Surviving in the Trash Hell Game by Tossing a Coin

Chapter 9 - Reblen Village (3)

To get straight to the point, I got heads on the coin flip earlier as well.

I remember the message.

[ The Burning Reblen Village ]

You got heads again.

You have magnificently protected this village.

You have taken one step closer to being an apostle of justice.

Heads Reward: Acquire the +2 Emergency Firefighting Set.

Includes armor, a skill card, and a weapon.

Reward: Restoration of Reblen Village and permanent residency rights

I haven't checked the armor, skill card, and weapon yet.

However, I received enough tools to quell the village's conflagration, including several fire-extinguishing bombs and a fire extinguisher.

Thanks to those tools, Maletta and I succeeded in suppressing the fire.

Meaning, we succeeded in saving their home before the village completely burned down.

Furthermore, I also received the reward for vanquishing the conflagration.

The buildings that had been burned were restored to be as clean as new.

“Thank you, thank you so much!”

“To think you saved our village, I don't know how we can ever repay you….”

They were grateful to me and tried to repay me in some way.

There was no particular reason to refuse, so I decided to accept.

First, what they provided us was a meal.

And it was a very lavish meal.

This might be a bit of a random story here, but seeing the table set before me, I couldn't help but think of it.

There's an element that confuses people who first encounter this game.

‘Why does this game have cars when it's a fantasy?’

‘Why does this game have guns when it's a fantasy?’

‘Why does this game have an association and a central government when it's a fantasy?’

To get straight to the point, this game is not set in a ‘medieval’ setting but a ‘modern’ setting.

To be precise, it's a fusion world with a predominant ‘modern’ setting, combining the two elements.

A world teeming with bandits who collect protection money like just now, and wild animals like Dark Dogs.

A world where most people use high-risk weapons like swords instead of guns with strong killing power.

Still, it was strictly a ‘modern’ setting.

And that's the developer's fault.

More than half of the game's setting is wastelands and forests, fitting for an apocalypse.

Even in-game, they don't explain the world's setting very well.

There's no story at all like, this area was like this for this reason.

The player just has to guess by looking at the structure of the area and the state of the NPCs.

“It's not much, but please, eat a lot!”

This is why I bothered to add such an explanation.

On the table they prepared to thank us for defeating the bandits.

It's only natural for it to include Spam, kimchi side dishes, rice, seasoned seaweed, and so on.

“Wow!”

It was proven once again that cliché phrases are always followed by results that exceed expectations.

If a table like this is considered 'not much', I feel sorry for all the convenience store lunch boxes I've eaten until now.

I couldn't help but be amazed.

At the fact that I could eat such a home-cooked meal in a fantasy world.

And I couldn't help but smile because it was slightly amusing.

No matter what, it’s a Korean game after all.

“The table legs are really going to break.”

“Hahaha, you're too kind.”

“Well then, I'll eat well!”

Starting with the hospitality of the Village Chief, who Maletta had treated with Blazing Restoration, I picked up a metal spoon and began to eat.

Try wrapping the Spam in kimchi.

Delicious.

“Captain, you must like Spam. Do you like salty things?”

“Yeah, if I have seaweed and rice, I always….”

Then, Maletta suddenly spoke to me, so I turned my head.

Unlike me, who was eating diligently, she hadn't taken a single bite.

I naturally thought she was eating.

“Why. Are you not hungry?”

“Ah, huh? Yeah! I'm fine.”

Of course, she could be skipping the meal for reasons like not feeling well.

So I asked, and she also expressed that she was fine in a roundabout way.

However, contrary to her words, I heard a gurgle sound from her stomach.

A sound like that meant the hunger she felt must be no joke.

“No… Maletta. If you're that hungry, why weren't you eating?”

“……”

Even at my questioning, she just avoided my gaze with a slightly flushed face.

Maletta didn't pour out any excuses or reasons.

“You must be hungry. Let's eat together.”

“Okay!”

Only after I said that did she pick up her spoon, a sight I couldn't understand at all.

The way she sobbed when I was dying, or the way she almost blindly follows my words.

The way she takes care of me more than herself, and so on.

No matter how I think about it, I just don't get it.

Isn't there a need to draw a line between me as a Captain and me as a person?

