Just like the Room of Beginnings, the Room of Return shook violently and unbearably.
Getting tossed around while you’re exhausted is absolute hell.
Soren had already gotten used to things like the pitch-black darkness of the dungeon or killing explorers who turned into raiders.
But no matter how many times he experienced it, he just couldn’t seem to get used to this damn room.
Thud!
As the Room of Return finally stopped shaking, Soren stood there on shaky legs, wearing a face like he’d just chewed on dung.
‘Damn it.’
His eyes, full of irritation, turned toward the door.
A soft light was leaking in through the crack.
“Have we arrived?”
“Yes. We’ve returned.”
As Moss promptly opened the door, the scenery outside had already changed into the corridor of the Dungeon Administration Office.
It was as if the past few days of sheer hell had been a lie.
The hallway looked exactly the same as it did when Soren had first arrived.
But the scream echoing from Soren’s worn-out body reminded him that everything he had just endured was, without a doubt, very real.
As Soren and Moss’s party stepped out of the room, the Karel party also exited the room next door.
The two groups briefly locked eyes, then silently went their separate ways.
The Karel party headed to the exchange counter to settle their earnings, while Soren and Moss’s party walked toward the main hall of the administration office.
“This is how explorers build connections with one another.”
“Ah, yeah…”
Soren gave a half-hearted reply as he rummaged through his bag.
A few random trinkets that might be worth something, a small gem he got from a hobgoblin, and a couple of coin pouches looted from fallen raiders.
He hadn’t found any real treasure, but all in all, it wasn’t a bad haul.
Just like Moss had said—considering no one had been willing to party with him before—Soren had finally built some rapport with other explorers.
“Kid. We’re planning to grab a drink. You in?”
“No, I’m good…”
Even though he was injured, Bork still looked full of energy as he extended the invitation.
But Soren didn’t feel like pushing himself that far.
They’d already broken the ice, so that was good enough for now.
Finding a party could wait.
He didn’t plan to head into the dungeon again right away anyway.
It’d be better to think through things more carefully.
‘I’m dead tired.’
He figured he’d rest at the inn for a day or two.
Honestly, Soren felt like he could pass out right there on the floor.
Moss’s party didn’t seem eager to head straight back into the dungeon either, so there’d be plenty of time to talk again later.
***
“Ah, Soren.”
Just as Soren was making his way through the bustling administration office, Moss caught him by the shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“If you’re free tomorrow, would you be willing to meet here at the administration office? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Tomorrow…”
Soren assessed his condition.
His feet ached like they were blistered.
His robe was filthy from rolling and running across stone floors.
The sour smell of sweat was starting to rise from his body.
There was no way a single day of rest would fix him up.
He’d pushed his magic to its limits—his body needed real recovery.
“Tomorrow’s a bit much. Let’s meet the day after.”
“Then how about noon the day after tomorrow? In the main hall, under the plaza clock?”
“Yeah, sure…”
“You look exhausted. Get some rest.”
Soren just nodded and walked out of the Dungeon Administration Office.
His steps were wobbly—he was completely drained.
The world was spinning in front of his eyes.
Even though he had slept nearly half a day after escaping from the Dream Ban Zone, it wasn’t enough to recover from a week of accumulated fatigue in the dungeon.
‘Room fee… I should probably pay that.’
As he stumbled through the unfamiliar city streets, still trying to get his bearings, his mind drifted into a fog.
The only real concern was the room fee.
The inn was a hellhole with constant noise every night, but in his current situation, it was the best option he had.
***
When he finally arrived at the inn, swaying weakly, the hairy innkeeper—whom he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever—glanced at him sideways.
As their eyes met, Soren instinctively scowled.
‘Damn it.’
From the very beginning of his dungeon journey, he’d found innkeepers hard to deal with.
He was almost afraid that this unlucky, hairy guy might suddenly grow long limbs and become a monster.
“Hey, kid. Still alive, huh?”
“…It’s Soren.”
“Huh?”
“My name’s Soren. Not ‘kid.’”
Maybe that’s why, but his irritation flared over something so minor.
Muttering under his breath, Soren tossed a handful of bronze coins onto the counter.
The innkeeper sniffed and started counting.
“Let’s see. A week?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“What now?”
The innkeeper’s hesitation only fueled Soren’s rising frustration.
If the guy tried to haggle over the room rate like last time, Soren might actually lose it and punch him straight in the nose.
“It’s not a bad thing, just… aren’t you an explorer?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then how about paying monthly instead? On the days you’re not here, you’d just pay half a bronze coin as a holding fee, and I’ll give you a small discount on the monthly rate.”
“So basically, you’re saying you want to charge rent.”
Soren raised an eyebrow.
He had assumed the guy was just trying to squeeze some coins out of him, but when he broke it down logically, that wasn’t exactly the case.
“Two and a half copper coins per day means seventy-five a month. If we convert that, it’s three silver and three copper.”
“Yes.”
“If you go to the dungeon weekly, I’ll knock off a day’s rent each time… Let’s just say I’ll take only two silver. That’s forty-five copper.”
“Why is it more expensive in copper?”
“Silver’s just cheaper. It holds its value better than copper.”
