A New Route
The interior of the First Outpost was bathed entirely in the warm glow of sunset. “Hehe~” And there, humming a cheerful tune while leading the way, was Bbangbbang-i 2. I followed slowly behind her, turning my head to take in the sights of the surrounding streets.
It felt far more vibrant than I’d expected. As I scanned the noticeable details one by one—
“Heard there was trouble in the forest again today.”
“Did the ruler go on another rampage?”
“That’s what they say.”
—people wandered around carrying all sorts of weapons, chatting away. There were also merchants who had piled up mountains of goods behind them, energetically calling out to customers.
“If you need anything, just say the word!! We’ve got it all!!”
“You got anything for hair loss?”
“No, you idiot!!”
And in the distance, the sharp clanging of metal being hammered mixed with the lively shouts of children running around. It felt less like an outpost and more like an actual village.
As I walked along, taking in all the sights, a certain scent suddenly tickled my nose.
What’s that smell?
The aroma of freshly grilled meat wafted from somewhere, mixed with a subtle hint of charcoal. It was enough to make my mouth water involuntarily.
“Something smells really good.”
“What kind of food is that?”
I was slightly surprised to learn that Reality Mode even simulated the taste of food. I never imagined the technology had advanced that far. Having lived through the end of the old world and even eaten rotten food out of necessity, I understood the true value of a good meal better than anyone.
Those were desperate times when I had no choice but to force it down, but one thing became crystal clear back then: flavor was the most important thing of all. After arriving in this peaceful world, no matter how nutritious something was, if it didn’t taste good I had zero desire to eat it.
In that case, I should definitely try some when I get the chance.
The flood of comments saying how delicious it was made it sound more than worth trying. As I nodded to myself, I suddenly remembered one word that had stood out in the chat earlier.
“By the way, I keep seeing the word ‘cat-folk.’ What does that mean?”
Bipedal cats that cook? It was a little shocking, but the previous world had been full of different races, so I figured it was something similar.
Just as the viewers had said, it didn’t take long before I started spotting cats walking on two legs. They wore clothes and carried cooking tools or vegetable baskets in their front paws, strolling about. Calicos, mackerel tabbies, Munchkins, Siamese, Russian Blues—the variety was impressive.
One of them glanced at me, then—
“Ptoo.”
It spat on the ground and scampered away on all fours.
“...What the? Did I do something?”
I was momentarily stunned, but I wasn’t about to let someone pick a fight and run. I kicked up a pebble with my toe, caught it in my hand, drew my arm back, and hurled it like a pitcher.
The target was the little bastard still running away.
Whoosh.
The stone flew like an arrow. And then—
Thwack!
A dull impact rang out, followed by a pained scream from far away.
“Nyaaaaah!!!”
It seemed the viewers had been victims too. Everyone sounded thoroughly satisfied.
As I brushed my hands off while reading the chat, a relaxed chuckle and a laid-back voice came from behind me.
“That’s Nyeo. He’s got a nasty temper, so I was going to tell you not to mind him, but it looks like the young one already took care of it.”
When I turned around, I saw an old man with both eyes covered by a black eyepatch. His frail body and hunched back made him look like any ordinary elderly person you might see anywhere—except for the unusually well-maintained weapon at his waist. And even though the eyepatch should have blocked his vision, his gaze was locked precisely on me. One glance was enough to tell he was no ordinary old man.
The chat seemed to recognize him and was buzzing with comments, but that wasn’t important right now. What mattered most was that my combat senses had quietly reacted.
This looks like it could be fun...
“Who are you, sir?” I asked, trying to figure out his identity.
“Hehe, just an ordinary old man passing by.”
“You don’t look very ordinary to me.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“Well...”
Before I could answer—
“Commander!”
Bbangbbang-i 2, who had gone ahead, came running back in a panic.
Commander?
“Hehe, commander? The current commander is doing just fine. That title is too much for this old man now. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to still be called commander at my age?”
“But to me, you’ll always be the real commander.”
“Tsk. Reina. Are you saying this old man’s words don’t mean anything anymore?”
“That’s not it, but...”
“Then just call me Grandfather like you used to.”
“......”
“Come on now.”
“Yes, Grandfather...”
“Good, hehe.”
Bbangbbang-i 2 turned her head in embarrassment while the old man stroked his beard and let out a hearty laugh. Watching the two of them, I picked up a couple of important pieces of information. One was that the old man was the former commander. The other was—
So Bbangbbang-i 2’s real name is Reina.
…It somehow didn’t suit her at all. No, it really didn’t suit her.
While I watched the two of them with a sullen expression, the former commander spoke.
“Anyway, Reina. Could you introduce me to this friend?”
At his words, Bbangbbang-i 2—no, Reina—looked at me. Her face grew even redder as she fidgeted, clearly embarrassed that she’d shown such a side of herself in front of me. After letting out a short sigh, she finally calmed down.
“Haa… This is my junior. His name is definitely…”
Reina seemed to be struggling to remember my name. Eventually, unable to recall it, she looked at me with trembling eyes and asked cautiously.
“What was it again…? Hehe…”
She scratched her head awkwardly. It looked like she really didn’t know my name…
I never told her in the first place.
I hadn’t even set an in-game nickname. So it was perfectly normal for Reina not to know my name. But to the two of them, who didn’t know that, she just looked like a senior who had forgotten her junior’s name.
“Hey, you! How can a senior forget her junior’s name?!”
