Chapter 7: Moonlight Inn

“Do you have a place to stay?” a middle-aged woman asked.

Looking closer, I realized… It was Lily’s mother.

“Uh…” I hesitated, but Lily quickly cut me off.

“He probably doesn’t, Mom. He just arrived in town today,” Lily explained.

“If you’d like, you can stay in one of our empty rooms. No charge,” Lily’s mother offered warmly.

“Remember, you don’t have any money,” Reimei whispered softly into my ear.

“In that case, I’ll be in your care,” I said, accepting the offer.

“Is it safe for them to head back home now?” I asked, glancing at the recently recovered patients.

“Yes, they can,” a calm voice replied. A silver-haired woman stepped forward.

“Doctor Eve,” Lily muttered.

“I’m glad everyone’s cured,” the doctor said with a gentle smile.

“Where have you been, Doctor?” Lily asked.

“I went to the neighboring town in search of dried Solaria leaves.

With those leaves, I could have made a diluted concoction, something to buy us a little more time,” she explained.

“I’m relieved to see everyone safe,” she added.

“Did you find what you needed?” Lily pressed.

Doctor Eve shook her head.

“No. There’s been an outbreak of taintment in the nearby town.

Most of the dried Solaria leaves were already used up.”

“Wait… How did you manage to find some Solaria leaves?” Doctor Eve asked, puzzled.

“We went into the Black Forest,” Reimei quickly answered.

“Just the two of you!? That place is far too dangerous,” Doctor Eve exclaimed.

“Raki and Janbo were with us,” Lily said, glancing at me and the spirit wolf by my side.

Doctor Eve’s sharp eyes lingered on us, as if silently gauging our strength.

“If it weren’t for Raki and Janbo, both of us would probably be dead,” Reimei admitted.

“What do you mean, Mei?” Doctor Eve asked, her tone tightening.

“We ran into a Tainted Giant… and a pair of Sword Ghouls,” Reimei answered.

The room fell utterly silent at those words.

“A Tainted Giant and Sword Ghouls? Then that young man and his spirit wolf must be far stronger than they look,” Doctor Eve said, studying me with newfound respect.

Lily and Reimei exchanged glances, hesitating as if weighing whether or not to reveal what they had discussed earlier with the Guildmaster.

“Either way, I’m simply grateful you two returned alive,” Doctor Eve said at last, pulling both girls into her arms.

“Thank you, Raki, and you too, Janbo, for protecting them and for bringing back the Solarian,” she added.

“Bau! Bau!” Janbo barked happily, his tail wagging.

“I’m just glad we could help,” I replied.

“Without those Solaria leaves, everyone here would’ve likely turned into undead,” Doctor Eve said gravely.

“It’s been nearly two weeks since they were wounded by undead adventurers who staggered back from the Black Forest,” she explained.

“Normally, it only takes a few days before the corruption turns someone into one of them.

But thanks to the doctor’s concoctions, the spread was slowed,” Lily added.

“Oh, Doctor! I still have a few more Solaria leaves,” Lily said, opening her pouch.

Doctor Eve’s eyes widened, practically glowing at the sight.

“Lily, are you certain? You could sell these for a small fortune,” she asked.

“Think of it as my payment, for keeping everyone alive,” Lily answered firmly.

“Besides, you’ll put it to better use than I ever could,” Lily added with a smile.

“And Doctor, could you prepare two concoctions that will last for a while?” she asked.

“Of course. They’ll be ready by tomorrow,” Doctor Eve assured her.

After thanking her, we said our farewells and made our way to the tavern owned by Lily’s family.

According to Lily, it was only a few blocks from the Guild, convenient if I was going to be staying in Elira for some time.

As we walked, I noticed how bright Lily and Reimei looked, their steps lighter now that they were surrounded by loved ones.

Our stroll through the town eventually ended as we stopped before a three-story building.

“We’re here! Welcome to the Moonlight Inn!” Lily announced cheerfully, her face glowing with pride.

It was already night, so I couldn’t take in the inn’s details clearly, but the soft glow of the twin moons above bathed it in a silvery, almost magical light.

The streets flickered with the glow of torches and oil lamps, reminding me once again that this was no longer my old world.

Back home, the difference between day and night was blurred by the constant glow of artificial lights.

In this world, the night felt quite different.

“Raki?” Reimei’s voice pulled me back.

She tapped my shoulder gently, tilting her head.

Everyone else had already gone inside.

“Sorry, I was just caught up, admiring your town,” I said.

“Is your world’s town so different from ours?” she asked curiously.

“Kinda,” I replied with a small smile.

Just then, a cool night breeze swept past us, tugging Reimei’s hair tie loose.

Her long hair fluttered freely in the wind, shimmering under the moonlight.

Her hair reminded me of the clear blue sky, while her eyes reflected the calm depth of the ocean.

Up close, I realized she looks stunning.

Then again, most of the people I’d met here so far would be considered strikingly beautiful by the standards of my old world, with a few exceptions.

