《The Flying Emporium》


 Chapter 1

    When Severin opened his eyes, awoken by something poking into his back, he was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar wooden ceiling.


    Instead of panicking and checking out his surroundings, or even his own condition and wellbeing, he just kept lying there, staring up ahead.


    What stunned him into inaction wasn¡¯t the view of the rustic wood in front of him but something else.


    About half a meter above his face, a thing that looked suspiciously like a transparent screen was levitating in the air.


    ¡®Is this...?¡¯


    Severin felt his heart pounding. After taking a moment, to calm himself down, he started to straighten himself up into a sitting position. He moved slowly. Carefully. Afraid to make even the slightest sound, or too fast a movement.


    Like a hunter who was stalking his prey, in fear of scaring it away.


    His suspicion was confirmed; The screen started to imitate his every move, staying perpendicular to Severin, always dead center in his field of view.


    Once he sat upright and confirmed the thing wasn¡¯t going anywhere, he closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and relaxed. He became aware of a mental connection that had formed with the screen-like thing tugging at a corner of his mind.


    Through that connection, he instinctually knew some of the information the display would show him. Nevertheless, he needed to confirm them with his own eyes.


    Up until now, he was too tense and too concentrated on his movements to actually read what was written on this magic screen.


    Severin opened his eyes again.


    [Welcome to the Shopkeeper System]


    ¡°A System! I have a f***ng System! I knew it.¡±


    Not bothering to read further, Severin jumped up, throwing his hands into the air.


    Laughing like a maniac, Severin started dancing till exhaustion.


    Given the constitution of his body, it didn¡¯t take too long to reach that point, and Severin¡¯s attention soon returned to his newly found companion.


    [As the owner of this System your class has been defaulted to [Shopkeeper] (Unique).


    For further information such as available tasks, skills, and various other System features please refer to the respective tab.]


    Severin focused his gaze on the row of icons that appeared on top of the system display. Some of the icons were colorized, with a little red star next to each of them.


    Others were grayed out, indicating their respective function was not yet available.


    ¡®It¡¯s really just like in a game.¡¯


    He chose the icon that looked like a chest and extended his right arm to tap it. As expected, his hand just went through the display meeting no resistance, but opening a new window, nonetheless.


    ¡°Ha, so I guess it has touch.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯


    Severin¡¯s laughs fell silent when he saw the nonexistent contents of what indeed turned out to be his inventory screen.


    Furrowing his brows ¡®It¡¯s empty? Really? Where is the obligatory starting gift? Aren¡¯t I supposed to be some kind of merchant? One with a System, at that!


    If not merchandise, I feel I should at least have some form of starting capital, no?¡¯


    After making sure he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything and that the row of squares, representing his inventory space, was indeed empty, he focused his attention back on the remaining menu icons. The red star next to the chest symbol had disappeared.


    Severin chose to explore the menu that was marked with a ¡°!¡±


    This time, instead of trying to touch it, he just imagined himself taping it, in his mind.


    Again, the System reacted according to his expectations. The red star next to the ¡°!¡± disappeared and a new menu showed up.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the Quest-log I take it. Even though that...thing... can hardly be described as a Quest.¡±


    [The First Sale


    Quest description: Sell your first unit of merchandise.


    Quest reward: ???]


    ¡°Again, that¡¯s rather underwhelming...and what merchandise?¡± his face fell.


    ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t the Pauper-System?¡±


    After waiting for a moment, it became evident that this wasn¡¯t the kind of System that bickered and argued with its owner.


    ¡®Never mind, let¡¯s check the skills first. Maybe I¡¯ll have some magic available, allowing me to conjure something up. Or maybe a fireball or something to hunt monsters. Then I might just sell the loot or the body parts.¡¯


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He looked for the icon most likely to represent some form of skill menu. Immediately he found an icon depicting a shield in the background with a crossed sword and staff on top of it.


    ¡®Nice! Looks like magic is a thing.¡¯


    Comforted, Severin pressed again.


    tap


    (Language Mastery)


    <ul>


    <li>You are able to understand and speak any language you come in contact with.</li>


    </ul>


    While money is indeed a universal language, a Shopkeeper should always be able to communicate with his customers.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­


    (Identify)


    <ul>


    <li>You are able to identify all items.</li>


    <li>You may choose to reveal the resulting tooltip to other people.</li>


    </ul>


    A good Shopkeeper should always know what items he is dealing with.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­


    ¡­


    With a stiff expression on his face, Severin quickly turned to the last available menu tab that still had the red star icon next to it.


    ¡°Finally! Now, this is more System-like.¡±


    What appeared was the sight of a paper doll, representing a slightly chubby man in his early thirties.


    The pale skin looked like it hadn¡¯t been exposed to sunlight for a long time.


    The shoulder-length, dark blonde hair and the stubble on the man¡¯s chin made him look slightly unkempt.


    Apart from the fleshy nose, the face seemed sharper than one would expect for a person with a belly of that size.


    The image was too small to clearly see the person¡¯s eyes, but Severin knew them to be dark green.


    Similarly, the man¡¯s height of close to 1.9m could not be inferred from looking at the paper doll alone, with it missing any other object for reference.


    ¡®That¡¯s me alright, but what is with those clothes? I guess I¡¯m really in a different world. Or at least a different time.¡¯


    Looking away from the display and down on himself, Severin couldn¡¯t help being amused when he saw some kind of medieval fantasy clothing.


    A loose-fitting, long-sleeved, white cotton shirt. A pair of brown linen trousers. A pair of leather boots, with soles, that weren¡¯t worth mentioning.


    That¡¯s it.


    Severin was actually able to will a small tooltip for each of those into existence, but besides the item¡¯s name and the most basic description, no further information was revealed.


    The items were just too common.


    What he was missing, in particular, was any mentioning of ¡®stats¡¯ attached to the clothing.


    ¡°Well, not only the clothing, but the whole [Stats] section in my Character Overview is just empty. I suppose that¡¯s the blight of being a non-combat class. That being said¡­¡±


    Contrary to one¡¯s expectation Severin didn¡¯t get gloomy but instead, a smile appeared on his face.


    Below the sparse information about himself and his pathetic ¡®equipment¡¯, something else caught his attention.


    [Please choose your first subclass]


    Mollified he chose this menu option, revealing a list of available secondary jobs to him.


    Some grayed-out and illegible text fields hinted at the existence of other options in the future.


    But of those choices available to him, one in particular made Severin perk up.


    ¡°Alchemist, huh. In comparison to something like Chef or Blacksmith, this certainly seems more magical and outlandish. What¡¯s the point in transmigrating if I just end up cooking food? Or being stuck in a smithy.¡±


    With conviction, he picked [Alchemist] as his subclass.


    The next moment the Character screen updated. A small red star once again appeared next to the ¡®Skills¡¯ and the ¡®Inventory¡¯ tab, indicating something changed in the respective sections.


    Severin quickly checked out his gains.


    ¡®It¡¯s basically all I could have hoped for. An alchemy skill that comes with a recipe book, a basic variety of magic burners and centrifuges, flasks and tubes, funnels, beakers, and condensers. Almost seems a bit simplistic, but that is just fine with me. Even came with a ton of ingredients.


    ¡®So much for the question of what I should sell. Only the recipes could be a bit more varied¡­two kinds of health potions and that¡¯s it.


    What¡¯s a bit creepy, though, is the knowledge transfer. The moment I wondered how to even begin to assemble and use all that stuff, it just came to me like a long-lost memory. The power of a System, I suppose.¡¯


    After taking a few moments to think through his next steps, Severin decided to postpone his first crafting session, feeling it would take too much time for now.


    He closed the System and inspected the room he was in. For the first time since arriving in this world.


    It seemed to be the inside of a wooden hut, measuring about 5x6 meters.


    The first thing he noticed was the counter that looked like it was growing out of the wall, leaving no gap in between.


    It effectively separated the space into two.


    The next thing was the light. There was light, alright. But no discernable light source whatsoever.


    No lamp, no candle, no windows, and the only door, on the other side of the counter, was closed.


    ¡®Magic...I guess?¡¯


    Not too stumped by this he continued to look around.


    Severin was currently standing on the slightly smaller side of the divided room, and his eyes soon fell on a rough, uncomfortable-looking straw mattress next to him.


    He could only regard the probable culprit, which poked him awake, with contempt.


    Besides that, the room was relatively empty.


    One chair and a few shelves and stands, mostly on the other side of the counter, opposite to him. All of them empty.


    While the setup was kind of sparse, it was by no means shabby.


    Maybe with the exception of the so-called mattress.


    Nevertheless, there was no reason for him to stay.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. I have a name to make for myself.¡±


    With determined steps, he crossed to the other side of the counter, heading to the door.


    With a confident smile on his face, he pulled it open and¡­


    ¡­


    The smile froze on his face, not able to process the sight.


    Slowly his expression turned into one of amazement. But that amazement quickly gave way to one of despair.


    ¡°What is this place? Where am I?¡±


    He was stunned by the scenery.


    The sky was a clear blue, with no clouds whatsoever.


    At least not above him.


    Lush, pristine grass covered a few hundred meters of ground before him. To a point where it was met by a cliff. As if cut off, the ground seemed to end there and instead gave way to a seemingly neverending ocean of clouds. Just here and there poked a green mountaintop through the white cover.


    ¡°Re-really? Have I really been summoned onto some desolate mountain? Are you shitting me?¡± Severin stuttered to himself before cursing. At this point, he couldn¡¯t count how often his emotions turned from elation to disappointment, from hopeful and confident to upset.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Still feeling slightly encouraged by having a System at his back, Severin could only grit his teeth and decided to march onward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here first and check out the surroundings. Maybe on the other side of the hut¡­


    Well, here goes nothing.¡±


    Determined to take his first real step in this world, he was in the motion of crossing the doorstep.


    thump


    [Notice: A Shopkeeper should never leave his shop unattended]

 Chapter 2

    Two weeks had gone by since then.


    Severin was sitting on the wooden chair and was sleeping with his head on the counter.


    In the beginning, he spent his time crafting. But since then, the System-provided supplies had run out.


    A good portion of the previously empty displays and shelves were now filled with potions.


    Of the two varieties, one had the bright red color expected of a health potion. The other kind turned out to have a slightly more brownish color to it. More interesting than the color, though, was their consistency. Instead of bottles full of magic juice, they looked like little jello cubes.


    They could hardly be called potions anymore. But when Severin tested their effect and put one of them into his mouth, it quickly liquified. And when swallowed he noticed that the majority had already been resorbed before even reaching his throat.


    Crafting these potions awarded him with experience points and after producing a hundred of them his [Alchemist] subclass leveled up. Sadly, the level-up didn¡¯t come with any new recipes.


    Instead, his mastery went up increasing Severin¡¯s crafting speed.


    In hindsight that change wasn¡¯t too welcome. Reducing the time it took to craft the potions also meant increasing his time of idleness afterwards.


    A more welcome bonus, however, was the fact that a part of the subclass¡¯ earned Exp was also awarded to his main class, [Shopkeeper]. But even after using up all the provided materials, the increase was very minuscule.


    Since then, Severin mostly spent his time sleeping on the chair, staying away from his so-called ¡®bed¡¯ as far as possible.


    His sleep at this moment was rather shallow since it was owed more to his immeasurable boredom than to actual sleepiness.


    Therefore, the moment the door opened he felt a shadow looming over his head he started to wake up; Albeit slowly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get much business up here, huh? You must be Severin.¡± A deep weathered, voice sounded.


    That got him moving faster with his thoughts now in a mess.


    Between waking up and processing what the voice said, there was a short moment of excitement to finally meet another living soul.


    That moment was very short-lived though and gave way to confusion about being called out by his name.


    ¡®Maybe my coming has been prophesied!¡¯


    All stupid jokes got stuck in his throat once he got a good look at the first other human being he came across.


    Human? Beast?! Savage!


    It took him a moment to make sense of the sight before him.


    The creature that talked to him was indeed a human, but well over 2 meters tall and wearing the pelt of what might have been a bear, or some other similar-sized monster.


    The chest was exposed, revealing a toned body that was on large parts covered with scar tissue.


    That intimidating combination demanded Severin¡¯s attention, taking him quite a bit of effort to tear his eyes away, up the face.


    It looked like it belonged to someone way older than one would have guessed based purely on the looks of the body. It was surprisingly scar-free. Relatively speaking.


    ¡®Around fifty, I guess? He is surprisingly amiable looking.¡¯ Severing concluded.


    ¡®Still doesn¡¯t take away from the ferociousness, especially with that bear.¡¯


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°So, what are you selling here?¡± The mountain of a man looked around curiously but seemed to be more interested in the counter and the hut itself than in the red and brownish cubes.


    ¡°Eh. Yeah. Severin. That¡¯s me. Potions. For now, I only sell health potions.¡±


    ¡°Those are potions?¡± That got the man to shift his attention onto the cubes.


    He poked at one curiously.


    ¡°Interesting. But eating during a fight¡­¡±


    Severin tried his best to explain the cube''s properties of changing their state of aggregation once ingested and concluded that it seemed more practical to him than to open a bottle and then drink from it in the middle of a fight.


    The man got convinced enough to summon the potions tooltips.


    [Small Health Potion (20)


    Restores 200 Health Points when consumed.]


    ¡°Hmm. Not too bad for a small one. Normally small Pot would heal 150 at most. Having them limited to 20 at a time is a bit annoying as well, to be honest. Well, let¡¯s check out the brownish ones first.¡± The savage-looking man mumbled more to himself than talking to Severin.


    [Small Alternative Quality Health Potion (20)


    Restores 20% of Health Points when consumed.]


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯ve never seen percentage-based healing potions before. That¡¯s great. I want them.¡±


    The man was visibly elated.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to come from around here, so let me tell you. These are just made for a [Berserker]. You see, we are usually locked out from equipping any real gear onto our chest slot. So, while we are missing out on the defense and stats that come with a good chest piece, we are blessed with bigger Health Pools than others. Way bigger actually since it also serves as a kind of resource for us.


    ¡°Usually, I would need at least a Big Potion for a similar effect, just considering the raw healing. Not to speak about the convenience of it being exactly 20%. Makes infight planning way easier I assume.


    I think I know someone who might appreciate them even more than I do.¡±


    Giving it a quick thought, the man added:


    ¡°You know what. Give me the regular ones as well.


    What a strange place to set up shop but I¡¯m sure glad you did.


    You can call me Sam. Be sure to remember it. I¡¯ll come back.¡±


    The Berserker left 40 gold coins on the counter and left.


    ¡­


    Once outside, Sam pondered what he had seen inside the shop.


    ¡®That guy sure looked wimpy. Then again, he made it up here. Also, judging by all the Alchemy gear laying around in the corner it¡¯s very likely he made those cubes himself.


    And everything was made out of Mystwood...


    Really can¡¯t afford to underestimate someone like that just based on looks.¡¯


    ***


    Severin stood there not quite sure what to think. But he was mostly angry at himself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask anything! I just stood there like an idiot. I should have thought of some questions to ask beforehand. Then again, should I even ask questions¡­might just look too suspicious?


    How the fuck did that guy know my name anyway?¡±


    After recovering his senses, he proceeded to open his System-interface and looked at the experience he gained from selling the potions as well as from completing his first quest. While compared to earlier the bar indicating his experience points moved quite a bit, it was still quite a bit from being completely filled.


    But besides the experience from completing the quest, another unlocked menu option seemed to be Severin¡¯s real reward.


    After opening it he was greeted by what looked like a system store. Actually, the menu was split into two different pages. The first showed a balance of 4 gold coins and only seemed to sell items and upgrades for personal use. For example, there were some more refined-looking sets of clothing, some even with stats and perks on them.


    What really caught his attention though was a bed. A real bed. Sadly, it was unaffordable to him for now. Additionally to its prohibitive cost, it also required to first unlock a private-use-only room, which, of course, would require an even greater amount of gold.


    Similarly, the other half of the shop menu showed a balance of 36 gold coins, adding up to the 40 coins he just earned with his first sale.


    It offered all kinds of upgrades directly affecting the store and its capabilities.


    Enlargement of the current shop area, new rooms, or new stories. Magic artifacts, offering a multitude of different services. A huge collection of interior and exterior decorating options. Even whole new buildings, which were obviously not intended to just be a simple extension to his little shop.


    Some blurry images hinted at even more large-scale installations.


    ¡®Saving up for the bed is a no-brainer. But I¡¯m not so sure about the shop expansion. Buying just a bit of the land outside is really tempting but a straight-up shop expansion would probably make more sense for now...not that I will be able to afford any of those anytime soon anyway.


    But if I can¡¯t leave this place, then I have to find ways to make people stay instead.¡¯


    Sigh


    The thought of being able to leave the shop, even if only a few steps, was really enticing to him. In the beginning, Severin put his chair up to the open door to enjoy some fresh air. But quickly realized that the invisible wall that kept him from leaving seemed to separate the shop from the outside world in a more fundamental way, keeping the temperature constant while letting not even a breeze of fresh air through.


    It wasn¡¯t that the air inside the shop was stuffy, he just wanted to feel the air on his skin.


    ¡°That is not how transmigration is supposed to work.¡±

 Chapter 3

    ¡°Fuck! This is bullshit man!¡±


    After losing just another duel, Miriam let her frustrations out; Once again.


    She was still out of breath exacerbated by the dizziness caused by her low health. But that didn¡¯t stop her from throwing a tantrum.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do in that situation?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t normally like this; However, when it came to the frustrations she had with her class, she just couldn¡¯t keep her temper in check.


    Acquiring a class was supposed to be a dream come true for most people, but so far, she was mostly annoyed with it. Even knowing that things would only get better with a few levels wasn¡¯t enough to mollify her.


    Ironically, her outbursts made her look more like a representative of her class.


    If it wasn¡¯t for her finding a mentor who was willing to show her the ropes over these last couple of months, she might have just given up and taken over her family business.


    ¡°Getting close to you is already a struggle, but when I do, I can¡¯t even deal any damage unless I¡¯m at low enough health to trigger my damage buffs! But how¡¯s that supposed to work. Against a fucking [Chaos Mage]. Once I¡¯m at that low HP, you just burst me down like nothing. And that is IF I even get close to you in the first place.¡±


    Timothy could only smile helplessly.


    ¡°You have to manage your health better. Use your regeneration abilities and potions on cooldown. My skills cost so much. Once I¡¯m out of mana, I¡¯m done for.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the first time they had that discussion.


    ...


    Timothy was another of Samuel¡¯s mentees.


    When Samuel met the boy in a small village while on his travels, he decided to take him under his wing. He was blessed with a rare class that deserved nurturing from an early age. But in such a remote place it wasn¡¯t realistic to take a young boy hunting monsters or exploring dungeons. The risk was just too great for everyone involved. Not many of the people there had a class to begin with, and those who did, didn¡¯t have too high a level themselves.


    In a bigger city, those things wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. Just on the merit of him being a [Chaos Mage], he would have earned a lot of favors and the support of many people. Eventually, he would make a name for himself.


    Any one of the elite magic schools or noble houses would pride themselves on having someone like that as an alumnus or a retainer. However, it would mainly be a prestige kind of thing for them.


    When it came to the actual usefulness in battle, most noble houses would prefer a more support-oriented class. Not only would they already have tons of people with more damage-oriented classes in their service, but also the threat in case of betrayal would be more manageable.


    The military was another option, and a high rank would pretty much be guaranteed.


    But the real place for someone like him to thrive in, under normal circumstances, would be a guild.


    With a highly specialized class like his¡¯, he would be wooed by many.


    With some investment into his gear and targeted Powerleveling, it would be possible to brute force their way through encounters they usually would not be able to clear.


    That was especially true for the weaker guilds that focused on smaller-scaled ventures, where the accomplishments of a single person would carry more weight in comparison.


    As for the larger and stronger guilds, of course, they would be just as interested in new talents as they represented their lifeblood.


    In the large-scale raid settings those guilds tended to focus on, a handful of strong individuals just wasn¡¯t enough anymore. At that point, everyone needed to be an elite.


    Therefore, they offered strong incentives to attract new promising people and to consolidate their own power.


    Of course, one didn¡¯t necessarily need a specific or rare class to be successful; No matter the class or their specialization there would always pop up a genius. But the more uncommon and the more specialized the class, the more their success would be basically guaranteed.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Because of those reasons, his situation was very unique. If it wasn¡¯t for him being born in some backwater village, Timothy would¡¯ve already been groomed by one force or another.


    ...


    Miriam¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t that special in comparison. Her parents, regular people with no class of their own, were somewhat successful merchants that managed to get ahold of a [Random Class Coupon] for her 18th birthday.


    No matter which class-orb one would receive, it would be highly coveted by every ¡®normal¡¯ person.


    Still, most would consider [Berserker] to be a blank. Leveling as a [Berserker] was difficult, slow, and dangerous. It was a real struggle and only very few would ever reach a level at which they would be considered an asset.


    All the more reason a high leveled [Berserker] would automatically earn the respect of many.


    The class seemed to require a very suicidal fighting style that scared off a lot of people, effectively preventing them from unleashing the class¡¯s full potential.


    On the other hand, a lot of overconfident adventurers found their doom when they were lured by the temptations the class had to offer. The lower the [Berserker¡¯s] health, the more would their combat prowess increase, with some especially noteworthy combat buffs at certain HP thresholds.


    The class required more thought and foresight than most people realized.


    It wasn¡¯t a forgiving class. The learning curve was harsh and only really shined in the higher.


    As someone who knew the struggles of the class from his earlier days, Samuel was impressed by her spirit and clear-headedness. As long as she only lost her temper after the fight was over, everything was fine. He¡¯d been there himself.


    So, when he and Timothy met her on their travels, she was offered to join them.


    Recognizing the rare opportunity, she gladly accepted.


    Around half a year had passed since she joined the two of them.


    The friendly spars between Miriam and Timothy had become an almost daily occurrence, with him profiting just as much as her.


    While those fights didn¡¯t give any class experience, not all strengths and gains could be measured in levels and stats. Actual combat experience and the ability to strategize and think ahead were just as important. Some even claimed they were more important.


    Miriam was still venting when their mentor returned to their makeshift camp and got off his flying-artifact.


    He recognized the sight that greeted him and knew exactly what just went down. In fact, he could already guess what was happening before he arrived, just by the sound of things.


    ¡°Master Samuel!¡±


    He waved the boy off.


    ¡°Stop calling me that.


    Miriam, get a grip on yourself. Here take these.


    Tim, you take some of the red ones as well.


    Heal up you two and get ready for another round.¡±


    Samuel took the potions out of his inventory and distributed them among the two.


    The brownish cubes were naturally for Miriam; The red ones were split evenly between the two.


    It was rare for their mentor to actively encourage them to spar like this.


    The two of them inspected the received items, squeezing the jello-like things before revealing the tooltips.


    Timothy¡¯s reaction was rather subdued in comparison to Miriam¡¯s, whose eyes began to shine when looking at the [Small Alternative Quality Health Potions].


    The boy stretched his neck trying to peek at the tooltip but was unsuccessful.


    ¡°Alright!¡± The young woman was rather energetic and her outburst just a moment ago seemed like a lie.


    Timothy had a bad feeling about this.


    ***


    Gasp


    ¡°Ha! Again! Let¡¯s go for another round!¡±


    Huff


    Miriam and Timothy both were panting. While she didn¡¯t actually win and was laying in the dirt once again, she wasn¡¯t discouraged at all. This was one of their closer fights.


    There was light at the end of the tunnel.


    Timothy was leaning on his staff looking rather indignant.


    Just based on their facial expressions one would mistake the winner and loser of that fight.


    ¡°What was that. Show me that other potion you got!¡±


    She complied with an exhausted grin on her face.


    ¡°Fuck! Are you kidding me? What¡¯s that? How is that fair? Master! What¡¯s the meaning of this?


    You¡­She can¡¯t rely on such a cheat to fix her problems!¡± Timothy tried to reason righteously.


    ¡°They are too valuable anyway! Only 20 of them. 18! Already wasted 2 of them. You should keep them for yourself, Master. Give her one or two for life-threatening situations in a dungeon or so.¡± He seemed quite honest and full of conviction.


    ¡°She¡¯ll soon enough get some new skills to fill those gaps in her kit. Think of it as a way to get used to it already. A preview so to speak. Also, we can always just get more of them if we need to, so...¡±


    The boy was by no means arrogant, despite his rare class and comparatively high level for his age. Maybe because of his modest upbringing, maybe because of the harsh training.


    Nevertheless, Samuel felt that the kid might benefit from an occasional loss to keep his head straight.


    Besides, he meant what he said. He wouldn¡¯t risk Miriam¡¯s development for such a reason.


    ¡°What do you mean we can get more?¡± The young mage felt like crying.


    Miriam also perked up. ¡°More? There¡¯s more than those!? Haha. You¡¯re so done for. Get ready for payback!¡±

 Chapter 4

    2 days later.


    ¡°I did it! Finally. I knew I could do it!¡±


    Miriam looked just as pathetic as always after their duels.


    But this time, she was actually the winner. It was a hard-fought-for victory.


    Timothy was panting hard, trying to get back onto his feet, but stumbled and fell over again.


    In an attempt to seem more composed, he decided to instead sit down in a cross-legged position and pretended to wipe away dirt from his robes.


    But as much as he tried, he couldn¡¯t manage to keep his facial features under control.


    He was sulky and felt cheated. Those potions were just too potent. And those were just small ones.


    What would the more powerful versions look like? He didn¡¯t dare think about it.


    Instead, he wanted to vent his frustrations.


    ¡®But since Master said it was okay for her to use them¡­¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t question Samuel¡¯s decision, so instead, he decided to play through the fight once again in his head, trying to learn from the experience of a rare loss.


    When Samuel saw this behavior, he was proud of the boy. Despite having a powerful class, a lot of talent, and being rather young, he was still a hard worker.


    ¡®Who knows what would¡¯ve become of him if he grew up in a city, spoiled by people trying to butter him up.¡¯ A warm smile crept onto his face.


    At this moment, Timothy asked a question that Samuel himself was rather interested in.


    ¡°What did you do there at the end? That was more than 20% health that you gained there.¡± His annoyance had turned to confusion instead.


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t use your Regenerating Shout there, so how did you do it?¡±


    Miriam was still quite content with her performance, but she knew better than to gloat.


    She answered honestly.


    ¡°I was kinda desperate there. I knew I was gonna lose again if I didn¡¯t do something.


    So I just tried to take all the other potions I still had, so yeah...¡±


    Timothy just looked dumbfounded. Samuel¡¯s reaction, on the other hand, was more extreme. He basically jumped at her and shouted.


    ¡°What do you mean you just used other potions? What about the cooldown?¡±


    They had never seen the old man so excited before. It was almost scary seeing him like that.


    He moved at a speed they never witnessed before.


    Even when the two of them were in hairy situations before and Samuel had to step in, he never moved like this. The enemies in their level range just never warranted it.


    With his savage look and the huge claws on his hands, if they weren¡¯t familiar with him and had a rather close relationship, they would¡¯ve been scared shitless.


    ¡°I. Eh. The cubes seem to have their own cooldown. Like in, each has a separate one. So I could still use a red one and regular one as well.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true!¡± He exploded.


    ¡°You know that as well as I do. Something like that is unheard of. It¡¯s common knowledge that all potions share a cooldown!¡±


    ¡°Ma-Master Samuel! Those jelly things certainly aren¡¯t just normal potions, though.¡±


    Timothy knew it was kind of a big deal, but compared to a successful and experienced adventurer, who was basically at the apex of his class, he didn¡¯t quite understand the gravity of the matter.


    He somewhat quickly accepted what Miriam said and instead thought of ways to incorporate that into his fighting style.


    ¡®If I don¡¯t need to keep the potion cooldown ready for a health potion, in case of an emergency, I can just do full damage from the very start. Just keep chugging mana potions on cooldown. Hahaha. That¡¯s amazing!¡¯


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    ¡°You two! Don¡¯t accept this so readily! Haven¡¯t I taught you not to take things at face value? Gimme some of your remaining jello-pots.


    Do you have any idea how big this would be?¡±


    Both reluctantly handed over some of their potions.


    ¡°What about the other ones? The brown ones?¡±


    ¡°That was the last one, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Samuel was slightly annoyed, but it didn¡¯t matter too much.


    A regular potion and a red cube would be good enough to confirm Miriam¡¯s findings.


    ¡°Tim, you test it with a mana potion as well.¡±


    The tests concluded quickly.


    Both were in a daze.


    Timothy was still thinking mostly about the implications for his own combat style.


    Samuel¡¯s thoughts were on a larger scale.


    He tried to predict the reactions and the developments that would follow once this knowledge spread, but even as a seasoned and well-connected adventurer, he was unable to reach a conclusion. At the very least sooner or later, those potions alone would have a strong influence on what the big players would call ¡®meta¡¯.


    Miriam was previously the one who was the least impressed. She was too busy celebrating her victory. Now, she was annoyed at herself.


    ¡®And I call myself a merchant¡¯s daughter. What a disgrace.¡¯ She started thinking as well.


    ¡°Well, that at least explains why they are limited to 20 at a time! The profits a scalper could make with it otherwise¡­


    Maybe we should stay in the area for the time being. Who knows what other products the shopowner will come up with in the future.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Might as well do some harder quests in the vicinity if we have such a backup.


    Tomorrow we¡¯ll resupply. Get the whole 20 of both. Especially you, Tim, get the brown ones as well!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Master Samuel.


    Why don¡¯t we spar until then, Miriam?¡± Timothy suggested with an innocent smile on his face.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    ***


    Severin had been somewhat busy.


    After the ferocious-looking man left his shop, two little red stars popped up.


    First was the appearance of a follow-up quest.


    [Building of a customer base


    Quest description: Serve 10 unique customers.


    Quest reward: ???]


    The other star indicated a change in his inventory.


    The System graciously granted him enough herbs and liquids to replace the 40 units he had just sold.


    Crafting these rewarded him with just enough experience to gain another level in his [Alchemist] subclass.


    This time he was rewarded with two new recipes. When checking out his recipe book, Severin was a bit disappointed.


    ¡®Wow, very creative.¡¯


    Still, it was better than the last reward of increased crafting speed.


    At least it gave him something to do.


    The System naturally provided him with the necessary reagents.


    Compared to last time, where he was still somewhat optimistic about his future prospects, he took it slowly this time.


    Who knew how long he¡¯d have to wait until something would happen?


    Sure, the [Berserker] seemed kind enough and had told him he¡¯d be back. But let¡¯s be real.


    Who hadn¡¯t said something like that before, just to be kind? Severin wasn¡¯t so easily fooled.


    Now, three days later, he shelved the last batch of jello and went over to his trusty chair.


    ¡®Enough excitement. Back to the boring days.¡¯ Severin mocked his situation, opting for a nap.


    His head had not yet reached the counter when the door opened.


    ¡°Back already? Sam, was it?¡± Severin was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°So the potions were to your liking?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±


    The big man answered with a stiff smile on his face while revealing two more guests.


    ¡°The carrying limit is a pity, though. So I brought these two with me to carry some more.¡±


    Severin had a pretty good idea about their classes just by looking at them.


    The pelt around the young woman¡¯s shoulders was a dead giveaway.


    At first glance, she looked like a human-sized copy of Samuel.


    A closer examination revealed some differences, but it was still his best guess.


    The most glaring one of those differences was the plain shirt she was wearing, not unlike Severin¡¯s own.


    And based on what he was told, he guessed that it was lacking any form of defensive values or stats, also just like his.


    ¡®No Bikini Armor, huh?¡¯


    She was obviously very fit but still clearly lacked her mentor¡¯s battle-hardened aura.


    Samuel had probably more scars on one hand than she had on her whole body.


    Her blonde hair was bound into a short ponytail as to not be a hindrance while in heavy melee combat.


    The green eyes looked determined but not cold.


    Severin could only inwardly laugh at his foolishness when he caught himself being surprised by the lack of makeup or other beauty products.


    ¡®A future business opportunity! Surely¡­not?¡¯


    The third person looked like a typical clich¨¦ of a mage.


    Simple black robes, a tall black floppy hat, and a staff that was as tall as the person holding it.


    But instead of a wizened old man with a long white beard, it was a boy with an annoyed-looking babyface.


    With most of his body hidden, it was hard to say anything more about his appearance.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like to take a look at my newest creation as well?¡±

 Chapter 5

    ¡°I just finished making two more kinds of potions.¡±


    Severin was slightly embarrassed by the lack of variety he had to offer.


    Also, the new recipes really were just too similar to the old ones.


    ¡®Well, the pots can¡¯t be too shabby if he¡¯s back already.


    Then again, I¡¯m probably the only one who has a shop in this godforsaken place.¡¯


    Newest creation? More Potions?


    That naturally drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    Severin pointed in the direction of the new jello assortment.


    The group became tense. They only had one thought:


    ¡®What color?¡¯


    ¡­


    Both kinds were different shades of purple.


    The first one leaned more towards magenta.


    The other one had more of a blue tint to it.


    Close enough! It might as well be¡­


    All three held their breath while Samuel revealed the tooltips for everyone to see.


    [Small Resource Potion (20)


    Restores 400 of all Resources when consumed.]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    [Small Alternative Quality Resource Potion (20)


    Restores 20% of all Resources when consumed.]


    It¡¯s not mana pots?


    The two youths were disappointed and confused. What resources? Especially the mage felt cheated once again.


    Only the old Berserker stood there like he was petrified.


    It couldn¡¯t be.


    He slowly turned towards the shopkeeper.


    ¡° ¡¯Resources¡¯ means¡­?¡±


    Now Severin looked confused as well. What a strange question.


    Was something not right with the potions? Personally, based on his gaming knowledge, he thought universal resource potions didn¡¯t sound too bad. Especially compare to rather boring health potions.


    ¡°¡®Resources¡¯ refers to the stuff that fuels certain spells and abilities. Like a caster who uses Mana to cas¡­¡±


    ¡°I KNOW WHAT ¡®RESOURCES¡¯ ARE!¡±


    ¡­


    ahem


    Everyone decided to ignore the outburst and instead focused on the important parts.


    Severin, for one, wasn¡¯t offended at all. He quickly realized the implications.


    ¡®My stuff doesn¡¯t suck! The System isn¡¯t useless! They didn¡¯t just come here out of a lack of alternatives.¡¯ He felt a huge mental burden being lifted.


    He wasn¡¯t aware of the consequences his products might have, nor did he care. All he cared about, for now, was to not be sitting all lonely and forgotten on a shitty mountaintop. And for that, he was dependant on the quality that the System provided.


    It was a huge relief.


    The two mentees had already learned their lesson with the health potions and tried to think about more than just their own interests. But in the end, they still took them for more like a glorified mana potion.


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    They were still too inexperienced. Too na?ve.


    And their knowledge about other classes and their mechanics was too shallow.


    Samuel decided to educate them on the spot. Which coincidentally also profited Severin.


    ¡°Listen, you two. These pots here are even more impressive than the previous ones, assuming these also have their own separate cooldowns.


    How much health did the red ones restore? 200? Sure, that¡¯s impressive in comparison to regular potions, but that¡¯s it. No one is fully healed by that. Besides some squishy low-level casters with no gear, maybe.


    ¡°Now, when it comes to mana, obviously 400 isn¡¯t that much either. But.


    There are actually classes out there that have a fixed amount of resources that doesn¡¯t increase with level or equipment.


    Some of those are capped at 100 or 200.


    Do you understand? A [Monk]¡¯s focus would be fully replenished with only one use.


    That¡¯s unheard of!


    And that¡¯s not even the end of it. Not even close.¡± His face grew solemn at his point.


    ¡°Have you forgotten my recent lesson about [Paladins] already? What did I tell you about their particularities?¡±


    After a moment of contemplation, an expression of understanding dawned on their faces.


    Miriam was the first to answer.


    ¡°They...Some classes use multiple resources!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! And those people would normally have to meticulously plan ahead when and what kind of potion to use, requiring training way beyond leveling. You know how much Tim has to plan around his mana usage. Image this times two. Not even to mention the cost of specialized potions, like those that replenish Holy Power and that no one else can use.


    ¡°Those are only some of the reasons why you would usually see [Paladins] only in the service of rich and influential groups, but it might very well be enough to change things up. And [Paladins] are just one of the more common cases. There are many more and extreme examples out there.


    All that for just 1 gold per potion¡­and with the other benefits¡­¡±


    Everyone hearing this felt enlightened, including Severin himself.


    ¡®So I¡¯m basically running a p2w store!?¡¯


    Samuel looked at the Shopkeeper with a gaze full of respect, wondering what other products he would come up with in the future.


    ¡®We¡¯ll definitely have to stay on his good side.¡¯


    ¡°Mind if we set up camp here? We had planned to stay in the area for the time being. So if we have to come here to restock every so often anyway... ¡±


    ¡°Sure! Be my guest. Please.¡±


    The moment he said this, he feared that he might come across as a bit too eager. Instead, he realized that his patron seemed rather pleased with that answer if anything.


    With that out of the way, Samuel handed over a bunch of coins, reminding everyone to get their potions.


    At that time Timothy interjected:


    ¡°Get the whole 20 of everything. Especially you, Miriam, get the purple ones as well!¡±


    The annoyance about having the situation reversed on her was written on the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡®Since we use our HP for some skills, shouldn¡¯t that count as a resource as well?¡¯ She grumbled.


    ***


    The group of three had set up their makeshift campsite on the very same day.


    As far as Severin could tell, from inside his little store, it consisted of three tents, arranged in a half-circle, and a small fireplace in front of them.


    He was not impressed.


    But with everyone having an inventory, it made kind of sense.


    What he was impressed with, though, were the daily sparrings between Timothy and Miriam that served as his new entertainment. It looked like everything Severin could have imagined when dreaming about magic fights in a different world.


    Barrages of magic missiles flying. People leaping and teleporting for tens of meters at a time. Magic shields blocking, what looked like, little projectiles of blood. Stomps that would make the nearby tents fall over. And wounds that should kill any human being in an instant just being ignored.


    Severin never grew old of that sight and became a bit jealous while he stared out of his wooden cage.


    On some days, that¡¯s all they would do. They would fight from morning till noon when Samuel would come back from who knows where and give them some lessons himself.


    On other days, all three would be gone for half the day, but even then, the two of them would still challenge each other in the evening.


    It was their daily ritual.


    ¡®Yeah, no way there is a stamina stat.¡¯


    What he noticed was that while Samuel might leave on his own from time to time, it was never the other way round. The two mentees would never split up, and if they left, it was only when they accompanied Samuel on his flying artifact.


    In those days, Severin¡¯s wealth quickly multiplied, and he got to a point where he seriously had to start pondering over his soon-to-be-made investments.


    At the same time, he learned some common knowledge from Samuel, who, ever so often, came by just to talk.


    Apparently, this place was a neutral zone between the Kingdom of Rhenia in the North and the Kingdom of Malcos in the South.


    It was actually a very wide land bridge that was colloquially called ¡®The Golden Mountains¡¯, owing its creative name to the hundreds of mountains that offered many opportunities for adventurers to acquire loot.


    As Severin understood it, each mountain was a separate entity, not forming a mountain range with each other, with many of them housing either dungeons or raids. That resulted in the establishment of several guild outposts and makeshift villages either on top or around these mountains. Every aspect of these settlements was based on the needs and wants of adventurers.


    He wasn¡¯t really clear on the specifics, and he didn¡¯t want to ask. After all, even if he was a foreigner, that wouldn¡¯t explain why he didn¡¯t know what his surroundings look like.


    Most of these things took place at the western side of the Golden Mountain, thanks to the amount and the quality of the dungeons there. Leaving the east in a more untamed state and therefore making it, in the eyes of Samuel, a perfect training ground for his mentees.


    That¡¯s also where he found Severin¡¯s shop, almost bordering on the Great Sea.


    So, while it was indeed a somewhat desolate area comparatively, the situation wasn¡¯t as bad as Severin feared. Sooner or later, more people like Samuel were bound to come across his store.


    It even made the existence of his shop, at such a location somewhat plausible.


    One side effect of those communities near the west was that the immediate surroundings were pretty much cleared of monsters, opening up a route for those unable or unwilling to go via the seaways on either side of the land bridge.


    Portals between the two Kingdoms existed but were not accessible for the common folk.


    It was said that while the two kingdoms were on friendly terms on the surface level, they each sponsored one of the bigger guilds competing for resources in the area, basically fighting a proxy war in the shadows.


    Severin wondered if it was more of an open secret, or if Samuel was that well connected.

 Chapter 6

    With its many opportunities, Golden Mountain was doubtlessly one of the more profitable regions on the continent of Galira.


    Be it the amount of experience one could earn or in terms of loot. From equipment, over gold to crafting materials.


    The yield would be outstanding. If one was good enough.


    It was one of the reasons why so many guilds would settle down in the area.


    Another reason was the spike in difficulty the adventurers would experience that would necessitate the formation of capable groups.


    Now, that in itself wasn¡¯t too unique, since at around level 30, things would get harder for adventurers everywhere. No matter if it was inside or outside of dungeons, the power of all kinds of monsters increased by a few levels; Figuratively speaking.


    But in the Golden Mountain area, it went beyond that. It was notorious for its deadly dungeons and raids.


    Still, the name Golden Mountains was well deserved, and the risks were worth it in the eyes of any self-respecting adventurer.


    So, the need for guilds was only natural.


    It was basically impossible to find a dungeon or even raid group without one. Even if one did, without the implicit guarantee a guild provided, concerning the reliability and skill of their members, joining a so-called ¡®Pick up Group¡¯, or PUG, would be a huge gamble. Not only in terms of success rate but also when it came to trustworthiness.


    Not least when it came to distributing loot, in the rare case such a thrown-together group even made it that far to begin with.


    With the importance of guilds, on the one hand, the importance of the ¡®Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯ on the other hand, also grew.


    As an independent organization, one of their many jobs was to keep track of the progress and repute of registered guilds.


    For class-holders, it offered the opportunity to let one''s strength and capabilities as an adventurer get certified.


    Because of that, it was an important institution for both guilds and individuals when it came to the recruiting process.


    Earning a Silver-Rank-Badge was basically the minimum requirement for most guilds to even take notice of you.


    Coincidentally, being a ¡®Silver¡¯ also meant that one was usually strong enough to support a somewhat wealthy lifestyle, being able to clear the easier dungeons without having to actually risk one''s life.


    All these facts came together and forced the adventurers in the Golden Mountains to make a decision once they made it to level 30 themselves.


    Join a guild.


    Look for opportunities elsewhere.


    Or become a so-called ¡®Tarnished Silver¡¯, choosing the easy life and remain stagnant.


    As for the first option, more often than not, the final say lay not with the individual adventurers but with the guilds.


    Up to this point, people would be able to progress with either enough skill, gear, luck, or just having the right class. With luck and gear, most of the time being tantamount to each other.


    But with the rise in difficulty at that level 30 threshold, more was needed to progress.


    Sure, no one who made it this far was terrible, but if one wasn¡¯t blessed with an exceptional class, one needed to stand out in other ways. And good gear to actually be able to display one''s skill would go a long way with that.


    But where to get this gear from?


    It was somewhat similar to things in Severin¡¯s old world.


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    To get the job you needed work experience. To get work experience¡­


    Now, of course, there would be other ways to stand out, for example, the unique toolkit each class brought with them.


    Combat-oriented classes would usually be separated into Damage Dealers, Tanks, and Healer or Supports, depending on their specific role or focus in a given group. But those weren¡¯t official or scientific terms. Most classes weren¡¯t just 100% one role or the other, to begin with. It was more of a fluid transition. And depending on this additional utility one brought to the table, your chances to find a capable guild that would take you in would probably increase, even if your gear or skill wasn¡¯t the very best.


    Some of such examples were some of the heavier armored Damage Dealers that could temporarily take over the job of the Tank if need be.


    Then there were the healers that would be able to crowd control a group of monsters in a sticky situation or the tank who, in an emergency, could also provide damage reduction to teammates.


    That being said, tanks and healers were archetypes that were very coveted, to begin with, no matter their specific toolkit.


    For damage dealers, though, if you didn¡¯t have anything else to offer, then you¡¯d better be exceptional at what you do.


    One such person who would have to prove his worth was Xander.


    He was currently sitting in one of the more popular taverns in an area that was claimed by the ¡®Lion¡¯s Head¡¯ guild.


    A young woman, a member of the said guild and around the same age as him, sat opposite.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Two days from now. Noon. We meet at the ¡®Rocky Plains¡¯ entrance.¡±


    ¡°What? ¡®Rocky Plains? Are you serious? You know as well as I do that the Boss there is a fucking Iron Golem. How am I supposed to show off my...¡±


    ¡°Take it or leave it.¡± The woman interrupted.


    ¡°You are only given this chance cause one of the other damage dealers got into an accident.


    The ¡®Plains¡¯ are relatively low-level anyway.¡±


    ¡°Who will be the healer? You?¡± Xander knew that trying to argue would be pointless.


    He couldn¡¯t afford to blow this chance, so he quickly went on to get some more information.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lynn answered brusk as always.


    ¡°You got the weapon penetration buff yet?¡± Xander was grasping at straws.


    Enemies like the Golem that was waiting for him with high physical defense were his bane.


    It was true that both of them were actually overleveled for the dungeon, so he would still do decent damage, but decent wasn¡¯t good enough this time.


    ¡°Nah. The scroll didn¡¯t drop yet. One of the reasons we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! What about the others? Anything useful? Otherwise, I might as well go traveling. I refuse to become a ¡®Tarnished Si¡­¡±


    Lynn narrowed her eyes and interrupted him once again.


    ¡°Careful what you say around here. If the wrong person hears you say something like that, I won¡¯t be able to help you.


    And no, I don¡¯t know yet who else will come. One of the officers. No clue who else. So don¡¯t count on any buffs.¡±


    Xander was defiant. ¡°Pah. Let the¡­¡±


    The healer simply stood up and headed outside. ¡°Prepare yourself. Upgrade your gear or something.¡±


    Sigh


    Xander knew he behaved idiotically. He was actually very grateful to Lynn. There was no way he would blow that opportunity.


    She didn¡¯t say it, but Xander still knew his old childhood friend must have put in a good word for him with some of the higher-ups of the guild.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten this chance. Not with his current gear.


    It wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if not for his class.


    He was sure of his skill, and [Duelist] was by no means a weak class. But as its name suggested, it was more suited for 1vs1 combat.


    The pure damage it brought to the table admittedly wasn¡¯t too shabby, but he was no [Chaos Mage] either.


    In theory, the difference could be made up by means of utility, but aside from life leech and other heal effects that only affected himself, those were mostly stuns and interrupts.


    The kind that was unbeatable when fighting other adventurers or monsters.


    Also, the kind that usually didn¡¯t work on bosses.


    ¡° ¡¯Upgrade your gear¡¯ she says. Hilarious.


    What would I need a guild for if I could just ¡®upgrade my gear¡¯ like that?


    Tanks and Heals getting gear handed to them just like that, and then giving me smart advice.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, though. Fuck! How am I supposed to effectively penetrate an Iron Golem¡¯s defenses with these?¡±


    He took out his two old, trusted, and most importantly long outleveled, Stilettos.


    ¡°Maybe I can get you guys enchanted?¡±


    Just thinking about the cost made him shudder.


    ***


    ¡°1000 gold per weapon? Who are you trying to scam, old man?¡± Xander was upset. That was even more than expected.


    ¡±Pah! Why would I try to scam someone who obviously has no money? That¡¯s the standard price around here.


    If you want it any cheaper, you could try your luck in one of the eastern outposts. Stuff is bound to be cheaper there. Go check with the Adventurer¡¯s Society if you don¡¯t believe me!


    Now get out and make way for people who can at least afford the most basic enchants.¡±

 Chapter 7

    Around two weeks after they had set up their small encampment next to his hut, the small group, led by Samuel, packed up their tents and bid Severin goodbye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be back in a few days. It¡¯s just that the two of them here need some experience to broaden their horizon.


    We¡¯ll check out one or two of the dungeons around here and see how it goes.¡±


    Samuel turned around to face the two in question.


    ¡°Your individual abilities might be excellent for your age, but you mustn¡¯t become overconfident. You still have a lot to learn. There is more to being a successful adventurer than being strong.


    Sooner or later, you will have to work together with other people. Cooperating and coordinating with multiple other people during battle. Everyone with their own habits and skills. Possibly in some small cave or so, with not enough space to move around freely.


    Don¡¯t underestimate the difficulty and dangers involved!¡± His expression grew solemn.


    ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll have a rude awakening once you get your Silver-Badges.


    Having connections and forming ties is an important part of adventuring that cannot be overstated, you get that?


    I won¡¯t always be around.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Master Samuel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure.¡± Miriam couldn¡¯t keep herself from rolling her eyes.


    She and Timothy had already grown tired of this speech.


    ¡®Let¡¯s just get this over with please.¡¯


    ¡­


    Severin stood at the door and saw them off. He watched until the surprisingly fast Flying Ship became a small black dot in the distance until it disappeared in the distance.


    Sigh


    ¡®One day¡­¡¯


    After a small drop in his mood, Severin just as quickly picked himself up again.


    After all, things didn¡¯t look that bleak for him anymore.


    ¡°Good thing I let the work pile up a bit in the time I had company.


    Should be enough to get one or two more levels for my [Alchemist] subclass.


    And with that, hopefully, gain some new recipe or so.¡± Still, looked somewhat upset.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the [Shopkeeper] experience? Still not even at the 50% mark, even after all those sales. The System better not be too stingy with its level-up reward once I made it.¡±


    ¡­


    In an attempt to get himself acquainted with Severin, Samuel had often kept him company in the store and told him stories about his own adventures.


    About all the places he had visited, be it dungeons and raids or monsters he had hunted in the wilderness. The [Berserker] had used the term ¡®grinding¡¯ to describe the latter activity, which almost caused Severin to lose his composure.


    As someone with a non-combat class himself, he felt a bit silly when he learned that he was obviously not alone in that regard.


    He had also learned about all kinds of magic items and technology and received a crash course about the most common classes in Galira.


    The old man never talked about his own level, and Severin didn¡¯t ask. But just based on the many stories, he was sure the man was extraordinary. Not for a second did he entertain the thought that he could be lying.


    Between their sparrings he also talked with the other two adventurers, from time to time.


    From them, he learned more about the life of ¡®normal¡¯, classless people.


    While Severin¡¯s knowledge on the subject was very limited, he expected their life to be like in medieval times in his old world.


    And while that turned out to be somewhat true for remote places, like Timothy¡¯s hometown, he had been too na?ve.


    Not everything in this world revolved around suicidal thrill-seekers and their needs, so in a world of magic with all kinds of tools and artifacts and crafting professions, how couldn¡¯t there be a certain elevated standard of living?


    ¡­


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    Severin had gotten too used to their company.


    Because of that, what once was his only form of entertainment, crafting, had now become a boring chore instead.


    Crafting potions with the help of the system-implanted skills and knowledge was no challenge at all. And after the novelty effect had faded, it had become tedious work instead.


    His hands moved automatically as if he had built up muscle memory through repetition over the span of multiple years.


    Severin was sure that assembly line work couldn¡¯t be any less interesting.


    He put it down to the missing mad-scientist vibes.


    Still, after a day of mindless work, he was quite pleased to see another recipe popup as a reward.


    ¡°Finally, something else than jello. Might as well have become a [Cook] back then.¡±


    Severin was about to hold the somewhat viscous, green liquid he had just produced, against the light, only to again be confronted with the fact that he didn¡¯t know where the light came from.


    ¡®Since Sam didn¡¯t mention it, it¡¯s probably nothing too special.¡¯


    He contented himself with reading through the item¡¯s description.


    ¡°20 gold each, huh?  ¡®Lasts for 30 minutes¡¯.¡± Severin did some rough estimates.


    ¡°Considering how many potions these two are chugging in 30 minutes, it¡¯s not even that expensive in comparison.


    And it¡¯s limited to only 5. Not sure whether that¡¯s a good thing or not. It probably is? Makes them come back more often, I guess. Assuming it¡¯s as useful as I think it is.¡±


    ¡°Then again, the demand should be more class-specific.¡± He quickly analyzed.


    I can¡¯t see Tim using that stuff unless¡­¡±


    A small smile came onto Severin¡¯s face once he tried to imagine the caster thrashing around with his staff.


    ¡­


    Another two days later, the store was fully stocked again.


    It was finally time for Severin to pay attention to another matter.


    Having a group of combat maniacs at one''s front porch had more benefits to it than just the entertainment factor. And as their jello-addiction enormous potion consumption provided him with more experience, his gold count naturally increased as well.


    And now it was time to invest that gold.


    Or, more specifically, the money that was reserved for shop enhancements.


    Sadly, because of the poor conversion rate, the balance reserved for personal purchases was still too low, to be able to afford a bedroom yet.


    So once again, Severin went through his options while browsing the shop menu.


    ¡®The first option would just be to expand the shop itself. I can¡¯t imagine that it would ever be a wrong decision. At least not in the long run.


    Once I have more customers, I¡¯ll probably need the space anyway. Would also allow for more shelf space.¡¯


    Severin considered for a moment.


    ¡®Just simply saving up some more would probably not hurt either.


    Then I would just wait until I really need something specific.¡¯


    Severin already knew those two were his best choices.


    But he still scrolled down in his System menu and checked one more option.


    ¡®I can just buy the land in front of the store. With enough money, I could even buy the whole thing apparently.


    For now, I should be able to afford at least an area that¡¯s multiple times the size of the hut.


    With that, I should be able to go outside¡­right? Since it technically would belong to the shop? I mean, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense to have this option otherwise. Especially if it¡¯s purchasable from the shop¡¯s own balance.¡¯


    Severin tried to convince himself.


    He was desperate to step outside.


    ¡®I mean, I must look pretty suspicious already! Almost two weeks and they¡¯ve never seen me leave this hut! I can¡¯t have them leave and never come back because they don¡¯t trust me!¡¯


    He still tried to rationalize the decision that he had already secretly made when he watched that ship disappear into the horizon.


    It was probably the worst option out of the three.


    Still...


    He closed his eyes and¡­


    Tap


    Kaching


    Once he opened his eyes again, he saw some changes happened to the menu.


    The most obvious being the 400 cold coins missing from the balance overview.


    He ignored these for the moment and instead took a deep breath.


    Then he went around the counter with a heavy heart.


    He stopped in front of the door and opened it with shaky hands.


    The sight that greeted him made him become hopeful.


    ¡°A fence! That¡¯s a good sign, right?!¡±


    The fence, which was seemingly made from the same rustic wood as his hut, was clearly demarcating the area is he had just bought.


    He carefully tried to cross the doorstep.


    Successfully this time!


    ¡°YES! I knew it! Thank god.¡±


    Severin was lucky that no one appeared at this moment, and nobody saw him.


    Otherwise, he might have decided to lock himself up inside the shop and never open it again.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the shame he¡¯d feel if someone saw the silly dance he performed in front of the shop.


    It was truly a truly ridiculous sight, with his arms flailing around while making unintelligible sounds.


    After running around like that for a short while, he let himself fall onto the grass that was swaying in the mild breeze.


    ¡°Haha! I did it!¡±


    Suddenly his laughs suddenly stopped and made way to a displeased frown.


    His eyes, for the first time, fell onto his new home.


    More specifically, on the wooden store sign over the door.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how Sam knew my name. That¡¯s ridiculous. And I can¡¯t even explain it to anyone. Who would believe me? I didn¡¯t come up with that!¡±


    Severin felt wronged by the System once more.


    ¡°What a shitty name!¡±


    If he didn¡¯t want to become a laughingstock, he better make the name come true.


    The sign read ¡®Severin¡¯s Emporium¡¯.

 Chapter 8

    Xander sat in his flying artifact, which looked a bit like the basket of a hot air balloon.


    It was smaller, though, offering just enough space for one seat. Even if another person could squeeze themselves in, the four magic crystals, situated in each corner of the gondola, which powered the contraption, would most likely not be able to bear the additional weight.


    Of course, bigger, faster, and more luxurious variants that could house more people also existed, but even this basic version would be coveted by many.


    When he originally got his hands on this artifact not too long ago, he was extremely proud of it and formed the obnoxious habit of flaunting it in crowded areas by floating over them.


    It would always lighten up his mood whenever he took it out.


    But now, he somewhat regretted the purchase. While he had been lucky and got it relatively cheap, it still drained his funds at the time. No matter how fond he was of the thing, apart from needing it to reach certain dungeon entrances, it was still only a luxury.


    He still had his priorities.


    At this moment he had a cranky expression on his face.


    ¡°What a fucking joke. 1600 gold for both weapons. And a chance of them breaking because of their ¡®inferior quality¡¯. Yeah, no shit. Wouldn¡¯t need to enchant them if they were top-grade, would I?! Chance of them breaking, tzz. With those skills, it¡¯s no wonder he is hiding in such a shithole.¡°


    Xander couldn¡¯t sit still while talking himself into a rage until the flying artifact started to wobble for a moment.


    It was enough to bring him back, and with a clear head, he started to think through his options.


    sigh


    ¡®The trip took longer than expected, especially with all the searching involved. That first [Enchanter] I talked to back then would¡¯ve probably been my best bet.¡¯ Xander lamented in regret.


    ¡®Now I¡¯m not only missing the necessary gold but also the time. The enchanting process would probably take too long at this point. At least half a day, I¡¯d guess. Maybe if it¡¯s only my Main-hand¡­


    Or I could try looking for some support to buff me right before I enter the dungeon.


    But realistically, the buffs wouldn¡¯t last until we reach the boss, and the trash won¡¯t be a problem anyway.¡¯


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t be able to show off a bit. I¡¯ve cleared the Plains often enough.


    And Lynn and the others will obviously know that the encounter isn¡¯t in my favor¡­still.


    Not being able to go all-out isn¡¯t a good look.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡®FUCK! Any third-rate caster can out damage me on a damn Iron Golem, all while standing at a safe distance.¡¯


    wobble


    ¡­


    Xander got lost deep in his thoughts, crossing off one potential option after the other.


    At this moment, he was torn away from his thoughts when his vision suddenly turned dark.


    After a moment of confusion, he quickly realized he was on a collision course with one of the many mountains, and in a momentary panic, controlled his vehicle to an abrupt halt.


    After taking a few deep breaths, the panic quickly dissipated as he realized he wasn¡¯t actually that close to the mountain yet; It wasn¡¯t a matter of seconds till the crash like he initially thought, but the mountain was just too enormous and therefore, on a first glance, seemed closer than it really was.


    ¡°What the? I should be flying way above those things. Not too many of them come up that high.¡±


    He could only stretch his neck, with his eyes growing bigger in astonishment, and see mountaintop disappear in the clouds above him.


    That thing was huge even for local standards.


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    Xander hesitated for a moment and started to check the surroundings. He looked to both sides and below, trying to see if he could make anything out that would warrant his attention.


    Maybe a remote outpost or a cave or the like.


    Weighing whether he should explore the rock or just ignore it and avoid any more delay.


    ¡°Well, not that it matters anymore. At this point, I might as well check it out. Maybe there¡¯s some rare monster or treasure up there.¡±


    Such occurrences weren¡¯t unheard of, but Xander obviously didn¡¯t believe in the words himself. It was more like voicing a wish out of desperation.


    Still, the decision was made, and half an hour more or less wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡­


    Xander burst through the cover of clouds, holding onto the sites of the shaking one-seater.


    He was obviously pushing the limits of his vehicle.


    About to complain once again, the instant he took in the view, he turned speechless.


    Releasing a breath he subconsciously held, he quickly calmed down and could only marvel at the sights.


    A couple of green peaks poking through the white in the very distance.


    The surprisingly mild breeze ruffling through the grass on the mountaintop beneath him.


    No sign of any living being. Only the sound of the wind.


    It was as if the clouds were isolating this place from the rough and at times brutal world below.


    The beauty and serenity of untouched natu¡­


    ¡°Is that a battlefield?! What the hell happened here?


    Is there really a monster living here?¡±


    Xander was shocked but still able to control his voice.


    As much as he appeared to be a loud guy with little to no self-control as a ¡®Silver,¡¯ there was no way he would just randomly let out a scream and draw potentially dangerous attention to him.


    On closer inspection, he noticed a bit of fence covering the ground, disappearing from his vision right behind the railing of his flying artifact.


    He carefully leaned over.


    ¡®A hut, here? Is there someone¡­living?¡¯


    The discovery of a rare monster wouldn¡¯t have been a bigger surprise to him at this point.


    Xander stood there gaping.


    ***


    Severin had moved his sleeping place from behind the counter to the outside and now sat next to the door, in front of his shop.


    The back of the chair was very low, making it only a little better than a stool.


    Dozing off, he, therefore, had to lean his head on the dark wood behind him.


    Enjoying himself like that, Severin jolted awake when a somewhat familiar scene repeated itself.


    ¡­


    ¡°You Severin?¡±


    Severin could barely keep himself from jumping off his chair and started to look around frantically, trying to find the person that startled him with his unfamiliar, loud voice.


    It did neither belong to Samuel nor Timothy. And certainly not Miriam.


    The only three people he knew so far.


    His confusion only grew larger when he couldn¡¯t find the trace of anyone.


    ¡°Up here.¡± One could hear the smirk in the tone.


    When Severin turned his head towards the voice, about 4meters above him, he found the culprit.


    For a moment, he wasn¡¯t sure how to react.


    Whether to be annoyed or amused.


    On the one hand, he had the urge to laugh at the smug-looking face peeking out from what looked like an unstable floating basket. The sight was beyond ridiculous in Severin¡¯s eyes. Especially when compared to Samuel¡¯s full-blown Flying Ship, this thing here looked rather pathetic.


    On the other hand, he was very much annoyed being woken up in such a rude and sudden manner.


    With his emotions slightly torn, he could only helplessly shake his head and, after a moment to calm himself, answer with a nod.


    ¡°And you are?¡± He had to raise his voice a little.


    The dark-haired young man, wearing a rough leather tunic, let the basket-like artifact disappear into his inventory space, and with a flip, made it to the ground.


    To Severin¡¯s slight disappointment, the jump and, more importantly, the landing looked rather flawless, elegant even, making him unwillingly impressed.


    The new arrival took some steps towards Severin and his shop and announced himself.


    ¡°You can call me Xander!¡±


    ¡°So. What are you selling in this¡­ Emporium of yours?¡± He asked while glancing at the sign above the door.


    The emphasis he put on that word was a bit too deliberate for Severin¡¯s liking and irked him.


    He once again took a deep breath to calm down. He couldn¡¯t afford to chase away customers at this point.


    Instead, he turned around and lead Xander into the store.


    ¡°For now, mostly potions.¡± He pointed at the shelves.


    Xander didn¡¯t even spare a glance.


    ¡°Anything else? Anything to buff my damage? Physical penetration? Anything like that?¡± He didn¡¯t sound very hopeful at this point. He really couldn¡¯t care less about potions right now.


    ¡°Take a look at this. Maybe that¡¯s more to your liking.¡±


    While trying to maintain a friendly attitude, Severin handed over a small glass bottle the size of his thumb. The tooltip already on display.


    ¡°Is this poi¡­¡±


    It was a rare occurrence for the [Duelist] to lose his tongue like that. He looked incredulous, reading the tooltip several times, opening and closing his mouth from time to time, but without making a sound.


    Now it was Severin who had a smug expression on his face.

 Chapter 9

    Severin was very pleased with Xander¡¯s speechlessness.


    The guy had been a bit too obnoxious for his taste, and he was now ready to pay him back.


    Severin anticipated a reaction of delighted disbelieve, of amazement even, that would get rid of Xander¡¯s conceited attitude. Then he could make some snarky comment himself.


    After having obviously been looked down upon, this would¡¯ve been the opportunity to strike back and wipe off Xander¡¯s stupid grin.


    From Samuel¡¯s reaction towards the potions and the information he gleaned from subsequent conversations and stories, he had grown very confident in his products and the System¡¯s capabilities overall.


    It should have easily been possible to awe some basket-riding punk.


    He put a lot of trust in the old man in that regard. He wouldn¡¯t dare make a judgment on his character yet, even though he had a good opinion of him so far. But concerning his experience as an adventurer, he had no doubt at all. He was sure that the [Berserker] knew what he was talking about. And him taking on two mentees and having that huge flying ship only confirmed to Severin that the old man was quite capable and someone who had come around and seen the world. An experienced oldtimer. If someone like that had such a strong reaction to his wares, then that spoke for itself.


    But the next moment Xander deviated from the script.


    Having overcome his initial shock, his latest customer instead narrowed his eyes and, with an upset expression, turned towards Severin.


    ¡°I better hope that is not a fake tooltip!


    You should be aware of the consequences. If you dare try to scam me like this, I¡¯ll make sure the Adventurer¡¯s Society will come for your head.¡± Xander all but poked a finger into Severin¡¯s face while he talked down to him in an accusatory tone.


    Severin¡¯s expression, still joyous in anticipation of getting one over on this guy, turned ice-cold, realization dawning on him.


    He was indeed aware that the Adventurer¡¯s Society had taken it upon themself to harshly punish everyone who knowingly sold faulty or fake adventurer supplies of any kind.


    It made sense, and the conduct was widely accepted.


    Expected even, since those matters were closely related to the survival of the customer. Those things were their lifeline. If adventurers couldn¡¯t trust their equipment, it could easily have fatal consequences.


    A healing potion that didn¡¯t heal as much as it should.


    A supposedly lifesaving scroll that fizzled.


    A piece of armor whose defensive stats didn¡¯t add up.


    The implications were obvious.


    The Society took those matters very seriously, tracking offenders for several years and chasing after them across multiple borders if necessary. Until the perpetrator would have been dealt with.


    In one of his stories, Samuel had talked about a case in which a group of criminals sold a handful of somewhat rare class orbs. Claiming they had come across a treasure in a faraway country. While no one actually believed their story of how they supposedly acquired the orbs, their authenticity was never questioned. The forging of orbs was just unheard of at the time.


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    So, in the end, the orbs were auctioned off, achieving enormous prices.


    The ones who would bid these huge sums, mostly nobles, would normally not use the orbs themselves.


    They either had an orb chosen for them as a child, or they had gained their class as an inherited trait.


    So it took a while until the fraud was exposed.


    Only when one of the nobles offered up the orb he had won as a gift did the whole thing blow up.


    By then, the group was already gone.


    Years later, according to Samuel, the headhunters in service of the Adventurer¡¯s Society had taken down the leader of the group in a coordinated, intercontinental operation.


    They not only managed to track down his whereabouts but also the location of the Soul Binding Chamber he had used. So, when the Society finally killed him, there was already another group awaiting him at his respawn location, finishing him off for good.


    That in return drew the ire of several churches, as these were usually the ones in control of the Chambers. The Soul Binding service was probably one of their most lucrative sources of income, even with only a few people being able to afford it.


    Only now, after being accused like that, did Severin realize that for such things to happen, there must indeed exist a way to forge the tooltips of magic items.


    It should have been obvious at the time he heard the story but being around, and thinking about tooltips as something real, was still new to Severin.


    Now that he thought about it, he could see the concern and suspicion someone might harbor if they came across a merchant that sold items that were either too good or had completely unheard-of effects.


    Especially when the discrepancy between prices and promised effects seemed too large.


    Now, if no one even knew that merchant in question, and if he seemed to be hiding in the middle of nowhere on some desolate mountaintop¡­


    ¡®I guess, in a way, it¡¯s more of a compliment than anything else.


    He¡¯s basically saying that the stuff is too good to be real!¡¯


    While Severin couldn¡¯t really appreciate Xander¡¯s tone, he had nothing to be afraid of. If anything, the Adventurer¡¯s Society confirming how awesome his products are, sounded like great advertisement to him.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll have to find out. Are you buying or not? 20 Gold each.


    Take it or leave it.¡±


    Severin halted for an instant, thinking back to the shaky basket he had just seen.


    ¡°No discounts!¡±


    Xander nearly spat blood.


    ¡°Do I look like a beggar to you? Do you think I can¡¯t afford such an amount?¡±


    Severin slightly cocked his head and widened his eyes, giving him the ¡®You tell me¡¯ look.


    ¡°Fine! Gimme two.¡± Xander threw over 40 gold coins.


    The price tag combined with the low purchase limit somewhat convinced him that it¡¯s unlikely to be a scam. Even if it seemed very suspicious, the profit margins were too low.


    Why limit it to 5 at a time?


    At this point, he was more annoyed by the shopkeeper than actually being suspicious, even if he still held some doubts. Good things never come easy. Everyone knew this, and adventurers doubly so.


    ¡°Do you have a target dummy to test the effect?¡± If possible, Xander would try to clear things up right here and now.


    Magic target dummies to test one¡¯s new skills or items weren¡¯t unheard of. In fact, the demand was rather high since familiarizing oneself with their skills and gear before face a deadly enemy was considered the smart thing to do.


    The problem was the supply. Either the things would turn out too fragile to take a good beating so that they were useless for everyone but adventurers, with the lowest levels, or they would cost a small fortune. After all, the materials required to build something that sturdy might as be used to craft some high-level piece of armor.


    Therefore, mostly bigger organizations, like high-ranking guilds, or prestigious magic schools, would deploy them.


    Or some of the more high-end shops that dealt with gear and scrolls and the like.


    Xander thought that the ¡®Emporium¡¯ might turn out to fall into this category.


    Severin just shook his head, reminding himself to check with the system store in the future.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The [Duelist] came up with another idea.


    ¡°What about monsters? I have seen the destruction outside. There must be something to hunt around here. Looks like two ferocious beasts had a go at each other. Must¡¯ve been quite the fight.¡± Then he added with a gleam in his eyes, ¡°Or why don¡¯t we have a quick spar, so I can confirm the effects!¡±


    ¡°No monsters here,¡± a deep voice sounded from behind, putting Xander instantly on edge.


    ¡°But if it¡¯s a spar you want, I¡¯d be happy to oblige.¡±

 Chapter 10

    Xander swirled around, his survival instincts kicking in.


    He was only able to stop himself from summoning his Stiletto¡¯s from the inventory at the very last moment.


    The voice meant no harm, obviously. At least not at the moment. Otherwise, the person wouldn¡¯t have revealed themselves like that.


    But someone being able to sneak up on him like that was not something he was comfortable with.


    As a [Duelist], things like that should not be possible unless the other party either vastly outleveled him or had some special kind of trinket equipped.


    When Xander saw the old man towering in the doorway of the shop, he was sure it was the former.


    As a class that strongly focused on 1vs1 combat, it was a mandatory skill to be able to accurately estimate one''s odds.


    The odds for victory on one hand, but also the odds to successfully make an escape.


    Xander didn¡¯t like the conclusion he came to.


    This made him very glad that he had not drawn his weapons just now.


    He knew that any encounter between the two of them would not qualify as a battle.


    ¡®A [Berserker]? At such a level?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t suppress a slight shiver.


    ¡®He can¡¯t be someone unknown then. He must have some fame around here.¡¯


    Luckily, the savage-looking man truly didn¡¯t seem to be out for blood.


    He only looked slightly amused.


    Xander scanned the man, but his eyes got glued to the pelt that, like a cloak, was flung around the man''s shoulders.


    ¡®Fuck. What is that thing? That isn¡¯t crafted, is it? But where would something like that even drop? If that thing comes from a boss... How do you even fight something like that? Something with such a hide?


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to see the stats to know that I couldn¡¯t even scratch that thing. Even if I had bought those enchants.¡¯


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Haha. Thank you.¡± He could only awkwardly decline the offered spar.


    That man might mean no harm, and it might have been a genuine offer for assistance, but not even Xander was so brazen as to attack this person. No matter the circumstances.


    ¡°Hi, Sam! You guys are back!?¡±


    ¡°Hey there Sev. Seems like you were busy while we were gone.¡±


    He then addressed the unfamiliar person. ¡°First time here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then we¡¯ll see more of each other from now on. I¡¯m Samuel.¡± Only a fool would not return after seeing the effects of the items sold firsthand, so he was confident in his prediction.


    ¡°Xander. I¡¯m Xander. Pleased to meet you!¡± His introduction felt a bit awkward.


    The [Berserker] acknowledged the answer with a nod before returning his attention back to Severin.


    He had been referring to the obvious changes that had taken place when he was talking about Severin being busy.


    For one, the new customer.


    As far as Samuel knew, that was the first time that anyone else aside from his group had set foot into the store.


    For another, upon arrival, the fence outside instantly caught his attention, having some suspicions about it.


    The last change, of course, was the addition of a new item that he could hardly wait to check out.


    ¡°The others are setting up the camp, assuming it¡¯s alright with you.¡±


    ¡°How did they do? Any success?¡±


    Severin had a positive impression of the two. And not only regarding the fact that they were basically his most loyal customers. He was glad to know they made it back in one piece.


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    As for Samuel, he never even thought about the possibility of something happening to him.


    ¡°They did good. I¡¯ll tell you more later. Why don¡¯t you let me see the new thing you got there first!¡± Samuel could contain his curiosity only for so long.


    Xander, who was listening in from the side, was dumbfounded.


    Not only did the Shopkeeper and the [Berserker] seem to be familiar, they even appeared to be on quite good terms with each other.


    That fact alone elevated Severin¡¯s status in his eyes and convinced him of the legitimacy of the shop and its wares. Samuel was obviously an old customer, and there was no way this all was just one big setup to scam people like himself out of a few gold coins.


    ¡®Someone like him wouldn¡¯t need to scam people. Even if he wasn¡¯t a good person, he could just take whatever he wanted.¡¯


    Sigh


    He felt a bit silly.


    At this moment, he felt that he may have overdone it a bit, accusing Severin like that. The forging of tooltips was, after all, a very severe crime. In hindsight, he was glad that it didn¡¯t come to an escalation.


    ¡®I¡¯m lucky that other guy didn¡¯t appear any earlier.¡¯ He shuddered at the thought.


    ¡®If they are really that close, who knows how he would¡¯ve reacted.¡¯ He could have easily made a powerful enemy. Now he could only hope that Severin wasn¡¯t too resentful.


    He quickly blamed the pressure from the upcoming trial for his behavior. Considering for a moment whether he should buy three more flasks now that he was somewhat assured of their effects. But he quickly decided against it. The arrival of the new customer gave him a chance to quietly excuse himself without letting the thing blow up.


    ¡°Thank you for your business! I¡¯ll be going then.¡± He let the two flasks disappear.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that supposed to be my line?¡¯ Severin thought the change in attitude was hilarious but didn¡¯t call him out on that. ¡°Have a good day.¡±


    Then, recalling Samuel''s words and agreeing with the conclusion, he added, ¡°Till next time.¡±


    Severin could indeed be rather resentful. He just didn¡¯t take the incident to heart.


    Therefore with Samuel¡¯s entrance, his displeasure had already disappeared, for the most part.


    Xander held his breath when he quickly squeezed past Samuel¡¯s enormous frame and all but fled the scene.


    He only paused briefly when spotting two youths besides some newly-erected tents, whom he greeted with a nod.


    ¡®Tim and Miriam was it, huh? Better keep an eye out for those as well. If they are under that Sam¡¯s protection, who knows what will become of them.¡¯


    Quickly summoning his flying artifact, he left the mountain in a hurry.


    The scouting of this place and its surroundings before he entered the shop, as well as the bickering with Severin, had taken more time than he had initially thought.


    ¡­


    Back inside the store, Severin handed over one of the small green flasks, anticipating Samuel''s verdict.


    [Weapon Oil ¨C Damage Conversion (5)


    Half of the Physical Damage dealt with this Weapon gets converted into Magic Damage of a random element.


    Lasts for 30 minutes.]


    Samuel already expected the items to be extraordinary. And extraordinary it was.


    However, that did not necessarily mean the item was overpowered.


    Samuel¡¯s eyes widened slightly, but as far as his initial reaction went, that was it.


    It was quite the contrast to the over-the-top reaction Severin had secretly hoped for, and his change in posture clearly reflected that.


    That didn¡¯t escape Samuel¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. This stuff can trivialize whole dungeons, maybe even raids. Even some high-level ones. But its uses are still rather limited and very niche.¡±


    He was about to give another one of his lessons.


    ¡°First of all, it¡¯s obviously useless for most casters. And second of all, think about the best-case scenario. A class that specializes in physical damage. Fighting against what? Well, obviously against a target that has higher physical resistance than magical, right? Otherwise, there would be no need to circumvent the armor. But for most groups and guilds, that would just mean they¡¯d have to bring more casters instead¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡®What a pity¡¯.


    ¡°Maybe for fights between adventurers, depending on the classes. Well, and like I said, in some very particular dungeon and raid setups. The ones where the monsters constantly shift through their resistances, for example.


    The fact that it¡¯s a random element¡­¡± He shook his head once more, but suddenly froze when he had a certain thought¡­


    ¡®Now that I think about it. The wording seems unusual. But...that would be impossible¡­?¡¯


    Sigh


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it sounded too bad. And that guy just now was pretty excited as well¡­¡±


    Severin tried to hide his disappointment as well as possible.


    He quickly tried to change the topic to distract himself.


    ¡°So, your turn. What happened? I take it they were successful?¡±


    With that, Samuel¡¯s expression turned proud. Beaming like a father, watching his children take their first steps.


    ¡°I wanted them to get a taste of the real world. So, I let them do everything by themselves.


    Have them gather information on the eligible dungeons. Like what monsters and bosses to expect and how to deal with them. What kind of gear they drop. That kind of thing.


    And then, of course, finding a suitable group. Making sure it¡¯s well balanced and that everyone is prepared. In the end, everything seemed to have worked out well. Tim even got a level-up.


    Sadly, I couldn¡¯t join them and see them fight firsthand. I was initially afraid that they might get cocky, but it seems that fear was unwarranted.


    All that¡¯s left is to take them to one of the nearby camps and have some of the loot identified.¡±


    A faint sense of jealousy and longing pulled at Severin¡¯s heartstrings. Nevertheless, he was truly happy for them.


    At this moment, the System reminded Severin of its presence.

 Chapter 11

    The tug on his conscience was still a very unusual feeling for him, catching him off guard. It caused him to wonder how the class-bearers in this world perceived their inventory and if they had stat and character panels and the like. For now, he couldn¡¯t think of an appropriate way to ask those questions without drawing unwanted attention.


    The thought disappeared as quickly as it came when he willed the System Screen open and noticed the indicator next to the Quest-log menu icon.


    He quickly tapped the menu open, again via the mental connection. He tried to be as subtle as possible, not wanting to be seen wildly fidgeting with his arms in thin air.


    [A Business Opportunity


    Quest description:       The customer demands an Identification Service. You will provide it.


    Identify 10 items.


    Quest reward:             The System will reward you with the ability to adjust the ratio of Personal-                                      Income to System-Income (very limited).]


    A new quest had appeared, and, even though he didn¡¯t like the tone, Severin was positively surprised.


    The System hadn¡¯t provided him with much assistance recently.


    For one, his other quest was still stuck. Even with Xander¡¯s appearance, the counter showed a depressing 4/10 unique customers.


    For another, he just learned that his latest System-provided product turned out to be a bit of a letdown.


    So now, he wasn¡¯t only reminded of his (Identify) skill, that he had already forgotten about without using it even once, but he was also presented with a concrete quest reward.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t that mean I can give myself a raise? Then maybe I will finally be able to afford that bedroom.¡¯ The prospect of that somewhat eased the pain of the recent disappointment.


    His eyes focused back on the person in front of him.


    ¡°Actually, I could identify the gear for you guys if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You can inspect items? The skill isn¡¯t that common around here. Then again¡­¡± Samuel had already convinced himself that Severin was a foreigner a long time ago. Not only because of the lack of at times common knowledge but also because he was sure that Severin¡¯s class wasn¡¯t something that could be acquired around these parts. Whatever that class might actually be.


    Severin double-checked with the skill menu and mumbled more to himself. ¡±Identify.¡±


    ¡°Say again?¡±


    ¡°The skill says identify, not inspect.¡± This time a bit louder.


    Samuel raised an eyebrow in astonishment. Despite his rather broad knowledge regarding all things related to adventurers and their classes, he never heard it being referred to as ¡®identifying¡¯. At least not by the skill itself.


    Then again, he was more concerned with combat-focused classes and skills.


    He hesitated a moment.


    ¡°Mind telling me the skills description? Only if it¡¯s not too much to ask for, of course.¡± While a lot of skills and their effects were somewhat public knowledge, it was still considered rather rude to directly ask for anything more specific, especially if it wasn¡¯t directly linked to coming up with a group''s battle plan or the like; In these situations, people tended to be more forthcoming with their information and willing to share knowledge.


    Now, a skill that Samuel hadn¡¯t even heard of was most likely not public knowledge whatsoever, at least not on Galira. And it couldn¡¯t get any more specific than asking for the actual skill description. And it most certainly was ¡®too much to ask for¡¯ in almost every context. Of course, Samuel was well aware of that, but the way he judged Severin¡¯s personality made him ask anyway.


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    Such behavior was very out of character for him, but it emphasized the importance he put on that information, for whatever reason.


    Severin paused. He strongly suspected that something was up and that this was indeed something one would not commonly ask about in this world. Not least because of Samuel¡¯s strained tone.


    For what it¡¯s worth, it was also a well-documented trope in certain fictions, not much unlike unspoken law concerning the random identification of other people¡¯s gear; One of the reasons that Severin had pretty much forgotten the existence of his own version of the skill, as he wasn¡¯t too keen on offending the [Berserker]. And not only because he was his first customer.


    In the end, Severin came to the conclusion that it didn¡¯t really matter in his case.


    Most importantly, because it wouldn¡¯t concern his safety. As it wasn¡¯t a combat skill anyway, it wouldn¡¯t diminish his non-existent defensive capabilities in the slightest. He wasn¡¯t revealing some hidden, lifesaving technique.


    On the other hand, he might further deepen his relationship with this apparently powerful adventurer, which surely would come in handy at some point in time.


    It might even serve as some kind of advertisement if the skill managed to prove its usefulness.


    ¡®What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡¯


    ¡°Well, so it¡¯s called (Identify). And it says, ¡®You are able to identify all items¡¯ and ¡®You may choose to reveal the resulting tooltip to other people.¡¯¡± After a moment, he added with a serious expression, ¡°I think a good Shopkeeper should always know what items he is dealing with¡±.


    At this point, the old man had already stopped paying attention, much to Severin¡¯s displeasure as he thought himself very funny when he cited the skill¡¯s flavor text.


    Not that he would¡¯ve got the joke anyway.


    Samuel just nodded with an absent mind, deep in thought.


    But only for a moment. He gave Severin an intense look as if trying to judge him, before turning around and excusing himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the two come to find you.¡±


    With that, he walked out of the store, leaving Severin somewhat dumbfounded.


    He decided against calling after him.


    ¡®What was that all about?¡¯


    Choosing to ignore Samuel¡¯s strange behavior for the moment, he made his way over to the counter. He leaned his forearms on it and opened the System, looking at it as if it were laying there like a book or a newspaper.


    ¡®The System message and the promised quest reward reminded me to check something else I was curious about.


    The experience I get for selling stuff should be dependent on the item price, no? It would only make sense. Let''s see.¡¯


    Up to now, all products were priced at just 1 gold coin. So now, with a more expensive product, Severin thought it would only be right if the experience points gained from those sales would rise in proportion to the price.


    He was reassured to find that selling the two small bottles to Xander had indeed granted him the same amount of experience as 40 of the jelly potions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope the guy has an ongoing need for those things¡­Might speed things up. Especially if I can get him to try the potions.


    Damn. I really should¡¯ve tried harder to sell him on these. If only he wasn¡¯t that annoying.¡± His previous confidence that Xander would return, had evaporated into thin air after Samuel¡¯s analysis of the product.


    Still, his positive outlook on the things to come wasn¡¯t affected. He knew he was in it for the long run and things weren¡¯t looking too bleak.


    ¡®Not only have I already managed to set foot out of here, but some of the upgrades in the shop look pretty exciting as well. It¡¯s all just a matter of time.¡¯


    The shop page was coincidentally the other thing he wanted to check out while waiting for Miriam and Timothy.


    The moment he had bought the plot of land in front of the store, he had already noticed a change in the shop menu. At the time he decided to ignore it and investigate the issue later since he was too excited at the prospect of leaving the hut.


    ¡®Let''s catch up on that now.¡¯ He navigated to the System¡¯s shopping section.


    ¡®So, what are those brackets? And why do they only appear behind some of the items.¡¯


    After a few taps, this time with his hand, he quickly realized what the round brackets, and more importantly the number inside them, represented.


    ¡°Buying the land was basically a down payment! The price gets offset!


    All the buildings will need their own plot of land, I take it. And that¡¯s already included in the listed price.¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t regret the purchase, but since then, he had a slightly bad conscience because of it. With the knowledge he had at that time, it just wasn¡¯t the smartest choice to spend the money like this.


    So now he felt relieved and even had an excuse if he wanted to further expand his territory.


    But Severin could further enjoy his discovery, he was torn from his thoughts.


    ¡°Hey, Sev. What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Hello, mister! What are you doing there?¡±

 Chapter 12

    Miriam and Timothy entered the store, not really expecting an answer to their questions.


    Severin was a bit embarrassed being caught in a position that must¡¯ve looked like he was staring at the counter, like an idiot.


    But the two didn¡¯t think too much about it. They just wanted their loot.


    ¡°Hey, you two. Congrats Tim. Heard about your level-up.¡± He decided to ignore the matter and act like he didn¡¯t hear them. Instead, he changed the topic while making his way around to the other side of the counter.


    ¡°Thank you, Severin!¡± Tim beamed while he turned to look at Miriam in a deliberate manner. She had to try very hard to keep a deadpan face, acting like she didn¡¯t care.


    He was naturally at a higher level than Miriam, even before the most recent level-up, given that he had started his adventuring career a few years earlier than her. And since then, they pretty much went through the same things, making it virtually impossible for Miriam to overtake him. They were close enough to each other that it didn¡¯t really matter, but it still made for a great tease whenever it came up.


    ¡°Sam told us you can inspect our loot for us?¡±


    Severin wondered if Samuel had said anything else after his strange behavior, but knew better than to ask. Still, he obviously put a certain amount of trust in Severin. Enough to send his two mentees to see him.


    Getting one''s gear inspected or identified wasn¡¯t as straightforward as buying a potion.


    First of all, there was the whole pricing issue. Pay a fixed amount? Or one based on the item¡¯s value?


    Both approaches could be found, and while the latter one was more widespread and also the one adopted by the System, it came with its own set of problems.


    Who decided the actual worth of the item? And what if the newly identified item turned out to be a rare treasure so that suddenly the fee became unexpectedly high. Maybe even unaffordable to the person who found it.


    Of course, in most cases, those things wouldn¡¯t really be a problem. Those things could usually be resolved easily if everyone involved was somewhat sensible. In the worst case, the Society would get involved and either mediate or, if need be, punish any fraudulent party that tried to ¡®seize¡¯ an item.


    The second, and for most people, more concerning issue, was the confidentiality aspect.


    The information of who owned some rare or valuable item could be very attractive to certain groups of people.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s unlikely they brought anything too rare anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Sure. Just put them here.¡±


    Both of them came closer to the counter, opposite Severin.


    Out of nowhere, two small heaps of gear appeared on top of it, startling Severin even though he knew it was coming. From then on, four eyes followed his every move with bated breath.


    Severin stretched out his hand to grab an item, laying in front of Timothy, that piqued his curiosity.


    ¡®What is that supposed to be?¡¯ It looked like a relatively short but thick and overall very plain-looking cord or rope.


    The moment he touched the item, he instinctively activated the (Identify) skill. He was a bit reserved at first, but it turned out to work exactly like his crafting skills and recipes. There was no chance to mess anything up. Even if he couldn¡¯t explain or describe the way it worked, he instantly knew how to use it. Just like one wouldn¡¯t be able to explain how they moved their limbs. They just did. And just like his limbs, he felt like he could similarly stretch out his senses over a small distance. Allowing him to activate the skill in a radius around him, even without physically touching the object, if he wanted to.


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    ¡®Yeah, better not do that for now.¡¯ He remembered Samuel¡¯s strange reaction and decided to refrain from using it like that.


    A slightly more transparent than usual tooltip appeared the next moment.


    Severin only paid attention to the name and item type.


    [Sturdy Girdle (Belt)]


    He couldn¡¯t help but snort at this.


    ¡®Someone is supposed to wear that thing as a belt? Like a Monk?¡¯


    He glanced at Timothy in his black robes, seeing he already wore a similar ¡®belt¡¯.


    The two piles of items had obviously been presorted.


    ¡®So, they already knew the item type at least. Not too strange, I guess.


    Now, I don¡¯t know much about stats, but that doesn¡¯t look like caster gear to me at all.¡¯


    Severin was about to continue his work and focus on the next item when he got interrupted.


    ¡°So? What is it?¡± Timothy could hardly keep the impatience out of his voice.


    ¡°Can you do it or not?¡±


    Severin was stumped for a moment. He looked up from the item with a questioning look. First, facing the young mage before turning to Miriam, who looked just as irritated. After a moment of awkward silence, it dawned on him, and he turned back to the item.


    ¡®Oh, man. I totally forgot about that part.¡¯ He focused on the Girdle, and the tooltip took on its usual light-blue color.


    ¡®So that¡¯s what it was.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry. Here you go.¡± He hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the ¡®choose to reveal¡¯ part of the skills description before.


    ¡°Haha. Look at those stats, Tim! Maybe I should wear that thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After that, the two couldn¡¯t keep their calm.


    Severin proceeded to identify the remaining items one after another, pausing just long enough in between to give them a chance to take in the revealed information and briefly discuss them.


    Or rather shout; In either disappointment or joy.


    ¡°Look at those boots! Let¡¯s see how you¡¯re gonna escape me now.¡±


    ¡°Pah! Have you already forgotten the additional stamina on that hat? So what if you get another hit in.¡±


    ¡°With the damage on those rings here? Why don¡¯t you find out.¡±


    ¡°Like I won''t get a boost to my damage!¡±


    While the two bickered, a strange thought popped into Severin¡¯s head.


    ¡®Am I¡­opening loot boxes for them?¡¯


    ¡­


    Sadly the fun was only short-lived. Their total of 7 items was already quite the amount, considering they had to split the loot earned in 4 dungeons with the rest of their temporary group.


    Thinking about it, Severin was astounded by the extent of their spoils.


    ¡°How much loot¡­¡±


    ¡®If I assume a group size of 5 people with the loot getting somewhat evenly split¡­and if the two of them got 7 items¡­anywhere between 16 and 20 items or so in total?¡¯


    As if understanding his exact line of thought, Miriam answered the unspoken question.


    ¡°Around here, it¡¯s not too uncommon to directly buy loot off of other people. Especially if it hasn¡¯t been inspected yet.¡± She grabbed the rope and dangled it over the counter.


    ¡°Like this thing here. Right, Tim?¡± The slight mockery in her voice couldn¡¯t be missed. ¡°How much did you pay? 100?¡±


    ¡®Yeah¡­loot boxes.¡¯


    ¡°At least I have the level to equip it if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho. Severin, I¡¯ll take a complete refill of potions. Tim, you better get ready too.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. What about the Weapon oil? I have a new product.¡±


    ¡°Samuel told us about that. Sure, give me two. Might as well try it. But not against him.¡± She pointed with her head towards the mage.


    ¡°Got too much magic defense. His only defense, really.¡±


    tzz


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the same. Minus the oil. Please. Ah, no. I still have some health potions left. So I only need¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you still have health potions left? I have given you all of the resource replenishing ones, and you kept the health ones to yourself?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use them anyway! But I too need health¡­¡± He wanted to cry.


    While squabbling, they still quickly figured out how much they owed Severin.


    Including the two dosages of oil and the identifying fee, the whole thing amounted to 182 gold coins.


    Seeing that only a measly share of 18gold and 20 silver coins made it into his personal balance, Severin felt wronged by the System. Once again. Reminding him of the Quest he had just gotten. Or, more specifically, of the attached reward.


    ¡®7 out of 10. Now I¡¯m stuck again! What kind of shitty quest-design is that?!¡¯


    The moment the two had paid up, they all but fled the store, heading towards their usual battlefield.

 Chapter 13

    Having no way to further progress his quest and with nothing else to do, Severin decided to follow them outside. The last couple of days he had missed the entertainment the two provided, so now he was ready to get outside, sit down and enjoy the show.


    ¡®With upgraded gear and a level-up, who knows if they have any new tricks in store.¡¯


    But the moment he crossed the doorstep, Severin halted.


    ¡®Who is¡­¡¯ It took Severin longer than he would have been comfortable to admit to realize that Timothy had already changed into his new gear.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that it would look so ridiculous on him, even though he had just identified the items himself. So instead of sitting down at his usual spot next to the door, he stood there gaping.


    The black hat was replaced by a similar-looking model, but light green in color.


    This change alone was already bad enough in Severin¡¯s eyes. The floppy design was hideous, to begin with. Only the fact that the thing, as well as the rest of Tim¡¯s outfit, the robes, in particular, were predominantly black, gave it a more dignified look.


    ¡®If it was only the hat.¡¯ He shook his head with pity.


    ¡®What some people do for stats¡­not caring about anything else.¡¯


    The other change was more grave than the hat. It was a new white shirt. Its sleeves reaching just above the elbow.


    On its own, it looked decent enough. Probably better than the one Severin wore himself. The problem was that it replaced the black robes, revealing a yellowish pair of trousers and brown boots that reached to the middle of his calves.


    Only because of his self-discipline was he able to resist the urge to point with his finger and openly laugh at Timothy.


    ¡®What¡¯s with that smug face?! He looks like an idiot. Who would walk around like that.¡¯ He was feeling giddy, and his breath became ragged as he tried his best to pull himself together to not make a scene. Laughing at his customer, especially if he was almost double the age, wouldn¡¯t be a good look, he figured.


    ¡®I have an image to uphold!¡¯


    But soon he realized something was off and his laughs slowly got stuck in his throat.


    ¡®I don¡¯t expect Sam to laugh at him, but Miriam¡­? Not even her? Why doesn¡¯t she say anything? Why don¡¯t they show any reaction?¡¯


    His good mood slowly turned. It wasn¡¯t really a big deal, but the difference in reaction was somehow sobering. It made him feel dejected and lonely. With no one to share such carefree moments, only able to watch from a distance, he felt like he didn¡¯t quite fit in.


    sigh


    He sat down to half-heartedly watch the ensuing battle.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? Get a grip. Because of such a small thing.¡¯


    After watching a few rounds of fighting that didn¡¯t feel quite as exciting as usual, he decided to go over to the little camp, where he had just seen Samuel coming out of one of the tents.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not drown in self-pity and do something.¡¯


    However, after a moment of thought, he changed his mind. The plot of land he owned, the area of land where he could move freely, was a few meters short of reaching the campsite. It would look too strange if he would stand there at the fence and shout over.


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    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not just stand there like an idiot begging for attention,¡± Severin mocked himself.


    Luckily at that moment, he noticed that the [Berserker] had decided to come over himself.


    Seeing him approach Severin decided with a heavy heart that it would be the least he could do to offer his loyal customer a seat.


    While the man was still making his way over, Severin quickly opened his System and navigated to the store page to reluctantly exchange 30 coins of his personal balance for a very basic chair, somewhat similar to the one he was using himself.


    The next moment a red star appeared on the inventory menu icon.


    He let it spawn right next to him while inwardly lamenting the cost.


    ¡®30gold. I didn¡¯t even make close to that amount when I sold them all that stuff earlier.¡¯ He was still affected by his sour mood.


    ¡®Damn. Gold coins. One would expect a throne for that. Not¡­this.¡¯


    He could only hide his disgust in front of Samuel.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± The man obviously understood that the chair was for him and appreciated the gesture.


    He sat down and gave Severin an intense look.


    Without much ado, he asked, ¡°Does that skill of yours work on my cloak?¡±


    Still in a strange mood, he instinctively grabbed the item without answering or thinking things through.


    He instantly let the tooltip appear, making it visible for both of them.


    The next moment they both were at a loss for words.


    Severin sharply sucked in air and felt his head clearing up.


    Other than that, he kept his mouth shut as he felt that he might have acted a bit too hasty and thinking that it wasn¡¯t his place to comment on the revealed stats.


    ¡¯At least level 80. Basic elemental damage received, reduced by half. Half of all received physical damage mirrored onto the attacker. And then there are still all those stats. That¡¯s more than all the items from earlier combined. What¡­Who the¡­is with that dude?¡¯ Even without having a concrete point of reference, he knew that thing was far from normal.


    The (Unique) tag might have been a hint.


    ¡®And that¡¯s only a single piece of gear.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help sneaking a glance at the man¡¯s face with a sense of newfound respect.


    But contrary to his expectations, the expression on Samuel¡¯s face seemed to mirror his own astonishment.


    ¡°How did you¡­? While I still had it equipped? That should not be possible!¡±


    When the two met their eyes, they hold eye contact for a moment before looking away in tacit understanding not to ask too many questions.


    They turned to watch Miriam and Timothy in awkward silence until Samuel left a while later, leaving behind 500 Gold.


    ¡®Well, that paid for the chair at least.¡¯ Severin had found back some of his humor.


    He opened his System to check a few things.


    The balance, especially the stores¡¯, looked quite promising.


    But the next discovery didn¡¯t sit well with him.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I have gotten a ton of experience for that? After the setback of 400 coins for the outside expansion, the 500 just now basically doubled the balance. So how come the experience bar didn¡¯t move accordingly?


    And the quest tracker didn¡¯t change either? What¡¯s up with that?¡¯


    Unexpectedly, the System gave a rare, albeit questionable, explanation concerning the first issue.


    [You are a [Shopkeeper], not a [Service Provider]. The received experience had to be adjusted accordingly.]


    ¡°C¡¯mon! Didn¡¯t you give me that quest yourself? And you still took the money, didn¡¯t you? Who are you trying to fool here!? What a scam.¡±


    Severin could hardly keep his calm.


    If he was a bit more clearheaded, he might have figured out the reason why the quest progress didn¡¯t advance.


    Even when going by his own understanding of item- and equipment-related matters, which almost exclusively came from games, he should have been able to figure out what happened. Considering that Samuel was already wearing the item at the time, it was hardly possible that he identified it in the usual gaming sense.


    In reality, it was slightly more complicated than that. Different from his own understanding, as long as an item was bound to a person, the owner could choose if they wanted to make the tooltip available for others to see or not. In the case that they chose to hide it and then had their bound canceled, be it voluntarily or involuntarily, the item needed to be inspected once again.


    That was what Samuel had originally planned to do. And it was also why he had needed some time to think things through beforehand. He obviously planned to test Severin.


    And if he wasn¡¯t able to pass, Sam wouldn¡¯t be able to equip the item again. Unless he went back to the capital to find someone who was actually skilled enough to inspect the item. Even for him, that would be a hassle. As the item was (Unique), not just anyone could do it. Otherwise, the whole affair would¡¯ve been rather pointless. And those who could, wouldn¡¯t just own a random street corner store.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t come to this. Instead of inspecting the item, what Severin did was far more shocking to Samuel than anything else he could¡¯ve imagined.


    He interfered with the authority that a class-bearer had over a bound item. It was something unthinkable. It was said to be one of the immutable rules of the world.


    After that, Samuel, of course, didn¡¯t care about his test anymore.


    Not that he had any more doubts in that regard. Actually inspecting the item would be child¡¯s play in comparison. No matter how unique the item.

 Chapter 14

    Xander and his four group members, representing the ¡®Lion¡¯s Head¡¯, guild stood in front of a giant iron golem.


    Until reaching this point, everything went very easy and without hiccups. And that was still an understatement.


    Spread across the wide-open area that gave the dungeon its name were several camps of kobolds that looked like a combination of a lizardman and an imp. They were almost as tall as an average human.


    In each of those camps resided a kobold shaman that needed to be killed if one wanted to interrupt the spell that was cast to banish the end boss of the dungeon.


    Each of the shamans was heavily protected, but as the group outleveled the monsters they bore no danger to them. Since the group wasn¡¯t here for experience or gear, it didn¡¯t matter. The only reason they chose this dungeon was the skill book that could be dropped by the shamans, as it would allow Lynn to learn a new spell. That spell would allow her to cast a raid-wide buff to increase the physical penetration values of all people affected. Depending on several factors like group size, group composition, length of the fight, and enemy type, the buff alone could easily increase the overall damage of the group by 10 to 20 percent.


