As soon as we left the “Sunset Hearth,” the outside air hit me before the smell of food could.
My stomach was reasonably full, my body felt fresh after washing, and the places I’d been hit still throbbed, but I was much better than I’d been in the morning.
This wasn’t bad. No, to be exact, it was closer to being in a state where I could endure getting rolled again.
The moment Kaya stepped out of the restaurant, she said,
“Let’s go straight to the guild.”
“Can’t we digest a little first?”
“Garen looked after you this morning, and from now on, we need to work.”
“Well... we do need to work.”
“Want to sit out if you don’t like it?”
“No? I can’t do that either.”
Mari said from beside me, as if scoffing.
“You sure whine a lot.”
“Isn’t working right after eating more of a problem? Do you not have unions here?”
“Unions...? What’s that? Anyway! Do you think adventurers are idle loafers?”
That was true too, so it was hard to argue.
We went straight back to the guild.
Maybe because it was around noon, there were more people than in the morning. The area in front of the reception desk, the bulletin board, and even the resting space were all moderately crowded. As we slipped through them, a few gazes followed us again.
“Look. That outsider’s back.”
“Guess he really did join Roy’s party.”
“Looks like they’re heading out today.”
I pretended not to hear. I was used to people whispering behind my back. And now I wasn’t so free that I could afford to care about every little thing they said.
Kaya stopped in front of the request board. Sheets of requests hung densely from nails driven into the planks.
Bounties, transport, gathering, escort, patrol, subjugation.
There were so many words that my eyes went dizzy for a moment. Kaya skimmed only a few of them, then pulled one down without hesitation.
“Let’s take this one.”
“What is it?”
“Clearing out goblin remnants on the northeastern outskirts of the pioneering village. There aren’t many, and it isn’t that far.”
“Nice. Perfect for this guy’s level, isn’t it?”
Mari cut in.
“Weren’t you cutting it pretty close yesterday too, Mari?”
“What did you say?”
“Both of you, be quiet.”
Kaya went straight to the reception desk and handed over the request sheet. Luce took the document, looked it over, then raised her eyes toward us.
“Goblin cleanup on the northeastern outskirts, then.”
“Yeah. The three of us will go.”
“I’ll process Roy’s vacant spot as a temporary formation.”
Luce’s gaze came to me for a moment. And once again, our eyes met very briefly.
That brief eye contact was surprisingly vivid. Luce soon lowered her gaze back to the documents, but the corners of her lips had lifted ever so slightly.
‘She’s a daaaangerous one.’
“I’ll register it under your name as well, Sihyun.”
“Wow, this really feels like I’m going to work.”
“You seem happy.”
“A little, yeah?”
Luce laughed softly and added,
“Have you gotten your equipment?”
“We’re going to do that now,”
Kaya said.
“Then I’ll open the rental ledger too.”
The equipment storage area was less impressive than I’d expected.
There were, of course, no shining famous swords or anything like that, just rows of cheap equipment meant to be used roughly.
‘But do they cover workplace injuries here...? Probably not, right? Am I kinda fucked?’
From among them, I chose a reasonably heavy iron sword. It wasn’t quite a full longsword, but it was definitely too long to call a dagger.
I also took an old scabbard to hang at my waist. For arm guards, I picked up a pair made of leather. As I wrapped the scabbard strap around my waist and tightened the arm guards, Mari watched from beside me and clicked her tongue.
“You look plausible, at least.”
“Right?”
“Until you open your mouth.”
“That’s harsh!”
Kaya checked the state of my equipment once, then nodded.
“That should do. I’ll put your equipment on the ledger.”
“Okaaay~”
“You have to pay it back.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It looked decent enough, but the weight hit me as soon as I put it on my waist. It reminded me, for no reason, of combat marches in the army. Even a K-2 got subtly heavy if you kept holding it, and this had its own weight to it.
After finishing our preparations and stepping outside the guild, the air near the village entrance felt a little different from before.
The sun was still high, but the mere fact that we were going outside made my body tense up first. Maybe because I was wearing armor and carrying a sword, it felt a little hot.
‘Hmm... is it summer?’
The two guards standing at the entrance raised their eyes when they saw us.
“Kaya, Mari. Where’s Roy?”
Kaya answered briefly.
“Recovering. Today, the three of us are going out like this.”
“Yeah? With that outsider too?”
“Yeah. Temporary inclusion.”
“Wow~ What was Garen thinking, putting him in temporarily?”
Mari chimed in with the guard.
“Tell me about it.”
One of the guards looked me over once, then jerked his chin.
“Don’t die.”
“Yes, sir. Though that encouragement is pretty rough.”
“It’s not encouragement.”
Mari snorted.
We went straight out of the village.
The air outside the village was quiet. The smell of people faded, and the scent of grass and earth grew stronger. When the wind swept once through the trees, a bird somewhere flew up with a short cry.
‘Mmm~ Smells like phytoncides!’
The road beneath my feet felt bumpier than when we’d come out earlier.
We didn’t walk for long. Still, around the time the sounds of the village vanished completely, Kaya spoke first.
“I’ll say it again.”
“Yes.”
“Mari will launch the first attack. I’ll handle healing and basic support from behind. And you—”
Mari cut in.
“Stop anything that leaks through to us. Fill the gaps. Don’t go rushing forward trying to act cool on your own.”
“Come on, I’d never do that.”
