"Odinson. Swordsman."
He hesitated for a second before giving his name. Saying "Yamamoto Odinson" out loud felt strange, and most of all, a bit embarrassing, even if the other party didn't know.
'Ahh~ why did I ever think this was a good idea?' He thought to himself, shedding a tear inwardly.
Well, the lad before him seemed to really be good mannered. If he noticed the brief hesitation, he didn't comment on it, instead, his face lit up. "A fellow adventurer! I didn't expect to find one all the way out here in Salt Fish Town. This is fantastic!"
His enthusiasm was almost infectious. Yamamoto found himself relaxing slightly, shielding himself from the blinding beams of positivity projecting invasively from the young man. "You sound, surprised?"
"Well, yes! Most adventurers stick to the cities or at least the larger more active towns. The hunting grounds and dungeons there are better organized and the guilds offer support, there's actually proper infrastructure." Kenneth leaned forward mischievously. "Between you and me, places like Salt Fish Town are usually just waypoints. People pass through but don't stay."
"But you're here," Yamamoto pointed out frankly, managing a dry laugh.
"Ah, yes, well…" Kenneth looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm here for a specific reason. There's a dungeon a day's travel from here—small one, nothing too dangerous, but it's got good loot for the level range. I'm organizing a party to clear it in a few days." He explained.
'A dungeon?' Yamamoto thought to himself, his interest piqued. Well, he already knew all the dungeons around, so that wasn't the most important thing.
Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a serving girl bringing them their food. Yamamtoto's stomach growled appreciatively as he smelled the food that was kept before him. Finally, something nice had arrived! After eating hard bread the whole day, he certainly didn't fancy the bread placed before him, but the same could not be said for the roasted chicken.
As they began eating, Kenneth continued talking. "So, Odinson, what guild are you with? I'm with the Iron Vanguard myself—just a provisional member, but still."
Yamamoto paused mid-bite. 'Guild, huh? Guess NPCs take over what players are supposed to champion.' He thought to himself.
"I'm not with any guild."
Kenneth's eyebrows rose. "Really? Are you registered with the Adventurer's Association at least?"
'Adventurer's Association?' It seemed the world was making up for things by adding additional things.
"No."
Now Kenneth looked genuinely surprised and even a little suspicion appeared clearly on his face. "You're not registered? But you said you're a Swordsman. You're clearly equipped for combat..."
Immediately, Yamamoto realized his mistake. An unregistered adventurer probably looked suspicious, like someone operating outside the law.
Without thinking much on it, the words to get him out of the bind spilled from his mind like he was an expert or something. "I only recently became an adventurer," he explained, keeping his voice casual. "Needed the money, you know?"
He paused a bit, watching to see Kenneth nod in understanding before he continued. "Anyway, I haven't made enough yet to afford the journey to a city where I can properly register. I've just been doing small jobs around here, hunting in the forest, that sort of thing. I even heard that the fee for registration is a bit high." He said.
After chewing on it for some seconds, the explanation seemed to satisfy Kenneth. His expression cleared and perked up instantly as he nodded sympathetically. "Ah, I see. That's actually pretty common, you know? Lots of people start out that way—taking odd jobs, building up funds before they can afford the registration fees. The Association understands that. As long as you register eventually, there's no problem, I think."
'This guy's so simple.' Yamamoto thought to himself with a sigh of relief.
"Well then, this is perfect timing!" Kenneth's enthusiastically said. "The dungeon run I mentioned earlier, the payout should be more than enough to cover your travel and registration fees. We're splitting the loot evenly among the party members, and even a small dungeon could yield at least a few silver coins when distributed, as long as its not giant rats or goblins, haha, those are too common, luckily, it won't. You're interested, aren't you?"
"I am," Yamamoto said carefully. "What's the dungeon? What level?"
"It's called the Whispering Caves. Average monster level is around 8-10, so it's accessible for newer adventurers, but I got some info, so this one will be rather profitable. The layout is fairly straightforward—mostly tunnel systems with some larger chambers. The boss is supposedly a level 12 beast, but with a proper party, it should be manageable."
Thinking about it, level 8-10 monsters and a level 12 boss. It was not impossible while being a level 4 with optimized stats and a couple additional stat points, as long as his teammates were good, he could ride on their strength and take care of the sensitive parts. He knew the dungeon, which was his biggest advantage. It even a one-time dungeon, meaning it disappeared after one clear.
Thinking about it though, he'd already cleared the time-sensitive quest, and the Midnight Dungeon was behind him. The remaining hidden quests he knew about were level-gated—they'd still be available as long as he stayed below level 10. He wouldn't go above level 10 with this dungeon.
"When are you planning this run?" Yamamoto asked.
"Four days from now, in the morning. I'm still putting together the party—we need at least four people, ideally five. I've got myself, you if you're interested, and I'm waiting to hear back from two others. A Mage and a Cleric."
'A balanced party. Warrior for tanking, Swordsman for DPS, Mage for ranged damage and crowd control, Cleric for healing. Everything looks solid.' Not to mention, four days was a lot, so by then he certainly wouldn't be level 4 anymore. It all sounded good.
"Count me in," Yamamoto said.
Kenneth's face broke into a wide grin. He extended his hand again, and they shook on it. "Excellent! Meet me here in four days, early morning. We'll set out at dawn, clear the dungeon, and be back by nightfall if everything goes well."
They finished their meals while Kenneth talked more about dungeons, adventuring, and the various guilds operating in the region. Yamamoto mostly listened, absorbing information. This world was so much more complex than the game had portrayed. There were systems, organizations, and rules he'd never encountered before.
Eventually, Kenneth yawned and stood up. "I should get some rest. Early start tomorrow—I've got to check in with the others, make sure they're still committed."
"See you in four days," Yamamoto said.
"Four days," Kenneth confirmed with a nod, then headed upstairs.
Yamamoto sat alone at the table for a while longer, thinking. The dungeon run was a good opportunity for money, and a chance to see how parties operated in this world. Kenneth seemed trustworthy enough, and having allies would be valuable. 'I could also just raid it alone…' He thought to himself in passing but dismissed it immediately. 'That was too cruel… there are other dungeons to take advantage of. No need to steal food from another man.'
Just then, coincidentally, all the isekai stories where party members betray the isekied MC came to him, sending a shudder down his spine and legs… 'this won't be the case, right?'
Thinking about it, he decided it'll be good to be prepared for anything to stay safe. Following through with the raid was still a good idea, which would benefit him in future by following Kenneth to the city. He wasn't sure how this world worked all through, but taking the modern earth he came from into account, having someone to vouch for you who is an immigrant usually made things much easier.
Yamamoto stood, nodded to Grom behind the bar, and headed upstairs to his room.