May 30th.
Following the flow of people, Minori walked steadily down the main street. The cobblestone road, worn smooth by countless footsteps, dipped slightly in places, but remained clean overall, with only faint traces of moss clinging to the gaps on either side.
The surrounding houses were scattered neatly about, mostly in light colors, their dark European-style roofs giving the townscape an orderly charm.Minori moved silently, observing his surroundings while heading toward the Adventurer's Guild of E-Rantel.
He needed a place to rest first.
It had been thirteen days since they left the capital on May 17th. Nearly two weeks of continuous travel had taken its toll.
Leveling up had to become a priority.
The nearby Tob Forest and Katz Plains were, in Minori's opinion, key areas for his advancement.He decided to target the Tob Forest first.
The reason was simple — while the forest teemed with beasts and monsters he could properly fight, the undead roaming the Katz Plains were resistant to his current means of attack.He had no effective ways to deal with them yet.
Preparation was critical.Thanks to the survival skills he picked up from the Rock team along the way, Minori felt somewhat confident he could manage the wilderness alone — but there were still supplies he needed.
So rather than heading straight for the Adventurer's Guild, he aimed for the cluster of inns nearby.These establishments were affiliated with the Guild, and it was said high-ranking adventurers could even stay free of charge.
Walking day after day like this, Minori thought back to his old world. There, even one or two days of trekking would've left him sore and miserable.
But now?
After nearly two weeks, he only felt a bit tired. Not a single blister marred his feet.
This new body's physical resilience was remarkable.Leveling up, it seemed, strengthened much more than just his combat capabilities.
Unfastening his waterskin, he took a refreshing drink and pressed on.A few more blocks later, he found a modest inn situated just across from the Adventurer's Guild.
It offered two types of accommodations:— A shared room for four to six people, costing one copper coin per day.— A double room, priced at five copper coins per person per day.
Clearly, the place catered to adventurer teams. Ordinary locals had no reason to stay in inns like this.
Without hesitation, Minori chose a double room for himself. Privacy was essential.He paid for two days upfront — twenty copper coins, which equaled one silver coin and seven coppers.
Creak—
The wooden door groaned as Minori pushed it open.He stepped inside and glanced around.
The room was small — about eleven or twelve square meters. Two plain wooden beds sat in the middle, with a simple bedside table squeezed between them.
Spartan but clean.
The best part?
An independent toilet.
In this world — which hovered somewhere between medieval Europe and a fantasy realm — such amenities were rare. Yet thanks to magic, cities like E-Rantel had conveniences unthinkable in a real medieval society.
For example, the "street lamps" lining the city streets were actually enchanted with Continual Light spells.
Minori reflected briefly on how magic had stagnated certain technological developments.
Paper existed — but because low-tier magic could create it effortlessly, there had never been any push to improve papermaking.
Still, for Minori, the worst hardship during their journey hadn't been walking.It had been... using primitive toilets.
If not for the Rock team's relative affluence, which allowed for magical conveniences, he would have suffered far worse.
Cough.
Minori cleared his throat, chasing the unpleasant memory away.
Another thing he learned from the Rock team was the existence of zero-tier magic — life magic — unique to this world and absent in YGGDRASIL.
Such magic wasn't commonly studied seriously by casters. Most preferred buying ready-made scrolls rather than wasting time learning spells that produced only minor conveniences.
But Minori saw an opportunity.
His skill acquisition system allowed him to learn abilities used in front of him.If he could find magic scrolls and witness their activation firsthand, could he consume skill points to learn them?
It was a hypothesis worth testing.
Besides, he had other pressing concerns — money.
Minori's funds were limited, and preparing for the Tob Forest meant buying better equipment.The dagger he carried would quickly dull against tough monsters.
While artifact-level gear was far beyond his means, even ordinary weapons would serve him better — and he needed spares.
Magic items?
Laughable.
The cheapest magic-infused weapon cost over a thousand gold coins — an amount peasants couldn't hope to see in their lifetimes.
A mere enchanted cup with a cooling spell could cost 150 gold.
Minori shook his head ruefully.
No — he'd stick to affordable, mundane gear for now.
Fortunately, Captain Dosari had gifted him some gold coins after their journey together. Without that, he'd have been truly desperate.
Minori fished out the small pouch from inside his cloak.
Inside, twenty gold coins gleamed faintly.Counting his own savings, he now had 22 gold coins, 4 silver coins, and 4 copper coins.
Enough for basic preparations, barely.
Sighing, he tucked the pouch into his item box, then rubbed his temples.There was so much to plan — but for now, what he needed most was simple:
Rest.
Thump.
Minori dropped onto one of the beds without even bothering to remove his boots.
After so long sleeping rough in the wilds, it felt heavenly just to lie on a proper mattress again.
Through half-lidded eyes, he caught a glimpse of sunlight streaming through the window.Judging by the angle, it was just past noon.
The streets outside were lively, but not overly noisy — perfect conditions for some undisturbed sleep.
As the sounds of the bustling city faded into the background, Minori's consciousness slipped away into well-earned slumber.