The warm orange glow of the setting sun bathed the village as Algeni returned after completing his mission. Merchants called out to passing customers, adventurers moved through the busy streets, and the lively atmosphere contrasted sharply with the silence of the forest he had just left behind. Without wasting any time, he headed straight for the Adventurers’ Guild and pushed open its large wooden doors.
As he approached the reception counter, he noticed Diana was still assisting several adventurers. The moment she recognized him, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Eh? You’re back already? It’s only been thirty minutes. How did you finish the mission so quickly?” she asked, genuine amazement evident in her voice.
Algeni shrugged calmly.
“Honestly, the wolves came straight after me. I didn’t even have to search for them, so it was relatively easy. I ran into a few problems once they started piling up, though.”
Diana slowly shook her head, still struggling to believe what she had heard.
“I still can’t believe you defeated six wolves all by yourself.”
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Algeni replied simply.
“You really think that?” Diana said, staring at him. “Most adventurers in this town would struggle to defeat two wolves on their own. Imagine fighting six!”
Algeni remained silent for a few moments.
“Do people here really have that much trouble with ordinary wolves?” he wondered.
Standing beside him, the system assistant appeared and calmly commented,
“Actually, judging by your surroundings, you can tell that the people in this place aren’t very strong. Aside from the boy and the girl you met, most of them barely reach Level 6. So it makes sense that they would struggle against those wolves.”
Without drawing attention, Algeni quietly activated the HUD and checked the levels of several nearby adventurers.
Just as the assistant had said, nearly all of them hovered around that level.
“Wow… they really are pretty weak.”
He decided to keep that thought to himself for now.
Reaching into his pockets, he placed the special wolf claws onto the counter.
Diana carefully inspected each one before giving an approving nod.
“Everything is in order. Just give me a moment.”
She disappeared behind the counter and returned shortly afterward carrying a small leather pouch.
“Here’s your reward.”
Algeni accepted the pouch.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
For a moment, Algeni considered accepting another mission.
Before he could answer, however, the assistant spoke.
“Taking another mission would be possible, but it’s getting dark. If night falls while we’re outside, it could become dangerous. There is a chance we’ll encounter large groups of monsters—or even bandits.”
Algeni thought for several seconds before shaking his head.
“That’ll be all. Thanks for your help.”
He left the guild and, as he walked along the village’s main street, quietly asked,
“Is it really getting dark already? How did the day go by so fast? I remember waking up early. It’s only been about two hours since the system update.”
The assistant answered in the same emotionless tone.
“That’s what the TVA wanted, my guy. Don’t worry about it.”
Algeni froze for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
“Seriously? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I don’t know anything you don’t already know,” the assistant replied naturally.
Algeni glanced sideways at him.
“You’re such an amazing assistant. Honestly, one hundred out of ten.”
The assistant’s eyes seemed to light up.
“Really?! Thank you! My duty as an assistant is to help the User as much as possible.”
Algeni sighed again.
“I was being sarcastic.”
The assistant tilted his head.
“What does ‘being sarcastic’ mean?”
Algeni opened his mouth to answer, then simply shook his head.
“Look… it’s been a long and short day at the same time. I’m just going to get some rest.”
The assistant quietly nodded, and the two continued walking together.
It didn’t take long before Amanda’s inn came into view.
As they stepped inside, they found Amanda fast asleep behind the counter, her head resting comfortably on her folded arms.
Algeni quietly approached and gently tapped her forehead with one finger.
Amanda jolted awake. This story is hosted at g.com.
“I’m awake! I can’t believe I actually fell asleep…”
As soon as she looked up and recognized Algeni, an amused smile spread across her face.
“So, you really did come back after all.”
Algeni smiled faintly.
“Honestly, I thought about it for a long time before coming here, but I’m tired, and this is the only place I know. So yeah… I came back. But don’t think I came because I enjoy getting scammed.”
Amanda let out a quiet giggle.
“Alright, alright. You don’t have to keep complaining about that.”
“Okay, then tell me the price of a room.”
Amanda answered without losing her smile.
“Fifteen gold coins.”
Algeni didn’t complain this time.
He had no idea how much rooms cost elsewhere, although a small part of him still suspected that this woman somehow found an excuse to squeeze money out of everyone she met.
“Alright. Here.”
He handed her the fifteen gold coins.
Amanda quickly tucked them away and motioned with one hand.
“Follow me.”
