It has been a few days since my arrival at Kuo Kuana, and I’ve spent my time on a repetitive job as an unskilled worker, moving crates from point A to point B. Many others are stuck in the same situation, but I don’t know if I should take comfort in the fact that they are older than me.
But those are just side thoughts. I’ve also been using this time to take notes about the strange blue window that appears every time I call out the word ‘Status’. I’ve tried other names, but none of them produced any positive results. However, I was gd that I could bring up the window with a single mental command, since my roommates were giving me strange looks for muttering alone.
In summary, the little window provides a general numerical overview of myself. However, with nothing to compare to, I can’t determine whether my stats are good or bad. I vaguely recall being able to observe others’ stats, but no matter how many times I’ve tried, not a single window popped up beside my own.
I even tried it on objects, but to no avail. On a more positive note, these small tests also helped me rediscover my night vision. It wasn’t as if I could turn it on and off at will, but it felt so natural that I had never taken notice of it before.
Shaking my head, I drop the two crates next to the small mountain of stacked goods and turn around to grab the next pair. It’s a good thing I wear a sleeveless shirt, as it helps with the heat, but the rough surface scrapes against my exposed skin.
After another round, I sit atop the crates and let out a long-drawn sigh, not from exhaustion but from the boredom that caused me to stop working and take in a view of the coastal jungle city.
A distinguishable shape of a big man with animal traits carrying two crates approaches me. “You are quite strong for someone of your size,” he jokes lightly as he pces the crates on top of the pile, making me roll my eyes.
Compared to him, I look like a toddler in size. He definitely hit the genetic lottery by being a bear faunus. “These crates don’t weigh that much; people are just overly dramatic.”
He chuckles and flexes his right arm to show off. “We’re talking about an average of 50 kg, and you can carry two every run. Not only that, but you don’t look tired. Even someone like me needs to rest after a couple of runs.”
He brings up a good point. I don’t get tired when working, but I’m sure it has to do with my stamina stat.
“They pay for the number of crates.” I tap the money maker under me.
The rest of the workers can only carry one, and some even struggle with that. Besides, the big man in front of me, I haven’t seen another guy who could carry more than one. My strength stat must have come into py as well, since I don’t remember being able to carry more than my entire weight before. At most, it would have been half.
He agrees with a nod. “Mmhm, the supervisor is happy that things are moving faster, but I can’t say the same for our friends over there.” The bear faunus uses his thumb to point at the others who are giving me ugly looks, not like I bme them. There are a few ships coming and going every day. And I alone take a bigger share of the work thanks to my advantages.
We exchange looks for a few seconds before I shrug. “They need to suck it up, but despite the extra pay, it would take me months of work just to afford a small room. Moreover, the shelter’s notice board lists many options, but even then, I would struggle to afford both rent and food.”
There is a small pause.
“I’m ft broke,” I mutter, the words heavy on my tongue. Even the small amount of lien the guard dy had given me out of pity days ago had dwindled away. Most of my daily wage disappears on a single meal at the end of my shift, leaving me with a paltry one meal per day diet pn.
“You just got a bit unlucky here,” the big man says sympathetically, “but at least you are in Menagerie and not the other kingdoms. We faunus must stick together after all.”
I nodded in agreement, my spirits lifting slightly at the reminder that things could be worse. “You’re right. It could always be worse. I could have ended up as a sve or sent to work in those miserable mines. But do you know anywhere else I could work for a better pay? Moving crates is a simple job, but this isn’t for me.”
My coworker takes one step back and looks up at the sky, rubbing his chin. After a moment of contemption, he speaks up. “You could try construction work, if you don’t mind a foreman screaming at you all day. To the east, you can find farm work, but it can be pretty smelly. Or maybe you could join one of the fishing crews, if you have the guts to go out there. They’re always looking for people.” He points to the smaller boats on the other side of the port.
His options don’t sound that bad, but choosing between having a terrible boss or ‘going out there’, as he puts it, I would prefer the tter.
“Do you think they would give me free fish?” My mouth waters at the thought. A better sary and complimentary food would be killing two birds with one stone.
The man chuckles at my question. “No idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they do.”
I cp my hands and my ears twitching with excitement. “Where do I sign up?”
The bear faunus burst out in ughter and pointed at the same spot from before.
Before leaving for my new job, I make sure to collect my paycheck from the man in charge before heading off to my new job. Even though it’s not much, I feel like I deserve it for the work I did.
Of course, the supervisor wasn’t pleased about my sudden departure but didn’t object and paid me the corresponding amount for my work, more pstics card. Once I have saved up more money, I pn to buy a fancy digital wallet.
