After hunting on the third floor, when I came out of the dungeon, it was still pitch dark.
Yesterday, I missed the sunrise, so it seems I was overly cautious this time.
I decided to go to the fourth floor once.
I can't hunt for too long. It's better not to do a series of tasks like using magic to fight and consuming MP, then drawing Durandal to recover MP.
If that's the case, it's better to draw Durandal from the start and fight on the fourth floor.
The explorer has reached level 23, so there's a possibility of defeating a Minotaur with three magic attacks.
Now that I've reached level 23, if I had kept the First Job, I could have set the Force Job with the increased bonus points.
However, I would need to keep one-tenth of the required experience points and remove the warp and job settings.
To revert the explorer to the First Job, I need to empty the item box.
It's better not to spill the contents of the item box here.
Setting the First Job as a Mage was a mistake.
Minotaur Level 4
I fired a Fireball at the Minotaur that appeared.
I shot it immediately upon spotting it, but it didn't even try to dodge.
I hit it three times before it got close.
The Minotaur endured the third hit and charged at me with its horns.
I blocked it with Durandal. It was a test of strength, but I managed to push it back.
I took a step back and prepared the fourth Fireball.
I parried the horn and the fourth Fireball hit the Minotaur.
In the flames, the Minotaur fell.
It still took four magic attacks.
Minotaur Level 4
For the next Minotaur, I stopped using magic and dealt with it using only Durandal.
I struck it head-on as it charged. I brought down Durandal, but the Minotaur didn't fall.
I had never defeated a Minotaur with Durandal alone before.
It seems one hit isn't enough.
I received the horn, deflected it to the side, and struck the bull's head again.
The Minotaur fell.
If I take my time and face it calmly, I can handle the Minotaur's horns.
Or maybe I'm just getting used to it.
Still, it's scary to think about being surrounded by multiple Minotaurs.
I still need to level up more.
After hunting twice, I went outside again.
It seemed to be getting a bit lighter.
Dawn must be near.
It would be bad if someone saw me, so I went back into the dungeon and used the warp to move.
I passed through the black wall of the warp.
It was still dark where I came out, probably because it was in the shadow of a building.
If it was successful, I should have appeared deep in the brothel district.
I waited for the sun to rise.
It didn't get light for a while.
Looking around, I found a corner that was turning white.
That must be east.
Looking east, it seemed to be cloudy.
The clouds were making it hard for it to get light.
I looked west.
I couldn't see any of the stars that should have been visible.
I hadn't noticed, but it was overcast.
In Tokyo, even on clear days, you can't see many stars, so it didn't feel strange.
Thinking about it, it has been sunny since I came to this world.
Of course, there must be cloudy and rainy days in this world too.
What should I do about an umbrella?
I didn't see any umbrellas at the market yesterday.
I don't think it will rain inside the dungeon.
While I was thinking, someone came out of the brothel.
It was still dim, so they were holding a lantern.
A male villager, probably a customer.
He walked to the other side of the street.
Light is noticeable.
Even if I can't see their face, it's clear that someone is there.
It's better not to move with a light.
After a while, it got a bit lighter.
It was indeed cloudy.
If I stay here too long, it will look suspicious.
I left the spot and walked down the street.
I was in the shadows at the far end of the street lined with brothels.
I hadn't actually come this far before; I had only peeked from the other side of the street.
It seems that just seeing it is enough for the warp to work.
You can warp to places you've seen.
People were starting to come out of the brothels and walk down the street.
I mixed in with them and cut through the brothel district.
I also checked the corner where the thief appeared.
There was a short alley, and a house stood at the end.
It didn't seem to be a brothel.
Could this be the base of the thieves? Like a yakuza office.
I couldn't stare for too long, so I quickly passed by.
It was a two-story, ordinary building, neither fancy nor shabby.
It would be difficult to attack while they are holed up there.
The brothel district is just a normal town in the morning.
It doesn't have a slum-like atmosphere.
If it did, regular customers wouldn't come.
I returned to the inn.
On the way back, I passed by the slave merchant's mansion.
Is Roxanne still sleeping?
"It's getting cloudy."
