Chapter 1

Drip, drip, boom, crash! The rain is pouring down fiercely. Occasionally, lightning flashes and is followed by a loud thunderclap.

"Seems like the sky is making a lot of noise today. Looks like Thor is bored."

Ivan muttered this thoughtlessly, then laughed bitterly as he recalled his own words. When did he start believing in deities, mentioning Thor when lightning strikes?

It's just a discharge of electricity in the air, nothing more.

Positive and negative charges, something in a plasma state.

He's a humanities student, so he doesn't know the details, but that's the gist of it. 'Damn, I've been too influenced by this place.' He's been in this foreign land for too long. Now, his memories of home are hazy, and his mind is filled with useless memories.

Secret stories of the world and gods, profound knowledge that mortals can never reach, and effective ways to split an enemy's head—none of these were what Ivan truly desired.

Honestly, all of this was a burden, including his current life, where he can't even die.

"Damn it."

The leather bag in his hand felt particularly meaningless.

Inside were five heads of the bandits who had tried to attack him, still fresh, not even half a day old. 'How did I end up cutting off people's heads and carrying them around so casually?' A wave of self-loathing washed over him. Was it because he had adapted too easily to this world, or was it because this world was just a mess?

"Kah, spit!"

Ivan spat on the ground, as if to expel his unpleasant feelings, and then entered the mercenary guild, pushing open the old door.

Creak. Usually, it's bustling, but today it's unusually quiet, perhaps due to the fierce storm.

"Hmm, hmm!"

The receptionist, who had been leaning back in his chair, straightened up, displeased by the wet floor.

There were no beautiful receptionists like in games. Only gruff-looking uncles. It's natural. To handle rough mercenaries, the receptionist had to be rough too. A frail-looking woman would be shouted at and harassed, but a muscular, bald, scar-faced man would usually keep things quiet.

"What brings you here?"

"To report a completed mission."

"What mission did you take?"

"To eliminate bandits lurking nearby. There were five of them."

The receptionist glanced at the bag Ivan was holding. His expression turned sour at the thought of the bandits' heads inside.

"Damn, I was about to go eat, and now my appetite is gone. Leave it here. We need to send it to the guard to confirm it's really bandits. It'll take a few days to get your reward."

"How long?"

"Who knows? It depends on how long the damn guards take to move. But don't worry, they won't steal it."

Ivan snorted inwardly. The guards weren't the only ones who procrastinated.

That's why he usually avoided missions like bandit elimination. Dealing with people created unnecessary grudges, and the rewards were poor and the process complicated.

The problem was that the stupid bandits had attacked him; he hadn't gone looking for them.

"You seem to be quite skilled at killing. Are you a bounty hunter? Your face is unfamiliar."

"I've only been here for a short time. And I specialize in killing monsters, not people."

"Hmm, well, bandits and monsters are pretty much the same."

It was a world where law and order were not properly maintained. If you lived by the sword, you might end up killing people and then monsters, or vice versa.

"By the way, is there a decent place to stay nearby? I just arrived and the place I stayed at for the past few days was terrible."

"Accommodation? That depends on how much money you have."

"Something reasonable."

"Hmm, then try the Wind Sound Inn. It's new, and while the rooms are a bit small, they're clean and quiet."

"Have you tried it?"

"Hmm, my house is right next door, so I don't need to stay at an inn. But others say it's good. Oh, and the beer and snacks are definitely good. I've tried them."

Ivan asked the guild employee for the exact location and headed there without hesitation. 'At least it should be better than the first place I stayed at.' That place was truly awful, with unclean bedding and bugs crawling all over.

Since coming to this cursed world, Ivan had given up a lot.

But he wasn't about to share a bed with bugs that tried to bite him all night.

The door slid open smoothly, as if it had been well-oiled, confirming that it was indeed a new place. The soft glow of the magic lamps, the stacks of bottles and barrels on one side, and the overall cozy atmosphere were quite pleasant. It wasn't too noisy.

'Clean, that's good. I hope the room is nice too.'

As Ivan looked around, a waitress approached.

"Oh, sir! You must have gotten wet in the rain! What can I get you? Drink? Food? Bed?"

"All three. I'll stay for a day and see if it's good. If it is, I might consider a long-term stay."

