The dark dawn of winter is presented on the sky once again.
The lady with white hair grunts as she slowly opens her eyes, brushing them with her index finger to wake up faster.
Once more it was early enough for even someone crazy to complain. As her eyes deviated to the clock in the wall, ticking the seconds perpetually, Cho Jae-Hwa clicks her tongue with disdain.
It was six in the morning (6:00 AM), the same time she woke up yesterday and that somehow seemed to have been turned into a habit.
"I guess I can turn this into an advantage... Even if it hurts..."
Slowly getting up from her bed after complaining, Jae-Hwa grabs the small hand mirror and places it on top of the bedside table, against the wall for support.
In a matter of seconds, she held her hair and using a black hair tie that the lady in the reception of the inn had given to her, quickly made a ponytail.
Wearing just her basic uniform, she headed down the stairs, leaving the inn as no one was awake at these early hours.
Now outside, Jae-Hwa stretched and warmed up her body to start her new morning running routine.
This was something she would never consider if she was still in South Korea, especially with her distaste for exercise, but after getting Phantasmagoria's blessing, her mind started to think that she needed to also start changing— or rather, that she needed to start adapting to her new environment and become stronger to survive in the future.
During Terazus' fight, the first domain's ruler, although her damage was something she could not control as much, her lack of stamina and speed outside of skills were lacking and nearly killed her if Hyeong Hae wasn't there to help her.
The Terminal System so far only made her sturdier and stronger, even if there is no change physically, but things such as reaction time, stamina or speed didn't change at all, which would mean that unless she tried to improve them, they would remain the same and only increase her odds of dying.
There wouldn't most likely be a next time that someone would save her— there is also no guarantee that Hyeong would fight alongside her again.
With that in mind, she decided to take advantage of her early waking and start running in the morning when no one would see her.
Today she ran around the whole eastern section of Carsenia for forty-five minutes, exploring the streets and trying to map out every path in her head, stopping by the center plaza after, resting on a metallic bench.
"This is... too much... even if I'm fit..."
Her lungs are nearly passing out, or so she thinks, gasping for air after having run around for so long. Her legs kept trembling whenever she attempted to get up, unused to the extensive exercise.
She gave up, completely dropping her body on the cold metal bench, closing her eyes for a brief moment, just before noticing something on the lower right corner of her eye.
It was momentaneous, for a mere second something appeared and then vanished from her vision. After thinking about it, a panel appeared in front of her, to her surprise.
—ACTIVITY TRACKING————————
TIME RAN: 0h45m23s
DISTANCE RAN: 12.3km
STEPS & CALORIES BURNED: 13045 steps & 722 calories
"You're kidding me, right? This thing even has fitness support? Just who the hell thought it would be a good idea?"
She remained seated pondering whether she really did twelve kilometers or not, considering it did not feel like that, although her body says otherwise. Even then, the amount of hidden features became increasingly ridiculous as she wondered what else would be hidden.
After fifteen minutes, when she achieved the point of being able to perfectly breathe again and her legs to not complain at any kind of movement, Jae-Hwa got up and started stretching once more.
I want to at least find some kind of armor store.
This time the spear user moved north, easily finding weapon and armor stores, even those who sold both. The first store she encountered had nearly the same dimensions as the inn she was currently sleeping in, the entrance was surprisingly clean compared to the others and the windows even displayed several swords in great quality.
However, it was far from being opening time. Even then, although there wasn't a sign with the name of the store, there was one made in metal with a hammer imprinted on it, being held by chains on top of the door's frame, dangling with the wind that occasionally reached the north.
"Maybe they can make weapons here—" Jae-Hwa's eyes deviated from her words as she looked around the store. On the corner of her eyesight there was a surprise, something even more captivating than new equipment, something that made her barely believe to be true.
"Is that...?" In a corner at the end of the street was a paradise unbeknownst to her, a sign that proclaimed the service was open twenty-four hours.
In this world, it was no longer a necessity, but a wish, a desire to clean her body with warm water, to clean her hair and transform it into silky strands with a marvelous scent.
Dismissing everything, she ran, so fast that not even her feet had time to complain to the brain, just to confirm whether it was really true.
Fair enough, the water running and the steam leaving the windows on the side of the building was exciting. Thanks to the sign she was able to find a bathhouse catered to Forgotten Ones, or rather, Players.
The bathhouse was very simple, sort of cubic with some tall white pillars on the outside and a light red tiled roof, giving some coverage to the windows at the front that exposed some of the male and female sections.
Jae-Hwa takes a step forward, opening the door slowly which revealed the reception area.
Inside, the floor was soft wood that would most likely feel good to walk on even if barefoot. Behind a counter of seemingly the same type of wood was a tiny old lady with magenta eyes, being barely seen above the counter, while to the left and right side were the men and women dressing areas, respectively.
"Excuse me..."
"You may come in, don't worry." The old lady retorted, hurrying her to close the door and leave the cold outside.
"Excuse me ma'am, but this is a bathhouse, right?"
