Chapter 02
Kaizen was probably still asleep in the starting village by now, wearing that expression like the world had already ended.
He would hole up in the inn for days, mope around, then finally start moving only after getting all his money stolen by a pickpocket. It was the same every time—predictable to a fault.
“So I need to stop the pickpocket first.”
I planned to head to the inn where Kaizen was staying. That way, I could naturally feed him properly.
If I got a job as the inn’s cook and made sure he ate good meals, wouldn’t his burnout eventually get better?
“I should hurry before he gets kicked out for being broke.”
With that decision, I ran straight toward the east.
I climbed cliffs with bare hands, crossed rivers, traversed fields—before I knew it, an entire day had passed.
“At this rate, I’ll arrive by tomorrow as long as nothing goes wrong.”
The smooth journey put my mind at ease.
I tightened my pack and marched forward with renewed strength.
“Kyaaaaaah! Someone help meeee!”
A piercing scream came from near the village entrance.
“……!”
I nearly jumped. It had been so long since I’d heard another person’s voice.
Kaizen rarely spoke, and the only sounds I usually heard were birds and beasts—so a human scream felt almost foreign.
“Help me! Is anyone there?!”
I flinched again.
My body almost moved on its own before I forced myself to stop and think calmly.
‘This is near the starting village.’
And starting villages were always full of quests meant to help beginners.
So the screaming was almost certainly bait for a quest. Meaningless for someone who wasn’t the hero.
“Whew. Almost got scammed.”
I gathered myself and continued on.
Kaizen was unpredictable; thinking of him made me feel like I needed to hurry even more.
I walked for quite a while.
“H-help… meeee!”
…Why was I hearing screams again?
I was sure I had walked far away by now.
Confused, I turned toward the sound—and froze.
“O…h.”
Right behind me stood the same cottage I had passed an hour ago.
I was circling the same place like some unfortunate protagonist trapped in a cultivation novel’s formation trap.
Rage bubbled up inside me.
How dare something toy with me?
I marched toward the trembling NPC screaming beside the cottage.
“S-save… meeee!”
Up close, he looked even younger—too young to fight.
Twelve or thirteen, maybe.
He had round red eyes, long white hair to his waist, and was small enough that I had to slightly look down.
The kid was begging for his life on an empty rural road with no one else in sight. As if something was about to eat him.
“Hey.”
He blinked his soft round eyes and pressed his hands together politely.
“A-ah! Hero! Are you passing through?”
“I’m not a hero.”
“Please, please listen to me! I’m Hamma, a rabbit beastman from Hanak Village! We need iron ore for the village festival, but the orc tribe is blocking the mine—”
“Wait, hold on.”
“P-please listen! I’m Hamma, the rabbit beastman from—”
“Hey!”
“…….”
He clearly wasn’t going to listen, so I grabbed the rabbit brat lightly by the collar.
His long ears popped straight up in shock.
“H-hero… sir…”
Terrified but determined, he stared at me pitifully.
Honestly, he was too cute. My anger softened just a little.
I set him back down and spoke in a gentler voice.
“I said I’m not a hero. Anyway, how do I leave this area?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I’m stuck here. I’ve been walking in circles for an hour.”
“Hmm? Hamma doesn’t understand what Hero is saying.”
Damn it. Third-person speech.
He tilted his head left and right, then suddenly clapped as if something occurred to him.
“Maybe it’s the orc shaman’s spell!”
“Orc tribe? Shaman?”
“Yes! They must have put up a barrier to keep rabbit beastmen from leaving the village!”
A memory from Tales World, the game I played eight years ago, flickered in my mind.
Orcs were low-level monsters from the early game.
Big, green, muscular brutes with pig-like snouts.
Low-level, sure, but tanky—without healing meals, they were hard to kill in one go.
“This is exactly what I wanted to ask the Hero! The orcs are kidnapping rabbit beastmen from Hanak Village! Hero! Please defeat them and save us!”
So… to leave, I needed to kill the orcs?
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Pay up.”
“Y-yes?”
“I said pay up. Salvation isn’t free. If you can’t save yourselves, you pay someone who can.”
Hamma’s round eyes sharpened like he was looking at the scum of the earth. His drooping ears shot upright.
“H-how could a hero say something so low?! You’re a hero! A hero!”
He planted his hands on his hips and lectured me about how heroes must be righteous and pure.
“Hey, wait. You’re spitting on me. I can hear you just fine, so calm down first.”
Hamma puffed angrily for a moment, then sagged, ears flopping down. Maybe he meant to act intimidating, but with that cute face, it wasn’t working.
I patted his head to calm him.
His hair was silky-soft—actually pleasant to touch.
“I said I’m not a hero. Let’s go with mercenary. So—are you paying or not?”
At my gentle coaxing, Hamma sighed like he was giving up.
“Wh-what do you want?”
Arms crossed, he looked at me nervously.
I lifted my hand and made a circle with my thumb and index finger.
“Money, obviously.”
The money came from the village chief’s pocket.
He handed me a leather pouch filled to the brim, looking extremely displeased.
What? There’s no such thing as free labor.
Anyway, now that I’d taken the money, I had to work. Time to show off the axe-swinging skills I’d honed over eight years.
“Hero! The orc settlement is that way!”
Hamma pointed to a spot not far from the cottage.
About 500 meters ahead stood a huge bone-woven dome.
“Oooh…”
It was bigger than expected.
A small watchtower with three archers. Maybe ten spear and sword orcs patrolling outside.
And counting those inside the dome… definitely several dozen.
I tore my gaze away and glanced at Hamma. His bright red eyes sparkled as he stared up at me.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Hero!”
“This doesn’t look profitable.”
“S-something what?”
“I’m sorry.”
“…?”
I changed my mind.
If I fought them, I would die first.
I turned around to locate my escape route—and sprinted for my life.
“H-Hero! Where are you going?!”
Hamma, flustered, chased after me.
I ran with everything I had, but he was a rabbit, so even his leisurely jog was faster than me.
“Hero! That’s the wrong direction!”
“Huff— I know! I know but— huff—!”
He laughed excitedly as he easily caught up.
And suddenly, reality hit me.
What was the point of running? I was trapped in a formation anyway.
I stopped, turned around to check how far we’d gotten… and froze.
I was standing in the exact same place.
