“One silver coin!?”

I was currently at the Adventurers’ Guild reception, trying to register as an adventurer, when I was informed that the registration fee was one silver coin.

I don’t have any money, which is exactly why I’m trying to work, and I need money just to start working!?

“Yes. Anyone can become an adventurer, but there is a registration fee of one silver coin. The reason for the fee is that the card we issue also serves as an official form of identification.”

Figuring it was worth a shot, I took out a 100-yen coin and a 500-yen coin and placed them on the counter.

“Can’t you do something with these?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but we only accept currency issued by the Kingdom of Alfumina.”

Yeah… I figured.

“I don’t have any money right now, so I was planning to earn some. Is there a pawn shop around here?”

If I pawned this solid gold necklace, I should be able to get some money.

Then I could earn enough to buy it back later.

“I’m sorry, but… what is a pawn shop?”

Seriously?

Pawn shops don’t exist in this world?

“Then I’d like to sell an accessory. Where can I find a place that buys things like jewelry?”

“We purchase monster materials, medicinal herbs, and medicines here.”

“As for accessories, weapon shops, armor shops, and jewelry stores all buy them.”

“The weapon and armor shops are in the marketplace straight ahead after leaving this building.”

“The jewelry stores are also located there, though the largest one is on Castle Gate Avenue.”

“Castle Gate Avenue?”

“It’s the district of high-end shops stretching from the castle’s main gate to the Nobles’ Gate. It’s commonly known as Castle Gate Avenue.”

I felt a little awkward about walking into an upscale shopping district wearing sweatpants and a track jacket.

“Thanks for the information.”

“I’ll come back later.”

“We look forward to seeing you again.”

After thanking her, I left the Adventurers’ Guild.

The marketplace seemed to be the same area where the old man selling meat skewers was.

The entire district was probably considered the market, with most of the shops located there.

Since I couldn’t read this world’s writing, I looked around carefully as I searched for a jewelry store.

About ten minutes after leaving the guild, I found what looked like one.

When I stepped inside, display cases lined the room, filled with necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other accessories that didn’t seem outrageously expensive.

So this world had display cases too.

“Welcome.”

“Is there anything you’re looking for today?”

Hmm?

I couldn’t explain why, but I could tell this guy was looking down on me.

Getting underestimated in a place like this would only put me at a disadvantage.

I’d better choose my words carefully.

Come to think of it…

Didn’t I have a skill that might help in situations like this?

I opened my skill menu.

Skills: [Observation Eye] [Appraisal] [Forbidden Magic: Wrath]

Huh?

My skills had increased.

I tried activating Observation Eye again, but nothing happened.

Could the reason I knew this clerk was looking down on me be because of Observation Eye?

If so, maybe it was a passive skill.

In that case…

Let’s try Appraisal.

It looked like I could activate this one.

…

Nothing happened.

Maybe I needed an actual target.

I casually looked at one of the items on display and activated Appraisal.

[Pure Gold]

So the gold necklace on display was made of pure gold.

I wanted to compare the price…

But I couldn’t read the tag.

Several necklaces of roughly the same size were displayed with different designs.

I used Appraisal on each of them.

[Pure Gold]

[Pure Gold]

[Mixed Alloy]

[Pure Gold]

[Gold-Plated]

Gold-plated!?

Well…

I’d ignored the clerk long enough.

I should probably answer him before it became awkward.

“I’ve gotten a little tired of the necklace I’m wearing, so I was thinking of selling it.”

“I have to say, though…”

“Compared to the shops on Castle Gate Avenue, this place carries quite a variety.”

Not that I’d ever been to the jewelry stores on Castle Gate Avenue.

Still…

The way the clerk looked at me changed.

He still seemed slightly suspicious, but at least he wasn’t looking down on me anymore.

“Our store caters not only to nobles but to customers from all walks of life.”

“We carry everything from luxury items to more affordable pieces.”

The luxury items…

Were they the ones in that display by the counter?

There were three necklaces made from strings of beads.

One was white, one black, and one gold.

Were those pearls?

Out of curiosity, I activated Appraisal.

[Partially Genuine]

[Fake]

[Mixed]

You’ve got to be kidding me…

“By the way…”

“Which item is the most expensive one in your store?”

