Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Monster Wave Defense Force Recruitment Application (1)
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“We've arrived!”
By the time morning had fully broken, we finally reached the gates of Cristia City.
“Good work.”
“Yes! Please use our services again!”
After stepping down from the carriage and bidding farewell to the coachman, we proved our identities to the city guards.
Sera and Seri showed their identification from Lilac Village, while I presented my temporary pass issued in Binbona Village, allowing us through the gates.
“Whoa...”
“Wow...... It's so huge......”
Upon entering the city, Sera and Seri were utterly awestruck by the sheer scale and sight of it all, their mouths agape as exclamations poured out.
I wasn't an exception either.
Whoa. This is basically modern life, isn't it?
In the distant city center, sleek high-rises with refined designs finished in glossy gray-white stone stood in perfect harmony. Magic lamps floated along both sides of the roads, casting a soft glow.
The roads were spacious and well-maintained, the magitech-paved surfaces absorbing impacts for a comfortable walk. Bicycles and mana-powered personal vehicles moved slowly atop them.
The pedestrians on the straight sidewalks shattered any preconceptions of a medieval fantasy world with their attire.
Floating ad panels drifted weightlessly like the magic lamps, twinkling in the streets, while magitech automatic doors slid open and shut at building entrances.
Beside the streets ran channels of purified water from magical processes, and magitech railways crossed overhead through the sky.
In some ways, this is more advanced than the world I came from.
I knew it intellectually—that developed cities in the previous game's world were practically modern. But seeing it in person hit different.
A chuckle escaped me.
I'd had this fixed idea that a fantasy world meant 'medieval vibes,' but Cristia was far from that.
Places like Lilac Village or Binbona Village, where I'd stayed before, had that cozy rural charm, so it was easy to misunderstand.
But this was one of the kingdom's premier metropolises, a prime example of a 'modern city' blending magitech and magical culture.
Showerheads, toilets, and other conveniences wouldn't exist in a true medieval era, after all. Refrigerators went by 'fresh keepers,' air conditioners by 'coolers.'
“Wow, this is so amazing. Sis, look over there!”
Seri pointed to a massive fountain in the center of the plaza.
The water jets didn't just shoot straight up. They danced like they were synced to music, curving through the air, intersecting and spinning before blooming softly in rhythmic beats.
The movements harmonized with intricate precision, subtle blue light from the magic circles etched into the fountain's base reflecting off the water to create a fantastical scene.
“Whoa...... It's really pretty.”
Sera stared in a daze, full of admiration.
Good call coming here.
I felt refreshed gazing at the fountain too. It was like we were on a trip.
This world had massive regional disparities, so cities like this weren't common.
Some towns screamed medieval, while special race villages carried entirely different flavors.
My dream of devouring every pretty woman in the world was still there, but now I felt a fresh urge to tour various villages and cities.
Anyway, Cristia City was unmistakably a sophisticated modern metropolis.
Taking a carriage to a place like this felt ironic, but it couldn't be helped.
Outside the walls was wilderness, teeming with monsters. No way to run magitech rails there.
Carriages were incredibly convenient transport.
“By the way, is this Sera and Seri's first time here too?”
I asked.
Their awed reactions at the village made it seem like their first visit to such a developed city. They shook their heads.
“Hehe, no, not exactly our first.”
“We came once or twice as kids, but we were so young I don't remember much.”
Fair enough.
Lilac Village was a backwater hamlet, Cristia a major city.
It took days from Lilac to Cristia, so trips felt like international travel back home—intimidating for most.
Sticking to the countryside was the norm for ordinary lives.
“Then let's find a place to stay first?”
“Yes!”
“Sure.”
Sera and Seri nodded, so I led them around the city searching for temporary lodging.
Binbona Village had inns, but here most buildings were shops.
Instead, hotel-like structures dotted the area.
We entered a nine-story building called 'Luna's Yawn Shelter.' A petite, cute girl at the counter greeted us with a bright smile.
“Hello! Welcome to Luna's Yawn Shelter! Here for a stay!?”
“Yes. How much per night?”
“Our Luna's Yawn Shelter prices vary by room! Please check this sign!”
Mine, Sera's, and Seri's eyes flicked to the sign simultaneously.
[ Luna's Yawn Shelter ]
- Loose Yawn (2-person room): 5,000 jeni per night
- Puffy Yawn (3-person room): 6,500 jeni per night
- Cool Yawn (4-person room): 9,800 jeni per night
- Special Yawn (4-person room): 24,000 jeni per night (Dinner for 4 included free!)
Hmm.
Quite the unique room names.
3-person room at 6,500 jeni, though...
A bit pricey, but not outrageously so.
That was my benchmark, probably.
Glancing at Sera and Seri, their faces were predictably shocked.
Shiver—
“B-Bro...... Oh my god. Th-this place! It's insanely expensive!”
