My whole body ached.
The aftereffects of the fierce battle with the bandits a few days ago did not fade easily.
As soon as I arrived at the shabby inn room in Delhar Village, I threw myself onto the creaking bed.
I undid the straps of my armor and stripped off my sweat-damp clothes.
I roughly wiped my sticky face with my shirt, but the deep fatigue did not leave me easily.
‘I’m dying...’
I stared up at the blurred ceiling.
Under the faint light, the narrow, plain room felt unfamiliar and unsettling.
The tension that had continued for days and the memories of that brutal fight drifted through my mind like afterimages.
In particular, the despairing scene from the final moments, when the Waterflow Barrier shattered, came vividly back to life.
‘To think I’d be that short on mana.’
Suddenly, regret washed over me for my foolishness in choosing a staff as my system reward yesterday.
I should have chosen something that would help with mana, even a little.
My eyes fell on the black staff lying on the table beside the bed.
I hadn’t used it yet, so I didn’t know how well it performed, but for now, it was nothing more than a wizard cosplay prop.
...Since it’s rare grade, it should have some use.
From the room next door, I could hear the faint voices of my companions.
They were probably eating.
But inside me, I felt no motivation, not even any appetite.
All that wrapped around my entire body was an intense desire to escape this terrible fatigue and sleep forever.
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
‘What should I do... tomorrow?’
Struggling to shake off the anxious thoughts that kept surfacing, I sank down into the abyss of deep sleep.
***
An old cabin on the outskirts of the village.
Inside it, a man with disheveled hair and anxious eyes was pacing nervously.
Originally, he had been an ordinary hunter from this small village.
But a few days ago, his life had been twisted completely out of shape by a single fragment he had happened to pick up in the forest.
The fragment was a black stone about the size of his palm.
The moment he held it in his hand, a strange sensation spread through him, as if an electric current were running through his entire body, and from then on, odd things began to happen.
At first, he thought it was just a dream.
Hazy shapes whispered, and he felt as though something was watching him from within the darkness.
But it was not a dream.
As the days passed, the visions grew clearer, and the whispers were no longer mere nonsense.
“Hide it... Do not show it to anyone... The power... will soon awaken...”
In the end, he hid the fragment deep inside an old wooden box, but his unease did not easily fade.
The feeling that someone—no, something—was watching him would not leave.
Tonight, that unease reached its peak.
In his dream, a group of strangers appeared at the entrance to the village.
People carrying sharp weapons. They did not look like travelers.
Could they also know of the fragment’s existence?
The hunter Kal held his breath and peered outside through a small gap in the cabin window.
A shadow moved faintly beneath the moonlight.
His heart began to pound violently.
‘No... I can’t let it be taken...’
His gaze turned toward the hunting dagger on the table.
His hand trembled.
He did not know what the fragment was, nor why it had chosen him.
But his instincts told him.
It was no mere stone.
He had to protect it, no matter what, from those who sought its power.
At that moment, a dull knock on the cabin door shattered the silence.
“Kal! Are you in there?”
His whole body froze.
Had what was coming finally arrived?
The moment Kal’s hand gripped the dagger, the inside of the cabin became suffocatingly still.
***
I blinked slowly.
When my stiff eyelids barely opened, faint light poured in.
A narrow, unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
Ah, right. This was the inn room in Delhar Village.
I tried to raise myself, but the aftermath of the fierce battle with the bandits a few days ago still lingered.
In particular, the pain in my arms and shoulders, which had held up the broken Waterflow Barrier, was severe.
“Ugh...”
Groaning, I barely managed to lift my upper body.
Sitting on the creaking wooden bed, I stared blankly out the window.
It was a peaceful morning scene, with pale sunlight spilling down through the leaves.
In the distance, I could hear a rooster crowing, and every now and then, I sensed the busy movements of people.
It was an ordinary scene, completely different from the tense atmosphere of last evening.
‘This is what real peace is.’
That thought suddenly came to me.
Ever since coming to this other world, I had constantly been caught up in battles and incidents, so I realized anew just how precious an ordinary morning like this was.
On the table beside the bed was a simple breakfast, seemingly left by Barrett.
A few pieces of hard bread, some cheese, and a bottle of water.
It was modest, but to me right now, it was a meal I could not be more grateful for.
As I slowly chewed the bread, I looked at the black staff Barrett had handed me yesterday.
What should I do with that troublesome thing?
‘...For now, I’ll put it away.’
I shoved the staff under the bed and finished the rest of the bread.
