As I emerged from the mine entrance, a red sunset was spreading across the sky.
I'd lost all track of time grinding away down there. Guess it was already evening.
The sack slung over my shoulder felt fucking heavy.
With my Strength at 11 and the Earth's Blessing trait helping out, I could barely manage to carry it.
Otherwise, I'd have been dragging this weight along the ground ages ago.
The guards at the entrance stared at me with wide eyes.
No wonder—they'd seen the scrawny guy who shuffled in earlier come out in one piece, sack and all.
"What the hell? You actually made it out alive?"
"Lucky bastard."
The assholes clicked their tongues and muttered among themselves.
Goddamn pricks. This world was full of nothing but hateful shits.
Watching the manga, I'd been jealous enough of the protagonist to want to kill him, but right now, I felt a bit sorry for the guy.
'Or maybe not?'
Come to think of it, the protagonist was handsome, unlike me.
Was everyone picking fights with me because of my Charm stat?
What the actual fuck was this unfair bullshit?
"Anyway, time to settle up first."
I trudged toward the guild building.
All around me, defeated-looking losers were stumbling out empty-handed.
Compared to them, the sack on my shoulder was pretty damn impressive.
'How many did I mine again?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Iron Ore Mined: 113/1000]
The system window popped up right away.
Way short of the 1,000 needed for that trait, but still.
"Not bad."
For a first day—no, for a total newbie, this was a jackpot.
Most clueless rookies couldn't even hit ten after swinging their pickaxes all day, according to the lore.
If it weren't for that old timer earlier, I'd probably be one of them.
I owed him one, so even if I wanted to beat his ass later, I'd let it slide once.
The guild was still buzzing when I pushed open the door.
The stench of booze, sweat, and profanity-filled chatter hung in the air.
I shoved through the crowd straight to the counter.
There she was.
Luna.
Being evening time, she'd tied her hair back on one side.
Her white nape was exposed, and every time she leaned forward, that overwhelming mass jiggled.
This was some manga-level physique.
The kind they call unrealistically perfect despite the weight.
"Excuse me."
I stood at the counter and called her name. Luna, who had been buried in her ledger, looked up.
Her blue eyes turned to me.
For a second, I tensed.
What if she looked at me like I was a bug again?
"...?"
But her reaction was different.
No furrowed brow, no smile.
Just a neutral expression.
'Huh?'
Earlier, she'd grimaced the moment she saw me.
Now, it was like looking at some random passerby.
'Charm stat effect?'
Charm had gone from -20 to -10.
Still negative as fuck, but apparently upgraded from "puke-inducing" to "just ugly as sin."
Beggars can't be choosers.
She wasn't spitting on me, so that was progress.
"You made it back alive? I figured you'd bail before an hour was up."
Her tone was still prickly, but without the venom from before.
"Hoping I'd die?"
"As if. I'm just glad I saved on corpse disposal fees."
What a mouth on her.
Still better than earlier, though.
I thumped the sack down on the counter.
It hit with a heavy thud.
"Time to settle up."
"You didn't just bring a bag of rocks, did you?"
Luna eyed it suspiciously and opened the sack.
Her eyes went wide.
"You... mined all this yourself?"
"What, you think I stole it?"
"No, but with that scrawny body..."
She glanced between me and the sack, clearly in disbelief.
A skinny anchovy like me hauling this much on day one? Fair enough.
"Hold on."
She started counting the iron ore with practiced hands.
"Condition's decent too. Barely any junk mixed in."
She wasn't just counting—she was inspecting quality.
"Excluding the impure ones... 105 low-grade iron ore, 8 mid-grade."
She muttered while jotting it down, then looked up at me intently.
"Impressive. Got some grit in you after all? Even vets struggle to pull this much on day one."
Was that praise?
I checked her face—no sarcasm, just softer eyes.
Like she was seeing me anew.
'Oh ho.'
Guess women do like competent guys.
In the mining world, good ore-hauling was competence.
That's when it happened.
"Hold up, let me see your hands."
Luna's gaze locked on my hands.
"Huh?"
"Give 'em here. Quick."
I reflexively extended my hands over the counter.
No gloves, just raw pickaxe work—my palms were wrecked.
Blisters burst, blood and pus caked on, calluses torn to shreds.
Plus bat blood splatter from earlier.
A total rag.
Her face hardened.
'What, too gross?'
I started pulling back, expecting her to snap about the mess.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Heroine 'Luna's Favorability has increased.] [Current Favorability: 5 / 100 (Status: Disgust → Indifferent)] [Previous Favorability: -30]
'The hell...?'
I couldn't believe my eyes.
The notification itself was whatever, but...
'From -30 to 5?'
That meant earlier, she'd hit -30 just from seeing my face.
'Fuck, does that make sense?'
Doesn't it usually start at zero?
-30 was blood feud territory.
Was my face that repulsive?
I almost laughed in disbelief when it clicked.
Charm stat.
Yeah, that goddamn negative Charm was docking base favorability.
Breathing alone made me disliked.
But why the increase now?
Just the Charm bump to -10?
Nah.
That should've happened sooner.
'Ah!'
It hit me.
This was from my actions.
Blindly working till my hands bled, no skill involved.
Seeing the results triggered the favorability boost.
Understanding the system's logic brought weird relief mixed with betrayal.
"Come here."
Luna pulled a first-aid kit from under the counter.
Then she came around, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to a chair in the corner.
She snatched my hand roughly.
"Ow."
"Quit whining. Hold still."
