IOC - 3

Shriveled garlic, rotting onions, and a slab of meat that looked at least a hundred years old.

"How am I supposed to cook with this? Seriously."

I let out a long sigh, I looked like a comedy sketch even to myself. No matter where I looked in the room, there wasn't a shadow of anything resembling money. 

What on earth had the original owner of this inn been eating to survive? Did we not only share a name and a face, but a poverty-stricken destiny as well?

Of course, this version of fate was slightly better. Even if the house was falling apart, at least I owned the place.

"This won't do. I have to head to the village."

If I just sat around clutching this inn, I’d probably starve to death first.

As I muttered those words and opened the door, that landscape of two worlds stitched together forced itself into my eyes again. It was still hauntingly magnificent.

"It really is a different world, isn't it?"

A hollow laugh escaped me along with a brief moment of appreciation. Despite the absurdity of being transmigrated out of nowhere, the scenery before me was overwhelming enough to make me forget reality for a second.

Soon, I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts and fixed my gaze on the lush green forest.

"I bet people live over that way."

I came to that conclusion on my own and stepped forward. I mean, anyone could see that the sandy plain was a cliché. If I went in there, I’d obviously sink into the sand and get jumped by some scorpion monster, right?

With those thoughts, half-relieved and half-fearful, I was scanning the woods when my toe caught on something like a vine. I stumbled and ended up kicking a tree base with all my might.

"Ow!"

A sharp, throbbing pain shot through my leg as if I’d kicked a block of iron, and tears reflexively welled up. I wanted to drop to the ground right then and there to hold my leg, but there was no time for that.

The ground began to shake violently.

"W-what’s going on?!"

Thump, thump, 

What I thought was a tree base actually had a smooth, glossy sheen to it. As it vibrated and slowly heaved upward, the earth rumbled. The tremor traveled from my toes up through my entire body. The forest shook noisily as if caught in a massive earthquake, and a giant shadow loomed over my head.

As the vibration subsided and the creature fully revealed itself, I saw legs that towered far above a human's height. Black, shimmering hard shells were densely layered, and dozens of legs squirmed and tangled together.

"…A centipede?"

The word popped out of my mouth, but I immediately denied it.

"No, crazy, it’s a monster!"

To be more precise, it was a beast of the Monster Forest, but did that really matter right now?

"Why?! I avoided all the clichés!"

I’d been transmigrated for less than an hour and I was already facing a monster?

Wait, was that wasteland earlier actually where people lived? Damn it, the original novel never mentioned anything like that!

Cold sweat trickled down my spine. Having finished a quick assessment of the situation, I immediately sprinted in the opposite direction.

Yes. In times like this, fleeing is the only answer.

"Hah… huff…"

Leaves whipped against my face, and I nearly tripped over thick branches. I ran with everything I had until my breath felt like it was stuck in my throat, but the thing only got closer. Behind me, the sound of the earth being scraped and the rustle of legs cutting through the wind grew louder.

Damn it, it’s not even summer yet and I’m in a horror movie. At this point, I wondered if I’d been transmigrated as a horror movie protagonist instead of an innkeeper. 

Usually, at the start, the lead unwittingly moves into a strange house or trolls their way into a forbidden zone. I had stepped into the Monster Forest just like those idiotic protagonists.

"Huff… hic…"

I had accidentally bitten my tongue, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Or maybe it was just from sprinting so hard. Exhaling a burning breath, I cried out, almost wailing.

"Somebody, help me!"

At that moment, a roar erupted from behind.

CRACK!!

Something whistled past me through the air and struck the monster's head dead center. A dull thud echoed through the forest, followed by the monster's scream. 

I stole a glance back to see the creature staggering, half its head blown away. After wobbling a few times, its massive body finally collapsed.

I watched the sight until the rustle of leaves brought my attention back to the front.

A man was standing there.

"Hah… huff…?"

I stared at him, gasping for air. He had thick brown hair that covered his eyes, a shaggy beard, and a physique forged of pure muscle. He looked like a Viking straight out of an old picture book.

Habitually, I tried to read his expression, but his features were so obscured by hair and beard that I couldn't even guess his age. I simply assumed he must be well over fifty given the state of that beard.

However, something else caught my eye. A heavy, shimmering frying pan was held in his right hand. And on the ground next to the monster's head, another frying pan was embedded deep into the earth.

