Once Fay LeBlanc’s righteous lesson to the thief concluded, I found myself following her up an endlessly winding jungle path.
“So, we have to climb this to reach the city?”
Gasping for breath, she replied, “Yes. This place, ‘Nether,’ is a colossal pit carved into the earth’s surface. Ascending to the surface is, in essence, the path out of this dungeon.”
Even as she struggled with the climb, Fay LeBlanc kindly offered an explanation.
“Aha.”
‘So, we’re entering a sinkhole that formed on the surface.’
A dungeon exploration game.
From this, I deduced the core concept of the game I had been transmigrated into.
‘The direction is from top to bottom. The deeper we descend, the more unique the scenery will become.’
‘Presumably, the objective of this game is to reach the deepest part of this sinkhole.’
Simple enough.
“By the way, are you truly saying this is your first time exploring?”
“Ah, yes. I helped my parents with their work until I became an adult, then I came to the capital without a plan.”
“Even so, isn’t it common sense to register with an adventurer’s association or guild, usually found at ‘The Threshold’?”
“I tend to act first and think later. I came here believing the rumors that I could strike it rich.”
“…Hmm.”
Though she cast a suspicious glance, Fay LeBlanc ultimately let it pass without further comment.
“By the way, be careful as you climb. While this area is considered peaceful, apart from the ‘Black Dogs,’ it’s not entirely devoid of monsters. Of course, I’ll handle any threats, but one misstep could cost you your life!”
“Ah, yes. I’ll bear that in mind.”
Right.
A dungeon-crawling game would naturally involve combat.
Moreover, I was clearly a low-level character.
I had no special perks like a status window, and was in a predicament where a single mistake could imperil my life.
Caution above all. Safety first.
Thus, I ascended the jungle path, maintaining a cautious vigilance—
“…Oh, we’ve arrived.”
Yet, nothing particularly eventful occurred.
“Nothing out of the ordinary, is there? It’s quite peaceful.”
In fact, it felt more comfortable than reality itself.
Not a single bothersome gnat, common in any typical jungle, was in sight.
“Ah… no, this can’t be right? I caught several monsters just on the way here…”
“Perhaps the corporate culture here is excellent. Everyone seems to clock out by evening.”
My jest, however, met with no response.
Quickening my pace, I glanced at Fay LeBlanc and saw her muttering something with a tense expression.
“…Could it be, an aura that only monsters can sense… As expected… a powerful being…”
“Fay LeBlanc?”
“Hwaat! Yes, yes. What is it?”
“Nothing, just that you seemed preoccupied with something.”
“Oh, no! Don’t mind me! Just beyond this hill is ‘The Threshold’!”
“‘The Threshold’?”
For a city name, it struck me as rather peculiar.
“Yes. All the adventurers here call it ‘The Threshold.’ It does have a name, ‘Baineterrhum,’ but this way is much more intuitive.”
‘Does it mean the threshold to the dungeon?’
‘What kind of city could it be?’
With a heart brimming with anticipation, I ascended the hill,
“Wow.”
and for a long moment, I was speechless at the colossal city unfurling before my eyes.
At the edge of the jungle, a sprawling labyrinth of artificial structures, a stark contrast to nature, unfurled before me.
My first impression of ‘The Threshold,’ upon seeing it for the first time, was, in a single word,
“Utter chaos.”
If one were to haphazardly butcher various architectural styles from Earth and then crudely stitch them together, would the result truly resemble this?
It resembled no landscape I had ever witnessed in my travels, yet, simultaneously, it seemed to embody every scene I had ever encountered.
Beneath spires reminiscent of Western European architecture, rows of Eastern-style wooden pavilions, adorned with tiled roofs, stretched into the distance.
Beyond structures typical of medieval fantasy, a steampunk world, belching smoke and emitting strange noises, pulsed with an undeniable vitality.
