Unchanged Samurai In Another World

Episode 13: The Samurai Finds an Inn

Kurosu handed over the adventurer’s badge he had picked up—a necklace at first glance—to Diana, recounting the location and characteristics of the settlement as much as he could remember. Since the village was nestled deep within the forest, he could only give a vague position, but the adventurers from Angila were well-acquainted with the Forest of Demons. They assured him that as long as they had a general idea of the place’s features, they would manage to find it. Navigating such an expansive forest without landmarks would leave even courier teams utterly stumped.

“The Guild will send out an investigative commission to thoroughly check the details. Depending on the settlement’s scale, I believe Cross will be entitled to a special reward. We’ll be in touch with further information.”

Although Kurosu had razed the village before becoming an adventurer, it had been a recent event, and apparently, they were willing to count it toward a reward.

“And one more thing… I also found this…”

He hesitantly extended a leather bag that had somewhat diminished in contents. He’d just nonchalantly withdrawn registration fees from it, so he felt uneasy, but now that its owner was known, it wouldn’t do to pocket it silently.

“No, that item dropped from a monster’s nest, so by rights it belongs to Cross. Please keep it.”

“…I see.”

Accepting what was essentially someone’s legacy felt distasteful, much akin to eating cat poop, but with no usable currency in this country to repay anyone, it was honestly a relief.

“Then, after a slight detour, let me explain the rules of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

The rules weren’t overly complicated, but due to the repeated appearances of terms like “A,” “B,” and “Rank,” both understanding and explaining them required significant effort.

Diana’s explanation distilled as follows:

-The Adventurer’s Guild is a large organization spanning across countries.

-Adventurers are graded across eight classes, from G to S.

-Commissions are graded similarly from G to S based on difficulty, and adventurers can only accept those equivalent to or adjacent to their own rankings.

-For each failed commission, a predetermined penalty fee must be paid.

-Monsters are also ranked G to S based on danger levels, serving as a guideline for what an adventurer of the same rank should be able to defeat solo.

-The adventurer’s grade is determined not just by success rates on commissions or contributions to the guild, but also by personal conduct. As such, combat prowess alone doesn’t guarantee rank advancement.

-Adventurers cannot refuse mandatory commissions issued by the guild.

-Violating laws, refusing mandatory commissions, or long periods without accepting missions can lead to rank demotion or even revocation of adventurer qualifications.

After a lengthy explanation, Kurosu had naturally little interest in these regulations since he was not one to abide by rules set by others. He had registered merely for an ID, not to rise through the ranks as an adventurer. While he wouldn’t hesitate to fight if the town were attacked, that would be solely out of his own volition and not due to any guild mandate.

“Thus concludes the registration process. Cross, as a newly registered member, you’re starting at the lowest G Rank. However, with the giant-slaying feat added to your record, once the extermination of the goblin village is confirmed, you should swiftly ascend to F Rank.”

“Is that right? And what about you, Franz, what’s your rank?”

“We’re all E Rank. See?”

Franz pulled his adventurer’s badge from his chest—a substantial copper plate that had been tastefully decorated, indicating it held some value.

“It sure is different from my badge.”

“Adventurer badges upgrade to increasingly precious materials as you rank up—stone, iron, copper, silver, gold. This makes it easy to tell someone’s rank at a glance.”

“Hmm, that’s like swords then.”

The city’s prestigious elite sported ornate silk-wrapped katana, while Kurosu’s father, a great samurai, wielded the first generation of a gold-sprinkled family emblem blade. Ronin bore regional swords, retainers held numerous blades, and townsfolk carried short swords for self-defense. Thieves and chivalrous men carried long daggers.

In Japan too, one’s class could be easily determined by the sword they carried. Occasionally someone would flaunt a sword beyond their station, but exposure would bring legal consequences, making this usually a reliable measure of rank.

“In Angila, no fee is charged for entry regardless of badge, but in other towns they might charge tolls to G and F Ranks, so be careful.”

“I see. ‘Greenhorns,’ then. I’ll keep it in mind.”

To be treated as a newby at his age was a little irksome, awakening a competitive streak within him.

After thanking Diana and parting ways, Kurosu next sold the materials from the giant and the forest wolves at a corner window. Besides the registration area, there were separate windows for material buyback, commission issuance, and goods sales, each with distinct roles.

At the buyback window sat a middle-aged man. Though somewhat intimidating with his marmalade-like hair, he appeared ordinary enough.

“Wow, a newly registered greenhorn taking down a giant—respect. Your reward comes to three gold coins, and the combined buyout for the skin and magic stone totals four gold coins. Great work.”

Understanding the monetary system, but still new to handling such wealth, this was Kurosu’s first time receiving so many gold coins. As Mauri had predicted, they indeed amounted to quite a sum.

