Chapter 5

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005＿Old Woman Annelise

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Buying a slave... Why did it come to this? I feel self-loathing.

Back at the inn, I sigh as I see the old woman Annelise, who is now my slave, sitting weakly in a chair.

Apparently, at this inn, slaves can stay in the same room as their master for 100 grils per person. Meals are not included, but the food here is plentiful, so two people can share and still be full. I’m not that short on money, so that’s fine.

“Can’t be helped now that I’ve bought her. What should I do from here...”

The old woman has been nodding off since then.

She hasn’t spoken a word since I bought her. Maybe she doesn’t care about me, or maybe she can’t speak. Whatever, it doesn’t matter.

I skim through the documents from when I bought her and put them in my item box.

For now, I lay Annelise down on the bed. There’s only one bed, so I decide to sleep on the floor wrapped in a blanket.

I have no intention of sharing a bed with Annelise, whether she’s an old woman or a gal.

Even if I did share a bed, I might wake up to find her cold next to me. That would be a nightmare.

Since I’ve bought her, I’ll take care of her until the end. That’s all I can do.

By the way, I haven’t checked my status since then.

I’m not sleepy yet, so I’ll check my status.

【Job】Traveler Lv1

【Skill】Stamina (Slight)

【Unique Skill】Detailed Appraisal (Low) Item Box (Low)

My traveler level hasn’t increased. The Stamina skill hasn’t changed either.

But my two unique skills, Detailed Appraisal and Item Box, have changed from (Slight) to (Low).

Checking the information on the Detailed Appraisal skill, it seems that the skill levels are in the order of Slight < Low < Medium < High < Ultimate. Skills can grow, but levels above High are rare.

In other words, my two unique skills have grown.

The growth of Detailed Appraisal is hard to notice, but the change in the Item Box is clear.

The storage capacity of the Item Box has increased. It used to be 20 slots, but now it’s 40 slots. This is very helpful.

Next, I checked my job options. Currently, I can choose from seven jobs: Villager, Cook, Merchant, Mover, Avenger, and Reincarnated Hero, plus the Traveler.

Checking these jobs with Detailed Appraisal, I got the following results.

▼Detailed Appraisal Results▼

- Traveler: A person who travels. Can use the Stamina (Slight) skill. Requirement: Walk 500 kilometers.

- Villager: The initial job. No special skills.

- Cook: A person who cooks. Can use the Cooking (Slight) and Ingredient Appraisal (Slight) skills. Requirement: Cook 10,000 times.

- Merchant: A person who trades. Can use the Negotiation (Slight) and Item Appraisal (Slight) skills. Requirement: Conduct 1,000 trades or obtain a unique appraisal skill.

- Mover: A person who transports goods. Can use the Item Box (Slight) skill. Requirement: Conduct 100 transports or obtain the unique Item Box skill.

- Avenger: A person who seeks revenge. Can use the Revenge Blade (Slight), Anger Blade (Slight), and Limit Break (Slight) skills. Requirement: Endure over 100 severe hardships and maintain a spirit of resistance.

- Reincarnated Hero: A hero who has been reincarnated. Can use the Holy Sword Summon (Slight), Body Enhancement (Slight), Holy Magic (Slight), and Limit Break (Slight) skills. Requirement: Be recognized by a god and reincarnated.

I understand why I can become a Villager, but why can I become a Traveler? I haven’t walked 500 kilometers in my life, let alone in one go.

But, I did walk to school every day from elementary to high school. Maybe that counts?

I doubt that daily commuting counts as traveling, though.

I think I met the cooking requirement because I cooked every day.

The Merchant and Mover jobs are related to unique skills.

The Avenger job makes perfect sense.

I was treated like trash and beaten every day. I’ll never bow to those guys. It’s a fitting job.

Just thinking about it brings up dark feelings. They’re probably being celebrated as heroes right now.

The problem is the Reincarnated Hero job.

What did that god do? I can’t believe I’m a hero. I fit the Avenger job better.

If I have such a job, the country and the church will definitely notice me. I don’t know if there’s a church, but still.

I glance at Annelise. I have to take care of this wrinkled old woman.

I’ve regretted it many times, but since I bought her, I’ll take care of her until the end.

