["Alas. To think you've proven that a ventilation system can fail to keep up with cigarette smoke. If I reported this, the company would probably clap and invite you over to help improve their exhaust fans."]

My friend with dyed blond hair ruthlessly tore off the front door and entered. I had changed the entire system so no one could enter without permission, so it seemed they had resorted to physical means.

["For the record, your parents gave us permission."]

["Man, where else in the world would you find friends like us?"]

The punks setting the torn-off door aside were spouting such nonsense.

["... Get out."]

["Seeing as you aren't denying it, you must think it's a possibility too. Then how about we take a step further and cut back on the smoking? If only for the sake of the cheeky non-smokers who drop by like this."]

["Ah, fuck, why is that bastard acting up again?"]

["Leave him be. I guess he's planning to piss off the Big Dipper to give him some energy."]

It was annoying. I chewed on the cigarette I was smoking and kept my eyes fixed solely on the game I was playing. STEP. A pair of wide pants blocked a corner of my vision.

["Non—"]

["The cute non-smoker asked, right? Then you have to listen, right?"]

Before I could even get angry about not being able to see the game screen, the cigarette in my mouth was cleanly plucked out.

Bloop, doo-doo-doo-roo-doo-roo-doo.

Along with it, my character died. It was the result of making a misjudgment when my vision was obscured.

My deathless, glitchless speedrun was ruined right before the ending. It was my first speedrun in my life; I guess people really shouldn't do things they aren't used to doing.

["Ooh, the Big Dipper looks super pissed. Fucking rare."]

["If he didn't get mad after that, he'd be a living Buddha. Crazy. Wow, I'm the one who's getting pissed off."]

Fuck.

The moment the death sound effect popped up, I threw my controller and covered my face with my hands. How could even you guys be like this. The boiling anger and sorrow struck my head. For no reason, my eyes grew hot.

["Are you crying? You crying?"]

["What? The Big Dipper is crying!?"]

["Why would you ask someone who's crying if they're crying, guys? Just open the window. This cigarette smell is so strong it's killing me."]

["Lee Janghwa, you're the trashiest one here, so stop pretending to be considerate while making fun of him and just shut your mouth. Kim Taegyun, Kang Junghee, you guys go easy on the teasing too."]

["Wow, the Scholar is here!!"]

["It's the boomer! Run away!!"]

["Wait, Sun-rim. That's unfair. What did I even do?"]

Meanwhile, another person joined. Shoes, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Tea Leaf Maniac, and Scholar. All the guys who usually hung out together had gathered.

["Kang Junghee, you draw the curtains and open the window. Kim Taegyun, you pick up your clones. Lee Janghwa, you stop being a smartass and help Tae-gyun pick up the trash."]

["Yes, Schoolmaster."]

["Wait, if my clones are trash, doesn't that mean I'm trash?"]

["Smart— I wasn't being a smartass! Park Sunrim, now that I look at it, you're a pro at framing people, huh?"]

["Jang-hwa, that right there is being a smartass. So shut up and pick up the trash."]

Their chattering voices were familiar yet annoying. No, I was grateful. I was grateful, yet I hated it.

It was embarrassing to show them this side of me, and I hated being forcefully pulled back up on my feet. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I couldn't understand why they were being so bothersome.

["Wow, so unfair. I was already picking up cigarette packs before you even told me to, so why am I being judged as a smartass?"]

["No, Shoes, even to my eyes, you definitely are being a smartass."]

["Sweet and Sour Chicken, you're doing this too?"]

["Stop fighting and look at this, guys. Look at this trash. I don't think this punk has even emptied the inside of his vacuum cleaner, has he?"]

["Where? Whoa, it's true. I've never seen dust pile up like this. So this is what happens when you don't empty the vacuum cleaner on time."]

The dark room grew brighter due to the opened curtains and the turned-on lights. The sealed air, previously thick with only cigarette smoke, also shed its mustiness. The same went for the floor and furniture, which had been covered in dust and trash.

["He hasn't done his laundry either. What have you been wearing all this time?"]

["Scholar, the inside of the fridge is a lost cause too, you know? I don't think we'll be able to cook."]

["... Well, we were going to go out anyway, so it's fine. We still need to organize the fridge, though. Throw everything away."]

["Okay."]

["Sun-rim, he's almost out of toilet paper too. We'll need to buy more, won't we?"]

["Yeah, good job. Look around to see what else is missing. We should buy everything while we're at it."]

The laundry basket, overflowing because I hadn't thought to wash anything.

The refrigerator, devoid of cooking ingredients and stuffed only with instant food.

And the other daily necessities, left in a mess because I paid them no attention.

["Go..."]

