TEOCH 6

Things had gotten annoyingly complicated. My steps grew heavy without me realizing it, and I felt a sigh coming on. But there was nothing to be done about it. It was true that I’d ended up with a companion I didn’t particularly like, but since everything in this game was random, I couldn’t afford to get discouraged every time things didn’t go my way. At least the skills I’d gotten were to my liking, so I had to take that as a consolation and move forward.

Damian asked if we should bring along more knights, but I declined the suggestion. The knights in this castle were all Rik IEL’s subordinates. In the Demon Realm, I’d only end up clashing with Rikiel constantly, and I had no desire to take on companions who would side with him instead of me in that situation.

“Are the knights in the castle not enough?”

“Sir Rikiel is not only brave but also spirited, so he alone should be more than sufficient. I don’t think we’ll need more knights, Your Majesty.”

Normally, I wouldn’t have praised Rikiel so highly, but with Tristan standing nearby, I had no choice. Though he’d just scolded Rikiel, at his core, Tristan cherished his younger brother. Praising Rikiel’s strengths would surely make him happy.

I glanced at Tristan’s expression and saw a faint smile on his face, then looked away. Thanks to that, my mood improved a bit compared to earlier.

But I wasn’t entirely lying to Tristan. Aside from our severe disagreements, Rikiel was truly an impressive knight. He was the only one who could reliably hold his own against regenerating monsters.

In battles with monsters, he always fought at the forefront and provided the greatest assistance in helping me, with my purification power, land critical hits on them. He’d thrown himself into danger to save other companions from near-death situations dozens of times.

Because of his strength and bravery, most companions deeply trusted him… and when I clashed with Rikiel, they usually sided with him or stayed neutral. Damn it.

If Rikiel were a companion in a typical RPG game, he would’ve been a tremendous asset. To be more precise, he would’ve been great in a world where you didn’t feel thirst, didn’t suffer from a lack of even a single piece of toxic meat, and didn’t have to endure a climate that burned your skin red during the day and numbed your frostbitten toes at night.

“If you don’t need more knights, then what kind of companions do you need?”

“The journey to the Demon King’s castle won’t be over in a day or two, Sir Rikiel. To avoid collapsing from hunger before even fighting properly, we need someone to handle food procurement. Knights may have excellent combat skills, but they aren’t trained in survival techniques.”

“…That’s a valid point. Local procurement of provisions is indeed important.”

“So, I’m planning to recruit hunters. Not those who target weak creatures like rabbits or deer, but those with experience lying in wait for days to take down real beasts.”

Rikiel, seemingly out of objections, silently agreed with me, and I gave a light shrug. Of course, I didn’t say everything I was thinking. With a stubborn knight like Rikiel as a companion, the new companions I recruited needed to be rough around the edges and unbound by strict morals. That way, I could secure at least one person who might side with me in a pinch.

“Since Damian is generally friendly toward me in most situations, if I can just pick one more person to my liking…”

I kept that thought tucked away in a corner of my mind, pretending not to care. Tristan, oblivious to my scheming, nodded with a pleasant smile and even promised to personally find a fine hunter.

I declined, of course. I had a bad feeling that the hunter Tristan would find would be someone honest, simple, and devoted to their family.

No matter how much I’d do anything for Tristan’s words, choosing companions was one thing I could never compromise on. After all, I’d be the one rubbing shoulders with them, fighting monsters in a distant land where he couldn’t see.

“Then where exactly do you plan to find suitable people?”

“I’ll take a look around outside the castle. Is that alright?”

Rikiel made no effort to hide his displeasure, but I didn’t care. I’d never even considered the possibility of getting along with that man.

After politely declining Damian and Rikiel’s offers to accompany me, I headed straight to the tavern as soon as I stepped outside the castle.

Calling it a tavern was generous; it was more like a bar. Once, it had been the most thriving tavern in the capital, bustling with energy and crowded with travelers. But after the monsters’ invasion spread like a plague, it had become a gathering place for the defeated.

People poured cheap liquor into their stomachs daily, vomiting up painful memories in its form. The tavern’s owner, once fastidious, didn’t particularly like these patrons but didn’t openly complain either.

They had every right to be there. Waking up to find a familiar neighbor gone, returning home to an empty bed where family once was—these were realities too harsh for anyone to accept.

These were the kind of people I wanted. Those who couldn’t fully accept reality, whose minds were slightly broken, making recovery impossible.

“What’s a guy like you doing here? You don’t look like someone who’d be sipping cheap liquor in a place like this.”

A man sitting next to me glanced over with a suspicious look. I silently drank my liquor. I’d once thought this garbage tasted worse than soju, but now that I’d forgotten even the taste of soju I used to drink with friends, such sentiments were useless. I couldn’t even recall the names of the snacks I loved so much. I’d never mourned my poor memory, but in moments like this, it felt a bit strange.

“Hey, you’re not even gonna answer?”

“I’m looking for someone for a dangerous job. You’re not the type to take it on.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You’ve got kids at home, don’t you? Instead of talking to strangers here, why not head back home?”

“I was planning to go after one more drink. You’re a dull young man.”

I pointed to an item sticking out from the edge of the man’s bundle, and he sheepishly tucked a picture book back in. I yawned lazily and looked around. I’d hoped to recruit familiar faces as companions, but for some reason, there wasn’t a single one in the tavern today.

“Is it because it’s the second playthrough?”

Recalling the message about new companions, I chewed on my snack with dissatisfaction. After a few glasses of cheap liquor, my stomach wasn’t feeling great. If I’d been trapped in this world in my twenties, it might’ve been better, but past thirty, even a bit of heavy drinking made my liver feel like it was falling apart.

