When Liam exited the portal, he found himself in a church similar to the building he had awoken in earlier except it was larger, and everything was in pristine condition. From the daylight coming through the windows, he could tell it was around noon, which was strange seeing as it had been almost a full day since he woke up. He would have thought it was around evening, or late afternoon at the earliest.

Inside, people in white robes were busily leading the survivors towards a row of tables, where men and women in uniforms talked to them individually. All of them wore the same pin over their left breast.

“This way, sir.”

A young woman tugged on his shirt, leading him toward a middle-aged man sitting at one of the tables. As Liam took a seat across from him, the man looked up from his paperwork and grumbled.

“Welcome… I’m from the Association. I’ll be telling you some information, so pay attention.”

His tone was flat, devoid of enthusiasm. Liam glanced to his side, and noticed the other survivors were receiving a much warmer welcome, he couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Noticing Liam’s wandering eyes, the Association clerk tapped his pen on the table, drawing Liam’s attention back. 

“As you already know, you’re in Orbis. This town is called Kelm. The Association was kind enough to establish services here so that you Earthlings could adjust to Orbis. Be grateful.”

The clerk sifted through a mound of papers on the table before pulling one out, then he pushed a strange white crystal in front of Liam.

“Put your hand on here.”

“Why? What’s this for?”

Liam scrunched his nose. He wasn’t about to stick his hand on a strange device that he knew nothing about. If he had to guess, it was magical, and after just witnessing how overwhelming the Host’s magic was, he saw no limits to its power. For all he knew, it could bind him to a contract, or force him into a life of slavery. He wouldn’t put it past the organization responsible for kidnapping him and many others.

The clerk sighed, acting like he had just encountered a difficult customer.

“It’s to see your status. The Association needs to know what your stats are so we can have them on file… Look!”

He shoved the paper that he had pulled out in Liam’s face. 

Taking it, Liam began reading. It was a simple form; there was a section for Liam’s name, age, class, skills, and stats. Even though this was another world, he was able to read and understand the language naturally. Liam didn’t think about this much and handed the paper back.

“So, all my personal information? Yeah, I think I’ll pass on whatever you’re offering here and be on my way…”

As Liam was about to stand up, the clerk raised one eyebrow.

“Oh? Okay then”

He turned to one of the nearby guards and gestured for them to come over. Liam looked at the sharp sword hanging from the guard’s belt and bit his lip. Reluctantly, he sat back down and put his hand on the crystal.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

Liam glared at the clerk.

Quickly, the clerk began jotting down the information from his status. After finishing, he skimmed over it, glanced at Liam, re-read it, and finally let out a noise that sounded almost like a laugh.

“Heh.”

He tossed the paper into a pile and returned to his paperwork.

Liam sat silently, watching the man scribble away, waiting for him to finish explaining the ‘important’ information. When a minute had passed, Liam spoke up.

“Um, excuse me?”

Without looking up from his paperwork, the clerk groaned and pointed in the direction of a front door.

“You’re still here? You can go, the door is-”

Liam cut him off; his tone was sharp and unfriendly.

“Weren’t you supposed to go over some information or something?”

The clerk put down his pen and gave an evasive response.

“Was I?”

“That’s what you said.”

The clerk stared into Liam’s sharp eyes for a moment. Realizing that Liam wasn’t going to let this go, he clicked his tongue.

“Go to the center of town, that’s where the Association’s Earthling branch is. They’ll explain where to find work.”

Pulling out a map and placing it in on the table, he pointed at a few locations.

“There’s an inn here, and this is the shopping district.”

He pointed to the east side and then the west side of town. Before Liam had a chance to commit the locations to memory, he pulled the map away.

“That’s all. You can leave now. The door is-”

“Wait.”

Holding up his hand, Liam stopped the clerk. Liam realized that the clerk wasn’t going to tell or explain anything to him, at least not of his own volition. If Liam wanted answers, he needed to specifically ask the questions.

“What?”

“I have some questions.”

The clerk stared at Liam without speaking, hoping Liam might give up and leave if he stayed silent long enough.

“…Fine. Ask, but keep it short.”

Liam pulled out a nickel coin from the cloth purse and held it in front of the clerk.

“How much is this worth?”

“One nickel.”

“…”

Seeing Liam’s unamused face at his sarcastic response, the clerk gave Liam a proper explanation.

“A nickel is worth ten copper, one hundred nickel is worth one silver, and one thousand silver is worth one gold. There’s more, but you’ll never see them, so I’m not going to bother explaining them… One nickel will let you stay in an inn for a night, and about two copper is the price of a meal. There, happy? Now hurry up and get on your way, I’m busy.”

