Chapter Twenty Four: This is the life i wanted

I think I’ve gotten a little stronger than before. One reason is that I’m no longer terrified of monsters. But that’s mainly because of my healing ability. If I can just heal anytime, then it doesn’t matter how much I get injured. All I need is a little determination.
It can’t be that I was sent to this world just to live alone and fight monsters all by myself, right? Something has to be waiting for me.
I’ve decided—I’ll go back to town and see if, by some miracle, I can meet Leila. I have to apologize to her. Besides, I’ve run out of food supplies after a week. I definitely can’t stay here any longer. I need energy if I’m going to keep fighting monsters.
But maybe I’ve grown greedy. Even though I was running for my life, I still made time to pick up the items I stashed in the bush after defeating the early monsters—the spider and the gazelle. The bush was just out of the Winged Freezer’s attack range, so it only took minor damage. Some leaves were burnt, but the stash was safe.
Its attack had swept through an area twenty meters wide and stretched over a kilometer long. For the first time, I could see so clearly into the depths of the forest.
The ground where the blast had passed was utterly dead. Every tree was cleared away, leaving not even a trace. A crater sixty centimeters deep scarred the earth, running in a jagged path deep into the woods.
I wonder if I’ll gain such devastating power after defeating the Winged Freezer. Every opponent I’ve faced until now attacked me physically. None of them used magic. That means weaker monsters rely only on their bodies. But considering my last opponent was the kangaroo, isn’t it too much of a leap in levels for me to suddenly face the Winged Freezer? Shouldn’t there be something just a bit stronger than a kangaroo first, rather than a monster so far beyond?
On the ground before me lay the items I’d brought together. I had tied them neatly with rope I’d made myself. Collecting them in that situation had been easy. I wrapped the stones in giant leaves, bound them tight, and bundled them together. Fourteen pairs of horns, fourteen gazelle stones, and piles of spider stones. I felt like a traveling merchant.
“Now then…”
I picked everything up and began the slow walk back to my room.
The sun was still high. Killing spiders and gazelles had become ridiculously easy for me. Only the kangaroos still gave me a little trouble—but since I’d already absorbed their stones and gloves, I held the advantage. My own ability plus theirs combined had to be stronger than theirs alone.
“Lalala~ Lalala~” I hummed cheerfully as I returned to my room.
It was only around 3 p.m. When I arrived, I quickly stashed the items under my bag. Since I needed a free hand to climb the ladder, I split the loot into two piles, carrying half up first, then climbing down for the rest.
“Since I’m going to town, I should at least take a bath,” I muttered, glancing at my clothes.
“Hmm…?”
They were in tatters. The black clothes Leila had given me were shredded with holes everywhere.
“Hahaha!! That’s what you get for fighting monsters without proper gear.” But then the realization hit me. “No—wait!! What do I do!? I can’t go to town looking like this!!”
Still, I grabbed a bucket and went down the ladder to my bathroom. I only bathe there—when I need to relieve myself, I use the woods.
The bathroom was really the cave I’d claimed for myself. At first it was unwelcoming, constantly flooding with rainwater whenever it stormed. But I had turned it into my own bathhouse.
It’s been raining almost every day now, always in the middle of the night. Because of that, I only had to wake up once yesterday to refill my buckets. Now I had more than enough water, so it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in a bath—or even two.
I used tree leaves from the woods as soap. They foamed a little when rinsed with water, so I thought, “What the hell!” and made proper soap out of them.
First, I ground the leaves with a stone until they became soggy. Then I molded them into bars and left them to dry. Once hardened, they produced foam with just a little water.
I decided to live as civilized a life as possible out here. I even marked the bucket I always brought to the bath so I wouldn’t end up dragging all my buckets down at once.
“Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.” The sun bounced off my skin after I emerged from my bath.
“Wow… I’m shining like a diamond…” My body wasn’t as smooth or radiant as it got after taking a beating and healing, but it was refreshing nonetheless. That kind of glow always felt like being reborn.
The only problem was my clothes. No matter how clean I was, people would think I was crazy if they saw me in these rags.
Just to be safe, I took a few dropped with me. Maybe I could find someone willing to trade clothes for them.
“Lalala~ Lalala~” For some reason, my spirits were high. Something about today felt promising.