["Buddy, if you're a person, you should speak like one. I know you've given up on your overall dignity as a human right now, but there's no need for your speech habits to regress to a beast's."]

["You fucking bastards, I said go..."]

["Yup, we're humans, so we can't understand beast talk. So we aren't going. We won't go. If the Big Dipper really wants to be alone, come back as a human and ask again."]

["Scholar, can I just punch Jang-hwa once?"]

["Punch him later when we leave."]

My body, crying while curled up, was forcefully pulled to its feet. ["If you can't ask properly, here, let's go."] The hands grabbing my arms were so strong that I couldn't shake them off at all.

Without my leg brace, my one leg that wouldn't support any weight felt incredibly frustrating.

["Fuck, you son of a bitch..."]

["Oh, you're thankful to have such a kind, cute, and lovely person as your friend? Don't worry. All the goods and food we buy today are coming out of your wallet."]

["Isn't Lee Janghwa complete trash?"]

["But well... it's not like we're the ones paying anyway. We'll be using the card his parents gave him."]

["Now, now. More importantly, let's change your clothes first. I don't care if your reputation hits rock bottom, but what sin did I commit to have to walk around with you looking like this?"]

["... Regardless, that guy Lee Janghwa is definitely trash."]

["Haha. Kim Taegyun, shouldn't you help too?"]

["Ah, why me."]

["You want me to change his clothes alone? Or should I ask Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Scholar? Your personality is totally busted."]

["Bullshit..."]

Another punk joined in. Ultimately, my hair was forcefully washed, my clothes were changed, and I was dragged outside.

["This bastard, we went this far for you and you're still trying to run away? This is your punishment. Eat more. Eat it all. You need to gain some weight."]

["Hey, while we're heading to the department store, let's swap out his blanket too. The one at his house hasn't been washed in so long it looks like a lost cause."]

["I second that. Let's make it a hardcore otaku blanket while we're at it. So he'll feel embarrassed enough to come out and buy his own blanket."]

["You think that'd work? He's already an otaku."]

It was my first time going out in a year.

At the time, I was filled with resentment, annoyed, and pissed off, but.

Looking back on it later, it was an incredibly happy outing.

["... Are you not having fun? You're suddenly crying."]

["Ah, Sweet and Sour Chicken. You should've kept marking him. I told you not to let his mind wander."]

["Look who's talking."]

["What's wrong? Did we go too far?"]

Faced with their blurry faces, I let my tears fall in thick drops.

["Sorry. We just... wanted you to cheer up..."]

"Why don't you come now?"

My vision blurred even further, and their already obscure faces grew even fainter.

"Because I got mad back then?"

I hated that thought. I wiped my tears away.

"I'm sorry. I won't get mad again."

Even so, tears fell once more.

"So, can't you come console me this time too?"

I cried because I was lonely.

"I don't want to be alone..."

I was lonely.

* * *

"Great Master Craftsman, I'd like to ask you for a favor with this..."

Until now, using the sleep system felt like 'I closed my eyes and opened them to a refreshing morning.'

Lately, however, there were times when waking up felt entirely strange. It was refreshing, sure, but it left me feeling oddly drained and sad, I suppose.

"The castle?"

"Yes."

The one relief was that I had nothing to do today.

Even if I was spaced out from the unsettled morning, no problems would arise. I sat in a corner of the Meister's workshop and rested my dazed head. The chair the Meister had generously provided was a couch, so I didn't have to worry about looking uncool.

"I'm sure I met the delivery quota."

"Ah, that is true, but... the Mermen have been unusually quiet."

"... Ah, I suppose. It's past the time the Mermen should have invaded."

Meanwhile, as I lay there, the Meister attended to his visiting customer.

Judging by the continuous CLICK-CLACK sounds interspersed in their conversation, it seemed he was continuing his work even while attending to them.

"So what, same as before?"

"Yes, yes. Just like before, this amount once every five days... We would like you to produce additional supplies."

"How annoying..."

So the Mermen's behavior is different from usual, is that it? No wonder the Archmage's side also vaguely mentioned a delay instead of giving a clear schedule.

They probably knew about this too, which is why they didn't set a departure date. Because it felt like something would blow up while we were staying here.

"Understood. Off you go."

"Yes."

But I really don't want to deal with another sea boss. Are they really not going to give me a land boss? Really?

Honestly, if it's another sea raid this time, that's seriously crossing the line.

"Phew, will it work this time...?"

I prayed. Right on cue, the Meister, having kicked out the customer, took to doing a similar action. Seeing him fervently begging the heavens, it seemed he had finished engraving the formulas onto the item.

"Please."

The action he took immediately after was to throw the completed item at me. It also meant he wanted me to inject magical energy into it.

