Chapter 8 : Personal Part

An unmaintained mountain trail is extremely dangerous—especially for beginners.

Even in modern times, how often do we see people treating the neighborhood hills lightly, only to come back down completely exhausted?

Let alone a trail filled with lurking rocks and covered in unknown vegetation—walking such a path is practically torture for someone unprepared.

“…No more.”

A tired voice comes from behind me.

“I can’t walk anymore…!”

And so—

It was nothing short of surprising that Neb, with no proper gear, just unknown material clothing and shoes, had managed to follow me this far.

‘This should be good enough.’

I set my axe down in a suitable spot.

Took off my thick robe, laid it on the ground, and with practiced hands gathered dry twigs.

I lit a fire and began preparing a place to sleep.

I turned to Neb, who had sunk down onto the robe I had taken off.

“We’ll stop here for today.”

It was already twilight.

Darkness falls fast in the forest.

If I were alone, maybe I’d press on—but with a baggage like this tagging along, caution was worth it.

Neb leaned against a large rock.

It was a spot sheltered from wind and rain by old tree limbs and a stone wall.

“I never realized just walking could be such grueling labor.”

With that, Neb stretched out her long legs.

Oddly enough, despite walking forest paths for hours, she didn’t seem injured at all.

“Look—these divine legs of mine have swollen like clouds, haven’t they?”

“…”

No.

Not that I can tell.

I glanced sideways at her legs (what can I say, I was born a man), and began cleaning the rabbit we had caught earlier, removing its guts and skin.

“You’ve done well to keep up this far. Be satisfied with that.”

“Hehe, is that praise I hear?”

“Just an honest observation.”

Credit where it’s due.

Neb didn’t have leather boots that fit, or clothes that could retain heat, or even a cloak to keep the dew off.

‘I figured if she collapsed midway, I’d just carry her…’

But despite appearances, she had some hidden toughness.

Seemingly pleased by my words, Neb gave a small smile and enjoyed the warmth of the campfire.

Then, all of a sudden, she narrowed her eyes.

In a slightly resentful tone, she muttered:

“…Honestly, if someone hadn’t acted like they knew the way and charged ahead, we wouldn’t be this lost in the first place.”

I casually ignored that look.

It was a skill you inevitably picked up while living as a barbarian in the medieval era.

008. Personal Matters

Neb didn’t stop grumbling even after that.

“Tell me—honestly, we’re not even on a trail anymore, we’re just wandering through the forest, aren’t we? The goddess did advise we turn back, thinking we took a wrong turn…”

It felt like my ears were about to bleed.

I wanted to argue, but nothing suitable came to mind.

After all, it was true—I had gotten us lost.

Ignoring Neb’s nagging, I threw more firewood onto the campfire.

It was the season where spring was just beginning to arrive, and the cool climate meant fewer bugs flying around.

Crackle—the flames flared higher.

Maybe the warmth of the fire was finally settling in, because Neb’s expression slowly began to relax.

Seen like this… she had kind of a dopey-looking face.

“…What’s with that look you’re giving the goddess?”

She sure was sharp in the most unnecessary moments.

I casually tossed her a water pouch made from goatskin.

“Ah…!”

She barely caught it, eyes wide as she gulped it down like it was an ice-cold beer.

“Ahhh.”

Then, maybe a little embarrassed by her blatant display, she coughed lightly and added:

“Ahem… It’s not so bad, this thing called ‘physiological desire’ of the flesh.”

I didn’t reply.

I just started grilling the cleaned rabbit meat over the fire.

Soon, a sizzling sound and rising juices coated the meat’s surface.

There wasn’t much meat on it, but it looked enough to stir an appetite.

I took a bite of the well-cooked rabbit.

‘…Better than boar, at least.’

The gamey smell was less intense.

Some spices would’ve been nice, though.

Neb, who clearly had never tasted wild game before, didn’t seem too thrilled.

“…Isn’t the taste a bit weird?”

“Not really.”

“And kinda tough…”

Well, anything would be, compared to a cheeseburger.

I bit down on the rabbit meat again. It was good, honestly.

Watching Neb grumble in a low voice, I found myself thinking:

‘…A goddess? She’s more like a pampered noble lady who grew up too soft.’

It reminded me of old memories.

Honestly, I didn’t even understand what a “god” was supposed to be in this fantasy world.

It was far from the image of divinity I had grown up with in modern society.

Never mind turning water into wine—there was no majesty or grandeur to her at all.

Her speech patterns were a little odd, sure, but that was about it.

“Are gods usually like this?”

The question slipped out before I realized.

Neb was nibbling at the rabbit meat like a cat picking at a fish.

“Eden… First, it would be wise for you to shed those illusions and prejudices.”

She carefully placed the meat down so it wouldn’t touch the dirt, then looked up at me.

“You see, your entire premise is flawed. It’s not that I act this way because I’m a goddess—there simply exist goddesses like me. Just as I’ve never eaten rabbit meat before.”

Her eyes wandered, lost in thought, as she continued:

“In this world, even gods are just another form of life. If all gods were truly the ‘omniscient and omnipotent’ beings you imagine, then why would this goddess have ever lost her powers?”

She stretched her legs out again.

“It’s not that we’re believed in, and therefore we exist—it’s that we existed, and so people came to believe in us.”

She looked into the flickering flames.

