Just that single display from Yosuke was enough to leave Minami Yojuro deeply astonished. After all, ten days ago when he first met Yosuke, the guy was still a complete rookie, practically with his butt in the air getting wrecked.
But now, with only about ten days gone by, not only had his appearance changed dramatically, even his strength seemed completely reborn?
"Yosuke, what in the world happened to you in these ten days? Why do I feel like you're completely different from before…?"
Back then, Yosuke might not have been much to look at, but at least he carried the aura of a passionate young man. Now though, in Yojuro's eyes, he looked more like a weathered middle-aged veteran who had been through years of hardship.
Yojuro couldn't help but wonder—what kind of experience could change someone's entire presence so drastically in just ten days?
And when he asked about it, Yosuke's face curved into a confident smile. Looking straight at Yojuro, he said:
"Yojuro, I finally managed to get my start! The process was a little rough, but all in all, it turned out to be a pretty good beginning."
Seeing the nostalgic look on Yosuke's face, Yojuro put on an expression of attentive listening.
At first, his face was still calm. But as Yosuke went on and on about his experiences after they parted ways, Yojuro's expression grew more and more bizarre. Internally, he kept grumbling: Seriously? That counts as a 'pretty good beginning'?
After separating from Yojuro, the latter had headed to the Adventurers' Guild, while Yosuke went to a tavern in town.
Unlike Yojuro, who already had a certain level of strength upon arriving in this world and could at least hunt monsters to fill his stomach, Yosuke had clearly gone hungry for a long time in the forest.
So, after receiving half a bag of copper coins from Yojuro, Yosuke's first thought was to fill his belly.
Choosing a tavern made sense too—just like in games, taverns were often the best places to hear gossip and pick up information.
Since they had just arrived in this new world, gathering intel early on was crucial.
Thanks to Yojuro's reminder, Yosuke made sure to cover up his appearance before going to the tavern.
When he walked in, people were curious about why he was all wrapped up, but no one was shocked enough to question him further.
Not knowing the currency exchange rate or the cost of living in this world, Yosuke, just like Yojuro, assumed that the big bag of copper coins was a considerable fortune.
With that in mind, he generously ordered a large table full of food and drinks. After all, the more he spent, the more courteous the tavern owner would be, which would make it easier to pry useful information out of him.
Up to that point, Yosuke's logic and actions had been sound. With his wealth of gaming experience, he was quite satisfied with how he handled his "starting phase."
The only flaw came during his casual chat with the tavern owner, when he finally learned what the actual cost of living in this world was.
When he realized that the money he had on hand wasn't nearly enough to pay for the massive spread before him, Yosuke started thinking about negotiating a line of credit…
Skipping out on the bill was impossible— Yosuke had already learned firsthand how strong the people of this other world could be.
The tavern owner before him might not have been an adventurer, but he was a burly man with a face full of scars, and his arms were thicker than Yosuke's legs. A shut-in weakling like Yosuke clearly wasn't his match.
When Yosuke admitted that he might not have enough money and suggested putting the bill on credit, the tavern owner's face—which had been smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum—instantly twisted into something much darker.
"No money, and you dare to act like some big shot?! I don't do tabs here, not even for adventurers! If you eat, you pay—simple as that!"
The only reason the tavern owner had chatted so amiably before was because Yosuke had ordered so extravagantly. He had assumed he'd gained a wealthy new regular customer. But now that he realized Yosuke was just a broke poser, his attitude completely flipped.
Looking at the scrawny, weak-as-he-looked Yosuke, the tavern owner easily grabbed him by the collar, searched him from head to toe, and finally dug out all his worldly possessions—just 27 copper coins.
When the 27 measly coins clinked onto the ground, the tavern owner's face turned green with fury. He had assumed that even if Yosuke didn't have enough for the whole meal, he'd at least be short by only a little.
But now? This idiot had only 27 copper coins on him, yet he dared order a feast worth at least one gold coin! And after stuffing himself, he shamelessly claimed he was just "a little short." This was his idea of "a little short?!*
According to the Granbahamar currency exchange, one gold coin equaled ten thousand silver coins, or one million copper coins. With only 27 coins, Yosuke couldn't even afford to wash dishes to pay off his debt.
If you had the guts to dine and dash, then getting beaten was inevitable. During the scuffle, Yosuke's handmade wooden mask slipped off.
The tavern owner had already been furious about the unpaid bill, but when he saw Yosuke's exposed face and realized he was a "half-orc," his anger only deepened.
In this world, mixed-blood demi-humans weren't treated kindly. Half-orcs in particular were seen as little more than brutish beasts with low intelligence, barely distinguishable from regular monsters.
But alongside his anger, the tavern owner also noticed something unusual—this "half-orc" could actually speak the human tongue, and his intelligence seemed much higher than the average brute.
Just like Rex and the others before, a new idea quickly formed in the tavern owner's mind.
"Kid, don't blame me. Whether you're a half-orc or not, if you eat, you pay. Since you've got no money, the only option left is to sell you to the Merchant Guild as a slave. Talking half-orcs are rare—selling you should cover the bill just fine."
Despite Yosuke's frantic protests that he wasn't a "half-orc," it was useless.
The poor guy had only just escaped from being sold off by adventurers, only to end up sold to the Slave Guild by a tavern owner instead. The only difference was who sold him.
Talking half-orcs were indeed rare, but to the tavern owner's surprise, the Slave Guild appraised Yosuke at only three copper coins.
°°°
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