I talked to the innkeeper while receiving the key.
"In this area, it rarely rains, but when it does, it lasts for a few days."
"Is that so?"
"Probably."
I don't want it to rain.
I don't have an umbrella.
"Is breakfast okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
However, my wish was in vain, and it started raining while I was having breakfast.
It wasn't a heavy downpour, but it was drizzling.
I looked outside, but no one was using an umbrella.
There might not be umbrellas in this world.
Most people just wore a cloak.
Some were running in their usual clothes.
The cloak was similar to the one I bought yesterday.
It must be the rain gear in this world.
That's why I found it so quickly.
I bought it without knowing it was rain gear, but it was lucky.
With this, I can go outside.
After a short rest, I ran to the Adventurer's Guild in my cloak.
It wasn't a heavy rain, but there were more raindrops.
Would it continue like this?
The thief hunt would be on hold while it's raining.
The cloak seems to have some water-repellent treatment, but it's just cloth. I'll get soaked if I walk around in the rain.
Thieves probably won't go out in the rain either.
I warped from the wall of the Adventurer's Guild into the dungeon.
Fortunately, it wasn't raining inside the dungeon.
Of course, it wouldn't be.
In the end, it rained for two full days.
"The rain is getting weaker. It should stop soon."
The innkeeper told me this on the morning of the day after it started raining.
"Got it. I can go out now."
"Yeah."
The innkeeper handed me the key as I ran back to the inn from the Adventurer's Guild in the rain.
I could warp inside the inn to avoid the rain.
But my non-adventurer status would be revealed when they check the Intelligence Card.
Is there any other way?
"A few days ago, there was a murder, so I've been avoiding going out."
While I was at it, I gathered some information.
"That incident? You should be safe at this inn. You'll be fine as long as you don't go to the slums or brothels."
"How do you know?"
He seemed to have some information.
"It's a power struggle among the thieves who nest in the slums of this town."
"A power struggle, huh."
"Between us, some of the thieves have apparently allied with the knights."
The innkeeper lowered his voice.
"Hmm."
"I don't know how it happened. Maybe one of the thieves leaked information. The knights tried to wipe out the remaining thieves a while ago. The thieves who were driven out of town were ambushed and defeated in a village."
"I see."
So those were the thieves I defeated.
"The one killed recently was one of the thieves who remained in town. There's a rumor that some of the driven-out thieves are still around."
"They might be hiding somewhere."
"Maybe. The slums might be a bit chaotic, but with the knights watching, there won't be any trouble in broad daylight. This area is safe."
The innkeeper mainly gathers information related to the safety of the inn and guests.
He probably doesn't know the exact location of the thieves.
"Got it. Is breakfast okay?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
From the innkeeper's talk, I got a general idea.
There seem to be thieves in the slums and those who were driven out.
If I have to choose, I should target the ones who were driven out.
The ones who might hold a grudge against me are the ones who were driven out, so it's the right choice to go after them.
Attacking their base where they are holed up would be difficult.
If the building at the end of the brothel district is the base of the thieves who remained in town, it would be tough to attack them.
The thieves who were driven out, if they are hiding somewhere, would probably have weaker defenses even if they are on guard.
They have just been through a devastating operation by the knights.
The thieves who remained in town, judging from the violence I saw against the woman the other night, don't seem to be good people, but that doesn't make the driven-out ones the good guys.
They are part of the group that attacked the village.
They are all in the same boat.
After breakfast, I went back to my room, opened the wooden window, and gazed outside, waiting for the rain to stop.
The rain didn't stop for a long time.
It was a rain that had been falling for more than two days.
It became a light drizzle, but it took some time to stop completely.
It stopped around noon.
I should have gone into the dungeon.
The Mage reached level 24 and could defeat a Minotaur with three magic attacks, so I've been exploring the fourth floor.
I've walked a lot, so I should be close to finding the boss room.
It took a while to be able to defeat Minotaurs.
If I had explored seriously from the beginning, I might have cleared the third floor.
The four silver coins I paid the explorer to enter the fourth floor were a waste.
Since the rain stopped, I left the inn.
First, I went to the Adventurer's Guild to sell items.
