Ethan, no—Yamamoto woke up early the next morning, even before the first light of dawn. His body was stiff from sleeping in an awkward position, and he didn't really feel too refreshed, but it quickly disappeared and he felt normal again after a couple of minutes passed. It was strange, but he attributed it to the system again.
He waited until the place was bright enough that he could see around and navigate without stumbling blindly. Wasting no time, he left for Salt Fish Town.
The journey back to Salt Fish Town took most of the day.
The forest teemed with creatures that he tried to avoid as much as possible. He skirted around a pair of wolves, their eyes constantly tracking his movement as he walked through. Further along, a massive boar with tusks as thick as his forearm forced him to detour through a thicket of thorns to escape pursuit. He was sure he could take it on, but the animal was just freighting when it charged ferociously, besides there was no need to face it and risk gaining unnecessary experience points.
Only the giant rats proved impossible to some extent, but he could still knock them off and run away to avoid them as much as possible. As for the persistent ones, he had no choice but to draw his sword and defend himself.
Each time he had to fight, Yamamoto was careful and precise, using the beasts to test his coordination.
It was strange, since his body moved exactly as he wished it to, it was like he had always been able to perform the stunts and attacks, simply fascinating. Well, he did perform all of those kinds of movements since Lost World Online was Neural Virtual Reality Game, but the rate of synchronization now that this was reality was just something else.
With that realization, his far of facing them reduced greatly. He used the minimum force necessary, focused on disabling rather than killing when possible, and all round had a good time.
Nevertheless, exp was the enemy right now, every kill bringing him closer to level 10, and he needed to stay low for as long as possible. There were still a few hidden quests to do, opportunities that would vanish if he leveled too quickly.
By the time the forest finally thinned and Salt Fish Town's shabby buildings came into view, the sun was setting.
He had done well to ration the bread and water he had, so seeing the shabby buildings of Salt Fish Town was really nice at such a time. The bread was manageable, but wasn't enough to satisfy him well at all.
Soon enough he reached the town proper and made his way towards the Rusty Anchor, gaining some glances here and there on the way from the townsfolk. His clothes were muddy and torn in places from the forest, and he was carrying a sword openly on his hip, though, no one challenged him. Weapons seemed to be common enough here, or so he thought. Perhaps just not too common in a fishing town such as Salt Fish. That aside, his height was definitely still the main reason.
Standing before the doors of the Inn, Yamamoto pushed through the door and was immediately hit by the warm smell of food.
Grom looked up from behind the bar, and his eyebrows rose in genuine surprise.
"Well, well. The tall lad returns." The innkeeper's eyes traveled over Yamamoto's appearance— "And looking a bit more prosperous than when you left, I'd say… but not in the best of shape, are ya?" He noted.
Yamamoto smiled a bit as he approached the bar. "I need a room. Same rate as before?"
"Of course! What? Do you think I'm a pirate? Breakfast's included. Drop another five if you want dinner tonight." Grom leaned forward, studying him with an appraising eye. "You're an adventurer, aren't you? Got that look about you now, haha!"
Yamamoto hesitated a bit. Adventurer, huh? "What makes you say that?" He said, laughing a bit.
"Been running this inn for twenty years, lad. You learn to spot the type. Plus—" He gestured at Yamamoto's sword. "—most folks carrying weapons around here are either guards or troublemakers. You don't move like a guard, and troublemakers don't usually pay their bills on time, so of course you'd have to be the later, even though they rarely show up in this town."
That was interesting. Yamamoto had assumed carrying weapons would be unusual, but apparently it was normal enough—at least in certain contexts.
"I suppose I am," Yamamoto admitted with a dry laugh, handing over his coins for payment. "But, is that a problem?"
"Problem? Ah, no, no. Adventurers are good business. Not as frequent, but reliable for the most part. Not like I'm complaining or anything, since its peace that keeps you lot away." Grom counted the coins and slid a key across the bar. "Same room as before. Dinner willll be ready in about an hour. "
"Thanks," Yamamoto said, taking the key.
Room three was exactly as he had left it, though it appeared to have been cleaned properly. He dropped onto the bed with a sigh of relief, finally able to properly rest after the long day. Even though he didn't feel too much physical exhaustion since a while back, he still felt a bit drained mentally.
Almost immediately, he was caught in thoughts. The hidden quests were his priority, but he also needed to think about money. His funds wouldn't last forever, and he'd need equipment, supplies, potions…
'Ahhh… I'll think of that later.' he told himself.
The reason he had come back to this cheap Inn instead of spending a little more for something more comfortable was simple, fear of spending too much and turning out broke. Like some would say, poverty is a mindset… or was it? Certainly, he was just being cautious and calculative, right?
An hour later, he made his way back downstairs. The common room had a few people now, all of them looking like locals. Yamamoto found an empty table in the corner and settled in to wait for his meal.
Just a few seconds later, someone came up to him. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
Yamamoto looked up to find a young man standing beside his table. He was probably around twenty, maybe late teens? It was hard to tell. He had a clean shaven face with an earnest expression and the kind of polite bearing that suggested good upbringing. He wore simple but well-maintained armor—leather reinforced with a few metal studs—and had a sword and shield strapped to his back.
"Please, go ahead," Yamamoto said with a faint smile.
The young man sat down with a grateful smile. "Thank you. The inn is busier than usual tonight." He extended his hand. "Kenneth Lamb. I'm a Warrior."
Yamamoto shook his hand, noting the firm grip. "Odinson. Swordsman." He introduced without thinking much of it, as was customary between players.