First Waves: Stock The Storage.
Alya let out a yawn as she walked down the stairs, led by Skelly, who made sure his master didn't miss a step and fall flat on her face. "Good morning, Alya," In-Su greeted her with a slight smile, while Si-Woo simply nodded, his mouth full of food.
Skelly pulled out a chair for Alya, seating her beside Si-Woo, before heading toward Chiyo to order breakfast for both his master and himself.
"So, where are we going next?" Si-Woo asked, taking a sip of his drink.
In-Su put down his cup and reached for the map that Emit had given him earlier that morning. He unfolded it on the table, spreading it out in front of them. "I'm thinking we head toward the main city." He pointed at a specific spot on the map before looking at the two. "Emit mentioned there's a Dwarf there who can make us armor that looks like our world's fashion. Also, we need to stock up on weapons."
Si-Woo furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why? We already have weapons," he said, pointing at his sword.
"But Alya and I don't. We can't keep hiding behind you and Skelly. What happens if we get separated? I need something to protect myself," In-Su explained.
"Good point," Alya mumbled as she grabbed the plate Skelly handed her, which held what appeared to be a sandwich. She began munching on the food thoughtfully. "Skelly is part of my skills, but what if we run into a place that locks our skills, like in video games? We need to be prepared."
"Huh. But what kind of weapon can you even use?" Si-Woo asked the important question.
In-Su's answer was immediate. "A gun."
The other three stared at him blankly. "Dude, you're a healer," Si-Woo deadpanned.
"Yeah, but there are healers who use guns."
"Please don't point a gun at me just to heal," Alya groaned, raising an eyebrow at In-Su.
"What? No. I'd use it on Si-Woo," In-Su replied with a mischievous grin.
"Me?!" Si-Woo exclaimed, utterly bewildered.
Skelly raised his bony hand, clicking as if asking a question. "Skelly asks, will the Dwarf even know how to make a gun?" Si-Woo snapped his fingers as if struck by a sudden realization. "Right! Their guns and ours might be totally different—"
In-Su slammed another piece of paper onto the table, cutting him off. The trio leaned in to examine it, realizing it was a detailed blueprint for a gun. Si-Woo blinked in surprise. "Right... I forgot what course you took."
"What did he study?" Alya asked curiously.
"Engineering."
"What kind of engineering teaches you to draw a detailed plan for a gun?"
"Look, he's... kind of half normal."
"I'm still here, you know," In-Su sweatdropped. "Anyway, this is the gun I always use in my game. I just happened to remember the detailed plan for it from their website."
"What kind of game do you play? Are you okay? Did something happen at home?" Alya teased, raising an eyebrow. In-Su lightly tapped the top of her head, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "Oi. I'm perfectly normal, okay. It's just that if we do things the normal way here, we won't survive."
Skelly rubbed the top of Alya's head with his bony hand. "So basically, we should do what our intrusive thoughts tell us," she said with a grin.
"Yeah, unless those thoughts are too dark. Then don't," Si-Woo chimed in, crossing his arms with a sage-like nod. "Okay, so when do we head out?"
"After we stock up. Emit said the walk to the main city will take at least a week on foot, and the wagon only comes twice a week. We missed it yesterday, and the next one arrives in three days. Plus, we need to level up along the way, so we'll walk," In-Su explained, rolling the map back up and putting it away.
"Do you think they sell potions here?" Alya suddenly asked, earning surprised looks from the two males.
"Why? We have In-Su."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about Mana Potions. We can't heal or use skills if we run out of Mana," Alya pointed out matter-of-factly.
"You've got a point... Let's split up and look around the village. We'll meet back here in the evening," In-Su decided.
"Okaaay~"
Si-Woo strolled down the dirt road, taking in the scenery, while Skelly followed close behind, his bones rattling with every step. Meanwhile, Alya chose to follow In-Su, leaving her skeleton companion in Si-Woo's care. "So, we should check out the shops first," Si-Woo muttered, glancing down at the goblin skeleton, who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up with his bony hand.
"Did the kiddo give you money?" Si-Woo asked curiously. He didn't mind paying, but he didn't want to encourage the skeleton goblin to rely on others for everything. 'Damn, I sound like a parent right now,' he thought to himself.
Skelly nodded before pulling out a wallet from seemingly nowhere. He opened it to reveal an interior that was far larger than its modest exterior suggested. Si-Woo let out a low whistle at the pile of gold coins inside. "Well, that's the bankroll of a Level 15 player for you," he muttered.
