Chapter 5

The next day, when Foncie woke up, the floor below was noisy.

As he approached, he realized that something had apparently happened.

"What do you mean 'no entry'?"

"Well, we need to conduct an investigation—"

While listening to this argument, Foncie thought to himself,

(I didn't expect it to happen so soon. It was a good thing I went hunting last night.)

He couldn't help but feel that way.

If he belonged to a guild, he might have an easier time getting jobs in a new city, but he had no such connections.

He could continue to hunt monsters, but that wouldn't be very profitable.

In any case, money comes first. The hobgoblin's magic stone seemed to be worth a good price.

After assessing the situation, he had a light breakfast amidst the commotion and left the inn.

He then entered the chapel, where no one else had arrived yet.

Probably because most people leave in the morning and return before sunset, allowing them to come back to the chapel the same day.

Foncie prayed to the goddess Mariska.

Level 1.22, Skill Points 170

It seemed that defeating the hobgoblin had a significant impact, as his level had increased considerably.

If this trend continued, he could afford to take more skills without hesitation.

He planned to eventually take skills from classes that require a lot of skill points, but first, he needed to improve his current situation.

He acquired the Cleric skill "Healing Power" for 70 points, which would enhance his healing abilities when injured.

Then, he took the Assassin skill "Stealth" for 100 points, which would make him harder to detect and allow him to move quickly.

He used all his skill points, but he had taken desirable skills for solo hunting.

Foncie then went to a store that sells magic stones and exchanged the hobgoblin's magic stone for money.

Magic stones are sold in various places to make them easily accessible to citizens, so it didn't take long as long as he didn't mind the price.

(Well, what should I do now...)

First, he would probably leave this town.

His destination could be the countryside or the capital.

The closer he got to the capital, the better the security and the easier it would be to find work, but there would be fewer monsters.

On the other hand, if he went to the countryside, there would be fewer jobs, but there would be plenty of monsters scattered around.

Since he couldn't decide which was better, he decided to gather information first.

However, he didn't know how to gather information.

After all, the only places he knew in this town were the chapel and the inn.

So, he approached a man who had apparently just finished praying in front of the chapel.

"Excuse me, I have a question."

"Oh? ... Are you a newbie?"

"Yes. The nearby forest is off-limits, and I'm wondering where I should go..."

"You should ask at the guild."

"But I'm a villager..."

When Foncie said this, the man scratched his head in exasperation but surprisingly answered him.

"Damn, what can I do. In this town, there's no other place for monsters besides that forest, so there won't be any work. If you're not in a guild, there's nothing you can do. There's a Citizen's Guild in the town to the west. You should go there. They say monsters appear there."

The Citizen's Guild was created by people who acted as mediators to prevent citizens from being disadvantaged when making requests to other guilds.

Therefore, it functions more as a window for citizens to get work rather than a guild that takes on jobs.

"Thank you!"

"Yeah, do your best!"

Foncie bowed and immediately returned to the inn to prepare.

The boys were still talking, but Foncie ignored them and asked the innkeeper.

"How long does it take to get to the western city?"

"Let's see... about half a day by carriage. There are shared carriages, so that might be the best option."

"I see, thank you. I've been here for a day."

After listening to the innkeeper, Foncie didn't bother looking for a carriage and headed out of the city.

He then found a gatekeeper and said,

"Thank you for the cloak."

He returned the cloak, and the gatekeeper, while taking it, looked at Foncie closely.

"You can't go into the forest."

"Yes, that's why I'm heading west."

"The carriage isn't ready yet..."

"I don't have money, so I'll run. The road continues, so it should be fine."

Despite the gatekeeper's skeptical gaze, Foncie ran off.

He wasn't entirely free from the worry of bandits, but it was unlikely that they would target a lone, penniless traveler.

Thanks to the Stealth skill, he felt that running was a bit easier, though he couldn't avoid getting tired after running for a long time.

When he slowed down to catch his breath, he saw something in the distant grass.

It was an orc, a humanoid monster with a pig's head.

Stronger than a goblin but not a significant threat. It was powerful but slow-moving.

He looked around to see if there were any other orcs nearby but found none. It might have strayed or come here for a specific purpose.

It could have attacked travelers and found it easy.

(No matter what, the important thing is whether I can defeat it. Okay...!)

Foncie caught his breath and slowly approached. He was short but could approach undetected due to the grass.

Thanks to the Stealth skill, he approached the orc without being noticed and drew his sword.

He silently leaped from behind and struck. The orc's head fell.

Foncie immediately checked for any other monsters that might have reacted to the noise, but there were none.

He picked up the magic stone that dropped from the orc and quickly left the scene.

Unfortunately, his clean clothes were now stained with blood.

He regretted it but quickly dismissed the thought. After all, he would encounter plenty of orcs as he continued his journey.

Perhaps no one would go out of their way to slay monsters on this road.

After all, the best soldiers were on the front lines, and it wouldn't be worth it to do it without a reward.

However, Foncie found it convenient and started slaying orcs one by one.

As a result, by the time he reached the western city, he was covered in blood.

The gatekeeper frowned at the sight.

"Is that blood...?"

"I was attacked by a monster."

He wondered how long this excuse would last, but surprisingly, the gatekeeper understood, probably because there were more monsters around.

In any case, as he entered the city, he was surprised by its vibrancy.

He had thought the previous city was impressive, but maybe it was just because he was from the countryside.

Considering whether to buy a cloak for hunting, he first entered a back alley to look for an inn. The prices on the main street were known to be high.

Not knowing the market prices, he asked around and managed to find a place to stay.

When he entered the room, he realized that the inn he had stayed at before was actually quite decent.

The room was shabby, and the bed creaked, but at least it was clean.

After washing his blood-stained clothes, he changed into a spare set and went out into the city.