Read Novel Full Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Chapter 33 – Status
“Ah… not good… I miss the futon so much that I can’t get up…”
In the morning, I enjoyed a light sleep under the futon.
The morning bell woke me up once, or rather, I was awakened by a semi-forced alarm, and I went downstairs for breakfast.
I sampled bread, scrambled eggs, ham, and a small amount of stew that seemed to be left over from yesterday as an added bonus, and bought a 200 beeke bottle of fruit water that was a bit light in flavor, although it was an extra charge.
After a refreshing morning, I dived under the futon and was struck by sleepiness again, falling asleep three times already.
Since I came into this world, the only time I have ever slept shallowly is on the treetops.
In the cave, I think I was able to sleep for about 4 to 5 hours, but even so, I clearly didn’t get enough sleep.
“(At least today I can recover from the tiredness I’ve been feeling…)”
Such indulgence rears its head.
The innkeeper says I can stay in my room all day, as long as I don’t have to change the sheets…
Hmm… I’m tossing and turning, trying to fall into another shallow sleep, when suddenly, I hear the sound of metal jingling and scraping from around my waist.
It was the sound of coins in a leather pouch.
I took it off and left it on the table. I felt like I was inviting someone to steal it, so I left it on just in case.
Ahhhh…
This sound quickly brings my consciousness back to reality.
“Hey, hey, hey. What am I doing with my free time? I’m poor right now, right? I’m living on the edge of poverty!)”
I jumped up and slapped my cheeks with both hands to cheer myself up.
From now on, I can sleep well every night.
There is no internet or smartphone at night anyway, so there is no way to stay up late!
The only entertainment will be drinking like the guys with glasses yesterday, but there’s no point in going to a pub when I don’t know anyone who can drink. I’m 13 years old. I have no money.
I was allowed to use the water in the barrel in the courtyard of the inn for free, so after washing my face, I went to the church I had decided on beforehand.
The town of Bezart has only two-story buildings, so the church with the pointed cross is easy to see from a distance.
On my way to the church, I flip a silver coin.
Amanda-san gave me this coin with a cross engraved on it after yesterday’s class.
It has a different purpose than money, and if I give it to the church, they will do the “status evaluation” for free, as Mei-chan said.
Actually, the fee is included in the training fee, but… since I used the training fee service, it means that the status evaluation fee is really free, too.
Well, I probably won’t use that coin.
I can always check my status when I want to, and I don’t feel the need to go through the church to find out.
If I’m the only one who can see my status, that’s fine, but if people in the church and around me can see it, that’s just a loss.
I don’t think that’s the case in this civilization, but… I don’t want my personal information to be recorded with dubious means, and it would be like saying publicly, “I’m a weak person with only this level of ability,” so it’s better to hide my status as much as possible if it’s possible to hide it.
So, the goal is to see if there is any difference between the status screen that I check and the status screen that ordinary people check.
That’s it.
That might help me understand what Acorn was talking about.
My goal will be accomplished if I can ask the church members about the status in detail, and then I can give this coin to Zink-kun and the others, and I am sure they will be happy with it.
At that time, if I could ask them what the status screen looked like, I would be more certain.
When I finally approached the church, I saw two sisters sweeping in front of the entrance.
Although I was surprised to see the sisters dressed in black and white with hoods, as I had imagined, I somehow called out to the young woman in the back.
I will never let this go the same way as Amanda-san.
“Sorry to bother you. I have a question about the status of the church…”
“Oh, yes, the status evaluation? If so, then… Marys-san!”
“Yes, yes, you want to do a status check, boy?”
W-what?
I thought I had avoided it, but in no time at all, I found myself assigned to… this sister…!
While grumbling about why I have no luck with young girls, I followed the middle-aged sister who said, “Follow me.” First, I entered a large room with several couches that could be called a chapel, and from there, I was led to one of several doors on either side of the room.
I had to say what I had to say first, as she seemed to assume I was being evaluated at this point.
“Excuse me. Status evaluation costs money, doesn’t it? I don’t have much money, so I’d like to know how much it costs. And I wanted to know what kind of details I could check.”
“Ara, boy, you didn’t go through the Hunters’ Guild, did you?”
“It’s true, but I wanted to give the coins to the hunter who saved my life as a thank you. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I thought I would check how much it would cost in money first.”
“I see… Well, that’s okay. No one is being evaluated right now, so come in, and I’ll explain a little.”
“Thank you!”
That should be enough for now. The truth is that Zink-kun and the others brought me safely to the city, so it is true that they saved my life, and it is also true that I will give the coin away.
I’m afraid that if something bad happens to me while I’m lying in the church, I’ll at least try not to lie here.
“As for status evaluation, first of all, the church is not in the business of status evaluation. So, the church does not judge status by business, but by the feeling of maintaining the church, and the city generally knows that it is an offering of 20,000 beeke or more.”
