Chapter 26 – Rain

After hunting in the third floor of the labyrinth, I went out. It was still pitch black outside.

Because yesterday I left past sunrise, I reacted by being too careful this time. [1]

I’ll take a look at level 4 once.

I can’t hunt for a very long time. Fighting with magic consumes MP and then using Durandal afterwards recovers MP.

On level 4, it is a good idea to pull out Durandal from the beginning.

[Explorer] leveled up to Lv23, so I might be able to defeat a Mino.

Because it reached Lv23, if placed as the first job, I will have more bonus points.

However by removing [Warp] and [Job Setting], I can add [Required Experience 1/10]. [2]

To put [Explorer] as the primary job, I need to empty the item box first.

I would prefer not to remove the item box’s contents in this place.

It was a mistake making [Wizard] the first job.

Mino Lv4

I launched a [Fireball] at the Mino that appeared.

I cast as soon as I encountered it, as expected it couldn’t avoid it.

I fired three shots before approaching it.

The Mino endured all three shots. It raised its horns and charged.

I received it with Durandal. I am pushed back for a moment with brute force.

I took a step back and cast a fourth [Fireball].

I swung Durandal and it clashed with the Mino’s horn.

The fourth [Fireball] hit the Mino.

The Mino dies engulfed in flames.

Does it still take four magic shots?

Mino Lv4

On the next Mino I will not use magic, I will only use Durandal.

Thrusting the sword at Mino from the front, I slashed downward with Durandal, but the Mino didn’t fall.

I haven’t taken down a Mino yet using only Durandal, without resorting to magic.

It seems not to go down with one blow.

It strikes with its horns.

I flipped to the side and strike the cow’s head.

The Mino is defeated.

When I’m calm and careful, I can deal with the Mino’s horns.

Or am I getting a little used to this?

Although, when I’m surrounded by many of them, it is scary.

I still need to keep leveling up.

After hunting twice, I went outside again.

I felt somewhat cheerful.

It’s almost dawn.

It will be bad if I am seen by anyone, so I return to the Labyrinth once more and use [Warp] to travel.

I pass through the black wall of [Warp].

The place where I came out, was pitch black. Probably because of the shadow cast by the building.

If successful, I should have appeared inside the Brothel District.

I wait a bit for the sun to rise.

It did not become very bright.

When I surveyed my surroundings, I found a brighter corner.

Is east over there?

When I look towards the East, it appears to be cloudy.

It is not very bright because of the clouds.

I look towards the West.

Stars that I expected to see, are not visible.

I did not notice that the whole sky is cloudy.

Because I don’t see stars in Tokyo even when the sky is clear, I don’t feel any discomfort.

When I think about it, it’s always been sunny ever since I come to this world.

Naturally in this world there will be cloudy days and rainy days too.

What shall I do about an umbrella?

Yesterday in the city I did not see any umbrellas.

I don’t think it will rain inside the Labyrinth.

When thinking about this and that, a person has come out from the Brothel.

Because it is still dark he had a lantern.

His job is [Villager]. Is he a guest?

When the man left the Brothel, he walked across to the other side.

After all the light still stands out.

Though I can’t see the face, there is obviously someone there.

Because there isn’t much light, it’s better not to move around.

After some time, the surroundings got slightly brighter.

After all it is cloudy.

It would look strange if I am here for too long.

I left the place and walked along the road.

I was behind cover at the far back of the street where the brothel building stood.

I have not actually been here before. I just peeped from the other side of the road.

Seems there is no limitation to [Warp], even just by looking.

[Warp] seems to be able to go to any place I have seen.

Little by little people are leaving the Brothel and walking down the road.

I go across the brothel road and mix in among them.

I also check the other side of the corner, where the thieves came out previously. [3]

There was a house in the short alley.

It does not seem to be a brothel.

Is the house a hideout for thieves? Seems like the office of a crime syndicate.

Looking at it strangely is not a good idea, so I walk past it quickly.

It’s a two story building, neither luxurious nor worn-out, just an ordinary one.

If they barricaded inside there, it would be difficult to handle them.

The Brothel zone also looks like an ordinary street in the morning.

It does not have the atmosphere of the Slums.

Average customers would not come near it, if it exuded such an atmosphere.

I make my way back to the Inn.

On the way back, I pass by the Slave Traders.

I wonder if Roxanne is still sleeping?

“It has become clouded”

I enter the Inn and talk with the Innkeeper while receiving the room key.

“Around here although it seldom rains, when it does rain, it continues to rain. It can rain for several days”

“Is that so?”

“Probably”

I don’t want it to rain much.

There are no umbrellas.

“It is time for breakfast, is that OK?”

