Chapter 6: Planning for a New Life

Chapter 6

Captain Cambern, George, concluded the settlement with the Foren Merchant Guild, ensuring Hay, the solo mercenary, received his payment first. Hay, having personally observed the calculation, confirmed its accuracy.

“It was good working with you,” George said. “I hope we can work together again if the opportunity arises.”

“Given how meticulous you are with calculations, Captain Cambern, I also enjoyed working with you,” Hay replied.

“Then, by any chance, would you consider taking the next request with our mercenary guild?” George asked.

“I’m not sure about that,” Hay responded. “I tend to take long breaks.”

“If you do consider it, don’t go anywhere else. Make sure to find me. We’ll be staying at the Henjino Inn just ahead. What about you?” George inquired.

“I plan to quietly recuperate in a secluded spot. My body aches all over,” Hay said, expressing his exhaustion.

George burst into laughter at Hay’s weary words. Hay, however, could only think of resting as quickly as possible.

“I hope to see you again if fate allows!” George called out.

“Yes,” Hay replied.

Having thus parted ways with the Cambern Mercenary Guild, Hay departed from the guild entrance with his backpack. Renki, limping slightly, followed closely behind him.

Inquiring with the townspeople about the inn furthest from the mercenary guild, Hay eventually found his way to a place called Torres Inn.

Torres Inn was situated near the grand plaza, directly opposite Lord Nudan’s mansion. It was located down an alleyway, a short distance from the main commercial street.

The area around the inn was quite tranquil. Nearby, there was also a small plaza with a miniature forest, which seemed perfect for a stroll when one felt stifled.

While a fair number of people, appearing to be mercenaries or merchants, were present at the inn, the actual number of guests staying there didn’t seem particularly high.

Hay had chosen this secluded location simply because he wished to avoid the inns teeming with mercenaries he had just worked with, which were typically found near the guild. He decided to stay there.

“A room with two beds, please,” Hay requested.

“How many nights?” the innkeeper grunted.

“Just one for now.”

‘If I don’t like it, I’ll just go somewhere else,’ Hay thought.

“Two silver,” the innkeeper, whose face was as menacing as a bandit’s, stated gruffly. Renki, seemingly intimidated by the innkeeper, subtly hid behind Hay.

“I’d like to bathe, so two baths, please,” Hay added.

“Fifty copper for two. But someone’s using the bathhouse right now, so it’ll take a while,” the innkeeper replied.

“How long will that be?” Hay asked.

“About two turns of this hourglass, I reckon,” the innkeeper said, pointing to an hourglass on the counter. Each turn of the hourglass lasted approximately an hour.

“Please call me when it’s ready,” Hay instructed.

“Room number four, second floor,” the innkeeper said, curtly handing Hay a worn key.

Taking the key, Hay and Renki ascended to their room. It featured only a minuscule window, no larger than a human face.

With such poor ventilation, the room naturally reeked of stale dust and what seemed like mildew.

In the past, Hay might have tolerated such conditions due to the low price, but now, the dark, enclosed space felt suffocatingly oppressive. Meanwhile, Renki had already stepped into the dimly lit room, attempting to light a candle on the candlestick.

“Renki, wait,” Hay commanded.

“Yes?” Renki responded, pausing.

“We need to change rooms,” Hay declared.

With that, Hay returned to the innkeeper.

“Could you change us to a room with a larger window?” Hay asked.

“Don’t you like the room?” the innkeeper grumbled.

“It feels too cramped. Do you have any other rooms available?” Hay explained.

“The only rooms with big windows are on the third floor. But it’ll be drafty and cold at night,” the innkeeper warned.

“Then just provide an extra blanket for each of us,” Hay suggested.

“Alright. That’ll be an additional one hundred copper,” the innkeeper conceded.

Hay handed over an additional silver coin and exchanged his key.

“Room number two,” the innkeeper informed him.

Returning to the second floor, Hay collected Renki, who had been patiently waiting, and together they proceeded to room number two on the third floor.

