*Growl*
Jona: [I've been in this world for a few hours now, and I'm currently starving to death while sitting on a park bench.]
When Jona arrived here, he found himself at the entrance of a city that resembled the starting cities in RPG games. As a beginner, he was searching for a guild but couldn't locate it.
Jona: "Good morning, sir. Could you please tell me how to get to the guild?"
???: "Shashin mirudi gamula zara ploka guilda?"
Jona: "Ehhh... (confused) Guilda?"
The man, perplexed by the unfamiliar language Jona was speaking, pointed towards a building with a shield and two crossed swords at its entrance. Jona entered the building and noticed many people drinking and conversing. He attempted to approach a man sitting at a table near the entrance.
Jona: "Hi, do you know how I can register in the guild?"
The man appeared confused, clearly not understanding Jona. Jona tried to use gestures, pointing at the sword hanging from the man's waist, assuming a combat stance with an imaginary sword, and mimicking a battle with a monster.
Adventurer: "Hahahahahahahahahahaha."
The man burst into laughter, joined by the other adventurers present. Jona felt embarrassed and tried to cover it up by giggling, until the man called him and said something, pointing towards a lady.
Adventurer: "Mara mugadiru na guilda nori lomi suelek omule lia."
And once again, Jona attempted to communicate with someone who couldn't understand him, but this time, things took a different turn.
Jona: "Hiiiiii II waannntt to jooin thee guillld."
Silence
Attendant: "(smiling) Hello, to join the guild, you need to pay an admission fee and pass a test to be ranked in a certain class, which will enable you to take on quests."
Jona: "WAIT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?"
Unbeknownst to him, Jona shouted at the attendant, causing everyone in the guild to become alert. They stared at him with menacing eyes and hands on their weapons. Fortunately, the attendant made a gesture to calm them down, and they resumed their conversation.
Jona: "I apologize, but you're the first person I've met who understands me. How is that possible?"
Attendant: "We, the guild employees, possess an amulet that translates any language, allowing us to communicate with anyone."
On the attendant's neck, a red jewel can be seen attached to a necklace.
Attendant: "Do you have the money to join the guild? The price is 150 Milos."
At that moment, Jona realizes something. He doesn't have a single coin and is still wearing his Vodida's sport suit.
Jona: "I don't have any money."
Attendant: "(Smiling) That's a shame, but we can't register you without the required funds."
Jona: [For some reason, the smile on her face infuriates me.]
Jona: "Is there any way I can earn money to join the guild?"
Attendant: "Well, you can find physical labor jobs around the city. There are many places hiring, but they don't pay much. Hopefully, you'll find one that pays 15M$ a day."
Jona: "Really?"
Attendant: "Unfortunately, yes. Alternatively, you can hunt monsters on your own and sell their drops. However, without an adventurer's or merchant's license, the selling price drops by 50%. For example, in this region, there are several Jorcos, wild boars with large bottom fangs. These fangs can be sold for 30M$, but as you're not an adventurer, they would only sell for 15M$. Given your current condition, I doubt you'll be able to hunt more than once a day (smiling), if you can even manage to hunt one."
Jona: [Again, that smile that inexplicably annoys me greatly, as if she's thinking, "Stop wasting my time."]
Jona: "Alright, thank you."
Jona: [So I ventured into the city in search of a job, and here I am, sitting on this park bench all day without food, unable to find employment.]
Jona: "I should have asked Yuu if I would have any money when I arrived here."
As Jona got lost in his thoughts, the night began to fall. A guard approached him with a menacing look, and even without understanding the language, Jona knew the guard wanted him to leave the bench. As Jona walked through the city, he started to realize something—he was lost, and now he found himself in an unfamiliar place that resembled a suburb. He continued walking, trembling with fear and cold, until he came across a man working in a forge.
Jona: [Who works in a forge in the middle of the night?]
The man notices Jona's presence and starts walking toward him. As the man approaches, Jona notices something peculiar—the man is small, standing at around 140cm tall, yet his muscles are enormous, just like his white hair and beard.
Jona: [He's a Dwarf.]
Jona thought to himself, trying to contain his excitement.
Small Man: "Buika he zoca?"
Jona: "Ehhhh, I don't understand you."
Jona attempts to communicate through gestures, but as the man realizes that Jona cannot comprehend him, he enters his house. After a while, he returns and speaks again.
Small Man: "Need something?"
Jona: [I managed to understand him.]
Jona: "I'm looking for work. By any chance, are you hiring?"
The man's frustration becomes evident upon hearing Jona's words, and in a fit of anger, he responds.
Small Man: "I'm not hiring! If you don't need anything, go away."
Jona: [The dwarf is becoming angry with my presence.]
Jona: "I'm so..."
Jona collapses to the ground, possibly due to hunger.
Small Man: "Hey, hey boy, wake up! If you don't wake up, I'll hit you on the head."
Jona: "What happened?"
Small Man: "You passed out. Here, take this—a loaf of bread and some water. Eat this and leave."
Jona: [He gave me food even though I just bothered him.]
Jona: "I'm sorry."
Small Man: "*Sigh* Listen, boy, I'm not hiring because I wouldn't be able to pay you. Business has been difficult since a certain group of bandits started dominating this area."
Jona: "A group of bandits?"
Small Man-"Yes, previously, the suburbs were controlled by another group of equally vile bandits, but it was still possible to survive. Now, it's impossible. Between meager wages and the city's exorbitant taxes, there's nothing left for the residents here."
Jona: [So this also happens in this world.]
Small Man: "Well, now that you understand, just finish eating and leave."
Jona eats the bread, a sad expression on his face. He wants to help the man, but how? There seems to be nothing he can do, and that only deepens his sadness.
