Chapter 4

After overcoming the intense battle with the monster, I dragged my aching body and headed for Hajime's town.

"I'm really surprised. I never expected to struggle so much against a Horn Rat, which is known as the weakest monster."

"..."

I, who had engaged in a fierce battle with the Horn Rat, known as the weakest monster, for twenty minutes. The words of the Navigator pierced my heart.

"I'm not good at fighting."

"That seems to be the case. Fortunately, your skill composition is non-combat oriented, so it would be better to avoid battles in the future."

If I had wanted to fight, I would have chosen a combat-oriented skill composition from the beginning.

For a while, I walked in silence with the Navigator. It was awkward.

After walking for about thirty minutes, I could see some artificial structures in the distance. As I got closer, I realized they were walls.

"Is that Hajime's town?"

"Yes, those are the walls that protect Hajime's town."

As I got closer, the sheer size of the walls surprised me.

Although they were built to protect the town from monsters, I tightened my resolve, realizing that this was a world where life was cheap.

"Welcome to Hajime's town. Please show your identification or status for verification."

I joined the line in front of the gate and, when it was my turn, I revealed my status.

"There's no problem. The toll is 2,000 yen."

I realized that the currency in this world is 'yen.'

However, only coins are in circulation, with one yen being a copper coin, and the value increasing by tenfold for each higher denomination.

The value increases in the order of copper, large copper, silver, large silver, gold, large gold, and mithril coins.

In other words, one mithril coin is worth one million yen.

The gatekeeper was polite.

However, he checked me but completely ignored the Navigator, which seemed odd, so I asked the Navigator about it.

"My appearance and voice are not visible or audible to others."

"So, I'm probably seen as a weird person who talks to myself, right?"

"Probably."

While waiting to enter, I had been talking to the Navigator.

In other words, people around me probably thought I was a dangerous person muttering to myself.

I'll be more careful in the future.

When I entered the town, I was surprised by the large number of non-human races.

There were elves, dwarves, and beastmen, but I wasn't surprised by that.

What surprised me was that goblins and orcs were living in the town as if it were normal.

I thought they were dwarves, but they turned out to be goblins, and I thought they were pig beastmen, but they turned out to be orcs.

"Highly intelligent sub-humans who can speak human language often live in the city like this."

I was a bit shocked by this cultural difference.

Guided by the Navigator, I arrived at the church.

When I told an elderly sister that I wanted to take on a job, she led me to a small room in the back of the church.

"Please pray to the statue of Mary. Then, the jobs you can choose will come to mind."

I thanked the kind sister and prayed to the statue of the blonde lady.

I learned that the blonde lady is called Mary.

As an atheist, I only pray at shrines during New Year's or for special events.

So, I didn't know how to pray.

I knelt in front of the statue of the blonde lady, clasped my hands, and closed my eyes.

Then, I prayed in my heart, "Please give me a job," as the sister had instructed.

Various jobs began to appear in my mind.

This world is very convenient in such matters.

The jobs that appeared were lined up, including 'Dagger User' and 'Swordsman.'

I went through each job one by one. There were more than I expected.

However, I wondered how unsuitable I was for frontline roles since the only melee combat jobs available were 'Dagger User' and 'Swordsman.'

Moreover, there were almost no magic-related jobs.

"How about it? Did you find a job you like?"

The sister asked me if I had found a suitable job, as I had taken a long time to choose.

"I was confused by the many jobs I could choose from."

"Ah, you too?"

"Huh?"

"Today, more people than usual want to take on jobs, and they seem to have more job options than the average person."

This must be because other people from Earth, like me, have transferred to this world and are taking on jobs in Hajime's town.

The Navigator nodded, confirming my suspicion.

"I see, it's a coincidence."

"Yes, may the gods bless everyone."

After finishing the conversation with the sister, I resumed the job selection process.

Since the sister was still behind me, I couldn't consult with the Navigator.

I had to choose a job on my own.

Based on the information I had gathered before coming here, I narrowed it down to three jobs.

One production-related job, one merchant-related job, and one combat-related job.

The production-related job was 'Leatherworking Master,' the merchant-related job was 'Large Merchant,' and the combat-related job was 'Tamer.'

There were other production-related jobs like 'Blacksmith' and 'Tailor,' but 'Leatherworking Master' was the only one with the 'Master' designation.

The merchant-related 'Large Merchant' and the combat-related 'Tamer' were also high-level jobs.

Choosing from the three high-level jobs was the most difficult decision.

The production-related 'Leatherworking Master' was a good fit for me because I had increased my dexterity in the ability setup screen given by the blonde lady.

The merchant-related 'Large Merchant' was also a good fit because I had the unique skill 'Mail Order.'

The combat-related 'Tamer' was the only high-level combat job, so I kept it for the final selection.

While I didn't want to actively engage in combat in this world, there might be situations where it was unavoidable.

After pondering for about ten minutes, I chose 'Tamer.'

If I wanted to produce items, I could use 'Magic Item Creation,' and if I wanted to be a merchant, I could use 'Mail Order.'

However, I had realized during the battle with the Horn Rat that I was not good at combat, so I chose 'Tamer' with the hope that it might help.

'You have chosen the job 'Tamer.' You will receive a bonus to the ability 'Charisma.' You have learned the active skill 'Tame (E).''

An announcement was made.

