Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Shopping
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"Yaaawn~"
My eyes opened on their own as I lay in bed.
Day two of being transmigrated.
What an honest body this was. Luke's body woke up on its own with the rising sun, even without an alarm.
A world apart from my lazy-ass body from my past life, which would go to sleep at dawn and wake up past noon.
"Did you sleep well?"
Just as I was savoring the pleasant morning, a voice came from beside the bed.
Luna, who had woken up earlier, was already dressed and waiting.
But the way she was looking at me was strange.
"Something you want to say?"
"...No, it's nothing."
What? How anticlimactic.
Yesterday, so much had happened on my first day of transmigration that I was pretty tired and went to bed early.
But waking up this morning, I felt as refreshed as if I'd slept for twenty-four hours. What a healthy body.
It really drove home the fact that I'd been transmigrated.
'It even turned my potbelly into six-pack abs, and my ruined life into a privileged one.'
Was there any reason *not* to get transmigrated?
"Transmigration is the best!"
"...Sir Luke?"
"Ah, I'm hungry. Let's go get some breakfast."
"Yes..."
The inn we stayed at overnight wasn't bad, but it wasn't so good that I'd rave, 'Wow! A five-star luxury inn!'
It was just decent and acceptable.
I'll probably use it often in the future, so I memorized its location.
Although, whether I could actually find it again just by remembering was another question.
Right after leaving the inn, Luna and I headed to the restaurant street we'd visited last night.
On the bustling street, already filled with delicious smells in the morning, we found the same restaurant from yesterday.
The place was crowded. It must have been a more famous spot than I thought.
However, that place held a sad legend.
It was the site where a tomahawk steak had fallen in battle, right on the floor.
I wanted to build a grave for it, but I couldn't since it was someone else's establishment.
Just thinking about it pissed me off. I wanted to track down those bastards from yesterday and unleash a flurry of punches on their faces.
'Hoo... Calm down. I'm an intellectual. An intellectual, I am.'
If I hadn't hypnotized myself like that, I don't think I could have held back.
As I opened the restaurant door and went inside, the tinkle of a bell and a staff member's voice could be heard.
"Welco—! Come..."
Stuttering like that? He had a long way to go before becoming an elite waiter.
As I headed for an empty table nearby, I saw the people around us subtly move away.
"What's with them? Why are they acting like that?"
"Do you really not know...?"
Luna asked.
"What did I do?"
Shouldn't they be grateful that I stopped the guys who were causing a scene in here?
"..."
Look at her, unable to refute the truth of my words.
Making a guy feel awkward for no reason. For a second there, I really thought I did something wrong.
I sat at the table and called for the waiter.
"Ye-yes... Did you call?"
"I'll have the recommended breakfast special."
"Right away!"
The waiter scurried away.
I didn't think he was like that yesterday. Was I mistaken?
"How's he going to be a waiter when he's that shy around strangers? Tsk, tsk."
"..."
"What's with that look?"
"It's nothing."
At my words, Luna glared at me from the side.
She was probably staring like that because she couldn't find a logical counterargument. If she were as smart as me, she wouldn't have that problem.
***
The recommended breakfast special was simple bread, cheese, bacon, and eggs.
It was a shame there was no hot soybean paste soup and rice, but the bread wasn't bad in its own way.
After finishing our breakfast, we headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
Yesterday's unexpected events brought in some sweet income, but that much would be gone in a few days. Besides, my hands were itching to beat up some monsters, so we came to accept a quest.
"Welcome."
"Hello."
I greeted Adela, who was at the reception desk again today.
"Ah... you came together today. With your girlfriend?"
Adela said, looking at Luna behind me.
Because of Luna's 'master' comment yesterday, it seemed Adela now saw us as a couple who enjoyed master-slave roleplay.
'We're not lovers, but we are in a master-slave relationship.'
But should I explain that we're not a couple?
Too much trouble.
"Yep."
Explanations and clarifications are for people who have something to hide.
If necessary, Luna would clear it up herself anyway.
"..."
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"N-no..."
Oh, I thought you might have a fever since your face was a little red.
Taking everything I give you and then skipping a hunt because you're sick? I'd never forgive that.
Even if she were sick, I planned to work her just the same.
If she were truly sick, she'd either have a dark evolution or figure out how to survive on her own.
Anyway, I went to the quest board to look at the requests available to an E-rank like me.
Metal Slime, Goblin, Wild Boar.
"Why are all the names so weak-ass?"
I skipped the goblins since I hunted them yesterday and thought about trying something else, but were these weak-sounding monsters the only thing available for E-rank?
