Chapter 4

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: Awakening (4)

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Thanks to Tanya, that loose woman who I suspect had a go at both brothers, I finally figured out what Hitomi's blessing does and quietly made my way back from the park to the lodging.

Just as I arrived at the lodging, I noticed the room was empty and wondered if Claude had bolted during broad daylight. A quick look around revealed him training in the backyard behind the lodging, so I headed back inside.

Only then did I feel like washing up. Scanning the interior of the lodging, I spotted two wooden buckets in front of a small door that looked like it led to the bathroom.

The buckets were filled with clean water, a small ladle floating on top, and there were four stiff towels hanging by the entrance to the lodging. I let out a sigh.

"Talk about reverse immersion."

Having awakened to my past life, my modern sensibilities were in full swing, and the state of the lodging left me feeling utterly depressed.

"Soap...? Oh, there is some."

I opened the door to what served as both bathroom and toilet and felt relieved to see the soap inside.

"Even for rookies, this is the extent of the lodging for low-level explorers, huh..."

The standard setup for a one-night stay included a bed, one bucket of clean water per person for wiping down and washing their face, and two towels.

The bathroom itself was about two pyeong of tiled floor, a mirror, soap, and a urinal. That was it.

You handled washing and urination there, then poured the leftover water into the urinal to dilute the urine smell or saved it for morning face-washing the next day.

If you wanted more water or towels, you paid extra.

"Oh... there's a mirror too.... Shit?"

I finally caught sight of my face in the mirror. Cain, why the hell are you only chasing after Sia with a face like this?

"Damn, I'm hot."

If Claude had that classic rugged, bold macho handsome look, mine was... something else. A striking beauty blending decadence and fragility, with a slightly neurotic edge.

"No wonder the girls' reactions were a bit weird."

It made a little sense now—the way Receptionist Mion at the guild had looked at me, and Tanya in the park.

"Ugh, feels gross. Gotta wash up first."

I stepped into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes, and was about to wash when...

"Whoa."

Down below, dangling there was a monster even bigger than the one my ex-girlfriend from my past life—who got caught banging a black personal trainer I'd hired for our new place and dumped—had loved so much.

"Holy shit."

This was in its calm state, not even angry. Fully erect, it probably outdid whatever Michael or Bob or whoever had been pounding her womb back then in both length and girth.

Digging through my memories, I recalled Claude's shocked expression from our early Labyrinth diving days, when we stayed in even crappier lodgings and showered in the partition-less bathroom.

I also remembered Hawk dragging a uncomfortable Sia off to rest at the lodging as an excuse, leaving me, Claude, and Hawk to drink together often. Right before our last Labyrinth run, I'd overheard Claude and Hawk talking about their Pleasure House escapades.

'Hey old man, how do you handle public rice cakes?'

'Curious, huh?'

'Yeah, tell me. You did it again last time, right?'

'Kuhaha!! You know Kanna?'

'Oh! That slut!'

'I hook her up with a guy packing heat, and if she's satisfied, she returns the favor on her off day as thanks.'

'Nice.'

So it wasn't out of pity that I'd suggested pimping out some girl because she seemed lonely—no, they were just angling for free pussy by offering up that slut and her sister.

"Fucking asshole."

Claude seemed like a good friend in some memories, but asshole traits popped up plenty in others.

"For now, I need to get a better grasp on the relationships between the three of us in this party..."

The big-picture memories and recent ones came easily, letting me pull off "normal Cain" no problem, but the finer episodes and emotions still felt buried deep inside. Probably need a few more days.

I'd use the collapse excuse to rest, gather info on this world, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and decide whether to ditch the party or keep exploring the Labyrinth.

I couldn't rush the memories by banging my head or anything, so I took a short nap. When I woke, Claude had finished training and come back, whining about being hungry. I called Sia from the next room over, and the three of us headed down to the first floor for dinner.

"Sia, you gotta eat your carrots too."

"Eeeeng."

Seeing a 21-year-old throw a fit over side dishes might piss you off—like, are you a kid?—but with Sia's cute face and those massive healing sacks, I just smiled like a dad.

"Don't pick them out separately. Eat them mixed in. Better than leaving them for last, right?"

"Angry no!!"

After a word to Sia, she hurriedly scooped up the carrots she'd shoved aside with some stew. As I watched her chow down, Claude asked about my blessing.

"Hey, Cain. What's your new blessing this time?"

"Dunno. Wanna see?"

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

I pulled out my updated explorer card from the guild and showed it. Claude and Sia hurriedly dug out theirs and plopped them on the table.

