[2] Staff Saint The Trendy Unemployed Hero

Before I knew it, I had reached Level 3 in Staff Mastery. I had done it unconsciously. Now, I could call myself a version of Son Goku—though that's probably stretching it. If Level 3 in swordsmanship makes one a Sword Saint, does Level 3 in staff mastery make me a Staff Saint?

"Main Skill: Staff Mastery acquired, allowing you to choose a class. Choosing a class will increase the effects of related skills by 50%.

0. Do not choose for now.

1. Martial Artist (Staff Mastery)

Please select a number from 0 to 1."

The 50% boost to Staff Mastery was tempting, but since I wasn't sure if I could change my class later, I went with 0. Being unemployed is trendy right now, after all.

More importantly, I needed valuables—anything of worth…

As I rummaged through the room, I discovered a considerable number of costumes among the stacked Wooden Boxes. I also found what looked like expensive dishware and candlesticks. I tossed everything I could find into my item box. Fortune smiled upon me, as I managed to gather three Silver Coins and about five Copper Coins. I hoped these coins weren't obsolete or rare commemorative pieces, but that would be pretty unlikely.

After about ten minutes, I finished sifting through the contents of the Wooden Boxes.

Phew. That should make this room pretty much mine.

I found a suitable outfit among the costumes I acquired and changed into it. My previous t-shirt and chinos would have felt completely out of place in this world. Fortunately, I found a pair of leather boots that fit my feet perfectly, so I swapped out my sneakers for those.

There was no full-length mirror, but I thought this would suffice. Naturally, I stored my old clothes in my item box.

If they realized I had escaped, they would definitely send someone after me. They would likely use the group of three high school girls left behind, so I doubt they would overtly try to harm me. Even if they didn't know me, it wouldn't sit right with them if one of their own was killed.

If I did manage to flee, I didn't think they would openly hunt me down like a wanted criminal. More likely, they would try to deal with me quietly, off the radar. However, part of me wondered if they'd even bother to go through such trouble just for me.

It had been about two hours since I was locked in this storage room. Though I was too excited to feel sleepy, my stomach was definitely growling. In Japan, it was probably around 3 PM, but I wondered what time it was here. It would be better to escape while it was still light outside.

I started cutting a section of the wall from my item box to fashion into a 30-centimeter-wide staircase beneath the small skylight. I worried it might be unstable, but after climbing on it, it seemed secure enough.

The small window was fitted with an iron grate, but I easily stored it away and slipped through, escaping successfully. The room I had just left turned out to be more of a half-basement than a true underground level. Emerging from the window, I found myself in what seemed to be the garden of a large building, with no one else around.

Trees were planted here and there, neatly trimmed. As I looked around, I noticed the entire property was surrounded by a wall about three meters high. The wall stretched approximately 100 to 150 meters on either side and appeared to be about a meter thick—quite sturdy, indeed. I planned to store it away so that I could pass through without much concern.

"Storage!" I commanded, and a two-meter square hole opened up in the wall before me. It was almost too easy.

Just when I thought I could escape effortlessly, I realized there was a river beyond the wall. The river was about five meters wide. I figured I could likely make the jump, but it was a tricky spot for a running start, and given my current state, I felt quite anxious. The murky water made it hard to gauge its depth, with the surface sitting roughly a meter below where I stood.

I decided to slice the wall to a height of two meters and a length of six meters, storing it in my item box. I then rotated it 90 degrees, pulling it out over the river to serve as a bridge. Surprisingly, it was easier than I expected, and I successfully created the bridge just as I had envisioned. This was the power of my item box at Level Max.

I crossed the bridge and safely reached the other side. A passerby walking along the street facing the river glanced over in shock, but it was no problem at all. It probably wouldn't make much difference, but just in case, I stored the bridge away so pursuers couldn't use it.

Surprised by my sudden appearance, the locals gave me curious glances as I nodded lightly in their direction. I followed the path alongside Hori, and soon I spotted a wide road branching off in a T-shape. Every road was paved with small, ten-centimeter stones, but their unevenness made walking difficult. Glancing back, I saw the building where I had been held—a substantial stone structure.

It was my first encounter with the common people of this world. To my surprise, none of them had elongated ears or the cat ears and tails I had expected; they appeared just like ordinary humans. The people walking by wore drab clothing similar to my own, their outfits appearing slightly soiled. Carriages filled with passengers and goods were plentiful, pulled along by people, but the bumpy cobblestones created a constant, clattering noise.

Having distanced myself from the facility I escaped from, I searched for a dining establishment but struggled to find one. Had it really been more than half a day since I last ate? My throat felt parched, and I decided it was time to summon the courage to ask someone for help.