    Using this opportunity to test Xander was just an afterthought. Usually, they would choose a harder dungeon for such an occasion. Therefore most people would feel lucky right now.


    Xander didn¡¯t.


    He felt the enemies that came before the boss were too weak to showcase his skill, whereas the boss¡¯s monster type, with its high physical defense, was his worst matchup.


    The former was one of the reasons why this group of five was able to slaughter their way through the dungeon in this fashion even though they weren¡¯t a well-practiced team.


    Once someone joined a guild, they would usually tend to group up with other people from that guild as much as possible. So them not being coordinated with Xander, an outsider, was only natural.


    But even if everyone was in the same guild, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were familiar with each other''s habits and combat style and the like. Especially if the guild was on the larger side, it would obviously come to the formation of internal groups.


    Since the dungeon run this time was concerning the recruitment of a new member, a higher-ranking guild officer had to be present to make the decision if Xander was deemed a suitable fit.


    This time the officer in question was Andreas, a [Warrior] that was heavily skilled and geared towards a strictly defensive role. Even an inexperienced eye could easily discern that he was an even higher level than the others, just based on the quality and the looks of the gear he wore.


    He was also the person that had recruited Lynn, and while they didn¡¯t usually group up together, not least because of their level difference, they still were on good terms with each other. Even with a lower level, as one of the people responsible for keeping them alive, she garnered a certain amount of respect just by default. So when she put in a good word for Xander, the guild wouldn¡¯t ignore her request to give him a chance even if people thought she only recommended him as a personal favor. He was a [Duelist] after all.


    But contrary to Andreas¡¯s initial expectations, he was actually impressed with the guy.


    As the tank, it fell to him to set the pace for the group, and because of the easy difficulty, steadily increasing it was one of the only ways to gauge Xander¡¯s capabilities.


    So that was the other reason for their tempo. He was slowly pushing the group, and Xander in particular, to the very limit.


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    He was very pleased with what he saw. While Xander made the impression of being somewhat cocky on the surface, he was very clear-headed while fighting and didn¡¯t seem overconfident in his judgment. The [Duelist] seemed like he was actually very meticulous and had outstanding mastery over his class. Never falling behind, and maybe more importantly, never rushing ahead.


    Following Andreas¡¯s general lead but quickly adapting if the situation demanded it. Like executing fleeing kobolds or stealthy scouts, with his impressive damage spikes, before they could call reinforcements.


    Xander, Andreas, and Lynn were accompanied by an [Elemental Archer] as well as a [Spellslinger]. Both of them were core members of Lynn¡¯s usual group.


    Andreas had told both of them to hold back a little and not go all out until they reached the boss. Again, to offer as many opportunities as possible for Xander to prove his worth.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that the two were slacking, but it still made the speed at which they progressed all the more impressive.


    Naturally, Andreas was aware of the difficulty the Rocky Plains Boss would pose to Xander. Especially after having seen his two weapons.


    ¡®These old things didn¡¯t look like they were enchanted either.¡¯


    That still wouldn¡¯t mean that Xander was unable to deal any damage at all, but his usefulness in terms of utility was already limited. So his damage was Xander¡¯s main selling point, and not being able to fully display that damage was rough.


    Lynn was also looking over to him, as if asking, ¡°So what did you come up with, to fight this boss? You better not waste this opportunity.¡±


    But in the end, she didn¡¯t say anything and just observed.


    ¡°Everyone knows what to do? Everyone set?¡± Andreas made sure his companions were ready before engaging the at least 4-meter tall metal colossus they just freed.


    Xander hesitated for a moment before pulling out a small green bottle.


    He opened the thing and spread its contents over one of his stilettos before repeating the process with his other weapon.


    ¡®Poison? Really? That¡¯s what you came up with?¡¯ That was what everyone thought when they observed how Xander carefully applied the green, viscous substance.


    After his previous stellar performance, the others were somewhat disappointed by that. Even doing nothing would probably have looked better.


    Poison just wouldn¡¯t be very effective in this situation, and one could expect Xander to know that as well as they did.


    ¡®This just looks desperate.¡¯ Lynn couldn¡¯t help but silently chastise him.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    Sigh


    Here goes nothing.


    Andreas charged towards the huge boss in front of them while receiving a preemptive shield, cast by Lynn.


    When he was halfway there, the golem seemed to slowly awaken and started to raise its arms over its head.


    Before the sluggish boss could slam them down onto the approaching tank, the man¡¯s large shield already connected with one of the huge legs. The thing was too tall for him to reach the actual body.


    The resulting impact was the starting signal for the Damage Dealers.


    As soon as the two collided, a barrage of magic arrows and other bright projectiles flew from the back row towards the boss¡¯s chest.


    At the same time, Xander who closely followed behind Andreas leaped to flank the metal leg and stabbed forward with both of his weapons. The stilettos looked especially flimsy in this situation. While still in the stabbing motion, he noticed that the green color of the oil had already disappeared and that his weapons didn¡¯t look any different than usual.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Stab Stab


    The moment his weapons connected, something changed.


    The one in his main hand suddenly seemed to glow in a bluish light, while the one in his off-hand lit up in bright red.


    His heart skipped a beat when he saw this while feeling the surprisingly low resistance. He knew he dealt actual damage.


    ¡®It works!¡¯


    At that moment, all the nervousness and uncertainty he had hidden deep inside his heart melted away.


    No matter how confident he was, this trial might very well decide his future as an adventurer.


    There was no way it didn¡¯t affect him.


    So now he was finally at peace.


    He faded out all the unnecessary sensations. The smells, the flashing lights, and the exploding noises that always accompanied magic attacks.


    He focused on the boss¡¯s movements so as to not get stomped to death while he activated his limited arsenal of available self-buffing skills.


    Stab Stab


    Again the red light. Then a brown-greenish shimmer on the other weapon.


    He usually targeted his enemies¡¯ critical areas like the heart or the liver, maybe the kidney; Sometimes directly the brain.


    In the case he predicted that a fight would be more drawn-out and that he couldn¡¯t quickly finish his target in such a one-shot fashion, he would usually decide to go for the joints. To cripple the enemies¡¯ movements as much as possible.


    So now, stabbing at what was basically a huge slab of iron felt really wrong.


    But with every stab, his weapons lit up.


    Stab Stab


    This time, a yellow flash accompanied by an unsettling buzzing sound. Twice.


    His attack speed increased.


    Stab Stab


    The next two attacks followed. With the temporary weapon enchants doing its work.


    The green shimmer again.


    And then a black one.

 Chapter 15

    At that instant, the giant boss toppled over. Defeated.


    After what felt just a couple of moments, they had vanquished the golem.


    Just like that.


    Sure the group was overleveled, but everyone went into that fight expecting that they were fighting with basically only two damage dealers.


    And the problems Xander was expected to experience in this fight would naturally also apply to Andreas, albeit in a less significant fashion.


    While most tanks weren¡¯t supposed to also deal real damage over the course of a battle, it would still add up and shouldn¡¯t be neglected.


    So no one present really knew what had just happened.


    Least of all, the three in the back.


    The two damage dealer¡¯s for one didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to anything else. Much less to someone they thought would be deadweight in this encounter.


    Therefore the battle plan had been for them to go all out from the very beginning. But even then, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to achieve such a kill time.


    On the other hand, them going all out meant that the resulting magic effects, the explosions and clouds of smoke and flashing lights, made it impossible to closely observe anything from that distance.


    That being said, Lynn was more focused on Andreas anyway. Not that he was ever in real danger. Especially since hardly any time had passed yet, since the start of the battle, and the boss hadn¡¯t used any of its hard-hitting abilities yet. Still, she was more focused on the damage the boss dealt than on the damage dealt to it. And until now, unless Xander was stomped by the golem, there was no way for him to have taken any damage yet. There was no need to pay any special attention to him. Much less to his weapons. So she hadn¡¯t realized what happened either.


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±


    Naturally, Xander wasn¡¯t nearly as surprised as the others by the amount of damage the group had dealt so far, but the last hit still perplexed him.


    He hadn¡¯t paid that much attention to his flashing weapons either once he had found his pace.


    After he confirmed the effect of the oil was as described, he only focused on the battle, fading out anything unimportant.


    So he missed the black light, too.


    What he didn¡¯t miss, though, was the almost disturbing lack of resistance on his last attack.


    None of the strikes before had felt like that. Even with the oil applied.


    The tooltip specified that 50% of his damage would get converted into elemental damage.


    But being converted to magic damage didn¡¯t mean that this part of the damage now somehow ignored all kinds of defenses.


    Every being had a minimum value of resistance against the four base elements. And while they varied from being to being, they were never null. At least not without curses or other magic debuffs. That was true for every being. Be it a monster inside a dungeon or a class-less human.


    Like that, the iron golem would still have resistance against water-based attacks even though it was considered its weakness. Fire, on the other hand, was its highest.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    So depending on the damage type he dealt, Xander would feel a varying degree of resistance.


    ¡°What was that last strike? That didn¡¯t feel like anything before¡­¡± In the end, Xander was just as stunned as the others, just for slightly different reasons.


    Andreas, on the other hand, stood basically right next to Xander and had the best view of things.


    Therefore he had seen everything. By chance, he had noticed the weapon flash when Xander jumped past him in his opening attack. Since then, he had paid special attention to the matter. He quickly figured that the knives were obviously magically enhanced, but in a way that he had never seen before.


    He had taken a close look at the weapons earlier, and therefore Andreas knew with certainty that they weren¡¯t enchanted. And there existed no enchants that had such an appearance, to begin with. At least not that he knew of.


    The [Warrior] clearly realized that the knives did more than just lighting up on contact. There was obviously more to it.


    The colors were unmistakable; Hence he had a good idea of what had happened. Even if the ¡®how¡¯ eluded him for the moment.


    ¡®It must¡¯ve been some form of added magic damage. Maybe damage conversion. One way or another, that was magic. But it was obviously not fixed to one specific element per weapon. And then the black light¡­¡¯


    A certain realization dawned on Andreas.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Da...Dark element? Shadow damage?¡± Andreas couldn¡¯t help but stutter.


    Xander was barely able to hear him, but it was enough. Enough for him to come to his own conclusions and jolt him out of his stupor.


    He hurriedly summoned one of the two little bottles out of the inventory. There were still a few drops left. Enough to still reveal the tooltip. While reading the text once more, his hands holding the bottle started to tremble. He read it again in fear of having missed something, more carefully this time. All the while gaping like an idiot.


    The moment Xander took out the bottle, Andreas knew he had been mistaken earlier.


    He had already forgotten about it, but now it was apparent that the green liquid wasn¡¯t poison.


    He quickly stepped over and also started reading the text in the blue box, over the [Duelists] shoulder.


    Just like Xander, he had to read the text multiple times to fully comprehend what had just happened. There was a crucial detail in the wording. Even after realizing it, the both of them refused to believe it.


    ¡°¡­of a random Element¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t say anything about ¡®basic¡¯¡­


    It always says ¡®random basic Element.¡±


    The two turned to slowly face each other in utter disbelief.


    By now the other three had come over as well.


    First the unexpected conclusion of the fight, and now the strange behavior of the two men before them. The three were naturally curious about what happened and the two melee fighters seemed to know the answer.


    While rushing over, Lynn couldn¡¯t help but shout with rare excitement in her voice.


    ¡°What happened just now? Why are you looking like that?¡±


    She didn¡¯t get any answers out of the two, so once she got close enough, she started reading the tooltip herself.


    ¡®I guess that somewhat explains the damage. Still, no reason to make such a big deal out of the whole thing. The way you were looking had me expecting something more exciting.¡¯ She looked more confused than enlightened.


    She was about to turn towards the corpse of the fallen boss, wanting to check out the loot.


    ¡°Where¡­ Where did you get this from? We have to show this to our leader.¡±


    ¡°Our leader? So I have passed?¡± Having overcome his previous shock, Xander quickly turned back into his usual self. He knew he had struck gold. Not only was he confident in his performance just now, but he also knew that the weapon oil would be coveted by many guilds. There was no way he would let go of this trump card for nothing.


    ¡°Why are you making such a big deal out of it?! Why show that to the guild lead? And why can¡¯t you just say where you got this stuff from, Xander?¡± Lynn didn¡¯t get what was going on and got frustrated. Especially by Xander¡¯s behavior. Wouldn¡¯t it work in his favor if he just told Andreas where he got that stuff from and earned some goodwill?


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! Sure. You¡¯re in. I¡¯ll make sure. Now tell me.¡± Andreas didn¡¯t really mind Xander¡¯s behavior. Even before the last fight, he was impressed enough with him that Andreas had already decided to let Xander join, as long as he didn¡¯t mess up in the boss encounter. And by now they obviously both knew the worth of the item in question. It was only natural for him to react this way, if maybe he was a bit too blunt.


    ¡°What is wrong with you guys?¡± Lynn wasn¡¯t pleased being ignored like that.


    ¡°Could someone please tell us what¡¯s going on here?¡± By now, the other two involved themselves as well. They didn¡¯t like being kept out of the loop.


    Before things would become too chaotic, Xander threw over the bottle to Lynn.


    ¡°Here, read again.¡± Xander was smug as usual, but he quickly decided that it might be better to not be too pushy. This was going to be his future guild, after all. He turned back to Andreas and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get over to your base and take things from there?¡±


    ¡°Just to be sure. There¡¯s more where this came from, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure! 20 gold each.¡±


    Andreas felt things didn¡¯t quite add up. Twenty gold for one of those things would be far too cheap.


    So what was going on here? ¡°Is that you taking a cut for every potion?!¡±

 Chapter 16

    It was early in the morning, and Severin was sitting at his usual spot outside of his store.


    The other three were still sleeping in their tents.


    In fact, Severin was rather surprised when he saw their camp. They must¡¯ve returned after Severin had already retreated for the night.


    As he stared into the distance, ready to fall asleep again any moment, he noticed a dot appear at the distant horizon. On a day where the others weren¡¯t present, this would pretty much be the highlight of his day. There just wasn¡¯t much going on up here. So, he decided to observe the thing for now.


    The dot ever so slowly grew in size until 15 minutes later it was close enough for Severin to realize that it was actually two objects flying towards his direction, not just one.


    Another 15 minutes after that, he was finally able to make out a bit more.


    ¡®That thing in the back is a flying ship? Should be, but it seems to be way smaller than Sam¡¯s. Can¡¯t say much for the speed as it just seems to follow behind that other thing. Speaking of which¡­what is that¡­? And why is it shaking like that? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯


    Yet another 5 to 10 minutes later, the distance between them had shrunk to only a few hundred meters, and Severin''s suspicion finally proved true as he was sure he recognized that flying basket.


    Even without being able to make out the face of the person riding it, he knew the person was wearing a smug grin on his punchable face while leading the bigger flying ship, forcing it to adjust its speed.


    He almost wanted to laugh at the sight but restrained himself as his guests should¡¯ve almost been within earshot, and he didn¡¯t want to annoy the two people he could clearly make out on the bow of the flying ship.


    The fact that it wasn¡¯t himself who had to suffer under that guy¡¯s antics made the whole situation very entertaining for Severin.


    ¡®They must be so pissed right now. There is no way that ship isn¡¯t a few times faster than his¡­thing.¡¯


    It was apparent that those people were coming to visit him, therefore, Severin was pretty pleased right now.


    ¡®Seems like the stuff didn¡¯t suck after all. Even brought me some more customers.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t think of any other explanation. Why else would those people follow him around like that?


    When they were close enough, Severin stood up to receive his guests. Xander got off his ride with the same stunt as last time.


    Meanwhile, the other artifact carefully landed outside of Severin¡¯s fence. A small gangway extended outwards allowing two people to leave the vehicle before it disappeared into nothingness.


    ¡®Not really any less pretentious than him. Just in a different way.


    But Yeah, while  it might not be that big in comparison, he could¡¯ve still easily fit in there as well.¡¯


    ¡°Hey there Sev! Good thing you''re already up. How¡¯s business?¡±


    Severin thought the whole situation was incredibly funny but being called ¡®Sev¡¯ and having his poor business called out wasn¡¯t something he could appreciate.


    Especially not so early in the morning.


    ¡®Just you wait.¡¯ He put on his biggest smile and returned the pleasantries.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Hello, Xandi. How have you been? I hope you aren¡¯t in a hurry. It almost felt like you fled last time.¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t mention it.¡± The [Duelist] became unusually meek.


    ¡°Xandi, huh?¡±


    He turned around toward his two companions, but not without sneaking a glance at the three tents.


    ¡°Let me introduce you guys. This is Andreas. One of our guild¡¯s officers.¡±


    While saying that he, not so subtlely pushed out his chest to show off an emblem that depicted the proud head of a lion.


    ¡°And this here is Lynn. One of our healers.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Lynn was short-spoken as usual.


    The three quickly exchanged greetings, and the stocky [Warrior] took over as the group¡¯s leader, now that Xander had fulfilled his part of leading the way.


    ¡°So, you are the one who sold that temporary weapon enchant? The weapon oil?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    After waiting for Severin¡¯s affirmative nod, Andreas felt somewhat relieved. He still couldn¡¯t believe someone was selling this stuff. And for such a price, at that.


    ¡°Great! Got any more of the stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Why don¡¯t you come inside?¡±


    Once the group followed him into the store, Lynn was the first who noticed the strange little cubes stacked on the shelves. As the things were obviously some kinds of merchandise, supposed to be sold, she didn¡¯t hesitate at all and made their tooltip appear.


    At first, she was only curious when she found out that those things were apparently potions. Other than that, the bright red thing didn¡¯t seem too impressive. Only when she reached for a bluish-colored one did she show a reaction that caused everyone present to turn towards her.


    ¡°What is that?!¡± She didn¡¯t wait for an answer or a reaction from the others and quickly checked out the remaining two varieties and seeing the description of the more brownish health potion, she couldn¡¯t help giving Xander a reproachful look.


    ¡°Xandi¡­¡±


    ¡¯You couldn¡¯t be bothered to mention these, huh?¡¯ She didn¡¯t speak those words out loud. She wouldn¡¯t start arguing with him. Not here and now. Instead, she turned to gesture towards Andreas. But having noticed her excitement, he already stood next to her. The next moment he also threw Xander a bitter look. If he had known about those potions and the limited amount available to each person, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t have brought more people.


    Bringing only two other guild members to buy a total of 15 of the oils while, as an officer, conducting a preliminary assessment of the store was considered rather conservative. Especially when considering the power those things had already shown. But not everyone was a melee fighter; Much less a dual-wielding one. And even if the stuff was more powerful than it had any right to be, it still required the right type of encounter to justify its use. So while they most certainly had ways to utilize those oils, Andreas and the other higherups of the guild wanted to take things slow.


    They wouldn¡¯t simply fly over with a whole raid group just because the newest member brought a, admittedly very powerful, new item with him.


    But right now, this was exactly what Andreas wished they had done.


    This was so much bigger than just the oils they originally came for.


    Even if for his personal use, the potions didn¡¯t seem too useful.


    With his health pool, even as a tank, he might as well use higher quality health potions made for mid-to-high level adventurers, instead.


    But as an officer of the guild, it was his job to consider the bigger picture and the well-being of the organization as a whole.


    And in that regard, especially the two resource replenishing potions seemed like a gift from heaven.


    Even disregarding the fact that it seemed to replenish even the more obscure resource types. The fact alone that mana pools tended to be way larger than health pools made that ¡®20%¡¯ in the resource replenishing potion¡¯s tooltip so much more valuable than that on their health-restoring counterpart.


    That was already taking into consideration the average mana cost of various spells.


    As this would effectively translate into more damage, it was bound to be a huge deal.


    By then Xander also caught up on how bad he had messed up.


    Holding a regular resource potion in his hands, he could only lament his shortsightedness when he first visited the store.


    The usually shameless person was actually embarrassed right now.


    ¡®It can instantly replenish all of my energy?! Meaning I could extend my burst window by quite a bit.¡¯


    Sigh


    ¡®If I had those things back then... How stupid¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t dare explain his negligence. He knew this only happened because he wanted to act pretentious.


    Severin was delighted, seeing their reactions. This would surely mean business for him.


    ¡®Even if it was just these three, they would double my customer base. But if it¡¯s their whole guild¡­hehe.¡¯


    Just thinking about it made him giddy.


    ¡°It¡¯s just 1 gold per potion, you know.¡±


    He had learned from Samuel that his prices were very competitive. So he felt like it was only right to mention this aspect.


    And with that, even the Alternative Quality Health Potions suddenly seemed more appealing to Andreas.


    ¡°We take them all!¡± Only after a moment, he added, ¡°Besides the regular ones. Sadly, they¡¯re too small for our needs.¡±

 Chapter 17

    They quickly bought the potions and paid the 180 gold coins accordingly, of which only 18 made it into Severin¡¯s own pocket.


    After that, they continued to exchange pleasantries and the representatives of the Lion¡¯s Head guild promised to soon return for more business. There was nothing more for them to do here, and Andreas really felt the need to report back as soon as possible.


    Expecting to become a regular customer in the future, though, he didn¡¯t want to seem rude and took his time to get acquainted with the owner.


    Pleased by his behavior, Severin thought it only appropriate to see them outside.


    He wouldn¡¯t have any reason or desire to stay inside anyway.


    Restocking his wares could wait for a bit.


    Once they left the store, they found that the owners of the three tents had woken up in the meantime.


    Two of them could be seen in an animated discussion while heading over to the area that almost seemed scorched.


    ¡°Oh. Seems like the boy got a hold of some nice looking upgrades since last time.¡± Xander recognized the young adventurers even if he didn¡¯t personally talk with them at his last visit.


    The person who accompanied the two was more than enough reason to not forget them.


    Failing to make out any sarcasm in his tone, Severin was close to spitting blood, hearing that remark.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Damn. Of course, such an attention-seeker like you would love such a loud outfit.¡¯


    At the same moment, the third person, who was left behind, sitting at the small camp, seemed to notice Severin and the others; He stood up and made his way over.


    In reality, Samuel had already known about the recent arrivals the moment they set foot on the ground. An adventurer didn¡¯t become old or high-leveled by being careless. And Samuel was both of these things.


    ¡°Hey! Xander, was it? How have you been?¡± The people quickly exchanged greetings.


    ¡°So, came back for the potions?¡± This time Xander wasn¡¯t caught off guard by the appearance of the old man, but he was still just as impressed and intimidated as back then.


    ¡®I really can¡¯t read this guy in the slightest. I¡¯ve never come across something like that. Even the bosses I¡¯ve fought so far never gave of this much pressure.¡¯


    ¡°Actually¡­we originally came for the weapon oil.¡± In front of this man, Xander dropped his usual attitude and even admitted his blunder.


    ¡°Last time, I didn¡¯t pay any attention to the potions¡­¡±


    Andreas and Lynn momentarily were at a loss for words. It was very strange for them to see the [Duelist] behave so reserved. But they understood the reason behind it. Even without Xander¡¯s heightened senses that allowed him to evaluate a person¡¯s strength more accurately than others, they could still easily tell that the man before them was not someone to be offended or taken lightly. He clearly wasn¡¯t an ordinary old man.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Samuel got curious when he learned the reason for their coming. He remembered that he had judged the product to be way too niche for regular use and so neither he nor Miriam had actually tested the liquid enchant even until now.


    So when this group of, obviously, somewhat experienced adventurers returned for more of the stuff, and so quickly at that, he was a bit taken aback.


    ¡®I wonder if they got it for any specific boss.¡¯


    At that moment he suddenly had to think back to when he first read the tooltip.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He had thought that the wording was rather unusual. He also remembered that he had quickly dismissed the notion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡± A gleam of understanding lit up in his eyes.


    There was no need to hide anything, as the man before him seemed to have already made the connection, and Andreas knew that it could only be in the guild''s best interest if this veteran adventurer had a good impression of them. Therefore, he quickly decided to recount everything he had observed in the battle with the iron golem. Including the appearance of the black light. Xander instantly involved himself as well and described the lack of resistance he felt with his last attack against the boss.


    Lynn even felt he was more detailed with his recount than when he reported back to the guild.


    Hearing this, the [Berserker] came to the same conclusion as the other three and their guild¡¯s higher-ups.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s really not limited to the basic elements.¡± Samuel found himself once again deeply impressed with the Emporium and its wares.


    Unlike its basic counterparts, not every being had resistances against the advanced magic elements. In fact, none of the humanoid races had any innate resistances towards them. There might be the occasional perk or passive skill, but in general, adventurers who were in need of those resistances would have to find special gear.


    This kind of gear was usually either very expensive or had little to no other stats on it. Most of the time, it was both.


    The situation wasn¡¯t much different for most monsters either, but there were exceptions. The demon-like species¡¯ tended to be born with a natural resistance against dark element attacks, for example.


    On the flip side, magic damage belonging to one of the advanced elements was pretty rare, to begin with, and mostly restricted to very high-level monsters or certain classes.


    Holy element healing or buff effects were much more common in comparison, albeit still rare, but those wouldn¡¯t be influenced by resistances, anyway.


    ¡°Hmm. That should indeed expand its area of use. But it still requires relatively specific encounters for it to truly shine. I guess it would be useful if both the physical- as well as the elemental-damage-reductions are around the same level. If it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of damage you deal, you might as well go for a lucky hit.¡±


    Andreas and the others had come to a similar conclusion. There wouldn¡¯t be many chances to take full advantage of it, even if it was very powerful. There were usually simpler ways to deal with such problems. Therefore, they deemed a stock of 15 of the damage conversion oils to be sufficient for now. That being said, while they were by no means a small guild, they weren¡¯t one of those who could always challenge a dungeon or a raid with the perfect setup of classes.


    Sometimes they would have to improvise. And they would only have more options to do so with this oil in their arsenal.


    Still, this wasn¡¯t something Andreas would advertise.


    ¡°If only there was a non-random variant,¡± Xander said what everyone thought and wished for.


    Everyone subconsciously looked towards Severin.


    The latter could only awkwardly shrug his shoulders and said, ¡°Who knows. Maybe in the future.¡± He wasn¡¯t fully aware of how big of a deal such a product would be, but based on the reactions his crafted consumables had evoked so far, he had no doubts that the future products would be on an even higher level that should leave nothing to be desired.


    With that comment, Severin¡¯s customers became excited at the prospect of new items and started to sound him out.


    When the [Shopkeeper] only kept a stoic face and seemed adamant not to reveal anything, the group soon discussed between themselves what kind of items they would like to see the most.


    Even Samuel joined the fun when Xander and Andreas started to request seemingly unrealistic creations from Severin.


    In reality, the latter enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere and had to stop himself from not joining himself.


    He had missed this kind of company. It almost felt like he was among friends.


    ¡®Well, I can hardly tell them that I¡¯m just as clueless. Maybe even more so than them.¡¯


    ¡°What are they¡­?¡± Suddenly Lynn, who had been rather reserved the whole time, involuntarily spoke up, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    When she noticed that she had just spoken out loud and felt the questioning looks on her, she hesitated a moment before nodding in the direction of the two youths, who had started their routine spars.


    ¡°They are obviously fighting, Lynn.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± She couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes.


    ¡°There, again! Look! In the beginning, I thought they¡¯re just using potions. But¡­¡±


    tzz


    ¡°What are you talking about? Doesn''t it look more like they¡¯re eating¡­? ¡°Xander¡¯s voice drifted off as he said that. Speaking it out loud sounded even more ridiculous than Lynn¡¯s conjecture. Continuously eating while in combat wouldn¡¯t make any sense.


    ¡°Right, they¡¯re just having a snack. Thanks, Xandi.¡± Lynn glared at him, while Xander¡¯s mood took a hit, realizing that he might very well be stuck with that name.


    Andreas quickly intervened before things escalated any further.


    ¡°Look at the shape and the colors! Doesn¡¯t that almost look like¡­?¡±


    He instantly summoned a jelly cube from his inventory.

 Chapter 18

    Samuel shot a quick glance towards Severin.


    The shopkeeper obviously hadn¡¯t told his newest group of customers about the potion¡¯s properties of its non-shared cooldown. Samuel couldn¡¯t understand why he would choose to do so. It was such a massive selling point.


    Disregarding any of its other properties, that aspect alone would guarantee vast numbers of sales even if the potions didn¡¯t have any other outstanding effects.


    ¡®Those things could be sold even if they only healed 50 HP. And for more than just one gold coin. Easily. Even if they were bottled up like regular potions, instead.


    ¡®That reminds me. Back then, he didn¡¯t tell me about it either.¡¯


    As much as he thought about it, Samuel couldn¡¯t think of a reason for Severin not to advertise this very unique effect.


    He considered for a while whether he should tell the Lion¡¯s Head guild representatives or not. On the one hand, he didn¡¯t want to go against Severin¡¯s wishes if it turned out that hiding that information was a conscious act on his part.


    On the other hand, the cat was basically out of the bag right now. And Severin didn¡¯t seem like the scheming type to him anyway. By now the both of them had spent quite a bit of time together allowing Samuel to have a certain understanding of Severin¡¯s personality.


    ¡®Maybe those things are so common where he is originally from that he doesn¡¯t even think it¡¯s worth mentioning.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t quite believe those thoughts himself, but it was the best guess he could come up with at this moment.


    Samuel liked the strange guy, and he wanted to help Severin out. But so far there hadn¡¯t been a real opportunity to do so.


    He could¡¯ve easily promoted Severin¡¯s Emporium to the other adventurers he and his two proteges met on their trips. Then there were Samuel¡¯s connections to some very influential people.


    It would¡¯ve been an easy thing for him to spread the word.


    But the reason he had refrained from doing so was very simple.


    He wasn¡¯t sure that this would actually be in Severin¡¯s best interest. His wares were just too unique, too powerful. The moment this became public knowledge it would attract all sorts of people and obviously not just the well-meaning kind. It was just a matter of time until people learned of this hidden store.


    But until this day arrived Samuel felt that not advertising on Severin¡¯s behalf was actually the biggest favor, he could do for him. If Severin knew of these thoughts, he would¡¯ve probably cried out.


    Now with the Lion¡¯s Head guild finding out about this store, said day came closer and closer.


    While the guild would surely try to keep the benefits for themselves for as long as possible and try to keep it a secret, it would obviously be impossible to do so for an extended period of time.


    Once they started climbing the rankings tracked by the Adventurer¡¯s Society people were bound to become suspicious.


    So now Samuel decided that a little nudge on his part would change anything.


    Andreas was closely observing the potion in his hands. He slightly squeezed the jiggling cube with an incredulous expression on his face.


    ¡°It really looks similar, but there is no way¡­¡±


    Ahem


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    Samuel¡¯s next words nearly made him drop the consumable.


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯ve guessed it right. Their cooldowns are independent of other potions; Even of the other variants. Each kind of those jelly-pots has its own cooldown.¡±


    Xander was stopped only by his strong survival instincts from acting on an impulse to start laughing and insulting the man.


    Andreas and Lynn fared slightly better as they already harbored those suspicions themselves. But when actually hearing it out loud, it was still difficult for them to believe.


    The one who was the most surprised was probably Severin himself.


    This described characteristic was neither stated in the tooltip nor mentioned by the system.


    And no matter how astonished Samuel was when he first learned of the unique property, he never discussed or explicitly mentioned it.


    Therefore, for Severin, this had always been something normal.


    Since the first time he had watched Timothy and Miriam fight, they had always been using his potions, chugging them one after the other. He didn¡¯t know it any other way, and he was more concerned with the profit the potions made him.


    In his eyes, the actual cheat and selling point of these consumables, bestowed by the System and the magical recipe book, had always been the special jelly consistency as well as the comparatively good restoration values.


    Now he had to pretend to be calm and nonchalant as he could hardly show excitement or even surprise towards his own products and reveal his ignorance. It made him feel like a fraud.


    ¡®Damn. In hindsight, I should have at least thought about the possibility myself. In games, it¡¯s very common that different types of health potions share the same cooldown. Even mana and health potions would usually share the same CD between each other, most of the time.¡¯


    What bothered him the most about this current situation was that it served as a reminder to him that he didn¡¯t actually know anything about this world. What he learned from Samuel were mostly recounts of glorious adventures or descriptions of faraway places. It was very interesting and entertaining, sure, but Severin didn¡¯t even know what the nearby places looked like. Or even the mountain he was on. Not to mention all the things that were ordinary in this world but actually made it unique in Severin¡¯s eyes. Some bits of knowledge could still be deduced from those stories, but the more basic and generally known a piece of information was, the harder it was for him to learn about it, he felt. It also made it harder for him to ask certain questions, without being looked at like some sort of alien. Some things could still be explained by him being a foreigner. Like him not being as familiar as one would expect with some of the more common classes around here. But there was no way to ask any fundamental questions regarding the whole class and level setup in this world, for example. Then there were things like the churches and religion in general. Based on his previous consumption of novels, books, and games, Severin didn¡¯t want to exclude the possibilities of the gods being actually real. Maybe even able to manifest themselves. Especially after being moved to a fantasy world, he was more open-minded towards such ideas. But depending on the answers to those questions, he felt that it might be more prudent not to ask them in the first place.


    At times he had even thought about revealing that he was a transmigrator. Ultimately he decided against it. No matter how frustrating his circumstances were, it was still better than being taken as someone insane. Or worse.


    ¡°Just test them yourself. Hahaha. Aren¡¯t they only a gold coin each? It¡¯s better to be familiar with any new products before bringing them into battle anyway.¡± With this last part, Samuel referred to the unusual shape and consistency of the potion.


    Consuming them was as simple as it could get, really, but one couldn¡¯t discount the force of habit.


    For years, the moves required to take out a potion and consume it in the midst of combat had to be arduously refined and honed by each and every adventurer who didn¡¯t want to die an unnecessary death. Summoning a small bottle out of ones inventory. Open it. Drink it. It seemed straightforward enough. But with a group of enemies leaping and stabbing at you, and with both hands occupied, by weapons or shields, it was an image to behold, if done skillfully.


    Or a gruesome one, painted with blood, guts, and entrails, if not.


    Sure enough, all three took out two cubes each. As they were fully rested, it didn¡¯t matter which ones they tried, as long as they were of two different types.


    Soon they all had an astounded look on their faces once they consumed the first potion and noticed how it melted in their mouths.


    ¡°It¡¯s so simple! No more balancing acts required.¡±


    The group exchanged some incredulous looks and almost forgot their real objective. But not quite.


    They quickly confirmed Samuel¡¯s claim. After standing there dumbfounded for a moment, Andreas swiftly took out the third kind of potion he bought and also consumed it. He, for the third time, felt the unmistakable feeling of a potion doing its work. Even if he were at full health, he could feel that the thing didn¡¯t just fizzle out.


    Lynn and Xander immediately emulated him, followed by Lynn going so far as to take out a regular potion she carried in her inventory, as well. The [Duelist] however made a move to sprint back into the shop, all but pulling Severin along.


    ¡°I need to refill. And give me the 20 of the other health potions as well!¡±

 Chapter 19

    In the end, the entire group, including Samuel, moved back into the store. The three people carrying an emblem depicting a lion¡¯s head, either on their shoulder or their chest, quickly went to replace the potions they had just wasted and stocked up on the less potent, bright red health potions they had looked down upon just a few minutes prior. The [Berserker] also took the opportunity to buy a full stack of the damage-conversion oil.


    After that, the guests were finally ready to leave and make haste back to their main camp. For real this time.


    None of them could await their return. Two members of the group were mainly concerned with how these gains would affect their personal combat capabilities, and maybe how it would benefit their dungeon group. But most importantly, they wanted to head straight into battle. They wanted to familiarize themselves with the new consumables that would surely become staples in their repertoire as soon as possible; And just as surely it would change the way they would fight in the future.


    And while at it, one might as well try to show off a little¡­


    The third person was more diligent and bound by his sense of duty towards the betterment of the guild as a whole. He wanted nothing more than to report back and come up with plans to take full advantage of the new items.


    In high spirits, Andreas went so far as to assure Severin of future business with the Lion¡¯s Head guild.


    It wasn¡¯t technically up to him to make such promises on the guild¡¯s behalf, even though he was an officer. The mission they were sent on never mentioned anything like that. It was to scout the shop and its wares, make contact with the store owner and evaluate the overall situation before returning. Nothing more.


    Under normal circumstances, he would never overstep his authority like that, but in this situation, he felt it was the best course of action.


    Not only was their return all but guaranteed, but he felt it would also help to get on Severin¡¯s good side and, maybe, more importantly, give him the chance to restock his wares as soon as possible. He was very confident in his decision and was ready to take responsibility for it.


    Samuel took this opportunity to show more of his goodwill towards Severin and reminded the others that the shop owner was also very proficient when it came to inspecting or identifying items, going so far as to personally vouch for the mastery Severin had over his skill.


    Severin was appreciative of that behavior but also blamed himself at the same time.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that myself? I only need to identify another three items to complete the quest and be able to adjust my personal income rate.¡¯ The promised quest reward was a great motivator for him.


    If one believed the counter in the system¡¯s menu, the identifying quest was closer to completion than his other quest that demanded a total number of 10 served customers. Even with the arrival of Andreas and Lynn the progress of the [Building of a customer base] task was still stuck at six out of ten.


    Nonetheless, based on Andreas¡¯ promise Severin thought it was more likely that he completed the latter quest first.


    ¡®Who knows if they¡¯ll bring unidentified items with them. As I understand it, they should be able to take care of these things locally. Either in a trusted store or maybe even by a guild member. It¡¯s still not impossible, though. But I guess getting four new customers seems more likely. Especially after all that talk.


    Well, why not both!?¡¯


    Thinking about that, he couldn¡¯t keep himself from getting excited. It wasn¡¯t very likely, but there was still a possibility for him to complete two quests at the same time!


    ¡®I just hope the mysterious ¡®???¡¯ reward doesn¡¯t suck!¡¯


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    Thinking about possible rewards, Severin came up with his own idea.


    ¡®If the other quest reward supposedly allows me to adjust my income, then maybe the other reward will allow me to adjust the product¡¯s prices. With the way they are set so far, the system might as well give them out for free. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense to me.


    On the one hand, one has to consider how special the products apparently are. But then, on the other hand¡­with such a greedy system.¡¯


    Severn still got upset whenever he thought back to what he thought was the system snatching his own personal wealth, back when he had revealed the tooltip of Samuel¡¯s cloak. Being reminded of the 500 gold the [Berserker] had just casually handed over at the time, he could only lament the system¡¯s injustice once again.


    With his mind focused on such amounts of money, he came to a sudden realization and jolted up.


    ¡®The business just now should¡¯ve made quite some money as well!


    Damn! With the gold just instantly vanishing into seemingly thin air, it¡¯s easy to overlook that this was easily my biggest transaction so far.¡¯


    He quickly willed open the blue screen to confirm the numbers.


    ¡°Just the four stacks of oil add up to 400 gold. Plus three people buying 80 po¡­no 83 potions. That¡¯s another 249 gold. If such amounts will be the norm from now on¡­that would also mean¡­¡±


    After a short glance at this experience bar, Severin quickly returned back inside. He had been sitting outside once again, after having seen his customers out for the second time.


    He ignored the unstable-looking flying basket in the distance, that slowly chased after a swiftly disappearing dot.


    Once back indoors, he first took inventory of his remaining stock and then inspected the shop as a whole.


    ¡®¡¯Three customers at once, and things are already getting stuffy. That¡¯s for human-sized people¡­with Samuel¡­


    Then there¡¯s the matter of supply¡­ Well, first things first.¡±


    He opened the system¡¯s store and verified the balance of around 1600 gold coins in the store¡¯s accounts before proceeding to search for a specific offer.


    ¡®There it is.¡¯ Severin didn¡¯t have to search for long, as it was one of the offers, he had already carefully considered the last time he expanded the plot of land belonging to the store.


    Tap


    Severin picked the corresponding option and was first greeted by a System notification.


    [A minimum purchase amount of 500 gold will be required for any transaction.]


    He quickly confirmed this alert window, which scared him off previously, and the actual window he had been looking for appeared in its stead.


    He was greeted by a rough top-view sketch of the Emporium and its outside area. It, most importantly, also included the stores'' dimensions.


    This window would allow him to purchase additional space and extend the store itself.


    ¡°It¡¯s so handy. Like some apartment-planner app. I can just pick out the area I want to add to the store. No matter its shape or form, as long as it¡¯s somehow connected to the already existing building. Buying completely new buildings should be another option in the store altogether.¡±


    Severin played around with the ¡®app¡¯ for a while and found that, as expected, the square meter price fell once he selected to build onto the fenced outside-area that he had already bought.


    He didn¡¯t actually have any intentions to expand into that direction as it was only for testing purposes.


    Severin soon came up with the final layout that he intended to purchase.


    The original 5meter wide and 6-meter-long room was to be expanded to match both 8 meters in width, as well as in length.


    Because of the way the counter split the room, just the increase of width would almost double the retail space already.


    ¡®Together with the change in length, it should give me enough room to work with, for now. Nothing too fancy.¡¯


    Overall, Severin was rather happy with the design he had come up with, even if it was somewhat simple.


    The cost for 34 square meters would amount to a total of 850 gold coins. 25 gold per m2.


    Considering that he would still have over 700 gold coins left after that purchase, he convinced himself that the deal wasn¡¯t too bad.


    Before he could change his mind, he immediately confirmed the acquisition.


    Kaching

 Chapter 20

    [To ensure an undisturbed shopping experience for all customers, the remodeling of the store will take place at nighttime. Thank you for your understanding.]


    bang


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Like out of reflex, Severin kicked the wooden counter in front of him. He was too upset to pay any attention to the pain.


    ¡°Shopping-experience my ass! What customers? Don¡¯t just run with the money.¡± He felt that this kind of response was a slap to his face. As if the System was taunting him.


    Whenever he encountered a situation that might give cause to celebration, it seemed to him the System would pop up and ruin the moment for him. This pattern seemed to repeat itself again and again and by now led Severin to the conclusion that the System¡¯s most astonishing ability was its talent to enrage him. In that regard, it seemed to be even more accomplished than Xander.


    Severin took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have anything else to do.¡±


    Looking at the plundered shelves, he knew he had his work cut out for him.


    Especially with Timothy¡¯s and Miriam¡¯s occasional shouts reminding him that there were still other people with a demand for his wares. He didn¡¯t want to find himself in a situation where he couldn¡¯t serve a customer. Not after he nearly despaired in the past because of a lack of human contact.


    ¡°I¡¯d better get busy then if I want to finish the restocking today. I can¡¯t afford to take things slowly this time. And if my assumptions prove to be true, I¡¯ll have even more work ahead of me starting tomorrow.¡±


    Severin summoned his crafting tools and started to work.


    By now he was used to setting up his makeshift lab on a regular basis. Whenever he had to restock his wares. It was too bulky to keep it assembled in such a small store.


    That lack of space became particularly striking once he earned a few passive skills that boosted his crafting speed.


    When crafting the potions, it took a while for the distillate to cool down and take on its characteristic, jello-like, consistency. Until this point, he could not stack the resulting cubes.


    So, when Severin was actually trying, for a change, most of the shop¡¯s space was currently obstructed by his unfinished products which were spread all over the place.


    ¡®Well, from tomorrow onwards this shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem anymore.¡¯


    Being in good spirits and thinking about his upcoming shop extension and the visibly moving experience bar of his subclass, Severin kept working for the rest of the day.


    That being said, crafting a couple hundred potions and a handful of the liquid weapon enchants exacted its toll on Severin. But only when his whole inventory was completely restocked and the shelves and stands had been refilled did he pass out on top of his sorry excuse of a bed.


    ¡­


    The next day Severin woke up unexpectedly early. The exhaustion of the previous day seemed like a lie. Still, right after waking up, he was in a kind of daze. Something seemed strange.


    Lying on the service side of the room, the counter obstructed his view towards the largest part of the shop. But what he did notice was that the gap between the far end of the counter and the back of the room seemed to have more than doubled.


    After a second of uncertainty Severin finally remembered the shop¡¯s makeover. He jumped up in excitement, now fully awake.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s see the chan¡­What the¡­?¡± He was dumbfounded by what he saw.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not tomorrow yet?¡± It was difficult to tell the time relying on a magic light source instead of sunlight. But he still knew that this couldn¡¯t be the reason anyway.


    Next, he opened the System screen and checked for any kind of notifications.


    Naturally, this turned out to be useless.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I¡­¡± He then checked the stores¡¯ accounts, trying to make sense of the sight that greeted him. ¡±740 gold 90 silver. That seems about right. Then why ¡­ was only the length expanded?


    What about the rest of the room? Don¡¯t tell me the System scammed me again.¡±


    From his point of view, the room looked just like yesterday when he went to sleep. At least in terms of width.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pay 850 gold coins for that!¡±


    Trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the remodeling process, Severin suppressed his irritation. Even he had to admit that it was unlikely that the System really scammed him out of the money. Especially considering that he didn¡¯t pay the cost of this upgrade from his personal balance, to begin with.


    He stomped around the counter and suddenly things became very clear.


    ¡°Are you shitting me?¡±


    For a moment he felt like an idiot, but Severin quickly turned his annoyance into anger towards the System instead. In his mind, this was not a time for self-reflection.


    ¡°Really? Couldn¡¯t just move the shelves? Or store them away inside the inventory? No, of course not. That would be too much to ask for. Transporting a person through time and space? No problem. But a bit of furniture? Has to draw the line somewhere, I guess!¡±


    The room had indeed been remodeled, just like he instructed. It was just that the ceiling-high shelves hadn¡¯t been moved and effectively walled off the newly expanded space; Apart from the 2-meter wide gap at the far left side.


    Instead of relief, Severin felt his theory of the greedy, stealing, and infuriating System that just wanted to fuck with him confirmed.


    He continued to fume and rage even while inspecting the newly added expansion to the store.


    Under normal circumstances, he would be quite happy with what he saw.


    But now, after at most 10 minutes of being awake, Severin had already worn himself out with his fit and was almost tired enough to go back to sleep again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you win this easily!¡±


    The absence of any response or even acknowledgment just further upset the [Shopkeeper] who had talked himself into a rage.


    After this short episode, Severin got to work. He wanted to test the hypothesis he came up with as soon as possible, but before that, he now felt like he had to take care of the old shelves first. He moved the big and heavy wooden thing under great effort. One by one he pushed them until they all stood next to the wall.


    It would¡¯ve most certainly been faster to just store everything inside his inventory and take it back out at its destination 3 meters ahead. But at this moment he was too stubborn and angry and used the resulting workout to let off steam.


    Once he was done, he took a moment to catch his breath and take in the sight.


    He was very pleased with how things turned out, but since this was still far from the end result he envisioned when he had decided to buy this upgrade, he soon opened the shopping menu again.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see if this works. Don¡¯t let me down. Please.¡±


    He navigated to the object he had already picked out.


    A shelf that looked identical to the ones he had just moved. After a moment of hesitation, Severin decided to be prudent and to only purchase a single one of these things for now.


    ¡®Let¡¯s first test if this really works.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t take any risks. Not today. Not after the incident earlier on. One could never be too sure about the System and its underlying mechanics.


    With bated breath did he pay the required 50 gold.


    The item in question instantly appeared in his System inventory.


    Severin was facing the shelves he had just repositioned to stand in front of the wall.


    They were arranged just like before; If one ignored the hole to the side.


    Now he stepped towards exactly that gap and placed the piece of furniture he had just bought.


    Plop


    ¡°YES! I knew it! I fucking knew it.¡±


    The thing fit perfectly into the corner next to the other shelf.


    But that obviously wasn¡¯t the reason for Severin¡¯s ecstatic reaction.


    The reason for his shouts and his arm-flailing dance of joy was a small red star within his menu screen.


    Something else had appeared inside of his inventory.


    A new batch of crafting materials.

 Chapter 21

    Having confirmed his suspicion that the addition of new shelf space would result in additional resources provided by the System, Severin felt gratified.


    He didn¡¯t have the slightest clue regarding the System¡¯s underlying purpose or its motivation; He never received any satisfactory explanation. What he could deduce, though, was that it wasn¡¯t in pursuit of gold. Even if he liked to say that it had already stolen from him, the System¡¯s own share of the profit was still at Severin¡¯s disposal to invest into shop expansions and upgrades. Therefore he didn¡¯t think it very likely that the gold itself was the focus. That being said he didn¡¯t have any doubts that it was in the System¡¯s interest, for whatever reasons, to satisfy as many customers as possible.


    After all, that¡¯s what every quest so far had asked of him.


    Because of that, Severin had been very confident that the System would support him in this instance. To be able to accommodate more customers he needed more stock. And to accommodate more stock he needed to expand the store.


    The conclusion that followed was very straightforward.


    ¡°To be fair, that¡¯s the least one should be able to expect of a System.¡±


    Now, with his hypothesis confirmed, he quickly spent another 200 gold to purchase four more shelves and placed those in the middle of the now, largely empty room.


    Two of them were placed next to each other, facing the entrance-side.


    The other two were positioned in a similar fashion, facing in the opposite direction and standing back-to-back to the other pair.


    With that Severin thought things came along nicely. The two empty walls that remained were something he would take care of later. He didn¡¯t intend to fill up the whole room the moment he had opened it up.


    Pleased with the result so far, Severin knew he had another busy day ahead of him if he planned to process all the new materials.


    But he soon realized that the numbers didn¡¯t quite seem to add up.


    ¡®Yeah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough to completely fill out all four. Maybe just two of them. For future products? Would make sense I guess. I can¡¯t just expand the whole shop whenever I get a new item to sell.


    With the amount of experience I earned yesterday, I should soon hit level 10 in Alchemy, anyway. So if I get anything new that should be the time, right? In that case, only two shelves might really be too few. Maybe it¡¯s still too small?¡¯


    Severin was getting a headache thinking about those things. Not least because the shop¡¯s balance was now sitting at only slightly below 500 gold; The minimum amount required for any further remodeling projects.


    He then noticed another issue.


    An ever-increasing range of products, especially if they were as popular as his current ones, would need to be recrafted on a regular basis. In the future maybe even multiple times a day.


    ¡®Please tell me it ain¡¯t so! That can¡¯t be my fate, becoming a crafting slave. Yesterday was already bad enough. Now, today I¡¯ll be at it again. How¡¯s that supposed to end?¡¯


    Only now did the consequences of being too popular dawn on him.


    He loathed the past time where he found himself vegetating all alone with nothing much to do. But he didn¡¯t look forward to the other extreme, either.


    Apparently, only three customers already meant he had to work himself to the brink of exhaustion if he wanted to fully restock everything within a day.


    Every other regular shopkeeper would most certainly be ecstatic at the thought of having such business coming their way.


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    ¡°Fuck that!¡±


    Only grudgingly did he start crafting. But not nearly as fast and efficient as the day before.


    He was too preoccupied thinking about solutions for the dilemma he was sure he had to face eventually.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to check out the upcoming level rewards first. Especially the one for my main class. That should improve things...right? Otherwise, I might just go on strike and take things more slowly if I feel like the System wants me to overwork myself. For no other benefit than being locked up in a slightly bigger cage than before. It¡¯s not like I get any great benefits.


    I mean, I don¡¯t even have a real bed!


    ¡®Now that I think about it¡­let me check again. No, it really does say [Shopkeeper System]. Should¡¯ve been [Sweatshop System], the more I think about it.¡®


    Severin was lost deep in his thoughts while continuing to level his [Alchemist] sub-class. His hands were seemingly moving with a life of their own.


    Out of the blue, Severin was startled by a voice that very nearly caused him to spill scalding hot healing liquid, all over himself.


    ¡°Hello, mister! What happened to your store? How did you do it? So fast and sneaky, during the night without us noticing? It more than doubled in size, I reckon!¡±


    ¡°Tim!¡± Samuel gave the boy a scolding look, before giving an apologizing one to Severin. ¡°Sorry about that. It seems like we came at a bad time.¡±


    Besides disturbing him while crafting, the apology was more for those, in parts, very intrusive questions. They were most definitely touching on sensitive topics concerning Severin¡¯s skills, maybe even his class.


    Timothy should¡¯ve known better. It was moments like this that proved him to still be a child.


    Secretly, though, not only Miriam, who was also present, but even Samuel himself, hoped for an answer to those questions. In fact, he was probably more curious about the sudden changes than the two others. He knew better than most just how incredible such an occurrence was. A change this big and this close to him wasn¡¯t usually something he would miss.


    Usually.


    Last night he hadn¡¯t noticed anything. Nothing at all. No sounds. No movements. No magic fluctuations.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t stop his two disciples when they went rushing towards the shop the moment they noticed the changes, but instead followed them, now resulting in a somewhat awkward situation.


    Severin didn¡¯t mind the sudden commotion. After the initial moment of annoyance that he had almost burned himself, he turned out rather grateful for the distraction. The sudden turmoil took his mind off his pessimistic thoughts and instead reminded him that there were people whom he might even call friends.


    ¡°Hey, guys. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind a quick break. Well, I figured with more people arriving soon, a little upgrade wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    Also, I needed more space for the new products.¡± He grinned at the boy, ignoring the question about the ¡®how¡¯.


    ¡°New products?! Is it another potion? More of the oil stuff? Or something new?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tell us! And when will it be available?¡± Even just a cursory glance confirmed that, sadly, the new products in question weren¡¯t available just yet and that Severin was merely teasing them.


    It turned out Miriam was the most excited one out of the group concerning the prospect of having new items ready for purchase.


    With the addition of the resource potions, the temporary advantage she had held over Tim had already been reversed again, quite some time ago. Now she was in hope of finding another tool that helped her to once again, consistently, best the young mage.


    ¡°Maybe something to root enemies in place? Or to increase their mana costs?¡±


    ¡°You wish! The last item was clearly for melee classes, so something for casters would only be fair!¡±


    With that, a scene Severin had already witnessed the day before, of a bunch of adventurers, coming up with imaginary items, repeated itself.


    ¡°Ha-Ha.¡±


    Severin answered with an uncomfortable laugh and quickly stopped them in their tracks before their expectations became too high.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything. You¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ready when it¡¯s ready,¡± he added for his own amusement only, which earned him some strange looks.


    He didn¡¯t want to admit that he might¡¯ve been a bit too hasty with his claim. A new product was, after all, just his own conjecture and not something that was guaranteed to happen. At least not immediately.


    But seeing the disappointment in their eyes, he couldn¡¯t help himself and added, ¡°Maybe tomorrow. I hope before the others arrive. Again, no promise!¡±


    ¡°Great, tomorrow it is!¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow! But really not any later than that. Promise!¡±


    ¡°OUT YOU TWO! I think I¡¯ll need to teach you guys another lesson.¡±


    Samuel quickly chased the two of them outside, and once again, apologized for his two mentees, before following behind them.


    ¡®Tomorrow hmm?¡¯

 Chapter 22

    After the three people left, Severin went back to work with a clear and focused mind.


    In the beginning, he had thought about slacking off. As there was a lower workload than the day before, he felt it was okay to take things a bit slower today. But now after coming face to face with a rabid bunch of customers that expected new goods from him, he decided to work in a bit more conscientious manner.


    If he kept working at yesterday¡¯s speed, he projected at around midday he would¡¯ve processed all of the new materials. It would also be the same time that he¡¯d hit level 10 with his [Alchemist] sub-class, he roughly guessed.


    He could still decide how to proceed from there.


    If there turned out to be no suitable reward that required him to keep on crafting, he would still have the rest of the day off to laze around.


    And if there was, well, then he would keep on laboring.


    As much as he was appalled by the thought of being taken advantage of by some shitty system, he still didn¡¯t want to disappoint his customers. It was a great joy to him seeing the unbelieving expressions on people¡¯s faces when confronted with the products he had to offer.


    Be it the sheer joy of someone as young and relatively inexperienced as Timothy or the stunned face of some weathered veteran, such as Samuel, and to a lesser extent Andreas as well.


    Severin couldn¡¯t imagine ever growing tired of this.


    So, he kept going, if grudgingly.


    Based on the position of the sun it turned out to be earlier than he had predicted when he eventually finished this work.


    Coincidentally, the moment Severin had finished the last item was also the moment he achieved his level-up.


    Before paying attention to anything else, he leaned back on the chair''s pitiful backrest and closed his eyes for a few moments, catching a small break.


    Only after sitting like this for a time long enough for even the latest potion which he had crafted to settle and take its form, he quickly cleared away all the scattered items and placed them inside the new shelves.


    Only then did he sit down and finally check all the relevant notifications.


    ¡°Four at once! I knew I could count on you.¡± But his excitement ebbed just as quickly as it had risen.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not particularly creative, huh?


    First only potions. And now it¡¯s just more oils? And they don¡¯t even have especially exciting effects. How am I supposed to face my customers if all the expected ¡®new goods¡¯ turn out like¡­this. Won¡¯t this offend them? Just after I made them believe I¡¯d get some awesome new stuff.¡± Severin had only himself to blame.


    [Weapon Oil ¨C  Fire Damage Conversion (5)


    Forty percent of all Physical Damage dealt by the enchanted Weapon gets converted into Fire Damage.


    Lasts for 30 minutes.]


    The three other descriptions were written in an analog fashion, just replacing ¡®Fire¡¯ for one of the other base elements, each.


    ¡®I mean, Andreas and his people will probably still buy it. But it somehow feels wrong.


    And this is supposed to be the huge level 10 reward? What¡¯s next? The same kinds of potions as before, just in medium or large?¡¯


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But just as Severin began to wonder if witnessing other people experience utter disappointment might bear its own flavor of twisted enjoyment, he noticed something else.


    At first, he thought the red indicator next to his inventory screen was just to remind him of the materials required for those, newly acquired, weapon enchants.


    But on a closer look, he found something else laying inside as well.


    ¡­


    Way too early for Severin¡¯s liking did two people storm into his store, followed shortly by a slightly more reserved third one.


    ¡°Morning!¡±


    ¡°So, do you have it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Severin. I hope we¡¯re not bothering you.¡±


    ¡®Ha! You think I would dare telling you off? I just woke up, dammit.


    Makes me wonder if the door automatically locks and unlocks depending on whether I¡¯m sleeping or not.¡¯


    Before he could find the words to answer, the group was already standing in front of the previously empty shelves, ignoring him.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the indignant shouts sounded.


    ¡°Really now? That doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°Is that it? Didn¡¯t you promise something useful against mages?¡±


    Even Samuel felt somewhat disappointed when he read the tooltips of the bottles containing the red, yellow, blue, and greenish liquids, respectively.


    ¡®Sadly, it¡¯s only the basic elements.¡¯


    In reality, all three of them figured out the undoubted usefulness of those Weapon Oils. Being able to target a specific elemental weakness was nowhere near comparable to the previous version, which had an element of chance involved. In 9 out of 10 cases, those new items would be vastly superior. Even considering the 10% lower conversion rate.


    Samuel almost had to laugh when he caught himself lamenting the fact that only versions for the basic elements were available.


    ¡®Look at me. Upset that I can¡¯t spend 20 gold to give my weapons a Dark element enchantment. How the shop has desensitized me already. My common sense is just gone it seems. Previously, this stuff here would already be unbelievable.¡¯


    Having these thoughts himself, Samuel knew he shouldn¡¯t blame Miriam and Tim for their behavior. Still, he knew he had to reprimand them. ¡°Was yesterday''s lesson not enough for you two? Want another round?¡±


    Timothy quickly became timid and was just about to apologize for his rude behavior when a sudden exclamation interrupted him.


    ¡°What is that thing? That¡¯s new as well, right? It has to be.¡±


    Miriam leaped towards the new device she had just spotted.


    With that, all thoughts of asking for forgiveness went out of the window. Instead, Timothy rushed over as well, wanting to inspect the unfamiliar object. Samuel¡¯s face fell as he was very displeased being disregarded like that. Nonetheless, he still kept observing them without saying a word. Despite his restraint, he was just as curious as them.


    A brightly colored rectangle box, standing upright in the left back corner of the room; The one near the end of the counter. The recent expansion, of 2 meters in length, was just enough for the thing to fit in there and still allow Severin to navigate the area without any problems.


    Entering the room, someone coming from Severin¡¯s original world could¡¯ve mistaken it for a jukebox at a first glance. Or maybe for a vending machine; Based on the output tray at the bottom.


    But while it also had an opening that looked suspiciously like a coin slot, there wasn¡¯t any window through which one could make out any wares contained inside. Instead, there was an opening on top that was covered by a hinged lid.


    What followed was a minute or so of noisy discussion and knocking and touching and poking and other similar futile attempts of figuring out the strange object''s purpose.


    On closer inspection, one would¡¯ve been able to notice that the massive [Berserker], who somehow seemed to suddenly stand closer to the object in question, was becoming impatient.


    As it was still so early in the morning and Severin had just gotten up, he was initially overwhelmed by the sudden tumult ensuing inside of his shop, leaving him speechless.


    He didn¡¯t even come around to putting his ¡®bed¡¯ away yet. Lucky for him, everyone was so preoccupied that no one noticed. He felt he would¡¯ve died from shame otherwise. After all, he had an image to preserve.


    Following that, he just never got the chance to insert himself into the discussion, as the two youngsters kept on squabbling. So far he hadn¡¯t said even a single word, just standing there awkwardly.


    But suddenly, as if prompted by a secret signal, three pairs of eyes turned their attention Severin, awaiting an explanation.


    After a moment of hesitation caused by this unexpected change in the atmosphere, he realized it was his time to shine.


    He slowly swaggered over toward the box, which was placed just a few steps away from him, wearing a stupid grin.


    He knocked on the object¡¯s side and turned to face his regulars in an attention-seeking fashion. Only after a short, dramatic pause did he reveal the tooltip while saying,


    ¡°It¡¯s an item combinator!¡±

 Chapter 23

    [Alchemical Item Combinator


    When activated, combines two provided, suitable, alchemical products into one new item.


    Limited to 10 activations per customer, per day.]


    The tooltip was very sparse and just as vague, but unexpectedly Severin was able to get some more information about the device out of the System.


    The most notable one was that the price for using the combinator seemed to be dependent on the worth of the items that were to be combined. With the worth being evaluated by the System.


    It wasn¡¯t described by a complex function, as it would just add up the worth of the individual items and then double the resulting sum.


    If used to combine products that were not provided by Severin, and therefore, by extension, not by the System, an additional fee would have to be paid.


    Sadly, no word was lost concerning the actual end results of the combination process and how exactly it was influenced by the input items. That was something that only time and experimentation would have to reveal.


    To show off some of the effects and to demonstrate how to actually operate the device, Severin grabbed two potions, one bright red one more magenta-colored, opened the lid on the top, and inserted the cubes into the revealed opening. After that, he made sure the lid was back in place and covered the whole opening.


    A blue, floating, tooltip-like box appeared next to the slot situated near the top of the machine and displayed the number ''four'' with a universally recognizable image depicting a gold coin next to it.


    With a heavy heart, Severin withdrew the indicated number of coins from his private balance and inserted them into the slit one after the other. The number displayed updated accordingly and after all four gold coins had disappeared, so did the blue box.


    During the process, Severin grew very suspicious of the missing ¡®coin return¡¯ button, suspecting another scam in the making.


    His audience, on the other hand, looked on expectantly, waiting for the machine to start working its magic. Literally.


    Plop


    Instead of a huge spectacle, almost instantly a sound indicated the appearance of a new item at the bottom of the machine inside of the designated output tray.


    Just like before, when the Emporium was expanded within a night, even Samuel, once again, didn¡¯t catch any of the workings that just happened inside of the device. There was no sound leaking from the machine, nor any radiating of heat or magic. Nothing at all. Again.


    And while this time everything happened on a much smaller scale in comparison, unlike last time, he now stood just a few meters away. With his undivided attention focused on the strange box. Yet once again it eluded him, leaving him flabbergasted, more than anything else.


    No matter how impressive and unheard-of some, if not all, items and effects in this store seemed to be, there might still be certain possible explanations. No matter how unlikely they really seemed to be.


    Using exotic, foreign materials, for example, one might be able to achieve the unusually high potency of the potions, while a refined technique and crafting process, on the other hand, might explain their jelly consistency.


    This was especially true if everything was processed by someone in the possession of a unique class. Well, it didn¡¯t even have to necessarily be a unique one. After all, even the [Berserker] class, which was so very common around these parts, for example, was pretty much nonexistent on some of the other continents and therefore would seem rather mysterious to the people over there.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    These were usually Samuels¡¯ lines of thought whenever he was thinking about Severin and his Emporium¡¯s origin as they seemed to have popped out of nowhere. In the middle of nowhere.


    But those same reasons and excuses just wouldn¡¯t be able to explain this phenomenon right here.


    Magic itself was a universal thing after all. Its workings wouldn¡¯t change or differentiate between different continents.


    But Samuel also didn¡¯t want to believe that there was magic out there, on such a high and refined level, that even he couldn¡¯t catch it. Not even a trace.


    ¡®This never happened before. Well, at least not within my last thirty years.


    And so much has happened since then. At that time, I still wore a golden badge.


    And the one that cast the spell...¡¯


    Samuel¡¯s thought was interrupted by another, different one.


    ¡®Even if there was such magic out there. Then how did it end up in some strange box, standing in the corner of a lonely shop?


    And most importantly, where did the box come from? It¡¯s most certainly not a drop. So, was it crafted? And if so, by whom?¡¯


    He shot a quick glance towards Severin. Looking at him while still in thoughts, he only snapped out of it, once he became aware that Severin, by now, was holding an item in his hands.


    The latter, despite still trying hard to maintain his smug expression, was secretly dismayed as well.


    The four gold he had just spent had been converted into forty silver coins instead, basically gifting three golden and sixty silver coins to the System.


    ¡®Why do I have to pay for this myself? Shouldn¡¯t this count as a business expense instead? I mean, I didn¡¯t have to pay for the potion itself either, just now. Neither did I have to when I first tested them. I never had to pay!


    And considering that I don¡¯t even get any experience out of this, you DO seem to distinguish between me and a regular customer. So, what¡¯s up with this? Explain yourself!¡¯


    Timothy and Miriam didn¡¯t know about those internal struggles the other two had to face and instead were still very excited to see the actual end product. Despite the very anticlimactic combining process.


    It was a cube that closely resembled all the others they were already so familiar with by now.


    The only difference was the color design which split the cube into two distinct halves, allowing everyone to instantly be able to tell which two potions were used as initial reagents. Just in the very middle did the two colors slightly run into each other.


    [Small Hybrid Potion (20)


    Restores 150 Health Points when consumed.


    Restores 300 of all Resources when consumed.]


    ¡°Neither part of the potion is as potent as the original¡­¡± Miriam was about to analyze the new consumable and weigh its strengths and weaknesses when she was rudely interrupted by Timothy trying to squeeze through.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll take it. Make way and let me try it out myself!¡±


    ¡°Heey, stop it! I was first!¡±


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Don¡¯t just stand there frozen in place and block everyone.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going!¡±


    In an instant, everything became very loud and chaotic again, making Severin jump back behind his counter.


    As he observed from a safe distance how the two were fighting with their elbows for access to the machine, he dearly hoped this kind of excessive behavior was a one-time thing caused only by the novelty factor of the machine and wouldn¡¯t be the norm from now on.


    ¡®I guess the daily limit should keep everyone from hogging the thing and prevent any real trouble. I hope.¡¯


    But there was another, more important reason why he was very grateful for that restriction.


    Because of the amount of work it would save him.


    He had already double-checked that there were certain other restrictions in play as well, such as making it impossible to combine two instances of the same product.


    Still, since even just the four different kinds of potions he had to offer so far would already allow for a total of six possible combinations, the amounts of standard potions required to fully utilize the combinator would be staggering.


    Twenty units of six different variants. Each one of those requires two normal potions. That would already exceed two hundred potions needed to fulfill the order. Closer to two hundred and fifty even. And that was only per person.


    No matter how much Severin liked the idea of earning money twice on the same potion, once for the original purchase and once for using the combinator, just the thought of replenishing that many items on a regular basis made him break out in cold sweat.

 Chapter 24

    What followed were three busy days for Severin, making him anticipate but also dread the arrival of Andreas and his mates, which he felt was a bit overdue already.


    Even with the current limitations in place, Samuel, Miriam, and Timothy fully utilizing their daily quota for using the combinator resulted in another 90 items that he would have to replenish. In addition to their regular purchases, that was.


    Maybe the worst part about that situation was that all the time said limitations saved him from recrafting consumables was instead wasted by two certain annoying customers trying to either beg or argue with Severin about increasing the limit, with Samuel having to intervene more than just a few times.


    In that aspect, the first day was slightly more tolerable as said two customers, Miriam and Tim, to a large part, were still occupied discussing and testing various item combinations. If they were bugging anyone, it was Samuel whom both of them tried to get to combine specific item combinations for them.


    The probably most important finding during this time was the discovery that all of the new potions created by the Alchemical Item Combinator seemed to share the same cooldown.


    That realization came as a huge bummer to everyone.


    At first, they were very excited about the thought of having access to six new potions.


    Especially to the two [Berserker]¡¯s, who didn¡¯t have to rely on mana or other similar resources, to power their abilities, that would¡¯ve meant they¡¯d effectively have another five consumables available to them; They would just disregard the resource replenishing part and treat it as a watered-down health pot instead.


    Because of that, they started to more carefully try to figure out which combinations offered the best value to them.


    For Miriam, this choice was rather easy. Her go-to combination would obviously be the one consisting of the two health potions.


    As the daughter of two merchants, Miriam was proficient enough in math to realize that the resulting potion was actually more potent than either one of the original ones, given the current size of her health pool.


    ¡°15% of max health and a flat 150HP on top of that! That¡¯s amazing. Think about it. It means the moment one has more than about 350 health in total, one is better off with these new ones here. Well, maybe slightly less than 350.


    Otherwise, before that, the basic one that heals for 200 is still better.


    Now, considering only the uncombined potions, the percentage-based ones obviously were the superior choice so far once your health pool exceeds a thousand. Given that 20% of one thou...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah I get it! Master Samuel has taught me as much.¡±


    But now¡­¡± Miriam paused for a moment and closed her eyes, going over Tim¡¯s interruption, while counting with her hands.


    ¡°3000. Between 350 and 3000 HP, these here,¡± She held up a cube that was brownish-red on one side and bright red on the other, ¡°are the best option, if one has the choice. After that, the brown ones become the better choice once again. At this point, the 5% difference starts to exceed 150.


    But then again, who has such a¡­¡± Miriam¡¯s voice drifted off as she looked towards her mentor.


    In the following, she spent a bit more time figuring out the numbers for some of the other possible combinations. Mostly for Tim¡¯s benefit this time.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    A mana pool of 6000 would be the threshold at which the basic percentage-based resource potion would be the most efficient one.


    Though this threshold was still far easier to reach than the respective health value, Timothy¡¯s own mana pool hadn¡¯t reached this point yet. So, for now, after listening to Miriam¡¯s explanations, two possible combinations stood out for him.


    When it came purely to restoring his mana, his choice would be to combine the two purple cubes:


    Otherwise, depending on the situation, the fusion of the red potion, which restored a flat amount of health, and the percentage-based mana potion, would be another valid choice for him to make.


    Even if the two of them squabbled and fought a lot, both of them felt rather close to each other.


    It was more like the relationship between a sister and her younger brother than that of true rivals.


    In a situation like this, she would naturally help him figure these things out, despite him being an annoying brat from time to time.


    The weapon oils, on the other hand, were something that got much less of their attention. On the first day, they had combined a few of them just for fun, but ultimately to Timothy, they were inherently useless and therefore uninteresting.


    Miriam was in a similar position. Until now, she never felt a pressing need to be able to deal magic damage and take advantage of an enemy¡¯s elemental weakness. Much less of two of them at the same time.


    Severin, who witnessed some of these discussions, was sure that a certain [Duelist] would have some very strong reactions if he heard this, still inexperienced adventurer''s, take on the matter.


    It was a much bigger deal than she gave it credit for. Samuel didn¡¯t correct her on this either, as it was one of those things she¡¯d have to realize on her own when the time came.


    But sadly, all of these would pretty much be luxury items anyway. Not because of their cost, which was basically a joke to them in comparison to their usefulness, but because of their scarcity.


    In the end, just because of that aspect, caused by the daily limitation, the dream of having access to multiple of those new items, all at once, was only wishful thinking.


    For Severin, though, on this third day, one of his long-standing wishes finally became true.


    Shortly after the first introduction of the new device, Severin noticed something as he did his own math.


    The result was that the amounts his customers referred to as a joke, for him, actually added up to a vast amount of wealth.


    A combined potion, in total, meaning their individual purchase price plus the cost for activating the device, amounted to 6 gold.


    And while that wasn¡¯t too impressive by itself, the same factor of six times the original cost, naturally also applied to the combination of weapon oils.


    Considering that a single one of those was 20 gold, the resulting profits were enormous in Severin¡¯s eyes.


    Timothy and Miriam might have quickly dismissed the resulting products, even just their little bit of experimenting with a few of the possible combinations already earned Severin a nice sum. And more importantly, it was Samuel who thought it to be prudent to have some more of them on hand.


    Therefore, out of the 90 total activations, 12 of them had been used up for the crafting of the temporary weapon enchants. Two of every possible combination of the four latest products.


    While that might not seem very impressive, just those 12 items still amounted to more than 1400 gold.


    All in all, just these three days were by far the most profitable one for Severin, so far.


    But it wasn¡¯t actually the money that made him so excited on that day.


    The most important part was the resulting experience.


    Even with the experience penalty Severin clearly noticed was imposed on the earnings relating to the magical box, it was nothing to scoff at.


    It had taken all of Severin¡¯s self-control not to jump up right after Samuel¡¯s last purchase.


    Instead, he forced himself through a round of excruciating small-talk before seeing the customer out.


    A level-up.


    Not for his sub-class.


    A real one.


    The day had finally come.


    The moment the door fell shut, he very briefly wondered how good the soundproofing of the wooden hut actually was. He couldn¡¯t take it any longer.


    ¡°Level 2 [Shopkeeper], here we go!


    Let¡¯s see what you got for me!¡±

 Chapter 25

    Severin was still getting ready for his usual victory dance when his movements started to slow down, and his eyes got bigger and bigger with disbelief.


    He had to reread the first part of the System Message over and over, not quite sure what to make of it.


    This was not the kind of reward he expected.


    It wasn¡¯t that the reward would be useless to him, quite the opposite actually.


    After all, it was something that would help him immensely.


    Something to help him with his workload.


    Something Severin was always sure would, in some form or another, appear sooner or later.


    He was even looking forward to that moment. Why wouldn¡¯t he? Especially with all that work coming his way in the form of the Lion¡¯s Head guild.


    But not like this. This was not how he had imagined things to turn out.


    Maybe in the form of another box. One that he could place into another corner of the room. One which could duplicate products for him.


    Or a more game-like solution like getting some passive perks for his [Alchemist] class which would allow him to somehow craft multiple products all at once.


    Maybe some ¡®procs¡¯, granting him a chance to just randomly make another copy of an item he had just crafted, appear out of thin air.


    ¡°Instead, I get¡­this...


    Is this even good enough? Just in terms of efficiency, I mean...And more importantly, where am I supposed to find someo¡­¡±


    Severin stopped mumbling to himself and stood there with his mouth still open, as he once again started to read the few lines of text that had appeared on the System¡¯s screen.


    [Congratulations!


    You have managed to take your first step of becoming a real [Shopkeeper].


    As such, you are not expected to do every bit of work yourself.


    The ability to know when to work hard and when to delegate is an important aspect of being a successful owner of any kind of business. Even more so if you are to further expand your shop and live up to its name.


    New feature unlocked: Hire employees.]


    ¡°This is a good thing¡­right?¡±


    The text was just unbelievable to him and so far demanded all of his attention, that at first, he hadn¡¯t even noticed the new icon which had also appeared. Until now.


    With an unsteady hand, he reached towards the bar full of icons which were located right at the top of the floating screen. Just above this new System Message, he had been staring at.


    tap


    Severin¡¯s mouth opened a bit further upon seeing a wall of text appear in front of him.


    [Rules and Clarifications:


    Any hired person will receive the class [Employee] (Special).


    Any [Employee] will have access to the functionalities provided by the System. Specific access rights can be determined and adjusted by the [Shopkeeper] at will.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Any [Employee] can be assigned to one or multiple jobs by the [Shopkeeper].


    The remuneration of any [Employee] is set by the [Shopkeeper] and can be adjusted, but at the very least amounts to 1% of any profit made by [Employee]¡¯s assigned job(s).


    The employer-employee relationship can be terminated by either party at any time; In that case, the [Employee] class and all related privileges will be revoked.]


    ¡­


    [The extent to which any [Employee] is allowed to talk about or even hint at the existence of the System and all its related features to outside parties is within the [Shopkeeper]¡¯s discretion; Any violation is punishable.


    Intentionally trying to harm either the System or the [Shopkeeper] in any way is punishable.


    Trying to exploit loopholes and circumvent any of the applied rules is punishable.]


    ¡­


    [The extent of the punishment will be judged on a case-to-case basis.


    Warning: Especially severe violations will be punished by Soulerasure.]


    ¡­


    Severin skipped whole sections of outlined explanations and regulations. It was just too much for him to digest right now and mostly seemed to cover straightforward things anyway.


    Like rules to prevent him, as the [Shopkeeper], to abuse his power over his would-be [Employee]¡¯s followed by a whole chapter that to Severin looked like to be about labor law.


    ¡° ¡¯Unionization in a different world.¡¯ ¡± Severin still found the time to proudly make up the title for some shitty novel.


    In the end, he just scrolled all the way down to the end of the text. Mainly to see how long this document really was, but also to check whether there were any important points that stood out for him to take notice of.


    And indeed, at the very end, a few more important lines caught his attention.


    [Requirements:


    For a person to be eligible for hire, they need to read and agree to all of the rules and clarifications above; The decision has to be made voluntarily and mutually.


    For a person to be eligible for hire, they must not be a class-bearer.


    For a person to be eligible for hire, they must agree to live on the shop¡¯s property; For that, appropriate and sufficiently furnished accommodations need to be made available on the premises.


    Current number of [Employees]: (0/1)]


    After reading all these parts, Severin didn¡¯t feel any of his most pressing questions answered. If anything, some passages only caused some new ones to pop up in his head.


    And he most certainly wasn¡¯t in any mood to dance around anymore.


    ¡°Thinking back to some of the available options I¡¯ve seen in the System-store so far, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle all of this on my own. At least not in the long run. So maybe I should¡¯ve predicted this development. Then again¡­other people having access to my System ¡­how should I¡¯ve guessed that? And without that small detail, no one would be able to efficiently help out anyway. Can¡¯t just give someone access to the recipe book and all the materials. Even if I could, just the way the System transfers the knowledge right into one''s head...without that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, now the big question is how¡­¡± While talking to himself Severin became slightly indignant thinking about the problem of finding a suitable employee.


    ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to find a person willing to work for me.


    Can¡¯t just slap a ¡®¡¯Help wanted¡¯ sign on the door, can I?


    Then maybe the next time when an ordinary person with no class climbs up this mountain, I can just offer them a job!¡± Severin had already noticed that so far no one had actually climbed this mountain to reach him. Every person who made it to his store had arrived with the help of some kind of flying artifact. And to his knowledge, those flying artifacts were not something a class-less person would own. Even if, they would most certainly not be the kind of person that would be willing to work in some desolate wooden hut in the middle of nowhere as someone else¡¯s employee.


    ¡°Maybe I could ask Samuel to look out for suitable candidates...Doesn¡¯t seem right, but maybe once I¡¯m desperate enough.


    Either Miriam or Timothy would make nice part-timers, I think. But even without the class restriction, what adventurer would actually¡­¡± There was not much use thinking about what would or could be.


    Instead, he started to ask himself what kind of person he would actually want to employ if he ever had the opportunity to be picky. As it looked now, he would¡¯ve to take whoever came his way.


    ¡°Can¡¯t expect someone with any experience in potion making, I guess. Well, would probably not be of too much use anyway, with the System and all that. I guess someone young and efficient would be nice. As for the personality¡­fortunately, the System seems to provide a good deal of insurance.¡±


    Severin spent some more time thinking about all different kinds of things, still not quite sure if he should actually be happy with his new level-up reward.


    Not quite sure how to proceed, Severin decided to once more skim through the wall of text, in the hopes to find anything that might actually help him out.


    But reaching the end of the document he suddenly became aware of one specific point he had ignored so far.


    ¡°Appropriate accommodations. Furnished¡­? Are you serious?¡± Severin¡¯s voice became louder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have a real bed, much less a whole room, myself. And now I¡¯m supposed to build one for someone else?¡±


    Severin instinctively knew that the required expenses would not be covered by the System, and no matter how much gold the Item Combinator had earned these last couple of days, only a relatively small amount of that made it into Severin¡¯s own pocket.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an employee!¡±

 Chapter 26

    Overall Severin was looking forward to this whole employee thing. But it was true that the cost was very prohibitive.


    ¡°Even with the recent windfall, my personal wealth doesn¡¯t even amount to 400 gold. It should take me at least double that amount to meet the bare minimum requirements set by the System.¡± Severin did a rough estimation based on some of the prices he had seen in the System Store before. He couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look up the actual prices, fearing the real number to be much higher.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be real, even after meeting these minimum requirements, who would be stupid enough to take this job?¡± Even if the person, unlike Severin himself, was still able to leave the store¡¯s property, which was something Severin wasn¡¯t quite clear on either, the new [Employee] would still be stuck on a mountaintop with no real entertainment whatsoever. The only reason Severin lived like this was that he had no choice in the matter. Sure, things started to take shape, but it was still far from the dreams he had when he first landed in this world. Therefore, he didn¡¯t believe anyone would willingly join him. Maybe later on, if everything developed like he hoped it would, but not right now.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s wait and see, I guess. Once I complete that quest and can adjust my income a bit it might be enough for me to fix some of the problems. The real question is if I should ask one of the guys to help me find someone suitable. The only issue with that would be how to explain why I can¡¯t hire any class-bearers.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look for people with a class. No, no [Alchemist] either. No, really! I¡¯ll have them bound to my System, which I was granted after transmigrating. I¡¯ll just have them acquire a custom class instead.¡¯


    Yeah. That¡¯s not a conversation I¡¯m too keen on having right now.¡±


    Of course, not too many people who had a class on their own would choose to accept such a job offer anyway.


    Feeling a bit helpless about the whole situation, Severin went outside to catch some fresh air.


    ¡®Maybe I should tell him¡­¡¯ Having such thoughts, he played through all kinds of possible scenarios in his head.


    Like this, time passed by quickly.


    Until suddenly his thoughts were interrupted.


    ¡°Look over there!¡±


    ¡°Seems like they¡¯re here.¡±


    Neither Tim nor Miriam had actually met any one of the expected guests in person so far.


    On both occasions, they were too busy trying to beat each other¡¯s heads in. But that didn¡¯t stop them from looking toward meeting them now.


    It would be a great occasion for them to show off the expanded store. And the magic box.


    Basically, being the first customers of this store, aside from Samuel ¨C but he didn¡¯t really count in their eyes, made them feel a strange sense of pride.


    ¡®Ha. Look at them. You would think it was their shop instead of mine.¡¯


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°It¡¯s only one ship,¡± Samuel commented. He didn¡¯t care too much about this whole occasion, but the fact that a single ship was flying in their direction caught his attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how Andreas made it sound. I expected more people to come. Something doesn¡¯t seem right to me.


    Unless it¡¯s not them.¡±


    Severin could only agree. He speculated about the number of people this kind of flying artifact could accommodate, but it surely couldn¡¯t be more than 5 or 6.


    ¡®Maybe more if they squeeze together. But certainly not the raid group I expected.¡¯ He almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. This would be far more manageable than the alternative.


    ¡­


    As expected, the spotted flying ship was headed in the shop¡¯s direction.


    Soon the ship landed near the small campfire, just outside of the fenced-off area.


    Five unfamiliar-looking people left the vehicle, which soon disappeared into nothingness.


    The new arrivals looked disheveled and tired, even from a distance.


    As the person at the front of the group spotted Severin, he led the four others onto the shop¡¯s property.


    The small emblems on some pieces of their gear dispelled the last doubts regarding the identity of the new arrivals.


    ¡°Hey, guys.¡±


    Severin was a bit taken aback by the disheveled and tired-looking man as he greeted everyone with a nod.


    ¡®Why does he talk like I know him? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯


    After the distance was closed, even more, Severin had to make a double-take. The lack of energy the man displayed almost made Severin fail to recognize him.


    ¡°Xander!?¡±


    ¡°Do you know anyone else looking this handsome?¡± Xander tried to put on his trademark smug grin. Tried. Instead, he looked like he might pass out from a mixture of pain and exhaustion. He very obviously hadn¡¯t slept much for the past couple of days. And despite those words, the usual cocky tone was absent from his voice.


    All of the four other people seemed to be in similar conditions, but if anything, they seemed to have even less energy to waste. Luckily no one seemed to be wounded.


    The greetings were kept to a minimum; Only nods and grunts were exchanged before they all but collapsed onto the ground.


    The signs of combat were so obvious that even Severin could discern them.


    So, it was only natural that the other three could do so as well.


    ¡°So, what happened to you guys?¡±


    Xander who already sat on the ground let himself fall onto his back, into a lying position.


    Like this, he was staring into the blue above him as he started to recount the events.


    Be it because of his exhaustion or the severity of the matter, he unexpectedly didn¡¯t brag about his own deeds and achievements and instead gave a relatively concise summarization.


    Sigh


    ¡°We were on our way over here when we spotted an already half-destroyed Rhenian trade caravan fighting against a group of monsters coming out of a cave.


    Thought a few greedy merchants skimped on the guards. Thought with almost a whole raid group we¡¯d save their asses no problem.¡±


    Miriam frowned when she heard this. She knew how many of the merchants operated and hated the bad name those people gave their parents¡¯ trade. Everything to maximize profits. They wouldn¡¯t lead the caravans themselves, so a lot of them didn¡¯t care too much about their security. The bare minimum to chase away some opportunistic bandits would need to make do.


    One might think they¡¯d at least care about their cargo. They did not. It was already included in their considerations. A calculated risk.


    Losing one caravan out of ten tours would oftentimes still be less expensive than hiring a competent team of adventurers to escort them on those ten trips. Therefore, Miriam sadly had to concur that the image painted by Xander¡¯s narration did indeed sound like one of these familiar occurrences.


    ¡°Well, obviously things didn¡¯t turn out to be that easy.¡± The regret in his voice was apparent.


    ¡°We quickly dispatched the monsters and decided for one half of us to secure the cave while the others would stay outside to take care of the injured.¡±


    Xander paused for a moment.


    ¡°Only then did we find out they hadn¡¯t actually skimped on the guards.¡±


    The narration took a strange turn and didn¡¯t make much sense to Severin, and neither to Tim nor Miriam, judging by the confused looks on their faces. If the monsters were so easily taken care of, then the hired adventurers should¡¯ve been able to do the same. Xander made it sound like everything was resolved quite easily. At this point what could¡¯ve gone so wrong?


    Samuel on the other hand had quickly caught on.


    ¡°Dungeon Break?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Break,¡± Xander confirmed the suspicion.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Some of Xander¡¯s companions showed a pained expression. Prior to this, they hadn¡¯t known either. And those who did never expected to land right in the middle of one.

 Chapter 27

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s exactly what it sounds like. It¡¯s when a dungeon, well, breaks open and releases its inhabitants unrestrictedly into the world.¡± Samuel wanted to explain further but was interrupted by some indignant shouts.


    ¡°What do you mean a dungeon breaking open? How could something like that be possible? Shouldn¡¯t something like this be common knowledge? People need to know about those dangers.¡±


    ¡°Think about it. Obviously, it¡¯s not a common occurrence. Also, almost every dungeon has guards stationed at the entrance. Those should obviously be able to beat some escaping dungeon monsters.¡± Timothy managed to somewhat calm Miriam down, despite her not being totally convinced by the reasoning. Yet, besides the guards, the gathered adventurers looking to conquer the respective dungeon, should obviously also be able to take care of some random trash mobs.


    Suddenly both of them turned their heads towards Xander and his companions. Didn¡¯t he say they easily beat the monsters outside of the cave? So where was the problem in beating a few more? Shouldn¡¯t they be able to clear the whole thing, especially if they had a whole raid group available? They surely couldn¡¯t be that weak?!


    ¡°You two! Maybe you should let me finish, before coming up with random stuff.


    Surely if it was that easy, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation right now.¡± Samuel knew exactly what his two students were thinking. He felt that lately, he had to admonish the two of them more and more often. He would have to do something about this in the near future.


    Samuel shot an apologizing glance over to the group of five. It turned out to be an unnecessary gesture as none of them seemed to be in a state to care about an unspoken slight borne from the ignorance of two children.


    He took a deep breath before continuing his explanation.


    ¡°The reason most people don¡¯t know about this phenomenon is just as Timothy guessed. It is obviously a very rare occurrence that requires very specific circumstances. It¡¯s not something that ¡®just happens¡¯.


    It¡¯s a slow process of mana gathering inside of a dungeon until the whole thing is completely saturated. You should have at least a rough understanding of what that means, right? Such a thing is only possible if no one challenges the dungeon for a very long time and the mana is actually allowed to build up.


    That is why most countries make sure to check out the known dungeons inside of their borders every couple of years at the very least.


    And even that would usually not be necessary. If there¡¯s a known dungeon then there will also be adventurers.


    It is only in neutral territory like the Golden Mountains which at the same time harbors so many profitable dungeons to choose from, that some of the more obscure dungeons see no traffic at all. And from the description so far, I take it as somewhat hidden, to begin with. You probably won¡¯t even find it on most of the maps of the area.¡±


    Especially Miriam felt relieved after hearing this clarification. If it was like this, cities built around dungeons shouldn¡¯t be in any additional danger.


    Sigh


    ¡®I¡¯ve embarrassed myself. Most major cities and basically all capitals on the continent are built on top of dungeons if I¡¯m not mistaken. And not just on some small ones. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t do so if there was even the slightest chance of them being overrun by dungeon monsters as a result. It turns out the bigger and more lucrative a dungeon, the safer it is in their immediate vicinity.¡¯


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain¡­¡± Timothy once again peeked over to Xander. The question was clear. If a group that clearly was capable of dealing with the dungeon¡¯s monsters, why would they be in such a pitiable state right now?


    ¡°Pah! So you didn¡¯t understand after all, ¡°Samuel reprimanded.


    ¡°The more saturated with mana a dungeon is, the more monsters are obviously being created. More importantly, the monsters have access to enough mana for them to freely absorb. Strengthening them in all kinds of ways. From increased stats to unpredictable mutations. And the longer the monsters are subjected to those mana levels, the stronger those changes usually are. Sometimes even the Dungeon itself starts to change. Until at some point, the mana has no way to go and the threshold barrier at the entrance gives in.¡±


    Severin who also listened in from the side made a guess.


    ¡°So, the monsters fought outside of the cave were just some of the weaker ones? Those that didn¡¯t absorb a lot of mana yet?¡±


    An expression of understanding was reflected on Xander¡¯s face. Even the people who had known of the term ¡®Dungeon Break¡¯ didn¡¯t know any more of the specifics. This information would explain a lot of the troubles they met.


    ¡°That would be my guess,¡± Samuel agreed. ¡°It seems the stronger monsters tend to gather near the dungeon core, which most of the time is located at the deepest parts.¡±


    Severin was very curious about all of this, but suddenly he felt like something wasn¡¯t quite right. Didn¡¯t they forget an important point? A question formed in his mind. One he didn¡¯t really know how to ask.


    ¡°The others¡­?¡±


    It was one of Xander¡¯s four companions to first realize that the question was aimed at their group.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine!¡± The man almost jumped up while saying this.


    None of them had realized that the way Xander told the story in combination with their appearance and with only five people out of a whole raid group present, they might have painted a very wrong picture.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry! We all made it out in one piece.¡± Xander himself quickly chimed in. ¡°Not least thanks to you. I think Andreas specifically got his ass saved by your potions more than just once.


    Even as a Tank there¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve withstood that kind of punishment otherwise.¡±


    Some heavy nods affirmed Xander¡¯s words. The images of hordes of monsters surrounding and clawing at them were still fresh in their minds. The Tanks certainly proved themselves.


    ¡°As an officer, he¡¯s busy right now. Has to notify the Society. And someone has to report back to the guild as well. Of course, Lynn and the other healers are busy too, especially since some of the caravan members did also survive. For us, though, there¡¯s nothing more to do right now. So, we were sent to inform you of our delay. Thought we¡¯d set camp here and wait for the others. I¡¯d expect most of them to arrive here some time tomorrow.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s almost unsettling. Xandi not being a dick¡­really shows how rattled he is, huh? Let¡¯s see how long that lasts.¡¯


    ¡°Sure thing. No problem.¡±


    ¡°So. Tell me. There is no way you guys actually cleared the whole thing on your own. And certainly not in this amount of time. Even if you were fighting since you last left a few days ago. How did you get out of there?¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± A humorless laugh answered Samuel¡¯s question.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We fought for a whole day just to push them back to the original dungeon entrance. We didn¡¯t even make it inside. There is no way we could clear this thing. Now knowing these were only the weak monsters¡­We just were lucky enough to have a [Barrier Mage] with us. He managed to buy us enough time to evacuate by temporarily fixing the threshold barrier.¡± There was no shame in his words, only frustration.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Having someone competent enough to even just for a short time being able to fix the dungeon¡¯s barrier was an impressive feat, but all in all the result was just as Samuel expected. Reporting the whole incident to the Adventurer¡¯s Society was the only right thing to do.


    Meanwhile, Severin didn¡¯t quite believe Xander¡¯s words. Especially after learning that they didn¡¯t actually resolve the problem.


    ¡®Nothing for you to do, huh? Really? And your appearance has nothing to do with a certain [Berserker] having his camp up here, I take it? One that might very well be able to take care of this whole incident on his own?¡¯

 Chapter 28

    Severin was very confident that if he was able to come to this conclusion, then so was Samuel. That being said, the [Berserker] didn¡¯t show any signs that pointed to him having even the slightest amount of interest whatsoever in getting personally involved. There had been all kinds of opportunities for him to offer his aid over the course of the evening, but they had all been tacitly ignored. Maybe if the whole thing presented a more imminent danger to low-level or classless people, he would¡¯ve changed his mind. But as things were, with no settlements in the immediate vicinity and the appropriate authorities already alerted there was no need for him to go out of his way.


    Instead, he seemed way more concerned whether the Lion¡¯s Head Guild had any plans to further involve themselves in this matter.


    Yet, that was not a question Xander or any of his four companions were able to answer right now. This was still something to be decided, dependent both on the headquarters¡¯ response as well as Andreas¡¯s meeting with the Society. But unlike some might think, they didn¡¯t seem to reject the possibility categorically. According to Xander¡¯s descriptions they had obviously been in real danger of death, but that was after they pretty much got ambushed. Even if they wouldn¡¯t be able to make it to the dungeon core itself, with prudent preparations they would surely fare way better the second time around.


    Even just the possibility of Andreas and Co returning to face the horde of monsters once more, seemed to somehow please the old man, though he refrained from commenting on it any further.


    The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. Samuel shared some more of the knowledge he possessed about Dungeon Breaks, their consequences for the dungeon itself as well as their surroundings, and some strategies aimed to conquer them.


    It turned out with either the right class or tools it wasn¡¯t even necessarily impossible to ¡®fix a broken dungeon¡¯. Of course, that was most likely not what was going to happen in this specific instance. Such a procedure was mostly reserved for dungeons that had stayed undiscovered until their Break. If a previously known dungeon was somehow deserted for a long enough period of time to gather enough mana for a Dungeon Break to occur, then it was most likely not worth the effort anyway.


    After that, Xander recounted more of their previous battle. To Severin¡¯s regret, the [Duelist]¡¯s condition seemed to improve by the minute. The more time passed, the more valiant and heroic his deeds became. But while even his group members couldn¡¯t help rolling their eyes and scoff at certain parts, based on their overall reaction, he didn¡¯t seem to actually exaggerate his own merits all that much. After only this short amount of time, he had already become an integral part of the guild. Something that truly spoke for his skills, considering his personality.


    Overall, the mood was rather cheerful.


    Severin enjoyed the general atmosphere and the more colorful descriptions of everything that happened.


    So did Miriam and Timothy. But for slightly different reasons.


    Severin still treated them purely as entertainment, like action movies or fantasy stories. Even though on an intellectual level he knew monsters and the like were a real thing, he couldn¡¯t help it. After all, he hadn¡¯t yet seen even a single one of those beasts himself.


    To the two junior adventurers, on the other hand, those same stories were a wealth of knowledge. Every now and then they kept asking how the group in general and the [Duelist] specifically, had dealt with certain kinds of enemies, their weaknesses, and the items and skills they had used to keep them at bay. Very much to Xander¡¯s delight.


    Besides reveling in the attention, the [Duelist] and his group obviously had their own reasons to be excited.


    Most importantly, none of them had died. Which was a clear win in their book. Furthermore, it seemed like their troubles had been rewarded with a non-negligible amount of experience. Almost making the whole ordeal worth it.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Severin was sure that had they not been sent to inform him, the group would surely be lying unconscious in some tavern by now.


    Another goal Severin put on his imaginary to-do list. Building a tavern. Not the ¡®being unconscious¡¯ part, that is.


    Instead, the day ended rather early and on a more peaceful note.


    With practiced movements, another makeshift camp, not unlike the one already present, was set up.


    Going to sleep early was the norm rather than the exception for Severin. At least since coming to this place. It hadn¡¯t always been the case. Back in his old world, he rarely went to sleep before daybreak.


    Playing games, reading books or novels, watching random videos and shitty movies. Anything to keep his mind occupied. Until he was tired enough to collapse on his bed and fall asleep without having to lay awake and think about his future for the next couple of hours.


    Nowadays, he doesn¡¯t have to worry about stuff like that. For better or for worse.


    Still, his new, arguably healthier daily rhythm wasn¡¯t really by choice either. Even if he didn¡¯t work himself to exhaustion over the course of the day, forcing him to rest early, then the mind-numbing boredom caused by the lack of entertainment made him do so.


    As the day before hadn¡¯t been too stressful for him, Severin woke up comparatively early.


    Today he was the first person to do so, on this mountaintop.


    Concerning the guild group, it was only expected for them to sleep in; Even if, based on his cocky behavior, Xander had already seemed to have replenished most of his energy reserves.


    As for the other group, Severin suspected that they didn¡¯t go to sleep right away and instead kept conversing among themselves. It was something he had already observed more than once and no matter how left out he felt, whenever that happened, he knew it to be a consequence of him not being able to leave his property. If he could, he would just join them.


    But he couldn¡¯t. In those situations, he kept to himself and made sure not to leave his shop. He didn¡¯t want to look like those people at a party who distanced themselves from the others until someone would eventually come over and give them attention. He didn¡¯t want to appear needy.


    But for now, he felt there wasn¡¯t much for him to do about that. Expect maybe expand the shop¡¯s sphere of influence to include their camp as well, though he felt that would be awkward in its own way.


    ¡®So, I couldn¡¯t join you before, but now since I built this magic fence around you guys while you were sleeping¡­¡¯


    With Tim¡¯s and Miriam¡¯s daily fights, they more often than not were pretty exhausted themselves at the end of a day.


    Even ignoring them trying to storm his shop the other day, them being awake before him had been rather uncommon so far.


    The silence that greeted him upon leaving his store annoyed him to no end.


    It was a childish and petty thought, but for a moment, ¡®accidentally¡¯ waking everyone up by smashing the door shut seemed like a reasonable course of action to Severin. The only thing stopping him from actually doing so was Samuel¡¯s presence. There was no way he¡¯d risk upsetting the old man like this.


    Severin had a reason for being so impatient.


    On the day before, seeing Xander and his group exhausted but in a stable condition, he couldn¡¯t bring himself over to annoy them with his wares. It seemed inappropriate. But.


    There were four new potential customers. His quest log displayed a progress of six out of ten for his [Building of a customer base] quest. With an unknown reward waiting for him.


    It made it unbearable for Severin to keep waiting.


    Being able to adjust his salary would be a useful ability, but it wasn¡¯t anything exciting.


    But an unknown reward¡­He just had to know. It could be anything!


