As Raymond opened his eyes, he saw the morning sunlight peeking through the window and filling the room.
He immediately sat up and looked around. His roommate was still nowhere to be seen, and just like yesterday, the room was filled with silence and solitude.
"Maybe he got a more serious quest and left for a few days," Raymond muttered to himself.
Although his body had recovered somewhat from yesterday's horrifying events, he now felt a strong sense of hunger gnawing at his stomach.
After straightening his clothes, he headed downstairs to the inn's café to get something to eat.
Raymond ordered a plate of hot, richly cooked meat and a cup of strong green tea.
The moment the food arrived, he could barely restrain himself and immediately began eating.
After all, since arriving in this world—nearly two days ago—he had not eaten a single proper meal. The reason was the special energy-boosting liquid provided by the System during his first days. Under its effects, he had felt neither hunger nor fatigue.
Now, however, its effects had completely disappeared, and his ordinary human body was demanding nourishment.
The hot meal and tea filled him with a pleasant sense of comfort and renewed strength.
After finishing his food, Raymond took out one silver coin from his pouch and handed it to the server.
Since one silver coin was equal to one hundred copper coins in this world, and the meal itself was relatively inexpensive, he received eighty-five copper coins in change.
After organizing his money, he returned to his quiet room.
The panic from yesterday was gone. In its place remained only cold calculation and strategy.
Raymond sat beside the table and carefully began planning everything he needed to do that day.
He reviewed the information displayed by the System and compared it with the resources currently available to him.
By now, he had realized something important:
The quests issued by the Player's Guild were significantly more profitable than the quests provided by the System.
The System's dangerous quests rewarded Coins that could only be spent within the System Shop.
Guild quests, however, paid in actual silver and copper coins—the currency necessary for surviving in this world, paying inn fees, and buying food.
"So for the time being, I'll stop doing System quests entirely," Raymond concluded firmly.
"Sure, the System helps me grow stronger and acquire new skills faster. But right now, the financial rewards are too small. If I want to survive in this world, I first need to fill my real wallet."
He stood up from the table, fastened his dagger to his belt, adjusted his black cloak, and left his room.
With his new, more cautious plan in mind, Raymond headed once again toward the Player's Guild in search of safe quests and a steady source of real income.
---
As Raymond made his way through the city, he walked calmly along the bustling streets.
The cries of wagon drivers and the loud advertisements of merchants echoed all around him.
While passing through one of the main streets, he suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered in one area.
People were shouting and causing quite a commotion.
Curious to learn more about the Players of this world and how they behaved, Raymond slowed his pace and approached the crowd.
At the center of the circle stood two men engaged in a heated argument.
Their equipment and weapons made it obvious that they were not ordinary people but genuine Players.
The first man was tall and muscular, carrying a massive greatsword at his waist.
The golden armor covering his body gleamed beneath the sunlight and suggested a high degree of physical defense.
The second man belonged to an entirely different class.
He carried a long, smooth staff topped with a glowing blue crystal pulsing with magical energy.
A blue cloak hung over his shoulders above a black shirt.
He looked every bit like a Mage-class Player.
"Give me back my loot right now!" the blue-cloaked mage shouted furiously.
His eyes burned with hatred.
"My loot?" the armored warrior mocked loudly.
He laughed and looked around as if inviting the crowd to share the joke.
"That loot belongs to me! I landed the finishing blow. So how exactly does it belong to you, you idiot Mage?"
Standing among the crowd, Raymond lowered the hood of his black cloak and carefully observed the situation.
Once again, he was witnessing that in this ruthless world, monsters were not the only enemies.
Players could become enemies as well.
"You may have landed the finishing blow," the mage shouted angrily, "but I did all the work! I weakened the monster and brought it to the brink of death. You simply stole the loot after taking advantage of the situation!"
His entire body trembled with rage.
"We were supposed to work as a team! Instead, you hid like a coward while I did all the hard work! What's your excuse for that, damn it?!"
For a brief moment, the warrior froze.
Being publicly called a coward in front of an entire crowd ignited his fury.
His face reddened with anger.