“Goblins are weak, but they’re dangerous when they swarm you.”
Kaya said,
“One looks easy to handle, but if two or three rush you at the same time, it becomes a different story.”
“So... I’m covering the gaps and no solo actions, right?”
“Right.”
“Understood.”
The weight of the iron sword at my side suddenly felt vivid. It was scary, but it wasn’t something I could just carry around without using. From now on, I had to use it properly.
After we went in a little farther, we heard a strange sound first.
Low, short giggles. The underbrush shook.
Kaya immediately raised a hand, signaling us to stop.
We all stopped at the same time.
Below a shallow slope at the edge of the forest were three goblins.
One was rummaging around the base of a tree, and the other two were giggling over something. They hadn’t seen us yet.
Mari murmured very softly,
“Three.”
“Confirmed.”
Kaya answered.
“I’m going.”
“Yeah.”
A flame formed at Mari’s fingertips. This time, she wasn’t in a rush like last time. She steadied her breathing, fixed her gaze, and raised her hand briefly.
Fwoosh!
A fireball flew in an arc.
Boom!
One goblin took it straight in the chest. It was thrown backward. It rolled across the ground while burning and screamed.
The problem was the other two.
One instinctively threw itself to the side, and the other looked straight at us from where the flame had grazed past.
“Kieek!”
We’d been spotted.
“They’re coming!”
Kaya shouted.
I drew my iron sword almost reflexively.
Shing.
‘Ahh, this cool and weighty sensation... It’s heavier than I thought.’
It was definitely heavier than the dagger. But it wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling. I remembered the sensation of Garen beating my wrists with a wooden sword.
Feet.
Gaze.
Openings.
One goblin charged straight at me. It was holding something like a short spear.
It was scary. But my body moved before fear could.
The creature came in with a thrust.
I didn’t take it head-on. I shifted half a step to the side. Raising the iron sword at an angle, I deflected the spearhead.
Clang!
The brief sound of metal striking metal rang out. My palm vibrated, but I wasn’t pushed back.
The goblin’s upper body immediately opened up.
‘Now.’
Almost by instinct, I drove the sword in.
It felt different from stabbing with a dagger. The iron sword was heavier, tearing through flesh and organs with more blunt force as it entered. It sank far deeper than I expected, and the sensation was far more horrible than I’d expected.
The goblin’s pupils widened. It staggered and thrashed once more before collapsing.
“Good!”
Kaya’s voice flew over briefly.
At that moment, the remaining goblin changed direction. Not toward me, but toward the rear—toward Kaya, to be exact.
“Shit!”
I immediately turned my body.
The goblin rushed at Kaya with a dagger in its hand, and Kaya belatedly began drawing up her holy power.
I gripped my sword tightly and drove in from the side as if ramming into it.
Garen’s voice echoed in my head.
‘Your upper body is floating.’
‘Feet.’
‘Wrists.’
I lowered my body slightly and thrust the sword in short.
Under the arm the goblin had stretched toward Kaya, the sword went into the side of its torso.
Thuck!
The creature screamed and twisted.
At that moment, a small light flashed at Kaya’s fingertips. When my vision flickered for an instant, the creature’s movement froze briefly.
It was enough.
I twisted the sword free, and this time, stabbed once more toward its neck.
Puk.
The creature collapsed on the spot.
A brief silence.
The goblin that had been burning no longer moved, and the two fallen before me were finished as well.
The forest became quiet again, but this time, the quiet was different from before. It felt as if the tension of a battle that had just ended lay thinly over it.
“Hoo...”
Only after exhaling did I realize my hands were trembling. Goblin blood dripped from the end of the iron sword.
Heavy.
My wrist throbbed too.
My hands didn’t freeze like they had when I’d killed my first goblin. The hesitation and guilt had definitely lessened. But that didn’t mean I felt nothing. The sensation of ending something alive with my own hands hadn’t completely disappeared.
Just before my thoughts could dig any deeper, Mari spoke first.
“You’re much better than I expected.”
“Is that praise?”
“...For now, let’s say it is.”
Kaya also turned her gaze toward me.
“Your movements are much better than when I first saw you.”
“Oh, in just one day?”
“Yeah. It was short, but I can tell you were trained.”
“Oh... the effects of Mr. Garen’s violence.”
“Stop talking nonsense and catch your breath first.”
Those words felt strangely nice.
I let out a pointless chuckle.
Mari was already crouching down, briefly cutting open the goblin’s chest.
“Well. Don’t just stand there watching. You come help too.”
“...Yes, ma’am.”
I crouched down beside Mari as well.
Inside the chest, near the core. When I put my hand in, I felt a murky gray-green magic stone. One came out of the second one too, and the third as well.
“Three.”
When I placed the three magic stones on my palm, Mari nodded.
“Good. No problem with the settlement, then.”
“Even now?”
“Yeah. Once we get to the guild, we can do it right away.”
“Wow! I earned a day’s pay!”
“What are you talking about?”
Kaya looked deeper into the forest once more.
The direction of the wind changed ever so slightly. The sound of leaves brushing together came rolling in from somewhere a little deeper.
“Are we going back?”
I asked.
Kaya thought for a moment, then said,
“No, we’re still fine at this level.”
Mari immediately raised her head too.
“Good. Let’s go a little farther in.”
I adjusted my grip on the sword again.
As if what had just happened was nothing more than the beginning, the forest held an even deeper, heavier silence.