5 The First Victory

Isabella started at the dead rat with an elation that she hadn't felt since she started training at the military academy. She remembered she had always dreamed of defeating her first real enemy. She had thought she would never get the opportunity to do so after she moved to the slums, but now she had finally done it. She wondered if her father would be proud of her if he could see what she'd accomplished.

Arwin approached her from the corner of her eye. His footsteps gradually brought her down to reality. She suddenly realized that she had just charged in recklessly against an enemy and endangered both of their lives. Although she was an assertive person, she was certainly not the type of person who would not admit their faults.

She struggled to utter an apology as her cheeks reddened.

"S-sorry fo-"

But before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Arwin who was surprisingly didn't seem mad at all.

"Good work", he said with a smile.

Arwin had always sounded shy and quiet when she had heard him talk, but now he sounded confident. His words gave her a sense of calm and familiarity like she had found something she was desperately searching for.

Realizing she wouldn't be berated, Isabella let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks", she replied cheerfully.

She turned her attention back to the corpse that sat beside her.

The rat's fur was smooth and soft to the touch. It would certainly make a warm winter jacket once clean. Rodent meat was usually undesirable for nobles, but for common people and slum dwellers, any meat was a luxury.

Isabella looked at her reward with greedy eyes. If she could visit the dungeon regularly, not only could she sell the furs for income, but she would have a steady source of food. Her largest worries would be immediately solved. She wanted to hug Arwin right then and there but cringed as she pictured the awkward aftermath. Instead, she started skinning the rat as she had learned in her academy days.

…

Arwin finally found some of his anxiety receding as he watched Isabella skin the rat. He finally felt that he saw a way forward in this world. He had been excessively worried about the combat system in this world. If it had deviated significantly from the game world, gathering further information and power would have been incredibly difficult. Verifying this information felt like a large load being freed from his shoulders.

He found it peculiar that this girl was so eagerly skinning the rat. Back in the game world, the furs of this weak monster would sell for a couple of copper coins in most NPC stores while the carcass would simply disappear in a couple of seconds.

However, upon further thought, he recognized that the furs would probably be somewhat valuable for the people living in this world, as there were many people here that that could make use of the fur.

He had already observed the prices of Crimson Bear furs to be several times higher than they were in the game when running business errands for his father. The people that populated this world that needed to eat, sleep, and stay warm were all once NPCS who had no human needs. He realized that the economy of this world was much more complex than he had imagined.

After dispersing his thoughts, he chuckled as he saw the comedic scene of Isabella pouting as she struggled to dismantle the furs from the oversized rodent. Her poor cutting skills had left some nasty cuts along the surface of the skin, decreasing the fur's value. Although she was a capable warrior, she clearly did not possess the same proficiency for skinning monsters. Arwin knelt beside her and took the knife from Isabelle's trembling hands. Luckily, skinning was a beginner skill that he was proficient in.