The moment I stepped past the Veldan sign, it felt like I'd crossed an invisible line.
Up until here, it had been stone, dirt, and silence.From here on… it smelled like people.
A narrow dirt road stretched ahead. On both sides, wooden houses lined the street—some single-story, some with upper floors jutting outward. Dark wooden shingles covered the roofs. Pale curtains hung in some windows, dried bundles of herbs in others. In front of the houses were stacks of firewood, old barrels, a broken wagon wheel, and laundry swaying on a rope.
The air was a mix of smoke and fresh bread.From one direction came the scent of something roasting, from another the steam of hot soup. Somewhere in the distance a child was crying, and farther ahead two men were arguing loudly. An old woman in front of a house was wringing out clothes over a wooden bucket.
Everything was… familiar yet foreign.Like I'd walked into one of those "medieval town" scenes from childhood games—but this one could bite.
The looks reminded me it wasn't a game.
I was still wearing my torn, old, black clothes.I was skin and bones, hair a mess, face pale and exhausted.
The kid stacking stones near the entrance dropped the one in his hand and stared at me.A woman passing by unconsciously shifted to give me a wider berth. An old man sitting in a doorway seemed to be staring at nothing—until his gaze briefly locked onto me.
A complete stranger. Actually, a suspicious stranger, I thought.
As I walked deeper into town, the road widened a little. A small stone fountain stood in the center, with a wooden bench beside it and a notice board nailed into the ground nearby. The papers pinned there were in various states: some faded and yellowed, some crisp and new.Up close, I saw crude drawings of monsters, bounty amounts, and warnings that said things like "do not go into the forest alone at night."
Warm in the day, but it bites at night, huh…
Farther ahead, I spotted a small watermill with a larger wooden building next to it. The mill wheel turned slowly, the sound of water adding a faint background hum to the scene. As I crossed past it, I saw the sign hanging above the door:
COPPER LANTERN INN
There were a few empty barrels near the entrance and an old stool leaning against the wall.Warm food smells drifted out from the window. The moment they hit my nose, my stomach reacted loudly.
It growled so clearly it might as well have shouted.
"Right on time…" I muttered.
I pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.
It was dimmer than outside, but compared to the cave, it might as well have been a palace hall. Lanterns hung from the walls, casting a yellowish glow over scuffed tables and wooden floors that creaked with age. The air carried old beer, cooked meat, and something that smelled like actual comfort.
Three or four tables were occupied.In one corner, an old man bent over a bowl of soup.At another table, two men were whispering and occasionally laughing, slapping the tabletop. On a stool near the counter, a young man sat with a mug in hand, scanning the room.
Behind the counter stood a stocky man with strong arms, short hair, and a thick moustache. There were faint shadows under his eyes, but his gaze was sharp. When he saw me, he paused for a heartbeat, then put on what looked like a practiced smile.
"Welcome, stranger," he said in a deep voice. "You don't look too healthy. Road weariness? Or did life slap you first?"
"I think… both," I replied.
He let out a small laugh and leaned on the counter with his elbows.
"This is the Copper Lantern Inn," he said. "We've got food, drink, and beds. None of it's free. First things first—what do we call you?"
"Ethan," I said. "Just Ethan."
"Alright, Ethan," he said. "What do you need first? Should we deal with the empty stomach or the shaky legs? In other words—food or bed?"
My stomach answered before I could.
It growled again, shamelessly.
"Food first," I said. "Then a bed."
The innkeeper nodded.
"A plate of hot food with bread is three coppers," he said. "A bed in the shared room upstairs is five coppers for the night. Both together… eight coppers."
Eight coppers…The problem: I had exactly zero.
A knot formed in my throat.
"There's a small problem," I said, looking away. "Right now… I don't have any money."
The words hung in the air.One of the chairs behind me creaked as someone shifted.
The young man near the counter set his mug down and turned toward me with a mocking grin.
"Who walks into an inn with no coin?" he said. "This isn't a temple. We're not handing out charity. Wrong place, beggar."
His friend chuckled.Both of their gazes locked onto me like I was a new toy.
My shoulders tensed on their own.For a moment, I considered turning around and walking back out—but I had no idea how long until dark, and my body was already close to its limit.
The man behind the counter—the innkeeper—didn't laugh.He turned his eyes toward the young man.
"That's enough, Arol," he said, voice suddenly harder. "I decide who's a beggar in here. Not you."
Arol shrugged.
"Relax, Darron," he said. "We're just joking."
"Your jokes are cheap half the time," Darron replied. "And this is my place. I decide how cheap things get."
So the innkeeper's name was Darron.
He turned back to me, his expression a mix of caution and something almost like concern.
"Not a single coin?" he asked, a little softer this time.
I opened my mouth, ready to say "none"… when the System quietly slid a notification into the edge of my vision. The panel appeared like it was trying not to draw attention:
⟪SYSTEM⟫[QUEST COMPLETED]Quest: Reach Your First Town
Status: Success.