She soaked cotton in disinfectant.
And wiped my wounds without mercy.
"Hiss, hey, take it easy!"
"Disinfectant's no joke. Get an infection, and they'll amputate."
Her mouth was nagging, but her touch was thorough.
Every flinch made her frown.
"Idiot didn't even wear gloves. Money's nice, but take care of your body. Who do you think's gonna cover you if your hands get ruined here?"
"Doesn't the guild?"
"You signed the waiver. Your responsibility. Can't read?"
No argument there.
She smeared ointment on my palm and wrapped it tight in bandages.
Hands looked bulky now, but the throbbing eased up.
"And this."
Her finger pointed to my cheek.
The bat claw scratch from earlier.
Bleeding stopped, but it was swollen red.
"Scratched by a bat? Didn't you know cave bat claws have toxins? Get unlucky, and your face rots off."
"Oh..."
Didn't know that.
In the manga, a graze was just "Heh, this little scratch?" and moved on.
Reality hits different.
Luna grabbed fresh cotton and wiped my cheek.
A faint scent wafted from her up close.
That flesh smell from before.
My nose, clogged with sweat and blood, felt cleansed.
Glancing down, deep cleavage peeked from her white shirt collar.
Jiggling with every breath.
'Fuck, don't distract me.'
I rolled my eyes, unsure where to look, stealing peeks at her chest.
Couldn't help it.
Man's instinct.
Mmm, nice.
Down below got hard quick, but she wouldn't notice right in front of me.
Small ain't always bad.
Fuck...
"All done."
She slapped on a bandage and stood.
Crossed her arms, looking down at me.
"Thanks."
She patched me up, so manners.
But one thing bugged me.
Why the freakout earlier?
"Why the sudden kindness? You were ready to kick me out before."
Luna snorted at my question.
"Tch. Think you're the first like this?"
"Huh?"
"I've seen too many idiots rush in unprepared for quick cash, come out as corpses. Especially weak outsiders like you."
"Uh... really?"
"Not one or two. Sick of hauling bodies and sorting belongings. So I was harsh on purpose. To scare you off."
"Oh..."
That was the reason.
Not just dumb bitchery—her own concerns.
Made the whole thing feel a bit off.
She wasn't singling me out; just hated seeing more deaths, tried to chase off the doomed.
Obviously, my ugly mug amplified it.
Otherwise, doesn't explain her beaming at the protagonist.
He was an outsider too.
"But you survived. And with solid results."
Luna went back to the counter and tossed me a coin pouch.
Clink.
"Payment for the iron ore. Deducted medicine cost."
"You charge for meds?"
"Nothing's free. Buy gloves next time and wear 'em. Work smart, smart."
She waved me off.
Get lost.
"Got it."
I pocketed the pouch and stood.
Full of this world's Lumina coins.
Docked for meds, but still hefty.
No clue on value in these modern mangas, but enough for days of food and board.
As I opened the door to leave, her voice came from behind.
"Don't die."
Casual toss-out made me smirk.
Not bad.
Progress from first meet.
'This is doable.'
I headed to District 4 down the alley.
The streets were a shithole.
Bums sleeping on pavement, miners puking cheap booze.
Whores in heavy makeup hawking wares.
"Hey big boy, wanna play? Cheap for you~"
A yellow-toothed woman grabbed my arm, grinning.
I shook her off.
'Later, I'll have Luna in my bed.'
Fresh off seeing Luna, these didn't cut it.
Hell, even without her, nah.
Stinky and ugly anyway.
"What a sight for an ugly fuck. Asshole prick."
Hearing curses from behind.
Ridiculous, from a whore no less.
"Here it is."
Found the District 4 communal dorm Luna mentioned.
A rickety wooden shack.
Dorm my ass—slum shanties jammed together, falling apart.
Entrance reeked of piss.
Snoring, drunken rants, women's scream-moans everywhere.
No security here.
'At least there's a roof.'
Thought of splurging on an inn, but save cash.
Need gear, food.
Just sleep anyway.
Tossed coins to the dorm keeper, got a room.
Room? Chicken coop.
Barely fits one guy lying down.
Blanket yellowed, who knows last wash.
"Haa... wanna wash up."
Whole body sticky, unbearable.
Dumped gear in corner, headed out.
Communal well behind dorm.
Drew water with the bucket.
Ice-cold groundwater.
Dumped it over my head.
Whoosh!
"Fuck! Cold!"
Pouring more over.
Chill soaked to the bone, running down my body.
Blood, dirt, sweat washed away.
'Wait, she disinfected me. Shower okay?'
Whatever, too late.
Soap was there, but god knows who used it.
Heard old guys at baths shove soap up asses these days.
100% real, not bullshit.
Figured these fucks might too, so wiped with hands only.
After scrubbing, felt human again.
Shook off water, back to room, crashed.
Hard floor, but heaven.
Body didn't ache at all, weirdly.
Was ripping earlier.
[Trait: Earth's Blessing]
Recovered fast walking back to dorm, thanks to that.
'OP trait for real.'
But no physical fatigue didn't mean mental vanished.
Tension eased, drowsiness crashed in.
One hell of a day.
Awakened, entered manga, slaved away, smashed bats.
Eyelids weighed a ton.
Before sleep, Luna's face floated up.
Her white hands treating me, gruff words.
'Thought she was a dumb fucking slut-whore.'
Revised that.
'Just a bitchy dumbass.'
Figured she deserved some slack, then I passed out.