    He didn¡¯t fool himself, though; Given the System¡¯s track record, the reward would surely be underwhelming anyway. But just the possibility, no matter how unlikely the odds, of unlocking some amazing feature almost drove him crazy.


    Like that, totally on edge, Severin sat in his usual spot, carefully observing the two camps while impatiently rocking his right leg.


    Half an hour later his prayers were finally heard. Noticing movements inside one of the tents he could barely keep his composure until a sleepy-looking head poked outside.


    ¡°HEY TIM! Good morning! Hope you had a good night¡¯s rest!¡±

 Chapter 29

    For some inexplicable reason, everyone was up unexpectedly early this day. Even the new guests, who one might have expected to take a bit more time to fully recuperate, soon met up with everyone else.


    Given the original purpose for their visit they quickly, if still sleepy, decided to actually visit Severin¡¯s store.


    But some of the tiredness was soon dispelled as they remembered someone mentioning new wares the day before. Knowing nothing specific about those said wares, their curiosity got them moving.


    That and the two youths, who both seemed way too animated for this time of the day, ushering them inside.


    ¡°Just wait till you see the new products, Xandi! Your trip was definitely worth it.¡± Timothy advertised with an excited grin on his face.


    If one didn¡¯t know any better, one might¡¯ve easily mistaken him for Severin¡¯s employee. Or [Employee], rather.


    With that comment, Xander¡¯s mood instantly turned sour.


    ¡®Now even a brat like him already calls me that.¡¯


    Knowing who this brat¡¯s backup was, Xander didn¡¯t dare to dish out the slap he thought would be deserved.


    ¡°Careful there, you little shi¡­¡±


    He halted mid-sentence upon entering the store. That was not how he remembered it. Before, he didn¡¯t really pay any attention to the store itself, but once inside the change to both the size as well as the general layout was impossible to miss.


    On its own, this sight wouldn¡¯t warrant a practiced talker like him to lose his words like this.


    It still couldn¡¯t really be called spacious. And it sure wasn¡¯t luxurious either. Still lined with that unfamiliar-looking wood and, from what he could see, still only the same kind of items on the shelves as before.


    Even though it had taken longer than initially planned, thanks to the Dungeon Break incident on their way, for him to be back inside Severin¡¯s store, it was in no way long enough for this kind of renovations to have taken place. Certainly not on a mountaintop disconnected from all other signs of civilization. And with no useful resources in the vicinity. The timeline simply didn¡¯t add up. Unless some rare [Construction Worker]¡­


    Samuel would¡¯ve certainly laughed out loud while also expressing his sympathy if he knew of those thoughts.


    The four first-time customers who expected a ¡®tiny little shop¡¯ didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. The discrepancy between reality and their expectations was quickly chalked up to Xander¡¯s well-known tendency to exaggerate. After all, if Xander didn¡¯t have concrete evidence to help convince people of the magical items this store had to offer, then they surely wouldn¡¯t be standing here right now. Not to mention sending a respected officer as well as a healer of their guild to scout this place.


    Before anyone of them had the chance to open their mouths though, everyone already had an item pressed into their hands. A small bottle with a somewhat viscous liquid inside of it.


    ¡°Here, check this stuff out.¡±


    Timothy¡¯s voice snapped Xander out of his wonder. Looking at the item in his hands, he was somewhat reluctant to actually will its tooltip into existence. Simply because he didn¡¯t want to follow the prompt of a person who had just slighted him.


    Only when his companions let out a collective shout of excitement, shortly followed by very vocal expressions of frustration and disappointment, by some of them, did his own curiosity get the better of him.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Seeing the all too familiar-looking container gave Xander a good idea of what to expect, even if the liquid contained inside was not of the same green color as last time.


    [Weapon Oil ¨C  Water Damage Conversion (5)


    Forty percent of all Physical Damage dealt by the enchanted Weapon gets converted into Water Damage.


    Lasts for 30 minutes.]


    Xander turned around. Not making any sound or showing any reaction on his face whatsoever.


    From the blue variant in his own hand did he peek over at the revealed tooltips of the other versions.


    ¡®Hahaha! With that, I¡¯m able to target any of the common elemental weaknesses! Nothing can stop me now! With my high damage, even just a forty percent conversion rate is more than enough¡­If I combine that with the resource potions, I might very well be able to out-damage some of the casters even in encounters against bosses which possess high physical resistances.¡® Xander was extremely delighted, but he still didn¡¯t say anything, and his expression was still as unreadable as before.


    Now, he deliberately put on a very solemn face and stepped towards the two people of his group who had just expressed their displeasure, laying a hand on one of their shoulders each.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys. We are all part of the same guild. Basically family. We won¡¯t just abandon you only because you can¡¯t use them. You can still make yourself useful in other ways. They are tradable after all.¡±


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    ¡°PISS OFF!¡±


    Standing on the side, it took all of his self-control for Timothy to not also hurl some well-chosen words at Xander. And Miriam¡¯s grin wasn¡¯t making it any easier to bear either.


    After a few rounds of banter and shit-talking, it became very apparent that this group of more experienced adventurers evaluated these products very differently than Samuel¡¯s disciples had back then.


    The two of them thought it would be funny to first tease the group with these supposedly disappointing products before then revealing what was to them the new main attraction.


    Instead, they now just stood there somewhat deflated, seeing the confusion in each other''s eyes. What were they missing? That¡¯s certainly not how it was supposed to play out.


    But now there was no way for them to join the animated and unexpectedly serious discussions that ensued. None of these people might be guild officers and coming up with strategies was certainly not within their responsibilities, but suddenly the possibilities seemed to be endless. And then, of course, there still were the health and resource potions, which had just proven their worth many times over.


    When boarding the Airships, most of the guild members hadn¡¯t actually known the reason for their excursion or its destination; The leadership wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible. No need to draw unnecessary attention to them. Not that a guilds raid group moving away from any of the profitable raids in the area didn¡¯t draw its own kind of attention, anyway.


    When they were confronted with a horde of monsters escaping from the dungeon, though, the priorities obviously shifted in such a situation. As a consequence, their initial objective was revealed.


    Everyone had seen the effectiveness of those strange jelly potions first hand.


    And how Andreas was able to consume another health pot while it should¡¯ve still been on cooldown.


    Or how Lynn¡¯s mana pool was seemingly endless.


    So before making sure they bought, as many as the carrying capacity allowed, from every single item on display, there was no way they would even spare a single glance at some strange box that very obviously didn¡¯t seem to be an item for sale.


    Just like that, almost three thousand gold changed hands, with a nonchalance on the buyer''s side that almost tempted Severin to try biting into the coins. In the end, he decided to trust the System¡¯s built-in forgery-detection-measures. Who could ever hope to out-scam the thing?


    The conclusion of those five transactions was like a start signal. A System notification popped up and demanded Severin¡¯s attention, confirming the successful completion of his quest and reminding him of the corresponding reward. Not any slower than the System itself, the impatiently waiting youths once again sprang into action, to finally show off the colorful box.


    They both still had their ten daily uses available to them. Very deliberately did they walk toward the left back corner of the room, making sure neither Xander nor his companions left the store yet.


    Not wanting to wait any longer till he was alone, Severin didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment before opening the System Screen and navigating to his newly earned quest reward.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t disappoint me again.¡¯

 Chapter 30

    Severin was disappointed.


    The reward wasn¡¯t useless per se. It was just the timing of it. It was something that would be far more useful once the mountaintop and the would-be Emporium it was harboring were a bit more developed. Something to actually help with the developing part would be way more welcome right now.


    ¡®Well, it is basically a two-in-one reward. That counts for something¡­I guess.¡¯ This fact somewhat mollified him when he reread the System-Notification once again.


    [Congratulations for completing the quest [Building of a customer base].


    With an ever-growing customer base, as well as the increasing size of property, it can be hard to constantly keep track of everything happening around you. To help ease the burden, you are hereby granted access to the [Map] feature, which allows you to track everyone present on the shop¡¯s premises, in real-time. To further complement this feature, you will be able to bar access to unwanted elements by allowing you to blacklist them.]


    Severin decided to immediately check out his new map and quickly navigated the menu to open it.


    Just as expected, a map depicting exactly his property appeared, showing not even one millimeter of the area reaching beyond that. Just the fenced outside area, as well as the inside of the shop, was shown.


    ¡¯Stingy.¡¯


    That being said, the detail was rather impressive, clearly marking every bit of furniture. Severin could clearly identify the counter, with a green dot placed right behind it, clearly representing himself. There were eight other people present in his store, seven of them gathered closely in one of the corners, while the last one stood off to the side, observing the others.


    That last part was not something shown on the map, though, as there was no cone of vision indicator.


    Each of those people was also represented by a dot similar to his own, just that these were white instead of green. As most of them were basically standing on top of each other right now, their dots almost seemed to fuse together into one big white blob, though. Severin instinctually tried to zoom further in. And succeeded.


    Like this, the mess became actually discernable.


    He looked up and compared the actual positions and movements of his customers with how they were represented on the map. And indeed, Severin saw Xander¡¯s pushing and shoving, wanting to reach and try out the magical box himself, mirrored on the screen floating in front of him with no delay whatsoever.


    He ignored the wild shouts accompanying the scene.


    He was too taken in by his new toy. Too focused on some of the other features the map provided.


    For one, he was able to adjust the map¡¯s level of transparency, though that was only natural. After all, he was already able to do this with the whole System Screen itself. It was just that so far that feature seemed pretty useless to him, and in Severin¡¯s eyes, being able to apply that same functionality to the map as well was only slightly more useful to him.


    The real handy stuff was him being able to pop-out the map, detaching it from the System¡¯s main window, and allowing him to scale and move it as he desired.


    Like that, he placed the smaller map into the upper right corner of his vision.


    ¡®Haha, that¡¯s pretty neat. Got myself a minimap. Well, in the end, that¡¯s just quality of life stuff.


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    [Xander ¨C Duelist (Uncommon)].


    That¡¯s the real cheat. Huh? Being able to see nametags plus the according class.¡¯


    ¡°Haha.¡± The laugh was a joyless one. Severin somewhat realized that such an ability was something others might very well kill for it, but once again it clearly wasn¡¯t something he would be able to fully utilize.


    ¡®Always those features I can¡¯t take full advantage of anyway,¡¯ Severin grumbled to himself.


    ¡®Almost seems wasted on my class.¡¯


    Still, those complaints didn¡¯t stop him from taking a closer look.


    ¡®[Samuel ¨C Berserker (Common)]. Too bad it doesn¡¯t also show the level.


    Hmm, Tim¡¯s class is [Rare], as expected. As for the other guys¡­[Stalker] and [Spirit Caller] are both (Uncommon)¡­the remaining two, [Brawler] and [Frost Mage] are just (Common), though. Well, I guess Sam is the living proof that there is more to consider than just the rarity of one''s class. Then again¡­¡¯ Severin peeked at the text above the green dot and couldn¡¯t help but put on a self-satisfied grin.


    ¡°No need to look so smug! Better tell us what¡¯s up with restricting us like that.¡±


    ¡°Wha-?¡±


    It took a second for Severin to put things together and figure out what Xander wanted from him.


    Just like Miriam and Timothy before him, Xander came to argue about the limit restricting the daily uses of the Combinator. The thing had obviously been very well received. So much had been apparent even to a totally occupied Severin.


    Still, while he welcomed his products and services being coveted, being torn out of his thoughts and being called out like this wasn¡¯t something he appreciated. Especially not by someone who behaved like the two kids!


    Therefore, instead of replying directly, he considered for a few more seconds if he should test his other newly unlocked feature.


    Besides the [Map] Menu, another one called ¡®[Security]¡¯ had also emerged. So far, it was mostly empty, offering just one single feature.


    Which was, of course, his new blacklist. The layout of the menu suggested that more menu points and features might be added in the future, though.


    Interestingly enough, apparently, it wasn¡¯t even necessary to open this menu directly to access the blacklisting feature. Unexpectedly the System had taken it on itself to inform Severin of the possibility to ban people directly from the map. Concentrating on one of the dots allowed him to open something like a context menu. It basically was the equivalent of a right-click or maybe more accurately, considering the floating screen seemed more like a tablet or a phone than a PC, like tap-and-hold.


    Again, only a single option, allowing him to blacklist the troublemaker, would appear; And once again, suggesting that more might be added at a later point in time.


    Yet, that one option was enough to tempt Severin.


    ¡®I mean it can¡¯t hurt to be prepared and learn what exactly will happen once I ban someone...¡¯


    Ultimately, though, Severin was somewhat appeased by the look of honest astonishment on Xander¡¯s face, totally taken in by some of the possible combinations presented to him by the younger duo.


    Sigh


    ¡®Guess I shouldn¡¯t risk a falling out with the whole Lion¡¯s Head guild over something like this.¡¯ In reality, he had a slight suspicion that if it was Xander, no one would really care if he was banned. Not even his own guild members. They surely wouldn¡¯t stop frequenting his store.


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t have any single one of you buy out my whole shop, Xander. If there was no limit, the shop would probably already be emptied out by them,¡± Severin first nodded towards Tim and Miriam and then in Samuel¡¯s direction, who still stood a bit further away from everyone, still observing everything.


    ¡®Then you would probably be the first one to demand a daily limit.¡¯ That part he kept to himself.


    ¡°Also, like this, I would probably never be able to restock all of my wares.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. Maybe you should hire some help then.¡±


    A deadpan facial expression was the only reaction to that, making Xander feel uncomfortable after being stared at like this for an extended period of time.


    Ahem


    ¡°Well, guess I¡¯d better get back to it then. I still have some uses left.¡± Xander¡¯s response sounded almost sheepish as he turned around to quickly join the racket once again.


    In a better mood, Severin might have stopped and warned the man of his superior.


    ¡®Well, no need to reveal this new ability of mine just yet.¡¯


    In that short period of time in which Xander had come to annoy him, a new dot had appeared.


    For a moment, just after becoming visible to Severin, it had paused. But now it was on its way making a beeline towards the shop.


    Andreas was back.

 Chapter 31

    When Andreas opened the door to the shop, he was stunned for a moment by the noise that greeted him, causing him to hesitate for a moment.


    Samuel was the only one present who noticed the guild officer¡¯s arrival.


    Besides Severin of course, who had already spotted the man on his new map.


    Noticing who was responsible for all the commotion, Andreas greeted both of them with a silent, curt nod, not wanting to draw any attention to him. For the moment at least.


    Like that, he fully entered the store and, with a perfunctory glance, took in the sight of the remodeled shop. Really just for a short moment though, not even bothering to check out the new items that were showcased on the aisle of shelves standing in the middle of the room.


    Before long, he found a place near Samuel where he could observe his subordinates while wearing an unhappy expression on his face.


    And who could blame him?


    For one, those people were representing the whole guild.


    Normally he turned a blind eye to Xander¡¯s questionable behavior. In terms of common decency, Andreas didn¡¯t expect too much of him. But this right here was low, even for Xander¡¯s standards. Competing with two youths in a match of pushing and shoving. All while shouting as if they were watching an arena match. And one of them might still even be a child.


    But worst of all, it seemed just one day was all it took for Xander¡¯s behavior to rub off on the other four as well. That¡¯s what bothered Andreas the most.


    Well, that and the massive man standing next to him.


    Andreas carefully sneaked a glance towards the person. He could only relax a little bit when he noticed the other man didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by all of this. Andreas had seen the duo fight at his last visit. They were the ones that made his group aware of the potion¡¯s cooldowns. And they were clearly somehow related to Samuel.


    If this disgraceful behavior somehow resulted in hostilities between Samuel and the guild, Andreas would take it upon himself to flay all five of them personally. Before offering their broken bodies up as reparations.


    For another, there was the timing.


    Just one day ago, everyone was still fighting for their lives. Some of them only made it out of there by a hair¡¯s breadth. He himself was one of those. After that, in the wake of the Dungeon Break, everyone was assigned their tasks, while still exhausted to their core, with no real break to speak of.


    The healers, like Lynn, were kept busy dealing with all kinds of big and small wounds that were both typical and expected for battles like this. Only resting to regenerate some of their mana.


    Others were sent to rush back immediately, to either inform the guild¡¯s headquarters of the events and make a status report or to warn some of the smaller outposts which were located nearest to the forgotten dungeon¡¯s location; ¡®Nearest¡¯ in this case didn¡¯t mean those were actually nearby and therefore still required quite a bit of traveling to reach them. Still, it was the only right thing to do.


    Then, of course, there was Andreas himself, who had to deal with the Adventurer¡¯s Society and all the hassle that was attached to it.


    It wasn¡¯t so easy as to drop by and tell them, ¡°Oh hey, so, we came across this dungeon with hordes of monsters escaping it. The one west. You know the one. In the cave.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t detained. But he couldn¡¯t just leave either.


    A lot of information was required of him. Recounts of the events. Repeated and detailed recounts. To an ever-growing audience of increasingly important and powerful people. While waiting for reports of confirmation.


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    And once the issue was finally confirmed and established, there were countermeasures to plan.


    Again, not something Andreas was forced to get involved with. But it would be a great chance for the guild. For their reputation as a whole, but also as a chance to grow as individuals. As adventurers.


    Even that haphazard battle had awarded them good experience. He wouldn¡¯t be doing his job as an officer if he didn¡¯t give it his all to get their guild a spot on the extermination team. And for that, he couldn¡¯t just snub the Society.


    And Xander? What had he done in the meantime?


    Sure, Andreas had sent him off himself, but surely not to squabble with some children while taking apart the shop. The shop for which they had gone through so much trouble to visit.


    Forget about Samuel being annoyed by them. What about the shop owner? And what the hell were they even doing over there in that corner?


    In the beginning, the reason for Andreas to keep his mouth shut was to not reveal himself. After that, the reason he still didn¡¯t say anything was that he knew once he opened his mouth, he wouldn¡¯t be able to restrain himself and explode on the spot.


    But if one looked closely, one would notice how Andreas¡¯s expression slowly began to change, becoming more and more curious instead.


    Besides some snippets of words, he was able to make out things like ¡®recipe¡®? ¡®possible combinations¡® or ¡®broken¡®, every now and then, an opening showed itself. Revealing either a strange-looking box standing in the corner or some flasks that looked different from all the other products that were on display.


    Before long, the officer has moved further and further towards the rowdy group, still not revealing his presence. Which was a problem on its own.


    At this distance, by all right, someone should have noticed him. What kind of silver badge didn¡¯t notice someone standing right behind them?


    As much as the majority of his original indignation he had already passed, it once again flared up.


    ¡°Look at this!¡± Xander let out a sudden shout, which shut everyone else up while he turned around to face his companions.


    And, most importantly, to show off the item he held in his hands.


    Suddenly facing Andreas, one might have expected Xander to become meek. To feel guilty or even ashamed at being caught displaying such behavior. At least that much self-reflection could surely be expected?


    Instead, after one awkward half-second of silence, he once again shouted,


    ¡°Look at this!¡± With even more emphasis this time around.


    Andreas¡¯s face turned red from anger. The vein on his forehead almost popping. The insolence! And the fact that the other four, soon-to-be ex-guild members, if they weren¡¯t careful, still didn¡¯t seem to notice him and were instead occupied by trying to inspect the item, which Xander held so proudly in his hands, didn¡¯t help either.


    Yes. Xander seemed proud. Smug even. In this situation, holding eye contact as if nothing was wrong. Totally unashamed. Maybe even waiting for praise?


    This was it. Andreas suddenly seemed to loosen up. Lighten up. The burning anger, threatening to explode at any minute, seemed to dissolve into thin air and made way for a smile.


    Severin, observing from the side, knew better, though. He recognized the look.


    He knew it from back home. Everyone there knew the look.


    It was the strained look of a mother promising their children hell, once they were out of public.


    Back in the car, on their way home. If the child was lucky. If it was unlucky, it would have to wait until they were back home, with no words exchanged during the ride whatsoever.


    Gasp


    Suddenly everything went quiet. The eyes of the troublemakers glued to the item in Xander¡¯s hands.


    For one short moment, one might¡¯ve been able to hear a needle drop.


    Then the scuffling of feet. First one pair, then another. Samuel was somewhat faster to react to this sudden change in the atmosphere than Severin, who, on the other hand, was slightly closer to the group.


    Around the same time the [Shopkeeper] began to move, Andreas also finally turned to inspect the tooltip that was now floating in front of him. It had obviously been the cause for this sudden change.


    After reading the floating, white text on the familiar light-blue background, he needed another second to process the information it contained. Nothing left of his anger. Truly, this time.


    Only confusion. Disbelief.


    And then.


    Chaos.


    Hysteric screams erupted.


    Nine people. Crowded inside a small corner, inside a small store, shouting like madmen. Even including Samuel. And even though the [Berserker] was slightly more reserved than the others, it still spoke volumes about the newly discovered item¡¯s effect.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be real!¡±


    ¡°How did you...?¡±


    ¡°Not possible!¡±


    ¡°What combination¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, let me see as well!¡± Funnily enough, it was the shop owner himself who was the only one who hadn¡¯t gotten a good look at the item¡¯s description yet.


    Only when someone shouted out parts of the tooltip, more out of excitement than to answer Severin¡¯s question, was he enlightened.


    ¡°Ten HP restored. Per hit?! And on top of that still twenty-five percent damage conversion?!¡±

 Chapter 32

    ¡°Quick! Quick! Someone test it with the other health potion!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have any uses left for today.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    ¡°Damn, me neither. Percentage-based healing could turn out to be ridiculous as well.¡±


    ¡°Pah, even if you had any uses left. Who cares about the other health potion? You guys are damage dealers, are you not? So, who cares about leeching some health? Aren¡¯t you forgetting something else? Might as well try ¡­¡± The [Brawler] was interrupted as one of the others finally caught on and finished the thought.


    ¡°Mana leech! Someone try the other combinations!¡±


    Even without having confirmed their theory yet, the group who was still excited from their previous outburst just a few moments ago once again started to make a ruckus, riling each other up.


    ¡°Someone tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Right! Being able to passively heal the damage of some smaller AOEs is nice and all, but is it really worth it? In comparison, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even get hit anyway.¡± The [Stalker] was more than confident in his evasion skills. ¡°At least when it comes to the small stuff. For the big hits, there are potions.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not like you have any use for mana either!¡±


    ¡°You forget! The potions don¡¯t just replenish mana! They¡¯re not like the usual stuff. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°And even if they didn¡¯t, the shopkeeper mentioned that it¡¯s usable with items from outside of the store as well, anyway!¡±


    ¡°What is usable with what? Someone tell me already!¡± Again, Andreas demanded the attention he was used to receiving. No one would dare to talk over him like this. At the very least not in a guild setting.


    ¡°What? Really? Think about the possibilities! Do you think we could combine it with an antidote or a cleansing potion? Might be able to somewhat bypass their cooldown that way and save the healers some mana from all the dispelling!¡±


    ¡°Great idea! Remember in the Rotten Garden? The end-boss with the toxic cloud ability?¡±


    ¡°Right! Spider Queen Esina! Yeah, imagine being able to keep that stuff from stacking up!¡±


    ¡°What do you guys mean, ¡¯combine¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No, no! You guys. You aren¡¯t thinking big enough! Listen to this. You could¡­¡±


    ¡°STOP IGNORING ME ALREADY!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Right! You still have all of your activations left! Come here, quick!¡± Xander let two items appear out of nowhere and shoved them into Andreas¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Now, put them into that thing over here. And then¡­¡±


    ¡°Pay forty-two gold. Yeah, I get it.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for an answer. The price indicator was clear enough. The confirmation shortly followed as an item appeared in the output tray.


    Plop


    ¡°Hey, lets me see! Get your hands off it!¡±


    ¡°It worked!¡±


    ¡°The leech rate is horrible though. Four per hit. That¡¯s only what? One percent of the potions¡¯ base value? Compared to a ratio of five percent for the health pots.¡±


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    ¡°True, but don¡¯t forget that most melees don¡¯t have such large resource pools as you. I only have 200 Energy in total. Should be similar for Xandi as well.¡±


    ¡°Again, the percentage-based potions might still be an option, even for the resource ones.¡±


    ¡°Haha, what are you also so excited for? Planning to swing those sticks of yours around?¡±


    ¡°Can someone finally explain what the hell is going on here? In detail, I mean. What¡¯s with this machine? And don¡¯t you dare to ignore me again!¡±


    ¡°Ha Andi! What happened to you? Did one of the monsters hit you too hard after all? Normally you aren¡¯t that slow on the uptake.¡±


    Andreas didn¡¯t even bother with that remark.


    ¡°So, it truly just¡­fuses¡­items together into one?¡±


    ¡°Sure does.¡±


    ¡°Combines.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fuse. It combines.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡°


    Andreas obviously wasn¡¯t so slow that he didn¡¯t already understand at least the gist of it. Even before using the mysterious box, and sure as hell afterward. It was just too unbelievable of a thing. It just didn¡¯t make any sense. Especially for a machine. If it was some master alchemist, some unique crafter. Maybe. But he doubted it very much. Not to speak of the absurd amounts of gold these services, if they even existed, would require.


    ¡°Show me what other combinations you¡¯ve found so far.¡±


    ¡°Here, let us show you what we got so far!¡± Though it wasn¡¯t them who were addressed by Andreas with that question, it was Timothy and Miriam who took this chance to show off their knowledge and findings. They did have a bit of a head start, after all.


    They backed out of the corner with the combinator and headed towards the customer side of the counter, before emptying out their inventories for all to see.


    ¡°Those leeching oils might be the most impressive stuff,¡± Timothy had to reluctantly admit, ¡°but some of these potions here aren¡¯t too shabby either.¡± While impressed with their effects, the newly discovered items put a bit of a damper on his mood, making him feel more and more sympathetic with the two other casters present. For once, though, he was grateful for Miriam¡¯s snide remarks, having seen how much worse it could get.


    Snort


    ¡°¡¯Not too shabby¡¯, eh? No need to pretend those things aren¡¯t insane in their own right,¡± Andreas said while reading through the tooltips.


    ¡°And then, of course, there are all the possible combinations involving two oils.¡± Tim had continued without acknowledging Andreas¡¯s statement, knowing it was true. He also didn¡¯t mention that he thought the result of combining two of the elemental conversion enchants, into one, was pretty useless; The amounts of these things laying on the counter, compared to all the other items, was evidence enough that Miriam agreed with him on this point. Sure, twenty-five percent damage conversion, twice, still resulted in a net gain of ten percent compared to the original base items. But in Tim¡¯s mind, it was only ten percent. And then split into two elements, at that. That surely couldn¡¯t be worth it.


    Well, considering the shimmer in Andreas¡¯s eyes, the guild officer would surely disagree.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it. We don¡¯t have any other stuff on hand right now. Only the products Severin is selling. Didn¡¯t need anything else recently,¡± Miriam added. ¡°To try combining them as well, I mean. Reminds me. I¡¯m pretty sure he said that combining items not purchased here would cost extra. A ¡®premium¡¯ he called it.¡±


    Severin himself was too distracted with observing Samuel combining a batch of brownish jellies with an equal amount of liquid enchants to dignify that comment with an answer.


    ¡°Hmm. We didn¡¯t have any time to restock yet either. Used up everything that was even just remotely useful in that damned dungeon break.¡±


    The [Berserker] quickly finished his business before moving back deeper into the room and made way for Andreas, who was finally sufficiently calm to decide on the most important item-combinations he would craft a good supply of.


    ¡°What?! Is it broken? Why doesn¡¯t it work anymore?¡±


    Xander didn¡¯t even try to hide his delight when answering. ¡°Only ten uses per person, per day. Thought you had caught that. Or didn¡¯t you listen? Otherwise, the whole store would already be empty by now, no? And then poor Severin here would have to work himself to the bone, just for you. Just so you can carry around your own personal stockpile of items. Is that what you want?¡±


    The shamelessness of the words left Severin gaping in amazement.


    Was this a twisted kind of d¨¦j¨¤ vu? Weren¡¯t those his own words? Wasn¡¯t that what he had told Xander when the [Duelist] asked the very same question?


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s still enough for one-hundred-forty more items. And another two-hundred tomorrow.¡±


    The shopkeeper went pale all of a sudden, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Wasn¡¯t this exactly what he had originally feared? But then, he was so sure that he had already dodged the bullet. But now¡­


    ¡®Please, no. Did the map lull me into a false sense of security?¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s with these numbers? You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± As much as he feared the answer, as much as he already knew the answer, he had to ask.


    One-hundred-forty. Two-hundred. Double these numbers and one had the number of items Severin would actually need to replace. And that wasn¡¯t even considering the sale of items for regular use.


    ¡°Yeah, the others are waiting outside, setting camp.¡±

 Chapter 33

    Maybe it was the pleading look of desperation in Severin¡¯s eyes that stopped Andreas from directly calling everyone inside.


    But instead, when Severin immediately began crafting, prioritizing the potions over the oils, for now, Andreas and some of the others started to observe him. The guild officer and Samuel specifically began discussing what they saw. For the [Berserker], it wasn¡¯t the first time to witness the whole process, but he wasn¡¯t able to identify even a single one of the ingredients so far. Despite him being no crafter himself, there was no way for any self-respecting adventurer to not know the majority of ingredients typically used. Not that he would¡¯ve been able to replicate the process even if he had all of the necessary tools and herbs and such available to him. In reality, even for a somewhat high-leveled and skilled [Alchemist], it would¡¯ve been impossible to achieve a similar result. The techniques that were granted by the System itself were too advanced for all but the most exalted Alchemists to even understand. Naturally, though, this wasn¡¯t something any one of the people present, including Severin himself, was aware of. So it wasn¡¯t too surprising that Andreas couldn¡¯t make sense of what he saw either. That still didn¡¯t stop the both of them to discuss and admire the work in front of them though.


    Xander on the other hand was nowhere to be found. After being frustrated of having run out of uses for the combinator a sly grin had appeared on his face. Just for an instant. The next moment when he inquired about the guild¡¯s next steps, this expression was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°I have already informed the others so I might as well tell you. The plan, for now, is that we stay here until tomorrow. Till around afternoon. In the evening we¡¯re to meet up with some representatives of the Society and with whoever else they have managed to gather in that amount of time.¡±


    ¡°So you signed us up for another round?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. Don¡¯t feel you¡¯re up for it?¡±


    Snort


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. Well, I don¡¯t have any clue who else will show up. Obviously a great opportunity for most guilds, but on such short notice, we¡¯ll have to wait and see. Once we meet up, we''ll have to figure out the individual groupings and responsibilities. Might need to help finish setting up a temporary outpost if it''s not already completed by then, too. The actual subjugation efforts will begin the morning after.¡± Andreas expanded a bit more on the specifics. As he was previously personally involved with some of the planning, he already had a good idea of what to expect.


    Xander though didn¡¯t seem all that interested in what Andreas had to say and soon decided to leave, making everyone who listened wonder what this was all about in the first place.


    Miriam and Tim soon left the store as well. Miriam had been bartering with the others and was able to trade one of her dual-conversion oils for one of the health leeching ones.


    Now, with a new product to test and nothing better to do, as there were no more purchases to make for the day, the two of them might as well head out to their usual spot. Everyone else soon left as well, with Andreas and Samuel being the last to follow suit as they were discussing the upcoming undertaking.


    Severin paid no attention to any of these things as his hands moved all over the place, concentrating not to mess anything up. No matter how broken any System-granted skills might be, if he rushed things like he did right now and wasn¡¯t careful, he might still render a whole batch of potions useless and burn himself in the process.


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    As it was still rather early in the day, on Andreas¡¯s side of things there was no need to rush anything. Maybe he first planned out the exact amounts of every type of consumable he wanted everyone to buy. Maybe it was just in consideration of Severin. Only after almost two hours did he lead the first group of people inside of the store. With Andreas overseeing everything personally, things proceeded in a far more ordered and smooth fashion than Severin would ever have hoped.


    As it turned out, most guild members were able to show an officer the respect he deserved. What also helped, of course, was the fact that everyone was forewarned by now. Everyone had seen the items, including the newly combined ones, by now and heard of the magical machine. The initial shock had already passed. Besides that, while until now almost everything Severin had seen of the guild seemed undisciplined and chaotic, with Xander being to blame for most of that impression, they still were a full-blown guild with an ever-present desire to push further and conquer harder and deadlier dungeons and raids. Nobody here wanted to only scrape by. There were no tainted silvers. A minimum of discipline could therefore only be expected. In fact, it was a requirement to guarantee everyone¡¯s survival if things turned sour. If anyone truly didn¡¯t listen to instructions, as some might expect of Xander, that person would be kicked out of the guild with no second chance whatsoever.


    Organized like this, everything was handled without any hiccups, with only two, from Severin¡¯s point of view, somewhat noteworthy occurrences.


    The first was meeting Lynn again. The healer mainly remained in his memory because of her interactions with the loudmouthed [Duelist]. Besides being one of his earlier customers, of course. She was a [Cleric] as it turned out, which was insofar interesting to Severin, as he was pretty sure that one of the other people who entered his store, and who was also a [Cleric] according to the System, seemed, with the heavy armor the man was wearing, more geared towards close-range combat than her. Since everyone¡¯s weapons were stowed away, though, it was hard to tell with certainty.


    The other small surprise was meeting Harold, the [Barrier Mage]. Severin knew him to be formidable as he was the one who saved everyone¡¯s ass by temporarily sealing shut the entrance of the dungeon.


    The man seemed way younger than Severin would¡¯ve suspected someone with that name to be. Only slightly older than Miriam.


    At a different time, Severin might have bothered to become more familiar with the man and regard him with more than just a curt greeting, but this moment was not the right time for that.


    Both of these things were of no real interest to him right now, as he labored to somehow meet everyone¡¯s demands; Which was virtually impossible.


    Fifteen people who all wanted to buy a full set of every single one of the base products he had to offer. No matter if they had any actual use for it, or whether it was to later trade them to the ones who had. Plus the combined items. Added up, everything amounted to roughly two thousand items in total. Two thousand items he needed to craft.


    ¡®That can¡¯t be right! Even with a helper that¡¯s impossible. At least tomorrow everyone can only buy another twenty, at max. Still. In a few days, they might return¡­then what?¡¯


    At that point, Severin didn¡¯t yet know that the majority of Andreas¡¯s people wanted to try out their new consumables, with some of them going so far as to join Tim and Miriam in their daily sparring.


    And while Andreas didn¡¯t stop them, as it was only right for them to get comfortable with the things that were supposed to save their lives, after all, he was gracious enough to warn Severin bout it. In the end, both of them decided that there was no need to supply every single item on this very day, as they would only leave the next one anyway.


    And so Severin pulled his first all-nighter in this world, ignoring the two level-ups he earned in the meantime.


    ¡°Yeah, no way I give them any more products to buy.¡±

 Chapter 34

    In the early morning hours, Severin was finally comfortable with the stockpile of craftable goods he had amassed. While he hadn¡¯t managed to process all of the materials available to him and fill every single shelf back up, it should be enough to meet everyone''s demands. After that, once the group would be gone, he would still have enough time to put things back in order.


    With no one yet awake, he considered for a while whether he should go to sleep himself. He was very tempted.


    ¡®If I go to sleep now, though, who knows when I¡¯ll wake up again. After this, there is no way I won¡¯t sleep for the next twelve hours. Minimum. Worst case, Andreas and the others are already gone by then. Can¡¯t have that. All the work would be for nothing. Well, and having a whole guild getting angry at me is something I¡¯d rather avoid as well.¡¯ Even with his limited business acumen, Severin figured it wouldn¡¯t be too beneficial to him to snub the twenty people strong guild group that was camping outside. Nineteen, rather. As Xander had apparently gone missing after he left the store. No one would worry that something happened to him, but him leaving, without making a big deal out of it, seemed quite noteworthy to most. Suspicious even.


    Knowing that closing his eyes, even for just a moment, would be an idiotic idea in his current condition, and with nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to check out the System. He had received multiple level-up notifications for his Alchemy class, after all. Seeing even just the first of these two, he felt a pang of guilt for his decision not to check them out the moment they popped up.


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯m sure Andreas would¡¯ve even given up on some of the other items in favor of a few of these two. Plain old stat increase. While it might sound boring, it sure as hell ain¡¯t useless. Well. Still don¡¯t intend to start over now. Guess I¡¯ll just surprise them once they¡¯re back. Let''s see what else there is.¡±


    ¡­


    More mature people might¡¯ve taken the other notification as a sign to get back to crafting after all. Not so Severin. To Severin, it was an affront.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®advanced alchemy station unlocked in the store¡¯? Might¡¯ve told me so directly. I¡¯m working myself to exhaustion and now you¡¯re telling me I could¡¯ve¡­FUCK. And what''s the ¡®unlocked in the store¡¯ all about? Do I have to buy my own rewards now? Is this how things are gonna be from now on? Really?¡±


    Reluctantly he opened the store page. What mollified him, if only a little, was that, as an essential tool for the shop itself, the kit was purchasable from the shop¡¯s own balance. This and the fact that the rather vague description also hinted at the new station being able to process batches double the size his current starter-set could handle.


    ¡®Even with all the money I¡¯d made today, isn¡¯t two-thousand gold a bit too steep of a price? I mean, not even the shop¡¯s expansion was that expensive.¡¯ Even knowing he¡¯d ultimately buy the thing anyway, and rather sooner than later, Severin still decided to postpone this purchase. Maybe it was his own pitiful act of rebellion against the System; Maybe it was so he didn¡¯t feel like he had to craft the stat enhancing flasks after all.


    Still, he was in the mood to splurge a little. Not his own money mind you, which he estimated would amount to about one-thousand six-hundred gold coins once he settled things with Andreas, but the store''s money. Even if he complained about the cost of two thousand gold, even with that amount already budgeted, that would still leave him with more than ten thousand. And that was still far more than enough for what he had planned.


    Splurge maybe wasn¡¯t exactly the right word, to begin with, either. What he wanted to buy, or rather build, was the one-room apartment necessary to hire his first employee. Even with no potential hire in sight, he figured it was better to have things ready to go as soon as possible. And he still would have to figure out what exactly ¡®appropriate and sufficiently furnished¡¯ actually meant.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As at this time, he wasn¡¯t just expanding an existing room but wanted to build a completely new building instead, he would have to first pay a base fee of one thousand gold. Again, since this wasn¡¯t his own money he didn¡¯t mind too much. Then, of course, was the, in Severin¡¯s opinion, unnecessary minimum purchase amount of five hundred gold. Not a problem either. That only meant the room would have to be at least twenty square meters large. But considering that the shop was originally only thirty square meters large, that didn¡¯t sit too well with him.


    ¡°Whoever I¡¯ll end up hiring will probably live better than me. Fully furnished, private room. Why not add a bath while at it?¡± He could only grumble to himself, already trying to predict what else the System had in store for him.


    Worst of all, the minimum size wouldn¡¯t even do. Severin was adamant about the new building being adjacent to the current store. Directly aligning. Adjacent to the side opposite his counter, to be precise. Meaning the new room had to match the length, or rather the width, of the shop¡¯s eight meters. Severin might¡¯ve been strange, silly even, in this aspect, but his sense of symmetry and aesthetics wouldn¡¯t allow anything else. Later on, he could still move and remodel things if necessary. For a fee, of course.


    In the end, the new building cost him one-thousand six hundred gold in total.


    ¡°Tzz. Even with the additional fee, that¡¯s still less than my so-called ¡®level-up reward¡¯.¡±


    Kaching


    The appropriate amount of gold was quickly subtracted from the store¡¯s balance.


    While at it, Severin thought for a moment whether he might purchase one of the target dummies Xander had once inquired about. Only for a moment, though.


    ¡°Nah, can¡¯t do that for the time being. That would just make them use up even more items. Which in return would mean¡­¡± He shuddered at the thought of having even more work to do. ¡°Laboring through the whole night mustn¡¯t become the norm. Maybe once that room is actually inhabited and¡­¡±


    Severin halted in his monologue, suddenly realizing something.


    He had purchased the new building. But after that¡­nothing.


    No warning that he¡¯d have to wait until the next day or anything like that. As was the case last time. That surely could only mean one thing. One thing, a quick look at his map confirmed.


    Incredulously Severin left his store. It was still rather dark outside, but there was no mistake.


    Very clearly, there was a new building standing there. Just like that. No sound. No rumbling of the ground. It was as if the wooden building, which seemed to be made out of the same material as everything else provided by the System, had always stood there.


    Was he already dreaming? Did he drift into sleep without noticing it? Severin stood there gaping for a few moments before finally catching himself. While everyone still seemed to sleep, which he figured was the reason he didn¡¯t have to wait any longer for the building to appear, it wouldn¡¯t do if he was ever caught being surprised about things that were, supposedly, of his own doing.


    After taking a deep breath, he went to check out the building.


    [Notice: A Shopkeeper should never let his shop unattended]


    ¡®FUCK¡¯


    He nearly screamed.


    Kaching


    Severin quickly navigated the System¡¯s menus, with by now practiced moves, and bought eight hundred gold worth of property; The whole area directly surrounding his two buildings and a bit further out. Apparently, the fee of one thousand coins had been partly for the property the building was now standing on. Without a way to actually reach it.


    In this light, he couldn¡¯t yet see it, but Severin knew a new fence had appeared the moment he confirmed the purchase. The moment his minimap expanded once again.


    Severin pretended he didn¡¯t almost wake everyone on the mountaintop. Again.


    Instead, with a sure step, he approached his new property. And then walked around it.


    ¡°WHY IS THERE NO DOOR?!¡±


    He screamed.

 Chapter 35

    On his search for an entrance to his new building, Severin was now standing right behind it, away from the camps.


    Luckily, this seemed to muffle the sound enough to not wake anyone up, this time. Or, at the very least, no one seemed to react to his ruckus. Sighing a breath of relief, he circled back to the front and checked out his further purchase options. As it turned out the System wasn¡¯t that blackhearted after all. Buildings and rooms came with doors. To offer the host the option to place them at their own discretion, instead of just adding them automatically, Severin was required to choose the location manually. An option he clearly overlooked. Instead, he flew into one of his fits. It seemed every time it came to the System, he lost most parts of his rationality.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the way he saw it himself when he was cursing under his breath while choosing an appropriate spot for the new entrance.


    ¡®I swear, it¡¯s just doing it to taunt me. Like it¡¯s getting some sick pleasure out of this shit. Maybe that¡¯s what keeps it¡­¡¯


    Between two blinks, where just stood a wooden wall in front of him, now was a door. He had already expected something like this to happen. Still.


    Severin shuddered.


    It was just a door; Nothing compared to a whole building appearing out of nowhere, like before, but this time it happened right in front of him. People questioned their sanity over less.


    After only a surprisingly short moment of hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside the room. The completely empty room.


    ¡°As expected. Disappointing nonetheless.¡± He wasn¡¯t even angry this time.


    ¡°The light is the same as in the shop. Seems like I could install a window as well, but I guess I¡¯ll let the future inhabitant decide for themselves. Let¡¯s just focus on the mandatory stuff. Lemme see.


    ¡°A table. Two chairs. Why two? I didn¡¯t get two either¡­A small chest or something like that to provide some storage space...for whatever reason. Who needs something like that once one has access to dedicated inventory space? Well¡­What else?¡± A few other things like a bedside table and a carpet to make the room look at least somewhat habitable and comfy were also on the list, but nothing that would break Severin¡¯s budget.


    One had to give Severin a bit of credit. Without much complaining, he bought most of the items the System required for the new room to be registered as an employee¡¯s housing space. Paid from his own balance, as the items in question were only available in that section of the System¡¯s inbuild shopping menu. And while he did only buy the minimum number of items necessary, he at least didn¡¯t skimp on the quality. Not that the quality of any item out of the System¡¯s store would be subpar. But the chairs, for example, were a grade above Severin¡¯s own. More like actual chairs and less like stools. He also didn¡¯t just pick the smallest, roughest, and cheapest of the rugs available. In fact, the flokati he ended up buying may have been a more comfortable alternative to what certain people were supposed to sleep on, he concluded.


    The possibility for every future employee to check the prices in the shop themselves only played a negligible role in his decision-making process.


    One after the other, green check marks appeared on his interface, with only the bullet point ¡®bed¡¯ still marked with a red cross next to it.


    Since the expansion of the store, or rather, since the appearance of the combinator, Severin kept his own so-called bed in the inventory during the daytime. It wouldn¡¯t do if people using the machine, which was situated next to his counter, were able to look right behind it and could see his sorry excuse of a bed. He didn¡¯t think anyone would believe him if he claimed to prefer living a more ascetic life. Not that anyone would actually be so rude as to bring it up. Except for Xander, maybe.


    Therefore, at this moment he was able to summon the straw mattress into this room and place it into one of the corners without having to go and grab it first. Just for test purposes, of course.


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    ¡°How come it¡¯s still not checked? What am I to make of this? This somehow doesn¡¯t count as a bed?¡± The venom in his voice was palatable. ¡°This surely couldn¡¯t be right, my dear System.¡±


    Kaching


    After paying a total of one thousand five hundred gold for everything, leaving him slightly less than fifty gold for himself, the System would finally allow him to register the room for its intended purpose. Severin decided to further postpone this, though. There was no need to do so when there was no one to actually move in, anyway. Most importantly, once everyone was finally gone and he was allowed to catch up on sleep, he would try if he couldn¡¯t occupy the room himself. And if this didn¡¯t work, he would at least try to temporarily claim the bed itself. Again, he felt it was rather unlikely for the System to allow this kind of arrangement, but it would still be worth a try.


    All in all, Severin was rather pleased with how the new living space turned out. But now it was time to face his customers, and if possible, make them leave as soon as possible. A bunch of dots moving around informed him that his customers were already up and that he apparently spent more time decorating the room than he had originally thought. After a last longing look towards the bed, he left the room.


    ¡­


    The next few hours went by faster than expected. After the initial shock of having a new building appear seemingly out of nowhere, a thing Samuel was just as astounded by this time as he was last time around and explaining that this was not in preparation for any new services he planned to offer, the people soon lost their interest in the matter and instead focused on their upcoming mission. Once again, Andreas¡¯s presence ensured that everyone behaved while they divided the wares which Severin had spent the night crafting, among themselves only requiring Severin to receive the money. For the activation of the combinator, he wasn¡¯t needed whatsoever, allowing him to chat with the officer.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving sooner than expected. Figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt so show some presence. There will be more than enough for us to do anyway.¡± Severin was confident that this was only part of the reason.


    ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s because I look like shit, and you feel guilty about it. Appreciate the gesture, though.¡¯ He knew that Andreas originally wanted to further introduce some of the guild members to him. Especially Harold, who turned out to be an officer himself, despite his rather young age. Severin naturally didn¡¯t call him out on that. Instead, this time, he remembered to make a bit of advertisement.


    ¡°Just take care of yourselves. Once you¡¯re back, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have something new for you guys, so you better return in one piece. Just don¡¯t forget to bring me any unidentified loot you find out there.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Will do. And next time we¡¯ll hopefully not be this time restrained. Won¡¯t have to overwork yourself like this again. Sorry about that.¡±


    Severin waved him off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t mind.¡± He did mind. But he knew it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to admit this.


    ¡°Reminds me. If the idiot shows up again, just tell him to head towards Meridia Outpost. He should already know this, but with him, you can never be sure.¡± No matter how annoyed Andreas was at Xander, he couldn¡¯t really blame him. He had only said they¡¯d leave around afternoon, not that they can¡¯t leave till then. But why would anyone suddenly want to leave anyway?


    ¡°Sure thing. Might want to ask the other three as well though.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know yet.¡± Not being focused on his minimap, Severin had missed Samuel¡¯s appearance. ¡°The Lion¡¯s Head guild was gracious enough to allow Miriam and Timothy to join them on their subjugation efforts. It should prove to be a great learning experience for them. There is only so much I can show and teach them on my own. It¡¯s time for them to have a glimpse of what real adventuring looks like. As for me, I¡¯ll have some business to attend to back in the capital.¡± Before anyone could respond to that, a small commotion broke out outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?!¡±


    ¡°This¡­I¡¯m not¡­Xander, he is¡­¡±


    ¡°What about him? Has he finally decided to grace¡­¡± The next words got stuck in his mouth.


    A clearly struggling flying artifact was closing the distance towards them. The self-satisfied look on the face of the person controlling it was apparent for all to see.


    Nothing extraordinary. Nothing they hadn¡¯t seen dozens of times already. Hundreds of times even, if one were to ask Lynn.


    So, what was different?


    Besides Xander, inside the basket-like structure, was another passenger. A small child, by the looks of it. The most skinny and filthy-looking thing one could imagine. It wasn¡¯t possible to say if the figure was a boy or a girl. The muddy, grimy shoulder-length hair, which was covering most of the child¡¯s face, on one hand, and the bony, almost skeleton-like body covered only by dirty rags, on the other hand, made it impossible to judge. What about the age? ¡®Small¡¯ certainly described the size, but the actual age? With the apparent levels of malnourishment, no one would be able to tell with certainty.


    ¡°Xander¡­What have you done this time?¡±

 Chapter 36

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Xander was already on his landing approach, but the distance was still big enough that he had to raise his voice a little. His tone revealed no hint of guilt whatsoever.


    ¡±I found a way to increase the number of items we can get out of the combinator! Just think about it. If we can get a few more people...¡± Being in awe of his own stroke of genius, Xander didn¡¯t seem to notice any of the displeased expressions.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just kidnap some random child and exhort them to do your bidding!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s neither kidnapping nor exhorting. I¡¯m just buying their cooldown!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point! It¡¯s a lonely little child that...!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I tried to get multiple at once, but my Flightmaster just wouldn¡¯t lift off with too much weight. It¡¯s a single-seater after all, you know?¡± As if to confirm Xander¡¯s words, the clearly struggling flying artifact was now close enough that its creaking was clearly audible to everyone present.


    As Andreas was still scolding Xander for his behavior, the approximately twenty people present instead erupted in discussions among themselves. Multiple groups, some smaller than others, some louder than others. Everyone was talking very animatedly, creating a cacophony of sounds.


    ¡°How can he just take a random child¡­?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he know he is casting a bad light on all of us with his idiotic¡­¡±


    ¡°Ignore the fact that it¡¯s a child for a moment¡­if we take the guild¡¯s flying ships, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Xandi! Tell us where you got¡­¡±


    ¡°That stupid, greedy¡­¡±


    ¡°Just look at the poor little thing¡­¡±


    Thump


    The loud sound of the flying basket finally touching the ground caused some of the discussions to momentarily quieten down. The next moment the thing got unsummoned, revealing the child in full.


    A tiny figure, uncomfortably shuffling their barefooted feet, on the green grass. A lowered head with hair so muddy, one couldn¡¯t even confidently determine its original color. The long rags reaching over the knees might very well have been an old burlap sack, used for transporting some kind of grain, in the past.


    Feeling the need to take charge of things, Severin tried to be reassuring.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly this guy has told you, but there is no need for you to worry. He just wants you to activate a harmless machine for him. Nothing that can hurt you. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± was the most of an answer he could get out of the child.


    Severin shot Xander a dirty look. ¡®Now you¡¯ve made me the kind of person that tells someone not to worry. I really should try out the blacklist on you.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m Severin. I¡¯m the owner of this shop.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°And you are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Em.¡±


    ¡­


    Sigh


    Realizing that nothing more would come out of Severin¡¯s thorough line of questioning, Andreas decided to settle things on his end.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Can¡¯t have you go back on your word now, so just get it over with. And bring that child back to...wherever. Then make sure you catch up with us. We¡¯ll talk about the rest later!¡±


    ¡°Sure, Andi!¡±


    ¡°And Xander. Don¡¯t be too stingy with the remuneration.


    Now get ready everyone! Harold has already summoned the ship, so what are you waiting for? Go, go get moving! Before any one of you comes up with some other great ideas!¡±


    Xander wasn¡¯t the first, and certainly not the only one to come up with the brilliant idea to buy other people¡¯s cooldowns. He just was the first one to act on it. To circumvent the store¡¯s rules in a way like this, which clearly went against its intended spirit, was just not something the more sensible people were confident doing.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡®We¡¯re lucky Sev seems more concerned about the child than anything else. Maybe annoyed by that guy. Most likely even. Can¡¯t blame him either.  But the question is, does he allow it only this time, for the child¡¯s sake? Or can we really bring other people just like that? Even if it¡¯s classless people, though, it just makes hiding the shop from other guilds that much harder.¡¯


    Instead of seeing everyone off, Severin deemed it more prudent to not unnecessarily leave Xander alone with the child and led them both inside his store. Even with the bustling background noise, he didn¡¯t like the silence between the three of them.


    ¡°So, what are the specifics of your deal?¡±


    ¡°One gold per activation. So, ten in total.¡± The child seemed to nod in satisfaction, hearing that Xander seemed to intend to honor the terms of their deal, clearly knowing that there was no way to enforce any of it.


    Only now realizing that he didn¡¯t actually have any clue whatsoever about the worth of a gold coin outside of his store, Severin once again fell into an awkward silence. There were many things he wanted to ask, but they all seemed inappropriate to him in this situation. Luckily after only a few more steps, they reached the inside of his shop.


    Severin had no illusions about the optics of his own store. He knew that in comparison to all kinds of other shops that were catering to adventurers, even the only somewhat successful ones would dwarf his own. And not only in terms of size.


    But the child had obviously never seen any of these. At least not from the inside.


    Surprisingly clear and lively-looking green eyes widened in wonder, and Severin was sure he made out muffled ¡®ooh''s and ¡®aah''s as the child looked at some of the revealed tooltips while curiously trying to touch them.


    It would¡¯ve been a heartwarming sight to Severin, if not for its implications.


    ¡®The child, born into a world of magic, has probably never really seen or even used any kind of these magical items. That¡¯s just sad. Shouldn¡¯t this be a world full of opportunities?¡¯


    The whole situation only went on for a few seconds before suddenly the small figure suddenly jolted as if remembering something. Or as if being hit. The eyes now revealed a panicked look as Em seemed to search the floor for any kind of dirt stains left behind by naked feet.


    Not even Xander seemed unaffected by this display and quickly tried to intervene.


    ¡°Come here. See that thing there in the corner?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Visibly relieved that no one seemed upset, the child still managed to have turned even smaller than before as Em now stood in front of the combinator.


    ¡°Now watch.¡±


    In the following Xander used his own ten activations for the day to demonstrate step by step how to activate the machine. Seeing the number of gold coins that first appeared out of nowhere, only to disappear inside a strange looking box, was enough to make the figure tremble.


    ¡°See? That¡¯s it already. It¡¯s just that every person can activate this thing only ten times every day.¡± As it was finally the kid¡¯s turn to use the machine, Severin would¡¯ve sworn that he saw the child fighting the urge to just run away with the coins, as Em clutched them very hard to the chest. Especially after realizing that this amount of gold wasn¡¯t even enough to pay for all ten activation.


    True to his word Xander didn¡¯t need to be urged to hand over the agreed-upon ten gold coins. Ten gold coins! Truly, ten whole gold coins. More than the child could ever imagine owning, all at once. Just for activating this machine. A machine that then required even more coins to be inserted! Plus, a bunch of other items, which surely had to be expensive as well. How much would the items that popped out at the bottom actually be worth then? Surely enough to eat for a lifetime without ever needing to stop! Having these kinds of thoughts, Em couldn¡¯t help hoping for a better future.


    ¡°Sir, in the future can we¡­¡± The child clearly struggled to make the request. Severin, though, didn¡¯t intend to give Xander any chance to revel in the fact that he had been called a ¡®Sir¡¯. Instead, he interrupted with his own offer.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just work for me?¡±

 Chapter 37

    ¡°Sev! What do you mean by that? I know I told you to hire someone, but you can¡¯t be serious right now. Once we¡¯ve taken care of that shitty dungeon break, Andreas can surely send over one of our [Alchemists] to help you out. What is some classless person supposed to do? I¡¯m not totally clueless when it comes to crafting professions myself, you know? I know that all but the most basic pots require the ability to manipulate mana to craft. And being somewhat familiar with your potions, I doubt that even that would be remotely enough. Without a dedicated crafting class, I mean.¡± Xander seemed uncharacteristically involved. Concerned even.


    Still, as Severin couldn¡¯t just go around and reveal his ability to grant other people a class and access to some kind of alien technology, he decided to answer in a rather brusque way.


    ¡°If you know this, then obviously so do I.


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I obviously have my ways.¡±


    ¡°Tzz. Fine. Do what you want, then. I¡¯ll have to get going.¡± Instead of further trying to stop Severin from ruining his business, he decided to turn towards the girl next to him. ¡°Honestly speaking, with the stick in Andi¡¯s ass, at least in the near future, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to take you along anyway. This might be your best bet, but make sure you know what you¡¯re getting yourself into, child. I¡¯ll give you a few minutes to decide. Then I¡¯ll leave either way.¡± With that, Xander turned on his heels. Not without grumbling to himself, though, while taking deliberately loud steps on the wooden floor. ¡°What an idiot. If you wanna take pity, just give her some gold. You¡¯ll just end up with more work instead.¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t bother to answer. He knew it was Xander¡¯s own way of showing concern. For both of them. But even if Severin didn¡¯t have a way to handle the problems Xander mentioned, he still wouldn¡¯t accept the [Duelist¡¯s] offer.


    ¡®No way I¡¯d ever accept someone affiliated with some guild. Not even if it¡¯s these guys. Not if I can somehow help it. Even if I have the System¡¯s insurance. I mean, they seem like good enough people, and Samuel even trusts them enough to send the two brats with them. But if any one of them would work in my shop, there would obviously be a conflict of interests. There is no way that whole thing wouldn¡¯t end in some huge incident. Even if that employee wasn¡¯t supposed to be a mole in the first place, sooner or later that someone would surely be pressured by their old guildmates. I mean, realistically speaking, that will always be a risk, but with a whole guild involved...Worst case, the System has to execute my first employee and I fall out with the whole lot of them. No thanks.¡¯


    Thump


    After the door was closed with more force than necessary, it was only Severin and Em left inside the store.


    ¡°So? Interested?¡± Severin didn¡¯t actually expect an answer at this point.


    He had paid close attention to Em and could somewhat imagine her thoughts based on her rapidly changing facial expressions and body language.


    Her first reaction was to instantly look Severin right in the eyes. For the first time. Revealing her dirty face and an obviously excited expression.


    Only for a short moment, though, before it turned sour. Also, just for a very short instant, one easily missed, before catching herself and staring back at the ground with a decidedly neutral expression.


    Em wasn¡¯t stupid. She couldn¡¯t afford to be.


    She had seen all the people that were outside when she arrived. Even before landing, while still inside the shaky flying artifact. People that had traveled to such a remote place to enter this shop. And how those people orderly queued up to do so. Adventurers. The same kind of people who usually didn¡¯t seem to care about anything or anyone, if it didn¡¯t in one way or the other somehow profit them. The same people that looted unimaginable amounts of wealth inside their stupid dungeons and then still wouldn¡¯t spare even a single silver coin to the likes of herself.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Even if she couldn¡¯t tell what the revealed tooltips of those coveted items said, she knew they couldn¡¯t be ordinary. Not even by those people¡¯s standards. Because even if she had never set foot into one of those shops, she knew that normally, these people wouldn¡¯t behave like this.


    And not to forget the amounts of gold she had seen change hands. The amounts she had to toss away into that small slit to make the machine work.


    Then there were her own earnings. Which she was paid for basically doing nothing. And while she herself would now be considered filthy rich by some of her peers, those ten coins were obviously just the very tip of the iceberg.


    No matter if this shop didn¡¯t look very special; Even lacking in comparison, maybe. All those things combined confirmed one thing. This shop most certainly wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    To be able to work in such an environment. To work at all, would definitely be a blessing.


    But again. She wasn¡¯t stupid.


    She knew that this wasn¡¯t how the world usually worked. Great things don¡¯t just fall into someone''s lap.


    She knew, firsthand, the sick pleasure some people found in morbid jokes like this. Kindling hope in already desperate people, just to extinguish it a moment later. It wasn¡¯t something she wanted to remember. And even less to experience again.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to just turn around. She already had the money. All she needed to do now was follow that strange, boastful guy and be done with it. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything. There really was no good reason to still be standing here.


    Severin¡¯s rhetorical question still hung in the air.


    ¡°Here, take a look. What do you say?¡±


    The girl, not able to suppress her curiosity, looked up again. As if touching something invisible, right in front of him, Severin was moving his arms and hands, with a smile on his face.


    A confident smile, maybe a bit too smug. Certainly not the mean cruel, kind, though.


    [Initializing contract negotiations.]


    ¡°Aah!¡± The girl squealed in surprise at the blueish thing that appeared in front of her. Looking not unlike the tooltips she had seen earlier.


    Severin was amused. Not even by the girl¡¯s reaction, but instead at the prospect of the System scamming someone other than himself, for once. Even if that someone was the pitiful person standing in front of him right now. Not that he actually wanted to scam her, but after all, pain shared is pain divided.


    ¡®Ha, what ¡®contract negotiations¡¯? Either you accept the terms, or you don¡¯t. Trying to make people think they¡¯re in control, tzz.¡¯


    Not quite understanding what was going on, Em regained her composure faster than Severin would have expected of a little child. Then again, he surely wouldn¡¯t expect a little child to have such a life, to begin with.


    ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t rea¡­¡± The first time Em opened her mouth for more than just a one-word answer, she lost her voice, as a subtle flash appeared in her eyes. For a moment, she just stood there. Like a little doll. A dirty doll, admittedly. Gaping as if struck by lightning. Not even daring to breathe, much less move any part of her tiny body. With the exception of her frantically moving eyes, which seemed like they might pop out of their sockets at any moment.


    Severin could almost hear the gears in Em¡¯s head turning.


    After a few moments, instead of the reaction, Severin had expected, a small trembling voice sounded.


    ¡°What about¡­food? Do I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure,¡± he had to admit. ¡°But I have reason to suspect that you just wouldn¡¯t feel any hunger or need for food. At least not on the shop¡¯s premises.¡±


    No more hunger? Truly?


    With that, all caution was thrown to the wind.


    ¡°YES, YES! I accept!¡±

 Chapter 38

    What appeared next was a flood of notifications. And emotions.


    [Initializing binding process.]


    [24¡­57¡­72...88¡­100]


    [Commencing to bind with the target.]


    [3¡­18¡­23...35...47¡­66...79¡­87¡­100] The counter reached the 100 percent mark so fast, in under a second, that it almost seemed redundant.


    [Binding completed successfully.]


    [New [Employee](Special) hired. For lack of other suitable rooming alternatives, the only available residence for [Employee] Emily was automatically assigned.]


    [Congratulations on hiring your first employee.


    New feature unlocked: Staff management.]


    [Warning!


    Employee Emily¡¯s apparel is inadequate to represent the Emporium in a satisfying manner.


    Until this issue is rectified, the Employee in question is not qualified to be assigned to any task or workstation.


    Thank you for your understanding.


    Notice: The integrated store offers a variety of suitable attires.]


    ¡®Understanding my ass!¡¯


    At the same time, all the dirt and grime and dried mud peeled off of Em¡¯s body and disintegrated into nothingness as soon as it touched the ground. Only the dirty, and in some parts torn, rags which still hang loosely on her skinny frame betrayed the fact that she had obviously been used to living on the streets. Or maybe even in worse places.


    Her hair turned out to be of a light brown color, with a hint of red which, probably, even the people most familiar with her had never seen before. ¡®I wonder how many years...Has she ever been clean before?¡¯


    Emily herself, though, didn¡¯t seem to notice the changes to her person, as she just stood there stunned, motionless. Overwhelmed by the realization that this was real and not just a scheme to take advantage of her, something she wasn¡¯t totally sold on even a moment ago when she was suddenly and magically able to read the strange floating screen in front of her, as she as well was now able to see and, more importantly, understand a bunch of notifications.


    Giving her the time he knew she needed, to digest all the information and impressions, Severin didn¡¯t disturb her in her trance-like state. Instead, he browsed the store to find something appropriate for Em to wear.


    ¡®Once again, having to do stuff that should¡¯ve been taken care of by the System itself.


    Once again, more of a lackey than anything else.¡¯ While he complained inside his heart, Severin couldn¡¯t disagree with the urgent need for some more appropriate and fitting clothes for his first employee.


    ¡®Even if she isn¡¯t covered in dirt stains anymore, I guess she would still be ignored, as she is right now. At best. If she ever even decided to reach out to someone. Not to mention her wanting to enter a shop.


    Even now, with those ten gold coins¡­who knows what would happen to her. Still¡­¡¯ Severin had been positively surprised by the [Duelist] and his attitude towards the girl. Even if the guy seemed not to care or even realize what he was doing, Severin was sure that this was Xander¡¯s way of showing compassion.


    ¡®No way, a random girl from the slums or wherever was his only choice. Much less the best.¡¯


    Severin quickly bought a red medieval-looking dress, which he thought would match Em¡¯s hair color. The thing was seemingly made out of cotton, judging by the small picture next to it; But unlike his own shirt it came with an enchantment on it which, supposedly, granted, ¡®+1 Confidence¡¯. While Severin had no clue how, or even if, that addition would be noticeable, as he was able to write the purchase off as a business expense, and therefore didn¡¯t have to pay for it himself, he wasn¡¯t too concerned with the premium price of one thousand gold. Neither with the comparatively cheaper pair of leather boots.


    ¡®Maybe not all that ladylike, but if anyone would be able to appreciate a sturdy pair of boots, it should be her.¡¯


    The next step was navigating the new ¡®Staff management¡¯ menu.


    ¡®Salary, one percent. Seems fine for now. Assign job¡­still greyed...now where is¡­ah! ¡®Send items¡¯. There it is! Now, let''s try to just drag the stuff over there and then¡­¡¯


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Ding


    The resulting notification finally snapped Emily out of it. She raised her shaky small hands towards the bluish screen, which only Severin was able to see besides her. Only to stop mid-motion and freeze once again. Only for a moment, though, this time as soon realization set in.


    Sob


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­ ¡°Seemingly out of nowhere and without reason, tears started to appear on the girl¡¯s face.


    Cry


    Severin had no clue how to react. He didn¡¯t like this situation.


    ¡°No more¡­!¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t know what to make out of this. The swallowed sentences didn¡¯t help either in trying to understand what was going on right now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel it¡­!¡±


    In an awkward and terribly conscious manner, Severin put his hands on Emily¡¯s shoulders and bent down to face her directly. Seeing the face, wet from both tears and snot, closeup, he wasn¡¯t able to form any intelligible words either.  The red swollen eyes and her strange grimace made for an expression Severin wasn¡¯t able to read.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what I signed up for!¡¯


    boohoo


    ¡°N-No more hunger!¡± With that, she threw herself into Severin¡¯s arms and the floodgates opened.


    After an unknown period of time, the two of them separated.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The small voice was still a bit broken and shaky, but her smile was apparent and genuine. Not used to, and certainly not fond of, overly emotional situations Severin seemed rather uncomfortable receiving the girl¡¯s thanks. He tried his hardest to suppress his own tears.


    ahem


    ¡°Try navigating the System screen and open the inventory.¡± Severin pointed towards the chest icon, trying to change the subject. ¡°I¡¯ve sent you something to make you look presentable. And don¡¯t mention it!


    ¡°Also, just thinking it is enough, you don¡¯t actually have to use your hands and really touch it. Besides me, no one else will be able to see it anyway, so if you don¡¯t want to look like a crazy person¡­¡±


    Em didn¡¯t seem to mind the gruff tone as she did what Severin had suggested as she still carried a wide smile on her face.


    ¡°For me? My own dress? And my very own shoes?! Are you ser¡­¡±


    ¡°Try also opening your character screen now. I suspect you should be able to equip it from there without having to actually change,¡± he quickly interrupted her as he tried to preempt another round of crying.


    Hearing this, instead of following the instructions, her ears perked up in surprise. ¡°Suspect?¡±


    ¡°Later.¡±


    ¡®Damn. I guess living on the streets makes you more perceptive. And age faster in general.¡¯


    ¡°For now, we should inform Xander first. Seems like he¡¯s getting impatient. See that white dot? Inside the map menu.¡±  The dot bearing Xander¡¯s name had become somewhat restless.


    ¡°Aaah! So, you already knew my name even before asking?!¡± The surprised exclamation was followed by a tone of mock accusation.


    ¡®Yeah, way too perceptive.¡¯


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Just as Severin tried to come up with a helpless excuse, the new [Employee] standing in front of him, from one moment to the other, suddenly looked like a whole new person.


    Like a girl. A real one. One which didn¡¯t have to live off of other people¡¯s waste and was kicked for it.


    ¡±Thank you so much!¡±


    Even Severin couldn¡¯t keep a stupid grin off his face as he saw the girl swirl around in her new dress while squealing in amusement.


    ¡®Well, not so old after all.¡¯


    ¡°Haha. Come, let¡¯s send Xandi on his way for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course! Thank you, thank you, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I said, don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡­


    After a moment of irritation and confusion on Xander¡¯s part, Severin was soon greeted with a look of disgust.


    ¡°How did you make her cry? And why do you have girl clothes just readily available?¡±


    Instantly, all the goodwill Xander had recently earned with Severin was lost.

 Chapter 39

    With everyone gone, Severin was finally ready to get the sleep he so needed and longed for after working throughout the whole night.


    If only it wasn¡¯t for his newest employee.


    ¡°You said you just ¡®suspected¡¯ that I could change my clothes like this. How come you didn¡¯t know for sure?¡±


    ¡®What a persistent little brat!¡¯ Severin felt exasperated. ¡®And what¡¯s with her priorities?¡¯


    ¡°Ha.Ha. Why don¡¯t you take a look and explore the System screens first? And then I still have to assign you your job and show you the ropes and all that. You should get familiar with our products as well! The next couple of days should be quiet. More than enough time to ask your questions then!¡±


    ¡°But if we got so much time anyway, then there¡¯s no need to hurry with the other stuff either!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Em looked at him with ever-growing eyes, Severin¡¯s own expression became more gloomy in equal measure.


    ¡®What little monster did I¡­¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re aware of the terms you agreed to, no?¡±


    The girl could barely hide her smile as she quickly nodded in understanding. ¡°Soulerasure.¡±


    The nonchalance of her answer stunned Severin for a moment. While he didn¡¯t take any pleasure in reminding the little girl of her fate if she wasn¡¯t able to keep certain things to herself, he still felt it was needed. Yet this was not the reaction he had expected. Even without exactly knowing what Soulerasure entailed, it surely wasn¡¯t anything to be taken this lightly.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more worried about this? More serious?¡±


    ¡°There is no way I would ever reveal anything! I¡¯m way too grateful for that, you know. No more hunger! That alone is more than enough reason for me to never leave this place! And I¡¯ll even get paid! So you see, I have nothing to fear!¡±


    Sigh


    ¡®Still a child after all.¡¯


    ¡°Fine.


    Well, the thing is, I¡¯m still relatively new to this myself. I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t even have all the features unlocked yet. The map thingy for example is something I just very recently got access to. My main class is only level two either, so¡­¡± An expression of understanding appeared on Em¡¯s face. Everyone knew what levels were, and how you needed them to unlock more and stronger abilities that were dependent on one''s class; Even classless people knew. But¡­


    ¡°What is a ¡®main class¡¯? I know what an advanced class is, or a specialization. But I never heard this expression before! I never heard the term ¡®System¡¯ either¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­opposed to a subclass...a secondary class so to speak. In my case, I¡¯m also a level twelve [Alchemist]. Which is also what you will¡­¡± Severin was set on ignoring the other unspoken question for now, but as it turned out, the girl interrupted Severin in his explanation before he could even reach that point anyway.


    ¡°What? You have two classes? That shouldn¡¯t be possible! Everyone knows that you can only absorb one class orb!¡±


    ¡°How do you think we are going to craft all the available items without an appropriate class? Xander is probably right in that no random person should hope to be able to imitate our items without a very specific skill set.¡±


    ¡°I¡­We? What do you mean ¡®we¡¯?¡± Seemingly not realizing that she didn¡¯t absorb any class orb herself, while still having obtained a class, realize she didn¡¯t have to absorb


    ¡°Well, what do you think your job is going to be?¡±


    ¡°Eeeh?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you read the terms before accepting them? Didn¡¯t it say that I can assign you to various jobs and workstations? So, what kind of job did you think I¡¯d assign you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I thought¡­maybe cleaning or¡­filling shelves or¡­greeting customers or¡­¡±


    ¡°Greeting customers!¡± Severin couldn¡¯t help himself from patting the confused-looking girl¡¯s head, not quite able to completely suppress a slightly patronizing look on his face. ¡°[Employee] might not be the most prestigious class, but you surely won¡¯t just clean and... Well, it¡¯s filling shelves, alright. That¡¯s the kind of stuff I wanted to talk with you about in the first place.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Even looking away from Severin and onto the floor wasn¡¯t enough to hide the deep red color on her face.


    ¡°I mean a [Maid]¡­¡±


    ¡®[Maid]? That¡¯s a thing? No way! Someone must¡¯ve wanted to fool her. Right? Either way, it¡¯s no wonder then. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t like discussing how to clean.¡¯


    ¡°Again, this is a first for me as well, but if I¡¯m not mistaken it should work like this. Open staff management¡­here, you see? There it is. Assign task or workstation. Before, it was still greyed out, which means that option wasn¡¯t available at the time. That applies to all kinds of menus, okay? Anyway, now I can just¡­this...and there¡­and¡­¡±


    [Employee Emily has been assigned to process alchemical resources.]


    [Employee Emily has been granted access to the [Alchemist] class.]


    [Adjusting Employee Emily¡¯s [Alchemist] level to match that of the host.]


    [Warning: Hosts¡¯ input to set Employee Emily¡¯s daily target quota is required.]


    [Hint: The Host might want to consider purchasing an additional alchemy station.]


    Severin was pleasantly surprised that apparently Em would be able to assist with crafting all of the available products, and wouldn¡¯t have to start at level one with only access to the most basic potions.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if the girl didn¡¯t move because she was frozen in shock, or because of the System¡¯s process of transferring all the necessary knowledge right into her brain. Either way, Severin was using that short moment to set Em¡¯s daily quota to ¡®At own discretion. At least for now.


    Right then, the girl¡¯s delayed reaction startled Severin, as she let out a sudden scream.


    ¡°Aaaah! I¡¯m an [Alchemist]! A real class! I, too, can craft potions now! And¡­weapon oils...and flasks?! Let me try! Please!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s more like it. Did you really think I just hired you to clean? And you still swore your loyalty, just like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope you don¡¯t regret having a real class once those adventurers are back and demand twice the amount of items this shop can hold.¡±


    ¡°Never! I¡¯ll always be grateful and hardworking! I swear!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly now! I appreciate the sentiment, but didn¡¯t hire you just so you can overwork yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me. I¡¯ll show you. And I haven¡¯t even tried crafting yet, so how could I overwork myself!¡± She pouted.


    Sigh


    ¡°Fine, you know what? Why don¡¯t you head over into your room and use the alchemy kit and materials out of the shop¡¯s inventory while I¡¯ll catch up on sleep? In peace.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­my¡­room?¡±


    ¡°Again¡­didn¡¯t it say you have to understand all the terms before you could accept them? Clearly specified your own room and bed and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Aaah! You mean the whole thing over there?¡± She pointed in the direction of the building. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­what about you?¡±


    While he couldn¡¯t get angry at Em for something like this, Severin was still getting impatient and annoyed at this point. Maybe it was just his fatigue, but right now he just wanted to get rid of her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that!¡±


    As if being able to read Severin¡¯s mood, or maybe just impatient herself, the girl quickly stepped forwards and gave the man a hug and then, without saying another word, quickly rushed out of the door.


    Sigh


    [Restricted Employee Emily¡¯s daily crafting quota to a maximum of one hundred units.]


    The blue dot moving on the map abruptly halted for a moment, and only after it had finally made its way to the middle of the room next door, did Severin stop paying attention to it.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope this whole thing wasn¡¯t a big mistake. And it seems like I can forget about the bed as well.¡¯


    Severin opened the store and, with a hint of self-pity, bought a familiar-looking flokati rug.

 Chapter 40

    Severin woke up the next morning. He instinctively knew that he slept even longer than he had anticipated. He might¡¯ve worked throughout the whole previous night, but since it wasn¡¯t that late when he finally was able to lay down, he expected to wake up sometime in the evening, maybe at night, but surely not any later than that. But something was different today. Something felt off. Where was the usual poking and pricking that usually pestered and prompted him to leave his ¡®bed¡¯? Instead¡­it was so¡­comfy. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he felt so good, so comfortable and relaxed right after waking up. Only when Severin glanced at the rug underneath him, followed by a quick glance at his minimap, did it all come back to him.


    ¡°So I really did hire an overzealous little kid to live and work with me, huh.¡± Not standing up just yet, enjoying a pain-free morning, he took a second look at the map.


    ¡°Seeing that the dot isn¡¯t moving and based on its position, I can only assume that she is still sleeping. The whole day must¡¯ve been rather exhausting for her as well. Well, let¡¯s see.¡± An uncharacteristically gentle smile formed on Severin¡¯s face. Remembering their last conversation, he proceeded to check the inventory.


    ¡°That Idiot. She really did end up crafting until the System had to stop her, it seems.¡± Severin easily concluded this, noticing the missing ingredients. ¡°Crafted a few of all the items available in the recipe book. Hmm, including the new stuff.¡± He summoned one of each of the two items in question and weighed them in his hands. Two hexagonal-shaped bottles, the length of his index finger; And twice as thick. One contained a perfectly clear liquid, looking no different from still water. The other one was cloudy, almost milky even.


    [Small Single Stat Elixir (5)


    Temporarily increases the user¡¯s highest stat by 10%.


    Only one Elixir can be active at a time


    Lasts for 60 minutes.]


    ¡°One hundred gold might be the most expensive price for any item so far, but it still feels rather cheap somehow. And the other variant,¡± Severin looked over to the tooltip of the bottle in his left hand, the one containing the turbid-looking liquid, ¡°might be even more busted. Four percent to all stats¡­How the hell is this just the ¡®small¡¯ version. Unless higher quality ones just increase the duration, I can¡¯t imagine how I¡¯ll ever have another peaceful day in my life.¡± Thinking about the future of the store, especially now that he was also responsible for looking after another person as well, was something that gave Severin a severe headache, tempting him to go right back to sleep. In the past, this had always been how he dealt with his problems.


    This time, though, after struggling with himself for a few moments, he managed to resist.


    Sigh


    ¡°Better get going then. I still haven¡¯t checked out the new available crafting station, so let¡¯s start with this.¡±


    Kaching


    Two minutes later and two thousand gold coins lighter, Severin was already crafting his first batch of potions for the day.


    ¡°Great! Just the size of this thing alone allows me to craft about double the previous amount in about the same amount of time. No, faster even! The materials...no clue what it¡¯s made out of, but it is definitely of a much higher quality. Makes it so much easier to control the flames and adjust the temperature, in comparison. Not only reduces the processing time by quite a bit but should also make for a slightly more efficient extraction.


    ¡°And if I decide to buy another one of those for Em as well¡­


    Then again, even if for now, such a setup should help me¡­us¡­tremendously, in the long run, I still can¡¯t see this being enough to keep up with all the demand. Once we got this many customers, or even more, on a daily basis, then what? Maybe I could work at multiple stations simultaneously if need be.¡± He shuddered at the thought.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°But I sure as hell don¡¯t intend to just stick to this kind of business. Well, that¡¯s something to worry about later a well, I guess. Not much I can do about it other than hope for some suitable upgrades later on.¡± Severin caught himself sneaking a glance towards his new flokati once again when he noticed a slight movement in his peripheral vision.


    Severin observed the motionless dot which, he could¡¯ve sworn, had moved a bit just a moment ago. After half a minute of waiting and ten seconds of doubting himself, the thing started moving once again; very slowly at first, before Em apparently started to speed up, made a circle inside of her room, and then out of her door, only to once again come to an abrupt standstill, outside. Only for some seconds this time, though, and soon she headed towards the store.


    ¡°Morning Em! Hope you had a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Severin greeted the girl the moment she opened the door even before it moved more than just a few centimeters.


    ¡°How did you kn¡­?¡± When the realization hit her, the girl turned beet red and only barely managed to reply without a stammer, as she tried to act confident and decided to join Severin.


    ¡°Good morning boss. Sorry for sleeping for so long, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Severin waved her off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have more than enough time. I would¡¯ve woken you otherwise. Or would have given you a time beforehand if I really expected you to be here at a certain time.


    Instead, tell me how was the first night in your own room? Your own bed?¡± There was a strange emphasis on the last word that Em didn¡¯t catch, while Severin gave her an intense look which she also couldn¡¯t interpret.


    ¡°It was amazing! I can¡¯t remember the last time I slept this well. No, I know I never slept this good before! It was sooo comfy you wouldn¡¯t believe it!¡± The wide smile on her face alone made the words unnecessary. It was such a stark contrast to her muddy, downtrodden look she wore not even twenty-four hours earlier.


    ¡®Damn right, I wouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°Ha.Ha. I¡¯m glad you like it. Now, why don¡¯t you come help with some crafting? I saw that you already got a bit of work done yesterday, so you should have a good idea about the job by now. Don¡¯t worry, we should still have a few days on our own, so we can take this slowly for now.¡±


    Em didn¡¯t look like she wanted to take things slowly at all but didn¡¯t voice her thoughts regarding the matter.


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±


    As the two were crafting batches of consumables, with Em using the smaller one of the two setups, Severin helped her as much as possible with the process. Even though all the knowledge required to create items that the System would approve of was magically transferred into her brain, after crafting thousands of potions Severin had still managed to figure out a handful of tricks and adjustments to speed things up and be most efficient. Not all of these affected the crafting itself, but rather aimed at shortening the downtime and preparation needed before starting to prepare the next batch.


    After the third batch of the day, Severin decided that they had earned a little break, though.


    ¡°Boss, you keep talking about ¡®the System¡¯¡­but¡­¡± Only now did Em feel the timing to ask this burning question which occupied her thoughts since the day before, was somewhat appropriate.


    ¡°Hmm. The blue screen¡­that¡¯s the System.¡±


    ¡°But¡­doesn¡¯t everyone with a class have something like this?¡±


    The shopkeeper was about to laugh at the girl¡¯s comment when the smile on his face suddenly became stiff.


    ¡®They indeed all have an Inventory, as far as I can tell¡­and¡­a character screen as well¡­right? That one time, when Timothy had changed into the newly identified items, he must¡¯ve done it like Em did yesterday¡­and they somehow have to check their stats and such¡­but¡­that can¡¯t be right?¡¯


    He still answered her in a confident tone, even though he didn¡¯t feel it.


    ¡°The quests, the map, and all the notifications you saw yesterday. Not to forget about the inbuilt store. Those are all provided and part of the ¡®System¡¯. No one else had access to this kind of stuff.¡± He partly tried to convince himself. ¡°Also, didn¡¯t you say no one had two classes? But now look at yourself!¡±


    ¡®System¡¯s can¡¯t possibly be a common thing, right? Right?¡¯

 Chapter 41

    Em nodded in feigned understanding; She wasn¡¯t quite convinced.


    Sure, Severin¡¯s class seemed unique. Literally so, if one believed the rarity indicator. But in the end, every class operated differently. Some classes were combat-oriented, while others focused entirely on healing or crafting. Some classes used mana, others energy, and some even their own life essence to evoke their magic powers.


    So what was the supposed difference between Severin¡¯s so-called ¡®System¡¯ and all the other classes?


    Its ability to summon items? Magical Contraptions?


    Its ability to transform items, or in this instance gold coins, into something else?


    There were other classes which could do just the same!


    Maybe the whole shared class thing; The ability to allow another being to also access certain class abilities without having absorbed a class orb on their own? But after giving it some more thought, it sounded somewhat similar to what a [Beastmaster] or a [Tamer] was also able to accomplish. Just that they didn¡¯t bind with another human. And these were just the examples even someone like her could think of.


    Still, the sensible thing to do was not to push it, she decided. It was just a guess on her part, anyway.


    And at least the part about quests still had her wondering and at the same time reminded her of something. Something which prompted her to quickly change the subject instead of voicing her objections.


    ¡°That reminds me! I¡¯ve taken a look at the quest menu and got a bit curious. What¡¯s your plan with the quest? I¡¯m not sure if I totally understand what the objective is, but the reward sounds super useful!¡±


    ¡°Well, for now, I¡¯m kinda stuck with its progress,¡± Severin answered matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯d need someone to bring me some unidentified items. You know, the ones which don¡¯t have their stats and descriptions unlocked yet. With (Identify) I can then reveal them so that people can actually equip them. Though I especially reminded Andreas to bring some back when he returns.¡±


    Severin had been taken aback by Em¡¯s question. Being born into this world, he was sure that Em had to know at least this much, even if she wasn¡¯t a classbearer or worked in the dungeoneering business herself.


    Then again, he wasn¡¯t sure if the girl ever received any kind of proper education.


    So instead of inquiring about her lack of knowledge and risk embarrassing her, he decided to give her a more detailed explanation than he usually would deem necessary, expecting her to interrupt him if need be. And rightly so, as just when he was about to elaborate even further, the girl took advantage of a short pause on his part, to cut him off.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured. I got the skill as well.¡± She nodded earnestly. ¡°But I mean the other quest.¡±


    ¡°What other¡­,¡± Severin turned towards the girl sitting next to him and caught a quick glance of the opened quest log floating in front of her. ¡°¡­quest.¡±


    A positively surprised Severin had to admit that apparently, he had missed the emergence of a new quest.


    ¡®Must¡¯ve gotten lost in all those notifications yesterday. Not sure how I missed the red indicator, though. Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯


    [Growing your Business I


    Quest description:


    Hiring your first employee, and thereby lessen your workload, allows you to start dedicating yourself to other matters. Take your first real step to transform your shop into something bigger, something that truly deserves to be called an ¡®Emporium¡¯, while you expand your business into different and new directions. The choice is yours.


    Quest reward:


    Unlock the ability for the host and all employees to communicate using the integrated Chatsystem.]


    Em looked at her boss in anticipation. After realizing that Severin had been ignorant of the new task they had been issued, she couldn¡¯t wait for his reaction. While not entirely clear on the description, she got the gist of it. Things were about to get lively! That¡¯s what it boiled down to. With her right in the middle of it. And then the reward. The already incredible ¡®System¡¯ would get even more features! How couldn¡¯t she get excited at this prospect?


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.¡°Hmm. I knew something like this would appear sooner or later. But not like this honestly. I expected maybe a list of possible options.¡± Severin thought back to his first interaction with the System. Back then, a list of available subclasses presented itself for him to choose from.


    ¡°My guess is that anything which provides us with a continuous stream of income should meet the requirements to complete the quest. As for the reward¡­¡±


    ¡°What about it? It¡¯s amazing, right?!¡± The big eyes and the apparent excitement in the girl¡¯s voice made Severin swallow his words.


    ¡°Yeah. Totally.¡±


    ¡®As I see it, we will probably end up with another building. At the very least, with a new floor. If not this time, then in the future. In that case, a way to communicate between those different locations should be given out by default, not as a ¡®reward¡¯. Shitty System.¡¯


    ¡°Have you taken a look at the System store yet? The one for the business itself, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I just skimmed over it before falling asleep,¡± Em had to admit meekly. After proudly announcing just how hard she would work, she felt very embarrassed about falling asleep just like that.


    Much to her relief, though, Severin didn¡¯t seem to think any of it.


    ¡°Then take another look. As I see it, this is what we¡¯ll have to work with. Should be rather straightforward.


    If you ignore all the d¨¦cor options and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Like the Arena you mean!?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, yeah. Like the Arena. Or maybe the Soul Binding Station, while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    The [Shopkeeper] patted the pouting girl on the head. ¡°Forgive me! But take a look at the price, will you? Haha.¡±


    Annoyedly, she tried to slap away his hand. To no avail. ¡°What else then? Portals?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe. Doesn¡¯t seem that expensive in comparison. If we save up for a while¡­Though I think we would need at least two of them to really make a profit off it. Act like a transit station of sorts. There¡¯s another issue though if you look into the description. Requires me to actually be present on-site to be able to install the thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look over the shop! I swear I can handle it!¡±


    ¡°Ha. Sure you can!¡± He started ruffling the girl¡¯s hair again. ¡°Without the System¡¯s help, I have no means of transportation.¡±


    ¡®Though I might be able to ask Sam for a lift,¡¯ he added in his thoughts.


    ¡°Just use your flying artifact, dummy.¡±


    ¡°What flying artifact? Have you seen the prices even for the cheapest ones?¡±


    The only reply was a doubtful look, which once again caused the man to tease his employee.


    ¡°Heey! The contract forbids any abuse of power! Stop it!¡±


    For the next hour or so, the two of them discussed the pros and cons of several of the available options, while also speculating what some of the greyed-out silhouettes might represent. All thoughts of this just being a small break and them continuing crafting were long forgotten. Drawing an imaginary picture of how the mountaintop might look in the future was way more exciting.


    ¡°We could transform the whole thing into a fortress if we wanted to. A floating fortress!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an Empo¡­¡± Severin had been in a joyful mood.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Into a what?¡± But suddenly¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Turn into a¡­?¡± All that time¡­


    ¡°A fortress¡­?¡±


    ¡°The other part.¡± He couldn¡¯t have missed something so¡­


    ¡°Floating?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 42

    Up until just a few moments ago, the two of them had been happily exchanging ideas and making plans for the shop¡¯s future. And then, all of a sudden came Severin¡¯s change in behavior.


    The strange questions.


    The penetrating look.


    And most importantly, his unsettling silence, which bothered the girl the most.


    It was so uncomfortable for her that Em nervously slid back and forth on her chair to keep herself from simply jumping up and leaving the room. All while avoiding her boss''s gaze by looking stubbornly at the floor.


    Only after what felt like an eternity did the man finally start talking again.


    "Ha. Ha. You know what I''ve been thinking about? I think it''s important to try to understand the experiences of our customers. Starting with their journey," Severin emphasized this part with particular emphasis, "up to the actual shopping experience. As you¡¯ve just arrived here so recently, why don''t you tell me about your own experience in this regard?"


    If it hadn''t been for Severin''s strange behavior, Em probably wouldn''t have thought too much about the request. It seemed strange, sure, but harmless enough. In this instance, however, Em realized that something was wrong. Even if she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. Nevertheless, she tried to ignore the strange feeling inside her and instead decided to answer the question as best she could and get things over with to get back to work as soon as possible.


    "I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be of much help in that regard. I can''t say much about the journey," she had to admit. "The way the thing was shaking all the time, I didn''t want to look too closely...and most of the time we were flying above the clouds, anyway. Coming from the south, I think. If that matters. That''s pretty much all I can say about the journey."


    The girl had no idea why Severin even bothered with such questions.


    Even if she had been able to recount her experience in a more detailed way, how would that change anything about the shop¡¯s business? Much less the customer¡¯s experience. She quickly realized from the dissatisfied expression on his face, however, that this was not what Severin wanted to hear. Even without him having to mention it explicitly. Shyly she added, "But when I saw the hut, I knew it was something special! Especially with so many adventurers gathered around. For them to go out of their way to such a far-off place, just to get their hands on our wares, speaks volumes! I¡¯m sure any new visitors would only agree!¡±


    Still no reaction.


    Wanting this all to just stop, she decided to just keep on babbling until her boss was satisfied with her answer.


    ¡°Ah! About the shopping experience¡­Once I entered the store¡­¡±


    "It¡¯s okay." Severin waved her off.


    Em didn¡¯t feel as relieved by this as she had expected. The silence returned, and with it, the uncomfortable atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of Severin, but she really didn¡¯t want to be here at this moment.


    Soon this discomfort became so apparent that even Severin, in his odd, absentminded state, noticed it.


    Exhale


    Much of the intensity seemed to dissolve into nothingness as he became somewhat aware of the situation; Em¡¯s shoulders seemed to relax.


    However, that didn''t mean that Severin¡¯s strange line of inquiry came to a halt.


    ¡°Let me rephrase this. Suppose you meet a random person on the streets.¡± This time, he made sure to put on a slight smile as he tried to hide the urgency in his voice. Without much success.


    ¡°What would you tell such a person about the store?"


    Again, such a strange question. This time, though, it seemed slightly more relevant.


    "I guess that depends. Is the person an adventurer? A class bearer?"


    "Oh?" That reply made Severin perk up. "Why do you think that matters? Because classless people can''t use..."


    "Because classless people can''t use our products, anyway!" The girl nodded furiously as she thought she finally told Severin exactly what he wanted to hear. Only to see his short-lived smile slip off his face.


    Inhale


    Exhale


    He wanted to scream.


    Inhale


    Exhale


    ''Okay. One more try.¡¯


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings."Suppose you had to describe this whole area here to a stranger? The land bridge, I mean. Someone who''s never heard of it." Before the resigned girl could answer, he added, "A class bearer!"


    She also wanted to scream.


    Still, at this point, Em resigned to her fate of having to answer random, trivial, and hypothetical questions; She had already given up trying to understand Severin¡¯s intentions.


    No longer particularly uncomfortable, just annoyed, she decided that simply answering these ridiculous questions as best she could. Without even trying to understand their meaning, this would be the fastest way for her to get back her sanity.


    "You mean someone who had never heard of the Golden Mountains? Like at all?" Again, at these specific words, his excitement was written all over Severin''s face as he slid uncomfortably close towards Emily.


    "Eh. I would describe it as an adventurer''s paradise. As I understand it, there are endless opportunities for adventurers to seek tons of experience, loot, and gold. The latter is also the reason why I originally..."


    "What about the Mountains themselves?" At any other point in time, Severin would''ve gladly listened to anything the girl was willing to reveal about her past. At this moment, though, Severin didn''t even notice that he had rudely cut her off.


    The girl, however, wasn¡¯t bothered by that in the slightest. Instead, she was hopeful, as for once, he had actually pointed her in a more specific direction.


    "The mountains themselves? Well, that''s where most of the dungeons are located. That¡¯s why they are ¡®golden¡¯ because they harbor all those opportunities to get rich!¡±


    Severin couldn''t take it anymore and suddenly jumped up, startling Em so much that she almost fell off the chair herself.


    She didn¡¯t understand. Wasn¡¯t that what he had asked about?


    Without wasting another breath, the [Shopkeeper] all but ran out of the door, leaving behind the astonished girl without giving her the time to process what had just happened. Using the System, she was able to observe Severin¡¯s dot move towards the end of the map.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do this!¡¯


    After just a moment of hesitation, he took the step.


    [Employee Emily had temporarily been assigned to oversee the Shop and its business in the host¡¯s absence.]


    One step.


    Under different circumstances, this would¡¯ve been an occasion for celebration.


    Two steps.


    Not today, though.


    Three steps.


    If what he feared would actually prove to be true, then it wouldn¡¯t really matter that he was finally able to move outside his store, anyway.


    Four steps.


    "Argh!"


    A sudden pain erupted in Severin¡¯s stomach, which instantly brought him to his knees.


    As if he had been hit with a hammer. Without a warning and out of nowhere.


    He couldn¡¯t make any sense of it.


    ¡°What the...¡±


    As he tried to get back on his feet, another pang of pain caused him to topple over entirely.


    Laying there in inexplicable pain, he tried to observe his surroundings as much as the situation allowed.


    No enemies. That calmed him down somewhat.


    Next was checking his own body. No blood. No apparent wound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is just¡­Hunger?!"


    It was such an unfamiliar feeling. In fact, what he previously knew as hunger was nowhere close to what he was feeling right now. But he naturally still recognized the sensation.


    ¡®You piss-poor excuse of a System! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡¯ His question was rather rhetorical in nature.


    He wasn¡¯t curious.


    He was angry.


    As he staggered back towards the fence, where he came from, a tirade of hate was all that could be heard.


    Kaching


    Kaching


    Kaching


    Kaching


    Kaching


    A very narrow path now reached all the way towards the edge of the mountaintop.


    As if rooted to the spot, Severin was standing there, staring down onto the thick layer of white. His feeling of apprehension was reflected on his face. He felt so uneasy that even the earlier rage seemed all but an illusion.


    And then. There it was. After an indefinite amount of time.


    A gust of wind, strong enough to, for one brief moment, part the dense clouds, allowing Severin to peek down right at the land a few kilometers below.


    ¡°FUCK!¡±

 Chapter 43

    Severin let himself collapse onto the ground. A wave of desperation washed over him.


    The sudden revelation to Severin was the difference between being stranded on a lonely island and being stuck on a small raft at sea.


    Both situations weren¡¯t optimal, but it was obvious which one would be preferable.


    ¡®Okay, stay positive. Calm down and check things out first.¡¯


    Severin began to slowly crawl forward on the damp grass until he was able to once again peek down beyond the edge. Like that, he lay there for about half an hour focused completely on the dense wall of white below him.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Barely escaping a heart attack, Severin dug his fingers into the soft ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± He had been too absorbed to notice the girl sneaking up on him. More than that, Em was already laying right next to him, also looking down towards the ground below the floating mountain.


    That was indeed something Severin had been able to confirm. The ¡®mountain¡¯ part hadn¡¯t been a lie. It wasn¡¯t just a small, little rock he was now standing on, or rather laying. That at least meant that underground would be a tremendous amount of space left to work with; If the area on the surface should ever turn out to be insufficient, which, admittedly, wasn¡¯t all that likely, to begin with.


    Severin quickly recovered from his surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to check whether we¡­move.¡± That was what had been bothering him. Once the words left his mouth, though, it felt a bit silly. If they were truly floating away, just like the raft, then, if it was apparent enough for him to detect the movements, in these past couple of minutes, with his naked eyes, then surely he would¡¯ve been able to already realize that fact earlier. Not to forget that Sam and the others apparently never had a problem finding their way back.


    ¡°Ooh! That would be bad!¡± With a childish earnestness did she turn to observe the situation herself. The earlier discomfort seemed already forgotten.


    ¡®Bless a child¡¯s heart.¡¯


    Severin too moved back into his position. This time, though, he only pretended to observe his surroundings and was more concerned with analyzing his findings.


    ¡®For the moment, I¡¯ll just have to assume we¡¯re somewhat stationary. Even if we were moving, it would have to be at an insignificant rate. So then the real question is¡­What does this all mean for me? Has anything even really changed?


    I guess building a simple set of stairs to leave this place is out of the question now. As for trying to climb down this thing¡­¡¯ Not even Severin was able to convince himself that this had ever been an option.


    ¡®Well, that certainly makes the portal station a lot more attractive all of a sudden. Actually, establishing the thing would still require me to somehow leave this place in the first place, but only once. No need to invest in some flying artifact myself if I can just ask one of the guys. I would never be able to write such a thing off as a business expense.¡¯


    In reality, though, Severin already had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to invest in first. Still, thinking about flying artifacts, one certain wobbling basket appeared in Severin¡¯s mind. More specifically, the crystals, which were located in each of the thing¡¯s corners, made him think.


    ¡®If I manage to get a hold of a large enough amount of these things, who knows if¡­¡¯


    The prospect excited Severin to no end. Suddenly he almost preferred being stuck on a comparatively small piece of rock instead of a fortress, as Em had called it.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡®Maybe the System can hel¡­¡¯


    Snort


    ¡®As if that thing had any interest in making my life any easier.¡¯


    By suddenly reminding himself of the System and thinking back to about an hour ago, Severin managed to ruin his mood.


    ¡°That scamming piece of shit!¡±


    ¡°Eeeh?!¡± This time it was Em, who was now sitting right on the edge of the mountain, with her feet dangling down playfully, who had almost been startled into jumping down into her doom. She quickly crawled back and appreciated the safety of solid ground under one¡¯s feet. Even if that solid ground was floating.


    ¡°What scam? Who? I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Her first instinct was to defend herself from the sudden accusations. Then came the urge to hit the man.


    The latter she managed to suppress. The former Severin preempted as he quickly proceeded to explain to her his recent findings and the cause for his dissatisfaction.


    ¡°So basically, once we leave the shop¡¯s premises we feel as hungry as we normally would after going so long without any food. Or something like that anyway. I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± he admitted. ¡°If it truly had unleashed all the accumulated consequences of not eating for all that time, I would¡¯ve died right there on the spot.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but shudder at that thought. What a sneaky, underhanded move by the System. ¡°And in hindsight, I noticed that I wasn¡¯t especially thirsty either. I most certainly don¡¯t intend to pursue this matter any further, though. Certainly not without any food available.¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t seem nearly as upset as her boss. After she had agreed to be working in this place, she hadn¡¯t planned to be leaving anytime soon. Why would anyone want to leave a place at which one didn¡¯t have to worry about food? The idea was beyond her. Still, even she was a bit annoyed by the matter. The thing she thought she had finally managed to escape from, now reappeared in a different shape to once again pose a problem.


