ALL NOVEL chapter 3
3 – Episode 3. Jill Diner(1)
“Rest in peace, Blin.”
I decided to hold a natural burial for Blin.
Letting him become one with the wild animals, fungi, and trees, returning him to nature.
It’s not that I just left his body on the ground.
My loot from him was Blin’s wooden club.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[First Loot Acquired!]
[Awarded Trait ‘Inspect’ for Achievement.]
[Trait: Inspect]
[Reveals item information.]
Such an easy achievement.
The awarded trait is also basic.
But this basic skill shouldn’t be underestimated.
[Wooden Club(+1 Enhancement)]
[A club carved from wood. Contains the resentment of one who lost their family.]
Originally, aside from items rewarded by the system, you couldn’t peek at their information.
Now, by using the inspect trait, I can.
Information that I couldn’t ascertain just by looking.
In games, the identity of an item is immediately known upon acquisition, but not in reality.
You can’t tell if a mushroom is poisonous or edible.
The inspect trait makes this possible.
What’s considered a basic ability in games becomes super powerful in reality.
“I’m getting uneasy.”
It’s ominous.
This game is overly kind.
The rewards are generous, even if it’s not for hidden achievements like killing 100,000 goblins.
It’s as if the game is so hard that even with these rewards, players can’t beat it.
Feeling grateful to the game system is as foolish as being grateful for an open-book test.
“I need to get out.”
The tutorial gave more than expected, but there’s still much to learn.
Essentially, the only meaningful information obtained was ‘to clear this game, woo the heroines you created.’
I need more information.
First, I need to leave this forest.
Determining a direction wasn’t too hard.
By observing the sun’s movement, I could determine the direction and just head west.
I remembered that there’s a goblin forest to the east of the starting village, so it was an easy decision.
For nearly an hour, he walked without pause. But when there was no end in sight to the forest, anxiety began to creep in.
Perhaps this wasn’t the forest near the starting village, but rather an isolated forest where by chance only a single goblin resided.
Just as doubt began to settle, fortunately, the village came into view.
If someone unfamiliar with this game had come here, they would have undoubtedly been trapped and met their end.
Upon safely exiting the forest, he was overwhelmed with gratitude thinking of Blin.
Without Blin, he would’ve roamed the forest with a luck stat of -1 and probably encountered the boss monster at least half a dozen times.
From now on, this wooden club must be treasured as a sacred relic.
“Wow. It’s magnificent.”
Standing atop a hill, looking down at the village, words of awe naturally spilled out.
It wasn’t an impressively large city.
It was just that seeing the village, which he had only ever viewed as a blurry background illustration, in person was a fresh experience.
‘It really feels like an adventure.’
Upon entering the village, his heart raced.
The things he’d only known through text and a few illustrations were now vividly unfolding before his eyes.
Not just the ugly green goblins, but also the people, all moved and spoke naturally.
Who wouldn’t be thrilled seeing a game they created come to life?
‘Proceed with utmost caution.’
But he couldn’t be reckless here.
Was he the only player who had come to this place?
It was hard to say.
Given that this game allowed for complete customization of names, appearances, professions, starting gear, and so on, it was impossible to definitively identify anyone based on looks alone.
There might be others who, like him, had just received Blin’s legacy.
Whether this was a cooperative or a winner-takes-all game remained to be seen.
If he openly revealed himself as a player, he might be ambushed by another player lying in wait.
There’s still no way to know what happens when one dies, so caution is essential.
Surely, there wouldn’t be a ridiculous “Achievement Unlocked: First Death” that grants a cheat skill upon death.
‘For now, I’ll pretend to be an NPC and observe the situation.’
You never know.
Some might shout out in excitement, revealing themselves.
In that case, he must be prepared to possibly take advantage of them.
If, after a long wait, no one exhibits strange behavior, he’d have to conclude that he’s the only player in this world.
That would feel somewhat lonely.
So how would he pretend to be an NPC?
Simple.
Wander around the village with a natural stride.
A bonus would be to get a sense of the market prices.
