Chapter 3

After the explanation of my status, the navigator began to tell me about this world. She said that monsters inhabit this world, and even on this Alpha Grassland where the navigator and I are standing and talking, there are monsters, so we need to be careful. I thought we should move quickly.

However, we are still in the tutorial, so apparently, the monsters won't recognize us.

Then the navigator took out a backpack from somewhere and handed it to me. Inside were some clothes, a little money, two potions, a knife, and a rope.

"Please attach the knife to the belt on your waist."

I hadn't noticed, but my clothes had already changed. Following the navigator's instructions, I attached the knife to the right side of my waist. The navigator nodded in approval.

There are no items that remind me of Earth, like smartphones. Even if I had them, they wouldn't be able to charge, so they would soon become useless. Well, I think I could buy a charger through "Mail Order," but communication wouldn't work anyway.

"From here, if you walk east for about an hour, you'll reach the town of Hajime. Let's aim for the town of Hajime first."

The Alpha Grassland and the town of Hajime. I think the naming is more straightforward than mine.

"By the way, how long will the tutorial last?"

"Yes, the tutorial ends when you take a job and register with the guild in the town of Hajime."

"Will there be any battles?"

"Yes, you will have to engage in at least one battle before reaching the town of Hajime. There are also other tasks like spending money."

There will be battles... I don't have any combat skills, so it will be tough.

"Will the navigator assist me in battle?"

"I won't directly participate in the battle. However, the first battle will be against a weak monster that even a child can defeat, so it should be fine."

I wondered if there really are monsters that a child can defeat, but I listened to the navigator's voice as she continued.

"Let's try using a skill now."

"Yes, please!"

This is the first time I'm in a world where skills are clearly defined, so I'm happy to learn how to use them. The thought of actually using a skill makes me excited.

"Let's start with [Appraisal (S)]. For appraisal skills, you need to set a target and say 'Appraise.'"

I see, set a target... will the grass at my feet do?

"Appraise!"

A screen similar to the status screen appeared, showing information about the grass at my feet.

Type: Weed

Information: Just a weed. It's a bit damaged from being stepped on.

I appraised something trivial.

"How was it? Could you see it? The information from appraisal skills is visible only to the user, so others can't see it."

"Yes, I could see it."

"That's good. From now on, you can just think it in your mind to display the information. The next skill is [Disguise (B)]. [Disguise] can change your appearance and status, so let's start by changing your appearance. How about changing your hair color to red? Imagine yourself with red hair and solidify the image, then say 'Disguise.'"

Imagining myself with red hair... this is unexpectedly difficult... well, let's give it a try.

"Disguise!"

"..."

"Um, did it change?"

"In a way, it changed dramatically."

What does that mean? The navigator held up a mirror she had taken out from somewhere, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"...Dramatic, indeed."

"Yes."

My hair had become a black and red striped pattern, which was quite unique.

"It seems the image of your appearance was a bit vague. You can undo it by saying 'Disguise Cancel.'"

When I canceled it, my hair returned to black. I didn't have the courage to go to town with that hair. There might be people with more outrageous colors in this world, but by my standards, it's a no-go.

"Next, let's disguise your status. For now, please disguise all of Grosse Hendler's skills except [Magic Item Creation (E)] so they can't be seen. Also, lower your Dexterity and Luck. The method is the same as for appearance; imagine it and say 'Disguise.'"

This worked well. I failed with the hair because I couldn't imagine it while looking at myself. While looking at the status screen and imagining as the navigator instructed, I successfully disguised my status.

"Good, that's fine. Next is [Magic Item Creation (E)], but you can't create anything without materials, so we'll do that later. For now, let's use [Time-Space Magic (E)]. First, imagine a storage space connected to a different dimension and a way to access it in front of you, then say 'Storage.'"

That's a lot of imagination. But storage is easy to imagine. After all, I'm familiar with the concept of a "four-dimensional pocket" from TV, and storage is a common element in fantasy stories. As a result, I successfully used the storage. When I put my hand into the access point, the items inside appeared in my mind, but since there was nothing, "0 items" appeared.

"Next are 'Slow' and 'Haste,' but we'll do those later, so let's try [Mail Order (E)]. Just say 'Mail Order.'"

Oh, no need to imagine this. Good, that's easy.

"Mail Order!"

After saying it, a screen similar to the status screen appeared, but it showed "Login."

"I can't see it, but I think a screen should have appeared. Follow the instructions on the screen."

I nodded to the navigator and tapped "Login." The first screen that appeared was a registration screen, which asked me to place my hand on the handprint on the screen and infuse it with my magic power. I placed my hand as instructed, but how do I infuse it with magic power?

"Um, how do I infuse it with magic power?"

"Yes, for magic power, imagine infusing it from your abdomen through your body and out through your palm while keeping your abdomen tense."

