episode_0006

“Ah, I’m tired…”

I yawn, stand up, and stretch lightly.

I tried to go to bed early because I had to be busy starting today with Elysias’ happy ending plan, but I couldn’t fall asleep easily.

There were a lot of things to prepare and think about for future plans, so it was a bit confusing…

“Crazy people… Isn’t it crazy to do it for 3 hours…”

In this inn, where the concept of soundproofing did not seem to exist, only the sounds of waves, creaking, and sobbing could be heard in all directions, north, south, east, and west.

Thanks to that, I slept with my pillow over my head and my ears plugged.

With heavy steps, I freshened up in what appeared to be a bathroom and carefully put on the clothes I had taken off.

Because it was my first time wearing clothes, it was quite uncomfortable and took a long time to wear, but I will gradually get used to it.

With that thought in mind, I closed the door and went out onto the street.

“Okay…let’s go!”

As I walked around with a lot of energy and looked around, the street scene was very lively, unlike the quiet night.

“Hey there bro!! How about a simple apple in the morning!”

“There are a lot of new items! Please check it out at least once!”

“Wow, it’s expensive! Just give me 50 dong!”

The place that was closed was crowded with people, and several merchants were seen soliciting customers to attract them.

There were people walking around the streets carrying heavy-looking swords, people smiling and giving high fives, while I also saw people talking about something with serious expressions around the alley.

As I put aside the whispering and saw the scenery before my eyes, I realized once again that this was not really a dream.

It’s the complete opposite of the world I was in. Seeing it makes me feel excited.

“Then…let’s go see Elisias again…”

Since he is a conscientious child, he would have definitely woken up by now.

“Anyway, it’s amazing to see it in person.”

I mumbled to myself and glanced at the beastmen around me out of the corner of my eye to avoid being seen.

I’m really curious about how the soft-looking ears and tail feel.

I felt like I wanted to grab someone and stroke their head like I was a stray cat, but I felt like I would probably end up in prison if I let that desire out, so I suppressed that desire in a corner of my heart.

“Huh?”

As I almost arrived at Elisias’s lodgings, I stopped in my tracks out of joy when I saw a familiar face.

The person glanced at me and passed by, and I looked at his back as he walked leisurely.

“Illisha…?”

This hair color is reminiscent of light green eyes and violet flowers, with a hair style accented with a red bridge in between.

Healthy-looking, bronzed skin and clear abs visible beneath the tank top she is wearing.

Especially looking at the tattoo to cover up the scar under the eye, it seems like she is the Illisha I know.

“Elisha, what are your plans today?”

In response to the muscular man’s question, Ilicia yawned and trudged on.

“Well, first of all, I think I need to find a place to buy the corpses of the monsters dismantled yesterday~ The place that supplied them has gone out of business…”

“In that case, how about processing it at the exchange located next to the general store?”

In response to the man’s question, Ilicia stopped and looked at the sky for a moment.

“The place you are talking about is so bad…”

When you defeat and dismantle monsters in the game, they will drop several loot items and material items.

You can use it to strengthen and craft equipment, make potions, and exchange it for currency at the exchange.

However, if you want to exchange currency at the exchange, you need to research carefully as the purchase price is different for each NPC.

I know this well because when I first played the game, I had a hard time with the NPCs.

“Are you looking for a place where you can buy the corpse of a monster?”

“Do you know this guy? Sister?”

I spoke to her because she seemed a bit happy and I knew that I would benefit from her help, but the muscular man glanced at me with wide eyes and whispered in Illisha’s ear.

At best, he could only whisper, but because of his massive size and proportional vocal cords, I could hear everything he was saying.

“No? This is the little boy I’m seeing for the first time today?”

Seeing Illisha’s strange expression, the muscular man twitched his eyebrows and strode towards me with a grim expression on his face.

“Aang? What are you, kid! What business do you have for my sister?”

I was intimidated by his lumpy body and grim-looking face like a neighborhood gangster.

“No, I can tell you if you are looking for a place that can buy monster corpses at a high price”

Ilicia made an interesting face, and using her face as a weapon, she pulled the ear of the man who looked like he was about to rush at her, increasing the distance between him and me.

“Ouch! sister! sick! Please let me go!”

“Yes~ It’s just as you said. Unfortunately, something bad happened to the daughter of the owner of the store where I originally did business, so I heard that it will be closing for a while. Do you know a good place?”