    ¡°What about establishing an inn,¡± she suggested. ¡°That should not only complete the quest but also take care of the issue with the food, no?¡± Em¡¯s eyes became dreamy as she thought back to the few occasions she managed to snatch some leftover goose-bones from the backstreet of an inn. It had been her spoils of war. As it was common knowledge that adventurers liked to splurge on their meals, after returning from a few days in the field or a dungeon, these areas were highly contested. At least in those districts that Em and her kind were actually able to enter. She dismissed the thought as quickly as it had appeared. She almost felt ungrateful for even thinking about the taste of food while being in her current position.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯ll be the next goal. But not because of the food. Take a look at the description. Requires me to have access to being a [Cook] to be able to serve anything more than just ale and bread, it seems.


    No, my reasoning for considering going for an inn next is mostly so that we can finally start to offer some lodging.¡±


    ¡°Good point! Can¡¯t have people just randomly camping in front of the store!¡±


    ¡°Ha.Ha. Right.¡± Severin decided to gloss over the fact that a certain group of three had been camping right on his doorstep for the last couple of months.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t just some rooms be good enough in that case?¡±


    ¡°Like a motel? Maybe. Might very well turn out to be cheaper in the short run. In the long run, though, if we want to eventually build an inn anyway, it should be cheaper to just save until we can afford the real thing. Should probably even opt for the predesigned blueprints the store has to offer. Although we might have to expand on it later on.¡±

 Chapter 44

    Severin and Emily continued to discuss some of the intricacies of building and running an inn.


    The first and most obvious issue they had to address was regarding their finances.


    First of all, there was Severin¡¯s impulsive action of acquiring the narrow pathway that reached all the way to the edge of the floating mountain, which left its mark on the shop¡¯s business account.


    And secondly, there was the recent purchase of the new workstation, which had also cost a good chunk of gold.


    Adding up these expenses they were left with only about five thousand gold.


    If the amount were to be transferred into his own account and be available for private purchases such as finally being able to purchase a private room or maybe new clothes, Severin would¡¯ve considered the amount to be enormous. The way things stood, though, that very same number did barely amount to anything. At least if one took into account their future spendings, as it only covered roughly one-twentieth of the amount needed to accomplish their mission and build that inn. And that was only if they somehow managed to build the structure on the parts of the land they already owned, which, given the current layout of the premises, was not really an option.


    Still, after only a most perfunctory lesson, in addition, even Em had to agree that the required money wasn¡¯t too much of a concern.


    ¡°Just the new Stat Elixirs alone will make us a small fortune. With a price of one hundred gold each and considering the carrying capacity, that adds up to one thousand per person. Just  Andreas¡¯s group alone was already twenty people strong. Which means a total of...,¡± Severin¡¯s pause and his look prompted Em to start doing the math. Which she did, with the help of her fingers.


    ¡°Twenty thousand!¡± The proud and confident answer earned her an amused smile and a thorough head-ruffling.


    ¡°Right.¡± The thought that not every single one of the group¡¯s members might end up buying the whole amount available to them didn¡¯t even occur to Severin. Instead, he predicted the earnings to be even larger than that. ¡°And let¡¯s not forget the rest of our merchandise. Most importantly the combinator. The way that thing works and charges that means it might even be possible to earn all the money we need in just one or two days. Especially now that restocking is that easy. With the new tools and your help, I mean.¡±


    Being reminded that she now actually worked in this place and that she would earn a real salary, Em couldn¡¯t help herself from putting her newly learned math skills to the test and started trying to figure out how much one percent of twenty thousand actually was.


    Seeing the girl counting on her fingers once again, Severin decided against interrupting her and instead kept his thoughts to himself.


    ¡®I should also take the cost of adding some extra rooms into account. And maybe some other upgrades. That being said, the way things look right now, money really doesn¡¯t seem to be the issue here.


    I¡¯m more concerned about being able to handle the work. Even if Em turns out to be able to handle the store¡¯s business on her own¡­


    Then again, I should be granted another [Employee] slot, right? No matter how blackhearted the System is, as long as it concern¡¯s business itself, the thing shouldn¡¯t be too stingy to provide some more help. Worst case, I¡¯ll have to purchase the right to hire more people or some bullshit like that. The question is¡­¡¯


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± The girl now had a bright grin on her face. Whether or not the number she came up with was actually correct, the amount very much satisfied her. Enough for her to momentarily forget she was originally having a, admittedly rather one-sided, conversation with her boss. Coming back to her senses she now tried to once again involve herself.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°I was thinking about hiring a new [Employee].¡±


    ¡°Eeeh?! I was only thinking¡­I¡¯ll keep working hard! Don¡¯t fir¡­¡°


    ¡°Calm down. What are you talking about?! Of course, I¡¯m keeping you.¡± Her reaction seemed almost funny to him.


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡± Her little heart was pounding very hard. For a moment, she had feared a moment of greed had cost her everything.


    ¡°Think about it! Naturally, we¡¯ll need other people working here if we plan to expand the business. Especially when it comes to serving the customers of an Inn.¡±


    The thought of running the thing, all by himself, was a nightmare to Severin.


    And who knew if the System would keep working the same way or if it suddenly changed the rules? Severin never had to clean his little store. There was no dust, and dirt just magically disappeared on its own. But in an inn? Who was to say those rules would still apply there. Wasn¡¯t cleaning tables and rinsing tankards and mugs an inherent part of the job?


    Nodding, mostly to placate herself, her proposal was also the most obvious one.


    ¡°I could always get some of the other¡­¡± She left the last word unspoken. It wasn¡¯t necessary. Severin, who naturally had already thought about that possibility, decided to pass over her suggestion.


    ¡°I had already thought about asking Sam for some referrals. I can¡¯t imagine someone like him not having a bunch of useful connections. Even to some classless folks. In fact, I already considered the option back before Xander brought you here. I certainly prefer that option over asking Andi. Or any other guild, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. The guy seemed trustworthy enough.¡± An unusually thoughtful look appeared on the girl¡¯s face, catching Severin¡¯s attention, as she agreed with his assessment.


    ¡°Haha. You haven¡¯t even talked to the guy!¡±


    She shrugged with her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m good at judging people. You need to be if you wanna survive,¡± she answered very matter-of-factly, shutting Severin up. For a moment.


    ¡°Right,¡± was all he could awkwardly answer. But it was indeed his best bet. The [Berserker] wouldn¡¯t ask too many questions. Not that it really mattered at this point anyway. There was no need to be all that secretive anymore. When Em first arrived, it was apparent to all, that she was a classless stray. Since then, something had obviously changed. The moment they all came back and saw the very same girl suddenly being able to craft those precious masterpieces, nobody would believe some half-assed excuse of her being a natural talent, or something like that. Especially an old hand like Samuel, who, more so than the others, was at least somewhat able to discern the mastery needed to craft these items, wouldn¡¯t be fooled all that easily. So he might as well ask that man for help and be a bit more upfront.


    ¡®Beat¡¯s the alternative, that¡¯s for sure. I can¡¯t hire another child. Not if I want this to be a full-fledged inn. With a real tavern and all that. Can¡¯t have some overly shy and scared child deal with a bunch of drunk and rowdy adventurers. Or worse, an overly aggressive and distrustful one. Doesn¡¯t seem appropriate. And I don¡¯t plan on opening an orphanage. It¡¯s not what my customers would want either. Not after risking their lives in some dark hole.


    No, it has to be someone with experience. Someone who can handle themself. Don¡¯t even care if it¡¯s a big-bellied grumpy man or a big-b...¡¯

 Chapter 45

    Ahem


    ¡°Never mind that. We still have some time until we reach that point. First things first.


    I have no idea how long until the others return, and I¡¯d prefer to have things stocked up until then.¡± As much as he was tempted to just play around with the System¡¯s modeling tool to sketch out the specifics of his planned new establishment, risking to once again be overrun by a feral bunch of adventurers he couldn¡¯t keep up with just wouldn¡¯t do. Especially if it was so easily preventable.


    ¡°And there¡¯s always the possibility of some random strangers finding their way up here as well.¡±


    ¡­


    As it turned out, the worry was unwarranted.


    With the shelves as full as the limited, System provided, materials permitted, Severin found more than enough time to play around. Of course, the girl wasn¡¯t neglected either. When she didn¡¯t peek over his shoulders or explore the vast number of items available in the System¡¯s store, the two of them spent much of their time together. Like that, Severin managed to learn a bit more about the girl and her past.


    It turned out that Em¡¯s age was somewhere between ten or thirteen years old. She wasn¡¯t too sure about that. Either way, she was older than Severin had initially expected her to be. Only after a couple of days under the influence of the System did the girl somehow appear more her actual age. Severin couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but he felt that the girl must¡¯ve magically grown a few centimeters while also gotten a bit more meat on her ribs. He could only speculate that over time the System transformed the constitution of every affected person into their optimal state. A thought he quickly dismissed as he patted his somewhat chubby stomach.


    He also learned a bit more about her past, though he knew better than to pry.


    Talking in detail about presumed dead parents and her daily struggles to survive wasn¡¯t something he wanted to subject her to.


    Still, he managed to learn that she originally came from Malcos, the Kingdom to the south and that she had apparently followed one of the many caravans into the Golden Mountains until they reached one of the bigger outposts. It had been a desperate move on her part. Though the journey was considered relatively safe, it still involved a certain amount of risk. Especially considering her rather poor condition of health, and the fact that she was somewhat of a blind passenger; Following behind the group rather than traveling with them. Still, the risk had been worth it, she claimed. And not just because it allowed her to meet Xander and consequentially Severin. Even if the people at her destination weren¡¯t any more generous than anywhere else, just the fact that they were more well-off and liberal with their spendings made things easier for people like Em.


    Severin also deemed it necessary to work on his [Employee¡¯s] education. He was particularly set on further improving the girl¡¯s math skills. Even if it was pretty much guaranteed that the System wouldn¡¯t let itself get cheated, the ability to add up the total cost of a customer¡¯s purchases and to be able to calculate their profits was something he expected of her. And rather sooner than later.


    For that reason, Severin had begun to teach the girl every now and then. Usually, while they were sitting outside.


    It was during one of these lessons when Em, who turned out to be a rather diligent student, excitedly jumped up as she noticed a few dots appearing in the sky behind Severin¡¯s back. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±


    About a week after leaving, the group of adventurers had returned.


    ¡­


    ¡°Welcome back. The hunt was a success, I take it?¡± The overall mood, as the group of returning adventurers settled in, was way too exuberant to allow for any other conclusion. While most of the adventurers still seemed disciplined enough to set up their temporary camp without causing any trouble, that didn¡¯t stop them from shouting and bickering. Apparently, not everyone was completely sober.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Haha. That obvious, huh?¡± Andreas stepped forward to clasp Severin¡¯s wrist in greeting. ¡°You missed the worst. Should¡¯ve seen the guys yesterday,¡± he shook his head in amusement. ¡°We already disposed of the core the day before yesterday. After that, we only had to deal with some scattered stray monsters, for the most part. Meaning yesterday most of them spent their time in a drunken stupor. They earned it though.


    Not least thanks to you either. We¡¯ll keep relying on you in the future!¡± The man was obviously in a great mood. The gains not only for himself but the whole guild must¡¯ve been aplenty.


    ¡°And you! Could hardly recognize you, but it seems Xander was telling the truth, after all.¡± The addressed girl had been very excited when she saw the group of flying artifacts appearing on the horizon. Not only was she looking forward to some action after these couple of rather slow days, but most importantly, she felt, this would be the occasion to finally prove herself. An absurd thought in Severin''s mind, as he was of the opinion that the crafting part was the real work, not the selling part. Work she had already proven herself to be very capable of doing.


    Now exposed to the real deal, though, a lot of that excitement had vanished. As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t all that easy to shake off her mindset concerning adventurers. Nevertheless, she somewhat held her ground and nodded determinedly in response, as she felt Severin¡¯s hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s reassuring to hear.¡±


    Severin offered the guest a seat and started asking some questions of his own. Partly to take the spotlight off of his young employee, partly out of real interest.


    ¡°So you managed to destroy the core?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Andreas answered as he shook his head in regret. ¡°The original plan was to try fixing the thing. After all that time and all the changes to both the core as well as the environment itself, if we had managed to stabilize the core successfully, that whole thing we would¡¯ve become a pretty profitable dungeon, I assume. Sadly, the White Squall¡¯s [Artificer] failed. Well, it was only a long shot, anyway. But I guess it was worth the risk.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Haha, though the sight of Harold being overrun by monsters when he tried to buy some more time with his barriers was quite something. Went down like a real hero!¡± Without anyone noticing Xander had appeared next to Andreas and commented.


    ¡°Ehh?¡±


    Both Emily and Severin gaped dumbfoundedly at his words. Was he still drunk? Even for Xander¡¯s standards that was¡­


    Andreas was about to say something in response as he noticed the expressions of the two people in front of him.


    ¡°You misunderstand! Haha.¡± He had actually been about to agree with Xander, though more earnestly. ¡°Harold is the guild leader''s son you see. He was safely bound at the cathedral in Sina. He¡¯s probably on his way back already.¡±


    ¡°After spending a fortune to rebind himself, I presume. Must be great being rich.¡± Severin didn¡¯t even want to know what ¡®being rich¡¯ meant in the mind of these people. Instead, he was somewhat relieved hearing the explanation and learning that Xander didn¡¯t actually celebrate a guildmate''s death. At least not a permanent one.


    It was Emily who broke the following awkward silence. She had already heard the story about the dungeon break and had naturally listened in to the previous conversation.


    ¡°What happens with the broken core,¡± The girl asked curiously.


    ¡°Hah! Good question. It¡¯s actually pretty useless now, so as the ones to first report the break, we got to keep the thing. Makes for a great trophy and proof of achievement, though.¡±


    With a quick hand movement, a dull crystal, slightly bigger than a tennis ball, appeared in Andreas¡¯s hand. There was a large crack on it. One so deep that everyone seeing it had to wonder how the thing wasn¡¯t split into two separate halves. Besides that, the thing looked rather unspectacular to Severin.


    [Urgent task: Obtain the damaged dungeon core.]

 Chapter 46

    The [Shopkeeper] and his [Employee] shared an astonished look.


    Apparently, the girl had also access to the newly received notification.


    At the sight she became visibly excited, her eyes glistening. Severin, however, felt that something was off. As if he was missing something. Nonetheless, a sudden notification like this was a first for him as well. As a result, he shared Emily¡¯s feelings.


    Luckily, neither Andreas nor Xander had noticed their nonverbal exchange. Or if they did, they had mistaken their looks for astonishment or interest in the core itself, dismissing it as unimportant. It wasn¡¯t something the vast majority of people would ever lay their eyes upon, after all. Not even if those people were adventurers.


    That still left Severin with an important question, as he was painfully aware of the fact that he lacked some very fundamental privileges which every other shopowner besides himself enjoyed. Such as being able to adjust the prices of his items. That alone limited Severin¡¯s options to fulfill the task at hand enormously.


    ¡®How am I supposed to¡­¡¯ As if anticipating this question, a new prompt appeared, disrupting Severin¡¯s thought.


    [New feature unlocked: Granting of V.I.P. privileges.]


    ¡°Ah!¡± Same as before, Em was obviously able to see this notification as well. With her sudden cry, she attracted two questioning, and one slightly annoyed, looks.


    ¡°Sorry! It¡¯s nothing.¡± Being aware of her blunder and the unwanted attention, she quickly apologized, mostly to her boss, without actually explaining herself.


    Severin didn¡¯t give the guests any chance to further inquire.


    ¡°Any chance you¡¯re willing to part with the core?¡±


    As expected, that quickly drew the attention towards himself, as both Xander and Andreas looked at him more closely. The latter took a few moments to sort his thoughts and think things through.


    On the one hand, the thing itself was pretty much useless as far as actual functionality or magical properties were concerned. But as he had mentioned before, it would make for a great trophy. It might even earn them some prestige, which would translate into more potential guild members, and therefore into power. On the other hand, exchanging it for at most, he assumed, a few ten thousand gold coins, just wouldn¡¯t be worth it. Therefore, Andreas was just about to decline Severin in a way that wouldn¡¯t offend the shop owner, as the latter opened his mouth once again.


    ¡°In exchange for a V.I.P. Club Membership.¡± This was obviously what the System had intended when he was granted this new feature. Severin didn¡¯t even bother offering gold to adventurers who obviously didn¡¯t lack any themselves.


    ¡°V¡­eye¡­?¡± It was Xander who asked in Andreas¡¯s stead. Severin had to keep himself from not laughing at the guy for his messed-up pronunciation.


    ¡°V.I.P. Very important pe¡­patron! That means you receive preferred treatment in our shop.¡± Severin was looking at the description provided by the System itself as he continued explaining. ¡°For one, that means a five percent discount on all our wares and services. Excluding the combinator¡¯s fees.¡±


    The two guildmates had initially been looking forward to Severin¡¯s explanation. There had to be some very exclusive benefits included in that so-called V.I.P. membership. But a five percent discount was very disappointing to them. It was nothing.


    Severin himself would¡¯ve disagreed with that evaluation. Sooner or later, some much more expensive items were bound to appear in his assortment of wares, making it totally worth it. Especially over time, the accumulated savings were bound to be huge. And just those huge savings were what made Severin grit his teeth in frustration. Five percent discount meant five percent fewer earnings for him as well, not just for the System. Not to forget Em¡¯s salary either. Still, he knew this alone would be far from being enough to satisfy the guild officer. Therefore he quickly continued before anyone had the chance to complain.


    ¡°And secondly, you¡¯ll be granted the opportunity to use the Alchemical Item Combinator five additional times, each day.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.Xander instantly threw a jealous look at his superior. Right then, in the [Duelist¡¯s] mind, the deal had been already been settled. And based on the smile that slowly formed on Andreas¡¯s face, he also agreed. Not much unlike the two men, Severin himself was also somewhat mollified when he read that part of the description.


    The five extra usages might very well be able to make up for the discount in terms of profit.


    ¡°As we further expand our business in the future, additional benefits will likely be introduced.¡± If there had been any doubts remaining, the last sentence had removed them completely. With that, he motioned towards his little helper. The girl was perplexed for a short moment, but quickly caught Severin¡¯s meaning.


    She summoned one of three matte black membership cards which had appeared in the inventory and, carefully, held it in both her hands, displaying it for all to see.


    Despite its gold lettering, which spelled words like ¡®V.I.P. and ¡®Emporium¡¯, the card made out of an unrecognizable material, looked rather classy than flashy.


    ¡°So, if you are interested¡­¡± Before Severin was able to finish his sentence, the usually composed guild officer, under Xander¡¯s greedy eyes, snatched the card out of the girl¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I agree, I agree!¡±


    Severin was too happy to question Andreas trading away guild property for his own benefit.


    Emily was a bit rattled. She didn¡¯t expect a grown man, an adventurer and guild officer of a somewhat well-known guild, to behave like that. She still didn¡¯t really understand the worth of the items she was now capable of crafting. That display right there, however, gave her somewhat of an idea. An idea that was further reinforced by Xander¡¯s defeated look.


    As the person who brought her to this place, she had a better opinion of Xander than most. Because of that, she decided to tell them about another feature. One which she thought would be interesting to the [Duelist] as well.


    ¡°The membership card and all related bonuses can temporarily be transferred to another person.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Even though it was the same word, it sounded completely different both times. One sounded helpless like it was coming from a person fearing to get robbed.


    The other sounded like it was coming from the person planning the robbery.


    ¡°There are some restrictions in place, though. The original owner can choose, ¡° Severin put emphasis on that word, ¡°to bind the card to another person. For up to seven days maximum. The owner can cancel this temporary binding and call back the card itself; No matter the distance between the two of them. There is a cooldown period of one day between every transfer of ownership, though. That applied to both the binding as well as the unbinding.¡°


    The last restriction was presumably set in place so no one could game the System. Otherwise, Andreas could simply transfer the card, and by extension, its bonuses, to each and every one of his fellow guildmembers, one after the other, for them all to profit off the V.I.P. membership.


    Andreas nodded in understanding as he read through the card¡¯s tooltip, which also contained the specific rules, as well as an overview of the applied benefits he was receiving.


    Confirming there was no possibility for anyone to snatch the black card from him without his explicit consent, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief.


    cough


    The instant Andreas bound himself to the V.I.P. card and claimed its ownership, and thereby officially acknowledging their deal, Severin held out his hand as he, not all that subtly, prompted Andreas to hand over the dungeon core.


    The latter sheepishly complied.


    A moment later, Severin realized why he had that strange feeling earlier.


    The moment he laid hands on the spherical, dull crystal, the thing disappeared.


    As if he had stowed it away into his inventory. Just that the thing didn¡¯t actually show up in his inventory. It was gone. Just like that.


    And most importantly¡­


    ¡®The System never promised any rewards, to begin with! FUCK!¡¯

 Chapter 47

    Severin was fuming.


    ¡®Urgent Task my ass. Shouldn¡¯t I get an especially big reward if it was oh-so urgent? Just wait and see which idiot will comply with these requests the next time.¡¯


    Usually, when he felt the System had scammed him once again, Severin wouldn¡¯t shy away from venting his frustrations out loud. Now, however, he was situated in front of, basically, a whole guild¡¯s raid group of customers. It took all the willpower he could muster to not explode right there and then and not make a fool of himself.


    He tried to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. While it certainly wasn¡¯t his strong suit, he was still required to act as a good host.


    Luckily at this moment, two youths appeared and, after a silent greeting towards Severin, started to question an enthusiastic Andreas; They were effectively buying Severin some time to fix his attitude.


    Severin had almost forgotten that Timothy and Miriam had accompanied the Lion¡¯s Head¡¯s group since they temporarily had split up with the old [Berserker]. But now they were as loud and curious as ever.


    ¡°What do you have there? What¡¯s that black thing?¡± Being slightly taller than Tim also allowed Miriam to spot the unfamiliar object slightly earlier than him.


    ¡°What? A new product!? Let me see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, show us!¡±


    Not only by the sound but also by the looks of it did it become apparent that the duo had settled in well with the group of adventurers. At least judging by the way they dished out friendly nudges as they naturally joined the circle of people.


    As it turned out, fighting side by side oftentimes accelerated the forming and deepening of bonds.


    As Andreas, with interruptions and comments from Xander and even Emily, proudly explained the benefits of his new treasure, Severin took this opportunity to calm himself down by silently talking himself into believing that he hadn¡¯t totally been scammed by the System, after all.


    ¡®I mean, it did unlock the V.I.P. feature,¡¯ he grumbled to himself.


    ¡®Still got two more of these cards. That alone has to be worth something. Most importantly, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any requirement which has to be fulfilled for me to be able to give them away.¡¯ In his mind, one of these was already reserved for Samuel; But he quickly thought again. ¡®At this point, they are basically assets. Randomly giving them away just based on sympathy won¡¯t do. Not if I might be able to trade them for¡­well something!¡¯


    Somewhat appeased by his self-deception, Severin turned his focus back on the discussion at hand just at the right time for him to hear Timothy make an objection.


    ¡°The discount is all well and good, but about the five extra usages¡­ didn¡¯t Xandi here already show us a working alternative?¡± He gave Emily a meaningful look. The meaning was clear.


    Hearing that, Xander couldn¡¯t help but nod inwardly, whereas a shadow seemed to appear on Andreas¡¯s face. As well as on Severin¡¯s.


    ¡°You can try,¡± the latter dared them, obviously very unamused by Tim¡¯s bright idea. It wasn¡¯t that Severin categorically opposed the idea of people reselling certain items or services. The concept, of course, wasn¡¯t foreign to him. And as long as it wouldn¡¯t bring him any trouble or hurt his own revenue, he didn¡¯t care all that much. But¡­


    ¡®Dream on! I just received these V.I.P memberships and you talk about wanting to diminish their worth? Don¡¯t tempt me into finally trying out the blacklist function!¡¯


    ¡°Ha.Ha. Just a joke!¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!The idea was quickly waved off.


    Seeing Severin¡¯s uncharacteristically grave expression and hearing his words which seemed to carry a hint of poison in them, even the slowest of the bunch got the message. A message which greatly relieved Andreas who had to try hard to keep up the appearance of a proper guild officer instead of acting smug and self-satisfied.


    Having turned the situation kind of awkward, Severin knew it was up to him to defuse the situation.


    Ahem


    ¡°We actually do have some new products, though.¡±


    That sentence indeed managed to distract everyone as they immediately perked up.


    ¡°What?! Really? And you¡¯re only telling us now? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just check it out ourselves! Quick!¡±


    This time it was Tim who beat Miriam to it, and got a headstart on her as they started to race each other to the shop, all while still bickering.


    ¡°What are you so excited about? This time it¡¯s certainly something for us casters!¡±


    ¡°You wish!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. So what?! Need even more benefits to beat me?¡± The mage kept taunting the girl.


    The [Duelist] followed closely behind them, taking care to not get caught in their crossfire.


    Only Andreas tried to preserve some of his dignity as he urged Severin to lead the way inside.


    ¡°That reminds me! We brought back some items which need identifying. If you would be so kind¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course,¡± Severin exclaimed. This news pleased the [Shopkeeper] immensely as he would finally be able to complete the long-overdue quest. Thinking about the promised reward, the ability to adjust his cut of the profits, he was tempted to refuse to sell any other items until that task had been taken care of. Instead, he gave up the idea and answered, ¡°My assistant will help you with that.¡±


    That answer came as a surprise to the assistant in question as well as to Andreas.


    Emily was quickly beaming with joy, though, whereas the [Warrior] was visibly shocked.


    ¡°Really?¡± He didn¡¯t manage to hide his doubts. Until then he still considered Severins act of hiring the girl more as an act of charity than anything else. He wouldn¡¯t believe it if anyone was to tell him that the girl had had a class all along. Not when considering her previous appearance. But just as little did he believe that Severin gifted the girl with a class orb just to enable her to help out in his shop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± the girl promised, not addressing any of the man¡¯s concerns and deciding to prove herself with actions rather than words.


    Severin¡¯s reason for leaving this task to Emily, besides the obvious one being that this was now part of her actual job, was that he wanted to find out whether or not his employees could help him make progress with a quest.


    Andreas decided not to pry. He would learn the truth soon enough. Besides, right now there was something else that was way more important to him than that.


    The moment they caught up to Xander and the two youths and reached the door, Andreas felt he was having a d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    The excited cries and shouts. The pushing and shoving. The incredulous looks on everyone¡¯s faces.


    The last time he was greeted by such a scene was when they had discovered the item combinator. An almost godly device that allowed them to create previously unheard-of item effects for a pittance.


    So what could possibly agitate those very same adventurers, who now should have a certain standard by which to evaluate any new items? Was it a similarly outlandish new magical device?


    The answer soon revealed itself.


    ¡°Ten percent to the highest stat!¡±


    ¡°Four percent to all stats!¡±


    ¡°Quick! Combine them! What are you waiting for?!¡±

 Chapter 48

    ¡°What are you so excited about? Not like it would help you beat me if I can also use it myself!¡± The youth taunted his training partner.


    ¡°Tzz. We¡¯ll see about that. The way my damage scales¡­" Just as Miriam was about to retort, though, she was rudely interrupted.


    ¡°Get going already! Or at least get out of the way and let me do it myself!¡± Xander all but screamed at the two bickering people who were standing in front of the combinator.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± In the end, Timothy decided he would be the first to lay his hands on the newest item creation. He had long thrown the required amount of coin onto the counter to purchase one each of the new elixirs. Just as he was struggling to insert the additional amount of coins needed to activate the combinator into the slot, Andreas finally sprung into action as well and started moving. He had already gotten a good idea about the new product just by listening in and therefore headed straight towards the far-left corner to join the others, without first stopping in front of the shelves to check out the actual products. He arrived just in time to lay his eyes on the newly created product.


    [Small Stat Elixir ¨C Hybrid (5)


    Temporarily increases the user¡¯s stats by 7%.


    Only one Elixir can be active at a time.


    Lasts for 60 minutes.]


    Given the two combined base products, the end result lay very well within everyone¡¯s expectations. Considering that the effect of one of the potions already grants four percent to the user¡¯s stats, the additional gain of three percent might even seem negligible and not actually worth the extra price.


    Compared to the cost of one hundred gold coins for just one of the hexagonal-shaped bottles, one would have to pay three times that amount for an additional benefit of just three-quarters of that of the original product. Which, at a first glance, seemed like a bad deal. At least to the uninitiated.


    The four adventurers didn¡¯t feel that way.


    After all, basically, every adventurer, or just classbearers in general, would be willing to spend multiple times that amount for even just an increase of a single percentage point. To a single stat.


    The buff just being temporary didn¡¯t change that.


    Amidst the ensuing joyful screaming, Andreas shamelessly reminded everyone of his five extra charges.


    Severin went to take a spot next to the wooden counter and leaned against it to observe the spectacle.


    He was still on the customer¡¯s side, though, as the way around it was blocked by the rabid group.


    Having expected nothing less of a reaction, he faced the situation rather nonplussed, just revealing a pleased but absent-minded grin, as he mainly thought about moving the combinator somewhere else.


    Emily however couldn¡¯t accept the situation in front of her nearly as easily. This kind of behavior didn¡¯t conform to her own experiences and the picture she had of adventurers. At least not of the successful kind. How could something she was easily able to craft out of some random herbs and minerals be able to cause such a stir? Weren¡¯t those people who risked their lives on a daily basis? How could they be so easily impressed, going so far as to embarrass themselves with silly dancing and shouting?


    Only when Severin referred the group around Andreas towards her, did she finally snap out of it.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.¡°Bring us more of these elixirs! And get us some potions as well, will you?¡±


    ¡°Not just potions! Also, the weapon oils!¡± Miriam quickly figured out Andreas¡¯s intentions and added some more items to the list. ¡°Or does any one of you still have some left? I¡¯ve already used all of mine, back then.¡±


    ¡°Right. Just bring us a few of everything!¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± That last word was actually added by Xander.


    The girl didn¡¯t immediately start to act. Only after making eye contact with Severin, who then gave her an encouraging nod, did she start to move from her spot in the doorway.


    It took her multiple times going back and forth to deliver all the requested items. That being said, she didn¡¯t need to hurry quite as much as she did; Because once Emily brought over the first batch of items, the group quickly turned to experiment with other possible item combinations and took their time to discuss the respective results in great detail.


    Like this, time quickly flew by for the group of adventurers. Even though there weren¡¯t too many possible combinations to try out, quite a bit of time passed.


    Their findings could be summarized rather quickly, though.


    Besides the initial combination of both types of stat elixirs, which was fated to quickly become an integral part of their standard equipment, there were two other types of resulting items.


    First was the combination with any kind of potion. The result was rather disappointing. A first for any kind of product coming out of Severin¡¯s store.


    It was basically just the effect of both the used potion, as well as the used elixir, simply stuck together. The effectiveness of either half was still at their original level, but the stat enhancing part was still restricted by the ¡®only one active at a time¡¯-clause. It just wasn¡¯t worth it. The only real advantage the resulting product had going for it was its consistency, which was that of a jello cube; Just like the potion. That meant it would be slightly easier to rebuff oneself in an ongoing battle, as one didn¡¯t have to deal with the small bottle. Still, that factor was rather negligible in their eyes.


    Then there was the other type of product. Namely, the combination of elixir and weapon oil. And this time, the results were anything but disappointing, causing another round of screaming and jumping.


    On one hand, there was obviously still the weapon-oil-affected part of the product, which meant a twenty-five percent damage conversion of the chosen element. And then there was the interesting part.


    The still rather viscous liquid, which still had to be applied onto one''s weapon, would now also apply a debuff on the hit enemy, reducing the target¡¯s stats. Even with the specified limit of just one such debuff per target, the implications were obviously enormous.


    The joy was comparatively short-lived, though.


    They were animatedly discussing the strength of the items as well as various of their use-cases; Such as enchanting a crappy weapon to use for just a single hit, to apply the debuff, before switching back to the real ones for the remainder of the fight; Or until the debuff had run out.


    But suddenly, Lynn came hasting inside the shop.


    Both Severin and Emily had already seen her approach on their minimaps and greeted her the moment she entered the store, causing everyone else to turn around. Xander¡¯s first impulse was to open his mouth and to share the good news about finding another unheard-of, overpowered item. Seeing the healer¡¯s scowling, though, he stopped before even making a single sound.


    The officer also noticed her grave expression.


    Seeing that she had the latter¡¯s attention, Lynn didn¡¯t wait for him to ask.


    ¡°Someone is approaching. Just a single ship. But¡­well. Guess some White Squall guys followed us.¡±

 Chapter 49

    Hearing Lynn¡¯s words, the adventurer¡¯s mood turned sombre. Witnessing this sudden shift in the general mood Em became somewhat nervous at the sight.


    ¡°Are those bad guys? What¡¯s going on?¡± She whispered her question to Severin. However, with the celebratory atmosphere gone, her voice was still loud enough for everyone else to hear.


    Therefore, it wasn¡¯t Severin, who seemed to be the only one left in a good mood, as he had a pretty good idea about what was happening, but Andreas, who answered her.


    ¡°No, they aren¡¯t.¡± He let out a bitter laugh. ¡°Well. At least most of them aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Haha. There¡¯s no problem at all.¡± Severin was amused by Emily¡¯s innocence.


    Indeed, while the timing might not actually be the best, Severin didn¡¯t mind this opportunity at all. Especially with the store¡¯s newly upgraded crafting capabilities as well his urgent need for money to realize the expansion plans.


    ¡°They¡¯re most likely just new customers.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°We always knew this would happen at some point.¡± The guild officer couldn¡¯t help but lament the situation. He had hoped they would be able to monopolize the Emporium¡¯s products for a slightly longer period of time.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they¡¯d have any interest in further advertising the shop to others, either. SO it shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±


    He sheepishly ignored how Severin raised his eyebrows as he looked at him in response.


    Understanding that the owner of the shop surely had other priorities than himself, the situation turned awkward. Still, Andreas didn¡¯t stop there.


    ¡°Quickly use up your remaining charges for today!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Severin could only incredulously shake his head at the sight of the newly ensuing chaos. Did they believe they could at least keep the combinator secret this way? Did they believe Severin wouldn¡¯t inform any new customers of its existence?


    ¡°Why are they behaving like this? Aren¡¯t new customers a good thing?¡± An innocent voice asked.


    ¡°Of course they are!¡± Severin exclaimed as he patted Em on her head. Then, with his voice lowered, he continued.


    ¡°Remember what you told me you¡¯d usually do whenever you found something valuable? Or something tasty to eat?¡±


    ¡°Eh. Eat it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Hide it from others!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± A big self-satisfied grin was plastered on Severin¡¯s face as he said that.


    While the comparison, in reality, wasn¡¯t all that fair or even accurate, having one''s behavior compared to that of a lowly street urchin probably would¡¯ve left the adventurers rather indignant in case they had witnessed the exchange. But they hadn¡¯t.


    They were too busy. Too busy even to realize that there was no need for them to act this way. They could simply wait until the expected customers would leave again.


    After all, the about twenty other adventurers already waiting outside would have to also restock their inventory. They had to wait, one way or the other.


    Severin didn¡¯t mention any of this and instead enjoyed the show. Until something occurred to him. He turned towards the healer who was still standing in the doorway and was acting as some kind of lookout.


    ¡°Can you tell me something more about these Squall guys? What did Andi mean when he said ¡®most of them¡¯ aren¡¯t bad?¡± Severin figured it would be stupid not to ask if he had the chance.


    ¡°White Squall. It¡¯s another guild. The one we just worked together with.¡± Lynn¡¯s replies were as concise as ever.


    ¡°I figured that much,¡± Severin nodded to indicate his understanding. ¡°What about ¡­¡±


    ¡°As for the second part of your question. Most of them are easy enough to work with. It¡¯s just one of their officers. Simon. Son of their guild lead. Looks down upon every other guild below their own rating. To put it mildly.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®Seems like nepotism is a thing here as well,¡¯ he laughed to himself as he remembered Harold, the Lion¡¯s Head¡¯s [Barrier Mage], to be in a somewhat similar position.


    Severin threw a meaningful glance in Xander¡¯s direction and said, ¡°So he¡¯s an insufferable prick?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Lynn¡¯s exclamation sounded almost amused. ¡°Not like that.¡±


    The answers were pretty much what he¡¯d expected, although they didn¡¯t reveal anything too substantial. Therefore, he wanted to get something slightly more specific out of the healer when suddenly he felt a small elbow in his ribs.


    ¡°Wha¡­¡± Seeing the solemn expression of his assistant who had also listened in and who now silently mouthed the word ¡®Map¡¯ at him, made Severin reign in his urge to curse. Instead, he sneaked a glance at his interface.


    ¡°Say. What¡¯s this guy¡¯s class?¡±


    ¡°Simon¡¯s? [Warrior]. He¡¯s a tank. Just like Andreas. Always followed by his personal healer, Eddy.¡± She didn¡¯t even try to hide the disdain in her voice. ¡°That one isn¡¯t all that bad, though. I think. Hard to say.¡±


    Emily and Severin looked at each other before turning towards the door and trying to look behind the distracted healer¡¯s back.


    Simon and Edward. The two dots had almost arrived.


    The [Shopkeeper] and his [Employee] weren¡¯t the only ones inside the store to notice this, though.


    Noticing the approaching steps behind her and the dying down of the bustling atmosphere on the outside, Lynn turned around.


    Her expression turned grim. ¡°Speak about the devil. Guys¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re done.¡±


    The two men entered the store; One of them was a few steps ahead of the other.


    Only the word ¡®immaculate¡¯ seemed to appropriately describe the one at the front.


    Tall. Close to 1.9 m. Slightly taller even than Severin.


    Blonde. Also, just like the [Shopkeeper]. But lighter in color. Fashioned into a Caesar cut.


    Bright eyes. A chiseled jaw. Broad shoulders.


    Being the same class as Andreas meant that they both wore similar kinds of equipment, but even a layperson could tell the qualitative difference.


    ¡®In his mid-twenties,¡¯ Severin estimated.


    He didn¡¯t like the guy.


    The man, Simon, quickly swept the room with a glance, not bothering to acknowledge any of the people inside. Not even the shop owner himself. Instead, he pointed with his right hand. Apparently a signal to the other man accompanying him.


    This second person was clearly older; Somewhere in his forties. In fact, everything about that person seemed to be the direct opposite of Simon. He was relatively small, at least in Severin¡¯s eyes, as he didn¡¯t even reach the 1.7 m mark. Black hair.


    Most importantly, the guy was heavy. Not the buff, muscular kind of heavy, but the kind that made Severin wonder if that person truly was an adventurer. However, that somehow just made him appear more likable in Severin¡¯s eyes.


    Edward quickly gave Severin and the others an apologetic smile as he nodded in place of a greeting. It didn¡¯t seem to be the first time the duo operated like that. He quickly, and without saying a word, scurried deeper inside the store, where he inspected the various displayed items.


    Severin stood there gaping, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. That level of blatant disrespect was new to him.


    To Emily, it wasn¡¯t. Unlike in the past, though, she didn¡¯t run. Instead, she grabbed Severin¡¯s sleeve and stood beside him, waiting for the situation to unfold.


    After the initial shock, Severin was just about to bite the bullet and be a good salesperson.


    At that moment, though, the surprisingly fast-moving Edward had already gathered a handful of items off the shelves and presented them to his boss.


    Reading one tooltip after the other, one could see him lose his composure as his expression became more and more incredulous. The older man managed to keep his cool; At least in comparison. But even he still needed a few moments to process what he saw.


    After that, he cleared his throat to snap Simon back to reality.


    Ahem


    Realizing he had been standing there gaping with all eyes on him, something he usually very much enjoyed, Simon¡¯s mood turned for the worse.


    ¡°Hah. So that¡¯s what it takes for people like you to become somewhat useful. Guess that drunken idiot didn¡¯t lie, after all.¡±

 Chapter 50

    The moment the young [Warrior] acknowledged the other party''s presence, he insulted them.


    ¡°You!¡± Xander was furious. More so than if only he himself had been insulted.


    Even though he was still the guild¡¯s newest recruit, the sense of camaraderie, belonging, and gratefulness he felt towards them was very real. As a [Duelist], he felt confident in his ability to take on the arrogant pick in front of him, all by himself; Even if the latter was, evidently, better equipped and, presumably, at a higher level than him.


    Xander was about to pounce.


    He would get behind his target with a movement skill, while simultaneously equipping his weapons and then strike right at the spine. That was usually the way he would deal with humanoid enemies he thought he could one-shot.


    Andreas was able to remain more levelheaded and stopped him from making a move simply by laying a hand on his shoulder.


    With their own reinforcements camping outside it was no question whether or not they were able to beat Simon. No matter if he had his personal healer or not. But a resulting guild war was not something the Lion¡¯s Head guild would survive.


    Maybe if Simon wasn¡¯t basically guaranteed to also have used some church¡¯s soul-binding services, and therefore able to exact vengeance on them, things would be different. By the way things stood, however, the group could just grind their teeth and throw some fierce looks.


    ¡°Growling at their betters. Like some untrained mutts. But too afraid to actually bite.¡± Simon was not oblivious to the effects his words had. In fact, he seemed to downright revel in the other group¡¯s impotent rage. And if his words hadn¡¯t already been enough, the way he, quite literally, looked down on everyone else surely was.


    ¡®They had access to such items, and they still ranked below them? Did they even try? Wasn¡¯t that casting pearls before swine?¡¯ Just when Simon was about to say these, and similar thoughts out loud, Edward intervened.


    ¡°Sir. Is there anything else?¡±


    That simple interruption seemed to ruin his fun.


    With lost interest, he didn¡¯t dignify either the raging Xander or the rest of his similarly upset group, with any further glance.


    He waved off the healer and turned towards Severin, acting once again as if the others didn¡¯t exist.


    Simon scanned the [Shopkeeper] from head to toe, before making a suggestion.


    ¡°You crafted this stuff?¡± It was more of a statement than an actual question. He didn¡¯t wait for an answer. ¡±Then let¡¯s talk some business. There is no need for you to be stuck on this shabby mountain in the middle of nowhere, peddling to this kind of people.¡± Simon didn¡¯t have to further specify who he was talking about. ¡±And for a pittance at that. But I guess that¡¯s all these people can afford. So, why don¡¯t you become the White Squall¡¯s exclusive merchant instead? We¡¯ll pay dou¡­triple the amount you currently demand. Most importantly, no one will dare cause any trouble to you under our protection. What do you say?¡± Simon¡¯s smug grin made it obvious that there wasn¡¯t any doubt in his mind. There was no way Severin would decline the offer.


    Having heard Simon¡¯s offer from the side of the room, the other¡¯s anger immediately dissipated. Instead, they became nervous. Being in the White Squall¡¯s good graces and enjoying their protection was really no small deal.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.They feared losing their access to Severin¡¯s shop and his wares.


    Naturally, Edward was also observing everything. Unlike the others, he was able to judge things more clearly. To him Severin¡¯s unhappiness was apparent. But still, just like the other group of adventurers, he was fairly certain that Severin would accept Simon¡¯s offer. Even if the [Shopkeeper] initially declined, then it would be up to Eddy to convince him otherwise. Not with threats, but simply by pointing out all the legitimate advantages of such a deal. The plumb man had often been in similar situations while accompanying the guild leader''s spoiled son. No matter how unhappy they initially were, in the end, people never declined.


    Maybe if they were bigger. Established. Under someone else¡¯s protection.


    But besides Simon¡¯s overbearing conduct, the pros were too good to resist.


    A common worry would be that even with a price increase, to three times the original amount, their actual profit would still end up less than before because of the exclusivity clause. But that wasn¡¯t necessarily true. Most people didn¡¯t realize how big the White Squall guild actually was. The number of raid groups they had under their banner was enough to establish ten new guilds. And not just small ones which only had one raid group at a maximum.


    Just their base in the Golden Mountains could rival a small village both in size and in population. A prosperous life would be all but guaranteed. So what if they had to endure Simon¡¯s antics every once in a blue moon?


    Edward knew he had to step up soon. He saw how Severin was looking more and more discontent.


    And indeed, Severin was fuming. At first, Severin had been more amused than annoyed by Simon¡¯s outrageous behavior. It was too ridiculous for him to take it seriously.


    Things got worse when he started to actively insult his customers instead of just ignoring them and putting on airs.


    Still. In the beginning, Xander had been pretty obnoxious as well; And he could still be. Then there was the talk about ¡®protection¡¯, which could easily have been understood as some kind of veiled threat. But again, Xander had also threatened him back then.


    No, what really had done it for Severin was the [Warrior¡¯s] talk about the mountain.


    His mountain. The mountain he could not leave even if he wanted.


    ¡°Not interested! Now buy something or get out.¡±


    Edward put on his smile as he was secretly annoyed that he once again had to mediate on Simon¡¯s behalf. ¡±If you would hear me out first.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to work for someone this rude! We do very well on our own.¡± Emily''s sudden intervention came as a surprise even for Severin. It certainly was out of Edward¡¯s expectations. He was racking his brain for a way to mend the situation. But Simon didn¡¯t give him any time.


    ¡°You! Who do you call rude? What do you know about manners, you stinky brat?! Careful that I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    At this point, even Andreas was about to let himself go. Much less holding back Xander.


    But just when things were about to escalate¡­


    plop


    Silence.


    One moment Simon was threatening a little girl. The other moment he was gone.


    At this point, even Severin was caught off guard. Whatever he had expected to happen when blacklisting someone, that wasn¡¯t it.


    Everyone else, besides Em, who had access to the System¡¯s notifications, was obviously even more perplexed. The corpulent healer had already lost all color and was deathly pale as he frantically scanned his immediate surroundings for the troublemaker.


    Until the angry screams from the outside reached their ears.

 Chapter 51

    Edward was the first to react. He was surprisingly fleet-footed and nimble. So much so that he somehow managed to throw a bunch of gold coins towards the counter and pocket the items he had previously collected, all while sprinting out the door towards the enraged voice.


    The rest looked at each other, dumbfounded. Only for a few moments, though, as they soon rushed after the man. This group was led by Em and Severin. They had a better idea of what just happened and, therefore, managed to accept the situation somewhat faster than the other remaining adventurers; Not to mention the slight lead the two of them had over the group that was crammed on the other side of the room.


    The people outside were just as confused. Maybe even more so than the people coming from the inside.


    A person that had just a few minutes earlier entered Severin¡¯s store suddenly appeared next to them. Just outside the irregular-shaped area, which was demarcated by the strange wooden fence, all around the wooden hut and made out of the very same material.


    By all means, the suddenly translocated person should¡¯ve been the one most confused in this situation.


    Instead, he was the first to act. The moment he found himself staring at the building which he had just been inside, he screamed some unintelligible, but obviously angry, words, giving everyone a scare.


    Without thinking any further, he started to rush forward like an enraged animal. A comparison which was rather apt considering that the heavily armored tank was using a skill which was commonly referred to by the name ¡®bull rush¡¯; A skill used as a gap closer to allow for quick engagement as one slammed, usually shield-first, and with full force, into the enemy.


    Edward seemed to have already crossed more than half of the distance separating him from his ward when Timothy, Miriam, and all the others arrived outside.


    Just in time to witness Simon¡¯s angry charge.


    But before anyone could even think about stopping him, something else happened.


    [Automatic defense system activated.]


    Neither Severin nor Emily was given enough time to process the notification.


    Boom


    It sounded almost like an explosion.


    The moment Simon would¡¯ve, once again, entered the store¡¯s premises, a massive, translucent, but still clearly visible, purplish barrier manifested itself in his way. The thing was the most saturated at the point of impact and gradually lost its color outwardly. Until it couldn¡¯t be seen anymore. As such, the full extent of the barrier couldn¡¯t be easily observed. Based on the thing¡¯s curvature and positioning, though, just along the wooden fence, no one of the people who had seen this phenomenon doubted that the barrier stretched over all of Severin¡¯s property.


    Then, after a second or two, the whole thing disappeared again.


    But that wasn¡¯t what had everyone stunned. Using barriers on that scale as a means of defense, while extravagant, wasn¡¯t unheard of, despite its prohibitive costs. No, what scared them was what happened to Simon. Instead of just being blocked, which was usually how any kind of barrier worked, it was as if Simon was the one being charged.


    Upon impact, he was helplessly, and with full force, flung backward for more than fifteen meters. Only the fact that Simon, as a tank, could take a lot of punishment and had a rather extensive health pool, prevented him from getting seriously hurt. Meaning he got away with just a few broken bones.


    In hindsight, he was very lucky with the spot he had been transported to when blacklisted by Severin. Depending on the initial starting position of his mindless charge, the crash could¡¯ve easily catapulted him off the sides of the mountaintop and down towards his death.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Like this, it was only his ego that was really hurt.


    Then hell broke loose.


    ¡°What was that?!¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you see this?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that Simon?¡±


    ¡°Haha. Whatever that was, it serves him right!¡±


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Did I miss something?¡±


    The voices of around twenty people erupted. Some shouted in amazement, while others missed the whole thing or wondered if they were still inebriated.


    Still, others became fearful and skeptically glanced towards the ordinary-looking fence.


    Among them, Lynn and Andreas could hear Xander¡¯s audible gulp.


    ¡°What was¡­that?¡± The people in the immediate vicinity, those that had just come out of the shop, all slowly turned towards Severin for answers.


    ¡°That¡¯s a force field¡­?¡± No one seemed to be able to spot that Severin himself wasn¡¯t all that confident in his answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens to troublemakers!¡± The girl¡¯s cheerful exclamation caused not only Xander, but all the people who had made a ruckus inside the store, to turn pale. They didn¡¯t exactly understand how this ¡®force field¡¯ functioned, and they weren¡¯t too keen on finding out either.


    ¡­


    Given the chance, Edward would¡¯ve preferred to stay at the mountaintop and get some more information on the mysterious store with its strange powers and incredible products. And as long as he remained physically unharmed, he didn¡¯t mind Simon getting taught a lesson like that, either.


    But right now, that sadly wasn¡¯t really an option. Especially now that he had to fear that the young man would be blinded by rage and do something even more stupid than usual.


    But, while Simon was indeed seething with rage, he was more levelheaded than expected; Probably fearing to embarrass himself even further. Then again, wouldn¡¯t that be a first? Edward kept such thoughts to himself as he seized the opportunity and somehow managed to relatively quietly and without much resistance, convince Simon to let himself be escorted off the mountaintop. Luckily, at the moment, no one seemed to care about them.


    Looking at the eerily calm [Warrior], Edward knew the whole thing wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°Did you at least take some of the items with you?¡± Simon¡¯s voice was very low, barely audible.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Give them to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ed knew better than to mention anything that just happened and calmly obeyed the orders. A few years of training guaranteed that his voice didn¡¯t betray his true feelings.


    Simon inspected the tooltips of the items in front of him. More thoroughly this time.


    After taking his time, he reluctantly grabbed a red jelly cube and put it into his mouth. While not unbearable, his health points had still taken a hit.


    From the side, Ed could see a look of confusion appearing on Simon¡¯s face before he opened his eyes wide in shock. One after the other, as if suddenly driven mad by the previous incident, did he use up every single one of the remaining items. No matter if the advertised effects did stack or not.


    Only after every single one of the items was finally gone did Simon seem satisfied. A cold, twisted grin appeared on his face.


    ¡°I knew it. That son of a bitch. Head towards the Society¡¯s nearest branch office. Right now!¡±


    Edward didn¡¯t dare to ask what the [Warrior] thought he ¡®knew¡¯, and who he was referring to, though he had a vague idea. Instead, he had a very bad feeling as he adjusted the flying ship¡¯s course.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

 Chapter 52

    Even after quite some time had passed, the people on the mountaintop were still excited.


    Miriam and a few other curious people had begun to examine the mysterious wooden stakes more closely, trying to find anything that might look like carved in runes or something else to power the defense mechanism.


    Tim tried a different approach. In an attempt to bring the barrier back into existence, he continued to repeatedly jump from one side of the fence to the other, earning himself a round of laughter when his robe got entangled and caused him to fall flat on his face.


    In response, the boy started to angrily swing his staff at the nonexistent barrier to vent his frustration and started to cry, ¡°Come out, you stupid thing!¡±


    Severin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Timothy was actually drunk and that he had somehow missed it earlier. Then again, he was curious himself. So, since the System didn¡¯t provide him with any further information, even after the notification had appeared, Severin was tempted to grant his wish. Only temporarily, of course. In the end, after giving it some thought, he refrained from blacklisting the boy even though the thought made him laugh to himself.


    At this moment, something else demanded his attention.


    [Congratulations on completing the quest [A Business Opportunity]. You have been granted new access privileges, allowing you to adjust the percentage of your personal income.]


    Severin was stoked. Apparently, Emily was indeed able to complete quests on his behalf. The completion of the quest meant that Em had just identified Andreas¡¯s third item; Barely starting. Therefore, Severin could take his time to check out the new feature in more detail and didn¡¯t rush inside.


    Upon opening the System screen, he navigated to the management settings. There a new slider had appeared with a small and simple caption saying, ¡®Personal Income.¡¯


    The thing was very much self-explanatory to Severin. At the bottom of the very left side of the slider, it said ¡®0%¡¯. Similarly, on the right side was a ¡®100%¡¯ mark; One which Severin doubted could ever be reached.


    Unsurprisingly, at the moment, it was set to ten percent.


    Playing around with the thing, Severin found he was able to adjust the rate to any value between zero and fifteen.


    Considering that the quest originally stated that his ability to change the ratio would be ¡®very limited¡¯, he was rather pleased with what he saw.


    Without hesitating, he increased his income by five percent.


    Thinking about money and income, he was suddenly reminded of a different matter he had wanted to check out. Where exactly did Em¡¯s one percent worth of salary come from?


    Prior to this, all of his usual customers were either hunting down rampaging, mutated dungeon monsters or, in the case of Samuel, were busy elsewhere.


    With no influx of money, there was no way for Severin to know. Not with the amount of information the System divulged.


    Severin decided to make things unnecessarily hard for himself. Instead of going inside, where he could observe everything firsthand, he decided to let Em handle things on her own for a bit longer.


    He only had the numbers displayed by the System, which from time to time went up, to go by.


    These numbers included his own gold balance, that of the shop, as well as Em¡¯s.


    ¡®No [Employee] privacy rights in this world,¡¯ Severin concluded.


    At first, he wondered if Andreas¡¯s V.I.P. discount changed anything, but he decided it didn¡¯t.


    In the end, after half an hour of observing numbers, drawing calculations on the ground, and wishing for a calculator app he was pretty sure that, surprisingly, the girl¡¯s salary did take precedence even before the System taking its cut.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.That meant if they sold one hundred jelly-potions, each costing exactly one gold coin, then her cut would be one of these coins. That would leave Severin with fourteen gold coins and a few silver ones, instead of the full fifteen. Those numbers were obviously already taking his own recent raise into account.


    Instead of becoming grumpy and starting to complain, as one might¡¯ve expected him to, Severin took joy in this fact. After all, the System itself was just as screwed by this as he was.


    On a more serious note, while questioning the usually coldhearted System¡¯s decisions, he still approved that his [Employees] were looked after. That didn¡¯t mean he had any intentions of further raising their salary, though.


    Realizing that the whole identifying business was apparently still ongoing, he finally decided to check in on Emily to see if she needed any help and, if necessary, assist her. It still was his own store, after all.


    Upon entering, Emily looked him straight in the eyes and greeted him.


    ¡°Hey, boss!¡± She was barely able to hide her excitement.


    Severin¡¯s heart warmed as he saw that.


    ¡°Need any help?¡±


    ¡°No. Thanks!¡± The determined answer came with no hesitation.


    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t worry. She is doing amazing.¡± Andreas also chimed in and voiced his approval of the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone inspect items as fast as her. I have no clue how she still has the mana to continue.¡± He didn¡¯t voice his doubts out loud as he wondered how the girl was suddenly able to use such skills. In return, neither Emily nor Severin revealed that the identifying skill didn¡¯t actually consume any mana. Not keen on repeating a discussion he once had with Samuel, Severin also refrained from mentioning that the skill used was actually[Identify] not [Inspect].


    Instead, both the girl as well as the man began to awkwardly laugh at Andreas¡¯s words.


    ¡°Ha! Look at you two¡­¡± with a smile on his face, Andreas could only shake his head.


    Em kept working. She still seemed excited and, every now and then, sneaked some glances towards Severin.


    The latter observed her work from the sidelines. When he still, despite Andreas¡¯s words, wanted to help her, she scolded him, leaving him flabbergasted.


    Soon enough, however, he found that there really was no need for him to get involved.


    Emily had access to the same skill as him. That meant that a simple touch was all it took to reveal an item¡¯s tooltip.


    It was actually Andreas who slowed down the whole process. He felt that he couldn¡¯t just take out all items all at once. The keeping track of payments and the taking out and putting away of the various items all took their time. Especially when, every now and then, a particularly good item caught the officer¡¯s eyes.


    Severin¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t accelerate things either, as the group of three started to chatter; Everyone else was banned from the store by Andreas so as to not further distract anyone.


    ¡°Thanks, you two. With that, we can finally start to distribute the loot! Once we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll start sending them your way again, so they can restock. Well, or maybe tomorrow. Depending on how long this takes. Sometimes this can take quite a while.¡± After they were finally done, Andreas left the store in high spirits, leaving behind Emily and Severin.


    The moment he left and the door closed behind him, the excitement Emily had held back all that time finally exploded.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing, right?!¡± she said with gleaming eyes.


    Severin wasn¡¯t sure what the girl was referring to, but seeing her like that, he couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    ¡°The quest I mean! The reward!¡± That answer surprised him. He paused for a moment before laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Hahaha. I didn¡¯t think you would appreciate it like that.¡±


    ¡®What a good girl. How excited she is for me.¡¯


    ¡°Now if you turn the slider to zero, we can afford the inn even sooner!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 53

    With a very strained smile did Severin change the income setting under the girl¡¯s excited gaze.


    ¡®Like this, maybe we already have enough gold once everyone finally restocks,¡¯ he grumbled inwardly. He knew it was a stretch. He would do the math later on.


    ¡®I also can¡¯t rely on them to fully restock every single time. This time Andreas already told me they would do so, but under normal circumstances¡­how many consumables can I expect even the most engaged adventurer to consume every few days?¡¯


    Sigh


    ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have antagonized¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t even manage to finish the thought when the image of Simon raising his hand against Emily appeared in his mind.


    ¡°Fuck that guy!¡± He was instantly enraged again.


    ¡°Whaaa?¡± Severin¡¯s sudden exclamation startled the girl. Hearing the high-pitched voice and seeing her wide-open eyes amused him enough to calm him down again. His anger disappeared just as quickly as it had come.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± He didn¡¯t sound too convincing, though. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry. For now, let¡¯s check out what the guys are doing outside. What do you say?¡±


    After shooting him a suspicious glance, she answered, ¡°Sure.¡±


    The two each grabbed a chair and went outside.


    The good twenty adventurers who awaited them outside had all been waiting for this moment. When Andreas emerged from the store and gave everyone the signal, the previous events were almost forgotten. They organized themselves into a wide half-circle. They were surprisingly orderly while doing so, even though they didn¡¯t manage to keep especially quiet.


    For the lack of other alternatives, everyone had to sit down on the ground, with only Andreas standing in front of the group.


    ¡°You all know how this works, so I¡¯ll try to make this quick!¡±


    The [Officer] summoned a shield out of his, seemingly infinitely large, inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one myself. Any objections? No? Good.¡± Just like that, he claimed the first item for himself, with no backlash whatsoever. The others didn¡¯t even seem disgruntled by what looked like a blatant abuse of power.


    He took out another item. This time it was a small ordinary-looking amulet. From the distance, Severin couldn¡¯t make out the tooltip, but he was pretty sure that he remembered it to be another defense-oriented item.


    ¡°Frank? This one should be an upgrade for you, no?¡± Again, there was no objection. Another item had quickly found a new owner.


    The same scene kept repeating itself. A heavy-looking, studded book, a ring, a two-handed staff, and a robe. Of these four items, the former two found their way into Lynn¡¯s possession. The latter two were distributed to two other people who Severin only knew in passing.


    Again there was no opposition. Severin couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. That was not how he had expected things to play out. Was Andreas just going to hand out items like that? With everyone accepting his decisions? From his own experience, this was not how things usually worked.


    He thought things would be more heated.


    ¡®The amount of respect and trust his guildmates have in him is truly astounding. Then again, back then those were just games. Here they risk their actual lives. So it makes sense that people are a bit more level-headed, I guess.¡¯


    Then came the proverbial slap in the face, however.


    The change to Andreas¡¯s jovial demeanor was easily discernible. Even from a few meters distance. The man almost seemed to become smaller as he announced,


    ¡°That¡¯s it already for the tank and heal gear. Next is¡­¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t able to make out the remainder of the sentence. The cheers were too loud.


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going already.¡±


    ¡°About time.¡±


    ¡°Stop keeping us in suspense, Andi!¡±


    Even Miriam and Timothy joined in.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡°Here comes the good stuff!¡±


    The [Warrior] pulled out a sword.


    After everyone had enough time to read through the tooltip, the shouts only became louder.


    ¡°Need!¡±


    ¡°What, need? Didn¡¯t you already get an item last time? I didn¡¯t get even a single one in the last four raids!¡±


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s because you suck!¡±


    ¡°I deal more damage than all of you. Obviously, I deserve the first pick.¡± More and more people joined the argument. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that just mean you need it the least out of all of us?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you guys! I recognize that thing. It dropped from a monster I killed. So, I certainly should have a say in the matter as well?¡±


    ¡°You!? Stay out of it. You can¡¯t even equip it!¡±


    These were only the voices Severin was able to make out. All around there were several heated arguments, just like this one. The stark contrast to earlier made Severin speechless.


    ¡°Not again!¡± Andreas wailed. ¡°Everyone who¡¯s interested, show me your current weapons. We¡¯ll go from there.¡±


    Knowing that they didn¡¯t have any realistic chance to get hold of this weapon when theirs was still relatively new, a lot of the voices fell silent. For now.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even use swords, Xander!¡±


    ¡°Because previously I couldn¡¯t afford one! All my skills are perfectly viable with all kinds of knives and daggers, swords, maces, and one-handed axes. Some I can use even barehanded,¡± the [Duelist] informed his guildmate.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t actually need any weapon anyway¡­,¡± someone jeered from the side, escalating things even further.


    ¡°Say that again?! Wanna duel me? One on one! Winner gets the item! I guess for that I really wouldn¡¯t even need a weapon!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Andreas was near a mental breakdown.


    This was only the first in a long line of items suitable for the guild¡¯s damage dealers. Twelve more followed. Also meaning twelve discussions and arguments about who deserved what piece of equipment. Only Frank and the healers were content and observed the familiar spectacle from the sidelines.


    After that came some more utility-focused trinkets, as well as a few consumables and crafting materials. Most of these would end up in the guild¡¯s storage, though. Or be sold. Either to some merchants, they were on good terms with, or directly to some smaller guilds or even independent adventurers.


    The same was true for some of the lesser quality weapons and armors which Andreas had previously excluded from the pool of items he had just distributed.


    The dropped gold, on the other hand, as it was easier to split evenly, had already been allocated the day before.


    Needless to say, Andreas¡¯s earlier claim that these things ¡®could sometimes take a while¡¯ turned out to be somewhat of an understatement. By the time everything was settled, it was already getting dark, and no one was actually thinking of doing any more business for the rest of the day.


    Instead, a lot of adventurers took after Samuel¡¯s mentees and started to test their newly acquired items in a direct confrontation.


    While being very conscious about their distance to the wooden fence, though.


    Andreas was visibly exhausted. Still, after some deliberation, Severin decided to approach him.


    ¡°Quite a show, huh?¡± Andreas still hadn¡¯t lost his humor and perked up when he saw the [Shopkeeper], who was closely followed by his young assistant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have a more efficient way to distribute your loot?¡± Obviously, they hadn¡¯t, otherwise, the [Officer] wouldn¡¯t have gone through all that trouble. Severin couldn¡¯t help himself asking, nonetheless. The whole situation, while entertaining, seemed almost bizarre to him.


    A tired look was all the answer he got.


    ¡°Here is an idea. Like, you guys could hand out a fixed number of points for let¡¯s say¡­ participating in a raid and killing bosses. Or maybe even for clearing a dungeon or attending certain guild events, or for providing help internally. Something like that.¡± He couldn¡¯t completely hide his sheepish smile when he saw that he caught the man¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Then, when it comes to distributing loot, everyone can use their points to bid on the items they want. Like an auction. You could call them¡­hmm, let¡¯s say¡­¡± Severin had to clear his throat.


    Ahem


    ¡°DKP, for example.¡±

 Chapter 54

    Andreas was taken by the concept and seemed to slowly regain some of his previously drained energy.


    ¡°Haha. That would make things much easier to organize. And items that won¡¯t get any bids will just get stored in the guild bank instead. Or be sold together with the lesser quality stuff. No one will any longer just claim stuff because it¡¯s free. And most importantly, it would also give me a tool to keep certain people in check. I love it!¡± Andreas¡¯s eyes almost glistened as he said that. Severin was confident that he knew of at least one such person Andreas was thinking about.


    ¡°If they don¡¯t behave¡­Hehe¡­ they have only themselves to blame if they can¡¯t afford any more loot in the future! Someone other than Frank or me deciding to pull a monster? Say goodbye to your DKP! Disobeying an officer? Minus DKP! Coming unprepared? Don¡¯t even think about it! Hahaha!¡± The initially faint mumbling became ever louder and Andreas seemed almost manic as he started to laugh like a madman.


    Severin felt Em¡¯s small hands grab his arm as both of them slowly tried to back off.


    A few of the other people also looked over, but they were too far away to have heard anything of the exchange. They didn¡¯t yet know what was in store for them.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry everyone. That wasn¡¯t what I had in mind when I made the suggestion. I swear!¡¯ In his thoughts, Severin apologized for creating a monster.


    ¡°Hey wait! Don¡¯t you have some more ideas? Anything?¡± For a moment Severin thought the man would leap right at him.


    ¡°No!¡± Severin snapped in return. Even if he originally might¡¯ve had any other ideas, he already regretted his actions. Seeing the officer take delight in the prospect of getting back at some of the more unruly guildmates, made him feel sorry. Even for someone like the [Duelist]; He didn¡¯t hate the man enough to let twenty other people suffer just to teach him a lesson. And besides. Most of his grudge had already been buried anyway; Not the least thanks to him introducing him to Em.


    ¡°Too bad.¡± The regret in Andreas¡¯s voice was real, but at the same time, he was coming back to his senses.


    Sigh


    ¡°I¡¯d first have to run it by the leadership anyway. And it would probably be more efficient if the main group adopted it as well.¡± He shook his head and said while observing the other adventurers, ¡°They know how to behave when it really matters, but on other occasions¡­I mean you just witnessed everything firsthand...Well, never mind all that for now.


    Hearing Andreas¡¯s offhand comment Severin was suddenly very intrigued.


    ¡®So they have another raid group, huh? Thinking about it, it should¡¯ve been obvious. Especially when he kept mentioning a guild leader from time to time. No way that guy isn¡¯t leading another group. And they should probably be quite some levels above everyone here. Otherwise, there would be no need to put his son Harold in a different group. Guess I¡¯ll meet them too, sooner or later. And these guys should have even more money to spend, no? Hehe. Maybe I should¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mind telling me how you came up with the idea?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Having his thoughts interrupted after spacing out, Severin was momentarily a bit slow on the uptake.


    ¡°Oh. The DKP stuff? Ha.Ha. I didn¡¯t actually come up with it myself. It¡¯s just something we adopted back then.¡± Severin felt a pang of nostalgia thinking back to the countless nights he had spent in front of his computer, playing video games with his friends.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.¡°Oh?¡± Not only Andreas, but Emily as well perked up when she heard this.


    ¡°So you also used to be an adventurer like them?¡± She looked at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief. ¡°Ha.Ha. Something like that.¡± It came close enough to the truth that it didn¡¯t feel like a complete lie to him. And, without revealing information he wanted to keep secret, at least for now, it was probably one of the better excuses he could come up with. That didn¡¯t mean, however, that he was very comfortable in his skin at that moment. He waved them off, indicating he didn¡¯t want to further talk about the subject. If he were to accidentally be exposed as a fraud, he wouldn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°That was a long time ago. I¡¯m just a shopkeeper now.¡±


    ¡°Have you also been in a guild?¡± Emily either didn¡¯t catch on to Severin¡¯s, not all that subtle, attempt to change the subject or just didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted reluctantly but refused to say any more on the topic.


    Andreas decided to help him out, as he knew there were a lot of reasons for an adventurer not wanting to talk about their past; He hadn¡¯t missed the earlier hint of sadness in Severin¡¯s eyes either. Andreas thought he had a good idea why Severin was so reluctant to talk. Annihilated guilds, for example, by a difficult raid or a competing guild, were common enough for him not to push the matter. He stopped Emily before she got any other chance to bother her boss further and instead brought up a different question which he thought Severin would be more willing to answer.


    ¡°What does this DKP even stand for?¡±


    He answered without thinking, ¡°Dragon kill points.¡±


    The moment the words left his mouth he regretted it.


    ¡°You killed dragons?!¡±


    ¡°A Dragonslayer? You?¡±


    Severin started to panic and stumbled over his words. ¡°Well, kinda. Wait, I mean¡­no!¡±


    That didn¡¯t stop Andreas from looking at him with a sense of newfound respect.


    ¡°No need to be modest. I understand,¡± Andreas said as he gave him a knowing look.


    ¡®What do you understand?! Don¡¯t give me that look. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry.


    While Severin truly didn¡¯t seem like some ex-bigshot-adventurer, be it his clothes, his figure, or his overall demeanor, it explained a lot of things in Andreas¡¯s mind. All the never seen before items. The protective barrier, which seemed like something even small cities couldn¡¯t afford. All those things had to come from somewhere, and him being a decorated, high-level, adventurer was a more plausible explanation than most.


    Emily on the other hand was a bit more skeptical. After all, she also had access to the System and had seen Severin¡¯s status screen. Nowhere did it mention any other class than [Shopkeeper]; Besides the [Alchemist] subclass, of course. And both their levels didn¡¯t seem to belong to some heroic adventurer, either.


    But even if it wasn¡¯t for the threat of severe punishment if she went against Severin¡¯s apparent interests, she decided it was better not to voice her doubts in front of other people.


    Though that didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t ask him later in private. Probably.

 Chapter 55

    Severin quickly decided to excuse himself for the night, not allowing anyone to ask any more uncomfortable questions. Things had already gotten way out of hand. He didn¡¯t even give the girl a good opportunity to follow after him. According to Severin¡¯s map, she instead stayed with Andreas for a bit longer before retreating into her own room.


    The [Shopkeeper] didn¡¯t immediately go to sleep. Instead, he walked through his store and checked all the items in his assortment to make sure he didn¡¯t forget any, as he made some simple calculations to predict the profit he would make off of Andreas¡¯s group this time around.


    ¡°If I round everything down to account for some leftover items, they may have and that don¡¯t need replenishing, or because they just don¡¯t need every single one of the oils, I expect them to spend about thirty thousand gold just for the regular items. Adding to that, the coins I already had as well as the money Em earned today identifying items¡­¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Maybe forty thousand in total. Still, a long way to go. Then again, the extra purchases for the items to use with the combinator, as well as its activation cost, should earn me another good chunk of money. But it¡¯s harder to predict how exactly they¡¯ll use their daily charges. The stat boosters and their possible combinations should be rather popular amongst them, but they might still prioritize potions instead. And these don¡¯t actually amount to very much anymore. Just one of the new elixirs is worth more than all the currently available potions a person can buy in one go together.


    And for whatever reason, besides Xander and a few of the other people, no one else used the combinator today. What¡¯s up with that?¡± Severin became anxious, thinking about the last bit.


    ¡®Maybe I should go back and remind them; If it wouldn¡¯t look so desperate.


    But reaching even just the minimum amount of one hundred thousand gold is already hard enough as is¡­¡¯


    The following morning, some of his worries were alleviated. Only partially, though.


    ¡°We plan to stay for the next couple of days. A bit of rest and downtime before trying to conquer one of the raids we¡¯ve previously been stuck on. Fully stocked with your consumables and with the benefits we earned during this last incident, I believe our chances are rather good. At the very least we¡¯ll be able to make it out again without losing anyone. But we¡¯ll definitely be stuck inside for a few days. Maybe even a week or two. But definitely longer than the time we needed for the dungeon break, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Hearing that, Severin was astonished. What scale had that raid to be for twenty people needing to spend multiple weeks inside? Didn¡¯t that suggest that it might span an area that was larger than the previous battlefield? Severin wanted to ask about these things but felt it would destroy his newly gained image of a dragon slayer. And, in turn, provoke other unwanted questions. So, he kept his mouth shut in hope that Emily would be curious enough to ask these questions in his stead. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t; Very much to Severin¡¯s frustration.


    The officer continued, ¡°So I figured if we have to wait for Harold¡¯s return anyway, and without any other pressing issues, we might as well rest here and take this opportunity to make use of your combination machine as much as possible. Four days should be enough for that purpose, I reckon. Forty activations. Since the resulting items, sadly, still have carrying-capacity limitations in place, that many items should be enough for each person. That being said,¡± Andreas suddenly looked at Severin with a look of overplayed indignation, ¡°when do you intend to build some form of shelter for your customers? So far out in nowhere, not offering any kind of lodging just won¡¯t do! Unless you don¡¯t mind us setting up a more permanent kind of fortification, ourselves?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Ha.Ha.¡± An awkward, noncommittal laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do about that.¡±


    ¡®If only you knew.¡¯


    ¡°In fac¡­¡±


    Slap


    A small hit to the back of her head. Just when Andreas was distracted, shut Emily up.


    ¡°Soo. What are your plans until then?¡± Severin asked innocently, as if he wasn¡¯t aware of Em¡¯s annoyed glares.


    ¡°Besides resting, you mean? I suppose a few of the guys will take a look at some of the more obscure dungeons in the vicinity. To prevent another dungeon break, these should all be cleared out, anyway; And rather sooner than later. Though I guess that¡¯s something the Adventurer¡¯s Society will take care of.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How diligent you guys are,¡± Severin joked.


    ¡®Good! So, it seems before leaving for good, they¡¯ll be consuming some more of the regular items. That¡¯s something, at least. Still¡­ with Samuel still gone, there won¡¯t be much for us to do. I wonder what Miriam and Tim will do this time around.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not diligence that drives them, it¡¯s loot,¡± the [Warrior] laughed before he continued.


    ¡°Tell me when you guys are open for the day. Since we have a bit of time, we don¡¯t actually have to do it all in one go. As long as everyone gets to use their daily charges, we don¡¯t mind splitting the remainder of the order over several days.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We got this!¡± A chance to prove herself seemed to energize the overeager girl.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Severin nodded in agreement. ¡°We might need a break or two, but ever since I upgraded my tools and got Em¡¯s help, something like this shouldn¡¯t be too much of a hassle anymore. We¡¯ll be fine,¡± he echoed Emily¡¯s sentiment.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t mind if we do!¡±


    ¡°Why did you stop me earlier?¡±


    The morning and noon were busy. Severin¡¯s [Employee] served the customers while he himself was solely focused on crafting. Not fast enough, however, to completely counteract the constant stream of disappearing inventory. During the afternoon, after announcing a short break and temporarily closing shop, Emily also started to help out crafting items. At that time, she took advantage of the situation that both of them were alone and brought up the earlier incident.


    It took him a moment to even understand what she was referring to.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The slap! Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± he ruffled Emily¡¯s head, almost causing her to spill a potion in the making. She became even more annoyed at him.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    He conceded. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily raise their expectations. You heard them. They¡¯ll be gone for quite some time. And yet there probably won¡¯t be any lodging for them even once they¡¯re back. Don¡¯t forget we won¡¯t make any money during that time.¡°


    The girl didn¡¯t seem convinced by that argument at all.


    ¡°So what? Isn¡¯t it still better to let them know that it¡¯s something we¡¯ve planned and are working on? That¡¯s Customer communication.¡±


    He almost choked. ¡°Where did you hear that expression?!¡±


    ¡°Hmpf,¡± she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I pick up things.¡±


    Seeing Severin gaping at her with no apparent intention to further defend his questionable decision, she thought it was a good opportunity to press him on another matter instead.


    ¡°Did you truly kill dragons?¡±

 Chapter 56

    Severin suddenly seemed very focused on his work.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He furrowed his brows in displeasure as he kept on crafting.


    ¡°Boss?!¡±


    His assistant didn¡¯t let him ignore her, though.


    ¡°So you lied.¡± She exclaimed with more disappointment in her voice than she really felt.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie!¡± In the face of that accusation, he couldn¡¯t keep up the act and felt like he had to defend himself. ¡°Well, not really, at least.¡± He felt he was being exposed by who should¡¯ve been his loyal companion. At the same time, he didn¡¯t want to lose his standing in her eyes. He wouldn¡¯t let her, of all people, think him a liar. At most, he stretched the truth a bit. Nothing more.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t even claim to have slain any dragons! You guys just jumped to conclusions. So how come I¡¯m the liar now?! Why must I justify myself?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain! And you probably wouldn¡¯t believe me, anyway.¡± He still tried to wiggle himself out of the situation.


    ¡°Try me,¡± she challenged him.


    ¡°What happened to my cute, obedient [Employee]? Do I have to look for a replacement already?¡± Severin mumbled just loud enough for the girl to hear him. Unimpressed.


    Sigh


    ¡°Where I¡¯m originally from¡­¡± Severin no longer pretended to be working. Instead, he was focused on finding the right words. He was not going to admit he had been talking about playing games.


    ¡° ¡­we have some kind of rather unique¡­ artifacts!¡± He almost shouted the last word, as he was very pleased with himself for coming up with that description.


    ¡°Artifacts which can simulate places full of all kinds of different monsters and bosses even.¡±


    ¡°Simulate?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s something like an illusion. Meaning, that even if you die in this simulation, there is no harm to your actual body.¡±


    ¡°And there you can fight against dragons?¡± Emily actually believed him and felt like she understood the crux of the matter.


    ¡°Right.¡± Severin nodded.


    ¡°But to kill a dragon you would need¡­¡± He quickly cut her off.


    ¡°An entire group of people, yes. Multiple people, each with access to one of these artifacts, can join up and fight together. I didn¡¯t do it alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s that¡­ you¡¯re just a [Shopkeeper].¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± He glared at her.


    ¡°Ah! No! I mean. I don¡¯t think you don¡¯t have any combat skills, right? So¡­¡±


    Mollified by her timid reaction, he explained, ¡°You can choose a class you want to pla¡­, I mean experience, for the duration of your adventures. And besides, at the time I didn¡¯t even have a class yet. Everyone is able to activate them. No magic needed.¡±


    She looked at him with disbelief on her face. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying even a regular person could experience being an adventurer? Whereas real adventurers could use it to train themselves without being at risk?!¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± He felt it was close enough to the truth.


    ¡°And the monsters behave like the real thing?¡±


    ¡°As real as any monster I ever encountered!¡± Technically the truth.


    ¡°That means I too could be an [Archer] and fight monsters?!¡±


    Initially, Severin didn¡¯t think the girl would believe him; Now that she did, he started to become even more concerned. Without giving him a chance to interject, she continued, however.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Can we get some of these artifacts?! I¡¯m sure it would help the others a lot!¡±


    ¡°How selfless of you.¡±


    The girl turned red but didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°I bet you could charge quite a lot of money for each activation! Similar to the combinator.¡±


    ¡°And next you¡¯re going to ask me to introduce employee benefits, I assume,¡± he asked in jest.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re offering¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it! But jokes aside, it¡¯s very unlikely to get our hands on one of these things.¡± He didn¡¯t want to raise her hope. ¡°Much less, tens or even hundreds.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Are they so rare? I mean, I never heard of anything like that, but if even classless people are able to afford them, they can¡¯t be that expensive!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem.¡± Severin was getting frustrated. ¡°That place was very far away from here.¡±


    ¡°Oh. But surely, you¡¯ll want to go back and visit home at some point, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Get back to work!¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°If there¡¯s ever a chance, I¡¯ll get you one,¡± he promised after realizing that he had been a bit too harsh on her. Knowing that it was an empty promise, though, he felt a pang of guilt.


    In silence, the two of them continued with their work. Severin felt bad but didn¡¯t know what to say. Especially seeing Emily, who was so bubbly just a few minutes earlier, now so thoughtful, made him filled with regrets.


    The silence stretched on. Severin was waiting for the last batch of items to be finished and, in the meantime, sorted his merchandise. Once he reopened the store again, at least the atmosphere would become more bearable again.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were in a guild? And why would you need to distribute loot?¡±


    Severin blanked for a moment before erupting. ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s what you were thinking about?¡± His mood instantly improved. After having a bad conscience all that time, this reaction came as a relief.


    She had a lot of follow-up questions. Severin¡¯s explanations had been too shallow for her to get a good understanding of what he called simulations. Now, seeing her so curious, he indulged her for a while. Though he deemed it most prudent to leave out as much information as possible. If she was already so excited about the whole thing without understanding the whole scope of it, he feared he would never hear the end of it if she actually did.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simply much better than the real thing? It¡¯s the same, but you don¡¯t have to risk yourself! You can just try over and over again. If it¡¯s like that, you must definitely get more than just a single one!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Severin doubled down on his promise. Still, he was amused. If only because he figured he¡¯d never see one of these ¡®artifacts¡¯ ever again. He didn¡¯t actually care for having a gaming-addicted teen as his [Employee].


    The remainder of the day went by without any further events. Severin opened up the store again and allowed the adventurers back inside. This time, he took it upon himself to serve them while taking his time. He knew the moment he would close shop, the incessant questions would begin anew.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and call it a day,¡± he all but begged her to leave. ¡°It was a long day; You deserve the rest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m still fit. As a good [Employee], how could I possibly let you do all the work on your own?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do! At your age, your body is still developing.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you insist. But the least I could do is stay here and keep you company,¡± she replied with a smug grin.


    ¡°No dallying!¡±

 Chapter 57

    The next day was comparatively slower than the previous. That didn¡¯t mean, however, that they had no customers at all. Twenty-one people claimed their daily combinator uses. Nineteen people belonged to the Lion¡¯s Head guild, which was temporarily missing Harold, one of their officers, plus the two youths Timothy and Miriam.


    Taking into account that Andreas was able to activate the machine five additional times, this all added up to two hundred and fifteen individual activations. Each of which required the input of two items to be then combined into one. This meant even though everyone had already stocked up their inventory the day before, there was still a demand for Severin¡¯s wares.


    Even if there wasn¡¯t any other business during the day, this would already amount to a not-insignificant amount of gold.


    But to Severin¡¯s great joy, there actually was more business.


    On the one hand, there were the two youths, as well as a bunch of other adventurers who followed their example, who started to spar with each other. They used up quite a few consumables during their friendly bouts.


    On the other hand, there were the ones who decided to search for adventure and opportunities. Or simply just a pastime activity to keep themselves busy and have a reason to leave the mountaintop. They were of the breed of adventurers that seemed to be allergic to rest. Of this group, some individuals already left in the evening of the previous day. Most, early in the morning.


    Now, as the day progressed, more and more of these people trickled back to their guild¡¯s camping spot and, naturally, also replenished all the items they had consumed in the meantime.


    There seemed to be a correlation between the time they were gone and the amount of gold they spent afterward, making them very popular with Severin.


    All throughout the day, Severin tried his best to ensure he was never left alone with just his assistant. Not long after getting up, he had to find out that the girl was still obsessing about the existence of magical artifacts which would allow a person to experience the thrills of being an adventurer without having to risk one¡¯s well-being.


    Only the presence of other people was able to stop her from further interrogating Severin about the magical device. At his wit¡¯s end, the latter made up a random excuse for her to not discuss the matter in front of others; And since the girl didn¡¯t want to tempt the System into punishing her for going against the host¡¯s wishes, it was enough to shut her up.


    Being somewhat familiar with the System and its antics, said host doubted that the girl would actually get punished for disregarding an order like that. If anything, it might end up rewarding her for it. He kept those thoughts to himself. She would find out soon enough how much of a scam the System was.


    But until then, even Xander being Xander was a welcome distraction, as both the [Employee] and the [Shopkeeper] busied themselves with their work.


    To Severin, it almost seemed like the [Duelist] was checking in on the girl, but he soon discarded the thought when the man started to question them about the requirements of a V.I.P. membership.


    Being on the receiving end of being pestered herself, it was actually Emily who started to threaten Xander with blacklisting. Much to the amusement of both of the men. Though the laughter of one of the two seemed slightly more strained than the other.


    During their many breaks on this slow day, Severin insisted on sitting outside, together with the adventurers who either stayed behind or had already returned. Much to the girl¡¯s frustration.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Severin, however, was very content.


    His workload was enough to busy himself, while it still allowed him to take breaks whenever.


    He had an, for the most part, adorable [Employee] to assist him and who kept him company, as well as a bunch of regular customers who did the same.


    Some of which were now entertaining him and Emily with their stories and, probably somewhat exaggerated, recounts of their exploits. The atmosphere was boisterous, and Em didn¡¯t manage to keep on pouting for much longer.


    From a hundred meters off, the shrill humming of magic, the clashing of various sized blades, as well as a cacophony of frustrated and excited shouts mixed together, created an even livelier mood.


    Severin truly enjoyed himself.


    He wasn¡¯t even bothered by the prospect of temporarily losing most, if not all, of his income for the next couple of weeks. For a moment it didn¡¯t matter. For a moment he felt like he had truly arrived.


    It was a short-lived moment.


    ¡°It seems like we¡¯re getting company,¡± one person suddenly exclaimed and pointed at the horizon, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Harold,¡± was another one¡¯s first thought.


    ¡°Since when is Sina located in the West?¡±


    ¡°Also, it¡¯s still too early for him to be back already,¡± Andreas added. ¡°If he directly made his way back, sure. But I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°It might just be a random visitor.¡±


    ¡°Right. I found this place without anybody¡¯s help, so¡­¡± Xander sounded strangely proud when he alluded to the fact that it was him who had first introduced his now guildmates to Severin¡¯s store, which earned him a few annoyed looks.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the [Berserker]? Samael?¡± someone else guessed.


    ¡°Samuel. Also, it¡¯s the wrong direction for him as well,¡± one of the more attentive adventurers remarked.


    ¡°Then I fear, it¡¯s most likely them¡­¡±


    Everyone knew who ¡®they¡¯ referred to. The mood became gloomy.


    Simon might¡¯ve been blacklisted and humiliated, but he had seen the tooltips. And Edward had apparently even gotten a hold of some of the consumables. If they hurried to catch up with the rest of their group and decided to act immediately, it was very possibly the White Squall that was now coming their way.


    And that was still the best-case scenario, Andreas felt. Once they too were Severin¡¯s customers, the Squall would be in the same boat as them, wanting as few people as possible to know about this location.


    Worst case? Simon spread the news just to spite them. But then again. Even he couldn¡¯t get away with putting his own petty revenge over the guild¡¯s interests.


    While Andreas was sweating bullets, Severin already started to count imaginary gold coins, totally oblivious to the familiarity of the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not them!¡± came the exclamation of an eagle-eyed [Ranger]. ¡°And it¡¯s only a single ship.¡±


    Most didn¡¯t know whether to feel relief or be concerned. The discussion arose anew. Even Miriam and Timothy, who had long interrupted their spars, joined in. And it was the latter who noticed the very same [Ranger] was now staring with wide-open eyes into the distance.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He nudged the woman with his elbow.


    ¡°The¡­size of the thing. The color. I think it¡¯s the Society.¡±

 Chapter 58

    Despite the tumult, quite a few people heard the [Ranger¡¯s] words and spread the news. Soon everyone present knew who the big flying ship heading in their direction belonged to.


    Still, even knowing that the approaching group was working under the banner of the Adventurer¡¯s Society didn¡¯t answer any of their questions.


    Was their appearance a coincidence? And if so, what was their destination? The Society surely wouldn¡¯t move in such a conspicuous fashion if it wasn¡¯t for something important.


    And if it wasn¡¯t a coincidence? Could this be their actual destination?


    Most people, when they were talking about the Society, were thinking about all the different kinds of services they offered, specifically tailored to the needs of adventurers.


    There was the record-keeping and ranking of guilds, which not only served as a means to raise their overall quality via competition but also allowed adventurers to make a more informed decision when looking for a guild.


    There was the Society¡¯s individual evaluation of adventurers, which had become the de facto standard by which to judge their overall strength and capabilities.


    The initial exploration, mapping, and categorization of dungeons to minimize the loss of lives.


    The famous - and often imitated - quest boards that, not only provided adventurers of all ranks with opportunities but also gave the common, classless people the opportunity to hire proficient help for whatever problem imaginable.


    Then there were the training halls, designed for adventurers who didn¡¯t just want to rely on their levels and instead wanted to further hone their skills in a variety of ways.


    The Adventurer Society worked together with all kinds of reputable and established merchants, inns, auction houses, craftsmen, and even brothels. Basically, anyone who was, even if just remotely, involved in dealing with adventurers and their needs. And wants.


    If they didn¡¯t provide a service themselves, they would point you in the direction of someone who did.


    For the Society to be able to enjoy enough of the adventurers¡¯ trust for things to work out his way meant they had to be very meticulous in their way of gathering and confirming information. As such, the most important requirement for joining the Society was an impeccable record. It was more important even than being a class bearer, therefore allowing regular people to work for them. While some voices opposed that decision, outright excluding the vast majority of people wasn¡¯t a smart idea. Besides, most class bearers wouldn¡¯t even think about wasting their time investigating any random, rundown establishment for some vague hint of a hidden ploy.


    After gathering and processing all relevant information, the next step would obviously be to act upon them. If need be.


    That meant not every miscreant they came across would be executed.


    If an innkeeper charged more than was right, then the most the Society would do was to scratch out said inn from their list of local recommendations; Maybe even explicitly warn people about said establishment. But that was that.


    If, however, a merchant knowingly sold inferior goods, the kind of goods adventurers relied upon during their dangerous excursions, then that meant they willingly risked another person¡¯s life. In these cases, the punishment was accordingly.


    The same, of course, applied if the perpetrators were adventurers themselves. Or maybe even whole guilds who preyed upon other adventurers or merchants.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Naturally, to resolve such matters and execute judgment, not just anyone would do. The ¡®Enforcers¡¯, as they were colloquially called, for the most part, had been adventurers in the past themselves. Successful ones. Certainly beyond the rank of an ordinary silver badge. But just because they weren¡¯t considered being adventurers any longer, that didn¡¯t mean they had stopped to live and act as such. Most still strived to become stronger and to improve themselves. To level up and find better equipment. To push themselves to the limit of what their class allowed. And sometimes beyond.


    As such, conquering dungeons and raids were still common activities for these people whenever time allowed.


    It only made sense for such people to check on Severin and his store. If not for official business, then still out of personal interest.


    ¡°These guys still need consumables. Just imagine what one of the stat booster elixirs would do for them.¡±


    ¡°But who tipped them off? One of you couldn¡¯t shut their trap?¡± More than just one pair of eyes focused on Xander in response to Andreas¡¯s.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t look at me like that! I didn¡¯t say nothing. Besides, wouldn¡¯t a smaller, non-official party make more sense in that situation? To check things out?¡± the [Duelist] argued.


    ¡°Hmm. Guess you¡¯re right,¡± Andreas grudgingly admitted. That¡¯s how they had operated themselves back then. Back then they didn¡¯t immediately come with their entire group. Initially, just Andreas himself and Lynn, led by Xander, came to confirm the latter¡¯s claims. Only after making sure the ¡®Emporium¡¯ wasn¡¯t a scam did they move their entire raid group.


    ¡°Then who did? What are they doing here?¡±


    ¡°Again. Maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence. Maybe it¡¯s about the dungeon break. Maybe the Golden Mountain¡¯s main branch did send someone to assess the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°Right! And clear the remaining dungeons to prevent similar incidents from happening.¡±


    To the majority of people present, that sounded like the most likely explanation. Still, not everyone was entirely convinced.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re headed our way,¡± someone voiced his doubts.


    ¡°No shit! They obviously also spotted us by now. Next to a store. On a flying mountaintop. In the middle of nowhere. Of course, they¡¯d come by to check on us,¡± a tall woman retorted.


    ¡°What are you guys even so excited about?¡± Severin suddenly asked from the side.


    ¡°The real question is, why aren¡¯t you excited?!¡± The officer was exasperated.


    ¡°Hmpf. Why would I? If they dare cause any trouble, I can always just blacklist them.¡± Severin sneered. Having witnessed the power of the blacklist, he didn¡¯t fear any troublemaker.


    ¡°Right!¡± a little girl added as she folded her arms.


    An enraged [Warrior] wanted to smack both of them on the head. ¡°You two¡­!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because we have business in that direction anyway. And because of the severity of the accusation. Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I knew it the moment I saw these fantastical tooltips. Each one was more ridiculous than the other. So much so that the idiot didn¡¯t even know how to price them. If something like that really existed, it would be worth at least ten times as much. If not more! And when I finally got my hands on them¡­nothing! Nothing happened! I probably have to be grateful it wasn¡¯t poisoned. To keep me from spreading the truth and exposing him!¡± the voice said bitterly before continuing, ¡°And these guys down there all have to be in on it! Just look at them! Look how squirmy they are.¡±


    ¡°Hm. We¡¯ll see.¡±


    A stout man listening in from the side had an uneasy feeling.

 Chapter 59

    The flying artifact became bigger and bigger as it approached the mountaintop.


    If one disregarded the missing masts and sails, it truly appeared to be a ship. The size of the thing even trumped the one Samuel used whenever he was accompanied by his two mentees; Even though the same couldn¡¯t be said about its overall quality, most importantly, its speed.


    In comparison, the flying artifacts used by Andreas and the rest of his group could only be considered to be boats at best. The same group that needed to travel while spread over three or four artifacts would¡¯ve easily found enough room to fit on this one ship.


    If the dimensions of the thing weren¡¯t enough to convince everyone of the visitor¡¯s identity, then its emerald-green color did.


    A few hundred meters before reaching the mountaintop, it started its landing approach. Differently from all the other visitors so far, the artifact wasn¡¯t dismissed upon arrival. Instead, it came to a stop right next to the mountaintop¡¯s edge, barely half a meter or so above ground level. It was as if the ship was docking in a port. A gangway appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, to bridge the small gap between ship and mountain further reinforced that impression.


    At the same time, a group of people, too small to really justify the use of a vehicle this size, could be seen standing on the deck. Of this group, four people headed for the mountaintop and towards the people curiously awaiting them. The others stayed behind.


    By now the group surrounding Severin had tuned down their chatter and waited with bated breath for things to unfold.


    That was until the group of four was close enough that everyone could take a good look at them.


    ¡°What is he doing here?!¡±


    ¡°You would think he¡¯d be too embarrassed to show himself here ever again.¡±


    ¡°What is he plotting? Bringing the Society?¡±


    ¡°They might just be fake?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the backlash last time has turned him stupid?¡± another one made an educated guess.


    Two of the approaching people were obviously Simon and his attendant Edward. Based on their facial expressions, they were clearly able to make out large parts of the discussion.


    The latter was visibly uncomfortable with the situation as a whole, not just because of unfriendly comments, and tried to make himself as small as possible as he followed behind Simon. He still felt that something was off. Something about the arrogant young man¡¯s claims just didn¡¯t feel right to him.


    Simon himself, however, had a self-assured gait. As if he had already forgotten the humiliation he had experienced last time. He continued to approach the area belonging to Severin¡¯s store determinedly. Hearing the voices, however, even if he wasn¡¯t slowing down in his approach, it was still enough for his face to turn into a deep red. He was just about to open his mouth and return some of the insults in kind when someone else beat him to it.


    ¡°Are you guys tired of living!?¡± one of the two remaining people started to shout. ¡°To denounce official envoys of the Adventurer¡¯s Society as impos¡­¡± A raised hand from the person walking at the front was enough to shut him up.


    The latter two both wore a simple but sharp uniform; Its color was similar to that of their flying vehicle. Just that design was enough to set themselves apart from all the present adventurers whose gear seemed to be randomly thrown together, with apparently no concern for fashion whatsoever. The golden badge, depicting two crossed swords behind a shield, on the one man¡¯s chest, clearly identified him as the designated leader of the group.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.As the very same symbol was nowhere else to be found, not even on the bow of the flying ship, Severin wasn¡¯t sure if it was the sign for the organization itself or if it was rather indicating the man¡¯s rank within the same.


    Tolerating no further delay or squabbling, this man led the group until they arrived in front of the wooden stakes, which clearly demarcated the store''s premises.


    ¡°I¡¯m Krey, representative of the Adventurer¡¯s Society,¡± the lanky middle-aged man clasped his hands in a strange greeting while nodding his head. The gesture didn¡¯t constitute a bow but seemed very respectful, nonetheless.


    ¡°May I know who the owner of this emporium is?¡± the voice was void of the mockery one might expect when hearing those words. The grey eyes locked onto Severin made it certain the question was only for appearance''s sake, however. Krey had clearly been informed in advance by either Simon or Edward. Either that or the Lion¡¯s Head¡¯s adventurers¡¯ curious gazes had given it away.


    Severin still had no idea what this was all about. At first, he as well thought that it was just Simon wanting to make trouble and try to embarrass himself one more time. But in that case, getting someone from the Society to accompany him didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡®Unless they really are impostors. Or corrupt,¡¯ he thought inwardly.


    Severin had already long stood up.


    ¡°That would be me,¡± he said and nodded. His eyes wandered from Krey over to Simon and the rest of his group, before returning back to the leader at the front. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Drop the act, we co¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you mind if we come inside?¡± Krey simply talked over Simon, not giving him any chance to let the situation escalate.


    ¡°Sure.¡± The [Shopkeeper], joined by Emily, simply turned around and headed towards his shop, counting on his guests to follow him while thinking, ¡®the guy wouldn¡¯t just bring me new customers, would he? Unless he really hurt his head?¡¯


    The two representatives began to move without losing another word. Simon too was about to follow after them but soon stopped when his attendant nudged him.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± he hissed. A meaningful look, however, was all the answer he needed to avoid another clash with a certain defense mechanism. He grudgingly remained at the spot. Edward wanted to head back to the ship where the remainder of the crew observed the happenings on the mountaintop, ready to jump into action the moment their leader gave the signal.


    The young [Warrior] didn¡¯t budge a millimeter.


    He wanted to witness the situation from as close as possible. The moment the scammer and his accomplices of the Lion¡¯s Head guild would be taken care of was a spectacle he wouldn¡¯t want to miss for anything.


    Krey was taken aback when he noticed the oh-so eager Simon not following behind. Still, he didn¡¯t halt his steps. And neither did his subordinate, Ingar ¨C as Severin¡¯s map soon revealed.


    The raid group of adventurers made way for them. Besides a few whispers here and there, everyone was surprisingly quiet.


    That was until, to their regret, the two visitors entered the store and closed the door behind them.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°What is an Enforcer doing here?¡±


    The voices of about twenty curious Adventurers erupted.


    ¡°Hey. Why did you bring these guys?¡± The focus soon turned towards Simon.


    ¡°Hahaha. You think playing dumb will save your skin?¡± Simon couldn¡¯t help but snort and laugh in glee, deciding to selectively ignore all of the insults hurled his way.


    Edward¡¯s feeling, on the other hand, just got worse. If they were truly criminals colluding to swindle people, wasn¡¯t this the point in time where these guys should turn tails and run?

 Chapter 60

    A jeering group, led by Xander, made it their mission to taunt Simon, hoping the [Warrior] would lose his temper and take another step forward. They didn¡¯t actually know if the strange barrier would appear once again, but it was too good an opportunity to waste. Seeing the arrogant man being knocked around like some overconfident bronze badge who tried to solo his first dungeon boss was something they would even pay good money for.