"I'm going to rip that long tongue out of your mouth!" he roared, placing a hand on the hilt of his greatsword.
"Come on then! Let's settle this with strength! Whoever wins gets the loot! If you're a real man, fight me!"
The mage instantly fell silent.
His lips trembled.
The situation had become far more dangerous than he expected.
If he accepted the duel, his chances in close combat were virtually zero.
Mages specialized in ranged combat and powerful spells.
At close range, they were extremely vulnerable.
Yet if he refused in front of so many witnesses, he would lose not only the loot but also his pride and reputation.
There was no easy escape.
Grinding his teeth, he lifted his head proudly.
"Fine. I accept."
He tightened his grip on his magical staff.
Both players entered combat stances and stared at each other like mortal enemies.
The crowd quickly backed away, creating a large open area between them.
Raymond also stepped back and continued watching in silence.
"Go ahead. Make the first move!" the mage said.
The blue crystal atop his staff began glowing brightly.
The warrior let out a savage roar and started drawing his sword—
"STOP! Who is causing trouble inside the city?!"
A powerful voice suddenly cut through the crowd.
Heavy-armored city guards pushed their way forward and immediately placed themselves between the two Players.
The captain of the guard gripped his sword tightly and glared at both men.
Had they started a genuine battle in the city center, their supernatural abilities could easily have damaged buildings and endangered civilians.
The guards clearly understood this and had arrived before disaster could occur.
"Fighting within city limits is strictly forbidden!" the captain shouted.
"If you want to duel, there are designated arenas for that. Why are you causing trouble here?"
The warrior was still seething with anger.
Ignoring the warning, he glared directly at the captain.
"This is our problem. Stay out of it."
The guard captain immediately placed a hand on his sword.
The soldiers behind him stepped forward.
The pressure radiating from them was far greater than that of ordinary Players.
"I don't care about your personal dispute," the captain replied coldly.
"I'm only telling you not to endanger the city or its citizens. If either of you breaks the law and starts fighting here, I'll throw both of you into prison."
The mage instantly recognized the opportunity.
The arrival of the guards could save both his life and his pride.
He quickly spoke up.
"I respect the law. I'm willing to fight in an official duel arena."
There was a reason for his sudden enthusiasm.
The official duel arena was extremely spacious.
There were no obstacles or corners favoring close combat.
Such a battlefield allowed a mage to maintain distance and continuously kite opponents while bombarding them with spells.
"Fuck you..." the warrior cursed internally.
He understood exactly what the mage was planning.
The arena would greatly favor ranged combat.
However, opposing the city guards would be pure stupidity.
Realizing resistance was pointless, he sheathed his sword.
Thus, accompanied by the city guards and an eager crowd of spectators, the two rivals headed toward the official duel arena.
Raymond watched them leave and found himself developing a new idea.
His goal was to become stronger.
To do that, he needed more than just experience from killing monsters.
He also needed to study other Players, their combat styles, and their skills.
"Watching a real battle between Players can't hurt," he thought as he adjusted his hood.
"Seeing what the various classes in this world are capable of may provide valuable knowledge that will help me survive in the future."
Temporarily setting aside his original plans, Raymond followed the crowd toward the duel arena.
---
Before long, they arrived at a massive battleground on the outskirts of the city.
The place resembled the legendary Roman Colosseum.
A gigantic circular arena was surrounded by towering stone walls and rows of spectator seats.
The center was covered in sand and protected by a magical barrier capable of withstanding supernatural attacks.
The two rivals entered the center of the arena and stopped roughly thirty paces apart.
"Now we'll see who wins," the mage thought with a sly grin.
The vast battlefield gave him an enormous tactical advantage.
"Damn you... and damn this place..." the warrior cursed inwardly.
Although he knew the situation was unfavorable, retreating would be a disgrace.
Once both combatants assumed their battle stances, the arena official stepped into the center.
He lowered the flag in his hand and announced the beginning of the duel with a booming voice.
Raymond watched them carefully.
If he wanted to survive in this world, he had much to learn—and this battle was an opportunity to gain valuable experience.