I walk out.
Apparently I am in a room in a large building, and I walked down the stairs to the exit.
I open the door and step outside. The road is not made of concrete, but of dirt and gravel.
The buildings around me seem to be made of stone with miscellaneous colours, but natural and somehow relaxing. It feels like a historical town in Europe or Central Asia.
Not many people are walking around and the streets are narrow, so it might be a back alley.
When I walk toward the direction of the noise that I can hear nearby, I find a nice road made of neatly laid out stones and then I come across a carriage driving slowly down the centre, with people passing by. This must be the central street.
There are many people, people here, people there, and more people in the farthest view, and they were all crowded, but there were some people dressed in ancient clothes while some in Japanese style. The diversity of clothes are plenty, from things that looks like some kind of folk costume, to half-naked outfits that can't be called clothes at all. This seems to be the norm.
I'm tempted to say that there is a diversity of cultures out here that we modern people have somehow forgotten....
"Brother, you're in my way don't keep standing there!"
The lady with a basket on the shoulder scolds me and I start walking along the stream of people.
Come to think of it, I don't have any money with me.
I was really only able to bring my clothes with me. No, I couldn't use Japanese bills even if I had them.
Since it's a game-like world, I wonder if there's an adventurer's guild if I look for one.
In the meantime, I need to find a job that pays, regardless of my status.
I can only see the shops on the main street, so I go in one, come back and go down an alleyway and see some pink signs and Shops with mysterious names aligned on the streets.
(Oh, man, I wonder if it's some kind of Red light district of this area.)
I'm afraid to go in because I don't know much about the other world's customs, but I thought it would be nice to just take a look. I walk past some thug-like men wearing green cap with a white moon and star embroidered on top.
The regulations seems to be loose over here, as one of them is making creepy comments like "How are your tits? Instead of that weak guy why don't you come with us darling." And when the woman and the guy walk past them, he says this to another lady who was wearing a revealing outfit "Dressed in such a risqué outfit are you here to seduce us."
"Do~?" the guy got firmly attacked by a puffy man, who bending him in front, plowed him in the guts.
Then, the lady with revealing outfit wrapped her arms around that man. The guy must be delighted to get a feel of such barely concealed breasts.
As I passed through the Colour Street, I am now lined up with people shackled people standing still and see a burly man with a whip on a raised platform.
Is this another one of those colour streets? However, it is different when I look at the people doing business with the guy.
To begin with, it's not just women who are being sold by him, but also burly men and little kids.
(Ah, the slave market.)
It suddenly becomes clear to me, but I don't feel that much dislike for the guy selling these people. Maybe it's because I think it's inevitable in the world, or maybe it's because I am self-defeated and lack a sense of justice in the first place. The correct answer is unclear.
(Slave ... slave?)
On Earth, I was someone who had completely given up on relationships with a girl.
I wasn't attractive in the first place, but even if I did ended up having a partner, I don't think it would last very long. I have been there. There were a few times I could have gone out with some girls of my age groups if I compromised, but the hassle outweighed the rewards of having a girlfriend.
When I became unemployed, I felt that there was no way anyone would be able to fit in with such a sociopath. I had become so reserved that I had given up on the idea of getting deeply involved with people at some point.
But what about a slave? It's a natural existence in this world, even if it's a malicious practice.
If it doesn't work out with them, you can just sell them back in the marketplace. If you find a good match, you'll love them as much as you can.
Then I think, Can slaves of here handle themselves in the hands of carless, self-centred guy like me?
I came to another world because I was tired of living on Earth, and I was vague about what I wanted to do after all, but although it's very crude goal, but I think I have found my target.
A slave harem. There it is. I'll build a slave harem.
(Okay, good luck with that.)
I had resigned myself to the fact that the worst-case scenario would be a quick death in the wild because of my lack of any special powers, but now I was a bit motivated. So I clenched his fists with determination. Slaves can perfectly work as my weapons. They are bound to protect their masters. Even if they somehow ended up betraying me, I think my chances of surviving in this world is higher with slaves rather than going on a solo adventure.
(But to do that, I'd have to make money first.)
As I walk by, I checked the price tag of a poorly dressed child slave and saw that it read, "Over 30 pieces of silver. ...Negotiable"
With a young woman who would be a sexual object, the price would be many times higher than this poor kid.
(100 or 200 pieces of silver that's a tentative goal.)
Having gained a new goal, I proceed lightly, feeling good.
Then I saw the words "Monster Hunting Centre".
It's not what I was expecting, but it's related to an organization like the Adventurer's Guild that appears in the fantasy stories and RPG games.
I walk in enthusiastically and ask the cute little lady at the reception desk who wears a short, twin back green dress.
"How do you get a job where you get paid for killing Monsters?"
For a moment, the air near the counter froze, and then I saw the staff glancing at me and laughing. I feel embarrassed.
"Uh, sir, would you like to bring in some Monster material?"
"Oh, no, no."
"If you need anything else, please contact the help desk."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
I've done something out of place. It's quite embarrassing. I acted suspiciously because I was too embarrassed to stand in line at the consultation desk. The receptionist here is a beautiful woman with a long velvety hair, a lady who would be beautiful by anyone's standard. She seems to be kind, so in this case, it's helpful.
"Sir, do you need to consult with us?"
"Oh, I'm actually interested in the profession of earning money by slaying Monsters... and what system we have in this town for it? I want to know all the relevant information about it."
