Chapter 9: Hot Night (1)

Chapter 9: Hot Night (1)

I
feel dizzy. It feels like floating on a tube in the vast ocean.

“Huh?”

I’m
actually on the ocean. The world is blue. Surely I should have gotten
an inn room and fallen asleep as soon as I walked in.

The
crashing waves and cool breeze wrap around my body.

-Boom!

In
an instant, the tube is gone, and I sink to the bottom of the ocean.

I
swim and struggle as hard as I can, but it feels like something is
pulling my legs from the depths of the ocean.

However
the whole process didn’t feel painful or sick.

I
was just baffled by this unknown phenomenon.

‘What
is this, a dream, or am I just too tired?’

When
I woke up, I was standing in the dark. At this point, I can only
assume it was a real dream.

The
world was pitch black, but there was a tiny light in the distance.

It
was the size of a mouse hole, but it shone so brightly in the
darkness of the world.

The
light was so dazzling that I had to squint slightly to see it.

Through
my half-open eyes, I could see the figure of a woman bathed in light.

“⋯So-eun?”

Black
hair and black eyes. A girl with a sickly, delicate air, but always
with a dazzlingly beautiful smile.

My
one and only sister, So-eun, was looking at me in the distant light.

“So-eun!”

I
ran toward the light, mesmerized.

So
much had happened.

I’d
fought a bloody battle in a goblin mating lair, killed a human for
the first time in my life, been stabbed in the back by a woman,
killed her, killed the goblins, killed anything that got in my way,
killed, killed.

That
moment of blood and gore, of killing or being killed, should have
been so hard for me in my modern life but it was strangely
exhilarating and exciting.

The
more I fought and killed, the more I hated and loathed myself for
feeling such emotions that betrayed the morals and ethics I had been
taught in the modern world but I can forget all that as long as I
step into that light.

In
the peaceful modern world, living a safe, bloodless life, with my
sister but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get any closer to
the light.

“So-eun!”

I
screamed her name and ran, but as I ran, the light grew farther and
farther away.

The
light grew smaller and smaller. Still standing in the light, So-eun’s
mouth opened with a small smile.

[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]

***

“Hmph!”

I
woke up from my dream.

The
first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the view of the inn room,
half obscured by my helmet, and the status window I had seen earlier.

But
I couldn’t be bothered with all that right now.

“Whoa,
whoa⋯”

I
threw off my stuffy helmet and caught my breath.

I
don’t know how many minutes passed before my ragged breathing began
to calm.

“Fuck.
What the fuck is this?”

But
my mind refused to calm down.

Part
of me wanted to dismiss it as a dream and forget about it but it
wasn’t that easy. I usually forget about ordinary dreams as soon as I
wake up, but for some reason, this one stuck with me.

I
took a moment to recall the details of the dream. So-eun standing in
the light and me running towards her.

“I
don’t know⋯”

I
don’t know what it meant. I felt a strange feeling in my heart that I
couldn’t understand.

I
cleared my head, trying to get rid of the sticky, unpleasant
feelings.

I
shouldn’t worry about this strange dream, let’s focus on the reality
of the moment.

[Nam
Soo Jin Lv.3]

[Stamina:(4+10)
Strength:(4+10) Agility:(2+10) Wisdom:(0) Finesse:(0)]

[Free
Points: 3]

I
stare at the status window that popped up in front of me.

I
wish there was some kind of explanation, like in other media, but
there isn’t, so I’m left to make my own assumptions.

‘Am
I supposed to take this literally?’

Stamina
would be literal physical strength, while strength and agility would
be being strong and fast. Finesse is like dexterity.

‘Wisdom
0 is kind of weird.’

I
feel like I’ve just gotten a stupid certificate.

[Do
you want to allocate your 3 free points to stamina?]

I
glance at the free points and the stamina section, and a notification
pops up.

‘No.’

I
immediately canceled.

‘They’re
not ‘free’ points for nothing.’

Having
them at my disposal also meant that I could be more flexible and
improve stats on a case-by-case basis.

This
means that tactics such as using stamina to endure in a situation
where stamina is needed and using strength to attack in a situation
that requires a powerful one-shot are possible.

“I
must spend my free points more carefully.”

What’s
with the pluses next to stats?

I
noticed the +10 next to Strength and Dexterity. Why is that there? Is
it an extra stat?

