22 Chapter 22: Survival in a new world (1/2)

Blue Moon Inn was, unsurprisingly, full when I walked in. as one would expect in a fantasy setting, the first floor was a tavern, with drunken middle-aged men raising mugs of ale and clinking them together before chugging them down. Bellowing laughter and loud bragging filled the space below as several men competed, either by drinking or by tales of heroic feats.

I was interested in neither. I just wanted a bed, so I wandered toward the innkeeper, who was polishing a wine glass at the counter, and tried to catch his attention.

”Um, excuse me, sir.”

”Hello there.”

Like the receptionist, the innkeeper was burly and muscular. Unlike the receptionist, his head was full of hair, down to the stringy mess on his head and the thick mustache and beard hanging down from his nose and chin.

”I would like a room, if you don't mind.”

”Of course I don't mind!” he laughed as he slapped me in the back, almost sending me sprawling over the counter. ”As long as you pay up front, we'll give you the best service possible!”

”Oh, no need to go that far. I just want a place to sleep.”

I held up my card. The innkeeper glanced at it, and his face fell in disappointment when he saw that I was a Porcelain ranked mercenary.

”Budget, I'm guessing?”

”Sure.”

”Hmm, I'll see what I can do. We should have a couple of cheap rooms in the corner. Miranda here will show you the way.”

His attitude sure changed quickly when he found out my rank. I didn't complain, though. As this was the first day of my job, I needed to save money wherever possible, so I nodded and accepted whatever he gave me. The innkeeper swiped my card at a magical-looking cashier register, then returned it to me.

”Dear guest, please follow me.”

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I raised an eyebrow when I caught sight of the waitress dressed in a maid uniform. Her long, golden hair was tied in a side ponytail, with a huge black ribbon and the usual frilly maid hairband. Complete with an apron over her back dress, revealing blouse and extremely short skirt, she looked more like a part-time worker in a maid café than an actual bar waitress from a medieval fantasy world. Not that I was going to question the logic, but hey…

”No thanks. I appreciate it, but right now what I need is sleep.”

Miranda nodded as she handed me a key.

”Here's a key to your room. If you need anything, feel free to approach me at any time! Have a great stay!”

”Thanks.”

I watched as she went back down the corridor, then glanced at the key in my hand. Sighing, I inserted it into the knob and twisted, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Stepping into the room, I took stock of my surroundings.

Well, it could be worse.

Having slept outside in the wilderness for days, I had no complaints. In fact, as dreary and minimal as the room was, it was clearly an upgrade from sleeping on the cold, hard ground outside. I flopped onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, I woke up with a start, noticing the sunlight that was streaming into my window in isolated streams. The room was located in a shadowy part of the inn, so it didn't get a lot of sunlight. Now that I was fully awake, I found the air musty and dusty. The wooden surface of the wardrobe was peeling off, and there was no desk or other furniture except the bed. At least there was a private bathroom for me to wash up in.

That reminds me, I need to buy necessities.

Soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, a towel and new clothes. I had arrived in this world with nothing more than the shirt off my back, and even now I still hadn't changed out of it.

Maybe that's why the girls hate me.

It probably went beyond that, but for now I accepted that as the explanation. Suppressing a yawn, I stretched my arms and put the key in my pocket before venturing out of the room.

”Honored guest, would you like some breakfast?”

Miranda was still working in the inn when I got down the stairs. I wondered if she ever managed to catch some sleep. Given how bright, fresh and cheerful she was, she most probably did. I wouldn't be surprised if I had overslept until noon.

”I'm fine. Thank you.”

”Let me know if I can help you with anything!”

”Ah, about that…” I raised a hand. ”I need to find a shop that sells clothing, soap and other personal hygiene stuff.”

Miranda listened, then nodded. ”That way…you should be able to find a grocery store that sells soap and other hygiene items. Further down should be a clothing shop, but if you're a mercenary, you might also want to visit the armorer right next to it.”

”Roger that.”

I followed the direction she was pointing at and nodded. Expressing my gratitude, I left the inn and began my shopping spree.

Surprisingly enough, the money I earned from slaying goblins amounted to more than I imagined. I still had over three quarters of my original reward money left over even after procuring all the necessities such as soap, towels and clothing. I wasn't fond of the fashion in this world, but I couldn't continue wearing my uniform forever. While my Redwood jacket was one thing, my uniform was in a clear need of a wash. I needed to ask Miranda about laundry later. For now, I settled for the cotton garments of this world.

I missed polyester fabric.

Hmm, even counting the fees for the inn, there's still quite a bit of money left over.

Checking the credit in my card, I decided that I could afford a bit of equipment, so I visited the armorer.

In the end, I almost didn't buy anything. None of the armor could measure up to the protection my Redwood Robe afforded me, and my staff was superior to whatever weapon the armorer had in his store. That was only natural. Of course the heroes would be given the best weapons in the kingdom. There was no way a little city armorer would be able to match up to such quality.