It felt as if a child had scattered all their toys across the floor and haphazardly built a city, imbuing it with a sense of utter randomness.
The chaos, however, was not confined to the architecture.
“News for sale! From major guild mergers to promising free agents! It’s all in this gazette!”
“An artifact auction no adventurer can afford to miss! Tonight at 8 PM, in Garbaldi Hall! Featuring S-rank OOPArts (TL Note: Anachronistic artifacts, Objects Out of Place in Time) and a variety of other relics!”
“Get your meat here! Not suspicious monster meat, but clean meat from livestock raised and butchered right here…”
Humans, Dwarves, sporadic Elves, and even Beastfolk.
A diverse array of races, veritable symbols of fantasy, in the streets, at market stalls, around tavern tables, and within enigmatic tents, churned with a simmering chaos and clamor.
‘What a true den of iniquity.’
How long had it been since I last felt such an atmosphere?
I took a deep breath, inhaling the air thick with confusion and frenzy.
‘Now this is what I call sightseeing.’
“Mr. Will, you seem quite at home in the city. When I first arrived, I felt like my energy was being drained away.”
“It’s not quite like that, but… I do enjoy people-watching.”
“Well, that’s fortunate. If you’re going to be an adventurer, you’ll have to meet all sorts of people in the future.”
It was then.
-Grrr.
A cry of distress emanated from Fay LeBlanc’s stomach.
“…It is indeed time for a meal.”
As it was now evening.
“Um, uh… well, shall we get something to eat first? I owe you a favor for today, Mr. Will, so I’ll treat you.”
‘Really?’
‘A meal, shared with a local, while chatting?’
‘And it’s even free?’
For a traveler, this was a kindness worthy of kneeling in praise.
“Perhaps I should call you ‘Noona’ (TL Note: A Korean term used by a male to address an older female, often implying familiarity or respect) from now on?”
“Don’t.”
“Hehe, alright.”
My steps felt light.
Who could have known?
That I, who just yesterday lay confined in a cramped room, idly tapping on a keyboard, would now be traveling in such a magnificent place.
In a city overflowing with kindness, consideration, hope, and joy.
I was certain.
‘This game genre… it’s definitely a healing game.’
This place was a paradise.
A traveler’s paradise, where dreams, hope, and adventure breathed!
****
And then, after several tens of minutes, I came to realize a few things.
“Sishit, you’ve come again today. Two servings are 10 silver, and the seating fee is separate. After the standard mealtime, it’s an additional 3 silver per ten minutes… but I’m feeling generous! Make it 2 silver! It’s a service!”
That even in paradise, there were rip-offs.
And,
“Really?! Wow! Thank you so much!”
That there were also suckers who fell for them.
“…No, wait a minute. Sir, this isn’t right.”
I said to the Lizardman who owned the restaurant.
“Sishit… Well, I gave you a discount, didn’t I? What’s the complaint?”
“Discount, my foot. Those people who just sat down weren’t charged a seating fee.”
It was clear to anyone that this was a rip-off targeting first-time travelers.
Having changed into spare clothes upon arriving in the city, Fay LeBlanc now exuded the aura of a polished noble lady.
Beside her, I was clad in attire more befitting a country bumpkin.
From the perspective of a seasoned merchant, we must have appeared as nothing more than walking money bags.
“I heard the prices others are paying. Two servings of fried food for 5 silver. And no seating fee.”
“Sishit! It’s the same everywhere else!”
“Then we’ll go somewhere else, I suppose. It’s not as if this is the only place to eat.”
The Lizardman’s eyes darted about at my firm reply.
“Sishit! Alright. You’re quick-witted for a young human these days. I’ll add plenty of service, so come again. I’ll charge the proper price next time.”
It was somewhat unique that he coolly admitted it once caught.
Given his brazenness, charging a ‘stupidity tax’ seemed to be a cultural norm here.
“Anyway, that worked out well, Fay LeBlanc… huh?”
