The moment training ended, the pain all over my body came roaring back at once.
Until a little while ago, adrenaline and dopamine had been pumping through me so hard I’d barely felt it, but the instant the excitement died down, the pain surged right up.
The backs of my hands were numb, my wrists throbbed, and my thighs and side burned—probably because someone had beaten them with a club. The shoulder I’d rolled on after being shoved by the shield was stiff too. In the training yard, it had been bearable, but now that it was over, every part of my body started aching belatedly.
“Wait.”
Just before we entered the guild, Kaya stopped me.
“Why?”
“Come here. I’ll look at where you got hit.”
I followed her in a daze. Kaya took my hand first and examined the back of it. It was the side that had been struck several times by the shield and wooden staff. Then, in order, she pressed my wrist, shoulder, side, and thigh. Like a ghost, she pinpointed only the spots that actually hurt.
“Aaagh, hold on. That’s where the bruise is, okay?”
“I know. That’s why I’m checking to make sure it isn’t broken.”
A faint light gathered at Kaya’s fingertips. It was a very weak golden glow. Wherever the light touched, the hot pain slowly began to subside. The bruises didn’t vanish in an instant, but the angry redness settled down like a bruise, and the throbbing pain felt like it dropped by one level.
I blinked.
“What... is this?”
Kaya answered briefly without taking her hand away.
“A basic healing art of the Ruen Order.”
“Wow... Isn’t this totally万能?”
“It isn’t. This doesn’t erase wounds, it just calms them so they don’t get worse. For someone seriously injured like Roy, this alone wouldn’t be enough. It’s hard enough just keeping him from dying.”
“...I see.”
By the time she finished speaking, the burning on the back of my hand had noticeably faded. It wasn’t completely healed, but at least I felt like I could hold a spoon properly.
Mari, who had been listening with her arms crossed beside us, snorted.
“You don’t even know that?”
“Huh?”
“Are you sure you’re not from another world?”
For a moment, my heart dropped.
‘How the hell did this bitch know?’
I tried hard to keep my expression from wavering and shot back.
“You’re surprisingly innocent~ Do you like fairy tales or something?”
Mari’s face immediately crumpled.
“What?”
“I was just wondering if this was your first time seeing someone without common sense~”
“Wow...”
Mari took one step forward.
“Kaya, I think Garen didn’t beat this guy enough. Can I hit him just once?”
“No.”
“Why!”
“I just treated him. Don’t do anything pointless.”
Mari clicked her tongue, and I gave a slight smile. In any case, the pain in the back of my hand and wrist had definitely lessened.
We went straight into the guild.
There were a few more people than before. It was still that awkward time before lunch, so it wasn’t insanely crowded, but there were people in front of the reception desk, and more adventurers standing in front of the request board. And the moment I entered, their gazes naturally latched onto me.
“Is that him? The one Garen checked himself?”
“He didn’t run away?”
“He’s way better-looking than I expected.”
“I heard he’s temporarily joining Roy’s party?”
I pretended not to hear and followed behind Kaya.
‘This totally feels like when a newbie walks into a gym and everyone sneaks a glance.’
The young woman sitting behind the reception desk straightened her posture as soon as she saw us.
Her light brown hair was neatly half-tied, and her clear brown eyes were the first thing that caught my attention. Her skin was fairly fair, and her impression was that of a tidy office beauty. As befitted a guild receptionist, her clothes were proper, and her hands moved quickly and precisely.
“Miss Kaya, Miss Mari. I heard about what happened yesterday. What about Mr. Roy?”
“He’s being treated at the Healing Sanctuary.”
“Ah... That’s a relief.”
Her gaze shifted toward me.
And for just a moment, our eyes met.
It wasn’t anything special, but for some reason, it was the kind of gaze that made me look away a beat too late. It seemed like she was simply checking an outsider, yet it felt like her eyes lingered a little longer than that.
“Is this the outsider?”
“Yes. We need to process him as a temporary member.”
