I can't go to him since I don't know where he lives.
I slept alone, feeling lonely, and woke up in the room next to the entrance of the mayor's house.
I felt like I had a dream, but I couldn't remember it.
I had hoped to wake up in my apartment in Tokyo, but that seemed impossible.
Tilihi didn't come, and this was the worst way to wake up.
I lay on the bed and sighed.
The bed was just a mat and a blanket on a wooden board, a rather shabby setup.
I wondered if this was how I was supposed to be treated, but I didn't know the standards of this world, so this might be normal.
By the way, I had abandoned the illusion that this world was virtual reality when I went to the toilet.
Unless I was in a hospital and given a life support system, if my body was somewhere else, it would be in a terrible state.
I would rather not wake up.
This is the real world, and I have to live here.
"Hmm"
At least, I stretched my arms.
"Excuse me."
The mayor's voice was heard.
"Is that you, Mayor?"
"Are you awake? It's almost time to leave."
"Got it."
I picked up my belongings and left the room.
My belongings were just a copper sword and a pouch. Inside the pouch were 130 nars and the intelligence cards of the thieves.
This was all my wealth now.
"Good morning."
"Yeah, good morning."
"Here are the clothes you were wearing yesterday."
"Oh, I had tracksuit."
I had forgotten.
The copper sword and the pouch weren't my only possessions.
I could barely see the tracksuit on a stand near the entrance.
The entrance was still dark, even though the door was open and the outside was just beginning to lighten.
I was wearing the clothes I had been given instead of the tracksuit.
How should I carry it?
"These clothes are made of a very rare fabric. I believe they are quite valuable."
"They're not that valuable."
They were cheap tracksuit.
Well, polyester fibers probably don't exist in this world.
"If you like, you can use this bag."
The mayor handed me a fairly large bag with a shoulder strap.
It was a backpack.
"Hmm."
"Here is your breakfast. You can eat it in the carriage."
"Thanks for everything."
I gratefully accepted the backpack and breakfast.
I put the tracksuit, the pouch, and the breakfast into the backpack.
The package felt like it contained a single piece of bread. I shouldn't be picky.
"Here is a token of our gratitude for saving the village."
The mayor handed me a pouch.
It was the same pouch I had received yesterday.
"Huh?"
I took it casually and opened it to find coins inside.
Dull light that would probably show a yellowish color in the daylight. Gold coins, and there were more than ten.
"I'm very sorry, but it's a small amount."
"No, I appreciate it. I'll take it."
"I'm sorry, but that's the best I can offer as a token of gratitude."
I thought for a moment but decided to take it.
There were few disadvantages to taking it.
Since he offered it, I wouldn't be seen as greedy.
There was no benefit to refusing.
I didn't intend to stand out, and getting a reputation for being virtuous wouldn't do me any good.
I had no special reason to curry favor with this village.
Tilihi didn't come either.
I put all my belongings in the backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
The mayor led me outside.
When we reached the edge of the village, a merchant was preparing a cart.
"Good morning."
"Yep. Good morning."
I greeted the merchant.
"We'll leave as soon as it gets light. Can you sit next to the driver's seat?"
"Got it."
I got into the cart.
I hoped it wouldn't be too bumpy.
On the cargo area, there were the thieves' equipment, Tilihi's two swords, and a cage that looked like a doghouse. Tilihi must have decided not to sell Tagger.
The cage had three sides made of boards and one side with a grate.
I was wondering what it was for when a man was brought and put into the cage.
It was the thief from yesterday.
"The man will also be taken to Baile and sold to a slave trader."
The mayor explained.
"I see."
"Half of the sale price will be compensation for you."
"...No, no. I got my equipment back, so you don't have to go that far."
"If we give all the money to his family, they might be able to buy him back quickly. That wouldn't be a punishment. Please accept it."
I see.
That seems reasonable.
It's not my place to question the village's rules.
I nodded in agreement.
"ΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓ"
"ΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓΓ"
It must have been the thief's family. A man came and talked to the man in the cage.
I was relieved that a little girl didn't say, "Daddy, don't go."
Even if I couldn't understand the words, I could tell from the atmosphere.
The family seemed to have resigned themselves and were talking calmly.
"Since it's getting light, we'll be leaving now."
The merchant got in next to me and started the horses by manipulating the reins.
The sun hadn't risen yet, but the merchant must be familiar with the area near the village.
"Thanks for your hospitality."
"No, no. Thank you for saving the village."
I said goodbye to the mayor.
The cart started moving out of the village.
I might never come back to this village, but it was my first village.
I turned back and memorized the scene.
A sheet was spread over the cargo, and the man who had been turned into a slave was sitting quietly.
"Is the journey safe?"
After a while, I asked the merchant.
"The road to Baile is regularly patrolled for monsters."
"I see."
"There's not much danger."
The surroundings were finally starting to brighten, and the cart picked up speed.
The cart was quite bumpy.
It was probably due to the road and the cart itself.
The road was surrounded by a broadleaf forest.
The trees weren't very tall along the road, and it didn't seem to be a deep forest.
There wasn't much to enjoy in the scenery, and the bumpy ride made it hard to appreciate it.
I could only endure the ride in silence.
I tried to eat the breakfast bread, but it was difficult with the bouncing.
With nothing else to do, I kept staring ahead.
Hmm.
It was quite boring.
However, if I didn't change my sitting position from time to time, my butt would start to hurt.
Then, a small shadow moved in front of us.
There was something there.
Slow Rabbit Lv1
"There's a Slow Rabbit."
"You can tell?"
"I hunted one yesterday."
I recognized it as a Slow Rabbit thanks to the appraisal skill.
It was too small to see clearly from here.
