Tae-Min slowly regained consciousness.
He was unable to move. His head felt as though it had been cracked like an egg. Stomach queasy. His brain scattered, thought fragments colliding and collapsing before they could take shape.
A soft breeze drifted over him, carrying the sweet scent of fresh bread with every breath. The gentle warmth of the sun wrapped around him like a blanket, lulling him into a peaceful daze.
The sound of children laughing woke him from his nap. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep.
Tae-Min blinked, his empty gaze settling on an old wooden ceiling. It was crooked and cracked, with cobwebs clinging to the corners and sunlight spilling through the open windows in golden shafts. Beneath him, a blanket—soft and made from the hide of some fluffy creature—offered little protection from the hard wooden floor. When he sat up, a dull ache throbbed in his limbs—familiar, almost comforting in its heaviness.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
This wasn't his apartment.
Slowly, cautiously, he turned his head. The room was small and cozy. Dust mites floated in the sunlight. A wooden table sat near the wall with a chipped plate and a half loaf of bread. Nearby, a fireplace with smoldering ash, and a cupboard that looked like it had survived at least one war. Everything smelled faintly of flour, yeast, and something sweeter underneath.
Tae-Min stood up with shaky limbs like a newborn deer. A mirror on the far wall showed a familiar, ugly appearance. A large pink scar shone brightly on his pale skin, stretching from his collar to his breast, right above his heart.
A simple, stained white long-sleeve tunic made of rough cotton hung loosely from his skinny body. It was two sizes too big and fell off the side of his shoulders. His pants were sturdy but comfortable—dark brown, made to withstand the wear and tear of daily work. The only thing holding the fabrics to his malnourished body was a black leather waist belt. And he wore tattered, practical leather boots.
"How..." Tea-Min muttered.
This place… these clothes… he knew them well.
He was dressed as and in the home of the poor baker from the starting village of Kingdom Clash—a nameless young man whose only role was to sell bread in the tutorial, helping new players learn the basics of shopping. A background character. A footnote.
He had no grand dialogue, no quests to give, no destiny to fulfill.
His story, like the rest of the village, was never meant to last.
At the end of the tutorial, a greedy nobleman kidnapped and killed the children of an ancient dungeon beast, awakening a slumbering beast fueled by revenge. It rose with laughter in its throat and no mercy in its bones. The village burned. One by one, the townsfolk were devoured—screaming, weeping, praying—and the baker was no exception.
The Hero triumphed, but victory was hollow. Standing amidst the ruins of the once vibrant village he'd known, surrounded by silence and ash, the Hero mourned the nameless lives lost and vowed to rid the world of dungeon monsters.
This began the Hero's adventure in Kingdom Clash.
Tae-Min touched his cheek. It felt real.
"Am I dead?"
He moved slowly, legs unstable. Weak. Stiff. His body felt heavy. He was hungry.
He shuffled to the door and pushed it open.
Warm sunlight blinded his tired eyes. Outside, the village of Elowen stretched in uneven cobblestone and mismatched roofs. Children ran past with sticks, pretending to be knights. A cart passed, filled with colorful fruits and vegetables. A vendor shouted the prices of his goods.
Tae-Min stood there baffled.
It had to be a dream. Or a coma. Or maybe he really was dead.
His gaze drifted toward the sky. A few clouds lazily passed above the vast mountains surrounding the village. But he knew, somewhere far beyond the tree line, the beast lurked in silence. A shrine home to the sleeping guardian of the woods. Ancient and content in its den, only to be driven into madness, twisted with rage towards humans.
Tae-Min stretched his weary limbs and walked outside the small cottage for the first time. The sun shone brightly with not a cloud in the sky. It warmed his skin pleasantly. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the summer weather.
Walking down the dirt road, he admired the scenery.
Elowen was a beautiful village.
It was built in the valley of the Aeshin mountain range. A 4-mile walk to the north would lead to Lake Seryun, and after the last farm homes in each direction, there were various large species of conifer trees leading into the dense forest.
The valley was made of rolling hills on which the village was built. On the higher hills, people are able to see far out into the horizon past Lake Seryun to the end of the Aeshin Mountain Range. Farms with fresh fruits and veggies, as well as various barn animals, are the main residents. Closer to the center of the village, you could find small shops and restaurants that created Elowen Village Square with smaller, more compact but still spacious homes and inns near the center of the town.
Tae-Min was heading to a shop within the village square owned by a shrewd elderly woman named Ysra.
The walk was peaceful with children playing with their pets, their parents playfully negotiating with friendly shop owners for a better deal on their items, and elders sitting in rocking chairs outside of restaurants. But by the time he had reached the shop, Tae-Min was flushed and out of breath.
Sadly, his stamina seems to be the same as before he had been reborn.
The apothecary shop was larger than expected. The building was half stone, with the upper half made out of wood and connected to an extended sign. The shop had wooden barrels outside with baskets of different herbs and spices placed near the door leading inside. The smell of the herbs could be smelled long before he had reached the shop.
Tae-Min walked inside and was immediately confronted with a bundle of herbs being thrown in his face and the screeching of a woman gone mad.
"GET OUT, GET OUT YOU LOUT!!" The woman screamed at the top of her lungs, voice cracking.
The man she was screaming at was well-dressed, chubby, and barely taller. He was covered in white powder with his cherry red face scrunched with displeasure.
"You senile women!! You will regret this! An old hag in a shop wasting away should be grateful to be asked such an honor. I have already found another way to tame the beast, don't come running to me later when you would like a cut of the riches." The man exclaimed, huffing in anger.
Tae-Min looked at the man with curiosity. He must be the baron of the town. Tae-Min had never seen him in Kingdom Clash but didn't expect him to look... so... well, a pig in clothes would've been a compliment.
"You selfish, imprudent twat!Presenting a beehive as a bouquet to me, I know what your silver tongue can't hide."
The woman poked her bony fingers into Baron's protruding belly.
"Be prepared - what you face is a god, not some beast to tame. A god does not kneel to pigs... but will feast without a second thought."
Backed into a corner by the women and flinching with every harsh poke. The man huffed one last time and slapped the hand away.
"You will regret this."
The baron stormed out of the store past Tae-Min with a harsh shove, giving him a nasty look, but continuing down the road to his carriage.
The elderly woman continued glaring at the door till the hooves of the carriage horses were heard. She rubbed a wrinkled hand over her face as she collapsed back into her chair behind the store desk.
"What do you want, boy? Can't you see this old woman is tired? Now, grab your herbs and stop your staring, little peeping tom."