While I’m at it, I want to make use of her knowledge.

I don’t know much about this world, so I need her to fill in the gaps.

I also need to earn a living. I’ve already made up my mind about that.

I’ll enter the dungeon, defeat monsters, and earn a living.

The Traveler job isn’t suitable for combat, so I should change my job. But I don’t have a combat job that suits me. The Avenger job would be embarrassing, and the Reincarnated Hero job is a joke.

So what should I do?

Annelise was a mage. What are the requirements to become a mage?

▼Detailed Appraisal Results▼

- Mage: A person who uses magic. Can use the Magic Power Increase (Slight) skill. Requirement: Use a magic book.

What is a magic book?

▼Detailed Appraisal Results▼

Magic Book: A magic book is a rare item dropped by dungeon monsters or found in treasure chests.

I see, becoming a mage requires luck. Or are magic books available on the market?

It would have been better if Detailed Appraisal provided more detailed information...

▼Detailed Appraisal Results▼

Magic Book: A magic book is a rare item dropped by dungeon monsters or found in treasure chests. The drop rate from monsters is 1 in 10,000, and the discovery rate from treasure chests is 1 in 300. The market price ranges from 1 million to 3 million grils.

O... Oh... So it’s possible if you try.

However, buying one would cost at least 10 million grils. That’s expensive. Finding one on my own seems very difficult, and buying one is also a challenge.

I’ll check the requirements for other jobs. I’ll get a combat job before my money runs out.

By the way, I can’t take this frail old woman into the dungeon.

I’ll go into the dungeon alone. I’ll ask Annelise for information about dungeon activities. She must have entered a dungeon before, given her age and her status as a mage.

I learned after buying her that Annelise is a half-elf, and she is 318 years old.

I knew elves were long-lived, but apparently, elves in this world can live up to 1,000 years. Half-elves can live around 250 years. At 318 years old, Annelise could pass away at any time.

This lifespan is just an estimate. Half-elves with more elven blood can live up to 500 years.

If Annelise lives 500 years, she will be freed from slavery before her lifespan ends. This is apparently very rare.

If the owner dies, the slave’s ownership transfers to the heir. The slave might be resold by a slave merchant, but the slave period remains the same.

The next morning, when I wake up, Annelise is already up. She was looking down at me on the floor, which was quite scary. I felt like she might be draining my life force. It’s the kind of thing that would appear in a nightmare.

“Sorry.”

Her voice is as raspy as her appearance.

“Sorry for what?”

“For using the bed.”

Annelise seemed uncomfortable using the bed.

“It’s fine. I can sleep on the floor. Let’s have breakfast.”

I take Annelise to the dining room. We decide to share the food since we can’t eat as much as before.

“Annelise, do you prefer meat or fish?”

“Fish.”

Maybe as you get older, you prefer fish over meat.

We sit down and wait for the food. The same woman brings the dishes. The bread is as big as always, but the fish is even bigger. It’s about 40 centimeters long, with the head and tail sticking out of the plate.

Do I think this has more substance than meat? Am I the only one?

We get serving plates and share the food. I give more to Annelise.

“Let’s eat.”

I dip the bread in the soup and eat it. Yesterday’s soup was like a stew, but today’s is a clear consomme. It’s not consomme, but it’s a gentle flavor with lots of vegetables.

While I’m savoring the food, Annelise is eating at an incredible pace.

This is unexpected. Does she have such a strong appetite at her age? Maybe she wasn’t being fed at Gorteo’s shop? Gorteo himself said it’s illegal not to feed slaves, so that shouldn’t be the case.

This must be Annelise’s normal appetite. It’s quite impressive.

Before I finish half of my food, Annelise has already finished. The fish is just bones, and there’s not a drop of soup left.

“Do you want more?”

“Is it okay?”

“If you’re hungry, eat without holding back.”

“Can I have meat next time?”

“I, I guess so.”

I was planning to share mine, but I didn’t expect her to order a full serving.

I pay and order a meat set.

The waitress is also surprised by Annelise’s appetite.

“You eat a lot...”

“Having a good appetite is a sign of good health...”

Despite my words, I’m also taken aback by her appetite.

Thank you for reading.

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