Day-8
...
The sound of a bell rang loudly, waking me from my sleep.
"Ugh…"
A sense of discomfort filled my body. It hurt a little—especially my arm.
Maybe that's from yesterday's fight.
I lay there for a while before finally getting up from the pile of straw.
"Maybe I should just rest today…" I muttered. Honestly, that might be what I need right now.
I do feel tired. Once again, things didn't go the way I wanted.
That feeling alone is exhausting.
But I don't see it as a burden. After all… sometimes things just don't go well.
And I know that… yeah, I know that…
Walking toward the back of the inn, my right arm was wrapped in bandages—the result of yesterday's injury.
It still hurt.
Another good reason to take the day off.
-
After getting there, all I did was wash my face before heading back to my room.
A sense of confusion filled me. Not knowing what to do… I didn't have anything to occupy myself with.
I decided to have breakfast first before thinking about it.
It didn't take long.
After that, I started thinking again—
What is it that I actually want to do?
None of the things I used to do in my previous world can be done here.
And then I remembered something.
Something I truly need in this world—
Strength.
What happened yesterday happened because I'm weak.
A coward like me, someone who can only rely on surprise attacks… choosing to fight head-on, only to get beaten.
It's almost funny, isn't it?
I felt frustrated.
Even in this world, I'm still the same as before.
Even someone like me, who doesn't have many desires… at the very least, wants to be able to do something.
I don't want to be useless.
Especially not to myself.
Even so, I have no idea what kind of training I should do. One day of effort won't change anything.
Then suddenly, I remembered them.
Unlike them, who have a party… I'm alone.
So maybe that's what I need.
But how can someone like me even get one?
Almost impossible, right…
So many thoughts filled my head.
Honestly… I'm starting to worry about my future.
Letting out a sigh—
"…Maybe I should stop thinking so much for now."
I decided to go out and take a walk around the city.
-
Outside, it was still morning. Probably around 9.
The sunlight bathed the streets in a warm glow.
A slight change of atmosphere made me feel a bit better.
It was a little crowded today. People were walking everywhere.
But for once… I didn't really mind.
I stopped at a bridge and looked down.
There was a river below. I wonder how deep it is.
I stared at my reflection.
A face that felt both familiar… and unfamiliar stared back at me.
It feels strange—not knowing who you are.
My steps carried me to the town square.
That's where the tower stood.
I don't know its name or purpose… but I guess I'll find out now.
Maybe I should ask someone.
There, I saw a man wearing armor and carrying a large sword.
I approached him and tapped his shoulder from behind.
He turned around and looked at me curiously.
"Ah, sorry… may I ask you something?"
He didn't seem bothered. He nodded.
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."
Looks like I found a nice person, I thought.
"Alright… by the way, what tower is that?" I asked, pointing at it.
"That's Tenborou Tower, in case you didn't know. It's also where nobles live… though I don't know much beyond that."
"That's enough for me," I said, a small smile forming. "Thanks…"
"No problem. Honestly, I'm glad someone talked to me. You know, my party is always late."
Party…
I lowered my head, thinking.
"Hm? What's wrong? You don't look happy. Got some kind of problem? If you don't mind, you can tell me."
So he noticed.
"Sorry for bothering you."
He shook his head, so I continued.
"Lately… things just haven't been going the way I want. I even failed to hunt goblins. All of that makes me feel frustrated… and confused."
"I see. From the way you talk, I'm guessing you don't have a party. You're probably a Crimson Moon trainee, right? And yeah—parties are really important early on."
I nodded.
"Yeah… I think I've been missing something."
"By the way, which guild are you in?"
"Huh?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean—which guild did you join—"
"…Wait, don't tell me you haven't joined any guild at all?"
I looked away.
He sighed.
"You know… you might be the dumbest beginner I've ever met."
-
Then he explained about guilds and professions.
There were several: thief, hunter, warrior, mage, priest, paladin, and dark knight.
Basically, a guild is a place to learn skills.
And it's extremely important early on.
It's like… a player in FFT who never changes their job and stays as a Squire forever.
Yeah… that sounds pretty stupid.
To join a guild, you need eight silver coins.
Which is exactly how much money I have right now.
If I join… I won't be able to eat.
"Thanks for telling me…" I said quietly.
This is embarrassing.
"Hahaha, don't worry about it. You entertained me a bit too—that was an interesting story."
Then he looked to the side.
I followed his gaze—there was a group of people approaching.
"Looks like my party's here. By the way, you might want to check out a tavern if you're looking for information."
He said that before heading toward them.
I watched him leave for a moment.
"…Yeah, that might be worth trying."
Maybe I'll go to a tavern tonight.
For now, I decided to head back to the inn.
No particular reason.
I just… don't feel motivated.
There are too many things frustrating me right now.
I looked up at the sky.
Clear and bright.
"…It would've been perfect if there were a few clouds."
...