I headed to the armorsmith shop to get the chainmail. I considered leather armor as well, but I felt that while a bit heavier, it would be a better investment. While I was thinking about that, I arrived in the area of the shop and then found a weird group of people there… It was a woman with a group of twenty or so kids.

“As I said, we can’t offer any discounts… we are already selling things barely making any profit you know.”

“But can’t you sell them with a discount by selling them in a batch?”

“Even if it was possible, it is insane to think that you can buy them for half of the price.”

‘So, it is about that.’

‘Dude. I had just the greatest idea!’

‘Shut up, don’t say it.’

‘It is finally our chance to score with a teacher! She even looks a bit like Miss Scarlett!’

‘I told you to shut the fuck up…’

My head was already hurting so early in the morning… I had to deal with this moron antics as soon as possible. Maybe I could obtain a skill to silence his voice once and for all.

I didn’t want to approach that group while this moron was putting weird ideas in my head, but I didn’t have time to waste, so I approached. It didn’t take long for the woman to see me approach and look at me with suspicion, to the point that she even shielded the kids. That hurt my feelings a bit…

Since that moron said some unnecessary things, now I couldn’t help but notice that she was captivating a woman with an air of intelligence and warmth. Her shoulder-length, curly hair falls in soft waves, framing her face beautifully. Her striking green eyes, vibrant and full of life, are magnified slightly by her stylish glasses, which have a sleek, modern design that complements her features. She carries herself with quiet confidence, her look perfectly blending charm and sophistication.

‘You have a thing for girls with glasses too, right? Time to act like a gentle and selfless hero and score eventually!’

I had some money saved and that was the right thing to do. I was thinking of how I could help the kids in the town getting started in this crazy situation, but now it felt really wrong, even though I wanted to put those thoughts away from my mind.

“Oh? If it isn’t the first rogue of the town! I heard the rumors, but I didn’t think that they were real. Congratulations! Now, go out there and bring more materials for the town and for us!”

At least the clerk wasn’t trying to hide her real thoughts. Although that was supposed to be some good advertising, the glasses woman only looked at me with more suspicion.

“How can we help you today?”

“Errr… I want chainmail and two knives.”

“Roger that!”

The clerk went to get my stuff. I had new knives, but the others lost some durability. I wanted to train and get used to throwing them. Long-ranged attacks like that can be very useful. In any case, the atmosphere got a bit weird while I waited.

‘Dude! Say anything to her! Tell her how you admire teachers since your deceased parents were teachers as well!’

‘What the hell man… they are alive and they aren’t teachers! Do you have no shame?’

‘Shame never helped me score. Lie is what fuckboys do, lie like their lives depend on it.’

‘I am not going to sink to your level.’

“Here it is, everything will cost eighty origin coins.”

“Thanks, here it is.”

I stored away the knives and equipped the chainmail. It wasn’t that heavy and it didn’t hinder my movements, probably of my increased strength. It was time to leave, but before that, I had to do something unnecessary and approached the clerk and whispered.

“Excuse me, how much is the difference between the things that she wants to buy and her money?”

“520 Origin coins.”

“Can you take it from me and pretend that I didn’t do this?”

“Why not just lend it to her? Are you the first shy rogue in history?”

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“No, it is just a problem that I have with my conscience. People are starting to give me a weird look, so maybe a good deed a day will make me look less suspicious.”

“Some nice advertisement, huh? Nice excuse.”

It looked like the clerk could see through my charade, but at least she was willing to help.

“All right, I will return when my stuff is ready! Have a nice day!”

My acting skills needed some work… I left the area feeling pretty cringe. Alessa was right when she said that I wasn’t ready for Social quests.

‘Dude, what the hell was that?’

‘My way of doing the right thing without paying attention to your words. I already told you to not give me any weird ideas.’

‘I didn’t give you any, they were already there in the first place.’

‘... I will head to the information broker and see what he can do to help me get a job.’

I expected that jobs couldn’t be changed just like classes and resetting my progress would be insane. So, I had to pick the right type of class. Logic says that alchemy and blacksmithing are the best options when it comes to supporting jobs that can help a lot in preparations for fighting, but I wondered if I could really get them that easily.

“Hey, are you already back? It looks like getting an upgrade in your class was a cinch, huh?”

“Kind of. Anyway, do you have any information on how to get a job?”

