Waiting Room
I opened my eyes. It felt like I'd slept for ages. I had no idea how long I'd actually been out. In this white room without day or night, the only way to gauge time was my own senses. And time flowed differently everywhere anyway.
I stretched. Long and hard. Blood flowed into my firm muscles.
"Ughhh…."
Not like I was some old geezer or anything. Was it just habit? This high-performance body of mine didn't get stiff from lying around, but groans still bubbled up automatically.
Hmm. Come to think of it… Ever since I got dragged into this room, it had been an endless cycle of getting summoned, crashing on the bed briefly, then getting summoned again. Even with this ridiculous body, had I ever gone to the bathroom? Was there some magical intervention from the management? Or maybe like those wuxia novels, where you burn away all bodily waste at some advanced realm… something like that.
And I hadn't eaten anything either. The last time food touched my lips was at the post-wave festival in Edinfelt. Other than that, it was stamina potions, more stamina potions, status recovery potions. And Rozalin's blood?
"Nothing."
Hmm… One thing I'd learned from life as a seasoned mercenary: rest when you can. Otherwise, you might get summoned mid-toilet break without warning.
In that sense, today was my long-overdue day off.
The moment I decided that, my heart started racing. Even back when I was Jeong Ji-hoon, I'd lived without a break for ages. I'd look up and realize I'd pulled all-nighters for days, then sleep like the dead for a full day. Rinse and repeat. If not for Fortress of the End giving me a breather, I'd probably still be buried in books and paperwork.
Anyway. Now that I'd resolved to rest properly, I felt like a kid heading to an amusement park for the first time. Half excited, half clueless about what to do.
First things first… communi…ty? Damn it. I hated myself for never picking up any hobbies beyond that godforsaken smartphone.
But community later. If I opened it, I'd end up lounging and giggling until another summons hit.
Maybe properly check out those shop tabs I'd skimmed before.
Yeah, pretty pricey.
Waiting Room Expansion Stage 1 - 10,000. Wow. At first, just seeing it exist had my heart pounding. But now that I'd earned some Cron, it felt like a waste.
Even as one of the ten Hero-grade mercenaries raking in Cron, inside I was still Jeong Ji-hoon, the everyman surviving on cup ramen.
I'd figured I'd spend a lot of time here, but summons kept me too busy to linger on this bed much.
Scrolling down, another item caught my eye.
A bathtub, huh. I pictured it: soaking in steaming water, sweat and battlefield fatigue melting away… Tempting.
But 3,000 Cron. Two whole summons. I'd agonized over burning 2,750 on leather armor. A bathtub…
My hands trembled in front of the shop window. I gripped them with the other. No. Not yet!
But soaking was non-negotiable…
That's when the tiny toilet caught my eye. A mad idea flashed through my mind.
Is this for real? Here I was, perched on the toilet seat. Steam rose as hot water filled it up. How did it come to this?
The Waiting Room toilet was ridiculously cramped. Maybe two meters wide by one deep? Possibly smaller. A perfect functional rectangle. Sized just right for sitting.
Checking every corner, the only drain was to the right of the sink. I'd only used it to check my face, so it was spotless, not a speck of dust.
I fiddled with my fluttering sleeves. Assassin garb—tough, sturdy. Didn't absorb blood easily. Like… waterproof fabric…
And the best part: as basic gear, it restored perfectly after summons. Infinite regenerating waterproofing…
Yeah. That's it.
Could this actually work? Or should I just bite the bullet and spend 3,000 Cron?
But… Resolved, I sliced a wide strip from my coat sleeve with my dagger.
Snapping to, I was plugging the drain with the cloth scrap. Sealed it tight, even around the door cracks, like tape.
Must've caught Karnat idiocy. Doing something this stupid.
How high did it rise? Naked on the toilet. Luckily, the scraps held. Stuck firm by water pressure, like a proper waterproof sheet.
Only downside: filling this massive improvised tub (aka toilet) with one faucet took forever. No choice but to wait like this.
Soon, water reached two-thirds up my shins. Time to sit?
Warm water tickled my toes, rising to half-body soak as I eased in.
Lying back would fully submerge me, but dignity said no.
"Ugh…"
A gravelly groan escaped naturally. When was my last bath? Couldn't remember.
All grime vanished on return. Wounds healed with one potion. No hunger or fatigue despite running and fighting.
Yet psychological fatigue had piled up somewhere in my nape.
I'd been pretty resilient. In this two-square-meter space, legs barely stretched, I unwittingly washed away the damp grime in my heart.
The water cooled gradually, but even that felt forlorn yet cozy.
Zoning out, sudden anxiety hit. Not about wrecking the room or leaks.
Summons. The unavoidable kind. If it hit now… Disaster. No way I'd show up as a 2,000-Cron naked pervert.
Water had cooled anyway. Mood sufficiently mellowed, I cleared the cloths…
Oh crap. No towel.
What kind of pricing is this? A life-saving stamina potion costs the same as a single towel…
Sigh… No. This is an investment. For all future drying needs.
Damn. The towel arrived perfectly in front of the toilet. Neatly folded in paper packaging, white and seemingly large. Good.
I dried off quick and dressed. Should've told Samar to learn wind magic instead of me learning it. Drying with wind magic would be so convenient.
Of all the magic I picked up, it's blood-spewing spells…
Phew, good.
Unfair. Rozalin, you idiot moron dimwit dummy.
"Don't know."
Guess it's real. Faint whine whine sounds meant her blocking wasn't perfect.
Idiot…
Come to think of it, could the Karnat folks even learn magic…? Should've offered a consultation contract. Sigh. Worrying about everything was endless.
I wasn't a pushover, but knowing people were dying beyond my sight tugged at me. And I wasn't powerless.
Lending a hand, showing some care—why not? Calling in a mercenary for twenty towels stirred guilt. No, responsibility.
Feeling the bed's bounce as I sat, I waved away vague thoughts.
Hungry. Not starving, more like that jjimjilbang urge for boiled eggs even if you're full. Body languid, mouth bored—same regardless of body.
I opened the shop naturally.
Food prices were weirdly realistic—cheapish yet pricey.
What I really wanted was…
This. First hint about dimensions, huh. Anyway. Yes.
Huh? Pretty normal.
Aaah. Sand…worm. Karnat…
Scrolling further, there it was—the familiar one.
Pricier than expected. Was space rabbit premium ingredients?
That Gam guy hyped it so much, it had lingered in my mind. How do rabbits live in space? How do you even catch space-hopping bunnies?
Since I'm resting. Since I'm spending. Let's try it.
50 Cron? Call it one extension hour. Next time, skewer the last monster to save 50.
They said it was delicious. Did they? Anyway.
Heart pounding, I tapped the outlandish food.
A white plate appeared on the dresser. On it, something round and purple.
Hmm… Looked roasted, at least.