"Okay, let's go to any shop you want first. But remember," Si-Woo said sternly, "spend responsibly." Skelly nodded at the reminder, looking around before pointing toward a shop run by a family of werewolves.
"....." Si-Woo stared down at the skeleton goblin, wondering whether it was entirely safe for a literal bag of bones to waltz into a den of wolves. But he quickly shook off the thought. "Okay, let's go."
As they approached, a large werewolf with a friendly demeanor spotted them and grinned. "Welcome, travelers! Welcome to our shop! My name's Welys. What can I do for you today?"
Si-Woo noticed rows of meats on display, all fresh and carefully arranged. "We offer a variety of meats," Welys explained proudly. "We cater to all needs, including those with allergies. Ah, you're Players, aren't you?"
Si-Woo nodded in surprise. It seemed Players were a well-known presence in this world.
"Then you must have item storage. A piece of advice, passed on from past Players: you can store food in your item storage, and it'll stay fresh forever." Welys' grin widened.
"Heeh, that's really useful advice," Si-Woo said, crossing his arms. That meant they could stockpile raw food without worrying about it going bad. "Then… uh, what kind of meat is this?" He pointed to one of the displays, suddenly realizing the animals here might not align with what he was familiar with. 'Wait… does this world's meat even match what we have back home?' The thought struck him like a ton of bricks.
"This here is Doer meat. Past Players said it's similar to deer meat. This is Boar meat, which you'd compare to pork. This one's Cucko meat—like chicken, though with a different texture. And this is Snille meat, which is snake meat," Welys explained, pointing to each display with enthusiasm.
Finally, Welys pointed at the last showcase and grinned even wider. "And this is Red Bulls meat. True to its name, it comes from a premium monster. It's not tainted by corruption, and while expensive, it's a favorite among past Players. They've said it tastes like wagyu beef."
"Wait, you guys eat monster meat?" Si-Woo asked, slight surprise in his tone.
"Hahaha, yes, we do—but only certain monster meats," Welys replied with a hearty laugh. "Mostly barbaric and unintelligent monsters."
"So, it's okay if we kill some monsters and eat them?" Si-Woo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup, but you need to make sure they're edible. Some monster meat is poisonous. If you're planning to travel..." Welys reached under the counter, pulling out a piece of paper, and handed it to Si-Woo. "This is a list of monsters you can eat in Ashes Kingdom. Every kingdom's meat shop has a list of edible monsters, so if you travel to another kingdom, just ask for their list."
"Woah... thank you." Si-Woo took the paper from Welys. He hesitated for a moment before smiling slightly at the werewolf. "Is everyone as friendly as you guys? Or is there any place Players should avoid?"
"Hahaha, are you worried, boy?" Welys chuckled. "Well, there's only one kingdom that's not fond of your kind. It's a kingdom ruled by Angels. They're very proud of their purity and hate being involved with other monsters. That kingdom is exclusively for Angels, so my advice is to steer clear of it."
"Thanks for the information. I'll take some Doer meat, Cucko meat, and... how much is the Red Bulls' meat?" Si-Woo asked, curiosity lacing his voice.
"Well, Red Bulls' meat costs 20 gold for three kilograms. Doer meat is 18 silver per kilogram, and Cucko meat is 4 gold and 12 silver for one whole Cucko," Welys said, starting to pack the order.
"Heh, then give us—" Si-Woo paused as Skelly tugged on his jacket and raised a few bony fingers. "Huh? You want to buy 30 kilograms? Do you have enough money?" Skelly's skull rattled as he nodded excitedly. "Well, if you say so. Then I'll take 30 kilograms of Red Bulls' meat, 20 kilograms of Doer meat, and 10 Cucko."
"Hahaha! Looks like you've got growing children in your group!" Welys teased, grinning as he calculated. "Alright, the total is 244 gold and 80 silver—but since you're new here, I'll lower it to 200 gold."
Skelly eagerly pulled out a hefty pile of gold coins, placing them on the counter before walking over to the sack bags. He touched them, sending the meat directly into his Item Storage.
"Ooh, what a unique monster you are! An undead with Item Storage? Do you share it with your master?" Welys asked. Skelly shook his head firmly. "Hoh! You have your own? That's incredible. No, your master must be a truly talented Necromancer to summon a rare monster like you."
Welys laughed as he noticed the confused expression on Si-Woo's face. "No need to think too much about it. Just tell your master to keep leveling up!"
"...Okay... Thanks again." Si-Woo nodded at Welys before he and Skelly walked out of the shop. "Where to next?" the Paladin asked, glancing around. He spotted a shop owned by a fairy and lit up. "Oh, let's go there."