And Wild Boar? That's just the English word for a wild pig.
"Tsk."
Just as I was debating whether I should go for the Wild Boar, which at least sounded the strongest...
A request form at the edge of my vision caught my eye.
"Oh. This one looks good."
War Wolf.
No matter how you look at it, the name's origin seemed to be a simple combination of 'War' and 'Wolf', but it had to be stronger than a Wild Boar or a slime.
'Alright. I choose you!'
I took the War Wolf request form and headed to the reception desk, holding it out to Adela.
"I'll take this one."
"Ah... that one's currently unavailable. There have been rumors among the adventurers lately about a particularly strong one, so we set it aside..."
Adela trailed off, looking at me with a skeptical eye.
"You're not going to tell me I can't do it, are you...?"
"Naturally."
Who am I? The manliest of men.
I might get demoted for being too weak, but I'd never tuck my tail and run just because something is strong.
Running away is for cowards.
"Haa... I don't know what you're on about, but I'll take that as a yes and give you the information."
"Oh, you give out information too?"
"We always provide information."
"You didn't say anything about the goblins."
"That's because you left before I could explain."
Did I do that?
"Hey, let's not dwell on the past."
"Haa... The War Wolf is a beast-type monster. You can think of it as a simple wolf. It's larger and fiercer than a typical wolf, but not very intelligent. Its main attacks are its teeth and claws, combined with its swift movements, so just be careful of those."
Hmm. The monsters' attacks must be simple because I'm still just a lowly E-rank.
All it had were teeth and claws, and that's all it attacked with.
In the novel, there were monsters that used magic later on, but I guess I wouldn't be seeing them yet.
"Ah, now that I think about it, tracking is difficult. Do you have any tips?"
Goblins, the classic small-fry monsters of any RPG.
It took me forever to find traces of those goblins.
It was too inefficient to just wander around because I didn't know how to track.
"I was just about to tell you about that. In the area where War Wolves are found, you need to look closely at the ground and the trees. War Wolves mark their territory with urine. If you see wet ground or a wet tree, that's a War Wolf's territory, so you should be able to find one nearby."
It's a monster, and all it does is... pee?
I was expecting something more impressive, so this was a huge letdown.
"Tch... Understood."
"Be careful out there."
After getting all the information from Adela, Luna and I left the Adventurer's Guild.
"Sir Luke? The path isn't that way, is it?"
"We need to do some shopping before we go. Are you planning to fight in that outfit?"
Luna was still in the same clothes she'd been wearing when I rescued her yesterday.
She was wearing a pretty one-piece dress, and I had no idea how she planned to hunt in something like that.
'Does she think she's a battle maid or something?'
If she were some kind of pervert who got a thrill from taking hits on purpose while fighting like that, I wouldn't stop her.
And besides, even if it wasn't for Luna, I needed to buy some tools for the hunt anyway.
"Alright, let's head to the market."
I started walking the way we were going again.
"Sir Luke... the market isn't that way."
"Ahem."
I turned back around.
Guided by the Luna-gation system, we arrived at the market street and immediately headed for the blacksmith's shop we visited yesterday.
"Mister."
I called out as a bell tinkled, and once again, the blacksmith emerged from the inner door.
"You again? What's with you academy students needing so much stuff these days?"
"I'm not an academy student."
"Then what's with the uniform?"
"It's just what I had, so I'm wearing it."
This uniform kept getting me mixed up with the academy. It was a pain to explain, so I'd probably have to change it soon.
"Never mind me, can you help her pick out some gear, mister?"
Only then did the blacksmith seem to notice the person behind me and show some interest.
"This isn't exactly a date spot for lovebirds."
"What better place is there for a date than a blacksmith's shop?"
What kind of world was this? A world where everyone, man or woman, killed monsters.
If you bought a damn good sword from a blacksmith and proposed with it, even the main heroine would fall head over heels.
"Kid, I'm starting to think you're not right in the head..."
Look at this guy's attitude toward a customer.
If I wasn't sane, then no one in this world was.
"Hey, Luna. Go on and pick something out with the mister."
"What about you, Sir Luke?"
"I'm going to go buy some other things we need."
"...Huh? You're not buying them here?"
"What are you talking about? What is there to buy here for catching a monster?"
"Isn't it the other way around...?"
To think the person I was about to go hunting with had so little common sense.
There are no bad dogs in the world. Today, I'll have to teach her the easy way to catch a puppy.
"Anyway, I'm going to buy the necessary materials, so you get all your gear ready."
"...Yes."
And with that, I left the blacksmith's shop.