The next morning Leo opened his eyes to the sight of the dusty wooden ceiling. The straw stuffed bed had been surprisingly uncomfortable... and every part of his body ached from the mental and physical exhaustion of the day before.
As he sat up the woden bed frame creeked loudly under him and a resident next door baged on the wall "Shut up! Some of us are still trying to sleep!".
For a moment he just stared at the wall trying to process everything that had happened.
A new world, dying, becoming the weakest adventurer… it was a lot to take in for him and he almost didnt believe any of it. He slowly got himself to his feet and made his way downstairs for breakfast. The tavern was mostly empty except for a couple of beat up looking adventurers drinking ale even though it was early in the morning.
The same barkeep from the night before was wiping down the counter. She glanced up at him.
"Breakfast is on the table over there" she said, pointing with her chin towards a small table with a plate of hard bread and what looked like a piece of dried meat or atleast he hoped it was dried meat.
"Don't expect much for a free meal"
Leo nodded and grabbed the plate. It wasn't great by any means,but it was food. As he ate he walked back over to the bar to ask where a shop was.
"Hey, I need to get some gear," he started, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "You know any place that sells decent armor and weapons for cheap? I'm on a budget"
The barkeep let out a short laugh. "Cheap and decent don't usually go together kid. But if you're looking for a bargain, try Old Man Hemlock's shop down the main road. He's a stingy old coot, but his prices are the lowest… if you can stand dealing with him, wich to warn you most people cant"
After finishing his plate called breakfast, Leo headed out with his small pouch of silver coins feeling lighter than it was. He found the shop easily enough down the road. It had a crooked wooden sign with a rusty sword painted on it and inside, a grumpy old man with a long grey beard eyed him suspiciously.
"Yep this is the place..." he sighed out before entering
Leo spent a few minutes looking around. Most of the gear was dented or rusted, but he found a simple leather chest piece and a short sword that looked doable. He brought them to the counter where the old man was sitting and staring at him the whole time he was there.
"How much for these old.man?"
Hemlock squinted at the items, then at Leo.
"For you? Ten silver coins is the best i can do"
Leo's jaw dropped at the sound of 10 silver coins, it was a scam!
"Ten! I only have five! Can you do it for four? This stuff is all beat up anyway!"
The merchant scoffed and snatched the sword back.
"Four? Are you insulting me boy? This is quality steel! The price is ten take it or leave it. Don't waste my time trying to haggle like a street rat"
Leo clenched his fists with anger. It was just like back home, always being looked down on.
"Fine! I'll take my business elsewhere!" he stormed out of the shop. As the door slammed behind him a new prompt appeared in his vision.
[System Notification]
[Failure Incurred: Failed to successfully negotiate a purchase]
[Reward: Skill Unlocked - [Appraisal]
'Appraisal? What's that do?' Leo thought himself while he was still heated from the old mans words. He was so mad he didn't even stop to figure it out. He just kept walking and talking to himself about the greedy old man.
"Stupid old jerk… ten silver for that junk… I'll find a better place even if it takes me all day…"
As he was talking to himself he passed by a dark alley between two buildings. A faint wheezing sound caught his attention and stopped him from clenching his fist in spite. He glanced over and saw a figure slumped against the wall.
It was a girl a bit younger than him with cat ears and a long tail, she was wearing rags and her body was thin, like she hadn't eaten in weeks.
She was barely breathing it looked like and this made Leo stop and stare for a second. He felt a tiny bit of pity, but then the anxiety kicked in. 'I shouldn't get involved,' he thought to himself. 'I'm new here, I have no power, no money… I can't even afford a decent sword. I need to look out for myself first.'
He turned away and kept walking through the alley whiletrying to push the image of the starving girl out of his mind.He found another armor shop a few streets over and the owner was a much friendlier woman who helped him pick out a sturdy leather jerkin and a balanced short sword for exactly four silver and a handful of copper.
"I finally got a better deal the that old man!" He said outloud to himself and the shop keeper raised an eyebrow to it but didn't think much. She was just happy to make a sale.
He felt a little better after putting it all on and more like a real adventurer instead of getting all the looks he recieved in his old clothes.
On his way back to the tavern he had to pass by that same alley again... He tried not to look but he couldn't help it.
As he got closer to the other end where the girl was sitting he heard a loud thud that was followed by a cruel laugh.
"Look at this piece of trash! Get up you filthy beast!"
Leo's head immediately turned towards the sound and he saw a tall adventurer with a smug look on his face kicking the Demi Human girl in the stomach and face, who was now curled up in a ball on the ground.
The sight sent a clenched of emotions through him, all he could think about was the people who bullied him and It was the same kind of bullying, the same kind of cruelty he had to go through before he came here.
He clenched his fists with his new swod at his side as mind kept telling him to walk away, to not get involved, that this was a fight he couldn't win.
He took a deep breath, the fear and anger bottling up inside him and stepped into the alley.
"Hey! Leave her alone you asshole!"