Isekai Kansha - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Report and Reflection

Before stepping back onto the main road, Jin decided to fix his appearance. His clothes were torn to shreds, and his entire body caked in mud.

This time, he carefully invoked Water, washing the grime off himself while still wearing his armor. Truth be told, he would’ve preferred to strip down and scrub himself clean, but there was no way he could risk being that defenseless out here.

From his Item Bag, he pulled out a towel, drying himself as best he could, then used Equip to change into fresh clothes. He didn’t forget to retrieve his steel bastard sword—broken tip and all—before sheathing it at his waist.

Compared to his departure, his armor now looked battered and pitiful, but aside from that, his appearance had returned to normal.

Even so, the weight of exhaustion pressed down on him. It wasn’t just physical—it was the lingering drain of having, for the first time in his life, fought with death breathing down his neck.

Jin finally reached the highway at a brisk pace, where he allowed himself the first real sigh of relief. He then set out toward the city.

When the city’s outline drew closer, Jin made sure no one was watching before pulling out two bulging bags—one large, one medium—stuffed with materials from the Mad Ants he had appraised. It would be far too suspicious to unload such a haul from a bag that small inside the guild, so from here he would carry them the "normal" way.

Even so, his Item Bag still held the remains of the Mad Ant Queen, too massive to fit earlier. Feeling its weight drag on him, Jin resumed his weary march.

By the time he reached the town gates, he realized something strange—there was none of the joy or satisfaction that should’ve come with completing his commission. It wasn’t even evening yet, but all he wanted was to collapse into his bed at the inn.

But then, what had been the point of risking his life?

Shaking off the temptation, Jin straightened his back and made for the guild.

Inside, a few adventurers loitered about, but the reception counter was free. Jin approached Aria.

"I’m back. The collection of the Pam Flowers is safely complete."

"Welcome back, and congratulations. Though… is something the matter?"

Aria smiled at his return, but her eyes immediately went to the scratches and dents marring his armor—and then to the bulging sack he carried.

"Ah, well, let’s just say a lot happened. For now, could we start with the Pam Flowers and the regular requests?"

"Y-yes, of course. My apologies. Allow me to check them first."

Though curious about Jin’s vague reply, Aria knew it was proper to confirm the main request first. She accepted the Pam Flowers along with the ever-requested Chiriru Grass and Mel Grass.

Meanwhile, Jin hesitated. How should he explain the Mad Ants?

They weren’t terribly strong individually, but that swarm had been abnormal. True, he had slain the Queen, so the immediate danger was gone… probably. But there could always be more hives. Besides, Jin himself barely knew anything about Mad Ants.

No—he would report honestly. That was the only choice.

(I thought it was twenty at first, but by the end I’d cut down more than forty. A rookie isn’t supposed to be able to do that. I’ll just have to brace myself for questions.)

Then another thought struck him.

(Now that I think about it… How reckless was I, charging into that? Even if they weren’t that strong, numbers matter. I must’ve gotten carried away, thinking that just because I had abilities carried over from VR, I was somehow special. "I can do this. I’m different." Pathetic arrogance. What good is a Pam Flower if I die? Ugh, shameful. Absolutely shameful. I need to seriously reflect on this.)

Jin hung his head, shaking it in frustration at himself.

Aria’s voice broke his self-reproach.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, sorry. Just… reflecting on a few things. Please don’t mind me."

"…I see. Well then, to continue—the items you gathered are all in excellent condition. The request asked for five blossoms, yet you’ve brought eight. I’ll have to confirm with the client, but it's undoubtedly a successful completion. Jin, thank you very much."

She bowed deeply.

"No, no. I’m just glad you’re pleased. Thank you as well."

Jin bowed in return.

For him, weighed down as he was by shame and fatigue, her gratitude was a small but precious comfort. Even if his decisions had been foolish, the outcome had still brought someone joy. That alone eased his heart.

Of course, Aria had no idea what he was really thanking her for. But Jin didn’t care—he simply wanted to say it.

"…And, there is one more matter I need to report."

From his large sack, Jin pulled out a single Mad Ant carapace and laid it on the counter.

"During collection, I encountered a swarm of Mad Ants. I’d like to make a report, but what would be the proper procedure?"

Aria froze.

Mad Ants. Even the weakest worker types were ranked high-E, marked for subjugation due to their hardened carapaces. They always moved in units of at least two or three, making them even more dangerous. No beginner should ever face them.

And he said… a swarm? A swarm?!

"…Forgive me, Jin-san. Are you saying that bag is filled entirely with these?"

