Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Hourly Wage 8,720 Rin, Meals Provided (1)
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There's one thing you absolutely have to do if you've become a character in a game.
I took a couple of deep breaths and spoke the words.
"Status window."
Of course, every game character gets a status window. It's practically a national rule.
I slowly examined my status screen. Considering that an average person's stats are around 5, Wolfram here is the proud owner of some truly... truly fantastical trash-tier stats. How the hell did this guy even get into Jefrin Academy?
Even for a prince, the Jefrin faculty must have been blind. What was the imperial family thinking, putting this loser in the student council president's seat? There has to be a line somewhere.
Looking down at the possessed skills, it just gets even more insane. It's not a bad skill by any means. But on its own, it's utterly useless.
Jefrin mostly divides ranks by tiers.
9T is trash, 1T is god-tier.
This is a whopping 1T skill, but I can't find a single place to use it.
So, right now, I'm about to try my trump card.
There has to be a reason I ended up inside this game.
And usually, in situations like this, you get your real stats revealed, or an editor tool, or at least some cheat program.
Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense, right?
Who dumps someone with these garbage stats into a game like this?
"If there's a god out there, they definitely gave me one killer cheat tip."
So.
There has to be one. A personal tip just for me. My very own god-tier cheat.
I clenched my fist tight and uttered the magic words.
"...Source code open."
And...
Nothing happened. Shockingly, absolutely nothing.
"Hidden stats open. Editor tool activate. Create mode open."
Nothing. Happened. At. All.
God is dead.
I'm a game veteran, but I'm not crazy enough to go fight monsters barehanded.
Yeah. Monsters. Surprisingly, Jefrin has them. A lot of them. A ton, actually.
As I mentioned before, outside the 'academy district' where students seek knowledge, it's all raw wilderness. Volcanoes, deserts, oceans, jungles—you name it.
Why do monsters exist on an artificial island made by the founding emperor for an academy? They imported them to establish an ecosystem. Rumor has it the first prime minister at the time hit the emperor with a meteor spell over it.
But the emperor said the kids training at Jefrin would be thrown straight into real fieldwork afterward, and they might return to hometowns that could be canyons, forests, or volcanic zones—who knows? So he pursued environments as close to reality as possible for practical training.
How far? There's even a blue dragon in that desert zone. For real.
Anyway, the academy district is protected by defensive barriers from the great archmage first prime minister and the emperor called the Demon God.
So unless you're taking the anti-monster combat curriculum, you won't run into monsters while attending the academy. But every place has its weirdos.
Some students head outside for monster encounters or combat experience, and as a result, a few 'unfortunate disappearances' happen every year.
And now, I—Wolfram von Loengrin—have reached the time when I must face the great wilderness beyond Jefrin.
But with these trash stats, if I go out barehanded, by this time tomorrow, goblins will be using my skin for bags and my skull for helmets.
So I need to hire an escort mercenary.
That's why I went to the Knight Division and called the staff member in charge.
"...You're Wolfram von Loengrin, correct? What is your request?"
"I'm here under the authority of the 8th Magic District convenience store owner. Looking for a Knight Division student to escort me through the early parts of the Eastern Forest."
"......I see."
The staffer looked at me like he'd just bitten into shit.
If I'd come under my own name, you'd have rejected me, huh? Tough luck. Cry about it to the school rules.
"You know the rates, right?"
"Meals provided, 8,720 rin per hour. Correct?"
"...Yes. Do you know about hazard pay?"
"I'll cover up to two low-grade healing potions myself."
"...Ugh, f-fine. Understood."
Aww, look at those gritted teeth. Careful, or you'll grind them down and need implants. I flashed a grin and stuck out my hand—hand it over already. The staffer tossed some papers in front of me.
"...Here are the available Knight Division students."
"Got it. I'll check and note the name. Go do your job."
I elegantly reviewed the list. Didn't forget to shoot the staffer a tough luck, stab me if you hate it glare.
Now, who'll be my escort?
The 'Knight Division' costs a fortune, almost as much as the Magic Division.
Free gear? Repair bills? Practice wooden swords that snap? Worn-out gym clothes? All money.
Sure, if you've got a merchant house or noble backing, it's less of a burden. But most are commoners who grew up romping in mountains and fields, awakened their martial talent, and somehow scraped into Jefrin—more than in the Magic Division even.
So I'm looking for someone reliable, hardworking—a trusty servant... er, Knight Division member.
The list just has basics next to names: year, skills, weapons. But I'm a game vet, so I quickly spotted the one I wanted.
"Oh, she's here?"
Hiring an unreliable student means getting stabbed and vanishing tragically in the woods. But this name? This one I can trust.
"Nefti."
Top-tier defender even in the main story.
And the queen of rags-to-riches tales you can't ignore anywhere in Jefrin.
Her name jumped out at me.
Nepthelian. Nefti for short.
Her traits? Rags-to-riches. Mediocrity. Swordsmanship: average. Shield work: standard. And more rags-to-riches.
When I named her as my escort, the staffer's face got weird. Like a mocking smirk. You're really picking this nobody, you clueless hack? Kinda pisses me off.
Whatever, the clueless one is him. Soon the interview room door opened, and a girl with a sword at her waist, lightly armored, looked my way.
"Greetings. Nepthelian here. Call me Nefti."
"Good. Come sit."
"No. You're to be my employer. I prefer standing for orders."
Her conviction-filled eyes made me smile unwittingly.
By her backstory, her family's drowning in debt. Mom raising two siblings alone.
But now that she's at Jefrin, more debt was inevitable.
Heard her mom went all-in on some 'daughter's gonna moon' coin pump at the low. Total investment disaster.
Inevitable debt. At Jefrin, even sleeping and waking costs money.
