He sat up and looked around.
His father's photo was nowhere to be seen. Moreover, he had been sleeping in a bed.
"I'm back in Mistoria!"
Souma said, "Yes!" But the next moment, his face twisted.
"My body is sticky and it smells a bit... Oh, right, I didn't take a bath last time."
He had fallen asleep drenched in sweat, thinking it was a dream. Now it was the next day.
"I'll take a bath for now."
Getting out of bed, Souma headed to the bathroom.
◇
"I was lucky to come back again, but this might be the last time. I have to level up as much as I can so I have no regrets."
Souma left the room, went down the stairs, and headed to the first floor. At the entrance was a reception counter, where the innkeeper was looking bored. She was a woman in her late twenties, wearing a bright red casual dress, quite sexy. Her name was Irene.
"Oh, if it isn't the handsome guy. Did you sleep well?"
Irene spoke to him.
"Yes!"
"Good answer. You have a nice face too. You're my type."
Irene licked her lips. Flustered by her gesture, Souma asked a question.
"Excuse me, do you know the most efficient way to raise my level?"
"I do."
Irene answered immediately.
"Please tell me!"
"I don't mind, but what's in it for me?"
"Huh?"
"Well, let's see... How about you spend the night with me? I've been wanting to devour a handsome guy like you. That slim, toned body is also my type."
"Um, well..."
As Souma hesitated, Irene burst out laughing.
"Just kidding, handsome. I don't need anything in return."
"Thank goodness..."
"What, you don't want to be with me?"
"It's not that! It's just that I don't have much time..."
"So you have your reasons. Then I'd be wrong to keep you."
With that, she answered Souma's question.
"If you want to raise your level quickly, you should take quests at the Adventurer's Guild. You get bonus experience and money as quest rewards. It should be more efficient than just hunting monsters normally."
"You get experience from quest rewards in this world?"
This was unexpected information for Souma. On Earth, adventurer jobs are also called "quests." But the reward is only money, with no bonus experience.
"This world?"
"Oh, no, never mind! That was helpful! Thank you!"
"Sure. Stay here again next time. I'll give you a good deal."
"Yes!"
After bowing to Irene, Souma left the inn.
◇
The Adventurer's Guild was a place best described as "a tavern without alcohol." Wooden table seats were packed closely together, and there was a reception counter in the back.
(It looks just like a game. I wonder if there's a guard who took an arrow to the knee?)
Keeping an eye on the many adventurers chatting at the tables, Souma headed to the back.
"Hello, Souma-sama."
Noticing Souma, the receptionist bowed with a smile. She was a woman with chestnut-colored medium-length hair, wearing a modern uniform. She was the same age as Souma, 18, and her name was Marida.
"Hello... Wait, how do you know my name?"
"As a receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild, I keep track of all adventurers."
Marida smiled.
"I see."
Souma was convinced. If this were Earth, he would have doubted his ears, but this was another world, so he didn't worry about it. He decided to move on.
"I want to take a quest. What should I do?"
"You can accept quests from the dedicated quest window."
The next moment Marida spoke, a quest window appeared in his field of vision. It was translucent, with several items listed.
(This really is a world like a game.)
Souma touched "Accept Quest." But his hand passed through the window and ended up touching Marida's breast. He accidentally groped it. It had nice elasticity.
"Hyah!"
Marida screamed, her face turning bright red.
"S-sorry! I was trying to select a quest and..."
"It's okay. But next time, I won't forgive you."
Marida puffed out her cheeks.
"I'll be careful..."
Despite such a mishap, Souma displayed the list of available quests. The quests were written with recommended levels, making them intuitive to choose.
"There are several level 5 quests."
"Yes."
"Which one do you recommend? I'm actually not very familiar with this world."
"In that case, how about the 'Leafman Subjugation'? They live in a nearby forest, and you just need to defeat 20 of them to clear it."
"Leafman? I've never heard of that monster."
"Don't worry, they aren't strong. Also, there's currently a party recruitment for it."
"Really?"
Souma looked at the quest list, but he couldn't see any indication about party recruitment.
"You'll see when you select the quest."
As instructed, Souma selected "Leafman Subjugation." The detailed quest information appeared. There was also an item for party recruitment.
"Lv.5 Priest Elena Claudel 1/2"
Coincidentally, the same level as Souma.
"This means that a priest named Elena, level 5, is recruiting, right?"
"Yes."
"What does the 1/2 on the right of the name mean?"
"It shows the current number of party members and the maximum number. When you form a party, the gold from the quest reward is divided equally, so it's common to limit the number of members."
"I see. There should also be experience in the quest reward. Does that get split among party members too?"
"No, the experience remains the same. It's the same whether solo or in a party."
"Then a party suits me better."
On Earth, Souma was desperate for money, but in Mistoria, it was the opposite. Even if he became a millionaire in this world, it wouldn't benefit him in any way. What mattered was experience. So, Souma touched Elena's name.
---
[Job]Melee combat
[Race]Limited to Humans, Elves, various Beastmen
[Party Members]
・Lv.5 Priest Elena Claudel, 18 years old, Female, Human
---
The recruitment information and party member details were displayed.
(18 years old... same age as me. Also, there are races other than humans.)
Without a word, Souma pressed "Apply" at the bottom of the window. "Applying" appeared in large letters over the recruitment information. A few seconds later, the display changed.
"Your application has been accepted."
Party member information appeared in the corner of his vision. The first line showed name and level, the second line showed an HP gauge.
"I'm in the party, but does that mean I've also accepted the quest?"
Marida nodded.
"Elena-sama has already accepted it. Oh, Souma-sama, Elena-sama has arrived."
Marida pointed behind Souma with her hand. Souma turned around, and a woman was standing there.