I got a room at an inn for the night.

In the morning, as soon as I'd had breakfast, I headed towards the Adventurer's Guild again.

The same bald macho guy was at the counter. I wondered if I happened to come in on the days he worked, or if he just worked a lot.

"Hello."

"Ah, you again."

(Apparently he remembers me. Well, Asians are probably conspicuous here. I've seen elves and a dwarf and even beast people, and yet all of them are Western-looking.)

"I'd like the same medicinal herb gathering quest as yesterday."

"OK, bring them back here when you're done."

"Also, I'd like to check how those herbs look."

"Eh? You seriously don't know?"

"No, I just want to make sure I'm getting the right kind."

"Really, you're a lot of trouble."

While mumbling complaints, he took a leather folder from a shelf behind the counter, and took some pages out of it.

"You can collect any of these three, and we'll buy them."

"I see."

The sheets he put on the counter had some pictures of grass and flowers. The drawings were quite good. I tried to memorize the plants on them.

"Thank you very much."

"I'll put this away away then."

"Sorry about the trouble."

After that straightforward and short conversation, I left the guild building and headed towards the forest again. I decided to stay along the road or stream so I wouldn't get lost.

◇◆◇

I reached the stream and walked along it until I entered the forest. A little while after that, I saw a figure that I remembered from the other day.

"Oh, are you the goblin from yesterday?"

"Human..."

It was the friendly goblin again!

It stood by the stream, staring at me. Looking at it more closely, there was a smaller goblin clinging to its arm. The smaller goblin was breathing roughly and had an arrow in its arm. It looked like it had been hit some time ago. The area around the arrow was very swollen.

"What happened?"

"Sizter...dying..."

"Yes, I see, your sister."

"...human, thiz, heal."

"Yes, OK. Leave it to me."

I used my recovery magic on the goblin's sister. The arrow got expelled from her arm, and not long after, the skin healed. The swelling went away, and the skin around the wound went from reddish to green.

Altogether, that took a few seconds.

(That's fast! There's no way this kind of skill isn't valuable.)

"Oh..."

The goblin was staring at me in wonder.

(It was something I received, though. I wonder what that god I met is doing now.)

"Brother, hurt...gone. Gone!"

They spent a little while just hugging each other.

(Good for them.)

I was actually a little touched, but I couldn't entirely understand their joy, never having had to face life-or-death hardships.

"....human, saved us. Thank you."

"Ah, don't worry about it."

"Thank you."

The goblin's younger sister stared at me while holding onto his arm.

(Well, that's normal for a goblin.)

(I wouldn't even have known she was female. I guess that's how species differences are.)

"I have work to do, so I'll be going now."

I still had to find some medicinal herbs.

The goblin stopped me. "Today, also, herbs?"

"Oh? Yes, that's right."

(Those who don't work can't eat, after all.)

In Japan, even if you did no actual work for a day or two, the company would still pay you. You could just look at some random websites, say you were studying the industry or developing your skills, and everything would be fine.

But now, only having a sack and the clothes I was wearing to my name, I couldn't stop worrying.

(If I didn't have my recovery magic, I'd probably be going crazy right about now.)

"Then, wait. I'll go get."

"Eh, really?"

"Going out. But, wait. Stay here."

"OK, I'll stay here."

(It would be really helpful if he gathered those for me again.)

◇◆◇

(I'll just wait a little while, then.)

Around when I was about to give up on waiting, the goblin returned. He was carrying a large leather bag with both hands. His sister was with him, carrying another leather bag.

"Oh, those are some large bags you have."

"These, have herbs."

They left the bags at my feet with a plop. Looking inside one, it was full of various grasses.

(How much did they collect?!)

"You're giving me all of this?"

"More. Little more, wait."

"No, no, this is enough. This is plenty."

(I'm not even sure if I can carry all of this back.)

"...enoff?"

"Definitely. I don't need more than this. "

"I shee..."

He actually looked kind of disappointed.

(This goblin is such a nice guy!)

"Goblin, can't go to town. Here iz OK?"

"Yes, this is fine. Thank you very much."

"This iz thanks for healing sister."

"Yes, right. I understand. This is fine."

"Thank you. Yoo saved her."

"Ah, by the way, I have a sort of warning, or situation report..."