This is similar to the way temples receive money as a token of appreciation for funeral rites and memorial services based on the market price. But then the length of the memorial service should change depending on the amount of money…
“I see… By the way, excuse me for being tactless, but is there any difference in what can be checked depending on the amount of money offered…”
“I don’t think so. The Goddess loves all people without distinction. If you think that money makes a difference, you will be punished.”
“As someone who has no money, I am very grateful. It’s hard now, but if I work hard, I can save up to 20,000 beeke.”
“If you contribute a lot to the church, you can be invited to events held by the Papal State of Vanmer, which is also the main organization of the church, so it seems that powerful people and people from big business associations contribute a lot of money.”
“Is that possible?”
“I guess it’s important for people looking for connections. Well, it doesn’t matter to us sisters from the countryside or to the townspeople. We don’t have to worry about it!”
The auntie sister, who laughs as she says this and pats me on the shoulder, is stronger than I thought. I actually feel that she has a high level of skill… No, is it a matter of physique?
And she seems to be a person who can be quite rough or frank.
“By the way, what kind of status do you see? I’m not familiar with these things, and I don’t understand them at all.”
“Did you come from a cold village? Status can be seen in the results of one’s efforts, the level of one’s work, or even in one’s talent that has been recognized. You can check these things for yourself by using the status checker in the church.”
“…Hmm? Is that all?”
“What else is there?”
…Seriously? Looking at the aunt, she doesn’t seem to be deceiving me.
It seems that she really thinks that the status is a direct confirmation of skill acquisition, and conversely, she doesn’t understand my question.
So what is the level? Where are the individual skill values, such as Physical Strength and Intelligence?
I feel like I need to check this out carefully…
“No, I heard from the hunter who helped me that killing monsters makes it easier to pray to the goddess… so I was wondering if there was a way to confirm whether the prayer would be successful or not.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve been involved in the status evaluation of many people, and the only thing that comes up on the blackboard is the skills and the level of the skills given. The local priest said that the good deed of defeating the monsters is not to be satisfied with how many you have defeated but just to hope for a better world and defeat them every day to help someone else. The Goddess gives power to those who work so hard. It seems to be true that the more powerful monsters you defeat, the easier it is for your wish to come true.”
This is surprising information…
So they don’t know their own level, or rather, they don’t have such a concept and are only aware of their skill level?
Moreover, even if they know their skills and levels, they don’t seem to have the concept of ‘experience’ either…
“…This may indeed be true. By the way, what do you mean by ‘blackboard’?”
I turned my gaze to a stone slab as tall as me that had been radiating a massive presence out of the corner of my eye for a few minutes.
The stone slab, which stood on a beautifully carved stone base, was so black and varnished that one might have suspected it was absorbing the surrounding light. There were handles on either side of the stone slab as if it were meant to be held by hand.
Even to the untrained eye, it was obvious that the stone slab was extremely expensive.
“This is true. When you hold it, the person’s abilities will appear in blue and white letters. If you just want to check the contents, you can do so with the offer I mentioned earlier. If you want to write it down, you’ll have to pay a little more, depending on what you want to write it down on.”
“The stone slab looks amazing… Is it some kind of magic tool?”
“No, an obsidian tablet isn’t a magic tool because it doesn’t require a magic stone. I have no idea how it’s made, but I’ve heard that it’s a gift from the Goddess.”
It really is a mysterious item.
As long as the Acorn exists, God must be real, and in a world where magic exists, it is not surprising that such mysterious items exist.
“That’s right, if you don’t know how to determine your status, you probably don’t know how to choose a job, right?”
“Choosing a job…?”
Is she talking about the one where I am a salesman?
I don’t know anything about that, but what does that have to do with the church?
I thought so and asked her.
“Job selection is also a matter of the church. It is done in the chapel, not in this room. But the offerings there are much more expensive, so it may be a long time before the little boy can do it.”
“I see. If you don’t mind my asking, I plan to work hard as a hunter, so could you tell me about the job?”
“Good grief, it can’t be helped… Then I’m going to get some tea, so wait for me.”
I watched in silence as the sister left the room.
I glanced at the blackboard but did not think of touching it.
However, the fact that the results of the skill evaluation are displayed here means that the sisters who are present can also see them.
This means that I have no chance.
While I was thinking that, auntie sister came back in a flash.
Huh? Where’s the tea? She said, “Come this way, there is a person who is doing job choice.”
I went to the chapel and saw a man kneeling and praying in front of six stone statues in the back of the chapel.
Next to him was an older man, dressed a bit garishly, holding his hand over the kneeling man’s head just enough to keep it from touching.
Simply put, it was a scene full of religious feelings, a religious leader and a believer.
“That stone statue is the Goddess. In this small town, they are all in the same church, but I heard that there are different churches in bigger cities.”
“I see. So it seems that each Goddess is worshipped in her own church.”
“That is correct. The Goddess of Love, the Goddess of Fertility, the Goddess of War, the Goddess of Life, the Goddess of Commerce, and the Goddess of Sin. Many people believe in goddesses related to the work they do, so if you are a male hunter, the Goddess of War is popular.”
