Chapter 6

"Hey, Tōru, you're an adventurer, right? Can I become one too?"

Tōru was greeted by Sora's enthusiastic question first thing in the morning. It seemed that he had overslept a bit due to the relief of achieving his goal. Tōru, who woke up a little later than usual, quickly washed his face with the water left out and headed to the kitchen. As soon as he sat down at the table where breakfast was laid out, the words from earlier were thrown at him.

"Good morning, Sora. Good morning, landlord."

"Ah, good morning."

"Yes, good morning."

It seemed that Sora, who had woken up earlier, had already gotten along with the landlord, Yuriru. She probably heard about adventurers from her.

Tōru rubbed his feet and pondered the girl's question. Given the landlord's character, she would never describe being an adventurer as a glamorous job. In reality, it's a tough job that involves wandering through forests, wilderness, and caves, fighting ferocious monsters with your life on the line. As expected, it didn't seem to suit Sora's carefree personality.

Moreover, the village where Tōru and Sora were born was generally peaceful, with only a few weak monsters appearing. That was until the "Great Outbreak." Sora, who had encountered ferocious monsters for the first time, must still be quite afraid.

To check Sora's feelings, Tōru subtly glanced at the girl's eyes as she eagerly bit into the bread. There was no shadow of fear, nor did she seem overly tense. To Tōru, who had been with many newbies, the girl seemed to be in a normal state of mind.

"How are you feeling?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm completely fine."

"Good, then that's fine. Also, you can't eat this bread unless you dip it in the soup."

"Ah, that's why it felt so hard."

In the village, it was common to eat wheat as porridge, but in this area, hard bread that lasted longer was the norm. Tōru also struggled with it at first. Seeing Sora struggle with the unfamiliar texture, Tōru made up his mind.

It would be quicker for her to understand by experiencing it herself, just like the hard bread. If it didn't suit her, she would realize it.

"Yeah, it's delicious! Is this round thing meat?"

"Yeah, it's mole meat."

"Really? Mole is delicious!"

To Tōru, the soup with white chickpeas and meatballs was a familiar dish, but it seemed to be a treat for Sora. Watching her eat with enthusiasm, Tōru's lips involuntarily curved into a smile. Maybe Sora could enjoy being an adventurer and even the hard bread.

"So, I'd like to go to the adventurer registration office after breakfast, but..."

"Huh? Really?!"

"Before that, we need some money."

"Huh? We need something?"

"With your current outfit, it would be quite troublesome."

Sora was wearing a knee-length woolen dress and pants, which were suitable for outdoor work but not for facing monsters. Even with her skills, she wouldn't need to be on the front lines, but without minimal protection, she might not be allowed to register as an adventurer. There was also a high possibility that the registration process would take a long time due to equipment sales or pre-training.

Buying a set of mole leather equipment would be enough, but Tōru's tunic alone cost three silver coins. He had saved up five silver coins, so he could buy it if he pushed, but he needed other essentials too.

After slowly chewing and swallowing the bread, Tōru glanced at the elderly woman sitting at the head of the table. He had heard that she was a famous ice user who had traveled around in her youth. Knowing that his request was presumptuous, he decided to be straightforward.

"Sorry, landlord. I'll get the necessary items soon, but could you lend me some equipment in the meantime?"

"Mine? I haven't used them in a long time, but is it okay?"

"I can manage that."

"Alright, if you can use this old woman's old stuff, please feel free to use it, Sora."

"Is it okay? Thank you."

While Yuriru was surprised by Tōru's confident tone, she agreed, knowing his exceptional caution and strong will from their decade-long relationship. This morning, he seemed even more confident.

She refrained from further words, speculating that it might be related to the resurrected girl. For the elderly woman, the adventurous life of an adventurer was already over, no matter how much she might have regretted it.

After breakfast, Yuriru prepared a linen robe and a white bronze chest plate for Sora. Although the design was a bit old, they were of good quality. The equipment would cost about twenty silver coins if bought new. However, the robe had yellowed over time, and the chest plate had rust like mold.

Stopping the girl, who was about to put them on excitedly, Tōru gently touched the items. In an instant, the robe and chest plate looked brand new. Yuriru's eyes widened, and Sora hugged Tōru with a beaming smile.

"Thank you, Tōru!"

"What was that...?"

"It's my skill. Sorry for surprising you."

Tōru's <Restoration> skill causes significant changes, making it hard to hide. It would be better to reveal it to trusted people to avoid unnecessary explanations.

"It's light! I thought it would be heavier."

"How does it feel to wear it?"

"It's a bit loose."

"You can adjust it with the straps. Look, here, like this."

The chest plate is secured with shoulder straps and a horizontal strap, and the length can be adjusted by the holes in the straps. Observing casually, Tōru noticed that Sora had moved the holes back by two. He recalled that the outermost holes were used before the restoration.

"Two sizes different?"

"Are we that different in height?"

"No, not much. It fits like it was made for me."

Sora put on the robe over the chest plate and spun around. She looked more like an adventurer than Tōru, who was in a dark brown leather armor. Tōru scratched his chin, speechless.

After getting ready, Tōru handed Sora a spare backpack and encouraged her to wear it. The girl, with her white linen robe and the gleaming chest plate visible at the collar, looked quite the adventurer. It was a bit unbalanced compared to Tōru's dark brown leather armor.

"I'll walk ahead, so follow a bit behind. That way, we won't stand out."