"Yes. All of it is Mad Ant material."

Aria nearly shouted, but held it back with sheer willpower. Closing her eyes, she pressed a hand to her forehead and drew a long, steadying breath.

"Jin-san. We’ll need to hear this in a private room. Please follow me upstairs."

She then leaned toward Samantha at the next counter, whispering instructions. Samantha nodded, quickly swapped with another colleague, then dashed off toward the guild’s back rooms.

Jin followed Aria up the stairs. She gave off such a sharp, tense aura that he didn’t dare speak a word—quietly keeping pace behind her.

Jin was led to a room at the far end of the second floor, something like a reception chamber. After telling him to wait inside, Aria stepped back out and closed the door.

The room wasn’t furnished like the cozy parlors Jin knew from books, with sofas and a low table. Instead, it was plain—just a dining-sized table, a little larger than one meant for four, surrounded by sturdy chairs. A few landscape paintings on the walls were all that lent it the air of a reception room.

Left alone, Jin felt restless. Did I do something wrong? He wondered, but in the end, decided it was useless to worry—things would play out as they would.

Still, just sitting at the table felt impolite, so he rose and passed the time by studying the pictures on the walls.

"You kept us waiting, huh. Come on, sit down."

A few minutes later, Aria returned—with Greg.

The sight of the unexpected instructor startled Jin. I guess it makes sense, since this involves monsters… He sat as instructed.

"Aria tells me you slew some Mad Ants. Give me the full story."

Though the air was heavier than usual, Jin steadied himself and recounted the events.

The forest gathering site. The battle with the first two ants. Being surrounded by nearly twenty more. Fighting on until, one by one, he cut down over forty in total—only for the Queen herself to appear. Somehow, he’d managed to bring her down too, before harvesting what he came for and returning here.

That was the gist of it.

He didn’t hide much, though he kept quiet about the possible link between Pam Flowers and the ants—anything tied to his skills, he left unsaid.

Greg listened with a twitch at his temple, and when the story reached the Queen, even Aria reacted sharply. Still, Greg let him finish, arms folded, face unreadable. Then, without warning, he rose to his feet, stepped up to Jin—

—and cracked a fist down on his skull.

"You damn fool! Overestimating yourself, are you?!"

The last time Jin had taken a knuckle-rap like that was back in middle school, when a teacher caught him misbehaving. Sparks burst behind his eyes as pain flared through his skull, mingled with an odd twinge of nostalgia. He clutched his head, groaning—but Greg had no intention of stopping.

"Listen up. You wouldn’t know this, but Mad Ants branch off their colonies every few decades, swarming in search of a new nest. The records show that even the smallest of these swarms numbers over a hundred. You only ran into forty or so—that alone means you got lucky! And another thing—the bastards carry paralysis venom. By pure chance, you weren’t hit, but if you had been, you’d have been finished then and there. You’ve been an adventurer, what, three days? And you thought you could take on a swarm of twenty monsters alone?! What, you think you can’t die? Let me spell it out for you—you survived on luck and luck alone! You idiot!"

Greg’s scolding came like a storm, Aria nodding vigorously behind him in perfect agreement.

Jin, already regretful, now shrank further under the weight of truth. He listened in solemn silence, taking each word to heart.

"And what if you had died out there? With no one to bring word back, the guild might never have learned of the swarm. The ants would’ve built their nest, multiplied, and this very city would’ve been at risk! Running away is allowed. Do you understand? That is—"

Greg’s lecture went on and on, but Jin accepted it as a harsh but invaluable gift—a warning born of genuine concern for his life and his future. He bowed his head deeply.

"…Look. The truth is, your stats are higher than most, and you pick things up quickly. That much is true. But precisely because of that, you must act with greater caution. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I apologize for worrying you. I’ll think more carefully about my actions from here on. Thank you."

Jin bent low, gratitude in his voice.

Greg’s words, beneath their harshness, came from worry. That alone made them precious.

Then Jin turned toward Aria, bowing again. 

"And I’m sorry for troubling you as well, Aria-san."

Aria’s expression softened. 

"Jin-san. I can imagine you threw yourself against those Mad Ants for the sake of the Pam Flowers. Truly, thank you. But if you had been lost because of it… I would have wept. It may be selfish of me, but more than anything, I’m simply glad you’ve returned safely."

Her words carried the weight of stifled tears. Jin’s chest tightened, and he bowed once more, wordless. Greg, meanwhile, wore a look of surprise as he glanced at Aria—yet also one of quiet understanding.

