Chapter 4: Starting Life in Another World
Chapter 4: Starting Life in Another World
Thwack!
“My name is Guwon. People call me Guwon of the Red Foot.”
Guwon swung his right foot—stained a deep, dark crimson—and finished off the charging rabbit monster in a single blow.
It had been about three hours since he’d experienced his bitter first battle.
After that fight, he’d held onto a faint sliver of hope and tried moving his shoes into and out of his inventory. But, as expected, the game system didn’t recognize the blood and the shoes as separate items. So now, he was dead serious about it, turning the damp, squelching sensation enveloping his foot into a running gag.
It seemed the entrance to this dungeon was primarily populated by small animal-type monsters. For the past three hours, he had been fighting nothing but giant, forearm-sized rats and rabbits.
Given the stat difference, there was no way he’d lose to these things as long as he was a little careful. Learning from the failure of his first encounter, he’d been adjusting the force of his kicks to kill them without making too much of a mess.
And since he never knew when he might fail, he made sure to only use his already-filthy right foot. It was a bonus.
At first, he kicked too weakly and got counterattacked. Then, he kicked too hard and was treated to another explosion show. But now, he’d gotten the hang of it and was successfully killing them in one hit without making them burst.
He stuffed all the dead carcasses into his inventory.
The manual mentioned something about how the world had advanced significantly thanks to the Magic Stones harvested from dungeon monsters. He figured he could probably find some if he rummaged through these corpses, but with no tools, there was nothing he could do for now.
Besides, there were bound to be other parts besides the Magic Stones that would sell, so he decided it was better to just take everything.
A common feature of Great Earth’s games was their lack of an inventory limit. This wasn’t because Great Earth was a generous company, but because every single one of their games had a ridiculous number of items.
Even the lowest-level mobs dropped all sorts of items for every body part—claws, fangs, pelts, meat, you name it. If there was an inventory limit, you’d have to constantly run back and forth to town, making it impossible to progress.
Of course, Guwon, a self-proclaimed die-hard fan of Great Earth, knew this well. That was why he’d opted to take the entire monster carcasses with him.
He’d tried putting a living monster into his inventory as an experiment, but as expected, it was impossible. He’d thought it might work, given how many things had been changed to be more realistic—like the fact that combat involved actual blood—but it was a shame.
After hunting for three hours using only his right foot, he had somehow acquired the ‘Martial Artist’ job and a skill called ‘Low Kick’.
It was a bit inconvenient not being able to see exactly when he acquired things without a system window.
Low Kick 1
Active Skill
Cost: 6 Resources
Unleash a powerful kick at the target’s lower body.
Deals [105%] of your attack power as damage.
He was a little worried that the cost was listed as ‘Resources,’ but thankfully, when he actually used it, it consumed his Life Force.
However, using Low Kick invariably resulted in an explosion show, whether it was a rabbit, a rat, or a raccoon. So, for now, the skill was sealed.
How do I know it makes all three of them explode?
Yeah, I didn’t stop after one. I tested it on every new monster I met. Got a problem with that?
It’s human nature to want to use a new skill you’ve just learned, isn’t it?
You’re not thinking I should feel sorry for the animals, are you? Whether they explode or die peacefully, dead is dead.
It wasn’t that he felt no guilt at first, but from the monsters’ perspective, Guwon was just some asshole who popped out of nowhere and beat them to death. He figured agonizing over it would only hurt himself, so he decided to just go all in.
This world is survival of the fittest! The law of the jungle!
Power rules all!
Sorry, but this is the cry of my soul. More power!
…Anyway, putting that aside, how many of these things did he need to kill before heading out?
His immediate goal was to earn enough for a night at an inn with a meal, and maybe enough for a beer at a tavern.
So far, his only expenses were the 2 Silver for adventurer registration and the 3 Silver for the inn.
And that inn was likely a high-end one, much more expensive than a typical place, so he had no real sense of the prices here.
Not that it mattered. Even if he knew the cost of living, it was useless without knowing how much he could get for the monsters he’d killed.