With a finger pointing behind the reception, Jae-Hwa looks up to a sign presenting 'Little Valkyrie Bathhouse'.
"Why? Do you think this is another of those greasy weapon stores?"
"No, no, it's just... Whenever I woke up I was clean so I thought maybe in the dungeon baths didn't exist."
The old, but tiny, lady shows a genuine smile just before sitting on a stool that reveals her whole body. She had but a simple black dress that covered even the tip of her toes, clearly not enough to cover her grunts of struggle to reach her things.
"Well, I guess you kids do have reason to think that... Don't worry, I perfected this bath as best as I could for a lot of years, you might even cry when you enter it." Her last line is full of cheekiness, but with some truth in her tone.
As Jae-Hwa wonders around, the old lady takes out a black keycard with a green vertical stripe and places it on the counter.
"Here, if you want to go take a dip, you have to have this
"And what is the price, if I may ask?" Cho Jae-Hwa asks as polite as possible.
"Five credits, the whole day or thirty credits for the whole week." The receptionist smirks as a panel appears in front of her, prompting to input the desired price to give.
The spear user could finally enjoy the bliss of a bath whenever she wanted today, so clearly she would not miss this chance and quickly paid the five credits.
"Well then, please go to the dressing area to your right... You can choose any locker you want, right now there is only one other lady bathing."
The old lady responded with a smile as Jae-Hwa grabbed the card and bowed with gratitude just before heading right.
Several metal lockers were lined up like a library, organized with enough space between them for anyone to be comfortable. Each of these lockers had a green stripe of light just like the keycard with the exception of only one that had its light red.
Subconsciously, Jae-Hwa chooses the one on its left, wondering to who it belonged. In the middle of her locker's door was a blue square with a lock symbol on it. Upon placing her pass on top of it, a short jingle starts and it opens abruptly.
Inside her locker was a large and a small bath towel and a strange hairpin in the form of a wolf, made of what could only be described as obsidian.
With concerns of it belonging to someone else, she kept the pin inside, untouched.
From her system window, Jae-Hwa started taking off her shoes, proceeded by her socks, feeling the soft wood slowly sinking to her feet. But for a moment, she stopped.
A strange feeling ran down her spine as she was undressing so easily. She was going to finally be able to experience something she missed for so long, so her mind wondered for a second if it was better or not to just experience the whole process.
"Alright..."
Jae-Hwa started to unbutton her skirt, followed by her shirt that soon came off.
After being completely undressed, she glances over to make sure no one is watching and stores her clothes and undergarments in the locker, taking out the towels and locking the small storage box.
The defenseless spear user opens the door to the baths, finding a very large bathtub embedded into the ground with steam wandering in the air. Near the door was a shower area to clean her body before dipping in the warm water.
After having done the necessary procedures, her long white hair was silky smooth with a calming floral fragance while her skin had the scent of vanilla and coconut.
Now heading for the main attraction, she found the silhouette of a curvy women in her thirties with blonde hair of medium length and a busty figure.
"Ms. Hae?"
The woman bathing flinched, revealing her amber eyes as she looked behind her shoulder.
"Hmm? Jae-Hwa! You also found this, huh? I was meaning to tell you, but I wanted to figure out things first."
"No, it's okay, I was also occupied... trying to find a life— or at least a way to keep on fighting."
Both women giggle with gentle smiles of understanding.
Jae-Hwa dips the tip of her toes in the water, trembling with nostalgic satisfaction, followed by the rest of her body.
"It has been tough." Hyeong Hae starts the conversation after some minutes of enjoying the bath. Her fingers fidget with each other nervously. "If... You hadn't cheered me up after we defeated the ruler, I probably would not be able to enjoy life again."
"I am sure mr. Myo Dong-Sun would help you, I did basically nothing." Jae-Hwa answered with her eyes of enjoyment still closed.
"Not at all, you did a lot. I used battling to forget about our son, but now that it's peaceful, it's the only thing that have been in our minds... I've been trying to cheer my husband up but it's not easy for any of us to just let it go like this."
Jae-Hwa opens her green eyes as slow as possible, moaning in satisfaction, thinking about what to say.
Even if the answer was somewhat obvious, she couldn't just say as she pleases, for one of her few friends' sake.
"Isn't it alright? We all deal with grief in different ways, so nobody will judge you if you take it slowly."
Even if it is just a simple answer that she already knew, it felt different for Hyeong when considering who was saying it. Her heartbeat was calming down, her fingers had stopped fidgeting.
"You're right, thank you Jae-Hwa..."
A moment of silenced tension passes between them, only listening to the movements of the water caused by their every movement, slowly falling into a sleeping trance. Small moments like these were what helped her stay sane.
"Sorry to trouble you again, I've been doing that a lot lately, huh? How about we change the topic?"
The beautiful married woman claps her hands, producing a gentle sound that is able to wake both of them up.
"Have you gone to the next domain yet?"
"No—" Jae-Hwa reclines her body, letting the water cover her neck. "But I'm going to see an armor store after this, try to get something better than what I have. Have you gone there though?"
