Chapter 5

As he walked along a path that had not been much disturbed by human hands, it didn't take long for the trail to change into a somewhat well-maintained forest road.

The presence of stumps indicated that loggers had been there, just as he had expected.

After walking for a while, he found a structure that looked like a cabin. It was probably a logger's cabin.

Next to it, in what seemed to be a storage area, a large amount of timber was piled up.

As he continued walking, he could hear the sound of trees being cut from deep within the forest.

It seemed that there were people around.

The note said that the language would be understood, and if he had hunted rabbits, he could sell them at a place called the Adventurer's Guild.

The item bag was a fairly valuable item, but it had a contract magic spell cast on it, making it usable only by the first person who used it.

To allow others to use it, a specialized magician's power was needed to cancel the contract magic. For example, Daiziro had put medicine and money into the item bag before canceling the contract magic and releasing ownership.

Incidentally, another way to cancel the ownership contract was through the death of the owner.

Given this, it was fine if the item bag was seen, but it wasn't something to show off.

While reviewing Daiziro's notes in his mind, he continued down the forest road and finally reached a flat area.

A large road, wide enough for a carriage, stretched to the left and right.

To the right was the capital, which would take three days to reach on foot.

To the left, a town could be faintly seen, with fields spreading around it.

Would crops planted in such a place not be stolen or eaten by monsters?

The sun had just reached its zenith.

Thinking that he could have hunted more rabbits if he had arrived so early, he also realized that he needed to gather more information.

The town was surrounded by a stone wall about one meter high, with a gate and large letters written on the side of the wall.

Though he couldn't read what was written, it was probably the name of the town.

The gate was open, but a woman with a spear stood there. She had brown skin and was quite beautiful.

Next to her was a table with a crystal ball.

"Welcome to the Labyrinth Town, Florense."

"Labyrinth Town?"

"Yes. The town is called a Labyrinth Town because it has a beginner-friendly labyrinth inside. Did you not know?"

I didn't know.

It wasn't mentioned in Daiziro's notes.

"Um, can I enter the town?"

"Yes, please place your hand on this crystal."

"On this one?"

"Ah, are you not from this continent? This crystal is used to check your occupation."

"So, if I place my hand on it, it will reveal my occupation?"

Isn't that dangerous?

If it revealed that I was unemployed, it would be embarrassing, and I would be questioned about why I was still unemployed.

Even if I managed to deceive, it would be revealed every time I visited a new town. It would be troublesome.

Moreover, according to the story, all towns on this continent are like this. Maybe I should escape to another continent.

"No, it doesn't have that much power, and there is no such magical tool. However, if your occupation is a thief, pirate, bandit, or prisoner, the crystal will turn black. For merchants, it will glow blue, and the entry tax will be half price."

"Wow, that's convenient."

Then there's no problem.

I placed my hand on the crystal ball with peace of mind. Of course, it didn't change. I was unemployed.

"Yes, there's no problem. The entry tax is 50 cents."

There's a tax. I don't know what a 50-cent coin looks like.

If the lowest denomination is copper, then,

"Um, 50 copper coins, right?"

"Yes."

It seems I was right. I gave half of the copper coins I received from Daiziro to the gatekeeper.

[Ichinojou's level has increased]

[Occupation: Apprentice Swordsman has been unlocked]

[Occupation: Apprentice Magician has been unlocked]

[Occupation: Merchant has been unlocked]

Hmm? Oh, right, paying taxes accumulates experience points for commoners.

I wonder how many levels I've increased. I'll check later.

But if paying taxes increases the level of commoners, then the rich would have the easiest time leveling up.

"Here is your entry permit. Please show it when you leave the town. If you leave within half a month, the entry tax will be waived when you return."

I'd like to pay taxes again, but saying that would be strange. Well, there will be plenty of opportunities to pay taxes.

"Thank you. By the way, do you know where the Adventurer's Guild is?"

"The Adventurer's Guild is the building with the blue roof straight down this road. The sign with a sword and shield should be easy to spot."

What a kind lady. I think she's younger than me. She looks about 17.

She seems willing to answer any questions, so I'll ask a strange one.

"Um, a strange question, but what year is it in Azawald?"

"It's the 391st year of Azawald."

"Oh, I see. Thank you."

I thanked the gatekeeper, who smiled and answered without any unpleasant expression, and entered the town.

If it's 391 now, then Daiziro's notes were written 12 years ago. It's recent, and there's a high possibility that Daiziro is still alive.

The town was bustling with activity.

Many people were walking around, and vegetables were being sold at stalls.

The smell of grilled meat from a stall on the other side... it stimulated my appetite.

Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything since morning, so I'm hungry.

Okay, I'll have a meal first... no, I need to change my clothes first.

The recruitment suit seemed unusual, and people had been looking at me strangely.

Besides, it would be uncomfortable to eat in a suit.

So, I found a nearby clothing store and entered.

"Welcome! Oh, what a cute boy, my type."

The long blonde-haired, husky-voiced shop owner was not a lady but a drag queen.

Her jaw was blue, and her muscles were bulging, yet she was wearing a red dress. I must have entered the wrong store, but there was no choice now.

"Um, I'd like a set of clothes, preferably something that doesn't stand out... and if you buy this suit, how much would it be worth? If you buy used clothes, that is."

I took off the recruitment suit and showed it to the female (or rather, the drag queen) shop owner.

She (for simplicity, I'll call her the shop owner) looked at the suit and made a difficult expression.

"Hmm, if it's the tie, pants, and shirt as a set, 30,000 cents, or 3 gold coins."

"That's... expensive... isn't it?"

It's 3 million yen. I bought the recruitment suit for 10,000 yen.

"It's a year's worth of my income. It's the price that would deplete all the store's savings. I couldn't earn that much in a year as an adventurer."

She used to be an adventurer. Her muscles made sense.

Still, despite the image of adventurers risking their lives, they don't seem to make much money.

"Is this an artifact?"

An artifact?

"Oh? Did you wear it without knowing? Artifacts are items that appear only through interdimensional summoning. Although it requires a huge amount of money to perform interdimensional summoning, most of the items that appear are almost useless. However, occasionally, unknown materials are used, such as the fibers in this suit. I've been running this store for a long time, but I've never seen such material. Researchers are likely to buy it, which is why it's priced this way."

She occasionally flirted, sending shivers down my spine, but I understood her explanation.

"Um, can living beings be summoned through interdimensional summoning?"

"No, only corpses, apparently."

I see, it seems difficult to return to Japan using interdimensional summoning technology. If I could return immediately, I would go back and tell Miri about the other world, and she would scold me, "Onii-chan, did you get involved with strange drugs because you couldn't find a job?"

"Okay, I'll sell all the clothes. Please give me five sets of clothes."

"We have linen, cotton, and silk. Which would you like? The price for one set is 20 cents for linen, 60 cents for cotton, and 200 cents for silk."

"Ah... I'll take cotton."

Even though it's three times the price, 60 copper coins is manageable. It seems that in this world, 1 cent is about 100 yen. I wondered if there were smaller denominations, but perhaps to prevent counterfeiting, they don't exist. Making money isn't free.

I entered the fitting room, put on a light green cotton outfit, and tied the waist string.

Now, I look like a local. I'd like to get armor and equipment, but this store doesn't seem to sell them. Of course, it doesn't.

"Thank you, it fits perfectly."

"I'm glad you like it. However, I can't prepare the money immediately. I'll give you 5,000 cents today, and the remaining 24,700 cents tomorrow, okay?"

Indeed, a store wouldn't keep a large amount of money on hand. It's not a pawn shop.

I agreed, and the shop owner gave me a piece of paper with a thumbprint. I couldn't read the writing, but it was probably a promissory note.

As I left the store, I noticed that my black leather shoes stood out from the rest of my outfit and hurriedly went back to buy leather shoes.

Hmm, if buying things doesn't increase my commoner level, maybe there's no sales tax in this town.

Or maybe there is sales tax, but it doesn't count as experience points because it's an indirect tax?

Incidentally, the leather shoes I bought were made of cowhide, but they weren't expensive, so I stored them in the item bag.

While thinking about this, I whispered, "Status open" in a small voice.

……………………………………………………

Name: Ichinojou

Race: Human

Occupation: Unemployed Lv27, Commoner Lv15

HP: 39 (10+29)

MP: 30 (8+22)

Physical Attack: 36 (9+27)

Physical Defense: 28 (7+21)

Magic Attack: 12 (4+8)

Magic Defense: 11 (3+8)

Speed: 24 (4+20)

Luck: 20 (10+10)

Equipment: Cotton clothes, leather shoes

Skills: [Occupation Change], [Second Occupation Setting], [Stone Throwing]

Titles: None

Available Occupations: Commoner Lv15, Farmer Lv1, Hunter Lv1, Logger Lv1, Apprentice Swordsman Lv1, Apprentice Magician Lv1, Merchant Lv1

Blessing: 20x experience points, 1/20 required experience points

……………………………………………………

That's it. Well, if 50 cents in tax is 400x experience points, it's 20,000 cents, or 2 gold coins worth of experience points, which is why my level increased so quickly.

It makes sense. It's eight months' salary for the shop owner.

Still, if the clothes sold for such a high price, maybe I should check the price of rabbits at the Adventurer's Guild later.

Besides, the amount of money I received from Daiziro was ridiculously high. Two gold coins, really? It feels like I shouldn't have received so much.

In total, I got the equivalent of 5 gold coins, or 5 million yen.

...I'm starting to feel like working is pointless.

"Watch out, don't let your heart become unemployed, me! I'm going to be the king of the unemployed!"

As I shouted to myself, people around me gave me pitying looks.

I'll reflect on that.

Besides, maybe my inability to find a job is because I'm such a weird person.

Anyway, I'll start by going to the Adventurer's Guild and selling the rabbits.

I've received many comments and evaluations.

Thank you.

Growth will come a little later.