Currently, his inventory held 13 rabbits, 12 rats, and 8 raccoons.
It was hard to believe he’d earned enough to be satisfied after just three hours at the very entrance of the dungeon, but maybe it was a good idea to head up and at least check the market rates.
He had been wandering around the entrance area while filling out his map, so he wasn't far from the exit.
It was about time for lunch anyway. Might as well head back.
Using the map, he took the shortest route back instead of retracing his winding path, and the distance to the entrance turned out to be quite short.
He was lucky enough not to run into any monsters, so he made it back in no time.
Come to think of it, I think Magic Stones can only be sold at the Guild. What should I do?
No, I’ll sell the Magic Stones all at once later. First, let’s find out the price of the other materials.
He opened his map to see if a tool shop was marked, but there were none along the revealed path from the inn to the Guild. Since the inn and the Guild were marked with icons, he figured shops would be too.
But contrary to the map, as soon as he stepped out of the Guild, he saw a store right in front of him that was obviously a general store.
He checked the map again, but sure enough, there was no icon.
What the?
Staring blankly at the map, he walked into the general store. Only then did the general store icon appear on his map.
I see, so that’s how it works.
This must be another one of those ‘realism adjustments.’
“Welcome.”
The general store owner greeted him in a thick, gravelly voice.
Ugh… After cleansing my eyes with the sight of all the beauties in this world, having to face a man who looks like a caricature of an old man feels like my eyeballs are rotting.
The man was impressive, with thick rolls of fat that seemed to embody a merchant’s greed.
It looked like he couldn’t expect the classic isekai trope of becoming a regular at the first shop he visited. He decided to find out what he needed to know and get out quickly.
“Huh?! What’s with your leg? You alright?”
“Hm? Of course. If you want, you can call me Guwon of the Red Foot.”
For the record, when communicating, Guwon subscribed to a policy of tailored responses: if someone spoke to him informally, regardless of their age, he would reply in kind.
Of course, that didn’t guarantee he would reply formally just because the other person did.
That’s that, and this is this.
“I’ll… pass on that.”
The old man looked as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.
Are you dissing the name ‘Red Foot’? Do you know how many times I cried watching that movie? I suppose a world like that is beyond the understanding of a foolish human who just runs a general store.
“More importantly, I’ve caught some rabbits, giant rats, and raccoons and I’d like to sell them. What are the prices?”
“Rabbits, giant rats, and raccoons, you say? Hard to say without seeing the condition of the materials. Let’s have a look.”
“…Here?”
“Hmm…? Why not?”
This old man’s face might be dirty, but his shop seemed quite tidy. He must not care if it gets stained with blood.
I guess people really do act the way they look.
“Here you go.”
He grabbed the first thing his hand touched in his inventory and placed it on the counter.
Ugh… Of all the things, it had to be one I killed with Low Kick.
The blood-soaked rabbit carcass began to stain the counter red.
As he hesitated, wondering if he should take out more, the momentarily silent shopkeeper suddenly started shouting.
“Aargh! What the hell are you doing?!”
“Huh? You told me to take it out.”
“What kind of madman brings in a whole monster carcass! No, how in the world did you even bring it here with the blood still so fresh! Are you insane?!”
What a foul-mouthed old man, just like his face. That disgusting voice of yours is already enough to defile my ears.
“Stop shouting, old man. You’re going to burst my eardrums. More importantly, what’s the appraisal? Do I need to show you more?”
“I don’t need to see any more! Put that thing away right now! And get the hell out of my shop! Ahh… my shop is covered in blood…”
“I’ll leave as soon as you give me a price. So, how much?”
“I’m not buying anything from a psycho like you! Get out!”
In the end, Guwon was forced to leave the shop, chased out with nothing to show for his efforts.
“Who the hell would want to come to a shithole like this anyway?! I wouldn’t come back even if you begged me! You’ll regret this later!”
Damn it. What a pain. Do I have to find another shop?
No, think positive. That shop was a throwaway card I was never going to visit again anyway. I’ll use this failure as a learning experience to find a shop with a charming owner or employee, become a regular, and figure out the market prices in style.