That said, feeling sorry for the armorer, I decided to buy a dagger. My staff, while powerful, was clunky and unwieldy in close combat, so I preferred something I could use in extreme quarters. A dagger was perfect for the job and could double as a sneaky weapon for a surprise attack. I was tempted to buy a sword, but I wasn't enthusiastic about buying unnecessary things, especially when faced with the possibility that I would be tight on money in the following days.

I did get some combat gloves and boots that were more appropriate for the missions I planned to undertake. Pulling them on, I felt more like a real mercenary.

”Thanks,” I told the armorer before leaving. With the necessities procured, I headed back to the inn to dump my stuff, wash up, and get changed. Fortunately, there was a magical washing machine in the basement of the inn, so I loaded my clothing there and washed them. There was also a magic dryer, so I made full use of everything to get my uniform and Redwood jacket cleaned and dried.

By the time I was done with my errands, it was past noon. I returned to my room to stow away my stuff and then headed to the forest to collect more herbs or something. I wasn't going to rely on my current pool of money forever. I intended to save up so that I could live comfortably, perhaps upgrade to a better room.

We'll see.

As I entered the forest, I realized to my horror that I had completely forgotten to ask about the type of herbs I was supposed to collect. Again. Even though I had just gone to the guild house yesterday to deliver the goblins, I didn't ask the receptionist about the herbs. I wasn't too fond of the idea of hunting goblins again.

Besides, I killed the goblins in this area yesterday. It'll be unlikely that new ones would spawn here again…

Once again, I made the fatal mistake of assuming. As I groaned over my stupidity, something struck me from behind.

”Ugh!”

I toppled over, clutching my head. Blood coursed through my fingers, but the wound at the back of my skull was slowly closing. I moaned and raised my head, only to see an entire pack of goblins emerged from the surroundings and aiming their weapons at me.

Twang!

An arrow struck my arm, piercing it. I let out a shrill cry of pain and clutched at my arm. The goblins let out triumphant howls, and another let loose a second arrow, which slammed into my shoulder and sent me spinning.

The goblins were now upon me, stabbing me with their daggers. Burning, caustic sensations ran through my wounds, and I realized that their weapons had been coated with poison. Suddenly I regretted not buying healing potions and antidotes. Even worse, I recalled that I had left my Redwood Robe back in the inn, thinking that I didn't need it for a mission as simple as collecting herbs. I never thought I would be ambushed by a bunch of goblins.

What a stupid mistake. I couldn't believe I had left my Redwood Robe behind in my room after washing it. The fabric was still warm after being put into the dryer, so I subconsciously spread it over my chair and forgot to put it on when I left my room.

Looked like I was going to pay for the mistake with my life.

Am I going to die here?

Hell, no. I had already died once, if not twice. I wasn't going to let myself get slaughtered by a bunch of ugly bastards.

Gritting my teeth, I drew my dagger and stubbornly resisted. Kicking one of the goblins away, I slashed at the nearest one, gutting it. It screamed and staggered back, but I slit its throat before it could escape. As it fell, I stabbed the next goblin, which was busily stabbing me with its own jagged knife. I endured the pain and sank my dagger into its skull, plunging the blade all the way to the hilt. Blood sprouted from the wound, drenching my hand, but I twisted the dagger instead of releasing it.

The goblin shrieked and fell, its body wrecked with spasms. I tried to pull the dagger out, but another goblin lunged at me, clawing at my face.

”Get off me!”

With a defiant yell, I grabbed my staff and unslung it, smacking the goblin. Its hold slackened and I seized the chance to wedge my staff between myself and my assailant before cracking its skull. Heaving, I twirled my staff around and knocked a few goblins aside.

”Ugh…”

The poison was coursing through my veins, making me sick and nauseous. I fought down the hurling sensation in my stomach and raised my staff. The chittering goblins climbed back to their feet before surrounding me once again.

Perfect.

Gagging, I gritted my teeth and slammed my staff against the ground to unleash a single Corrupting Darkness spell. The goblins shrieked as they were caught by the miasma, and toppled over. Their skin blackened and withered, and they thrashed about desperately as the curse took hold of them. With a final, strangled cry, the horde went still.

I lay on the withering grass, heaving. I still felt like throwing up – the poison was burning my veins and ensnaring me in a terrible fever. My stomach was in knots, fully in the grip of nausea, and my head spun. I wanted nothing more than to die just then, just so the pain would end. Choking, I shut my eyes and waited for the pain to end.

My Regeneration kicked in.

I didn't know how long I was out, but the next thing I knew, the nausea was gone and my injuries were healed. I slowly staggered to my feet and studied my surroundings. I was still surrounded by dead goblins, their once-green skin blackened by corruption.

Oh, Regeneration works for poison too.

However, I knew I couldn't rely too much on Regeneration. There was a point of time when I lay helplessly on the ground, completely incapacitated and vulnerable to other forms of attacks. If there was another enemy nearby…

”Hu…”

I exhaled in relief before I turned my focus to gathering the remains of the goblins as proof that I had killed them. Actually, my mercenary ID would collate the information and beam it to the guild, but physical evidence remained the best method of confirmation.