A Reunion

Shien wandered around Lamigium until dusk.

Thanks to that, Shien learned a great many things.

For instance, the common currency in this world consisted of gold, silver, and copper coins, no different from many sword-and-magic Another Worlds.

A copper coin had just enough purchasing power to buy an apple. One hundred copper coins equaled one silver coin, one hundred silver coins equaled one gold coin, and one gold coin was likewise worth ten thousand copper coins.

Thus, generally speaking, one gold coin was enough for an ordinary family of three to live on for an entire month, with some left over.

Of course, owning a single gold coin was already quite good for an ordinary household, but the same could not be said for adventurers, nobles, and the like.

That was because ordinary items might not be worth much in this world, but anything related to magic was extraordinarily expensive.

For example, unlike ordinary medicine, which took time to work and had limited effects, this world had Magic Potions that took effect immediately and produced all sorts of magical, miraculous results.

Shien visited a magic potion shop and discovered that even the cheapest healing potion cost three gold coins per bottle, while Magic Recovery potions cost more than five gold coins. They were incredibly expensive.

However, with such Magic Potions, injuries and magic power could both recover rapidly at a visibly noticeable rate. Their effects were remarkably obvious.

Therefore, in an emergency, having a bottle of magic potion was practically the same as having an extra life.

Only those with the Alchemy skill could make Magic Potions, so naturally, they could not possibly be cheap.

Besides Magic Potions, this world also had items with magical effects.

Even someone unable to use magic could activate the magic imbued within such a Magic Item simply by possessing it. Only those with the crafting skill could make them, which made them equally expensive.

Naturally, where there were Magic Items, there were Magic Weapons.

As the name suggested, these were weapons capable of unleashing magic and various magical effects beneficial in battle. Like Magic Items, anyone could use them, but they cost even more than ordinary Magic Items and could only be made by those with the Forging skill.

Such magical items could be called one of this world's defining features, leaving Shien dazzled and endlessly fascinated.

Furthermore, whether it was a magic potion, Magic Item, or Magic Weapon, all required a precious mineral called a Magic Crystal as a material. This was one reason why they were so expensive.

Magic Crystals were minerals containing magic power. They could only be found in rare, high-grade mineral veins and were essential for making Magic Potions, Magic Items, and Magic Weapons. They could also replenish magic power or serve as a resource consumed by magic, making them strategic resources that every faction and nation constantly sought to develop and obtain.

Through the introductions offered by various shopkeepers, Shien learned all sorts of knowledge about this Another World and gained a preliminary understanding of it.

So, if he wanted to survive smoothly in this Another World, Shien felt that he needed to carefully plan out how to make a living.

Unfortunately, Shien had only registered as a temporary adventurer at the Adventurer's Guild today. He could not officially begin adventuring until tomorrow, so for now, he could only find a way to get through the day himself.

Fortunately, before leaving the forest, Shien had butchered that group of Unicorn Monsters. Although he had hurriedly subdued a Griffin and escaped the forest afterward, he had also brought some things along.

For instance, he had kept the beast hide used to wrap the Holy Sword. It was extremely tough, unlike ordinary hides that would tear the moment they touched the Holy Sword's edge. It would also make decent protection against the nighttime cold, so Shien had carried it with him.

After several shopkeepers examined it, they identified the hide as coming from a monster called a Sunken Scale Beast. It was extraordinarily tough.

This monster was known as the toughest monster below level fifty. Although it did not possess exceptional strength, one needed at least advanced magic or a highly powerful Magic Weapon to break through its defenses and defeat it.

Because of that defensive power, Sunken Scale Beast hide could be made into armor and was highly sought after by adventurers and even nobles. The shopkeepers who recognized the hide had practically gleamed with excitement, offering as much as eighty gold coins to buy it.

Shien did not mind selling it.

After all, this supposedly near-impenetrable monster had lost its head to a single swing of Shien's Holy Sword. The hide had also been cut off by the Holy Sword without much effort, so Shien did not particularly treasure it.

But at present, that hide was the only thing Shien had that could barely wrap the Holy Sword without being sliced apart at once. He still needed it, so naturally, he could not sell it casually.

What Shien sold was not the hide used to wrap the Holy Sword, but the horns from the Unicorn Monsters—the only other things he had brought with him.

According to the shop owner, they were Thorn Horn Demon Horns, from monsters that could reach level thirty as adults.

These monsters' horns could be used to make antidotal Magic Potions or daggers. However, Thorn Horn Demons were pack monsters, and it was extremely difficult to find a lone one to hunt, making their horns relatively rare materials.

The man kept marveling at Shien's good luck in encountering a lone Thorn Horn Demon, and Shien felt too embarrassed to tell him that he had not hunted a solitary Thorn Horn Demon, but slaughtered the entire pack.

In the end, the horns sold for two gold coins, ensuring that Shien was no longer penniless.

After earning his first pot of gold in Another World, Shien immediately bought some clothes and changed out of the outfit that had practically become strips of cloth. Then he successfully found an inn and checked in for one silver coin per day.

After a full ten days, Shien could finally stay somewhere fit for a human being.

After checking in, the first thing Shien did was take a long, thorough bath.

After all, in the forest, Shien had only bathed a few times in the river, and there had even been monsters in that river.

Night quietly fell.

"This feels so good."

Fresh from his bath, Shien lay on the bed with moisture still clinging to his body and a refreshed expression on his face. One look was enough to tell how content he was.

"Ahh, it feels like all the troubles of the day have vanished. As expected, I'm better suited to this kind of peaceful life."

Just as Shien voiced that sentiment, a laugh reached his ears.

"You're the first Hero to ever say that."

As that voice rang out, the world began to twist.

Then, before Shien could react, he was already off the bed and standing on the ground. The inn room seemed to have been replaced, transforming into a temple.

At the center of the temple, right before Shien, a familiar and breathtakingly beautiful figure entered his sight.

"Goddess!?"

Shien's eyes widened.

That was right.

Shien had returned once more to the temple where he had first been summoned.

Here's the second update!

G: Bai Fan | GENDER: male G: Thunder Fire Sword | GENDER: neutral

Bai Fan stared at the sword in his hand, a complicated glint flickering in his eyes.

The Thunder Fire Sword hummed lightly, its blade crackling with blue arcs of electricity interwoven with a faint, scorching heat.

This was his hard-won treasure, and its power far exceeded that of ordinary weapons.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his heart, and began to review the gains from this battle.

[System Panel]
Host: Bai Fan
Cultivation: Second Level of Qi Condensation
Technique: Nine Revolutions Astral Art
Equipped Weapon: Thunder Fire Sword (Low-grade Spirit Tool)

Looking at the panel before him, a trace of satisfaction appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Though the journey ahead was fraught with danger, with this strength in hand, he finally had a true foothold in this cruel world.