Wenalin’s POV
“I’m starving.”
Not the “oh I could use a snack” starving. I meant the “if I don’t eat now I might chew my own sleeve” kind of starving.
forest adventure had left me bruised, exhausted, and still low on stamina, but the worst part was my stomach. I had burned through one piece of bread after fighting that stupid wolf, and now I only had one left in my inventory.
I held the last piece up dramatically. “Do I eat you now… or save you for when I’m half-dead again?”
The bread, obviously, didn’t answer.
With a groan, I shoved it back into my pocket. “Fine. Saving you. But that means…”
My eyes drifted across the massive, empty dining hall of the castle. The long table stretched forever, dust gathering on plates no one had touched in years. No cooks. No maids. No food storage, unless you counted cobwebs as protein.
Yep. Empty castle life. Be careful what you wish for, Wenalin.
Which meant I had no choice but to head into the kingdom.
The idea made my stomach twist nervously. Crowds. People. Strangers. Back in my old life, I barely left my room, let alone dealt with entire markets of humans. But here? I couldn’t just starve to death. I had loot to sell.
I pulled my traveler’s cloak tighter around me and tied the hood low over my face. At least it would hide how short I was. Maybe. Hopefully.
“Alright… first town trip. .”
The kingdom was about an hour’s walk from the castle, according to the half-baked map my system helpfully showed me. By the time the walls came into view, my legs already ached.
And then… wow.
The gate loomed high, stone walls stretching out in both directions. Inside, the city buzzed with life: merchants shouting their prices, kids chasing each other through the streets, horses clattering past with carts full of goods. The air was thick with the smell of food—bread baking, grilled meat, something sweet like honey. My stomach growled so loudly a passing guard gave me a look.
“Don’t judge me,” I muttered, pulling my hood lower.
I pushed into the crowd, trying not to gape too openly. This was the first time I’d ever seen a real fantasy kingdom. Colorful stalls lined the streets, glass trinkets and potions glittering in the sunlight. Adventurers with shiny armor and big weapons strolled by like they owned the place.
And me? Just a hungry little reincarnator with a rusty sword and a slime core in her pocket.
The Adventurer’s Guild stood near the center of the city, a tall building with banners flapping outside. People came in and out constantly, laughing, arguing, bragging about their kills.
I swallowed, squared my shoulders, and stepped inside.
The air smelled of leather and sweat. A massive quest board covered one wall, filled with parchment slips. Adventurers crowded around tables, drinking and arm-wrestling. At the front desk stood a woman with sharp eyes and hair tied neatly back.
She looked me over as I approached, her gaze flicking to my too-big cloak and the sword at my hip.
“First time?” she asked.
Her voice was flat, professional.
“Yeah,” I said bluntly. “I want to sell this.”
I plopped the slime core and wolf fang onto the counter. A couple of adventurers nearby glanced over. Maybe because I didn’t even try to hide that I was a rookie. Maybe because I didn’t sound nervous. I just wanted food.
The receptionist blinked, then leaned closer to examine the items. “...You brought down a Shadow Wolf? At your size?”
I shrugged. “It attacked me. I killed it. Do you want to buy it or not?”
Her brow twitched. “…Wait here.”
She left, and a murmur spread through the room.
“Did she say Shadow Wolf?”
“No way. Those things tear rookies apart.”
“Is she serious? She doesn’t look strong at all.”
I tugged my hood lower, pretending I didn’t hear them. Honestly, , but I kept my face blank.
The receptionist returned with a small pouch of coins. She slid it toward me. “Thirty silver. Ten for the core, twenty for the fang. Do you want to register as an adventurer? It’ll make selling easier next time.”
I hesitated. That sounded useful, but right now… “Not today. Just food.”
I grabbed the pouch, shoved it into my cloak, and walked out like it was nothing.
Inside, though?
“Oh my god. I have MONEY. Actual fantasy money.”
The first stall I stopped at was a bakery. Warm rolls and sweet pastries lined the shelves, and the smell made me dizzy.
“How much for that?” I asked, pointing at the biggest loaf of bread.
“Two silver,” the baker said.
I pulled a coin from the pouch and slapped it down. “Deal. And one of those meat pies too.”
The man chuckled as he wrapped up my food. “Hungry, huh?”
“You have no idea,” I muttered, biting into the bread the second it was in my hands.
It was soft. Warm. Real. My eyes stung a little, and I had to blink hard. I hadn’t tasted something this good in years.
People stared as I devoured it right there in the street, crumbs sticking to my cloak. But I didn’t care. For once, I was too busy living.
By the time I made it back to the castle, my pouch was lighter, my stomach full, and my heart strangely warm. The world outside was terrifying, sure, but it also had food, adventure, and the tiniest spark of belonging.
I sat at the massive empty dining table, placing the half-eaten loaf in front of me like some kind of trophy.
“Okay,” I said to the silence. “Step one: survive. Step two: don’t starve. Step three… figure out what comes next.”