Kaya said.
“Baek... Siyun, correct?”
As if rolling my name around in her mouth once, she repeated it, then wrote it neatly in the ledger.
“Your name is unusual. I’ll remember it.”
“You’ll even remember it?”
“You already stand out enough.”
At that, Mari snorted quietly beside me.
“I’m Luce Hound.”
She said with a light smile.
I nodded a little late.
“I’m Baek Siyun.”
“I knew that, but hearing it directly makes it more memorable, doesn’t it?”
Luce said that and turned the ledger again. Her tone was bright, and her hands were fast.
“For now, this won’t be an official registration, only a temporary party assignment. There won’t be a separate mark or token, and you’ll only be able to use the guild’s basic facilities.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Luce organized the documents, slid them in, and spoke again.
“If there’s anything you don’t know, please come to the reception desk.”
Mari immediately cut in from beside me.
“Luce, you’re really taking care of him, huh?”
“I do this much for everyone.”
“Doesn’t seem like it?”
Mari narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Luce.
Luce gave a small laugh, and her eyes brushed over me once more.
I smiled along.
Kaya then took me around the inside of the guild for a brief look.
The request board, the goods settlement counter, the rest area, the equipment storage section, the passage connected to the training yard.
Her explanations were short and precise. Mari kept butting in from the side.
“You don’t need that at your level yet.”
“That door’s the storage room. Don’t open it for no reason.”
“It’d be hilarious if you got lost and started whining.”
Meanwhile, the sideways glances followed us. This time, the female adventurers were a bit more blatant.
“Who’s that guy?”
“He has black hair.”
“I heard he joined Roy’s party.”
“His face is pretty good.”
“His body looks nice too.”
“Maybe I should talk to him later?”
I never thought I’d get tired because of my looks in another world.
‘Being an idol sure is exhausting~’
As I was thinking that to myself, Mari snapped at me.
“Don’t look at useless things.”
“I’m not the one looking. They started looking first.”
“Both of you, be quiet.”
Kaya cut us off.
The moment a brief opening appeared, I brought up the Archive in the air.
────────────────
Dimensional Archive
User: Baek Siyun
Reality: Earth-0300
Until Next Update: 00:57:17
[Dimension] [Ability] [Record] [Settings]
────────────────
Time was definitely passing. The dimension list might change again today. New dimensions would appear, and insane names would probably line up one after another again.
But... strangely, my heart didn’t waver.
For the sake of storing dimensions, it might be better to sample at least one more right now. But I didn’t care. It might be a loss, but once twenty-four hours passed, it would update again anyway.
I didn’t feel like leaving a world I liked, even for a moment, just to throw myself into another insane dimension and have my mentality shredded.
‘I ain’t looking~’
For the time being, I was staying here.
‘Should I try staying here for about a month? If I get hungry or start craving modern food or Shorts like crazy, I can just drop by my studio apartment for a bit. The world I leave stops anyway.’
This was enough.
It was right after that that the marks from training started bothering me. My sweat had dried, and the backs of my hands were caked with dust and bloodstains.
“By the way... is there somewhere I can wash?”
At my words, Mari narrowed her eyes.
“Now you finally want to look like a human being?”
“Mm... I guess?”
Kaya said,
“There’s a public bath behind the guild.”
“You can use the towels they have there.”
Luce added kindly.
“...Pay me back later.”
Mari said that and pressed a silver coin into my hand.
I looked down at the silver coin, then immediately smiled.
“Yes! Thaaanks!”
And with Kaya guiding me, I went into the bathhouse.
The bathhouse was bigger than I expected.
As soon as I entered the stone building behind the guild, warm steam washed over my face. Water kept flowing in along the waterways, and perhaps because of the “mana device” embedded somewhere in the wall, the water was pleasantly hot. The floor was neatly paved with stone, and the pool where the water gathered was fairly spacious.
And... there was something like soap.