With a confident grin, the clerk walked over to the fake pearl necklace I’d just appraised.

“This is our finest luxury item.”

“Since there is no sea near the royal capital of the Kingdom of Alfumina, pearls themselves are extremely valuable.”

“This necklace makes lavish use of them, making it one of our highest-class products.”

If he was serious…

He should probably quit being a jeweler.

Though judging by that grin earlier…

He probably knew exactly what he was doing.

“I see.”

“I don’t know how valuable pearls are in this country.”

“But calling a necklace that’s only partially made with genuine pearls your finest piece…”

“I must have come to the wrong store.”

The clerk’s cheek twitched.

“I must commend your keen eye, sir.”

“That item is merely a display sample.”

“The genuine piece is kept under strict security.”

That sounded incredibly suspicious.

Still…

At least he wasn’t treating me like an idiot anymore.

“That’s fine.”

“I didn’t come here to shop.”

“Like I said, I’m only here to sell this necklace.”

“As long as you offer me a fair price, I won’t comment on the rest of your fake merchandise.”

I removed the necklace I was wearing and handed it to him.

Just to be safe, I activated Appraisal.

It displayed [Pure Gold], just as expected.

“Very well.”

“I’ll have someone with the Appraisal skill examine it.”

“Please wait a moment.”

With that, the clerk disappeared behind the counter.

Man…

I’m starving.

Come to think of it, what time is it?

My wristwatch said it was a little after noon.

But somehow that didn’t feel right.

I didn’t think even two hours had passed since I’d woken up at the fountain plaza.

Then again…

I had no idea what time I’d arrived in this world.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“This necklace is made of pure gold.”

“Despite its incredibly intricate craftsmanship, there isn’t the slightest trace of magic having been used in its creation.”

“That makes it quite unusual.”

“It must have been handcrafted by an extraordinary master.”

“May I ask where you purchased it?”

“At a department store sale.”

“I doubt you’d know the place, though.”

It had cost me fifty thousand yen even on sale.

It had to be fairly high quality.

“I see.”

“I was hoping there might be additional value if we could identify the craftsman.”

“Since that’s not possible, we can offer three gold coins.”

Three gold coins…

No idea whether that was cheap or expensive.

Still…

He didn’t seem to be lying.

If something that cost fifty thousand yen sold for three gold coins…

Then one gold coin was worth roughly ten thousand yen?

Eh…

Good enough.

“All right.”

“I’ll sell it for three gold coins.”

Farewell…

My first-paycheck necklace.

“Certainly.”

“I’ll prepare your payment.”

The clerk disappeared behind the counter again before returning with what looked like a portable lockbox.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Here are your three gold coins.”

I examined the coins he handed me.

They were about two sizes larger than a 500-yen coin and were engraved with patterns and the image of a woman.

Just to be safe, I activated Appraisal.

[Authentic]

I expected it to say [Pure Gold] since it was a gold coin.

Instead, it displayed [Authentic].

I wondered what standard this skill actually used.

Puzzled, I slipped the coins into my still-damp wallet.

“And this is a bracelet blessed with divine protection.”

“We hope you’ll continue doing business with us.”

So…

A little hush money.

Naturally, I used Appraisal.

[Authentic]

“I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Out of curiosity, what kind of blessing does it have?”

“It carries the Blessing of Substitution.”

“The bracelet itself is made from a mixed metal of little value, and its creator is unknown.”

“Ordinarily it wouldn’t be worth much.”

“However, because it has the Blessing of Substitution, I believe it will prove useful to you.”

“Thank you.”

I immediately put it on my right wrist.

“I see you’re wearing rather unusual rings as well.”

“The craftsmanship on those is quite remarkable.”

“I’m not selling these.”

There was no way I’d ever sell the ring Ayumi had given me for my birthday.

“I understand.”

“We look forward to serving you again.”

After leaving the jewelry store, I considered heading to the meat skewer stand first.

But the guild had said the Adventurer Card also served as identification.

It was probably better to get that first.

I did have my National Health Insurance card…

But I doubted it would mean anything in this world.

I returned to the Adventurers’ Guild and headed back to the same receptionist.

“I’ve got the money.”

