Morning dawned, and Woon and Eric headed out of the inn, making a direct line for the blacksmith shop to pick up the sword Woon had requested. As they walked, Eric turned to Woon, a curious expression on his face.
"Woon, I think you mentioned something to me last night..." Eric began, scratching his head.
"I just can't remember what it was. I think you said something secret?" Eric pressed, trying to recall.
"Secret?....." Woon's heart skipped a beat. 'Did I blurt out that I'm from another world?'
"What secret? I genuinely don't know what you're talking about," Woon said, putting on his best innocent face. 'I'll play dumb for now.'
"Hmm, you're definitely hiding something... Ah, well, who cares, hahaha!" Eric laughed, waving a dismissive hand.
'It's a good thing this guy is so carefree, he won't pry,' Woon thought with relief. "Maybe you were just so drunk last night that you were hallucinating or something?"
"Well, maybe you're right, hahaha! Let's just go to the old man's shop!" Eric chuckled, accepting the easy explanation.
Woon and Eric continued their walk, soon arriving at the blacksmith shop. Upon entering, they saw the owner, a gruff-looking man, standing by a counter laden with Woon's newly forged sword, his custom gauntlets, and several other metallic items.
"Old man, how are you doing today!" Eric greeted boisterously.
"I've told you countless times not to call me an old man! I'm still in my mid-twenties, you brat!" the owner retorted, glaring at Eric.
"Good morning, Sir Ron!" Woon said politely, having learned his lesson from the previous day's encounter.
"I told you to drop that 'Sir' bull crap, Woon!" Ron grumbled, though a faint smile touched his lips.
"By the way, this is your sword and gauntlets you requested! And as a bonus, I added some things there for free!" Ron announced proudly.
"Ohh, a leather armor piece and some metal boots?" Woon asked, picking up a sturdy-looking piece. 'What exactly is this called?'
"Hahaha, it's not just 'metal boots'! That's a solleret, greaves, and poleyn! They form part of a full leg armor. Although it may feel heavy for you now, you'll get used to it!" Ron explained with a theatrical sigh.
"Oh, so that's what they're called!" Woon murmured, examining the craftsmanship. 'This will definitely slow me down, but I can't possibly decline since he's already made them for me!'
"Thank you very much, Sir!" Woon said earnestly.
"It's alright, since you're Eric's friend. But listen closely, don't you dare call me 'sir' again! The next time that word leaves your mouth, I will personally drag you outside and bury you alive!" Ron warned, his voice dangerously low.
"Yes....SI... Ron!" Woon stammered, catching himself just in time. 'Why does he hate being called 'sir' so much? Isn't it a sign of respect here?'
"Old man, we'll be going now!" Eric sang out, completely unfazed by Ron's threats.
"Go now! I don't want to see your obnoxious face any longer, I might lose my temper and actually kill you!" Ron scoffed, watching them leave. 'Eric, you're so lively now. You used to be such a quiet, melancholic boy, but now you're full of life. It's good to see.' Ron thought, a hidden warmth in his expression.
Woon and Eric exited the shop, Woon feeling a sense of satisfaction with his newly acquired gear. They then headed straight to the Mercenary Guild, where Woon intended to register himself as a mercenary.
"Woon, here we are! The good ol' Mercenary Guild!" Eric announced dramatically, gesturing to the imposing, albeit slightly weathered, building.
'What an introduction for this old building,' Woon thought, unimpressed. "Okay, I guess. Let's just go in."
Woon and Eric stepped inside the guild hall, and immediately, a multitude of curious stares turned their way.
'Shit, why are they all staring at us?' Woon thought, feeling self-conscious. "Hey, dude, why are they staring at us?"
"Oh, I'm just that famous and handsome that they always look at me, just like what happened at our first meet!" Eric boasted, striking a pose.
'This guy, he's completely delusional!' Woon thought, rolling his eyes. "Hey, don't joke around!"
"Nah, I'm just some 'important' figure in this city, you know?" Eric insisted, winking.
"Important my ass! I think you're more like some local thug or something!" Woon scoffed.