She climbed the wooden staircase, and Algeni followed behind.
The second floor was far quieter than the first. Only distant footsteps and the occasional creak of old wooden floorboards disturbed the silence.
Amanda stopped in front of one of the doors.
“Well, this will be your room for tonight. I hope you enjoy it.”
The number on the door read 209.
Algeni slowly turned the handle and stepped inside.
The room was small, roughly the same size as the one where he had first awakened after arriving in this world. There was no luxurious bed or elegant furniture—just a simple bed, several windows through which the fading light of sunset streamed inside, and a small bathroom that, at least at first glance, looked clean and well maintained.
“It could be worse…” he thought.
After inspecting the room for a few seconds, he closed the door behind him and dropped onto the bed with a tired sigh.
Closing his eyes, he quietly murmured,
“At least it looks like I didn’t get scammed with this.”
The assistant glanced around the room.
“This room isn’t bad.”
“It’s definitely better than sleeping outside. Trust me, that’s not a pleasant experience.”
The assistant walked over to one of the windows and watched as the evening sky gradually turned shades of orange and crimson.
“But isn’t it strange that night came so quickly?”
“Yeah… but I have no idea why. I don’t think it’s something we should worry about.”
“Well, if you say so.”
Algeni adjusted himself on the bed, ready to rest.
Then he remembered the sword still hanging at his side.
“Right… where should I put this?”
He was about to lean it against the wall when the assistant spoke up.
“How about storing it in your inventory? That way, if anything happens, you’ll be able to take it out immediately.”
Algeni nodded.
“You’re right. Besides, it’ll let me test how it works.”
He opened the system and accessed the inventory menu.
Countless empty slots appeared before him.
However…
One of them was already occupied.
Algeni frowned.
“What…?”
The object looked strangely familiar.
Slowly, he reached out and placed his hand over it.
A system window immediately appeared before his eyes.
Confused, Algeni answered,
“Yes.”
A moment later, a small necklace materialized in his hands.
He stared at it in silence as the room grew quiet once again. Outside, the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving only the soft glow of twilight filtering through the windows. The familiar necklace rested in his palms, carrying with it memories he thought had been left behind, and for the first time since arriving in this strange world, his thoughts drifted back to the life he had lost.
The moment he saw it, his eyes widened slightly.
“Assistant… how did this end up here?”
“I honestly don’t know how it got there.”
Algeni barely heard the reply.
His fingers slowly traced the old necklace.
His expression changed.
“This necklace… My mother gave it to me when I was six years old. How did it end up here…? I kept it stored away safely…”
For several long seconds, he remained completely motionless.
The assistant watched him with quiet curiosity.
“Is the User feeling sad?”
Algeni immediately snapped out of his thoughts.
“Huh…? No. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You can talk to me if you need to.”
“Don’t worry. I’m okay.”
The assistant fell silent.
He didn’t press the matter.
He simply continued watching him.
Algeni took a deep breath.
He stored his sword inside the inventory.
Then, handling the necklace with great care, he slipped it beneath his pillow.
Afterward, he settled onto the bed.
A yawn escaped his lips.
“Good night.”
Within only a few seconds, he fell into a deep sleep.
The assistant smiled faintly.
“Good night.”
His body slowly faded away until it merged back into the system.
Meanwhile…
Somewhere unknown.
A hooded figure silently watched everything from afar.
With crossed arms, the mysterious figure muttered quietly,
“That kid really needs to learn how to talk about his problems…”
The figure remained silent for a few moments before speaking again.
“But that’s none of my concern.”
Their gaze slowly drifted toward the night sky.
“What should concern me is how that other idiot managed to make night fall so quickly.”
A quiet sigh escaped beneath the hood.
“Well… it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll just keep watching and see how everything unfolds.”
At last, the night completely blanketed the sky.
Thousands of stars shimmered overhead, illuminating the world with their gentle light as the village settled into a peaceful silence.
The following morning, the first rays of sunlight slipped through the windows of the room, filling it with a warm golden glow.
Algeni slowly opened his eyes.
He remained still for several seconds before suddenly remembering the necklace.
Quickly, he lifted his pillow and found it exactly where he had left it.
He gently picked it up and held it between his hands, silently gazing at it.
The room was quiet except for the distant sounds of the village beginning to wake outside.
Little by little, memories of the day his mother had given him the necklace when he was only six years old began to return, filling his mind one by one as he stared at the treasured keepsake in silence.