After a while, I reached the Rock. On my way, I passed many farmers tending their fields. Much of the land here was cultivated. I wondered what kind of crops they grew. Grains, perhaps?
I sat with my back against the rock, this time facing the city instead of my home.
“Hmm…?” My eyes caught sight of a new building being constructed on the outskirts. The nearest house was a single-story place fenced with wood. A little behind it, the new house was rising.
It was fascinating to watch. Logs of wood floated in the air as two men wielded their wands, guiding the timbers into place with precision.
I hadn’t known wands existed in this world. I thought they only existed in fairy tales. Since everyone here used magic freely, I assumed they had no need for such tools. But clearly, I was wrong.
In just ten minutes, the house was complete. Everything was wood except for the roof. Of course, they didn’t have aluminum here, but a shirtless man carried sheets of metal that looked like zinc to the site. With magic, they lifted the sheets into place while nails flew up from the ground, hammering themselves in.
Magic was so efficient. If I could use it back in my world, I’d take every construction contract and finish them all alone.
I imagined myself wielding a wand, conjuring a skyscraper.
It would be incredible… “KYAA!!” A scream tore me from my daydream.
Two girls walked toward me from the direction of the rock. They screamed while still a hundred meters away. They looked older than me, so I thought maybe their fear wasn’t directed at me. But they didn’t move until I stepped back. When I did, they hurried away as if nothing happened. Their levels must have been low.
That became a pattern. More children appeared, playing behind the town near the burnt ground from the old woman’s attack. Even though it had rained since then, the earth remained barren, weeds refusing to grow.
I moved over two hundred meters from the rock just to keep from scaring them.
How strange. To be so close to the town, yet unable to enter it. Is this what my life would be like forever?
“I hope I lose this aura soon. I hope I lose it now. I hope something—anything—changes when it happens.”
As I spoke those words, an unexpected gust of wind swept across me. I had been lying flat on the ground, watching the clouds, when it struck. The blast was so strong it carried me several meters before dropping me again.
“What the hell was that? Where did it come from?”
The children were unharmed. The farmers nearby hadn’t even noticed. Was it magic? Had I been attacked?
I scanned the area but found no one close. Too puzzled to make sense of it, I let it go, lying back down. Today had been exhausting enough.
To think I encountered the Winged Freezer again—what rotten luck.
With power like that, it was a miracle my gear had ever held up. All thanks to Leila, who had chosen the best equipment for me.
“Hmm…?” Somewhere along the line, I drifted off.
When I opened my eyes, night had already fallen.
“Yawn!!” That nap was exactly what I needed.
The lights of the town glimmered. Houses glowed warmly, alive with activity.
I had dozed farther from the rock, moving earlier to avoid the children.
In this world of greed and cruelty, I might be the kindest man alive, I thought smugly. So considerate of others.
The thought inflated my ego. I returned to the rock, and as I stood there, a daring idea struck me.
“It’s nighttime… why don’t I try sneaking into town? They might sense me, but I’m faster now. If it goes wrong, I’ll just run.”
“Alright!! Decision made. I’m going in!”
I crept toward the town. My stealth had improved immensely; I slipped close to the houses without triggering a single alarm.
Minutes later, I was inside the streets.
The streets blazed with light, cleaner and more beautiful than I had imagined. Lanterns hung on every house—at least one per home, many with more. Colored ropes draped across walls, adding festive charm.
“Wow… I can’t believe I’m really seeing this…” My mouth hung open. Everything captivated me.
“Dad, I want a new sword!!”
My heart thundered.
Bad-ump. Bad-ump.
A child’s voice approached from behind. No way!! Now I’ll have to run again!!
I froze. My only thought was: Please don’t scream…
But something was strange. The boy was already right beside me.
Holding his father’s hand and waving a toy sword, he passed me casually—making direct eye contact as he did.
“What…?” I was stunned beyond words. My heart nearly burst from shock.
Had the townsfolk grown so strong they couldn’t sense my aura?
No—that wasn’t it. The streets were wide, about twenty meters across, with houses lining either side. I had seen people through the windows as I walked.
If they hadn’t grown stronger, then… could it be? Could it be that what I hoped for had finally happened?
My aura was gone.
“YEEESSSSS!!!” I clenched my fists tight, holding in the shout that nearly tore free. “Finally… Finally, I’m free!!”
I forced myself to stay calm, but inside, my chest burned with wild joy. My aura had vanished. That was the only explanation for why the boy walked past me without fear, without hesitation.