“Male? Do people change the Goddess they believe in based on their gender?”
“Hahaha! Women are all about money. If a man makes a lot of money, they want to marry him. Some people believe in the Goddess of Love so that they will be blessed with a good encounter, and some people believe in the Goddess of Life so that they will be blessed with children when they get married. Some men also believe in the Goddess of Life and pray that they will not die. It’s all up to them.”
“That’s what you call relying on God, isn’t it?”
“That is true for the goddesses you believe in. But it is said that the job is a blessing from the Goddess, so everyone has to choose carefully.”
“Blessing? Blessing, huh? Please tell me more about it!”
“Hey! It’s a sacred job selection, so be quiet!”
“I-I-I’m sorry… I just got excited…”
I was excited in spite of my age.
But something like a blessing for the job, that must be super important information.
I apologized to the aunt, who sighed and waited for her next words.
“Goodness… The reason it’s called a blessing is because when you choose a job, the skill level of that job will increase.”
“Increased? Does that mean the skill level will increase more easily?”
“I’ve heard that there is a meaning to that as well, and like that old man, once you get a job, the skill level itself can increase. The skill level that suddenly increases will decrease when you change jobs.”
I see.
I understand that job choice is quite important in determining one’s direction, but it seems like I’m missing some other important factor.
…Could it be this?
“Do you think there is such a thing as rank in the job?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Well, I’ve seen “beginner class,” “intermediate class,” and a special job for those who have received a revelation, like the old man―the “special ability class.” In a rural town like this, you almost never see anything but the familiar “beginner class” jobs.”
Oh, that’s a great word that jumped out at me.
A revelation… and several ranks of jobs, huh…
Although the information is still very soft, I compare what I hear with what I know, and the hazy picture clears up.
If I put it into a game-like perspective, it would be easier to understand if I think of the choice of a job as linked to skills and skill levels.
When I choose a profession―even a traditional swordsman―I get a bonus for gaining experience in swordsmanship and other related skills, as well as a bonus for increasing the skill level itself by one level.
However, when I change jobs, these bonuses disappear, and I get a new bonus for the next job.
If it is a swordsman, there will be a higher level job for swordsmen, and the amount of bonus will be different.
I think it’s more like a growth bonus for each job rather than a blessing, but I guess it’s treated as a blessing because the Goddess does the job selection for you.
“By the way, there are different jobs like that old man, even if you are not a hunter, aren’t there?”
“Of course. I am a Nun, and the old man is a Priest. The jobs available to each person are completely different, and each person may be suited for a different job.”
“I see. Then, um… how much does it cost to choose a job?”
I’m a poor man who just got out of penniless.
The most important thing for me is to know how much it will cost me.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s better to get a job as soon as possible.
The number of jobs you can get is probably limited at first, but it’s still a waste to throw away the growth bonus.
That’s what I thought, but――
“It’s supposed to be more than 500,000 beeke. That’s impossible for a young boy, isn’t it? If it’s a prayer to the Goddess, there won’t be a priest present, so it won’t cost much.”
“Guhh…”
――The air of sadness escapes my lungs.
The auntie sister looks at me and sighs, but her prediction is right… it’s too expensive for me right now!
It’s a very difficult choice to make, about the same as the short sword I’m aiming for, or which one should be my priority.
Did the job choice go well?
A man in his mid-twenties makes his way to the exit of the chapel, his face fresh with a renewed spirit.
Judging by his appearance, he is definitely a hunter, and he will probably go hunting with great enthusiasm.
…I’m going to work hard as well. I’ll save some money.
Finally, looking at the stone statues, it’s hard to tell which one is which, except for the one holding a sword and wearing armor, which is clearly the Goddess of War.
However, they all look feminine… They are all female deities.
Huh… there’s no Acorn.
With a head like that, even if it were a stone statue, it would be easy to distinguish one from the other.
I wonder if it’s in another country?
I had planned to complain a lot and… appreciate a little when I met him.
I thanked the auntie sister for her 90 degrees at right angles and offered her a silver coin worth 1,000 beeke for teaching me so much.
“I’m sorry I can only offer you so much because I’m poor right now. Someday, I will save the money and come back to choose a job!”
“You’re such an honest child… it’s okay because I could leave the cleaning to the younger ones!”
Even though she said that, the auntie sister accepted the silver coins in my hand as if she had no choice but to accept them.
“I got some very useful information from her. I’ll have to put it together tonight…)
As I approached the exit of the chapel with these thoughts in my mind――
“(……….Hmm……….)”
――I thought I heard something.
I turned around without thinking, but I wasn’t sure if it was a voice or not.
I tilted my head and looked around, but all I could see was the auntie sister standing there with a wry smile on her face, and the young sister who was cleaning the entrance when I came in was gone.
Ding dong, ding dong…
“(Oh, it’s noon already… I’ll have to try and see what it’s like to hunt near the forest entrance in the afternoon…)”
Soon, my attention turned to lunch and the afternoon hunt, and I bowed again before leaving the church.