It was a shallow trick, sure—but the fact that Soren hadn’t brought any silver was his loss.
Without complaint, Soren accepted the refunded coins and handed over forty-five copper.
Just like that, all the money he’d taken from the raiders was gone.
“One month’s stay. Meals are three times a day, each with one drink. If you want more, pay for it yourself.”
The deal wasn’t bad.
Forty-five copper for a full month with meals and lodging meant the daily rate went from two and a half to just one and a half.
“So, you coming down for dinner?”
“Just send it to my room.”
Soren took the key, waved lazily, and headed upstairs.
This room was more tucked away than the one he had stayed in before.
Being in the farthest corner, at least he didn’t have to worry about noise from the right side.
***
After washing off the grime at the well behind the inn, sorting his gear, and finishing dinner, he went straight to bed.
‘Tomorrow, I need to settle the stuff I brought back from the dungeon… maybe read through that strategy guide too…?’
Before he could follow that train of thought any further, his eyelids gently shut.
The room fell deathly silent as Soren drifted into sleep.
Tap, tap.
At that moment, a crow flew in from somewhere and pecked at the window with its beak.
But Soren, deep in a sleep like he’d passed out, didn’t wake.
After a few more pecks and seeing no sign of movement, the crow eventually flew off.
Silence once again filled the room.
It was the night of his return from the dungeon.
***
“Ugh…”
Sunlight brushed against his eyes.
Through the tightly closed window came the faint noise of the city, and a breeze slipped through the frame.
Even half-asleep, Soren realized he’d slept like a log.
He opened the window slightly and peeked outside.
The sun floated high in the clear sky, almost at its peak.
Still, there was no need to rush.
Today’s plans were simple.
‘Go to the guild and settle those odds and ends… then buy some food, maybe.’
He still had ritual offerings in the bundle he’d brought from home.
Though they gradually vanished each time he entered a dungeon, he didn’t need to buy more just yet.
After stretching out his stiff body, Soren headed downstairs to the inn’s main hall.
He locked eyes with the furry innkeeper, who was tapping out the last drops from his beer mug.
“Hey, kid. Finally up? I thought you were dead.”
“Huh?”
“You slept for a whole day. But just so you know, you won’t be getting a refund for the missed meals.”
Soren’s mind went blank at those words.
He’d felt refreshed, thinking he had just overslept a little—but reality was worse than he imagined.
“A… a whole day?”
“Yeah. You came back the day before yesterday. You didn’t come out at all yesterday.”
Which meant… two days had passed since he returned from the dungeon.
Soren’s stiff neck made a creaking sound as he slowly turned his head, his brain finally starting to work again.
‘Then let’s meet the day after tomorrow at noon in the guild hall. We’ll use the plaza clock as the marker.’
He suddenly remembered making that promise with Moss on the day he got out of the dungeon.
From that day, “the day after tomorrow” would be today—if he really had slept through an entire day.
“Oh, crap…”
Soren dashed up the stairs.
The innkeeper yelled at him to stop stomping, but there was no time to care.
He grabbed the robe he had scrubbed clean and hung outside to dry, and quickly wiped off his staff with a cloth.
He dumped all the trinkets—set aside for valuation—back into his bag.
Feeling the weight of being broke again made him scowl.
Tap, tap.
Just as he was about to finish packing, Soren turned his head at the sound.
A crow was pecking at the window with its beak.
Soren furrowed his brow.
‘I think a crow came by the first night too…’
Crows were considered mystical creatures.
He tried to ignore it, but then remembered something his father once said.
It bothered him.
Scratching his head, Soren dug through his bag.
He pulled out a dried goblin ear.
“Here. Take this and scram.”
Caw!
The crow gave a harsh cry, then snatched up the goblin ear and flew off into the sky.
Soren stared blankly after it.
Unbelievable. Of all the rooms, it had found his like it was nothing, just to snatch a snack and leave.
‘So much for a sacred creature. Damn it.’
Still, he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
He hoisted his bag and clattered down the stairs.
“Hey, kid! I said don’t stomp on the damn stairs!”
The innkeeper, finally fed up, threw a ladle at him—but Soren dodged it smoothly and sprinted toward the guild.
There was no way he was going to lose the party he’d just barely connected with, not because he overslept.
***
The dungeon guild was always crowded.
‘Maybe it was because Soren only ever showed up around noon, but if mornings were any worse than this, it’d be chaos.’
‘Where are they?’
Panting, Soren scanned the hall.
He spotted a few familiar faces he’d seen in passing before, along with many new ones.
Either way, everyone had that same hardened, dangerous look.
Most of them were probably the kind of people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill if it came down to it.
“Whoa!”
“Eek!”
As he looked around and tried to move forward, someone suddenly blew into his ear.
Soren flinched and stumbled back.
Standing there was Loreia.
“Geez, you scared me!” he shouted.
“Just messing with you,” Loreia said with a grin.
Even in light clothes, she still wore a cloth over the lower half of her face—it was striking.
But Soren was used to it by now.
He just gave a casual nod.
“Anyway, I’m here. Where’s Moss?”
“Follow me.”
Loreia skipped ahead, her steps light and quiet, just like a cat.
Soren watched her for a second, then followed behind.