“Register me.”

I placed one gold coin on the counter.

“Certainly.”

“May I skip the explanation I already gave you earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, please place your hand on this crystal until the registration is complete.”

“While that’s happening, I’ll explain a few important points I didn’t mention before.”

I placed my right hand on the crystal as instructed.

To summarize what the receptionist explained…

Being an adventurer was dangerous, and the guild offered absolutely no compensation for injuries or death.

The only things the guild provided were identification and job referrals.

Jobs were divided by rank.

From highest to lowest, the ranks were S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.

New adventurers always started at Rank F.

I was honestly surprised this world even used the alphabet.

You could only accept jobs within your own rank, one rank above it, or one rank below it.

There were two ways to raise your rank.

One was completing a designated number of jobs.

The other was passing a promotion exam.

Even after completing enough jobs, whether or not to rank up was entirely your choice.

However, you couldn’t take the exam unless you actually intended to advance.

She explained plenty of other things as well, but those seemed like the important parts.

She also mentioned that adventurers could form parties.

Not that it mattered.

I didn’t have any companions.

“Finally…”

“Would you like to change your job to Adventurer?”

“Job?”

“Yes.”

“Your current job is Human.”

“Once you register with the Adventurers’ Guild, you may change it.”

“The initial change during registration is free.”

“However, changing it at a later date requires a fee.”

“The Adventurers’ Guild can change your job to Adventurer.”

“If you wish to change back to Human or to another job, you’ll need to visit a temple.”

No…

What I wanted to ask was what exactly a job was.

The fact that she completely misunderstood my question probably meant it was common knowledge in this world.

Better not ask.

“Are there any advantages?”

“Each job has its own strengths and weaknesses.”

“So it’s difficult to say one is objectively better.”

“If you plan to enter dungeons, we recommend changing to the Adventurer job and leveling it.”

There were dungeons too?

Now I was starting to get excited.

“How much does it cost if I change later?”

“One silver coin.”

Since I still didn’t understand how jobs worked…

Maybe I should level up as a Human first before deciding.

“I’ll pass on changing jobs for now.”

“Very well.”

“Your registration is now complete.”

“Would you like your identification issued as a card?”

“There are other options?”

“Yes.”

“We can inscribe a magical crest somewhere on your body.”

“In that case, it cannot be lost unless that body part is completely severed.”

“However, its information can potentially be read by others.”

“A card, on the other hand, can be lost, but it can only be read using a specialized crystal.”

Completely severed…

Seriously?

“If the magical crest is damaged, does it stop working?”

“No.”

“As long as even a small part of the crest remains, it will continue functioning.”

“It only loses its effect if the entire marked section is separated from your body.”

“It can also be erased with magic.”

“If it becomes unusable, reissuing it costs one silver coin.”

Which was better?

A card would be fine if I kept it in my wallet.

But the magical crest sounded more convenient.

Still…

If people could read my status…

I definitely didn’t want enemies seeing it.

“I’ll take the card.”

“Very well.”

“Here is your card along with ninety-nine silver coins in change.”

So one gold coin equals one hundred silver coins.

Wait…

The card was already finished?

Did that make me an adventurer now?

No…

I hadn’t changed my job, so maybe I wasn’t technically an adventurer after all.

“Lastly, please hold your card over this crystal so we can verify your registration.”

Words appeared in the crystal.

Still couldn’t read them.

I always thought things like this automatically displayed in a language you could understand.

Apparently not.

“Kamino Chikara.”

“Human.”

“Rank F.”

“Is everything correct?”

My name sounded oddly awkward when she pronounced it.

Then again…

If that was all the information displayed, maybe the magical crest would have been fine after all.

“Yeah.”

“Everything’s correct.”

“Then your registration is complete.”

“May fortune favor you.”

That ended more quickly than I expected.

Before leaving, I stopped by the quest board.

As expected…

I couldn’t read a single notice.

Around the guild hall, adventurers were chatting with friends and recruiting party members.

Considering everything the receptionist had told me…

Being an adventurer meant risking your life.

How could people casually invite complete strangers into their parties?

If someone betrayed you…

That was the end.

For now…

Food comes first.

Time to head back to the old man’s meat skewer stand.