    While the ploy was very obvious and the man in question tried his best not to show any reactions to their cheap provocation attempts, more than once, a despairing Edward had to hold him back.


    At the same time, another group of adventurers were gathered at the store¡¯s entrance, trying to make out what was happening inside. But since not a single sound was escaping to the outside, they soon started to once again discuss among themselves the reason for the Society¡¯s appearance.


    Mostly because of the person who had led the Society to this location, many of the thrown-around theories were rather pessimistic. Most of them, however, were either so ridiculously far-fetched or absurd that they were dismissed almost instantly.


    For example, the suggestion that Severin was a wanted criminal. Not only didn¡¯t Severin seem like the type, but opening a shop that offered a seemingly endless supply of unheard-of treasures, and thereby draw attention to himself, even if the store was located in the middle of nowhere, was not something a person on the run would do. But most importantly, the Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯s reaction would be far more extreme. Only bringing a single ship? Basically, announcing themselves to then ask him to speak in private?


    Overall, while reserved, Krey was still very courteous. Things just didn¡¯t add up.


    ¡°And he wasn¡¯t one bit nervous.¡±


    ¡°If I could summon that strange barrier, I wouldn¡¯t be worried either,¡± someone joked.


    ¡­


    It was indeed because of the blacklist feature and its recently proven capabilities that Severin was rather relaxed. That and the fact that his knowledge concerning the Society and its influence was still rather lacking. After all, ignorance is bliss.


    Having entered his store, Severin took his place behind the counter. Emily followed behind. She was more nervous than her boss and sought his proximity to calm herself. Besides, the counter would make a good cover if worse came to worst, she decided. A thought that would surely earn her a thorough hair ruffling if Severin was aware of it.


    Though Severin wasn¡¯t afraid, he was still curious to know what this visit was all about. He waited a few moments for Krey and Ingar to make it inside and close the door. Then another moment to allow them to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings and take in the sight of his, admittedly modest, store. Only then did he attempt to satisfy his curiosity.


    ¡°So. How can I help you?¡± Severin inquired.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just want to take a quick look at your wares.¡± The [Shopkeeper] didn¡¯t even have enough time to doubt Krey¡¯s words when Ingar suddenly inserted himself into the conversation.


    ¡°A ten percent stat-increase?!¡± he exclaimed while pointing at a shimmering blue tooltip lying on one of the many shelves.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°Seems like that brat had told the truth, after all. How dar..¡±


    Krey cast his subordinate an admonishing glance. Just in time to stop him from finishing his sentence. Not enough to keep him from grumbling, though, as he turned around and continued scrutinizing the displayed items.


    By now, Severin was used to people¡¯s astonished reactions when seeing his wares for the first time. But a different thing caught his attention. He turned towards Emily, who was still standing close to him and speculated in a low voice, ¡°Brat? Must be talking about that Simon guy, I guess. Maybe he thinks advertising our stuff will get him in our good graces.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Emily¡¯s grimace revealed how likely she thought that idea was. However, she didn¡¯t have a more plausible explanation either.


    Unlike Ingar, who was already looking through the shelves in the back of the store, Krey was still close enough to have heard that small exchange. He had a complicated look on his face. This whole situation was very confusing to him, to say the least.


    At this point, he had to try his hardest to keep his professional attitude.


    On the one hand, was a very severe accusation made by an important member of one of the more prestigious guilds in the region. And even though Simon was an obnoxious twat, his grievance seemed real enough. Most people would know better than to make a false complaint. And those who did wouldn¡¯t just stand by and wait for everything to blow up in their face. Most importantly, everything Krey had seen so far matched with the [Warrior¡¯s] words.


    But. Then again. The shop owner was too relaxed. Krey was one of the Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯s Enforcers. At times, this status alone was enough to make even completely innocent people nervous. In fact, the adventurer¡¯s outside seemed more tense than Severin.


    There was only one way to know for sure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take one of these¡­,¡± he double-checked the tooltip, ¡°elixirs.¡±


    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s two hundred. Gold coins.¡±


    Pff


    Ingar didn¡¯t even try to stifle his snort. At the same time, he made his way back to the front half of the store and positioned himself in front of the entrance.


    ¡°Here!¡± Krey quickly handed over a bunch of gold coins. The next moment, a small bottle appeared in his hands. Not the hexagonal-shaped one he had just purchased, but one that every Enforcer would recognize.


    Hesitating only for a short moment, Krey preemptively downed the antidote.


    Only then did he consume Severin¡¯s elixir.


    His expression immediately turned grave.


    ¡°So. What now, boss? Want to try these ¡®potions and enchants¡¯ as well, or do we skip directly to the¡­¡±


    ¡°Ingar!¡± Krey snapped at his subordinate. Then he quickly turned towards a visibly unhappy [Shopkeeper]. There was no way for Severin to miss the disdain in Ingar¡¯s voice when he talked about his ¡®potions and enchants¡¯. ¡°Please excuse him. We really would like to try your remaining wares as well! Of course, we won¡¯t be stingy.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Ingar didn¡¯t want to believe his eyes and ears.


    The next instant, he had one of the remaining elixirs shoved down his throat. His eyes widened in shock. ¡°That¡­How¡­ Can¡¯t¡­¡± he kept on stammering until he shut up under his superior¡¯s intense stare. Only then did he realize how lucky he was. Any of these times, if Krey hadn¡¯t stopped him¡­


    Cold sweat dripped down his back. If it was reported that he, as a representative of the Adventurer¡¯s Society, falsely accused someone of a crime¡­maybe even acted on it¡­


    Losing his position and earning a black spot on any of his adventurer-related records, making it virtually impossible for him to once again become an adventurer ever again, was the best that could happen to him. At worst, his life would be over. Literally.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shudder.


    ¡°If I get my hands on that dirty bastard!¡±

 Chapter 61

    While Severin didn¡¯t know the exact reason for the Society¡¯s appearance, based on the angry outcry and cursing just now, he figured the theory of Simon trying to repent for his behavior had probably been a bit too far-fetched, after all.


    After that, the attitude of his two guests drastically changed. Especially that of Ingar. While his superior had tried his best to reign him in, Severin still wasn¡¯t so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn¡¯t notice the slight tone of hostility in Ingar¡¯s previous words and looks.


    Even the more reserved Krey seemed to loosen up. Maybe because until now, he too harbored some suspicions about the [Shopkeeper]. Maybe because he felt his work here was done, lessening some of the pressure he felt when representing The Adventurer¡¯s Society. Or simply because he was that amazed by the item he had just consumed.


    Only now did he start to pay attention to the other items. Especially to a variety of strange little cubes which were stacked on top of each other, occupying a large portion of the relatively small shop¡¯s shelf space.


    In that regard, Ingar was a step ahead of his boss as he had already looked through all the items the not yet fully replenished shop had to offer.


    ¡°Those seem to be potions, boss.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Krey took a closer look at them and studied the tooltips. Having learned his lesson on previous occasions, Severin quickly nudged Emily into action.


    Reluctantly, the girl made her way around the counter and, on the way, grabbed one of the cubes.


    ¡°Dear customer! I see you have found one of our bestsellers.


    Let me ask you. Aren¡¯t you tired of having to fumble around at the most critical of times any adven¡­ Enforcer ever has to face? Aren¡¯t you tired of having to fight on a battlefield littered with broken and hastily discarded bottles? Or have you ever, in the midst of battle, spilled the contents of your precious potion all over your gear? If your answer to any of these questions is ¡®Yes¡¯, then these potions might just be the right thing for you.


    ¡°I promise you, with our range of exclusive jelly potions, all these problems and inconveniences are just things of the past!


    ¡®Jelly potions?¡¯ you might ask ¨C well, as you can see,¡± Emily¡¯s head turned red as she demonstratively squeezed the red cube between thumb and index finger causing it to slightly jiggle, ¡°our patent-pending crafting procedure allows for a never-seen-before jelly-like consistency for easy access and digestibility. Never before has consuming a potion been this easy!


    Just summon it out of your inventory and pop it right into your mouth.¡± She demonstrated just that and put the cube into her mouth. The next moment, the cube was gone; Dissolved into nothingness.


    ¡°Yes; it is that easy! Our more practiced customers have even gone so far as to summon these little lifesavers right into their mouths. Can you believe that?! With a bit of training, there is no more need to sheath your weapon to free up your hand, or risk poking out your eye with your offhand. And best of all? Your enemies won¡¯t even notice! It revolutionizes the way we fight!¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.Emily hadn¡¯t given Krey or Ingar any opportunity to get a word in. Not that they had any words left. The both of them stared at her in disbelieve, their mouths wide open. The girl was red as a tomato as she slowly turned back towards Severin, who gave her a big encouraging thumbs-up. The [Shopkeeper] had a big grin on his face and nodded for her to continue with the script. Reluctantly, she complied and turned back around.


    ¡°But there is more!¡±


    ¡°More?¡± The small pause finally allowed Ingar to find back his voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We have more than just health potions. Tell me. Don¡¯t you hate it if you take a mana potion and then have to wait out the potion cooldown before you can actually go back into the fray and use your mana? Just so you don¡¯t take any unnecessary risks. Isn¡¯t that counterintuitive? Well, fret not! Our handcrafted assortment of potions doesn¡¯t share any cooldowns with any other potions out there, allowing you to immediately get back into action and support your mates when they most need it! And if that wasn¡¯t enough¡­¡±


    ¡°What?! What do you mean no shared cooldowns?!¡± Krey couldn¡¯t keep calm any longer. If he hadn¡¯t already witnessed the elixir''s unique effects firsthand, this was the moment he would¡¯ve lost his professional bearing and straight up put the duo under arrest.


    ¡°Girl! Don¡¯t joke about something like this! You may not know but¡­¡±


    Ahem


    The sound of Severin clearing his throat snapped the two men out of it and made them aware of the volume of their voices. Though it was far from enough to dispel their doubts, Severin¡¯s solemn expression forced them to at least try out the advertised products before drawing any final conclusions. But the show wasn¡¯t over yet.


    Flustered by the men¡¯s sudden reaction, Emily had lost her train of thought.


    ¡°You may not¡­ ahem¡­?¡±


    ¡°Resources.¡± Severin reminded her in a small voice.


    ¡°Ah, right, resources.


    But even if you aren¡¯t actually using mana ¨C you are in for a treat! No matter what kind of resource you depend on to activate your skills. Don¡¯t worry, we got you covered. Our all-in-one Resource Potions don¡¯t just replenish mana!


    Focus? No problem. Holy Power? Don¡¯t mention it. Energy? For sure. Dread Essence? Even the demons of Austigar won¡¯t be able to compete with this kind of purity! Whatever keeps you going, we got just the thing for you. One potion fits them all.¡±


    ¡°But what about the price?¡± came the objection from behind the counter. ¡°How could anyone afford something like that?¡±


    ¡°Glad you ask!¡± Emily continued to face the Society¡¯s representatives as if it wasn¡¯t Severin himself who had just asked that question from behind her. It took all her willpower to not only keep her face straight but, most importantly, to keep her voice from cracking. She wanted to cry.


    ¡°All four of our basic potions cost just one gold coin each. Platinum badge quality for bronze badge prices! And if that¡¯s not enough for you, for just a small extra charge you can use our Alchemical Item Combinator,¡± with a practiced motion did the girl frame the strange machine standing in the corner of a room, ¡°to customize any products and give them you very own, personalized touch. Regular patrons swear by it; So, buy now!¡±


    ¡°Only while stocks last!¡±

 Chapter 62

    Back when Emily brazenly claimed the Emporium¡¯s potions had their own independent cooldowns, Ingar and Krey had to give it their all to not act rashly. Now she had gone even one step further. Luckily, the girl seemed to be done with her presentation, as the two men couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.


    ¡°Only one gold coin each!?¡±


    ¡°A potion that is able to replenish all kinds of resources?!¡±


    The two men looked at each other doubtfully and hesitated. Under any other circumstances, they would¡¯ve already¡­


    ¡°As you said, it¡¯s just a single gold coin. Why don¡¯t you just try it?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Ingar quickly flicked over two gold coins. Without any more delay and without bothering to first consume his own antidote, he downed the more bluish of the two purchased potions. The next moment, his eyes widened in shock.


    Seeing this, Krey leaned over and wanted to grab the other, more magenta-colored potion.


    Slap


    ¡°Get your own!¡± Ingar, whose original intent was, indeed, to share one of the cubes, suddenly became very possessive.


    Krey was taken aback and stared at the man. He wasn¡¯t so much bothered by his subordinate¡¯s perceived rudeness as he was awed by the speed at which the other cube disappeared into the man¡¯s mouth. The next moment¡­


    "Hahaha! This feeling! I¡¯m invincible. No one can defeat me now.¡± It was impossible for Ingar to hide his excitement; Not that he tried to. Even without having to ask, Krey had a pretty good idea of what was going on. And it was not because Ingar was able to consume the two potions in quick succession.


    Being able to see people¡¯s classes as long as they were within the shop¡¯s premises, and remembering a discussion he once had with Samuel, was enough to allow Severin to also make an educated guess concerning his customer¡¯s sudden outburst.


    Mana was far from being the only resource the different classes used; Even though it was probably the case for the plurality of them. The resource used by a class didn¡¯t say anything about its rarity, nor did it dictate its strength. Generally speaking, however, mana was the resource that was easiest to handle.


    The size of a mana pool was influenced by both levels and gear. Mana-pools in the thousands or even ten-thousands, therefore, weren¡¯t unheard of. The higher level the caster, the more spells they could cast before needing to rest; That tendency was true even when considering that the mana costs of spells also tended to increase with the caster¡¯s level.


    Another aspect was that mana naturally regenerated over time. Even with no potion at hand, if a mana user was spent, a bit of time would do the trick.


    Last were the just mentioned mana potions.


    On one hand, the ingredients to brew a mana potion were not all that rare, to begin with.


    On the other hand, the large number of mana users pretty much guaranteed a large enough demand for both merchants and alchemists to be motivated to eagerly focus on finding ever better mana-replenishment options while at the same time offering very competitive prices.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ingar was a [Monk]. He used ¡®focus¡¯ as his resource. None of the abovementioned benefits applied to him. In fact, on the continent of Galira, there were few known classes for which the management of their resources was more troublesome than this class.


    A [Monk¡¯s] focus was fixed at four hundred. No matter the level.


    Not only that.


    Where a mage entered combat with a full and naturally regenerating mana pool, focus was a resource that steadily degenerated instead. It had to be somehow accumulated infight. In the case of the [Monk] class, the user had to build up their resource by continuously hitting their opponents with a series of comparatively weak attacks.


    The longer this streak was held up, the more focus each and every hit would regenerate.


    But if they missed even just a single hit or took too long in between, they would have to start anew with the ever-present degeneration rendering huge parts of their previous efforts void.


    Of course, several of their skills didn¡¯t require any focus to use at all, but their most impactful skills all required an amount of focus that was a multiple of one hundred, with their most devastating skills only being available if the [Monk] spend a complete four hundred focus all at once.


    Even the most experienced [Monk¡¯s] could count the times they were able to unleash those attacks on both hands. And in almost all these cases, they would¡¯ve needed to rely upon the help and teamwork of a group of others.


    So, where most other classes were expected to be proficient in the use of all of their skills, a [Monk] being able to activate their ¡®Destruction Fist¡¯ was actually a big deal.


    It didn¡¯t help that the [Monk] class wasn¡¯t all that common. Almost no one would bother researching and producing focus-replenishing potions. So not only were these items exceedingly rare but therefore also prohibitively expensive. Most importantly, though, they were rather inefficient; At least for [Monk¡¯s].


    Just as all kinds of classes used mana, focus wasn¡¯t exclusive to [Monk¡¯s] either. So, the best potions, which were able to replenish fifty focus, depending on the class, could be sufficient. For Ingar and his class, however, it wasn¡¯t even enough to reach the first important threshold of one hundred.


    Even disregarding the fact that by the time the user of such a potion was able to attack again, after consuming the potion, their focus would¡¯ve already degenerated down to forty or even just thirty. It was hardly worth it.


    Knowing all this, Ingar¡¯s jubilant behavior was all too understandable. The first cube he had just consumed replenished eighty focus. For a fraction of the usual price. In fact, the price was laughably low. With the matter of cooldowns added on top of this, Ingar¡¯s previous reaction could almost be considered reserved.


    As for the second jelly cube¡­


    ¡°It works! It really works! My focus is completely full. Quick! Give me more! Give me all the stock you have left! I take every last of them. I¡¯ll pay you whatever price you want!¡±


    At this point, Ingar wasn¡¯t able to get a clear thought.


    To Krey, his subordinate''s display, however, was enough to convince him of the store¡¯s magical products and dispel all the doubts he had left, even after consuming the elixir.


    In hindsight, for a store that sold the already tested stat boosters, it didn¡¯t make much sense to try and scam people out of a single gold coin for a potion, to begin with. He was almost a bit ashamed.


    But that didn¡¯t stop him from asking, as he thought back to Em¡¯s advertisement.


    ¡°So what¡¯s that ¡®product customization¡¯ about?¡±

 Chapter 63

    Hearing Krey¡¯s question, Severin didn¡¯t immediately reply. Instead, he turned towards Emily, intending to give her a prompting look. The girl, however, was busying herself by tending to the excited [Monk¡¯s] needs as she gathered the demanded potions for him; The way the girl moved made Severin slightly suspicious whether she was trying to avoid his gaze on purpose.


    ¡®What did I teach her all these sales pitches and presentations for, if in the end, it¡¯s up to me, anyway?¡¯ He reluctantly made his way over to where his counter ended and the advertised combinator stood. He was just about to clear his throat and give the explanation himself when he had an idea.


    ¡°Excuse me for one moment, please.¡±


    Instead of stopping in the corner, Severin continued on and headed towards the door, leaving behind an impatient and confused Krey.


    ¡°What a surprise seeing you here.¡± When Severin opened the wooden door of his store, the first thing he saw was a bunch of adventurers with surprised expressions on their faces, looking as if they had just been caught doing something naughty. With Andreas right at the forefront.


    Severin¡¯s appearance came without any warning. They weren¡¯t able to hear anything through the closed door. His flushed face betrayed the officer¡¯s embarrassment. Neither he nor his fellow adventurers noticed Severin¡¯s dry tone. Otherwise, they might¡¯ve thought that the [Shopkeeper] didn¡¯t really seem as surprised as he had claimed to be.


    Severin didn¡¯t mind these people trying to satisfy their curiosity and therefore didn¡¯t make things hard for them. He didn¡¯t give any one of them the time to further embarrass themselves by stuttering some nonsensical excuse, and instead directly got the point and addressed Andreas.


    ¡°Would you mind doing me a favor and show our newest customers how to use the combinator? Preferably showing them some of the possible combinations as well.¡±


    Andreas was momentarily out of words and blanked while processing the information.


    Most importantly, Severin had called Ingar and Krey customers. That meant there shouldn¡¯t be any trouble with the Adventurer¡¯s Society, which in turn meant no problems with their future supplies. Andreas wasn¡¯t the only one relieved by this thought.


    ¡°Sure thing! No problem.¡±


    The relief paired with his sense of shame was enough for him to accept the request with no delay. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, anyway. If anything, it was actually the opposite, as it most certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt to get to know someone who was able to officially represent the Society and its interests. Krey was obviously not just some random employee. Without much ado, he followed Severin inside, and with a sheepish smile, closed the door in front of his guildmates.


    This short exchange drew a lot of attention even from the group further away from the store. A certain person who only witnessed everything out of the corner of his eye was especially pleased with what he saw.


    ¡°Ha. I knew it! See what just happened? After finally getting the truth out of that dirty bastard, they called the treacherous scum inside as well. Did you see his face there in the end? Too scared to put up any resistance. Even closed the door so his subordinates don¡¯t get to see him when he starts breaking. Doesn¡¯t even try to run for his sorry life. Pathetic. Makes you wonder where these guys even got the nerve to try to pull something like that from. What did they think would happen?¡± The disgust in his voice was impossible to miss; Even if besides Ed, no one understood what exactly the White Squall¡¯s scion was talking about. Of course, they didn¡¯t bother asking him either. Instead, they left, one after the other, to inquire what was actually going on, now that there was some change happening.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.In the end, even Xander couldn¡¯t endure Simon¡¯s nonsense and had to retreat. That wasn¡¯t enough to stop Simon, though. With only his resigned assistant for an audience, Simon kept on rambling.


    ¡°And that Ingar guy. Hahaha. When the door was open, I could see him jump around in a rage. He looked so mad. They¡¯re done for, I tell you.¡±


    Twenty minutes later, there was another change, and the door opened once again. This time, someone actually stepped outside. The crowd of adventurers made way and revealed a very serious-looking Krey. The man seemed to ignore the people surrounding him and just put his right hand up to his mouth. The next moment, the shrill sound of a high-toned whistle could be heard all over the mountaintop and beyond.


    Almost immediately, eight more people, all dressed in the same emerald-green uniform, came rushing over from the spot the airship had previously been docked at; Now the artifact was suddenly gone.


    After only a few breaths¡¯ time, these reinforcements were standing in front of Krey. With a few gestures, the latter split this group into two. One of them was apparently ordered to follow Krey back inside. The other four people took position outside.


    Observing this situation play out, a self-righteous grin appeared on Simon¡¯s face. ¡°See?! That¡¯s what you get. One squad as reinforcements to subdue the scum inside, while the other secures the perimeter outside they¡¯re done for.¡±


    Simon was having the time of his life. He didn¡¯t even mind Edward remaining silent; Not that he noticed.


    The grave injustice that had been done to him by Severin and the Lion''s Head guild was about to be set right. Finally. At this moment, that was all he cared about.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why the rest of them aren¡¯t trying to flee. I guess they realized it¡¯s futile and hope to be granted mercy if they remain obedient. Or they still don¡¯t realize what situation they¡¯re in. Pah.¡± Simon spat onto the ground. ¡°Either way, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get off the hook that easily. Not after humiliating me! I¡¯ll make sure your heads will roll.¡±


    Then something happened. Once again, for the third time in a row, the shop¡¯s door opened. The group of four that had gone inside just some minutes ago all stepped back outside. That much was still within Simon¡¯s expectations. After cutting down the few people inside, there was no need to stay any longer. But. It was just them. Neither Krey nor Ingar followed. The strangest thing, however, was how excited the group seemed, even from this distance.


    Simon didn¡¯t expect them to take that much joy in their task.


    And why would they send their colleagues back inside while they themselves were now the ones waiting outside? Unless the one group was responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind by the other, the whole thing didn¡¯t make any sense. Worst of all, they now animatedly discussed something with the remaining adventurers, seemingly pointing at different items in their hands. Some of the adventurers even grew bold enough to dare and also enter the wooden hut. Things clearly didn¡¯t add up.


    Simon could barely keep his composure.


    ¡°Someone tell me what¡¯s happening here?! Edward! Go check it out.¡±

 Chapter 64

    Unlike Simon, Edward already had a sneaking suspicion about what was going on. Even if he refrained from voicing these thoughts. That, however, didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t curious.


    Therefore, unlike most orders issued by Simon, this one was actually one Edward was happy to receive. He complied without objections, and soon, a sturdy man could be seen approaching ¡®Severin¡¯s Emporium¡¯ and the crowd gathered in front of it.


    Some of the adventurers shot Edwards openly hostile glances. Just being associated with Simon was enough for them to look down on him and regard him only with disgust. He was used to this by now and the fact that it was only some angry stares and nothing more made this one of the better results Ed could¡¯ve hoped for.


    Part of that was because seeing Edward being able to enter the store¡¯s premises, without the magic barrier showing itself these people still had to consider him a customer approved by Severin himself. At least for now.


    Others who realized that Ed was doing the best he could do to reign in Simon and his outrageous behavior as much as possible looked at him in a more favorable light.


    Most, however, simply chose to ignore him.


    The four uniformed people cared even less. They still discussed and marveled at their newly received goods and wouldn¡¯t bother with the man. If anything, they might even be grateful to him for being one of the people responsible for leading them towards this place; No matter the initial motivations behind the visit.


    Edward didn¡¯t directly bother any of the people, though he sneaked some glances at the items in their hands and tried to listen in on their ongoing discussions. Given their volume, that wasn¡¯t too hard a task, and his suspicions were soon confirmed.


    ¡°Damn, how can that be? To think that imbecile would be brazen enough to make up such claims and involve the Adventurer¡¯s Society. But he seemed genuine when he gobbled down all these potions. Even when he applied the weapon enchants¡­ He shouldn¡¯t have such acting skills. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve never allowed him to make such a move. Fuck. Why didn¡¯t I try them myself first?¡± The stout man was blaming himself for his carelessness and kept mumbling.


    ¡°Guess I should get him out of here as soon as possible.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Then again¡­¡±


    Seeing that no one was paying him too much attention, much less trying to stop him, Edward confidently stepped into the open store.


    Krey was standing in the far-left corner of the room in front of a strange-looking machine. He was in the midst of explaining something to the four subordinates that had just entered the store as well. With a quick glance, Ed could tell that Andreas, the girl, as well as Severin himself, all seemed to be in perfectly fine condition, with no sign of being hurt. If anything, the excitement emanating from the Society¡¯s delegation hinted at Simon being the one to be hurt quite soon instead.


    Ed didn¡¯t pay them any more attention. He was more focused on the [Shopkeeper]. If the latter was dissatisfied with his presence, there was nothing he could do about it. To Ed¡¯s surprise, the man didn¡¯t involve himself with the customers and instead directly stared at him with a slight frown on his face.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Edward¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His thoughts began to race. Should he take initiative and apologize for Simon¡¯s behavior? He decided against it. Sure, the man frowned at him, but even last time he wasn¡¯t the one to suddenly be teleported out of the store, even allowing him to buy some items instead. He felt they had some sort of tacit understanding with each other.


    Ed grabbed a single item and walked towards the counter.


    ¡°That¡¯s one hundred.¡± Severin lazily declared the item¡¯s price. The next moment, the corresponding amount of gold coins changed ownership.


    ¡°That goddamn idiot! Now he¡¯s done it. If they don¡¯t skin him alive, then Master Senheim will, when he learns of this.¡± By now, Ed had already steeled his heart and pretty much expected the elixir to work. Because of that, even though the effect was still shocking to him, his first reaction was to lament Simon¡¯s stupidity and narrow-mindedness.


    Ingar, who by now had calmed himself down, was standing nearby. He had already gone through the instructions concerning the combinator and had made way for the newcomers. Hearing Edward¡¯s monolog his face turned dark, and he was just about to scold the man. This was interrupted, however, by a sudden exclamation.


    ¡°Ah! I just remembered something. Does anyone of you have consumables from somewhere else on you? Damn, never mind. No one with any charges left, anyway.¡± It was Andreas who had to think back to Severin, stating that the machine would work with items from other places as well. But since then, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to actually shop somewhere else, even if he wanted to. The Society¡¯s members, on the other hand, surely would have some other items on them.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s up? I still have some antidotes on me,¡± Krey said. With a short sentence, Andreas explained the situation, regret in his voice. ¡°Maybe tomorrow then, if you¡¯re willing to part with the item.¡±


    ¡°What combinator? What charges? Can I help?¡± Edward was glad for the opportunity to escape Ingar¡¯s fury. At the same time, he was curious about the happenings in the corner. So why not try to get involved, and, while at it, try to make good with the people present.


    ¡°Good timing!¡±


    Soon Edward was pushed towards the magical combination device, with only receiving a perfunctory explanation. Nobody wanted him to back out once he learned about having only a limited number of activations each day.


    A bright red jelly-potion and a bottle full of antidote were inserted into the machine.


    A number appeared on its floating display located next to the coin slot.


    Gasp


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Severin? The price¡­why is it so cheap? Didn¡¯t you say there is an extra fee when using items which were not bought inside the store?!¡±


    Hearing these words and looking at the combinator himself, Severin was momentarily stunned as well. That didn¡¯t match with the System¡¯s personality, did it? But a moment later came the explanation. Without needing to prompt the System, which traditionally would just ignore him anyway, a notification appeared in Severin¡¯s view.


    Edward¡¯s indignant interjection asking about ¡®extra fees¡¯ was simply ignored.


    In the eyes of his customers, Severin¡¯s expression suddenly became sickeningly smug. For once, he liked the System¡¯s response; Even if it resulted in lesser earnings.


    ¡°That fee is dependent on the item¡¯s quality.¡±

 Chapter 65

    Krey and Ingar looked at Severin. They had the urge to team up and slap the stupid grin off his face.


    ¡®So you think everyone else¡¯s items are inferior to your products? The Society¡¯s trusted and proven antidote is just some regular consumable to you? Is that it? Don¡¯t get too cocky!¡¯


    But in the end, no one was able to refute him.


    Plop


    Especially not when the next moment Edward grabbed the newly combined item that had just appeared at the bottom of the machine and started to shout excitedly, ¡°How can that be?! Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    The man quickly opened the lid at the top and looked inside. Empty.


    Then he turned back to the item in his hands.


    ¡°The two items just now¡­did they truly just¡­ combine?¡± With a frown, he thought back to Simon¡¯s words and began to waver. ¡°This isn¡¯t just some sort of scam¡­right?¡±


    Sigh


    Not just the Society¡¯s representatives, but also Andreas was annoyed. They didn¡¯t want to give Severin this kind of satisfaction; Not after his shameless statement just a moment ago. But they couldn¡¯t blame Edward either. After all, it was the first time for him to witness the machine¡¯s magical work, and some of Krey¡¯s subordinate¡¯s reactions were far stronger. Even he himself didn¡¯t immediately believe in the existence of such a unique device.


    While the lower-ranking foot soldiers started to animatedly discuss among themselves, Krey, Ingar, and Andreas demonstratively turned away from Severin and started to share their information with Edward. Everyone seemed to be on good terms with each other.


    The more Edward learned about the store, the more astounded he became. But when the explanation reached the topic of a limited amount of daily charges, he suddenly grit his teeth.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me I can only use this thing nine more times? That I wasted one of my activations just now? That you made me waste one of my activations,¡± he corrected himself while pointing accusatorily at the three main perpetrators. Apparently, there were scammers after all!


    In comparison to some of the possible combinations, this hybrid healthpotion-antidote truly seemed just too ordinary all of a sudden.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you buy one of my items,¡± Andreas sheepishly offered out of bad conscience. It was as if there never had been any tension between the groups.


    ¡°At double the price, however!¡±


    Hearing these words, Severin, who was still sulking about being ignored, saw a great opportunity.


    ¡°Oh, how generous of our V.I.P.¡± His voice was dripping with sarcasm. The officer¡¯s face sunk.


    Several heads turned his way and Ingar was the first to voice the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°V.I.P.? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Right Andreas, tell them.¡±


    Andreas took a step back and glared at Severin.


    ¡°Why do you look at me like this? I mean it. No need to be shy. You earned it, after all.¡± Severin kept on needling; His mood improved by the second. At this point, Andreas felt pressured to say something. Anything.


    ¡°Ha-Ha. It¡¯s nothing much really!¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? Don¡¯t you value your extra privileges anymore?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.¡°Privileges?¡± That word drew a lot of attention.


    ¡°Out with it! What are you hiding?¡±


    By now Andreas¡¯s way was cut off. His guildmates all seemed to have disappeared. He had no more choice and admitted everything.


    ¡°I have fifteen activations each day! Happy now?!¡±


    Everyone erupted. Even Krey lost his composure. ¡°Sir! With the Society¡¯s resources at hand, I¡¯m sure we can make a deal. Whatever he offered you, we can certainly do better!¡±


    Noticing that a large part of the attention was now shifting towards Severin, Andreas exhaled a breath of relief and started snickering to himself.


    ¡®That backfired, didn¡¯t it? Now they¡¯ll just keep pestering you instead. Serves you right!


    But why do I get the feeling I¡¯m forgetting something?¡¯


    ¡°I appreciate your offer, but I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll have to decline. At least for now. It was just that one depleted core that had really caught my attention back then.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°I understand.¡± Krey didn¡¯t want to keep bothering the [Shopkeeper]. It was not something that could be forced. And it was still only the first time they met. ¡°But if you ever change your mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment. What kind of core are you talking about?¡±


    Andreas suddenly realized what had felt off to him. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He knew he had to run. Now.


    ¡°Stay where you are! Based on the contributions made, it¡¯s obvious the dungeon core does belong to the White Squall guild! Don¡¯t even think of running!¡±


    ¡°What White Squall guild?! As the ones to issue the mission in the first place, all loot is obviously the official property of the Adventurer¡¯s Society! We already rewarded you, so stop being greedy!¡±


    ¡°Lynn! Xander! Help!!¡±


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯m willing to sell some of my items. But just a few! It¡¯s a one-time thing, you hear?! And at a good markup!¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Of course. We won¡¯t let it be said that the Society is stingy. We can discuss the details outside. No need to further occupy the store.¡±


    Edward knew he was in no position for a similar deal. The mood was good, but he was under no illusions that Simon¡¯s deeds¡­


    ¡®Fuck! Simon!¡¯


    Noticing the atmosphere of departure, as everyone present besides himself had already finished their business, Ed was suddenly in a hurry. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. He also wanted to finish his purchases. Forget the one ¡®wasted¡¯ activation; Now it was suddenly questionable if he could even use up all the remaining ones. And who knew when ¨C if ¨C he could even return. He was torn.


    In the end, he asked Emily to gather as many items for him as he was able to take outside based on the maximum carrying capacity of each item. In the meantime, he combined items that happened to be scattered around in his immediate vicinity and randomly stuffed pairs of two into the machine¡¯s lid.


    Like that, he only managed to combine six more items until Em returned with his items, which he immediately paid for. Considering their recent history, he was very grateful for that service. Still, he had a heavy heart.


    Under his own muffled curses and with some regrets, he sneaked out of the store before the others made a move. Reaching outside where he felt he wouldn¡¯t draw too much attention, he immediately started running. As much as he hated it, he still had his duty.


    ¡°Simon! We have to leave! Quickly!¡± The corpulent man was huffing and puffing.


    ¡°There you are! Took you long enough, old man. Is it finished?¡±


    Just when Edward has reached his charge, the remaining people had also left the store. Ingar instantly spotted the tall blonde man standing in the distance.


    ¡°SIMON!¡±

 Chapter 66

    ¡°Aaaah! What are you¡­? Nooo! Stop! Don¡¯t you kn¡­ He-Heelp!¡±


    ¡°Can you please close the door?¡± Severin¡¯s voice sounded absentmindedly. He didn¡¯t even look up.


    After the group left his store, he was deep in thought. The unexpected windfall that came in the form of ten soldiers and one unlucky servant being on a buying spree was nothing to scoff at. He was now studying his current balance. Or more precisely, the shop¡¯s balance.


    The sound of Simon¡¯s pitiful screams coming from the outside was rather distracting.


    At any other time, it might¡¯ve improved his mood, but right now just knowing that the arrogant troublemaker was taken care of was good enough for Severin. He didn¡¯t need to know the specifics; He would surely learn about it soon enough.


    Without saying a word, Emily, who was still scurrying around the store and scanning the plundered shelves to take inventory, closed the door at Severin¡¯s request. Only now, when she turned around, did she notice her boss staring at the bluish screen in front of him.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the unhappy look? We made good money, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡®Good money¡¯ was quite the understatement coming from the girl. Just her one percent share of today¡¯s profit was probably more money than she would¡¯ve ever possessed in all her life if Xander hadn¡¯t brought her to meet Severin. In that regard, her composed attitude was rather commendable. But it was nothing that Severin took notice of at this moment.


    ¡°Hmm. Business never was better since Andreas returned. Between simply selling items, collecting the combinator¡¯s fee, and you identifying their items, we made a good profit.¡± He turned so that Emily could get a good look at the numbers.¡± She gasped. ¡°That¡¯s one, two, three¡­¡±


    ¡°Seventy-five thousand.¡± Severin was somewhat annoyed that she still resorted to counting with her hands and quickly cut her off.


    ¡°But that¡¯s a good thing, right?! So why¡­?¡±


    ¡°I just wonder when we¡¯ll ever have enough money to build the inn. Even now, we still only have about one-third of the amount we need. That is for the cheapest setup available. And with Andreas and his people leaving in a few days, for God knows how long¡­ ¡°


    ¡°But can¡¯t we expect to get even more customers now that these people from the Adventurer¡¯s Society have tried our products? I think they were very well received. There is no way they won¡¯t return! Especially that [Monk].¡±


    Severin couldn¡¯t help but grumble. He knew Emily was right. Things would only get better from now on. Once someone bought his products, it was basically guaranteed that sooner or later that person would return for more. And even if the Society decided not to advertise the store and its products to other adventurers, just like a guild, they surely would share the information internally and still ensure the arrival of new customers that way.


    Still, for some unexplicit reason, Severin seemed unhappy.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s start restocking!¡± Not willing to talk about the issue any further, Severin changed the subject. As his [Employee], Emily could only obey and soon the two of them started processing the ever-replenishing ingredients into new products.


    By now, Emily was used to this kind of work and was confident in her abilities to produce any item in their assortment, even in her sleep. Paired with Severin¡¯s own mastery, both stemming from real-life experience as well as from certain perks provided by the [Alchemist] subclass, and the comparatively high quality of their crafting tools and utensils, the actual work was done relatively quickly; Most of the time was spent waiting for their solutions to reach the right temperature for further processing.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.They worked mostly in silence, only interrupted by the one or other adventurer that needed to stock up on their potions. From time to time, however, Emily was sure she heard Severin mumbling things like ¡®still no quest¡¯ and all possible combinations of the words ¡®scummy¡¯, ¡®scamming¡¯, and ¡®System¡¯. She decided to ignore him.


    After most of the shelves were filled again, they called it a day.


    Joining the people outside, at a first glance, Severin thought that all the Society¡¯s people, along with the two members of the White Squall guild, were gone.


    Soon he was proved wrong when Krey stood up from the midst of animatedly discussing adventurers.


    ¡°There you are! I was wondering when you¡¯d show yourself.¡± The previously serious and professional squad leader was now surprisingly jovial. Perhaps it was the festive mood and alcohol provided by Andreas'' people; Perhaps it was the absence of his subordinates. Either way, it caused Severin to look around suspiciously.


    ¡°Haha! Ingar and the others are gone for now. Dealing with¡­ stuff.¡± Krey gave Severin a meaningful look.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be informing our local HQ as well. About this place, I mean. Haha, after seeing your products I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they end up deciding to establish a small branch up here.¡± Judging by the sincere smile on Krey¡¯s face and his amiable laugh, the words were said in good faith. To Severin, it sounded like a threat, and his own smile instantly froze solid. This was the last thing he wanted to hear.


    True, his aim was to expand the two small buildings presently located on this floating piece of rock into a bustling complex which was deserving of the term ¡®emporium¡¯; But he wanted to do it on his own terms. Under his own control, with no other people randomly setting up shop as they pleased. Not that he wasn¡¯t willing to negotiate, but¡­


    The few adventurers in the immediate vicinity who heard these words apparently weren¡¯t able to read Severin¡¯s mood. And neither was Emily, who also witnessed this small exchange. It was clear that most people would consider this as a chance - a blessing and the Society¡¯s ultimate stamp of approval. Something most other shop owners would kill for.


    But was Severin like other shop owners? Were the provided items even remotely comparable? The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. The worst part was Emily¡¯s smug grin, which was basically screaming, ¡®See? I told you so.¡¯, mistaking the whole situation for the great business opportunity she had just predicted earlier.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like our products,¡± was all Severin managed to reply. He had a hard time holding himself together but, in the end, still decided to join Krey and some of the others for a while. He couldn¡¯t just throw a fit at his customers for wishing him well and congratulating him for his seemingly great prospects.


    For the most part, he let the others do the talking this evening.


    If Severin had decided to pay any attention to the ongoing conversations, he would have learned that Krey only planned to stay on the mountaintop for a few days, until Andreas and the Lion¡¯s Head guild would set out to challenge the ¡®Harrowing Plains¡¯.


    He also would have learned that while over the next couple of weeks he could expect some more business coming his way from the Society, the decision whether to establish a new branch was not something to be rushed and should take quite some time. If such a thing would even come to fruition in the first place. After all, it was just some encouraging words on Krey¡¯s part.


    Instead, Severin steeled his heart and made a decision of his own.

 Chapter 67

    Once he had made up his mind on how to proceed, Severin¡¯s mind immediately cleared up, and he once again took note of his surroundings and the ongoing discussions. As was usually the case, he, for the most part, opted to listen from the sides rather than taking an active part in these types of conversations. On the occasions he felt compelled to actually divulge information about himself or his past, he naturally kept things as vague as possible. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to join the boasting and bragging, but he had learned his lesson last time. He knew Andreas was just waiting for an opportunity to question him about the whole dragon-slayer business.


    Nevertheless, even as he wondered whether he would ever really fit in with these people, Severin started to become more and more comfortable in this place.


    As the evening proceeded, Emily took the initiative to interrogate the present adventurers about their previous experiences and lost herself in the stories about the guild¡¯s last encounters in the Harrowing Plains, which was also the group¡¯s next destination. Not much seemed to be left of the girl¡¯s general aversion to adventurers.


    Severin, who by now had already heard countless similar recounts, decided it was a unique opportunity to talk with Krey - someone who was sent by the renowned Adventurer¡¯s Society - instead.


    He didn¡¯t learn anything that Samuel didn¡¯t tell him before, but confirmed his suspicion that this organization was pretty much the same as the ¡®adventurer guilds¡¯ he read so much about in the fantasy stories of his homeworld.


    But no matter how much he enjoyed himself, during all that time Severin was secretly very impatient and was looking forward to the last group of people finally calling it a night. After all, he still had something to do.


    When the time finally came, he said his goodbyes and headed for the wooden hut. He carried a sleeping Emily inside her room before heading back into the store, which also served as his living room and bedroom.


    Once inside, Severin busied himself for another half an hour or so with pointless tasks such as dusting his ever-spotless counter or adjusting the position of the items on his shelves. Only then, when he decided everyone else besides him on the mountain should be deep asleep, did he finally open the System¡¯s shop menu.


    ¡°No way I¡¯ll let anyone else just simply claim a spot of land up here. Even if it wouldn¡¯t end up limiting the area, the System would allow me to access, in the end, it would just result in unnecessary trouble,¡± Severin said to convince himself of the correctness of his decision before he decisively made the purchase. With that, no one would be able to do as they pleased. At least not up here.


    In that instant, the minimap in his peripheral vision suddenly changed and about twenty-odd dots appeared.


    [Congratulations! By acquiring all the available space in the immediate vicinity, you have unlocked new purchasing options.]


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    That came as a surprise. A pleasant one; And one that made sense.


    ¡°Not bad!¡± A rare compliment for the System left Severin¡¯s lips after investigating the meaning of this notification. ¡°It seems I can now purchase underground plots of land. And¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as he kept clicking through the menus. Where previously there was a static map of the mountaintop¡¯s surface to accurately select the plot of land he wanted to buy, there was now a side view of the mountain available as well. ¡°That piece of rock is even larger than I thought!¡± Severin was elated. All the possibilities!


    At a first glance, he didn¡¯t even believe that this was the very same mountain he was standing on right now. That was because when zoomed all the way out, to capture the mountain¡¯s whole size, the wooden huts located on the top had virtually disappeared.


    Only when zoomed in closer did Severin recognize his home.


    ¡°And here I debated whether to leave out a small piece of land for people getting blacklisted. Good thing I didn¡¯t.¡± Just the thought of missing out on this new feature and the possibility of expanding his domain by what seemed to be far more than ninety percent, just to accommodate the likes of Simon, made him shudder.


    ¡°Now that I already spend some money, I might as well continue.¡± His good mood made him loosen up a bit. ¡°At the very least, I should provide them with a dedicated sparring ground as a replacement. Can¡¯t have them rampaging around on the property. Nor can I leave them hanging. It would just feel wrong. Besides, I reckon it would harm business. As long as these guys have a good opportunity to fight, they¡¯ll keep consuming potions. Elixirs as well, probably. This also reminds me¡­ might as well look into these training dummies.¡±


    Severin navigated the System for a while until he found the item in question and read its description. ¡°Rather unspectacular, I¡¯d say.¡± He was clearly disappointed. ¡°I hoped it would be more than just a fancy punching bag, but it really seems to just be this stationary thing, unable to retaliate in any way. Well, whatever. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it was Xander who had asked for them back then, so I suppose there should be some kind of demand for them. And at this point, what¡¯s a few thousand more? Might as well splurge a bit.¡±


    Having made up his mind, Severin specifically designated a generously sized and especially paved area as some form of a training ground and placed it about two-hundred meters away from his doorstep. It was definitely larger than the space ravaged by the regular fighting. Knowing that in the future it was pretty much impossible for him to run out of land to build on, Severin wasn¡¯t stingy. And should it be necessary, with the help of the System and a small fee, he could always move his property around on this floating island.


    He decided to also add three of the dummies.


    ¡°Fifty thousand. Damn. That¡¯s quite the setback. Seems like the dream of an inn is now a long way off. But all things considered, it¡¯s not that bad. It¡¯s an investment. As long as the quality of the new stuff is up to par, I won¡¯t complain.¡±


    He had the urge to run back outside and check everything out but soon dismissed the thought. By now, it was too dark outside for him to see anything, anyway. Unless he wanted to get close and risk waking everyone up. He still had enough self-control and instead decided to try to sleep.

 Chapter 68

    At night when Severin was finally done, everyone else had long been asleep. So, it was no wonder that the next morning he woke up as the last of the people gathered on the mountain top. Way later than usual. When he finally did open his eyes, however, one thing immediately caught his attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± Habitually his eyes were drawn to his minimap. There, a large number of white dots were overlapping each other, forming one big blob. Next to it was a smaller cluster of dots, one of which was blue. Only after taking a moment to fully wake up did he realize that the two groups were located at the newly built training grounds.


    ¡°Ha. Seems to be well enough received. Better than expected, even! Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have waited that long. Well, that¡¯s assuming they¡¯re not just gathered there because of its novelty.¡±


    Severin was in a great mood. No better way to start the day. If his investment caused even just a few of the people to regularly compete, and as a result use more of his consumables, it would¡¯ve already been worth it.


    In good spirits, he stood up and started to smoothen out his clothes to make himself a bit more presentable.


    He was just about to start business hours and join in the fun when he noticed something else.


    Severin¡¯s mood became even better.


    ¡°A red star! Don¡¯t tell me you have developed a conscience after all.¡± Severin said into the empty room. As usual, the System didn¡¯t answer, but that didn¡¯t stop him from continuing.


    ¡°Yesterday I complained about not receiving a new quest for such a long time, and now this. You¡¯re starting to grow on me!¡±


    He stopped in his track and for a moment envisioned all the possibilities a new quest could bring with it. But just for a moment. With a swift motion, he tabbed the floating screen and opened the updated questlog.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯Spend money to earn money¡¯.¡± The grin on his face suddenly became very strained. Just reading the quest¡¯s name dealt an immense blow to Severin¡¯s mood. He had a bad premonition.


    ¡°Say it ain¡¯t so.¡± He steeled his heart and continued.


    ¡°¡¯With the help of the System¡¯s integrated store, invest a total of fifty thousand gold coins to improve existing facilities or to build new ones.¡¯¡± His voice was shaky from anger as he read the description. ¡°Reward¡­doesn¡¯t say. Of course, it doesn¡¯t say!¡± He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. Even if he knew what the reward was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it right now, anyway.


    ¡°Nice try, but I don¡¯t care!¡± Severin tried to convince himself. ¡°And I won¡¯t spend even a single coin before building the inn, hear me?! You won¡¯t make me waste any money because of some vague promise.¡±


    As upset as he was, contrary to expectations, he didn¡¯t totally explode. He instead walked a few rounds around the aisle of shelves in the middle of his store in an attempt to calm himself. Only then did he set out to leave the store and tried his best to banish any thoughts concerning the System. ¡¯Getting upset is exactly what it wants! But not today.¡¯


    BOOM


    The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by the thunderous sound of an explosion, which instantly cleared his mind. The accompanying flash of dazzling lights was almost blinding.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°¡­said burst-damage! Use your cooldowns! Reapply debuffs!¡±


    Bzzzz


    ¡°¡­that all you got?¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°¡­moment¡­¡±


    Severin was only able to make out a few scattered words before, in the distance, a constant bombardment of various sized magic projectiles, hailing down onto a single poor target dummy, drowned out most other sounds.


    Once he got over the initial surprise and realized what was going on, he walked over to the direction of the newly purchased training dummies. He halted twenty meters away, where already a group of spectators was enjoying the show. Not Just Em, Timothy, Miriam, and Krey, but also a few members of the Lion¡¯s Head guild sat out on the conducted training session.


    The few people who noticed his arrival greeted Severin with a nod. He returned the gesture in kind; It was too loud to even try to exchange words.


    About a minute later, the frequency of explosions became lower and lower until another half a minute later, they had stopped completely. This was the largest display of magic Severin had ever seen so far. If he didn¡¯t know it any better, he would¡¯ve sworn it had to be some kind of special effects. Despite the volume and his own jealousy, he quite enjoyed the show.


    ¡°Better, but not good enough! Five percent. That¡¯s how much more damage we need in the five minutes we have when fighting the [Stone Giant]. Do you know what that means? That means we would be meat paste by now! And this is us just standing still for the most part, with no need to evade any falling spikes that will split your skull. So, make it ten percent instead. Minimum. Probably closer to fifteen. Twenty even! So tell me now whether or not you guys think you can do it because we might as well stay here if that¡¯s all you got!¡±


    This was the first time Severin had ever witnessed Andreas displaying this kind of attitude. More noteworthy, however, were the grave looks on the faces of the people standing in front of their officer. Not even Xander was in the mood for stupid jokes. Instead, he answered earnestly, ¡°I know we got what it takes. Let us try again!¡±


    His words were met with clear approval from everyone else.


    ¡°Prove it then.¡± Andreas was about to continue when he saw Severin. As a result, he cut his speech short.


    ¡°Alright. Ten-minute break. Wait for your cooldowns to get ready again and replenish your mana or whatever. And please! Keep an eye on the debuffs. You guys know who I mean. Just a few seconds with one less armor- or resistance-reducing effect on the target loses us an enormous amount of damage. More than any individual¡¯s damage can ever make up!¡± With that, the man turned around.


    Seeing that they were dismissed, for now, and that Andreas was finally leaving, the reprimanded group immediately started to chatter among themselves. This also seemed to be the sign for the group of observers to join up with their mates and to reapply all the expired buffs. As these people ran past the approaching Andreas, the latter finally revealed a satisfied grin that only the remaining non-guildmembers could see.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that! I truly can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± The timing was simply too auspicious. In Andreas¡¯s mind, there was no doubt that the sudden appearance of this piece of training equipment wasn¡¯t a coincidence. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how Severin was able to acquire something like this, but its purpose was obviously to help the Lion¡¯s Head guild prepare for their upcoming expedition. And not just a single one, but three at a time! The respect he felt for the shopkeeper rose immensely.


    Severin was at a momentary loss for words, but a sudden barrage of questions prevented the situation from becoming awkward.

 Chapter 69

    ¡°Boss, Boss! Those things, why did you¡­? What about, you know¡­?¡± Disregarding that Emily would enjoy the benefits of having the store¡¯s premises expanded, and no matter how impressive and entertaining the Lion¡¯s Head guild¡¯s performance on the training ground had been, right now she was very worried. Having access to Severin¡¯s System, albeit limited, she was very aware of the price Severin had to pay for the new additions. From a financial point of view, the latest investment was a huge setback to their original plan of opening an inn to host all the people who, for now, had to camp outside. Not able to wait until later to voice her concerns, but at the same time restricted by the contract she had signed back then, she only managed to incoherently ramble.


    ¡°Do you sell these as well?¡± Krey excitedly asked in high hopes. At this moment, he didn¡¯t even bother asking how it was possible for such enormous changes to happen overnight without him noticing; Something the others were used to by now.


    Before Andreas had claimed one of the three dummies for a round of impromptu training, people had already thoroughly tested them, himself included. Thanks to Krey¡¯s previous experiences as an adventurer who was currently working for the Adventurer¡¯s Society and had a level that was well above that of Andreas and his group, he could confidently say that these dummies were truly one of a kind. Just their durability alone was almost inconceivable to him. Even now, not even a single scratch could be seen on any of the silver figures.


    It seemed like a tremendous waste.


    Krey wasn¡¯t sure if it was the unknown materials or some equally unknown crafting skill that allowed for such resilience, but what he did know, or at least suspected, was that armor made in the same fashion would make the wearer near impossible to kill. In his estimation, this was certainly enough reason for certain people of power to start a minor war over the matter if they ever learned of its existence.


    ¡°Is it really okay for us to use them? For free?¡± Miriam and Timothy were similarly excited. They too somewhat understood the worth of the three dummies and, therefore, couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    These things not only allowed for some new kind of competition between the two youngsters, but would also make it possible for them to more easily come up with new combos without instantly having to reveal them; And without the need to hold back.


    Despite all the smack talking between Timothy and Miriam, everything was done in a friendly spirit. As such, they wouldn¡¯t just go all-out. This was especially true for Timothy. After their recent excursions and a few level-ups, the boy had learned a few new skills which he didn¡¯t dare to cast onto Miriam. Despite her large health pool.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m glad you guys seem to like it.¡± Those people had been talking over each other, but Severin still answered each of them.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any plans to sell them.¡± Even if Severin had the option to, he still would probably decide against it. Not because he was afraid of someone reverse-engineering the contraption, but because he felt he would lose money in the long run if he decided to give up on the exclusivity of this apparent customer attraction.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.¡°And yes, of course, it¡¯s free. For customers,¡± Severin hastily added.


    As for Emily, he just gave a meaningful look. They would talk later.


    ¡°Really? Great, thanks! Haha. Come, Timmy, let¡¯s each grab one of them!¡±


    ¡°Coming! And don¡¯t forget to tell me your stats. Never mind. Show them to me!¡±


    ¡°Pah. You don¡¯t trust me?! Fine, but you first!¡±


    Miriam and Timothy ran off while shouting. With the majority of the Lion¡¯s Head guild occupying a single one of the dummies, the healers and the second tank were just observing from the sidelines as their added damage wouldn¡¯t change too much in this setting anyway, the two remaining dummies were just waiting for the youths. But contrary to Severin¡¯s expectations upon reaching their targets, the two of them didn¡¯t just randomly unleash their skills. Instead, they seemed to fiddle around at the dummies¡¯ back for a while.


    ¡°To be able to adjust its stats¡­ truly amazing,¡± Andreas answered Severin¡¯s unspoken question. Of course, he never expected that the owner didn¡¯t actually know about these specifics in the first place. It was just that even after being familiar with it for a few hours, the former still couldn¡¯t help but marvel. It was precisely that second feature, which impressed him maybe even more than the toughness which evidently at least surpassed that of a raid boss. It was also the reason why Samuel¡¯s two mentees were so fired up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen quite a few training dummies which had their own health bars, but those things usually just break down once it reaches zero. But yours¡­ Not only do they remain intact, but the displayed amount of health is freely adjustable. Not to mention its armor and resistance values. With the data gathered at our previous raid and those of received from our main group, we should be able to replicate the toughness of pretty much all the bosses we¡¯re going to face. Might not be too much of a help with some of the more intricate encounters, but just knowing if our damage would be enough is already such a great help!¡±


    Krey, who had already expected Severin¡¯s rejection concerning the sale of these dummies, wasn¡¯t too down and couldn¡¯t help but subconsciously nod when he heard Andreas¡¯s words.


    Not just a few overconfident adventurers might still be alive if they had had access to some technology like that.


    ¡°Ah.¡± As if suddenly remembering something, Andreas exclaimed. ¡°With that, we might prolong our stay even a bit further. As an officer, Harold should also join in on our training at least once. And it wouldn¡¯t hurt for him to be able to stock up on consumables, either. That means until then we could also be a bit more liberal with the use of the combined elixirs. Not that we actually would need to.¡± He winked at Severin as he turned back towards his subordinates again. Although just a few minutes earlier Andreas might¡¯ve berated the group and its performance, in reality, he was quite proud of them. In fact, he had secretly adjusted the mock [Stone Giant¡¯s] stats so that it would endure way more than it should in reality and took this opportunity to make sure the bunch wouldn¡¯t grow complacent.


    ¡®Might have to check the shop for some soundproofing¡­¡¯

 Chapter 70

    The day passed just like that, with no major events.


    Miriam and Timothy kept challenging each other. After creating something like a copy of the other person by entering their stats into the target dummy in front of them, they competed by having a damage race and seeing who could ¡®kill¡¯ the other person the fastest.


    On the one side was a [Berserker] whose strength lay in the classes¡¯ large health pool and the ability to grow in strength when receiving damage. On the other side was a very damage-oriented mage who was allowed to free-cast without having to care about his mana, his cooldowns, or enemies set on interrupting him. Just by the nature of the competition and that of their classes, this improvised competition ended so quickly and in such a lopsided fashion that Tim couldn¡¯t even bring himself to taunt Miriam or take any kind of pleasure from his victory.


    So they chose to face each other directly again. Until they grew bored with that as well. They searched for a new target and somehow managed to coerce Krey into entering the ring with them.


    It turned out the Society¡¯s squad leader was easily able to deal with both of them at the same time. So easily, in fact, that even after their match, the two still had no clue as to what Krey¡¯s class was. But instead of feeling demotivated this just seemed to fire them up even more. Krey indulged them for some more hours, with only a few breaks every now and then to restock their potions.


    The damage dealers of the Lion¡¯s Head guild stopped their training about forty minutes after Andreas had returned from his small exchange with Severin; Just when the buff of their previously consumed elixirs expired. But even after a few hours of constantly hitting the same target over and over again, not everyone was yet tired of it. Quite a few people soon either joined the three others, and either began to spar on the spaciously paved training area or kept occupying the three target dummies; While some adventurers clearly preferred to experiment on their own, others got together in small groups to further practice their coordination.


    All the while Severin enjoyed the entertainment provided by the bunch of battle maniacs and simultaneously browsed through his System with the help of the tablet-like screen.


    He wasn¡¯t able to find any soundproofing options in the System¡¯s store and therefore made some vague plans to, at some point in the future, relocate the whole training area underground.


    It might¡¯ve been a higher priority for him if he suspected it would fulfill the requirements of his still outstanding [Growing your Business I] quest, which asked him to expand his business, but he doubted it. Besides, he soon learned that as long as not fifteen or more people decided to unleash their magic repertoire all at once, the volume was still very much bearable.


    ¡®It might even serve as some form of advertisement to draw the attention of some random passerby,¡¯ Severin tried to tell himself.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    All in all, Severin was very pleased with his current situation. Even though he hadn¡¯t made back the money he spend earlier, in fact not even the money he paid for the three dummies, just like he had planned, the overall consumption of his goods had increased. Most noticeably that of the weapon oils, which had been the item with the least demand so far. But now that Andreas had decided to mostly imitate the stats and resistances of one particular boss, which possessed exceptional physical resistances, things changed in Severin¡¯s favor.


    Severin was sure that as long as this group of adventurers managed to return from their upcoming raid alive and well, it was impossible for him to not make a profit on this investment in the long run.


    What helped to further lighten his mood was a quick look at his character sheets.


    More sales not only meant more money but also meant more crafting for him to do. Which in return meant more [Alchemist] experience points.


    When Emily had joined him as an [Employee], the level of Severin¡¯s crafting subclass had been at level twelve. Since then, his job-specific experience bar was filled six more times, almost seven. Even though those level-ups didn¡¯t come with any exciting new recipes, the benefits he received were still to his great satisfaction. The passive skills and perks happened to greatly increase his and Emily¡¯s efficiency.


    He couldn¡¯t help imagining a whole variety of overpowered and never-seen-before items or tools he might get his hands on in the near future. After all, the [Alchemical Item Combinator] had been his level ten reward; The one for level twenty surely had to be even more amazing.


    More important than his [Alchemist] experience-bar, however, was that of his [Shopkeeper] main class. Since the bar had barely seemed to fill up - even after all that time he was still only level two - and with the remainder of his character screen being depressingly empty thanks to him seemingly not having any of the stats one would expect to find on such a screen, it was not something he checked very regularly. So only by coincidence did he now realize that his next level up was just around the corner. If he was lucky, he might even achieve it before the guild group set out.


    Even Severin had to reluctantly admit that regarding his level-up rewards, the System had been rather generous, so far. He couldn¡¯t help feeling excited and once he shared this realization with Emily, it fueled all kinds of speculations and kept both of them busy for the remainder of the day.


    The next day pretty much started in the same vein; Though some people would¡¯ve sworn that Severin¡¯s assistant more than on other days tried to encourage them to keep on training as much as possible.


    That was until in the afternoon, the appearance of a black dot on the horizon, as so often before, announced a new arrival.


    ¡°About time he returned. I mean, that should be Harold, right?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say at this distance, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No way that¡¯s him. Look at the size of that thing. It should be even bigger than the one the Society had arrived on.¡± Krey could only nod in agreement with that statement.


    ¡°It¡¯s Master Samuel! He¡¯s back. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Timothy soon recognized that the approaching flying ship belonged to his mentor. Though they didn¡¯t get to travel on this particular flying artifact all too often, simply because of its size that was way too enormous for just three people at a time, both Timothy and Miriam were familiar with it.


    ¡°Right!¡± The latter confirmed the words as she was looking forward to showing off her progress.

 Chapter 71

    The ship approached at a breathtaking speed. Maybe ten minutes after it had first been spotted, it was already just a few hundred meters or so away from the floating mountain.


    Severin couldn¡¯t help but be amazed.


    At this point, the artifact began to slow down noticeably as it began something resembling a landing approach, though even from a distance it seemed to Severin that its speed was still way too fast. Just as he had finished that thought, the thing came to a halt in an instant. It didn¡¯t exhibit any of the sluggishness Severin would¡¯ve expected of any vehicle this size.


    At this point, it was still a few tens of meters away from the mountaintop. The next moment Samuel or whoever else was operating the ship seemed to have made up their mind and changed the original direction of approach.


    Maybe it was because now that Severin had purchased the entirety of the mountaintop, the area was completely staked-off. Instead of landing on the large area of empty ground, the ship was navigated to the mountain¡¯s edge instead, where it nimbly turned on the spot until its port side faced Severin¡¯s store; Not unlike how the Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯s ship had landed.


    And just like with Krey¡¯s emerald-green transport, which in comparison almost seemed like a toy, some sort of gangway bridged the gap between ship and mountain.


    Plans for a dedicated docking bay made it onto Severin¡¯s backlog of much-needed future upgrades and additions.


    It was no wonder that in the recent past, Samuel only chose this artifact for transportation when he wanted to indulge his mentees, Miriam and Timothy. Just thinking about its fuel costs, if that was even a thing, made Severin lightheaded. Besides, it was simply too impractical for just three people, even if it wasn¡¯t a real ship that required a whole crew of people to be operated. So it came as no surprise to anyone that Samuel didn¡¯t return on his own.


    In the past, the arrival of new people would set Andreas and his group of adventurers on edge. By now, however, even though they were Severin¡¯s only real customers, with Edward and Ingar guaranteed to spread all related information to their respective organizations, their secret was pretty much already exposed, anyway. At least with Samuel, who was Severin¡¯s first customer and on good terms with everyone, there would be no trouble.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t curious about the other party¡¯s identity.


    That was especially true for Krey. Even of the top guilds which were represented in the Golden Mountains, the ones who possessed such a flying artifact could easily be counted on one¡¯s hands. But the two youths had just made it sound like this specific exemplar belonged to a single adventurer called Samuel. So it was only natural for him to be intrigued. He waited with bated breath for someone to emerge from the now docked ship.


    When the next moment he saw a giant of a man whose upper body was only draped in the pelt of what must¡¯ve once been a terrifying, guild-destroying savage beast, Krey knew that he had still underestimated the other party.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.His instincts began to scream. [Berserker]. A high-leveled one. A really high-leveled one. Even with the Society¡¯s backing, he knew he could never afford to get on this person¡¯s bad side. At the same time, he made up his mind to, on occasion, check the Society¡¯s records; There was no way such a person would be someone unknown.


    Not one of the surrounding people knew how Krey felt at this moment. Everyone else seemed to either not really care about this person¡¯s arrival or was pleased instead. Or ecstatic rather, as Miriam and Timothy both took the [Berserker¡¯s] appearance as the go-ahead to suddenly start rushing towards him. This display of familiarity very much calmed Krey¡¯s nerves.


    This quickly changed again when two more people, side by side, emerged from the ship¡¯s deck and made their way onto the mountaintop.


    Maybe it was the level difference between Krey and everyone else, but it seemed that only he realized another monster had just appeared. His heart constricted once again.


    Of these two people, he completely ignored the young man walking on the right and who seemed only barely older than Miriam. Instead, it was the harmless-looking hunchbacked old lady who demanded all his attention. He couldn¡¯t tell which of the two was more terrifying. Then again, for better or for worse, evaluating the strength and level of others wasn¡¯t one of his class¡¯s strong suits to begin with.


    A few meters away from him, Emily and Severin were the total opposite. While they wondered why Samuel would bring such a frail person with him, the moment the two people set foot onto the ground and started to curiously look around, the [Shopkeeper] and his [Employee] were taken by surprise. All their attention was immediately focused on the confident but approachable looking young-man.


    ¡®That¡¯s a class?¡¯


    ¡°[Pri¡­¡±


    Slap


    Severin¡¯s eyes widened just as much as Emily¡¯s, but where he was able to keep his mouth shut and his astonishment to himself, the girl wasn¡¯t. She immediately earned herself a quick but harmless slap to the back of her head in an attempt to silence her. It would¡¯ve been a different matter if they had been among themselves, but right now they were surrounded by a bunch of adventurers. Being careless like this could easily reveal information she had sworn to keep secret.


    And apparently, the System agreed with his assessment.


    [Warning! Minor offense detected. As a consequence, for the duration of one month, [Employee] Emily will not receive any salary. Any subsequent offenses will result in increasingly harsher penalties. Additionally, if deemed necessary, the host may choose up to three further punishments listed in volumes I to IV of the catalog of penalties. Please take care.]


    Before Emily was able to process what she had just done and why she was being punished, and before Severin had the time to ask himself whether or not her penalty would¡¯ve been more severe if he hadn¡¯t interrupted her in time, both of them felt an inexplicable, sudden cold shiver run down their spines; But preoccupied, they didn¡¯t notice the short glance Samuel and the old woman who was supporting herself with a cane, shot in their direction. Just for a moment. The next, it seemed as if nothing had happened and Samuel went to embrace and introduce his two mentees. In the meantime, a whole bunch of other people also emerged from inside the docked artifact and made their way onto Severin¡¯s floating island.

 Chapter 72

    Everyone kept a distance from the group of new arrivals and instead choose to observe them for the time being. On one hand, most of them weren¡¯t shy by any stretch and could barely wait to find out who they were dealing with, tempted to just go over and introduce themselves. On the other hand, no one dared to disrupt Samuel¡¯s reunion with Timothy and Miriam.


    The latter two soon tried to drag their mentor towards the new training ground to show off, but the [Berserker] just pat their heads and put them off until later; Under different circumstances, with his enormous, calloused hands, this friendly gesture could¡¯ve easily meant someone¡¯s immediate death.


    Before Samuel would take his time to further indulge the two youths and catch up and play with them, it was only proper to first meet up with Severin, who was acting as the landlord. Not only was he curious to check out Severin¡¯s new products, if there were any, but it would¡¯ve also appeared rather strange, rude even, if he didn¡¯t first introduce the company he brought. Understanding his intentions, the two pouted a bit but didn¡¯t keep insisting, though they didn¡¯t stop babbling either.


    As Samuel, followed by the old woman and the young man, made his way over while exchanging pleasantries, a stream of people kept emerging from the ship¡¯s belly behind them.


    Their identity as adventurers was no secret. Just that every single piece of gear they wore gave the impression of being far better quality than anything Andreas and his guildmates would be able to equip and drew many looks of longing and jealousy. In terms of fashion sense, however, Severin thought their outfits looked just as ridiculous; Then again, he himself was still wearing the plain-looking clothes he had found himself in when first arriving at this place. But despite not wearing a uniform like Krey and his subordinates, Severin still couldn¡¯t resist the impression that they seemed even more disciplined than the latter.


    Glancing at his minimap to once again confirm the identity of the approaching man behind Samuel, he had a rough idea about what was going on.


    ¡°Long time no see! How have you been?¡±


    When Samuel finally made his way over, he greeted the [Shopkeeper] and gave him a friendly slap on the back.


    With all the air in his lungs suddenly squeezed out, instead of answering, Severin could only helplessly pant in an effort to catch his breath. His mind went blank for a moment. Otherwise, he might¡¯ve suspected that this uncharacteristically familiar and loud greeting in front of all these, both familiar and unfamiliar, people, was very much deliberate and for his own benefit.


    The [Berserker] didn¡¯t wait for a reply and instead turned his attention towards the shy, young girl who stood half behind her suffering boss. Despite having grown more and more confident in the recent past and despite her knowing better, in face of this giant man who seemed to be twice as tall and trice as wide as herself, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit intimidated.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± He knelt down and put on a bright smile as he extended his hand. ¡°You can call me Uncle Sam. And you are?¡±


    Severin almost choked again.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Emily stared at the man for a few seconds before nodding to herself and taking a step forward. ¡°I¡¯m Emily!¡± In an act that resembled something of a handshake, she grabbed three of Samuel¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°She is my assistant. You might¡¯ve already seen each other before,¡± said Severin, who had finally gotten a grip on himself.


    Only now did Samuel recognize Emily as the girl Xander had brought on the day of his departure. Given the change from her previously filthy and unkempt looks to her present appearance wearing a cute dress, his mistake was easy enough to explain. Something else, however, wasn¡¯t, and Samuel was momentarily shocked. Back then, the girl very obviously had been a class-less beggar; An orphan that lived off of scraps. But now? Samuel clearly knew that somehow, she had seen through the identity of the man beside him. And there was no way that it was because of her somehow recognizing him. The only explanation Samuel could think of was for her having obtained a class in the meantime. But how could that be possible? Did Severin simply give away a class orb? Samuel didn¡¯t believe it. Furthermore, Severin was so quick to stop her, as if knowing what she was going to say. Almost as if they had access to the very same information.


    Only the old woman noticed Samuel¡¯s instant of hesitation and slightly raised her eyebrows.


    Samuel had no real choice but to ignore the matter. At least for now. The good impression he had of Severin also helped.


    ¡°This here is Mylana. My mentor.¡± Wasting no more time, Samuel introduced one of the two people.


    ¡°What?! You have a mentor as well?¡± Before the old lady could say something herself, Timothy was already shouting in disbelief.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Only to be shut up by an angry look.


    Mylana didn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption too much and instead seemed rather amused with an amiable smile on her face.


    ¡°Sammy told me much about you.¡± She said with a gentle nod.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you!¡±


    ¡°And this is¡­¡± Samuel gave Severin a meaningful look but was cut off before he could continue.


    ¡°Markus. Officer of the Malcos Eagles as well as their second-string team leader.¡± As the young man said these words, he, other than the old woman who had both hands on her cane, took a step forward and reached out his hand.


    ¡°Severin. Pleasure.¡± They shook hands. At the same time, given the man¡¯s class, Severin couldn¡¯t help wondering what kind of role this person would fulfill in actual combat.


    ¡°Emily. Pleasure.¡± Realizing that the dashing man didn¡¯t just ignore her and reached out to her as well, Em anxiously decided to imitate Severin¡¯s reply; Earning her a hair-ruffling and some amused chuckles.


    ¡°Okay. With that out of the way, let me ask you. Besides the obvious changes,¡± Samuel nodded towards the training ground and the dummies, ¡°is there anything new? New items, I mean.¡± That was apparently Samuel¡¯s primary concern right now. And that of the other two visitors as well. They obviously already knew about his products; Maybe they had even consumed some samples provided by Samuel.


    Severin hesitated for a moment before remembering that while, back then, he had already learned the recipe for the stat elixirs, at that point he had still kept it a secret. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure you will¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is! Haha. Look. Here!¡± Though he had just been scolded, that didn¡¯t stop Timothy from chiming in once again. The only reason he didn¡¯t get chided right away was the three hexagonal-shaped bottles that had suddenly appeared in his hands.

 Chapter 73

    Samuel, who was about to scold Timothy for his repeated interruptions, suddenly forgot what he was going to say. Instead, he couldn¡¯t help but read through the three tooltips in front of him over and over again, not quite trusting his eyes.


    Where Samuel from an outside perspective seemed like he was frozen, the young man next to him almost appeared to have turned stupid. His mouth continued to open and close again, but only sounds of unintelligible stammering left his mouth.


    With all eyes focused on them, that wasn¡¯t something easily overlooked and therefore drew the attention of most of the surrounding people. First and foremost, that of the adventurers that accompanied him. Those people that were Markus¡¯ subordinates and were part of the Malcos Eagles had by now all gathered on the mountaintop and scanned their vicinity; The ship wasn¡¯t unsummoned and continued to ever so slightly sway in the wind, floating as if it was really docked in a harbor.


    All they could see was Markus¡¯ expression, which almost made them embarrassed for him. But more importantly, it made them curious. He was surrounded by the two bigshots, so they figured there wasn¡¯t any danger involved. They also had all been warned beforehand to not act rashly in front of this unimpressive-looking shop owner, who supposedly sold items that would be able to elevate their future performances to the next level; Whatever that meant.


    But for those reasons, even if they were curious, they didn¡¯t dare to come any closer and risk interrupting or otherwise displeasing them. They could only try to, more or less subtle, catch a glimpse of the items in the boy¡¯s hands ¨C in vain.


    The remaining people, which was Krey and Andreas and his people from the Lion¡¯s Head guild, who witnessed the reactions of the three people leading the group, didn¡¯t need to see the actual items to know what these people were going through right now; They all had been there before.


    So, while the sight was almost comical, no one laughed. At least not at anyone¡¯s expense. Especially not since they weren¡¯t tired of living yet.


    In comparison to the other two, Mylana appeared to be rather calm. Even though she had a grave expression on her face, it wasn¡¯t as obvious as even Samuel¡¯s reaction; Not to speak of Markus.


    That was until her voice betrayed her.


    ¡°Say¡­ how much¡­ how much is one of these elixirs?¡± She almost croaked as she pointed with a trembling hand. Samuel knew that neither of those was because of her age.


    ¡°Only one-hundred each! For the regular ones, that is.¡± Emily pointed at two of the bottles as she immediately answered the question, acting like an eager salesperson. While one-hundred gold coins were, even now, far from being a small sum to her, she knew those adventurers could easily afford it.


    ¡°The other one,¡± she hinted at the remaining bottle before hiding her small hands behind her back and using them to calculate, ¡°is six-hundred. Four hundred for the combinator activation fee, plus two hundred for the two elixirs.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    If it wasn¡¯t for little Sammy bringing her to this place himself, and if he hadn¡¯t handed her one of the strange little purple-bluish resource-replenishing potions beforehand, she would¡¯ve assumed this was someone¡¯s idea of a joke. Quite possibly the last one that person would ever make. But judging by the green uniform, someone from the Society had already confirmed the authenticity of items sold in this store as well.


    Now she really wanted to grab those elixirs in front of her, but with effort decided against it. Snatching items from the hands of her own mentee¡¯s mentee would look anything but proper. More so at her age and with her standing.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite¡­ affordable.¡± The two men at her side almost instinctually nodded in agreement. ¡®Affordable¡¯ was an understatement if they ever heard one. Emily had been right with her assessment.


    Even the way lower-leveled Andreas and his companions were easily able to stock themselves with all of Severin¡¯s wares. So how could this price amount to anything in the eyes of someone who couldn¡¯t even remember the time she wore a silver badge herself?


    Still, Mylana wasn¡¯t quite able to hide her impatience.


    ¡°But why don¡¯t you show me that combinator you mentioned?¡± She said to Emily.


    That was actually the main purpose of her visit. The potion was impressive, and so was the other stuff Samuel had brought and talked about, but the combinator was what really caught her interest. Besides the machine¡¯s almost absurd-sounding functionality, Sammy admitted that even he wasn¡¯t able to sense any magic fluctuating while it did its work! That was something she had to see in person.


    ¡°With pleasure!¡± Severin smiled at Emily¡¯s response and gave her a satisfied nod as she led the way.


    Seeing the old woman headed towards the self-proclaimed ¡®Emporium¡¯, Markus finally snapped out of it and hastily began to follow behind. Samuel was naturally quicker to react and had already matched his mentor¡¯s speed.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I think with the limited usages you mentioned, there was no need for us to bring all these items with us after all.¡± Mylana laughed a good-natured laugh.


    Samuel blanked for a moment but quickly answered, ¡°Right.¡±


    Knowing that the machine standing in the corner of Severin¡¯s shop was able to combine not only items purchased in the shop itself but also those brought from outside, they had long planned what other items to bring and what combinations to test.


    Antidotes like the one Krey had used, and other status removing cures. Defense boosting tinctures. Temporary weapon enchants which added flat bonus physical damage to attacks; Not entirely dissimilar to Severin¡¯s weapon oils. Or just simple health and mana potions, which in exchange for their superior replenishing power compared to the ones offered by Severin, required a certain level to consume if one didn¡¯t want to experience a potentially deadly magic backlash.


    But all of a sudden, none of the possible combinations could make them excited anymore. With only ten activations a day, wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to not use all of them on the stat-boosting elixirs?


    ¡°Maybe a few potions could still be worth it, considering the cooldowns.¡± Samuel could only argue weakly in front of this woman.

 Chapter 74

    Of the six people Emily led towards the store, three were obviously Markus, Mylana, and Samuel.


    Severin, as the shop owner, also wouldn¡¯t be missing.


    The remaining two were Miriam and Timothy, who, after taking the initiative to promise to behave quietly from now on, earned Samuel¡¯s tacit consent to follow behind as well.


    Initially, a handful of Markus¡¯ subordinates who didn¡¯t want to leave their relatively young officer¡¯s side also decided to follow but had to halt when the latter noticed them and ordered them via a hand sign to wait outside.


    One reason for this was that Markus didn¡¯t want to inconvenience the fragile-looking woman and the [Berserker] by her side in any way; Even if those two had assured him on multiple occasions already that there was no need to act so reserved in front of them.


    The other reason was the store¡¯s size. Even if Markus wasn¡¯t inclined to favor these people with special consideration, with seven people, it would definitely start getting cramped up.


    Those newly arrived adventurers were therefore in a slightly awkward position, but Krey, Andreas, and a few of the other people quickly read the situation and walked up to them; They never intended to squeeze into the store, anyway. Instead, they were curious about the new arrivals. It wasn¡¯t just their obviously higher level that intrigued them and caught their interest, but also the fact that they were accompanied by Samuel, someone who they could only respect.


    Those people that hadn¡¯t been able to hear Markus¡¯s words as he had introduced himself and his guild to Severin were now asking what guild those newly arrived people were from. In turn, they proudly introduced Markus¡¯ guildmates to the Emporium¡¯s unique wares.


    Both sides were utterly shocked.


    Whereas Severin only recognized ¡®Malcos¡¯ as the name of the Kingdom located to the south of the Golden Mountains, everyone else who actually kept an ear open to all kinds of information and rumors spreading around suspected the Malcos Eagles to be directly backed by the crown.


    Rumors also claimed that every single one of their members, not just the high-ranking ones, were granted the privilege of having their souls bound to a Soul Binding Chamber, making it almost impossible for them to really be killed off.


    Even more outrageous were the claims that this chamber didn¡¯t actually belong to one of the churches, but instead was directly controlled by the royal family.


    But no matter how curious or excited the members of the Lion¡¯s Head guild were, they knew better than to directly broach the subject. At least most of them were, but Xander¡¯s inquiries were only met with silence and angry looks from Andreas.


    At the same time, those adventurers who might¡¯ve already exceeded even the ranks of gold-badges, were even more excited. Whether the rumors surrounding them were true or false, they obviously were far more experienced than Severin¡¯s other customers so far, with the exception of Samuel and maybe Krey. Still, nothing, not even their officer¡¯s mysterious comments, had prepared them for what they saw now directly in front of them. ¡®Elevate their future performances to the next level.¡¯ What a joke.


    No wonder they didn¡¯t use their own artifacts and didn¡¯t fly their flags. No wonder they had taken all that time for all those detours. It suddenly all made sense to them. To them, those items were tactical resources.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.And that was without yet knowing about some of the items¡¯ hidden properties, such as the non-shared cooldowns of the potions.


    Some of Andreas¡¯s more quick-witted subordinates directly handed over a few of these items in an attempt to ingrate themselves with these people.


    When Markus, who hadn¡¯t even entered the small shop, already heard his people erupting behind him, he knew the cat was out of the bag. He only smiled.


    He paid a lot of effort to keep their travels and, more importantly, their destination and purpose a secret as much as possible. But now that they had finally arrived, there was obviously no need to do so anymore. He only felt gratified by the fact that this trip had already proven itself to be quite worth it.


    He kept following the others and finally entered the room.


    He found that with the aisle of shelves standing in the middle; It was even more cramped than expected.


    Upon entering the room, Emily and Severin got behind the counter. Miriam and Timothy also hurried to the side, trying to make themselves appear as inconspicuous as possible.


    The other three customers halted and scanned the room. As someone who was already familiar with the store, Samuel was the first to confirm that no other new items besides the elixirs had become available during the time he was gone; Neither did he spot any new magical devices or machines. He wanted to give Markus and Mylana one more moment to look around and maybe check out the shelves themselves when he felt that someone next to him was impatiently poking his calf with a wooden cane.


    Not daring to dally any longer, Samuel was about to head towards the machine standing in the corner, but following his eyes, Mylana was now able to find her target on her own. She had already seen that strange-looking box, but it truly looked too ordinary. Now, however, she hasted towards it. Her speed was astonishing. The cane in her hand had already disappeared; It was as if she didn¡¯t even need the thing in the first place. Right now, she didn¡¯t appear frail at all.


    ¡®Unbelievable. Always the same with this old¡­¡¯


    ¡°Waah!¡±


    Samuel¡¯s thoughts were cut off by Mylana¡¯s sudden exclamation.


    ¡°Sammy! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡®Sammy¡¯ began to sweat. He knew this tone of voice. All those years ago. Whenever he had messed something up.


    The mountain of a man seemed almost frozen, only a corner of his mouth seemed to be twitching ever so slightly. He wanted to run. He couldn¡¯t just ignore her, either. In the end, he could only silently lament as he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Come here! Look at this.¡± She waved the man over and pointed at a blue floating box. ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°The machine¡¯s tooltip?¡± He asked, a bit uncertain.


    ¡°Right¡­ And what does that tooltip say?¡± She nudged him on.


    The tooltip was visible to anyone who wanted to check it out, so naturally, he was also somewhat familiar with it. Yet at this moment, he felt he might¡¯ve overlooked something important and carefully reread it again.


    ¡°¡­combines two provided, suitable, alchemical products into...¡±


    ¡°And what exactly do you understand under ¡®alchemical products¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ potions? Some kinds of enchants. Tinctures. Those elixirs.¡± He paused for a moment. Then. Suddenly. ¡°Ooh.¡±


    ¡°Right. Ooh.¡± The woman didn¡¯t even try to hide her annoyance.

 Chapter 75

    Everyone had their ears perked up, trying to listen in closely while at the same time doing their best to avoid looking towards the corner of the room with the combinator in it.


    As much as they wanted to know what everyone, not just Samuel, had apparently overlooked, they feared making eye contact with the [Berserker]. He was obviously not just some random low-level adventurers one could easily afford to offend, but right now, he was being scolded like a little child. The situation was just too awkward.


    Only Mylana acted as if nothing was wrong.


    ¡°What a missed opportunity. But I guess the machine won¡¯t run away. We can always try at a later time.¡± Mylana still sighed with regret.


    ¡°Uhm. Would you mind explaining¡­¡± Severin¡¯s heart jumped when the girl next to him suddenly opened her mouth. He wanted to scold and praise her at the same time. On one hand, he didn¡¯t think it wise to draw any kind of attention to oneself, in this situation. On the other hand, he was just as curious.


    Mid-sentence, however, the girl¡¯s courage seemed to leave her as the old woman turned with an annoyed look on her face to see who had interrupted her train of thought. Seeing it was the tiny girl standing behind the counter, Mylana¡¯s expression softened considerably.


    ¡°When my airheaded disciple brought me over to take a look not only at your wares but, most importantly, at this machine here, I was left under the impression that it was only able to combine two different consumables into a new one with shared properties. I say ¡®only¡¯ but don¡¯t get me wrong, that alone would already be very impressive.


    ¡°Yet here I am and see that it is not just consumables that can be combined, but any two suitable alchemical products. You, unlike others who should,¡± Mylana once again glared daggers at a helpless Samuel, ¡°may not know, but consumable items such as your potions and elixirs and so on that you are selling right now aren¡¯t the only kind of alchemical products. A certain kind of, let¡¯s call it, pre-processed materials also fall into that category. With metals being the most common.¡±


    Emily, not having received any formal kind of education, didn¡¯t mean she was stupid. She immediately understood some of the revealed implications. So did the others; Most importantly Severin, who could already see himself counting heaps of money in the near future.


    ¡°The properties of those preprocessed materials then naturally become a part of the end product. Just that so far, no one was able to fuse multiple of those together. Just imagine what could be possible if one was finally able to¡­¡±


    Cough


    Mylana caught herself drifting off. ¡°Anyway. Who knows what even constitutes as ¡®suitable¡¯? That¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to find out further down the line.¡±


    Severin turned away and suddenly seemed very interested in the empty counter before him. If anyone was supposed to have an answer to the woman¡¯s question, it was surely him. Luckily, Mylana was more than eager to finally operate the machine in front of her.


    With a wave, she signaled Samuel to come over.


    Samuel immediately stepped forward with two small hexagonal-shaped bottles, which he had bought when his mentor was talking, in his hands. He opened the combinator¡¯s lid at the top and placed the two elixirs inside. He was just about to insert four especially large golden coins into the combinator¡¯s coins lot when his hand got rudely slapped away.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.¡°I got this!¡±


    Samuel opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He suddenly remembered why he hadn¡¯t visited his mentor in quite a long time.


    Quickly, Mylana used up all ten of her daily activations. She had been most interested in the combinations of various different items. Therefore, she had ordered Samuel to take out some of the consumables they had previously decided would be wasteful to spend their activations on. No more activations left didn¡¯t mean she was done, however.


    Now it was Samuel¡¯s turn to activate the machine; And he didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter, either.


    When previously the woman was mostly enjoying the novelty of the machine and was paying attention to the resulting end products, now she examined the device itself more closely.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    She was all but kneeling on the floor, pressing one ear at the machine, and listened intently when she gave Samuel the order to start up the machine once again. The cane she sported earlier appeared more and more like a joke.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    This time, she opened the lid at the top and witnessed the two items inside suddenly disappear. If she didn¡¯t see it with her own eyes, she would¡¯ve never believed it. She didn¡¯t feel a thing!


    ¡°Again!¡±


    She didn¡¯t even shy away from putting her arm down the output tray at the bottom, appearing like some thief trying to get free items out of a vending machine. At least she didn¡¯t shake and smack it.


    ¡°There really is no fluctuation whatsoever. No vibration either, it seems. Truly incredible.¡±


    ¡°Next!¡±


    Like this, she continued on and on. The old woman slowly but surely seemed to become obsessed.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    At some point, she even took out a tool that looked like a small crystal and moved it along the combinator. But whatever the device was supposed to do, it was to no avail. No color change, no sounds, no vibrations, no nothing.


    If Severin wasn¡¯t confident in the System¡¯s ability to hide itself and leave no traces of its workings behind, he might¡¯ve actually been very upset by now; Wasn¡¯t this woman effectively trying to unveil his secrets? In the end, he only smiled bitterly to himself and said nothing.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    Mylana didn¡¯t want to give up. By now, this machine seemed almost disturbing to her. Not because of its unheard-of functionality, but because she didn¡¯t sense any magic coming from it. No matter what she did and how hard she tried.


    The thing almost was like a black box. Mylana felt more and more like a class-less person who was blind to any sort of magic. She hated it.


    Samuel was just glad he never mentioned that this phenomenon wasn¡¯t just restricted to this machine. In the past, entire buildings had appeared overnight without him noticing.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    When Samuel¡¯s ten activations were finally also used up, it was Markus who obediently stepped forward.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Until his charges were spent as well.


    Miriam and Timothy, who were at a loss for words, had already used theirs earlier. So now when Mylana was still not satisfied with her non-existent findings and was set on continuing to observe the machine while it did its magic from all possible angles, probing with the useless crystal, there was only one choice left.


    ¡°Call in the others, would you? The guys that arrived together with us. Tell them to come in one by one.¡± Samuel not only gave his two mentees something to do, but also gave them the opportunity to escape this madness.

 Chapter 76

    The two youths only looked each other in the eyes when they heard Samuel¡¯s words. The next moment, they fled the store, and, once outside, they didn¡¯t dally.


    Since they didn¡¯t know any of the people they were supposed to call inside, they simply approached the one member of the Malcos Eagles standing nearest to them; A senior-looking guy who was caught up in a lively discussion with one of Andreas¡¯ men.


    Disregarding the fact that the order came from one of the bigshots inside, having already seen some of the wonders that were sold inside the store, not much persuasion was needed.


    With the rest of his mates distracted by similar conversations with the regular customers of the ¡®Emporium¡¯, they were too busy to see him hastily running inside.


    After passing on their responsibilities, Miriam and Timothy finally breathed a sigh of relief and decided not to get too close to that old woman from now on.


    No ten minutes later, the door opened again. The same man stepped out of the store with a complicated look on his face and called out, ¡°Milly! Get over here. Your turn,¡± while pointing over his shoulder. Only now, with his attention-grabbing shouting and signaling, did most people even realize that the man had been gone in the meantime.


    One after another, the Malcos Eagles¡¯ entire squad was called inside to assist Mylana with her futile attempts to figure out the inner workings of the Alchemical Item Combinator, leaving them all with the same odd expression. The old woman was a revered existence in the Kingdom of Malcos, and even beyond. Now, this kind of unsightly behavior didn¡¯t match with the image in their imagination. Of course, no one dared to voice those thoughts; Nor did they think about rejecting her request for assistance. In fact, it was something they already looked forward to anyways, as it also put them in a spot that allowed them to purchase Severin¡¯s goods for themselves.


    This in return meant more work for the [Shopkeeper] and his [Employee]. The two weren¡¯t oblivious to their surroundings. Once they heard the order to get people inside, they busied themselves.


    In anticipation of the oncoming flood of customers, they set up their alchemy stations. They didn¡¯t rush. The System only ever provided enough ingredients to fully stock the store''s shelves. As such, they had to wait for a certain number of products to already be sold before being able to craft a whole new batch. If they started crafting before that, it just wouldn¡¯t be very efficient. During that time, Severin thought about whether or not the System would allow him to set up something like a separate storage room. Either way, Severin felt it was about time to once again expand the store.


    Two hours later, Emily and Severin were absorbed in their work. So much so that they didn¡¯t even notice that for the last couple of minutes, no one had called out to them to make a purchase. It wasn''t that Mylana had given up, but rather that, much to the delight of both Markus and Samuel, no one had any more activations left to operate the machine.


    Much of the old woman¡¯s dignity and reason suddenly seemed to have returned. With the cane suddenly back in her hand, she moved over to Severin and wanted to actually talk to the man whose shop she had occupied for so long.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Like Samuel before her, despite not being an [Alchemist] or having any other crafting profession, the sight of Severin working at his crafting station instantly intrigued Mylana. And unlike the former, she actually recognized one of the used ingredients.


    A herb easy enough to find if one knew where to look.


    A herb widely deemed to possess no alchemical properties whatsoever.


    All thoughts of starting a conversation were gone as she chose to observe the whole crafting process.


    If Severin were to look up at this moment and see her, together with her earlier behavior, at this point he would¡¯ve thought her to be some kind of corporate spy.


    But in reality, the woman wasn¡¯t really interested in the recipes themselves. Nor did she put too much weight on the used ingredients or even the processing techniques, though she certainly knew some people who would.


    The one thing that really caught her attention was something else. It was the fact that the little girl who, according to Samuel, had lived as an ordinary street urchin until not too long ago, could easily execute each and every step of the crafting process, no worse than Severin himself.


    After exchanging a meaningful look with her mentee, she simply headed to the door without saying a word. After a moment of hesitation, Samuel and Markus quickly followed behind. They decided against disturbing the two people, but the latter still nodded in Severin¡¯s direction.


    As it turned out, the group¡¯s display of consideration was very much unnecessary.


    The moment the door was opened, a loud bang greeted them. The scene of a bunch of adventurers seemingly being dead set on destroying a poor target dummy repeated itself.


    From the moment on they learned of the dummy''s incredible sturdiness, able to withstand even the combined power of the Lion¡¯s Head¡¯s second string, these new arrivals could barely wait to test them themselves. Not a few even secretly hoped they¡¯d be able to destroy one of the dummies to show off their superior strength.


    With the last of the Eagles released from Mylana¡¯s clutches and with a whole assortment of new self-buffs and weapon-enchants at their disposal, the time had finally come.


    The three people standing at the door were caught off-guard. With all the sudden noise and flickering lights and flying magic, they didn¡¯t know what to think. When they first arrived, none of them had paid any special attention to the training dummies. They had simply shrugged them off as some kind of gimmick, so now they needed a moment to realize what was going on.


    Suddenly Samuel understood that Tim and Miriam wanting to drag him off towards the training ground wasn¡¯t solely because they wanted to spar. He should¡¯ve known better. Nothing coming out of Severin¡¯s shop had been ordinary so far, so why did he think those things would be any different?


    To Severin and Em, the sudden disturbance was just as startling. Focused on their work, neither of them had paid any attention to the map which could¡¯ve warned them, nor did they hear the remaining people in the store moving about. But luckily, apart from a few spilled drops of resource potion, no harm was done. Strangely enough, the incident didn¡¯t even affect Severin¡¯s mood. The reason for that, however, lay with the light blue message floating in front of him.


    Level up.

 Chapter 77

    [Congratulations! Your [Alchemist] profession has reached level twenty.]


    Severin forced himself to stop reading any further and immediately turned to the person next to him. He discretely signaled for Emily to reign in her excitement and to not act rashly, as right now, their three customers still hadn¡¯t left his store. Luckily, both of them didn¡¯t have to wait for too long.


    After their initial confusion, Markus, Samuel, and Mylana excused themselves and closed the door. Instead of bothering Severin himself, they were going to directly check out the situation outside and go from there. Just enough time passed for Severin to conclude that, in time, he had to relocate the training ground to somewhere underground.


    ¡°Quick! Let¡¯s see what we got!¡± Emily knew the combinator was originally part of Severin¡¯s [Alchemist] level ten rewards. She expected nothing less for level twenty.


    ¡°One second,¡± Severin said laughingly. While he was just as excited as Em, there was still something he wanted to do first. So, much to Emily¡¯s displeasure, he navigated to his character sheet which was displaying his [Shopkeeper] experience.


    He quickly confirmed that his main-class would also level up during the next day, if not earlier. He hadn¡¯t just recently noticed how close his experience bar was to reaching the one hundred percent-mark. However, seeing this didn¡¯t come as too much of a surprise. Since he could only earn [Shopkeeper] experience points by making gold, with the most of it coming from his alchemy products, the development of his two classes could only progress in relation to one another.


    Severin wasn¡¯t any less excited than Em, so he didn¡¯t make her wait any longer. He, too, had certain expectations. He navigated back to the previous System screen and let a list of level-up rewards appear in the floating box in front of him.


    The first part of this list comprised of six items. Six potions, to be precise. Of those, Severin was able to predict the effects of four of them just judging by their names.


    ¡®Medium Health Potion¡¯, ¡®Medium Resource Potion¡¯, and so on. They were obviously upgraded versions of the four original jelly potions.


    The System¡¯s provided item descriptions mentioned considerably higher replenishing values in turn for a minimum level requirement and a cost of ten standardized gold coins each.


    The other two potions were named ¡®Small Health Regeneration Potion¡¯ and ¡®Small Resource Regeneration Potion¡¯. If taken literally, the other potions were also ¡®regenerating¡¯ ones, but to Severin, the naming convention wasn¡¯t really an issue. He strongly suspected, that both of those potions must have some sort of over-time-effect attached to them; a suspicion that was confirmed immediately. Maybe more surprising was the fact that those potions¡¯ price point was also at ten gold coins, despite being of the ¡®small¡¯ variety.


    ¡®Boring¡¯.


    That was Severin¡¯s first thought. Still, he wasn¡¯t upset. Those rewards might seem boring to him, but they were still solid products. Products that other shop owners or alchemists could only dream of. Products that would surely end up earning him some much-needed coins. Besides, the moment he saw the relatively long list of newly unlocked rewards, Severin already resigned himself to the fact that the number of items was supposed to make up for the lack of any real innovations on the part of the System.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Amazing! Right?¡±


    Severin was preparing to console Emily. She had squeezed herself in front of him to check out the notifications together with him. Like this, he wasn¡¯t able to see her expressions, but figured she would probably be disappointed.


    At that moment, the girl¡¯s sudden exclamation contradicted his assumption; Even though the subsequent question sounded somewhat skeptical.


    He followed her extended hand with his eyes and saw the remaining item on the list.


    Outside, three people were still left standing. They hadn¡¯t moved any further and continued to observe the situation.


    Samuel wanted to call over Miriam and Timothy to question them. He soon found them standing together with a bunch of other people directly in front of the source of this big commotion. When Miriam turned around for a moment, he waved at her in an attempt to call her over, but apparently, she hadn¡¯t seen him. Otherwise, she surely wouldn¡¯t have grabbed Timothy¡¯s hand the next moment to drag him further inside the crowd.


    When it came to asserting the strength of the group of adventurers fighting in front of them right now, and by extension, the sturdiness of the dummy, not even Mylana or Samuel would be able to do a better job than Markus. He knew everyone¡¯s equipment and levels, as well as their combat experience and their previous achievements. As the one who came up with large parts of them, he was also very familiar with the group¡¯s formations and tactics. So, when he suddenly saw more than just a few high-cooldown skills bursting forth towards one of the three inconspicuous-looking figures, as their officer, he immediately recognized them as part of one of their burst rotations. The group was definitely going all-out right now.


    But the moment all these skills hit their target, it didn¡¯t even so much as shake.


    Seeing this, Markus could barely keep his cool. The thing didn¡¯t even budge. He took a deep breath but continued watching.


    He didn¡¯t want to overreact. This was only the first part of the attack, designed to stagger even the toughest enemies and to buy time for the casters to prepare their spell of destruction. In anticipation of that attack, Markus instinctively took a step back, only to start shouting once he became aware of his own action.


    ¡°Back! Stand back you, guys!¡± He wanted to warn the people at the front - his own tanks and healers and supports that observed the damage dealers¡¯ struggle up-close, as well as all the other spectators not belonging to his guild. At this distance, no one that wasn¡¯t in the same group as these attackers, and therefore immune to their damage, would be left unharmed.


    But now, even if someone heard Markus under all the noise, it was already too late. He could only lament inwardly and hope the resulting injuries wouldn¡¯t be too bad. And how come no one else was reacting? During all that time, someone else should have also thought of this point.


    The whole paved fighting area turned into a sea of fire.


    Markus¡¯ heart skipped more than just one beat. Next to him, Samuel and Mylana were similarly unprepared. They might generally be quicker to react, but there was quite a bit of distance between them and, unlike Markus, they weren¡¯t able to accurately predict this next attack. Not in-between all this chaos. Still, they all three rushed forwards, even Mylana.


    But somehow the expected wave of heat never reached them. Instead, a strange purplish barrier, one that a certain member of the White Squall guild would certainly recognize, flared into existence, blocking all potential damage to the surroundings.


    The crowd of spectators didn¡¯t even seem to flinch. The situation inside the bubble also seemed to calm down. All noise of combat subsided and that of cheers and screams erupted. It was as if everyone had already predicted this situation.


    The three people halted and now looked at each other with confusion and embarrassment written all over their faces. Especially Markus hoped no one had heard him scream in panic.


