Lindel: The Woodcutter's Reckoning
[1]
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of a quill scraping across parchment filled the mountain cabin.
Ariel groaned as she wrote a letter to her younger sister, Seria. Even wiggling a single finger felt like torture, but with sheer willpower to reassure her sibling, she gripped the pen.
"Ngh…."
Every time she scrawled a word, her arm muscles screamed in protest.
As she broke out in cold sweat, locked in a desperate struggle against the pain—
Thwack!Crack!
From the open window came heavy, rhythmic thuds, steady as a metronome.
Ariel paused her letter and glanced outside.
In the front yard, Lee Han was chopping firewood.
Split… crackle! The sound was impossibly crisp.
Logs as thick as an adult man's thigh split perfectly in two with a single axe swing, scattering to either side.
No wasted motion whatsoever.
No grunts of effort, no flushed face straining.
It was as effortless and natural as drinking water or breathing.
'That's… the skill of a normal woodcutter?'
Her eyes trembled.
Come to think of it, she'd never asked about her savior's background.
No matter how adept at mountain life, he'd faced a pack of vicious goblins.
Those monsters' tough skulls—he'd shattered them with mere pebbles from the ground.
And the last one? A single axe blow had cleaved it perfectly from crown to crotch.
'Weapon mastery… no, movements honed to the extreme for killing people.'
Ariel swallowed dryly.
She recalled the bards' tales at the tavern: heroic epics of fearsome knights who once dominated the continent, or those who survived brutal slaughters and hid in remote mountains, concealing their identities.
The so-called "hidden masters."
Her savior was surely one of those powerhouses.
Creeeak—
As her fantasies spiraled wildly, the door swung open and Lee Han stepped inside.
"Hoo…."
Heat radiated from his body in waves with his short exhale.
Ariel's gaze followed him naturally.
"Eh…?"
An overwhelming masculine presence, like a wild beast, poured out.
Mixed with the scent of forest earth was a man's thick, hot body odor that flooded the cabin.
Whoosh—
In an instant, Ariel's cheeks burned crimson.
She bowed her head reflexively.
Never in her life had she seen a man's bare torso this close—let alone alone with him in a sealed space.
Her heart pounded wildly, and an inexplicable heat welled up from her lower belly.
'Crazy! You're crazy, Ariel! What the hell are you thinking!'
She screamed internally.
This wasn't some ordinary guy.
A psycho who'd licked her wounds with relish, grinning in ecstasy!
Blushing in front of such a dangerous predator? She wasn't right in the head!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
To snap out of it, Ariel slammed her forehead repeatedly against the small wooden desk she leaned on.
Once the delusions cleared, a far more pressing, despairing reality hit her.
'Wait a minute.' Her body was wrapped head to toe in bandages caked with blood, mud, and herbs.
If she slept like this? The bed her savior had kindly provided would be ruined with filth and pus.
So before bed, she had to change the bandages and wash clean.
The problem was…
'I can't do it alone.'
Unwrapping herself and dousing with water was near impossible.
Only one option remained.
That sadistic psycho man washing every inch of her body with his rough hands.
And she had to ask for it.
'Eek…!'
It was obvious. Her savior wanted that!
He wanted to see her beg naked on all fours to be washed!
Then he'd lick her skin with lecherous, gleaming eyes, scrubbing her secret places with a soaked cloth…!
Gulp.
Ariel's throat bobbed violently.
Just imagining it sent chills of horrific shame and terror through her body hair.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She bashed her forehead against the desk like a maniac again.
And.
As Lee Han wiped sweat from his face, he noticed Ariel.
"…."
A pink-haired woman headbutting the desk in self-flagellation.
And beneath her hand, a parchment smeared with just three wobbly lines of ink.
'Come to think of it, this "Lee Han" guy kept stuff like this around despite being a woodcutter.'
He'd done it himself, but why… he couldn't recall.
'Did I stock it to study? Back then?'
Gazing at Ariel led to one conclusion.
'Yup.'
Definite. This woman possessed the system trait [thick-headed].
Even writing a simple letter to her sister wouldn't compute in that skull—overcome by creative agony, she resorted to primitive desk-banging. Classic behavior from low-INT characters he'd seen in games on Earth.
'Should I just write it for her?'
Lee Han considered briefly. But nah, too much hassle.
"Miss Ariel."
He called her, draping a towel over his neck. "Y-Yes? Ah… yes!"
Startled, she clutched her reddened forehead and nodded frantically.
"I'm drenched in sweat, so I need to wash first. What about you?"
"…!"
Ariel's shoulders jerked violently.
It was coming. The "I'll wash first" line.
Now she had to say it: wash me.
Unwrap the bandages, wipe the pus, scrub every nook and cranny…
She mumbled in a mosquito-like voice.
"Understood…. Then, me too…."
Lee Han blinked in surprise at her reply.
"How do you plan to wash?"
"P-Pardon?"
Ariel stammered in confusion.
Lee Han spoke earnestly, with genuine scholarly curiosity.
"I mean, your bones are cracked, muscles torn everywhere—even breathing hurts and you're whimpering. How exactly do you plan to draw water and wash alone?"
"Ah, th-that's…."
"Did some hidden instant-healing ability awaken in you without me knowing?"
His eyes sparkled.
If she really had such a trait… he needed to figure out why it triggered!