Or maybe this was for the best? If my body could handle heavy drinking without issue, I might’ve skipped the Demon Realm, become an alcoholic holed up in a tavern, and shown an ugly side to Tristan or my companions.

“What’s the point of thinking like this? It would’ve been best not to come to this world at all.”

But then I wouldn’t have met Tristan. Mocking myself for naturally thinking of him first, I kept scanning the room without giving up. Usually, the companions you could recruit in a tavern were hunters or thieves, but for some reason, I wasn’t finding any today.

“I need at least one hunter since I haven’t learned food preparation or survival skills.”

Of course, the ‘Fortify’ and ‘Return’ skills I’d learned this time were far better, but for smooth food procurement, a hunter was essential. That’s why companions were necessary. There were too many skills vital for survival to count on two hands, but I could only learn three at the start.

“Hey.”

Just as I was thinking it might be time to head back, someone called out to me. Though it was an unfamiliar voice, I turned with a sense of relief. If there truly weren’t any familiar faces in the second playthrough, I’d have to take an unknown person and test them out.

“What is it?”

“You’re looking for someone for a dangerous job?”

“Yes.”

“How dangerous?”

“You’ll most likely die.”

“Is it something dirty?”

“It’s dirty in reality, but if you tell others what you’ll be doing, they’ll look at you with admiration.”

“Two-faced, huh.”

“Something like that.”

The man who spoke to me was a middle-aged man with slightly scruffy stubble. If he were a thief, he’d have sent a secretive note rather than asking so directly, so I could roughly guess his profession. As I looked at him, a small message appeared next to his face—a sort of info window.

“His skills are decent enough…”

His profession was hunter, his name was Rehas. He had one basic skill for shooting arrows and a survival knowledge skill, a passive that reduced the hunger and thirst levels of the entire party by a certain percentage. If you had to choose between food preparation and survival knowledge, the latter was better since food preparation couldn’t procure water.

Of course, it’s hard to decide based solely on skills. After all, this was a companion I was meeting for the first time in the second playthrough. I hadn’t yet grasped his disposition, nor could I gauge his other abilities.

But I thought this man was decent enough. He was exactly the type of companion you’d find in a place like this.

“Compensation?”

“It’s a job for the kingdom, so they won’t skimp on the pay.”

“The kingdom, huh… Not many have the guts to throw around the kingdom’s name in a tavern crawling with city guards, so it doesn’t seem like a lie.”

“Does it matter if it’s true or not?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you don’t care what kind of job it is.”

Rehas let out a chuckle, and I, clutching my aching stomach, gave a faint smile. Every now and then, you meet people like this. Hunters or thieves who’ve long lost their loved ones, see no meaning in the future, and throw themselves into any job that confirms they’re alive, like moths to a flame.

These people aren’t even in it for the reward. If they were, they’d have bolted the moment I mentioned the high chance of death. Dead people can’t collect rewards, after all.

They just need a purpose. Having lost something precious to the monsters’ invasion, the hole in their hearts is so vast that they’ll do anything to fill it.

He’s a good type. He’d hold up well in the Demon Realm, go along with slightly reckless requests, and, crucially, isn’t bound by troublesome morals.

“Wanna do it?”

“Not bad. But is that really it?”

“What else do you want?”

“No, I mean, don’t people usually sign something? Like a contract.”

“What’s the point of a piece of paper when you’re likely to die?”

“So it’s really a job to die for, judging by your attitude.”

I nodded silently. Honestly, it’s no exaggeration to say his chances of dying are nearly 100 percent. Unless we get extraordinarily lucky and defeat the Demon King this time, annihilation is the natural course. Even if we do manage to defeat the Demon King, the survival rate won’t improve much. In the only playthrough where I achieved the goal, I was the sole survivor.

“Well, shall we give it a shot? What do I need to do?”

“Come to the palace tomorrow at your convenience. Mention my name, and they’ll let you in. I’m Rohan.”

“The palace, huh? Sounds like no ordinary job. Come to think of it, you didn’t even ask my name.”

“Your name?”

“Rehas. Geez, it’s like you’re demanding I bow to you.”

I stood up without bothering to listen. I was slightly tipsy, but my body didn’t sway. It was already dark outside. I still needed to find one more companion, but I decided to call it a day and return to the palace.

I still had no clue what kind of companion to add. In a four-person setup, the ideal combination was me, Damian, one knight, and one hunter or thief. But with a five-person setup, I couldn’t think of a good combination.

“Should I scour the capital for another wizard? Or try a setup with both a thief and a hunter?”

Lying in the palace’s assigned bedroom, I stared at the ceiling, mulling it over. Since it was my first second playthrough, there was no need to get too tense. The goal this time was to see what had changed from the first playthrough and gather information for refining my strategy. So, no need to overdo it…

But then, an unfamiliar system message flashed across my vision.

[All party member slots have been filled. Upon waking after sleep, the Demon Realm entry event will occur.]

Wait, what does that mean? There’s still one slot left for a companion, so what’s this about entering the Demon Realm? The thought struck me just before I succumbed to sleep, but my alcohol-soaked, drowsy mind couldn’t make proper judgments.

Was it a bug? Or was Damian mistaken about the five-person limit? I knew I needed to wake up, but my body wouldn’t move. My eyes closed on their own, leaving no energy to read the message further.

Unable to resist the sleep pulling at my consciousness like a suction cup, I decided to think it over in the morning and let go, drifting off.

All while deliberately ignoring the worst-case scenario that message could imply.