My body still felt heavy, but it seemed a little better than yesterday.
I washed my face briefly and changed clothes.
I didn’t know who had done it, but the clothes I had taken off had been neatly washed.
Had Mr. Barrett done it?
After spending days in armor caked with sweat and dust, putting on clean quilted armor made me feel much refreshed.
The stiff texture still felt awkward, but perhaps because my body had grown fairly used to it by now, moving in it was not that uncomfortable.
As I was fastening the armor, my eyes fell on the long slash across the abdominal area.
It was a mark from yesterday’s battle with the bandits.
‘Ah, I need to get this repaired too.’
The spot cut by a sharp blade was torn unsightly.
It would not be a problem for now, but if I left it like this, it would surely grow worn and fray.
I would have to check later whether there was a repair shop in the village.
At my waist hung the dagger Barrett had prepared for me.
Its solid weight gave me a sense of security.
Though I was not used to using blades, it was far better than having nothing.
I left the room and went down to the lower floor of the inn.
The dining hall was crowded with people eating breakfast.
I spotted some familiar faces as well.
The mercenaries who had fought with me yesterday were scattered here and there, having their morning meal.
I gave them a light nod and took a seat at an empty table by the window.
“Well now, the wizard’s awake.”
A booming voice struck my ears.
When I turned around, it was Tral, the fierce-looking giant who had been swinging a club at the very front yesterday.
...Why was he suddenly acting like he knew me?
After offering a rough greeting, I turned my gaze back into the dining hall.
Beside him sat the tall Jeminik, who carried a sharp spear, chewing on bread.
The mercenary captain Barrett was over there murmuring with the others.
Noticing my gaze, Barrett turned his head slightly and asked,
“How are you feeling?”
“Thanks to you, I’m a bit better.”
I answered with an awkward smile.
“You were quite a sight yesterday! Seeing you hold up a shield alone against all those bandit bastards, you looked just like a giant wave!”
Tral made a fuss, waving both arms around.
My face grew hot at the embarrassing praise.
Why was he overdoing it like that?
It would have been better if he had picked a fight with me like before.
“On top of that, thanks to the spells you cast here and there, we were able to fight quite comfortably as well.”
Jeminik added in a calm voice from the side.
Unlike Tral’s, his praise felt sincere.
Which made it even more burdensome...
“Especially the tactic of pushing the bandits back with that shield was extremely effective. Thanks to that, we were able to deal with the enemies easily.”
Barrett approached and spoke briefly.
His expression was calm as usual, but somehow, there was a hint of satisfaction in it.
“Do you have any special plans for today?”
Barrett asked, his eyes full of curiosity.
His excessive interest actually made me feel uncomfortable.
“Nothing has been decided yet. First, I think I need to recover a little more.”
“I see. Do not overexert yourself. You truly poured out an enormous amount of energy yesterday.”
Barrett said with a worried expression.
“If you need any help, please tell us anytime. We are free as well.”
Barrett added.
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I smiled awkwardly and lowered my head.
The members of Barrett’s Mercenary Corps had always treated me kindly, but Tral, honestly, was completely unpredictable.
He suddenly changed his attitude, and now he was speaking casually and acting friendly as though we were old comrades.
‘Maybe they have some ulterior motive to get me to join this mercenary corps.’
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
When I failed to hide my discomfort, Barrett leaned in slightly and whispered into my ear.
“That fellow Tral is just a bit... uneducated. I apologize on his behalf.”
Barrett’s sudden explanation left me even more confused.
Ah, so he was just acting like that because he was stupid?
I could not quite accept it, but for now, I nodded.
Mm, he certainly did look stupid.
Forcing away the complicated thoughts, I focused on the warm soup the innkeeper brought over.
I tore off small pieces of bread, soaked them in the soup, and brought them to my mouth.
I felt as though strange gazes were on me, but I deliberately ignored them and concentrated on my breakfast.
After finishing my meal, I decided to take a slow look around the village.
It was a small village, but it had a lively atmosphere.
Farmers working in the fields, merchants selling goods in shops, children running around and playing... It was an ordinary daily scene, but within it, I could feel the vitality of life.
As word had spread that I had helped drive off the bandits yesterday, the villagers’ wariness seemed to have softened considerably.
Some even approached first to express their thanks.
The battle had been quite far from the village, so I wondered if it was really something they had to be this grateful for...
But after thinking it over carefully, I understood.
If it had been a band of bandits on that scale, they could easily have set their sights on a village like this.
