“By the way, it’s close to dinner time,” Grandpa Tariq said, squinting as he looked up at the orange hue of the setting sun. “Let’s buy something for dinner while we walk around the village”.

  “Yes, let me carry the supplies, Grandpa,” I replied immediately, stepping forward.

  I was eager to see more of the settlement. If I was going to live here, even for a short while, I needed to understand the layout and the people who inhabited it. As we stepped out of the small hut, I took a long look at the narrow dirt paths and the simple adobe houses clustered together. Everything felt grounded and heavy, a stark contrast to the ethereal white space I had just come from.

  “Hahaha! I didn’t properly introduce myself, did I?” the old man said, his laughter sounding like dry parchment rubbing together. “My name is Tariq, and I am the chief of Hajzenfels. I live by myself in that house. I rarely have visitors these days, so I decided to let you stay with me. It’s a good thing to have some company again”.

  Tariq seemed genuinely pleased to be called "Grandpa". I noticed how his eyes softened every time I used the term. It seemed my instincts were correct—elders in any world loved to have someone youthful around to bridge the gap of their loneliness.

  He really is a kind soul, I thought. I think I’ll get along with him just fine.

  The memory loss remained a strange sensation. I knew that two plus two equaled four, and I understood the concept of a "village chief," but I had no idea who had taught me these things or where I had first seen them. It was as if a library of knowledge remained in my head, but the librarian had burned all the records of where the books came from. I decided it was best not to dwell on it; the practical information was what mattered for survival.

  “By the way, Grandpa… is the equipment I’m wearing everything I had on me when you found me?” I asked, trying to sound casual despite my underlying anxiety about my missing items.

  “No,” Tariq replied honestly. “We didn’t touch your pouch or the armor you were wearing, but we did take your sword and shield. Please forgive us for that, young man. It was a necessary precaution to ensure the village’s safety”.

  I felt a surge of relief that they hadn't simply sold my weapons. “Of course, I understand,” I said with a nod. “I don’t blame you at all. On the contrary, I’m thankful you’re being so honest about it. You could have chosen not to tell me at all”.

  In truth, I would have done the same thing. Letting an armed, unconscious stranger into one’s home was a massive risk. I might have reconsidered for a beautiful girl, but for a random man? Tariq’s generosity was truly exceptional.

  “Good. I will return your equipment to you after dinner, so you don’t have to worry. Now, let’s go,” he said, gesturing toward the center of the settlement.

  As we walked, Tariq spoke to the villagers we passed. I couldn't understand the local dialect, but I watched their faces closely. At first, many looked at me with the same suspicion I’d seen earlier, but after Tariq explained my situation, their expressions began to relax into mild curiosity. There were more people in the village than I had first anticipated, all living in these humble adobe structures that looked quite sturdy despite their age.

  Grandpa Tariq proved to be an excellent source of information. As we headed toward the small market area, he patiently explained the "common sense" of this world.

  “This village is Hajzenfels,” he began, pointing to the surrounding horizon. “We are located on the northwestern frontier of the Targonia Kingdom. Because we are so far from the central cities, we rarely see knights or wealthy merchants. To our north and west, there are no other nations—only the wild lands”.

  He described the wild lands as a vast, untamed territory. While any kingdom could technically claim ownership of it, no one did. The area was infested with monsters so powerful that a full military campaign would be required to clear it, and no lord wanted to expend that much effort on such dangerous, unprofitable ground.

  “We are lucky,” Tariq continued. “Even though we are close to the wilderness, strong monsters rarely wander this far south. They stay deep in the woods, near the dungeons”.

  I listened intently as he explained the mechanics of this world’s ecology. Dungeons were considered living organisms that appeared in areas with high mana density—often near populated areas, but occasionally in the deep wilderness as well.

  “A new dungeon is easy to conquer,” Tariq said, his voice lowering slightly. “Lords usually send adventurers to clear them before they can grow. But some intentionally let them grow to increase the mana and wealth of their territory. Dungeons are a good source of income, you see. They consume the emotions and the flesh of those who die inside them. If a dungeon doesn't get enough 'visitors,' it gets hungry and starts to spawn monsters into the outside world”.

  This "monster overflow" was a serious threat to residential areas, which was why nobles generally kept a close eye on dungeons within their lands. However, in the wild lands, the dungeons were left untouched. Over time, these spawned monsters multiplied, interbreeding with local wildlife to create "hybrid monsters"—creatures that were stronger and more dangerous than normal beasts.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “The difference is simple,” Tariq noted. “Dungeon monsters disappear when killed, leaving behind Obscuras and occasional materials. But normal animals and hybrids leave a physical corpse behind. They can be dissected, and their parts can be sold for a profit”.