"...report?"

"In the town along the stream, humans pay money for hunting goblins here. So, being in this forest is dangerous. If you can, it would be good to leave."

"...yoo alzo, going to kill uz?"

"No, no, no. You saved me life before. I wouldn't do something like that."

"I shee."

"If you want to keep your sister safe, you should move somewhere else."

"...I undershtand."

"But I won't say it's impossible to stay here."

"Mmm, yez."

(This goblin is actually kind of cute.)

"Brozher?"

The goblin's little sister was looking at the faces of me and her brother with concern.

(Well, they would be cute if they weren't so ugly.)

(The sound of the sister's voice isn't bad, though.)

"Undershtand, then, this foresht, leaving."

"I think that's a good idea."

"...good baaye."

"Yeah, goodbye. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

"Yez. Meet again, someday."

The two goblin siblings then left, heading deeper into the forest, leaving me with a large amount of medicinal herbs.

◇◆◇

I headed back, carrying the two large leather bags. Because of that, returning to the town took twice as long. Being full of grass they weren't too heavy, but the bulk was awkward.

From the town's entrance, I headed straight to the Adventurer's Guild.

I pushed through the wooden doors. I still wasn't used to not hearing "irasshaimase" when I entered places.

"Excuse me, I'd like to turn in these."

I put the two bags on the counter with a "dosan" noise, and the same macho bald guy came out to the counter.

"...what is this?"

"These should be medicinal herbs..."

I opened one of the bags and started sorting the grasses into piles. There really were a lot of different kinds. Honestly, I didn't know what was what.

"You got a lot, huh..."

"There was a lot where I went."

He looked amazed. I was amazed when I got them, myself.

"Well, that's fine, you can sit down over there while I sort this out."

"OK."

I sat down where he'd pointed.

The time was a little after noon. The guild building was something of a gathering point for adventurers, so there were several around. I'd seen some in their teens, but most of the adventurers seemed to be 20 to 30 years old.

"......"

I could feel someone staring at me.

(I seem to have attracted a little attention. Probably because I'm Asian. If a white guy went shopping in my hometown, they'd get stared at too.)

(But not in a bad way.)

"........."

I was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

(If I somehow get back to Japan, I swear not to stare at westerners.)

(And I'm bored.)

Looking for something to do, I noticed the bulletin board. The notes were written on parchment in characters that I couldn't read, and held up by pins.

(I wonder what's written on them.)

As I was wondering that, I realized something.

(That's what skills are for. Skills! I think I still have one point remaining.)

"Letters, letters, letters. Reading, writing, literacy skill. Letters, letters, whatever it is, I want to be able to read and write here! Come on!"

I mumbled to myself like a Buddhist monk reciting a prayer.

And then, I felt a "bikun" in my heart, and a ringing in my brain.

(...there it is!)

passive:

magic recovery: Lv.Max

magic efficiency: Lv.Max

language skill: Lv.1

active:

recovery magic: Lv.Max

fire magic: Lv.1

remaining skill points: 0

After checking my skills, I looked at the bulletin board again.

(...amazing, I can read it normally.)

The notes posted on the board were basically job offers. The recruitment notices were carefully lined up in the center.

[Party Member Recruitment]

class: rear guard | (recovery)

rank: B or higher

notes: experience with the Valley of Solitude a plus

organization: Black-Winged Dragon (party)

[Guild Member Recruitment]

class: rear guard | (recovery)

rank: C or higher

notes: none

organization: Daybreak Company (guild)

[Party Member Recruitment]

class: advance guard | (knight)

rank: B or higher

notes: should have 3-element protection

organization: Endless Spear (party)

[Party Member Recruitment]

class: rear guard | (recovery)

rank: E or higher

notes: young party

organization: White Rain

[Looking for Party]

class: advance guard | (swordsman)

rank: C

notes: 10 years of experience, sword specialist

name: Ray Yard

[Looking for Party]

class: advance guard | (ranger)

rank: B

notes: 15 years of experience

name: Jon

[Party Member Recruitment]

class: rear guard | (druid)

rank: C or higher

notes: none

organization: Metal Goblin (platinum)

There were about 15 such notes lined up.

(I see, so this is how recruitment is done.)

