Chapter 21

7/15 - First post

"Ah... I can't... I miss my futon so much I can't get up..."

In the morning, I was clinging to my futon, enjoying a light doze.

I woke up once to the morning bell, or rather, was half-forced awake, and had breakfast on the first floor.

I savored a slice of bread, scrambled eggs, and ham, along with a small amount of what seemed to be yesterday's leftover stew. I also bought a slightly bland fruit water for 200 becks, which was an extra charge.

After that, I welcomed a refreshing morning, but ended up diving back onto the futon and was hit by drowsiness again, and now I'm in a state of having slept three times already.

Since I came to this world, I've only had shallow sleep on trees.

I think I managed to sleep for about 4-5 hours in a cave, but even then, it's clear that my sleep time is insufficient.

(At least today, it would be nice to recover from the fatigue of the past...)

Such indulgence crept into my mind.

The innkeeper's lady said that if I don't mind not changing the sheets, I can stay in the room all day.

Hmm, hmm... As I moved my body and was about to fall into a light sleep again, a sudden jingling sound of metal came from around my waist.

It was the sound of the coins in the leather bag.

I thought that if I took them off and put them on the table, it would be like saying "please steal them," so I kept them on as a precaution.

Ah...

This sound rapidly brought my consciousness back to reality.

(What the heck. What am I doing, just lazing around on a day off? I'm poor, right? I'm dirt poor, living day to day!?)

I jumped up, slapped my cheeks with both hands, and psyched myself up.

From now on, I can sleep soundly every day.

There's no internet or smartphone, so there's no way to stay up late at night anyway!

The only entertainment would be drinking like the glasses-wearing guys from yesterday, but there's no point in going to a bar without any drinking buddies. Besides, I'm 13, and I don't have any money.

Since I'm allowed to use the water from the barrel in the inn's courtyard, I washed my face and headed to the church I had decided on in advance.

The town of Bezart doesn't have any buildings taller than two stories, so the church with its pointed cross is very easy to spot from a distance.

I flicked a silver coin with my finger as I headed to the church.

This coin, with a carved cross, was given to me by Amanda after yesterday's lecture.

It has a different purpose from money, and if I give it to the church, I can get a free "status check" as Mei mentioned.

In reality, the cost is probably included in the lecture fee, but since my lecture was free, the status check is really free.

Well, I probably won't use this coin.

You can see your status whenever you want, and I don't feel the need to check it through the church.

Moreover, if only I can see my status, it's fine, but if the church people and those around me can see it too, it would only be a loss.

I don't think this civilization has it, but if my personal information history is left on some suspicious device, it would be a problem. It would be like publicly declaring, "I'm a weakling with only this much ability," so it's better to hide my status as much as possible.

So my purpose is to see if there's any difference between the status screen I can see and the one a regular person can see.

That's all.

This might help me understand what Don Guri meant by "amazing."

If I can get a detailed explanation of the status from the church people, my purpose will be achieved, and I can give this coin to Jink and the others, who will surely be happy.

At that time, if I can hear from Jink and the others how the status screen looked, I can get even more confirmation.

Finally, as I approached the church, I saw two sisters sweeping in front of the entrance.

Surprised by the expected black and white nun's habit, I called out to the young woman who seemed to be in the back.

I won't let myself be led into the same situation as Amanda.

"Sorry to bother you, but I have a question about the church's status."

"Oh, yes, a status check, right? Then... Merries!"

"Yes, yes, is the boy here for a status check?"

What!?

I thought I avoided it, but it turned into a handover in no time... These sisters... they're good!

While grumbling about why I don't have any luck with young people, I followed the older sister who said, "Come with me," and entered a spacious room with multiple long benches, which could be called a chapel, and was then led to one of several doors on either side.

If I continue like this, it seems I'll be heading for a status check, so I need to say what I need to say first.

"Sorry, but the status check costs money, right? ...I don't have much money, so I wanted to know how much it costs and what kind of information can be confirmed first."

"Oh, are you not coming through the Hunter's Guild?"

"Well, that's true, but I planned to give the coin to the hunter who saved my life as a token of gratitude. Since I'm not in a hurry, I wanted to confirm in advance how much it would cost and so on."

"I see... Well, that's fine. No one is getting a status check right now, so I'll explain a bit. Please come in."

"Thank you!"

This should be fine for now. Thanks to Jink and the others, I arrived in town safely, and it's true that I was saved, and I really do plan to give the coin to the hunter.

I don't want to lie and bring misfortune upon myself, so I'll try not to lie in this situation.

"So, about the status check, the church doesn't do it as a business. It's more like a donation of 20,000 becks or more for the maintenance of the church, which is the general perception in most towns."

It's similar to how temples receive donations based on the market rate for funerals or posthumous names. However, in that case, the length of the posthumous name would vary depending on the amount of the donation...

"I see... Sorry for the impolite question, but is there any difference in the information that can be confirmed depending on the amount of the donation?"

"No, that's not the case. The goddess loves all human races equally. If you think that money can create differences, you'll be punished."

"That's a relief for someone without money. It's tough now, but I think I can save up 20,000 becks if I try hard."

"However, those who contribute more to the church, like powerful people or large merchants, might be invited to events held by the Phanmel Papal State, the main church."

"Is that so?"

"For those seeking connections, it's important. But for us, the nuns in this small town, and the townspeople, it's not something to worry about! Don't worry about it!"

The older sister laughed and patted my shoulder, which was surprisingly strong. She might actually be at a high level... or maybe it's just her build?

She also seems to be quite straightforward and blunt.

"By the way, what kind of information can be seen in the status? I'm not familiar with this at all."

"Are you from a remote village? The status shows the results of your efforts and the level of your job proficiency, as well as any talents you've been recognized for. To put it simply, the status check at the church allows you to confirm these things yourself."

"...Huh? Is that all?"

"What else could there be?"

...Really? The older sister doesn't seem to be lying.

She genuinely seems to think that the status is just a confirmation of skills and their levels, and she doesn't understand my question.

So, where are the levels? What about individual attributes like strength or intelligence?

I need to be careful and confirm this...

"No, I heard from the hunter who saved me that defeating monsters makes prayers to the goddess more effective... I thought there might be a way to confirm whether prayers are effective or not."

"That's not the case. I've been involved in many status checks, but what appears on the obsidian board is only the granted skills and their levels. According to our priests, defeating monsters is not about how many you defeat, but about wishing for a better world and helping others every day. The goddess lends her power to those who work hard. It's true that the more powerful monsters you defeat, the more likely your wishes are to come true."

This is surprising...

It seems they don't know about levels, or even the concept of levels, and only recognize the levels of skills.

Moreover, it seems they don't even have the concept of "experience points"...

"...That might be true. By the way, is this the obsidian board?"

As