Just as I encountered her as a game character, isn't it normal for her to see me as just something from another world?

However, asking a question like ‘why do you cherish me’ is a bit pathetic.

It could just be my simple misunderstanding.

If she says, ‘You're not cherished?’, I'll be the only one hurt.

So I just ate.

For now, just seeing Maletta with her cheeks puffed out and a happy expression was enough.

“Whew~ I ate well. Thank you so much! Village Elder?”

“Village Chief is fine too.”

After we finished our meal like that, the Village Chief stood up with a pleased smile, and then.

“If it's not too much trouble, may I ask if you plan to leave right away?”

He asked us that.

The ‘permanent residency rights’ I received from the quest earlier probably meant something like that.

It seemed to roughly mean they would provide us a place to stay, so I answered right away.

“No, I’m a bit tired today.”

“In that case, if I may be so bold, would it be alright if we offered you a place to stay?”

As expected, the Village Chief offered us that.

There was no reason to refuse, so I nodded, and Maletta agreed as well.

“Ah, if you could do that, of course, we’d be grateful! Maletta, you’re okay with it too, right?”

“Huh? Yeah! I’d like that too! I was tired as well.”

“Then I will guide you. Please follow me.”

We left the community hall, the largest place in the village, and entered the 2-story building right next to it.

For a shabby village, that building was quite clean.

It was about the cleanliness of a motel you could get for slightly less than the average price.

“The facilities here are very nice. Did someone use to live here?”

“No, we don't have enough people to use a building like this. We were just managing it, but it is an honor to host such esteemed guests.”

I felt like we were taking someone's spot for no reason, but thankfully, it seemed that wasn't the case.

The Village Chief went up to the second floor and showed us to one of the rooms in the hallway.

The room on the left was mine, the room on the right was Maletta's.

“Well then… I will take my leave. Thank you so much.”

The Village Chief finished his guidance, bowed his head in farewell, and left.

After glancing at each other for a moment, we exchanged a nod and went into our respective rooms.

“Sleep well, Captain! See you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, Maletta. Sweet dreams.”

The room I entered with a simple greeting was, likewise, much cleaner than I thought.

It wasn't large, but it had a single bed, a desk with a mirror, and a bathroom.

Although it was empty, there was even a small refrigerator.

There was even a shower in the bathroom.

The water came out properly too, making the apocalypse seem colorless.

I decided to put aside stray thoughts like where they were getting the water or electricity from.

Thanks to that, I could wash away my fatigue cleanly and stretch out comfortably on the bed.

“Boy, was I tired.”

The words came out on their own.

In just one day, I fell into the game world, met a Dark Dog, and met Maletta.

And I defeated ruffians and saved a village.

“So things like this happen to me too….”

The place had changed, but I felt like I had lived today to the fullest as well.

So I was about to go to sleep, quite satisfied.

The moment of silence breaks.

Knock, knock, knock.

I heard a small knock on the door.

There was only one person who would visit this place at this hour.

So I sat up in bed and spoke towards the door.

“Is that you, Maletta? Come in.”

But I couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded sound right after.

Because the one hesitantly opening the door and carefully entering was not Maletta.

“Huh?”

Brown hair, shorter than Maletta's, coming down only to her back.

Bright blue eyes, a worn-out brown robe and a beige shirt.

An appearance that looked no older than a high school student, no matter how high I estimated her age.

The girl who had bravely stepped forward and resisted the group of bandits earlier.

The one who entered this room now was that girl.

“Ah, hello….”

“Uh… yeah. What's up?”

The girl, who seemed restless, hid her arms behind her back and watched me cautiously.

I could easily tell that the words she was about to bring up would not be light at all.

“I know it's rude to say this, but….”

“It’s okay, speak comfortably.”

So I gave a slight flick of my hand to her, who was constantly glancing around.

It was a gesture to tell her not to be nervous.

“Th-that, perhaps, our village, a little more….”

Fortunately, she didn't hesitate for long.

After giving a slight nod as if she had made up her mind about something.

She brought the arms she had hidden behind her back forward and clasped her hands tightly.

“I was wondering if you could help us…!”

At first glance, it might sound rude, but I found it rather admirable.