I could finally live like a normal person again.
“Alright, calm down… Don’t get ahead of yourself…” I whispered, taking slow breaths as I walked deeper into the streets.
People bustled around me—traders, children, adventurers. Nobody avoided me, nobody screamed, nobody even looked at me twice. For the first time in this world, I was invisible in the best way possible.
“I can finally… blend in…” I muttered.
“I always thought it was strange how a lot of things happened just because I hoped they would,” I muttered under my breath.
When I first arrived in this world and was forced to stay in the mountains, there had been nothing edible. No plants, no animals. I had nearly given up hope—until rabbits appeared, almost as if in answer to my desperate wish.
It kept happening after that. Again with those roosters. Time and time again, whenever I hoped for something, reality bent to my will. Strange, yes—but I forced myself not to think too deeply about it.
But if my aura really disappeared simply because I hoped for it…
“Unhu! Unhu!”
Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks. My body shook as I broke down crying in the middle of the street.
“Hey! What have you been doing there all this time!?” a fat female dwarf shouted from a nearby window.
Woah…!! So dwarves have women too!? She was short, sturdy, and bulky—but strangely, she didn’t have a beard like the male dwarves I’d seen.
“What are you staring at!? I’ll turn you into a tomato with this hammer!!” she snarled, hefting a massive hammer in her right hand.
The weapon was ridiculous—the hammerhead was twice the size of her head, and from the looks of it, the entire weapon was taller than she was.
“Pfft!!” I couldn’t hold it back—a laugh slipped from my lips.
“What are you laughing at!? Just wait there, I’ll smash you into a pie!!” she roared, retreating from the window.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I bolted down the street before she could come out swinging.
“Leila…!! Leila!! I have to find Leila!”
My feet carried me through the town until I was sure I had escaped. But reality hit me quickly: I wanted to see her, yet I didn’t know where to look. For over an hour I wandered aimlessly, weaving through streets, alleys, and endless rows of houses. The town was far larger than I’d ever imagined. From the rock where I usually watched, it had seemed small and compact—but inside, the streets twisted endlessly.
And the houses… they were far more beautiful than I expected, even though most belonged to small-time adventurers.
I wanted to ask around, but every face that passed made me nervous. My throat closed, and fear gnawed at me.
“I… I give up.”
Then I spotted a group of adventurers sitting on wooden boxes. Something in me pushed forward. Maybe—just maybe—they’d know.
I shuffled closer, my lips trembling. “U—Ummmmm…”
They all turned to me, expectant. My chest tightened. One of them was missing an arm. Another bore a gruesome scar across his face. A third was blind, his eyes clouded. The remaining two seemed normal, though their expressions carried the same weariness.
“What is it, can’t you talk?” the biggest of them asked, shirtless and intimidating.
Was it normal for adventurers to stroll around half-naked like that!?
“S-s-sorry for d-d-distur-bing you!!” I shouted far louder than intended.
They gave me strange looks—probably thinking this guy’s crazy.
I forced myself to continue. “D-do you kn-know of a g-girl naaamed Leila!!?”
At once, their gazes shifted. One of them asked carefully, “So… you’re one of us? Just wait a bit, Leila will be out here soon…”
“Is that true!!?” I nearly shouted, cutting him off.
“Y-yeah. You must be hungry, right? Leila takes care of us too…” the dwarf among them explained.
They pointed out the diner behind me, a large, lively place filled with well-dressed customers. “She works there. Brings us food whenever she gets a break.”
I listened as they explained how they’d once been strong adventurers but lost comrades in battle. Now broken, they had given up fighting, reduced to taking on petty tasks. Leila was their lifeline—her kindness the only warmth they had left.
Part of me wanted to call them cowards… but I swallowed it. I knew too well how despairing those monsters were.
Just then, the diner’s door creaked open—Clink, clink.
A slim figure stepped out, balancing a tray of food piled high. Not scraps. Not leftovers. She’d clearly fixed them up with care.
“Whoa… our savior!!” the men cheered, standing up.
“Sorry for the wait…” That voice—gentle and familiar—was undeniably hers.
Leila.
She walked past me, her eyes grazing over me briefly before flicking away as if I weren’t there. My heart sank.
I had made this girl cry once. And now she wouldn’t even acknowledge me.