"Single room or shared room?"

"Single room."

"That's 20 copper per night. If you want a hot bath, it's 4 copper more, and breakfast is included."

Although it was twice as expensive as the previous inn, Ivan took out the coins from his pocket without hesitation.

If the bed was really clean, it was worth it.

And a hot bath? It couldn't get any better.

"Here's your key. It's the room at the end of the second floor. I'll let you know when the hot water is ready."

Ivan went straight to the second floor and checked his room, which he found very satisfying.

A small bed and a wardrobe for his luggage. The room was small, as he had been told, but spotlessly clean.

This was an excellent inn.

"Expensive, but worth it."

Ivan smiled contentedly and first took off his wet clothes. Not just his cloak, but his entire body was soaked. His leather shoes were squelching with water, which felt very unpleasant. He turned his shoes upside down, and water poured out.

Ivan's expression turned sour.

'If I don't wash and dry these properly, they'll stink terribly.' If they just stank, it would be lucky; he might even get athlete's foot or worse, cellulitis.

Ivan put the wet clothes in the laundry basket, dried himself, and changed into comfortable clothes. He was going to take a bath soon, but he couldn't stay wet.

The new clothes he took out were completely dry and fresh, stored in his inventory, which was unaffected by the rain and wind.

Inventory, status screen, skills, quests, levels, and experience points. All these elements indicated that Ivan was a foreigner in this world. He wasn't originally from here but had come from another world for entertainment.

Of course, this was the setting of the online game in its early days. During the years he spent here, Ivan never felt the presence of any other foreigners.

'Well, entering a game world. There can't be more than one person with such a dog's life.'

Then why me? Ivan had this question, but he sighed and let it go.

It was a topic he had pondered for years without finding an answer. Perhaps it would continue until he died.

Now, it just made his head hurt, so he decided not to think about it.

Living day by day, that was enough in this world.

Knock, knock, knock!

"The hot water is ready!"

It was a perfect message to shake off his bitter mood. Ivan handed the pile of clothes in the basket to the waitress and asked her to wash them, giving her two more copper coins.

"I'll make them clean for you!"

In a better inn, each room would have a private bathroom and shower, but here, everything except the bed was shared. A hot bath cost 4 copper, a cold one 2 copper.

It was a subtle price range, hard to gauge as cheap or expensive. Prices in this area were based on different standards from the modern world, but it wasn't entirely medieval Europe, as magic was advanced and widespread.

"Ahem!"

Ivan took out soap from his inventory and washed himself from head to toe.

He felt the dirt and blood from the rain wash away, and the hot water made him feel refreshed. At that moment, a semi-transparent message box appeared in front of Ivan.

Ding! [Urgent Quest: Capture the Bandits! (Completed)] [Reward: A small amount of experience, 3 silver 75 copper]

3 silver 75 copper.

Since 1 silver was 100 copper, the value of the five bandits' heads was only enough to pay for a fortnight's stay at the inn.

Of course, this was the system's reward, and there was still the amount he would receive from the mercenary guild. But Ivan knew from experience that it wouldn't be much different.

'What a cheap price for a life.' As the water cooled, Ivan's mood also cooled.

After finishing his bath, Ivan went downstairs and ordered rye bread, soup, roasted chicken, and a cold beer. Fortunately, the food was delicious, and Ivan's mood improved slightly.

That day, Ivan spent the cost of one bandit's life on accommodation, bathing, laundry, and food.

Just before dawn, Ivan woke up as if someone had woken him.

There was no alarm clock, but after years of hard work in this world, he had developed the habit of waking up early. People in this world generally started and ended their days early. There were torches, candles, and even magic-powered lighting, but they weren't enough to brighten everything.

Naturally, the work schedule followed the movement of the sun.

Click!

"Is the rain over?"

Ivan opened the window and stretched out his hand, nodding in satisfaction. The rain that had poured down yesterday had stopped, and the sky was clear. It was a fortunate day. If it had rained, he might have spent the day idle. Most commoners found it hard to earn enough to eat each day.

Ivan wasn't much different. The clothes he had washed yesterday were still not dry. Ivan took out a new outfit from his inventory, put it on, and left the room.

"Ha ha! Where shall I go today?"