I muttered with a dazed face.

"…A frying pan?"

The man nodded nonchalantly, scanned me over, and grunted.

"You alive, kid?"

His voice was low and solid. It wasn't the raspy voice of an old man, but one filled with strength. Was he younger than I thought? I blinked and managed to squeeze out a voice.

"W-what is that thing?"

"Can't you tell by looking? It's a monster."

"……."

I've never seen one before.

Those words rose to my throat but I swallowed them back down.

The man casually scratched his beard and continued.

"Anyway, what’s a kid like you doing out here?"

"…I was trying to go to the village."

"By walking into the Monster Forest?"

A sense of injustice flared up. To anyone's eyes, the lush green forest looked like where people would live. Tears welled up, I couldn't tell if I was angry or just miserable.

It was likely both. It could have been the fear from seeing a monster for the first time, or the sorrow of being scolded for something I didn't know.

Seeing me on the verge of tears, the man scratched his beard awkwardly.

"Well, a man shouldn't cry over this. I'm on my way to the village too. You want to follow?"

I stopped wiping my tears with my sleeve and narrowed my eyes.

"How can I trust you, mister?"

"Ha! You've got plenty of suspicion for someone who walked into the Monster Forest without a care."

Isn't it basic common sense not to follow strangers? Especially in a world this foreign. I glared at him poutily, and the man chuckled before continuing.

"I’m Gilbert. What’s your name, kid?"

"…Baek, no, Shion. I’m Shion."

And then, growl.

An embarrassingly loud rumble erupted from my stomach. I looked up at Gilbert with a pathetic expression, and he jerked his chin toward the path.

"So, are you coming or what?"

"…Yes."

Playing hard to get twice isn't charming. Besides, it was much better than staying alone in the Monster Forest.

I pulled myself up unsteadily. I glanced back, thinking I might scavenge the frying pan, but the moment I saw the centipede's corpse twitching, I recoiled in horror.

Getting close to that thing was out of the question, so I quickly scurried after Gilbert before he could retrieve the pan himself. When I stuck close to his side, he simply shrugged. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't planned on taking it back anyway.

It wasn't long after leaving the green forest and walking across the sand that a village finally appeared. It wasn't the desolate, wind-swept wasteland from earlier, it definitely smelled of civilization.

The marketplace was bustling with people, filled with stone walls, wooden roofs, and old, crooked signs. It was the quintessential medieval village. It hit me once again that I was in a different world.

After walking a bit further, we arrived at an inn in the center of the village. The exterior was quite shabby, but the moment the door opened, an unexpected sight unfolded. 

As if the exterior's shabbiness was a lie, the inside was spacious and neat. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged in an orderly fashion, and a savory, mouth-watering aroma wafted through the air.

"This place is…?"

"My inn."

He looks like a bandit leader, but he’s an innkeeper? I gave him a suspicious side-eye, but Gilbert gestured toward a seat.

"Sit. Since you’ve worked up a sweat, have some porridge before you go."

Gilbert placed a large bowl in front of me as I sat obediently. The thick porridge sent up clouds of steam, triggering my hunger.

"…Wow."

I immediately took a spoonful, the savory scent tickling my nose. The moment I tasted it, the hot warmth traveled down my throat and warmed my insides. I felt my racing heart gradually begin to calm down.

"It’s delicious…"

My starving stomach clamored for more. Entranced by the warm, nutty flavor, I gripped my spoon and dug in as if possessed. Tears of emotion even began to well up. 

My tongue felt tingly as if burned, but I couldn't stop. Eventually, I scrambled every last bit from the bottom of the bowl and held the empty dish out to Gilbert.

"Thank you so much. That was a great meal."

At my sincere words, Gilbert rested his chin on his hand and stared at me before letting out a smirk. Well, actually, I couldn't tell if he was smiling. The only thing I could see was his beard twitching.

"Leaving now?"

"Huh? Ah… yes. I just came to look around."

"What about the money?"

"…Excuse me?"

"You ate, so you have to pay."

"……."

Alarm bells rang in my head.

…Is this some kind of new scam? Picking up a guy who looked like he was about to starve on the street, feeding him a bowl of porridge, and then overcharging him for it? Is this some kind of specialized inn-scamming system?