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Chapter 10

The next day, my clothing felt a little itchy. I’d need to figure out how clothing was washed. More than that, I’d need to get more clothing. Well, I couldn’t do any of it without money. I asked a few times and found that the town meeting would be at the Adventuring Guild. I, fortunately, didn’t sleep in and managed to arrive on time. I sat and waited about an hour before the crowds grew to the point of making me slightly nervous. However, I patiently waited for the meeting to get underway.

A guy I didn’t recognize stood up in front of the stage. Right behind him was the Guild Master that I knew from yesterday. He was actually wearing a shirt now. Good for him. I ended up sitting between a rough-looking woman and an even rougher looking guy. Fortunately, I didn’t need to wait too long before the meeting started. 

“Before we start discussing our protective measures for Chalm, I’d like to pass out the rewards.” The guy in the front of the stage said. “Donald Cult, 3 silver.”

The person who was named walked up and collected their reward. They called the next name. Some people seemed a bit grouchy about how much they made, while others were quite happy. Looking at the job board yesterday, most C-class jobs earned around 3-5 silver. As the guild kept 70%, that meant the take-home was about 1 or 2 silver.

How expensive was all that? I had kept my ear opened while I was waiting and asked a few choice questions before the meeting started. Thus, I had a better idea of the world than before. From what I could tell, there were coppers, silver, and gold. Ten coppers made a silver, and ten silver made a gold. One to two gold coin was about the monthly salary for an Adventurer, presuming they could do about a job a week. Some jobs could take a 2-3-day trip, plus they also could have their own expenses.

My inn costs about 5 copper a day with meals, but that was the inn cost. Few adventurers lived in inns full time though, choosing instead to bunk up in small rentable bungalows which cost a few silvers a month depending on the size and number of people they lived with. It should also be noted that since adventurers didn’t need to risk their lives, adventuring wasn’t exactly the highest paying occupation. Dungeon divers made ten times that amount, but due to the nature of dungeons, the resurrection didn’t work if you died in one. That meant that dying in a dungeon was a permanent death.

Well, I never died the first time, and I didn’t plan to die any time soon. Therefore, it didn’t frighten me like it frightened others here. I lived in a world where death was always permanent. For that matter, I didn’t come from this world. Since my soul came from another world, there was no guarantee whether I could be resurrected in the first place. It was possible any death for me would be permanent, and I didn’t plan to test that theory out. Thus, the dungeon was no more terrifying in my mind than anywhere else.

The money distribution continued. A few of the higher-level people received as much as two gold. That was quite impressive. I couldn’t wait for my payout.

Chapter 11

“Finally, Deek, the healer. You have done well. Your healing kept the city from being overrun, and for that, you have my gratitude. Each of those you healed has offered 2 silver of their earnings to pay for your service. That comes to 2 gold, 6 silver.”

I made a noise of surprise. It was actually the greatest sum that anyone had been handed for this mission. However, as I got up and awkwardly took the money, there was no one who looked upset or angry. Maybe there were one or two people who were envious, but for those who had been hurt, it seemed like it could have cost weeks of being out of work and as much as one gold to receive similar healing. Two silver each was practically nothing considering all that. As I grabbed the coins, the mayor placed his hand on mine.

“That was an award decided amongst the Adventurers. You would have been given more if you had enrolled in the Adventuring guild and had been working for us. Unfortunately, since you’re not an official member yet, I was restricted.”

“It’s fine.” I wasn’t really upset, I had got something, and it seemed like more than most.

While I said that, there were a few men mumbling, clearly unhappy that the Adventuring guild was cheaping out on me. I appreciated the support. For all intents, I was just a stranger, and it’d be effortless for them to take advantage of me. 

“While modesty is a virtue, I highly recommend you be more assertive in your wants.” The man chuckled. “As is, this town would have been destroyed without you. As the town’s mayor, I would like to give you the honorary position of Chalm’s hero.”

There were a few mumblings I overheard. “Isn’t ‘hero’ just an empty title?”

“Well, our last hero died a few years ago, it’s about time someone was selected.”

“A nonresident would prevent anyone from growing jealous.”

The mayor’s expression tightened as the group spoke over him until the guild leader stepped forward and thumped his foot, causing everyone to quiet down.

“Every town and city has the right to assign a single hero. It isn’t a completely empty title. You’re awarded a salary of 1 gold coin a month, and get a discount at all of the stores. I can even arrange for you to be able to stay at the inn for free while you’re in town.”

