I spent almost all the money I'd earned over the past two months to buy the cabin. But what appeared before me was not a finished house, but a massive pile of wooden planks and a set of tools like hammers and saws.
One day passed, then two. I was building a house from the ground up, all by myself. When I got tired, I'd sit in my chair and stare blankly at the lake. A short rest, and then back to building.
"Still, it's rewarding."
The basic foundation was complete. I carried the wooden planks, which served as tiles, one by one, fitting them together. It seemed like an impossible task at first, but watching the cabin slowly take shape filled me with a sense of accomplishment.
Just a little more, just a little more, I told myself as I worked. The cabin was now nearing completion.
"I'm so glad it didn't rain."
This was my first time building a cabin, after all. If it had rained, parts of it might have been damaged. All that money and time would have been wasted.
I propped a steel ladder against the wall and slowly climbed onto the roof. Only two spots were left.
"The final pieces…"
I laid the last two long planks into the remaining space.
*Thunk.*
*Thunk.*
"It's done!"
It took two months, but I had finally built a house.
"Yeah… not bad."
The amount of work had been immense. A small cabin in what was once an empty space. I opened the door and stepped inside. It was a cozy space, almost unbelievable that I had built it myself. Two rooms, one bathroom, and one toilet. It wasn't a large cabin, but it was more than enough for one person.
"Alright, next up is furniture."
With the money I had left, I bought various pieces of furniture I needed and brought them into the rooms. For the toilet, bathroom, and kitchen, I connected a water pump and pipes to draw water from the lake.
*Swoosh.*
I turned the faucet handle up, and water gushed out, pumped straight from the lake.
"Aaaah…"
Is this what happiness feels like? A feeling I had never once experienced while working at the company washed over me. I had a toilet, a bathtub—everything I needed was in place. But one last thing remained a problem.
"What should I do about a boiler…?"
Hot water is one of the most important things in life. Without it, I'd have to boil water every time I wanted to wash myself or take a bath. A boiler would solve that, but unfortunately, I had no idea how to install one.
*'Should I just buy it for now…?'*
I was about to press the purchase button, but I stopped and closed Conve∞.
"I'll just live like this for a while."
The cold winter was over, and the days were getting warmer. With spring coming, I wouldn't need hot water as much. I could use cold water for a quick wash, and for baths, I could just boil water in a large pot and pour it into the tub.
"Haaaah…"
I went into my room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. The dream of owning my own home, something I couldn't achieve in Japan, I had made it a reality with my own two hands. Sure, I used materials I bought from Conve∞, but I was the one who put it all together.
I wanted to drift off to sleep right there on my soft bed, but I couldn't yet. Today was the final delivery day. I had to go back to the city to deliver the soap and shampoo.
"Alright then…"
In my inventory, I had 150 bars of soap and 286 glass bottles of shampoo.
"I'm a little short on shampoo…"
There was still time. I sat down at my desk, took out a shampoo bottle and an empty glass jar from my inventory.
"This is so much easier than doing it on the floor."
Until last week, it had been agony having to build the house and prepare the deliveries at the same time. But now, one of the big tasks was finally over. The contract period was almost up, too. When it ended, I decided I wouldn't renew it. I'd try selling various other things at my own stall. Weapons and armor sounded good, or maybe snacks and fruits.
"Maybe I should try making and selling yakisoba…"
Selling tteokbokki, which doesn't exist in this world, might not be a bad idea either.
"I've got plenty of time…"
Unlike my old job, I wasn't being rushed. I could just take it easy, live in this cabin, and think about what to sell until a good idea came to me.
***
Countless wagons. People wearing colorful berets were gathered in front of a single building. Some were talking, some were organizing cargo in their wagons, and others were carrying luggage out to load onto their carts.
"So this is the Merchant's Guild…"
As a place where people who make a living by earning money gather, the building itself was quite magnificent.
*Jingle, jingle.*
A bell chimed above as I opened the door. There were even more people inside than out.
"You there, sir~"
A voice called out to me as I entered. Since they were looking my way, I walked over to the counter without hesitation.
"Welcome! You're here to join the Merchant's Guild, right?"
A young woman with long brown hair tied back, bright eyes, and a sprinkle of freckles across her cheeks was smiling at me. She seemed very energetic.
"Uh, how did you know?"
"It's simple! Your clothes! All the merchants here wear berets."
Did that mean I had to wear one too?
"Don't worry, it's not a requirement. Everyone just imitates the style of Gerard, the great merchant and master of the guild. It just sort of became the norm."
