At an inn, the receptionist was sleepily watching the door. It was already very late and she was thinking about closing for the day.
In the middle of her thoughts, the main door opened. Since it was so sudden, it took her a moment to speak.
—Welcome.
Nim had wandered around looking for this place and had finally found an inn that matched the description given by the waiter.
After entering, he saw a lady at the reception.
—Good evening, is this the Leaf Inn?
—Yes, if you're looking to stay the night, we still have rooms available. What kind of room would you like? —The innkeeper was happy to see a new customer.
Her inn was somewhat hidden, which meant they didn't have many customers. Most people who stayed there came by recommendation.
Nim approached the reception and said —Alright, I'd like a room, and I'll rent it for 3 months.
(3 months) the innkeeper was surprised by the boy's statement.
Regaining her composure, she spoke again —For a full day, a room is 10 copper coins. For three months that would be 900 copper coins or 9 silver. Also, there is only one meal per day.
—That's fine —said Nim, taking out some coins from his bag and placing them on the reception desk. For three years he had been saving several silver coins.
Additionally, he had taken the bags from the bodies of the assassin and the bodyguard; thanks to that, he wouldn't have to worry about money for a while.
—Alright, could you tell me your name —the innkeeper pulled out a book to write down the young man's name.
Nim gave his name and the innkeeper handed him the keys to a room. After receiving directions, he went upstairs in search of his room.
When he arrived at the room, he opened the door with the key he had been given.
The room wasn't very large; there was a bed and a simple desk. In a corner, there was a bucket of water next to some towels—meant for washing himself.
Nim was satisfied with the place. Anyway, he would spend most of his time in the dungeon once he registered as an adventurer, so he didn't have high demands.
After using the bucket to clean himself, Nim went to sleep.
....
The next morning, Nim woke up early. There were still two days left until the test; he would use those two days to get a bit more familiar with the city.
Greeting the innkeeper, he left the establishment—his first goal would be to find weapon and armor shops.
It wasn't too hard to find one, as there were many in the city. But they differed in the quality of their products.
Upon seeing a building with a symbol of weapons, Nim headed toward it.
Upon entering, he saw several display cases exhibiting all kinds of weapons: hammers, axes, bows, and many other weapons he had never seen before.
—Good morning, customer. What kind of weapon are you interested in?
Nim, who was observing the weapons, was interrupted by a store assistant.
Nim asked about a sword that looked like it had a sharp edge.
—This sword is a magic sword. It was made from an orichalcum alloy and is capable of increasing the user's attack power.
Nim listened attentively until the price was mentioned.
—Its price is 25 gold coins.
Nim's expression slightly changed. Nim's current money was a little more than 300 silver coins, which would be equivalent to 3 gold coins.
He had heard that magical weapons and armor cost gold, and could only be paid with that currency.
The current Nim couldn't afford this sword.
—Do you have weapons that aren't magical? —Nim asked, slightly embarrassed.
Seeing that the customer was looking for a regular item, the assistant's expression changed.
He still guided Nim to another section.
Upon looking, Nim realized those weapons were better than the one he had.
Unfortunately, after hearing the price, he made a bitter face: even those swords cost between 300 and 600 silver coins.
If he bought one, he would be left with no money.
After the assistant finished talking, Nim thanked him for the explanation and started walking away.
The assistant, seeing the young man walk away, felt like he had wasted his time.
After leaving, Nim searched for other stores. Along the way, he realized that there were shops that only sold weapons or armor, and others that were mixed.
The store he had entered earlier was a weapons-only store.
Knowing he couldn't afford those prices, he decided to seek information.
And the best place to do that was in restaurants or bars where adventurers gathered.
The most frequented restaurants and bars by adventurers were those closer to the dungeon.
The dungeon was right in the center of the capital. It was said that thanks to the dungeon's location, the city was founded; for that reason, the guild was also in the central zone.
...
—Dream Bar —It had taken Nim a while to find one, since he didn't want to get lost.
Upon entering, contrary to expectations, there wasn't much noise. Rather, to Nim it felt like a slightly strange atmosphere.
He could hear voices, but each group of people was separated. Also, it smelled like alcohol.
Thinking he might have entered the wrong place, he wanted to turn back.
—Good morning, sir. Are you requesting a table?
Nim was called by a young woman. Now that they had noticed him, he could only ask for a table.
—Yes, I'd like to see your dishes —Nim said.
The young woman led him to a table that was unoccupied.
Upon going further into the establishment, Nim noticed something in common.
At the tables there were only men, and they were accompanied by one or two women.
These people were barely eating; they were just drinking and laughing while throwing glances at the women.
Seeing that, Nim confirmed he had entered a strange place. Soon they reached a table, and Nim sat down.
—What will you be having, sir?
—Could you bring me some water with some fruit —Nim didn't know what to order in a bar, so he only asked for simple things.
The young woman laughed slightly. —Sir, we can bring you some fruit, but we only have alcohol.
She was starting to suspect this was the first time the young man had visited a place like that; it wasn't uncommon, since he must have been fifteen or sixteen.
(Alcohol…) Nim had never drunk alcohol.
—That's fine, just bring me some fruit —Nim
—As you wish. Then, your companion will bring the fruit.
(Companion…) Upon hearing that, Nim started to remember something Uncle Smith had told him.
Uncle Smith hadn't been very specific when talking about this kind of thing.
But he had said that in cities there were certain places where men went to "relieve themselves."
Nim wasn't so naïve, so he had managed to understand it. But he had never been in one, and who would've thought he'd enter one without realizing it.
(It's better to leave) Nim was already hearing some strange noises around him, mostly sounds from women.
Without thinking much, Nim quickly stood up.
—Sir, here is your order.
A young girl approached his table with several plates of fruit; she was another girl and probably his companion.
Nim, who had already stood up, sat back down again.
The girl continued and placed the dishes on the table while sitting next to Nim.
Seeing that he couldn't escape now, Nim began eating the fruit.
—Sir, you're not from the city, are you?
Nim had realized he spoke somewhat differently from city residents.
—Yes, I'm from outside the city —Nim didn't want to give more details.
—You can eat the fruit if you'd like.
The young woman smiled and grabbed some fruit.
After that, the two spoke about a few more trivial things until the fruit was gone.
—Would you like more fruit, sir? Or maybe...
The young woman slowly moved closer to Nim. Seeing that, Nim suddenly stood up.
—Thanks for the food —Leaving several silver coins, Nim rushed toward the exit.
—Sir, wait… —the girl called from behind.
Without turning back, Nim left the bar. At that moment, he only thought about getting out of that place.
...
After going through that situation, Nim was more careful about entering any establishment.
At night, Nim left a restaurant. That day, he had spent it exploring many places, even visiting some tourist spots nearby.
While in the restaurants, he had heard several adventurers talk about interesting things… and others not so much.
But in the end, it only made his excitement to enter the dungeon grow.
Since it was night, Nim returned to the inn and asked the innkeeper for clean water to wash himself.
After cleaning up, he went to bed.
....
The next day, he didn't leave the inn.
He went to the inn's courtyard and spent the whole day practicing sword movements. Nim was disciplined in his training.
Soon, the day of the test arrived. That day, Nim also woke up early.
There wasn't much to prepare except his sword. Today, Nim could finally become an adventurer—it was something he had wanted for a long time.
And by becoming an adventurer, he could get closer to his true goal: entering the dungeon.