I woke up feeling the heaviness of a sore waist.
“Ah, my back…”
I shifted my body from lying comfortably to lying on my side, massaging my aching waist with one hand, and slowly opened my eyes to look outside the window.
“Hmm? What’s this? Has it been long?”
When I fell asleep, it was still around late afternoon, just before sunset.
But now, when I woke up, it was still the afternoon with the sun setting.
Yet the soreness in my waist told me this wasn’t just a short nap, and only then did I realize.
“Wow… damn, I slept for a long time.”
At least a whole day must have passed. It was hard to remember the last time I had slept this long.
Maybe it was the effect of the storm sleep, but my stomach felt quite empty.
“First, I’ll go downstairs and eat something. Then I’ll get to work.”
I left the room and headed toward the yard, roughly tidying my messy hair there.
Thanks to my slightly refreshed appearance, the bustling atmosphere and delicious smells greeted me as I approached the dining hall.
“Hey! How are you, rookie? Slept well?”
“You’ve grown a lot. Must be why you sleep so soundly.”
“Hahaha. You gotta eat well and sleep well to grow.”
The mercenaries were already quite drunk, even though it was only late afternoon, before sunset.
They planned to leave early the next morning.
I intended to stay here a few more days, so I planned to move around separately from them.
“I’d like something simple to eat, please. I’m planning to go to the market later.”
“Okay. Something simple it is!”
The innkeeper had prepared something very simple.
A warm cup of tea and a salad.
When I stared at the unexpected combination, the innkeeper smiled and explained.
“There’s only meat outside at the market. You should eat something light first. Drink some tea and wake yourself up.”
A considerate innkeeper.
I thanked him and took a sip of the tea.
Slurp.
Though it was only one sip, I was slightly surprised.
“It’s delicious…”
The taste was mildly sweet but clean, stimulating my tongue.
It wasn’t too strong, so it wouldn’t be a problem no matter what I ate afterward.
“This tea is common in our principality, but when you go far, it’s classified as a luxury tea.”
The innkeeper told me about the tea.
Its name was Snowlyn.
It came from a plant that grew only on Mount Gaius, the massive mountain at the edge of the principality.
This grass only grew above the middle slopes, buried under the snow like a hidden weed.
When dried and brewed in hot water, it warmed the body—a product much sought after in the northern regions.
Slurp.
The more I drank, the warmer I felt, and my mind became clearer, lifting my spirits.
Then I used my fork to pick up the salad, and the fresh vegetables were crisp and crunchy with a pleasant texture.
After finishing my light meal, I asked the innkeeper about directions.
Fortunately, there was a place not far that sold the things I was looking for, and there were many street vendors nearby with plenty of food as well.
I walked in the direction the innkeeper had indicated.
“Oh~ Young man, try this one!”
A man beside me was calling out, grilling meat over a fire.
In front of me stretched a line of various street stalls.
I couldn’t help but be stunned.
And it was no wonder, considering the many goods in front of me stirred memories and longings deep inside.
“How much is this?”
“Just 15 copper.”
I hurriedly rummaged through my pockets.
Thump.
But of course, there were no coins.
Feeling foolish, I took coins out of my inventory instead.
Having prepared in advance, I paid the coins and immediately bought a chicken skewer.
Chew, chew.
The first bite almost brought tears of emotion.
Until now, all I’d ever eaten had been hard bread with some boiled soup.
Compared to the food I had in the modern era, it was severely lacking.
Especially recently, I often dreamt about ramen, hamburgers, and cola.
Just the chicken skewer alone was enough to evoke nostalgia and even somewhat ease the homesickness.
“How much is this one?”
I finished the chicken skewer in an instant and asked the vendor at the next stall.
“70 copper.”
I handed over 70 copper, and the merchant filled a bowl for me.
I devoured it hastily.
What I was holding was a noodle dish.
It was fried with seasoning and small pieces of meat, reminiscent of tomato spaghetti.
Flour was expensive in this world, so the price was relatively high, but considering how it soothed my heart, it was worth it.
I continued moving from stall to stall, picking and eating whatever I wanted.
As I bought foods that looked unique or reminded me of certain aromas, I thought.
‘I was really foolish. Well, naturally.’
The reason I thought I was foolish was one.
I realized that my character’s growth direction was wrong.
No, it wasn’t that all my actions so far were wrong.
They were actions for survival, not bad ones.
But now that I had money and the means to earn it, from this point onward, I had to choose not just to level up but to do so systematically, step by step.
‘First, I need to secure a Swordsmanship Book and Magic book.’
My swordsmanship was just an ordinary one-handed swordsmanship.
