Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The One-Eyed Dog

"Shall we talk about the job now?" Jenny said as she handed me a wooden token with a number on it, along with the request paper she had shown me yesterday.

“The basic information is all here. Take this token and show it to the village chief. He will understand that you’re the adventurer who accepted the quest and give you further instructions.”

That’s a relief.

I was slightly worried that, upon seeing me, the village would either chase me away or simply refuse to believe me.

But if I can prove my identity with this token, there should be no problem.

"What should I do after I finish the job?" I asked.

"The village chief will give you an identical token along with the reward. Bring that back here as proof of completing the task."

“Understood.”

I nodded, and Jenny smiled.

“There's something to prepare, so wait here for a moment.”

As I nodded again, Jenny went inside and took out a thick ledger, then started writing something down on paper.

It seemed like it would take a while, so I picked up the request paper and read it once more.

The request itself was simple.

A creature called a "one-eyed dog" had been appearing in the village, attacking and eating people.

According to the description, it was about the size of an adult man.

If the size was accurate, it wasn't too big.

There were one-eyed dogs in the forest where I used to live, and I had come across ones as tall as myself on several occasions.

They were pretty tasty.

‘Can I catch it and eat it myself?’

That was something I'd need to ask about.

The request form was just a single sheet of paper, containing no further details beyond the creature being large and ferocious.

Since I quickly finished reading it, I had nothing else to do.

Feeling bored, I turned my head and caught several people looking at me. The moment I met their gazes, they awkwardly averted their eyes.

Some suddenly found the wall incredibly interesting, others pretended to search for something on the ground, and one even abruptly started an unrelated conversation. One fellow, a moment too late in looking away, seemed so embarrassed that he just rushed out of the guild.

‘Hmm, are they afraid of me?’

I thought that thanks to Jenny and the bald man, the misunderstanding of me being some wordless savage had been resolved.

"..."

It could be because of my clothes.

I was still wearing the same outfit my mother had made for me when I lived in the forest.

My mother, well, she wasn't exactly balanced when it came to sewing.

She wasn't particularly skilled at cutting and stitching clothes, but when it came to crafting leather holsters or bags for carrying weapons, she was surprisingly competent.

As a result, my appearance looked a bit out of place.

Father made anything look fashionable, but I had inherited more from Mother.

That's probably why I looked like a barbarian.

Imagining my mother in clothes just like mine, I let out a small sigh.

Yeah, it was definitely the outfit.

In the forest, it didn't stand out so much, but in the city, it made me look quite peculiar.

Once I finish this job, I should start by getting some new clothes.

Then I’d just be a big, intimidating adventurer, not a barbarian.

Yeah, that sounds better.

I was nodding to myself when I heard Jenny’s laughter.

"Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, Rafa. Here, this is a map. Since you might not know the way to the village, I drew it for you," she said, handing me a simple map.

It was a rough sketch of this city, with key landmarks noted throughout.

It pointed out markers like “three mountains to the left,” “a tree struck by lightning,” and “a rock shaped like a face after about three hours.”

“What do you think? Can you find your way with this?”

“Of course. It’s very detailed.”

Compared to the circles my mother would draw for me, just about anything would be considered detailed.

With instructions as thorough as these, I shouldn't get lost.

Even an old-world Earthling like me, used to depending on GPS, could easily follow this map.

After I folded up the map, Jenny started talking about the payment.

"This job is expected to take about five days, so the total payment is 150 lira."

The enthusiasm that had filled me moments ago completely deflated.

“...So, after deducting the commission, I get 90 lira.”

Jenny's mouth fell open.

A guild employee working nearby was also startled and looked over at us.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Normally, I’d wonder why everyone seemed so shocked, but now wasn’t the time to care about that.

‘Five days of work for 90 lira...’

That’s too little… It’s far too little...!

According to the map, it would take over a day to reach the village, and naturally, it would take over a day to return too.

Even though I have longer legs and more stamina than most, making my journey faster, it still meant seven days of work for just 90 lira.