The Adventurer's Guild seems to be open 24 hours because some adventurers use the wall, but the counter is only open during the day.
"Give me two Nourishment Pills and two Strengthening Pills."
I asked the thirtysomething woman who brought the money, giving her a 30% discount.
It's better to have recovery methods other than Durandal, just in case.
I don't need them for dungeon battles, but who knows what might happen with the thieves.
I added the discount skill just in case.
It didn't work when I bought the Softening Pill and Antiparalysis Pill.
It probably won't work this time either.
But it might work under certain circumstances.
Like when I asked for hot water and a lantern together.
Thinking about it, the discount didn't work only when I bought medicine from her.
Why didn't it work then?
Maybe it doesn't work with multiple items.
The thirtysomething woman left her seat and returned with the pills.
The blue pills and red pills.
After appraising them, the blue ones were Nourishment Pills, and the red ones were Strengthening Pills.
They were clearly distinguishable by color.
"Thank you. It's sixty Nars each."
"Uh-huh."
The 30% discount doesn't seem to work.
"…Sorry, but can you pay in copper coins?"
I was waiting with two silver coins and forty copper coins when she said this.
Why?
Is it customary to pay for Nourishment Pills and Strengthening Pills in copper coins?
"Sorry."
I had no choice but to take out copper coins from my pouch.
"Thank you. I have received the payment."
The thirtysomething woman handed me the pills in exchange for sixty copper coins.
She divided them one by one, as if to confirm.
Maybe she can't calculate sixty times four equals two hundred and forty.
Or maybe she thought I couldn't do it, but if I knew it was two hundred and forty Nars, I could have just taken two hundred and forty Nars with two silver coins.
I don't know the education level in this world. The literacy rate is low enough that there are reading services.
There's a skill called Calc for merchants to do calculations.
It's quite possible that ordinary villagers can't do calculations.
If they can't do calculations, the 30% discount can't work.
However, the 30% increase works for item buybacks at the guild.
Why does it work for buybacks?
"Who calculates the buyback amount?"
I asked the thirtysomething woman.
"The guild temple does it. You might have seen it when you changed jobs."
"…"
I was at a loss when she said I had seen it.
It seems I am considered an adventurer.
Well, I've been using the warp to the Adventurer's Guild wall many times.
"Broken items are rejected at that time. People sometimes put Cobalt Salt in the item box and it gets dissolved by rain. Be careful, or it won't be buyable."
"Got it."
Fortunately, the thirtysomething woman didn't find it strange that I didn't answer.
She even gave me additional information.
You can't split Cobalt Salt into two.
I took the pills and left the Adventurer's Guild.
It seems the thirtysomething woman doesn't calculate the buyback amount.
Maybe the 30% increase doesn't work if she does it.
This makes sense.
She doesn't have the skills to increase the buyback price or apply discounts.
She can't do 30% increases or decreases if she can't do calculations.
Then, why does it work for others?
Calc.
The skill came to mind.
Not just merchants, but weapon merchants, armor merchants, and slave merchants probably have the Calc skill.
I'm not sure about inns.
These traders can't do business if they can't do calculations.
The skills to increase prices or apply discounts probably work on Calc.
Calc is a skill that unconsciously calculates and brings the answer to mind.
It's always used when calculating.
When merchants calculate selling prices or buying prices, the skills I have to increase prices or apply discounts probably work with Calc to automatically calculate the service price.
This explains why it only works when buying or selling multiple items.
There's no need to calculate when buying or selling a single item.
It's just a hypothesis.
But it doesn't seem too far off.
With the hypothesis in mind, I switched my focus and concentrated on exploring.
I wandered through the town looking for thieves.
I had to make up for the time wasted due to the rain for more than two days.
There's not much time left until the deadline.
I appraised everyone I saw.
I appraised every place where people might be, whether visible or not.
Sometimes I could appraise people even if I couldn't see them clearly through the wooden window.
However, I couldn't appraise inside buildings through walls.
I couldn't afford to be leisurely and say the slums are dangerous.
I steeled myself and went in.
There they were.
When I entered the slums, I found a thief among the homeless.