“Yes it’s OK”

However my wish was futile, while I was eating breakfast the rain continued.

It isn’t full scale downpour, but a gentle rain.

I look outside the Inn, not a single person walking down the street had an umbrella up.

Are there no umbrellas in this world?

Most people only put on a cloak.

Some of them running around look no different than usual in appearance.

Yesterday I bought a similar cloak to theirs.

That seems to be this world’s rain gear.

That explains why I found it immediately.

I bought it without being aware it was rain gear, how lucky.

I can go out of the Inn with this.

After I rested, I wore the cloak and ran to the adventurer guild.

Though not a full scale downpour, there are many scattered showers, rather than small sprinkles.

Will it continue raining like this?

I guess I’ll stop searching for the thieves while it’s raining.

There seems to be water-repellent coating done to the cloak, but it is still cloth after all. It will soak if I walk about in the rain.

Even the thieves will not go out in the rain very often.

I warp to the Labyrinth from the wall in the Adventurer’s Guild.

Fortunately it does not rain inside the Labyrinth.

Even though I say fortunately, naturally that is the case.

In the end it continued to rain for two days.

“The rain has become weak. It will likely stop soon.”

The Innkeeper told me that in the morning, two days after it started raining.

“Is that so? Then I can’t go out yet”

“Indeed”

After I ran back in the rain from the Adventurer’s Guild, the Innkeeper gave me the key.

If I warp to the inner wall of the Inn, I will not get any rain on me but…

If they checked my intelligence card, it will be found out that I’m not an adventurer.

Is there a better way?

“On top of that several days ago there was a murder, I should refrain from going out”

I use the opportunity to gather information.

“That event? In this Inn there is no danger. It is safe as long as you don’t go to the Slums or Brothel.”

“I understand why”

He seem to have some information.

“That’s because it’s a power struggle between the thieves hanging out in the slums of this town”

“Power struggle right”

“Just between us, some of the thieves are connected to the Knights Order”

The Innkeeper lowers his voice.

“Oh”

“I don’t know how they did it. Possibly one of the thieves’ sides leaked the information. Because of that a while ago, the Knights Order moved in and purged the remaining thieves. I heard that the thieves who were driven out of town and attacked a village were beaten.

“I see”

Are they the thieves I defeated?

“The one murdered a few days ago, was one of the thieves who remained in town. Rumor has it that not all of them were driven out or annihilated, some of them still remain”

“They are hiding somewhere”

“I wonder. While the slums are somewhat disorderly, they will not cause trouble in broad daylight downtown under the eyes of the knights. In this area it’s safe”

The Innkeeper procures information mainly related to the safety of the Inn and its visitors.

Would he even know the whereabouts of the thieves?

“Understood. Is it time for breakfast?”

“Yes, go ahead”

I managed to get the main outline from the Inn’s conversation.

Seems there are thieves in the slums and also driven out thieves.

Of course I will aim for driven out of town thieves.

Because there is a possibility that I am resented by the driven out thieves, dealing with this should be the right way.

It may be difficult to attack the barricaded base.

In the brothel district that building is the town’s remaining thieves’ base, it is hard to get in there.

Driven out thieves that are hidden somewhere, even if they are vigilant their defense would be insufficient.

After all they suffered the extermination plan from the Knights Order.

The other day late at night, the violence I saw toward a woman by the thieves remaining in the town is not right, however I am not an ally of justice who will drive them out.

They are members of the ones that attacked the village.

They are badgers of the same hole.

After breakfast I return to my room, through the slightly opened wooden window I was idly watching for the rain to stop.

Rain did not stop falling.

As expected it’s been raining continuously for more than two days.

Even if it becomes a drizzle, it still persists.

The rain stopped around midday.

Like this it is fine to enter the Labyrinth.

Because [Wizard] reached Lv24, I can now defeat the Mino with three magic attacks so I can advance to exploring level 4.

As I have walked around quite a bit, shouldn’t I find the boss room soon?

It took a considerable amount of time before I was able to defeat Mino.

If I seriously explored from the beginning I might have already cleared level 3.

The 4 silver paid to an Explorer to enter level 4 was wasteful.

Because the rain stopped, I left the Inn.

First I went to the Adventurer’s Guild to sell items.

The Adventurer’s Guild seems to be opened 24 hours because adventurers use the wall, but the counter is only opened during daytime.

“Give me nourishment pills and strengthening pills, 2 of each”

I requested to the woman in her 30’s who returned with my payment, after applying the [30% Discount] skill.

I think just in case I should have recovery means other than Durandal.

While currently fighting in the Labyrinth it is unnecessary, but I can’t be sure what can happen when facing thieves.