The cheapest inn, which wasn’t even a private room but a shared dormitory, cost 1 lira a night just to sleep in. Earning 90 lira in a week—could I afford a decent room, buy clothes, and eventually save up for a house at that rate?

I might catch a cold, and there could be days with no work, meaning I’d live in poverty for the rest of my life.

What should I do?

Should I quit being an adventurer and go looking for a gold mine instead?

As I was lost in thought, Jenny leaned forward eagerly.

“How did you figure that out just now?”

“...”

“That your share is 90 lira, I mean.”

Honestly, I didn’t feel like answering.

Not to exaggerate, but I felt like crying.

But personal feelings aside, this was work.

Forcing myself to respond, I said, “I calculated it.”

“Calculated...?”

“...”

“You mean you calculated it without writing it down on paper or sand?”

“Yes.”

It wasn't anything difficult.

But a few other adventurers had come over, praising me as if I'd done something incredible.

“You should’ve been a merchant!”

“That’s right. You’d be well treated in the marketplace.”

“Ah, maybe not. You don’t exactly have the face for it.”

The adventurers who’d been watching from a distance began to chatter noisily.

I knew better than anyone that calculating something like this wasn't a big deal.

On Earth, everyone could do this kind of math in a flash, and no one would ever call it impressive.

But, well, humans are simple creatures.

If enough people say you’re amazing, it makes you feel just a little proud, even if you know better.

Maybe my brain was turning to mush because of all the compliments, but I started feeling pretty good.

“Rafa,” Jenny said, her eyes shining with excitement.

“There’s a large-scale expedition coming up soon. We can find people who know how to read and write and do calculations, but there’s hardly anyone who can do quick arithmetic like you. It hasn’t been finalized yet, but it seems like forming the expedition is almost a done deal. Once this job is over, why don’t we take that on?”

The important thing was the payment.

If it’s still 30 lira a day, I’ll just have to find something else—like searching for a gold mine or capturing a dragon to sell at a high price.

Maybe Jenny read my thoughts, because she smiled.

“For five days of work, 150 lira is actually pretty good. It's a mid-tier assignment, so the pay is higher. The lowest tier, E-rank, starts at 2.5 lira per day.”

That’s absurd.

At 2.5 lira?

So if they worked for that, they’d be left with 0.5 lira after paying for the cheapest inn.

Seeing my face, Jenny laughed again.

“The expedition should pay well. It’s risky, but it’ll be made up of skilled people, and the lord himself is funding it.”

“...”

The lord?

It wasn't a guild expedition but one led by the lord?

Could it be… are they going after my mother?

My body stiffened with fear.

If they were leading an expedition to find my parents...

‘Should I destroy everything here now? Or wait until they enter the forest and ambush them...?’

Even if I had to become a criminal, I had to stop them.

Just as I was thinking that, Jenny tilted her head and said, “You don't have to worry too much. The mission itself will be dangerous, but we’ll be moving in a group. There have been reports of dragons sighted near the city. It’s said that there are several, so they’re forming an expedition to deal with it. Our guild has already received a request to join.”

“Oh.”

If my mother spotted a dragon near the house, she’d go after it immediately.

Once a dragon nested, it would claim the entire area as its territory, which could become a serious headache.

I had heard that if the dragon laid eggs, it would fight to the death to protect its territory, devastating the surroundings.

‘So... dragons.’

It wasn't an expedition to hunt my mother.

That was a relief.

A deep sense of reassurance settled within me, but there was also a tinge of unease.

Even if it wasn't this time, one day, somewhere, an expedition would form to hunt her down.

When we were done at the guild, Jenny led me outside.

“Where are we going?”

The reception staff mostly stayed behind their desks.

Aside from yesterday, when she helped with my lodging, I didn't see why Jenny needed to leave today since I was heading out on a job.

It seemed odd, so I asked, and Jenny smiled.