Finding another shop was surprisingly easy.
Where there’s demand, there’s supply. As he walked along the outer wall of the massive, donut-shaped Guild building, he passed several general stores.
Why didn’t he go in?
Haha. What an obvious question.
I passed them by because I didn’t like the look of the owners, of course.
I’ve already decided that the owner of the shop I’ll become a regular at will be a seductive, beautiful older woman who exudes an air of mystery.
Another 30 minutes passed.
Looking at the map, he had already circled more than halfway around the massive Guild.
Damn it. Is there some kind of law in this world that says general store owners have to be old men and women? How can there not be a single shop run by a beautiful woman?
If this is how it’s going to be, I’ll swallow my tears and give up on the seductive, mysterious beauty. I’ll be satisfied with just a beautiful woman. No, in a massive fire sale of my standards, I’ll be satisfied if she’s just a young woman. Please. Please, just this once!
With a sincere and desperate prayer in his heart, he peeked into the window of the general store in front of him, but the person at the counter was a portly old man.
Fuck! I’m praying this desperately! If there’s really a god in this world, can’t you grant me this one wish?
Just as he was about to walk away, he caught a glimpse of a young woman standing on the other side of the counter, previously hidden by the window frame.
This world really does have a god! I believed in you all along!
Of course I believed. A goddess who would create a world with such a beautiful system wouldn’t let me down.
“Welcome.”
“Welcome.”
Father and daughter?
As he entered the general store, the two people at the counter greeted him in unison as if on cue.
He wished the old man would just shut up—or better yet, disappear from his line of sight entirely—but he decided to bear with it.
“Oh my? Your leg… are you alright?”
“Of course, kind lady. There’s no need to worry.”
Young women really are the best.
So kind.
Guwon tried his best to keep the old man out of his vision as he approached the girl’s side of the counter.
To be honest, she wasn’t a stunning beauty or anything. She was short, maybe around 150-something centimeters, with a passably cute face.
Considering that his standards had been raised significantly by the women he’d seen in this world, especially the many beauties gathered at the Guild, he supposed she was decent enough.
The old man next to her was built like a mountain, literally looking like a bear. It was a mystery of genetics how a daughter like this could come from a father like that.
“How can I help you?”
As Guwon stood directly in front of her, the girl seemed to understand his intent and served him with a smile.
“I’ve been hunting in the dungeon, but since I’ve just become an adventurer, I’m not sure which parts are sold at shops. For rabbits, giant rats, and raccoons, which parts does this shop buy?”
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Learning from his earlier failure, he asked a perfect question that wouldn’t require him to take out the carcasses.
“Umm… For rabbits, it’s the meat and hide. For giant rats, the incisors and whiskers. And for raccoons, the claws and tail.”
The clerk tilted her head, lost in thought for a moment before answering.
Her innocent gesture was quite cute.
He had to revise his earlier assessment. He was upgrading her from ‘passably cute’ to ‘quite cute.’
“Ah, I see. Thank you. I’ll be back later.”
“Okay. Please come again.”
The clerk saw him off with a smile, even though he was leaving after only asking questions without buying anything.
This seems like a worthy enough establishment for me to choose as my regular spot.
But at that moment, a critical problem resurfaced.
Even if he knew which parts to sell, he had no tools to butcher them.
Damn it. Shouldn’t they provide at least a knife as part of the starting equipment?
He couldn’t help what he didn’t have, but he couldn’t help complaining either.
Is that the only way?
Realizing the grim reality that he had to resort to his final option, he once again dragged his heavy feet toward the dungeon.
It was a pain, but if he did it in town, he might be misunderstood and arrested. He had no choice.
He would have to go into the dungeon and… butcher… the monster carcasses with his own two hands.
His right foot was already disgusting enough, and now he had to stain both his hands with blood.
How depressing.
But if his hands get bloody too, the name ‘Guwon of the Red Foot’ won’t really fit anymore.
What should my next nickname be?