“Work’s done! Let the workers collect their pay!”
As the sun set, the job wrapped up.
“Ah. Finally finished.”
“Ugh! I’m so sore!”
“Let’s hurry up!”
No matter where you are in the world, quitting time is always exciting. Watching the workers cheerfully shout lifts my spirits too.
The workers started lining up to return their gear. I picked up on the vibe and joined the queue. Just being observant gets you through more than half the trouble.
I saw them handing out the pay up front.
This is exciting.
“Hehehe.”
With a smile while waiting, my turn arrived.
“Here you go. 50 coins for your day’s work.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly counted the coins and stuffed them into my pocket.
Wow, what a heartfelt moment.
Is this really my first pay in the Martial Arts World?
I definitely got those 50 coins.
An overwhelming sense of joy soaked my heart. Earning money may be tough, but getting it always feels good. Honestly, I want to scream and do a backflip or tear my hair out in ecstatic madness.
“Oh, by the way, you did well today. I hope you’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Of course!”
Yes! A love call!
I’ll definitely be back tomorrow!
“Kuahaha!”
Laughter bursts out uncontrollably!
With that, I happily left the construction site.
50 coins, huh?
Looks like I’ll be alright.
I’ll be living another day!
So, let’s see. Did they say to go back to Dahoebang after work? First, head there, then go to the guesthouse.
“Ah.”
What a relief.
“Right… adaptability. That’s my strength.”
After all, I don’t really have a place I can call home. Didn’t I just leave my aunt’s house?
Perhaps that’s why I could adapt so quickly.
Who in the world finds a job in the Martial Arts World within just one day? This is something only Kim Geunhyeop could pull off.
Let’s be confident.
“Here, I’ve come to return my token.”
When I returned to Dahoebang, many workers like me were also there to return their tokens, and I carefully observed before going to return mine.
As I keep reading the situation like this, I feel like I’m slowly adapting to this world.
But then a question arose.
“Excuse me, can I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“I got a job at Dagumjeonjeong through Dahoebang’s introduction and received my pay, but do I need to pay anything to Dahoebang?”
“When we send you out, we get a receipt. So it means your pay has already been deducted.”
They outsourced it, huh.
“Got it.”
The mystery was solved.
With that, I stepped out of Dahoebang.
—Grrr.
“Oh man, I’m starving.”
Did I work so hard with a shovel all afternoon? I feel like I’m going to die from hunger. Not to mention, I sweated buckets and want to wash up, but I wonder if I can clean myself well here.
First, let’s find the guesthouse.
I heard from the workers earlier that they all stayed at the guesthouse. They said it typically costs about 20-30 coins per night.
I have 50 coins, so…
“One meal and a night’s stay will wrap it up.”
They mentioned that starting early in the morning could earn about 100 coins, so budgeting for 30 coins for lodging and around 50 coins for meals means I could save about 20 coins a day?
Wait.
I need to think carefully about food costs.
This is the Martial Arts World. It’s not the affluent Earth I lived on. In places like this, you have to get the right nutrition, or you’ll soon run out of energy. In a pre-modern world, food is scarce. If I don’t eat properly, I’ll quickly weaken… If I get sick from a lack of nutrients, it’s game over.
Really, I feel like right now, I’m an overweight American.
An overweight American without health insurance flaunting my 200kg belly and tree trunk legs and wanting to claim I’m healthy and powerful, but in reality, I’m just a small-stomached Asian.
If I fall sick without savings, it’s guaranteed death. To avoid such a future, I must sleep somewhere with a roof and eat correctly.
Those 10-coin dumplings look to be the worst in terms of nutrient content.
If I want proper nutrition, I need to spend some money.
“Ah, first, let’s fill my stomach today!”
I headed towards the guesthouse I had checked out earlier.
The guesthouse is called Munro Guesthouse, and while eateries only serve meals, it seems this guesthouse offers lodging as well.
I didn’t know there was such a difference between guesthouses and eateries.
Anyway, as I moved around, Munro Guesthouse finally appeared.
“Hmm.”
With money in hand, I had no reason to be scared.