“A rip-off? I was deceived? Me? The top elite since the founding of the Magic Tower?”
She seemed unable to shake off the shock of having been scammed.
However, from my perspective, it was highly likely she had been fleeced long ago.
“…By any chance, how much do you pay per day for your lodging?”
“My lodging? About 100 silver a day… and I tip about 5 silver per attendant. Still, it’s a high-class inn and…”
That couldn’t be right.
Twenty times the price of a single meal. Unless the inn she was staying at was a palace, it was undoubtedly a rip-off.
And what particularly bothered me was…
“Per attendant?”
What did she mean, tipping ‘per attendant’?
“Yes, I give it according to the number of staff, so 50 silver… That means I pay a total of 1 gold and 50 silver per day.”
“…”
At this point, I couldn’t even begin to guess where to start correcting her understanding.
“Fay LeBlanc, if you don’t mind me asking, may I inquire about something?”
“Yes?”
“Have you perhaps lived in some remote tower or something?”
Unless she had been confined somewhere, her grasp of economics couldn’t possibly be this shattered.
“…How did you know that too? As expected…”
But that was indeed correct.
Still, ‘as expected’? What did she think of me?
****
My first meal in this other world was surprisingly palatable.
After eating the meat of a strange creature that tasted like chicken, I chatted casually with Fay LeBlanc.
“…So you came here from the Magic Tower to find your sister? And you’re becoming an adventurer for that?”
“Yes. She’s my only family.”
Perhaps it was the alcohol we had shared that loosened her tongue.
From a somewhat talkative Fay LeBlanc, I learned the history of her gullibility.
Fay LeBlanc was a student studying at a Magic Tower located in an area a bit removed from ‘The Threshold.’
Having spent most of her life in the Magic Tower, it was only natural that she was so ignorant of worldly affairs.
“My sister became an explorer of ‘Nether’ to pay for my tuition. Fortunately, I was able to cover my tuition with a scholarship… but my sister didn’t stop exploring. It suited her aptitude.”
Then, a year ago, her sister’s letters stopped coming.
Worried, she commissioned a broker to track her whereabouts, but only got scammed with no results.
“So that’s why you came all the way here.”
“Yes, my parents passed away, and she’s my only family.”
“Aha.”
“Oh, now… you think I’m untrustworthy, don’t you!”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
I hadn’t thought so until now, but seeing her showing signs of being tipsy after a little alcohol certainly made her seem less trustworthy.
“Still, theoretically, I know more than most adventurers! I studied so much with the letters my sister sent me! And the degree I got from the Magic Tower…”
As I humored Fay LeBlanc’s rather uninformative story,
“Sishit, no seats! Get out!”
A loud voice erupted from the restaurant entrance.
Checking the source of the noise, I saw the Lizardman owner pointing and shouting at someone.
A woman with faded, grayish-pale green hair. Though her face was obscured by a deeply pulled-up hood, a bandage was wrapped around one side of it.
A large backpack was slung over her back, and unidentified metal tools hanging from it clinked and rattled.
“Damn it, your wife gave me permission! Said to make a spot for me, even in the kitchen, if I came. Now you’re doing this?”
The woman did not back down at the owner’s words; instead, she retorted with a fierce tone.
“My wife has been dead for ages, stop using her! How can I make a seat when there isn’t one! Get out now!”
“Am I asking for much? Just an empty chair so I can have a drink.”
“Sishit! No! Don’t bother me and get lost!”
‘Hmm…’
Watching the scene unfold, a sudden intuition flashed through me.
It was a gamer’s intuition, honed over three years of clearing countless games after becoming paralyzed.
“Excuse me, Mr. Owner?”
Her demeanor suggested she was claiming a reserved drink. Her appearance prioritized functionality over aesthetics.
“There’s a seat here. Would you like to join us if it’s alright?”
From this vagrant, I sensed it.
The seasoned experience we desperately needed right now.