To be precise, it was a rough cleansing soap made by hardening ash and oil, and beside it were subtly fragrant medicinal herb powder and a simple cleanser. It wasn’t completely modern, but it foamed, and it smelled better than expected.
“This is awesome.”
I muttered inwardly as I took off my clothes.
‘Damn~ I don’t have to worry about living expenses? Astrania’s welfare is insane.’
Towels were neatly provided on one side of the bathhouse, and at a small counter beside them, they sold clothes and underwear-like garments to change into.
First, I paid one silver coin for the bath. I counted the remaining copper coins in my palm, picked out the plainest cotton shirt and a pair of pants, and from the look of it, I was a little short on money.
In the end, I asked them to put the shortage on my tab, then roughly stuffed my discarded modern clothes into a cloth bundle and hung it to the side.
When the hot water touched the back of my hand and shoulder, the marks from training stung and throbbed. But it still felt good.
Wash, scrub, soak, wash again.
Every time I rinsed water over my body, I felt cleaner. The soap was rough, but it washed well, and the medicinal herb scent was surprisingly nice too.
When I finished washing and came out, I genuinely felt alive again.
‘Suuu~!’
Kaya and Mari, who rejoined me, looked much neater as well.
With her ash-brown hair tied short, Kaya’s orderly impression looked even clearer, and Mari had only roughly dried her reddish-brown hair, yet somehow she drew the eye more than before. Maybe because they had washed, but both of them looked much sharper than earlier.
‘...They’re both pretty.’
As I walked alongside the two of them, glances from the guild stuck to us again.
“He got even more handsome after washing up.”
“Hmmm~”
‘Uh... thank you?’
It was after that that I felt hungry.
“By the way, is there anything to eat?”
Kaya answered right away.
“Let’s go eat first.”
“Not at the guild cafeteria.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a decent place in the village.”
Mari said.
“If we’re putting it on the tab anyway, we might as well eat properly.”
I agree with that.
The place Kaya took me to was a fairly well-known restaurant in the pioneer village, “Sunset Hearth.”
As soon as we opened the door, the rich smell of meat spread out, and the scent of freshly baked bread rushed in all at once. After waiting briefly and taking a seat, the food soon came out.
Rich meat stew.
Steaming, freshly baked bread.
A bit of grilled meat.
Pickled vegetables.
I lifted my spoon and froze the moment I took a bite.
“Wow...”
The stew was rich, the bread was warm, and the meat was salted just right. With the pickled vegetables on the side, it was more balanced than I’d expected. Only after eating several bites in a daze did I manage to speak again.
“This is way tastier than I expected.”
“Than you expected?”
Mari glared.
“No, that’s not what I meant...”
“Don’t get too happy. It’s on credit.”
“Anyway, it’s good.”
“It’s only possible because you’re a temporary party member.”
Kaya said.
“The bath fee and food expenses will be deducted from your share later.”
“Fine by me~”
“What’s so fine about it?”
The brief practical discussion naturally continued as we ate.
“Roy won’t be able to move for a while.”
Kaya said.
“Then for now, the three of us will be acting together?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! I got a job!”
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Mari said.
“You’re not official, and this is partly to keep watch over you and check whether you’re a proper human being.”
“Still, I’m already starting to feel a sense of belonging.”
“You look way too excited.”
Kaya tore off a piece of bread and continued.
“We can’t take any big requests. For now, we’ll only be clearing goblins on the outskirts or checking around the pioneer village.”
“That’s lighter than I expected.”
“Light?”
Mari scooped up a spoonful of stew and spoke bluntly.
“All of us are risking our lives doing this, so aren’t you the only one taking it too lightly?”
“Come on~ You all survived thanks to me, didn’t you?”
“You little!”
I laughed at the angry Mari, dipped my bread into the stew, and quietly raised my head. Outside the restaurant, the noon light was slowly descending.
People’s voices, the clatter of dishes, even the sound of carts outside—all of it mixed together.
Strangely, my heart felt a little at ease.
Seriously... this is nice.