Name: Groce Handler

Job: Tamer Lvl 1

Information: Human, Male, 20 years old

HP: 150 (C)

MP: 155 (EX)

Strength: 30 (C)

Endurance: 25 (C)

Magic: 20 (C)

Agility: 25 (C)

Dexterity: 100 (S)

Charisma: 70 (S)

Luck: 100

Active Skills: [Appraisal (S)], [Disguise (B)], [Magic Item Creation (E)], [Tame (E)]

Passive Skills:

Magic Skills: [Time-Space Magic (E)]

Unique Skills: [Mail Order (E)]

Criminal Record:

[Appraisal (S)]: Can see the information of the target, and at higher ranks, can potentially see through concealment and disguise skills.

[Disguise (B)]: Can disguise the appearance and status of the target, and can deceive skills like detection and appraisal.

[Magic Item Creation (E)]: Can use skill arts when creating magic items.

[Time-Space Magic (E)]: Time-space magic is a high-level magic, so it is very rare. It can manipulate space and time.

[Mail Order (E)]: Mail order is an extremely rare and special skill. It allows the user to buy and sell goods from the world they recognize through the skill.

The value of the ability 'Charisma' has increased, and the growth bonus is now 'S.'

It seems that 'Tamer' is a charisma-based job.

I apologized to the sister for taking so much of her time and headed to the Merchant Guild next.

"It's difficult to talk to the Navigator in front of people. Is there a good solution?"

"Yes, there is."

"Huh? There is?"

"Yes, if you incorporate me as an auxiliary skill for Groce Handler, we will become one, and we can communicate in your mind without speaking out loud."

"…Does that mean the Navigator will disappear?"

"No, that's not the case. Even if you incorporate me, I will continue to live within you until my mission is complete."

Wow, that's convenient. Since the tutorial will end eventually, it's fine to incorporate the Navigator.

"How do I incorporate the Navigator?"

"Yes, please place your hand on my core and say 'Integrate.'"

"Where is the core?"

"Here."

The Navigator pointed to one of her ample bosom, which was near where a heart would be.

"…It's a bit awkward to touch there…"

"There's no other way."

Is it okay? Even though the Navigator is a super beautiful and well-endowed woman, is it okay to touch her chest?

"In front of people…"

"Only Groce Handler can see me. If you don't hurry, it will get dark."

Is she so straightforward that she doesn't feel embarrassed? Or does she not care about people watching? I felt embarrassed, but it was true that it was getting dark.

So, I decided to touch the Navigator's core and integrate her, telling myself it was just a core, not a breast.

I extended my hand, telling myself it was just a core. …Let's just say the core was soft.

"Integrate"

'You have integrated the Navigator. You have obtained the unique skill [Navigator].'

'Please take care of me, Master.'

"Ah, yeah, please take care of me."

'You can communicate in your mind, so you don't need to speak out loud.'

'Ah, right. Is the way you call me different now?'

'Yes, since we are now more closely connected after integration, I changed the way I call you.'

'I see. Yeah, got it.'

With the Navigator integrated into me, I headed to the Merchant Guild.

However, I wasn't immediately used to the mental communication, and many people gave me strange looks as I muttered to myself… I didn't see it… I didn't see it!

"Welcome, to the Merchant Guild."

Although I hadn't seen much of the town, which had a medieval European feel, the Merchant Guild was undoubtedly the largest building I had seen so far.

'The Merchant Guild is one of the largest guilds in the world, alongside famous guilds like the Adventurer Guild and the Craftsmen Guild.'

"Excuse me, I heard that I can sell goods here?"

"Selling goods, right? Are you registered with the Merchant Guild?"

"I'm not registered. Do I need to register?"

In this town, I had seen other races besides humans.

The beautiful receptionist in front of me was a dog-eared beastwoman. Yeah, I wanted to pet her fluffy ears!

"Yes, we cannot conduct transactions with those who are not registered with the Merchant Guild."

"Then, I would like to register."

"Thank you. Please allow me to check your status."

I showed the receptionist my disguised status.

The dog-eared receptionist seemed to be writing something under the counter after looking at my status.

"Thank you, Mr. Handler. There are four types of merchant registration in our guild. The first is for large-scale businesses with multiple stores or large stores. The second is for small to medium-sized businesses with a single store. The third is for those who want to set up a stall within Hajime's town. The fourth is for those who only sell goods to our guild or other merchants."

The dog-eared receptionist continued her explanation.

"The first, second, and third types of registration have annual fees, which vary in amount. However, the fourth type of registration does not have an annual fee."

"Why doesn't the fourth type of registration have an annual fee?"

"The fourth type of registration, which is for wholesale, prohibits selling to the general public. This is to protect the first, second, and third types of registered merchants. If we charged registration fees and annual fees to wholesalers like other merchants, they might demand the right to sell to the general public, which is why this measure was taken."

"In other words, there have been cases in the past where wholesalers demanded the right to sell directly to the general public?"

"Yes, the fourth type of registered merchants often have their own procurement routes and can buy goods at lower prices in large quantities. If they were allowed to sell directly to the general public, it could threaten the survival of other registered merchants."

"But if the first, second, and third types of registered merchants can establish direct procurement routes from producers, wouldn't the fourth type of registered merchants be at a disadvantage?"

"Yes, they would be at a disadvantage. Therefore, we do not charge annual fees to the fourth type of registered merchants, and their tax rate to the government is lower than that of other merchants."

In exchange for