Chapter Index

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    Chapter 12: Preparation (1)

    I
    looked at the coins in my hand.

    Nine
    silver coins are equal to 900 copper coins.

    I
    had made a profit of 225 times my original investment.

    It
    was a gamble and a reverse multiplier, but I had money in my pocket.

    I
    wondered how and where to invest my precious initial capital.

    I
    was going to pay off my debt first, but Diana smiled warmly and said,

    “There’s
    no point in trying to pay off the debt already. Don’t worry about it,
    you can always pay it back when you have more money.”

    I
    could only bow my head in infinite gratitude.

    With
    food and lodging out of the way for the time being, the only thing
    left to worry about was clothing.

    I
    don’t even have a spare pair of underwear. Who packs a pair of
    underwear for a trip to another world?

    I’ve
    been wearing the same pair of boxers for days and it’s killing me. I
    felt like my quality of life was suffering, and it wasn’t very
    hygienic.

    I
    realized that I needed to get a proper pair of underwear and two or
    three tops and bottoms.

    Assuming
    that I had everything I needed for the immediate future.

    What
    else would I need for my future, what else would I need to prepare to
    enter the Labyrinth?

    “You
    mean I need to qualify as an explorer to enter the Labyrinth?”

    “Yes.
    Technically, you need an identification pass, which is issued when
    you become an explorer. I’m not sure if that’s still the case, but
    without it, you’ll probably be stopped by the guards at the entrance
    to the Labyrinth.”

    My
    conversation with Diana yielded quite a bit of information.

    “Balkan
    is new to the Labyrinth City, right?”

    “Yes.
    How did you know?”

    I
    just said it honestly. It wasn’t exactly a lie. It was my first time,
    right?

    “Because
    you had that look that people who come to the Labyrinth City from
    other lands have. You know, when they panic at the sight of a male or
    female, and⋯”

    Diana’s
    narrowed eyes turned to my face.

    To
    the helmet I was wearing, to be precise.

    Then
    she realizes she’s staring too hard, and she looks away quickly,
    embarrassed.

    “⋯I’m
    sorry. For hurting your feelings.”

    I
    don’t know what she could have possibly misinterpreted to make her
    say that I hurt her feelings.

    I
    didn’t say anything at first, as Diana’s mood softened even more as
    she looked at me.

    “That’s
    fine, but how does one become an explorer?”

    “The
    qualification itself can be obtained by paying a fee to the Alliance.
    If I remember correctly, it was 20 silver coins?”

    “Twenty
    silver coins?!”

    Crazy.
    Twenty silver coins. Are the Explorers’ Alliance guys money-crazed?

    Maybe
    it was because I was too honest with my reaction. Diana, who had been
    looking at me for a long time, chuckled.

    “You
    don’t have enough money?”

    “⋯Not
    enough, at this point.”

    It’s
    really tight.

    Well,
    it’s been that way for a long time. I’ve always been weighed down by
    money, and money has always held me back.

    Eleven
    pieces of silver. Unless it was a special gamble like this one, a
    laborer could go months without eating, spending, or sleeping for
    that amount of money.

    “So,
    would you be interested in working at my inn?”

    “What?”

    This
    is another out-of-the-blue offer.

    “I’ll
    pay you modestly. Your main duties will be serving and cleaning. Your
    hours will be from the beginning of the evening business until the
    end. I’ll also provide dinner. You can try it out for a day, and if
    you don’t like it, you can quit right away. I’ll pay you a day’s
    wages. What do you think?”

    It
    was something I had never considered since I’ve only ever done
    physical work.

    I
    didn’t sell my body, but simple manual labor was my natural vocation.

    “I
    saw yesterday that you’ve done a really good job of organizing, and
    I’ve been doing it all by myself, but I’m sure it would make a
    difference if I had another person around.”

    When
    I hesitated, Diana spoke up.

    In
    a short-term job like this, more important than the intensity of the
    work is whether you get paid on time.

    If
    the boss doesn’t pay you on payday and keeps cutting you off, it’s
    hard not to feel resentful.

    If
    your boss doesn’t pay you on payday and keeps withholding money, you
    can’t afford to live.

    In
    a world where there is no such thing as a labor agency, I could have
    lost all my hard work for nothing.