"Indeed, you are impressive. A Slow Rabbit is nothing to worry about. We'll keep going without slowing down."
"Got it."
The cart quickly approached the monster and passed by the Slow Rabbit.
I would have liked to hunt it if I were alone, but it was better to get to Baile quickly.
"Indeed, there's a Slow Rabbit."
As we continued, I saw something in the distance.
It was too far to tell what it was.
Gummy Slime Lv1
There were quite a few monsters around.
"It's a Gummy Slime."
"Is it a Gummy Slime?"
The merchant slowed down the cart.
"What's wrong?"
"Gummy Slimes attack people on sight. Moreover, their soft bodies make them hard to damage."
"That's not a problem."
I should be fine with Durandal.
"This is the toughest enemy around here. If you get caught by a Gummy Slime, your body will dissolve. When one appears, the whole village mobilizes to deal with it."
The merchant explained the danger of the Gummy Slime.
It must be quite dangerous.
However, I should be fine as long as I don't get caught. It's only Lv1.
Since I said it wasn't a problem, I had to do it.
I would have to fight it sooner or later anyway.
"It's fine. Keep going."
I ordered the merchant.
"Understood."
The merchant continued the cart.
I tried to draw Durandal by calling up the character settings screen.
Hmm? The bonus points that were supposed to be 2 were now 0.
No, the monster is the priority now. I'll think about it later.
I set the 30% higher selling price to zero and put 6 points into weapons.
By the way, the Hero job should have skills. If Durandal doesn't work, I'll have to use them.
I thought "Job settings" and checked.
Skill: Overwhelming
I didn't understand it.
"Overwhelming?"
A spell appeared in my mind.
Is this what I'm supposed to chant?
"...What's wrong?"
"No, nothing. Keep going."
"Understood."
The merchant, who seemed to be concerned about my middle school syndrome, was ignored.
I took off the backpack and got ready. I put the copper sword at my feet and drew Durandal, putting the sheath in my waist.
As the cart approached, the Gummy Slime seemed to notice us and started moving towards us.
"Alright, stop."
"Yes."
I jumped off the driver's seat as the cart slowed down.
I ran past the horse and faced the Gummy Slime. I held Durandal behind me to the left and swung it horizontally like a bat. Durandal cut through the Gummy Slime's blue body and pulled out to the right.
One hit wasn't enough to kill it.
"Delivered hero... oh!"
I was about to chant the skill spell when the Gummy Slime jumped at me. I twisted my body to avoid it.
It's impossible to chant while fighting.
The Gummy Slime jumped at me again as I was getting ready to swing.
This time, I saw its movement and used my sword to deflect it.
I brought Durandal down from above as it landed. I hit it from the top of its head to the bottom. It should be over after taking that hit. I don't know if it has a head or not.
The Gummy Slime fell limply and spread out on the ground. It turned into green smoke and disappeared.
When the green mist cleared, something white was left behind.
Slime Starch
I didn't know what it was, but I decided to take it.
It seems I need to attack a Gummy Slime twice with Durandal to kill it.
Also, it's hard to chant a skill during a fight. I can't concentrate. I should use it only for a preemptive attack.
What should I do if I need to use a skill in a pinch?
I need to practice.
As I was reflecting on the fight, the merchant drove the cart closer.
"Did you defeat it?"
"Yep."
"To defeat it so quickly... you are impressive."
"Well, yeah."
It took two hits with Durandal.
I don't know how many hits it would take with the copper sword. I would probably be killed before then.
"By the way, are you a mage, Michio?"
The merchant asked.
"I think you saw me use a sword."
"Indeed, you used a sword yesterday too."
I didn't use magic when I defeated the thieves.
I can't use magic anyway.
"Right."
I got back into the cart.
Magic should exist in this world. I chose that setting.
I think mages should exist, but maybe not.
"Is that Slime Starch?"
"Yep."
"How about this? As a token of gratitude for protecting the cart, would you sell it to me?"
I quickly thought "Character reset" and removed the 6 points from weapons and put them into the 30% higher selling price.
I hid Durandal behind me so the merchant wouldn't see and closed the settings screen.
I didn't want to look suspicious.
"Sure, I'll sell it to you."
I handed the Slime Starch to the merchant.
I hope it was worth it.
"Slime Starch can be dissolved in water and fermented to make alcohol. It's called Slime Wine and is a popular drink."
"Interesting."
"The usual selling price is 80 nars. As a token of gratitude for protecting the cart, I'll pay you ten times that. I'll buy it from you for 1,040 nars."
"Thanks. I'll take it."
800 plus 240 is 1,040.
The 30% higher selling price seems to be working.
I received ten silver coins and forty copper coins from the merchant.
I put them in the pouch and slung the backpack over my shoulder.
"Are there any mages around here?"
I asked out of curiosity.
"I don't know. To become a mage, you have to drink a special potion before the age of five. Only the children of nobles and the very wealthy can become mages. I've never heard of any around here."
"I see."
I didn't know there were such restrictions to becoming a mage.
Can I become a mage?
No, or maybe...
But there were other things to think about now.
As the cart bounced, I thought about the bonus points.
The bonus points I thought had increased were actually not there.
I'm using 63 points for 30% higher selling price.
15 points for one-fifth of the required experience.
15 points for five times the gained experience.
That's 93 points in total.
3 points for the third job, making it 96.
9 points for appraisal, job settings, and character reset, making it 99.
With 0 points left, it means they haven't increased at all.
I realized it when I did the calculation.
The bonus points increased when the villagers' levels went up.
Now that I have removed the Villager Lv3 and set it to Farmer Lv1, the bonus points are back to the original amount, right?
I tried it by thinking "Job settings" and setting the first job back to Villager Lv3.