I had to upgrade to better or advanced swordsmanship to increase my strength and improve the ranks of the skills that would follow.
Magic was the same.
I had to learn the basics to speed up learning advanced magic later.
‘Also, I must secure Survival Skills.’
Survival Skills.
Skills that maximize survival.
The most basic that comes to mind is Sprint.
A skill that increases running speed, providing sudden acceleration to escape traps or ambushes.
There were many other skills, but these were the priority to learn now.
‘Cooking, butchering, processing, alchemy—there’s a lot to learn.’
If this had been the original game, I wouldn’t have needed to learn everything like this.
Each character specialized and logged out to create new characters that could be stored in the warehouse.
But now, alone in this world, these essential skills were ones I had to learn one by one.
“Give me one of these.”
“Oh, handsome young man. I’ll fill it up for you. 30 copper.”
“Thank you.”
Even while organizing my thoughts, I kept eating.
After a long while, the market-like surroundings began to change.
The shabby, unsteady buildings disappeared, replaced by neatly shaped buildings, elegant signs, and villas with gardens.
The people’s clothes around me changed, too.
Some wore lace-trimmed outfits; men dressed in perfectly tailored jar pants.
There were quite a few women wearing outfits with white collars or garments that clearly revealed the curves of their bodies.
“What’s this? Did I take the wrong path?”
I had gotten distracted by food and mistakenly headed toward the entertainment district.
I hurriedly turned around and aimed for where I thought the goods I needed would be.
Perhaps it was the vitality of youth that turned my gaze briefly.
Passing by the entertainment district—a temptation of the devil—I finally reached my destination.
[Shop Selling Items for Warriors, Mages, and Spirits]
I had arrived at a place that sold the items I needed.
I opened the door and entered.
The first thing that struck me inside the shop was its resemblance to a small bookstore.
“Somehow, it feels nostalgic…”
The shop reminded me of the days I lived in the modern era, especially my student days.
Back then, with a small allowance, unlike other students who spent it on PCs, karaoke, or clothes, I oddly spent it on borrowing books.
Of course, I couldn’t read all those books alone, so friends who loved fantasy and martial arts novels gathered and lent each other books.
The shop owner, an old man, loved books.
He was strict, charging penalties and demanding compensation for children who treated books roughly, but gave candy to those who handled them carefully and kept them clean.
Thanks to that kind and gentle old man, we were able to read more books than the money we had.
Recalling those memories, I stepped further into the shop.
“Welcome. This is a bookstore with everything except the impossible. Take your time browsing.”
The white-haired old man smiled at me.
“Hello.”
I greeted politely and started looking for what I wanted.
First and foremost, I searched for a Swordsmanship Book.
I found books written about various weapon techniques.
Sword, saber, spear, axe.
They were classified into four types.
Among them, I chose the one about swordsmanship.
I hadn’t yet reached out to other weapons.
‘Which one should I pick?’
I pondered over three swordsmanship books.
Of course, I could buy all three, but since I had a lot of expenses ahead, I decided to pick just one for now.
‘One was a heavy swordsmanship using a greatsword, another specialized in thrusting, and the last was about a swift sword.’
After skimming through the three, I made my decision.
I chose the swift swordsmanship book called Spieth Star.
It was a swordsmanship technique using speed to target the enemy’s critical areas, fitting for me, who carried a shield.
“Good, next.”
Having secured the Swordsmanship Book, I looked for Magic books.
I circled the shop, but couldn’t find any.
After a while, I noticed a helpful sign on the wall.
[Please inquire about Magic books at the counter.]
“Darn.”
If only I had known earlier, I could have saved myself some trouble.
I spoke politely to the old man at the counter.
“I want to purchase Magic books.”
The old man looked at me with a strange expression.
Maybe it was because of my outfit—the mercenary look and the sword hanging at my waist.
“Waste of money, I bet.”
He seemed to be giving me a warning.
But I told him I wanted to learn and asked for Magicbooks suitable for beginners or magic primers.
“Alright. But don’t come asking for refunds later!”
“Yes, that won’t be necessary.”
Then the old man put a key into the lock of a safe behind him and turned it.
He picked several books from inside and handed them over.
‘I packed a beginner’s magic primer and three carefully chosen ones: Fire Bolt, Magic Missile, and Light Magic.’
“Thank you.”
“That’ll be one gold.”
“I’ll buy this one, too.”
“Then that’s one gold and fifty silver.”
I paid and collected the four books.
Turning my back, I left the shop, put the books safely into my inventory, and stepped back out into the street with lighter hands.
With the two most urgent needs resolved, I planned to read slowly back at the inn.
My footsteps bounced lightly and cheerfully as I headed back to the inn.