The image came to me! But, I have to do it. Tensing my abdomen... imagining the magic power flowing through my body... releasing it from my palm...

The screen showed "Registration complete!" It's easier than I thought.

Tapping the next button, "Login successful" appeared, and icons for "Selling" and "Buying" appeared. I tapped "Buying." The screen was filled with icons ranging from fresh food to stationery and weapons. I tapped "Spices" to see what was available, and there were options from salt and pepper to turmeric and cloves.

Tapping on salt, I saw many types, from high-end salt to regular table salt. Regular table salt was priced at 110 yen per kilogram, so I added it to my cart.

How do I pay for this?

"How do I pay for it?"

"Yes, after logging in, tap 'Deposit' to make a deposit, but don't do it now."

It seems I don't have much money at the moment. Also, it takes eight hours for the deposited money to be cashed out. However, the lock is lifted if you make a transaction, so it's not a big issue. But since I'm thinking about business, I want to stock up while I have money.

"Just to confirm, do I need money to enter the town? And how do I start a business?"

"In most cases, you need an entry tax to enter a town. The town of Hajime requires a 2,000 yen entry tax. To start a business, you need to register with the Merchant Guild."

"Does the Merchant Guild require a fee to join?"

"No registration fee is required. However, I remember that you need to pay an annual fee within one month."

"An annual fee within one month, how much is it?"

"It depends on the type of business. If you open a store, it varies based on the size of the store and the number of employees."

"What if I do wholesale without opening a store?"

"For wholesale with the Merchant Guild, the annual fee is free, but a 15% transaction tax is applied to each transaction."

The free annual fee is appreciated, but being charged 15% on each transaction is painful. It would be fine if I'm making a profit, but it's difficult to pay 15% when I'm not even making a profit.

"By the way, how much can the Merchant Guild in the town of Hajime buy salt for?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know, but I think the retail price in the town of Hajime is around 6,000 yen per kilogram."

"6,000 yen per kilogram, that's quite expensive."

"It's a landlocked area, so salt is valuable. The Merchant Guild buys it in bulk and sells it to local stores, which then sell it to households."

If the stores buy from the Merchant Guild at half the retail price, that would be 3,000 yen. So the Merchant Guild buys it for 1,500 yen. If I can buy it for less than 1,500 yen, I can make a profit. Fortunately, I can buy regular table salt for 110 yen per kilogram, so it should be profitable.

"By the way, what's the retail price of sugar?"

"About 25,000 yen per kilogram, I think."

Sugar... through mail order, white sugar is 300 yen per kilogram. If the retail price is 25,000 yen, the store's purchase price would be 12,500 yen, and the Merchant Guild's purchase price would be 6,250 yen. White sugar that I can buy for 300 yen should sell for over 6,000 yen. Even if the actual price is different when I go to sell it, I should still make a profit.

"Sugar is more expensive, so it's more valuable than salt?"

"Yes, it's always in short supply, and sugar is imported from much farther away than salt, so it has a higher value."

I'll bring in ten kilograms of white sugar and see how it goes. Returning to the previous screen and tapping "Deposit," a space like storage appeared in front of me. I took 3,000 yen from my backpack and put it in. The navigator said "Ah!" but I ignored her.

"Hey, what are you doing? I said not to deposit because it will be locked for a while!"

"Sorry, I'm going to the Merchant Guild anyway, so I thought I might as well unload some goods."

"Oh, I see. That's why you were asking about the prices of salt and sugar."

The navigator understood my plan, so I bought ten kilograms of sugar, and a cardboard box appeared in front of me, just like from a certain mail order company. Opening the box, I found the white sugar I had bought and put it in storage.

"Let's move on to the next explanation. Since the next part involves combat, if you encounter a monster on the way to the town of Hajime, you'll need to fight it."

She said it casually, but even a weak monster is a matter of life and death for me. The navigator walked briskly, and I followed.

"Ah, I found a good monster."

The navigator pointed to a white lump about the size of a puppy that was munching on grass.

"What is that?"

"That's a Horn Rat. It's the weakest monster in this Alpha Grassland!"

Following the navigator's advice, I drew my dagger and got into a battle stance. However, I've never used a dagger before, and even a weak monster is a challenge. I was at a loss for what to do. Then, the navigator, frustrated, picked up a pebble and threw it at the monster. The monster, hit by the pebble, naturally got angry, and its hostile gaze was directed at me. The monster charged at me, and I felt fear. The navigator gave me a dark smile and said, "Go ahead and kill it."

The first attack was a headbutt to my abdomen. I let out a "Ugh!" but the pain was surprisingly minimal.

"It's a weakling, and a child can defeat it."

The navigator said this, seeing my surprise at the lack of pain. Indeed, this level of threat isn't significant.

I gathered my resolve and faced the monster.