**Chapter 19: Day 19 – Inn "White Pervert"**
"I don't recognize this ceiling."
Ah—finally got to say it. I thought I'd never say it.
I seriously thought I'd end up living without even hitting a single trope.
This is a genuinely unfamiliar ceiling.
No doubt about it.
It's not an unknown cave, not the middle of an unknown forest, not an unknown high school girl.
Even if the inn is named "White Pervert" or "White Pervert Inn," the ceiling itself is unfamiliar.
This time it really is an unknown ceiling! I looked at it before sleeping—definitely unfamiliar!
It took nearly twenty days of isekai life just to say this line. Isn't that messed up?
Normally reincarnation to another world starts in a castle, right? With a princess, right? Actually, everything was off from the beginning. Why an old man instead of a goddess? It was doomed from there—he was senile too.
Anyway, I finally made it to a town in another world.
Mission accomplished.
"Fin!"
"Good morning~ Please don't declare the story over first thing in the morning? And Haruka-kun only came along—you weren't even aiming for town from the start, right? You haven't accomplished a single thing, so why are you ending it?" Ah, the usual class rep jito eyes.
Does this inn offer morning tsukkomi service instead of a wake-up call? Jito eyes included. Looking forward to it.
My journey is only just beginning! Eternal Part 1 complete? Or incomplete? Looks like it's never ending?
I thought this was isekai survival, but it turned into countryside living? A story about catching fish and mushrooms whilst killing goblins every day wouldn't last a week in a jump magazine. This world might cancel me soon too.
"Good morning, Class Rep. You're still Class Rep today, huh?"
"Why are you saying it like it's a compliment? Why do you look so proud like you just said something amazing? We don't change class reps every day, so yes—I'm still Class Rep every morning! And anyway, there's no class anymore, so how long are you going to keep calling me Class Rep?"
Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to know that in our school, calling the class rep "Class Rep" is the highest form of praise.
Other class reps? No idea. Never seen one. Never seen means I don't know if they exist.
"So what's up this morning? Are you hungry? Can't wait for breakfast? Want mushrooms?"
"Why in your head am I always starving? Why do you think I'm constantly hungry? No—I came to talk!"
Apparently not. She doesn't have a Gluttony skill. Instead she's got the ranting skill… no, never mind.
"Yesterday at the guild, we split up and gathered information. So… we wanted to tell Haruka-kun too…"
She started speaking hesitantly, painfully, as if it hurt her own body even though it was about me…
"Ah—the level wall?"
"Huh? How do you know? Who told you? You… know… everything… right…?"
Yeah, she must have heard about the level wall and spent all night agonizing over how to tell me. Bad news to deliver. My jack of all trades constantly hits me with it.
No matter how she phrased it, it was hopeless.
The level wall is this world's rule.
The easiest example is equipment—especially weapons.
Take a sword, for example.
This world has levels.
Swords have levels too.
Even the lowest normal iron sword is Lv20. Only Lv20 humans can use it.
Of course, you can hold it. You can swing it.
The difference is skills—even with swordsmanship skill, if you're under Lv20, the skill won't activate.
And one of the most important things in this world is weapon skills.
For swords, basics like "Slash" or "Thrust."
Just cutting or stabbing, but weapon skills make them far more powerful.
Conversely, even holding a sword for the first time—if you have "Slash" and enough level, it activates as a weapon skill.
And a Lv20 weapon skill cannot be received unless you're Lv20 or higher.
That's the level wall.
That's why levels are said to be absolute in this world.
Just a level difference means you get hit by weapon skills. Defensive weapon skills block attacks completely.
So no matter how strong I get, no matter how high my stats go—if my level doesn't rise, I will lose.
Monsters have weapon skills too. And this world has people killing people normally. Without weapon skills, I'll eventually get killed.
Game over.
Death sentence.
She came early in the morning, alone, to tell me I'm already checkmated. That's why she's Class Rep today too.
No one wants to say it. No one can say it.
But not telling is dangerous. Not knowing can cost lives.
Even if telling makes me hate her…
"Ah~ the old guys told me. Uh… the old guy trio?"
"Ah—Guild Master Hakies-san got lumped into the old guy trio too? You don't even bother remembering the guild master's name?"
"Thank you, Class Rep. You've got serious bags shaped like bears under your eyes."
She probably stayed up all night agonizing over how to tell me, worrying what would happen to me. Those eye bags prove it.
"No—no bags! What kind of eyes are those? Under-eye bears?! Why bears instead of bags?!"
Apparently not bags—Kumamon doing okay under your eyes? Never met him. Probably? Not our class mascot, I think?
…
Then breakfast! Panda bread! Bread! Fluffy bread! Super hard bread! But bread! No ja-pan in isekai apparently.
"Bread exists? Let's buy flour to take back! Gather ingredients! All the ingredients of this world in my hands! Fuhahahaha!"
"Why does eating bread make you want to conquer the world? You're bothering the isekai!"
Got scolded by the fish girl. Maybe because I didn't praise the fish? Come to think—her mom and dad are fish, so she's attached.
"Homesick? Can't be helped. It's fine—mom and dad are probably swimming happily."
"Don't turn mom and dad into fish—!!"
Scolded again. She said fish, right? Maybe I misheard? Wait—O-sakana-kun!? Maybe mom too!? Original world more abnormal than isekai.
"What's the plan today? Heading out early? Morning guild? Morning guilding?"
Well—shopping or whatever will come later, got to go to the guild first. I still have no money.
"Why morning guild like morning Maccas?"
"Everyone was chatting over drinks at tables? They had '100 Ele per drink!' written now?"
One drink is 100 Ele—so 1 Ele ≈ 1 yen? 100 Ele shops probably exist. Bookstore here too? Maybe?
Money first—tons, but all F-rank magic stones, not much value.
But I don't need money.
Lv9 can't equip weapons/armor—only wooden stick usable. I have one.
Leather armor impossible too—no money needed.
Not even adventurer anyway—no prep needed. Can't become one.
Still—ingredients and cooking tools, especially seasonings! Salt exists—never decreases! Villager A bought how much salt?
No bookstore—books? Want books…Isn't there courier time? Finally.
**Day 19 End**