As my tired little feet stepped onto the ground of the Kingdom of Noa, I was immediately greeted by a sight that... well, it was better than the mysterious blood-scented carriage, but still, my expectations fell like autumn leaves.
The main street was full of people.
The smell of sweat, horses, and who-knows-what else mixed into the city's natural perfume.
A long line to the gate, people arguing here and there, and the city guards...
Ah, the guards.
They stood proudly at the gate, wearing shiny armor—that, if you looked closely, seemed only shiny in the front. The back?
Holes. There were patches.
So professional.
I joined the line, of course, while silently complaining.
"Ah, this is... the dream of adventure in a foreign land. Standing in a long line while smelling other people's armpits. Truly magical."
When my turn came, one of the guards approached, eyeing me up and down as if appraising meat at a market.
"Identity?" he asked, lazily.
I handed over the Licensed Adventurer Knight certificate, hoping my new status would get me better treatment.
The guard skimmed through it, then raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, Adventurer Knight. Great. Great."
His tone sounded like someone just heard about a 2% discount at a supermarket.
After the official stamp was slapped on my letter (which looked like it had been used as a bottle cap), I was officially in Noa.
First priority: find a place to stay.
I walked deeper into the city, taking in the surroundings.
The market was busy.
Children were running around.
Vendors shouting out their goods.
A busker played a flute, the notes slightly off-key, but hey, good effort.
"Ah, this city... full of life," I thought, pretending to be amazed.
Though deep inside, I was just counting how many pickpockets were within a 10-meter radius.
It didn't take long before I spotted an old, wind-blown sign:
"Inn: Cheap Rooms, Free Breakfast, Doesn't Guarantee No Ghosts"
...Okay, fair enough.
I went in.
Inside, the receptionist was an old woman with messy hair as if she had just fought with a broom.
She looked at me like she wanted to ask, "Do you want to sleep, or do you want to sell your kidney?"
"One night's room," I said, placing a coin on the table.
She handed me a rusty key and pointed to the stairs.
"If you see a ghost, don't scream, okay? Don't disturb the other guests," she said.
Like encountering a ghost here was as normal as ordering the wrong menu.
I nodded with a sense of resignation.
"Got it, ma'am. If I see a ghost, I'll pretend to sleep while snoring."
***
The next morning, after sleeping on a mattress so thin it could be called wet tissue if it were any thinner, I headed to the Noa Adventurer Guild.
Why? Because I needed money.
Because living without money is like drinking saltwater when you're thirsty: it just makes things worse.
The guild... well, it looked more like a bar than an official office.
There was a half-rotten wooden table, a bulletin board filled with crumpled papers, and adventurers who smelled like alcohol, barely conscious.
With full enthusiasm (and minimal hope), I approached the mission board.
Mission A:"Kill the ancient dragon in the Western Mountains."
...Haha, funny. Want to die instantly?
Mission B:"Cleanse the monster nest underground, never conquered for 50 years."
Okay, want to die a bit slower?
Mission C:"Cleanse the old well in the outskirts village. Residents complain of a strange smell."
...
Strange smell?
STRANGE SMELL??
This has to be safer than killing a dragon, right? And maybe... maybe I just need to clean the well while wearing a mask, right?
Without thinking much (and without reading the fine print), I immediately took the paper.
The guild master—a half-bald man with a look of "I hate my life"—looked at me and nodded.
"Old well in the village? Good luck."
His tone was flat. Too flat. Like... someone who knew I probably wasn't coming back.
But hey, I've been on a blood-scented carriage pretending to sleep. I can pretend to not care about a well too, right?
The Journey to the Well
The journey to the village took just an hour of walking. Along the way, I was treated to beautiful green landscapes...
...and a row of crows perched on trees, staring at me like they were saying,
"Fresh meat here."
When I arrived at the village, the atmosphere changed immediately.
Quiet.
Still.
Even the wind seemed lazy to pass through.
The villagers stared at me from behind their windows—not with hope, but with expressions of,
"Ah, another victim."
I kept walking into the center of the village, pretending not to see the "may God have mercy on you" looks from everyone.
The well was in the town square. An old stone well, with a half-rotten wooden cover.
The smell?
It smelled like a mix of dead rats, a month-old sock, and sewer water. Lovely.
I sighed, lifted the well cover.
Dark.
Deep.
And... ...I'm pretty sure I heard something moving down there.
A faint sound.
Like whispers.
Like... moaning?
Normal?
Definitely not.
Care?
NOPE.
I quickly tossed a bucket of clean water into the well and shouted,
"CLEAN! IT'S BEEN CLEANED!"
The villagers peeking from afar just nodded quickly and closed their windows.
Mission complete?
Mission complete.
If something's hiding down there, whether it's a ghost, a monster, or an ex-boyfriend with a grudge, it's not my problem.
I was paid to clean the well, not to do exorcisms.
Casually (and with a strong desire to get out of there), I headed back to the guild, handed in my report, and got paid.
Mission complete.