Liam ignored the clerk and continued with his questions.

“Can I get injuries treated in town?”

The clerk pointed across the room at a group of priests.

“Talk to them.”

Liam nodded and pointed at the map the clerk was holding.

“Can I have that map?”

“No.”

Liam was about to open his mouth and ask his next question when the clerk stopped him.

“Okay, enough questions. Time for you to go.”

He stood up, pushing his chair back as he prepared to gesture towards the guards.

Liam still had many questions, but it was apparent that he wasn’t going to get any answers. He got up and was about to leave when he thought of one last thing he wanted to know.

“What’s the date?”

“Huh?”

“The date. You know the day, month, and year? You have those here, right?”

The clerk grumbled, irritated that he was having his earlier sarcastic tone spat back in his face.

“…It’s Year 1205, Month 6, and Day 1.”

Without a word of thanks, Liam walked over to the three priests that were casually chatting amongst themselves. Liam spoke politely.

“Excuse me? I heard that I could receive medical treatment here.”

They stopped talking and glanced between one another before a woman in her mid-twenties stepped forward. She had a slim figure, bright eyes, and, most notably, a warm smile. Radiating kindness, they appeared to be a paragon, caring about the health and wellbeing of others.

“Yes, I can treat you. Please, tell me about your injuries, be as detailed as possible; that way, I can tailor the treatment to your needs.”

Hearing her gentle voice, Liam was taken aback by the difference in attitude; he had been prepared to deal with the same level of rudeness from earlier. 

“First, there’s the wound on my shoulder, but…”

The priest nodded as she listened to Liam. She creased her brow as if in deep thought and inspected his shoulder.

“…I’m more concerned about my feet. Can you treat frostbite?”

The priest’s eyes seemed to light up as she enthusiastically replied.

“Yes, of course! Could you please show me your feet? I need to see how bad the frostbite is before I heal them. When I’m done, your feet will be as good as new… No! I can guarantee that they’ll be better than before!”

Pleased by the demeanor and promises, Liam untied his shoes and presented his feet. Immediately, her face crumpled into a look of disgust. For a moment, her kind aura completely vanished. Liam didn’t think much of it. It was a bit unprofessional for someone who dealt with medicine, but he didn’t blame her; the bottoms of his feet weren’t exactly pretty.

“Hm, let’s see…”

The priest held her chin. Closing her eyes, she pondered her next words.

“Hmm… for your shoulder… let’s see… it will be… hmmm… about five nickel.”

The price was a little high, but Liam stayed silent. After all, he only knew what the clerk told him earlier.

‘If I compare it to the cost of renting a room in an inn for five days, then… I guess it’s not too bad.’

Considering that an untreated injury could lead to infection and even death, five days rent was a small price to pay.

“And my frostbite? How much for that?”

In response, the priest gave a benevolent smile.

“Fifty nickel.”

“Excuse me?”

Liam leaned forward, positive that he had misheard; someone couldn’t smile like that while throwing out such a ridiculous price.

“It will be fifty nickel to treat your frostbite.”

“Um, is there a reason that the price is so much higher?”

Assuming that injuries were treated using magic in Orbis, Liam could somewhat understand. Perhaps, healing spells required offerings or spells were burdensome for the caster.

“No, the price is based on the market rate. It’s the same spell.”

“…”

Liam was speechless; the priest had willfully admitted to shady business practices. There wasn’t a hint of shame on her face; clearly, this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Seeing the expression on Liam’s face, the priest folded her hands together.

“Oh, are you worried about the legitimacy of our treatment? You’ve just arrived in Orbis, so it’s understandable. But rest assured, this isn’t a scam. We would never do something like that. As priests of the God of Life, we strive to abide by three practices, peace, kindness, and of course, fairness. Doing otherwise would bring shame to our God. So, please, trust me when I say your treatment will be nothing less than perfect!”

‘What is this woman saying!? This is a scam!’

Hearing the incomprehensible nonsense coming from her mouth, Liam restrained himself from screaming. He needed the treatment; otherwise, he risked losing his feet. The problem was, even if he wanted to pay the price, which he didn’t, there was only thirty nickel in the bag. He could try and bargain, but that would be hard. The best offer he could make fell far too short of the asking price; it would only come across as an insult. His only real option was to negotiate and try to work out a payment plan or loan.

“So, about the price…”

The priest stopped Liam before he could finish. 

“Sorry, but the price is the price. If you don’t like it, you can go somewhere-”

She quickly covered her mouth as if she had just misspoken.