Ariel recoiled at his intense, gleaming stare, mouth flapping.
"N-No, nothing like that! I was just… in so much pain my head wasn't working right… delirious talk…."
Lee Han eyed her up and down with narrowed gaze.
No hidden powers.
'Yup… definitely the [thick-headed] trait.'
Whatever. Quick rinse and bed.
The next dawn.
As pale morning air seeped through the window cracks, Lee Han's eyes snapped open.
A woodcutter's internal clock was flawless.
Rising, his gaze naturally drifted to Ariel.
"Ugh… haa…."
She writhed, drenched in cold sweat, groaning.
Her wounds must have worsened overnight—her body burned like fire, brows furrowed in agony.
Without a word, Lee Han soaked a clean cloth in a water bowl.
He wrung it out cold and gently placed it on her boiling forehead.
Her pained expression eased slightly at the touch, groans quieting.
Confirming her state, he headed to the kitchen.
Selling firewood in the village would take hours. He needed to whip up something for the patient to eat.
He dumped dried meat, hard bread chunks, and foraged edible mushrooms into a pot, added water.
Ignited the fire and glared into the pot.
'Come on, activate. Time to pop.'
He was gunning for the [Cooking] trait.
Beyond tasty food, it granted buffs or faster HP recovery to eaters—a handy support trait.
High acquisition chance from "cooking and providing for others."
One big reason he'd bothered hauling Ariel here despite the hassle.
Bubble bubble—
The stew boiled, filling the air with a decent aroma, but the system stayed silent.
'Damn….'
Regrettable, but next time.
He told her to eat when she woke.
She mumbled thanks.
Lee Han shouldered a mountain of firewood on his yoke and prepared to leave.
"Probably four hours at most."
At his mutter, Ariel half-opened her eyes, thinking deliriously. 'Feels like I'm being pampered by an assistant….' Like those romance fantasy novels she'd read. Her voice came out misty.
"Yesss… come back safeee…♡"
A weird, sticky, drawn-out nasal tone.
Lee Han paused, curious.
What dream made her sound like that?
Erotic game world, so probably something lewd.
'No way?'
Not dreaming of goblin capture while moaning like that, right?
'Not right in the head. Better get out quick.'
He descended the mountain without looking back.
An hour's trek later, Lee Han reached the familiar village entrance.
The starting village, Lindel.
Tutorial zone and trade hub for assorted caravans.
His steps led straight to a large timber shop in one corner.
Dumping the firewood mountain from his yoke onto the yard sent a heavy thud through the ground.
Thump!
"Whoa! You scared me!"
A fat merchant burst out, his greasy belly jiggling, eyes bulging.
At least double Lee Han's usual load—an insane quantity.
Plus, the logs split with hair-raising precision, top-grade fuel no doubt.
Greed flashed in the merchant's piggy eyes.
"Y-You… Lee Han. Don't tell me you chopped all this alone in just two weeks?"
"That's right."
Lee Han answered flatly.
The merchant stroked the pile disbelievingly, then cleared his throat with a fake smile.
"Ahem. Skill's improved a lot. Impressive."
He rubbed his pudgy hands, puffing up.
"But Lee Han, market logic is cruel. You woodcutters might not know, but cheap southern timber's flooding the village lately. Supply-demand imbalance, y'know?"
Obvious ploy.
"Warehouses are bursting. I don't have to buy this… but for your hard work, half the usual price. Fair deal, eh?"
As he spoke, a memory surged in Lee Han's mind.
Before awakening his past self: naive, dumb "woodcutter Lee Han" days.
Falling for this greedy bastard's scams, selling blood-sweat firewood for pennies, choking down bitter bread.
Those miserable times.
And now, Lee Han wasn't that naive woodcutter.
"I see. Thanks for always looking out."
Smiling, he seized the merchant's thick, oily hand.
"Yes, yes! Stick with our shop. Haha!"
Firewood Chopping Lv.2 activated.Krunch…
"Gaaahhh!"
The merchant's scream echoed satisfyingly! Music to the ears! Scream louder!
"Y-You psycho! Let go! Release me! Do you know who I am?!"
He thrashed, eyes rolling.
"Do this again, and the Merchant Guild blacklists you forever! No village will buy your twigs—I'll starve you out! Aaaagh!"
Lee Han smirked, squeezing harder.
Crunch! Snap!
Like dry branches shattering in chunks.
The merchant's plump fingers and hand bones crumbled under Lee Han's grip.
"Grk… urk…."
White foam bubbled from his mouth in agony.
Face on the verge of blackout.
Lee Han spoke.
"Imperial Code Article 13, Section 11."
"G-Guh…?"
"Non-nobles cannot engage in monopolistic usury or malicious price gouging disrupting market order."
The merchant's fading pupils dilated hugely.
"The Guild won't shield lawbreakers defying the Empire. They'll chop the tail first—put you on the block. Plus, merchants compete. Fewer rivals? They'll love it."
Lee Han flung the crushed hand away.
The merchant rolled on the ground, sobbing and retching.
"Appreciated you till now. Be good in your next life."
He passed out.
Lee Han smiled contentedly.
The status message before him made him grin even wider.
You've defeated the merchant who exploited the people!
Your Fame has increased by +1!
Higher Fame grants base affinity bonuses from saints, heroes, sages, etc., and boosts chances for unique traits!
Keep raising your Fame!