Confidently, I walked inside.
“Kuahaha! So then! I just took that bastard and—”
“Oh, you’re lying again!”
“I swear it’s true!”
A raucous atmosphere.
As soon as I stepped in, various food smells and alcohol wafted through the air… Wait, there are so many seats? And it’s not dark since they’ve got the lights on at night.
“Excuse me! How many in your party?”
“Just one.”
“This way.”
Is this the famous Server?
Following the guide, I sat at a corner table set for one.
“What would you like to order?”
“Before that. Server, I want to stay here for the night. How much is it?”
“Accommodation is 30 coins.”
So that leaves me with 20 coins.
“How much are the dumplings and noodles?”
“Both are 10 coins each.”
“They must be the cheapest meal options.”
“That goes for every place, right? Hurry and place your order.”
What’s with this guy? Did he notice I’m broke? His attitude just suddenly shifted. Honestly, if I were a server, I’d be waiting to beat up some poor soul coming in here asking for dumplings and noodles right from the get-go.
“What about meaty dishes? How much do those start at?”
But the server doesn’t seem like he wants to fight.
He just flatly answered.
“The cheapest is 30 coins for ‘Gyeowi Chae’ (Gizzard and Vegetables).”
“Gyeowi Chae?”
“That’s a dish stir-fried with chicken gizzards and vegetables.”
Gizzards and innards?
That sounds absolutely unappetizing.
Oh, it must be cheap because they use offcuts instead of actual meat.
Still, listening to it sounds like a decent protein source. But wait, I’m broke!
Subtracting 30 coins for lodging, I have only 20 coins left!
“Next, there’s ‘Hwahwajack’ (Sparrow Roast) for 30 coins.”
“Hwahwajack?”
“Roasted sparrow. It’s small enough to eat whole.”
“Oh!”
That sounds great!
I’ll have to try that next time when I’ve got cash. Whole roasted sparrows? Sounds nutrient-rich.
“Alright! Server! Then give me a dumpling and a bowl of noodles!”
“…I understand.”
“And also, I want lodging!”
“…I’ll bring your meal along with the room key.”
I immediately dug out my entire wealth of 50 coins and handed them to the server. He counted the coins and then quickly turned away.
Usually, you’re supposed to tip the server and all, but I don’t have that money!
I just spent everything I earned today.
“Ha.”
At least I’ll have something to eat.
Rubbing my belly, I looked around. Everyone was chatting loudly while eating, and I noticed quite a few folk dressed in swords or martial arts attire.
Swords and weapons.
So they must be martial artists, huh? I just saw them practicing lightness skills and air steps earlier. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting any trouble.
As far as I know, martial artists have bad tempers. Many of them are serial killers or psychopaths who kill for fun. If I walked around with my eyes wide open among such folks, it would be obvious I’d get beaten to a pulp legally and have my money swiped.
This really is the Martial Arts World.
“Your food has arrived, customer.”
While I was lost in thought, the server delivered my meals.
“Ooh.”
The noodles looked just like regular noodles. It’s a simple dish with white noodles cooked in a light brown broth that may have some soy sauce mixed in.
It actually looks pretty nice.
And the dumplings? They look like two big fluffy steamed buns. I’m glad they’re decent-sized. These guys might not be all bad with the service.
With this portion for 20 coins, I shouldn’t be worried about starving.
“Hey, Server. Where do I get water?”
“There’s a well on the first floor. You can use it at will since you’re staying here.”
“Got it.”
At least I have somewhere to wash up.
But what about towels?
I don’t have any. Without them, my supplies are lacking. If I had just a towel and a bag, I could somehow manage the essentials.
Should I just keep working at the construction site and save up to buy those?
“It’s not like I’m collecting game items…”
It’s downright shocking that I have to piece together essentials just by working day by day. And it seems like all the costs are just going to consumables.
Alright, then.
Let’s try my first meal in the Martial Arts World.
This looks all white and extremely high in carbs. But I’ll just have to tolerate it, because it’ll be better starting tomorrow.
First, let’s try these noodles.