Luckily, his real name, Yujin, sounded fantastical, perfect for blending in.
‘The currency is the same as the game.’
A big, hard, tasteless looking bread is 3 gold.
Apples are 3-5 gold each.
Knife sharpening service is 10 gold.
Armor cleaning service is 20 gold.
Insane. Such a luxury.
“How’s business?”
“Ah, it’s tough. The war ended a few years ago, but the economy still hasn’t recovered.”
“hahahaha. Which year did the war end?”
“Wilhelm…”
“It was Wilhelm’s 8th year, right? Now I remember. So, it’s currently Wilhelm’s…”
“12th year.”
“Ah, right.”
He confirmed the country’s title, the era, and the current year as naturally as possible.
Everything matched the game’s setting at the starting point.
There were no unexpected twists like suddenly realizing he’d reincarnated 100 years before the game’s start.
‘Is this a wallet?’
When he opened the pouch at his waist, it was full of gold coins.
When he put his hand in, a window appeared.
[Current Gold: 3000]
It’s called gold, but who’d have thought the currency itself was made of gold?
Wasn’t it a rule that one gold coin could support a family of four for a month?
So you could exchange 3 gold coins for an apple?
Such nonsense.
His anger flared momentarily but he suppressed it.
It was just another game created thoughtlessly by a company completely ignorant of the subculture.
“Welcome.”
He entered a familiar building, and a familiar sight greeted him.
The Adventurer’s Guild.
It was a place that offered quests to adventurers, provided rewards, and various services.
Upon entering, he felt all eyes on him, likely because of his flashy armor.
To others, he probably looked like a rookie who spent all his money on armor.
“Do you have rooms available at the inn?”
“Yes, we do.”
He needed a place to clean up and rest.
He had been sweating under his armor for hours.
To test his abilities, he also needed a space free from prying eyes.
“For one night.”
“How much are you looking to spend?”
“Pardon?”
“How much are you looking to spend?”
“…”
This was insane.
He never expected to haggle in the Adventurer’s Guild.
Given how adventurers in the game were often looked down upon, he now felt they deserved it.
Sometimes, you had to treat people who couldn’t take a hint accordingly.
“1 gold.”
“Please leave.”
“Excuse me?”
“Leave, please. You’re too rude for us to serve.”
The staff put their hands together in prayer.
Was this person completely mad?
He looked around in disbelief, but the other adventurers in the guild seemed undisturbed, as if they saw nothing wrong.
“How much is this potion?”
“No price poking. Please check the notice board.”
“Ah, my mistake. I’ll check the central square’s notice board first.”
Such conversations were commonplace.
He felt a creeping fear that if he stayed here any longer, he’d end up like those adventurers, leaving meekly while scratching the back of their heads.
“Goodbye, sir. We hope you never return.”
“…”
He hastily left the Adventurer’s Guild.
It’s undoubtedly a den of insane lunatics.
Given his substantial starting capital, there’s no need to toil with these folks. He resolved not to get entangled with them in the future.
It would also be advantageous in associating with the nobility.
There’s no need to deliberately worm his way into a group that plays a restraining role for the protagonist in the early stages.
‘Still, it might be good to know the performance and activation conditions of my trait.’
[Initial Trait: Guardian Knight]
[Your stats amplify when protecting someone. When not activated, a penalty decreases your base stats by 5.]
Trait: Guardian Knight.
The condition ‘when protecting someone’ seems a bit vague.
Because of its ambiguous phrasing, it’s best to know the precise condition.
He also doesn’t yet know the extent of the stat amplification.
It would be nice to find a companion and visit a hunting ground once.
-Knight Escort Selection Contest
“······?”
Then, he spotted a notable notice on the village square’s bulletin board.
-Selection of Escort Knights for the Holy Lady Jill Dainer
-No discrimination based on race, ethnicity, social status, education, or gender
-Selection solely based on skill and character
-To be held in the Hameln Monastery
Finally, it’s here.
The main heroine’s introduction event.
If he can woo the heroine, everything will be resolved. What need is there for some frozen-to-death companion? A companion, indeed.