GOT TO LEVEL UP FAST

Five and Six disappeared immediately after giving us directions to the closest village nearby. Before leaving, they left us with some information on how to contact them for assistance. Genesis Gems. Using genesis gems, we could either ask for assistance with a specific quest or something like that. Or, we could use them to learn summoned skills--skills that are available to all summoned ones.

As we moved, I could hear Petra grumbling angrily as she fiddled with her slave collar. Five and I decided it would be best if she had one, so she couldn’t kill me in my sleep or something, so Five conjured up a mid-level slave collar and put it on her. She couldn’t kill or harm her master, me, so I let my guard down around her. As we walked down the old dusty path, I started up a conversation with Yume.

“So, you going to stick around when we reach the village?”

“I don’t plan to, so no.”

“Got any plans?”

“It’s none of your business so I don’t have to answer you.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Well fine then, go get yourself killed or whatever.”

“…I’ve been meaning to ask you, what is ‘the book’?”

Realizing that one of my friends had let it slip, I turned to face them. When they saw me looking back, they both turned away to avoid eye contact. The book was the special gift my dad gave me some time ago. It had information that my dad had written of the future and was always right. It could be called a cheating tool in this RPG-like world.

I rarely used the book though, because it had weird information in most of the pages. Since coming to this world, I'd glanced at the book several times but on this one day, I needed to find my help something formulate a strategy to defeat Pekra only to find my very situation written down in detail. From the summoning, to my fight. It covered three out of the three hundred pages with all the unnecessary information and left the answer to my question in a small corner of the third page: ‘Just Die Boy’.

“I take it from the silence that you don’t want to share that information with me?”

“That’s really none of your business so…”

“Touché.”

We continued down the path in silence for a few minutes before I asked Elsie a question.

“Your name is Elsie right? What about you, what will you do when we reach the village?”

“I have some things to do.”

With that, the conversation was over. We continued on to the village in silence. As neared the ‘village’, or what was supposed to be a village, we found a large town bustling with life. There were many people coming and going from a parallel road. My party went straight to asking around for the cheapest inn. We asked a strange man standing idly near the huge entrance gate. The strangest thing about him was his hair. It changed colors continuously like a weird slideshow, bright colors. His eyebrows were orange so we assumed he was using a magic item to change his hair colors.

“You say you’re looking for the cheapest inn huh? I’ll give you points for being blunt.”

He spoke normally for an other-world human.

“Uhh…yeah…”

“It’s the hair right? Don’t worry about it, it’s just my race characteristic.”

So we’re not the only mixed race humans in the world, that makes sense. Plus Six said we’re the ninth generation of summoned ones so those before us must have had children.

“And which race are you?” Hana asked.

“I don’t even know.”

“What?”

“Hana, we came for directions to an inn, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“You want the Awe Full inn. Go down the path to the center of the village, then make a left. Continue on till you see a rundown building with blue paint, then turn left again. It’s the last building on that path.”

“Umu, thanks?”

“No problem… it’s the name right? Awe Full inn? Yeah, I think the people of this village don’t realize the irony haha.”

“Well thanks again!”

We set off for the inn after thanking the strange man. After following his directions, we found a large three-story building with a wooden sign on top which read, “Awe Full Inn”. It looked like a three star hotel so we assumed the prices would be a little high—

--We were wrong.

The currency rate in the world was the same everywhere as Six explained the day before. Ten copper coins were worth a silver coin, ten silvers a platinum coin, ten platinum a gold coin and a hundred gold coins make an imperial coin. The empire was the leading country in currency production as well as the most independent nation in the world.

“Good afternoon.” Hana greeted the owner.

He was a young man of about twenty six with dark hair and eyes. He sat on a chair behind the counter, cleaning a glass liquor cup with a bored expression. His face lit up when he us enter the room.

“Good Morning! Good Afternoon! Welcome to the Awe Full inn, the best inn in the village. Would you like to stay a night!?”

“Hey, hey, calm down. You’re acting like you’ve never had customers.”

“Oh, sorry, it’s just been so hard. I’ve only had one customer this year but luckily he’s stayed here for the year so I’m able to survive.”

“Sounds rough, well how much for a room?”

“Masayuki!”

“What?”

“Sigh, you’re being rude again but never mind.”

“I am? I am not.”

“She’s right bro.”

“You too Aoyama?”

“Would you idiots be quiet already?”

“Hey! You’re my slave… anyway, inn guy please continue.”

“Umu… it is three coppers for one room a night with food, two nights without food. A silver up front will get you a week, without food though.”

“That sounds too good to be true.”

“Yes, wait…what!? I mean, umu… surely you jest, or are you here to play a trick on me?”

“Why would we?”

“Hmm, how many rooms would you like.”

I had taken the coins from everyone in my party the day before so I had to spend them preservatively. Hana took her coin when we reached the inn which prompted Aoyama to do the same. I still had mine and Petra’s though.

“I want one two bed room.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Who do you intend to sleep with?”

“Looks like you wanna sleep with your bro, I’m cool with it.”

“Sorry man, I’ll sleep with her.” I said, pointing at Petra.

“Me!?”

“WHAT?!”

“Hana, please.”

“What the hell do you mean you’re sleeping with her.”

“It’s not like we’ll be sleeping in the same bed.”

“Bu-”

“Sorry to interrupt but, we don’t have any two bed rooms.”

“…”

“…”

“Why didn’t you offer to pay for our rooms man?”

“…Your coins, your rooms.”

“Your slave, our rooms.”

“My slave, my responsibility.”

“Your slave, our…our…you suck!”

“Then we’ll be taking one room for a week, you guys?”

“Surely you’ll be sleeping on the floor.”

“I’ll also take one room for the week.”

“Hey! Don’t ignore me again.”

“As will I.”

“Hey!”

“Great, that’s three rooms then, so three silvers up front please.”

“You too inn guy?”

“Sure, here’s one gold for now. We’ll get you the silvers later.”

“Whoa! Sure! I’ll show you to your rooms, please follow me.”

“Sure, right behind you.”

………………

…………

……

After adjusting our rooms to our preferences, we decided to look around the village. We needed to earn money to survive after our funds ran out. Hana left to check out healing scrolls because she wanted to be the healer. Aoyama wanted to buy weapons because he wanted to be a fighter as well, I knew he wanted to do it to impress Hana. Petra and I left to find an adventurers guild to sign up for.

Wait, that’s the same guy. The multicolored hair guy, hair color changing guy? It’s the guy.

“Hey, looks like you guys found the inn. Good job following directions.”

We ran into the hair-changing guy on the way down the stairs. He had an empty glass in his hand and walked sideways, obviously he was drunk.

“Do you work here, was that a way to pull in customers?”

“What? No! I live here.”

“Ohh, ok.”

“Weelp--sorry about that, I’M OFF!”

He ran up the stairs too fast for us to see.

“That was weird.”

“What’s his name?”

“Better question, what race is he?”

“No idea.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Let’s get going then.”

We left the inn in silence.