It was an unwritten rule in the Labyrinth city: show your explorer card, and the other person shows theirs. A gesture of trust among those who stake their lives together. Claude got it, but Sia doing it just for show...

"Awakening? Awakening what?"

"Cain... did you forget something?"

"Dunno. Doesn't seem like it casts spells or anything. More like it deepens your thinking."

Since it woke my past life as a modern guy, broadening my perspective a ton. Close enough.

"And thanks to this blessing, I vaguely recall how to use my first and second ones too."

"For real? Awesome! So you're even smarter now?"

"Congrats, Cain!!"

True, knowing my past life showed me how to leverage them.

"Not a super useful blessing or anything."

"Still, that's something. Even without using blessings and just raw stats, you're mid-level 3 territory."

"Yeah."

I spotted Claude's explorer card as he tapped it with his finger.

A typical explorer's stats totaled around level x 4 (excluding special stats) to be considered full-party material.

Claude at level 4 had 18 total stats, Sia at 3 had 12, and I had 13. All solid for our levels.

My special stat Technique at 10 boosted all manual actions. That's why even without using blessings, our trio held our own in the Labyrinth. Now that I could properly use them, it was all profit, whatever effect they had on me.

"So, when's our next Labyrinth run?"

Claude, aware of that, asked with eager anticipation, but I stuck to my plan and suggested rest.

"Hm... Still feels too soon to push it."

"Yeah?"

"Think we need a few days off. Me and Sia can pick up some gathering quests. You go fill in with Hawk or whatever."

"Oh?"

"But put 70% of your pay into party funds."

"What the hell!!"

"What? You really don't get it?"

"...Fine."

Claude, hyped to blow his temp gig cash at the Pleasure House, started throwing a fit but quieted down when I picked up the knife I'd been slicing steak with and pointed it at his heart.

"We'll rest five days, so don't overdo it. Just toss in 4 silver out of the 9 you owe, and handle the rest yourself."

"For real!!"

"Told you not to overdo it. And gear repairs and consumables? Not covering from party funds. You're on your own."

"What!!"

"You know your armor's still on installment for another year, right?"

"Y...Yeah?"

"The greatsword you broke last time? This one's been six months already."

"Yeah..."

"Our party's growth is unprecedented, but if you hadn't fucked around, the expenses coming out of funds would be way less."

"Uh... s-sorry."

At least this Claude asshole seemed to have some basic human conscience compared to the trash from other slums. Thank god.

"You remember your parents' wedding anniversary was last week?"

"Huh?"

Past-life Cain was such a pushover.

Sure, past life too, but none of us were orphans reborn—we all had parents back home still kicking.

Claude blanked out, and Sia set down her stew spoon mid-bite, staring at me wide-eyed.

"Last week, dude. Sia, whatever, but you..."

I hadn't bragged outright before, but Cain had been sending letters home for Sia and Claude, chipping in from his savings or party funds for family events.

The reason I was laying into Claude now? My ex from my past life popped into my head.

'Oppa, our parents' wedding anniversary. Got nothing for them?'

'What, that cheap beef? They eat that all the time.'

'How about a filial piety trip? There's some nice packages these days.'

Less than a year shacking up, and she expected son-in-law treatment.

'Mother dear, hope you're well~ Hehe... Sorry. We've been so busy we haven't visited... Next time for sure with oppa!'

'Oppa, I'm going on a ho-vacay with Mijin, so eat on your own, okay?'

'What the!! We booked two months ago.'

Who knows if she called our parents and went ho-vacay with Mijin or pussy-hunting with Jimmy.

Anyway, that brazen bitch flared me up, and before I knew it, I was verbally thrashing Claude.

"...So, got it?!"

"Kuh...! S-stop, Cain! My bad!! Please, enough!!"

Ah, got carried away talking.

Anyway, Cain or me—no, past or present life, both pushovers. Guess it really is reincarnation, not possession into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some random body.

"Sia, what're you doing?"

"Um... sorry?"

After over ten minutes of nagging, Claude was mock-plugging his ears begging mercy, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sia had set down her utensils, hands clasped, groveling.

"It's fine. Sia's a good girl, so finish your food."

"Okay!"

Sia brightened right up at my words and went back to tearing bread and dipping it in stew.

"What about me!!"

"Nagging ends here, so eat."

"Alright..."

Claude choked down dinner watching my mood, pounding his chest, while Sia finished with dessert and a refreshed smile. Dinner wrapped up.