Chapter 7 – Kobold Hunt

We made our way back to the city, past the guards who seemed very tired.

He couldn’t hold back a yawn, even though it was clear he had just left for work. What a comfortable job this is. If I had to pick one of the best jobs in the world, I think it would be a guard.

A job where you just have to put up with boredom.

There was hardly even a fight.

What crazy bastard would dare to mess with the city guards.

“Kat-nim. Thank you for your hard work.”
Hehe, the nun did the hard work. It seems that the nun did it all by herself from start to finish.”

I said hello to Elise.

This was something that could be said to have been carried by Elise, who used her divinity skill sparingly. All I did was cut off a few kobolds. I couldn’t help but feel deeply grateful for the money as well.

“Ah, but. Do I have to go to church with you?”
“You don’t have to.”

I handed out the kobold skin bag to Elise. Elise accepted the bizarre thing with a smile.

“Thanks for making the job easier. Here, this is a courtesy payoff.”

Elise held out a 1 silver coin. One silver coin was a huge amount of money, worth a whopping 100 coppers.

I was so excited and excited that crab foam seemed to come out of my mouth. It was the first time in my life that I had made such a large amount of money all at once. As my hands and feet begin to tremble, an unknown urge rises. I felt like I was going to have a seizure if I was really off guard for a second.

With this, my current possession is a whopping 1 silver and 27 coppers.

The corners of the mouth rise as if they were going to tear.
I smiled and waved her hand at Elise.

“Welcome in, Sister! I will never forget today! You are my benefactor!”
“Greetings… No. Katt-nim also did a good job. Goodbye.”

Elise lifted her kobold skin bag and quietly disappeared. I put the silver coin into the purse in her bosom and went to the forge with light steps. This is because the giant spider’s carapace must be disposed of.

There were all the buildings on the eastern side of the gate, so I went into the smithy that I could barely see.

When I went inside, the muscle man who was hammering turned to me. The swelling of his arm muscles seemed to prove his skill and career his. I popped out the shell. He put down the hammer and stood up.

“Here. Blacksmith. Do you need this? I got it today and it’s fucking fresh.”
“I fucking need it. Buy it for a cooper.”

After wiping his sweat, the blacksmith took the carapace and inspected it from place to place to check its quality, then he took out a 1 copper coin and handed it to me.

“If you have a good quality carapace, I’ll buy it all for 1 copper. Next time you hunt a giant spider, come to me.”
“I see.”

I took the copper coins I received and looked around the smithy moderately, but I couldn’t find anything worth buying. Even if there was something to buy in the first place, there was no money. There was no way to buy one piece of equipment with 1 silver. You need at least 3 silver.

“Is there anything to buy? I’ll give it to you cheaply now.”

The blacksmith threw a meaningless comment and started hammering again. He wouldn’t believe anyone saying he’d give it that cheap.

“Let’s see for a while.”

If it was a pauldron or breastplate, it would be reasonable to buy one, but armor was so expensive that it made people vomit. It was because it caused collusion in the blacksmith guild. Just looking at the price tag written on it made me go crazy.

Just look at the [Giant Spider Skin Breastplate] On display. After receiving a whopping 3 silver for something made from ten shells that cost only 1 copper, he ate it. That’s why there is a saying that a sissy should learn a skill, but this was Eva.

It’s not that I’m not interested in fitting in equipment, but the problem is that I don’t have money either. Saving money and buying equipment was a very difficult task for a lower-class life like me.

Alchemist Guild these ten bastards.

“My house is much cheaper than anywhere else.”

The blacksmith made a nonchalant noise. Everywhere you go, the price is the same.

It’s like you fucking swindlers. There was no such thing as a fair trade law in another world, so monopolizing and collusion among themselves was common.

There is no such thing as a free market economy. All merchants and artisans belonged to guilds, and it was a world where it was common sense that merchants and industrialists who were not affiliated with guilds would put swords in their hands if they wanted to make some money. That’s why they never lower their prices.

Can’t even protest I’m just an adventurer without a resident card, and the blacksmiths are all private businesses that pay taxes to the lord. The difference is huge.

“Come next time.”

I left the forge. Then where should we go now? Of course, it is the Alchemist Guild. We need to quickly dispose of the rake mushrooms we picked yesterday. Whether it’s a plant or a mushroom, the value of the product decreases as time passes after digging.

It’s only been a day, so I think it’ll be fine.

Past the central fountain plaza and round the corner is a five-story building with an exotic roof. This is the alchemist’s guild.

[%$^%&%$&]

There is something written on the signboard, but I can’t read it. I feel it every time I see it, but I have no way of knowing if it’s because I can’t write a damn thing or if it’s a foreign language. Of course I’m not interested. I can read other things, but I can’t read magical language.

It was early so it wasn’t crowded.

I opened the door and went to the material counter.

“Hello. I’m here to sell this.”

I took a rake mushroom out of the pouch. At first glance, it seemed to be in good condition, so 3 Coopers could have been enough. It’s a bit bragging, but I’m the type of person who has good observational skills, so when I see something like this, I get an estimate right away. Is it supposed to be some kind of talent?

Since I was young, I have been told that I have good observation skills.
Of course, he did not become an adventurer by using his talent.

“This is… A rake mushroom.”

The alchemist wearing magnifying glasses said while looking at the mushroom. The emotion took less than 10 seconds in total. I’ve clearly seen this kid.

“But it’s not in very good condition. I’ll buy it for 2 coopers.”
“No, it’s only been a day since then already?”

I almost screamed in shock when I heard the appraisal. Where did my observation go…! As I said before, it was clear that all the alchemists were scammers, so they were hitting the price.