As I stood in line, I quickly say what I had been thinking about.
''There are no special restrictions on defeating monsters. If you go out of the gate, defeat the monsters and take their materials and sell them at this centre, you can generate income and I will generate profits. Is that all right so far?"
"Yes I'm sorry. I just thought you needed some sort of permission or registration..."
"There are others who think that way, please calm down. Especially those who are normal, non-magical hunters, etc., who have to be registered due to hunting restrictions, etc. There are many cases."
"Yeah, I know."
"The forest outside is hotspot of goblins, green caterpillars and blood slime. None of these species are strong, so you'll have a good opportunity to explore the area.
"That hotspot? May I ask you to tell me about it, since I don't know much about it?"
"A hotspot? I'm not familiar with it either, but as the name implies, it refers to a single place where certain types of monsters spring up. Well, you may not have heard of that, my apologies. Many of the villages and towns were built to deal with such hotspots. Here in Slage, it is believed that the number of boiling points was so great that it was originally developed as a base of operations."
"So it is. Surprising. Do you know anything about this town's history?"
"Yes, it's probably not something you'd expect to hear talked about in the city. I've heard that those who leave school are usually told about it at the beginning of history class."
It seemed to be common sense in its own right. Ah, it would be too difficult to gather information in another world without making me seem like some lunatic.
"If this is your first time hunting a monster, I would recommend the Green Caterpillar. At worst, a child, even with bare hands, can defeat it if you take the time to do so. I think it's a bit uncomfortable, though."
"Yeah, I see."
''However, there is nowhere where you can sell its materials, and only the magic stones that it leaves after dying will be sold. Rarely, they do leave something called a ball of string in their guts, and in that case, that material has a cheap selling price, but it can be sold anywhere quite easily. I'm sure you'll make little money with that."
"hmm…"
"Depending on the condition of the magic stones, if you collect them carefully, you can get around 10 copper coins for one, along with the incentive to defeat them. Please note that we will charge you a fee of about 10% for that."
"I see."
How many coppers does a silver coin cost? I wanted to ask her, but I couldn't. I'll deal with that later.
"Also, for those of you who have lived in the city, monster hunting isn't as easy as you might be taking it to be. Because once you're outside the city walls, you can't come back just like this. You will need about one silver coin to get in the city. If you have a merchant's license or other reduced or exempt status, this is not the case, but I hope you will remember to take your money with you when you leave."
"What happens if you don't bring the money with you?"
"Worst case scenario, the gatekeepers will catch you and you will be charged with a crime for unauthorized entry."
Ew!
"Make sure you have at least one piece of silver with you."
I'm going to take a little gamble and check the monetary value.
"If I'm off, someone can make a fool out of me and trick me into giving coins with high monetary value because I'm not very good at math."
"Yes, I understand. Of course, there are other costs involved, so you might have to beat twelve green caterpillars to get enough money for an entry free."
I see, 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin.
"Hmmm, I wonder if I can find that many monsters."
"It may be tough. I think you should be prepared to start out in the red to gain experience."
"Well, it's a hard world. Thanks for the tip. And thank you for the information."
"No, I'm glad I could help."
"You've been very helpful. If I ever need anything else, can I ask?"
"Of course. But if you're looking for something to do, you can find information on demons on the second floor of the centre, or you can visit the city library for various It's a collection of information."
She told me to go check it out first. So, I am going to go there.
.
.
.
After stopping by the second floor to take a quick look at the information on monsters, and looking at the map of monster hotspots in the area, on the wall. I go outside.
What happened at the Monster Hunting Centre was a terrible embarrassment, but if they told me I needed to pay a registration fee, I'd be succumbed to beg on the streets. Thank god, this world doesn't have the adventure guild system that many Isekai Manga seems to work around.
Now that I have the option to "hunt green caterpillars outside the city". . I would have to prepare single silver coin as a backup so that I can come in after going outside.
The only thing I can sell now is ... well, clothes.
The half-naked person I saw on the front street flashed through my mind. ......Is there no other way?
I'm going to dive into a place that looks like a clothing store for ordinary people that I saw and try to do business with it.
"Wow! That's good tailoring. I'll pay you three silver coins for your jacket and shirt."
Hmm? Hmmm...I got decent money for it. I hadn't washed those clothes in weeks and as you'd expect, it smells so bad that I thought it's unlikely to sell.
"Now why don't we wash the clothes...?"
After hearing this I ran out of the shop with three silver coins in my hand.
So I sold my jacket and shirt and now I have to walk around town in a half-naked style with only my track pants.
"There were half-naked people here."
I told myself that to console my poor heart whose dignity seems to have been wounded.
(Three silver coins, huh. I guess its 100 yen for a copper coin and 10,000 yen for a silver coin, because they sell snacks at a food stand for several copper coins.)
All the money I have weighs around 30,000 yen. There was nothing more to sell. I still don't have much in the name of savings. 10,000 yen worth of money will go to the gate as an admission fee. The rest 20,000 yen… I don't think there's a way I'll be able to buy any weapons with such puny amount of money.
(Let's buy a knife at least ... and food. As long as we have food, we can live.)
Fearful of being suddenly impoverished in a different world, I was able to get a large knife with 30 copper coins. I bought and devoured a large bowl of barbecued meat from a food truck with 10 copper coins.
I may be without food for a while. So I will eat to my heart's content and soul's satisfaction.