    It
    makes sense to work for someone I can trust.

    “How
    much do I get paid, exactly?”

    Diana
    held up two fingers wordlessly.

    “Two
    silver coins a day!”

    “Oh,
    no⋯!
    That’s a bit much⋯Twenty
    copper instead.”

    “Hmm⋯”

    A
    typical laborer earns an average of 10 copper coins per day.

    Considering
    the difficulty of the work and the fact that it’s only shortened
    during peak hours, the conditions are incredibly good. It’s not just
    good, it’s ridiculously good.

    And
    dinner? For someone like me who needs to save money right now, it’s
    hard to beat that.

    If
    I were to go and work somewhere else, who would take care of me, who
    has never been in this labyrinth city?

    I’d
    be lucky if I didn’t get stabbed in the back and sold as a
    prostitute.

    The
    answer is pretty much settled.

    “Hmph.”

    I
    pretend to struggle with my decision, even though I’ve already made
    up my mind.

    But
    Diana’s fingers don’t move up another inch.

    She
    already knew that her offer was sufficiently radical.

    I
    take a moment to adjust the helm on my head.

    “⋯Would
    you mind if I
    wore my helmet to work?”

    It
    was insurance, just in case. I didn’t want to show my face in front
    of the other customers.

    Diana’s
    expression turned wistful for a moment.

    “Of
    course. Of course. If anyone says anything to you about it, you can
    tell me. I’ll have them banned from my inn for life.”

    “⋯And
    I’m a wannabe explorer, so if I end up in the Labyrinth-“

    “You
    can take the whole week off. Rest is the most important thing before
    you go into the Labyrinth and after you come out.”

    “Can
    I report to work today, Boss?”

    I
    didn’t have to think about it anymore. The offer was too good to pass
    up.

    “Fufu⋯
    Boss is too formal, just call me Diana.”

    “Okay,
    Ms. Diana.”

    “Diana.”

    “⋯?
    Yes. Diana.”

    “⋯Yes.”

    Diana’s
    cheeks puffed up slightly. She was probably trying to be friendly
    with her employees as the boss, but it couldn’t be helped.

    ‘I
    can’t help but use honorifics.’

    It
    was hard to treat her like a friend because I had received so many
    things.

    I
    also realized that Diana was actually a level 70 powerhouse, and her
    warm and cozy atmosphere felt like a powerhouse’s comfort zone.

    Her
    beautiful appearance, like a fine wine or cheese, was also a big part
    of it.

    “Come
    here. I’ll show you around the bar first.”

    I
    followed Diana, who gently beckoned me, and began to learn the
    basics.

    ***

    When
    I finished and checked the time, it was around 15:00. I still had
    about two hours before the dinner rush.

    I
    decided to utilize the remaining time wisely so I went to buy clothes
    first.

    I
    headed to the market in the eastern section of Valerus, commonly
    known as the Explorers’ Quarter, and found a suitable clothing store.

    The
    saleswoman, who was mesmerized by my body, said in a confused tone.

    I
    held my head in my hands. I had already left the store after hearing
    the same thing three times.

    It
    was hard to complain, though, because as I walked down the street, it
    made sense that there were no clothes for me.

    Everywhere
    I looked, the men were small and skinny.

    It
    was so bad that they were beyond frail and looked thin.

    At
    least, I hadn’t seen a single man of my size all the way here.

    ‘Were
    the men who were raped by the goblins the ones who were somewhat
    better off?’

    I
    suddenly remembered when I first fell into this world, I saw five men
    raped by goblins.

    It’s
    not a pleasant memory, but in my mind, they had big bodies.

    ‘⋯Is
    it because they’re explorers?’

    I
    was half convinced that it was.

    [Dario
    Lv.0]

    [Jill
    Hemisphere Lv.1]

    [Naimus
    Lv.0]

    [Dorelle
    Lv.0]

    [Porcio
    Lv.2]

    I
    didn’t just go out to buy clothes.

    I
    was also using the status window to observe the people on the street
    and check my current level.

    ‘The
    skinny ones, probably the normal ones, are level 0. The ones with a
    bit more energy have levels.’