"Can I hold your hand, Tōru?"

"Oh, you two are close. Here, have a lunch box."

"Stop, it's hard to walk. Thank you always, landlord. We're off."

"Good luck on your adventure!"

"Yes, we'll be careful."

In the end, the two left the boarding house together and headed to the town square. It was past mid-morning, and there were quite a few people on the streets. Tōru, rubbing his neck, whispered to Sora, who was looking around curiously.

"If you keep looking around, you might get picked up by a recruiter."

"I've never seen so many people before. Is it a festival today? Oh, there are so many stalls over there!"

"Calm down, the stalls are here every day. This is a pretty old border town, so there are a lot of residents."

"Border town?"

On the way, Tōru gave Sora a brief overview of the town.

At the center of this world is a massive hollow called the "Gloomy Great Hole," from which miasma spreads, covering the land and creating numerous monsters. No one has actually seen it, but Tōru and others were often scared by the village elders when they were young.

The contaminated land is called a miasma zone, where monsters roam and people can't live. To reclaim this lost land, fortresses were built at the border between the miasma zones and human settlements—these are the border towns.

"Wow, that's interesting."

"So, there are a lot of adventurers."

"Oh, I see?"

Monsters, which show strong predatory instincts towards living beings, have a troublesome habit. When they sense a large group of people or livestock, they attack in a swarm. In the past, fortresses were built inside the miasma zones, but they had to retreat due to the constant attacks by monsters.

Another issue with large-scale operations is that the points earned from defeating monsters are divided among the soldiers who participated in the battle, making it inefficient to develop skills and improve combat power.

"Ah, that's why there are adventurers."

"Exactly, acting in small groups has more advantages."

Tōru didn't know the origin of the term "adventurer." Probably, after the central government withdrew, those who ventured into the miasma zones alone called their actions "adventures."

In areas constantly exposed to harsh miasma, plants and minerals can develop abnormally. The tough skin, tendons, horns, and fangs of monsters can also be excellent materials for weapons and armor.

Merchants noticed this and hired adventurers to hunt monsters and gather valuable plants and minerals, making a fortune in the process.

Monsters become stronger and more numerous the closer they are to the Great Hole. Conversely, they become less numerous and relatively safer the farther away from the center. Eventually, facilities like taverns and inns, which are convenient for trading with adventurers, were built in a location that was not too far from the miasma zones but not close enough to attract ferocious monster swarms. This is the origin of the current border towns.

In this era, various studies on monsters and skills were conducted, and commercial activities using miasma zones became more active. Naturally, the central government could not ignore this.

"Hmm, really?"

"To the government, it's a gathering of wealthy people with powerful private armies. If left unchecked, they might take over the country."

However, there were no reports of using military force to suppress them. Instead, the government adopted a policy to incorporate the system built by adventurers and merchants.

First, an adventurer bureau was established in each town to manage adventurers as a kind of volunteer force. By making their pay performance-based rather than fixed, they aimed to boost motivation and select capable individuals. Additionally, by ranking adventurers, they aimed to increase competition and improve survival rates by limiting the areas they could explore.

Merchants were also satisfied by being given exclusive rights to trade materials from the miasma zones. However, to prevent a monopoly, they were required to form specialized trade associations for different materials like meat, hides, minerals, and wood.

Thus, the government-led development of miasma zones began in earnest.

"There are also magic stones and underground labyrinths involved, but I'll explain that another time."

"Aw, I want to hear it now."

"Sorry, we're out of time. Look, we're here."

Tōru stopped and nodded toward the large building in front of them.

"From here, you can go alone. The money you need is in the backpack, so use it. If you act confidently, it will be over quickly."

"Huh, you won't accompany me?"

"I'll watch from a distance where I won't be recognized. Don't worry."

It was like the concern of a father with a teenage daughter. Tōru, placing his hands on his hips, spoke, and Sora, poking her cheek with her index finger, thought for a moment. Then she suddenly squatted down.

"Ouch, my stomach really hurts, Tōru. I think it will get better if you take me to that building."

"Che, what a trick."

Tōru sighed, knowing about the <Restoration> skill but still surprised by Sora's choice of a fake illness. However, it seemed to be effective. Passersby started to gather around the girl, who was making exaggerated groaning sounds.

"Alright, I'll try to look younger this time. If I look around twenty-five, it should be enough to fool them."

"Changing that is a big deal, Tōru!"

"Is it, really?"

Tōru scratched his chin, taken aback by Sora's dramatic outburst while hugging her knees. After a moment of silence, he calmly explained his concerns to the girl.

"I'm not well-liked by others. If you go with me, you might have a bad experience."

"Did you do something bad?"

"No, not really. But an old man like me, still a low-level adventurer, is embarrassing."

"It's strange to think that way. You worked hard for me, and that's not embarrassing at all."

Pouting, the girl continued.

"Anyone who would make fun of you for that doesn't understand anything. I won't care what they say!"

"But I'm an old man."

"Even if you're an old man, you're a cool old man, so it's fine!"

Tōru recalled that Sora had lost her father at a young age and had a tendency to admire older men.

"Is your stomach better now?"

"Can you hold my hand, Tōru?"

With a wry smile, Tōru looked at the girl, who was still crouched down and asking in a cute voice. He sighed and extended his hand, which Sora gently placed her own on. Then she squeezed it tightly.

Holding hands, the two started walking towards the adventurer bureau.