“Hey… Leila?”
“Huh?” she answered absently.
“Huh? Is it too dark for her to see me…?”
“I’m sorry I said mean things to you back then…” My voice cracked, my guilt too heavy to hold.
She only muttered, “…Oh…” her face unreadable.
My chest tightened. Is she that mad at me?
“Y-you don’t recognize me?” I whispered.
“Ah, sorry. Do I know you?”
HUH!?!?!
“Leila, you can’t be that mad!! I said I’m sorry!! Please, forgive me!” I grabbed her shoulders, rocking her slightly.
“Wh-what are you doing!?” she cried.
A sudden, brutal strike hit the back of my neck. I staggered, but didn’t fall unconscious.
“Why did you do that!? Hey—are you okay?” Leila bent down, lifting my head into her hands. Her eyes widened in shock.
“It’s… you…?”
Then she instantly dropped me. “Kyaaa!! Why are you here!?”
The adventurers jumped forward protectively, but Leila stopped them. “It’s fine, I was just surprised.”
She stared at me, bewildered. “Is it possible…? What about your aura…”
So she did remember me.
I crawled forward and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Leila!! I missed you so much!!” Tears streamed down my face.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re touching!?” one adventurer barked.
Oh right. My head was basically pressed against her stomach.
“Let go, I said!” Leila shouted. A gust of wind burst forth, blasting me away.
That was definitely magic.
Before I could get back up, the diner door creaked again. A towering woman in an apron leaned out. “Hurry up and get back to work! You know the owner only lets you feed them because it benefits him!”
“Yes!” Leila hurried back inside without sparing me another glance.
“…Leila…”
“You’ve got some nerve…”
Three of the adventurers cracked their knuckles, advancing on me.
“Huh? W-what did I do!?” I stammered from my knees.
“How dare you touch our beloved Leila like that!”
“No! You’re mistaken! Me and her—we’re close friends!”
“Oh? Then I guess it’s fine.”
They turned back.
“You fools!!” the others yelled.
Too late. Their meal was gone—finished off by the dwarf and the blind man.
After a while, the adventurers packed their things and left, abandoning the empty tray on top of a box.
“Phew!!” I exhaled. “What crazy people…”
Once I was certain they were gone, I walked over and sat on the same boxes they’d been using earlier. My heart wouldn’t calm down. I waited, watching the diner with restless eyes.
Minutes turned into hours. Customers streamed out—dwarves, beastfolk, humans, even elves. Apparently, the diner welcomed all races.
At one point, my jaw dropped. The two elven lovers I’d once caught doing the deed in the bushes strolled out, hand in hand, smiling as if they owned the world. Seriously!? They can afford to eat here, but couldn’t rent a motel for their business!? Do they maybe have some kind of fetish for outdoor… ugh. Not that I care.
Eventually, when the crowds thinned and the night grew quieter, the diner door opened again.
Leila stepped out.
She lingered by the door, closing it carefully behind her. The glow of the lanterns lit her face clearly. My chest tightened at the sight of her expression—distant, unreadable, but undeniably troubled.
“Follow me,” she said simply, her voice low.
Without another word, she walked away from the diner.
I trailed behind, nerves eating me alive. “Why… why is she leading me away from there?”
She ignored me, never once glancing back. Her footsteps echoed against the stone until we turned into a narrow, shadowed alley.
At last, she stopped and spun to face me.
“If you are who you claim to be… then show me proof!”
“Huh? What kind of proof do you want? You can see me clearly, right?”
“That doesn’t count,” she snapped. “You could have used magic for all I know. Well, it doesn’t matter…”
A soft light formed in her palm and shot toward me. “Expel!”
It washed over me, but I felt no change.
“…Hmm. I still don’t believe you.”
“What are you saying?” I pleaded. “I know I made you cry, but I only did it because—”
“Who are you saying you made cry!?” she cut me off sharply. “I’ll never cry because of a selfish person like you! And what about the one who wouldn’t shut up, crying ‘Leila, I’m so sorry! You’re the only precious person in my life~!’ over and over!?”
My face burned red. “W-what!? You were listening!?”
“I didn’t want to, you forced me to hear something so embarrassing!”
“Huh!? But I thought you were gone by then—”
“Of course not. I made myself invisible with magic.” She crossed her arms, smirking faintly. “And it was worth it, hearing your true feelings.”