As
I questioned this, another status window popped up.

[Current
Blessings and Curses]

[◆
???’s Blessings]

–
???

–
Stamina +10 Strength +10 Agility +10

[◆
Blessing of Vicious Struggle] NEW!!!

–
The harder you fight, the stronger you become.

–
2 Stamina, +2 Strength, +2 Agility when conditions are maxed.

“Hmm⋯”

I
clenched my jaw and stared blankly at the status window.

Blessings
and curses.

I
didn’t know the details, but I was vaguely aware. It was one of the
things I’d been told by Cachile before we left through the escape
portal.

‘A
mysterious power that is acquired at a low probability while
exploring the Labyrinth.’

Exactly
how it works is unknown. I was also told that to confirm the
acquisition of a blessing or curse, you need to go to a temple and
pay for an appraisal.

But
I can clearly see what blessings I have thanks to the status window.

‘Does
that mean other people don’t have a status window?’

I
thought it might be good for my mental health to think so.

So,
yeah. I didn’t fall off the face of the earth without a cheat after
all. I’m glad I have at least one status window perk.

‘But
what about the question mark blessing?’

While
the second Blessing of Vicious Struggle had a clear name and
description, the first one was obscured by a question mark.

‘My
basic stats are 10.’

The
Blessing of Vicious Struggle grants me an additional 6 stats, but
only if I fulfill all the prerequisites.

“But
the Question Mark Blessing gives me a total of 30 stats,
unconditionally.

I
can smell it. I smell a gimmicky blessing.

Why
isn’t there something like that in games too?

Like
a skill with a bunch of conditions is stronger than a skill with a
bunch of descriptions, or a skill that simply says, “Throw a
spear really hard.”

I
closed the status window, just knowing that the question mark
blessing gave me more power and that I had it.

Staring
at it doesn’t make me see through the question mark.

I
did some quick stretches before getting up.

My
head felt refreshed after a good night’s sleep.

It
was evening outside my window, so I realized I had slept all day.

My
mind was clear, but my body was stiff as if I hadn’t moved in a long
time.

Even
in modern times, my body was my only resource.

As
I warmed up by stretching carefully, focusing on my joints, I smelled
a musty odor coming from somewhere.

It
was my own body, of course.

I
hadn’t washed up in the Labyrinth, and I was covered in dirt, sweat,
and blood, so I couldn’t help but smell unpleasant.

“There
is no bathroom in the room.”

Maybe
I was expecting too much from a medieval environment.

I
thought I would have to pay for a bath at a public bathhouse or
something but there were towels and a wooden bucket with water in the
room.

I
compromised and soaked my towel and wiped my dirty body, thinking
about what I had to do next.

“Money.
I need money.”

Investigate
the Labyrinth’s portals, find a way home, and find my sister who was
swallowed by a magic circle. Sounds good. A lofty goal.

So
big, in fact, that I have no idea when I’ll be able to fulfill them.

Exploring
the Labyrinth is never easy. I almost got lost on the first floor a
few times.

Exploring
the Labyrinth will come later, but first I need to lay the foundation
for my life in this world.

Food,
clothing and shelter, the three essentials of human life.

If
I don’t dress properly and wear only than a piece of fur, I’ll be
raped for being scantily clad.

If
I don’t eat properly, I won’t have the strength to resist being
grabbed by the hair and dragged away.

If
I have no place to live, I would sleep on the streets and be attacked
and raped by beggars in the middle of the night.

To
prevent this from happening, I must enter the Labyrinth with the bare
minimum of clothing.

Clothes,
food, and shelter are all things that can only be done with money.

‘Anyway,
the portal to the Labyrinth only opens once a week⋯’

For
the time being, I’ll have to find a part-time job or go to a labor
office or something.

I
carefully cleaned my dusty fur blanket and wrapped it around my body,
then put my pants back on.

I
wiped the blood off my helmet and put it back on.

As
soon as I opened the door and left the room, I heard a lot of noise.
The source was the first floor of the inn.

As
I walked down the stairs, I could smell the delicious aroma wafting
up.

At
each table, I could see people mingling, drinking, and eating.

“Valerus,
the Labyrinth City~ What a dog of a city, what a dog of a labyrinth.
Alas, bastard city, bastard people!”

“Dude,
you look like shit.”

“But
it’s true, let him be more fucked up.”