Jona: "I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave now."
As Jona approaches the door, a knock is heard, followed by shouting from outside.
Unknown Voice: "Hiooooo noaaaaa."
The man's face turns pale, and he becomes nervous. Before Jona can say anything, the man looks at him and speaks.
Small Man: "Come and hide in the closet. You have nothing to do with this."
Jona, too afraid to argue with the dwarf, follows his instructions and hides. A group of bandits enters the house, assaulting the man. In the midst of the chaos, the bandit in the center begins to speak.
Bandit's Leader: "Zuo mirudi zuono milos."
Small Man: "How am I going to get the money if you keep scaring away customers?"
Jona: [I can't understand what the man is saying. I'll have to rely on the dwarf's part of the conversation.]
Bandit's Leader: "Shashin jaqui grue eo loportanti? Shashin sayo grue turaki zuono milos jog!"
Small Man: "But it's impossible to save mon-"
Before the dwarf can finish his sentence, the two men grab him and present his hands on the anvil.
Bandit's Leader: "Bre nolo winu milos jog, nuver lak bah winu!"
Small Man: "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO WORK WITH YOUR GROUP IN THIS REGION?"
The leader pays no attention to the dwarf's words and signals to one of the men. The man takes a blacksmith's hammer and strikes the dwarf's hand with all his strength.
Small Ma: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
The sound of bones breaking accompanies the dwarf's scream of agony. Meanwhile, Jona trembles with fear, nearly wetting himself as he witnesses everything from the closet, completely powerless to intervene.
Bandit's Leader: "Mora ga bodro hanka."
Small Man: "YOU SON OF A BITCH."
The enraged leader once again signals to one of his men, who takes hold of the dwarf's other hand and places it on the anvil.
Bandit's Leader: "Zra lopos zuono."
The blacksmith's hammer is raised in the air once more, ready to strike, but before it can make contact, Jona bursts out of the closet, screaming and crying. He grabs the first thing he finds as a weapon—a frying pan—and with it, he strikes the man who was holding the hammer horizontally, hitting him on the ear. The impact sends the man flying towards the door, which bursts open as he falls outside the house.
Bandit's Leader: "Kho shashin?"
Small Man: "Boy?"
Jona: [I've hit someone for the first time. I'm shaking, but I can't turn back now.]
Bandit's Leader: "Marti gle."
The other bandit approaches Jona, wielding a dagger, attempting to stab him in the stomach. Jona defends himself with the frying pan, pushing the dagger upward, and then he strikes vertically, hitting the bandit's head. The blow is so strong that his face smashes against the stone floor, creating a pool of blood.
Bandit's Leader: "Drou."
Now it's the bandit leader who trembles. He falls to the ground, retreating, and says...
Bandit's Leader: "Gam zi."
Jona slowly approaches, and he repeats it.
Bandit's Leader: "Gam zi."
The bandit leader then gets up and charges at Jona, attempting to strike his neck. Jona crouches and delivers a blow to the bandit's left leg, breaking it and causing him to spin before falling.
Bandit's Leader: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
This time, the scream comes from the bandit leader. Jona, fueled by adrenaline, raises the frying pan to strike, but the dwarf stops him.
Small Man: "Calm down, boy. You've done enough. He's unconscious."
Jona: "Mr. Dwarf, I'm sorry. I couldn't stay in the closet after what they did to you."
Small Man: "I know. Thank you. But now we have a problem-"
Jona faints again, this time due to the stress caused by the incident.
Small Man: "You're finally awake."
Jona is still at the dwarf's house. The door has been fixed, and his hand is bandaged with a splint.
Jona: "What happened to those bandits?"
Small Man: "Boy, I'll be honest with you. The two bandits that you hit on the head died, and I killed the other one."
Jona: [I killed someone. It's the first time I've done it. Even if they were bandits, I still did it.]
Small Man: "Eat, and then go away."
The Dwarf hands him a bowl of soup.
Jona: "But what will happen to you?"
Small Man: "I don't know, but that's not your problem."
Jona: "But they're going to kill you. Aren't you afraid? I can help you."
Small Man: "Help me? What do you want to do? Go to the bandits' base and kill them? Even if we succeed, they are the ones preventing this place from descending into complete chaos."
Jona: [I can't say anything. I have no arguments against that.]
Small Man: "Take this. Thanks for worrying about me."
The dwarf gives him the translation necklace he was wearing, along with a bag of money.
Jona: "I can't accept it."
He puts the necklace around Jona's neck and places the money in his hand.
Jona: "Please, Mr. Dwarf, run away."
Small Man: "Even if I run away, there's nothing I can do. I don't have enough money to leave this city, and even if I hide here, they will find me eventually."
Jona: [Is there anything I can do? Can I protect this man?]
Jona: "Let's become adventurers!"
Small Man-"What? Why?"
Jona: "With this money, we can become adventurers, go on quests, and delay their search for us. In the meantime, we can collect more money to escape."
Small Man: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jona was surprised by Guberth's relaxed laugh.
Guberth: "Why do you care about me? I'm just an old man who gave you bread when you passed out."
Jona: "And now you're giving me a bowl of soup. I don't need a specific reason to help you. Besides, smile you were the first person to help me in this place."
Guberth: "Blush It's not like I want to be your friend or something like that."
Jona: [Tsundere?]
Guberth-"(cough) Changing the subject, since I have no other options, I will follow your plan. By the way, stop calling me Mr. Dwarf. My name is Guberth."
Jona: "My name is... Jona."
Guberth: "Nice to meet you, Jona."
Jona: "Nice to meet you, Guberth."
And then, Jona made his first friend.