    Only a single person suddenly seemed to flee the crowd. Somewhat belatedly, and therefore, drawing all kinds of strange looks. But the person with the small black card in his hand who was running away from the still pristine-looking training ground and towards the Emporium didn¡¯t seem to care what anyone thought of him.

 Chapter 78

    Just a few minutes had passed. Severin and Em, while in relatively high spirits, still hadn¡¯t had the time to have an actual break just yet.


    When all of a sudden, the door flew open.


    Upon entering the small room, Andreas immediately looked around and excitedly asked, ¡°Where is it?!¡±.


    ¡°What?¡± This was too sudden. A person barging in like that when Severin hadn¡¯t even completely processed his level-up left him slightly confused and unable to respond immediately.


    Andreas, on the other hand, simply waved with the black card in his hand as if that was enough of an explanation while carefully scanning the room.


    The card in his hands was naturally his V.I.P. identification card. As it listed all the benefits available to its holder, it indirectly also functioned as an announcement system for new products.


    He instinctively noticed when an item in his inventory had somehow experienced a change. As far as he was aware, that wasn¡¯t something that should have been possible. But when, at the next moment, he realized which item it was that had undergone this abnormal change and that an additional line was added to its tooltip, mentioning a discount for a service he didn¡¯t immediately recognize, he instantly started running without further analyzing the situation.


    In the end, it was Emily who understood and reacted first and pointed Andreas in the right direction.


    Although it had already been expanded once in the past, the store was still rather small. So, for Andreas not being able to make out any new addition to the store at a first glance, only left one possible location: the area behind the aisle of shelves located right in the center of the room.


    There stood a bright-colored rectangle box, not looking much unlike the machine standing in the far-left corner of the store; If maybe somewhat smaller.


    When Andreas finally laid his eyes on the device, his expression seemed to brighten in anticipation.


    ¡°What exactly does it do?¡± he asked, but didn¡¯t actually wait for an answer. Instead, he read through its tooltip and was so absorbed in it he would have missed any answer to his question, anyway.


    [Alchemical Item Purifier


    When activated, purifies suitable inserted item of inferior quality.


    Any resulting items will be bound to the user.]


    Just like Severin himself just a few minutes earlier, Andreas suddenly became hesitant. That didn¡¯t sound too impressive. Almost seemed a bit of a letdown when compared to the combinator, which now immediately became the standard against which all other devices would have to measure themselves.


    ¡°At least it doesn¡¯t seem to restrict the number of activations for each person,¡± Andreas said in a low voice to himself. ¡°Either way. Let¡¯s first test it.¡±


    The next moment he had a small hexagonal bottle in his hands and inserted it into the machine before him. The display next to the familiar coin slot, however, remained blank.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the tooltip just now? It said, ¡®items of inferior quality¡¯.¡± Severin snickered. He already found out that this new device wouldn¡¯t work with any of his own creations. He was unable to test the machine and its results for himself. Still, this was one of the rare occasions he appreciated the System¡¯s attitude.


    With an awkward expression on his face, but without saying a word in response, Andreas fished out a handful of random items out of his inventory. The quality of those items really was too poor. Leftovers. Previously, even a single activation of the combinator would¡¯ve been too much of a waste to spare on one of those items, but with no similar restrictions attached to this new Purifier, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    An especially low-quality health potion soon disappeared inside of the new machine.


    Said potion promised to heal the user for a total of two hundred health points, the same as Severin¡¯s most basic bright red healing pot, but not only had this potion cost quite a bit more than just a single gold coin, most importantly it also required a minimum level of twenty.


    Andreas was still doubtful when he reached for the item he heard appear in the output tray at the bottom. But that soon changed.


    ¡°Four hundred! It doubled!¡± Andreas called out in surprise. He didn¡¯t even try to hide astonishment.


    He ignored the activation cost of the machine in front of him, which he originally deemed somewhat excessive, and without further ado, ¡®purified¡¯ one item after the other.


    ¡°Reduced level-requirement!¡±


    ¡°Cures additional status effects.¡±


    ¡°Longer duration.¡±


    ¡°Now replenishes other resources as well!¡±


    ¡°Bonus damage!¡±


    Again and again, Andreas¡¯ shouts filled the small room.


    At first, Emily and Severin shared the man¡¯s delight. The device might end up making them some money, after all. But beyond that, the actual effects didn¡¯t matter all that much to them. As such, they didn¡¯t get excited at every single one of these items.


    With a customer present, no matter how occupied, they couldn¡¯t openly discuss the most recent level up and its accompanying bonuses.


    Therefore, they simply decided to start crafting again. One batch of each of the new potions.


    Andreas had lost his sense of time. He seemed almost more absorbed with the new machine than Mylana had with the combinator; Too absorbed even to notice what the other two people were doing in the meantime.


    Until he once again noticed changes on his black V.I.P. card. Only then did he actually turn to face Severin and Emily again instead of just shouting some random words in their direction now and then, without even realizing that he didn¡¯t receive any responses.


    ¡°You got even more new stuff?¡±


    The exhausted Severin¡¯s response was to point invitingly towards the newly crafted items in front of him.


    ¡°Upgraded potions? Upgraded potions!¡± Andreas didn¡¯t even have to look at the items¡¯ tooltips. He had consumed none of the newly purified potions yet, but as amazing as they may have appeared, he still figured those probably wouldn¡¯t share the jelly-potions¡¯ property of having an independent cooldown. But those handcrafted ones? In Andreas''s mind, there was no doubt. He had to get his hands on them!


    ¡°Give me all of them!¡± Andreas didn¡¯t hesitate. Even when realizing there was a tenfold price increase. Instead, that only seemed to make him even more thrilled. Right now, in his mind, more expensive clearly meant more amazing.


    ¡°A whole new variety even! If I combine these with the alternative quality potions¡­¡±


    Even disregarding the slow onset of fatigue under different circumstances, Severin would¡¯ve been more than happy about Andreas¡¯s excessive reaction. Even though he didn¡¯t come up with any of the crafting recipes himself and neither did he understand where exactly those strange devices came from or how they operated, seeing people have such a strong reaction towards them, always filled him with a strange sense of pride and accomplishment. That was especially true for completely new products; Not being an adventurer himself, he didn¡¯t want to only rely on some game knowledge to estimate the usefulness of an item. Someone like Andreas raving on about these products was still the best feedback he could hope for. Right now, however, after receiving a small sum of gold, Severin was tempted to directly throw the person out of his shop. The reason was simple.


    [Congratulations! You have reached [Shopkeeper] level three.]


    The text went on a bit further, but Severin¡¯s eyes immediately jumped over all that and directly landed on one specific line at the bottom.


    [Please choose your second subclass.]

 Chapter 79

    This didn¡¯t come as a total surprise to Severin. He still remembered that upon his arrival in this world the System prompted him to choose a first subclass, clearly suggesting that at least a second one should be available to him at some point in time.


    But that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t excited.


    Right now, no matter what the System said his main class was, and no matter that the sign outside, almost mockingly, called this little hut an ¡®Emporium¡¯, he knew he wasn¡¯t anything more than an [Alchemist]; At best.


    With an additional subclass or profession, this would most certainly change. Just thinking about the possibilities, he ever so slightly trembled.


    Sadly, he wasn¡¯t granted the opportunity to take his time to process the presented information. As if he hadn¡¯t already been busy enough this day, the door opened once again and a few perfunctory glances every now and then were the most he could spare.


    For a moment he was tempted to close shop for the day, but given that he had just revealed the existence of several new items, he knew that this course of action would simply be asking for unnecessary trouble and bad blood.


    At first, no one thought too much about Andreas¡¯ strange behavior, if they even noticed him leaving in the first place. Everyone was busy in some way or the other. Quite a few of the Eagles were dead set on challenging the seemingly indestructible dummies, feeling taunted by them. Others wanted to spar and get familiar with the newly acquired products that way. The regular customers belonging to the Lion¡¯s Head guild either decided to join the fun, enjoy the spectacle, or try to make some new contacts. Andreas¡¯s absence wasn¡¯t felt in any way.


    This was especially true when Markus, Samuel, and Mylana also joined the crowd. The first of these three people, after making sure no one had seen him embarrass himself, directly headed towards one of his group¡¯s trusted healers and asked for a report.


    The [Berserker] got his hands on his two mentees and shortly after challenged one of the dummies himself.


    Seeing this bigshot display even just a portion of his might further lightened the mood and captivated the audience of ecstatic adventurers. All appearances of their previous discipline had already long disappeared and made way for loud cheers, shouts, and swearing.


    The old woman also headed for the training ground but seemed more interested in the barrier that appeared from time to time. She carefully examined the threshold between the grass and pavement, the spot where the barrier had sprung into life, and then disappeared again.


    Not being able to find any hints of it, however, she soon became frustrated again. Just like Timothy before her, when he had witnessed its bigger counterpart deal with Simon, she tried to make it appear again by swinging her cane; To no avail. In the end, she could only call for Samuel to stop holding back so much and to unleash some of his few but powerful area-of-effect skills to force it into existence that way.


    That was until, at some indefinite amount of time, the long-expected missing member of the Lion¡¯s Head guild finally made his way back to the top of the floating mountain. Only then, when Harold inquired about his fellow officer¡¯s whereabouts, did some people become curious and start wondering about Andreas''s prolonged absence.


    As a result, the additions to Severin¡¯s product range didn¡¯t remain secret for much longer.


    Chaos ensued. The stress was immense.


    On one hand, there was the mental pressure caused by more than fifty people impatiently waiting for their turn to get their hands on the newest wares.


    On the other hand, quite a few of those people who finally got their hands on said potions started to complain about the fact they had no more combinator charges left. Especially the potions with a heal over time effect fueled their imaginations.


    And then, of course, there was the Purifier. With no further prerequisites to use, besides the golds costs, there was nothing that stopped people from using the machine over and over again, almost resulting in several quarrels even between people belonging to the same guild.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.And since Samuel and co. had originally brought a ton of items to experiment using the combinator, until they learned of the stat-elixirs and rethought that approach, there was no lack of items for them to use.


    In this situation, not even the impressive amounts of gold he was earning could placate Severin. Only Em trying her hardest to keep her curiosity regarding the choices of subclasses in check and keeping her inquiries to a minimum, somewhat gratified Severin. Otherwise, he might have snapped and simply blacklisted everyone.


    Only in the evening did he finally manage to close the shop for the day without receiving too many complaints.


    Only then, looking at the backs of the last group of customers finally leaving, did Emily and Severin breathe a sigh of relief. They both grabbed a chair and went outside, but didn¡¯t follow them any further. They stayed directly outside of the store and relaxed for a while, not uttering a single word.


    The two observed the group of adventurers. For the most part, the Malcos Eagles stayed behind on the mountaintop and mingled with Andreas¡¯ group, gathered around a large campfire. Some would even spend the night there; The others would sleep aboard the docked flying ship.


    ¡°Shall we¡­?¡± After regaining some of her energy, Emily finally couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Severin was no different and finally summoned the screen showing his available choices of subclasses. A few stood out to him.


    [Cook]. This was a class he had originally looked down upon. Now it looked especially tempting to Severin. For several reasons.


    First was his planned inn. At this crossroad right now, it would be foolish to simply insist on sticking with that plan and not to reevaluate his options, but being able to cook would most certainly speak in its favor, for obvious reasons.


    Second was simply the prospect of once again being able to eat food. Severin might not currently feel any hunger or thirst, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t miss the taste of good food. Hell, even terrible food would do.


    And third, food would allow him to actually leave the mountaintop. At least theoretically. There was still the issue of him being a stranger in this world, in an area overrun by vicious monsters, and no actual means of traveling.


    Thinking about the last part, Severin¡¯s eyes focused on another class. [Artificer]. Sadly, the System¡¯s descriptions of the classes were pretty much nonexistent. But in Severin¡¯s mind, if there was actually a class or profession which would allow him to craft flying artifacts, like the one anchored in the distance, then it was surely this one.


    Another option was [Blacksmith]. For this one Severin didn¡¯t mind the missing explanation, it was very much self-explanatory.


    Even he had to admit that the System never disappointed when it came to the quality of produced items. From that point of view, if Severin chose this to be his second subclass, he didn¡¯t doubt for a moment the impact his forged goods would make. Be it weapons or armor, every single adventurer worth his salt would seek him out.


    ¡®Also. Didn¡¯t that hag suggest that the combinator might work with certain enchanted metals and the like as well? Both [Artificer] and [Blacksmith] should be able to take advantage of that.¡¯ Severin remembered Mylana¡¯s point earlier that day.


    Among the other available choices, especially notable ones were [Enchanter] and [Beast Tamer].


    The former, simply because of Severin¡¯s gaming background, giving him a rough idea about its usefulness. At the same time, he was aware that even the worst [Enchanters] could demand enormous amounts of gold for their services. After all, wasn¡¯t that the reason Xander had set out a more affordable alternative when he stumbled upon Severin¡¯s little store in the first place? Back then, even the cheapest enchant was quoted at one thousand gold coins per weapon, with no guarantee of them even surviving the procedure.


    The latter choice, [Beast Tamer], simply sounded intriguing to him, but this time he had no clue what this class would entail whatsoever. Would those beasts then act as pets? As battle companions? Maybe as mounts? Was there something else entirely to it? And to ¡®tame a beast¡¯, wouldn¡¯t he have to leave the mountain and knowingly put himself in danger?


    He very much liked the idea of having a loyal animal companion, but the number of unknown variables seemed rather large. Still, Severin didn¡¯t immediately dismiss this option.

 Chapter 80

    Severin kept weighing his options as he went over the shortlist of potential subclass. But with no further information given on each of the classes, making an educated choice was basically impossible.


    Helplessly, he even skimmed over his list of rejects once more.


    ¡®[Weaver]. What a joke. Then I might as well choose [Tailor] instead and make sure to be able to craft some armor. Maybe even leather armor. But if it comes to crafting armor [Blacksmith] would still be the superior choice. Should be more expensive and, most importantly, would allow me to craft weapons as well. The same goes for [Bowyer] and [Woodworker]. Too niche. Too limiting. As for the rest¡­¡¯


    Severin couldn¡¯t suppress a sigh.


    [Fisherman]. [Forester]. [Scribe]. [Herbalist]. [Shipwright]. The list went on and on, but most professions looked just too ordinary in his eyes. Too ordinary, and unable to make him any money.


    At some point, he even questioned why some of these classes even existed in the first place. But then again. Blacksmithing was also most certainly possible even without a class, so why shouldn¡¯t a mundane activity such as fishing also have a corresponding class? Even so, after confirming he hadn¡¯t overlooked some obvious choice, he quickly focused back on his list of pre-selected ones.


    ¡°So. What do you think?¡± After quite some time of silent pondering and scrolling through the System screen, Severin finally addressed the person next to him.


    ¡°Uhmm.¡± Emily hesitated for a moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was but a whisper. ¡°[Cook] sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Only now did Severin actually turn towards her, intent on further questioning her about this choice. But even if Em¡¯s flushed face was concealed in the darkness, seeing the girl¡¯s awkward posture with her lowered head, he suddenly caught on.


    ¡°Hmm. [Cook] really doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± He didn¡¯t push her on that topic.


    Considering that back then just the promise of not having to experience any more hunger was enough to throw in her lot with him, this response didn¡¯t come as too much of a surprise. Food obviously held a special meaning for her. Even Severin himself craved a hearty meal every now and then. But while this feeling might somewhat influence his choice, he didn¡¯t intend for the matter to completely dictate his decision-making.


    He quickly asked for her opinions on each of the other classes in the nearer selection.


    In the end, Emily¡¯s knowledge in that area seemed even more limited and superficial than his own. She wasn¡¯t too much of a help. In comparison, Severin didn¡¯t only have some game knowledge to guide him, but there were also Samuel¡¯s stories he had always attentively listened to. It was only natural that during these recounts, every once in a while, topics such as enchanted armor or forged weapons came up; if only perfunctorily. But that also reminded him.


    Why not just ask the man, now that he was back to visit his store?


    Sure, it might end up looking quite suspicious if he questioned the [Berserker] about his blacksmithing related knowledge in too much detail just to suddenly the next day open his own smithy - but at least getting some general knowledge about a class such as [Beast Tamer] should surely be within the realm of possibility. Even without drawing any suspicions.


    And it¡¯s not like he had to make a choice right at this moment, anyway. The choice of an additional subclass should be well considered. No need to be hasty.


    ¡®Now that Harold has returned, I reckon that in a day or two, these guys will depart for their raid. I might as well wait until then before making a choice.¡¯


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    It should have been a joyous occasion, but the fear of making a ¡®wrong decision¡¯ lay heavy on Severin. Now a lot of this pressure left his shoulders, allowing him to take note of a point he had previously missed.


    ¡®Current number of [Employees]: (1/3)¡¯


    This came as a pleasant surprise, even if the System directly reminded him that any further hire would first require available housing, just like Emily¡¯s.


    After chatting for a while and bouncing ideas off of each other in good spirits, after a few more hours, Emily and Severin finally went to get some sleep.


    The next morning Severin was looking forward to having a word with his oldest customer. However, the moment he opened the door to his store, a bit later than usual, Severin realized he had overlooked a certain point.


    The previous day, it had simply been impossible for him and his [Employee] to craft enough of the newly unlocked potions to satisfy everyone¡¯s needs and wants. Furthermore, those people could hardly wait to use their combinator activations.


    And then, of course, there were the training dummies waiting outside, whose existence alone compelled people to waste their consumables.


    This would be another very busy day.


    Normally this would have been more than welcome, but today it came as a bit of an annoyance to Severin as it kept him from having the discussion he was so looking forward to.


    Severin was even tempted to leave Emily on her own, but ultimately decided not to.


    Instead, he kept pondering things while working. Not only his class choice but also his overall financial situation and the matter of another store extension. Especially, the last point suddenly became a very pressing matter for him.


    His shelf space was still the same after his latest level up. The variety of items he sold was not. As a result, every type of product could only be stored in smaller quantities than before.


    Only in the late afternoon did Severin finally have the opportunity to approach Samuel in peace.


    ¡°[Beast Tamer], huh?¡± The man didn¡¯t even have a chance to open his mouth yet when he was interrupted by his old mentor sitting next to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting one. And a rare one as well. Though it¡¯s rather well known in some parts, if under a different name. Beast Breeder or simply Breeder. Ring a bell? No? Well, as I said, mostly in different regions.¡±


    Severin wanted to inquire further, but just like Samuel before him, he was cut off before he could ask his follow-up question.


    ¡°While, with sufficient time and care, the tamed beast can grow extremely strong, most [Beast Tamers] don¡¯t possess any real fighting capabilities themselves. So, while some chose to become adventurers anyway, relying solely on the strength of their tamed beasts, those people are most certainly in the minority.


    The majority instead use their talents to either tame beasts according to some client¡¯s specifications and sell them, or, well, breed them.¡±


    At this point, Severin had heard all he wanted to know, but that didn¡¯t mean Mylana was done yet.


    ¡°In most cases, that means those beasts will end up as stronger and more obedient pack- or working animals. If they¡¯re lucky. Otherwise, they might directly end up in some rich guy¡¯s stomach. There are a bunch of them with more money than sense, claiming it increased their rate of experience. Bunch of hogwash.


    Anyway. The most proficient ones of those breeders are usually directly in the services of an [Arena Master]. Did you know that was a class? [Arena Master]? Most only know about the [Gladiators] working with or for them, and don¡¯t realize that¡¯s also a profession. Interestingly enough, it¡¯s not a combat-oriented one. Despite its name.


    Speaking of rare professions. Not too long ago, I came across a young woman able to create skill books. Just some low-leveled ones, but still. Quite fascinating, no?¡±


    At this point, Severin barely paid any more attention to the words of the incessantly chattering woman in front of him.

 Chapter 81

    Severin wasn¡¯t the only one whose ears suddenly perked up. Emily was just as curious as him and had similar thoughts.


    ¡°Create skill books? Do you remember what class it was? Was it [Scribe]?¡± Severin immediately blurted out these three questions. Based on Mylana¡¯s facial expression, she was pleased by the sudden interest in her words, but sadly, her reply was a disappointment.


    ¡°[Scribe], huh? Might be, but to be honest, I have no idea, honey. But there are so many other, even more interesting classes out there! For example¡­¡±


    Severin kept on nodding his head in response to her words but had already stopped listening to her words. Learning of such a class, he couldn¡¯t help but to directly think about one of the names on his list of available options. But with no way to confirm whether or not [Scribe] was the class in question, there was no way for Severin to make this choice. It would be too much of a risk. Especially with such a nondescript name.


    A class able to create skill scrolls might just as well be called something stupid like ¡®wordsmith¡¯ or something plain and simple such as ¡®Skill Creator¡¯; Maybe ¡®scholar¡¯.


    If he chose a class that would end up only being able to copy books and papers, such a setback would be too huge for him to cope with.


    Severin sighed to himself in regret. He felt he had been a bit too na?ve. The timing was just too coincidental. Even if the whole idea had been a very short-lived one, he still felt disappointed. It didn¡¯t help that the answer to his original question, the one regarding the [Beast Tamer] class, had been rather unsatisfactory as well.


    In hindsight, he wasn¡¯t too sure what exactly he had expected of such a class, but this was not it.


    The increase in combat prowess and survivability it provided seemed somewhat questionable to him in the first place, and even if that wasn¡¯t the case, to become a full-blown adventurer was something Severin had already given up on.


    He didn¡¯t believe for even a single moment that the System would let him off the hook this easily.


    So the only realistic choice, if his primary goal was to make money, would be for him to take the route of a beast breeder, as described by Mylana. And that was definitely something he didn¡¯t want.


    The initial appeal of the class was the vague promise of companionship. The idea of rearing a pet, not slaughter cattle. Maybe once he decided to open his very own combat arena, he might rethink the matter, but for now, he vehemently dismissed the idea.


    Severin wasn¡¯t able to make up his mind this day.


    The next day, again, was very busy. More so than Severin would¡¯ve previously thought, as everyone had already stocked up as much as possible. But apparently, everyone was diligently training and thereby consumed a lot more potions than he could have estimated. Especially the new ones with over-time effects had established themselves as a bestseller and, in conjunction with all kinds of other consumables, used up the vast majority of everyone¡¯s daily combinator charges.


    The stat elixirs had already been combined during the days before, particularly by Andreas and his people, and were hoarded as if they were treasures. They would find a use once the members of the Lion¡¯s Head guild would leave the next day as scheduled.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Unlike the day before, at this time Severin didn¡¯t mind the huge workload. With his hands moving on their own, he didn¡¯t have to pay too much attention to his work and instead tried to focus on processing all the information he had gathered, which admittedly wasn¡¯t very much.


    Still, on this day, he made up his mind and reached a few conclusions.


    No matter his first gut reaction, after thinking about it for a while, he had to acknowledge that not being able to choose the skillbook creating class was probably a blessing. At least at this point in time.


    Even with so many people currently visiting his shop, his customer base was still way too small.


    Not only was it very likely that the skill books he would be able to create didn¡¯t match up with the classes of his customer, but most importantly, there was the issue of level requirements.


    People able to set foot on this flying mountain right now couldn¡¯t be too low-leveled, making the products created by a level one crafting profession quite possibly useless to them. Not in any case, of course, but it certainly was a risk.


    ¡®Maybe once I get around to establishing one or two of those portal stations available in the System store. Then even those without a flying artifact can make it up here.¡¯


    To some degree, this was also an issue when it came to blacksmithing. What use would a masterfully crafted level one sword be if a customers¡¯ shoddy level thirty sword was still stronger in comparison? To sell such products, Severin would first need an influx of noobies. Of beginner adventurers. Bronze badges, or lower.


    Apart from that, Severin didn¡¯t like the thought of being stuck in a smithy. He was exhausted just from thinking about the heat and the heavy work.


    Sure, he could assign a [Employee] to do the work, but¡­


    Severin glanced over to Emily for a moment, before shaking his head.


    It was unknown whether Severin purposely ignored the fact that his original jelly potions wouldn¡¯t have been too useful to Samuel, Andreas, and co either if it was just based on their replenishing values. In reality, it was clearly their hidden properties that made people value them so much and return for them.


    But whether he really missed that point, or if he was simply trying to justify his final certain decision in front of himself, Severin dismissed one more class choice with similar reasoning.


    [Enchanter].


    Weren¡¯t his Weapon Oils pretty much temporary liquid enchants? And who was to say there wouldn¡¯t be more to come in the future? And why should it be limited to weapons? Maybe at his next level up, he would learn a recipe for Armor Oils, or something similar.


    Which left one final class. [Cook].


    This was Severin¡¯s final decision. It surely hadn¡¯t anything to do with his own cravings, nor with those of the hardworking girl next to him.


    It was just that items like a magical, enchanted suit of steel armor wouldn¡¯t get replaced for maybe even ten levels, whereas food would always be in demand. It would always be in demand, would fit in with his plans of building an inn, and could easily be forced onto people staying on his property.


    Besides, standing in a kitchen would surely beat standing in a forge.


    As Severin made his choice, he had seemed to forget, or choose to forget, the option of [Artificer] altogether.

 Chapter 82

    The moment Severin made the final decision, he felt a lot of his tension suddenly disappear; tension he hadn¡¯t even really noticed before.


    That, however, didn¡¯t mean he would immediately lock in his choice with the System.


    For that, he waited until the evening of the next day.


    During that time, Markus and his fellow guildmates checked out some of the dungeons and raids in the immediate vicinity.


    No one believed their inhabitants would pose any kind of danger or challenge to them. The rewards, aka the drops, wouldn¡¯t be worth it to a group of such caliber either. But after an extended period of traveling to reach this place, those guys were starved for some action. They couldn¡¯t sit still any longer, so despite the training dummies probably being more worthy opponents, they looked forward to fighting with a real, live enemy while at the same time taking this opportunity to play around and get used to the new toys they had purchased at Severin¡¯s Emporium.


    Since this was more of a pastime activity than real dungeoneering they didn¡¯t need an officer leading them. Those that wanted to join the fun would simply split into small groups of four or five people and together set off in balloonlike flying artifacts, which soon disappeared either at the horizon or beneath a sea of clouds.


    Samuel spent more time on the training grounds than he would normally care for, as he indulged his two mentees. Soon those three also began to disappear for the duration of several short trips to who knows where.


    Mylana, on the other hand, spent a lot of her time directly in Severin¡¯s store. Not being dependent on other people and their daily activations any longer, she basically claimed the Purifier for herself as she fed it with one magical item, appearing out of nowhere, after the other; her stock of consumables seemed limitless.


    Meanwhile, Andreas and Harold were busy either drilling their subordinates or making last-minute adjustments to their battle tactics to account for the group''s most recent gain in overall strength.


    On the morning of the next day, right after paying Severin one last visit, the Lion¡¯s Head guild, fully stocked, finally left and headed for their long-awaited expedition back into the Harrowing Plains.


    This time, after having witnessed the Eagles coming and going on multiple occasions already, not even Xander was thick-skinned enough to flaunt his personal flying artifact and instead directly joined the others on the guild¡¯s ship.


    Severin wanted as few people as possible to be present when he officially confirmed his choice to become a [Cook].


    His latest [Alchemist] level-up had taught him a lesson.


    One guild group less was already a huge improvement in this regard. But Severin still decided to wait.


    Depending on how things would play out, Andreas with his V.I.P. card might very well still be the first person to learn of Severin¡¯s expanded product range; even before Emily, as Severin wanted to surprise the girl.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Therefore, he decided to wait long enough until the [Warrior] was well on his way, as to not tempt him into simply turning around.


    Knowing that their trip was expected to last several weeks, Severin might¡¯ve waited even longer.


    Now, Krey¡¯s presence was the biggest thorn in Severin¡¯s side.


    He didn¡¯t dislike the man who spent most of his time talking to whoever was available and who had seemed to have lost a lot of his previous sternness.


    The problem was that Krey¡¯s presence reminded him that another delegation sent by the Society might appear at any point. So, he couldn¡¯t wait for too long.


    ¡®Then again. Any further delay is wasted money, anyway. Which is wasted experience.¡¯


    In the evening, not quite at night, but with business being relatively slow, Severin finally deemed it the right moment to confirm his choice of a second subclass and gave Emily the rest of the day off.


    [Please confirm the location and layout of the new facilities.]


    Following that unexpected notification, another window popped open. The System¡¯s layout planner. It was the tool through which Severin had bought up the available plots of land, expanded his existing store, and which allowed him to model Emily¡¯s housing before purchasing.


    Now, it also showed the outline of a new building with two rooms.


    It measured five meters in width and six meters in length. As Severin knew, those were the same dimensions the store originally had when he first arrived.


    Among other items, a stove, an oven, and a sink were vaguely identifiable. Much to Severin¡¯s pleasure. But it also made him wonder.


    ¡®How is it that it comes with a dedicated kitchen? I mean, I didn¡¯t get a laboratory or some other kind of alchemy room either. Is it because the alchemy tools are more suited to be transported? If I had chosen [Cook] back then already, would I have immediately gotten a second building to go with it?¡¯ He, as so often before, wondered about the System¡¯s innate rules and workings, if such things even existed in the first place, but didn¡¯t dwell too long on it. There were more exciting things to do right now.


    For example, playing around in the editor before him.


    While moving a building and remodeling its layout would cost Severin some amount of gold coins, this fee didn¡¯t apply to buildings that hadn¡¯t been placed yet. As such, he didn¡¯t need to hold back when moving things around in the editor. He placed the new building underground at one moment and put it on top of his existing store, the next one.


    Interestingly enough, he found out that expanding his premises upwards wouldn¡¯t require him to purchase any additional airspace, only a nominal fee to (re-)move the pitched roof.


    Of course, those things weren¡¯t really viable options to him. Severin had already something else in mind. After a few minutes, he turned serious again and imported the schematics of an inn.


    ¡®¡¯Let¡¯s see. I should be able to place the kitchen in such a way so that in the future I can easily integrate it into the inn. So maybe I should directly make it larger.¡±

 Chapter 83

    While staring at his layout planning tool that seemed like it was directly copied from a city-building game, Severin tried to imagine how ¡®his¡¯ mountaintop might end up looking in the future. He couldn¡¯t visualize a clear image in his head, but one thing he was sure of even now. He would have to go bigger.


    That wasn¡¯t only regarding the kitchen he was fiddling around with right now, but the inn as a whole. At least if he didn¡¯t want to keep on expanding on it now and then, as he did with his store. But exactly this had been an idea he had entertained for quite some time now.


    One hundred thousand. That was the minimum amount of gold he would have to pay if he decided to go with a pre-made inn purchased at the System¡¯s integrated store.


    Severin knew this deal was fairly priced. If he ever decided to model his own building with the same size, the same amount of rooms, and the same furnishing, it would certainly cost him a lot more.


    Yet that was an option he had been seriously considering.


    To go with fewer and simpler rooms and reduce it to maybe just a single floor with just a single common room. Like this, housing twenty people would have been both possible and very affordable, even in the past.


    But in the end, besides everything being more expensive this way, relatively speaking, other issues kept him from acting on this idea.


    One was him fearing the System maybe not recognizing such a lacking setup as an actual new establishment in regards to his still unfulfilled quest that required him to expand on his line of business; something he figured would now be redundant anyway the moment he officially obtained his second subclass.


    The other was Severin¡¯s steady increase in profits as he leveled up his [Alchemy] profession and learned new recipes, making ¡®one hundred thousand gold coins¡¯ sound considerably less intimidating than it had been in the past.


    Thanks to a whole bunch of new products and services, the arrival of another guild¡¯s raid group, and a curious old-timer basically throwing money at him, it was actually an amount he now could afford to spend; if barely.


    But when previously even this minimum amount of required gold seemed like way too much, now even double that amount appeared insufficient. How things developed, he couldn¡¯t keep thinking about serving tens of people at a time, but instead hundreds.


    His whole idea suddenly seemed rather ridiculous.


    As his customer base was growing, he should scale his business up, not down.


    A setup that would have just barely been sufficient to offer enough housing to Andreas and his group wasn¡¯t good enough anymore. Not with Markus and the Malcos Eagles on his doorstep.


    Opening an inn that couldn¡¯t even fit this one guild¡¯s whole group was embarrassing at best. Insulting at worst.


    Now he dismissed the plan completely.


    He would have to think of something else. But either way, directly going for a kitchen he wouldn¡¯t have to further upgrade in size, one that he could later easily integrate into his future inn, even though he wouldn¡¯t be able to make full use of it right now, was a given. That still left him with the issue of how to best serve his customers.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡®Thinking about it, I guess for now some sort of outdoor caf¨¦ is the easiest, most efficient solution. Also, the cheapest. Especially since I already own all the premises. Chairs and tables, and we¡¯re good to go. No need to save on those purchases either; it¡¯s not like these things become useless if I should ever decide to close down that caf¨¦ later on.


    I would just need Emily to double as a waitress or something. But this would¡¯ve always been an issue. ¡®


    Severin was rather pleased with his simple idea. But what was true for his future establishments was also true for his already present one. In the past days, he already felt how limiting his store¡¯s current size was, lacking an appropriate amount of both shelf space and retail space in general. This felt especially inadequate to him when considering that his alchemical products were his main moneymaker right now, something he didn¡¯t expect to change anytime soon.


    An upgrade was in order.


    This time a bit more hesitant, though.


    He didn¡¯t plan on anyone other than staff, which for now meant himself and Emily, to ever set foot into the kitchen. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t matter if most of the space was empty for now.


    For his main store, this was different. He had become painfully aware of the need to have enough empty space available for a bunch of people to enter all at once, but having it feel too empty wouldn¡¯t do either. He settled on a half measure.


    With a few hand movements, Severin swiped across the floating screen in front of him and adjusted the size of his kitchen layout to a total of ten times twelve meters.


    Then, determinedly, he more than tripled the size of his store from sixty-four square meters to two hundred.


    For every future expansion, he decided he would simply add another floor on top; that way, he wouldn¡¯t have to take future changes to this building¡¯s dimensions into account when planning future construction projects in its vicinity.


    While at it, he also added a bunch of shelves and seating options for his main store¡¯s customers.


    The seating arrangements for his would-be caf¨¦ were something he decided to put on hold until he actually set foot in his kitchen first.


    He peeked at the total price. About ten thousand.


    Without further ado, he confirmed his purchases.


    With that, a new flood of System Messages appeared and attacked his senses, numbing him even to the instantaneous change to his surroundings.


    [¡­ 10450/50000 gold spend¡­]


    For a moment this message caused him to regret his decision as it reminded him of the circumstances of how he obtained the related quest in the first place, and how as a result he had decided to not spend any more money before finally purchasing his inn. Severin grit his teeth as it almost felt like he somehow lost to the System and that it was now taunting him.


    Those notions were immediately forgotten, however, once another notification caught his attention and cleared his mind.


    [Congratulations. You acquired the [Cook] subclass. Please continue to work hard to further¡­]


    Severin didn¡¯t bother to finish reading the sentence and sprinted directly outside towards his new building.

 Chapter 84

    Many hours had passed in the meantime. It was dead silent outside. Everyone was already asleep by now. Even if they weren¡¯t, with the Lion¡¯s Head guild on their way, the majority of people present now spent their nights on the docked flying ship. As such, no one noticed the slightly chubby shadow flashing across the mountaintop. Nor did they notice any of the other changes, which included the sudden appearance of an entirely new building. A building that to most probably seemed oddly placed as it didn¡¯t directly align with any of the other two buildings; it looked as if something was still missing.


    Severin moved surprisingly fast across the damp grass and disappeared into his new kitchen soon after, suspiciously looking around like someone who had something to hide and didn¡¯t want to be seen.


    Once inside, he closed the door behind him and looked around. He wasn¡¯t irritated that the room was largely empty. After confirming that everything was arranged exactly to his specifications, he nodded to himself in satisfaction and headed towards the kitchen equipment.


    Severin very much liked to eat, but he had never been much of a cook himself. He didn¡¯t possess any noteworthy kitchen skills whatsoever and didn¡¯t have any misconceptions about this, either. In fact, for the most part, Severin¡¯s cooking was limited to putting a frozen pizza in the oven or throwing store-bought pasta into a pot of boiling water. It was obvious that he never had even the slightest ambition of becoming a restaurateur.


    There was never a doubt that he would have to solely rely on the skills the System would bestow upon him to make this place run smoothly. Despite all that, he wasn¡¯t totally oblivious to what a well-equipped kitchen had to look like; even if it was a commercial one.


    And what he saw in front of him right now looked suspiciously similar to exactly one such kitchen.


    Various kitchen tools Severin had only seen on television before dangled at just the right height from above the stainless-steel kitchen worktop. He could also make out a variety of different sized and shaped pots, pans, and bowls, which were distributed on several cabinets and shelves. He didn¡¯t have to open the drawers to know their contents.


    Then there was a big unit of metal with multiple doors and just as many control panels. Severin suspected it was the oven.


    There also was a gas stove. At least it looked like one. But even upon closer inspection, Severin couldn¡¯t find anything resembling either a gas connection or one for electricity. For the moment Severin decided to ignore that detail and continued to look around his new kitchen instead.


    He found that even the floor was coated with some kind of slip resistance substance. At a first glance, it seemed as if the only thing that was missing were a freezer and a pantry, which were both unnecessary thanks to the storage provided by the System.


    Severin strongly suspected that this was not how kitchens usually looked like in this world. The style resembled too much that of his old home.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to bring him off course, but for once he couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the System¡¯s generosity to provide him and his kitchen with more than just the bare minimum of equipment.


    Then one thing specifically caught his attention.


    The sink.


    He slowly made his way over and appraised it on all sides. Similar to the stove, it didn¡¯t seem connected to any sort of piping. Nonetheless, once he turned the tap, after a short hesitation, the water came gushing out.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Somehow he felt this was even stranger than ingredients appearing directly out of nothing whenever he was accessing the System.


    Severin suddenly could understand Mylana and her obsessive behavior a bit better.


    He put his hands into the stream of water and splashed some of it onto his face before then taking a couple of big gulps.


    Yet after indulging for a bit, he couldn¡¯t help but to silently admonish the System; almost as if his previously felt gratitude was already long forgotten.


    If it¡¯s that easy, was there really a need to restrict it in the first place? Even without a sense of thirst and its consequences. Even without the need to clean or to wash up, thanks to no dirt being able to accumulate on the store¡¯s premises. It hadn¡¯t been easy to give up.


    Severin was annoyed but didn¡¯t dwindle any further. Instead, he bought a random chair from the System¡¯s store, summoned it, and sat down.


    Only then, for the first time, did he open his cookbook and took a look at its contents.


    The cookbook was obviously the equivalent of the alchemy recipe book.


    What he saw wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. It was still very much disappointing and sobering.


    He had already sneaked a peek at the new ingredients that had appeared in his inventory earlier, and it allowed him to make an educated guess as to what his first dish would be; if one could even call it a dish in the first place.


    Besides, simply being level one already dictated what sort of meal he could possibly expect. And a hearty roast was most certainly not amongst them.


    Instead, he had thought back to his beginnings as an [Alchemist]. His first products had been potions. No matter how useful, if one was being honest, potions, especially health and mana or resource potions, were pretty much the most standard, most boring product any [Alchemist] could possibly come up with.


    Just by looking at things from that perspective, Severin thought he had a good grasp of what to expect. Yet reality somehow exceeded his imagination. It truly was the most boring stuff. So much so that he never even considered this result.


    Bread.


    Severin felt played. But he didn¡¯t scream or yell.


    Instead, he seemed almost resigned, and simply absorbed the System¡¯s knowledge without complaining; not even arguing that he was a [Cook] and not a [Baker].


    The depressing images of a group of adventurers silently eating nothing but dry bread in his planned caf¨¦ popped up in his mind.


    >> Hello? Does this work? What¡¯s going on? Have you¡­<<


    All of a sudden, he heard the voice of a young girl in his ears, causing him to jump up in fright. His self-pity immediately vanished, and he franticly searched the room. His heart was beating like crazy.


    >> [Cook]!? <<


    The voice returned. This time with a piercing yell that kept echoing in Severin¡¯s head.


    >> Wait for me! I¡¯m coming! <<


    ¡°Em?¡± When he finally made the connection, a blue dot was already moving across the map of the store¡¯s premises and had almost reached the new building.

 Chapter 85

    ¡°How did you¡­?¡± Severin stammered to himself but was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.


    >>Why didn¡¯t¡­<<


    The door suddenly burst open.


    >>¡­you tell me?! What can you cook!?<<


    ¡°¡­you tell me? What can you cook!?¡±


    The same question. The same voice.


    One came directly from the girl¡¯s mouth, the other magically appeared in Severin¡¯s head.


    It was unclear what exactly he wanted to ask. Either way, the question stayed unanswered. Even if Em had heard it, right now she had obviously no intentions whatsoever to answer him. Instead, she stood there gaping at the outlandish-looking kitchen before expectantly turning towards her silent boss.


    The girl curiously observing her surroundings gave Severin enough time to calm down and figure things out. However, he still hesitated to answer her. He didn¡¯t know how.


    Bread.


    The System even managed to ruin his surprise for Emily. The more he thought about it, the harder it became for him to control his facial expressions and hide his displeasure.


    ¡®Good thing I didn¡¯t tell her anything beforehand and didn¡¯t unnecessarily raise her hopes.¡¯


    Between realizing that Emily was still waiting for him to say something and his own inability to come up with a response, he ended up summoning a bluish floating screen via which he assigned his [Employee] to the cooking station; effectively granting her access to the cooking book and the ability to check all recipes herself.


    ¡°Aaah! Bread!¡± The girl was making all kinds of high-pitched squealing noises as she excitedly jumped and ran around in the room. Until she suddenly leaped towards Severin and looked up at him with huge eyes.


    ¡°Can we start making some? Please?¡±


    Seeing her unexpected reaction, he wasn¡¯t able to refuse her; that¡¯s what he had planned to do, anyway. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t completely suppress a sad smile as he answered, ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    He gave her a small pat before she ran off, trying to put her magically obtained knowledge into action.


    ¡®What did that girl go through that even¡­?¡¯ He refused to dwell on it and followed behind her.


    Somehow the girl and her surroundings were already covered in multiple varieties of flour, leaving Severin speechless.


    They started familiarizing themselves not just with the recipe book and its contents, but with the kitchen as a whole. During that time, Severin had to address an issue.


    ¡°Just so you know, but today is an exception.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± The girl asked absentmindedly, fascinated by the sink the same way Severin had been a few minutes earlier.


    ¡°You working in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± Emily was quick to object, but Severin wouldn¡¯t let her have any say in the matter and quickly continued to explain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need you in the store while I handle things in here. Later on, I¡¯ll come help you out again. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get your share!¡±


    At least for now, Severin didn¡¯t intend to bake any bread to order; not that it was realistically possible even with the System aiding to considerably speed up the crafting process, to begin with. Instead, he decided to produce a fixed amount of one hundred loaves or so and sell these over the course of the day.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Just like a lot of bakeries handled things. Minus the ¡®getting up in the middle of the night¡¯ part; today being the only exception. Maybe once he got another [Employee] he could handle things differently.


    In the end, after promising Emily her daily fill, she gave up on the matter without too much of a fight.


    They started working and talked about a bunch of different stuff. Such as Emily being woken up by a flood of System notifications; amongst them the confirmation that a quest has successfully been fulfilled, granting Severin and every one of his [Employees¡¯s] the ability to communicate directly with each other.


    In an attempt to familiarize himself with this new skill, he used this method to tell Emily about his own plans regarding this new kitchen.


    On one hand, the work was more laborious than Severin had originally thought it would be.


    Even with just a very limited variety of products that couldn¡¯t compare to that of a real bakery at all, just kneading and shaping the dough for the one hundred-odd loaves of bread by hand was strenuous to him. That was although the heat one would expect one would usually find in such an environment had already been taken care of by the System, making sure the room temperature was rather pleasant.


    The process itself was simple enough, not complicated at all. With only a handful of required ingredients, there weren¡¯t too many opportunities for either of them to mess things up.


    In fact, Severin was confident that as long as someone took their time to instruct him step by step, and told him the ratio of all the ingredients, he wouldn¡¯t even need to rely on the System to finish the work. After all, it was just some water, salt, one or two kinds of flour, and some sticky stuff the System simply labeled as mother dough.


    He was getting cocky.


    On the other hand, there was much less waiting involved than he had anticipated; once again, thanks to the System taking care of things. Even someone like him knew that letting the dough rise for merely thirty minutes would be far from sufficient under normal circumstances.


    The baking time, however, still seemed to be unaffected as far as Severin could tell with his limited experience.


    But even that idle time was still too much for Severin to handle in his current tired and exhausted state. Unlike Emily, he had had no sleep yet. The moment he was sure that the oven was filled to its maximum capacity and that everything else was sufficiently prepared and ready to go, he looked at his assistant and asked, ¡°Can you handle things on your own from here on?¡±


    For a moment, she was taken aback, but soon had a wide smile on her face as her chest swelled with pride.


    ¡°Of course! Leave it to me.¡±


    Severin nodded, satisfied, and turned to leave and take a rest.


    ¡°If anything comes up, don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡±


    He stopped for an instant and debated whether he should remind her to let the bread rest after it was done, but ultimately decided against it. Not only did she know as much about the process as he did, but he also didn¡¯t want her to feel compelled to refrain from immediately tasting the bread once it was out of the oven. Even he himself had to admit that the smell was becoming harder and harder to resist; if he stayed any longer, he might lose any self-restraint.


    Dragging his feet, Severin finally shuffled outside. Greeted by the empty space in front of him, he didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly bought the chairs and tables he had already cast an eye on beforehand and with a simple flick of his wrist, made them appear in their pre-selected locations.


    With the current menu, this setup might not live up to his original expectations, but it was a start.


    He slowly headed back to his usual sleeping space, but halted a meter before reaching the store¡¯s door.


    ¡®Tonight I upgraded the store, got a new kitchen which I also upgraded, and then even arranged this outdoor area which by itself won¡¯t make me any profits. And for how much? Around maybe fifteen thousand altogether? Fuck that! Might as well¡­¡¯


    Without giving it any further thought or even looking at the costs, Severin resolutely added another building onto the mountaintop as if it was nothing.


    Today he would finally sleep in a bed.

 Chapter 86

    Severin woke up with a rare smile on his face.


    He had worked until the earliest dawn before he went to sleep in his new bed. Now he woke up accordingly late; later than he usually would. He was aware of that fact the moment he opened his eyes, but didn¡¯t immediately stand up.


    Instead, he decided to enjoy the long-missed feeling of a warm, comfortable bed for a bit longer and closed his eyes again. He was content.


    But as he rolled over onto his side while holding onto the somewhat rough blanket, about to drift back into sleep, a sudden thought popped up in his mind.


    ¡®All that¡¯s missing now is a good breakfast and¡­¡¯ His sleepiness fell off. He started to struggle with himself.


    Ultimately, his urge to eat and taste some food won. He left the bed and the small, otherwise empty room.


    Once outside, his mood improved even further.


    Besides his own little room, there was the sight of the upgraded store and a completely newly built kitchen with an attached outside area that was furnished with an adequate number of tables and comfy chairs. So far, he was very satisfied with last night¡¯s work. Everything turned out great.


    Only one thing bothered him. Why was it so empty? Where was everyone?


    Two people were frantically hitting at a training dummy. Three other people sat around one of his newly purchased tables, talking animatedly. That was it.


    Even from the still docked flying artifact came no signs of life. The currently rather free schedule of the Malcos Eagles, allowing them to pretty much come and go as they pleased to conquer some of the local dungeons, didn¡¯t fully explain the lack of people either. Based on his observations, it was obviously not the case that everyone simply packed their things and left.


    With a bad premonition, Severin¡¯s eyes slowly moved towards the corner of his vision where his minimap was located.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The few people within hearing distance all turned around as Severin suddenly shouted. He, however, didn¡¯t care about those looks, if he even noticed them in the first place. He was busy concentrating as he used his new ability.


    >>Em, can you hear me? What¡¯s going on in there!? Why didn¡¯t you call me like I asked you to?<<


    He hastened his steps and headed for the store.


    After a couple of seconds, a reply sounded in his head.


    >>Don¡¯t worry boss! I got everything under control. You only told me to call, if I can¡¯t handle things.<< Severin didn¡¯t quite believe her, even if it wasn¡¯t for the slight hesitation and trembling in her projected voice. He didn¡¯t bother to stop and answer her and instead continued on his way until he finally reached the door.


    The twenty-odd people that should¡¯ve easily been able to fit into the newly upgraded store comfortably and with more than enough room to spare, now all besieged Emily behind her counter, immediately making it feel stuffy again; not to mention the noise.


    ¡°How can you be out of stock already?¡±


    ¡°Just make more,¡± one indignant adventurer said.¡±


    ¡°Right! Just put some more in the oven. How hard could it be?¡± A lot of similarly helpful suggestions were thrown at the girl. And clearly wasn¡¯t the first round either.


    ¡°Not even a hundred loaves?! Tell me, how are we supposed to get by with just such a small amount?¡± Hearing this, even some of the man¡¯s guild members couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed.


    Not all the people who had gotten a taste of Severin¡¯s new bread now bothered Emily; conversely, some of the people who had missed the opportunity to taste it before now joined the mob to demand a sample. Still, it had only been about thirty people that consumed the roughly hundred loaves of bread.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    If Severin had gotten up a few hours earlier, he could¡¯ve observed how a bunch of adventurers divided themselves into groups of three, based on the type of bread they got their hands on and sat outside stuffing their faces.


    Just looking at their expressions, he would¡¯ve known that everyone appreciated the taste very much; especially that of the round loaf of mixed rye-and-wheat bread, which was milder than the rye-bread but still had some of its earthy flavors. Quite a few didn¡¯t even bother to check their inventory for meats.


    But as it turned out, it wasn¡¯t solely the taste that moved these people so much as to pester the Emporium¡¯s young assistant. And unlike her, they didn¡¯t sob as they bit into it either; they shouted.


    ¡°Maximum health increase!¡±


    ¡°My mana pool expanded?!¡±


    ¡°Both my energy as well as my health¡­¡±


    The scene at every one of the tables was basically the same.


    The taste made them gobble down their food and before they noticed that one-third of the bread had already disappeared into their stomachs, a buff popped up for each of them. They exchanged incredulous looks before they started to shout all at once.


    Previously, they had dismissed the bread¡¯s tooltips. Now they understood.


    [Effect lasts for eight hours, with a sharp decrease in effectiveness after the first three hours.


    Durable for up to one week if stored in a cool and dry place.]


    So that didn¡¯t just refer to the bread saturation levels!


    Soon they began to share their food with each other while defending against the few people who previously accused them of simply attempting to ingratiate themselves with the store owner by buying a whole loaf of boring bread for themselves.


    What they found during that short amount of time was that those buffs didn¡¯t stack and that the most recent one to be applied always replaced the previous one if it came from a different type.


    Thanks to some individuals unwilling to exchange their food with the others, they also found out that not only was there a minimum amount that needed to be consumed for the buff to be applied, but that it also grew in strength when eating more of it.


    How much so, and whether there were any drawbacks to it, they couldn¡¯t tell.


    Just as they couldn¡¯t tell how sharp the decrease of effectiveness would turn out to be, just yet.


    Some few decided to leave the mountaintop to conduct some field tests.


    The others stormed Severin¡¯s store and demanded more.


    At the moment Severin didn¡¯t know all the specifics. He didn¡¯t really care either, even if the sight before him was gratifying. So, the food didn¡¯t suck.


    But what he really wanted to know was¡­


    >>They say we are already out of stock?<<


    The meaning of these words wasn¡¯t hidden from Emily.


    >> Don¡¯t worry! I have set something aside for you.<<


    Severin could breathe a sigh of relief.


    >>Ha, seems like you really are able to handle things alone, << Severin joked but didn¡¯t actually dare to ignore the unruly group of people.


    Without having a full picture of the situation, he finally spoke up and drew their attention.


    ¡°Calm down, everyone. We appreciate you enjoying our bread, but as it is handmade, there isn¡¯t much we can do right now. I¡¯ll make sure that tomorrow we¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, there is something you can do. Just go and make some more. We can wait.¡±


    Severin was annoyed by the rude interruption but tried to remain calm.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not that easy. Neither I nor Emily here can split ourselves. If we were to work in the kitchen right now, we have to close our store during that time.¡±


    ¡°Then close it!¡±

 Chapter 87

    ¡°Then close it!¡±


    As that sentence still rung in his ears Severin¡¯s mood took a turn for the worse. His expression fell.


    ¡®Which one was it?¡¯ Severin was very much tempted to blacklist the perpetrator and scanned the group before him with narrowed eyes. Sadly, he couldn¡¯t place the voice and with the person being lost in the crowd, there wasn¡¯t much he could do.


    ¡®Unless I kick out all of them,¡¯ Severin thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡±


    The heads of every single person in the crowd suddenly spun around.


    Without anyone noticing, three newcomers had entered the store and now stood behind them.


    The clearly youngest one of these people opened his mouth again and demanded, ¡°Michael, explain yourself!¡± Markus¡¯s voice was filled with authority as he spoke with an indignant look on his face.


    Only the sound of a sharp inhale was audible throughout the now otherwise silent room. The group parted around one short man, who started to stammer.


    ¡°Your Hi¡­I mean, sir.¡± The voice was unmistakably that of the person Severin had been looking for. ¡°It¡¯s just that the new bread is so¡­¡± Unable to find the right words, Michael looked around in search of help, but everyone else had already distanced themselves from him as if he was a leper, clearly unwilling to help him out.


    In the end, he settled for, ¡°¡­good.¡±


    At the mention of bread, neither Markus nor his other two companions showed any obvious reaction.


    They had been busy during the morning, locking themselves up in a meeting room located in the depths of the enormous flying ship. Only in case of an emergency were they to be disturbed.


    After concluding their business, they had already suspected some kind of new product or service simply because of all the changes on the top of the floating mountain; most noticeably the sudden appearance of a completely new building.


    The few remaining people outside had then confirmed those suspicions and gave them a brief report regarding their findings.


    Either a three percent increase of either their skill and ability-fueling resources or their health pool, or an increase to both of those at half the potency. On their own, those numbers might not sound all that impressive, but Markus, Mylana, and Samuel knew how big of a deal it really was. It was huge.


    Maybe not to less experienced and lower leveled adventurers than them, but they considered themselves to be part of the elite.


    So while Markus could understand his people¡¯s excitement, he couldn¡¯t tolerate this kind of unbecoming behavior.


    ¡°And that justifies you behaving like this?¡± Everyone knew these words were not solely directed at Michael, even if Markus still only looked at him. If he had known that for most of the time Severin¡¯s shop assistant had been on her own when dealing with these people, his words would have been a lot harsher. What he did witness, however, and what had been the reason for him to single out the short man were the words he had said towards Severin.


    ¡°Then what was this about closing the store?¡± Markus didn¡¯t scream or shout, nor did he activate any of his class-exclusive skills, but his anger was still more than obvious to anyone present as he asked this simple question.


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    This store might very well be the most fortuitous thing that happened to them in a very long time. And now some idiot asked for it to be closed?


    The only one whose mood improved by the minute was Severin, who was very pleased with Markus right now.


    ¡°Misunderstanding! It¡¯s a misunderstanding, I swear,¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that apart from replenishing some potions and elixirs, we are pretty much fully stocked, anyway.¡± The man¡¯s eyes suddenly flashed as if he had an idea and quickly added, ¡°So the amount of gold this honorable shopkeeper would earn today would be rather limited. If, however, he chose to make more of this exceptionally well-made bread, I¡¯m sure everyone would agree that his business today would skyrocket!¡± He almost sounded righteous as he blew smoke up Severin¡¯s arse.


    Severin naturally saw through this cheap attempt to placate both himself as well as Markus, but he had to admit that the man wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong. Most importantly, this situation made him realize something he should¡¯ve known earlier:


    Being a [Cook] would suck. It was bound to be stressful.


    If this was the situation even before unlocking any real recipes, before even having a taste of the food himself, then what did he have to expect once he actually had to cook food to order? Severin felt uneasy at the thought. Especially since he needed Emily present in the main store; whether it was busy or not. She would have to take orders from inside the store and telepathically transmit them over to Severin in the kitchen.


    That was the plan for at least until they found one or two new [Employees]; a matter that suddenly seemed very pressing.


    Markus glared at his subordinate and warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± But before saying anything else, he intentionally made eye contact with Severin. Seeing the latter giving him a small nod, he continued.


    ¡°If you have no actual business in here, go scram.¡±


    Not needed to be asked twice, the awkward-looking group hastily dispersed while mumbling some excuses and apologies under their breath. First of all, Michael who all but fled the store, fearing that Markus might still change his mind.


    He didn¡¯t.


    He simply stood there, looking displeased as he waited for everyone but his two companions and Emily and Severin to leave. Even the ones who did still have business inside the store, more precisely with the combinator, left without complaint.


    Krey, who witnessed the whole situation play out from a little further away, now also blended in with the leaving crowd.


    Only then did Markus¡¯ sour expression disappear


    ¡°Let me also apologize in their stead.¡±


    Severin graciously waved him off as if he hadn¡¯t been tempted to blacklist the whole bunch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Great. Took you guys long enough. So. Let us have some of your miraculous new bread, will you?¡±


    Markus was about to reply and make some small talk to further lighten up the mood when suddenly the voice of a woman prevented him from doing so. Mylana expectantly looked at Severin and the girl next to him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Severin momentarily was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± He thought about how to answer, but his thoughts drifted; towards Michael¡¯s words, towards the fact that he didn¡¯t yet have the chance to taste any of the bread himself, and towards his realization that he didn¡¯t want to deal with customers right now. In the end, he changed the words he had planned to say and instead said,


    ¡°¡­go and make some more.¡±

 Chapter 88

    Feeling resigned and with the watchful eyes of all the adventurers currently present on the mountaintop on his back, Severin made his way over to his kitchen. He hated the feeling of being observed like that. He quickened his steps.


    Once he found the time, he would look into the construction of hidden doorways or secret tunnels to move between his steadily expanding facilities.


    The moment he entered the building, he closed the door behind him with more force than necessary.


    >>Everything alright?<< Seemingly aware of Severin¡¯s decreasing mood, Emily¡¯s caring voice suddenly appeared in his head. It was enough to cheer him up.


    >>Yeah. Don¡¯t worry. But next time, either call me or just blacklist them directly, you hear?<< Only now did he seem ready to discuss the matter with her.


    >>But¡­<<


    >>No buts. You don¡¯t live on the streets anymore. You don¡¯t have to put up with everything. It¡¯s one thing to indulge some annoying customers, but don¡¯t let them bully you. If it wasn¡¯t for their leader to have some sense and intervene, I would¡¯ve¡­ << Severin didn¡¯t finish the sentence. He didn¡¯t need to; the meaning was clear.


    He continued after a slight pause, >>You represent not only yourself, but the Emporium as a whole.<< He said the last part with more conviction in his voice than he really felt; calling it an emporium still felt somewhat pretentious, and there wasn¡¯t a reputation to defend, either.


    Over in the other building, Emily replied with a firm nod. It took her a moment to realize that besides a confused Samuel, no one else witnessed her reply. >>I¡¯ll try my best!<< she quickly added.


    Inside the kitchen, Severin didn¡¯t directly go to work. He was in no hurry.


    Even if he took his time, his work would still be finished far sooner than anyone could realistically expect of him. Probably.


    Instead, he walked over to the three loaves of bread Emily had set aside for him. A few slices were already missing, but unlike his unruly customers, Severin wasn¡¯t able to eat a whole loaf of bread anyway, much less three of them.


    When Severin finally took his first bite, he didn¡¯t know whether the bread was truly that good or if the System had suddenly released all the accumulated hunger and appetite it had been suppressing for so long. Either way, he couldn¡¯t believe how delicious a simple piece of bread could be; even with no spread or toppings. His limited expectations were far exceeded, even he had to admit.


    Slice after slice, he gluttonously stuffed his face until he almost choked. For a good fifteen minutes, he only paused his chewing now and then to drink directly from the running tap. Until a feeling of satiety accompanied by a slight stomachache set in. With a satisfied grin, he patted his belly and leaned back in a chair. As expected, even though Severin gorged himself, there were still leftovers. More than enough for Emily to eat to her heart''s content, he decided.


    ¡°I guess now I should be able to leave this mountain without experiencing any kind of backlash. Too bad there is no way for me to test this theory right now.¡± Severin might have said that to himself as if he otherwise would be ready to test his hunch, but in reality, he was in no condition to do so.


    One more move than absolutely necessary and he would burst.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.His body felt heavy, and although he had only just gotten up, he was already tired again.


    That was until he noticed something in the corner of his eyes. Right next to his familiar minimap.


    ¡°A buff!¡± It took him quite some time to become aware of the small icon¡¯s existence, but the moment he lay his eyes upon it, he immediately understood what it represented.


    If this was one of his games back home, Severin would try to hover over the icon with his cursor and hope some kind of tooltip would pop-up.


    In an attempt to simulate this effect, he now simply tried to concentrate on this icon.


    In his current state, that was easier said than done, but he still succeeded.


    ¡°Haha, it really is a buff!¡±


    With no way for him to make use of his stats, or even just being able to see them, Severin had never felt the urge to try one of his elixirs.


    In fact, besides a single health potion, he had never consumed any of his products whatsoever. Not after discovering that this one potion not only didn¡¯t have a real taste but also lost its jelly-like consistency once it entered his mouth.


    Now was the first time he experienced any of his products¡¯ benefits firsthand.


    ¡®Three percent. Not bad. Let¡¯s see if I can find more on this.¡¯


    He opened his System¡¯s main menu and, counter to his expectations, didn¡¯t have to search for long. A red icon directly notified him of changes to his previously empty character sheet.


    Excitedly he opened the page end examined it.


    For the most part, it was still empty and not really worthy to be called a character sheet, but one extra line still had appeared in it.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like this. Only after any of my¡­ stats or rather¡­ values, experience some kind of change they get displayed in here,¡± Severin mused. ¡°So, I have to discover them on my own, I suppose? I wonder if me taking damage would also have revealed my health pool.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± He suddenly made a double-take. ¡°Are you shitting me?! Currently one hundred and three?¡±


    Severin almost threw up. Whether it was because of his sudden movements on a full stomach, or him genuinely feeling sick seeing his health value, was unclear.


    The first thing to come into his mind was his health potions. The most basic ones. The ones which were clearly intended to be used by greenhorn adventurers.


    Even those potions already healed double the amount of his own health pool.


    The implications frightened Severin.


    From his own experience, he knew that health potions were almost never supposed to heal someone completely, only parts of it. That was especially true for beginner potions such as the one in question.


    Following this logic, even the most inexperienced and low-level adventurer would already have multiple times his own health. Four hundred at a minimum, he figured.


    This, in turn, made him wonder how much damage a level one monster would deal.


    ¡®They couldn¡¯t just oneshot me, could they?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure whether he really wanted to know the answer.


    ¡®Forget leaving this mountain! At least here I¡¯m safe. Right?¡¯ His thoughts began to drift to the people waiting outside. To the people training with the dummies and the explosions they caused while doing so.


    Gulp


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the protective barrier¡­¡±

 Chapter 89

    Severin sat in his kitchen for a long time. Like paralyzed, he contemplated his own mortality. The one glimmer of hope was him remembering the dress he had bought for Emily back when she had joined him.


    ¡®It had plus one to confidence on it, didn¡¯t it? Then there might as well be some more useful equipment available. Something with endurance, stamina, or vitality. Whatever it¡¯s called in this place. Or something with damage reduction on it. Please! There has to be.¡®


    He knew that even if the System offered such gear in its shop, it certainly wouldn¡¯t come cheap. Worst of all, Severin was pretty much broke in terms of personal wealth, anyway.


    That, however, didn¡¯t stop him from opening the according menu and check in advance.


    The further he scrolled through the list of available products, the more Severin¡¯s face twisted in agony.


    Five minutes later, he could only dejectedly adjust the slider for his wealth conversion settings. Fifteen percent of all income would now be added to his own balance. After Emily¡¯s salary.


    When Severin finally started to prepare more food, he still wasn¡¯t able to fully concentrate on the task at hand. The images of flashing spells exploding into all directions appearing in his mind were too distracting. So much so that he didn¡¯t even notice his first level up as a [Cook].


    It was times like this where the System¡¯s knowledge transfer showed its true frightening capabilities. Without him really noticing, Severin still performed his tasks flawlessly and without any deviation from the original recipe.


    beep


    Lost in his thoughts, time flew by rather quick. Only when the oven announced the first batch of bread to be ready did he finally snap out of it. Secretly, he was even a bit embarrassed.


    ¡®Realistically speaking, it¡¯s no different from before, right? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m any easier to kill than I was back on Earth. Well. Except that everyone is armed to their teeth, I guess. And with probably no way for me to retaliate. I wonder if a gun¡­?¡¯


    His thoughts again began to drift, and it was again the oven that snapped him out of it.


    beep


    Once he was finally done with his work and the bread was ready for consumption, he stored the loaves in the store¡¯s inventory and made his way out of the kitchen.


    Outside, the thoughts of building a secret passage emerged again. Previously with multiple eyes on him, Severin felt uncomfortable. Now he almost seemed skittish as he all but ran over to the main store where his assistant was waiting for him.


    Curiously enough, even though everyone had to be aware of what he had been doing, no one followed him.


    Apparently Markus didn¡¯t leave it at just the few words inside Severin¡¯s shop, but had sorted them out for good in the meantime.


    When Severin saw Emily sitting bored behind the counter with nothing to do to keep her occupied and her eyes about to fall shut, a pang of guilt came over him.


    He didn¡¯t hold it against her when she didn¡¯t notice his approach.


    ¡®Shit. While I was wasting time wallowing in self-pity¡­¡¯ He swallowed a couple of expletives directed at himself and instead called out to her.


    ¡°Hey, Em. Why don¡¯t you take a break for today?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The girl was momentarily startled and tried to hide her sleepiness as she jumped up from her chair, barely suppressing the urge to yawn and rub her eyes.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleeping! I swear! Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Severin said laughingly but directly continued with a more serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be apologizing to you. I forgot you didn¡¯t have much sleep last night either. I can take things from here, so why don¡¯t you go rest? In the kitchen I have left some¡­ never mind. Just help yourself to some fresh bread from the inventory.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± The girl still seemed to have a bad conscience for almost falling asleep at work and fiddled with her hands, but her eagerness when hearing the word ¡®food¡¯ was apparent; in comparison, the promise of rest and sleep was just a welcome bonus.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure,¡± Severin confirmed with emphasis. ¡°Just notify Mark or Sam or someone, that the bread is ready, could you?¡±


    The adventurers entered in rank and file.


    This pretty much confirmed Severin¡¯s suspicions that, in the meantime, Markus had further reprimanded his subordinates.


    Strangely enough, Severin wasn¡¯t all that pleased by this display, even though he appreciated the gesture and thoughts behind it; he didn¡¯t like the feeling of distance it created between the two parties.


    ¡°Please. There¡¯s no need to go this far.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small gesture to show our goodwill as well as an apology, really.¡±


    ¡°I tell you, there is no need. You have already apologized earlier. If you really want to do something for me, however...¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± Markus was visibly curious. So was Samuel, who stood by the young man¡¯s side.


    In the end, the group decided to first conduct business and discuss Severin¡¯s request later on in a more private setting.


    He almost regretted giving Emily the rest of the day off, but with Markus and Samuel personally overseeing everything with one eye, as they tasted and discussed Severin¡¯s latest product, everything went down rather smoothly and with no further disturbances.


    If certain people back in the capital knew that Severin, the owner of a small shop, would dare to directly ask Markus of a favor, they very well might call for his head to pay for his impudence.


    Markus, however, was very pleased with this situation. He obviously valued Severin and his shop very much, and any opportunity to show sincerity was very welcome. Besides, he didn¡¯t think Severin would ask for anything outrageous.


    The actual request still surprised him.


    ¡°Can you help me find a new employee?¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t make this request on a whim. Not totally, at least.


    The moment he had first unlocked the ability to hire an [Employee] he had already played with the thought of asking either Samuel or Andreas for help.


    Back then Severin had still hesitated and luckily Xander had solved the problem just in time when he brought Emily along with him in an attempt to circumvent the store¡¯s rules.


    The main reason for Severin¡¯s hesitation had been the matter of loyalty.


    He didn¡¯t want to hire someone who was likely to be affiliated with some guild and who may have some hidden agenda.


    With Markus¡¯ identity, this would likely be even more of an issue. And by now, even Samuel himself didn¡¯t seem all that unaffiliated anymore.


    And yet, Severin still decided to ask them for help.


    ¡°So, what had changed?¡±


    If someone asked him that question Severin might grudgingly admit that, for one, it was his trust in the System.


    He still despised how it seemed to scam him at every opportunity, but remembering the contracts every new [Employee] had to sign and how Emily got punished for even just a slight, involuntary offense, Severin felt confident enough to take the risk.


    The other reason was more pragmatic. If it was a person sent by Markus, he could be sure that their company, at the very least, wouldn¡¯t be unpleasant. Doubly so if they really turned out to be some kind of spy.


    Besides, Severin was getting desperate. Even just the current amount of work was getting too much to handle for just two people. And with every new level up, it was only bound to get more.


    And the alternative would be to ask Xander again.

 Chapter 90

    Hearing Severin¡¯s request, both Markus and Samuel seemed somewhat taken aback. This had obviously been outside their expectations. The confusion didn¡¯t last long, however, and for a short moment, the former almost seemed to be delighted.


    Severin didn¡¯t miss this reaction but decided it proved nothing regarding Markus¡¯ motives; it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that Markus wanted to plant a spy and was now delighted because of this unique opportunity. If anything, Severin expected Markus to remain more composed, if that was truly the case.


    Not that it truly mattered, anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Markus asked incredulously, making sure this wasn¡¯t just the first request of many.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Severin Nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Well. That should be easy enough, then. But I have to admit I¡¯m rather curious. Why don¡¯t you hire someone yourself? I have no doubt that someone with your capabilities could easily handle something so trivial themselves.¡±


    ¡®If only it was this easy,¡¯ Severin helplessly thought to himself. He still appreciated the flattery.


    ¡°To be honest, I simply prefer staying within the premises of my shop.¡± In the past, this would¡¯ve been a lie. Faced with learning the extent of his own health pool, Severin didn¡¯t know if it still was. ¡°Then there is my assistant. I don¡¯t want to needlessly burden her with everything in my absence. And with me still being relatively new here, I figured I might as well rely on somebody I can trust and who is already established in this area.¡± Severin didn¡¯t shy away from making up several excuses right on the spot while at the same time returning some pleasantries. Until he thought of a more satisfactory explanation. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still expecting a delegation sent by the Adventurer¡¯s Society.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Based on Samuel¡¯s understanding exclamation, it seemed Krey didn¡¯t deem it necessary to hide this information.


    As it turned out, the Society was big enough of a deal that no further explanations were needed as to why someone would go out of their way to welcome them personally. Not that anyone expected such explanations in the first place.


    ¡°As I said, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to find someone suitable. That being said, what exactly are you looking for in an employee? Any special skills? Maybe some experience in the kitchen or in a laboratory?¡± Markus obviously considered Severin¡¯s current situation. The latter hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°Someone without a class. That¡¯s the most important thing.¡±


    The two men didn¡¯t seem all that surprised. Emily¡¯s transformation from a dirty street urchin to a valued assistant who was perfectly capable of crafting all of Severin¡¯s products had apparently been enough to prepare them for this answer. Instead, Samuel reminded, ¡°Most cooks are classless to begin with.¡±


    ¡®Right. Cook doesn¡¯t mean [Cook].¡¯ Severin hesitated again, making for an awkward pause. He was unsure how much to reveal and how much to conceal.


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    ¡®I guess it¡¯s not really important. Imposing arbitrary restrictions might only serve to unnecessarily limit the choice of potential candidates.¡¯ Thinking things through, the answer was obvious. Furthermore, he feared that his hesitation had already rendered all attempts at misdirection moot, anyway.


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Markus slowly nodded as if understanding something and shared a quick glance with the [Berserker] next to him.


    ¡°What age?¡±


    Severin had actually given this question some thoughts already. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter. No one too frail, I suppose. We are not exactly dealing with physical labor, but I expect things to get rather busy. Especially in the kitchen.¡± He stroked the stubbles on his chin.


    ¡°Maybe someone older than Emily. More mature.¡± He felt a bit guilty not wanting to hire someone in Emily¡¯s age group but wasn¡¯t sure whether the girl would even appreciate the gesture in the first place. All in all, it was simply not worth it.


    The next question followed immediately.


    ¡°Gender?¡±


    This time Severin was so sure how to answer. He felt tempted. Especially in conjunction with the previous question. His thoughts began to wander for quite some time.


    Until he snapped out of it when he felt several judging glances on him.


    ¡°Hehe,¡± with a hint of self-deprecation, he laughed dumbly to himself and he waved off the question. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, doesn¡¯t matter!¡± His repeated assurances did very little to convince anyone. Seeing Severin¡¯s red face, Samuel couldn¡¯t quite hide a grin. Markus, on the other hand, managed to remain more professional. He continued to work through his checklist.


    ¡°Alright. And how many people exactly are you looking forward to hire? And for how long?¡±


    Severin was grateful for the comparatively innocuous question. ¡°Just one for now. Long term.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t missed that the number of people the System allowed him to hire hadn¡¯t just gone up by one, but two. Still, he decided to take things slowly. Step by step. Not only did he think it prudent to first get to know whoever it was Markus would send his way, but he also didn¡¯t want to fully commit himself and make a choice he would later regret. Who knows what opportunities might arise in the future?


    ¡°Hmm. So, no real requirements, huh? Then let¡¯s talk about compensation. Salary. Board and lodging. These kinds of matters. You understand.¡±


    ¡°Board and lodging are obviously included. Mandatory even. As for the salary, I would consider it rather generous. Anything more specific than that, I fear, has to be discussed with the other party directly.


    All I can say on the matter is that I require any employee to sign a magical contract. Voluntarily, of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s say, unusual. Most people try to avoid such contracts, so it might take a bit longer to find someone suitable. And willing.¡° Despite these words, no one seemed too surprised by Severin¡¯s demands, if maybe a bit disappointed. Severin ignored the probing looks and breathed a sigh of relief. His gamble paid off. ¡®So magic contracts really are a thing!¡¯


    Realizing that Severin wasn¡¯t going to satisfy his curiosity, Markus began talking again. ¡°I guess if you don¡¯t have anything else to add, conditions or comments or the like or the like, that should be it.¡±


    ¡°Thank y¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Samuel suddenly interrupted from the side.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What about race?¡±


    ¡°Right! Forgot about that.¡±


    ¡°Race?¡±


    If previously his face had been red in shame, suddenly it was flushed red in excitement.

 Chapter 91

    ¡°Right! My understanding is that you are not originally from around here?¡± It was more of a statement than a question. ¡°You see, both Malcos and even Rhenia, for that matter, are more, let¡¯s say, progressive, than some of our neighbors. I guess you could say it comes with the territory,¡± Markus said jokingly. ¡°I sometimes forget that¡­¡± he paused and hid an unsavory expression. ¡°Well, not everybody shares our values.¡± The young man shot Severin a prompting look, swallowing a bunch of other things he wanted to add.


    But not only wasn¡¯t he representing just himself, right now they weren¡¯t even in Malcos. Someone in his position knew that at this moment, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to potentially antagonize an important future ally. After all, making an ally and deepening their relationship was what this whole conversation was about in the first place.


    Severin didn¡¯t notice Markus¡¯s strained facial expression. Nor his cue. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts; hearing the words but not really listening to them.


    Those thoughts were heavily influenced by countless hours of all things fantasy. Be it games, books, or movies. Before coming to this world, fantasy presented in one form or the other was an integral part of Severin¡¯s life.


    ¡°What races are we talking about?¡± Severin tried to calm himself down and suppress his excitement. He inhaled. Exhaled. Slowly, heavily.


    As a result, his voice sounded deeper than usual. More grave.


    Markus¡¯ expression became even stiffer. He didn¡¯t like the other party¡¯s tone.


    More important than the tone, however, was that his, not all that subtle, unspoken question was answered by a counter-question. As if Severin¡¯s reply might vary depending on his own answer.


    Apparently, the [Shopkeeper] wasn¡¯t the only one to misunderstand the other¡¯s intentions.


    Samuel noticed the strange atmosphere. Maybe he even had an accurate grasp on the situation playing out between the two people in front of him. He intervened before things could escalate into something ugly. With an admonishing look, he slightly elbowed his companion before he turned to address the other man.


    ¡°I reckon on your travel¡¯s you should¡¯ve already made contact with most of the races on this continent, no?¡± The [Berserker] somehow knew that Severin¡¯s question was innocent in nature and that it didn¡¯t carry any hidden meanings. However, this was all the more reason to make him suspicious. Instead of answering, he tried to sound Severin out.


    ¡®Fuck! Would I ask if I did!?¡¯ Severin wanted to shout but managed to get a hold of himself at the last moment. By now, even he realized something wasn¡¯t right. He focused again.


    His excuse had always been that he came from a faraway place. One so far away that he wasn¡¯t even aware of the most basic and common knowledge. One which must¡¯ve required him to put a long and arduous journey behind him to have reached this piece of flying rock.


    If he wanted to keep his story straight, he had to come up with something.


    ¡®This is a land bridge, right? With Malcos in the south and that other country up north. Then to the east and west¡­¡¯


    ¡°I traveled by sea. From a very remote place,¡± Severin mechanically nodded his head as if trying to convince himself of his shoddy lie.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Markus and Samuel both gave him an incredulous look. He instinctively knew if he didn¡¯t beat them to it, they would start asking more unpleasant questions. He reluctantly gave up on his previous question and quickly tried to change the topic.


    ¡°You mentioned something regarding the ¡®territory¡¯?¡±


    The moment the words crossed his lips, Severin wanted to kick himself.


    ¡®What kind of question is that?¡¯


    But it was too late. Now all he could do was stand there and try to look as innocent as possible.


    Five seconds of unbearable silence followed until Samuel showed mercy and finally replied.


    ¡°The Golden Gates. That¡¯s what Malcos and Rhenia are sometimes called. Well, some only refer to Hanvia and Karn when they say this. If one ignores the direct seaway,¡± Samuel put special emphasis on the last word, ¡°those are the only two access points to the Golden Mountains.


    With the Mountains living up to their name, fame- and fortune-seekers from all over the continent make it their destination.


    And with adventurers usually come merchants and crafters and the like.


    As such, these two cities over time became the trading hubs they now are.


    Makes for a comparatively diverse and open-minded population with its influence reaching far beyond the city walls.


    Not saying it¡¯s perfect, but compared to some of the more isolated countries¡­¡°


    Severin listened attentively to Samuel¡¯s brief explanation, and while he was grateful for being let off the hook, he harbored some serious doubts. ¡®That¡¯s how it works?¡¯


    Severin figured the danger was mostly averted as long as he didn¡¯t push the matter and give Markus and Samuel the opportunity to make inquiries on their own. He remembered the original question regarding his preferences.


    ¡°I see. Well. I¡¯ll rely on your judgment to hire whoever you think is most suitable.¡± Severin not only tried to avoid a blunder but thought himself to be clever at the same time.


    In his mind, phrasing it like that might reveal the existence of racials-race specific traits that would enable a person to excel at certain tasks.


    It did not.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Markus simply assured him.


    At this point, the shopkeeper was frustrated to no end.


    To what extent did the laws of this world govern its people? How far did his game-knowledge hold up? What races did exist on this planet? Were they ¡®balanced¡¯? What about the classes? Would it be possible for him to in the future hire an elven barmaid?


    He wanted to know. Was that really too much to ask for?


    Severin grew impatient. He simply couldn¡¯t let the matter go and rather bluntly voiced one of his observations.


    ¡°You know¡­I noticed that... well, so far none of my customers seemed¡­ They have all been human.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    The booming voice took him by surprise.


    So did the enormous hand that suddenly and without warning, slapped him on the back and caused him to look at his newly discovered health pool in panic.


    ¡°So you think my size is simply the result of being a [Berserker]?¡±

 Chapter 92

    For a moment, Severin didn¡¯t know how to react.


    That revelation sounded ridiculous to him. Almost absurd.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he just a big guy?¡¯


    Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t help himself and carefully looked at the man, who wore an amused smile on his face, from top to bottom.


    He still didn¡¯t see it.


    Sure, since he had first laid his eyes on him, Severin never really got used to Samuel¡¯s enormous size. It was intimidating.


    The man wasn¡¯t just well above two meters tall, but his overall physique was rather terrifying; muscle packed, covered by countless gruesome scars, and dressed in that savage-looking pelt of his.


    Still. People that tall also existed on Earth. It was rare, sure, but hardly otherworldly.


    ¡®I guess if it¡¯s a whole people and not just a handful of individuals suffering from some obscure disease¡­¡¯ Despite these thoughts, his doubt was still apparent. Or rather, he didn¡¯t want to believe it. It was simply too underwhelming for his linking. Too ordinary.


    ¡°I¡¯m a half-giant.¡± Samuel revealed.


    The ¡®giant¡¯ part didn¡¯t come as too much as a surprise. The other part, however, made things easier for Severin to accept.


    ¡®Half, huh?¡¯ He slowly nodded in response. ¡®Makes you wonder how big the real deal is.¡¯


    No matter how tempted he was, Severin didn¡¯t think it would be appropriate to actually ask this question.


    The next moment, an even more inappropriate question came to mind.


    ¡®Was it the mother, or the father?¡¯ Severin opened his mouth, and, without making a noise, immediately shut it again. He tried to picture it.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re at a loss for words,¡± Samuel noted laughingly.


    Being torn from his thoughts, Severin felt caught. ¡®Thank whatever powers brought me here, that he is a [Berserker] and not a [Mind Reader].¡¯


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Severin could only force an awkward laugh.


    Even Markus couldn¡¯t hide his amusement at this point. ¡°That¡¯s not going to be a problem, right?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem! Not a problem at all!¡± Severin¡¯s voice suddenly returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one either, you know? Non-human, that is.¡± The half-giant didn¡¯t give Severin any time to react and continued on. ¡°There are a handful of elves in Markus¡¯s squad.¡±


    ¡°Five,¡± the latter confirmed.


    ¡°And while I can¡¯t speak for Andreas¡¯s guild, I suspect that at least their [Duelist] is a half-elf as well. His friend, the healer, might be one as well.¡±


    ¡­


    Severin sat alone in his store.


    When Markus and Samuel left the store, the former had assured he would take care of the matter regarding the new employee as quickly as possible. Despite that, Severin didn¡¯t have the impression that the young officer had any plans to leave the mountaintop anytime soon; not for any extended period of time, anyway.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡®Maybe he just sends one of his subordinates. Or maybe there are artifacts for long-distance communication.¡¯ Severin came up with two plausible explanations but didn¡¯t really care either way. As long as Markus fulfilled his promise, Severin would be happy. It didn¡¯t matter how he did it.


    Even if Markus decided to go back on his word, which Severin doubted, it wouldn¡¯t matter all that much. It wouldn¡¯t serve to deepen the relationship between them, and it would be annoying, but that¡¯s it. This was just supposed to be some kind of favor; Severin wouldn¡¯t lose anything in the process.


    Besides. Right now, Severin wasn¡¯t really in the mood to think about these things.


    His thoughts still circled around the existence of giants and elves.


    Meeting a real giant became something he was now looking forward to very much. Though preferably from a safe distance; like one would watch a lion or any other ferocious beast. Not that he suspected giants to necessarily be any more ferocious than Samuel himself. He didn¡¯t fear to be devoured like Saturn¡¯s son, but there really was no need to tempt fate. Not with his puny health pool. Not when he expected the other party to be at least double his own size. Literally.


    ¡®One careless step and I would be mush. No thanks! Though I wonder if such a person would even fit through the door.¡¯


    All in all, learning of the existence of giants and Samuel having giant blood in his veins was comparatively easy for Severin to accept. It came as a surprise and maybe was a bit disappointing, but that was it. His relationship with the [Berserker] wouldn¡¯t change because of this.


    The same couldn¡¯t be said in regard to elves.


    He had already met elves, without him noticing? What a letdown. How was something like that even possible?


    ¡®Weren¡¯t elves supposed to be¡­? I mean, there is more to them than just pointy ears, right? Right?¡¯ Severin started pondering again.


    There were other aspects that were commonly attributed to elves.


    For example, their beauty.


    ¡®Hardly a telltale sign.¡¯


    Or their affinity for magic, in case of high-elves, and their superior agility, in case of wood or forest elves.


    ¡®Again. Every single one out there is an adventurer. Would be more astounded if any one of them wasn¡¯t able to cast spells or climb trees or whatever. Hell. From what I could see, none of the casters were in bad shape. Like, at all.¡¯


    Then there was their supposedly long life expectancy.


    ¡®Not something that would jump into the eye, either. And I can¡¯t really ask for their age, can I? Same with the ears. Would hardly even qualify them as a whole different race, in my opinion.¡¯


    The more Severin thought about the matter, the more depressed he became. But he refused to give up. He was grasping at straws and continued weighing every single clich¨¦ he had read about elves.


    ¡®None of them stood out to be especially arrogant, either. Maybe¡­¡¯


    He halted, and in his mind, went through Samuel¡¯s words again. Until he remembered the mentioning of a certain someone.


    ¡°Xander!?¡±


    No. He refused that notion. Xander was an arrogant prick, alright. But that was just a coincidence, nothing more. He certainly wasn¡¯t representative. But then again, who was?


    Severin was devastated.


    Despite having transmigrated into a fantasy world, the thought of potentially meeting any other races had somehow never really occurred to him.


    That was until a few hours ago, when his hope and expectations were raised. Or rather, he allowed them to get raised. The resulting disappointment was all the greater.


    ¡®So, turns out they are nothing special. Just like everyone else. Unless I¡¯m missing something.¡¯

 Chapter 93

    Severin¡¯s thoughts kept him awake for a long time. Until, at some point, he finally drifted off into sleep.


    The next moment Severin found himself behind the counter of a bustling tavern.


    The air was warm and a bit stuffy. But not in an unpleasant way. It felt right and somehow made one feel right at home. A place one would look forward to return to after an arduous journey, offering company and safety.


    He looked around.


    So many people. Both familiar and unfamiliar alike, but one face in particular drew his attention.


    In a corner, he found Emily sitting alone at a table, impatiently waiting for a busy barmaid whose face he couldn¡¯t make out, to make her way through the crowd to serve her some kind of roast.


    The girl immediately grabbed the piece of meat with her bare hands and began wolfing it down.


    Severin laughed to himself but decided not to disturb her. He continued looking around.


    Suddenly, he spotted a lanky man holding some old-fashioned string instrument in his hands standing right in the middle of the room and playing a merry tune. For an instant Severin wondered how he was able to overlook the unfamiliar man before. The next moment, however, the thought had disappeared as if it had never existed. So did Emily.


    Now that very same corner was occupied by a bunch of adventurers, hollering vulgar songs, and having a good time.


    Severin observed this group from afar as they swayed to the music and cheerfully clinked mugs. Doing so, they spilled their drinks over the table, the benches, and even themselves. Severin figured that only a fraction of those drinks made it down their throats.


    An assessment with which he was apparently not alone.


    Out of nowhere, the somewhat familiar looking maid appeared again and, wildly gesturing, reprimanded the group for their inconsiderate behavior.


    Boom


    A sudden bang demanded Severin¡¯s attention. On the other side of the room, a man had jumped up and, in the process, knocked over his chair.


    He seemed furious and stood there pointing accusingly towards the woman who still sat in her place opposite him. On the table between them lay a bunch of gold coins and a deck of playing cards. Severin couldn¡¯t make out what game was being played, but the overall situation was easy enough for him to figure out.


    The man continued to rage, but the woman¡¯s expression remained cool and unimpressed. When the man, however, took a step forward, she also stood up and reached for her two-handed sword, that had been leaning onto the table, in one fluid motion.


    The next moment, just when things were about to escalate, a figure jumped in between those two and tried their best to mediate. Again. The barmaid.


    Suddenly, the scene changed once more.


    A familiar figure sat on the barstool on the other side of Severin¡¯s counter, looking right at him.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Give me the usual.¡±


    Severin nodded and, without hesitation, reached for a bottle. He couldn¡¯t remember ever serving Andreas a drink before, but somehow, he knew exactly what exactly it was the Lion¡¯s Head officer wanted to drink.


    ¡°Busy as always, huh? No idea how you manage to deal with all these drunkards,¡± Andreas laughed. Some of these ¡®drunkards¡¯ had to be his own people.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Severin mechanically pushed a glass full of some gold-brownish liquor in front of his customer before answering, ¡°Couldn¡¯t do it without my trusty helper.¡±


    ¡°Aaaw, thanks Boss!¡± From the side said helper who had apparently overheard this small exchange turned towards Severin.


    This time Severin finally could make out the face.


    ¡°XANDER!¡±


    Severin woke up screaming and drenched in sweat. He grabbed his chest.


    The dream of having an elven barmaid working for him had somehow turned into a nightmare.


    He remained laying in bed for a few minutes until he had calmed himself down.


    When he finally left his modest room, despite having fallen asleep rather late last night, he was still up early. At least when compared to the time he would usually open the main store.


    Considering he intended to first prepare some food in the kitchen, it wasn¡¯t actually all that early anymore. The majority of Markus¡¯s subordinates were already on their feet. Maybe some had even already left the mountaintop.


    Severin didn¡¯t care. With the mood he was in, he was in no rush.


    He slowly made his way over to the kitchen and started planning.


    ¡®No idea at what point in time I can expect the help to arrive, but I better make sure that sufficient housing is available by then. So I¡¯d better get to it rather sooner than later. Might as well build two rooms while at it.¡¯ He only asked Markus to provide him with a single employee. In reality, however, the System allowed him to have three [Employees] in total, therefore it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have one extra room prepared.


    ¡®The real question is, what else to buy? Just being able to offer someone a roof over their head won¡¯t cut it in the future. Even with a generous salary. Not when stuck in a remote place like this. People need some kind of distraction or entertainment. For now, it works out, but only because we¡¯re too busy to feel bored. Besides, Emily isn¡¯t much of a complainer. Her standard of living truly is¡­¡¯ Severin suddenly felt guilty.


    Sigh


    ¡®I should have a word with her later on and ask about her opinion on the matter.


    Have to talk to her anyway regarding the new help. After all, it does concern her as well.¡¯


    He could already imagine her response regarding the latter issue and started rubbing his temples in anticipation of the headache to come.


    ¡®Later. For now, let¡¯s get to work.¡¯


    He headed towards his working station and opened his inventory.


    New ingredients.


    He finally realized he had missed his first level up as a [Cook] when he was contemplating his mortality the day before.


    But unlike Em, he was a complainer.


    ¡°Salad?!¡±


    As a fussy eater with the palate of a child, Severin wasn¡¯t all too pleased.

 Chapter 94

    ¡°If this can even be called a salad.¡± Severin looked at the list of ingredients with disdain. ¡°Tomato and mozzarella? That¡¯s basically it!? The rest is just seasoning and stuff!? Not even the usual leaves.¡±


    Snort


    He took out the ingredients needed to prepare a batch of all three varieties of bread out of the store¡¯s inventory. Then he closed it again without paying any further attention to its other contents and started his work.


    For Severin¡¯s customers, what they always cared most about was a product¡¯s effects. The resulting buffs. The increase in power and combat efficiency. Their survivability. Anything else was secondary.


    This was an assessment Severin had previously wholeheartedly agreed with. Better effects meant higher prices. Simple as that. And his customers were happy to pay these prices. Therefore, as long as his customers were happy, he was happy. For the most part, anyway. But now his priorities had somewhat changed. He couldn¡¯t care less about some health regeneration buff or an increase in attack damage anymore. After all, that¡¯s what his alchemy skill was for!


    But as a [Cook], he wanted food. Real food.


    Annoyed, Severin let his frustrations out on a lump of dough and slapped it around.


    ¡®The most annoying thing about this might be the amount of work involved. With the bread I can just prepare it before the main store¡¯s opening hours, just like now. And maybe another batch later on; if it¡¯s not too busy and I can let Em handle things on her own. Not really possible anymore if each portion has to be prepared individually.¡¯


    He directly ignored the fact that this situation would be the same if the new recipe was for a steak instead of a salad; in which case, he most certainly wouldn¡¯t be complaining about the resulting workload. And in that case, the workload would undoubtedly be even higher.


    For a few moments, Severin played with the idea of simply not offer any new products until the new helper arrived. ¡®At least not if they would cause too much extra work.¡¯


    Severin was his usual grumpy self, when in a rare moment of introspection Severin suddenly reprimanded himself.


    Sigh


    ¡®Get a grip, Sev. Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡¯


    It was unknown what exactly triggered this uncharacteristic behavior of his. Maybe it was the blue dot that hastily moved across his minimap.


    >> Emily!<<


    Standing already in front of the main store, the dot suddenly stopped moving.


    >> I¡¯m sorry for being late! Won¡¯t happen again, I swear! <<


    The dot started moving again.


    >> Come here for a moment. <<


    And, once again, it stopped.


    >> Don¡¯t worry. <<  While transmitting these words, Severin pushed the last tray into the oven and closed the lid.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Then he walked back to the working station that showed no sign that it had been used until just a minute ago. When, after a suspiciously long time, Emily had finally arrived in the kitchen, Severin was almost done.


    ¡°There you are,¡± he exclaimed as he finished preparing a single portion of salad.


    After slicing the plump tomatoes and the white cheese, the garlic and the spring onions were quickly chopped. After that, the seasoning didn¡¯t require much time. A tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and lastly a few stems worth of pleasant-smelling herbs he was only able to identify as thyme and oregano thanks to the system. By now, he was simply mixing the ingredients together.


    Seeing a new dish she didn¡¯t recognize being prepared, Emily suddenly became a lot less reserved and sprinted forwards.


    Gulp


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°Taste it. It¡¯s for you.¡± Seeing Emily almost drooling, Severin couldn¡¯t help but smile and be pleased with himself.


    ¡°Really?¡± At this point, he was impressed by Em¡¯s level of self-restraint. But this only made him want to tease her even more.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want it?¡±


    ¡°Noo! I mean yes ! I want it!¡± Before Emily had finished her sentence, the plate was already snatched from Severin and into her hands. She immediately began stuffing her mouth while slowly backing off, trying to get as much distance between herself and Severin as possible. As if she was scared that he might change his mind  and take her food away.


    The [Shopkeeper] opened his mouth, but no sounds came out.


    ¡®Next she¡¯ll start hissing,¡¯ he thought.


    Not even a full minute later, the generously filled plate was already empty, but Emily was still chewing. That didn¡¯t stop her from talking.


    ¡°I never had chomp something so munch fresh.¡± The next moment, the girl wiped her mouth on her dress. Seeing that it didn¡¯t leave any stains on the clothes Severin had bought for her in the system store, he just laughed it off.


    ¡°So, it was to your liking I take it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So tasty! Are you going to sell it? Today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. After midday break.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why only so late? Why not now?¡±


    ¡°For now, I just want you to advertise it. Take some orders. Then during the break I¡¯ll prepare the food in one go. This way, there¡¯s no need for me to waste too much time in here.¡±


    That was the solution he came up with after complaining about having to spend all day in the kitchen and having to cook to order. With only two people, there was no way he could justify spending the whole day in the kitchen waiting for an order; even if he wanted to. Especially not with only one item on the menu. So instead, he decided to handle things like this. At least for the time being, he thought it was a very acceptable compromise.


    ¡°The same goes for the bread. I¡¯ll continue baking in the morning and then again during your break. But we¡¯ll have them make an order beforehand. The batch over there,¡± he nodded towards the ovens, ¡°is the last we¡¯ll sell the usual way.¡±


    Emily nodded in understanding. ¡°Okay, boss.¡±


    ¡°Great. Then get going and open the store. I¡¯ll catch up once I¡¯m done here.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± She might have said that, but she didn¡¯t move. Instead, with a meaningful look, she continued to stare at the oven Severin had just pointed at. Something Severin didn¡¯t miss.


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯ll get you some once it¡¯s done. Now scram!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, boss! You¡¯re the best.¡± She started running.


    >> If you start taking orders, remember to limit it to two servings per person. That goes for both the bread and the salad. <<


    >> Yes, boss! <<


    The interaction with his [Employee] immensely improved Severin¡¯s previously foul mood.


    ¡°Damn. Now I forgot to ask her what she¡¯d like for entertainment. I wonder if she has any hobbies. Besides eating, that is.¡±

 Chapter 95

    Not long after, Severin stored all the ready baked-bread inside the store¡¯s inventory and made his way over to the main store. While crossing the small distance, some adventurers spotted him. Some of which were busy training, while others were sitting together in small groups in the outdoor area of the would-be caf¨¦. Severin exchanged greetings and some short pleasantries with the latter group before informing them that today¡¯s first batch of bread was ready to be sold. Apparently, this was what they had been waiting for and, without first notifying their guildmates, closely followed behind Severin. He didn¡¯t bother telling them that from tomorrow onwards, their first come first serve approach would be useless. They would learn about that soon enough.


    Indeed, when they entered the store, he saw Emily explaining something to a repeatedly nodding Markus. The two of them were surrounded by a small group of adventurers who listened in from the sides; apparently, these people had the same idea as the people following Severin from outside and wanted to get their hands on the freshly baked bread before anyone else.


    Realizing that something more or less important was being discussed, the group behind him quickly joined up with the others. Severin also walked over to the counter, but since he already knew the contents of the discussion, he didn¡¯t hurry. There was no need for him to interrupt, either. He exchanged a few nonverbal greetings and remained silent.


    ¡°¡­per person!¡±


    ¡°What? Why only two?¡± Emily¡¯s words were clearly met with displeasure, but Markus immediately intervened; not just because of last time¡¯s incident, but because this limitation wasn¡¯t nearly as big a deal as his subordinate had made it out to be.


    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Markus reprimanded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really make a difference.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Markus didn¡¯t let himself be interrupted and continued, ¡°Think about it. How often did you manage to get a hold of more than two? And then what did you do with them? Eat them all by yourself? Most of you can¡¯t even fully utilize all three varieties, anyway.¡±


    The woman began to grumble but didn¡¯t refute him. The one time she had managed to snatch away two extras, she ended up handing them out to two of her mates who had already headed out for the day before Severin was even awake.


    As if Markus had read her thoughts, he continued, ¡°If no one forgets to make their order, there is no need for you guys to share amongst yourselves. If anything, I suspect this measure will result in more items overall, not less. At least it guarantees that everyone ends up with the one that¡¯s right for them. And what are you going to do with any surplus, then?¡±


    The obvious answer to that question would be ¡®store it for later¡¯. But as it turned out, this wasn¡¯t really an option. At least not to the extent everyone had expected.


    Originally, everyone had ignored the part of the tooltip that said, ¡®Durable for up to one week if stored in a cool and dry place.¡¯ No one believed that once stored inside one¡¯s inventory, the bread would still turn bad.


    It did. Very much to Mylana¡¯s excitement and everyone else¡¯s frustration and bewilderment.


    After Markus¡¯s rough analysis of the situation, the adventurers seemed to relax a little. But not completely. There was still the issue concerning the promised new product.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.From what they had learned so far, they feared it would be even less durable than the bread; perhaps not even storable at all. And only to be served during a very limited timeframe each day. No one dared to complain, but Severin was able to accurately read their expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s only for the time being.¡± He assured while exchanging a meaningful look with Markus. ¡°As soon as I manage to hire some help, we will extend our opening hours. And by then, I¡¯m sure we have some other new dishes to offer as well.¡± Severin didn¡¯t think he promised too much by saying that; most importantly, his words had the desired effect and diverted the group¡¯s attention.


    No one was in the mood to fight for the bread anymore this morning; especially not with an officer present. Instead, everyone who hadn¡¯t done so already placed their orders and started to discuss potential food buffs.


    Severin received more than just a handful of inquiries in that regard, but could only offer a stiff smile in response.


    Emily was the only one so far who had tasted the new dish and who might be able to answer their questions and satisfy their curiosity. However, since stuffing her face some time had already passed and looking out for some strengthening buff had never been something she was on the lookout for. Without everyone else¡¯s comments, she probably still wouldn¡¯t be aware of the bread¡¯s effects on her health pool.


    Until midday break, things went by rather uneventfully, if busy.


