Three Years

With no other choice, Falan continued working at the restaurant for the time being.

Only this way could he ensure that he could stay in Orario and support himself.

One night passed, and the restaurant's evening situation was even worse than Falan had imagined.

If the dining situation in the morning was orderly, then the evening was pure chaos.

Most adventurers finished their expeditions around this time and looked for somewhere to eat.

Drunken troublemakers, people fighting in the restaurant over unfair profit shares—Falan saw it all on his first day of work.

More importantly, he could tell that this was probably an everyday occurrence, because the two senior workers—

did not make any special effort to stop them, as if this were an unspoken rule of Orario.

"Falan, what are you thinking about?" Seeing him fall silent, the owner of the Golden Ring asked.

"It's nothing..." Though he wanted to laugh it off, Falan could not quite hold it in.

"Fine. I'm just not used to seeing those adventurers act so recklessly."

"Not used to it? So you really are new to Orario. My advice is to endure it. Once you see enough of it, you'll get used to it."

After saying that, the owner lowered his head again and continued working on the books.

Falan felt a sense of helplessness. This was the truth of the world—the strong preyed on the weak.

It could also be called adventurer supremacy. As long as someone became an adventurer and received a god's Blessing—

from the moment they became an adventurer, they were destined to leave ordinary people far behind.

Aside from indigenous powerhouses like Heroes, no one could stand against adventurers.

What was more, there were ranks even among adventurers.

First-class adventurers, level 5 and above; second-class adventurers, levels 3 and 4—the pillars of Orario's major Familias.

Third-class adventurers, level 2—the elites of each Familia, and in some smaller Familias, they could even become captains.

Lower-ranked adventurers, level 1—the lowest-status adventurers, the most numerous and mixed bunch, and the ones most likely to produce bullies who feared the strong and preyed on the weak.

If I were like the owner and the others, a native of this world, perhaps I would choose to compromise.

But as a soul from a law-governed society, I still couldn't stand the sight of it.

With a faint sigh in his heart, he watched the bustling street.

If only I were an adventurer too. The thought quietly took root in his heart.

But that thought was quickly rejected...

"Become an adventurer?" After hearing Falan's question, the owner shook his head helplessly.

"There are so many people in Orario. How could everyone possibly become an adventurer? Falan, you're overthinking it."

Then the owner added helplessly, "Even if you want to become an adventurer, wait a few years! Humans aren't like other races. You're only twelve or thirteen, right? Wait until you're fifteen or sixteen."

Hearing that, Falan felt a warmth in his heart. Though he had not known the owner for long, the man did not care about such things and was genuinely worried for him. In a way, Falan was glad that he had come to this world.

After all, this place was simpler than he had imagined. People trusted one another more—or at least, that was what he had encountered so far. Since the owner said so, Falan chose to trust him. As a local who had run a restaurant for so many years—

the owner naturally had enough skill and experience. When it came to most things in Orario, he surely knew far more than Falan did.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Falan worked at the Golden Ring restaurant from morning to night every day.

During his free time at noon, he wandered all over Orario, familiarizing himself with the surroundings.

Naturally, those three years had not been wasted. Ever since arriving in this world—

Falan had quickly felt the world's malice. The gap between rich and poor, for instance, and the difference in strength between adventurers and ordinary people. So besides working at the Golden Ring to earn money, he spent time trying to master magic and combat.

Of course, if there was one thing Falan had been most satisfied with since coming to this world, it was probably buying a house...

After all, Orario's housing prices were far lower than Falan had imagined. A house could be bought for a little over a hundred thousand Valis, while cheaper ones cost only tens of thousands. If one truly had no money, a few hundred Valis could rent a place for a month.

For people in this world, what was truly expensive was not housing, but weapons.

For example, the most ordinary and cheapest standard-issue weapon for novice adventurers cost anywhere from one thousand to five thousand Valis.

Weapons for third-class adventurers, the lowest tier among upper-ranked adventurers, started at fifty thousand Valis.

One weapon was worth a whole house, and that was not even counting the fact that such weapons were all considered consumables.

What was truly expensive were weapons specially made for first-class adventurers. From the gossip Falan had heard from customers—

it seemed that one Familia had spent more than five hundred million Valis to forge a staff specifically for a first-class adventurer.

Not to mention that the highest-grade Magic Crystals used in them were consumables as well, and every repair cost a fortune.

So if possible, I should join a Smithing-type Familia!

After all, for adventurers, a good weapon was the best tool for protecting their lives.

And Falan's imagined start—heading into the Dungeon with a first-class weapon to protect himself?

Unfortunately, he probably could not even scrape together the small change needed to repair a first-class weapon.

"Owner, thank you for taking care of me all this time."

"Mm. You want to become an adventurer?"

"Yes, owner."

"Take good care of yourself, and come back to visit often."

"I will."

"By the way, aren't you going to say goodbye to Luo En and Fafna?"

"I'm not good at that. Adventurers could die in the Dungeon at any time. I don't want them worrying about me."

"..." Idiot. Do you think no one will worry about you just because you say nothing?

The owner shook his head and said no more, because this was Falan's own choice.

But—

watching him leave, the owner gave a helpless bitter smile.

"You want to become an adventurer, yet you never considered that you had already joined a Familia."

"Lord Sigurd, you should not say that. Little brother Falan did not know from the very beginning."

"Luo En, are you blaming me? Orario is not as peaceful as it looks. Our Familia has provoked the Evils for too long. Even though the Evils were driven back three years ago by the joint forces of the Loki Familia and Freya Familia, that remains true."

"But is it really all right to let the child you favor leave like this, my lord?"

"Mm. Once he bears the mark of my Sigurd Familia, endless trouble will follow him. It would be safer for him to join a small Familia instead." Sigurd was a descendant of the Volsung Clan and Odin's child, so he could be considered a Norse god.

"I see. Still, after that little brother leaves, our Golden Ring will become much quieter."

"Enough with that nonsense. Didn't we live the same way three years ago?"

As Sigurd spoke, the restaurant gradually fell silent.