Isn't she aware of the village's situation and trying not to miss an opportunity that might never come again?

“Lately, we haven't been able to go to the market because of monsters or bad people… I, I can't think of anything to give you, but….”

However, I don't know what kind of quest or dangerous element might arise.

It's too dangerous to help just based on the single emotion of finding her ‘admirable’.

I have no intention of living a life of meddling.

A life lived as an orphan, I haven't even seen the light yet, so I can't die in a place like this, can I?

“It's hard to give you an answer right now, sorry.”

“Ah, no. It's me who should be….”

So, to deliver a better refusal tomorrow, I politely refused for now.

She didn't plead any further either.

“For now, go to sleep. You must be tired.”

“Th-then… today, thank you so much for today! Have sweet dreams….”

Since we didn't know each other's names, we just exchanged simple words like that.

She bowed her head with a nod, then carefully closed the door and left the room.

I waited, wondering if that was a quest, but no quest window appeared.

I, too, decided not to think about it further for now and lay back down on the bed.

***

I slept soundly.

Perhaps it was natural since a tremendous sense of fatigue had washed over me.

But I couldn't afford to rest my body any longer.

For my safety and to complete the quest, I had no choice but to move to the shelter quickly.

I was grateful for the hospitality, but it was time to continue the journey.

So after making simple preparations and getting up, I knocked on Maletta's door.

She seemed to have noticed that I had something to say and told me to come into her room.

I immediately entered the room and explained the conversation I had with Maletta yesterday.

“So, you're going to refuse, right?”

“I feel bad, but what can I do.”

Maletta sat on the bed, crossed her arms, and nodded.

Naturally, I wasn't entirely at ease either.

“The Captain's thinking is right. Regardless of what's right or wrong, we don't know what kind of crisis will befall us.”

However, the good of being a human, and my own safety.

When I weighed the two, the one that naturally tipped the scale was the latter.

Even if they are unfortunate right now, in the end, they have no relationship with me, do they?

They were just NPCs in a game. Nothing more, nothing less.

It would be different if it were a character I had a relationship with, like Maletta.

Literally, they are complete strangers.

Strangers I helped only to get a reward.

As if to support my thoughts, Maletta silently manipulated the empty air.

I could tell it was an action she took to show me the quest window.

“Captain, this is good timing. This is my quest.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I immediately went to her side, sat down, and looked at the quest.

[ Main Quest ]

You, who died a year ago, have been resurrected by your Captain.

However, resurrection does not mean complete freedom.

Your superior and the savior of your life, Captain ‘kISSmEdd’ Kang Woon, has fallen into this world.

Help him escape from this cursed world.

Objective: The survival of player ‘Kang Woon’.

However, your life or death is not included in the objective.

Reward: The return of player ‘Kang Woon’

On Failure: The failure of player ‘Kang Woon’'s return and permanent death.

It was a truly strange quest.

‘My’ quest should naturally have ‘me’ as the main focus, but Maletta's is not like that.

For the main focus of ‘Maletta’s’ quest to be ‘Kang Woon’.

At this rate, isn't she just a tool?

The content of the quest itself was strange, but I understood the gist of why she showed it to me.

“I know. Of course, it's a person's duty to help the unfortunate. But….”

The reason she showed me the quest was simple.

It was for the purpose of reminding me that my life was not just my own.

“My life and the Captain's life are more precious to me. More than people I've never met.”

Maletta, letting out a deep sigh, closed the quest window and spoke gloomily.

Her words were very rational.

There was no rational reason anywhere for us to help them.

“You're right. My life and your life are more precious to me too.”

Not every story in the world can be wrapped in rationality, but in most situations, doing so was the right thing.

“Let's go, Maletta. We have to go say our goodbyes.”

“Okay, Captain.”

So after silently exchanging glances, we got up from our spots.

It was to say our farewells to the villagers.

Still, we not only confiscated their weapons but they could also sell the remaining equipment to raise funds.

I thought I had sufficiently relieved the burden on my conscience about future troubles with this much.

But.

Naturally, not everything goes according to plan.

[ Erin’s Request ]

How dare you try to refuse the request of a girl who is about 10 years younger than you.

I will give you a quest.

“Sigh.”

I knew it.

Damn it, quest window.

I hate you.