Though the room still carried a scent of dust, it was undeniably better than the one on the second floor. It boasted a larger window and even a table.

Upon opening the wooden window, the outdoor scenery immediately came into vivid view. The soft glow of the setting sun was appealing, as it meant he wouldn’t have to worry about blinding sunlight in the mornings.

As warned, the room was indeed drafty, with visible gaps around the window frame. ‘No matter,’ Hay thought. ‘It’s not winter.’

“Ah, this is much better,” Hay sighed in relief.

An open space was far preferable to a stifling one.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the window that was larger; the room itself was considerably more spacious. The room on the second floor had beds almost touching and offered little free space, whereas this one even had a table by the window.

Hay, feeling satisfied, leaned his staff against the bed and removed his cloak. Renki, meanwhile, began unpacking and organizing their belongings.

“You can leave it for later, you know. Aren’t you tired?” Hay asked.

“I’m going to wash them. They smell,” Renki replied.

As Hay removed his shoes and sweat-soaked socks, exposing his bare feet to the air to dry, Renki gathered the laundry into his arms and stood up. It seemed he intended to wash them himself.

“Don’t wash them yourself. Just leave them with the inn,” Hay advised.

Entrusting laundry to the inn didn’t cost much. However, by paying only for water and having a s*ave do it, one could save half the laundry fee.

Hay suddenly recalled a mercenary who used “laundry harassment” to torment his foolish s*ave. It was the kind of perverse act favored by those who enjoyed mocking and humiliating slaves struggling with arduous labor. Even when not short on money, they would deliberately make slaves do laundry, then find fault, beat them, or force them to rewash items—a transparent method of torment. The scene reminded him somewhat of historical dramas where palace maids, at the behest of their concubine, would bully a maid favored by the king, which struck him as mildly amusing.

“Here’s the laundry fee,” Hay said, pressing a few coins into Renki’s hand. Renki bowed respectfully and scurried out of the room.

Listening until Renki’s footsteps faded into the distance, Hay pulled out his coin purse and emptied its contents onto the bed. Despite being only palm-sized, the sheer volume of coins spilling out was astonishing. This was because the purse was enchanted with spatial expansion magic. It could effortlessly hold up to 50 kilograms of any item. Everything within it constituted Hay’s entire fortune.

He was suddenly reminded of the wealth he had accumulated in his previous life, which he had never had the chance to spend due to his untimely death. He had lived in a cramped, cheap studio apartment, saving a considerable sum by not spending money.

‘What a waste,’ he thought.

‘But what’s the use of dwelling on it? It’s a past life, a bygone matter.’

“Let’s see…”

Copper coins certainly outnumbered gold and silver coins by far.

Hay first separated the coins by color, then counted them out in stacks of ten. He then emptied the coin purse he had received today and added its contents to the pile.

The employment fee he had received this time was 22 gold. The money earned from treating the wounded totaled 12 gold and 30 silver, while his share from the monster carcass distribution was 6 gold and 77 silver. This amounted to a total of 41 gold and 7 silver. Adding his original funds, which were just over 23 gold, his grand total came to 64 gold and 29 silver. Considering current prices, this would be roughly 64.29 million Korean Won.

“It’s a considerable sum, but…”

Hay toyed with a gold coin, barely a few grams in weight, and tilted his head in confusion.

“Why does it feel like I don’t have enough money?”

During his journey, he hadn’t had occasion to spend money, and before that, he had only spent it while living in Mejitun. It was strange.

Of course, he had spent a lot. He had stayed in Mejitun for three months, after all. Moreover, Mejitun was a more prosperous city than Nudan, where a small room with a single bed cost two silver per day. While cheaper than accommodation in Korea, it was by no means inexpensive here. Having stayed for three months, accommodation alone amounted to approximately two gold, and their combined living expenses, including Renki’s, exceeded five gold. The cost of purchasing Renki alone was two gold. Altogether, he had spent nearly ten gold.

