Chapter 6

The next day at lunchtime, I went out to eat.

I could make my own, but the food in this town is delicious. It’s definitely better than what I can make! I’ve convinced myself of this, so I usually don’t make lunch. I buy it instead.

What should I get today?

This country has both bread and rice. Since the dungeon is nearby, there’s an abundance of monster meat.

I’ll go with this one today. I decided on an item that caught my eye at a store I occasionally visit.

There’s bread on the top and bottom, with lettuce and oak meat in between. Oak meat is a staple ingredient in this country.

I sit on a bench in the square to eat.

The bread is fluffy, the lettuce is crisp, and the meat is delicious. Today is peaceful too.

While eating, I noticed a woman holding a sign that read “Healing Magic: 3 copper coins” at the edge of the square. Using “Appraisal,” I saw that she was a G-rank adventurer and could indeed use healing magic. Healing magic users sometimes work alone, selling their healing magic to others for a fee. She was trying to attract passersby, but it didn’t seem to be going well.

“Are you trying to earn money with healing magic?”

I approached and asked.

“Yes! By any chance...”

“Oh, sorry. I’m not a customer.”

The woman clearly looked disappointed. But it can’t be helped. I’m not tired, after all.

“Not that, but if you’re going to do business, I think it might be better inside the guild. However, it’s a popular spot, so you can only operate every few days.”

But I think it’s better than always being in the square. The guild is where injured adventurers gather.

I took the woman back to the guild and led her to a corner of the lobby where healing magic users usually operate. A male healing magic user who was on duty today would explain the business to her, so I left it to him. From now on, she would operate here on the days assigned to her. It’s like a shift system from my previous life.

After hearing the explanation, she came over to me.

“Thank you for introducing me to this place! I’ll be leaving now, but I really appreciate it!”

She had been in the square for the past two days but had made no money at all. She seemed relieved to have a better prospect now and left with a slightly more relaxed face.

After lunch, a counter service was in progress when an adventurer who needed healing magic came in. He was part of a party that had come to sell materials. Using my “Appraisal” skill, I saw that he had “Poison” listed under status abnormalities.

“You don’t look well. It seems like the symptoms are similar to those of poisoning. Did you get attacked by a poisonous monster somewhere?”

There are indeed poisonous monsters in this area, but is it one of them? Or is it a different monster? I’d like to get that information. Also, I’m curious why he hasn’t been treated yet.

“Of course, that’s what I think too. Look, the receptionist is saying the same thing. Don’t be stubborn and go to the clinic.”

One of the party members advised the poisoned member to get treatment. He had been lightly attacked during a camp but only sustained minor injuries. Since he couldn’t clearly identify the monster and it quickly fled, he hadn’t been concerned. However, as they got closer to town, he started feeling increasingly fatigued.

Normally, he would have gone to the clinic or used medicine long before this. However, he was reluctant to spend money, and he had used up all his antidotes and health-restoring potions. He also didn’t have any party members who could use healing magic.

...I’m surprised you’ve managed to survive this long.

I think this, but young parties often prioritize other things over recovery. They believe that increasing the number of kills is the quickest way to rank up. Of course, I don’t intend to criticize their combat strategies.

However, if he hadn’t made it here, it could have been dangerous...

The clinic is like a hospital. It’s a specialized facility that can provide appropriate treatment for specific symptoms. However, the treatment costs are high. Adventurers who are short on money don’t want to spend much. Some even think they can recover by resting.

From the way his health points were decreasing, I could tell it wasn’t a strong poison. It was a weak poison, which is why he could endure it.

“Since you managed to walk here, it might be a mild poison. Why don’t you try negotiating with the healing magic user over there?”

I explained that there were healing magic users on standby inside the guild and pointed to a person sitting in a corner. He noticed and waved, calling the adventurer over. Despite his reluctance, the adventurer’s health points dropped below 20%, and he collapsed on the floor, being dragged away by his party members. The healing magic user on duty today could remove the poison and help him recover.

There is always one new or low-rank healing magic user on standby in the guild. This is to support solo adventurers who can’t immediately take on requests and are not part of a party. The guild doesn’t employ them; it just provides a space for them to operate. They decide their own schedules and negotiate fees with adventurers. Since it’s not a formal request, they don’t earn guild rank points, but the guild doesn’t charge them for the space either. Many do this as a temporary measure until they join a party.

Why only low-rank? Because high-rank or skilled healing magic users are either recruited by parties or work at clinics.

Even mid-rank healing magic users are often recruited by parties, or they go to the southeastern dungeon to train and earn money.

Low-rank healing magic users are rarely recruited by parties and are unsure if they can even return from the dungeon. However, their skills improve with actual use. Therefore, many train at the guild, offering cheap healing magic to build their reputation and gain recognition before joining a party.

Initially, I thought it was inefficient to see healing magic users doing business in the square. The square is crowded, but the clinic is nearby, so injured people go there first. They don’t rely on low-skilled healing magic users.

I invited them to the guild, saying, “Injured adventurers and those who want to fully recover before working come to the guild. There are chairs too.” This led to more of them being recruited into parties, and the rumor spread, attracting more new healing magic users.

The shift schedule was created after a while when the healing magic users complained, “There are too many of us, and it’s hard to know who is on duty when.”

I made a table with frames on paper and posted it on the wall behind the seats where the healing magic users operate. They write their names in the frames for the corresponding dates and months.

Names with an “X” above them indicate that the person has been recruited into a party or found a different job and won’t be coming back.

The shift schedule is a concept from my previous life. In this world, there’s no concept of multiple people working at the same location on different days.

So, the guild didn’t have a shift schedule. Everyone works except on their days off, and the guild closes at night.

The same goes for other stores. They work on their working days and rest on their days off. Since it’s dark at night, they can’t work.

Since everyone is the same, there’s no need for a shift schedule.

Now, how is the adventurer who was dragged away by his party and treated by the healing magic user?

I was a bit concerned and checked to make sure he was being treated properly. The poison was gone, and his health was recovering to about 80%. I was thinking of pouring a potion on his head if it didn’t look like he would make it, but it’s all good.

I could also use healing magic, but the healing magic user might glare at me for “interfering with business,” so I didn’t. Plus, there were people lined up at the counter.

After recovering, he talked with his party and the healing magic user, and they filled out a form to join a party, which they submitted to me.

On the other hand, the healing magic user wrote an “X” next to her name on the shift schedule with a smile. She continued to greet people she knew with the same smile.

The aspiring healing magic users who operate in the guild look forward to writing an “X” next to their names.

Congratulations on your new beginning! Take care of your health and enjoy your adventurer life.

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