Just to make sure [Discount] skill applied.

When buying anti-hardness and anti-paralysis pills, the discount did not work.

Most likely it will not take effect this time also.

But you never know when by some chance it might work.

Like the time when I asked for hot water and lantern together.

Come to think of it, only that time when buying several medicines from her the discount was not effective.

I wonder why it did not work only that time.

Is it not effective when buying multiple things?

The woman in her 30’s left once and come back with the pills.

They are blue pills and red pills.

When examining, blue one is nourishment pill and red pill is the strengthening one.

I reached a point where I can differentiate them by the colour.

“Thank you very much. That will be 60 Nars each.”

“Yea”

After all 30% discount is not in effect.

“…… I’m sorry, can you pay in copper coins?”

She said while I was taking out 2 silver coins and 40 copper coins.

Why?

Is it the custom to pay with copper coins for nourishment and strengthening pills?

“Sorry”

Because it can’t be helped I take out copper coins from the pouch.

“Thank you very much. I have received the payment successfully.”

The woman in her 30’s, in exchange for 60 copper coins gave me a single pill.

One by one, as if to confirm, she split them.

Possibly she cannot calculate 60 x 4 = 240.

Or she thinks it can’t be done that way. If you understand how much 240 Nars is, you can subtract two silver coins from the 240 Nars. [4]

I don’t understand this world’s education level. Because of the existence of reading proxy people, it seems the literacy rate wouldn’t be high.

There is also a merchant skill called [Calc] for performing calculations. [5]

Come to think of it, if you aren’t a merchant, just ordinary villagers might not be able to calculate at all.

If they can’t calculate, so there cannot be a 30% discount.

However, 30% sale price increase works at the Guild.

Why does it work when selling?

“Who does the calculations for items the guild buys?”

I asked the woman who is around her 30s.

“It is done when sent to the Guild Temple. I think I saw it at the time of job changing”

“……”

It is embarrassing seeing that said.

It appears that they think I am an adventurer.

Well, I have come out many times from the wall in to the Adventurer’s Guild with [Warp] which is like [Field Walk].

“At that time broken items are rejected. Things such as Kobold Salt will dissolve in the rain if not put in Item Box. Because you can’t sell them please be careful”

“I understand”

Luckily, the woman in her 30’s, who didn’t reply back, didn’t find it strange.

She even explained another thing.

Kobold salt can’t be cut in two to get 2 of them.

I receive the pills and left the Adventurer’s Guild.

Money total calculations from guild purchases are not done by around 30’s woman.

Perhaps, if she does it then 30% price increase will never work.

Let’s go by this theory.

The [Sale Price Increase] and [Discount] skills don’t work with her.

If calculations can’t be done, then can’t raise or lower value by 30%.

Then on the other hand, why is it effective on other people?

[Calc].

The existence of the skill stands out.

It seems not just merchants but weapons dealers, armour dealers, also slave traders have [Calc] skill.

In regards to Inn I don’t understand.

Professions like merchant can’t do the job if they can’t do calculations.

Would it be because [Sale Price Increase] and [Discount] skills affect this [Calc]?

[Calc] is a skill that calculates unconsciously and displays the answer in one’s mind.

When calculating it should always be used.

I think when merchants calculate selling and buying price, my [Sale Price Increase] and [Discount] skill activate at the same time and they take the automatically calculated value given by the [Calc] skill.

If that’s the case, it makes sense it’s only effective when trading several things.

Because it is not necessary to calculate when buying and selling single goods.

Well, it is just one hypothesis.

It’s just one, but I think its close enough.

When I finished my hypothesis, I switched my mind and concentrated on the search.

I wonder around in the city looking for thieves.

More than two days raining spent pointlessly, it is too late to get them back.

There’s no time left until the deadline.

I can appraise all the people walking down the road.

Even places with a single person, I appraise without exceptions. Even if I can see it or not.

I could appraise even if I couldn’t see clearly what was on the other side of a wooden window.

In the case there is a wall, as one could expect, I was unable to appraise inside a building.

The slums are dangerous and so, I can’t enter it saying it’ll be easy.

I made up my mind and enter.

I went in.

When I enter the Slums, I found a thief on the road.

Notes:

[1] [TL Note: As in, today he left too early, that’s why next he re-enters to explore lv 4]

[2] [TL Note: took me ages to realise that what required experience skill does is it scales down the xp bar, say you need 100 xp to lv up, it changes it to 10 xp to lv up]

[3] [TL Note: previously, as in the ones from last chapter]

[4] [TL Note: this line is pretty confusing, that’s the best I could make out of it]

[5] [TL Note: It could be Calculator]