(...there are a lot of requests for healers.)

About half the requests were for users of recovery magic, while there seemed to be an excess of advance guards. Supply and demand were unbalanced.

(If that's the situation, then maybe even a gross-looking guy like me could get into a party.)

So, I decided to write a note for myself.

(Two is better than one, and three is better than two. When it comes to violence, numbers are vital.)

I stood up and went to the board, where there was a small piece of parchment and a charcoal-like writing implement.

[Looking for Party]

class: rear guard | (recovery)

rank: F

notes: beginner

name: Tanaka (36 years old)

(That should do it.)

I put my note up on the board.

(That should be correct. I even wrote my age, so they shouldn't complain when they actually meet me.)

I went back to my seat by the counter.

I decided to rest my head on the counter like I was napping while I waited. This was a skill I had raised to max level during my life in Japan.

After about 30 minutes, the man at the counter finally called me.

"Hey, sorry about the wait."

"Ah, it's OK."

When I raised my head, he was right in front of me.

(Gah, scary!)

"You had various things in there, but putting it all together, it would be about 105 silver."

"Eh, really?"

"You have a complaint?"

"No, no complaint."

That was a huge amount of money, much more than I'd expected.

"Here's your payment."

He put a leather bag on the counter.

"Thanks."

Looking inside, it was full of silver coins.

(It's heavy.)

"You should count it now if you want to. There's no point saying I underpayed you later."

"I understand."

I counted them as suggested.

(What a pain.)

There were indeed exactly 105 silver coins there.

"I've verified the amount."

"It's all yours, then."

"Thanks."

"Also, I'll return your leather bags."

"Ah, OK."

He put the two empty leather bags on the counter.

I could smell grass as I took them.

"That's all, then."

"Thank you very much."

I left the Adventurer's Guild once more.

◇◆◇

I had a warm feeling from my unexpected windfall. Translating the amount into yen, I started fantasizing about buying a nice car.

And then, I remembered thinking about brothels.

Soapland.

Sex.

Sex in another world.

Fantasy version.

With this much money, affording one night would be no problem. I didn't know the price, but 105 silver would be more than enough.

If my conversion to yen was right, that would be enough for a few hours at even a high-class place in Yoshihara.

But when I remembered how I'd gotten that money, I suddenly felt a bit of hesitation. Thinking about the goblins, I wasn't sure if I'd actually enjoy myself.

The goblin sibling's situation was kind of heartwrenching.

"......"

(Why had I gotten recovery magic from that god? Yes, that was largely so I could cure STDs.)

Ever since HIV arrived in Japan in 1985, the number of people sick with it had risen continuously. Looking back, it was largely because of fear of AIDS that I'd remained a virgin. And so, I'd asked for recovery magic.

(I'd hardly had any money until now, but when I think about those goblin siblings...)

(I feel like I should put this money to a respectable use.)

So, I walked on.

◇◆◇

I returned to the weapon store that I couldn't afford before.

"Excuse me."

"What, you again? If you just want to chat then get lost."

"No, today I've brought some money."

"Ho...?"

"I'm looking for something around 50 silver."

"That's an impressive change from yesterday."

"That's just how things happened to work out."

I went closer to the rude dwarf shopkeeper.

He had the face of a stubborn old guy, but was only about one meter tall. About the same height as that friendly goblin.

"You know how to use a sword?"

"No way."

"Then what can you use?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you what weapon would be good for a beginner."

"...you want something small for self-protection, then?"

"Yes, more or less."

"OK. Wait here for a minute."

He went to a room behind the counter, probably to look through his inventory.

After a few minutes, he returned with a sword.

"This should do."

"...rather normal, isn't it?"

"That's because it's a normal short sword."

"I see."

(It's called a "short" sword, but it's actually about 80 cm long.)

I had no experience with anything bigger than a kitchen knife, and to a standard corporate wage slave like me, it looked more than dangerous enough.

He handed it to me.

(What am I supposed to do with this? It's kind of scary.)

"Is this made of iron? Steel?"

"Iron? What's that?"

"It's a kind of metal..."

"This is made with Dennis ore from a Dwarvish mine, and I smithed it myself."

"...I see."

(Huh? What kind of mineral is that?)

(Eh, whatever it's made of, it's still a sword.)