Illisha smiled, showing off her teeth, and I pointed to the direction I had walked from.

“Go to that bar called Anjules Labia, and as long as the quality is good, they will buy it at a higher price than other places.”

“Anjules Labia? Isn’t that just a bar? Is there any reason to use the corpse of a monster in a bar, let alone anywhere else?”

“Really? This is my first time hearing this too, but hey, you’re not kidding, right?”

Illisha made a surprised face at my answer, and I almost burst out laughing as I watched the muscular man tremble with his eyes wide open and his ears held.

“Go to the owner, a man named Guile, and ask him if he will handle the corpses and remains of monsters.”

“We are running out of materials and supply is becoming increasingly difficult…”

Thinking back to what he said when I first met him, I was certain that the store also dealt with monsters’ private loans and debris.

Also, this is something I say from my experience playing this game.

You can sell items to him like any other NPC, but he also sells monster corpses and debris for a high price.

“Sister, are you going to believe the words of this seemingly insincere guy?”

After a little thought, Illisha let go of her hand holding the man’s ear, and the man looked like he was crying, covering his red ear.

“Here at Kazas • It’s not for nothing that in Alham there is a saying that you open your eyes and cut your nose!”

I agree with that.

Kazas, the independent autonomous city where I am staying • Alham

It is a city with such poor public safety that even if you just look around the dark alleyways, you will find unpleasant things happening.

It is a place full of desire, malice, and scheming, so you never know when and where crimes and frauds will occur.

That’s why I was surprised when I first came here and heard the name of the city, and that’s why I escorted Elisias through the night.

Since you never know when or where something bad might happen, it is clear that the people whispering in the alley that I saw on the way there also gathered because they witnessed the crime scene.

“Well… I tell you not to trust what people you don’t know, but…”

Illisha, who was pondering, slowly opened her mouth, spoke, and then laughed.

“Little one, you look a little cute, so I’ll trust you!”

As if responding to the gummy smile that called me “little one” and said I thought his appearance was cute, I laughed out loud and turned to go on my way.

“Elisha Sister!!”

“Okay, the destination has been decided, so let’s leave!”

I left behind Illisha, who was humming and taking steps, and hurried to Elisias’s dormitory, where he was waiting for me.

“Oh my gosh!!! You are here!! Your group is at the restaurant! Have you eaten? There is a long way to go, but you need to be strong inside!”

The old man who welcomed us last night smiled warmly and welcomed us with a happy face that seemed to be full of dopamine.

I felt something strange about his sudden attitude, but I guess good things are good things.

“Oh, then please prepare the most basic meal.”

“Yes! Just sit down for a moment and we’ll get it ready for you!”

Saying that, the old man hurriedly heads to the kitchen.

When I walked into the restaurant, I saw Elisias cutting what appeared to be a tenderloin steak with an elegant appearance.

“Ah, is Harry here?”

Elisias stopped eating for a moment, dabbed around his mouth with a handkerchief, wiped away the sauce, and quietly welcomed me.

By the way, tenderloin steak? At this inn?

“What, that luxurious-looking meal from that morning? Isn’t this the menu you would find at a typical inn?”

“Ah…is this what you mean? I paid to stay here for a while, and they told me to wait a moment and served me this food.”

When I saw her pick up the fork and knife again, I nodded slightly.

“Well, I guess the facilities here are much better than other inns… Good job, how much did you pay?”

“It was around 38 gold.”

“Uh, how much?”

I asked back as I watched her answer casually and put meat in her mouth.

“Did you not hear it? I said it was about 38 gold.”

When I saw Elisias speaking with a blank expression and quietly chewing his food, a sigh like “Ah…” came out of my mouth.

I didn’t hear wrong.

38 gold. I was so shocked by the ridiculous amount that I jumped up from my seat and slammed my palm on the table.

“Hey, this dog is a dog!! Are you crazy?”

“Why, why are you so angry this morning? I should have paid the right amount.”

Elisias was startled by my urging, and looked at me with an innocent expression, blinking a few times.

“You, how much money did you receive in support?”

I was so angry that I stuttered.

“It’s a little less than 150 gold…”

Elisias, who was watching me carefully, was so frustrated that I reached the point where I was boiling, so I hit my chest several times.

“Hey, you innocent girl!! You burn! You can even buy a small house here for 50 gold! But 38 gold?? For some reason, the owner’s expression looked like he had been hit with a lethal dose of mulberry, and that was why!”