Rewards:– Basic World Information (unlocked)– Random small reward: 10 copper coins
Reward added to inventory.
Now? You seriously waited for the most embarrassing moment possible, I complained inwardly.
The moment I thought "inventory," a short list appeared in my mind:
[INVENTORY]– Old chain pocket watch– Torn black clothes (equipped)– 10 copper coins
Slowly, I slid my hand into my pocket.My fingers brushed against not cold metal, but small, round coins.
I drew a quiet breath and looked at Darron.
"Actually," I said, pulling a handful of coppers from my pocket, "I'm not completely empty."
The copper coins gleamed in my palm.
Arol's smirk froze for a moment. Darron took the coins, turned them in his fingers, and examined them carefully. Then he nodded.
"They're real," he said. "So your luck's not completely rotten yet."
His expression softened.
"Alright, Ethan," he said. "I'll give you a hot plate and bread for three coppers, and a bed upstairs for four. Normally I'd say five, but my mood's surprisingly decent today."
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Four coppers is still real money," he shrugged. "But I get tired of stone-faced locals. You look like trouble in an interesting way."
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
I put seven coppers on the counter.Three remained in my hand.
"Sit down," Darron said, nodding toward an empty table. "I'll bring your food. If you're still conscious afterward, we'll let you find your bed."
I sat at the empty table.The wooden chair creaked under me but held. That alone felt like luxury.
A little while later, a steaming bowl of thick stew and a chunk of bread were set down in front of me. There were pieces of meat, vegetables, and a few things I couldn't identify—but the smell… made all of that irrelevant.
I lifted the first spoonful to my mouth.Heat spread over my tongue, and my eyes closed on their own.
"This… is really good," I whispered.
Darron glanced over and let out a short laugh.
"You're eating like you just crawled out of a cave," he said. "Maybe you did."
You have no idea, I thought.But I had no intention of mentioning the cave, the monster, or the watch to anyone. Not yet.
By the time the bowl was empty, I felt a bit more like a functioning human being.The chasm of hunger inside me had finally stopped echoing.
As Darron cleared the bowl, he paused.
"Want to wash up before you go upstairs?" he asked. "You look like you've been on the road a long time. There's a little washing room out back. Don't expect miracles—barrel, water, maybe a bit of warm water if you're lucky."
The offer felt almost as important as the food.
"Yes," I said. "That would be… great."
Darron jerked his chin toward a side door.
"Through there," he said. "There's a barrel and a bucket. I'll have some water warmed. Consider it included with dinner and the bed—for tonight. If you ask me tomorrow, I'll charge extra," he added with a brief grin.
I headed through the back door.
The washing room was small, with a stone floor. In the center stood a half-filled wooden barrel. In one corner, a few worn cloths hung from a peg, and a rusted hook jutted from the wall. Before long, someone brought in a bucket of warm water; steam rose faintly from the surface—more lukewarm than hot, but it seeped into my bones just from looking at it.
I stripped off the torn clothes and stepped into the barrel.
The initial contact was a shock, but my body slowly relaxed into it.The mold, dust, and clinging fear of the cave felt like they were finally being rinsed away.I scrubbed my face, hair, arms—digging dirt from beneath my nails like I was peeling off a dead layer of skin.
I made it out alive, I thought. The next step isn't just staying alive… it's getting stronger.
This world had tried to eat me.I was determined to prove I wasn't something it could swallow easily.
When the water cooled, I stepped out. Cleaning the old clothes completely was impossible, but at least I no longer felt like I was wearing the smell of death. I dried myself with one of the cloths and slipped the clothes back on; still old, still torn—but no longer caked in filth.
When I returned to the main room, Darron pointed to the stairs.
"Upstairs," he said. "End of the right-hand hall, room three. For now, you're the only guest assigned there. If no one else comes tonight, you're king of that little kingdom."
I nodded.
"Thanks," I said.
As I climbed the stairs, I felt the watch in my pocket.Heavy. Silent.
I pushed thoughts of the watch, the vanished cave, and the name Morgael to the back of my mind.
Stay alive. Get stronger. Everything else can wait.
I found door number three and turned the key.The door creaked open.
Inside were two beds, a small window, and a simple wooden cabinet. Pale evening light slipped in through the window. The beds were plain but looked clean enough.
I closed the door and locked it, then sat down on the nearest bed.
My muscles were tired, but no longer at the edge of collapsing.I leaned back, breathing slowly.
In this world, I'd somehow been handed a second chance.
This time, I wasn't going to settle for just surviving.
I was going to survive and grow stronger.I'd learn this town, then this world, and make sure no creature ever cornered me again.
Slowly, I lay down and closed my eyes.
For the first time, I was trying to fall asleep not on a stone altar… but in a bed.