Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Crooked First Button
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The prophet clearly didn't like Yu-na or me.
She let out a deep sigh and began her tale.
"It's impossible with just the two of you. Stay put and go back home quietly."
The prophet got straight to the point.
It was the system message that had popped up right after we crossed through the gate.
Once that time limit expires, we'll be forcibly sent back.
So what she was saying was for us to just sit tight for ten days.
"This is advice from someone who receives revelations. I don't care if you live or die."
With that, the prophet began her explanation.
"A pack of land dogs has set up camp on the outskirts of Ratisilva. It's a pretty big group."
If Jang Ho-seop were here, he'd probably call the prophet an NPC.
Her attitude made it seem like she wanted nothing to do with us, but some kind of compulsion was forcing her to speak.
Just like how we have to carry out the missions the system assigns us.
"These aren't ordinary ones. They've got energy stones too. Normally, the lord would dispatch knights, but..."
This was a feudal society with territories and nobles.
She explained that because of the war, they didn't have the resources to manage even rural areas like this.
"The village militia went in to wipe them out and failed. Give it more time, and those things will crawl out of the forest."
The land dogs the prophet was talking about were monsters, by our standards.
They'd multiply and start targeting villages in the area.
"I hope you two can go deal with them before that happens."
That was the prophet's official request.
Head into the forest and exterminate the land dog pack.
"That was the formal request... but forget it."
She leaned back in her chair as if her duty was done.
Listening to her, I only hardened my resolve further.
I couldn't just head back like this.
We could take them out in one shot, energy stones and all.
If I gave up now, the gate would eventually collapse.
There might be one more chance, but those land dogs would multiply in the meantime.
"Are you sure it's okay to give up this easily?"
"And what then?"
"I figured you might be in danger too."
So I kept talking, to achieve my goal.
"Puhahaha! Me? If I just leave, that's it for me."
"We could wipe those things out."
The prophet looked at me with eyes full of ridicule.
"In that state? You showed up buck naked and got clothes off us?"
"We weren't naked from the start."
"Sure. That's why you're newbies. First-timers who barely made it through the corridor."
I usually understood the prophet's words as Korean, but sometimes, like now, they missed the mark in a weird way.
"Corridor... you mean the gate?"
"Gate? Oh, that's what you call it?"
As the conversation dragged on, Yu-na started fidgeting beside me.
She must be bored.
"Anyway, mana is essential to pass through the corridor, whether for people or objects."
"That's why our clothes vanished—no mana..."
"Exactly. Only items infused with mana can cross. And you didn't even know that, like total newbies."
The prophet kept treating me with disdain.
"Suppose I put even a shred of faith in you. Then what? You gonna charge in naked?"
She really wasn't some NPC-like figure.
"You'd have to support us. Proper gear and weapons, not these rags. On your dime."
Her reaction proved it.
Utterly human.
"But why should I? If you could drive out those land dogs, I'd recoup my investment."
"Exactly..."
"But what's the chance of that? With newbies like you? Just the two of you?"
She judged the situation by her own standards and made decisions accordingly.
Just like I did in the forest.
"There's a saying where I'm from: If you button the first button wrong, you can't button the last one. And you can't go back to fix your first button."
Which meant the prophet was just a person living in this world.
Denying that would be like spitting in the wind while lying down.
"I get it, but you acted too rashly. And I don't do losing deals."
In the end, I nodded to her words.
"Tch, at least you can be reasoned with. I'll help you stay in the village as charity. That's as far as it goes."
The prophet stood up.
Then she yelled at Mandy, who was crouched in the corner sewing.
"Mandy! How long you gonna cling to that? Ugh, so damn slow."
I stood up after her.
She's got a tattoo. Ordinary person.
Mandy had a tattoo on her arm that didn't suit her.
Her energy was small.
The prophet, on the other hand, was over level 10.
"Mandy'll show you around. Wait a bit."
The prophet turned to me again.
"Oh, and even if you're dead set on dying, don't expect my help. Don't bother me. Ask her if you've got questions."
I nodded again.
I got what she meant.
With my mind made up, I asked the prophet,
"Ever heard the saying, 'You have to compare long and short to know which is which'?"
"Hm, first time hearing it... Pfft. I get the gist, though."
The prophet thought for a moment, then snorted.
"And there's this one too."
Like her, I made my decision based on my own standards.
Rational. Efficient.
"Prophets can't divine their own futures."
"Huh? What do you—"
I launched myself at her.
Thwack—
I smashed my fist into the prophet's face.
I struck the head of the one claiming my first button was crooked and irremediable.
Because I believed I'd never buttoned a first button wrong.
I wonder if people in this world have fundamental skills too.
I don't know how, but they can use supernatural powers.
Judging from the prophet's energy via Target Detection and her words,
Prophet: Kill.
In my view, the prophet was far from a fighter.
Considering any variables, I ambushed her and snapped her neck right after.
With the prophet done, I turned to Mandy.
"Sp-Spare me!"
She rushed to my feet and flattened herself on the ground.
No need to waste mental energy or time convincing the prophet.
She'd said it herself—someone who could replace her.
"I-I'm here because I was sold to pay off my parents' debts."
This was the woman.
Fear... and gratitude?
By our standards, Mandy was an unawakened civilian.
And her current emotions checked out.
