“Ringo, you know what we need to do now, right?”
I asked, my voice laced with tension, and she nodded silently.
Did her nod seem a little deeper than usual because she understood our current situation?
We decided to stick with the name Ringo, after all.
Since nobody, including herself, knew the name Shelmia, there was no special meaning in using it. And more importantly, if she liked the name Ringo, it was better that way.
And, more than anything else.
We no longer had the luxury of dwelling on such trivial matters.
“Perhaps this is goodbye to this place as well…”
Before leaving the room, I once again looked around the room where I had spent the day with Ringo.
A clean bed, a chair that Ringo seemed to like very much and had been sitting in all along, and a spacious area that didn’t feel cramped even with two people.
Even though I had only been here for a day, it felt strangely lonely to think that I might not be able to return here.
“This was completely predictable, and yet I…”
I muttered to myself, but lamenting wouldn’t change the situation.
Yes, everything had changed just a few minutes ago.
It all started with the innkeeper who visited our room.
The information he brought dealt a blow to my heart as if a blade had pierced it.
Even for me, who had been bombarded with shocking facts consecutively yesterday and today, it was an especially impactful statement.
That shocking statement was,
“Ah, that’s right. Well, I’ll give you a service for yesterday.
If you two plan to stay in this room from now on, it’ll be 1500 E for two people per night.”
A declaration of a price increase for accommodation!
Even I, who was known as a demon of impulsive buying, had some reason.
I wanted to secure enough money for two days of lodging, so I had carefully left 2360 E even after buying the bargain at the weapon shop.
…Yes, 2360 E.
After buying Ringo yesterday, my current funds became 1310 E.
–In other words, with the current situation, I couldn’t afford tonight’s lodging.
Of course, if I abandoned Ringo and remained alone, I could afford one more night, but my conscience wouldn’t allow it.
In a way, she was also a victim, and it was her own fault. Unlike Ena or Hisame, she probably couldn’t live on her own.
I intended to take care of her until I found a place where she could live safely.
If that’s the case…
“In the worst-case scenario, the loser of rock-paper-scissors… gets the stable.”
I confirmed the current situation and felt sad even to myself.
I never imagined I’d have to experience that in the real world.
In the game world, there was almost no smell or texture, but it would be different in this world, which was half reality.
Sleeping in that cramped, smelly, and completely insecure space would be too much for a city dweller.
Although staying in the Capital City usually meant a stable, I had stayed in proper inns when traveling with companions, especially during my first playthrough.
I didn’t remember the prices of those inns, but I thought I understood the inn pricing system, yet I hadn’t considered it that far.
No, perhaps it didn’t matter much, since my funds were already below 1500 E when Ringo arrived.
(Damn it! If I had just resisted buying the Fingerless Gloves back then…)
I replayed the scene in my mind of finding that item at the weapon shop and being overjoyed.
I wanted to punch myself.
“No, it’s not the time for regrets.
More importantly, I need to do something!”
I switched my mood and clenched my fists tightly in front of my chest.
Then…
“Ringo?”
A crisis can sometimes change a person, to make them grow significantly.
Perhaps sensing something from my determination, Ringo, unusually, approached me with slow movements and gently brought her hand close to mine.
Then, as if showing me her open palm, she gave me a smile as pure as a maiden princess…
“…Is this, the stable?”
You’re blackhearted, Ringo!
You’ve grown significantly in a bad direction in a short period!
But I couldn’t just be surprised.
“W-what it is!
We desperately need money!
We need to earn at least 200 E more today!”
I shouted, glossing over the rock-paper-scissors incident, but reaffirming my unyielding resolve to avoid the stable, I left the inn with my back against the wall.
Even so, with my current strength, I couldn’t clear quests that involved combat.
If I wanted a quest that didn’t involve combat, could be done in this city, finished within half a day, and offered money as a reward, the options would be severely limited.
I wasn’t desperate enough to do “Michael’s Blue Bird” yet, and if there was anything else, the “Lost Child’s Signpost” quest was the only one that immediately came to mind.