Thinking about that, for them, the subjugation of the bandits might not have been simply “someone else’s fight,” but the removal of a threat that could have descended on them at any time.
As I was walking near the village square, I noticed several residents gathered together, talking with worried expressions.
Curiosity stirred, so I quietly approached and listened.
“To think he hasn’t returned for days already...”
“Mr. Kal is such a skilled hunter. Could something have happened?”
“I heard he went deep into the forest...”
A hunter?
I carefully approached them and spoke.
“Excuse me... Could you tell me a little more about the hunter who hasn’t returned?”
At my sudden question, the residents seemed flustered for a moment, but soon nodded with worried expressions.
“Ah, Mr. Mercenary... We heard you helped our village yesterday. Mr. Kal has been a hunter in our village for a long time... A few days ago, he went out hunting in the forest, and he still hasn’t returned.”
“Does he usually go hunting for several days at a time?”
“No. Even when he goes into the deep forest, he always returns within a day or two. This is the first time he has been out of contact for so long...”
Unease was plain on the villagers’ faces.
Just then, one resident spoke up cautiously.
“For the past few days, there has been talk of a strange black light appearing deep in the forest. Could it perhaps... have something to do with Mr. Kal?”
The disappearance of a hunter named Kal, and a black light in the forest.
It felt strangely connected to be dismissed as mere coincidence.
At that moment, an old man with a worried face approached from the direction of the square.
When he spotted me, he hurried his steps.
“Um... Are you perhaps Mr. Liv?”
I nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah, thank you so much! I am the village chief of this village, Orban.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Liv.”
The village chief bowed politely.
“Mr. Liv, allow me to thank you once again. Thanks to you, the village was able to remain safe.”
“...It was nothing.”
“Not at all. I heard your performance was remarkable. In fact... might I ask a favor of you, Mr. Liv?”
The village chief’s expression was still dark.
“What kind of favor?”
The village chief let out a deep sigh and said,
“For the past few days, Kal, a hunter from our village, has not been seen. Worried, I sent one of the young men yesterday to look for him, but he has yet to return.”
I thought only one person had disappeared, but was that not the case?
He paused for a moment to choose his words, then carefully spoke again.
“Sir Kal is an indispensable figure in our village. Not only is he an excellent hunter, but he is also well-versed in the forest, and he has always been a great help to us. But we haven’t heard from him for several days now…”
“I heard the villagers saw a black light in the forest.”
At my words, the village chief’s expression darkened even further.
“Yes… I heard that as well. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a baseless rumor, but… it strangely overlaps with the time Sir Kal disappeared, so I’m uneasy. Could you perhaps… go into the forest and look for Sir Kal, Liv? Of course, we will reward you appropriately.”
“Hmm… But why ask me? There must be plenty of others besides me.”
“To tell you the truth, I asked the mercenary company last night, but they all said they had other plans starting tomorrow.”
…Other plans?
Did they make separate arrangements because I was sick?
“To be honest, people like us who only stay within the village don’t have the confidence to handle something like this. But if it’s you, Liv… I thought perhaps you might be able to find him…”
A mixture of hope and anxiety flickered in his eyes.
I fell into thought for a moment.
My condition still wasn’t perfect.
It would probably take a few more days for the aftermath of that fierce battle to fully fade.
But for an errand of this level, wasn’t it worth a try?
Rather than spending several days in boredom, it might be a decent enough request.
Of course, that matter of the black light did bother me a little.
“Understood, Chief.”
Relief spread across the village chief’s face.
“However, I know absolutely nothing about the forest. It would be helpful if someone from the village could guide me.”
At my words, the village chief’s face brightened even more.
“Ah, of course! There’s a young fellow who knows the forest well. He’ll gladly guide you, Liv. Let’s have you meet at the village entrance early tomorrow morning.”
The village chief answered in a lively voice, bowing his head again and again.
His expression was now filled not with worry, but with relief and expectation.
“Thank you very much, Liv. Please be careful out there.”
After parting with the village chief, I returned to the inn and took the Waterdrop Staff.
Perhaps there was more entangled in this matter than a simple disappearance.
The black light in the forest, and the missing hunter. There was no way those two things were mere coincidence.
‘If it seems dangerous, I’ll run immediately.’
I repeated it to myself over and over in my head.
The most important thing in this world was survival.
This wasn’t a request worth risking my life over, swayed by some sense of justice or sympathy.
It would be wise to help in moderation, then pull out if the situation became serious.
I began preparing to head into the forest.