At present, I only have 283 lien to my name and a single room costs thousands of lien, so I know I’ll have to work hard to save up enough money for even the most basic living arrangements.
Waving my st goodbyes to my former coworkers, I run towards the other side of the port in search of a better job.
I watch the isnd’s coast shrink in the distance, entertaining myself before turning my attention to the other fishing boats sailing in different directions. Some are bigger or look more advanced with their automatic nets. In contrast, ours is entirely manual, but the small number of boats leaving creates a sense of doubt in me.
I step closer to the captain, who is steering the boat, and tap his shoulder to get his attention. “It might be a bad time to ask, but why don’t many people pick this job?”It didn’t come as a surprise to me that many of the fishermen were cat faunus, since if I had a craving for fish, they probably did too.
He looks at me with confusion and then turns to the rest of his crew, who were stifling their ughter. “It’s not the best time to ask that now, kid, but let me humor you. We need to sail into deep waters outside of the hunter’s patrol routes.”
“And unlike those bastards from Ats, we don’t have a battlecruiser to escort us, or at least a boat capable of defending itself.” A shirtless crew member stepped up.
“So if we get attacked by a Grimm...” the captain trailed off, causing me to pale as I take another gnce at the distant shores of Menagerie, which were becoming less visible by the second.“We’re dead,” another crewman finished for him.
I failed to swallow my nerves and regrets. “I’m reconsidering.”
However, the rest of the crew burst out ughing as the captain patted my back. “Ha! Don’t worry, a small boat like ours gives us an advantage. The Grimm would rather attack big ships that make lots of noise. We have to be really unlucky for those monsters to notice us.”
His words are a bit reassuring, but there is something I need to know first. “Just when was the st grim attack?”
He raises three fingers. “This year alone, we only lost three ships.”
Everyone else nods in silence.
Should I be worried that three ships were swarmed or gd that it was only three ships? We are halfway through the year.
Is already too te to back out. Acting all gloomy and scared would only paint a target on me and the crew. “Just teach me what to do.”
“Well, it’s pretty simple. Just throw this net as far as you possibly can and slowly pull back,” the leader says, showing by example. He tosses the net into the sea, and it sinks before he drags it back with both hands. However, as the net gets closer, his face turns into a deep frown.
I can tell something is wrong. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he sighs in disappointment.
“It is a matter of perseverance.” Another crew member tries to lift the spirits until he pulls his own empty net.
The captain hands me his net. “Your turn. Just throw and pull like I did.”
With the net in my hands, I pnt my left foot in front of my body, align my shoulder with my target, and use my right foot to help with the throw, using my entire body to create momentum. The fishing net travels a good distance before sinking into the sea.
One guy on board whistles in surprise at the distance of my throw before focusing on his own work.
I start pulling the net back, but it becomes progressively heavier. While I thought my experience carrying heavy crates would help, I realize that the fish trapped inside are likely fighting back with all their might to avoid becoming food.
With both feet pnted firmly on the deck, I begin to slowly drag the rope, making slow but steady progress. The weight of the net makes it a challenge, and I can feel the fish inside filing and spshing. As I struggle, one of my crewmates rushes over to help. Together, we finally manage to pull in the net, revealing a haul of thrashing, silvery fish.
[Fisherman job unlocked!]
[Novice Fisherman increased by 2, 02/50]
Wait what?
“Wow kid, I envy your luck.” The sailor who helped me pats me on the back, diverting my attention and causing the small windows of my vision to disappear.
“No way, he actually got a full net?” Another crewmate approaches with his empty net.
“Isn’t a full catch normal?” I ask, tilting my head in confusion.
“Nah, not really. Sometimes we go back to shore with barely enough to sell.” The sailor answers, shaking his head.
“Is a rare sight around these parts, to be honest, unless we are reckless enough to sail into deeper waters.” Another man points to the north where we can only see more empty sea and probably infested with the creatures of darkness.
“Just bring the cooler.” The captain orders.
One crewman brings a big container, and we carefully empty the fishing net into it, making sure no fish escape.
“Ready to go again?” The captain pces a hand on my shoulder, giving me an encouraging smile.
I nod, feeling the excitement build up inside me. I grip the fishing net tightly, feeling the coarse fibers under my fingertips, and take a deep breath. With a swift motion, I unch the net into the sea once again, watching it fly through the air before it nds on the water’s surface with a spsh. I begin to pull it back after a while, feeling the weight of the catch grow as I go.
[Novice Fisherman increased by 1, 03/50]
And I obtain the exact same result as before, with the exception that it was slightly easier this time.
