Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 005
Chapter Title: Fuck Off!
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「Would you like to level up?」
「1 → 2」
「Ether Cost – 10,000」
「Would you like to level up?」
「2 → 3」
「Ether Cost – 20,000」
「Would you like to level up?」
「3 → 4」
「Ether Cost – 40,000」
"Alright! Our newbie's here, so time for another welcome party!"
Hammer led me somewhere.
Whoosh...
It was a room with a massive bonfire blazing in the center.
The people already there were standing with arms crossed, striking poses.
It was like a character selection screen.
First up was a guy about my age, with a longsword at his waist.
He had slicked-back blond hair, greased and combed to the side.
Rich kid from a fancy family, obvious at a glance.
Why?
In this world where even food was scarce, taking care of your hair was a waste and a luxury.
People with well-maintained hair were usually loaded.
A trick I'd picked up from years of pickpocketing.
'Nothing wrong with sucking up to him.'
Rich folks get rich for a reason.
Build some goodwill now, and who knows when the crumbs might fall.
Hammer walked over to the rich kid and introduced me.
"Felix, this is Yor. Yor, meet Felix. You two will be sharing a room from now on, so get along."
"Felix."
He stuck out his hand toward me.
Snap.
I'd figured him for someone who'd never known hardship, but the calluses on his palm were no joke.
Like he'd been working a quarry with his bare hands.
"I'm Yor. Looking forward to working with you. Heh heh heh."
I flashed a bright smile on purpose.
You can't spit on a smiling face, right?
Nothing beats a grin for building rapport fast.
But Felix just snorted and pulled his hand back.
Pretty prickly, huh?
Fine by me. I wasn't planning to hold hands with another guy anyway.
My eyes shifted to the woman in the conical hat.
"You're Hermit, right? Hammer said if I had questions about Ether, I should ask you."
Working with a woman was a first, combining both my past and current lives.
I was a bit nervous for no reason, but Hermit took a casual step back.
"Don't ask too much. I don't know everything either. That's why I'm here."
Everyone's got a brusque vibe.
But the slums where I hustled were places where calling a stranger a bastard or a pig on first meeting was normal.
This crew had some real refinement.
"I'm Hammer! From the Hammer Squad. Hence the nickname. In the party, I handle vanguard and map leading. That's called a 'warrior' in this line of work."
My role: thief. Hammer's: warrior.
Just like the job classes in the game [Night Diver].
By that logic, Hermit must be the mage.
Staff, pointy hat—the whole package.
So what about Felix?
He had that long sword.
"Is Felix a warrior too?"
"Nah, he's a knight. From a real knight family."
The word 'knight' stirred an old memory.
Once, a bunch of pickpockets and street thugs—including me—planned to ambush a rich girl's carriage.
Nearly ten of us for that big project.
But when we hit it, a guy in iron armor jumped out and sliced my crew to pieces.
Ten tough bastards full of vigor, and he took them all.
That guy was a knight.
Professionals trained from childhood to kill.
Guys like me always feared knights.
If you ran into one, you were dead.
No choice but to run.
"Felix, you're one impressive guy!"
But...
Having a killing machine on our side? Couldn't feel more secure.
"I'll draw aggro as the warrior and pin the monsters' legs, then Felix the knight finishes them off while Hermit supports."
Oho.
Hammer, with his military background, explained it clean and clear.
I could picture the three-man party's hunting flow.
As I imagined wedging myself in, Hermit beckoned.
"Come here and look closely at this bonfire. It's blessed by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. We need it to harness Ether's power."
His Imperial Majesty's name again.
Blessing fire too? What a guy.
"Put your hand on the flames."
I followed Hermit's lead and placed my hand on the massive bonfire.
Then text floated up before my eyes.
"Oh! I can level up?"
"You use this bonfire to infuse Ether into our bodies. Leveling up lets you use better gear and boosts your base physical stats."
Whoa, wild.
Sucks that it costs Ether, though.
Different from the game [Night Diver].
There, you killed monsters for EXP and leveled up.
But...
All gripes aside, being able to level myself up was thrilling enough to make my head spin.
Gave me even more reason to grind Ether desperately.
I burned 70,000 Ether to hit level 4.
Felt a bit lighter on my feet.
"Seriously amazing."