"No, I want to rest some more before that... besides, if I went, it would be mostly for sightseeing, but I did hear some rumors." Hyeong answers.
"Rumors?"
Jae-Hwa gets closer to her, whispering to each other in case someone were to also enter.
"Yes, rumor is that it is impossible to return to the first domain, you just can't for some reason. Also... There seems to be a group of bad people being formed."
"Well, the first domain I can imagine why, but... Bad people?"
Jae-Hwa wanders back to the sentient system that controlled the little girl called Marni. When it said that it wouldn't bother her again, it most likely meant that the system would make it impossible for her to interfere.
"For now it doesn't seem to be that much of a problem, just your run-of-the-mill troublemakers, but people are still scared about the dangers they could bring... So whatever you do, stay away from people with the symbol of a wolf."
A... Wolf?
Just like the hairpin in her locker, it was shaped like a wolf. Such an odd shape for it's purpose and yet it seemed to only confirm her worries.
To not worry her friend any further, Jae-Hwa put on a somewhat forced smile when answering her.
"Don't worry, with the blessing I have they shouldn't be a trouble. I'm much stronger than before, after all!"
"Huh? You have a blessing? I tried going there but the door didn't open at all!"
Well, I was called there by a deity after all, normally I would also be rejected, I guess...
Hyeong stays surprised by the feats of her friend. From the moment they started battling together, the frail-looking girl with unusual white hair was a goal she looked up to.
Not just because she was strong but because the young lady could manage to go forward and keep fighting despite everyone being against her while they are in a unknown world. Something Hyeong could never imagine doing.
"Well, I was also surprised knowing the one who chose me was the Goddess of Fear." Jae-Hwa answers, making even the courageous leader concerned for her.
"Are you sure you're alright? That goddess sounds a little... Dangerous."
Jae-Hwa giggles just before giving her explanation.
"She is actually nicer than it sounds. It's not like she chose to represent fear as well, so believe it or not, she just wants help."
Both girls smile, sinking their bodies in the warm water, although Hyeong is still somewhat doubtful.
After some time, they get out of the bath, heading to the dressing room. They enjoyed a full hour of bathing, making the rose scented purifiers in the dressing area start working and relax their muscles.
Cho Jae-Hwa takes in as much of the scent as her lungs allow, smiling comfortably after so long.
"Such sweet fragance." She stated with her eyes still closed. "The receptionist was right, I can almost cry of happiness."
"Just don't cry after discovering that old lady is actually the owner of this place."
Hyeong is able to make her stop, causing her to notice how there is no other employee besides the one in the front desk.
"Then... The little valkyrie..?"
"It's her, believe it or not."
Jae-Hwa remains dumbfounded as Hyeong brushes and dries her hair out of reflex, without even asking.
"You have white long hair... Even if it's pure white, you can see it's healthy and well-kept."
"Ah, thank you, it's all natural— But no, wait, the old lady..."
"Well, it's easier if you consider we're not in our world anymore... I think at least."
In the end, after getting dressed, Hyeong styles Jae-Hwa's hair into a dutch braid and the former leader leaves first after saying goodbye.
Now that she was alone, Jae-Hwa carefully opened her locker again and held on to the hairpin stored inside. If it truly belonged to someone who intends to do evil, there may be a chance that they would attack the bathhouse and the last thing she wishes would be seeing this place destroyed.
"Excuse me." She quickly left for the reception, alerting the owner. "I found this in my locker and apparently you're the owner the little valkyrie, so..."
"Call me Christine." The old lady responds with her usual cheekiness.
"Then, Christine, do you know who this belonged to?"
The owner carefully examines the accessory, but even for someone like her, it didn't seem to be an important item.
"It looks like the symbol of that gang of troublemakers, what was their name? Hmm... It's been so long that I don't remember, but don't worry, they don't roam around this city anymore, it's a thing of the past."
But then, what about the rumor?
"Well, do you mind if I keep it with me? Just in case I ever find them."
"Sure, go ahead."
To not worry Christine any further, Jae-Hwa just stores the hairpin in her inventory without asking any further questions and leaves the bathhouse after thanking for such a great bath.
Now outside, the sun was finally starting to show and the stores were opening one by one. At the end of the street, near the central plaza, the store she had originally planned to go to finally had an 'OPEN' sign.
"Regg' Dob's Warhouse, was it? Alrighty."
Jae-Hwa goes down the street, feeling refreshed and humming one of the songs she loves.
—CURRENT STATS——————————
PLAYER NAME: CHO JAE-HWA // LEVEL: 4 <0/135 EXP>
BLESSING: Phantasmagoria
TITLE: Giant Slayer
HEALTH: 140/140
DAMAGE: 30 (+17) // DEFENSE: 24 (+6) // ENERGY: 35/35
WEAPON: Ceremonial Metal Spear
ARMOR: Hunter's Garb
ACTIVE SKILLS:
PASSIVE SKILLS:
CREDITS: 20