This World Has Advanced So Much
"This world has developed so much."
Seoya marveled as she soaked her body under the warm water in the shower room attached to the guild building. The fact that hot water came straight out of the showerhead made it clear this world was far more livable than Toda.
"I'll go buy you some new clothes while you're washing up, so open the door for a sec when I knock later."
"Okay."
Under the warm stream, Seoya reflected on her tumultuous day.
So, I got exiled from my world.
Ibin unnie and Taesa oppa betrayed me.
I drew my sword and lay there, and then this woman named Baek Yena picked me up.
That really was the only way to put it—"picked me up."
Lee Gayeon argued fiercely with Baek Yena, saying she had to report me somewhere.
I didn't understand it all, but they seemed to struggle just looking at the monster, so I cleanly killed it for them.
After that, these people decided to completely hide me from the world.
And now, Seoya had a place to live. It seemed like she even had a home in this world.
"...Anyway, I'm going to keep living."
Seoya didn't want to die, and she'd decided to live, pulling out her sword herself.
She'd been abandoned by Toda's people.
Can't be helped—they failed to kill me.
"Yaaawn—."
Wearing fluffy new clothes, Seoya wiped away the tears from her endless yawns as she got out of the car. So this was the place she'd be living from now on—her home in this world.
The fact that the first people she'd met here were providing her with a home and everything else was a huge relief for Seoya.
They call this an apartment?
Humans looked so similar to her that it didn't feel like she'd come to another world, but to Seoya's eyes, this world's buildings truly seemed alien.
Especially the "apartment" right in front of her now. The idea of so many people crammed densely into such a tall, vast space was utterly unimaginable on Toda.
Earth's population scale is just on another level. Everything's so much bigger than on Toda.
It was a stark contrast to Toda, where the population dwindled day by day.
"This is the house. Memorize it well."
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
After getting out of the elevator, Lee Gayeon approached a door and punched in the code. Seoya had no idea what effect a lock would have on a door that would probably fall off if yanked hard enough, but whatever.
"Hey, Baek Yena!"
The moment the door opened, someone shot out like a bullet, nearly colliding with Seoya. Light brown hair tied in a messy bun on top of her head, a small stature not much different from Seoya's, skinny build, a pretty face topped with round glasses, wrinkled tracksuit, and an overall fragile, delicate impression.
"Huh? What's this?"
They'd told her there was one more person living with them—a hunter from Neverending Guild named Ji Sein.
The moment Ji Sein's eyes met Seoya's, she panicked and darted back inside, peeking out from behind the wall with just her face.
Then, in a trembling voice, she asked,
"Gayeon unnie... Th-that... What is that ridiculously cute creature?"
"Oh, I picked her up."
Baek Yena said it as casually as if she'd bought some melon candy.
"P-pick... ed her up...?"
"Yeah, she fell from another world."
At those words, Ji Sein rolled her eyes around like she was pondering something. Then, her face lit up, and she shrieked,
"Eeeeek, this is awesome!"
Seoya dodged slightly as Ji Sein charged at her to hug her, but eventually relaxed and let herself be embraced. She had no idea why this person was reacting like this.
Earth humans are so unpredictable.
"Looks like my wish came true."
Ji's voice sounded like someone in ecstasy.
"Sein, you just accept stuff that sounds like nonsense right away? ...Even if that nonsense happens to be true."
Lee Gayeon pointed it out with a hollow laugh, but the response came immediately.
"Yup, unnie. Compared to some apocalypse modern fantasy where dungeons suddenly open one day, monsters pour out, and people get powers, a dimension-travel romance fantasy where one person falls from the sky feels way more realistic and peaceful."
"...Stop browsing the internet."
"Aigoo, so pretty. What's our princess's name?"
Seoya finally pulled away from Ji Sein. The people of this world were strangely friendly toward her—all of them she'd met on Earth so far. Though she couldn't understand it, Seoya answered obediently.