“The priciest room is 24,000 jeni? Ugh, th-this has to be a scam......!?”
With the sisters freaking out, I felt like country bumpkins hitting Seoul for the first time.
They whispered, but the counter girl heard everything and looked flustered as she jumped in.
“What!? Expensive!? Luna's Yawn Shelter has some of the best rates around! Not the absolute cheapest, sure...... but the value is top-notch, I swear!”
“Oh, r-really......?”
“Yes! Take 'Eldora's Luxury Sleep' across the street—total rip-off, 11,000 jeni for a 3-person room!”
“Gasp......!”
Seri looked stunned, and the counter girl crossed her arms smugly, like see?
She had a point.
The hotel had a reasonable pricing structure. I told Sera,
“She's right. City prices differ from villages from the start. Can't compare to Binbona Village inns.”
For reference, 1 jeni was about 10 won back home.
So 100 jeni = 1,000 won.
6,500 jeni per night ≈ 65,000 won.
Prices varied wildly by city and village, so not exact, but roughly.
Facilities unknown, but for a metropolis, not bad at all. Bustling Phrygia Alliance cities averaged two or three times this.
Coming from Binbona Village's 1,400 jeni nights made it sting more, though.
“Ugh...... N-no choice, then.”
Sera and Seri seemed decided on staying.
“But, um...... Two 2-person rooms would be too pricey. S-so, Bro, you'll have to share our 3-person room...... Is that okay?”
Sera asked, cheeks flushing unnecessarily.
Her expression said the answer was obvious, but I nodded with a smile.
“Yeah. Grateful just to share.”
“Hehe, okay......! We'll take the 3-person room, then.”
Sera pulled money from her emergency pouch and handed it to the counter girl.
“Three nights for now. Ring it up.”
“Got it!”
The counter girl beamed and took Sera's money.
And then.
As she received it, her eyes sparkled at the hefty stack of bills in the pouch.
“Ma'am.”
“Yes?”
Sera tilted her head. The counter girl feigned forgetfulness with an oh dear look.
“I forgot to mention! We're running a deal: stay a week straight, get one night free!? Thinking of booking a full week!?”
“Huh? Book a week and get a day free...... R-really?”
Sera eyed her, tempted for a second.
“Yes! You look like travelers staying a while! Just bunk here the whole time—super convenient! It's an event, but not for just anyone!”
“Oh, I see......”
Sera pondered deeply.
After agonizing, she shot me a pleading look. I shrugged—your call, amused by the scene.
Sera finally nodded.
“O-okay...... Full week, then.”
“Thank you! Total 45,500 jeni!”
Decision made, but shelling out a lump sum weighed heavy.
Shiver—
Sera's hands trembled pulling the bills; the counter girl grinned ear-to-ear receiving them.
“Thank you! Come again!”
Sera sighed in relief.
As she closed the pouch, the girl's eyes gleamed snake-like again.
“Um, ma'am!”
“Yes?”
“Oops, my memory's shot lately—forgot another event! Book two weeks upfront, get three nights free! Interested!?”
The counter girl beamed innocently, and Sera's eyes wavered massively.
“Phew, still......! The facilities are nice. Room's super luxurious.”
On the hotel's 7th floor.
In our assigned room, Sera scanned around, forcing positivity—though her face looked glum.
She'd fallen for the serial-discount trap.
But this expenditure wasn't bad.
Need a hotel to sleep anyway, and it's not even pricey here.
As Sera said, facilities were top-tier.
Compared to modern hotels, it held up fine.
Booking two weeks at once seemed suckerish, but with three free nights, no real loss.
“Mmm...... Bed's so fluffy, Bro.”
Poke poke—
Seri, worn from travel fatigue, flopped onto the plush bed, merging with the covers.
“Yeah. Rest up today. You earned it.”
“Hehe, okay......”
I watched Seri nuzzling the bed, then stood.
“Huh? Where you going, Bro?”
Sera noticed immediately, head tilted.
“Oh. Just stepping out for a bit.”
“Outside?”
I nodded at Seri's question.
“Yeah. Told you—signing up for the Monster Wave defense squad. Going to apply.”
“Oh......!”
Sera and Seri sighed in unison.
The Monster Wave coming soon.
Normally an event I'd ignore, but not anymore. Remembering Rei was in Cristia changed that.
A character from the previous game.
Knight Rei.
Her waist-length blonde hair and sharp eyes made her captivating.
Female knights = defeat tropes galore, so I'd anticipated monster ravishment or protag NTR scenes. But nope—nothing H-related at all, total buzzkill.
Not anymore.
I'm a real tentacle monster now, free to roam this world.
If I could claim her, life ahead would be even sweeter.
“I'll apply and head back, so rest up. Might be late into the night—grab lunch and dinner without me if so.”
“Okay.”
“See you, Bro.”
I farewelled Sera and Seri, then stepped out of the hotel.