My eyes widened. “Then… then you’re not mad, right?”
“Are you crazy!?” she snapped. “Of course I am! I don’t even want to see your face right now—it pisses me off! If you really meant what you said about protecting me, then what are you doing here? And what about your aura!?”
“Well, about that…”
I explained everything—how my aura vanished unexpectedly before entering town, how I couldn’t understand why it happened. But when it came to why I returned despite saying we should stay apart, I had no answer.
She narrowed her eyes. “I see. You just want me to feed you, right? Well, I’m not going to!”
“Huh!? You’ve got it all wrong! I-I can survive a couple of days without food, you know! When I was stuck in the mountains, I went nearly a week without eating anything!”
“I don’t believe you. Just admit you’re hungry.”
“I told you I’m not!”
“Hmph! Then don’t expect me to give you any food.”
Why was she being so stubborn? Couldn’t she just believe me!?
Finally, I sighed. “…Fine. I am hungry.”
Her lips curved into a smug smile. “So you finally admit it. Guess I can share some of what I brought.”
She turned, stepping out of the alley. “Let’s go find somewhere you can eat… hmm? But where should we go?” She glanced back at me.
“Why are you asking me? I don’t know this town at all. How about an inn?”
The dim light made it hard to see her face clearly, but she paused before replying. “…An inn… is kinda expensive.”
Hearing that, I quickly showed her the stones I’d been carrying. Twelve in total: six spider stones and six gazelle stones. I hadn’t sold the kangaroo ones yet—I wanted to test the value first.
Her eyes widened. “Wow… I’m not even surprised anymore. These are from monsters level 15–20, and those gazelle stones are level 20–25.”
I mentioned the kangaroo stones too, and she nearly gasped. “That’s a level 30 monster! You beat it alone!?”
I puffed up my chest, maybe a little too proudly. “I’m not the man you once knew. I’ve been training in the nightmare forest a lot lately.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Huhu~ You’re insane. The first person I’ve ever heard of training in the nightmare forest. So you really can slip through the barrier like it’s nothing…”
We decided to head to a shop that stayed open late. The streets were still full of life even at midnight, lanterns glowing as we walked. Along the way, she told me how the barrier worked.
Apparently, a single person had erected it ten years ago. The magic dome covered the entire capital like a birdcage, blocking monsters but not demons. To sustain it, citizens donated their magic weekly at crystal orbs stationed across town—losing seventy percent of their strength for the entire day.
The man who created the barrier still lived in the capital, maintaining it endlessly. Without it, powerful monsters would pour in freely. Demons, however, weren’t bound by the same rules—they slipped in whenever ordered to, wreaking havoc in their missions. And when they did, it was always the people who suffered.
We finally reached the shop. Leila pushed open the door and gestured for me to stay silent.
The shopkeeper, an elf in gray robes with long ears and a calm smile, greeted us. His eyes flicked to my torn clothes. “You fought a demon, didn’t you?”
“These stones are genuine,” he said, inspecting them. “Rare these days. Found only in dungeons or the nightmare forest…”
Leila haggled fiercely. At first he offered one gold coin for all of them. Too cheap. She refused. After tense back-and-forth, she got him up to 270 silver—2.7 gold coins.
She wasn’t done. “And we’ll take the Gani mask too.”
“That will be 30 silver—”
“20,” she cut in, eyes gleaming.
The elf sighed. “…Fine.” He disappeared into a backroom and returned with a mask that shimmered, shifting colors in the light.
He also brought clothes. “These were meant for someone else, but he refused the color. I’ll let them go for 30 silvers.”
Leila gave them a quick look. “Hmm. Good material, but no magic. I’ll give you 1 silver.”
The elf nearly choked. “W-what!? At least 10—”
“5.”
“…Deal.”
In the end, after the purchases, we still had 235 silvers left.
Once outside, Leila handed me the clothes and fixed the mask onto my face. The moment it touched me, it melded seamlessly, invisible yet secure.
“There. With this, no one will recognize you. Unless someone uses magic, your identity is safe.”
I touched my face in awe. “So it changes my appearance? That’s genius!”
“Hmph. Don’t get too happy. I’m still mad at you for tossing me aside whenever you feel like it. Now, let’s find you an inn for the night.”
“Yes, ma’am!” I beamed, following her closely, my chest lighter than it had been in days.