A
drunken rabbit man and a human woman, singing a strange song,
wrapping their arms around each other’s shoulders and doing a strange
dance.

“Wow,
milk smells fishy, you crazy bastard!”

I
was blankly watching the crazy scene where the cow girl suddenly got
excited and started spewing milk from its tits, causing the others to
run away in horror.

“Oh
my. Did you just wake up?”

Diana,
busily weaving through the crowd carrying food, spots me and asks how
I’m doing.

“Uh,
yeah. I was a little tired.”

“You’ve
been sleeping for two days and two nights, you must be really tired.”

“⋯I
slept for two days?”

I
realize that I’ve been very stiff since I woke up, so I must have
slept for two days and nights instead of one.

“Yes.
Look at the cracks in your voice. Why don’t you sit over there for a
minute and I’ll get you some water.”

I
nodded at Diana’s kindness and sat down at a table in the corner.

There
was nothing else to do, so I looked around the inn, where the party
was still going on.

“Drink!
Drink more! Drink until you die!”

“Grrrrrr!”

A
petite dwarf and a human woman engaged in a drinking battle, slamming
their mugs down at the same time and passing out.

Ouch.
That was delicious. I’m pretty good with alcohol, too. I’m sure a
cold beer would make me wish for nothing.

Chin!

“Oooh.
Male, are you alone?”

I
felt something cold on my back and turned around in surprise, to see
a Lizardman⋯
no, Lizardgirl⋯
holding a large mug of beer in each hand.

If
it had been a human or human-like figure, I would have been a little
wary.

It
was rather reassuring to see a reptilian figure with no human
features whatsoever, save for her awkwardly dangling green breasts.

“Uh,
I’m alone.”

“Hmph.
Well, that’s good, because I’m alone too, and I’m feeling a little
sore on the side. How about a drink?”

“You’re
buying?”

“Not
for free.”

Lizardgirl’s
long, slit reptilian eyes scanned every inch of my body.

“You
have the body of a very fine warrior, very fit for battle.”

I
suppose it’s a compliment, but I’m not sure how to react.

“Uhhhh…is
that so?”

“Yes,
of course! Those strong biceps and pectoralis major! You have the
best body of any man I’ve ever seen in my life. You must be a great
warrior, so I propose to you as one too!”

Boom!

Two
beer mugs shattered loudly on the table, and Lizardgirl plopped down
in the chair in front of me.

She
put her elbows on the table and her hands on her hips.

Ah,
yes. This is a battle every man has fought. The battle of trusting
your body, of putting your pride on the line.

“I
dare you to arm-wrestle me!”

A
moment of silence.

“What?!
Is that real!”

“You’re
crazy! You have no conscience for asking a guy to arm wrestle, but it
looks like fun!”

“I
can’t stand by and watch this kind of entertainment, I bet! I bet
Gregor one silver coin!”

“I
bet 12 silver coins on Gregor!”

“I’ll
bet 1 silver coin on the man with the helmet! This is the thrill of
betting against the odds!”

“Don’t
you dare talk about betting against the odds with just one silver
coin! Three silver coins in Gregor!”

In
an instant, all eyes were on us.

The
drinkers quickly started a betting pool on the outcome of the
arm-wrestling match between me and the lizard girl, Gregor.

I
secretly threw in four silver coins, my entire fortune.

“Gregor,
I’ve got everything on you!”

“You
crazy bitch. If you’re not careful, you’re going to be screwed.”

“What’s
the point? The outcome is obvious. It’s a safe bet.”

“Win,
Gregor! If you go easy on him just because he’s a man, you’re dead!”

The
atmosphere quickly heated up.

The
inn’s guests became spectators, surrounding the table, and we turned
to face each other, listening to their shouts.

“Are
you scared? If you’re not confident, you can back out.”

Gregor,
who was snapping her fingers, gave me a provocative look and said,
“Oh, I thought I’d just do it in moderation.”

Thud!

I
slammed my elbow into the table and grabbed Gregor’s hand in an
explosive grip.

Gregor’s
eyes grew serious as she felt the force of my grip.

“I
can’t lose to you.”

I
won’t.

[Gregor
Lv.8]

[Stamina:(4)
Strength:(7+2) Agility:(4+1) Wisdom:(0) Finesse:(3+2)]

It’s
a piece of cake.