"Seoya, seventeen."
"Really? Sooo~ happy to meet you! I'm Ji Sein, twenty-three. Same age as that Baek Yena over there."
"Ji Sein doesn't do any hunter work—she's a total unemployed hikikomori, so keep that in mind."
"Yena, you should work on your personality first!"
"No, you're the trash! It's too much, just lounging around like that! How does a rank 7 hunter make sense as a hikikomori?! I'm embarrassed because of you! People keep asking me about you—what am I supposed to say?!"
"Embarrassed? So what if I'm a bit of a hikikomori?!"
"Yeah, it's embarrassing! No, Sein! You're rank 7! Seven! Do you even have any economic activity going on right now?!"
Lee Gayeon, who had snuck up, quickly pulled Seoya away and guided her to an empty room.
"They fight like this every day, so don't mind them. This is your room."
"Okay."
A strange world she'd suddenly fallen into, full of strange people. Nothing was threatening, but everything was unfamiliar and new.
...I wonder if I can adapt to this world.
Seoya felt a twinge of worry.
...It's too comfortable?
Her worries proved unfounded. Before she knew it, Seoya had adapted perfectly.
A week into living in this house, her satisfaction with her current life was 100 percent. No, 120 percent.
The empty room had become Seoya's, and she had nothing to do in the meantime.
Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, watch a movie, have lunch, take a nap, read a book, eat dinner, watch TV. Using movies, books, and TV to build up knowledge about this world.
And whenever she wanted, she did whatever she felt like. Nap if she wanted a nap, snack if she wanted a snack.
Her first vacation since early childhood training and studying was overwhelmingly sweet.
"Want some mango, my baby?"
Seoya opened her mouth and accepted the mango.
Earth is too perfect.
Seoya's planet Toda had little food. Due to the disasters plaguing it, people had to huddle on shrinking land.
And that planet was freezing cold. Snow fell every day—crops couldn't grow properly.
No feed for livestock, so meat was hard to come by, leaving everyone perpetually hungry.
Pioneers with abilities at least got enough not to starve, and among them, young Seoya in her growth phase got a decent share.
Of course, that was by Toda standards—by Earth's, she'd been malnourished.
That's why she was small compared to Earth kids her age.
Her face seemed noticeably rounder after just a week.
Meat is so good.
Everything she'd enjoyed since coming here was perfect. Abundant food! Fresh fruits and veggies! Snacks anytime! Above all, juicy meat!
"Melon too?"
"Yeah."
And people excessively kind and gentle to her.
Especially Baek Yena and Ji Sein—they doted on Seoya ridiculously.
"Our princess! Need clothes?!"
"Nah."
"Shoes?!"
"Nah."
"How about this necklace?!"
"Nah."
After baby-talking Baek Yena, Ji Sein started competing with cringey nicknames like "our princess."
The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic—no such thing as princesses.
They'd flip out if she so much as blinked, desperate to do more for her.
Thanks to them, Seoya honed her skill of letting praise go in one ear and out the other.
Now, even if they grinned beside her spouting "my baby," "my soft fluffy puppy," "cutie pretty sweetie whatever," she could munch snacks unfazed.
No matter how much her expression soured, they wouldn't stop—so ignoring it was easiest.
That said, I have no clue about this world's system.
After falling into the unfamiliar world of Earth, Seoya had tried learning about key things like "hunters," "dungeons," and "monsters."
In the process, she realized she was distinctly different from Earth humans.
First, unlike Seoya, Earthlings lost "mental strength" just seeing monsters.
Mental strength was a stat they had—literally their willpower.
Monsters ranged from highest S-rank down to F-rank. Earthlings took mental damage from B-rank and above.
But Seoya hadn't been affected at all by the red water buffalo monster.
Second, Seoya could see the System.
Other hunters' status windows, or alerts about dungeons and monster waves opening in advance.
They say others can't see it, but I have no idea why I can.