For the first time, the empty castle didn’t feel so lonely.
Because now I had a reason to go out again tomorrow.
...----------------...
The castle was quiet again. Too quiet.
I sat cross-legged on Throne, staring at the massive, empty throne hall. Dust drifted in the air like tiny ghosts, illuminated by a single shaft of light cutting through a crack in the window. The throne itself sat far ahead on a raised platform—majestic but covered in cobwebs, like no one had dared sit there in decades.
And here I was, the new “owner.” Short, barely four feet tall, in an oversized traveler’s cloak and holding a rusty short sword that squeaked every time I pulled it out of its sheath. If anyone saw me now, they’d laugh.
“Big dark castle of doom, huh?” I muttered, patting the floor. “More like big empty storage room of disappointment.”
The echo of my own voice bounced back mockingly. I rolled my eyes and pulled up the glowing blue panel that floated before me.
---
[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN]
> Inventory: Traveler’s Cloak, Rusty Short Sword, 2 Bread
Monster Drops: 1 Slime Core, 2 Wolf Fangs
---
“Right. Empty.” I groaned, throwing myself backward until I was sprawled across the dusty floor. My hood fell back, and I stared up at the cracked ceiling above. My so-called castle didn’t even have proper furniture, much less decorations. Not a single bed, chair, table—nothing.
If I was going to survive here, I needed to make this place feel alive. A base. A real home. But…
“…I can’t even afford a pillow.”
My stomach growled right on cue. I tore off a piece of bread from my inventory and chewed on it slowly, savoring every crumb even though it tasted like cardboard.
“This won’t last forever,” I mumbled between bites. “I’ll need food. Tools. Weapons. Furniture. Maybe even… curtains.” I shivered. “Yeah, this place needs curtains. A castle without curtains is just a dungeon.”
---
I sat up, brushing crumbs off my lap, and stared again at the throne. The way the empty hall stretched out made me realize something: if I didn’t fill this place with stuff, it would always feel… lonely.
I needed armor to display. Shelves of potions. Weapon racks lined with swords. Treasure chests. Maybe even some monster trophies mounted on the walls, like those wolves I’d barely survived fighting earlier.
Basically—if I wanted this place to stop looking like an abandoned ruin, I had to grind. Hard.
---
Step One: Level Up
I pulled up my stats again, squinting at my measly numbers.
STR: 8. Weak.
END: 7. Paper-thin stamina.
INT & WIS were my best bets, but still low-level.
“I’m basically a fragile short girl with a rusty sword,” I sighed, stretching my arms dramatically. “But! I’ve got plot armor, right? System, please don’t betray me.”
The blue screen glowed faintly, as if teasing me.
I flicked my finger through the Quest Menu.
---
Quests
Main Quest: Survive in this world.
Side Quest: Register at the Adventurer’s Guild.
Hidden Quest: Register at the Royal Academy upon turning 15.
---
“Adventurer’s Guild, huh?” I muttered, tapping the air. “That’s probably where I sell monster parts too. Which means… gold. Which means furniture shopping spree!”
My heart fluttered at the thought of a cozy room inside this cold castle. . A warm blanket. Maybe a desk where I could write dumb notes. A kitchen stocked with food that wasn’t just… bread.
I grinned. “Alright. Step one: go hunting. Step two: sell loot. Step three: profit. Step four: decorate the heck out of this castle.”
---
Reality Check
Of course, saying it was easier than doing it. I stood and took a slow lap around the castle halls, my footsteps echoing eerily. I found tall doors leading to empty dining halls, long corridors with broken torches, a giant library that had only one shelf still standing (tragic), and even a crumbling tower where the stairs collapsed halfway up.
This place had so much potential… if I didn’t die before fixing it.
“I should probably not starve to death before worrying about bookshelves,” I sighed.
My stomach growled again. Loudly.
“Ugh, fine. Forest it is.”
---
Preparing to Grind
I checked my rusty short sword. Still awful. I tugged the traveler’s cloak tighter around me. Too big. Then I shoved the slime core and wolf fangs into a makeshift pouch I tore from the cloak’s corner.
I imagined how nonchalant I’d look walking into the kingdom like this: a short girl dragging monster parts, probably looking like I just tripped into the forest and accidentally killed something. Everyone would be like, ‘Wait, what’s this kid doing here?’ and I’d just shrug.
Honestly… kind of hilarious.
I grinned to myself. “Alright, kingdom. Get ready to meet your new weirdo adventurer.”
---
I pulled the giant doors open, sunlight streaming into the hall, and stepped out into the forest path. The castle loomed behind me, dark and silent, but for the first time, I felt like I had a reason to come back.
Because this wasn’t just some empty ruin anymore. It was mine. And I was going to fill it with everything this world had to offer—monster drops, shiny weapons, cozy beds, maybe even a chandelier if I got rich enough.
But first… slime hunting.
I tightened my grip on the rusty sword and marched into the woods, nonchalant as always.
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