Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Remigio City
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tae-jin woke up in the early evening.
It wasn't some dramatic situation like 'Exhausted from the grueling march, they slept a full day and a half straight.' No, they hadn't slept a day and a half—they'd just caught a half-day nap.
Tae-jin and old man Richer were simply starving, but they'd gotten plenty of sleep. Their stomachs were so stuffed they couldn't have drifted off until morning anyway.
Common sense dictated that if you're not sleepy, you don't hit the bed.
But in Tae-jin's mind—fresh off his clumsy first journey—the image of an inn had solidified into a neat three-step combo: eat, wash, sleep.
So Tae-jin had eaten and washed, then flopped into bed. Belly full, he'd somehow conked out.
In the end, Tae-jin awoke to the fading sunset, hit with that intense post-nap sage mode unique to days wasted dozing.
That nagging sense of having royally screwed up. The guilt of flushing a whole day down the drain.
Should I have stayed up, wandered around, gathered some intel instead of sleeping?
Tae-jin sat up first and scanned the room.
Glossy worn wooden furniture, and old man Richer sprawled asleep on a blanket spread across the floor.
The old guy had stubbornly insisted, "I wouldn't share a bed with a man even if a knife were at my throat," and crashed on the floor.
Should've offered him the bed?
But Tae-jin shook his head. Memories of that brutal hunger from the past day-and-a-half flooded back. This was a bargain, all things considered.
Fortunately, the old man had layered a thick blanket under himself and looked plenty comfortable—comfortable enough to make Tae-jin want to kick him in the ribs.
Before peering out the window, Tae-jin pulled up his hood. A vague unease prickled him—someone outside might spot him.
They'd gorged and snoozed like kings, but they were still fugitives at heart.
Gazing at the darkening streets, eyeing spots like grocery stores or general shops, Tae-jin spotted someone with rabbit ears atop their head.
He bolted upright in shock. Of course he did.
Holy crap. Rabbit beastkin actually exist?
Hard to say if it was a full rabbit or just rabbit-like. But the key point? Those ears matched Tae-jin's tastes 100%.
Beastkin were incredibly rare. Nothing like major races such as orcs or goblins. Most lived in tribal units rather than blending into cities, making them even harder to spot.
And even among beastkin, most sported canine or feline ears—sharp and pointed. But these? Pure white, elongated rabbit ears, plain as day.
I've seen beastkin plenty, but rabbit ears? First time ever.
Tae-jin had been a bunny-girl fanatic since his pre-rational days.
No clue why. He'd convinced himself it was because he was born in the Year of the Rabbit, naturally drawn to them—but even he knew that argument held zero water.
His same-age friends showed zero interest in rabbit ears, and his snake-year younger bro never gave snakes a second glance.
Anyway, Tae-jin had zero intention of letting the first rabbit ears of his life slip away. He bolted out of the inn.
Adventures always come with a heroine. And if she's a rabbit-eared one tailored to my tastes? Perfect.
Tae-jin slapped on a stealth spell and tailed the rabbit beastkin. But no matter how far he dashed down the street, that figure never reappeared.
Ducked into a building? No way to track them now. Stake out the gates starting tomorrow?
Glancing around as he trudged back to the inn, Tae-jin spotted another inn.
In the alley beside it, four people were cautiously unpacking cargo. And there—rabbit ears twitching among them.
Found you!
Tae-jin clutched his pounding heart and approached.
First thing that caught his eye: the rabbit beastkin's reverse-jointed legs. Knees bent backward opposite human style—the hallmark of a quadruped beast. Plus, fluffy white fur sprouting along those legs.
Oh. God!
He'd half-hoped otherwise, but it was a furry through and through. No way a humanoid with just bunny ears sprouting from a human head existed. That'd be too convenient.
Any other beastkin, and he'd have noped out. But rabbit-ear power was strong. Tae-jin couldn't let go, edging closer for a frontal view. Just in case they were in striking range.
At about ten meters out, the rabbit beastkin turned. Tae-jin's world crumbled.
Obviously male. Face scarred with a wicked slash from under his eye to jaw. The kind of mug that promised Tae-jin would eat fists in a brawl.
The disappointment from his first rabbit ears in thirty years hit harder than imagined.
But it wasn't the beastkin's fault. Even if it was, Tae-jin had no recourse right now.
Swallowing tears as he turned to slink back to his inn, they started chatting.
"Where's the route this time? Through Rahis and over the mountains? Or Rozaria way?"
The rabbit beastkin spoke first. Voice predictably gravelly. Tae-jin shed bloody tears.
But putting that aside, the talk was worth hearing. Those two cities? The ones the goblin messenger had named.
"Rahis, obviously. Word is Rozaria's heating up bad."
"Heating up how?"
"To hit Rozaria, you gotta follow the river down eventually. They say soldiers are mustering there now. Bit dated info, but still."
Soldiers. Not Korean troops. He'd heard Korea offered tech aid or even weapons sometimes, but no actual deployments.
"Fighting breaking out there too?"
"Who knows. Point is, better steer clear of Rozaria."
"Yeah, but Rahis means crossing the border twice. What if soldiers catch us mid-crossing? And all those mountain paths? Not thrilled."
"Still better. Barrel through the front lines clueless and get conscripted by troops? Lose all our goods, we're done."
"I get it, but I'd prefer smooth sailing if possible. Ah, well—at least one plus. With soldiers shifting to the front, borders might slack off."
"You think? Hope so."
"Hired any mercs?"
"Nah. If we do, it'll be in Rahis. No familiar faces or prices don't match? We bail. We've slipped borders solo plenty."
"Got it."
They stashed the cargo in the inn's warehouse, left one guard, and headed up.
Tae-jin mulled it over. Smugglers, clearly—talk of dodging soldiers to cross borders.
Play it right, maybe hitch a ride across with them?
Sounded like they wanted mercs too.
He and old man Richer were decent mages. Might snag a spot.
They weren't 'familiar faces,' so no guarantees. But no need to slam the door—win some, lose none.
Heading back to brief the old man, curiosity struck Tae-jin.
How pricey were these goods that they crossed borders with just one pack each?
If it was seriously risky stuff—like drugs—better steer clear.
He didn't know local laws, but getting nabbed with that crowd could mean long prison or execution.
While the warehouse guard glanced away, Tae-jin slipped in and untied one bundled pack.
Inside: not dangerous, but shady junk. Military scraps leaked from Gate Frontier City's base, clearly.
Remotes, batteries, beat-up walkie-talkies. Least junky? A tablet with a cracked screen dead center. Funniest? Green-wrapped military condoms. Grabbed anything that stuck, looked like.
What the hell do they even do with this?
Question flickered, then memory hit. Boozing with Hong-cheol once:
'Kaiso Kingdom too, but outside? Korean goods fetch insane prices, whatever it is.'
'Whatever?'
'Yeah. Electronics, gadgets. Go for bonkers bucks.'
'Why? No batteries, electronics are paperweights.'
'They tear 'em apart for tech scraps. Desperate.'
'Makes sense? Gun tech's barely there. They can't dissect circuits.'
'Thought the same, but to them, we're aliens. Hand scientists an unknown extraterrestrial gadget? Eyes glaze over.'
'Yeah, fair.'
'Plus Kaiso's aping our tech, prepping conquests. Others scrambling to close the gap.'
Made perfect sense for the junk.
Tae-jin re-tied the pack, then gingerly undid the one beside it.
Inside: familiar off-the-shelf cream of mushroom and canned soups, packed tight.