But with her upright personality and zero tolerance for dirty work, she repays it purely through mercenary gigs to cover living expenses. Barely scraping by on interest.
Anyway, this knight among knights urged me for orders, and I nodded.
"Planning to scout the early Eastern Forest. Hourly rate: 8,720 rin."
"Minimum wage."
"Problem?"
"No, sir."
"In exchange, up to two low-grade healing potions for injuries, on me."
"Understood."
...She doesn't seem thrilled.
"Meals on me too. Rin't be bad eats."
"Excellent. Very excellent. I swear on my knightly honor to fulfill this escort perfectly."
"......"
Oh yeah, this girl...
I recalled the rumor: she eats grass mixed with pine resin when there's no food.
Nah, no way.
"How about count and run?"
As I spaced out, Nefti cut in with a key setting.
Count and run.
Pretty important game mechanic.
When hiring mercenaries, you set encounter counts. Hit that many monsters, they bail: 'This is my stop.'
Didn't expect it in reality too. Game-like yet realistic.
"Five. Retreat after five monsters. Extra counts at 5,000 rin each."
"Yes, sir. But I have one request."
"What?"
"If the scouting violates knightly honor, I'll turn back without hesitation."
She stared, unyielding on this. I nodded.
Figures. Thinks since I'm Wolfram the third-rate villain, I'm off to do something shady.
"Hmph. Enough chit-chat. Let's move. Time's wasting."
"Yes, sir."
We leisurely headed to the Eastern Forest, Nefti's steps light.
Eastern Forest: tutorial zone or beginner hunting ground from level 1.
Mostly squirrels, rabbits. Slimes at worst, mini-goblins max.
Boss monster exists, but no encounters, so skip.
Super safe, really.
But don't forget: Wolfram could die to a Jefrin-spawned squirrel.
Our first encounter: a slime. Weak enough that stamina-2 Wolfram could kill it with a dagger stab.
Transparent slime quivering before us, core in the middle. Poke with a stick, dead.
"...If I catch it, does it count?"
"Yes. Per regulations."
Hmm. Can't be helped.
"I take the corpse then. Fine?"
"...Pardon? Oh, yes. That's per regs too."
Nefti stabbed it with her dagger. It slumped gooily. I bagged it in my prepared pouch.
Then we strolled deeper into Jefrin at a leisurely pace. Wolfram has no stamina, Nefti has no money—slow walking benefits us both.
Sure, it costs me more, but if I'm broke, I can strong-arm Eve for candy. She'll chuckle hehe, and though she hates it and I hate seeing it... blame big bro's genes for the sibling rivalry and sell somehow.
At a pace below strolling—more like rehab training—we finally reached the goal.
"...This is?"
"Beans garden. You don't know?"
"...N-no, I do. But why here?"
"Can't you tell? Picking beans."
"Pardon? A royal picking them himself?"
Beans garden.
Exactly as named: garden of colorful beans. Not kidney, peas, or soy—mysterious ones.
Like pop beans: pop in mouth, fizzy burst. Coat in sugar-mixed edible slime for jelly pop beans snack.
All sorts of effect beans grow here. Great early-game farm spot.
As I picked, Nefti gawked from behind.
Even a whale flying would shock less.
"Quit staring. Focus on escorting."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Even then, no monsters in the beans garden. Jefrin national rule, even newbies know.
"No work? Help pick beans."
"Not my job."
"Bump to 10,000 rin per hour."
"Looks like my duties just expanded. Thank you, sir."
Lightning-fast pivot.
Anyway, we picked beans for a good while.
"Hey."
"Y-yes?"
"Aqua beans lose quality if damaged during harvest. Be more careful."
"Y-yes, sir..."
Nefti nodded flustered, picking more delicately.
When two baskets were full, I huffed out a breath.
Not lifting heavy stuff—just picking nature's beans—and I'm wiped. Future looks bleak.
But goal achieved.
"Mealtime."
"Pardon? Oh!"
We moved to a corner of the garden and unpacked lunch.
"Black bread...?"
"Problem?"
"......No, sir."
...She came happily thinking 'not bad meals,' but glares at black bread.
Hey. You just eyed that dagger and me, didn't you?
"Ahem. Then let me show you something special. Rejoice."
"......?"
I rinsed the freshly picked beans roughly in water, crammed three into my canteen, mashed them. They mixed into a thick paste.
"Know what vanilla beans, milk beans, and bubble beans mashed in exact ratios make?"
"Uh? Huh?"
Out came perfect whipped cream, plain to see.
I scooped a big dollop onto Nefti's black bread.
"Eat."
"......Yes, sir."
She shoved the bread in per orders, then made a face I'd never seen.
No way Helen Keller was that shocked learning 'water.'
Eyes wide, worldview shattered, tears streaming.
That good? I topped my bread and took a bite. Nodded.
Ah.
Bread's off, but it's that private crescent moon cream bun taste.
The convenience store one with the rabbit drawing.
Short shelf life, not often bought, often discarded. I didn't eat it much.
Just okay.
But in this world, luxurious beyond belief? Or she's weird.
"Eaten like this, even black bread's decent."
"......Sniff. Sob."
Nefti tearfully crammed it in. I handed her the cream-filled canteen and spoon; she clutched it like treasure.
Lunch done, Nefti hesitated, then asked.
"H-how did you know this combination?"
"Wisdom of life. Even tasteless bread becomes great with nature's gifts and smarts."
"...Ah, sniff. Sob. I see. This wisdom... this happiness... right under my nose. And I... I...!"
Nefti sobbed furiously, pounding the ground with clenched fists.
"Sob... I could've eaten this, not grass-pine-resin mix... and I...!"
"......"
It was true. The rumor.