"Ah, this! See? I was fated to live and die as a slave."
Mandy showed me her arm.
The ill-fitting tattoo was fading away.
A bizarre sight.
"I'll clean up the body. No one will know..."
She was quick on the uptake.
Already thinking of what she needed to do to survive.
"And anything you want, just say the word."
Mandy cautiously gauged my expression and stood.
She started to undress.
"How old are you?"
I gestured for her to stop and asked.
"Uh... I don't know my exact age. But I've definitely never been with a man. Really."
She was doing fine until she veered off into nonsense.
I told her what I wanted.
"Pl-Please. Spare me, benefactor..."
"Information on the land dogs. And help preparing for the fight. Can you do that?"
"Yes! Anything!"
A clean answer.
Too bad the prophet hadn't been like this.
I gave Yu-na a look.
Meaning: Calm her down a bit; she's too scared.
"I feel like your big sis—mind if I drop the formalities?"
Yu-na started chatting with Mandy, opening her up.
Surprisingly good at it.
"Ah, that woman. That was straight-up loan sharking, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"She was a bad person. Anyway, go on?"
Thanks to Yu-na, Mandy started to relax from her rigid fear.
"I was making her undergarments with this. Hurriedly with spare cloth..."
"Really? Thank you so much."
What Mandy had been sewing was Yu-na's underwear.
A chest-binding bra and big boxer-like panties.
Plain compared to modern stuff, but Yu-na was thrilled.
"I'll adjust it for you. Wear this for now, and later in the village..."
And so we began preparations for battle, step by step, with Mandy's help.
"Right here."
"No way... That woman lied?"
Turns out the house had weapons and all sorts of gear.
My axe had vanished, which pissed me off, but now I felt better.
"Whoa, why so much? You collected all this?"
"Yes. Some left by previous visitors, and the owner... no, that woman prepared others."
No need to go to the village.
We had armor, backpacks, shoes—everything.
The prophet had hidden this gear stash because she deemed us hopeless.
"This is made from beast leather. Looks small, but it's stretchy and comfy."
Following Mandy's recommendations, I checked and picked gear.
They classified monsters more granularly than we did.
"Beast" referred to animal-like monsters.
"So layer this under guards like that?"
"Yes. Oh, guards come in types too. Some are light and comfy but lower defense..."
As time passed, Mandy's feelings toward me shifted.
The fear faded quickly.
She approached cautiously and spoke first.
"Um, benefactor... mind if I touch your body to adjust?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Okay. Then tighten this like so..."
Mandy's emotions grew more like Yu-na's.
She must have really hated the prophet.
We'd arrived at the prophet's house in the morning.
The sun, high in the sky, was now starting to set.
Once geared up, I looked like someone in black underclothes with leather guards strapped over vital areas.
More comfortable than I thought.
Mandy didn't know what beast the leather came from.
Tough, yet wearable.
This world's leatherworking was impressive.
The shoes and multi-tool belt at my waist were hits too.
The prophet was loaded, huh.
Commoners couldn't afford gear like this.
Weapons were especially pricey.
What's surprising was that our current gear wasn't even top-tier.
Better materials existed, and prices varied wildly by craftsman.
Some underlayers were lighter, tougher, and breathable compared to mine.
Definitely doesn't match their civilization or tech level.
Anyway, the gear exceeded my expectations.
I'd imagined quilted cloth armor, but this rivaled modern fencing gear.
"Uncle... how do I look?"
"Sharp. Chest comfy?"
Yu-na was dressed similarly.
She seemed pleased.
Twisting her body and head in front of the mirror to check herself out.
"Yeah. A bit snug, but it holds well. No jiggle... ah."
She answered casually, then suddenly blushed.
I guess I asked too bluntly.
Preparations done, we left the prophet's house.
Taking Mandy along.
"Don't worry too much. Sis has your back."
"It's not that... I don't wanna be a burden."
Finding the land dog pack was a bit daunting.
We headed to our starting point first.
"Land dogs love caves."
"Really? Mandy knows a ton."
"Lots of people came looking for the owner... that woman. I'd overhear stuff nearby."
We reached the starting point.
"Can you find the way back if we go deeper?"
Mandy nodded.
She'd come to this forest with the prophet often.
"That's the way deeper in."
She pointed in one direction.
The way the two men I'd killed had come from.
"Let's check there."
The prophet said six people should have come for her.
Something went wrong, and only Yu-na and I made it.
I'd killed two, but didn't know about the other two.
They might hold clues to the land dog pack.
Clutching at straws, we advanced.
Moving slowly, I tried to trace any signs left in nature.
Not easy.
Even traces from the men I'd killed were hard to spot.
Despite remembering their path.
No footprints at all.
"Huh?"
No sooner had I thought that.
"Uncle, this."
"Yeah. Bloodstains."
Not far along, we found human blood drops.
A lot of bleeding.
"Follow it."
We picked up speed.
Blood on dirt, leaves—easy to track.
About five minutes later,
Not far from our starting point, we found a cave.
Way closer than expected.
The blood led inside.
A few monsters lounged idly at the entrance.
Land dogs.
Things had gone smoother than anticipated.
Even better.
Right?
Yu-na asked with her eyes.
I nodded.
The prophet's land dogs were kobolds.
And we'd encountered info on kobolds through the exchange before.