

But if there are windows, I could break them with my body and escape, so I could consider it an opportunity.

-Click.

As I waited with such tension, the door finally opened, revealing the interior.

“He, hehe…”

The faint laughter that followed was presumably from the person who posted the request.

“Wh-who is it? Did you c-come because of the r-request?”

A shabby-looking woman with a trembling voice and weak laughter.

Her hair was unkempt and not properly maintained, and her clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, revealing her collarbone and cleavage.

Definitely not a presentable appearance in front of a man.

“Ah, yes. That’s right, but…”

“Y-you finally came. Hehe.”

Despite this, she seemed unaware of her appearance, blinking her unfocused blue eyes and quietly gesturing inside the mansion.

“F-first come in. I’ll e-explain the request r-right away…”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

It’s surprising that it’s a woman, but the atmosphere is still eerie…

Well, there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger, so let’s follow her for now. As I entered, I noticed blue lights flowing throughout the dark room.

Not lighting… Magic circles? Or a reaction from magic stones?

“Ah, ah. Th-those things beside you, d-don’t mind them. They j-just ended up like that while I was e-experimenting with this and that…”

“No, I don’t mind that.”

My gaze shifted slightly toward the surroundings.

Looking at the room illuminated by the blue light, I felt my breath catch.

It’s not that I discovered something dangerous. It’s just due to something like a compulsive disorder created by my usual habits.

“The messiness of the room bothers me a bit.”

I know Magic Tower people don’t care about anything except research, but isn’t this too much of a mess?

“…Pfft!”

A burst of laughter escaped her lips at that point.

As I felt a chill, she soon began looking at me with a laugh full of ecstasy.

“Y-you’re bothered by the messy room? R-really…?”

Why is she suddenly laughing?

Is she angry because I pointed it out?

Should I break the window and run now?

“Th-then cleaning… If it’s m-messy, you sh-should clean it, right?”

As such an impulse came over me, I heard her voice.

Not understanding the meaning at that moment, I stared at her with a blank expression.

“What? Cleaning…?”

“B-because you’re a housekeeper.”

Housekeeper? What does she mean?

Feeling puzzled, I stared at her, and soon she hugged herself and grinned, nodding toward the surroundings.

“If I hire a h-housekeeper… I d-don’t have to clean my room anymore. Right? Right?”

“Well, yes. That’s typically what housekeepers do…”

“Now you’ll c-clean the room, do the laundry, and I c-can eat food without b-burning it with my own hands… Hehehe, I’m free from all the annoying tasks. I c-can focus on my r-research…!”

Suppressing her flowing laughter with her hand over her mouth, she lowered her head.

As I blankly stared at her abnormal trembling that could hardly be considered normal, she slightly raised her head and asked me:

“W-will you do it? The c-cleaning…”

“Ah, yes. As long as you pay me, I should do it.”

Well, after all the hardship I’ve been through, it’s about time some luck came my way to make life a bit sweeter.

Life is sweet as honey.