“Franz, your furs fetch six silver coins. ‘White’ hasn’t shown up this year yet, so good job! Counting on you again next time!”

“Urgh… Didn’t quite make it to gold coins, huh…”

From their drooping postures, it seemed their results hadn’t been great.

“Then, as per the deal, I’ll split it evenly.”

Out of the seven gold coins he’d received, Kurosu handed Franz two gold coins as his half of the materials’ value.

“Uh? The agreement was only for the furs money. This is us overpaying…”

“Well, the arrangement was just for guidance, but you all taught me more than expected. It’s a token of my gratitude. Besides, without you, I would’ve likely left the materials behind.”

“That being the case… I’ll humbly accept it then. Thank you!”

“With this, our rent for this month should be manageable!”

“Still, Pamela, you have forgotten about the repair costs for your equipment. This is still cutting it pretty close, you know?”

“But still, this will help us scrape by for a while.”

Combining the rest of the money from the recovered leather bag, Kurosu now possessed eleven gold coins, six silver coins, and eight copper coins. Given that the basic inn stay required just three silver coins, his funds should comfortably suffice for some time.

When inquiring about the value of coins, it transpired that ten copper pieces equaled one silver, ten silver equaled a gold, and ten gold equaled a platinum. However, because platinum coins were too large in value, they were generally avoided in urban life, and it was recommended to transact in gold coins or lower.

“Wow, Cross, you sure have a lot of money for someone who’s just arrived in this country.”

“Is that so? I don’t really get a sense of it since I don’t know the prices around here.”

“You’ve got a fair amount saved up. If you have no immediate plans to spend it, you can also deposit it at the buyback window.”

Apparently, the Guild managed the amount deposited using the adventurer’s badge, allowing withdrawals at the window whenever needed. Given that Kurosu hadn’t handled much wealth before, he failed to fully grasp the benefit, but it probably was inconvenient to carry large sums of money around.

Before leaving the Guild, Kurosu read several posted commissions. All G Rank commissions offered rewards of mere copper coins, making it a mystery how one could sustain living on this. Those advising him said beginners typically juggled multiple low-level commissions to survive. Accepting both forest wolf and goblin exterminations would allow them to tackle both objectives on the same expedition.

While Kurosu lacked much interest in the adventure-based rankings, improving his class would surely help him earn a living here.

He slipped a cord through his adventurer’s badge and hung it around his neck so it could be readily accessible—a common practice among adventurers.

“So from today, I’m also an ‘adventurer,’ eh?”

Looking at his badge and reflecting on all he’d learned today, he was told that even the giant ranked as a C-class monster—the fourth-lethal creature in the hierarchy. Thus, there were still stronger beings out there. Moreover, not only were there beasts, but the top-ranked adventurers, the S Rank, each allegedly possessed power equivalent to an entire army.

The more he learned about this country and this world, the more fascinating it became. There were countless other mighty warriors yet to encounter. This land offered no shortage of worthy foes—a paradise for those hungry for combat.

This city was famously known as the adventurer’s utopia, and it might well be such for him as well. He had contemplated returning home, but here, he might just be able to continue his travels a little longer…

Standing before the Adventurer’s Guild, Kurosu turned back to Franz and the others.

“Franz, Pamela, Barth, Mauri. I deeply appreciate your guidance to the city. I think I’ll go look for an inn. As I plan to stay here for a while, I’m sure we’ll see each other again at the Guild. Thank you for everything.”

Their travels had been short but enjoyable. Though parting ways felt bittersweet, such was the nature of travel. As he began to walk away, a voice called out from behind.

“Cross, listen… Would you consider coming to our place? Our party rents a cheap house, and we’ve got an extra room. You’re welcome to stay there until you continue your travels. What do you say?”

“Such a generous offer… Is it truly alright?”

Kurosu glanced at Pamela. Despite the invitation being appreciated, he hesitated. How comfortable would it be to house an unknown man with the group containing women?

“Actually, we all discussed it yesterday and decided to ask you! Surely, Cross must know nothing about the country. We couldn’t possibly leave it like that!”

“And it’s not simply out of goodwill either. Sure, we’ll charge rent, but there’s also a personal interest at play here.”

“Interest? What do you want from me?”

“Well, we aim to teach you the country’s customs and knowledge about being an adventurer. In return, we would like you to train us.”

“We want to aim higher as adventurers. We realized our inadequacy after the battle with the giant… If you’re willing, Cross, we’d love to welcome you as a temporary party member. Will you accept?”

“…If that’s the case, I’d be glad to accept your offer. Please continue to take care of me.”

With those words, Kurosu bowed deeply to them.

Certainly, this gesture wouldn’t resonate much with them, as it was the first time Kurosu had bowed outside his family.

I wonder what Father would say if he knew his son had bowed to others…

Through a simple click on the heart button, you can easily show your support. (Requires login.)

---