“Oops! Sorry, I forgot we’re the only church in town that offers healing.”

“…”

“Well, anyway, I wish you the best of luck! If you change your mind, please come back!”

Liam turned and silently left the church. He couldn’t bring himself to thank the woman despite her kind attitude; the business practices were just too corrupt.

“Enjoy your stay in-!”

Slam!

The large pair of double doors slammed shut, cutting her off.

‘Where to first?’

He needed to go to the Association and an inn today. Shopping for any equipment could wait until tomorrow. Figuring out his daily expenses and work situation came before he bought anything excessive.

“Fresh tomatoes here!”

“Hey, you watch-!”

“Apples! Apples! One basket for five copper!”

“Armors, weapons, and more! Come check out our shop!”

“Today’s special! Three skewers for two copper! Get’m while they last!”

Outside was a bustling plaza; the residents of Kelm were busily going about their day. It was the atmosphere Liam had expected; a fantasy-like world where knights and nobility still existed. From the amount of people, this looked to be the center of town or at least close to it.

‘I’ll head to the Association first, but before that...’

Liam placed a hand over his grumbling stomach. It wasn’t the first time he had gone all day without eating.

One time, when Liam was living with his Grandparents, he went almost an entire week without food; it was punishment for not finishing his dinner on a Friday night. At the time, his Grandfather had told him, “if you want to waste my food, then don’t eat” and prohibited him from eating for the next two days. By the end of the first day, Liam couldn’t take it and started sneaking food. The following day, he got caught, and his punishment was extended for a week. He didn’t try and rebel this time. For an entire week, the only time he could eat was at school when he had used his savings to buy lunch.

When his punishment was finally over, Liam had learned two things. One, humans could survive a long time without food. And two, it was easier to follow the rules. Compared to that time, a day without eating felt like nothing, he had barely noticed. However, after now seeing and smelling the delicious foods, his stomach began to rumble.

Liam called out to the man grilling meat skewers.

“I’ll take three!”

“Comm'n right up, sir!”

Flashing a smile, the man began grilling the skewers. As soon as they were finished, he handed them to Liam in exchange for a nickel coin. He counted out the change of eight copper, gave it to Liam, and sent him off with a wave.

Liam bit into the meat. Its savory juices filled his mouth, and it tasted delicious. He took bite after bite, and before he realized it, he had scarfed down all three and now felt satisfied. He headed off in search of the Association.

---

It was late that afternoon when Liam finally arrived at the Association Earthling Branch.

‘Center of town, my ass.’

The Association was a dirty building hidden on a backstreet. It was far from what he would call the center of town. In fact, calling it the slums was a more apt description, considering all the trash on the street and vandalized buildings.

‘This can’t be the right place…’

Liam wanted to think that, but ‘Association Earthling Branch’ was written on the sign hanging above the door.

As Liam opened the door and stepped inside, he immediately covered his nose. A raunchy odor of sweat, filth, booze, and blood filled the air. The rowdy patrons were shouting at each other across the dimly lit room, and beer mugs were slamming down on tables. The atmosphere reminded him of a dirty backstreet pub that served as a gathering point for ruffians. Fights were breaking out all over, and no one bothered to stop them; instead, they were being encouraged.

Liam pushed his way through the unruly crowd, ducking to dodge a full mug of beer flying towards him.

Smash!

It hit someone behind him and shattered on the ground.

“OUCH! Which one of you fuckers threw that!!!”

A woman with blazing red hair roared as she jumped out of her seat, knocking it over. With her face distorted in rage and beer dripping from her clothes, her eyes scanned the room like a predator hunting for its prey.

“Hahahaha!”

Her eyes locked onto a man doubled over, clasping his stomach.

“You bastard!”

Storming over, she shoved Liam out of her way, knocking him to the ground. In contrast to her petite frame, which didn’t reach 5’ 5”, she had immense strength, far more than most professional athletes.

As she approached, the man frantically began waving his hands in the air as he tried to subdue his laughter.

“Wait, May! It was an accident, I swear!”

May grabbed him by the collar, dragging him from his seat. Pulling his face close to her own, she stared into his eyes and spoke with an amused tone.

“Oh, really? Then why are you laughing?”

“Um, I was… um…”

The man’s eyes darted around the room as he desperately tried to avoid making eye contact; he was petrified by the look on May’s face.

“That’s what I thought!”

May formed a fist with her free hand. As she raised it, the man finally managed to spit out a response.

“Hold on! I can expla-!”

May’s fist smashed into his face.