    Besides their usual job of crafting potions, elixirs, and a handful of weapon oils, Emily and her boss took a considerable amount of orders and had to deal with a distracting barrage of questions, not allowing for any time to have a somewhat confidential conversation. So, when it was finally time for Emily to rest, Severin still asked her to spare him some time.


    ¡°Mind joining me for a bit in the kitchen while I prepare the food? Got some things to discuss with you.¡± The girl seemed torn, but Severin knew she ultimately wouldn¡¯t refuse him. Because of that, he quickly decided to make it up to her and added before she could answer him, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare you another bowl of the salad.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡±


    Severin laughed at her immediate response. ¡°Can¡¯t let my hardworking [Employees] go hungry now, can I?¡± Hunger, for her, was already a thing of the past, but the girl still nodded subconsciously and followed Severin towards the kitchen.


    Not unlike in the morning, Severin was about to make a single bowl of salad for Emily. Only after feeding Emily would he start preparing the dough needed for the sixty-odd loaves of bread that had been ordered earlier. Only then would he make the fresh salads for his paying customers.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Emily couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would turn down food. Especially not if it was so tasty and pretty looking.


    ¡°Hmm. Fine. Why not?¡± Even Severin couldn¡¯t deny that the salad was looking quite appetizing. The pleasant smell of the herbs did the rest to convince him. Under Emily¡¯s impatient gaze, he quickly whipped up another portion of salad that was roughly half the size of the first; she almost regretted her suggestion as it further delayed everything.


    Gulp


    ¡°Finally!¡± She could barely keep herself together. ¡°I swear it¡¯s worth every single gold coin. You won¡¯t regret it. Thanks again.¡± After that, her head seemed to disappear into the oversized bowl.


    ¡°???¡±

 Chapter 96

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Severin didn¡¯t want to trust his ears. He still hoped his assistant had either misspoken or that he had simply misheard her words. Still, he feared what her answer might be.


    But there was no answer. The only reply was eating noises.


    It was unclear whether Emily was too absorbed to hear him or if she just couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer him. Severin started to become impatient and was about to ask once more. Louder this time. But seeing the girl being busy and not paying any attention to him whatsoever, he shortly changed his mind.


    Instead, with a bad premonition, he willed open the transparent-bluish System screen and slowly navigated through the menus. Hesitant he finally glanced at his balance. A corresponding finance log popped up.


    ¡°So much red!¡± Severin complained out loud as his head became dizzy. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°You said something?¡±


    ¡®Oh, now you hear me?¡¯ Severin shot Emily an annoyed glance. ¡°Forget it!¡±


    She answered with a shrug and soon her head had already sunk back into the big bowl.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve known! How didn¡¯t I notice?!¡¯ Severin berated himself. ¡¯I guess it really was too good to be true. After all this time, I still haven¡¯t learned.¡¯ Soon, however, his attention shifted, and he made out the real culprit. ¡®This shitty system! No notification, no friendly reminder, no nothing. And according to these numbers, it seems I don¡¯t even have an employee discount! Heck, what employee?! I¡¯m supposed to be the owner, no? I should be able to set the prices any way I like!¡¯


    At this point, a more involved System might¡¯ve reminded Severin that he was a [Shopkeeper], not a [Shop Owner]. But instead, his complaints were met with an indifferent silence.


    ¡®Fuck. I guess in one or two days I would¡¯ve learned the hard way.¡¯ As it turned out, based on the last couple of days¡¯ rates of consumption, he soon wouldn¡¯t be able to afford any more dishes.


    Reluctantly, he adjusted the slider, which controlled the conversion rate of income.


    ¡®I might as well cut down on my own food consumption, but I owe Emily at least one meal a day. Now that I think about it, when discussing the general terms of employment with Markus, was there any mention of food?¡¯ Severin started to go through the conversation again in his head. ¡®Damn. ¡®Board and lodging inclusive¡¯, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ He could only grit his teeth. He remembered that he had brought it up himself. No one else to blame this time. Secretly, he even knew that this additional cost was well worth it and pretty much negligible, considering the grand scheme of things. And even if there was no official agreement between Emily and him regarding food, he would still happily continue to pay for one or two meals a day for her. To him, it was more a matter of principle and the feeling that once again he had been had. That, and the fact that he was the last to learn of this issue; only after he was pretty much broke. Additionally, this also spelt very bad news regarding basically all the plans he had come up with concerning the implementation of potential entertainment offerings.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Originally, this topic was the reason why he had called Emily over during her break. Now he no longer was in the mood to discuss these matters, but it ultimately came all down to one point:


    He wanted to make the System pay for it. Literally.


    He just couldn¡¯t see himself ever being able to pay for those things out of his own pocket. Be it a library, a Pool Table, or those things that very suspiciously looked like arcade machines; these and many other things were all available in the System¡¯s store and purchasable using the store¡¯s balance of gold. In Severin¡¯s mind, this meant he could, on one hand, charge his customers for access to these things. On the other hand, his [Employees] and even he himself could use them for free. But apparently, this wasn¡¯t how things were supposed to work out. Not if there was a fee attached to it either way.


    Sigh


    ¡®I guess the whole discussion can wait, anyway. The inn comes first. And after that¡­ who knows? Maybe until then, the System has taken some pity on us.¡¯ Severin silently laughed a dry laugh.


    Severin sat there and poked around apathetically in the food in front of him. He no longer was in the mood to try this salad, which he never really was interested in anyway. The only thing that kept him from venting his frustration and directly throwing it away was the thought of all the red numbers he had just seen.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it¡­¡± Emily offered her assistance.


    ¡°Ha! Help yourself.¡± This time, his laugh was genuine. He was still somewhat annoyed but, seeing the oblivious and innocent-looking girl trying hard not to stare at his food, he couldn¡¯t stay angry.


    Severin stood up and began preparing food; it was a good distraction, and he was already late. Customers were waiting.


    Again, smacking sounds filled the room.


    ¡°Soo good. By the way. What¡¯s that springy white stuff? The red stuff I¡¯ve seen before; that¡¯s what rich people use to make sauce, right!? But this white stuff. It¡¯s savory? And a bit sweet? I never had something like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mozzarella. Cheese.¡± He didn¡¯t know whether Emily was actually interested in an answer to her question. Severin wasn¡¯t particularly educated about the matter either and didn¡¯t want to embarrass himself. He couldn¡¯t even tell her whether it was made from the milk of a cow, a buffalo, or maybe even some otherworldly bovine. He decided to play it safe and keep his answer short.


    Indeed, the girl turned out to be much too preoccupied to actually care about any specifics. Out of nowhere, she had materialized a thick piece of bread and was now using it as some sort of sponge to absorb the juices that had accumulated inside the bowl. Then she put the last pieces of tomato and mozzarella on it and greedily tried to shove the whole thing into her mouth.


    Severin was tempted to tease the girl, but before he could say or do anything he suddenly froze with his eyes fixated on the snack in her hands. Then onto the dough in front of him. And the contents of the inventory.


    ¡°You are a genius!¡± Severin suddenly exclaimed.


    ¡°Hmmf?¡±

 Chapter 97

    Severin looked at the dough in front of him as if considering something. Only for a moment, until he seemingly came to a decision. Emily was perplexed but intrigued when she witnessed Severin suddenly springing into action. He turned around to face one of the many other countertops; one that was still unused and therefore shiny and spotless. ¡®First things first.¡¯


    With no related knowledge provided by the System and no past kitchen experience to speak of, Severin didn¡¯t feel especially confident. He still felt he had to give it a try.


    ¡®How hard can this be?¡¯ he asked himself as he removed a bunch of tomatoes from the inventory. Back on earth, he would surely use sieved tomatoes if he ever had the urge to go out of his comfort zone and try something like this. But here, he was forced to use the whole tomatoes provided by the System.


    For a moment, he considered taking them as they were and throwing them straight into a pot, but then changed his mind.


    He would peel them before removing the last bit of the stem at the top. Only then would he cut the tomatoes into eights and start boiling them down. At least, that was the plan. Thanks to the skills the System infused him with when acquiring the salad recipe, no blood was drawn, but that was pretty much the only positive takeaway.


    The result wasn¡¯t nearly as pretty as he had imagined.


    The skin just didn¡¯t want to come off. As a result, large parts of the fruit were needlessly thrown away while also making a huge mess and taking a lot more time than Severin had originally estimated. What was left of the tomatoes weren¡¯t slices, but some coarse misshapen chunks. At some point, even Emily couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her boss.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be right. No way that¡¯s how it¡¯s done.¡¯ Severin was frustrated and very much regret the whole idea. He was on the verge of giving up. The only reason he prevailed was that he figured that this had been the hardest part; the halfway point was already crossed.


    Once the pot was filled with the red mess, Severin added more than just a good dash of the olive oil that was originally used to make the salad and then turned on the heat.


    Then he hesitated a bit. ¡®Spring onions, huh? Sure look different from the¡­ regular?¡­ ones. Well. Onions are onions, I guess.¡¯


    Some garlic also made it into the pot, followed by a few pinches of salt and a generous amount of pepper. He went purely by feeling.


    If he had some available, he would¡¯ve also added a small amount of sugar. Though he wasn¡¯t too sure about the specifics, he thought he knew that it normally belonged in there.


    Severin started stirring the pot as the contents under the heat slowly but surely transformed into something that vaguely represented tomato sauce.


    Initially, he tried to fish out some of the seeds, but he soon gave up on that.


    Just when he was about to sample his creation, he had another idea.


    There was still the thyme and oregano.


    Though he didn¡¯t visually recognize the two herbs, he was familiar with their names and the smells. ¡®Might be the dried stuff mom used to use¡­¡¯


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Suddenly he couldn¡¯t help but feel melancholy and stood there while absentmindedly staring into the pot in front of him.


    ¡°Ouch! Fuck!¡± A bit of hot bubbling sauce splattering onto his forehead soon tore Severin out of his thoughts.


    Annoyed, he closed the lid and turned down the heat. He turned his attention back to the dough behind him.


    Quicker than expected did he manage to thinly roll out some dough, which was only made with wheat flour. The one containing rye didn¡¯t look right to him for his purpose. He had no clue whether the fact that the dough wasn¡¯t made using the small packets of yeast he knew from home would make any difference, but in the end, it wasn¡¯t as if he had a choice in the matter.


    Somehow, he managed to successfully move the dough onto an oven tray without tearing it.


    ¡®That should be pretty much it, I guess.¡¯


    By now Emily was long finished with her meal but had decided to stay and observe what her boss was doing. Seeing now that Severin had some downtime as he decided to let the sauce simmer for some more minutes, she finally asked, ¡°What exactly are you making? This isn¡¯t something from the recipe book, right?¡±


    Severin showed her a strange smile; as if he tried to look mysterious while at the same time lacking the necessary confidence. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise! You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±


    The girl started to pout but before she could complain Severin continued, ¡°What are you even still doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be back inside the store by now?¡± Severin was so absorbed into his work he had already forgotten that he was the one who had called her over in her break. Only now did he realize that the whole thing took more time than expected. Especially him struggling to remove the skin of a few kilograms of tomatoes was something he miscalculated. His lack of experience was evident. Worst of all, he still had to process all of his customers¡¯ orders. With no bread already in the oven, he still had a lot of work to do and most certainly wouldn¡¯t make it in time when the midday break would end in just a few minutes.


    ¡°Hmpf. Fine. But you better let me try some. Promise!¡± Emily demanded.


    ¡°Promise,¡± he willingly assured.


    After Emily was sent out of the kitchen and given the task of placating the adventurers waiting for their food, Severin wanted to make haste.


    ¡®I should get the thing into the oven as soon as possible. Then I can focus on the bread.¡¯ With these thoughts in mind, he removed the pot from the stove and with a spoon, spread the red substance over the rolled-out dough; in the end, he totally forgot tasting his creation. After that, he directly summoned a portion of white cheese into his hands and began to evenly distribute slices of it on top of the sauce-covered dough.


    Thinking that it was the same kind of dough, he decided to go with the settings he used for baking the bread; the oven had a temperature of around three hundred degrees. As for the duration, he would just have to check every now and then.


    After putting the tray into the oven, Severin had only just returned to the work surface and was about to replace the dough he had used before he was interrupted. Apparently, he had underestimated the power of a magically fueled commercial oven.


    [Newly crafted product successfully detected.]


    That was only the first of a bunch of notifications.

 Chapter 98

    Taking the System¡¯s notification as the go-ahead and not wanting to have his creation burned to a pile of ashes, Severin quickly made his way over to the silver oven. He put on the provided heat-resistant Oven Mitts and removed the tray found inside. Not without having one eye on the remaining System messages, though.


    [Based on host¡¯s past experience, the newly created dish has been recognized as so-called ¡®Pizza¡¯.]


    ¡°What?!¡± Severin couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, almost burning himself in the process. Reading the announcement left him more than just a bit creeped out. ¡°So, can it read my thoughts? Maybe directly access my memories?¡± While being able to directly recognize exactly at which point the pizza in the oven was done, in Severin¡¯s mind was already somewhat questionable, especially considering that the System shouldn¡¯t have any knowledge about the dish, but still somewhat acceptable. Calling it by its name and referring to Severin¡¯s past experiences, however, made him almost feel violated.


    Almost.


    It didn¡¯t exactly come out of the blue. Not only was there very obviously some kind of magic involved with this whole transmigrating business, not to mention that magic was an integral part of this world, but Severin had already long asked himself whether the System choosing him in particular was actually random or not. If it wasn¡¯t, one had to wonder by what criteria he was chosen. Criteria on which all potential hosts had to be checked, and which probably also had to include their thoughts and memories and experiences. According to Severin¡¯s speculations, anyway. Besides.


    The whole ¡®host¡¯ thing very much sounded as if the System had become an actual part of him. Using him. Like a parasite. So having a direct connection to not only his body, while disturbing a thought, wouldn¡¯t be all that unexpected.


    For this short moment, it still threw him off his game.


    Severin lay down the tray and took a deep breath.


    The pizza in front of him looked better than he had feared. And then the tempting smell. Under different circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up any resistance and would¡¯ve directly gone for a big slice while totally disregarding the danger of accidentally burning himself in the process.


    After the previous considerations, however, his appetite wasn¡¯t all that huge anymore. So, while he still had to swallow his saliva and had to force himself to turn away from the inviting sight, he decided to first check out the remaining messages.


    [Improved recipe added to the recipe book. Corresponding ingredients will be provided.]


    He halted once again. ¡°What does this mean? Does this change anything?¡±


    What Severin was questioning was not the actual meaning of the words before him, but their implications. ¡°This improved version doesn¡¯t come from my memory, that much is for sure. So¡­? Maybe it¡¯s a recipe I would¡¯ve learned sooner or later, anyway? Provided by the System. Or is it something anyone¡­ anything?... with some cooking skills can come up with after witnessing my own attempt? Well, it might also come from my subconsciousness, I guess. I mean, I might have watched a few of those cooking shows that aren¡¯t really about cooking.¡± Severin didn¡¯t dare to think about these matters too intently. He still wasn¡¯t in the mood to debate whether or not his mind and thoughts might be monitored.


    Stolen novel; please report.Not least to distract himself, he instead decided to take a quick look at the new recipe and to absorb the included knowledge.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you do it¡±, Severin exclaimed with much more enthusiasm than he actually felt. Apparently, the new and improved version still had him make his own sauce from scratch, but now at least he was provided with a technique to peel the tomatoes without making too much of a mess, which would allow him to avoid unnecessary waste. ¡°Heating followed by sub-sequential cooling. Makes sense, I guess.¡±


    In reality Severin couldn¡¯t care less. He simply wanted to keep his thoughts from drifting.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. There is still more, it seems.¡±


    [New quest unlocked!


    Mix and Match I


    Quest task: Discover or come up with a total of five new recipes. Outside help apart from that provided by [Employees] is prohibited.


    Quest reward: Host will get to pick one item out of a randomly chosen assortment of products. Limitless supply of selected item will be provided. Item in question does not require manual crafting. Presented choice of items is not restricted by host¡¯s currently                                                learned professions.


    Additional Information: To further reward the host¡¯s creativity and initiative to actively  improve and expand the Emporium and its range of products,  further options regarding the host¡¯s income conversion are unlocked for all self-discovered recipes.


    Current progress:  1/5  ]


    This was enough to distract Severin from his previous thoughts. He was almost ecstatic.


    ¡°So even in the case that the System decides to scam me in regard to the rewards, and even if I won¡¯t be able to discover any more recipes, in the worst case I can still purchase the pizza for half its price!¡± He had immediately confirmed that he could adjust the conversion rate for his newest dish to up to fifty percent.


    ¡°After that I can simply readjust it again, haha. Too bad I can¡¯t control the price itself.¡± Severin was uncharacteristically pleased, not only with himself but also with the System. Even more so after confirming that he wasn¡¯t charged anything for the single pizza that was currently still waiting for him.


    ¡°Seeing that it¡¯s only called ¡®Pizza¡¯ and not ¡®Margherita¡¯ or something along those lines, I suspect the System doesn¡¯t make a distinction based on its toppings. Too bad. Otherwise, coming up with four more recipes would just be a matter of time.


    But for now, even with the few additions to the list of available ingredients, I don¡¯t see anything new I could create. Maybe pasta?¡±


    Those cooking shows really didn¡¯t teach him much.


    Severin read through the quest text once again.


    ¡°¡®Not restricted by host¡¯s current professions.¡¯ There¡¯s this word again,¡± Severin said unhappily, but it was actually another part of that sentence that really caught his attention.


    ¡°Current professions¡­ does that mean¡­? Finding new recipes shouldn¡¯t be limited to just cooking, right?!¡±

 Chapter 99

    Severin had to try hard to suppress his urge to immediately leave the kitchen and run towards his relatively modest alchemy station. But even he knew he couldn¡¯t afford to do so right now. He still hadn¡¯t even started making the food for the adventurers waiting outside in front of the kitchen or inside the Emporium¡¯s main building. They were already getting impatient. At least that was how Severin explained the restlessly moving dots on his minimap to himself.


    Severin definitely wasn¡¯t the most conscientious shop keeper one could imagine, but even he cared about his reputation and preferred a happy customer over a disgruntled one.


    Introducing this new way to order one¡¯s food beforehand ¨C even requiring it ¨C and then not being able to deliver on it, didn¡¯t sit well with Severin; especially not on the very first day he introduced this new service.


    He grit his teeth and got to work. But not without thinking about his new quest.


    ¡°There really is no reason I can think of for it to not also work with alchemical ingredients.¡± By now it was no exaggeration that Severin had crafted thousands of potions and other consumables, using the System provided ingredients. Even without paying special attention to it, it was pretty much impossible for him not to pick up on a few things, such as the specific properties of certain ingredients or the reason for some of the very minutely controlled temperature changes.


    For those reasons, Severin was rather confident in his ability to come up with a new alchemical recipe.


    ¡°Judging by the fact that the reward is unrelated to my current professions, I suspect I could¡¯ve triggered the quest with any other job as well. Like if I was a [Blacksmith] and somehow managed to come up with a new alloy.¡±


    Knowing his own capabilities, Severin couldn¡¯t help but let out a self-deprecating snort. ¡®Guess it¡¯s a good thing I chose to become a [Cook] instead.¡¯ With that thought in mind, he decided it was finally time to taste the pizza that was cooled down to a suitable temperature by now.


    For simplicity''s sake, the pizza was rectangular shaped; before absorbing the System¡¯s knowledge Severin wasn¡¯t especially confident in his nonexistence dough tossing skills, which normally were responsible for the traditional round shape. With a single long cut, he now sliced off a sizeable piece and took his first bite.


    ¡°Haha, as expected.¡± Something that looked like a satisfied smile soon appeared on his face but stood in contrast to his following words. ¡°It¡¯s horrible. The cheese is strange. And the sauce¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t find the right words to describe his creation. The lack of taste testing had become clear, but he also decided that there was never really anything he could¡¯ve done to save it. That was especially apparent to him after double checking with the newly updated recipe.


    ¡®Looks like my definition of a dash differs slightly from that of the System,¡¯ he had to admit to himself.


    Nevertheless, the smile on his face didn¡¯t fade and instead he continued eating not only the slice in his hands but even going so far as to cut off another piece afterwards. With more pride in his voice than was warranted, he determined, ¡°Though it¡¯s a bit salty, it¡¯s clearly still pizza! And that beats bread and salads all day.¡±


    And another generous piece was cut off.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.But this time didn¡¯t directly stuff his face with it. Instead, he intended to keep it for later, as it soon disappeared into his personal inventory space. Then he stored the remaining half in the store¡¯s inventory, followed by a precisely counted number of salad dishes. ¡®That should hopefully appease them for now.¡¯


    <<Salads are ready. Tell them the bread is also on its way.>>


    <<Great! I think that¡¯s all they really care about, anyway. The salad I mean.>>


    <<Yeah. That¡¯s what I was counting on.>> With a completely new dish available today and a batch of bread already sold in the morning, this revelation, while it didn¡¯t come as much of a surprise, still brought Severin some sense of relief.


    <<The other thing is also in the inventory. But make sure everyone first got their order, you hear?>>


    <<Of course! Thanks!>> Judging by the tone of her transmitted voice, Emily was already very busy and taking a look at the swiftly decreasing number of dishes inside the inventory also confirmed that guess. Pleased seeing that his excuse of a pizza also remained untouched inside the inventory for now, Severin returned to his work, which at this point mostly comprised waiting.


    ¡°Ah! I almost forgot checking the buff. Let¡¯s see. Okay, first there is a slight increase to one¡¯s total HP. Kinda meh, but I guess it makes sense considering that it¡¯s the same dough just used in a lower quantity. Well. That is, if one disregards the fact that mixing some flour and water and whatnot shouldn¡¯t result in any magic properties to begin with.¡± Severin decided not to dwell on the thought of what would happen if a regular non-[Cook] person tried to mix these high-quality, but otherwise ordinary looking, ingredients together, and instead turned his attention to the next line of the buff¡¯s tooltip. His eyes began to shine. ¡°Haha! That¡¯s more like it. And the new recipe should only further increase its potency. Does that mean the salad also¡­? I mean, isn¡¯t it basically just the vinegar missing?¡± Since he previously hadn¡¯t cared about the salad, Severin still didn¡¯t know its effects. Now he could hardly wait to get outside and confirm his suspicion.


    ¡°If that¡¯s already the effect of an ordinary low-level salad, then what about the real food?¡± He became excited just thinking about it.


    ¡°Damn bread. Can¡¯t I just turn up the heat to speed up the process?¡± Severin became more and more impatient, not wanting to miss his customers¡¯ expressions; though realistically speaking, it was already too late for that, anyway. For a moment he considered simply leaving the kitchen and trusting that the System would prevent any possible accidents from happening, but in the end Severin still had enough sense to refrain from doing so.


    More to occupy himself than for any other reason, Severin began eating again while ¡®working¡¯.


    ¡°Right. There is still another tooltip. One that shouldn¡¯t be too different from the actual product.¡± Guided mostly by his boredom, he expected little. If the ¡®mechanics¡¯ - as he called it - behind the food¡¯s buff-effects were indeed as he suspected, then the resulting tooltip of the product itself should also follow the same logic. Yet when he read through the item¡¯s description, something caught his eye. Or rather, the lack of it.


    ¡°No mentioning of a decrease in efficiency or the need to store it in any specific way. If anything, with all the moisture, it should be more prone to turn bad. Not less. Is it random? Or is this the System¡¯s way of recognizing the glory of a cold pizza left over from the day before?¡±


    Beep


    ¡°Ah! Finally.¡°

 Chapter 100

    Severin was finally done with his work inside the kitchen and headed for the door. But even the cluster of dots showing up on his minimap wasn¡¯t enough to sufficiently prepare him for the chaos that awaited him outside.


    Originally, the plan had been to join Samuel. In reality, however, when he spotted the Berserker who seemed more composed right now than most of the other people around Severin, he didn¡¯t appear all that approachable. Even when standing a bit further away from the crowd, the noise was apparently still enough to make him gesticulate wildly as he was trying to communicate with Markus and Mylana. Seeing the group of veterans pointing and staring at their bowls of salad with serious expressions on their face amused Severin very much, but at the same time kept him from approaching them.


    Still. Even though he had a good idea, Severin still didn¡¯t know with certainty what kind of buff the salad actually provided; an oversight he could only blame himself for. But he wanted to know. Now.


    For a moment, he considered taking the initiative and approach one of the many smaller groups. He could either try to listen in from the side or, if that didn¡¯t manage to provide any satisfying results, he might try to directly draw attention to himself by announcing that their bread was ready to be picked up. Then he could take things from there.


    But he quickly thought better of it. Even if he disregarded the fact that the adventurers didn¡¯t seem all that interested in anything other than their salads, drawing any kind of attention right now probably wouldn¡¯t be too smart.


    ¡®I might have to postpone this and better get out of the way as soon as possible. If I want to stay safe, that is.¡¯ Severin regretfully laughed to himself. Being caught up in the middle of those adventurers once they decided they needed seconds or thirds was definitely something he wanted to avoid. That was especially true if one considered the few adventurers who had either missed to make their orders in time, or those that only ordered a single bowl instead of two.


    Though not all too hurried, he began making his way over in the direction of the main store. While doing so, he still tried to keep his ears open, but it was difficult for him to isolate any individual voice and make out any specifics.


    Nevertheless, some of the snippets that reached him caught his attention. He slowed down his steps as he realized that their words seemed to confirm his previous conjecture. Mostly.


    ¡°¡­ for us casters! ... previously¡­ oils¡­ melee only¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ benefits¡­ as well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ smaller degree¡­ wasted on you bunch!¡±


    ¡°Better give it to us instead!¡±


    ¡°¡­ if you dare?!¡±


    ¡°My damage will¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ faster than¡­¡±


    ¡°My casts are¡­¡±


    ¡®Benefits them as well?¡¯ That was the one thing Severin was most interested in. He looked at the person he suspected of saying these words.


    Stolen novel; please report.¡®Some kind of archer. Or maybe it was the dagger wielding woman next to her. But it was one of the two. Has to be. And they¡¯re most certainly no mages.¡¯


    Realizing that more and more of the surrounding conversations slowly started to shift away from discussing the actual dish and its effects, Severin hastened his steps again.


    When he almost reached the store, a last handful of stragglers came through the door, hurrying to meet up with their guildmates. Each of them was carrying one or two loaves of bread under their arms, but as predicted, they didn¡¯t pay any further notice to these consumables that previously were the cause for all kinds of friendly quarrels and disputes.


    ¡°Severin!¡± Then a voice suddenly reached him from behind. ¡°There you are!¡±


    ¡°Krey!¡± Severin understood immediately. The Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯s representative was a bit of an outsider among these people. Therefore, while his initial reaction wasn¡¯t any less compared to that of those adventurers affiliated with the Eagles, he wasn¡¯t nearly as occupied and oblivious to his surroundings. In fact, with his subordinates gone, he simply didn¡¯t have anyone to share his excitement with and was only looking for an opportunity to do so.


    ¡°You never cease to amaze me, you know!? Any food being able to produce buffs is already rare enough as is. Any useful buffs, I mean. Not talking about the ones which only offer some miniscule stat increases. Leave those things to the classless. When I saw these breads of yours¡­ to think that was only the beginning.¡± He shook his head, still in disbelief. Not much was left of the stoic impression he had made on Severin when he first arrived.


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, any buff, no matter how small, that increases a person¡¯s Action Speed pretty much always comes from one of those potions. The one''s crafted by the highest level [Alchemists]. And even then, they are so unaffordable that they are mostly reserved for wartime. No chance for any ordinary guild to ever lay their hands on something like this. Much less a single individual. Hell, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even our Society only had a few dozen or so available!¡±


    ¡®So, it¡¯s like this! Action Speed! Not just simply Cast Speed. Though if I¡¯m not mistaken, those should largely be the same thing, as a majority of non-casting abilities tend to be instant, anyway.¡¯ Severin finally came to a realization. There was a difference between the two provided buffs, but they were very much related to one another.


    ¡°Admittedly, the buff¡¯s potency isn¡¯t quite there yet, but it still tops those skill-specific enchants that cost you half a fortune.¡± Without giving Severin any time to reply, Krey excitedly rambled on. In the end, however, he appeared somewhat dejected as he concluded, ¡°too bad that stuff is bound to expire even faster than the bread. Makes it virtually impossible to be used anywhere that exceeds a few days¡¯ distance from here. A real pity.¡± While Krey said these words, and probably even meant them to some degree, in reality he wasn¡¯t all that troubled by that caveat; he knew that this kind of effect, and available at such a price point, might most likely spell trouble.


    As if reading these thoughts and then disregarding them, Emily suddenly appeared next to Severin.


    It wasn¡¯t yet closing time, but since they were standing directly in front of the now empty store, Severin didn¡¯t mind her leaving the counter. What he did mind was something else.


    ¡°That¡¯s soo tasty, boss! I¡¯ve never tasted anything like it! Will you make more of it in the future? That¡¯s what the new recipe is for, right?¡± the girl asked with a full mouth while holding something that drew Krey¡¯s attention.¡±

 Chapter 101

    Over the course of just a breath¡¯s time, Krey¡¯s expression reflected all kinds of emotions. Most prominent, the curious look as to what Emily was holding in her hands, the following excitement, and back to what was likely supposed to be a cool and composed look.


    ¡°And this is¡­?¡± Krey pointed with his hand and asked, trying hard to act inconspicuous. Severin wasn¡¯t fooled. In fact, he was confident that he could pinpoint the exact moment where realization had dawned on Krey.


    ¡°It¡¯s called pizza!¡± the girl exclaimed.


    Knowing that the other had already figured what was going on anyway, Severin had no intentions to play dumb. In fact, while, as so often before, Severin had originally played with the thought of keeping the pizza hidden for a while longer, he had finally decided not to do so.


    Otherwise, he would probably be more than just slightly annoyed with Emily for answering these kinds of questions without a care in the world and without considering their implications. For a moment, he even half expected the System to reprimand her, which, of course, didn¡¯t happen.


    In the end, his reasoning was that with the newly implemented ordering system, the resulting extra work would still be something he could handle. Though he might have to delegate more responsibilities to Emily. Handling the store on her own, even for slightly longer periods of time, should be fine. Especially since customer traffic was very much predictable at this time. And in the worst case, she could always just call him.


    Another deciding factor, as always, was the potential money, and thereby experience, he would miss out on if he decided to wait for a new assistant. In his mind, limiting everyone¡¯s number of orders, for the time being, would be a good compromise.


    He couldn¡¯t just shut down part of his operations and wait for some person he knew absolutely nothing about to show up. Who then had to be willing to accept Severin¡¯s terms and let themselves be bound to him and some other mysterious force. Not everyone was as desperate as Emily.


    What made Severin slightly more reluctant than maybe was appropriate, however, was the fact that any extra time he had to spend in the kitchen would mean less time for him to experiment with his alchemy equipment and ingredients. The promised reward for his latest quest was very tempting to him.


    Severin weighed all these aspects once more, before he finally decided to enlighten Krey and told him about the buff¡¯s effects.


    ¡°So it is like this.¡± Krey nodded in understanding and, while saying he was disappointed would go too far, it was evident that he had hoped for something different. For casters this was pretty much a worse version of the previous two dishes, just that it was combined into a single one. For non-casters, who might still profit from action speed but not cast speed, it was even worse than that. So why buy this one in the first place?


    ¡°Do the effects stack?¡± This was the only explanation Krey could think of.


    ¡®No clue!¡¯ was what Severin wanted to say, but hearing the doubt in Krey¡¯s voice, he had a good idea what the other was thinking.


    <<Show him the tooltip,>> Severin prompted Emily. The girl didn¡¯t quite get what the big deal was, but obliged.


    Krey quickly identified the crucial point of the matter.


    ¡®This¡­!¡±


    ¡°Psshht!¡± Severin immediately tried to hush Krey and looked around with a panicked look on his face. He might have decided not to hide this new dish from his customers, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to deal with them at this moment, either. He already noticed some movements amongst the adventurers. Miriam and Timothy weren¡¯t the only ones headed for the training grounds. The various smaller groups seemed to disperse slowly but surely. Krey quickly caught on and lowered his voice. Luckily, it was still loud and chaotic enough to drown his sudden exclamation and to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. For the most part, at least.


    A more attentive observer may have long noticed that during all this time, from a certain group of people, every now and then a glance was shot at Severin. But when this very group now started to approach him, even Severin couldn¡¯t miss it. He immediately knew it was too late.


    He couldn¡¯t be sure about Markus, but Mylana and her former mentee definitely noticed something.


    While Krey got carried away and the trio was approaching, Severin only wanted to scream at Emily, ¡°Eat faster!¡±


    ¡®What are you doing? Normally, you devour anything within just seconds. But now you have to take your time? Really?¡¯


    As if able to read his thoughts, Emily suddenly looked up at him with an innocent face. ¡°Maybe a bit less salt next time,¡± she suggested honestly.


    ¡°Thanks for reminding me. I will keep that in mind!¡± No one noticed the slight venom in his voice.


    Severin had no choice but to force a stiff smile on his face to welcome the three people, but before he even got the chance to start off with the usual pleasantries, an surprisingly agile Mylana, much to Severin¡¯s displeasure, stopped Emily from finishing her last bite of food.


    At least Krey was more than willing to reiterate everything he had just learned about that strange new food in Severin¡¯s stead once he was given the latter¡¯s go-ahead.


    Though Severin was slightly annoyed by all of this, more because of the timing than anything else, he tried his best not to let it show. He didn¡¯t dare disrespect any of these bigshots who either represented a powerful faction or who could probably kill him with all but a single thought. Maybe even both.


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    What surprised Severin most during the discussion were the reactions of the newcomers; or, more precisely, that of Markus. All three basically confirmed Krey¡¯s earlier words, with Mylana even going so far as to predict some ¡®big changes¡¯ - whatever that meant. But it was the young man¡¯s sudden hesitation that stood out to the [Shopkeeper]. While everyone else was talking animatedly, Markus suddenly became silent and left the impression that he was contemplating a serious matter. Not just for a short moment either, making it all the more impactful to Severin, when the young man suddenly turned to face him with a determined look on his face.


    ¡°I probably can¡¯t stay for much longer, and it is just like the others have already said. Your shop being located in such a,¡± he paused for a moment as he tried to think of an appropriate euphemism, ¡°remote location, is rather impractical. The matter regarding your upcoming dish¡¯s durability certainly helps, but even then it¡¯s difficult. Add to that the additional restrictions such as maximum carrying capacities or daily activation limits and it becomes pretty unfeasible to go on any longer missions if one intends to rely on your products throughout their journey. Much less trying to build a lasting stockpile. Because of of those reasons, I would like to make a deal with you. I would like you to relocate your store to Hanvia. Please consider¡±


    Severin was very much aware of the validity of Markus¡¯ points. Andreas and his group needed to spend multiple days just to stockpile enough consumables to be finally feel prepared enough to tackle the Harrowing Plains dungeon. And that one was still relatively close; still within the bounds of the Golden Mountains, not in some faraway lands.


    Considering Krey¡¯s previous words about the potency, or maybe rather the rarity of the effects provided by his latest dish, it wasn¡¯t hard for Severin to figure out Markus¡¯ motivations. It seemed as if just the presence of him and his wares would be enough to bolster Malcos¡¯ capital¡¯s defense. Not to speak of the fact that it might make it more difficult for their potential enemies to have access to his wares. Severin felt almost flattered to be regarded this highly, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a certain bitterness dwell up in him.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I have much of a choice in that matter. You think I stay here in the middle of nowhere because I like the view so much? Or because of the customer throughput?¡¯


    At the same time, he realized this wasn¡¯t the first time he had been approached like this. Back then, the situation might have been slightly different, but it still reminded him of his meeting with Simon.


    ¡®Not the first time, and probably not the last, either.¡¯ Thinking about this, he felt slightly troubled, but when the image of a purplish bubble appeared in his mind, he immediately felt some relief.


    Misunderstanding Severin¡¯s reaction, or rather the lack thereof, Markus felt encouraged to keep going. He continued to sweeten the deal.


    ¡°Let me assure you, money is not an issue. You will be compensated for your troubles; and quite generously so, if I might say so myself. And I won¡¯t ask for any kind of exclusivity clause either! Simply moving your store to a¡­ more favorable location within the city walls is all I ask of you. The quality of the property won¡¯t be an issue either. Both its location as well as its size will¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I can¡¯t.¡± Severin¡¯s voice was resolute as he raised his hands in front of him and cut Markus right off. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If he could, he would take Markus up on his offer in a heartbeat. But since that wasn¡¯t an option, listening to the enticing offers became unbearable to him. It wasn¡¯t even the promised money, but the prospect of civilization that tempted him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure we can figure things out. Be it¡­¡±


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t anything. Sorry.¡± Severin was getting a headache.


    Realizing that the other party didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of even just considering his offer, Markus didn¡¯t know how to handle this situation. Though it wasn¡¯t the first time he had to conduct negotiations, he was never really interested in anything that smelled of politics. He had always preferred leading his troops into battle and leave the talking to others. Only because he realized the benefits provided by Severin and his products would be such a great boon to the prosperity of his homeland, his duty demanded him to do his everything to persuade Severin into joining him. No one had expected things of such scope when Samuel had initially contacted them; not even the [Berserker] himself.


    Markus felt the pressure was too much. It was as if his passives were of no use on top of this mountain.


    If at least Severin had made some kind of counteroffer, there would be something to work with. But there was nothing. Feeling driven into a corner, Markus couldn¡¯t help it anymore. ¡°Please reconsider. I guarantee that all promises will be honored. While I may not look the part, I hold quite a bit of sway in Malcos. I probably shouldn¡¯t reveal this, but in fact I am the ¡­¡±


    A huge hand grabbing him by the shoulder interrupted him. ¡°It¡¯s no use. He already knows,¡± Samuel said while shaking his head.


    ¡®And you do look the part!¡¯


    Probing looks were shot at both Severin and Emily; the latter had given it away back then, but now seemed rather oblivious to the whole situation.


    In reality, the girl wasn¡¯t as clueless as she appeared to be. She had simply realized that she really might get punished by the System if she said anything inappropriate right now. Until Severin asked her to, she would do her damnedest to not say anything.


    Seeing that Markus was momentarily at a loss for words, Severin felt it was up to him to say something and lighten the mood.


    Moved, maybe by Markus¡¯s sincerity, maybe because he felt appreciated, or maybe simply because he felt like it, Severin answered in an uncharacteristically forthcoming fashion, ¡°I can¡¯t go into any more details, but moving really is out of the question. I do have some plans to make the Emporium more accessible in the future, though.¡±


    After all, once he got the inn running, a portal station may very well be his next investment.

 Chapter 102

    Markus was aware that asking Severin just like that, completely out of the blue, to go and relocate his store, wasn¡¯t all that likely to succeed. Even after just the first of Severin¡¯s many refusals, he had already regretted his decision to make a move so hastily. Feeling that he was somewhat short on time, he had a hard time controlling himself. Luckily, if anything, Severin was only slightly annoyed by this incident, but not angry. It didn¡¯t hurt their relationship; and that was what Markus had been most worried about. That and Severin moving his store further to the north, instead.


    Because of that, Markus was greatly mollified by the fact Severin¡¯s refusal seemed to stem more from a matter of principal than out of a dislike for either him or Malcos.


    At the same time, hearing Severin state that he had plans to make the store and the mountaintop as a whole somehow more accessible was a nice bonus, but not something he took especially to heart.


    Not so Mylana. The vague promise immediately caught the old woman¡¯s attention.


    Where Markus cared most about the benefits the store and its wares could bring to his people, and where Samuel as a mostly retired bigshot simply enjoyed the novelty of Severin¡¯s products, the latter¡¯s mentor seemed to be all but obsessed with Severin¡¯s so-called Emporium and all the secrets it hid inside.


    There were just too many products with unheard-of effects, all in one place, and all created by just a single person. Or rather two, since apparently even a classless beggar girl was now able to create those same products, that even most high-leveled and dedicated [Alchemist] wouldn¡¯t be able to copy successfully.


    Still. The woman might¡¯ve been able to accept these things more readily if it was just that; after all, during her time she had witnessed, and even accomplished herself, multiple feats that were previously deemed impossible.


    But it wasn¡¯t.


    There were still the two machines inside the store. Those not only didn¡¯t seem like they were made by humanoid hands, but they also didn¡¯t seem to be magic in nature either. At the very least, she still hadn¡¯t managed to feel even just the slightest hint of magic fluctuations coming from them; even when they were clearly at work.


    And as if all that wasn¡¯t enough, out of nowhere, with no previous hint or sign, did Severin start to cook dishes which provided even more absurd buffs. Not to speak of the multiple buildings that might just randomly pop-up overnight with no one able to notice a thing.


    Her curiosity was already killing her and now that Severin hinted at some upcoming changes, she couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore. She wanted to get answers. Now.


    After realizing very soon that Severin intended to deflect ¨Cor rather straight up ignore- her questions, Mylana changed her approach.


    ¡°Say, girl. Do you enjoy your time here?¡± Unexpectedly, she addressed Emily.


    ¡°Of course! How could I not?! I get food and have my own bed. A real one! And I even get paid.¡±


    ¡°Hoho, I see. So, there is nothing you don¡¯t like?¡± She asked in an amiable tone.


    ¡°Nope! What¡¯s there to dislike?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone likes to be surrounded by strangers all the time. And what about the work itself? I imagine making all those potions has to be exhausting. Especially for someone your age. I bet you look forward to leaving this mountain and to go have some fun.¡± Her statements appeared rather casual, but suddenly Severin had a bad feeling. He hadn¡¯t minded before as he was very satisfied with Em¡¯s answers, but now he wondered what the hag was playing at; something felt off.


    ¡°I think¡­¡±


    <<Don¡¯t answer her!>>


    The girl stopped mid-sentence. <<Why?>>


    <<Just a feeling. I suspect if you entertain her any longer, you will end up getting reprimanded by the System. Just say you have no intentions of leaving and that you¡¯re happy as is or something along those lines.>>


    The girl¡¯s eyes almost seemed to bulge as she hastily took a small step backwards, shot a small glance toward Severin, and stammered, ¡°I think everything is fine as is! I have no intentions of going anywhere!¡±


    Mylana was clearly stumped by the unconvincing and stiff sounding answer. Unhappy and with a suspicious look on her face one after the other, she scanned both Emily and her boss. ¡°Hmpf. Fine.¡±


    The whole situation suddenly became very awkward, and it wasn¡¯t until Markus, who thought it was a good opportunity to make up for his earlier blunder, spoke up in an attempt to change the topic and thereby the mood.


    He proceeded to inform everyone present of his future plans, but Severin was certain that it was mostly to his benefit, as both Samuel as well as Mylana should already be aware of his intentions. Severin still appreciated the gesture.


    Markus¡¯ first arrival had been surrounded by an excessive amount of secrecy, all due to the gravity attached to Samuel¡¯s initial report. Taking all kinds of unnecessary detours to keep their destination hidden from anyone who didn¡¯t explicitly have to know was just the tip of the iceberg. The plan was to confirm Samuel¡¯s claims and evaluate the overall situation. Then, after getting familiar with Severin and his, at the time, small shop, and possibly building some sort of relationships with him, the original plan had been to take advantage of the situation and to continue further into the Golden Mountains. With his whereabouts currently unknown, it would be a golden opportunity to make some unannounced inspections of some outposts and merchants that were, officially or not, contracted to Malcos; depending on the time schedule, maybe even a visit to one of the smaller local dungeons or raids could¡¯ve been arranged. Only then would he return to the capital and make his report.


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    But now, with the announcement of Severin¡¯s newest product, a change of plan was in order. Markus couldn¡¯t afford to idle around much longer. After getting his hands on the pizza as some sort of evidence, Markus would have to return immediately, accompanied by half of the Eagles. The other half, led by one of his trusted men, would then have to perform the inspections in his stead. With no one else currently present on the mountaintop, he wasn¡¯t worried at all about any potential leaks; especially since the most important part of his mission was standing right in front of him.


    All in all, Markus¡¯ scheme had paid off as he managed to lighten up the overall mood and compelled everyone else to follow his example and share their plans for the immediate future.


    Samuel was the first to do so. He revealed that he didn¡¯t plan to accompany Markus back to the capital; he had already fulfilled his duty by informing the right people and leading the way back. Now it seemed he intended to focus more on the training of his two mentees again and make up for his negligence these past few weeks. Miriam and Timothy were also the perfect excuse for him to stay in the Golden Mountains. Even if they might disappear for a day or two at a time to explore some nearby dungeon, with the training ground to provide the two youths with a safe environment to go at it and the ever-expanding variety of consumables and services offered by Severin, there was no way for them to leave the Emporium any time soon.


    Mylana, on the other hand, while being very vocal about not wanting to deal with any sort of politics, was otherwise pretty evasive and noncommittal when it came to discussing her future plans; a petty form of payback for his own silence earlier, Severin was sure. Based on her words, however, Severin took it she wasn¡¯t leaving with Markus either. Neither could he imagine her joining Samuel and his mentees into the wilderness.


    He had a bad premonition.


    As a bit of an outsider, Krey didn¡¯t say much, but it wasn¡¯t as if his plans had somehow changed, anyway. He was still waiting for someone sent by the Society to arrive. In some regards, his situation was pretty similar to that of Markus¡¯ even though their positions within their respective organizations couldn¡¯t be compared at all.


    Whilst everyone was talking more or less animatedly, it was only Emily who stayed silent.


    Unbeknownst to anyone, she was simply too scared to open her mouth. Too afraid to accidentally say something wrong.


    The word ¡®Soulerasure¡¯ rang in her mind.


    It took Severin long enough to realize something wasn¡¯t right. Lately, the originally shy and reserved girl had become more and more vocal and outgoing. But now she didn¡¯t make even a sound. When it finally dawned on him what was going on with his [Employee], Severin couldn¡¯t help but feel bad. He had to admit that he was the one responsible for this situation.


    Mylana had annoyed him with her incessant prodding, and he made Em pay for it.


    With a guilty conscience, he finally decided to lift some of the limitations he had imposed on the girl; after all, it was he who made the rules of what could and couldn¡¯t be revealed, not the System. The latter only enforced those rules. Mostly, anyway.


    <<Just talk to them if you want to.>>


    <<But the rules. I¡¯m afraid I¡­ my soul!>> Even when transmitted like this, Severin could hear the pitiful tremble in her voice. It made him feel even worse. In his mind, it was even a wonder the girl had only hid somewhere behind his back instead of running straight back inside the store.


    <<It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry.>> He tried to assure her.


    <<Are you¡­sure?>>


    <<Yeah. Go ahead. I mean it.>> Even if it wasn¡¯t for his bad conscience, Severin couldn¡¯t have his only [Employee] be so scared that she refused to talk to anyone for fear of attracting some sort of divine punishment. <<Just try to avoid saying anything important.>>


    <<Eh.>> He noticed the girl behind him immediately turn stiff again. ¡®Anything important¡¯ was way too vague! That could basically mean anything. <<Just don¡¯t mention the System itself. Or its integrated store. You¡¯ll be fine. I promise!>>


    <<Really?>>


    <<Really. >> He confirmed once more. <<I¡¯m sorry.>>


    Though it shouldn¡¯t be possible, it seemed as if the girl didn¡¯t even hear his last words. Instead, she was already in a rush to insert herself into the lighthearted conversations that were going on next to her.


    ¡®Children¡­,¡¯ Severin sighed to himself.


    ¡°How is it like to be a prince?¡±


    ¡°So you really did know, huh?¡±


    ¡°How did you figure it out back then?¡± Mylana immediately interfered.


    ¡®Children!!¡¯ Severin was exasperated. ¡°I think we really should get back to work!¡±

 Chapter 103

    ¡°Now?!¡±


    ¡°Now!?¡±


    Two very upset sounding voices asked the same question; the older one might have even been the more annoyed one of the two.


    ¡°Now!¡± a third one confirmed. ¡°People are already waiting for us to resume business.¡± It was a convenient excuse, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t true. Severin innocently pointed to a nearby group of gathered adventurers who were quite obviously waiting to enter the store and only refrained from doing so because of the identity of the people occupying the [Shopkeeper¡¯s] time.


    Realizing their presence had been acknowledged, the four Eagles shuffled towards the store while paying close attention to avoid eye contact with the two bigshots and Markus, who was their direct superior.


    With this, neither the girl nor the woman had any way to rebuke Severin. The former shouldn¡¯t have been outside to begin with. As for Mylana, in front of Severin, her status didn¡¯t count for much and as a businessman, it was only right for him to prioritize his paying customers.


    After making sure the group was following him, if slowly and still hesitant, Severin quickly turned around and made haste to reach the inside of his store before anyone else could interfere. All the while making sure Emily wasn¡¯t leaving his side.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys already stocked up? What¡¯s so urgent that you couldn¡¯t wait any longer?¡± While she wouldn¡¯t go so far as to prevent those people from going inside, Mylana still couldn¡¯t help herself but question them.


    Markus, as their superior, also couldn¡¯t help but say a few words. ¡°Go ahead. Just don¡¯t make any trouble.¡± He was still slightly concerned about the previous incident where a bunch of his guys had tried to pressure Emily. Especially now that a product had appeared that almost justified such behavior. Mostly, however, he said those words to undermine Mylana and her questioning ever-so-slightly. Those were his men. It was up to him to question them, not to anyone else. Her, at times, obsessive behavior irritated him, but as he didn¡¯t dare to rebuke her directly, this was all he could do in such a situation.


    ¡°Sir. Of course, Sir. We only wanted to make sure to place our orders.¡± Noticing the strange mood, the adventurer addressed Markus in a more formal fashion than he usually would. Not because he didn¡¯t respect him - quite the opposite- but because, first and foremost, the second-string leader of the Malcos Eagles was simply just one of them. Formal addresses, titles, and direct orders were usually saved for either public appearances or combat situations.


    ¡°Right! Haha, we didn¡¯t place any orders yet. Let¡¯s see if he already takes any orders for that new stuff.¡± Sam, the by far most scary looking of the bunch, was the one mediating and seemed to be in a cheerful mood.


    ¡°New stuff?¡±


    ¡°Just follow.¡±


    Seeing that not just their more impatient comrades entered the store, but that they were in fact led by Samuel and Co., even the less brazen adventurers of their squad started to follow.


    Soon almost everyone stood orderly in rank and file in front of the store¡¯s long counter, ensuring that Severin would be busy for some time


    Mylana¡¯s previous comment, albeit inappropriate, was indeed true. Only a few of the people were actually restocking their potions and elixirs; most were only concerned with placing their orders for the next day as soon as possible.


    Originally, Severin wanted to reject the majority of them. It had been his plan that in the afternoon he would only take orders for the first batch of bread of the following day. This was so that he could directly head for the kitchen early on without having to first open the store. For the second batch of dishes of the day, which were only served during midday, this was obviously not necessary.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.But seeing the long queue, Severin couldn¡¯t bring himself to turn them all away. Not only because he didn¡¯t want to appear petty as taking the orders now instead of tomorrow wouldn¡¯t really cause any extra work for him anyway, but also because he decided it would be stupid to reject their upfront payment and risk losing parts of his income this way. After all, right now all of them were pretty much guaranteed to order two servings each, while after giving them enough time to think things through they might come to the conclusion that with the comparatively short durability of the salads it might not actually be worth it to order multiple at once.


    Just for a moment, the idea of putting up a ¡®No refunds!¡¯ sign popped up in his mind but was just as quickly dismissed. Not that he actually planned to grant refunds- the System surely wouldn¡¯t allow that- but it just wouldn¡¯t be a good look. It would have made him seem like a quack and needlessly hurt his reputation.


    Maybe because of a slightly bad conscious stemming from this ridiculous idea, or maybe simply to ensure even more money coming his way, he also decided to announce tomorrow¡¯s new product and decided to receive orders for it as well. This time, he even took the initiative to advertise its effects. Not that it really mattered anymore.


    Those who had still underestimated the store¡¯s products and therefore didn¡¯t order any salad had learned their lesson today. At this point, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate again and would make sure to get their hands on whatever new products Severin had to offer; and if it turned out to be useless to them specifically, there would still be someone in their guild who could surely make use of it.


    A good hour later, the shop was mostly empty again. Apart from Severin and Emily, only a single person sneaked around the Purifier while feeding the machine with coins.


    The sight reminded Severin of a gambling addict in front of a Slot Machine.


    ¡®Here¡¯s an idea.¡¯


    Now that the tranquility had returned to the store, it was finally time for Severin to start experimenting.


    ¡®I should start with something simple.¡¯ With that, he summoned several ingredients onto the counter.


    ¡°What are you doing? Do we need to restock already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to create a new product.¡± <<Haven¡¯t you seen the new quest?>> Severin changed the medium of communication as he wasn¡¯t too eager for a certain someone to hear him talk about quests.


    <<Ah! I¡¯ve seen it. The reward might be an endless supply of food, right? So, you want to make a potion?>>


    <<Hmm,>> he confirmed. <<Aside from a handful of ingredients, the rest of the crafting process is pretty much the same for both healing and resource pots. The same tool, the same techniques, and even the same temperatures. Only the timings when to add the ingredients are slightly different, but that should only make it all the easier for me to focus on each step.>>


    <<You want to combine the two?!>>


    <<I think it¡¯s the best shot we have. And I don¡¯t see why it shouldn¡¯t work.>>


    <<Right.>>


    ¡­


    <<I can¡¯t summon the tooltip.>>


    <<Maybe it¡¯s just not ready yet. The System notification hasn¡¯t popped up yet, either.>>


    <<Maybe try [Identify]?>>


    <<Right!>>


    [The worthless result of an amateurish attempt at Alchemy.


    Used ingredients are irrecoverably wasted.]

 Chapter 104

    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Severin had obviously been overconfident in his abilities to come up with a new product, but it wasn¡¯t his failure that was the reason for his sudden exclamation. It was still only just his first attempt. No, the reason which made him cry out in a sudden fit of anger, was the taunting item description revealed by the [Identify] skill.


    As the skill had originally been granted by the System, in Severin¡¯s mind there was no doubt as to whom he had to attribute this slight.


    But it didn¡¯t manage to discourage him. On the contrary, he became even more motivated, seeing this situation as an opportunity to finally take on the System head-to-head and get even.


    He began to repeat the same process with all other kinds of possible combination of potions.


    Percentage-based restoration pots with other percentage-based restoration pots, small pots with small pots, and large ones with large ones. To no avail.


    Sigh


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I had expected anything else after the first try, but I had to make sure before trying anything else. The description is the same as well.¡± He was talking mostly to himself, but Emily, who had silently observed Severin during all this time, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try the other remaining combinations as well?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Those recipes deviate too greatly from each other. A percentage-based pot together with one that heals a fixed amount¡­ I wouldn¡¯t even know where to begin,¡± Severin admitted.


    ¡°Then what next?¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t immediately answer and kept pondering.


    After the obvious combinations weren¡¯t met with success, it seemed he would have to become a bit more creative. However, he still wanted to focus on working with potions. Potions not only were the first category of items he had unlocked, but they also offered the largest carrying capacity out of all his wares. It was undoubtedly the one type of product he was most experienced with when it came to crafting.


    At the same time, crafting potions was also the easiest complexity wise. Therefore, when trying to combine comparatively simple items didn¡¯t work out, then there was no use in even trying the same thing with something so advanced as the stat elixirs or even just the weapon oils; at least not until he was more desperate.


    ¡°If adding more stuff doesn¡¯t work, then maybe using less?¡± Emily suggested without waiting for Severin¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Right. And I know just the thing to leave out.¡±


    ¡°That white stuff?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡®That white stuff¡¯ referred to a fluid that was part of any of the potions. What made it stand out apart from that was its extreme viscosity at room temperature, which severely decreased after being exposed to even just slightly higher temperatures, for the shortest amount of time.


    It was only natural that anyone would suspect that specific ingredient to be the reason for the potions¡¯ unique jellylike consistency.


    As such, it didn¡¯t seem too farfetched that leaving it out might simply result in a more traditional, bottled potion which would otherwise maintain all its regenerative properties.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Again?! What now? Do we¡­ do we give up?¡± Emily asked reluctantly when she saw her boss gnashing his teeth.


    This time, the revealed description was even harsher than before.


    ¡°No way! The approach wasn¡¯t bad. We can try lowering the quantity of some of the other ingredients. A potion that restored just half or maybe just a quarter the amount of a regular small potion might be virtually unusable, but, for all intents and purposes, should still be considered a new product!


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°Don¡¯t worry. The past failures don¡¯t count for much. We only need to succeed once; then we can apply the same method to the other potions as well.¡± Severin tried to not only convince the girl but also himself.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already late¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°And taking a break can¡¯t be considered giving up. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Neither can going back into the kitchen and experimenting there, instead. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Maybe sticking with cooking was the better option after all.


    ¡®Leaving out the cheese or tomatoes might count as some other kind of salad.¡¯ But after today¡¯s experiences, he didn¡¯t truly believe in it himself. The quest had proved much harder than he had initially expected; though he probably wouldn¡¯t admit that out loud.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but-¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I also want to place an order. If it¡¯s okay.¡±


    That took him by surprise.


    Before coming to Severin¡¯s place, Emily never had any amount of money that exceeded a couple of copper coins at most. And those few coins she did manage to scrape together were immediately spent on food. Not only because food was essential, but because keeping money was dangerous for someone like her.


    Possessing even just a single gold coin was something she hadn¡¯t even dared dreaming about. But now, at least by non-adventurer standards, she was actually quite rich. One percent of the income generated by the main store was nothing to scoff at. At the very least, it was apparently enough for her to be able to afford food that cost multiple tens, if not hundreds, of gold coins. Prices that were owed to the effects granted by those dishes. Effects she couldn¡¯t even take advantage of.


    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯ll still provide you a free meal, you know. I mean, of course it¡¯s possible but¡­,¡± even Severin felt it was a waste to spend her money like this.


    But the girl had made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ve never tasted something so good! And that was before the new recipe! Without all that salt¡­ I can only imagine!¡± Emily looked at Severin with a serious expression. ¡°Besides. What else am I supposed to spend all that money on? I¡¯ve looked through the store, you know.¡± She referred to the inbuilt store provided by the System. ¡°A lot of it are just different pieces of gear, like the ones used by those adventurers. Some normal clothes as well and even different kinds of furniture, but nothing useful, really. What good is a new dress? Especially here, where things don¡¯t even get dirty.


    And all the class orbs are unaffordable, anyway! A few other items look like they could be interesting, but why risk wasting money if I could just spend it on food?¡±


    In the end Severin could only submit to her impeccable logic.


    Once business picked up, so would her salary. So even if he still felt it was a mistake on her part, he didn¡¯t have to worry about her and obliged with her wish.


    ¡­


    The rest of the evening was more relaxed.


    Markus and his Eagles had retreated and held some kind of guild meeting. Samuel caught up with his mentees, and Mylana and Krey had seemingly disappeared.


    Severin didn¡¯t mind one bit.


    Still annoyed by his failures and the subsequent taunts, a quiet evening like that was all too welcome.

 Chapter 105

    Just like the previous evening had been uncharacteristically quiet, the atmosphere on the next morning was uncharacteristically bustling.


    Usually at this time of the day, Severin was pretty the only person already awake, if one disregarded those adventurers that preferred to set out even before dawn.


    Ever since arriving on this mountaintop in a new world, Severin had become somewhat of an early riser; and even more so since becoming a [Cook]. To ensure the first batch of bread was ready even before opening of the store, he tried to mimic the bakers of his old home.


    On this day, however, it almost appeared as if he was the last person to wake up. Apart from Em.


    There was an unmistakable atmosphere of departure in the air; Markus¡¯ impatience to get going, and by extension that of the Eagles as a whole, was immediately palpable when Severin left his small room.


    The other big thing that stood out and which maybe took him even more by surprise was the missing flying artifact. The enormous ship that had lied at anchor during all of Markus¡¯ visit and which served as a kind of headquarter for the visitors, had already become an accustomed sight to Severin. But now it was nowhere to be found.


    In its stead hovered two smaller ships which, when added up together, didn¡¯t make up for even half the size of their bigger counterpart.


    Thinking about it, it only made sense. Not only was Markus¡¯ group about to split, but the ship had always belonged to Samuel, anyway. Now that the [Berserker] had decided to stay behind, so would his priced artifact.


    After briefly considering the circumstances, Severin decided to not let Markus and his men needlessly wait any longer than absolutely necessary.


    He headed straight into the kitchen and began processing all the orders he had taken the previous day. Including the ones for salad and pizza, both dishes he had originally planned to only sell at lunchtime.


    But since this rule was only established as a means to make it easier for him to handle business during the time he was still lacking [Employees], it didn¡¯t matter if he broke it. That was especially true considering that the rule was set by Severin himself, and not the System. Besides, with the only other larger group of his customers, namely Andreas and his comrades, being absent for the time being, it wasn¡¯t as if he would suddenly be overrun with work if he made an exception on this day.


    When Emily woke up some time later, and headed towards the entrance of the main store, Severin instructed her to inform the people outside that he was already processing their orders; not just the bread, but those for the entire day. She was also to offer anyone who had missed the opportunity to do so yesterday to place their orders now instead.


    Shortly after that, the main-store was filled with customers. Not to take them up on their offer, but to stock up on everything else and to make sure to their daily limited activations wouldn¡¯t go to waste. With Severin cooperating in this fashion, the group¡¯s departure had been pushed forward, and as such, all unfinished business for which several hours were originally been scheduled, now had to be completed in just a fraction of the time.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.Luckily, with the upgraded shop, everyone could easily fit inside and the additional shelf space ensured enough products to fulfill all demands could now easily be stored.


    Not that there actually was any unusual amount of demand. Following Markus¡¯ orders, the adventurers had already made a habit of restocking their consumables at least once a day, therefore the amount of products they had to replenish in one go never was too large. The main attraction was the combinator and while nothing much could be done to help work through the long queue of short-tempered men and women, it wasn¡¯t something that caused any extra work or stress for Em, who observed everything from behind the counter.


    Soon after Severin left the kitchen, Markus said his goodbyes and boarded one of the two smaller ships, followed by roughly half of his men; the remaining guildmates boarded the other one.


    But only after repeatedly ensuring Severin that they would meet again as soon as his time and responsibilities allowed him to.


    He also affirmed once more that the prospect employee should already be well on their way and that the transport was probably taking a similar detour as Markus had to back then. Only that this time there weren¡¯t any previous customs who could lead the way on board.


    That being said, the whole secrecy wasn¡¯t something that had to be kept up for much longer. Not only couldn¡¯t the people back in Malcos prevent everyone from learning about the shop¡¯s existence forever, even if they wanted to, but the most important objective had already been fulfilled;to make contact and establish relations with Severin before Rhenia.


    Seeing first hand how the shop handled things, with daily activations and a very limiting carrying capacity for each kind of item, had also long helped to chase away a lot of Markus¡¯ worries.


    ¡­


    The next half week made for a rather boring but welcome break, even if it meant a sharp drop in income.


    The highlight of this period was probably when at the very next day after the group had left Severin managed to come up with a new recipe; only to be disappointed. In an attempt to outsmart the System, Severin came up with his own recipe for a very simple tomato soup. And just like the pizza before, the end product had even been recognized by the System and was added to the recipe book.


    The questlog, however, showed no progress at all. Very much to Severin¡¯s displeasure. The fact that, just like before, he was granted the ability to set a generous exchange rate for his personal income didn¡¯t change that at all. Especially not after confirming its effects, which resembled that of the salad, but noticeably weaker. For an adventurer who cared less about taste and more about efficiency, there was no reason to buy even just a single serving; and, in Severin¡¯s personal opinion, even less so if they actually cared about the taste.


    After that experience, Severin lost much of his motivation, and while he hadn¡¯t given up on the matter completely, he spent most of the following days sitting outside in front of the store. Instead, it was Emily who kept experimenting -not in the kitchen as one might¡¯ve thought, but with alchemical ingredients- though she wasn¡¯t any more successful than her boss.


    This went on until on the fourth day a dot on the horizon announced someone¡¯s arrival.

 Chapter 106

    ¡°About time they show up. Was already wondering what kept them so long.¡±


    Severin himself could only make out a dark splodge in the sky, but apparently this wasn¡¯t the case for the person next to him. It wasn¡¯t the first time that an adventurer had proven to have superior eyesight, but Severin was still impressed all the same. However, even if he couldn¡¯t identify them himself, just the identity of the speaker next to him gave him a good idea who exactly was headed his was right now.


    Certainly not the prospect [Employee] he was waiting for. Severin also didn¡¯t think that Krey would say those words if it was Andreas and his raid group. That only left one other possibility.


    It had to be the one group of people he wanted to see the least.


    No matter if it was bandits, rogue adventurers, or a certain breed of young masters, Severin wasn¡¯t afraid of any of them. Not when he knew that the System, at least in that regard, had his back. An impregnable seeming barrier and a blacklist functionality were sufficient to keep him from physical harm as long as he didn¡¯t leave the store¡¯s premises. It also helped that he had already purchased the whole surface of the mountaintop, because if the experience with Simon was anything to go by, then it had to be assumed that future troublemakers could simply be booted off the mountain itself. No, if he hadn¡¯t misinterpreted Krey¡¯s words, the really scary guys were the ones approaching right now. The ones with real power and with influence that might very well surpass that of Markus and his family; at least if he were to believe the stories and rumors.


    Soon, as the approaching dot slowly grew bigger and bigger, and assumed an emerald green color, Severin could confirm the newcomers¡¯ identity himself.


    ¡®So it really is them.¡¯


    The only reason he wasn¡¯t more nervous was that, so far, he had only heard positive things about the Society. ¡®Though for an organization of that size, that in itself was already quite suspicious,¡¯ Severin thought.


    When the ship finally reached its destination, a person awkwardly emerged from the interior of the ship and jumped from its deck onto the mountaintop. From there, the silhouette didn¡¯t immediately start moving. Instead, Severin thought that the person seemed to gasp for air, though he couldn¡¯t be totally sure at this distance. It was similarly impossible for him to make out any discernable features other than maybe the person¡¯s figure, which seemed to be more in line with his own than that of most adventurers he had met so far.


    The person in the distance suddenly straightened up and started to wave with both hand over their head and ever so slowly began to move towards the buildings on the mountain.


    Severin was taken aback, and so was Krey, but after a short moment of hesitation, the latter excused himself and started to run towards the newcomer in order to meet them.


    Severin, on the other hand, didn¡¯t budge. Neither did Emily.


    They decided to wait in front of the store and as the [Shopkeeper] tried to sort his thoughts.


    He thought the whole display was almost comical. And while he didn¡¯t know what he had expected, this certainly was not it. This was the Society¡¯s supposed answer to the report of a magic store selling consumable miracles?


    Krey reached the person in no time and quickly offered a crisp salute, which immediately got waved away and the two people continued to move towards Severin.


    Slowly.


    Very slowly.


    If Severin didn¡¯t see their legs moving, he might¡¯ve actually thought they were simply standing in place. He became more and more irritated.


    The distance that took Krey about half a minute to close now took the pair close to five minutes.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡­


    ¡°Nice place you got there! You must be Severin!¡± The chubby woman said with a pleasant smile. As if she was oblivious to the bizarre sight she had offered.


    ¡°Right. Thanks.¡± Severin didn¡¯t know what else to say. Seeing the wrinkles in the woman¡¯s uniform, more doubts appeared in his mind. He turned his head and looked at Krey standing next to her, slightly behind her. His uniform, in comparison, was pristine.


    He tried to make eye contact with the man, but it was as if Krey had turned back into the person he was when he had first arrived. Severin understood. Krey was on duty, and this wasn¡¯t just a strange joke.


    Severin felt helpless but decided to just go along.


    ¡°And you must be Emily. I have heard much about you.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I heard you¡¯re an excellent salesperson.¡±


    The girl¡¯s cheeks immediately flushed. No one knew whether she felt flattered or if it was embarrassment and shame that overcame her when thinking back to her sales pitch back then. ¡°I try my best!¡±


    ¡°Hoho, then I¡¯ll be depending on you. I¡¯m Magda, by the way, but you can call me Mag.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Mag.¡±


    The pleasant smile appeared on the woman¡¯s face again as she winked at Severin.


    ¡°I was really looking forward to this, you know? I¡¯ve already seen some of your handiwork. Those potions¡­ incredible. And just now our dear Krey had informed me you have got even more new products since then. Mind showing me around yourself?¡±


    Severin had no reason to refuse her, led the group inside, and earnestly presented his wares. For each item he pointed out, the woman handed over some gold coins to Emily and immediately consumed said item. And each time, she would follow up with a compliment.


    ..


    ¡°And lastly, these here are the Item Combinator and Purifier.¡± Severin introduced.


    ¡°Oho! I¡­ ah! Sorry. I didn¡¯t realize there was already another customer in here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, child. Please. Have a try.¡±


    The two women looked at each other and for a short moment, Magda¡¯s smile seemed to be frozen.


    ¡°Haha. Maybe later. Please continue,¡± she said and turned around. ¡°I think I¡¯m more interested in something to eat right now. If it¡¯s no hassle, that is.¡±


    ¡°No problem at all, though our menu is still rather limited. And making new bread might take a while, so I¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, for now I¡¯m most interested in that one dish called ¡®pizza¡¯. I¡¯m not too much of a salad person myself, you know?¡± she said with a light-hearted chuckle.


    ¡®Right. Of course, he had already told her everything.¡¯


    Severin excused himself and disappeared into the kitchen to begin his work, but only after instructing Emily to keep an eye on the woman and to notify him if need be.


    Because of that, he wasn¡¯t at all surprised to see Krey and Magda crouching next to one of the dummies inside the training grounds.


    Not two seconds later she suddenly stood up, turned around, and began waving again towards Severin. She didn¡¯t seem the least bit surprised to see him standing there and immediately begun her way back towards Severin in and the outdoor seating area. She was definitely walking faster than before.


    ¡®Either she is really hungry, or after catching up with Krey¡­¡¯


    ¡°Already done?!¡± Magda asked while searching for something.


    Severin answered by summoning a plate on top on one of the many tables.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. Hmm, and the smell.


    Please,¡± she pointed at the chair opposite the one she was claiming for herself.


    ¡­


    ¡°How amazing.¡± She repeated herself once again as she chewed on her last bite. ¡°Krey really didn¡¯t promise too much. And the buff¡­,¡± she swallowed, ¡°quite impressive!


    But I think we now have other things to discuss.¡±

 Chapter 107

    ¡®Here we go,¡¯ Severin thought. He knew this was coming, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to like it.


    ¡°I assume it won¡¯t come as much of a surprise if I tell you that I am here to follow up on the report that had been delivered by Krey¡¯s group of subordinates?¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t in the mood to answer rhetorical questions. Luckily, Mag didn¡¯t seem to expect him to.


    ¡°I was so excited when learning of these reports. If those information were sent by some random person, they might¡¯ve been dismissed, but when coming from one of our own guys, we have to take these reports more serious. But even then, what I saw here today far exceeds everything I had had expected prior to coming here. Confirming the existence of said item¡¯s and ascertaining their authenticity is only part of my job, you know. Maybe even more important is the risk assessment. Especially if the items in question this unique, and, quite frankly, far too cheap for what they provide. If it wasn¡¯t for the restrictions put on these items like carrying capacity, for example, the risk factor would be many times higher.¡± This was somewhat consistent with Markus¡¯ words back then.


    ¡®Great, and if the ¡®risk factor¡¯ was higher, then what? Would you try to eliminate said risk?¡¯ He was getting more and more annoyed but kept these thoughts to himself. For the moment. Still, he didn¡¯t manage to completely hide his displeasure.


    ¡°Glad to hear that.¡± Severin replied drily. ¡°So that means you¡¯re done here?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel that you are under some misconceptions regarding our work.¡± Magda¡¯s reply was as courteous as always. ¡°Please tell me, what exactly is it that bothers you?¡±


    ¡®Besides being called a potential risk factor, you mean?¡®


    Being asked so directly, the floodgates finally opened.


    ¡°What bothers me is the prospect of someone meddling with my business. Someone wanting to build an outpost on my land to then start monitoring me and my customers. Who then wants to tell me what I can and can¡¯t sell. And to whom. And for how much. And how many. And maybe demand some exclusive access to some of my wares while at it? At discounted prices? Or just directly demand some kind of bogus ¡®tax¡¯ in exchange for ¡®protection¡¯.¡±


    At the end of his tirade, Severin had to catch his breath. Mag, on the other hand, was still smiling.


    ¡°You are right about the outpost,¡± she said in a teasing tone. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, haha. I tell you, you¡¯re overthinking things. In the end, the work of the Adventurer¡¯s,¡± she put special emphasis on this last word, ¡°Society comes down to providing all kinds of help and assistance to individual adventurers and guilds alike. To increase their odds of survival. And thereby ensure order and safety for everybody.¡±


    ¡°Right. And all that out of the goodness of your hearts, I suppose.¡± He was being snarky, but that wasn¡¯t enough to put Mag off; she displayed her patience and admitted, ¡°Well the money does help, but if it was just about wealth, a good portion of us would¡¯ve just continued on as adventurers. It¡¯s about the alternative. Without us, there would only be chaos. Most adventurers wouldn¡¯t even dream about sharing information on specific monsters, much less about dungeons or raids. If they aren¡¯t part of the same guild, they would cheat and backstab each other for even just the slightest benefit. Sometimes even if they are. Not to speak of the things regular people would have to endure with no one around to keep classbearers in check.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.So you see, it¡¯s not just out of ¡®the goodness of our hearts¡¯, but simply necessity and self-interest that drives us, most of us at least.


    ¡°And by the way. Most of those people certainly would not go out of their way to advertise this shop of yours. If anything, they would try to keep its existence hidden for as long as possible, in an attempt to keep all the benefits to themselves. They don¡¯t care how many others could¡¯ve been saved just by having access to your potions. Or any of your other products, really.¡±


    When Magda finally concluded her speech, Severin still remained silent for a while. He knew she was right. Maybe not in all aspects- he simply knew too little about this world and the Society¡¯s other dealings to be certain- but at least when it came to the last part, he had to agree. Ff grudgingly. Be it Andreas or Markus, customers he liked and valued, he knew that both of them were very much guilty of what Mag had just described; which ultimately also hurt his business in some way. Still, he wasn¡¯t entirely convinced.


    ¡°This still doesn¡¯t really explain your intentions. So what exactly is it you plan on doing? You want to advertise my shop because it helps adventurers; do I understand you correctly? Because it¡¯s ¡®the right thing to do¡¯ as it might save lives, that¡¯s it?¡± he asked doubtfully, but most of his sarcastic tone had already left his voice. ¡°Then what about the outpost? What¡¯s that all about?¡±


    ¡°Well. For the moment ¡®outpost¡¯ may be a bit too grant of an expression. For now, let¡¯s call it a small branch office. Nothing too fancy. As for its use, that should be quite obvious, no? If we are to offer our services and keep people in check, we need to be where those people are. And it really doesn¡¯t take a genius to understand that as long as you continue your business up here, even if for some reason you end up deciding not to further expand on it, eventually this place will be bustling with adventurers. I mean, it seems like you¡¯ve already attracted the attention of some bigshots.¡°


    ¡°Okay, sure. Let¡¯s assume I buy everything you just said; then what exactly do I need you for? You said it yourself sooner or later, this place should thrive with or without your help. Why give up parts of my land?¡±


    ¡°Well, this is awkward,¡± her bubbly tone didn¡¯t match her words. ¡°For one, our support would certainly help accelerate the process. That alone should be worth something, no? There is also the matter of security. No one will dare attack you or cause any significant trouble. Not if there is official Society presence. Or at least they wouldn¡¯t get away with it.¡±


    ¡®Not really something I have to worry about, anyway.¡¯


    Maybe his thoughts were reflected on his face or maybe it was just a coincidence, but next moment the woman added, ¡°Then again, it is said you are perfectly capable of defending yourself. Heard you taught Senheim¡¯s brat a lesson.


    ¡°But I still think we can help each other. You might not see it yet, but if you ever need help with anything¡­ finding trustworthy suppliers¡­ reliably employees¡­ you name it¡­ well, you get the idea.¡±


    Severin slowly nodded, though he wasn¡¯t exactly sure if he really did get it. He was debating whether it was a genuine offer or a thinly veiled threat.


    ¡°So. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 108

    ¡®How about fuck you?¡¯, were the most appropriate words Severin could think of, but he knew better than to say them out loud.


    Instead, he fell silent. For a long time. So long, in fact, that Magda had already started wondering whether he was being childish and decided to ignore her.


    In reality, he was trying his best to figure a way out of this situation. One which didn¡¯t make him susceptible to extortion or otherwise dependent on them, while at the same time maintaining an amiable relationship with them. Or at least a neutral one; as long as they didn¡¯t disturb him or his customers, that would be good enough, though even he had to admit that having access to the Society¡¯s connections would surely prove to be a boon.


    But what could he do? Giving up parts of his land was certainly the last thing he wanted to do. After all, that had been his reason to purchase all the mountain¡¯s land, despite not yet having any concrete plans for it yet, in the first place. But for someone in his position, someone who was, for the most part, bound to this place, giving away his land would be equivalent to curtailing his own freedom.


    On the other hand, there was a reason he had so feared the arrival of a representative of the Adventurer¡¯s Society; one that came with actual purpose and didn¡¯t just come across this place by pure chance. The more or less subtle threats issued by the woman in front of him only reinforced Severin¡¯s view on the matter.


    He couldn¡¯t help lamenting the fact that Samuel was absent at this moment. Though he didn¡¯t think the [Berserker] could stop the Society from whatever it was they were set out to do, he still imagined the man to have enough of an influence that him speaking up in Severin¡¯s favor might make things easier for him. At the very least, his input as to how to deal with this situation, and with Mag in particular, would be very much appreciated right now.


    Alas, there was nothing much he could do. Only one option came to mind that didn¡¯t necessarily result in him having a target on his back. He subconsciously gritted his teeth before finally snapping out of it. He had made up his mind, and, as to not be totally run over in the upcoming negotiations, tried to fake a certain degree of confidence he didn¡¯t feel.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to discuss a possible lease for a small plot of land.¡±


    As soon as those words left his mouth, something unexpected demanded all of his attention.


    Out of nowhere, a notification had popped up, issued by Severin¡¯s ever-present companion. Maybe the most surprising part of this was that this time Severin didn¡¯t get angry at the System butting in. Quite the opposite.


    After quickly scanning the words that were invisible to Magda and getting the gist of its contents, he had to suppress a relieved smile forming on his face; Magda getting the wrong idea was the last thing he needed right now. But he felt truly relieved. ¡®This certainly should make things easier later on.¡¯


    But that didn¡¯t mean he was out of the woods yet. To have a fighting chance, he was still reliant on Magda agreeing to his proposal regarding the leasing of a plot of land. Only then would he be able to take full advantage of the newly acquired System-feature.


    That being said, Severin didn¡¯t expect the Society¡¯s representative to flat out refuse him, anyway. For that, they were too concerned about their appearances as the ¡®good guys¡¯. The real threat was them trying to pull some shady stuff while in the dark; trying to find loopholes or flat out altering the contents of any previously made agreements, simply making him dependent on them, or straight up blackmail.


    At least those were Severin¡¯s mostly unfounded conjectures, as he only had Magda¡¯s words to go by. The rest were simply his imagination and gut feelings. He had no way of knowing whether these things were actually true and if the Society really was as shady as he made them out to be. If they were, Samuel surely never mentioned it.


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    ¡°Leasing, huh? So you really claim all this land?¡± She looked around in an exaggerated fashion. The point she was making was very clear. The mountain was huge. Too huge for one person with a single store, a kitchen, and two small bedrooms to reasonably be able to claim the whole territory for themselves. Even if one included the training ground, the whole place still looked rather deserted; even more so when all his regular customers were currently absent. Adding to this that Severin¡¯s entire claim to this land stemmed from his secret dealings with some mysterious, invisible, and in the eyes of everyone else but him and Em, basically nonexistent entity, one might even come to the conclusion that the Society had already been more than courteous towards him by not just simply doing as they pleased.


    Severin himself didn¡¯t see it this way. Luckily, Magda didn¡¯t seem to expect an answer from him either.


    ¡°A lease should be fine, but we would need to ask for a plot right here in the center. This store,¡± she pointed over to the building with the ¡®Emporium¡¯ sign, ¡°will be right in the middle of it all, right? In that case, we want to be right there as well. At least in the general area. A spot no one can miss, even once this whole place is further developed than it is now.¡±


    Again, no verbal answer, but a quick nod served as the indication for Severin¡¯s tacit approval.


    ¡°Great. Then why don¡¯t we stake out the plot first and discuss the specifics later? No use talking about money if we don¡¯t yet know the dimensions of the property we are talking about.¡± She smiled her usual smile and then raised the index finger of her right hand, asking Severin to remain silent for a moment.


    ¡°You there?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Yes. No, all¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Right. Grab a few of the men and get over here, will you?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Severin immediately understood that the Mag had a way to communicate with her subordinates that was similar to his own; just more conspicuous. Or maybe she only spoke aloud for his benefit.


    ¡°Sorry about that. The hands-on stuff isn¡¯t really my area of expertise, you know. Someone else will handle that.¡± Magda said. And indeed, just a few seconds later, he witnessed a handful of people leaving the docked ship and heading their way.


    ¡°Quite a lot of people to simply stake off a piece of land,¡± he said. And in his thoughts added, ¡¯ especially for one that isn¡¯t even designated, yet.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is in anyone¡¯s interest to unnecessarily delay things, no? This way, the guys can immediately get to work.¡±


    At this time, Severin had already grown to hate her stupid smile.


    He debated whether to insist on drawing up a contract first; especially now that he had the means to do so. But seeing a small group of people leave the docked flying artifact and setting foot on his premises, he couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated again.


    ¡®It was all planned out. Right from the beginning. For them, there was never any doubt. One way or the other, they were going to get what they wanted. Those guys lying there in wait while that witch was working on me.


    Well. Let¡¯s see what happens when you try to drive that stake into the ground!¡¯


    Back when the training ground wasn¡¯t there yet, Miriam and Timothy had never actually sparred within the boundaries of his property. Only ever outside of the area where the protective barrier had sprung to life. Nevertheless, he still felt he had a good idea of what might happen if someone were to damage his property. At least he was willing to bet on it.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t blow the deal, right?¡¯ he considered for a moment, but in the end, his pettiness won. He didn¡¯t stop them.


    ¡°Right.¡±

 Chapter 109

    Severin reluctantly followed behind Magda towards a spot of land that, while still very much in the center of the mountaintop, was more in the open; if a new building were to be raised at this location, there would be a clear cut between it and Severin¡¯s own buildings.


    Soon, the four men who had emerged from the ship also arrived.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± One word and a quick nod were the only acknowledgement Severin received before they turned towards the woman next to him. It only reinforced his decision.


    Magda¡¯s own, more courteous behavior as she bided them to wait and turned back towards Severin, didn¡¯t change that.


    ¡°I thought somewhere around here. Just a small plot, for the time being. From there to somewhere around here,¡± she roughly pointed at two spots, which would span a rectangular area. One that Severin didn¡¯t consider being small at all. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Having reached this point, there was no use for him to stay petulant and keep sulking. Following Magda around while staying silent and only answering with ¡®hmms¡¯ and the occasional nod would only do him more harm than good.


    Still, he wanted to take his time to carefully deliberate his words instead of replying immediately. He had to admit that the other party was at least willing to negotiate. At the same time, he knew he shouldn¡¯t overdo it; Therefore, he needed some time to think about the matter more carefully.


    One of the four men, who, according to the System¡¯s map feature, all possessed building related classes, either wrongly interpreted her words to be directing towards them, or simply didn¡¯t care about Severin¡¯s opinion on the matter. He walked over to one of the spots the woman had just pointed at.


    ¡°Here?¡± He asked and kneeled down while summoning the tools needed to stake out the building lines into his hands.


    Seeing this, Severin didn¡¯t say anything to stop the man and instead started to snicker to himself.


    ¡®Here we go. Maybe that will show them wha¡­¡¯


    Snap


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaah!¡±


    The sickening sound of breaking bone followed by a blood-curdling scream made Severin, who observed everything closely, turn pale. The sight of the limb, snapped at an unnatural ninety-degree angle, almost made him vomit on the spot.


    ¡°Tha¡­that. I¡­¡± After the initial moment of shock, the other people immediately rushed towards the screaming man. Maybe these people were simply more used to such a gruesome sight, or maybe Severin was just too squeamish a person; either way, he was the only one who didn¡¯t move and instead continued to stammer incoherent words of regret.


    That was certainly not what was supposed to happen. What he had wanted to see-expected to see- was the scene of Simon being hurled backwards to repeat itself. Not this.


    He didn¡¯t take into account the direction of force, nor its apparent amplification. The man had only used a fraction of his strength to fixate the stake¡¯s position. If his aim had been to try to drive the stake into the ground as deep as possible, with as much strength as possible¡­ He didn¡¯t even want to think about what would¡¯ve happened.


    ¡°¡­ion.¡± Even after finally suppressing his urge to vomit, he didn¡¯t move and simply stared forward. ¡®That¡¯s not¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­ potion!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Only after repeated calls did Magda¡¯s words finally reach him.


    ¡°Potions. Right!¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and contacted Emily.


    <<Em! Gimme a potion. A health one! Quick! Just place it in the inventory.>>


    <<Eh? What¡¯s go¡­>


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.<<Later! Now, quick!>>


    <<Right. Which one exactly?>>


    <<I don¡¯t care. Just¡­ all of them! Give me some of every kind!>>


    He didn¡¯t wait for Emily to get the potions and rushed forward to catch up with the group.


    Seeing everything up close, the urge to vomit immediately returned. The man wasn¡¯t screaming anymore, but his wailing and moaning still got to Severin. He felt sick and his complexion looked worse than that of the actual victim.


    ¡°Get a grip.¡± Magda reprimanded the [Shopkeeper] when she noticed him arriving by her side and turning stiff right after. ¡°Got potions on you?¡± The question was more of a relieved statement than a question as she realized that apparently there was no need for anyone to run all the way back to the store first.


    ¡°Ah! Yeah, sorry!¡± He immediately emptied a sizeable number of different kinds of potions onto the ground.


    ¡°Good. This should do.¡± With a quick glance, the woman identified and grabbed a potion with the largest amount of flat-out health-regeneration.


    Severin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this would even be of any help with the arm snapped in such a manner.


    ¡°You guys! Make sure he doesn¡¯t move! Hold him down.¡±


    The men followed the orders immediately and without questioning. Even when hearing the follow-up command.


    ¡°Now snap it back into position!¡±


    The man in question was faster to react than Severin was able to process the meaning behind Magda¡¯s words and to avert his gaze.


    The sight of someone violently forcing the extremity back into place was even more sickening than the previous sight. And again, the sound.


    He tried to turn around, but still witnessed it all out of the corner of his eyes. Including how the woman forced the healing cube into struggling victim¡¯s mouth, before¡­


    Blargh


    ¡­


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± Severin snorted in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be me you¡¯re asking this question? Is he really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s more than fine. Things like this happen. Comes with the territory, really.¡± She waved him off. ¡°But your potion certainly proved its worth once more. Anyway. Ready to talk business?¡±


    Severin was taken aback.


    ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe how nonchalant Magda, and more importantly, the four men, were acting regarding this whole incident.


    He still blamed himself, but it seemed that his rather pathetic look was enough to clear him of any suspicions that this incident might¡¯ve been premeditated. Instead, a few minutes after the potion had been administered and confirmed that there would be no permanent damage to the man¡¯s arm, Severin had become the butt of a variety of jokes. He was neither in the mood nor in the position to retort any of them.


    Even if it had been an accident, if it was him, he knew with certainty that this wouldn¡¯t be a good enough reason for him to let the matter go. And that was already disregarding the fact that, at the very least, this would still amount to negligence on his part.


    He couldn¡¯t help but suddenly see the group in a much better light.


    ¡°I... never mind.¡± Nevertheless, he still swallowed his self-implicating words and steeled his resolve. He double-checked the System¡¯s earlier words.


    [Congratulations! You have taken the first step to establish business relationships with another party. Cooperation is indispensable for any successful enterprise.


    That being said, any cooperation is only as good as the involved parties are sincere and reliable. To that extend, mutual beneficial and enforceable agreements are of utmost importance.


    New feature unlocked: Establishment of contracts. ]


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m ready.¡±

 Chapter 110

    ¡­


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go through this one last time, shall we?¡± Magda asked. Her ever-present smile seemed more tired than earlier. ¡°Just to make sure.¡±


    Over the last couple of hours, this wasn¡¯t the first time they had this conversation, but both of them hoped it would be the last. ¡°One-hundred-fifty square meters,¡± she said with as much emphasis as she could muster. Severin nodded reluctantly.


    That was five times the size of his store when he had first arrived; still almost double its size after the first upgrade, and even now in its current form, the store only exceeded the measurements by fifty square meters. Despite all the empty space around him, this was definitely the most he was willing to accept, and only after Magda repeatedly explained to him that this space would also be needed to house any of their employees. As for the exact location, as long as the building wouldn¡¯t get in his way, Severin didn¡¯t care too much about these details.


    What he did care about, however, was something else:


    ¡°Only to a depth of three meters! And no excessive upwards extensions.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying this, but I still don¡¯t know what that¡¯s supposed to mean.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is¡­¡± He wanted to give up as little of his land as possible. In that regard, expanding upwards should be in everyone¡¯s best interest. But on the other hand, he didn¡¯t want the Society to suddenly raise a skyscraper in his front yard, either. ¡°How about¡­ You are always free to match the height of the highest building?¡±


    Mag¡¯s smile slipped as she instinctively looked towards a spot behind Severin. Even without turning around himself, he knew what she must have been thinking right now. While the tired woman was still weighing her next words, Severin quickly thought of something to appease her.


    ¡®I still need to prepare a room for my future employee, anyway. In fact, the System back then had granted me two additional ¡®[Employee] slots¡¯, not just one. So, I might as well... ¡¯ With no further ado, he opened the corresponding System menu, picked two appropriate rooming prefabs, placed them into the inbuilt editor, and moved them on top of his¡¯ and Emily¡¯s room, respectively. Then, ignoring the price, he confirmed his choice. A disgustingly smug expression made it onto his face. He still didn¡¯t even bother to turn around, and instead kept looking at the woman in anticipation of her expression of disbelief and awe.


    However¡­


    [To ensure an undisturbed shopping experience for all customers, the remodeling process and the addition of any new facilities will take place during nighttime. Thank you for your understanding.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He felt he was experiencing some sort of D¨¦j¨¤ vu. His expression turned ugly, but he was too tired to actually fly into his usual rage.


    Hem


    ¡°I¡¯ll add another story shortly. Very shorty. We can add this into the contract as well, if you like.¡± ¡®The System already took the money anyway,¡¯ he complained inwardly.


    ¡°Alright then. As things stand right now, that¡¯s not that urgent of a matter, anyway. Let¡¯s see, what next? Right. Security and protection. Not that you are in need of that,¡± she joked while the image of the unnaturally dangling arm was still fresh in Severin''s memory.


    ¡°No preferential treatment, I get it. You will interfere and prosecute anyone that tries to attack or hurt me and my business with illegitimate means, but that¡¯s that. ¡®The same you would do for any other merchant or shop owner¡¯. That about it?¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.¡°About,¡± she confirmed. ¡°But most importantly, we won¡¯t help with any issues brought upon yourself. In particular, that means no hiding behind the Society¡¯s name after stirring up trouble; or to use it as a means to strong-arm or manipulate other parties. You get the idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, as the owner of this land -or shall I call you ¡®landlord¡¯ from now on?- you will have to provide our facilities with the same kind of protection you would any other part of your property up here.¡±


    He easily conceded this point as well. As far as he was aware, he couldn¡¯t just disable his barrier for certain parts just as he liked, anyway. ¡® And even if I could, it would be stupid to do so. So whatever. I mean, it¡¯s basically some kind of mutual defense treaty.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t suppress his urge to add, ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing you had brought upon yourself¡±.


    She ignored his jab and continued. ¡°That leads us to¡­¡±


    ¡°No persecution of customers.¡±


    ¡°I thought we went over this already? What do you expect us to do? As long as someone has previously visited your shop, we are supposed to grant them some kind of immunity? No matter if they are wanted criminals or not? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°And who is it that determines who is a criminal?¡± Severin countered her, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. You are¡­¡± Magda started, but caught herself and took a deep breath. ¡°Think of something else.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡±Fine, but I hope you understand that¡¯s an enormous concession on our part?! A neutral zone. Unbelievable. And you will have to enforce it yourself. We won¡¯t actively,¡± she put much emphasis on the word, ¡°deal with those unsavory elements, but we won¡¯t stop anyone from doing so either. That¡¯s on you. On the other hand, we still ask you to at least consider turning someone over in especially severe cases. I mean, it can¡¯t be in your best interest to have this whole place swarming with wanted criminals, either.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to let it get to that. I assure you troublemakers will be dealt with.¡±


    Magda nodded, but she was clearly not all too happy about this.


    ¡­


    After that, there were many more or less important topics that were revisited. For example, clauses that ensured that none of the two parties could deny the other their services. At least not without a valid cause.


    Or that of the Society¡¯s mentioning of his ¡®Emporium¡¯ would have to be as accurate and fair as possible.


    Many of the other terms were just as vague to say the least, but Severin had reason not to mind that too much.


    ¡­


    ¡°This should leave us with the contract length and the monetary aspect?¡±


    ¡°Twelve months?¡±


    ¡°Double that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Severin hoped he had misheard her.


    ¡°Twenty-four. It will already take six to twelve months only to get this place going, no? You don¡¯t expect us to help you advertise this place, only to leave the moment business really starts to kick in.¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯ ¡°Fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Eighteen. And the option to renegotiate a new contract after that.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± this time he couldn¡¯t keep it to himself anymore. ¡°But that will cost you extra! Twenty-five thousand. A month!¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±

 Chapter 111

    ¡®Deal? Just like that? Wasn¡¯t that way too easy? Too quick?¡¯ Severin was taken aback and couldn¡¯t suppress the doubts that crept into his mind when Magda, all too willingly, agreed to his offer without so much as batting an eye.


    Luckily, no contract had yet been signed; they had just been going through the details for one last time before the actual signing. Nothing was yet set in stone.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t just change my mind like this. Not when it was my own proposal, right? Besides. She very well might just want to get this all over with. In that case, me wanting to change the terms again would only complicate things. Well. Things would get complicated either way.¡¯ That aside, ¡®just wanting to get things over with,¡¯ was certainly a sentiment he could get behind; Magda wasn¡¯t the only to have lost most of her energy.


    Ultimately, he decided against reopening negotiations. Not least because of the nagging voice in his head which told him that if he went against his words simply because he was not yet bound to it and because of his personal greed, he wouldn¡¯t be any better than those Society scoundrels. And even if it was quite the sum of money in his eyes, a few thousand more would hardly be worth the hassle.


    ¡®Especially not if I have to deal with them on a daily basis from now on.


    Shouldn¡¯t dwell too much on this. Just get the contract ready and that¡¯s it.


    Now let¡¯s see.¡¯


    With that mindset, he opened the System, ready to use his most recently acquired feature.


    Setting up the contract was done in just a matter of seconds. It was of especially great help that the moment Severin tried to remember a clause they had agreed upon, the exact words they had used suddenly appeared on the bluish glowing screen in front of him.


    He was irritated when thinking about the implications, but mollified when his eyes reached the end of the contract. An additional line, something they hadn¡¯t previously agreed upon, had appeared. His safety net.


    [A breach of the contract, or its spirit, by any of the involved parties, will cause the enforcement of an appropriate penalty.]


    Something to that extent had already been included in the notification message that had popped up earlier when the contract feature was unlocked. Not only was it a large reason for his change of mind and his willingness to accept a cooperation with Magda and the faction she represented, more readily, it was also why he didn¡¯t worry too much about the more vague sounding clauses.


    Until now Severin had accused the System of many things, but not sticking to the rules was not one of them. In that regard, he had complete trust.


    He took a last look at the contract before him, after which the next thing for him to do would be to fill out the one field at the bottom, which asked him to specify the other party involved in the contract. He imagined this would trigger the words to become visible for Magda as well and to allow her to partake in the actual signing.


    His heart suddenly skipped a beat.


    ¡®Fuck me! What a blunder that would¡¯ve been. I almost ruined it all!¡¯ His hands started to tremble ever so slightly and his face lost much of its color.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± The change was so sudden and apparent that there was no way for Magda to miss it. No matter how tired she was.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He answered with a forced and stiff smile on his face before addressing the issue he had just thought of. ¡°Say, where exactly did you want to establish the branch?¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t really care? Changed your mind?¡± She immediately became suspicious.


    ¡°No, no.¡± he immediately denied. ¡°Just curious.¡±


    ¡°Well. As said earlier. Somewhere about here,¡± she said and pointed. ¡°We would stake it out, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary! Was just curious. Really.¡±


    ¡°I was just teasing you. No need to be so on guard.¡±


    ¡®Yeah right.¡¯ His smile became even more stiff in response, evoking a surprisingly lively laugh from the woman.


    He returned his attention to the System. But this time he navigated to the editor again, not to the contract drafting menu.


    ¡­


    [Please confirm your purchase.]


    Click


    [39850/50000 gold spend.]


    With this purchase, the counter for his still outstanding quest which required him to spend some of his gold made quite a big jump.


    He had almost forgotten its existence as he had originally spent as little as possible before building his inn, but since he was already reminded when he had ordered the two accommodations for his future [Employees¡¯], he had already expected it to pop up again. What did come as a surprise, however, and quite the unpleasant one at that, was the cost of subterranean land he just bought.


    When a square meter of land had cost him twenty-five gold, a cubic meter was slightly more than double that amount. Considering that he had to purchase an area of hundred-fifty square meters times a depth of three meters, it would basically require all of the Society¡¯s first monthly installment to make up for it.


    At any other time Severin would have probably let his frustrations run free, no matter if there were other people present or not. But not this time. Not because he had matured, but because of the feeling of relief that washed over him.


    ¡®Phew. What a close call. Don¡¯t even want to imagine what could¡¯ve happened. Trying to lease land I don¡¯t yet own. Best-case scenario, the contract couldn¡¯t be established in the first place.


    Worst-case, the System would¡¯ve punished for not being able to fulfill my part. And that¡¯s not all. If I hadn¡¯t bought the additional layer of land as well, nothing would¡¯ve stopped them if they ever decided to go beyond the depth of three meters and grab my land. I don¡¯t even know whether or not I can purchase land already claimed by others. And I certainly don¡¯t intend to find out. On a different note¡­ once they sign the contract, they should get access to the land to do as they please. But doesn¡¯t that mean if it wasn¡¯t for the contract menu, I now would need to build them their outpost or branch or whatever myself?¡¯ Severin shuddered at the thought of all the hassle, and possibly even extra expenses he would have to deal with if it wasn¡¯t for the System to conveniently provide him with this new feature.


    ¡°I guess you might not be all that bad after all.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s time we finalize the contract.¡± Severin said with a straight face, but the red color on his face betrayed him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡­ Aaah?!¡±


    Not in the mood to go through the trouble of making up excuses to resolve the misunderstanding his words had caused, he instead filled out the empty field at the bottom of the contract menu.


    ¡°This¡­ Ohoho! This is¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s more like it!¡¯


    That was exactly the kind of reaction he had originally anticipated when he had issued the construction of the two new rooms. The wide-open eyes, the gaping mouth, and, most importantly, the welcome distraction.


    ¡°¡­[Contract magic]?! Really?¡° Severin wasn¡¯t sure if it was apprehension or excitement speaking, but he was pleased either way.


    ¡°This should make things easy!¡±

 Chapter 112

    ¡°This should make things easy!¡±


    Instead of feeling relieved or assured by the woman¡¯s words, Severin became even more suspicious.