“I want to show you where to buy the things you’ll need for travel. If you get caught by the wrong kind of people, you’ll think this city is full of nothing but wicked swindlers.”

“...”

“This is a good city. Sure, there are bad people, but there are many good ones too. Stay with us for a long time, Rafa.”

Maybe I hadn’t been lucky with other people, but at least I got a good guild staff member.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head, and Jenny winked playfully.

“Besides, we’re taking a 40% commission from you, so I’ve got to make it worth your while.”

“...”

Maybe she actually held that in her heart.

Following Jenny, I entered a narrow alley that twisted and turned, lined on both sides with shops.

Each was crowded with people because most of them displayed their goods outside.

The alley was narrow, so it felt even more cramped with everyone gathered in front of the stalls.

Moving through the bustling alleyways, I was able to buy what I needed at affordable prices, thanks to Jenny’s guidance.

Salt, spices, a rag and oil for cleaning weapons, bread with raisins...

I even managed to buy some things on credit at a few shops thanks to Jenny.

I still had some money left, but you never know what might happen in the future.

It was reassuring to be able to make purchases on credit while keeping some cash on hand.

As I was finishing up, I found a place selling herring, hung in a line like dried fish.

If it were too expensive, I would have let it go, but it was just 1 lira for 12 fish, so I bought it right away.

It was so cheap that I first thought I had misheard it as 10 lira.

Apparently, salted herring was one of the most common foods for ordinary folks.

It was cheap and easy to come by.

Knowing that I could eat fish as much as I wanted from now on made me happy.

I liked meat, but as a former Korean, I always felt happier when there was fish around.

After buying this and that, my bag, which had been lighter after handing over the animal hides to the guild, was once again bulging.

Somehow, it made me feel rich.

‘But it probably won’t last even a week.’

Maybe it was because of my size, but I ate a lot.

In the forest, since my mother had a similar appetite, it wasn’t something I noticed much, but now that I was out in the city, it was hard to ignore.

I probably ate several times what an ordinary person would eat.

Sigh.

I let out a small sigh.

Once I left the city, I would need to catch something—a boar, or anything.

Buying and preparing food wasn’t going to be enough.

Even though I thought it would be easy to find the way with the map, reality was, of course, different.

After leaving the city, I ended up taking the wrong path several times.

There wasn't much I could do about it.

In this world, there weren’t any signposts.

The only markers were things like trees, rocks, or the position of the sun.

If you weren't careful, you’d miss them. By the time I realized I hadn't seen a marker I was supposed to pass, I’d already gone hours past it.

If it hadn’t been for Jenny's map, I probably wouldn't have found the destination even in a month.

With all the time wasted getting lost, I had to keep walking even after it got dark, carrying a torch.

But one way or another, stumbling along, I eventually saw the village in the distance on the evening of the second day.

Maybe because they were on guard against the one-eyed dog, there were torches hung on the village fence.

Without those, I might have walked right past the village without realizing it was there.

Then I’d end up searching for it in some completely wrong place.

‘Thank goodness.’

Feeling relieved, I quickened my pace when I saw a dark shape ahead of me.

I widened my eyes in surprise.

‘A one-eyed dog!’

There was its long, sparse tail, stretching behind it as it walked toward the fence.

It was hard to see clearly in the dark, but the tail looked like the muscular tail of a rat.

Its body resembled that of a catfish.

Except for the single large eye on the center of its face, it had long whiskers extending to either side, making it look very much like a catfish.

You could say it was like a catfish with four muscular legs, and you’d be almost exactly right.

The reason why that strange-looking creature was called a “dog” was that it barked—“woof.”

It didn't make any other sounds—just “woof.”

It was strange, but that was all it did.

Well, it was convenient for me.

If I could catch it now, I could leave by morning, cutting a seven-day job down to just three days.

I gauged the distance, then quietly drew my axe.

Gathering wind around my body, I prepared to move.

The wind would push against me, allowing me to run much faster.

Taking a deep breath, I dashed toward it.