“Yeah? It’s been a day? Then one cooper.”
“No no, it’s not a day because it was collected last night!”

It was clear that I would be screwed if I bargained for more, so I accepted the 2 coppers the alchemist gave me. I didn’t like that grinning face. It’s definitely worth 1 cooper, that’s it.

Anyway, after earning 1 silver and 3 coppers in one day, I decided to put up with it. He left the Alchemist Guild without regret.

“It’s an ambiguous time to play.”

It was still early in the morning, so it was ambiguous to just wash and sleep. As soon as I wake up, I enter the city right away, so it is almost time to go to work. It would be nice to go to the bathroom and wash up and sleep well at the inn to recover from fatigue, but if you are lazy like that in another world, you will end up with dog hair the moment you feel sorry for yourself.

Laziness leads to ruin. Those who do not work cannot live. He has no one other than himself who can take responsibility for himself. That was this world.

“What are you doing when you play? Let’s work.”

The bed was a bit uncomfortable, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t sleep. I just ate the food I bought yesterday for breakfast and trudged to the adventurer’s guild. It was not too far away, so I was able to get there quickly.

It was during rush hour that many people came in and out. I opened the door, trying not to make eye contact with them.

ㅡ Kikkiik.

I’m going to have a little work today.

Normally I’d do two to three quests a week that cost around 20-30 coppers per quest. Originally, I could do more, but these days, there is no work and no one to hug me, so that was the maximum.

Since my weekly living expenses were about 30 coppers, there was no problem in surviving as long as I did two quests. But only then is it a step back. On a day like today when I got 1 silver, I had to work harder to level up.

Anyway, I went to the receptionist. I don’t know anything else, but these days my back gets hot just looking at the receptionist. I’m so ashamed and sorry.

“Uh, hey. Receptionist. Do you have something to do today?”

When my turn came, I asked timidly.

“Who is this? Isn’t it Katt? Why are you here?”

The receptionist asked me with his hands together and pretended to be exaggeratedly happy, as if he had never expected me to come back to work. His face his seemed to turn red with embarrassment. No, the fever has already risen.

“So… Will there be work?”
“Tsk.”

When I said it with the most pitiful look on my face, the receptionist clicked his tongue once and sighed.

“Whoa… Mr. Katt.”
“Yes?”
“Cart, make one promise with me.”
“What promise?”

She said with a serious expression.

“To be honest, you know that Mr. Katt has messed up, no… Screwed up more than one or two things right now?”
“Sure.”

There are roughly five of them that I remember, but no matter how much I think about them, none of them are even 1% my fault. When five people get together, one of them is bound to be an asshole, but in my case, it was the opposite.

When the five of us get together, everyone except me is an asshole. There was very little that four idiots and one person could do. All of the adventurers were fools.

“That’s why I don’t want to give Mr. Katt any work, but if you promise me one thing, I’ll give you a job for poor Mr. Katt.”
“I promise you unconditionally. Definitely.”

I tried to take off my clothes to even bow naked, but I was immediately stopped. The other world was such a fucking place that there was only beggarly work, but like the receptionist in front of me, I was able to live because there were good people who did not lose their human hearts.

Having made a big decision, I grabbed the receptionist’s hands her, ready to sign and seal whatever promise he had made.

“Yes, then promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I haven’t said anything yet. If I get the quest, I’ll risk my life to complete it. Sing back.”
“That’s not a very difficult promise…”

As I said, I am a person who lives at the risk of living. This time, I will definitely complete the quest even at the cost of my own life. I sang out loud with willpower.

“And I looked into it a little bit, Mr. Katt, and if you fail the quest one more time, you will be demoted.”
“What…!”

At those words, I hardened like a stone statue!!!

“As Katt knows, being demoted from E-class to F-class is really fucking shit. You’ve probably seen it a few times in your life, but Katt-san’s turn is not far off. As far as I know, all the people who were demoted quit being adventurers. Where did the missing people disappear to?”

I know the wretched words of the demoted guys…

“Then you know that. Come to the guild tomorrow before sunrise. E-class avant-garde and chores… No, that’s enough. Anyway, there’s a party to save one person, and I think we can do this.”

I knew relegation was near. I didn’t know it was my last chance. You can’t be demoted here and live as a day laborer in the city. I can’t admit that…!

“It’s a D+-class subjugation quest. There’s one C-class wizard in the party, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Just do it until sunrise tomorrow. You can find a cockatrice subjugation party.”

A cockatrice and a wizard.

“Anyway, thank you… I will make sure to repay this favor.”
“There’s nothing to see when you’re demoted. Next!”

I grabbed my wobbly legs and came out of the window. I didn’t pay attention to the recent record at all, but when I came to my senses, it was the last round of the relegation defense. I couldn’t help but be nervous.

“Amchang, this is a must.”

After stopping for a moment and making a solemn resolution, I immediately left the adventurer’s guild and headed for the public bathhouse. For tomorrow’s work, you should prepare a little harder today and go to bed early.

[Golden Basin]

The public bath named is a fairly expensive place where you can get 1 copper per bath and eat it. Others are further afield.

It is a world where even taking a bath costs a lot of money.

ㅡchwak.

As much as washing my body with water, I was able to forget the storms of this harsh world. In the sense of ablution and a fresh start, I stripped off all the dirt from my body and came out. After taking a bath, I walked around the streets of the shopping district, purchasing supplies in preparation for tomorrow’s battle, and eating.

If you fail one more time, it’s F grade again… I can only draw a bleak future. It couldn’t be. Isn’t the receptionist also taking care of my convenience? Good night. Let’s be a little wild man for tomorrow.

After preparing for the trip, I entered the inn and slept all day. To completely relieve fatigue.