Episode 130: Adventurer's Inn
"Disturbing your peace!"
The shop was utterly silent, as if it were closing up.
The interior of 'Adventurer's Inn' looked exactly like a wooden building from a stereotypical fantasy RPG.
"Um... there's no 'welcome' greeting, is there?"
I muttered, glancing around at the people inside.
"These people here aren't human. That's why they won't respond to anything except predetermined questions. Probably just like the NPCs—non-player characters—you'd see in a game."
That makes a certain sense.
I mean, everyone here feels strangely lifeless, almost like they're not really alive at all.
It's like those talking mannequins you see at amusement parks.
In front of those mannequin-like figures stood signposts, each labeled with 'Tavern,' 'Shop,' and 'Inn.'
The Gambler pointed at them and said,
"At the 'Tavern,' you can trade for food and information,
At the 'Shop,' you can get weapons and items,
At the 'Inn,' you can secure a bed,
...each for a price in 'Gold.'"
Hmm.
"By the way, how much gold do you have right now?"
Three gold, including what I just picked up... I actually had more, but I spent it on a spare pair of glasses."
"Ah..."
I gently place my hand on the glasses, already feeling quite at ease with them.
"...I seem to have caused you trouble..."
"Fine. We're in this together now."
Yay! Such a nice person (warm and fuzzy).
"I can't possibly... end up being subordinate to someone like that."
The "Gambler" murmurs, his tone gloomy.
Of course, I felt the same way.
Being subordinate to a kidnapper? That's not sane at all.
It'd definitely turn into some kind of perverted manga plot. Definitely.
"For now, I'll try talking to that NPC. Even if I can't buy anything, I might still get some useful information."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
First, I'll head to the tavern.
I called out to the man with a thick beard across the counter.
"Hello."
Instantly, he started speaking as if powered on.
"Hey! I'm Gilgamesh! Miss, is this your first time here?"
"Something like that."
"Here, you can buy food and information!"
"I know."
"Then pick out what you need!"
The device the man handed over was... unmistakably an iPad-like touchscreen terminal.
"Oh wow... quite the high-tech oddity here."
Then, the "Gambler" chimes in.
"By the way, trying to steal that would be pointless. It vanishes the moment you leave the Adventurer's Inn."
"Huh... so you actually tried to steal it?"
In this unpredictable situation, where anything could happen at any moment.
"Best to try everything once."
You've got real guts, I'll give you that.
Also, the information displayed on the terminal is remarkably simple:
— 1. Meals
— 2. Information
That's all.
Since I'm not hungry right now, I'll go with option two: "Information."
Next, the list of options displayed in a row reads:
— 1. Info #1 (10 gold)
— 2. Info #2 (10 gold)
— 3. Info #3 (10 gold)
— 4. Info #4 (10 gold)
— 5. Info #5...
As I kept scrolling through the screen, it seemed there were up to "Information #100."
Also, all pieces of information were priced at a flat 10 gold.
"By the way, while you were asleep, I grabbed up to 'Information #5.' I'll tell you about it later."
"Thanks."
Satisfied, I headed next to the 'Shop.'
Behind the counter at the 'Shop' was a bald, muscular guy.
"Hey there."
Hey! I'm Boltack! What's a little girl like you doing here?
"Ah, you know, just the usual."
"Here, you can buy weapons, miscellaneous goods, and special items."
"I know."
"Great! Then pick out whatever you need."
And, as expected, a touchscreen terminal is handed over.
It's convenient, but couldn't they have kept the world-building and design more consistent?
— 1. Weapons
――2. General Goods
――3. Special Items
I'll start by checking the contents of the first category, "Weapons."
――1. Hinoki Staff (5 Gold)
――2. Bamboo Spear (10 Gold)
――3. Dao Sword (15 Gold)
――4. Chestnut Cane (12 Gold)
――5. Iron Spear (18 Gold)
That's what's listed at the top.
Scrolling down a bit further, we find:
――39. Dragon Slayer (80,000 Gold)
――40. Muramasu (120,000 Gold)
――41. Hakai no Kanazuchi (100,000 Gold)
――42. Genwaku no Tsurugi (90,000 Gold)
and so on.
"Hah... "
A sigh escapes me involuntarily.
These weapons here are all around 100,000 Gold.
The "Red Slime" dropped only 1 Gold when defeated, so this is like the equivalent of ten thousand Red Slimes.
I'll never be able to afford these.
As for "miscellaneous goods," they're just the kind of items you'd find at convenience stores, clothing shops, or drugstores, so I'll skip listing them.
Regarding "special items"... it seems you can now obtain items that were previously only available as achievements.
Unfortunately, however, the shopkeeper, Boltack, doesn't explain their effects.
Most of the items you buy end up being useless, since you don't know how to use them.
The last place I stopped by was the Inn.
A cheerful young waitress approached me.
"Oh my! I'm... "
"Ah, forget that—just give me the usual iPad-like thing."
"Then, what you need..."
"Thank you very much."
――1. Inn
――2. Gold Bank
――3. Item Warehouse
Huff, huff... I see.
Basically, it's a place to stay overnight, store your gold, and leave behind items you can't carry anymore.
...Yeah. I think I get the general idea.
When I looked back at the "Gambling Expert," she was finishing up a bacon and egg meal at a table near the tavern.
Probably replenishing my magic supply, since I just used it to save me a moment ago.
As the freshly cooked meal reached their lips, the "gambler" said,
Then, I'll tell you the information I picked up at the tavern.
Hello
▼
Information One... 'This place is called the "Master Dungeon," a space created by a certain "player's" skill.'
Information Two... 'If you die within the "Master Dungeon," you lose all your belongings and wake up at the "respawn point."
The "respawn point" refers to the small room where you first awoke.'
Information 3... Even if you defeat monsters as many times as you want inside the "Master Dungeon," your player level will not increase.
However, if you had already leveled up before entering the "Master Dungeon" and haven't yet chosen your skills, you can still acquire skills corresponding to your level as normal.
Information 4... Within the "Master Dungeon," you cannot achieve new achievement conditions.
Also, even if you have already met the conditions for an achievement but haven't yet selected your item, you cannot obtain it within the "Master Dungeon."
Information 5... 'Players who attempted the "Master Dungeon" before you ultimately ended up subjugated to Chūdō En after wandering the dungeon for over a year.'
▼
After hearing the story of the "Gambling Master," I let out a sigh deeper than the Japan Trench, endless and profound.
"At least the so-called 'Dungeon Master' doesn't seem intent on killing us. They just want to subjugate us, right?"
"Y-yes... I suppose so."
I lay my head on the table for a while, slowly realizing the situation was far worse than I'd anticipated.
"This is… not good at all."
In short.
"This 'Master Dungeon' is..."
"Yeah... it seems it was designed to psychologically break us."
It might be far more terrifying than even death itself.
At this moment, even the usually bold "Gambler" looked visibly shaken.
That so-called "Dungeon Master" is nothing but a genuine sadist....Hey, "Warrior." Maybe you'd be better off approaching this guy as if you were ready to have your virginity broken.
Regardless of the extremely elegant metaphor provided by the "gambling expert."
There was no doubt that difficult challenges lay ahead of us.