Sword

"Oh, it suits you perfectly!" Jim exclaimed when he saw Thap put on his old attire.

It was nothing fancy, just an old leather jacket, a chest plate accompanied by arm and knee plates, leather boots, and a brown backpack. Jim wanted to lend them to him because Thap had saved his life inside the tunnel yesterday. So, his old equipment was the right choice after he heard that Thap didn't have any tools at the moment. Moreover, Jim had taken a liking to Thap after they shared their stories. 

"Oh right, the sword! I'll go and grab it real quick!" Jim informed Thap before heading to another room. 

Thap stood in the living room and checked his equipment. He started by stretching and doing some movements to see if the gear really fit him. 

"Nice, this looks great! I look like a real adventurer now!" he muttered to himself while throwing some punches into the air.

 "Oh right, just make yourself at home, I'll be back in a second," Jim shouted from another room, realizing he had forgotten to let Thap relax in his house. 

Hearing that, Thap relaxed and sat on a wooden chair while waiting for him. He began to observe the house, as this was the first time he had been in a normal house in this world. The house was small but lively, with four rooms: two bedrooms, a living room connected to the kitchen, and a small storage room. The inside was neat and clean, spacious despite its size. The interior design was something Thap had only seen in films or cartoons, furnished with wooden furniture and vibrant decorations. 

"I want to live in a place like this," he muttered to himself as he slowly walked around the living room. 

"Here you go! Try to hold it!" Jim returned with a sword and a sheath, handing it to Thap. 

He was a bit hesitant when Jim handed him the sword. It reminded him of what happened yesterday before the fight with the Rattus inside that tunnel. As soon as he held that short knife that Jim gave it to him, memories of using a knife came out of nowhere and embedded themselves in his mind as if he had been trained and had used that knife for a long time. His muscle memory also responded to those memories, even though he had no knowledge of these things in his entire life.

"Will it work the same way?!" he thought to himself before taking the sword from Jim. 

".Oi ! …. What's wrong?! …." Jim was surprised when Thap acted abnormally as soon as he held the sword. He saw Thap drop down on his knee, one hand holding the sword tightly and the other covering his head as if he was under pressure.

It happened again, but this time was more intense and different from when he held the knife. There were more memories and reminiscences that his brain tried to respond to and absorb. The gruesome and horrible training with the sword flooded his mind, making Thap want to stop seeing all of them. Images of killing and stabbing monsters, and even humans, emerged in his mind. He felt as if he had done all of this, even though it wasn't him. It made him sick and want to vomit when the image of a shocking and disgusting corpse popped into his head. 

His brain was under immense pressure as it tried to merge these memories into his own. It was like someone was injecting memories directly into his mind.

"Oi! Calm down!! What got into you?!" Jim was panicking when he saw Thap in this state. He then tried to calm him down and shake him back to reality.

"Ahh... what... Oh... Thanks, Mr. Jim," Thap snapped back when he heard Jim call him and shake his shoulder. 

"Man, don't scare me like that! What's happening?!" Jim comforted him and asked calmly. 

"... it was nothing... just some memories popping into my mind when I held the sword..." Thap told him without thinking. 

"Memories!? Hmm..." Jim was confused when he heard that. 

"... Umm... it was nothing... it's just been so long since I held a sword... hehe," Thap realized what he had just said and quickly denied it with an awkward excuse.

 "... I see... but it was just a normal sword, though. Anyway, if you're already calm down, let's get going then... I better go to work too," Jim told him, looking at him with concern. 

"Oh, right, sorry for taking your time!" Thap apologized and bowed to him. 

"Ah, it's alright!" Jim replied with a smile. 

"Oh right, I would like to give my regards to your wife. Where is she?" Thap asked as he attached the sword's sheath to his waist.

"She is at her friend's place; she will be back in the evening. Maybe next time," Jim told him with a sad tone. 

After hearing this, Thap didn't ask any further questions. The two then parted ways.

"Thanks, Mr. Jim! I will see you later!"

 "Right!" Thap thanked Jim once again before making his way to the adventurer guild.

 ====================

"Good morning, Isa! You don't look good today, what happened?" Via, Isabelle's senior, asked with concern when she saw Isabelle showed up to work in a rush. 

"Ah, good morning, Ms. Via. Oh... I'm fine, it was just a small thing that happened at the inn this morning," Isabelle replied with an awkward smile. 

"Hmm... I already know your situation, but why don't you try to be an adventurer's supervisor? It would give you more commission. I don't think the salary would be enough. As receptionists at the guild, we have this privilege. I know you've only been working here for a year, but it would be best if you start doing that, it would increase your income. Sorry for saying too much. I better start working! See you on break!" Via advised Isabelle with consideration before returning to work with a smile.

Isabelle could not reply, she just gave her a nod and bow before returning to her counter. 

"Oh, what's wrong with me today? I left the bakery without telling Lisa's mother that I would pay them later on. And when I got to the inn, Keith... that guy, why was he there? Oh my..." Isabelle thought to herself as she went through her paperwork. 

"Maybe I should start doing what she said," Isabelle thought to herself, considering the advice that Via had given her. 

As a receptionist at the adventurer guild, their job was not just to provide assistance and services to adventurers. They could also become supervisors for adventurers. Being a supervisor allowed them to monitor potential adventurers by advising, providing, and requesting adventurers to take on more suitable and complex quests issued by the guild. Some of the commission from completing those quests would go to the supervisor, and a supervisor could oversee many adventurers depending on their capability. 

"... but I'm not on good terms with male adventurers. I wish there were more female adventurers!" Isabelle frowned as she thought about becoming a supervisor.

"... Mr. Bart already chose Ms. Via as his supervisor... before I even started working here!" Isabelle reflected, thinking about Bart, Lisa's older brother.

"Oh.. You're very early today ! How can I help you,Thap !" Via greeted Thap. 

The guild had just opened the door, so there wouldn't be any adventurers arriving for the next 30 minutes or so. It was pretty empty at this time, with only the workers present. Via's voice lit up and caught Isabelle's attention as she glanced at Via's counter. 

"... it's him!" She was surprised when she saw Thap.

"I need to apologize to him," she muttered to herself.