Thus ended the lecture—no, the outpouring of worry. The three sat down together, shifting to the matter of what came next.

"As for this Mad Ant swarm—we can assume it’s been wiped out. With the Queen gone, the rest won’t linger."

"Shall we issue a survey request from the guild?" Aria asked.

"Yes. We need to confirm no stragglers remain, and if possible, learn where they came from."

"Recommended rank D or C parties, then?"

"Right. Limit the objective to exploration only, and make it D-rank minimum. If need be, I’ll put out a direct request."

Jin listened in silence as Greg and Aria discussed. At last, he steeled himself and spoke.

"Excuse me. There’s a chance the ants were targeting the Pam Flowers. There were almost none left in that forest."

"…I see. Aria, check if other regions have had similar declines. If so, we might at least learn the general direction they came from."

"Yes, understood. I’ll contact the other guild branches."

Jin had braced for suspicion, but to his surprise, neither questioned how he knew such a thing. He blinked, a little taken aback.

Greg smirked. 

"Heh. We already know you’re not exactly ordinary. You proved that today—and frankly, a rookie doesn’t just return with herbs in a few hours. But you don’t need to explain. Protecting your own information is part of being an adventurer."

Jin realized his doubts must have shown on his face, and flushed. Greg chuckled, Aria only smiling gently and nodding as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jin felt a little embarrassed at how tense he’d been acting, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel happy about how the two of them had treated him.

"And another thing, we’ll buy up all the materials you recovered in one lot. That said, this carapace makes excellent armor, so you’d be better off taking a few pieces to a blacksmith and having them worked into something for yourself."

"Yes, understood. Would it be best if I bring the queen ant materials?"

"Ah, right, that too. If you take those, not only will it be no problem, but you’ll end up with something really good. Oh, and one more thing. Thanks to this incident, your name is going to spread among the adventurers, like it or not. You won’t go bragging yourself, but word like this always gets around. Not many will believe a rookie managed to take down a swarm of Mad Ants alone—but precisely because of that, some fools might come poking at you. If they do, just brush them off. Don’t waste your time on them. Once you build up your strength a bit more, those kinds will quiet down soon enough."

It was true—standing out for the wrong reasons was the last thing Jin wanted. He resolved once again to be careful.

"Oh, that reminds me. Go to the temple tomorrow and check your status. Well, you’d see it by updating your card anyway. Your level should have jumped quite a bit. Depending on how much, we could even credit this incident as a D-rank guild contribution for you. How about it?"

"No, just treat it normally. That’s more than enough."

If he accepted, he would be jumping two full ranks, from F to D. But Jin had no such intention. He was still lacking in so many ways—he wanted to grow, one step at a time, properly.

"Mm. That’s good." 

Greg said, nodding with satisfaction, as if that was exactly the answer he’d been hoping for.

"Also, head straight home and get some rest tonight, alright? You probably feel a little worn out and not hungry either, right? That’s a sign of leveling up. Tomorrow morning, though, you’ll be starving. Tell the inn to serve you more than usual."

"Yes. Um, but can I at least take a bath?"

"Pft—haha! Yeah, fine. But once you’re done, go straight back. Good work today, Jin. You did well. I’ll give you that much praise, but don’t you ever pull something reckless like this again."

The truth was, Greg had wanted to praise Jin without reservation. Just like with the incident with the Pam flower, if Jin hadn’t wiped out the swarm of Mad Ants, unsuspecting adventurers—or even nearby villages—might have suffered casualties. Preventing that was entirely Jin’s achievement.

At the same time, though, Greg wanted him to understand the danger of what he’d done. He’d spoken harshly, but Jin had accepted it without sulking, and that attitude made Greg genuinely happy.

"Yes. Thank you very much. Then, I’ll take my leave."

With that, Jin said his goodbyes to Greg and Aria and stepped out of the room.

After finishing her own final checks, Aria also turned to leave.

"Then, I’ll be going as well, Guildmaster."

"I told you not to call me that. What, is this payback for me smacking Jin earlier?"

Greg first scowled, but then broke into a teasing smile.

"…Excuse me," Aria replied after a brief pause, as if she hadn’t even realized what she’d done herself, before leaving the room.

Greg watched her go with a smile, welcoming this small change in her demeanor.

As for Jin, after leaving the guild, he went to the public bathhouse first. Just as Greg advised, he then returned straight to his inn. The moment he entered his room, he used Change to strip down to just his shorts, crawled into bed, and quickly set off on a journey into the world of dreams.

Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter