Chapter 6

I ended up getting lost.

If there were people around, I could ask for directions, but there’s no one in sight, and I can’t sense anyone either. Well, I can’t really sense things like that anyway.

However, since this is still within the city, it should be inside a wall. So, if I keep going straight, I might eventually hit the wall.

Thinking this, I decided to keep walking straight.

I hit a dead end. It was a T-intersection. Not the city’s outer wall, but a building that looked like a ruin.

I seemed to have ended up in a place that felt like an abandoned slum. Honestly, I don’t want to stay here long.

But turning back would just mean continuing to get lost, so I thought I’d try to find a path in the direction I had been walking and turned right.

After walking for a few minutes, I found something that looked like a store. The door simply read "Blacksmith."

Thinking that if there were people inside, I could ask for directions, I opened the door and tried to go in.

"Who referred you here?"

I jumped at the sudden voice. Looking down, I saw a short man with a long beard and a sturdy build looking at me.

Is he a dwarf?

"No, I wasn’t referred. I got lost... and..."

I answered honestly. Lying would probably be found out right away.

"Hmph. I don’t know why you ended up here, but this is a weapon shop. If you’re not interested in weapons, get out."

He had no patience. Plus, I wouldn’t have any trouble if I knew the way back.

"No, I’m an adventurer and I was looking for a weapon. Can I take a look?"

"Sure, but how much money do you have?"

"1350 tel."

"That’s not even enough for a knife. You seem to have some talent for martial arts, but why do you only have that much?"

Weapons are expensive here, it seems. A knife on Earth wouldn’t have cost more than 13,500 yen, but mining and industry are probably underdeveloped here.

Can martial talent be detected by movement? I’m glad I didn’t try to hide it.

"I have amnesia. When I came to, I was in the forest with no money. I managed to get enough for lodging and guild registration, so I’m trying to work as an adventurer."

"I see. You should become pretty strong, if you don’t die. Based on your build, a one-handed sword and a shield would be good. I’ll make a one-handed sword for 10,000 tel and a shield for 5,000. If you want better equipment, come back when you have more money."

Looking around at the weapons, they did seem to have a certain quality or dignity.

"Also, don’t tell anyone about this shop without permission. I don’t sell to people who can’t use the equipment properly. If you didn’t have martial talent, I would have kicked you out already. Normally, the guild introduces people after they’ve proven their worth."

Even though he told me to leave at first...

Anyway, I found a good weapon shop. Maybe it’s a hidden gem. A stroke of luck.

"Understood. I’ll come back when I have more money."

"Alright. Earn that money quickly. Don’t die."

Maybe that’s his way of being kind. I opened the door and went outside, feeling refreshed.

Then I opened the door again and went back inside.

"Excuse me, which way is the guild?"

It was a letdown.

Ten minutes later, I was in front of the guild. The blacksmith and the guild were surprisingly close, but the location was hard to find. I wouldn’t have found it without asking the dwarf. Oh, I forgot to ask his name and didn’t have a chance to identify him. Well, I remember the shop’s location, so I can ask next time.

Anyway, I made it to the guild, even though I took a detour. It probably hasn’t been an hour since I left the restaurant.

I entered the guild and looked at the G-rank quests. There were no monster hunting quests. Besides the herb gathering quest from yesterday, there were jobs like plowing fields, carrying goods, and transporting lumber.

G-rank quests don’t seem very adventurous. Since I’m not very confident in my strength, I’ll take the herb gathering quest again. I don’t need to accept the quest, but I need to ask what Zunana grass looks like.

The blonde receptionist from yesterday was there, so I decided to talk to her. We’re not exactly acquaintances, but it’s better than not having talked at all.

As I approached, she greeted me with a smile.

"Hello, Kaede-san. What brings you here today?"

She remembered my name. Maybe guild receptionists have to remember everyone’s names and faces.

"Hello, um..."

"Saris. Call me Sally."

"Hello, Sally. I want to know what Zunana grass looks like."

When I called her Sally, I felt a slight chill in my back, but I ignored it. I just arrived in this world, so my body might not be used to it yet.

"Right, Zunana grass. It grows in the forest, scattered individually. The leaves are distinctive, with one small leaf growing on each small branch that extends from the stem."

This town is surrounded by a forest on one side and a grassland on the other. I haven’t been to the grassland side yet.

"When processed, it has a hemostatic effect. When crushed and mixed with other herbs, it enhances their effects. However, it only grows in forests with monsters, and since adventurers who enter the forest usually hunt monsters for better rewards, the supply is low. That’s why there’s a constant demand for it."

She showed me a drawing on a board with a small blue bead at the end of a stick. It was heart-shaped, like pennypenny grass.

Even though it’s called an adventurer’s job, it’s a profession that anyone can do. There could be safety-minded adventurers who gather Zunana grass for a living.

"Wouldn’t it be possible to live by just gathering Zunana grass without fighting monsters?"

"Zunana grass regrows quickly even if it’s overharvested, but it’s scattered, and 90% of what looks like Zunana grass is actually poisonous. The price is low, so you’d end up in the red after paying for lodging. Also, if you’re in the forest for a long time, you’ll likely encounter monsters. If you can handle them, hunting monsters is more profitable. If you can’t, you’ll end up in the red after buying potions. That’s why low-ranked adventurers, like E to F, often take other jobs like carrying goods, which are more stable and less dangerous. So, Zunana grass isn’t popular."

That’s why it’s not popular, even though it seems like an easy quest. It’s not a profession you can do full-time, but maybe I can do something with information manipulation.

It would be convenient if I could use something like sonar or radar.

"Thank you. I think I can manage, so I’ll go now!"

"Sure. Have a good trip."

Sally sent me off with a smile. I felt a chill again when she smiled, but I hope it’s not a health issue.

The chill disappeared when I stepped outside the guild. Maybe the guild’s atmosphere didn’t agree with me.

I left the city. It seems I don’t need to show my ID or reveal my status when leaving. It might allow criminals to escape, but if you can’t enter other cities, you can’t survive. I guess forming a band of thieves is an option, but I’ll probably get lost in the forest if I go in now. Is there a useful magic spell?

I thought about a map or a compass, but nothing happened. I hadn’t noticed before, but the forest slopes slightly, and the city is on a hilltop.

I can follow the slope to get back.

Zunana grass grows scattered. Can I do something with information manipulation?

I tried to imagine a radar-like ability, but it didn’t work. I can’t even imagine what real Zunana grass looks like.

I decided to search the old-fashioned way. The forest near the city seems less dense than the one I first arrived in, but it’s still a broadleaf forest.

The undergrowth is full of green, unidentified grass, with dandelions here and there.

If they’re not being picked, they probably have little value.

After about five minutes, I found some pennypenny grass. I picked it from the root and identified it. The stem broke easily when I applied a little force. It was about 25 cm long and square.

Poisonous Zunana

Description: Poisonous plant. Causes diarrhea and abdominal pain if ingested. Can be distinguished from Zunana grass by its square stem.

It’s a miss. If it were as strong as aconite, it might be useful in combat, but a laxative is useless. I’ll store it in my item box just in case. My inventory is at 5/1012. The item box only says "poisonous plant" for the poisonous Zunana.

At least I know that pennypenny grass is poisonous Zunana. Since Zunana grass is similar, it must be pennypenny grass too.

I decided to pick every pennypenny grass I found. It’s not a problem if I pick some poisonous Zunana by mistake.

After about an hour, I finally found my first Zunana grass! It’s pennypenny grass, but the stem is round. Now I can imagine it. I put the Zunana grass in my item box and tried to imagine it again.

No reaction. I can’t use it like a radar. Disappointed, I looked up and saw a red inverted triangle mark in the grass.

When I got closer, I saw pennypenny grass growing there. I identified it, and it was Zunana grass.

I can’t use it like a radar, but maybe I can detect it within my field of vision. I can see about three of these marks. I picked them all, and they were all Zunana grass.

With this, I might be able to live off Zunana grass. But fighting monsters is more romantic.

While thinking about this, I wandered through the forest, collecting the marks. The quest said to bring 15 cm or longer, but I didn’t find any smaller ones.

There must be a reason not to pick smaller ones, even though it regrows. I’ll ask next time.

I wandered the forest until evening, eating bread along the way, and collected about 200 Zunana grass. That’s 6,000 tel, or 60,000 yen. I can live comfortably with this, as long as the supply doesn’t run out.

I didn’t find any smaller than 15 cm, even with this many. Maybe Zunana grass grows from the ground at 15 cm or more.

That would explain why it regrows even if overharvested.

It was getting dark, so I decided to head back to the city. I didn’t get lost on the way back.