“I have, the information for one costs 500. For another 1500 and for the final one 300 origin coins.”

“Are better options out there?”

“Possibly, not in this town, though.”

The most expensive one should be the most useful, but there is also the matter of compatibility.

“Which one do you recommend for me? I guess this is stupid to ask considering that you want to make money.”

“Oh, please. While that is true, the most expensive option is pretty good for everyone. I can guarantee you that you won’t regret obtaining this job. It might even do something about your bad reputation as a rogue.”

“I didn’t even do anything yet.”

“Just picking such a class already makes people feel dubious about you.”

That was quite unfair, but it couldn’t be helped. I decided to think a little about the options, but in the end, I decided to bet on it. All this money was something that I made in two days, so perhaps I shouldn’t put too much trust into it.

“All right, I will pick the most expensive option.”

You used 3000 Origin coins.

“Thank you very much. Beyond the Forest of the Sweet Winds, you can find a dungeon. Clear the dungeon and you will obtain the job. It won’t be easy, so I would advise you to stack up a lot of apples and honeycombs to pull it off.”

A dungeon… it didn’t surprise me, but I wondered how I would obtain the knowledge of a job at the end of a dungeon. Would I get a book or something? In any case, a mark appeared on my map, several kilometers beyond any point that I had ever been… it made me realize that I would have to cross several kilometers of land filled with the four armed bears. Perhaps I should stock up some potions from the alchemist.

“All right, thanks.”

I decided against buying the potions from the alchemist. The monsters along the way were bound to be troublesome , and while potions could make the encounters easier, I recognized that constantly relying on them would do more harm than good in the long run. I needed to learn to adapt to the challenges these creatures presented, to fight them on their terms, and to push my limits without the crutch of quick solutions. Only by facing their toughness head-on would I develop the skills and resilience required to survive in the future.

Moreover, potions came at a cost, both literal and figurative. Every coin spent on potions now would be one less I could invest in better gear, training, or other essential resources later. Worse still, relying on potions for every encounter would create a dependency that could cripple me in situations where they weren’t available. If I couldn’t handle these monsters without an easy out, how could I expect to face greater threats down the road?

Sacrificing immediate convenience for long-term growth and resource management was a necessary step. Tough as it would be, I resolved to press on without potions. My grit, determination, and strategic thinking would have to carry me through, and in doing so, I would become stronger, wiser, and more self-reliant.

‘That is better, we can’t make things too easy, after all.’

‘Let’s face some dire rats by throwing the knives at them. This will be good practice since they come straight at me.’

Training on the trees was a waste of time, I had to get used to the difficult things and improve as fast as possible. That way, my progress wouldn’t take so long and I would notice it.

‘Let me try something.’

‘Try what?’

‘How much the parameters truly made us more skilled and stronger.’

We reached the northern gate of the town and I noticed the guards looking at me. Their gaze was severe, almost like they were waiting for me to commit a crime. I couldn’t even see the information about Chark anymore.

‘Ouch, that hurts. Such things are possible, huh?’

I was feeling a bit bad, so I decided to follow the other guy’s plan. Chark’s reaction made me realize that while some others were open to me by choosing the Rogue class, others closed as well. It made sense given that Rogues were supposed to be more free-spirited and guards like him should be more sticky to the rules. Guard probably was one of the evolutions for the warrior class as well.

Warriors and rogues probably clash due to their fundamentally different approaches to combat and values. Warriors prioritize honor, discipline, and direct confrontation, believing that strength and courage should decide the outcome of battles. Rogues, in contrast, value cunning, stealth, and efficiency, resorting to ambushes, deception, or trickery to achieve their goals. To a warrior, the rogue’s methods are dishonorable or cowardly, while rogues view warriors as overly rigid and reckless.

Moreover, personality and trust issues exacerbate the differences. Warriors work better in environments where teamwork and camaraderie are more common, valuing loyalty and straightforwardness, while rogues tend to be more individualistic, pragmatic, and secretive. This can lead warriors to see rogues as untrustworthy, while rogues might find warriors overly stuck to the mud or naive. Additionally, rogues’ morally ambiguous actions, can clash with a warrior’s sense of justice, fueling further animosity.

While I was thinking about that, the other guy began to juggle with the four of the six knives that I had… and he looked pretty confident. At the same time, I felt like I was sweating cold imagining one of those knives hitting my wrists… they were insanely sharp, after all.