    The
    overwhelming majority of men were level 0, with the occasional level
    1 or 2.

    When
    I first checked my status, I was level 3.

    And
    I had just slaughtered dozens of goblins at that point. I was
    probably level 0 at first too.

    ‘Do
    I level up when I kill monsters?’

    [Dorre
    Lv.0]

    [Stamina:(2)
    Strength:(2) Agility:(2) Wisdom:(0) Finesse:(4)]

    [Porcio
    Lv.2]

    [Stamina:(3)
    Strength:(2) Agility:(4) Wisdom:(0) Finesse:(3)]

    ‘10
    base stats are randomized, and everyone with a level has additional
    stats.’

    I
    could only assume that stats were automatically distributed as you
    leveled up.

    ‘There
    are no free points.’

    So
    I noticed that other people didn’t have free points in their status
    window.

    This
    was information that could be put to good use.

    Having
    free points in a close battle means that I have a card that can throw
    my opponent off balance, I can also eliminate unnecessary stats and
    only allocate points to the stats I need.

    “Customer⋯?”

    As
    I was plotting my next move, I was interrupted by an employee’s
    voice.

    “Oh,
    yeah. If you don’t have my size, I’d like the biggest and sturdiest
    one you have.”

    “Yes,
    yes⋯!”

    Without
    any fashion choices, I was handed a black t-shirt.

    There
    are no private rooms in a medieval marketplace. I unbuttoned my fur
    and pulled the t-shirt on.

    “Wow.
    Crazy.”

    “Thank
    you, Mother Earth, for giving me my daily bread again today. Thank
    you⋯!”

    I
    squeezed into clothes that didn’t fit, so of course they were tight.
    It felt like my hands were handcuffed.

    I
    wonder if this is what it feels like to wear a corset. I can’t wait
    to take it off.

    However,
    as I wore it, it stretched slightly, so it wasn’t uncomfortable to
    breathe.

    -Thud-thud-thud

    As
    I strained my muscles to move my body, the sound of thread popping
    echoed through my clothes.

    I
    resented my muscular body, which had always been so strong.

    “⋯⋯”

    “Wow.
    Pectoralis major.”

    I
    made eye contact with a confused-looking employee.

    Ah.
    Let’s just buy some clothes.

    ***

    I
    bought two pairs of sturdy pants and six pairs of extra panties with
    28 copper coins. After that, I went into about two more stores, but I
    couldn’t get a t-shirt. In the end, my upper body was left in a state
    of fluffy emptiness.


    This, this. The boss told me that sales were up because a lot of
    women were coming into the store.

    I’m
    not sure about the cause, but I received a t-shirt as a service. It
    was the one I broke but I was happy they didn’t ask me to pay for
    it.

    After
    some reasonable shopping, I solved the last problem I had with food,
    clothing, and shelter: clothes.

    Now
    it was just a matter of working my ass off to save up the money and
    get my explorer’s badge.

    As
    I walked downstairs from my room after a free, hearty dinner that
    Diana had made for me, she looked out at the crowd that had already
    begun to gather and said to me.

    “Mmm,
    I think you’d look better in a torn shirt.”

    “What?”

    “Because
    drunk people can’t see.”

    Diana
    smiled bitterly as she stared at the front door.

    “Hmm?

    At
    this point, I was looking down on the bar girl.

    ***

    I
    looked at the inn in disarray.

    Overturned
    tables, sprawling chairs, broken plates, smashed food, and strewn oak
    barrels and mugs.

    When
    I looked down at my body, I saw pants that were wet from the cow’s
    milk, beer, and wine, and a blanket that had been stretched and
    loosened here and there.

    The
    real enemies of the establishment were not the missing orders, nor
    the serving mistakes, but the customers.

    “Ms.
    Diana.”

    “⋯Yes.”

    “Ms.
    Diana.”

    “⋯⋯I’m
    listening.”

    “I’m
    quitting my job.”

    “⋯30
    copper coins.”

    “It’s
    no use trying to hold me back with money, I’ve made up my mind.”

    “40.”

    “I’ve
    made up my mind to bury my bones. Just order anything, boss.”

    “What?
    Anything⋯?!”

    I
    sighed and grabbed the broom and dishcloth.

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