“In the end, everything a goddess can do has its limits. That’s why I ended up like this.”

Well, yeah—gods in games are always like that.

At least she hadn’t called herself “The World” or something.

I nodded naturally.

“But don’t worry,” she said.

“As this goddess promised, once I regain my original strength, sending you back to your world will be no trouble. Even if such a task would be difficult for my dear little sister.”

“…Whatever.”

It was just words for now anyway.

‘Still… Didn’t she say her sister is the Sun Goddess?’

I asked the question that had popped into my mind:

“If the goal is to regain your power, couldn’t you just meet that cute, kind little sister of yours and ask for help?”

“…That…”

Neb looked up at the night sky with a smug look, dodging the question.

“That’s the goddess’s little secret. Let’s just call it the last resort.”

“…And you say that so proudly, like it’s not completely insane.”

At my response, Neb raised her voice, pretending to be offended.

“Honestly, what kind of tone is that to take with a goddess? I don’t expect full honorifics, but outright insults are a bit much, don’t you think?”

Blame it on barbarian habits.

I didn’t even notice.

“Yeah… I’ll be more careful.”

She wasn’t wrong.

It had been ages since someone actually called me out on my tone.

In medieval times, a barbarian using formal speech isn’t exactly respected.

“Well then, the goddess shall make a humble request. It doesn’t matter when we’re sharing a bedroll, but still.”

Neb casually wrapped herself in the robe I had laid down and lay down next to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Watching her, I felt a brief stab of guilt.

Thinking back, I had rushed things too much and hadn’t done nearly enough prep back in the village.

I could sleep anywhere just fine, but Neb would definitely need something like a thick robe to survive the chill of night.

‘This one’s on me.’

I got up and moved to the opposite side from where Neb had laid down.

Leaning back against a rock, I gazed up at a night sky—one you rarely see in modern society.

But then.

“They said it’s fine if we’re sharing the same bedding…??”

It felt like I had just heard something strange, like someone else heard it with me.

My head was foggy.

When I opened my heavy eyes, a familiar scene came into view.

I was standing in the middle of a modern studio apartment.

“…?”

A room of modest size—just like I remembered.

A refrigerator and washing machine, both standard with the lease, came into view immediately.

The air purifier my parents had given me for my birthday was humming softly in the corner.

“Is this a dream…?”

It was clear this wasn’t reality.

The years I suffered through in that medieval world couldn’t have been just a hallucination.

And yet, the sharp clarity of this world messed with my head.

Every sense screamed that this was real.

That’s where the dissonance hit me.

You can mistake a dream for reality—but you can’t mistake reality for a dream.

“…What the hell is this?”

I kept looking around.

Ding-dong.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

I gulped dryly.

It wasn’t that I forgot how to open the door.

I just moved—very slowly.

One step forward.

My feet dragged as I walked toward the entrance.

My heart pounded like it would burst, and sweat trickled down my spine.

A creak came from the old hinge.

The door opened.

POP!!

Something like fireworks exploded over my head.

“?”

Standing beyond the door was Neve, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hehe! Did this goddess’s surprise impress you?”

I finally checked my body.

The ridiculously buff muscles were still there.

Even the scars I’d lazily placed during character customization.

Sure, I had worked out in my original world, but I never had a body like this.

That’s when I realized—I hadn’t returned home.

‘Oh. There’s even cola.’

I wondered if it would taste the same.

I pulled out a cold lemon-flavored zero cola from P-brand from the fridge.

Tssss…

That familiar sound of carbonation filled the room.

Tears almost welled up from the emotion.

The stinging sensation of carbonation down my throat.

A different kind of joy from when I ate that (mint choco cheese) burger.

‘My heart feels at peace.’

It was, without a doubt, the calmest I’d felt since I’d fallen into the medieval world.

Thanks to that, I could forgive the one who’d just exploded fireworks in my face.

“You can put your hands down now.”

“…Are you really okay…?”

“Ssshh…”

At my words, Neve quickly lowered her hands.

I had almost gotten mad—but I was still grateful, so I let it slide.

Seeing her face again reminded me that this really was a dream.

“You said this is a dream, right?”

“…Indeed.”

She winced and began rubbing her arms as if they’d gone numb.

“The goddess is the first rising moon. For a goddess, controlling dreams is a trivial task…”

“And you didn’t tell me ahead of time because…?”

“Well, um…”

I didn’t need to hear more—I could guess.

Considering she had just set off fireworks, she must’ve just wanted to surprise me for fun.

She had popped up before, too—when I ate that cheeseburger.

I glanced around casually.

This place was exactly like the apartment I remembered.

Even down to the speck of dust on the wallpaper.

“…You’ve been inside my memory, huh?”

Now I understood how she managed to recreate the burger, the cola, even mint choco.

She’d even talked about the pyramids once.

Things she had no way of knowing.

I was a bit flustered by the invasion of my privacy.

Neve nervously offered an excuse.

“I didn’t peek on purpose. It was a glitch that happened during the process of forming your physical body when you first summoned the goddess…”

I wasn’t planning on blaming her for things that had already happened.

After all, I did get to taste a cold cola again thanks to it.

Still—

There was one thing I needed to ask.

“…How much did you see?”

“Don’t worry. I only saw a little bit.”

She awkwardly nodded.

“I absolutely did not see the bookmark links on your computer… or the folders on your hard drive.”

“…”

I should die.