Hammer clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't forget this bonfire is all thanks to His Imperial Majesty. Anyway, newbie. What's your favorite food? Put your hand in and think about it."
"My favorite food?"
Food in this world was mostly just filler to stuff your gut, not to please your tongue.
No real favorites.
Rarely ate till I was stuffed anyway.
"Favorite food, huh."
Cola, obviously.
I'd always craved an ice-cold one during humid summers.
「Consume 1,500 Ether?」
Text popped up.
What happens if I spend Ether?
Leveling had been pretty exhilarating, so I'd learned that.
No stopping once you get a taste.
"Consume."
Whoosh...
Something formed in my palm inside the flames.
A round can.
That hard, cold, smooth feel brought back long-forgotten memories.
"What's that? Weird thing. From the Night Land?"
Hammer tilted his head.
No clue about cola, huh.
Makes sense.
Impossible to find in this world!
Rather than explain, I cracked it open and chugged.
The fizzy chill down my throat was so electric, my brain nearly fried.
"Kaaah! That's the stuff!"
Carbonation and sweetness buzzing my head, thoughts racing.
Ether lets you have cola even in this barren world.
Words couldn't do it justice.
1,500 Ether for a zero-sugar cola?
Hunt 30 Nightlings and it's yours?
Total profit.
Just to check, I dipped my hand back in.
Pudding chicken next? My second craving after cola.
「Consume 21,000 Ether?」
Text appeared.
In that moment, I knew.
This'll work...
And the real shocker below it.
Cola at 1,500 won per can: 1,500 Ether.
Chicken at 21,000 won: 21,000 Ether.
Holy shit, Ether's 1:1 with won?
What a insane coincidence!
I'd need more tests, but this possibility alone had me hyped.
Thought this life was doomed too.
Rope around my neck on the gallows.
And now this shot?
Thanks to Ezekiel.
And His Imperial Majesty!
But could I snag one more cola?
As I thought that, whoosh...
The bonfire dimmed.
"Newbie, that thing you wanted must've taken a lot out of the blessing. Flames are weak—can't use it more today."
Hermit dropped a bombshell.
Can't just spam it willy-nilly.
Reading my disappointment, Hammer patted my back.
"Normally you'd have a shrine maiden to manage the flames stably. Ours is away due to... an incident."
"......"
"......"
Hammer's words made Hermit and Felix exchange glances.
Something bad went down, clearly.
I licked every last drop of that cola.
Kill monsters, earn Ether, buy cola and chicken?
That's life.
Spring had finally hit my life.
"This is your room."
Felix, leading the way, stopped at a door.
Inside looked like a prison cell.
No windows, just two bare beds.
"O-oh, nice!"
Compared to my recent bug-infested real cell, it was a luxury hotel.
Fluffy bedding like it'd been washed? Perfection.
I moved to plop down on a bed—then trouble.
As I went for it, Felix blocked me.
"Get out of the party quietly. I'll tell the others you ran."
Clink.
He tossed me a gold coin.
Something I'd never touched in my life.
"This'll keep you hidden for months. You're an ex-death row inmate, right? Escaping's a win in itself."
Aha.
No idea what, but Felix here didn't want me around.
Saw it in his prickliness earlier.
"Because I'm a criminal?"
"Yeah. Know why we don't have a shrine maiden?"
"Nope."
"A thief like you got greedy, screwed up, got stabbed. She's recovering. Hermit got hurt bad too. Happens to most parties. Thieves are always the problem."
"So I'll cause trouble too?"
"Take the gold and run, or die by my hand someday. Even a gutter rat like you knows which is better."
Hammer mentioned the last guy got executed by the party.
Looks like Felix did it.
Roll...
I eyed the coin on the floor.
Hang with rich folks, and crumbs fall, as expected.
Felix was a merciful dude.
Could've just beat me and booted me.
I bent to pick it up.
Felix snorted.
"Good choice. Leave the Great Wall and crawl in the dirt like you belong."
"Fuck off, asshole!"
I swung my fist full force into his nuts.
Thwack!
Caught off guard, he crumpled to his knees, face-smacking the floor.
"Argh... Oog, ooogh...!"
"Think I'd trade cola for one lousy coin?"
Never!
No way I'd give this up!