"Excuse me, this is my first time in this town. Do you happen to know if there's a restaurant nearby?"

The person immediately pointed to a spot nearby. There, I noticed a wooden sign hanging at the entrance, adorned with a picture of a plate and fork. A twinge of embarrassment washed over me.

"Thank you." I figured expressing gratitude would be important in this world, too.

As I opened the door and stepped inside, I found myself in a dining hall—no surprise there. I took a seat where Sky had been and searched for a menu, but all that was on the table was a basket containing knives, forks, and spoons. Instead of a menu, the offerings were posted on the wall, so I ordered a lunch set from the selection.

I paid upfront with twelve copper coins. When I showed a silver coin, I received a small silver coin, three larger copper coins, and eight copper coins in change. It seemed a silver coin was worth a hundred copper coins, a small silver coin fifty, and a larger copper coin ten. Not fully understanding the currency exchange, I decided to equate one copper coin to one unit—meaning I currently had two hundred ninety-three units. For convenience's sake, let's consider one unit equal to a hundred yen.

The meal served on the rough, darkened wooden table consisted of a plate with some kind of meat and steamed vegetables, accompanied by a cup of soup and two round rolls. I was told the rolls were free for refills.

I picked up the knife and fork from the small basket on the table and prodded the food on my plate. The meat was tough, and it lacked both pepper and salt. The vegetables looked like pumpkin and carrots. Surprisingly, they were quite edible. Was the soup vegetable-based? I scooped some up with my spoon and took a sip; it seemed to be a stew of some kind, but I couldn't identify what vegetables were in it. It was drinkable, but that's about it—lacking in saltiness or any umami flavor, so it couldn't be called delicious. The rolls were as dry as I had anticipated.

Not wanting to waste food, I forced myself to finish everything, which I felt was an accomplishment. I realized later that I should have dipped the rolls into the soup. If I weren't so hungry, even I, who usually finishes my meals without fail, might not have cleared my plate.

Using money pilfered from elsewhere feels a bit off, but paying twelve hundred yen seems rather steep. Is the notion that one copper coin equals one unit, or a hundred yen, perhaps mistaken? This warrants some investigation. If I had a Big Mac, I might have a better estimate, but even that guess is somewhat unreliable.

The meal was terrible, but it did fill me up. Now, I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy. I asked the staff if there was a good inn nearby, and they recommended the one across the street. They said it has reasonable prices.

After leaving the diner and crossing the street to the inn, the receptionist, a cheerful woman behind the counter, greeted me. "Welcome! Are you here to stay?"

"One night, please."

"We have a room only for sixty Corne, or seventy Corne with breakfast and dinner included."

So Corne must be the currency. Let's assume one Corne equals one copper coin, or I won't have enough money.

"Alright, I'll take the meal plan then. Here's seventy Corne."

I handed over a small silver coin and two large copper coins, feeling slightly anxious.

"Thank you very much. Your room is number 201. I'll show you the way."

Great! One copper coin equals one Corne.

The receptionist led me up a flight of stairs, and we arrived right at room 201. "The restroom is at the end of the hallway," she informed me.

There were several rooms down the hall, and the staircase continued further up. A corridor ran alongside the other side of the staircase as well. Is this place quite large? Either way, I don't mind.

"Dinner is served from 6 PM to 9 PM, so please make your way to the dining hall by then," I was told. At the time, I had no idea how they kept track of time, but I later learned that a bell rang at 6 AM, noon, 3 PM, 6 PM, and 9 PM.

After receiving my key, I quickly inspected the eight-tatami mat room I had been shown. It contained a single bed and a small round table. There was no bath or shower, and the toilet, which I had asked about earlier, was located down the hallway. The window had wooden shutters but no glass.

Once I finished inspecting the room, I lay on the bed, contemplating my future. Mentally exhausted, I knew I couldn't afford to sleep just yet. Had my escape been discovered? So far, the street outside my window looked completely ordinary, with no signs of anything amiss.

They had deemed me unwanted; they probably didn't think I could make a hole in the wall by myself. They might assume it was the work of some outside party. No, that's unlikely. A man abducted from another world couldn't possibly have allies. So, could it be that my value has suddenly increased? They wouldn't expect someone they treated so harshly to cooperate readily. Ideally, I would be left alone, but I couldn't gamble my safety on mere hope.

I needed to be wary of abduction and assassination. If they were abducting me, it indicated they weren't planning to kill me just yet, which offered a small sense of relief. However, the likelihood of assassination seemed much higher. It terrified me. I didn't think my Level 3 staff skills were meaningless, but who really knew? I had little understanding of my own abilities, let alone the strength of any potential attackers. I wished I had some kind of measure or guideline to help me gauge the situation.