“And what else did I spend it on?”

Hay’s gaze drifted, landing on the Spiritwood Staff propped beside his bed.

“Ah!”

‘That staff also cost ten gold,’ he realized. ‘No wonder I’m short on money.’

So, what should he do with this money going forward? This was all he possessed.

With no home of his own, it was woefully insufficient for retirement. Furthermore, with a child to care for, he needed to earn more.

Hay swept the coins back into his purse, falling deep into thought.

In truth, he had lived without much thought until now, simply drifting along like a river or a cloud. Most Spirit Users lived that way. Even ‘that old geezer’ had been a homeless wanderer, having left his hometown. However, just because he had lived that way until now didn’t mean he could continue to live so thoughtlessly.

His past self, ‘Hay Styles,’ hadn’t been intelligent. He only knew basic arithmetic—addition and subtraction—and couldn’t even read. To put it bluntly, he was truly ignorant. His intellectual capacity was incomparably lower than that of ‘Han Tae-hyun,’ who, despite working for a “black company,” had graduated from university and experienced corporate life. Indeed, considering that barely any of the mercenaries he had worked with could read, the illiteracy rate of this era spoke volumes.

Most people didn’t seriously consider their future, living day to day like mayflies, earning just enough to survive. The concept of planning for retirement simply didn’t exist for them.

‘Remembering my past life is a stroke of luck for me,’ he mused.

What Hay was about to embark on was a plan he had never even conceived of before: designing a leisurely retirement. Future planning. It was something every modern person on Earth did, but something the people of this world rarely did.

“Should I cultivate my abilities?” he wondered.

Spirit Arts, for Hay, were both a means of self-protection and a way to earn a living. Although he had consistently trained to develop his spirit power for over fifteen years as a Spirit User, his skill level had rarely advanced beyond the lowest tier. Perhaps this was due to his lack of enthusiasm for training, as he had approached it with an attitude of ‘if my spirit power increases, it increases; if not, so be it.’

But now, having recalled his past life, things were different. To survive in this backward era, such mediocre skills were insufficient. While he didn’t aspire to be a top-tier Spirit User, he needed to at least reach an intermediate level of power to avoid being underestimated. If he achieved that, his mercenary rank would also rise, and with a higher rank, his value would increase, making it much easier to earn money.

“Should I really save up money and buy some farmland in a suitable location?”

Hay crossed his arms and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Purchasing a suitable plot of land, cultivating fields, and living a self-sufficient life didn’t sound bad. Farming was no easy task, but having contracted with Kelpie and Thea, they would undoubtedly be a great help in his agricultural endeavors.

“What are you thinking so deeply about, Master?” Renki asked as he entered. Hay shrugged.

“I’m contemplating how to live my life from now on.”

“Oh, you mentioned wanting to retire, didn’t you, Master?” Renki recalled.

“Not immediately, but I need to save more money. What about the laundry? Did you drop it off?” Hay inquired.

“Yes. Oh, and they said the bathwater would take a bit longer to prepare. They suggested going to the public bathhouse near the grand plaza. What do you think?” Renki offered.

“No, I don’t want to go there,” Hay refused firmly.

Renki’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression.

“Is it because of the cost, Master? Public bathhouses can be quite expensive, I suppose.”

“It’s not that,” Hay clarified.

Few people disliked public bathhouses here. For the inhabitants of this world, they were akin to amusement parks. Beyond just enjoying a bath, these establishments boasted a variety of facilities, from herbal massages and simple sports to even legal gambling dens. While it might be entertaining to visit, the problem lay in the poor water quality. Hay knew that public bathhouses in medieval Earth had flourished and then collapsed precisely because they became breeding grounds for various sexually transmitted and infectious diseases. He had no desire to contract an illness unnecessarily. Nor did he relish the thought of rubbing shoulders, naked, with strangers.

“Shall we go buy some clean clothes before bathing?” Hay suggested.