I furrowed my brow, not looking as pleased as I could be. “Are there any responsibilities placed on me?”

At this point, the big guy stepped forward. “We’ll be honest. We think having a novel healer like you settling down in our town would be a positive for Chalm. We knew you’re just passing through and were hoping that you’d keep Chalm in your heart. You won’t have any responsibilities for Chalm, and can even leave if you want, but the more Chalm grows as a town, the more your own fame does as its hero. The feeling is mutual. A town and its hero rise and fall together. We only ask that if we need help, you come. After all, if Chalm is destroyed, so would your reputation as its hero.

“So, that is how it is.” I sighed.

It wasn’t to the point that I was obligated to fight or die for them. However, if I took the offer, I’d be known as the Hero of Chalm. If I then abandoned them in a crisis and Chalm was destroyed, I’d have the reputation of someone who abandoned their city. I wondered why they were so quick to pick me up. My activities were helpful, but hardly worthy of a hero title. They barely knew who I was, and I only came to town yesterday. 

Since I had no place in this world at the moment, settling down here seemed like a good idea. It was pure luck that I had fallen into this hero position, but I might as well champion Chalm. The people seemed friendly enough, and being from somewhere would make all of my future journey’s much more comfortable.

“Very well. I will be the hero, at least until you find someone better.”

“Haha!” The mayor laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

He handed me a coin with a glowing sword drawn on it. To me, it honestly looked a bit like the guild leader’s sword. The crowd broke into applause, once again a mixture of some happy and some jealous. A moment later, some text flashed across my vision.

{The people of a town have acknowledged you as their savior. You have unlocked the job: Hero.}

Chapter 12

I sat back down under a barrage of clapping. It was a bit embarrassing, but I was more distracted by my new job. Out of curiosity, I decided to change my job from White Mage to Hero. I found I could do this easily with a thought.

{You have unlocked the Hero skill: Return.} 

I ended up gaining a skill. What was Return, anyway? This world didn’t seem to have anything like a tutorial or status bar. That meant I’d need to start writing down everything, as I only had one chance and afterword I’d just have to remember. I had a lot of questions, though. For example, could I use my skills without my job being equipped?

“Weak Heal,” I whispered, targeting myself.

I had never targeted myself before, but I assumed it would work. Nothing happened. I reequipped my White Mage job and tried again.

“Refresh,” I said.

Blue magic swept over me. Instantly, I felt like I had been dosed with cold water. Before, I was a bit groggy and tired, but now I was completely awake. I’d need to remember this Refresh spell more often. It really was refreshing. While I was tinkering with that, the mayor was finishing his congratulations speech.

“Now that all of the awards have been handed out, we need to talk about this new threat to our town. One month ago, a dungeon appeared a few miles outside of town. We sent one of our stronger parties there two weeks ago. Not only did they not return, but an army of undead came to our doorsteps. I do not believe this to be a coincidence.”

“Can we confirm that the dungeon is, in fact, full of the undead?” A large man with long hair asked.

“Since our scouting party did not return, we do not have any intel on the dungeon, but assuming the army of undead was sent from the dungeon, the answer is probably yes.”

There was a bit of mumbling.

“Should we send out another scouting party?” someone else shouted.

“If we wait long enough to confirm their success or failure, we could be looking at an even bigger attack next time. The first wave is usually just a test.” A woman in robes and a pointy hat declared.

“The dungeon is clearly hostile, we cannot allow it to continue, nor could I imagine the disaster if we blocked the entrance and allowed it to boil.”

The mayor nodded. “I agree… I’ve put out a decree for the dungeon’s destruction.”

“That means dungeon divers… are there any close enough to take the call?”

“I’ll do it!” A proud sounding voice came from the door.

A man was standing there wearing far more luxurious clothing than anyone in this lot. He had shiny armor and a thin mustache. His nose was stuck up in the air, and he had an arrogant way about him. Standing behind him were three animalkin. Two of them were men of about middle ages, but the third was a girl, perhaps a year or two younger than me.

Every one of the animalkin had their heads down, and a collar wrapped around their necks. The girl had a large pack on her back that looked difficult to carry. 

“Who are you?” The mayor asked, his mouth twitching.

“I am just a young noble passing through.” The man declared. “I saw the battle of undead attacking your village, and realized your town seems to be in need of rescuing. I, Lord Tibult, will graciously remove your dungeon problem and become this town’s hero.”

Ah… accepting the position was a mistake after all.

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