  By the time we reached the center of the village, I was deep in thought. The market area consisted of a few modest stalls where villagers traded goods. I used my Identify skill on some of the items as we passed, confirming that the local currency was indeed the Targonia copper coin.

  Grandpa Tariq stopped at a greengrocer and then a baker, purchasing a few vegetables and two loaves of bread. It cost him a total of six Targonia copper coins—two coppers per loaf.

  “Do you like soup, Han?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m not a picky eater. I don’t discriminate when it comes to food,” I replied with a smile.

  “Good. This village has some special vegetables that grow near the northern side. They’re excellent for soup. Let’s see if they suit your palate as well”.

  As I carried the bread and vegetables back toward the hut, I asked, “Hey, Grandpa! How do most people here make a living?”

  “Mostly farming and husbandry,” he explained as we navigated the dirt roads. “They sell their surplus to a merchant named Copez, who takes the goods to nearby cities. Some villagers craft wooden tools, but we lack high-quality timber for anything truly valuable. The wives knit and weave, and Copez buys those as well. Others work as laborers. It’s a hard life, but it pays the freeman taxes and keeps bellies full”.

  “Freeman taxes?” I asked, my voice rising in surprise. “You have to pay just for the right to be a freeman? That sounds like a tax just for breathing!”

  Tariq let out a booming laugh that echoed off the adobe walls. “Hahaha! It’s a good thing you’re with me, or you’d be a slave within a year. Listen closely: all land in this kingdom belongs to someone—either the King or a Noble. We pay for the privilege of living upon it”.

  I shuddered at the mention of slavery. The reality of this world was much harsher than the "adventure" I had initially imagined.

  “Every freeman must pay one Targonia gold coin per year,” Tariq detailed. “A parent pays ten silver coins per child, and a slave owner pays ten silver per slave. A household with a husband, wife, and two children pays two gold and twenty silver every year”.

  “And how much does a laborer earn?” I asked, trying to calculate the economics of survival based on the 100 silver I had in my pouch.

  “About eighty to one hundred copper coins a day,” Tariq answered.

  I crunched the numbers in my head. If a man’s wife helped earn money, a household could potentially save one or two gold coins a year after expenses. It was difficult, but perhaps not impossible if one was very frugal.

  “It is not that simple,” Tariq cautioned, sensing my internal calculations. “Illness or a single bad harvest can wipe out years of savings. A life where you save money year after year without a crisis... that would be paradise, not reality”.

  We returned to the hut, and Grandpa immediately began preparing the soup while the last bits of daylight faded. I helped set the table, realizing only then how starving I actually was. When the bowl was placed in front of me, I took a tentative sip. It was bland and lacked salt, but it was warm and filling.

  “How is it?” he asked, watching me intently.

  “Not bad,” I said, trying to be polite.

  “You cheeky brat!” he barked, though there was a twinkle in his eye. “You should be grateful for a warm meal!”

  “Hahaha, I mean it’s great! This is the best soup I’ve had so far!” I corrected myself with a grin.

  Tariq laughed, the tension of the day finally evaporating. After we finished eating and cleaned up, he went into the adjoining room and returned with my iron sword and shield.

  “Here, take them,” he said, handing them over with a serious expression. “I’m sorry for doubting you and taking your belongings”.

  I took the weapons, feeling the familiar, reassuring weight in my hands. “Are you sure, Grandpa? I could still be a bad guy, you know?” I teased.

  “Hmph. Don’t talk so much and go to sleep,” he grumbled affectionately. “By the way, some of the village younglings are heading out to hunt tomorrow morning. If you want to join them, it would be a good chance to socialize. What do you think?”

  I wondered how he had arranged that so quickly—perhaps while I was sleeping earlier or during one of his brief chats with the neighbors. Regardless, it was a perfect opportunity to test my strength and potentially acquire a new job.

  “Sure, I’d love to join them,” I said.

  “Well done. Goodnight then”.

  “Goodnight, Grandpa”.

  I went to my room, closed the door, and collapsed onto the straw bed. Despite the itchiness, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. My first day in this world was over. I had learned the geography, the economy, and the dangers. Now, I needed to become strong enough to protect the peace I’d found.

  “Identify!” I whispered one last time, checking my status before the darkness of sleep took me.

  ***

  Han

  Race: Human

  Sex: Male

  Status: Normal

  Equipment:

  *One-handed Iron Sword

  *Middle-scale Iron Shield

  *Leather Breastplate

  *Leather Helmet

  *Leather Gloves

  ***

  The window was the same as before, but this time, the sword and shield were back where they belonged. Tomorrow, I would see what I was truly capable of in this new world.

  [Edited]