"Big brother, dinner is ready!"

"Thanks, I’ll be right there."

After a short while, it seemed that dinner was prepared, so I headed downstairs. There were a few customers already eating, and most of them appeared to be young men. Listening to their conversations, it was clear that most of them were adventurers. This city, being called the "starting city," probably meant that many beginner adventurers stayed here.

"Here you go, wild boar stew. Careful, it’s hot. And here’s the ale—costs extra."

"Thank you very much."

The one who brought the food was a muscular man. He didn’t resemble Albera at all, but he might be her father.

The dish served was a hot, steaming stew. A generous amount of vegetables and large chunks of meat sat in the bowl. The ale was extra and cost 5 copper coins. Since I’m in another world, I figured I should properly savor the taste of the alcohol too!

I carefully took a spoonful of the stew. The meat had been simmered until tender and practically melted in my mouth. They said it was wild boar, which meant it was probably boar meat, but it didn’t have any unpleasant smell. It was truly delicious!

As the savory taste of the meat filled my mouth, I immediately took a gulp of the ale.

"Puhah!"

To be honest, the ale was lukewarm and not that great. Still, alcohol is alcohol. After being suddenly transported to a forest in another world, wandering through the woods, and encountering goblins, my body—both physically and mentally—was exhausted. So even if it wasn’t the best ale, it felt incredibly satisfying. How could it not?

"Hey, you’ve got quite the drinking style there, big guy."

"Well, this wild boar meat is amazing! It’s so tender, and you’ve really cooked it well."

"Glad to hear it. The trick is to get rid of the smell first. Pretty good, huh?"

It seemed the muscular man had made the dish himself. Honestly, the stew was quite delicious. If only the ale had been colder and the flavor a bit richer, it would’ve been perfect. But for this price, I had no complaints.

"I only arrived in this town today, but everyone’s so kind. It’s really a nice place."

"Oh, just got here today, huh? Well, people from all over come to this city hoping to become adventurers. Folks are usually pretty kind to newbies. Though I hear merchants don’t make much profit, since a lot of adventurers are broke. So, are you looking to become an adventurer too?"

"…No, I probably won’t become one. I’m not very good at fighting."

After all, I got completely terrified by a goblin. Plus, I’ve never even been in a fight back in my original world.

"Yeah, you’re a bit scrawny for an adventurer. But it’s good you realize your limits. Adventurers who overestimate their abilities often end up getting reckless and dying young."

"…………"

He’s right. This world isn’t like Japan—there’s no guarantee of safety. One moment of carelessness could cost you your life. If Roya and the others hadn’t helped me, I might have died already. Yeah… adventuring isn’t for me. I’ll need to find another way to make money.

"Yeah, I’ll be careful."

"One more thing, kid. Since you’re new in town, here’s some advice. Most folks here are friendly to rookie adventurers, but not everyone’s a good person. Some scumbags prey on newbies, so keep your wits about you."

"…Understood. Thanks for the warning."

It’s true that everyone I met today, including this muscular guy, seemed nice. But there are bad people everywhere. I’ll definitely stay alert.

After finishing dinner, I went back to my room to finally test out my ability. This power could make or break my future. Please, let it be a cheat ability!

"I see… I think I’ve got a general understanding of it now."

My ability, which I’ll call the Outdoor Shop from now on, seems pretty useful.

First off, regarding the money charge system, it turns out I can freely deposit and withdraw money. Once charged, I can take it back out as the same currency, which means I can use it like a wallet by keeping unspent money in the shop.

This city may be considered safe by this world’s standards, but it’s still another world. There are likely thieves and pickpockets, and you can’t compare it to Japan. So being able to store money securely is a huge relief.

One limitation is that I can only withdraw money into my immediate surroundings—either into my hands or pockets. I tried placing coins on a table or withdrawing them onto objects to see if I could use the money for attacks, but that didn’t work.

Next, I wanted to see if I could return something I bought. I tried putting the folding spoon I bought earlier back into the window and focusing on "return," but it didn’t work. It seems there’s no way to return or store purchased items.

As for the kinds of items available, since it’s labeled as an Outdoor Shop, I can buy camping gear similar to what you’d find in an outdoor shop in my original world. But the problem is that there aren’t many items to choose from.

Normally, you’d expect tents, sleeping bags, burners, and chairs in an outdoor shop, but all I can get here are small items like cups, plates, a small skillet, and a Sierra cup.

This can hardly be called an outdoor shop. But the answer is probably in this message displayed in the window:

【Outdoor Shop LV1　Next level: 4.96 gold coins】