Si-Woo made his way over to the shop, which was built into a half-cut tree trunk. "Excuse me?" he greeted, catching the attention of a small fairy in front of the shop.
"Yes?" The fairy turned around, her eyes lighting up as she saw Si-Woo. "Oh my~ Welcome to our spices shop! My name is Kiwi! We sell all kinds of spices, and don't worry—we have magic-free spices for your kind!" Kiwi spoke in a high-pitched voice that, strangely enough, was soothing to Si-Woo. "I saw you come out of old man Welys' shop! You must be here to buy spices for traveling, right?"
Kiwi motioned for them to follow her as she flitted toward a table filled with spice jars. She flew around excitedly, pointing at various jars. "These are samples. You can look and taste them if you want. We also have magic-infused spices, but we don't recommend those for humans. If you accidentally consume them, please see a priest immediately—they can cause hallucinations."
"Why are magic spices bad for humans?" Si-Woo asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Magic isn't meant to be consumed! Magical creatures like me have organs that break down magic particles, but for humans, those particles are dangerous. They can act like drugs—and drugs are bad! They can cause humans to hallucinate, weaken their bodies, and sometimes even make them go crazy!" Kiwi flew around Skelly, her wings fluttering brightly. "You're an undead, right? You also need to be careful with what you eat. You share a mana link with your master, so if you consume magic, it could affect your master too! And for humans with Roles, magic particles can disrupt your mana flow, making it impossible to use skills. Holy attributes, for example—if you consume dark magic, it can taint your mana, making you unable to use holy skills until a priest cleanses the magic from your system."
Kiwi continued with her warning. "Some shops use magic-infused spices because they're cheaper than magic-free ones, so be careful when you eat at restaurants. If a shop doesn't have a registration like this—" Kiwi flew back to her shop and pointed to an oval piece of polished bronze etched with runic designs around the edges. Si-Woo had to lean in close to read the writing on the plate:
[Guild of Traders – Official License
Shop Name: Kiwi's Spice Emporium
Owner: Kiwi of the Evergreen Glade
License No: X21-A348
Category: Culinary Spices
Year Issued: 1401]
"This means they are an official shop and are regularly inspected by the health department! They're legit and safe for humans to buy from!" Kiwi explained enthusiastically before motioning them to follow her to another shop. This shop was run by a Lich—a floating skeleton skull with a pair of skeletal arms coated in dark green fire. The Lich was draped in a stunning light pink silk robe that flowed gracefully around their eerie form.
"Oh my! Kiwiwi!! Hiii!" The Lich greeted the fairy with an excited, high-pitched voice that somehow exuded both elegance and energy.
"Lulumi!! Hii!" Kiwi waved back at the Lich with equal enthusiasm.
"I'm explaining to this human about magic-free consumption!" Kiwi said, pointing to the license prominently displayed on Lulumi's shop wall. The license was a heart-shaped bone adorned with a glossy, enchanted metal plate that shimmered with a striking bright pink hue. It almost seemed to glow softly, emanating an inner magical energy
[Guild of Arcane Commerce Official Business License]
[License Holder: Lulumi the Eternal Keeper
Shop Name: Soulbound Curios & Relics
Category: Artifacts, Potions, & Magical Goods (Magical Clients Only)
License Number: LX-377-RM
Issued: Year 1423 of the Shadowmoon Calendar
Inspected & Approved By: Council of the Undying Flame]
[Warning: Unauthorized tampering with this license will result in immediate curse-level penalties.]
"See here? This is a shop that only allows magical creatures to buy from them. Humans are strictly forbidden, even if you're a halfie!" Kiwi explained, pointing to the enchanted license. "Magical shops run by dark creatures are often visited by the Council of Undying Flame to ensure no illegal transactions take place."
Lulumi nodded in agreement, her floating skull tilting slightly. "Yup~ That's because we dark creatures are cursed with the
Si-Woo let out an amazed noise. "Wow, this world is surprisingly... tame compared to all the fantasy stories I've read. I didn't know there were so many rules in this world."
"Silly you~ Of course we need rules! If everyone did whatever they wanted, it'd be like inviting endless war every eon," Kiwi said with a giggle, joined by Lulumi's chuckling.
"It's all thanks to the Goddess of War!" Kiwi continued. "She's the one who created these rules and the system! She said she was tired of meaningless wars and having to bless someone every year. So, she picked the first Councils and set everything in place."
"...Well, respect to the Goddess. We really need her in our world," Si-Woo muttered thoughtfully.