A hypothesis is already forming in my head. It’s a shame that I didn’t bring a notepad to take notes, but my memory will have to suffice. There seems to be some corretion, and I’ll need a few more tries to be completely sure.
-Hours Later-
After much time, we returned with the deck of our boat packed with fresh fish of all sizes. Although the sun was almost gone; it didn’t pose any problem for us as we can see in the dark.
As soon as we secured the boat at the port, rows of people were waiting for us and began yelling prices and quantities. Menagerie heavily relied on imports from all the kingdoms still willing to do business with them, so it wasn’t surprising that we sold out in less than an hour, leaving many still wanting.
The people are not yet starving, but they are vulnerable to food shortages in case of any market disruptions, as per the captain’s warning. This situation is not good and expins why they are always in need of extra hands, resulting in a much better pay compared to my previous job as a cargo boy at the docks, where the average pay was a measly fifty lien per day. Now, I am earning a whopping 300 lien per day, which makes it worth taking the potential risks. Moreover, I get the added perk of free food. While the standard is one meal per person, they found it fair to give me more, considering I was the reason for the excellent catch.
“Comeback tomorrow kid!” Everyone waves me a goodbye and I reply to the gesture with my free hand as I happily walk towards the market with my bag full.
My nose picks up the scent, signaling to my stomach. I am tempted to eat the fish raw, but the bones and guts would be difficult to deal with, and I would likely smell of rotten fish the next day. With these limited options, I know where to go next.
Even with the broken moon up in the sky, the market is still buzzing with activity. The food stands and open restaurants are particurly busy as people end their shifts for the day.
As I check out the stands, I am surprised to find a human working in one of them. However, my initial surprise fades fast as I remember Menagerie does not ban humans from entering. Their slogan, “Come as you are,” welcomes all.
As I approach his stand, I observe his features more closely. He appears to be an older man with short, gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. However, there is nothing about his appearance that seems malicious or threatening.
“Can you teach me how to prepare and cook this?” I ask, holding up my bag.
The older human leaned closer, seeming surprised for a moment before composing himself.
“That’s a good catch you got there,” he says, pointing at my bag with his knife. “I’ll teach you if you give me half.”
I had a lingering feeling that he might be overcharging me, but I didn’t have anywhere or anything to store the fish.
Better to get some use out of it rather than let it spoil. “Deal.”
I grab three fish and pce them on his counter. The fishmonger quickly grabs them and pces them on ice. He hands me a bloodied and stinky blue apron and gestures for me to enter his workspace. Then he brings out a much smaller fish, making a slow cut on the stomach and starts gutting it, occasionally snapping his fingers to keep me focused whenever I try to look away. With his knife, he gently removes the entrails. He then rinses the cavity of the fish with clean water, washing away any remaining blood or entrails.
Next, he takes the cleaver and removes the head and tail of the fish, neatly separating the parts into a separate bucket. He sets aside the cleaned and gutted fish on the cutting board,ready for the next step, which turned out to be descaling.
Quite a messy process as scales flew everywhere.
“Now is your turn.” The old man hands me the knife and cleaver. Taking one step back to open up space so I can work on his cutting board.
I take a deep breath and position the knife on the fish’s stomach, making a slow and careful cut just like he showed me. It’s a bit harder than I thought it would be, but I manage to gut the fish puncturing nothing.Next, I take the cleaver and remove the head and tail, feeling a sense of satisfaction as I complete the task, all done under his watchful eye.
[Cook’s job unlocked!]
[Novice cook increased by 1, 01/50]
The notification window appears again, confirming my hypothesis that I can learn new jobs if someone teaches me the basics. It’s the infamous job system from my memories. I anticipate that the next couple of weeks will be busy as I expand my horizons and learn new skills. However, I didn’t level up immediately after unlocking this new job like the fisherman did, so perhaps it has a different level escation system.
I cut my thoughts short as the fishmonger steps in to check my work. “Not bad for a first try, but you took more time than necessary, and you didn’t scrape out all the fish innards. Look here...” he says as he digs a finger into the fish and pulls out a small, red, oval-shaped organ that I can’t recognize.
“I’ll do better with the next one,” I say as I grab the next fish.
“We’ll see,” he responds as he washes his hands in the same bucket he used to clean the fish.
I decide to ignore his skepticism and grab the second fish, following the same steps as before.
[Novice cook increased by 1, 02/50]
As much as I enjoyed learning a new skill, I can’t wait to get back to the shelter and take a long shower with loads of soap. The thought of the warm water washing away all the grime and stench is almost blissful. But for now, I need to finish up here and make my way back.
I wonder if this will be the same for crafting things.