As soon as I collapsed into my seat in despair, Elisias looked up at me carefully and took the fork out of her mouth.

“Is that… something like that?”

“So…do you know how much it costs to stay at a hotel for one day?”

“….”

Elisias remains silent.

The way he looked up in a slightly gloomy mood reminded me of that scene from Puss in Boots, which was cute, but that’s it and this is it.

“At most, there are 15 buildings! Accommodation fee per day is 15 dong!!”

The currency here is divided into gold, silver, and bronze.

You need to collect 1,000 copper coins to get 1 silver coin, and 1,000 silver coins have to be collected to get 1 gold coin.

Also, the price here is basically 10 to 100 pieces of silver to purchase expensive equipment, so gold coins are treated as a very valuable currency here.

Of course, how she uses that money is up to her.

It’s not even my money to begin with, but funds will definitely be needed when purchasing equipment needed for future dungeon exploration or digging into various events.

I pounded the table with my palm in frustration and continued to berate her.

“One piece of gold is enough to stay for several years, so why?? Why did you give me 38 gold? Let’s hear why.”

“Well, that is…”

“What charity work are you doing? Is it a donation? Is it an enemy line? Who knew how much money would be spent on dungeon exploration in the future!”

Seeing her hesitant and twisting her body, I calmed down a little and bowed my head.

“I’m sorry for getting angry… I’m not the one to argue about your money… It’s my fault for not telling you the cost of accommodation properly in the first place. ”

If we got angrier, we would only hurt each other’s feelings, and Elisias would also feel bad if he got scolded by someone he only knew for a short time, so I sighed in resignation.

“Ah, no…it’s my fault that I spend too much money…”

“At least, since we’re on the same team, we can discuss it a bit now, right?”

Elisias, who had a sullen expression and was no longer using the knife, nodded quietly.

“The meal you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

Before you know it, the old man brings a prepared meal and puts it on the table.

Now I see that the old man’s back, which had been bent, was now upright like a bamboo.

“Guest? Is there anything else you need?”

When the old man asked Elisias very politely, she lightly raised her hand as if she had agreed.

“Then, if you need anything else, please call me.”

When I saw the old man walking backwards into the kitchen, I burst into laughter.

“You’ve become a waiter, huh?”

“Do you do it, Harry? The quality of the meat is excellent. Why not eat it before it cools down?”

Elisias looked at my expression and returned my gaze to the food.

My mouth dropped open at the high quality of the food, which was neatly decorated like a high-end restaurant I had never been to except when I was young.

“Okay, well…it already happened…I should at least enjoy the meal.”

I try to rationalize it by saying that if I eat delicious food and gain a lot of energy, it will be good.

Support the meat with a fork and carefully slice the meat with a knife.

Since it cuts well without using any force, it seems to be good meat.

“So… I plan to briefly stop by a potion shop today and then explore the forest to the east of here.”

“Eastern Forest? Isn’t that a place where there are more creatures than monsters? Is there a dungeon there?”

Elisias swallowed all the food he was chewing, covered his mouth, and spoke.

“Well, actually, it’s different from the original purpose, but I need to know what your skills are first.”

Elisias nodded lightly without saying anything and continued eating, and I also put meat into my mouth.

At that moment, all the flavors and aromas that enter your mouth harmonize with your tongue and then disappear.

“Oh, you’re better at cutting than you think. Where did you learn that?”

In response to the unexpected question, I looked at the fork and knife in my hands.

“Oh, this? I also cut up a lot of meat when I was young.”

As we were talking like that and the dizzying meal was almost over, I saw that there was a little bit of sauce on her lips.

“Elysias had sauce on the side of his mouth.”

I pointed to my lips with my finger and showed her where the sauce was on the corner of her mouth.

“Hmm! Excuse me for showing off in a bad way.”

“No, not there… It’s done.”

As I watched Elisias wiping her lips in the opposite direction I told her with a handkerchief, I felt frustrated, so I slightly raised my body and took the handkerchief from her.

“Stay still.”

Elisias trembled slightly at my sudden action, and I wiped a little of the sauce from around the corner of my mouth.

I feel relieved that the annoying and uncomfortable source is finally gone.

“Woo, wow….You, you, you guy!! What, what!!! I am not a child!”

“I guess so.”

I smiled slightly as I looked at Elisias, who was blushing bright red and shaking as if he was feeling shame as he held his fork and knife.