I grabbed some noodles with my chopsticks and swirled them around to soak up the broth. Once it was well-coated…
—Slurp!
I immediately tossed it into my mouth.
“Mmm…!”
Is it a bit bland? The taste is quite different from the noodles I used to eat. To put it simply, it’s not great at all. But man, beggars can’t be choosers! I never expected I’d find this bland food actually tasting so good!
“Yum!”
Moreover, with the hot noodles going down, I felt a warmth filling my insides.
I quickly grabbed the bowl and drank the broth.
“Wow…! Phew!”
Right now, I’m like a food warrior.
I could easily overshadow renowned champions with my prowess here.
Maybe I really am fitted for the Martial Arts World?
This is surprisingly yummy!
Alright, let’s try the dumplings now. Looking at these fluffy dumplings makes my mouth water. I wonder if there’s some meat or glass noodles inside.
Thinking about that, I took a big bite… wait, what?
“Wait a sec, there’s no filling inside?!”
I took another bite, but it was 100% empty!
This is just pure bread!
Ugh, this is driving me mad!
What’s up with these fools selling dumplings with no filling?!
“Ugh…!”
Even though I’m disappointed with these flavorless bread spheres, right now I’m simply too hungry. I set the dumpling into the noodles’ broth to soften it up and popped it into my mouth.
Doing that makes it somewhat edible.
Wait, but seriously? Even if they’re martial artists, do they really live off dumplings with no filling? They must be a bunch of lunatics. If I were the Martial Arts Leader, I would classify people selling these empty dumplings as necromancers. That’s the only way this Martial Arts World would get healthier.
But you know… tasting it, I think it would pair nicely with seasoned meat dishes. Alright. I’ll have to try that next time.
I finished off every last noodle and dumpling.
“Ugh.”
I guess it’s because there was no meat; I’m not fully satisfied. But what can I do? I’m broke. In times like this, preserving energy is crucial, so sleeping early is the best option. I have to get up early tomorrow to work.
—Sigh.
I picked up the token placed on the table. It’s kind of like a key, so I should be able to enter the room written on it.
But do I have to work on an empty stomach tomorrow morning?
Earlier, I saw workers packing their lunch. I wonder if those can be bought at the guesthouse? Since I don’t have a bag, something I could just pocket would be ideal.
—Sigh.
I got up from my seat.
Instead of going to my room right away, I decided to search for the well I heard about. Sure enough, I found it. A few people were washing themselves while also drinking water.
Are they really using this water to wash and drink?
I stripped down and waited a moment before filling a bowl with water and washing myself.
“Arrgh!”
The water is freezing…!
What is this, a well blessed by the Ice Spirit?
“Ugh.”
After washing myself off as best as I could in that cold water, I patted myself dry with my shirt. No towel, no choice. Hopefully, hanging this on the wall will dry by tomorrow.
Though it may end up smelling, I have no choice but to bear that.
With that, I made my way back to my room.
—Creak.
“Wow.”
The state of the room is best described as atrocious, and if I were to put it even more harshly, it’s a complete disaster.
I expected a bed but found only a small space with a mattress and blanket and a tiny pillow. For 30 coins a night in a place like this? I’m losing my mind. These Martial Arts World folks are something else!
“Sigh.”
A long sigh escaped.
“I miss you, Aunt.”
Compared to my aunt’s house, this feels like hell. Frankly, I’m so tired too. Arriving here for the first time, I’ve suffered a mental blow, so I feel utterly drained.
—Sigh.
I pulled the blanket over me and lay down.
Like a mouse creeping into a crack between rocks, I curled up tightly to avoid unwanted pests.
—Wahh!
—Kuahaha!
—Server! One more drink!
—Bring me one Gongbo Estate!
When I closed my eyes, I could hear the lively noise beneath me. Do these primitive martial artists have no concept of noise at night?
Imagining myself slaughtering them all, I succumbed to the fatigue. It was slightly noisy, but I was so tired that sleep rushed in all at once.
“Yawn.”
I cried a single tear as I drifted off to sleep.
I miss my aunt’s embrace.
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