Ossan Saikyō Chapter 1 Part 02
The first floor of the Adventurer’s Guild was a spacious lobby.
There was a bulletin board on the left with two adventurer parties gathered in front of it, and on the right was a counter where several staff members stood…
It felt exactly like a game I had played before.
For now, I walked across the wooden floor toward the counter.
As I approached, one of the staff, a young woman, clearly in her late teens, attended to me.
“Nice to meet you. How may I help you?”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Okuno Soushi. Um, I was told by someone in town to come here…”
“Ah, could it be that you’ve just Awakened?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t really understand what this Awakening is.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll explain the adventurer system from the beginning. Please come this way.”
Guided smoothly, I was led to a counter seat with chairs further inside.
“Let’s see, your name was Okuno Soushi, correct? Is ‘Soushi’ your surname?”
“Ah, no, Okuno is my surname.”
In this world, or maybe this country, it seems surnames come last.
“Then, Mr. Okuno, please hold this plate.”
As instructed, I took hold of a slender metal plate that the receptionist handed me.
A part of the plate then glowed faintly red.
“Yes, confirmed. Mr. Okuno, you are indeed an ‘Awakened One’. As an ‘Awakened One’, you are basically obligated to operate as an ‘Adventurer’ in all countries on this continent.”
“I see…”
“Ah, my apologies. Since you don’t seem to know about ‘Awakening’, I’ll explain from the start.”
With that, she began her explanation.
To summarize:
・Awakening is when an ordinary human becomes able to use a powerful ability called a Skill.
・The conditions for “Awakening” are completely unknown. It occurs at a low probability regardless of gender, and most commonly manifests between the ages of 15 and 25.
・Those who “Awaken” must become “Adventurers”.
・“Adventurers” make their living by fighting monsters, and most operate within “Dungeons”.
In other words, even if it’s a bit of an oversimplification… it seems I’ve been thrown into this world as a player character in an RPG.
For now, while trying to process my situation, I asked the receptionist a question.
“I was basically thrown here with nothing but the clothes on my back. What should I do for now?”
“Yes, that happens quite often, so the Guild also provides loans. Repayment will be made by deducting a fixed amount from the rewards you earn. If that works for you, please let us know.”
“I see. That helps a lot.”
Apparently, I’m being treated better than the descendant of a hero from some old game I once played.
I asked the receptionist various questions, received something called an Adventurer Card, and finally borrowed some money before leaving the Guild.
◇◆◇
That day, following a beginner’s guide I found at the Adventurer’s Guild, I bought the necessary equipments and decided to stay at the cheaper of the two inns in this town (apparently called Tolson).
Honestly, if I hadn’t been able to borrow money from the Guild, I’d have been sleeping in a stable at best, so that was a relief.
The inn room was simple, with just a single bed, but it was far better than sleeping outside. Apparently, wild dogs and bandits show up outside the town.
I sat down on the hard bed and checked the equipments I had bought.
A backpack, a short knife, a water flask, portable preserved rations, a cloth to use as a towel, a club that could be handled with one hand, a small shield also usable with one hand, and a helmet-like cap.
All of it looked so old-fashioned it might as well be antiques to me, but in this world, this must be normal.
“But weapons… huh.”
Needless to say, as a modern Japanese person, I’ve never handled a real weapon.
Take this club, or mace, for example. The shopkeeper at the weapon store said it was the best choice for beginners, and sure enough, if someone got hit with this at full force, they wouldn’t come out unscathed.
Which also means that from now on, I’ll have to use this to beat and kill monsters I haven’t even seen yet… and when I think about it calmly like this, an overwhelming sense of unease creeps in.
Then again, if I start worrying about that, being thrown into this world itself is already a source of anxiety.
“For today, I’ll just eat and sleep.”
I packed my gear into the backpack, picked it up, and went down to the inn’s dining hall on the first floor.
The dining hall was about sixty percent full.
Apparently, most people staying at inns in this town are traveling merchants or adventurers, and from what I could see, it was about half and half.
Among the adventurers in particular, many looked like beginners, in other words, newcomers like me. The difference was that they were all with their party members.
I sat at an empty table, placed my order with the innkeeper, and waited for my meal.
“Hey, old man? Are you an adventurer or something?”
The one who spoke to me was a young man around twenty. His flushed cheeks suggested he’d been drinking.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Huh, being an adventurer at your age is pretty rare. Right, guys?”
When he called out, his companions at the table, all men and women around twenty, nodded without much interest.
From their reaction, it seemed like this guy had a habit of picking fights when drunk.
“So, old man, are you strong? …Well, no way, right? If you were strong, you wouldn’t be staying at this inn.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. If you’re strong, you earn more. If you earn more, you stay at better inns.”
“I see. What about you? You look pretty strong to me.”
Flattery works best on drunk people… but also, he genuinely looked stronger than me.
Our heights weren’t that different, but his arms were noticeably thicker. His equipment also looked well-used.
“Huh? I’m nothing special yet. Still E-rank. Just not a beginner anymore, that’s all.”
“If you’re E-rank, then I guess adventurer ranks must be harder to raise than I thought.”
When I said that, he seemed to understand it as an indirect compliment and grinned.
“Haha, yeah, that’s right. Took me two months just to reach E, but that’s apparently fast. You do your best too, old man.”
Satisfied, he returned to his group. One of his companions, a girl who looked quite young, bowed apologetically, so maybe they were more reasonable than they first seemed.
Still, adventurer ranks, huh.
According to the receptionist, adventurers are ranked from A to F, and ranks increase based on achievements. I’m currently a beginner at F, but she said if I work hard, I can reach E in about three months.
In that case, he really is quite capable.
“Here you go.”
At that moment, the innkeeper brought my food.
It seemed to be some kind of vegetable and meat stew. When I took a bite, it tasted both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Either way, it was lightly seasoned, but not bad. As a Japanese person, food directly affects motivation, so it’s a relief that I can manage with the food in this world.
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E/N:
Mace as a weapon… Interesting! Let's get to smashing!
Stay tuned!
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