Joseph walked back to the Adventurer's Guild, his stomach growling like one of the oversized rats he had just finished pummeling. He was bruised, exhausted, and absolutely starving.
The five copper coins in his pocket felt insultingly light. For all the life-threatening nonsense he had endured, this payout was barely enough to cover a decent meal.
But he didn't have a choice. If he didn't eat now, he was probably going to pass out mid-step.
The guild's tavern was packed with adventurers. The more seasoned ones were gathered around large tables, feasting on roasted meats, fresh bread, and foamy mugs of ale. The smell alone was enough to bring Joseph to tears.
His mouth watered as he watched a burly warrior tear into a massive turkey leg like it was nothing. Across the room, a pair of mages shared a golden-brown loaf of bread, steam rising from its freshly baked crust.
Joseph swallowed hard. That could've been him.
If he had money.
Which he didn't.
Sighing, he walked up to the counter where a grumpy-looking innkeeper was wiping down a mug. The man glanced at him, clearly unimpressed with Joseph's entire existence.
"You buying or loitering?"
Joseph pulled out his precious, hard-earned copper coins and placed them on the counter. "What's the cheapest thing on the menu?"
The innkeeper scratched his beard. "We got a bowl of watered-down gruel for two copper."
Joseph flinched. "That's… uh, do you have anything cheaper?"
The innkeeper smirked. "Got a single stale bread roll for one copper."
Joseph hesitated. A whole bowl of gruel, or a single, sad piece of bread?
After much soul-searching, he finally sighed and pushed forward the two copper.
"I'll take the gruel."
The bowl was slapped onto the counter in front of him. Joseph stared at it, horrified.
It was, indeed, gruel.
A watery, pale gray sludge that vaguely smelled of something edible. Floating on top was a single, wilted leaf, which Joseph assumed was supposed to count as seasoning.
He had never wanted to cry over food before, but there was a first time for everything.
Still, his stomach demanded sustenance, so he picked up the wooden spoon and took a bite.
The flavor was… indescribable.
Mostly because it tasted like absolutely nothing.
"…I think I hate being poor," Joseph muttered between spoonfuls.
Around him, actual adventurers were feasting, drinking, and laughing. Meanwhile, he was sitting at the bar, hunched over a bowl of sadness, questioning all of his life choices.
He swallowed another spoonful of gruel and sighed, realizing just how long his journey was going to be.
With only three copper coins remaining, Joseph quickly realized that affording a room at an inn was not happening.
He had checked. The cheapest, most run-down, possibly flea-infested rooms started at ten copper. A fortune he simply didn't have.
So, naturally, he did what any broke adventurer would do.
He found a nice, relatively monster-free patch of dirt outside the city and decided to sleep there.
Just outside the city walls, there was a small hill with some scattered trees. It wasn't much, but it provided just enough cover to hopefully not get eaten in the middle of the night. Joseph sat down, wrapping his tattered cape around himself like a makeshift blanket.
The ground was cold. The night air was even colder.
And the sounds of distant wolves howling were not exactly comforting.
"…Yeah, this sucks," he muttered, staring up at the sky.
The stars were bright and unfamiliar, scattered across the heavens in patterns he didn't recognize. This wasn't Earth, obviously.
Not that he had much to miss. His old life had been nothing special—lackluster grades, a gaming addiction, and zero achievements to his name. No friends, no prospects, no grand future.
But here?
Here, he had a chance.
Not a good chance, obviously—he was still broke, weak, and woefully unprepared for this world. But… if he actually played his cards right, he could be something more than just "that loser who died to Truck-kun."
Joseph sighed and pulled his hood over his head, trying to ignore the creeping chill.
It was painfully obvious after just one quest that going solo was not going to cut it.
He had nearly gotten eaten alive by oversized rats. If that was the difficulty level of a "beginner" quest, then anything else was likely going to obliterate him.
Not to mention, he had no backup, no healers, no one to watch his back. If he got seriously injured out here, that was it. Game over.
He needed a party.
People to fight alongside him, to share the danger, to cover his weaknesses.
More importantly—people to help him not die horribly.
Joseph exhaled, watching the mist of his breath rise into the night air.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, he'd start looking for teammates.
Maybe a warrior to take hits for him. Maybe a mage for some firepower. Maybe even a healer, if he was lucky.
He had no idea how to convince anyone to party up with him, but he'd figure it out.
Because if there was one thing he had learned today…
Trying to survive in this world alone was a terrible idea.
With that thought, Joseph shut his eyes and tried to sleep—hoping that by morning, he wouldn't wake up missing a limb.