Woon and Eric stopped at the front counter, where a young woman, seemingly an employee, looked up at them.
"Hey, Rochel, can you do me a favor?" Eric asked, leaning on the counter.
"What is it this time, Eric?" Rochel replied, a hint of weariness in her voice.
"You know, register this dude to be a mercenary!" Eric said, nudging Woon forward.
"Okay, let me meet him first!" Rochel agreed, looking at Woon with a professional smile.
"Thanks," Eric said to her.
"Hi, I'm Woon!" Woon introduced himself.
"Alright, fill up this application form," Rochel instructed, sliding a parchment across the counter.
"Okay!.." Woon took the form. 'What is this? Name, date of birth, and other personal information. Well, I'll just fill this up as best I can!'
"Here, I finished it!" Woon handed the filled-out form back to Rochel.
"So your name is Woon, and you were born on April 20, 1985... and blah blah blah, this doesn't really matter. But you don't have a last name?" Rochel asked, her brow furrowed slightly.
'Hey, Woon, I thought you lost your memories! How did you know your birthday?!' Eric whispered, startled.
'I just made it up on the spot!' Woon whispered back, shrugging.
"Hey, are you just going to ignore me here? I'm asking, did you forget to write it down or what?" Rochel asked, her patience thinning, tapping her pen on the counter.
'Hey, I can't just say I forgot my name! What should I do?' Woon thought, starting to panic internally.
'Don't worry, I'll handle this!' Eric whispered, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Heyyy, you two! Stop whispering with each other! I have other things to do, you know!" Rochel snapped, clearly annoyed.
"You said it was unnecessary! Pffttt!" Eric snickered, winking at Woon. 'She's so fun to tease, right, hahaha!'
'Hey, keep it serious! She looks like she wants to kill us!' Woon whispered urgently, nudging Eric.
'Okay, okay, okay,' Eric relented, suppressing his laughter.
"Just write down there, umm, Gyeom Ryu-woon!" Eric told Rochel, deciding on the spot.
"Eastern name? Well, he does look like he's from the East!" Rochel mused, writing down the name. 'This guy, Eric, he used to be such a sad and lonely boy, but he's changed so much in a matter of days.'
'Dude, did you just completely make up my name?!' Woon whispered to Eric.
'No, no, it has meaning behind it! Trust me!' Eric replied, a knowing smile.
'Really?' Woon thought, still skeptical.
"Alright, let's just keep going! We'll take a request for monster subjugation, at least Tier 3!" Eric announced to Rochel, ignoring Woon's questions.
"Hey, are you crazy?! You have a newbie with you, and you'll take a Tier 3 task?" Rochel exclaimed, genuinely shocked and concerned. 'This guy, just what is he planning?!'
'Hey, Eric, what's that Tier 3 stuff?' Woon whispered, his anxiety rising.
'Ah, it's just the difficulty of the request we'll be doing. Usually, newbies would take Tier 1 tasks like planting and harvesting some weed stuff, but those are for babies!' Eric explained quietly.
'There are a total of 10 tiers, ranging from 1 to 10, obviously!'
'Tier 1 is like housework, farming, finding lost items, and stuff. Tier 2 is where it starts getting interesting—it's like monster subjugation but for lesser monsters, like some goblins, king hornets, and other weak-ass monsters. And Tier 3 is where we'll stop this conversation; you'll eventually know more when we get there!' Eric quickly briefed him, cutting off before Rochel could hear.
"Hey, spit it out! I don't want to get in trouble with you two!" Rochel demanded, tapping her pen impatiently.
"Come on, Rochel, really, it's not that hard! I can even do it while sleeping!" Eric boasted, flashing her a charming grin.
"We'll go by tomorrow morning, Woon, so get ready!" Eric told Woon, ignoring Rochel's exasperation.
"Haysst, just what can I do with you!" Woon sighed in resignation, knowing he was along for the ride.
"Hahaha!" Eric laughed, enjoying Woon's helplessness.
Woon and Eric exited the guild and headed straight back to the inn to rest and prepare for tomorrow's departure.