She wasn't a mind reader, but she seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.
"That's a relief…"
"But outside, people generally think of merchants as the ones wearing berets, so if you're going to be doing business out there, it's better to wear one."
She finished speaking and rested her chin on her hand, studying me.
"You don't really seem to have the knack for being a merchant, though…"
"Huh?"
"Your face. It gives everything away. When I say something, I can tell exactly what you're thinking."
I didn't think I was that expressive, but I guess since she was part of the guild, she had a good eye for people.
"Still want to do it?"
"Yes, that's what I came here for."
"Alright then…"
The woman took out a piece of paper from under the counter.
"Please fill out this application."
*'Ugh…'*
The characters on the paper were neither Japanese nor English. They were impossible to decipher.
*'Looks like I'll have to learn the language first…'*
"Can you… not read?"
"No, I grew up in a place far from here, so I don't know the letters."
"That'll make being a merchant even harder…"
"Could you fill it out for me? Please."
"Filling it out for someone else is legally forbidden, so I'm afraid I can't do that…"
*'Guess I have no choice…'*
I'd have to find someone to teach me. The only people I could think of were Hans and Megan.
"Well then, I'll come back another time…"
"In that case, how about this?"
The woman offered as I was turning to leave.
"After work, I could teach you the letters for a certain fee. How does that sound?"
"Huh?"
"There's something I want to buy recently, so I need a little extra money!"
"Is that even allowed?"
"Yes, don't worry. I may not look it, but I'm an excellent teacher!"
Hans and Megan would be exhausted after work. Even though they said to ask for help, bothering them late at night felt wrong. If the price wasn't too high, learning from this woman didn't sound like a bad idea.
"Alright."
"Yay! Then come back here around the time the sun sets and the city bells ring!"
She waved at me as I turned and left. Letters. It was important for people to communicate through speech, but being able to read and write was just as crucial.
*'I'm glad I can learn now.'*
I wondered if I could teach myself and searched Conve∞. Searching for "common language," I found a book titled *Horn Continent Common Tongue for Children*.
*'I'll head home and give it a quick look before tonight…'*
I bought the book, put it in my inventory, and headed home.
The sweet taste flowed smoothly down my throat, followed by the rich aroma of coffee.
"Maxim coffee really is the best."
How many people in the world could drink Maxim coffee while looking out at a lake right next to their house? Probably just me.
*'Should I try selling this?'*
Maxim would definitely sell. But considering the wave of popularity it would create—even bigger than the shampoo—it was probably better not to.
"Haaaah…"
The coffee lifted my spirits, but my mood was still quite down.
"Why is this so difficult…?"
I was studying with the help of Latia, the woman who had offered to teach me. But the letters were just too complicated. They looked like hieroglyphics, but none of them resembled each other, so they were probably ideograms or phonograms. The closest script I could compare them to was Hebrew, and even that was a stretch.
"Was I always this bad at studying…?"
Back in college, I could absorb everything the professors said. But after starting work, my brain must have gotten rusty.
"Still, it's fun to be studying again after so long."
Compared to the repetitive, all-night labor, this was much better. And since it was practical knowledge for daily life, not just work, it felt more rewarding.
*Dong, dong, dong!*
The sky had turned to dusk, and the bells from the central clock tower echoed through the city.
"Alright, time to go again…"
I downed the rest of my coffee, stood up, put my book in my inventory, and headed for the city.
It didn't take long to learn the letters. The grammar and pronunciation were the same as in Japanese; only the script was different. The only problem was that so many of the characters looked alike.
"So this is it…"
A small, silver, iron plaque that fit in one hand, engraved with a coin and a scale. This was the Merchant's Guild emblem.
"With this, I can finally sell things…"
I tossed the emblem into my inventory and looked around. After the final delivery, I had a decent amount of money in my inventory's "vault." So today, to celebrate joining the guild, I decided to take a break in the city. I'd wander around, buy whatever caught my eye, eat, and drink. It would have been nice to have a friend to walk around with, but I didn't have any friends in this city.
"Hmm…"
So where should I start?
"Food, of course!"
I had rushed to the guild as soon as I woke up. My stomach was completely empty. I could buy a meal kit from Conve∞, but now that I could read, I could find a restaurant and see what was on the menu.
"Alright, time to fill my stomach~"
I walked with a bounce in my step, wondering what kind of food I would find.
But maybe what I ate was the problem. The next morning, I spent the entire day stuck in the bathroom.