“Lost Child’s Signpost” is a simple fetch quest where you’re asked to “place signposts to guide your direction-challenged sister to her destination.” However, this event was initially considered impossible to clear. To use as signposts, the client gives you 30 “Bread Crumbs,” but like in the famous fairy tale, birds would eat them, leading to quest failure.
Next, you’re given “White Stones” as a replacement, but even placing these would result in children and other passersby picking them up, again leading to quest failure. Even if you placed your own replacement items, children would still take them, or they wouldn’t function as signposts, resulting in failure. So what item should be used as a signpost?
Most players gave up at this point, but one player posted the correct answer online. The answer was an ornament available in the item shop, the “Stylish Skull,” which was so unpopular that there were over 100 in stock.
This skull, according to its system settings, is an item that “no one will ever pick up,” and even the neighborhood children who would pick up those trivial stones completely ignored it. I couldn’t help but worry about the item shop for stocking such an unpopular item in such large quantities, but thanks to this, the quest could finally be cleared.
Honestly, unlike “Bread Crumbs” or “White Stones,” it’s about the size of a human head, so I’d want to ask if they expect us to figure out that such an item could be used, but well, this level is considered quite straightforward for a “Nekoneko” quest.
However, this skull, perhaps because it’s a quest item, remains on the ground and doesn’t disappear until the player picks it up, even after the quest is completed. Although it significantly impairs the city’s landscape, so players usually retrieve it immediately after clearing, it is an incredibly unpopular item that “can never be bought back” for any price, to the point of tears.
Yet, despite being such an unpopular item, it costs 100 E each.
Since at least 25 were needed for completion, the required funds are 2500 E. I felt trapped in a nasty spiral; I needed money to earn money.
“I have no choice. For now, let’s head to the Bounty Hunter Guild.”
If I needed to earn money without much initial capital, that was the only place I could think of.
It absolutely requires combat, but depending on the requests, it might be manageable. We decided to head to the Bounty Hunter Guild.
The Bounty Hunter Guild is, simply put, like the adventurer’s guilds often found in games, a place where you can earn money by completing requests, especially those involving defeating monsters. And it’s considered the conscience of “Nekoneko,” in a completely different sense than Hisame.
–This is because the requests posted at the Bounty Hunter Guild are generated completely randomly.
The Bounty Hunter Guild randomly receives “Bounty” and “Delivery” notices.
There are no systems for guild membership or guild ranks, so you can freely choose requests by looking at notices that say things like “Defeat 3 Noraiam: by July 9th” or “Deliver 2 Drops of Nor Droplet: by July 10th.”
“Bounty” quests are cleared by defeating the target monsters within the deadline and reporting back, while “Delivery” quests are cleared by delivering the specified number of drop items from specific monsters to the guild within the deadline. Since the notices are randomly generated, they lack the peculiar maliciousness of “Nekoneko.” It’s a system beloved by “Nekoneko” players, who say, “When in doubt, head to the Hunter Guild.” Although, one could also say that the regular quests are just too poorly designed.
Perhaps some strange person will be waiting.
I gently opened the door, marked with a symbol resembling a stylized notice.
(…Good!)
There was no one inside who seemed to require caution.
Relieved, I entered the guild.
“Alright, let’s look at the easier notices first.
Preferably delivery, if possible.”
For bounty quests, you need to borrow a special Crystal from the counter.
At that time, half of the reward is required as an Element for the rental fee.
This will be returned after the quest is completed, but considering my current funds, it’s questionable if I can even afford it.
(Hmm. Not quite good enough…)
Considering my current combat power, I don’t want to fight enemies in a particularly strong area.
I’d like to aim for drops from enemies around Deus Plain, which has an average level of 50, but at a glance, I couldn’t find any such requests.
However, as I was despairing, the noon bell rang.
And at the same time,
“Mass Outbreak Warning, it’s here!”
A man who seemed to be a guild member rushed in, out of breath, and posted a new notice in the center of the bounty boards.
Everyone in the guild started to murmur as they saw it.
“Hey, hey. Is it true…?”
And I was no exception.
“Could this be a sign of our luck turning?”
I asked myself without realizing it.
That’s how surprising the announcement was.
The new notice posted by the staff member read:
“Signs of a mass outbreak of “Golden HAGURE NYORAIM” in Deus Plain.”
It was written there.