The first time, it was "I'd like to ask a favor." The second time was "I'm asking a favor." Now, on the third time, it was just "Please," which was a bit absurd, but still.

CATCH.

Regardless, my hand grabbed it without even looking. Black magic was injected into it.

"Damn it. No reaction again...?"

Naturally, there was no reaction this time either. Neither light nor vibration occurred.

"Put it on the shelf."

Still, not knowing if a case like last time might happen, I stood it up on the display stand.

Whether the Meister was spouting curses or not, I placed the item on a nearby side table. I did all this using only one arm while resting my other arm over my eyes.

"Phew..."

And so, a long time passed again. The Meister—who could have been working on a new commission, doing something else, or conducting his own research for all I knew—stretched.

CRACK.

A refreshing sound rang out.

CLACK, CLACK.

Having stood up to stretch, he moved to one side. It seemed he was going to check on my equipment.

His presence shifted toward the reagent bottle containing my coat, gloves, and vest.

ZZZT, ZZZT.

The shifting of the air and the sound of something tearing kept poking at my ears.

"This is driving me crazy. Just what the hell is wrong with these clothes? How were they made for them to be like..."

But it seemed he still hadn't reached a conclusion this time either. The Meister let out a groan.

"What pisses me off the most is that they repair themselves on their own, without any cost. Do you really not know why they're like this?"

As a bonus, the sparks of his frustration flew onto me. Though, no matter how much he pressed me like that, I didn't have an answer to give him.

"I'd understand if they were originally made of a material that possesses regenerative properties. But looking at their structure, they're just ordinary materials, so..."

Who knows. Then maybe it's something capable of regeneration, but it's just disguised as a different material. Altering its bonding structure at will.

"... What did you just say?"

"...?"

Ah, no way. Did I just say that out loud...?

"Disguised? As something else?"

"... I just thought that might be the case."

This is driving me crazy, seriously. I might be out of it, but there's a limit. Expressing my thoughts out loud? I must be insane.

"Shut up for a second. Its bonding structure... at will..."

However, the Meister instantly swatted away my efforts to somehow recover from breaking character.

It was a relief, at least, that he didn't know my persona well enough to notice that I had broken character.

"The bonding structure...!"

Instead, he muttered the words I mentioned, as if tracing them back. His demeanor was so full of madness that I subtly pushed off the couch with my lowered arm and sat up.

"For a meathead, that was a pretty good idea. I'll give you credit!"

That was the exact moment the Meister shouted Eureka. It was somewhat unpleasant being dismissed as a meathead, but he seemed so thrilled that I couldn't bring myself to scold him.

Unlike me, who had just spouted whatever came to mind without passing it through my thought circuits, it seemed he had actually come up with a solid hypothesis.

"Here."

At that moment, the Meister tossed something to me.

"If you know about bonding structures, it seems your brain works quite well. If you have a head like that, don't waste time sleeping and read a book instead. Stuff some knowledge into that passably useful brain of yours."

It was a pile of books. Ranging from magic tomes to alchemy books bordering on science, illustrated guides on all sorts of materials, manuals on how to use tools, various crafting recipes, and so on.

Since I couldn't sleep all day anyway, it wasn't a bad thing to have something to read, but... it was a rather absurd turn of events. To think I'd get a way to kill time like this.

"Alright, if it was actually a different material, then the experiments I can run now are... Ah, wait. This makes the timeframe for handling commissions awkward. Hmm."

I considered acting out my persona's temper but ultimately gave up upon seeing the Meister completely absorbed in his own world.

Of course, if the Meister were part of my party, I would have gotten angry out of obligation, but for now, he was merely an acquaintance whose ties would eventually sever with time. I didn't want to expend what little energy I had on someone like him.

TAP, TAP.

Instead, I examined the books he had given me. The numerous books in the pile were truly purposed solely for conveying knowledge.

"...?"

However, one of them—just one—was not. ⌈The Broken Horn⌋. The title, as well as the prose when I cracked it open, made it look like a novel no matter how I looked at it. Considering the thinness of the book, it might even be a fairy tale.

Seeing how distinctly different it was from the other books, it seemed it hadn't been given intentionally, but had likely gotten mixed in by mistake when he pulled the books out...

Well, mistake or not, I'll gladly take it. I was already lacking the mental bandwidth right now. To the point where it was practically impossible to force knowledge into my head.

FLIP.

And so, I opened the cover of 'The Broken Horn'.

⌈On a night when the moon hung over the high tower's roof and only the tavern's lights illuminated the darkness, a certain boy took a step onto the street...⌋

Perhaps it wasn't an old book, as the nearly brand-new cover turned, raising the curtain on a story slightly different from modern ones.