“Mei, Raki, why are you two still outside? You’ll catch a cold,” Lily called out.

“Let’s go,” I said, stepping inside.

Reimei, looking a little flustered, followed right behind me.

“Mom’s already whipping up a delicious dinner,” Lily said as she busied herself cutting vegetables.

“It’ll be ready in a few minutes. For now, Mei, show Raki to his room.” She handed Reimei a key with a small tag dangling from it.

303. Just by the number, I figured it had to be on the third floor.

“Raki, come with me. I’ll take you there,” Reimei said.

“Got it,” I replied.

“Janbo,” I called my companion, who was still enjoying being petted by Reimei’s younger brother.

“Bau, bau!” Janbo barked happily before trotting to my side.

The inn felt larger than I’d first imagined.

By the size of the hallways, I guessed there were probably four rooms to a floor, each spaced generously.

The warm glow of the lamps lining the walls gave the place a cozy, nostalgic feeling.

“Careful, watch your step,” Reimei reminded me when she noticed me spacing out again.

A short walk upstairs later, we reached the third floor.

“This one’s yours,” Reimei said, opening a room near the stairs.

She lit the lamp inside, then handed me the key.

“If you need anything, just knock on the room across from you.

That’s mine.”

“Thanks,” I said, stepping inside with Janbo close behind.

The room was spotless, no dust, no cobwebs.

A neatly made bed took up most of the space, with a sturdy desk nearby and even a small personal bathroom tucked in the corner.

Pretty fancy, I thought, glancing around the room.

I wanted to take a bath, but there was one problem, I didn’t have a change of clothes.

One look at the holes in my shirt reminded me that I didn’t have money to buy new ones either.

Broke. No Completely broke.

Guess I’ll need to find some work tomorrow, at least enough to cover my basic needs.

Then I remembered the Divine Gacha.

I was almost certain there was a category for clothes and armor.

Maybe I could pull something decent. I mean, I’d already gotten a delicious food from it once.

Why not clothes?

I checked my current luck: 103.

Wait… wasn’t it just 100? Did I gain three luck? I thought back.

Right… one Tainted Giant and two Sword Ghouls down.

That must’ve been it.

I couldn’t help but smile a little.

Alright then.

Time to gacha.

I could afford three single pulls.

First, the Clothes/Armor category.

I tapped for one pull.

Result: Casual Clothes (N).

A shirt, shorts, underwear, and even a pair of flip-flops appeared.

“There goes my hard-earned luck,” I muttered wishing I could get usable armor/battle clothes.

But considering my situation, it wasn’t bad at all.

At least now I could finally take a bath and have clean clothes to change into.

That left two pulls.

I hesitated.

I didn’t want to eat into my 100 Luck reserve, something tells me that dropping below that number would bring misfortune.

Maybe I should try for a weapon instead.

A small pang of guilt hit me as I remembered destroying Reimei’s daggers earlier.

“Alright, let’s try a weapon pull,” I whispered, steeling myself.

Something cool and useful, please.

A ranged weapon would be nice.

A gun, a bow… hell, even a slingshot would do.

I closed my eyes and tapped the pull, Janbo watching me curiously, head tilted as if trying to figure out what I was up to.

Black Steel Katar [R].

Not bad.

At least it was a weapon I could actually use.

I checked its flavor text:

“A sharp katar forged from an unknown black steel that resists taintment.”

A small grin tugged at my lips.

Well, at least I can use this to parry those disgusting claws if I run into Sword Ghouls again.

One more pull.

“Janbo, should I go for a weapon or armor?” I asked softly, glancing at my companion.

“Bau bau,” Janbo barked, eyes drifting toward my shirt riddled with holes.

“…Yeah, I get it,” I sighed.

We could definitely use another set of clothes or armor.

Besides, I'd just need to use the free pull tomorrow on the weapon category anyway.

I tapped the Clothes/Armor option.

Lunar Armor Set [SR].

My eyes widened slightly. I quickly read the flavor text:

“An armor forged from ore that basked in moonlight for thousands of years.

Grants resistance to negative ailments.

Bestows the ability Lunar Reflection, converting magical projectiles into moonbeams that automatically fire back at the enemy.”

It sounded overpowered at first glance, but the details tempered the hype, five seconds of activation, one-minute cooldown.

Still, resistance to negative status effects was a huge deal.

That alone made it invaluable.

I was about to try equipping it when a knock came at the door.

“Raki, dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” Lily’s voice called.

“Thanks, I’ll be down shortly,” I answered.

“Don’t take too long, or the food won’t stay hot!” she reminded me before her footsteps retreated down the hall.

Guess I should take a quick bath before dinner, I thought, reaching for the empty pail.

My eyes drifted to Janbo, who was still covered in dirt and bloodstains from earlier.

“I think you deserve a bath first,” I said with a smile.

“Bau bau!” Janbo barked happily, tail wagging.