“Agh! I was just distracted today, okay?!”
The two of them bickered back and forth over my name. In the end, Reina lost. Her eyes were red as she looked at me.
“Newbie, you tell him yourself!”
The screen turned gray again and slowed down. Seeing that, I realized this was the moment to choose my nickname.
Ah, so now’s the time to pick a name.
Please choose a name.
Even though the surrounding scenery felt so realistic it might as well have been real life, a single system message like this reminded me that this was still a game.
A name, huh…
I thought about it for a moment, but there was no need to overthink it.
“Haerang.”
I was already using that name as my streamer handle anyway.
“Haerang. That sounds similar to names from the East.”
“Something like that.”
“Newbie, you’re from the East?”
Reina stared at me in surprise. I nodded.
“Yes.”
Well, I was a native Korean, after all.
When I glanced to the side, the old man was calmly stroking his beard. Even with the eyepatch, his gaze felt like it was piercing right through me.
“I saw you fighting on top of the barrier earlier. You fought well. Since you’re Reina’s junior, I assume you’re here to be a receptionist, but… would you be interested in becoming a hunter?”
“Commander!!”
“Tsk. Grandfather.”
At the old man’s words, Reina immediately shrank and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Grandfather. The newbie is one of ours. You can’t just steal him like that…”
“You couldn’t even remember his name. What do you mean, one of yours? And after seeing how he moves, it would be a waste to let him rot away as a receptionist.”
“Still…”
“Besides, the young man hasn’t even given his answer yet. What’s all the fuss? Stay quiet. The important thing is his reply.”
The old man spoke indifferently while Reina looked at me anxiously. After stroking my chin for a moment in thought, I asked the first thing that came to mind.
“What exactly is a hunter?”
“A hunter…”
The old man seemed to ponder my question for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words.
“Hunters are those who accept requests from the guild and hunt monsters outside. Their main duties include environmental surveys, population control, and disaster prevention. But more importantly…”
The old man paused and pointed beyond his hunched shoulder toward the forest outside.
“They are the shield and spear on the front lines, protecting people from those terrifying monsters. They aren’t just hunters—they are the ones who protect the lives of everyone living in the villages and outposts. Every time they head out, they carry the weight of knowing it could be their last. In a world where you never know when or where danger will strike, they are the first to face it. That is the profession known as hunter. How about it? Interested?”
“So basically, it’s a job where you’re constantly at risk of dying in battle against monsters. Right?”
“Is that what worries you?”
I shook my head at the old man’s question.
“Not at all.”
By then, a smile had already formed on my face.
“Actually, I like it.”
“Newbie! Why would you accept that?! Do you even know how dangerous being a hunter is? No matter how well you fight, real monsters are on a completely different level!!”
I covered my ears at Reina’s loud voice shouting beside me.
“Your voice is too loud. I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I want to do this.”
“But still…”
“I’m serious. More importantly, tell me about the monster that grandfather mentioned earlier. I need to prepare for that first.”
“Haa…”
Reina sighed and plopped down on a nearby crate.
“The monster for the hunter qualification test…”
She pulled a notebook from her pouch.
“Its name is Cucuridea. It’s a chicken-like monster that rips up nearby trees to use as weapons. It’s extremely violent, and I’ve heard it’s been causing a lot of damage lately.”
Reina turned the notebook toward me, showing a drawing of the Cucuridea.
“It looks roughly like this. Since they said it’s west of the outpost, that means it’s in the Border Forest we came from.”
It looked like a chicken with strangely drooping features. After confirming its appearance, I nodded.
“Got it. It’s already late today, so I’ll head out tomorrow.”
“That would be best.”
“By the way, what about weapons? Can I use the one I had earlier?”
“It would be better to make a new one using the materials from the Domagirius you caught today. It’s late now, so you can go early tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.”
“See you tomorrow then.”
Reina waved and left. I lightly waved back, then headed to the lodging she had pointed out as mine.
The room had wooden furniture, a small map hanging on the wall, and an old chair placed in front of the fireplace. It was a quiet, warm space that felt lived-in.
I sat down in the old chair and finally started interacting with the viewers I had left hanging for so long.
“This is fun.”
“Does it not usually go like this?”
BranchRamen has donated 1,000 won.
“Ah, thank you for the 1,000 won donation, BranchRamen. Really? He did seem like a pretty unique person.”
I recalled the conversation I’d had with the old man right before we parted ways.
“By the way, I have a question. May I ask?”
“Sure, go ahead. What else are you curious about?”
“You said you saw me fighting on top of the barrier earlier. How did you see it? Aren’t your eyes bad?”
“Hey!”
I ignored Reina’s shocked expression beside me and stared blankly at the old man. He seemed slightly flustered by my question at first, but then he burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. You’re the first person to ask me that so directly. Was that what you were curious about?”
“Yes.”
The old man smiled faintly and continued.
“It’s a secret.”
This time it was my turn to be flustered. Wasn’t he supposed to answer?
“Well then, until next time, young man.”
Watching the old man walk away laughing, I could only stand there in a daze.
“He really is a strange person…”
Ding.
The donation alert snapped me out of my thoughts.
BranchRamen has donated 1,000 won.
A viewer had just given me a no-hit clear mission. Judging by the challenge, he probably thought it was impossible for me to clear it without taking a single hit.
“You’re on.”
If he was going to give me money for free, I might as well take it.