"How much is this?"

"20 silver."

(That's cheaper than I expected.)

Most of the price tags I'd seen for similar items had higher prices.

(He must put the fancier stuff out front, but it seems like he has good taste.)

"...something wrong?"

"Eh?"

"I understand. 15 silver, then."

"...OK."

(Nice, I brought the price down!)

My sophisticated negotiation technique was basically the same as saying the wrong price by mistake.

"I'll buy it now, then."

"Do you want a belt and scabbard for an extra silver?"

"Ah, yes."

With that, my search for a weapon was done. I paid with some silver coins and took the sword. I put the belt on, and the sword in the scabbard on that. As I started to leave, the sword was surprisingly heavy, so I stumbled slightly.

"...it doesn't really suit you."

"Yes, I know."

(There's no way I can actually use this thing effectively.)

(But still, it's probably better to have this than nothing. There's some deterrence value in just having a weapon. Like with the Cold War, or nuclear weapons.)

"Thanks. I'll be leaving, then."

"Bring it back here if you chip it, and I'll fix it for one silver."

"Ah, OK."

(Apparently I'll need money for maintenance, too. And it's kind of expensive.)

(If I think about it like car maintenance, then does that make sense? No, it's just a solid piece of metal. When I think about it that way, maybe I paid too much for this sword. Anyway, I'll try not to have to use it. I don't know how to use it properly, so I'd probably nick it immediately.)

◇◆◇

(Now that I've bought a sword, armor is next. I'm wearing the same clothes as the regular townspeople - not very adventurer-like.)

I decided to at least get some kind of leather armor. Being an ugly older guy, I at least wanted to have the right clothes.

(Have a nice cover, even if what's inside is bad. That's the strength of the women I've known.)

As I was thinking that, I arrived at an armor store. The shopkeeper there was another dwarf.

I headed straight for him, and said, "Excuse me, I'm looking to buy armor and footwear and a shield, a complete set."

"...complete set?"

"Yes, a complete set. Something appropriate for an adventurer."

"...what's your budget?"

"Around 20 silver."

"OK."

(The dwarf here is straightforward, too.)

After those few words, he headed to the room behind the counter. After several minutes, he returned carrying several things with both hands.

"How about these?"

"Oh, wow."

It really was a complete set: armor, boots, shield, and something like trousers. The shield was bigger than I expected.

"For what it's worth, they're new. You can see that they're undamaged."

"Indeed."

(I'd thought he was going to warn me that they were secondhand, but apparently not. It seems that 20 gold for a set of armor is about at the boundary between new and used items.)

"Well?"

"I'll take them."

"OK."

I decided to buy them immediately. Not having any way to verify how good the armor was, all I could do is trust in his recommendation.

(I believe in you, Mr. Dwarf!)

Our conversation had been very short, but then, I didn't really want to have a long conversation with a grumpy-looking dwarf. A swift, efficient transaction was fine with me.

I only tried the armor on after buying it, and it turned out that adjustment was unnecessary. Apparently my measurements were fairly typical.

"Bye, then."

"Come back if you get hit. Depending on the condition, I can repair your armor."

"I understand."

I left the armor store, with the dwarf there seeing me off.

◇◆◇

I finally had a complete set of equipment: leather armor, leather boots, a leather shield, and a sword made out of some metal. I felt a petty sense of satisfaction.

(Now what?)

(Uh-oh, now I kind of feel like going off on an adventure.)

As I walked along the main street, in my heart I was jumping.

(Age has nothing to do with excitement! I can just be a middle-aged warrior.)

I still had 77 silver remaining. The inn was one silver and some copper, so I could afford lodging and food for three months easily.

All thanks to that goblin.

(I wonder if they managed to escape safely...)

When I looked up at the sky emotionally, it had turned red. With the sun setting, I felt a sense of satisfaction with my day.

(I guess I'll get some dinner.)

I wandered around, a little unsteady from my new equipment, and found a restaurant that looked good. I ordered their recommended meat dish and beer. When my drink arrived, I did a one-man toast.

Of course, I went to a different restaurant than the day before. I didn't want to have stuff thrown at me again. The food was so-so, and so was the beer. It wasn't a bad dinner.

After eating, I headed back to my inn and slept.