    In fact, no words, especially not when coming from someone affiliated with the Adventurer¡¯s Society, would be enough to change his evaluation of them. Even if there was no evidence to support his various suspicions of them being untrustworthy and having bad intentions.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s that usually magic contracts can simply be nullified or altered by a higher leveled caster? Or it¡¯s a whole different kind of magic dedicated only to dealing with this kind of things. Well, tough luck. I dare you to try.¡¯ Her simply appreciating this kind of magic and its inherent effect of saving countless hours of drafting up paper contracts was not something he seriously considered being the case. ¡®Well, not that it really matters. The important part is that she seems willing enough to sign the thing.¡¯


    At the very least, in this respect, he turned out to be right.


    After getting over her initial surprise and curiosity, she minutely confirmed every single word displayed by the floating window that had appeared in front of her without any display of disapproval.


    Severin, on the other hand, paid more attention to the window itself.


    It wasn¡¯t only the yellow color that differentiated it from the System¡¯s usual design, but also the fuzzy outline that seemed to bleed into the world itself. Where the blueish window looked almost futuristic in its design, this one seemed more natural; more fitting, somehow.


    ¡®This has to be how these prompts usually manifest themselves in this world. Or at least what real [contract magic] would look like,¡¯ Severin concluded.


    He recognized this was most certainly not done for his own benefit and more likely a self-preservation measure of the System, but he appreciated it none the less.


    When Magda had finally confirmed everything was in order, she straightened up and, without a further word, closed her eyes. The look on her face turned even more serious than before. A few seconds later, the yellow screen released a bright light flash of light.


    When she opened her eyes again, she appeared even more exhausted than before.


    Severin couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether this was the System tormenting her simply for appearance¡¯s sake or whether this was somehow truly a necessary step for setting up the contract. He couldn¡¯t tell.


    Magda didn¡¯t let her exhaustion stop her and tore him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s it on my part? If you want to confirm everything is in order, then we can fi¡­¡±


    Severin raised his hand to stop her and, magnanimously, said, ¡°that won¡¯t be necessary,¡± which , judging by her expression, earned him some goodwill with the woman. In reality, he not only didn¡¯t know what exactly there was for him to confirm in the first place, the suddenly appearing prompt that floated in front of his eyes only further convinced him that there was no need for him to try and find out.


    Reading that the woman ¡®on behalf of the Golden Mountains¡¯ branch of The Adventurer¡¯s Society¡¯ had accepted his terms as presented was all he needed to know.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    But even in just this one short sentence of confirmation, two things immediately caught Severin¡¯s eyes. The wording revealed not just one, but two potential loopholes.


    One was the use of the term ¡®Golden Mountains¡¯. Officially, he knew there was no region with this name; it was just a colloquial term introduced and used by adventurers. In a regular contract, he feared, this fact could serve as a loophole to renege on the contract; claiming that if there was no such region, then there also could be no such organization to hold responsible. But even he knew that this was how the Society usually conducted business in these parts and wasn¡¯t unique to his situation. And with a somewhat good reason, at that. That was that this land bridge did not have only one officially recognized name; both the Rhenians in the north, and the Malconeans in the south had their own names for the region, and recognizing either of them meant to offend the respective other. So while neither of the countries could afford to ban the Society from within their borders if they chose to adopt one naming convention or the other, as an organization that was set on doing business with both countries while trying to maintain an amiable relationship with both, it only made sense to adopt a more neutral stance in that regard. And what would make more sense for them who, allegedly, were all about serving adventurers, than to adopt the same group¡¯s naming conventions?


    Maybe in some sense the name had already been elevated to something more than a colloquial term after all.


    The other thing was that Magda, apparently, only represented the local branch of the Society. In itself, that was something Severin was more than willing to accept; he wasn¡¯t so full of himself that he expected, or even wanted, some office on the other side of the continent to advertise his shop. But on the other hand, this might allow for schemes such as closing the local branch and reopening it under a different name, or reassigning individual employees as to not be limited by the contract.


    Not for the first time on this day Severin genuinely thanked the System for the whole ¡®spirit of the contract¡¯ clause, and, with a mental press of a button, he also pledged to uphold all terms specified in the contract.


    The window flashed once again and then fizzled into nothingness.


    At the same time, on his minimap, a certain plot of land suddenly assumed an orange hue.


    ¡°To a good cooperation.¡± It seemed Magda also was somehow notified of the successful establishment of the contract and extended her right hand towards him as she took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    ¡°To a good coop¡­ wait what?¡± He was replying in kind and took her hand, but before actually shaking it, his tired mind finally processed her last words.


    Much to Mag¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of this outpost,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Did I not mention that?¡±


    She was well aware she hadn¡¯t. ¡°I volunteered, you know? In fact, I have left behind a very stable and well-paying position for this.¡± She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.


    ¡°And to think that you would make the Society pay to establish an outpost, haha¡­ That¡¯s a first. Normally it¡¯s the other way round. Luckily, I was given a lot of leeway to conduct these negotiations. And I¡¯m confident I made the right choice.


    Now, if you excuse me. I really need my beauty sleep after such a long day.¡± She winked at him and turned around.


    Severin stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to think as he looked after the woman who was headed towards the docked flying ship.


    ¡°Right. Guess I should get some sleep myself.¡±

 Chapter 113

    Severin, not any less tired and exhausted than his new neighbor, stumbled into his modest room and onto his bed, hoping he wouldn¡¯t come to regret today''s decisions.


    Not a minute later he had already slipped into a dreamless slumber that, even though it didn¡¯t feel like it, lasted for close to ten hours.


    This meant, despite going to bed way earlier than normal, he woke up only shortly before his usual time.


    He immediately sat up, more out of habit than anything else, and was about to get ready for another day of waiting for something to happen, when he stopped in mid-motion.


    ¡®Maybe I could just stay in bed for a little longer. Just this once. Not like there are any paying customers waiting for me, anyway.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take much for him to convince himself.


    He turned his pillow until he found a cool spot, lay down again, and wrapped himself up snuggly in his blanked. He closed his eyes and was content.


    For a moment.


    Suddenly, he opened his eyes again.


    ¡°Shit. I forgot all about that.¡± That was his delayed reaction to the orange spot in the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°Well. It matters not.¡± He closed his eyes once again and demonstratively he rolled over.


    ¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s going on there?!¡±


    Despite him trying to, Severin couldn¡¯t lie idle any longer. His curiosity took the better of him.


    Why was there a single dot located at the far end of the orange-colored area?


    And why didn¡¯t it move?


    By now Severin was wide awake and decided he had no other choice but to head out and check out the situation in person.


    ¡°What the¡­? Already?¡± The fact that the minimap also revealed a person¡¯s name should¡¯ve already prepared him, but he was somewhat surprised, nonetheless.


    A good hundred or so meters away from him, the sight of a fully constructed building, that he knew to be ten times fifteen meters in size, greeted him.


    Despite lacking any other discernable decorations, he could make out from this distance, just the three huge windows with green-colored glasses on the wide side of the building, and the enormous double door on the narrow side, were more than enough to impress Severin.


    ¡°Is that another door within the door?¡± Severin thought he could make out another, more human-sized, door embedded into its right wing. He considered approaching the building to take an even closer look, but then decided to postpone that until later, when the dot would start moving. Maybe then the woman would give him some sort of tour and explain to him why they needed such a large building in the first place. It would be one thing if they maybe offered temporary accommodations or food, and while some branches apparently offered exactly these services, Severin had fought hard to ensure this wouldn¡¯t be the case at this branch; at least not during his first year of development.


    After taking his time to admire the building and to let his imagination run free, Severin¡¯s eyes finally fell onto the location where not even a whole day ago a green flying artifact had docked. Now the spot was empty again.


    ¡°So they really did completely finish their work, huh? Even on the inside. Impressive.¡±


    This reminded him of something else; so far it had always been the other way round, and he was the one to surprise others with the sudden appearance of new or upgraded buildings.


    But even then, Magda wasn¡¯t the only one to have placed a construction order. No sooner had he spoken the words did Severin swirl around and craned his neck upwards.


    After a moment of initial hesitation and incomprehension, he backed further away and took another look to make sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything.


    Then he opened the System menu and checked again.


    The two newly purchased rooms were there, alright. But.


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    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Severin complained to no one specific.


    The two small rooms on the same level as the main store¡¯s pitched roof, made for a curious, almost silly, view that certainly wouldn¡¯t inspire any potentially new customer¡¯s confidence into him or his wares. But that in itself wasn¡¯t exactly the main problem.


    ¡°What is this?! How the fuck is anyone gonna get up there?!¡± In his urge to showoff, he had never considered how to access the new buildings when he had purchased them. Now two or three meters or so above the door to his own room, there was another one; one that ended in midair and with no way to reach it other than using one of the flying ships. Or maybe someone more athletic than Severin could actually climb there.


    Either way, this was like he had envisioned things to turn out. And right next door, above Emily¡¯s door, the same sight could also be seen.


    ¡°Maybe I should just get back into bed, after all,¡± Severin said to himself with a resigned voice; of course, he knew better. He couldn¡¯t just leave it as is. Especially not with the appearance of the new impressive building in his front yard. The contrast in quality was simply too stark; the humiliation, if someone were to see this too big.


    ¡°Fuck! And knowing the System, I have to act fast. If it¡¯s not already too late, then it will be once anyone approaches the store, I fear. In that case, any changes might just get delayed until night again.¡±


    His initial thought was to simply move the two rooms to the ground level, but that wouldn¡¯t do. For the same reasons he had positioned them up there in the first place.


    The second idea, the maybe even more obvious one, was to place a staircase in front of each of the buildings and simply be done with it. But that option wasn¡¯t to his satisfaction, either.


    ¡®Too tacky¡¯, was his main reasoning.


    Instead, he quickly came to the conclusion that he would have to fork out a couple of thousand gold coins to combine the rooms into something more akin to a multistorey apartment building.


    Acting upon this impulse, he added a new, small, empty room to each of the thus created ¡®apartments¡¯ while taking care not to change the already established rooms themselves; he didn¡¯t want to possibly wake up Emily. That was if the System would even allow him to perform those changes with another person than himself currently being inside it.


    Though it should at the very least work as long as the other person was an [Employee] of his, he figured now was not the time to determine the System¡¯s underlying mechanisms.


    Feeling strapped for time, instead, Severin signed off the purchase the moment the System¡¯s editor confirmed the feasibility of his rushed design.


    Luckily, his quick action was rewarded. Or at least not immediately punished.


    From one moment to the other, the previously separated rooms that were arranged almost like playing blocks suddenly grew in size and merged into one coherent looking new building.


    [43750/50000 gold spend.]


    Though annoyed that something so trivial had cost him unnecessary time, money, and nerves, overall, he was pretty pleased with himself and his ¡®quick wit¡¯.


    ¡°Great! With this, I can easily add other floors on top of this and don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. Good job me, I guess.¡±


    Almost as if he had already forgotten that it was his desire to show-off that had navigated him into this situation, Severin debated whether he should just stay outside for a while longer so that he could witness Magda¡¯s or Emily¡¯s or whoever-else¡¯s reaction when they would see his creation, firsthand.


    ¡°Or might as well start preparing breakfast.¡±


    In the end, he made the more sensible decision and headed for his kitchen. If he made haste, he might still be able to get a few loaves of bread into the oven before Emily would get up.


    Though on this day, even a few loaves might still be too many.


    With the majority of his usual customers absent, so were their orders. In the morning, he would produce a maximum of a dozen or so and that was only for when Samuel and his mentees planned to head out for the entire day; as had been the case the day before. That meant no orders from these three either. With so little for him to do these days, if they suddenly came knocking, he would probably still give in to their request and heat up the oven again, but for the moment, there was no need for him to go out of his way.


    ¡®Lemme check, but I don¡¯t think Krey had placed any¡­ Oh. Right. I guess there was just a single dot in there.¡¯ That probably meant the man had left together with the missing flying artifact.


    This only left one other person he might consider.


    ¡®Might as well try to be friendly with her. Keeping one¡¯s enemies close, and all that.¡¯


    Three loaves-one of every variety- disappeared into the oven.


    As for Mylana, though he had no clue about her comings and goings and where she spent her nights, especially not since the time Samuel¡¯s oversized ship had been unsummoned, he knew she didn¡¯t care too much for his bread, anyway.

 Chapter 114

    As Severin had already wasted a good amount of time, it wasn¡¯t long until his [Employee] also woke up.


    A few seconds later, a previously still drowsy Emily became wide awake and immediately contacted him via the System-provided telepathy skill. She found that her room suddenly connected to another empty room that most certainly hadn¡¯t been there before she went to bed the day before.


    Severin was very pleased both with her initial confusion as well with her stammered words of gratitude when she learned that this was indeed an upgrade to her accommodations that she could deal with however she pleased.


    With nothing scheduled for the day, Severin didn¡¯t mind her taking her time either, but since the room was empty anyway, she ended up spending more time inside the equally new staircase and the apartments.


    Only when she found that the rooms upstairs looked pretty much like her own did she finally agree to leave the building.


    <<Ah! It¡¯s one of these places?! It¡¯s already finished?!>> One surprise followed the other.


    Even if she didn¡¯t know the exact details, Emily was of course aware of Severin¡¯s the dealings with Magda and the Society. But much like Severin, she didn¡¯t expect them to erect a completely new building so soon.


    <<Oh, you¡¯ve seen a building like this before?>>


    <<Of course! It had those same large green windows! Though I feel it¡¯s quite a bit smaller than the one I know.>>


    ¡®Just don¡¯t let Magda hear that,¡¯ were the thoughts that immediately came to his mind when hearing the last part. Though the negotiations had already concluded, just thinking about the woman¡¯s reaction when hearing that even Emily was confirming her claims about ¡®certain standards¡¯ caused him to feel apprehensive.


    He tried to ignore her comment and inquired, <<Ever been inside?>>


    <<Of course not!>> The tone in her voice suggested that this had to be one of the stupidest questions Severin could have asked. <<It¡¯s where adventurers meet!>>


    <<Really?>>he acted surprised and then continued to tease her. <<I guess that means you can¡¯t accompany me later on to take a look then.>>


    <<Wha~? Can ... I mean¡­>>


    <<after all, you aren¡¯t an adventurer, no?>>


    << But neither are¡­ >> Finally, it dawned on her that her boss was just messing with her. << Don¡¯t be mean! I want to go!>>


    <<Okay, okay!>> He conceded laughingly and then quickly added, <<we can visit once Magda got up. First, come and get something to eat. >> He could already see the dot representing Emily slowly creep towards the orange zone and felt like he had to intervene. Luckily, just mentioning food was enough to rein the girl in.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand her feelings, either. His own curiosity stemmed from his fictitious, preconceived ideas of what an adventurer¡¯s guild should look like. Em¡¯s relation to the place, on the other hand, was way more real and complicated.


    He figured the girl must¡¯ve spent days, maybe weeks or months, begging in front of a very similar place, without ever having been inside; he couldn¡¯t blame her for her eagerness to finally see one from the inside.


    ¡­


    ¡°I see you really meant it when you said you would add another floor ¡®very soon¡¯. If I had known about that, I would¡¯ve delayed the men¡¯s departure by another day or two.¡± The woman shrugged her shoulders and immediately turned her attention back to the breakfast Severin had provided for her. He couldn¡¯t help but doubt her words, but didn¡¯t intend to call her out on that.


    ¡®She didn¡¯t act too surprised at seeing another building besides hers to pop up overnight. Well, I guess Krey really gave her a thorough report. Which reminds me¡­¡¯


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.¡°What about Krey? Did he leave as well?¡± It was more a statement than a question. Of course, he already knew the man wasn¡¯t hiding inside the new eyesore of a building while the rest of them were eating outside; even without his ability, that was the only realistic conclusion to make. Magda didn¡¯t see any reason to hide the matter, either. ¡°Yes. Now that I¡¯m here, there was no reason for him to stay any longer. You can still expect to see more of him, though. My understanding is that he and his subordinates, apart from all their other responsibilities, will act as somewhat of an intermediary between the branches in the area. Not least to make sure everyone complies with the terms you worked so hard to negotiate.¡±


    Hearing that remark, Severin had to pull himself together to not roll his eyes at the woman with the ever-present, annoying smile.


    Sitting next to them two was Emily. Since she had already devoured all her food, there wasn¡¯t anything that could keep her occupied any longer. She was getting more and more impatient until finally she burst out, ¡°Magda? Sev told me you would show us your place!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude. And at least wait until everyone has finished,¡± Severin reprimanded.


    Magda, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to mind and instead teased Severin even more- ¡±Sev is it, huh? I like it. As for you, young lady, I¡¯d be happy to show you around. Though I have to warn you. It might be rather disappointing. There isn¡¯t really much for you to see.¡±


    ¡­


    Severin had to agree Magda¡¯s warning had been more than prudent.


    At the far end of the room was a large counter that appeared to be separated into three segments. This setup had more resemblance to a row of bank counters than to the counter located in his own store.


    Next to the counter was a large board which momentarily excited Severin; of course he knew what that was and seeing it in real-life was almost a dream come true. If only¡­


    ¡°We have yet to establish a connection with the HQ. Until then, there isn¡¯t much I can do. Unless you want to issue a local task yourself, that is.¡± Not for a moment did Magda think that this would be Severin¡¯s first time in this kind of establishment as well. In her mind Severin was well accustomed to matters relating to the huge board in front of them; no one proficient in their craft reached their level without fulfilling their fair share of advertised tasks - fighter or crafter made no difference. Therefore, the only explanation for his complicated look had to be had the lack of posted tasks and requests.


    Severin nodded, indicating he understood, but was secretly rather disappointed. Especially since apart from the board and counter, a few seating accommodations on one side were pretty much all there was.


    It was basically just one largely empty room, which was begging to be filled with a bustling crowd of adventurers.


    Even calling it underwhelming was still very much an understatement.


    At least in Severin¡¯s mind.


    As for Emily, the girl seemed to disagree with him.


    ¡°From inside, it¡¯s even more pretty!¡± She was especially taken in by the large windows and was swirling around in the green light coming in.


    ¡®That¡¯s pretty much all there is anyway,¡¯ he had the urge to complain but held back as not to ruin the girl¡¯s mood. ¡®All this space wasted for¡­ this? I mean, since the other guys have already left¡­ this should be pretty much it¡­?¡¯


    Severin didn¡¯t know what exactly he had expected, but this certainly wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡®Might as well have just a small room with a single counter to sell information or whatever and leave it at that. Don¡¯t need such a big ass hall just for a quest board and to find some potential group members.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t consider that the current situation might be somewhat special, and that in any other city or outpost, a dedicated location for these kinds of activities where pretty much a must if one did not want to disturb the surrounding establishments.


    Apart from that, for an organization such as the Society, the size of their facilities was simply a matter of prestige - a factor that shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    But even then, there was still another point Severin had missed¡­


    ¡°Ready to go downstairs?¡±

 Chapter 115

    ¡°There is more?!¡± Emily exclaimed excitedly before hastily saying, ¡°yes. Yes, of course!¡±


    ¡®So, there is at least something here to see?!¡¯ Whereas the girl was already very satisfied with the little she had seen so far, her boss was of the opinion that they had not seen anything really worthwhile at all. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but share her excitement. Since Magda brought it up herself, it at least shouldn¡¯t be a total waste of time. ¡®At the very least, it should be something more than just another empty room,¡¯ was his conclusion.


    ¡°Then follow me.¡± With that, Magda walked ahead and towards a door that so far had been hidden from their sight by the empty quest board standing a few meters in front of it. Now, however, Severin couldn¡¯t help but wonder how he had missed it in the first place. Sure, the quest board was huge, but so was the door. It was pretty much identical to the double doors at the front.


    Magda led the [Shopkeeper] and the [Employee] through the smaller door embedded into one of the larger one¡¯s wings. The room behind it was just big enough to fit yet another of the doors that seemed too large even for someone like Samuel, on the one side, and a second, this time more regular sized door, on the other.


    With just a few steps, Magda had reached the former and opened it.


    Based on Severin¡¯s previous observations of the map, he concluded the smaller one had to lead towards the woman¡¯s personal accommodations. He restrained himself and didn¡¯t ask. He simply followed her.


    ¡°Careful. Watch your steps.¡± The warning was directed towards Emily as the girl seemed all too eager to run down the couple of meter wide flight of stairs with no regard for anything else.


    ¡°Ooh? What¡¯s all this?¡± Excited sounds and exclamations reached Severin¡¯s ears even before he could even start to descend the stairs himself. But once he arrived downstairs, he could only share the girl¡¯s excitement. Now he was particularly grateful for her presence. She could-and most certainly would-ask all those questions Severin was most interested in, but didn¡¯t dare to ask out of fear of arousing suspicions.


    The amused look on Magda¡¯s face which seemed to say, ¡°just a child would be fascinated by this ¡°, only confirmed him of his opinion. The supposedly ¡®knowing¡¯ glances she shot Severin didn¡¯t help either.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± The girl asked again, now that the other people had caught up to her.


    ¡°You know about ranks, right? Adventurer ranks,¡± the smiling woman specified.


    Em nodded. ¡°Everyone knows!¡±


    ¡°Then you should also know it is us who assign those ranks. In fact, every branch must be able to evaluate an adventurer¡¯s rank at least up to gold.¡±


    In understanding, the girl¡¯s eyes became even larger than they already were.


    ¡°Then this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. See that orb over there?¡± Magda asked while pointing towards a small table with a milky, head-sized round object lying on top. ¡°That¡¯s what we like to call The Ball of Truth. Using it is both the easiest and fasted method to determine someone¡¯s rank. It¡¯s also by far less the commonly used method.¡± The woman paused for effect, but the curious girl immediately urged her to continue the explanation.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°It is able to reveal the class and the base stats of anyone who touches it. Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Hesitant but not any less excited, Emily shook her head.


    ¡°I know what stats are, but¡­¡°


    ¡°It means we can see what that person¡¯s stats would look like if they didn¡¯t wear any equipment. It also accounts for any buffs they haven¡¯t learned themselves. Then, dependent on their class, we can judge whether or not the person is eligible for rank-up. As long as the person¡¯s class isn¡¯t all too rare and we have all the necessary data, the whole process doesn¡¯t even take a whole minute.¡±


    Severin was just as intrigued by these words as him [Employee], but he immediately found several flaws with this method. Then again, the table only occupied a very small part of the room and the other items, devices, and contraptions clearly suggested that there were other ways to address those issues. Severin debated to telepathically instruct the girl to ask certain questions in his stead, when she continued on her own.


    ¡°But this is not the only method.¡± She naturally hadn¡¯t missed her surroundings either; neither had she forgotten Magda¡¯s earlier words.


    ¡°It is not. Most adventurers aren¡¯t comfortable having their stats exposed like this. Especially not their base stats. Not even by us. Paranoid bunch, if you ask me.¡± The woman shot Severin a meaningful look, who rolled his eyes in response.


    ¡°More important, however, is the fact that two people having the same stats doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they are equally strong or otherwise useful in actual battle. That¡¯s rarely the case.


    There are a bunch of different factors to consider, such as having additional abilities. But in the end, it all comes down to skill. So, of course, we have to consider this as well. As a result, the average amount of stats we require of those being evaluated by The Ball is much higher than should normally be necessary to perform well; just to ensure that even the most talentless person is able to carry their weight. The amount of completed quests we require of them is also double the normal amount.¡±


    ¡°Then the other method is to evaluate someone¡¯s skill directly,¡± the girl easily deduced.


    Direct confirmation wasn¡¯t needed. Instead, Magda indicated Emily to follow her; of course, Severin followed as well. But just after a few steps, she suddenly halted and pointed at a carving on the ground. On a first glance, it was easy to miss as it only had a width of one centimeter or so and appeared to be rather shallow, but following it, one would find that the carving effectively separated the room widthwise into two separate areas.


    ¡°This line here is easily the most valuable part of this whole building. Nobles, guilds, and wealthy merchants all pay small fortunes for us to engrave even just a narrow doorstep with one of these.


    Just as we don¡¯t want equipment or buffs provided by consumables or other people to distort the results of our evaluation when processing someone¡¯s stats, we can¡¯t allow it for the practical examination either; wouldn¡¯t be fair.


    Anyway. Most adventurers need a couple of minutes to get used to the feeling. Especially those that sleep in their gear. Say it makes them feel naked.¡± She shrugged as she stepped over the carving and headed deeper inside the room.


    The other two shared a short look and followed suit.


    Crossing the line, Severin didn¡¯t feel any change at all. That much was expected. But for some reason, he suddenly slowed down his steps in an attempt to put some distance between himself and Magda. The next moment when he felt unobserved, he quickly gulped down the contents of a small, hexagonal shaped bottle.

 Chapter 116

    Severin managed to stifle his laugh just in time as to not draw any unwanted attention to himself but thinking about how he could profit from his finding, an all too pleased smile had appeared on his face, nonetheless. The smile turned especially unsightly once he thought about the agreement according to which the Society would need to do some advertising on his behalf. Only when he became aware of the passed time and finally noticed that the two women had already made their way to the other end of the room did he wipe the grin off his face. Carefully he navigated his way around what looked to him like a big sumo ring in the middle of the room; he didn¡¯t know whether its boundaries were also some kind of enchantment-if Magda had said something to that extend; he had missed it-and he wasn¡¯t too keen on finding out either.


    When he finally caught up, Magda was apparently in the midst of answering one of Emily¡¯s questions. Seeing him approach the former didn¡¯t stop, but raised her eyebrows at him.


    Severin pretended to have missed the non-verbal, inquiring gesture and simply listened in.


    ¡°¡­ about showcasing their individual strength.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t their gear also part of their strength?¡± Emily asked.


    Just these few exchanged words were enough to give Severin a pretty good idea what the girl¡¯s question had been. Though he could guess some of the reasons, he was still somewhat interested in Magda¡¯s answer as well.


    ¡°Well, you are not wrong,¡± Magda admitted. ¡°But what we are interested in is a person¡¯s capabilities, not their gear. And especially not the gear they potentially borrowed or rented from somebody else.¡±


    ¡°But would that really be such a bad thing?¡± the girl was obviously not yet fully convinced and kept insisting, and the woman tried her best to answer patiently.


    ¡°It is so that we can actually guarantee a certain degree of skill and combat strength for each holder of a specific kind of badge. Those things are basically just certificates. But if there is no way to guarantee the correctness of these certificates, they would obviously be useless. Simply put, we need to be sure the bearer of a badge lives up to a certain standard, even at their worst.


    Otherwise you might end up with an underpowered tank. Best case, that person dies. Worst case, the whole group dies.¡±


    Magda, by now, was clearly agitated and continued on without giving the other two people a chance to interject. ¡°I give you that the system in place might not be perfect. People who actually have access to powerful pieces of equipment or some kind of buffs might take longer than otherwise necessary to earn their badge.


    Adventurers still can experience a loss in strength, with only a minority of them being honest enough to report such a regression.


    And even if it wasn¡¯t for those and similar issues, the badge rankings are far from perfect, yes. They can¡¯t account for each and every aspect of combat, especially if it is concerning one of the rarer classes. Or the fact that if you follow our recommendations, you will generally tend to be over-leveled. But we prefer to err on the side of caution; it¡¯s the best we can do.¡±


    Seeing the girl¡¯s wide-open eyes staring at her, Magda realized she might¡¯ve raised her voice a bit too much near the end. She took a deep breath to calm herself and was happy to find that Emily was not too intimidated to continue asking her questions. In fact, she almost appeared stubborn.


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just show their stats and gear to each other and be done with it?¡± The girl didn¡¯t understand why those people had to make such a big deal out of this. Or maybe it was her past experiences and the resulting biases speaking.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Much of it comes down to safety-concerns and mistrust. Especially when it¡¯s the first time with a new group of people. On the one hand, they have to trust sometimes complete strangers to survive combat. On the other hand, they don¡¯t want to expose their own weak spot.


    We try to bridge that gap.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°I know those guys can be¡­ unreasonable at times, but it¡¯s not an easy life either. Even a tainted silver who might appear to be living a cushy life only got to this point by risking their life over and over again, in the first place. And at least up to that point, it¡¯s not like they are swimming in the riches non-adventurers think they are. The majority of their earnings are spent on gear maintenance, enchants, flasks and potions, or skill scrolls. You name it. Sometimes even just for some information.


    And for those that aim to push ever higher and further, this cycle never really ends.


    It¡¯s hard and stressful enough already, even without having to worry about their teammates dragging them down; whether intentionally or not. Not everyone has the luxury of having a guild they can trust, you know.


    But as you said. Some groups handle it exactly like that. To let someone new join, they would require them to reveal both their stats and their gear. It¡¯s not like we try to prohibit this kind of behavior either. Just like we won¡¯t stop anyone from entering a dungeon. As long as they don¡¯t try to deceive or harm others in the process, we don¡¯t really care whether they head for their certain death.¡±


    What followed was a moment of awkward silence. Emily, who felt she had been called out, didn¡¯t quite know how to respond.


    After a few moments, Severin felt he should take it up to himself to break the silence.


    ¡°What about forgeries?¡±


    Magda either didn¡¯t think it was odd for a crafter not to know these things, or she assumed that the question was only asked for Emily¡¯s benefit, but she didn¡¯t hesitate and dispelled the awkward atmosphere as suddenly an item appeared dangling from her right hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to forge in the first place. Have you ever seen one of these?¡± she asked the girl who had reappeared from behind her boss¡¯ back to take a closer look.


    ¡°A golden one?!¡± Severin wasn¡¯t any less surprised.


    ¡°Haha. How could I otherwise be qualified to evaluate other people¡¯s strength?¡± Magda asked while pointing at the ring in the middle of the room. ¡°But the important part isn¡¯t the color or the material. See those delicate patterns? Those are not something you can just easily imitate.¡±


    Already having forgotten her uneasiness just moments ago, Em nodded in response while looking at the golden badge, mesmerized, as if it was a treasure.


    Severin, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t nearly as impressed; neither with the explanation nor with the ¡®delicate¡¯ work. But he decided to keep silent and wondered whether he should ask Samuel to show off his badge.


    ¡°Even if it was more feasible, I doubt many would take the risk. Most of the time, it¡¯s simply not worth the hassle. And as I said earlier, putting others at risk is something we take seriously.


    That being said, when it comes to those matters, actually being caught by the Society is oftentimes the easier way out. At least then their deaths will be quick.¡±


    This time it was Severin¡¯s turn to raise his eyebrows as an invitation for her to continue. She shrugged and complied; her smile ever present.


    ¡°If they manage to expose someone pretending to be higher-leveled or ranked than they actually are, one of the more popular punishments is to force the offender to enter a dungeon or raid of said rank, all by themselves. Then usually they¡¯ll camp at the entrance for a few days or weeks before looking for the corpse. Well. That or they directly follow behind and force the perpetrator to press onward.¡±

 Chapter 117

    Severin¡¯s initial thought hearing Magda¡¯s accounts of what could at best be described as vigilante justice was one word: barbaric.


    Even more so since something in his gut told him that this was one of the less cruel methods used to deal with offenders like these.


    He had to remind himself that he quite literally came from a different world. His own morals and values that were developed and shaped living a mostly carefree life in a so-called civilized country during peaceful times simply did not apply. Hesitating and showing unwarranted forgiveness or compassion might spell death for these people. No matter how much their talk of dungeons, spells, and stats reminded him of the games from his past, this was different from sitting behind the safety of one¡¯s screen.


    Considering the alternatives, for a moment Severin was almost glad that he was stuck on a floating piece of rock.


    Em, on the other hand, seemed more accepting of this reality. Probably because she had personally experienced it, if on a smaller scale. So while it made sense for her, a child of this world, to react this way, her boss was still taken aback when he heard the girl¡¯s small voice say, ¡°Serves them right.¡±


    Understanding the rationale behind the words didn¡¯t mean Severin was comfortable with them; especially not when spoken by a little girl.


    He turned his head away from Emily and looked at Magda. Her smile somehow seemed even brighter than usual, and he was sure he could make out a nearly imperceptible nod of approval.


    Seeing this Severin suddenly, if maybe a bit late, realized that the woman almost certainly was an ex-adventurer herself. Not only judging by the golden badge she was still holding in her hand, but also based on Samuel¡¯s and Krey¡¯s past explanations about the Society¡¯s general workings and their internal structure.


    So, not only was it quite possible that the woman would harbour a greater sympathy for adventurers and their struggles than the average non-adventurer would have, but it was also increased the odds that she herself had seen similar things.


    Magda might have claimed those things didn¡¯t happen all too often, but what exactly did this mean? Was it the one-in-a-million kind of ¡®not often¡¯, or the one-in-a-hundred kind?


    Severin more and more tended to assume the latter.


    The other thing that made Severin assume that the woman wasn¡¯t quite as innocent as she appeared on a first glance, was the color of her badge.


    Disregarding Samuel, who, in Severin¡¯s mind, was probably in a league of his own, the people he had the most contact with were Andreas and his group. And though these people had spent a large amount of their time on his mountain, he knew how busy these people usually were and the risks they had to take on a regular basis. And to the best of his knowledge, those were only silvers. Meaning whatever they had experienced-including the death of one of their officers, even if he was revived-Magda had probably seen many times over.


    Thinking about these things and the matter-of-factness with which they were stated, Severin decided he didn¡¯t want to dwell on it any longer. Neither was he in the mood to stay in this cellar any longer either, but since he couldn¡¯t just turn around and leave without being rude, he decided to instead move things forward a bit.


    Ahem


    ¡°So what¡¯s with all this other stuff?¡± he vaguely gestured towards the devices around them.


    Hearing the unrelated question, a blank expression momentarily appeared on the woman¡¯s face, before she quickly caught herself.


    ¡°Well. This one here should be obvious. Though I have to admit it¡¯s not on par with the specimens outside, this is actually one of the best models out there. Luckily, it only has to withstand the attacks of a single person at a time, so it doesn¡¯t need to be as durable, anyway. The dispel effect in here also helps.¡± She turned away from the thing that looked much like a mannequin and faced the girl. ¡°With this thing, we let the test person go all out to display their raw destructive power without the need to hold back or to worry about someone retaliating. Sadly, it doesn¡¯t come with those fancy displays like yours,¡± she said to Severin, ¡°but someone experienced can still easily judge the damage done quite accurately. Maybe we could get one of your models in the future,¡± she added only half-jokingly.


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    Not really expecting an answer, she continued. ¡°In case you wonder. Yes, even the damage of tanks and support-oriented classes has to be evaluated like this. Only the most specialized healers get a pass. In a prolonged fight, every bit of damage counts and can mean the difference between a successful raid and the death of half your group.¡±


    Something in the way she said the last part only confirmed Severin¡¯s opinion that the woman had seen some shit.


    He also noticed that the dummy¡¯s pristine condition, which together with her comment about its durability, suggested to him that it was a new model, especially made to equip this newly established branch.


    This suspicion was pretty much confirmed when in the following minutes several other tools in similar condition were also introduced. Though only after talking briefly about the most obvious object. The ring, in the middle of the room.


    Apparently it really was enchanted, though not in a way that required Severin to carefully sneak around it, like he did earlier. One reason being that it only was defensive protection magic ensuring nothing outside would accidentally get damaged. The other was that the enchant would only be activated once it was needed, and only manually at that; mostly because of its high energy consumption.


    Other than that, Severin wasn¡¯t too interested in the ring. He thought its use was quite obvious to begin with, and Magda revealed nothing exciting that changed this opinion.


    He was more interested in the magic devices.


    Such as the orb that, to his untrained eyes, seemed to be made out of the same material as the Ball near the entrance.


    This orb, Magda revealed, was able to roughly judge the type and potency of applied negative status effects.


    For demonstration purposes, she put her right hand on the orb.


    Not a second later, it came to life with a blueish flicker of light. Apparently, this indicated a medium slow effect of medium strength. Magda herself, however, had to admit that the lack of specification as to what kind of slow it was exactly was a big flaw.


    ¡°That being said, if used correctly, a movement-speed slow can be just as deadly as a mind or a thought slow. The more annoying thing is that it doesn¡¯t work with all skills. I won¡¯t reveal too much if I tell you that I was lucky enough to have read a Stun Bolt skill-scroll. Due to the skills requirements, however, it has no effect when aimed at this thing. Might as well throw a rock at it,¡± she shook her head in regret. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine the headaches and hours of complaining we have to endure whenever such a case pops up and the examinee ends up failing.¡±


    Hearing this, Severin couldn¡¯t help but ask why the examiners didn¡¯t simply test it on themselves. After all, they already went so far as to spar with the other person, with neither crowd control nor other debuffs being banned.


    The answer he received was that this was exactly how things were handled up until a decade or so ago, when one examinee used the opportunity of a knocked out examiner to attack and kill him.


    To Severin, this answer was more than unsatisfactory.


    In his mind, if someone wanted to ambush the examiner, an adventurer could still do so anyway. It was all the more ridiculous to him when he realized that the person to be tested, on the other hand, was basically always exposed in some way or the other and, therefore, pretty much at the other party¡¯s mercy.


    It took him a good amount of self-control to keep his opinion regarding the matter to himself. Instead, he simply nodded in feigned understanding.


    Not long after, Severin¡¯s self-control was tested once again. This time to an even larger degree. He and Emily were led towards a huge metal box that almost reached the ceiling. Learning that this box somehow tested the basic resistances of the person inside, it reminded him of a famous, but mostly fictions torture device from his home planet.


    But before he got a chance to comment on the device, Emily had already noticed something else. She only realized she was shouting excitedly, mid-sentence.


    ¡°Ah! Custo¡­¡±

 Chapter 118

    Emily caught herself, but it was already too late. The fact that she knew something she shouldn¡¯t, was revealed. Even if Magda had somehow missed Em¡¯s exclamation or wasn¡¯t able to complete the sentence, the girl¡¯s wide eyed, guilty expression made it very obvious that something suspicious was going on. The childish way Severin¡¯s [Employee] clasped her hands over her mouth didn¡¯t do anything to alleviate those suspicions, either.


    Severin standing next to her wasn¡¯t nearly as angry as one might have expected him to be-especially given his usual temper. He really wanted to leave the cellar of the Society¡¯s newest branch, and for that, the arrival of new customers was the perfect excuse. Though he was annoyed by the girl¡¯s thoughtlessness-after all, this wasn¡¯t the first time this was happening-making him aware of the moving dots he himself had missed was enough to earn Emily some of his goodwill. And the fact that he didn¡¯t recognize any of the revealed names that followed those dots made him care even less about the girl¡¯s blunder.


    Emily¡¯s expression, however, suddenly looked anxious and pale, almost panicky. She obviously didn¡¯t share her boss¡¯ excitement.


    When Markus had first set foot on the mountaintop, she hadn¡¯t been able to curb her enthusiasm, either. She had noticed the other¡¯s class and directly blurted it out. Back then, even though she was stopped mid-sentence, very similar to the situation she was in right now, there had still been consequences.


    In fact, since not even an entire month had passed since then, she still wasn¡¯t currently receiving any pay for her work, forcing her to live more frugal than she¡¯d like, with pizza being a painfully rare treat. That being said, another month with no pay, while unpleasant, was still acceptable. The reason she was feeling so apprehensive right now was something else. Back then, the System had clearly stated that any subsequent punishments would only grow in severity. So now she was preparing herself for the worst.


    Despite Severin¡¯s great interest in the people that were now apparently headed for his main store, he was still sensitive enough to realize what the girl must¡¯ve been thinking about right now.


    And he reached the same conclusion as her; if the previous incident was worthy of punishment, then surely so was this one.


    He felt bad for her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t think of anything to say that could ease her worries.


    Until after a few seconds, he had a realization.


    <<Don¡¯t worry. Nothing¡¯s going to happen>> he told her with surprising confidence.


    <<¡­ sure?>> Even through this medium, he could barely make out her words under her breaking voice.


    <<Yes, I¡¯m sure.>> Only after this, after repeated insurance, did the girl start to visibly calm down and relax; she didn¡¯t even have a mind to further question Severin about how he reached that conclusion. Perhaps she was afraid of his answer, so she simply accepted his words and din¡¯t dare questioning them.


    His reasoning was really quite simple though: the System was never that not long in coming. If it planned on dishing out any kind of punishment, it would¡¯ve done so by now. At the very least, there should¡¯ve been some kind of notification. But there was nothing and in Severin¡¯s mind this was enough for him to give the all-clear. Thinking about it more and more, he became even more confident. Though on a first glance it seemed that there was no difference between the two situations, there actually was.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.And that difference was himself.


    This time, he wasn¡¯t nearly as bothered by Emily¡¯s behavior and even felt bad for her. If he was annoyed by anything, then it was mostly by her repeated lack of self-control.


    As the host, he concluded, just that difference should already be enough of a deciding factor.


    After all, the rules as to what his [Employees] were allowed to reveal and what had to remain a secret, were all according to his instructions. So while he shouldn¡¯t be able to retrospectively punish an [Employee] for something that at the time was deemed acceptable, there was nothing that spoke against Severin relaxing those rules if he felt like it. At least that was the most reasonable explanation he could come up with during this short period of time.


    For a moment Severin debated saying, ¡°don''t let this become a habit¡±, but thought better of it. The timing just wasn¡¯t right. Still, he decided that at a later point, a talk was in order. Besides, right now, he had other priorities.


    Even though this whole incident took place in less than half a minute¡¯s time, to an outsider, the whole thing looked more than bizarre:


    Out of nowhere, a girl suddenly started shouting excitedly, only to turn deathly pale at the very next moment. She then, apparently in search of help, turned towards her boss and the two shared a look. Soon after that, the girl visibly relaxed again. And during all this, disregarding the initial shout, not even a single word was spoken.


    The fact that Magda only stared at them as if they were insane was already more than considerate of her.


    But that also didn¡¯t mean that Severin could just ignore the woman; no matter how much he wanted to leave and check up on the people outside-people he was sure he had never met before. He didn¡¯t intend to reveal his secrets to her, but he still needed to say something to her before leaving.


    Ahem


    Severin cleared his throat in an awkward attempt to buy himself additional time to come up with an excuse he could use to bullshit his way out of this situation.


    ¡°Please excuse us. It appears new customers have arrived,¡± he admitted with a straight face, and, in an attempt to preface any further questions, he added, ¡°Because of the magic fluctuations, I can tell when someone crosses my barrier.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know whether this was even possible, but at least it wouldn¡¯t require any further explanations, as Magda should already be aware of said barrier; if not because she had learned about the incident involving Simon, then because of the accident on the previous day.


    With that, he quickly took Emily¡¯s hand and dragged her towards the stairs.


    Only halfway across the room did he realize that the reason the woman simply stared at him with a blank expression was probably due to the fact that it was the girl who had first announced the arrival of new guests in the first place, not him.


    His made-up story didn¡¯t explain anything. If anything, it made it worse.


    He cursed under his breath, and, driven by the sudden shouts behind him, he started to run.

 Chapter 119

    Despite Severin¡¯s head start, Magda reached the outside at basically the same time as him. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure that she could¡¯ve easily stopped him at any point along his escape. In the past, she must¡¯ve been an accomplished adventurer, after all, and even if that life lay behind her, her class and her levels stayed with her even now. He never really stood a chance.


    The conditions they were in emphasized this even more. While Severin was heaving and had to support himself, the woman stood there relaxed, not even breathing hard. Then again, even Emily, who had been dragged along the first half of the way, was in better shape than her boss when she caught up with the two only moments later.


    Severin was aware of all this, but at the moment he hadn¡¯t thought things through. He simply started running. Still, it was a success insofar as that he immediately felt relieved once and had left the ¡®enemy¡¯s territory¡¯ and caught some fresh air.


    Also, if Magda would insist on questioning him, he decided he would simply stonewall her. There was nothing she could do about it if she didn¡¯t want risking souring their relationship.


    Right at this moment, however, she didn¡¯t intend to press Severin for an explanation for his¡¯ and Emily¡¯s strange behavior, anyway. She was more interested in the people heading towards them than the question of how the people to her side knew about them. In reality, even as a knowledgeable member and rank promoter of the Adventurer¡¯s Society, even she didn¡¯t know every existing class; much less every existing skill. In such a world, Emily¡¯s previous blunder wasn¡¯t nearly as suspicious and as big of a deal as Severin made it out to be. If anything, his own behavior might¡¯ve made the situation worse, drawing unnecessary suspicions to the matter. If Magda would prove to show an excessive amount of interest in the matter later on, it would, for the most part, be because of his overreaction. Either way, now was not the time. People headed towards them.


    After having had no luck entering the main store, the new arrivals had decided to try their luck at the building next door. Though it wasn¡¯t visibly advertised as a kitchen, the tables and chairs placed in its direct vicinity made it easy enough for anyone to guess that the building was also part of the so-called Emporium. If they didn¡¯t already know that beforehand, that was.


    Only when they found themselves once again standing in front of closed doors, they finally headed for the universally recognizable building with the large green windows.


    It was at this point that the three people burst out of said building.


    Seeing two people next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, dressed in the same tight-fitting uniforms, walking towards them, Severin determined that he indeed had never seen them before. He was confident in this evaluation, even at this distance.


    They didn¡¯t wear any discernable badges, either, and their flying artifact, which might¡¯ve given something away regarding their identities, had apparently already been unsummoned as well. Still, Severin had his suspicions.


    At the same time, Severin became aware of his pathetic display. He took a few deep breaths, straightened up, and let go of the wall he used to support himself. He was still exhausted, but decided he should approach them to meet them halfway in a show of respect and goodwill. Especially since it wasn¡¯t even his own shop he was standing in front of right now, to begin with.


    Em and Magda, without saying a word-though for different reasons-also came along.


    The distance between the two parties quickly closed, but when they were still ten meters or so apart from each other, the uniformed arrivals suddenly stopped.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.The man on the left raised his right hand; as a greeting, but also as a way to ask Severin and Co. to also halt their steps.


    Virtually at the same time, the other person, a surprisingly tall woman, took the initiative and addressed Severin specifically.


    ¡°Are you the owner of this establishment? Severin?¡± Her voice was loud and clear, and the question somehow sounded surprisingly respectful, considering the fact she didn¡¯t even bother to introduce herself.


    This fact served as one of the reasons Severin decided to refrain from going through the whole ¡®Who wants to know that?¡¯-spiel.


    The other reason was the suspicious glances the woman and her male partner shot towards Magda and the Society¡¯s branch behind her. It appeared as if those two were unexpected factors, while Severin and his assistant obviously weren¡¯t. In combination with the timing of their arrival and the fact they wore uniforms-uniforms that weren¡¯t green- Severin felt his previous guess regarding their identity confirmed. Therefore, he didn¡¯t hesitate and directly answered the woman.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s me.¡±


    As if his answer was a direct command, the man and the woman, who still stood shoulder to shoulder, simultaneously took a step to the side. Revealing a third person behind them.


    Severin was naturally already aware of their presence, thanks to his map, but that didn¡¯t mean he was any less surprised when the small figure was revealed.


    Just for a split-second, Severin wanted to complain. He had asked only for one thing: no more children.


    ¡®Maybe those aren¡¯t Markus¡¯¡­¡¯


    Then immediately he realized, ¡®That¡¯s not a child. It¡¯s a¡­!¡¯


    His mind went blank.


    The revelation of Samuel being a half-giant had done little to Severin. The [Berserker] simply was larger and more muscular than regular people. Much larger, admittedly, but still.


    This person in front of him, however, who barely reached above his navel¡­


    Something was different. In Severin¡¯s mind, that person wasn¡¯t just smaller.


    He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the long, stereotypical beard framing the face that clearly belonged to a person much older than himself, but right now, he truly felt like he stood before a character out of one of his fantasy books.


    ¡°Never seen a dwarf before?¡± The deep voice sounded amused.


    Severin silently shook his head in admittance.


    Then he snapped out of it.


    The dwarf was just two meters away from him now, but Severin had been too absorbed to realize.


    He knew he must¡¯ve been staring. Knew he had been rude.


    ¡°I¡¯m Severin,¡± he said as he hurriedly closed the distance between them and reached out his hand.


    Then, thinking that the guests had already known that much, and that maybe an apology, or basically any other response would¡¯ve been better, he felt his head becoming hot.


    Luckily, the man didn¡¯t leave him hanging, and though he didn¡¯t reveal his own name in return, he grasped Severin¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Pleasure meeting you.¡±

 Chapter 120

    After separating from each other again, the dwarf saved Severin from embarrassing himself any further and directly addressed the reason for his visit.


    ¡°I believe we have something to discuss. Something about an offer?¡±


    Severin was a bit irritated by the vagueness of the statement and noticed the dwarf¡¯s suspicious glances towards a target behind him.


    Severin didn¡¯t need to turn around and check to know that said target was Magda.


    Still, Severin felt the need to make sure the guest actually was who he thought he was; all while trying to respect the dwarf¡¯s obvious wish to not give away anything to the woman he knew was still within earshot.


    In this situation, asking ¡°You¡¯re coming from Malcos?¡± and a not-so-subtle look, was the best he could come up with.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But maybe we should continue this conversation inside. If you don¡¯t mind.¡°


    Having the confirmation he wanted, Severin didn¡¯t mind at all. He agreed to lead the man back to the main store where he just came from.


    They hadn¡¯t even taken a single step when Severin noticed movement behind him. At the same time, the dwarf¡¯s two guards started to move as well. But they were immediately stopped.


    ¡°Thank you, but that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    The hesitation on their faces was all too apparent, but the woman, nevertheless, had to respect her charge¡¯s wish and answered, ¡°Of course¡±.


    A moment later said guard, much to Magda¡¯s displeasure, announced, ¡°We still have business with the Society to take care of.¡±


    Not for a moment did Severin believe that this business actually existed. He became jealous of having such a quick-witted subordinate, but didn¡¯t comment on it.


    Still, he felt it was now on him to ensure the upcoming conversation would take place in private.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the kitchen and make yourself something to eat? My treat.¡± They had had breakfast just before Magda gave them the small tour, but that didn¡¯t mean Severin¡¯s offer missed its effect. In fact, her reaction was so exaggerated that he feared the three new guests would think the girl was being starved.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, you can make something for our guests as well.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Is pizza okay?!¡±


    Severin felt this situation was similar to when he was a child and was shopping with his mother. In front of the checkout, and surrounded by people, he would beg for one of the many snacks placed at this strategic location.


    Apart from this strange pang of nostalgia, he also felt that the girl was back to her usual self. A bit too fast for his taste.


    ¡°Pizza?¡± came the question before Severin could reply.


    ¡°Hm.¡± The girl looked at the man who was even smaller than her and seriously explained, ¡°it¡¯s the best thing you will ever eat.¡±


    ¡°Hoho, really now? Well, you have successfully caught my interest.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed. I promise!¡± And with that, Em sped up towards the kitchen.


    Walking at a much slower pace, Severin and the dwarf followed her in the same general direction.


    ¡°What a lovely girl.¡±


    ¡®Tzz. I think gluttonous is the word you¡¯re looking for,¡¯ Severin thought, but instead settled on, ¡°Yes, she is. Real help too. Though we could certainly use another pair of hands.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    This last comment was skillfully ignored, but the following silence luckily didn¡¯t turn awkward.


    Soon they reached the previously closed store.


    Once they entered and the door shut behind them, the dwarf didn¡¯t immediately start exploring the store, but instead craned up his neck to directly look Severin in the face.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have total trust in our mutual friend, I wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± he clarified. ¡°But before I agree to anything, or even just discuss the specifics, I first want to see what we¡¯re dealing with. Make my own picture, you understand?¡°


    ¡°Of course.¡± Severin understood that Emily had been a special case. Not everyone was willing to-on a whim-move onto a desolate piece of rock only based on a promise to make their hunger disappear. Therefore, he didn¡¯t even try to convince the man using words. If the dwarf was interested in Severin¡¯s wares, then he would let those wares do the talking for him.


    Severin had already suspected that the man wasn¡¯t actually aware of the products he was selling. At least not in detail. Otherwise, Severin figured, he would¡¯ve known what a pizza was.


    This assumption was now confirmed when the potential [Employee] took it upon himself to rummage through the not very dwarven-friendly shelves and inspect the goods.


    His reactions, which reached from, ¡°Hmm, so it¡¯s like that¡±, when handling the simplest health potions, to exclamations like ¡°Impossible!¡± when inspecting the stat-boosting elixirs; though the dwarf wasn¡¯t a class bearer, he clearly was aware just how incredible every single one of these items was.


    Severin felt very gratified by this but refrained from making any comments. Instead, he followed and observed everything at a respectful distance. He only spoke up when asked a question or when demonstrating the two transformation devices.


    Only when the tour through his shop was pretty much completed, did Severin intend to speak up and deal the finishing blow by presenting the dwarf with the meal already waiting for him in the inventory.


    But he didn¡¯t get the chance to do so. Or rather-judging by the dwarf¡¯s deep, trembling voice-he didn¡¯t need to.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what they meant when they told me little Markus found an unusual shop. Unusual indeed. And no wonder they didn¡¯t go into much more detail than that, either.¡± The small man nodded to himself.


    ¡°Under different circumstances I would question those tooltips, but¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence. He fell silent and only continued after a few seconds of thought.


    ¡°Is the girl also able to create these items?¡±


    The answer to this question wasn¡¯t a secret. Anyone who visited Severin¡¯s shop regularly knew about it. Severin directly confirmed it.


    ¡°And it is true that you are looking for class-less people? There was no¡­ miscommunication¡­ in that regard?¡±


    Again, Severin didn¡¯t hesitate to answer.


    ¡°Then would I also¡­ No. Let me ask you directly. What exactly is it you would have me do if I should agree working with you? For you.¡±


    This was the moment Severin had been waiting for.


    Other people looking to hire staff would at least ask some questions. But for him, he felt, there was no need to do so. Previous work experience or the like was nothing he had to worry about.


    The one thing he cared about most was the other¡¯s character. Their personality. But that was something that would reveal itself with time.


    The dwarf didn¡¯t strike him as an obvious asshole, and for now, that was good enough for Severin.


    After all, he had guarantees.


    Therefore, this time he didn¡¯t answer the question with words or a nod, but instead¡­


    [Initializing contract negotiations.]

 Chapter 121

    A bluish semi-transparent screen popped up in front of the small visitor. Taken by surprise, his immediate reaction was to flinch backwards, but the thing followed him as if it was somehow tied to him.


    ¡°What the¡­!¡± The dwarf raised his voice, but the moment he saw Severin¡¯s apologizing smile and calming hand gesture, he realized this wasn¡¯t some sort of ambush.


    If it wasn¡¯t for his beard covering large parts of his face, one could¡¯ve seen that it was slightly flushed.


    The man wanted to clear his throat, but before he could do so successfully, he couldn¡¯t help but read some of the words floating in front of him; causing him to produce a strange, weirdly distorted sound instead.


    Aeeh


    But this time, he didn¡¯t care about looks.


    His eyes grew bigger and bigger, the more he read, until at some point, Severin half expected them to pop out of their sockets.


    Five minutes later, his eyes had normal size again and he could finally tear himself away from the screen-to the extent its clingy nature allowed him to-and to gather his wits.


    His previous excitement was impossible to miss, but when he turned his attention back to the [Shopkeeper], he almost appeared calm enough for Severin to think that it had all just been his imagination. Almost.


    ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m more than intrigued by that offer of yours, and I want to believe what it says is true. It is just that...¡± The dwarf paused and tried to think of a diplomatic way to voice his concerns.


    ¡°You want proof.¡± Severin interjected.


    ¡°Right.¡± The dwarf replied determinedly; again, a stark contrast to Emily¡¯s reaction when she had been in the same spot.


    Severin wasn¡¯t offended by the request. After all, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable. Especially since the man would forget everything of their conversation since initializing their negotiations, should he ultimately chose to decline the offer, anyway. That meant the risk for Severin to expose himself, or rather the existence of the System, was kept to a minimum. There was no good reason to decline the man.


    Other than the fact that he had no idea how to go about it.


    Sure, there was the Ball sitting in Magda¡¯s cellar that could easily resolve this situation, but revealing his status page, which, in particular, also included his pathetic health pool, was not something he was willing to do. Not even if the alternative meant he would lose out on a new [Employee].


    Severin fell into thought.


    If the dwarf wanted proof, then that meant he didn¡¯t think he could completely trust the floating words.


    ¡®Because the blue screen might as well just be the result of some low-level illusion skill? The easiest solution would¡¯ve been for him to simply accept the binding request and then make use of the resignation clause if he should remain unconvinced even after that. But that would first require him to believe that¡­¡¯ Severin felt a headache coming.


    ¡°I can demonstrate and explain my abilities in more detail, but I¡¯m not sure how that would proof anything.¡± Severin finally admitted his helplessness.


    The response was simply a ¡®go-on¡¯ hand gesture.


    ''My ability to craft items hardly requires any proofing. And neither does Emily¡¯s, I suppose.


    But what else does that leave me with?


    Fuck, this is bullshit!


    Maybe I should just start with the blacklisting feature.¡¯


    Severin felt exasperated and annoyed but ultimately didn¡¯t transform the demanding man into a grease stain by simply dropping him off the mountain.


    Sigh


    He felt it was a wasted effort, but started outlining his situation and his capabilities nonetheless.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.¡°All this land, this mountain, is mine. This is not just a random claim I am making only based on the fact that I am the first who has settled up here, but it was granted to me by my¡­ by the same power that is responsible for that screen in front of you.


    That is to say, that when it comes to things happening within the bounds of this mountain, I have certain privileges that allow me to oversee things. Privileges that also extend to my [Employees].¡±


    The Dwarf raised his eyebrows but didn¡¯t say anything.


    He was well aware of the existence of other so called ¡®noble¡¯ classes that shared this characteristic. And that was not only because of his relationship with Markus¡¯ father.


    ¡°For example, I am able to track the movement of each and every person within my territory,¡± Severin continued. ¡°I can also see their names and classes. Like those of your escorts. Sandra, [Bodyguard]. Wes, [Safekeeper].


    And of course, of you. Bandur. No class.¡±


    Severin was painfully aware that his words, while maybe able to prove a small degree of his capabilities, didn¡¯t address the main issue. That knowledge, accompanied by the dwarf¡¯s continued silence, once again made Severin feel awkward. His mind started to race again, trying to think about how else he could show off his capabilities. Preferably in a meaningful way.


    So much so that he didn¡¯t notice Bandur once again changing color. This time to a more pale tone of color. Similarly, the silence was not because the dwarf was unimpressed.


    ¡®The contract magic?! Maybe that¡¯s something to work with?¡¯ Severin hesitated. He knew well that his [Employees] under the threat of punishment had to ensure that they didn¡¯t reveal any of his secrets. But that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to put himself in a similar spot.


    ¡®A contract that says I won¡¯t ever lie to him simply won¡¯t do. No matter how insignificant the penalty. But maybe a more short-termed¡­¡¯


    Severin¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted.


    ¡°You know who I am?¡± The man called Bandur could hardly keep his composure.


    ¡°I¡­ well. As I said. I know your name. And that you don¡¯t have a class. Just like I had requested of Markus beforehand. I mean. You were sent by Markus, right?¡±


    The last question didn¡¯t seem to have registered with the dwarf at all, though indirectly he still answered it when Bandur followed up with:


    ¡°Does he know?¡±


    ¡°Markus? The specifics of my class? No.¡±


    ¡°But he is aware that you know his class?¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on right now with all these questions, but still decided to answer them truthfully. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± A booming voice one would expect from a person of Samuel¡¯s stature, not from a dwarf, suddenly exploded and echoed through the entire shop. It was enough to leave Severin stunned. Making the following words even harder for him to process.


    ¡°And that brat still sent me here!? Haha. I guess that means I have been overthinking things. Should be all the confirmation I need.¡±


    With all of his previous hesitation and doubts apparently washed away, the dwarf continued.


    ¡°Though, I think that still leaves us with a different matter to discuss.


    As you said, I¡¯m called Bandur.¡± The dwarf, at last, formally introduced himself and expectedly looked at Severin.


    But the latter was still unsure of how to proceed. The change in the man¡¯s attitude was too abrupt.


    In the end, he simply reached out his hand again and repeated his own introduction, ¡°Right. Well. Severin.¡±


    Strangely enough, it was this awkward response that seemed to please Bandur.


    ¡°As expected. You really aren¡¯t from around here, huh? And by that, I mean from this continent. Otherwise¡­


    You never heard the name Bandur? As in Bandur the Classless? The fifth brother? No? Maybe one of the more unpleasant ones? Bandur the Waste? The Unambitious Fool. The Pretender? Well, about half of Galira has probably been called either one of the last two. What about¡­¡±


    If before, when he first saw the dwarf, Severin felt like he had been transported to a fantasy novel or movie, now he was sure it had to be a pretty cheap one.


    He helplessly shook his head.

 Chapter 122

    ¡°Claiming to be famous might be a bit much, but most people should have heard of me. At the very least, any one of those titles,¡± Bandur almost spat out that word, ¡°should ring a bell.¡±


    Seeing the dwarf¡¯s complex expression and hearing his just as complex voice, Severin realized he had misunderstood the man; he hadn¡¯t been bragging when introducing himself. In fact, pride was probably the only emotion he couldn¡¯t detect in the man¡¯s voice.


    Sadness, anger, defiance, regret. But no pride.


    Severin became very curious about the man''s background and listened intently as Bandur continued without needing further prompting.


    ¡°Because of that, I tend to no longer believe people that claim not knowing about me. Too many bad experiences over the years, you understand?¡±


    He didn¡¯t, but Severin kept listening.


    ¡°Either way, it appears that I have underestimated your relationship with those guys from Malcos; or at least how much they value you and your shop. But I suppose that means I, too, should give you the benefit of the doubt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you. My presence alone will spell trouble for you. For both of us. Meaning for me to even just consider your terms and to stay on this mountain, I would need some kind of guarantee for my safety.


    So assuming you really are unaware of my circumstances, I feel like I should at least give you the short version of it.¡±


    Severin once again felt a headache coming. He had simply asked Markus to introduce to him a reliable, classless person he could hire as an [Employee]; nothing more. Quite an easy task for someone in his position and with his resources, one would think. So why did it feel like this was turning into something else? Something troublesome. Especially considering that this introduction was supposed to be a gesture of apology on Markus¡¯ part.


    But he also realized that it wasn¡¯t Bandur¡¯s fault either; by now it was obvious that the dwarf didn¡¯t have the full picture either. Severin felt like their situations were similar in that regard. He also had to admit that the man was making an effort. Therefore, Severin tried not to let his displeasure show when he urged his guest to continue; he brought over two non-dwarfen-sized chairs and said, ¡°Please.¡±


    Bandur gratefully made himself comfortable but didn¡¯t immediately start telling his story.


    Only after going through his memory and deciding which parts were most relevant to make an outsider understand his circumstances, did he open his mouth again.


    ¡°I¡¯m royalty. Just like that brat.¡±


    ¡®Trouble, indeed¡¯, was Severin¡¯s immediate thought after hearing this revelation, but he didn¡¯t interrupt the man who clearly didn¡¯t intend to pause for effect, either.


    ¡°Though in name only.


    When I was born, the fight for succession was already in full swing and it is only because I was born without a class that I wasn¡¯t directly disposed of by one of my brothers, right there and then.


    Apart from needing ¡®the right blood¡¯, one also needs to be a classbearer in order to be qualified to receive father¡¯s [Majesty] orb once he finally drops dead. Ironic, isn¡¯t it? Doesn¡¯t even matter what class.¡±


    Pff


    The man snorted with disgust but quickly caught himself.


    ¡°Well. So not having a class kept me alive. Just barely though. Some of them will always think of me as a threat as long as I am alive. I had to realize that early on. To make a long story short, I decided to follow Markus¡¯s old man, who was on a diplomatic mission and still only a green princeling at the time and went into exile. Since then¡­ let¡¯s just say I¡¯m very much indebted to their whole family. So, I don¡¯t want to sound ungrateful when I say that, but it¡¯s just that¡­¡± The dwarf suddenly hesitated.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡±Well, it¡¯s not quite the normal life I was hoping for when I left home. On the contrary. It has only ever gotten worse since then. More than just a few people think this is all some kind of ploy. It¡¯s gotten so bad that I can¡¯t possibly leave the palace without some kind of protection. Simply knowing I don¡¯t have a class for the majority of people involved in this mess isn¡¯t enough anymore. Just the effort it took to get here¡­ and yet, by now, someone is guaranteed to have noticed that¡­ Well. I begin to ramble, but you get the point. People are looking for me and some of them will try actively try to kill me if they so much as smell an opportunity. And if the same people find out I actually have gotten a class and be it just that [Employee] class this blue screen of yours has mentioned, then I can¡¯t guarantee for anything.¡± With that very rough overview of his situation, Bandur looked intently at Severin.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like that.¡± Severin appreciated the man¡¯s honesty and his warning about the potential consequences that might very possibly affect himself as well should he hire the dwarf, though he knew the reasons for telling him all this were largely due to concerns of self-preservation. Still, Severin¡¯s overall reaction was far more reserved than Bandur had originally expected.


    But somehow this reaction was exactly what he had hoped for. At least Severin was not withdrawing his offer right away. In his mind, this could only mean the chubby [Shopkeeper] was weighing his options right now. Which in return meant that there might be a way to make it all work. The dwarf couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeful. Hopeful that he might be able to leave behind his golden cage and live a, more or less, normal life. Just like he always wanted.


    But that wasn¡¯t what Severin was actually thinking about. At least it wasn¡¯t his main concern. Instead, he was cursing Markus. Again. Cursing that he put them both in such a spot.


    But his need for another pair of hands was simply too great. For example, even just one raid-group worth of adventurers had already proven to be too much for him to handle at this moment. It had already forced him to adopt a different business model for his kitchen than he had originally planned. Speaking of which, Severin firmly expected to soon unlock even more new dishes; his level as a [Cook] was still comparatively low and levels were therefore gained comparatively quickly. More dishes meant more work.


    Also, while he had his suspicions regarding the Society, he didn¡¯t expect them to renege on their agreement at the very first opportunity; they would soon bring in new customers.


    Most importantly, however, was Severin¡¯s long-time project. He estimated that he should soon have the necessary funds. Once Andreas and his group returned for another prolonged stay, at the very latest. Postponing that just because he didn¡¯t have enough personal was not an option for Severin.


    If anything, hiring a single new [Employee] would likely still be insufficient to realize all of his plans.


    Therefore, Severin felt he didn¡¯t really have a choice in the matter. Not if he didn¡¯t want to ask Magda for help.


    Luckily, in his opinion, Bandur¡¯s safety wasn¡¯t really something to worry about too much.


    Not because he didn¡¯t care about what happened to the man, but because Severin was that confident of his, or rather the System¡¯s, ability to protect his [Employees].


    But he also knew that it wasn¡¯t his decision to make. All he could do was give Bandur the means to make an informed decision.


    ¡­


    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me I can just make people¡­ disappear¡­ from this mountain? And they won¡¯t be able to reenter?¡± Bandur reiterated what he had just learned, and though he didn¡¯t expect an answer, Severin still nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Then in combination with that so-called minimap you spoke of¡­ hmm. Sure, I would need to keep an eye on it, but it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t already have to be constantly aware of my surroundings, anyway.¡± The dwarf was obviously trying to convince himself. Severin didn¡¯t stop him.


    ¡°Also, in the short-term, having a branch of the Society up here should have some deterrent effect.¡± The man fell silent again, making up his mind.


    It didn¡¯t come as too big of a surprise, but Severin still felt elated when finally, a notification containing a progress bar popped up in front of him.


    [Initializing binding process.]

 Chapter 123

    [11¡­37¡­63¡­84...99¡­100]


    The initialization of the binding process progressed just as quickly this time as it did the last time.


    The same was also true for the immediately following actual binding process itself.


    [Commencing to bind with the target.]


    [7¡­23...39...47¡­53...75¡­93¡­100]


    The moment the progress bar was filled, just a couple of seconds after Bandur¡¯s accepting of the terms, one of the white dots on Severin and Emily¡¯s minimap changed color and was now blue.


    At the same time, several lines of notifications popped up. They were largely the same as when Emily was first hired, though this time no warning regarding inadequate attire was among them.


    [Binding completed successfully.]


    [New [Employee](Special) hired.]


    [Please assign a suitable residence to [Employee] Bandur.]


    [Total of currently hired [Employees]: 2/3.]


    Reminded by the System, Severin¡¯s immediate reaction was to turn towards Bandur and to ask him for his preference regarding the two available housing options.


    But the previously very composed dwarf, who, judging by the short recount he had given of his past experiences, was at least double Severin¡¯s age, didn¡¯t pay him any attention right now. Instead, he had a silly smile on his face and was fully absorbed scrolling through a bunch of bluish menus, confirming and double-checking as much as possible that all previously made claims had actually been true. Even more than that, as Bandur explored the various features he had now access to, he found that there even were some that had not previously been mentioned.


    After making himself familiar with the most important features, namely the minimap and the blacklisting features which would both act as his safety net, the one thing that caught Bandur¡¯s attention the most were the two System integrated shops.


    If the absentminded remarks he mumbled into his beard were anything to go by, this discovery managed to dispel even the last shreds of doubt, entirely convincing him that he had made the right decision.


    Hearing these remarks that ranged from simple comments like ¡®no wonder¡¯ over to half sentences that predicted the possible future of this at this point still rather desolate looking, piece of rock, into something that would ¡®change everything¡¯, made Severin positively beaming.


    Until he saw the dwarf using his impressive beard to dab his moist eyes. Witnessing this had the exact opposite effect on his own eyes, making him tear up physically cringe.


    And still, at this moment, Severin was just as contented as Bandur.


    Because of all this, Severin couldn¡¯t bring himself to interrupt the dwarf. Especially not for some trivial matter. He instead decided  to give the man all the time he needed to settle down and process all the new impressions and information while enjoying the man¡¯s sporadic exclamations from the sideline.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.In the end, Severin simply assigned to Bandur one of the two available apartments at random; they very pretty much identical, anyway.


    Only after the better part of an hour had passed did the new [Employee] shift his attention to a different matter. But that different matter still didn¡¯t involve his new boss. He was ignoring Severin, who was still sitting next to him.


    The latter was perceptive enough though to know that this wasn¡¯t a slight done out of maliciousness; the dwarf had simply lost track of time and his surroundings in general. Severin was convinced that this absentminded behavior was an exception and only due to the unique circumstances the man found himself in on this day.


    So because of that, Severin didn¡¯t mind the situation all too much-otherwise, he would¡¯ve already intervened. It also helped that no actual customers were currently demanding their attention.


    Just as Severin was having these thoughts and wondered whether he should go outside and check on the others, the situation suddenly changed.


    ¡°¡­ how does this¡­¡± Bandur was again muttering to himself when he discovered yet another feature he hadn¡¯t been aware of until then.


    <<¡­ even work!?>>


    <<Aaaaah!>>


    No sooner had the words left his mind, did a loud squeal suddenly ring in the heads of the two men. Neither one of them could keep themselves from flinching and look at each other.


    Yet the voice didn¡¯t stop there and continued by unleashing a barrage of questions and excited exclamations.


    <<That was you, right? The litl¡­ the dwarf, I mean? Bandur.


    Are you with us now!? I mean, you must be-I saw the notifications! What exactly will you help us with? Crafting potions? We might still have a small alchemical workstation in the inventory. Have you checked it out already? The inventory I mean. It¡¯s where I put your pizza. Aaah! You still haven¡¯t tried it yet?!>>


    <<Em!>> Severin couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    On the other hand, he was surprised that the girl had managed to hold herself back for so long, since, as she had said herself, she too had seen the notifications that announced Bandur¡¯s recruitment. Severin strongly suspected that this much restraint on the girl¡¯s part was only possible due to her previous blunder down in the Society¡¯s basement; that and Severin¡¯s notice not to disturb them while inside the store.


    But now that the radio silence had been broken by someone else, she took it basically as the go-ahead to join in and make her presence known; an assessment Severin didn¡¯t even disagree with.


    <<Hahaha. Don¡¯t worry.>> After processing the initial shock, Bandur even appeared to be delighted by Emily¡¯s antics; his last statement was clearly directed towards Severin. He then continued,<<That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Bandur, and judging by this nifty tool right here, you must be Emily.


    I have to say, after hearing your high praise, I can hardly wait to try it myself. So why don¡¯t you show me the ropes and let me see how I can receive something from that inventory you speak of? I haven¡¯t eaten anything yet, so I¡­>>


    The dot that had been walking up and down in front of the main store¡¯s entrance for the last twenty minutes or so came rushing inside just in time to witness the dwarf¡¯s strange expression, as he had a sudden realization.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel¡­ hungry anymore?¡±


    ¡°Amazing right?!¡±


    He was more disturbed than amazed by that fact. Before he could sort through his thoughts on that matter, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°wouldn¡¯t it be better to just stop eating then?¡±


    Emily looked down at the man in front of her as if he was an idiot.

 Chapter 124

    Bandur was about to taste the novel food before him, when he realized that the girl was staring at him as if she might pounce on him at any moment. He felt especially uncomfortable since he had the strange premonition that she would continue like this until he¡¯d taken his very last bite. Soon, however, this concern disappeared. It wasn¡¯t only the delight of tasting the thin, crunchy crust, the string-pulling cheese, and the refreshing taste of a tomato sauce seasoned with a bunch of unfamiliar herbs, that made him forget about his surroundings and the intense stares, but also the realization that there was more to this exceptional food called pizza than just its taste.


    Only now did he realize that this food was actually buff food-food that provides benefits not unlike to those granted by some of the more support oriented classes, or the effects of the more conventional consumables, such as the elixirs sold in Severin¡¯s shop; not that those were actually conventional in any way, either.


    Now it was he who kept staring with wide, disbelieving eyes at the tooltip in front of him while ever so slowly chewing the food in his mouth.


    Not knowing her background, Bandur wasn¡¯t aware of the reasons Emily was so obsessed with food, but suddenly he became much more sympathetic of her behaviour. And still, eating this kind of food and not being able to fully utilize its buff almost felt like a bit of waste.


    Almost.


    He kept eating and between his bites he inquired with his new boss, and soon learned that Severin, and by extension his [Employees], were able to access more than just a single subclass.


    He was especially excited when he learned that the second class, [Cook], was only acquired later on and not something that Severin had access to from the very beginning. This meant it wasn¡¯t impossible that maybe sometime in the future, after a few level-ups of the [Shopkeeper] main-class, similar opportunities and choices would present themselves.


    Bandur deciding to bind himself to the strange System meant that at the time he had made up his mind to put his trust into Severin and the people who made this meeting possible. And still, it was the things he learned only after officially becoming Severin¡¯s [Employee] about a good hour or so ago that he felt more convinced than ever that he had made the right decision.


    A wide smile once again appeared on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing, right?!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Haha. You¡¯ve not promised too much.¡± Bandur didn¡¯t feel the need to correct Emily in her assumption that it was solely her prepared dish that had provoked his reaction. It was truly praiseworthy, after all.


    Bandur complimented her work, which in turn elicited a self-satisfied smile that seemed to say ¡®see, told you so.¡¯


    Before Emily could actually voice this sentiment, however, it was Severin who said:


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. And if you have no other serious objections, I¡¯d like to assign you to the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It would be my pleasure. Though¡­¡±


    ¡°Noo. Why him? Why not me? Sev, please.¡±


    The girl¡¯s objection did not come unexpectedly and Severin knew shooting her an annoyed look wasn¡¯t gonna do it if he ever wanted to hear the end of it. He¡¯d need to give her least some kind of explanation for his decision.


    ¡°Have you ever heard a saying about a fox guarding a henhouse?¡± He asked the girl.


    ¡°What? No.¡± Irritated, she looked at him and asked, ¡±what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that you are a glutton, and that no food would ever make it out of the kitchen with you in charge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± she insisted while pouting. ¡°I did everything as you told me to and made food for everyone! I even delivered it to the two people talking with Magda. Only then did I start eating. I swear! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You know that the System allows me to check all the billing information, right?¡± Severin didn¡¯t think he would have to elaborate any further when he saw that the girl suddenly seemed very interested in the floor. Her whole head had turned beet red. Some faint complaints about someone or something being ¡®unfair¡¯ could be heard, but other than that, she had nothing to say for herself.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°How about that, whenever you¡¯re free, you can come and visit me? I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to figure something out¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Her color was still not back to normal, but the speed at which she was able to change gears truly impressed the two men.


    ¡°You have no idea what you have just done,¡± Severin said jokingly to the dwarf in a lowered voice that was still very much loud enough for Emily to hear.


    He then added more seriously and truly privately this time, <<Though I have to remind you that while meals are naturally included¡­>>


    Bandur waved Severin off in a way that the girl who was now fawning over him wouldn¡¯t notice and said, <<That¡¯s okay. For me, this never was about the money, anyway.>>


    The dwarf then quickly changed the topic to his original question, that had been interrupted by the girl¡¯s complaints.


    ¡°So, how exactly does this work? Going by what I¡¯ve seen so far, you¡¯re not just going to teach me how to cook.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well. Why don¡¯t we go over there right now, so I can show your around the kitchen. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say the appliances and utensils should be somewhat different from what you¡¯d normally see in a kitchen around here. And then, of course, I will also show you the cookbook.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. But if it¡¯s no problem, I¡¯d like to first have a quick word with Wes and Sandra. Let them know what¡¯s going on. And tell them to stop bothering that poor woman, haha.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that. Take your time; at the moment it¡¯s still quite peaceful anyway, so no rush. That being said,¡± Severin turned over to the girl, ¡°you, Emily, will stay here. After having tasted your sample, you can be sure that those two will be more than interested in what else we have to offer in here. It¡¯s already a small wonder neither one of them has left their post. You understand?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the girl was obviously reluctant but agreed without further complaints, knowing very well how far she could push her luck.


    ¡­


    It came indeed as Severin had predicted. From inside the kitchen where he was waiting for Bandur, tracked the movement of the very same, as well as that of the [Bodyguard] and the [Safekeeper] when they headed in the same general direction. Once their paths parted, the latter two quickly hastened their steps and soon arrived inside the main store manned by Emily.


    The dwarf naturally headed towards the kitchen instead.


    Once there, he first explained to Severin that the two guards had apparently been instructed in advance to stay put and wait for further orders. The [Shopkeeper] curtly acknowledged this but didn¡¯t have any strong feelings about this fact.


    Severin then proceeded with his introductions but didn¡¯t mention any kind of cooking techniques or recipes; that kind of knowledge would soon be taught to Bandur directly by the System. Instead, he focused more on explaining the functionality of a modern kitchen. And the importance of the quest log. Severin felt that one entry was particularly important. Its progress was still stuck at 1/5, even after countless hours of experimenting both inside and outside the kitchen. That had to change.


    Severin therefore explicitly encouraged Bandur to try recreating any familiar dishes and to start experimenting with the limited variety of available ingredients whenever he would find the time to do so.


    With that out of the way, Severin finally officially assigned Bandur as a [Cook]. At the same time, he limited Emily¡¯s responsibilities and her workspace to the main store and the [Alchemist] sub-class.


    The second Bandur had been assigned to his workplace was also the moment he gained access to the cookbook. He immediately opened the corresponding menu and started to absorb all the now newly available knowledge without waiting for Severin¡¯s prompt.


    As such, there was no actual need for Severin¡¯s guidance or even just his presence.


    Satisfied with the dwarf¡¯s initiative, Severin left the room, and, with two busy [Employees] and nothing demanding his own attention, for the first time he felt like he really was the one in charge. He sat down in the empty caf¨¦, closed his eyes, and simply enjoyed the moment.

 Chapter 125

    Emily was busy fighting off the barrage of questions and requests of two highly experienced bodyguards who suddenly behaved like overly excited pre-bronze adventurers that had just awakened their class and were now headed towards their first quest.


    In the next building over, a dwarf was acting very similarly, the only difference being that he actually was someone who had just turned into a class-bearer for real. That and the fact that his first adventure consisted of cutting up tomatoes instead of malicious sprites that those regular newbies would normally face; though many would say the two foes were equally dangerous.


    As for the sturdy woman in the building with the green windows, Severin didn¡¯t really have a clue what she was doing right now. Nor did he care.


    With his eyes closed, he simply sat in a chair in the otherwise empty caf¨¦ and let the sun shine pleasantly on his face.


    It was truly a beautiful day.


    And still, after sitting there for just about forty minutes or so, Severin¡¯s expression started to slowly but surely grow sour.


    Until after five more minutes, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and suddenly started lamenting, ¡®it¡¯s so damn boring.¡¯


    He opened his eyes, sat upright, and opened the System¡¯s integrated shop with the intention of searching for a potential distraction.


    But having the opened shopping screen float in front of him reminded him of something else had had planned to do.


    He quickly found what he was looking for and bought two customized signs as per his specifications.


    He felt the cost was very much overpriced, especially considering that one of the signs would soon need to be replaced again, anyway; that was the one that displayed the kitchen¡¯s menu as well as a friendly reminder that it was now possible to order food all day long-not just at specific times.


    As for the other sign, just thinking about it and the reaction it would hopefully elicit were enough to bring a mischievous smile to Severin¡¯s face. Just because of that, he concluded that the investment would be well worth it. More so when the moment he held the sign in his own two hands and was able to examine it from up close.


    He then stored it back into the store¡¯s shared inventory space and contacted Emily.


    <<Emily? Got a minute, >> Severin asked despite having a good idea of the situation. If he suspected Emily was currently caught up in a conversation with one of their customers, he wouldn¡¯t have contacted her.


    <<Boss! They finally left! think they¡¯re upgrading some of their potions right now.>>


    <<Careful. It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s between us, but make sure you don¡¯t let anyone else hear something like that, okay?>>


    <<I know.>>


    <<Good. Well. Here¡¯s the thing. I¡¯ve placed those two signs into the inventory. I trust you¡¯ll know where to put them?>>


    Severin saw the two items disappearing out of said inventory, and almost immediately Emily¡¯s voice once again sounded inside Severin¡¯s head.


    <<Aah! That¡¯s great. The pizza was the first thing they asked me about. I¡¯ll notify them once they¡¯re done over there.


    I guess that also means whenever I¡¯m free I can just¡­>>


    <<Emily.>>


    <<Sorry, sorry! I¡¯ll find a good place for it. As for the other one¡­>>


    <<Just put it somewhere next to the elixirs,>> Severin instructed.


    <<Alright, will do. After that, can¡­ oh no. Here they come again.>>


    <<Need help?>>


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.<<Nooo, it¡¯s just that¡­>>


    <<I¡¯ll leave you to it then!>>


    He was a firm believer that boredom was preferable to work and so, knowing Emily could very well handle herself despite her complaining, Severin leaned back into his chair.


    But, as expected, only a few minutes passed before he became restless again and, for a moment, he thought about checking in on Bandur. And it wouldn¡¯t be entirely without reason, either.


    Bandur showing initiative was very welcome, but the resulting dishes still had to go somewhere. Intervening before the whole inventory would overflow with pizzas, salad, and bread was only reasonable.


    That was when Severin realized that his previous action pretty much guaranteed that by now the dwarf had received his first actual order. Severin stopped in his tracks and slumped down again.


    But this time he didn¡¯t have to suffer for long.


    After a few days¡¯ absence, a few familiar faces finally returned.


    ¡°Long time no see. Any new products?¡±


    ¡°Hey there! Got anything new,¡± the two youths spoke simultaneously, but didn¡¯t stop for an answer. They simply raced past Severin and towards the store.


    Even though those two missed his answer-a regretful shake of his head-the third person did not.


    Samuel approached Severin and sat down in an opposite chair that could barely hold his massive body.


    ¡°Still got news all the same, it seems.¡± The [Berserker] nodded towards the new building behind him. ¡°Was only a matter of time after that Krey guy had randomly stumbled upon your place. Still, to be this decisively... who did they send?¡±


    Severin again shook his head.


    ¡°Not sent. Apparently, she went on her own accord the moment she read the guy¡¯s report.¡±


    ¡°Hm. It¡¯s true that the Society usually has a good hand for picking their employees. Rarely ever miss a good opportunity; can¡¯t wait meeting her.¡± The half-giant then fell silent for a moment, but Severin sensed he was going to say something more and therefore kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°You know, ever since we first met, it was pretty clear that you don¡¯t seem too familiar with our ways, so I should¡¯ve told you earlier.


    The Society¡¯s stellar reputation isn¡¯t entirely unwarranted. Nonetheless, like everything else, it should be taken with caution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made some arrangements before letting them settle,¡± Severin assured.


    ¡°Let?¡± Samuel looked at Severin with newfound respect in his eyes. ¡°Hahaha. Let them settle. The Society. Not bad. Haha.


    But still. If you ever meet some trouble, not just with them, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me.


    No guarantees, but I have quite some influence around these parts, if I may say so myself.¡± Severin didn¡¯t doubt the man¡¯s words and gladly accepted them, before not so subtly promoting his business.


    ¡°By the way, we¡¯ve just extended our kitchen¡¯s opening times. We now take orders at any time. Though for fresh bread, it would probably still be advisable to place an order in the morning or the evening before.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did Markus send someone over already?¡±


    ¡°Right. He and his guards have just arrived and¡­¡±


    ¡°Guards? Why the hell would he¡­ don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s that dwarf?¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t too surprised by Samuel¡¯s accurate guess considering that he seemed rather close to Markus, with the royal exile obviously being somewhat of a friend of the family himself.


    Severin simply nodded in confirmation; not least because Samuel hadn¡¯t actually mentioned the dwarf¡¯s name; though it was obvious, they were talking about the same person, considering Bandur¡¯s special status, Severin didn¡¯t want to be the first to bring up his apparently very recognizable name and expose him.


    ¡°And now he is in the kitchen? Cooking? Ha! In that case, take my order, will you?¡°

 Chapter 126

    The two guards that were currently on standby had finally calmed down. After purchasing a full stock of all the available items and upgrading the ordinary ones they carried with them, they were finally about to leave the store.


    At this moment, the girl behind the counter called out to them and revised her previous statement. She pointed at a menu that wasn¡¯t there just minutes ago, and informed them that it was now possible for them to order food, after all. Wes and Sandra didn¡¯t have to think twice and immediately placed their orders.


    That was when two youths came storming through the entrance-neither the [Bodyguard] nor the [Safekeeper] recognized them. The [Employee] on the other hand not only seemed familiar with them, it even appeared as if she was expecting them.


    ¡°Nothing new since you two left,¡± she immediately prefaced their question.


    Dejected, Timothy and Miriam slowed their steps and approached the counter, but still kept looking around in search of something new.


    Realizing there really weren¡¯t any new items demanding their attention, a bit reluctantly they too decided to first get something to eat; they could still restock and use their daily activations later on in the day.


    With the novelty factor of these products largely worn off already, those things wouldn¡¯t take as much time as they once did, anyway. In fact, they could easily take care of those matters while waiting for their orders.


    Instead, they decided to spend their time on a different matter. Miriam and Timothy went ahead and emptied their respective inventories on top of the counter.


    Watching from the sidelines, Sandra and Wes soon learned that the store also offered [Identifying] services.


    About twenty minutes later, four cheerfully talking people left the [Emporium¡¯s] main store together in a group and headed towards the caf¨¦ where a certain half-giant was also just about to dig into his food.


    Bandur only joined Severin a few hours ago and yet he was already very busy with a bunch of orders suddenly coming his way. Luckily, with the System¡¯s support, there was no need for previous experience or a training period. Otherwise, the situation would¡¯ve been impossible for him to handle all on his own while his boss was lazing around.


    Once he did manage, however, said boss also called him outside.


    Samuel had already expressed his wish to meet Severin¡¯s newest [Employee] and given that the dwarf had just successfully completed his first shift, Severin didn¡¯t have a reason to deny this wish. Neither had the man in question, who had already recognized the familiar name on his minimap.


    Under those circumstances Severin, naturally, couldn¡¯t order Emily to keep away from this small gathering, either.


    And just as naturally, the girl wouldn¡¯t need to be asked twice; especially not after learning that there was still previously prepared food waiting in the store¡¯s inventory.


    At some point, even Magda, probably alerted by the lively noise, had left her abode and joined those people.


    Never before had the caf¨¦ been this full.


    Not even when Markus and his men had still been there; a large part of the group had always been busy with something else and a communal meal during their time off wasn¡¯t really a thing.


    It was truly a joyous occasion for Severin; all traces of boredom had been dispelled. Not least by the various interactions between his customers.


    For example, the respectful, almost worshipping, expression on the faces of the two bodyguards once they made the connection between the mentioning of ¡®Master Samuel¡¯ and the (half-) giant [Berserker].


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Or when said [Berserker] started teasing his old acquaintance in a good-natured way.


    Interestingly enough, the Society¡¯s representative, while also displaying a respectful attitude towards Samuel, didn¡¯t seem nearly as surprised as the others seeing him in this place.


    And then,


    of course, there were Miriam and Timothy, who proudly reported their recent progress, discussed their new loot, and made plans for the future.


    ¡°With this, we should soon be able to raise our ranks.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Now, with the Society established up here, we might as well take a look tomorrow.¡±


    In Severin¡¯s eyes, it was a rare occasion that the two so readily agreed with each other.


    Maybe this abnormal behavior-the absence of their usual bickering-was also what had drawn Samuel¡¯s attention. Either way, from a few tables away, he suddenly interjected,


    ¡°don¡¯t get ahead of yourselves, you two. You did good on this trip, yes, but it¡¯s still a bit early.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Timothy said respectfully, ¡°we know. It is just that¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t get to finish the sentence as Miriam interrupted and continued in his stead. ¡°Considering what that sign says is true, I think we should be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°What sign?¡± Samuel demanded with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Inside the store. Next to the elixirs. There¡¯s a sign.¡±


    ¡°Says it also works in the Society¡¯s evaluation area. Doesn¡¯t get dispelled.¡±


    Shatter


    All heads turned around towards the sudden noise.


    What they found was a woman with a strange expression on her face standing upright in front of a table-a knocked-over chair lying behind her.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Magda quickly apologized and put the chair back up.


    ¡°I just remembered something.¡± With that obvious excuse, she all but ran back towards the building with the double-doors.


    ¡­


    The next day, Severin¡¯s boredom once again returned.


    Everyone else seemed busy with something-everyone but him.


    Emily now had actual customers she had to serve, which in turn also meant potions to craft and inventory to restock.


    Bandur¡¯s workload on this day was slightly less than hers, but whenever he found some off-time, he was usually catching up with Samuel, and Severin felt it inappropriate to simply butt in.


    Timothy and Miriam did Timothy and Miriam things.


    Things that made the two guards aware of the trainings ground with its dummies; at some point, those four even had a friendly tag team match.


    As for Magda, she could only be seen from time to time to purchase yet another batch of hexagonal-shaped bottles before disappearing back into the Society¡¯s cellar.


    Her consumption of these items greatly pleased Severin, but still, there was nothing much for him to do.


    The greatest highlight was probably when he found Bandur dressed in a white apron and a, in Severin¡¯s opinion, ridiculously looking chef¡¯s hat, standing on top of a small stool to better reach the kitchen¡¯s worktop.


    His laughter, however, soon got stuck in his throat when Severin realized that those three items, which Bandur had purchased himself via the System¡¯s store, cost a not-so-small fortune.


    It obviously hadn¡¯t been an exaggeration when the dwarf said that ¡®he wasn¡¯t in it for the money¡¯.


    Thinking about all the upgrades Severin could have purchased with this kind of money only worsened his mood. The only comfort was knowing that the two pieces of clothing would somewhat increase the buff efficiency of all dishes crafted by Bandur while wearing them.


    Dejectedly, Severin headed back to the caf¨¦ and once again started browsing through everything the System had to offer.

 Chapter 127

    Severin, plagued by boredom, was slouching in a chair and scrolled through an assortment of potential distractions the System with its integrated store had to offer. On a quick glance, the situation appeared exactly as it did the previous day. Except on this day, his mood was even worse; and it would only further decline from there.


    Now that the two guards had somewhat settled in, and Samuel and his charges had returned after spending the last few days in some dungeon, it was busy enough on the mountaintop that Severin felt that he shouldn¡¯t really be in this position.


    But apparently all these people had something better to do than keep him entertained, leaving him to his own devices and providing no opportunities for him to butt in.


    Even the old hag, at some point, had reappeared and was once again busy with her fruitless research.


    Severin wasn¡¯t actually that keen on her company, but of course that didn¡¯t stop him from complaining.


    Only Magda, who, with an expression even worse than his own, kept running back and forth between her hideout and his store, managed to bring a little smile onto his face whenever he saw her.


    Last time he broached the subject, Emily had claimed that eating was all the entertainment she ever needed. But now that it concerned himself, as well as another [Employee] who probably didn¡¯t share the girl¡¯s opinions regarding fun pastime activities, it was about time for Severin to be on the lookout for some suitable distraction.


    Luckily, the list of these potential time killers was seemingly endless.


    Every time he scrolled through this list, something new caught his eyes.


    But his mood didn¡¯t improve.


    Be it the library or even just the pool table, for the time being, the prices were simply too prohibitive.


    So he just kept scrolling. Again and again. Like a madman.


    Until he stopped and his mood finally reached the absolute low point.


    Just that this time, he couldn¡¯t even complain.


    A certain item-or rather building-reminded him of a problem he had shied away from addressing for a very long time. Well. Originally, he hadn¡¯t even realized that there was a problem to begin with. But later on, when he finally did, he decided to simply block it out in the hope that the matter would just somehow resolve itself.


    And in all fairness, at the time, it wasn¡¯t even that unlikely that it would.


    But that was then, and now he was in a position that he could no longer ignore the issue and simply hope for the best; the chances the problem would just solve itself became slimmer and slimmer with each level up of his [Cook] class that didn¡¯t result in the reward he wanted. Or rather, needed.


    Also, he would have to make a decision soon and convenient excuses such as ¡®too busy¡¯ or ¡®no time¡¯ also were no longer valid.


    As for the problem he had just been reminded of, it actually concerned his plan regarding the establishment of the inn.


    A plan he had clung to during all this time. Something he had saved a fortune for. Something that made him shy away from any other non-essential investment.


    And now this plan was in danger.


    To Severin, this inn he almost seemed obsessed with wasn¡¯t just a collection of rooms to sleep in and maybe some community room.


    There also was the food. Because of that, he had immediately upgraded the size of the originally provided kitchen that came with the class and placed in a slightly awkward location. All just so that later on it could be more easily be integrated into said inn.


    But there was another thing that was just as important as a warm bed and hot food; no, maybe even more so-at least in Severin¡¯s mind.


    The more he thought about it, the more helpless he felt.


    He was an [Alchemist], so the System provided him with all the alchemical ingredients he needed.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.He also was a [Cook], and therefore, the System also provided him with the appropriate cooking ingredients.


    But.


    Once he would fulfill his ambition of building an inn, he may well be an innkeeper, but not an actual [Innkeeper].


    There was no guarantee whatsoever that the System would actively support him in this endeavor and provide him with anything. In fact, it was rather unlikely that it would. Otherwise, that would mean he could just purchase any class he desired inside the store.


    Severin kept racking his brain on the matter. To no avail. Well, there certainly were ways to handle the situation, but none that Severin felt were acceptable.


    In the end, he decided to contact his newest [Employee], though only reluctantly. Not because he didn¡¯t trust the dwarf, but because he feared what the other might have to say. Or more specifically, because he knew that were wasn¡¯t anything the dwarf could say.


    Still. Severin swallowed his frustration and started reaching for the straws.


    <<Got a moment?>>


    <<Sure. What is it?>> The reply came immediately.


    <<It¡¯s about alcohol.>>


    <<Aah. The gods¡¯ holy gift. What about it? I tell you, Ringald has one of the finest collections of wines and spirits you¡¯ll ever come across.>>


    Ringald was Markus¡¯ father, the reigning [King] of Malcos; even Severin knew as much. But this small tidbit still didn¡¯t really help him.


    <<What about yourself? You don¡¯t happen to know how to make those wines yourself? Or how to distill spirits? Brewing beer? Anything of the sort?>>


    <<Haha, because I¡¯m a dwarf you mean? Nah, sorry to disappoint you. Maybe under different circumstances I would, but a palace isn¡¯t really the right place to learn making moonshine. Why are you asking?>>


    Right. Why was he even asking? Even if Bandur, contrary to all expectations, turned out to be proficient in the ways of manufacturing drinking alcohol, he would still need to purchase the according production facilities. And the ingredients.


    In that case, he might as well just purchase the finished product, either by relying on Markus¡¯ connections and goodwill, or via Magda and the Society.


    Severin didn¡¯t like the idea.


    Not only because of the involved hassle and the costs but also because no matter how high quality the stuff would be, it would still be ordinary. Ordinary in the sense that it wouldn¡¯t provide any additional benefits.


    Like the food of some master chef in the capital that might be superior to Severin¡¯s salads or pizza in a culinary sense, but on the other hand wouldn¡¯t be buff-food.


    That being said, not everything he sold would need to have some special properties to it; in fact, providing a strength buff to a bunch of drunk adventurers spoiling for a fight would be rather idiotic even.


    <<Forget it. It¡¯s nothing.>> Severin was cranky, and he knew it.


    It also didn¡¯t help that this small exchange had been about as useful as he had guessed it would be.


    Judging by his boss¡¯ tone, the dwarf realized something wasn¡¯t right, but after a moment of thought, decided not to dig deeper. Instead, he said, <<Sure thing, boss. Just tell me if there is anything I can help you with.>>


    ¡®Shit. I could probably go for some cheap-ass motel style housing for now and upgrade it later on. But before I built some shit like this, I''d rather do without altogether!


    It¡¯s just¡­ even if those people are used to sleeping on the ground in some cheap tents, I can¡¯t just let them go on like this, can I? Especially not after my dealings with the Society.¡¯


    But just the thought of having to settle with some, in his opinion, pathetic half-measure, displeased him immensely.


    ¡®In that case, I might as well try something else entirely and look into establishing that portal station instead. Even just a single portal to start things off should go a long way. In some sense, it would even take care of the housing issue. They could simply spend the night in the city the portal connects to and then return the next morning. Of course, I would have to charge for each passage.¡¯


    Though not entirely convinced, the more he thought about it, the more he liked this idea. It certainly beat having to compromise on the quality of his services. Also, once a connection to the outside world was established, the import of other goods, should he ever opt to do so after all, would also be much easier. And cheaper.

 Chapter 128

    In Severin¡¯s mind, a bustling inn full of adventurers would be the closest he would likely ever be to experiencing the real thing; just without the part where he had to go out and had to risk life and limb.


    He was far from willing to give up on the plan he had clung to so stubbornly all this time. Even if it was just a temporary suspension and not an outright revocation of his planned project, the thought didn¡¯t sit well with him. And that was a big if, to begin with. Providing the ability for people to quickly travel between his mountain and any connected location might just make his efforts to provide accommodations redundant.


    But no matter how stubborn or reluctant, if Severin was being honest with himself, the positives seemed to vastly outweigh the negatives. Especially if he looked at it from a business point of view.


    The most obvious advantage would probably be the expansion of his currently still rather limited customer base. As long as the portal would lead to even just a medium-sized city, then as long as even just a tiny fraction of residing adventurers would find their way through that magical pathway, the number of customers was pretty much bound to skyrocket. After all, right now his shop was located in a rather inaccessible spot where people usually only found him by sheer luck, while also unwilling to share his whereabouts or even his existence with their competition.


    The effect on his business, Severin estimated, could very well end up being more impactful than whatever support the Society might provide in the future.


    Also, this way, a new constant stream of additional income would be introduced. Assuming that Severin would take a certain amount of admission fees; which, of course, wasn¡¯t even debatable in Severin¡¯s mind. And judging by the System¡¯s description, this stream of income would be passive, meaning once a connection was established, no further investment or direct manpower would be required of him to keep the thing running.


    In the current phase of the Emporium¡¯s development, this was especially huge. Forget about Severin¡¯s recent complaints and him whining about feeling bored; with only three pairs of hands available, which already included his own, wholly dedicating one person to a certain work area was a big commitment.


    In fact, if he planned on growing his business even further, he should probably keep an eye out for someone that could fill that third [Employee] spot for more important and profitable tasks; rather sooner than later.


    And then, of course, there was his relationship with Markus.


    Under normal circumstances, finding a suitable spot to set up portal would probably be the most difficult part of the whole undertaking. Severin doubted the System would allow him to simply buy any piece of land he desired and just disregard the fact that it was located within a populated area. But judging by past conversations, Severin was sure he could count on the princeling¡¯s help. If not financially, then at least logistically. After all, back then it was he who asked Severin to straight up relocate his store into their capital. A portal to bridge the distance between the two parties might very well be the next best thing. Maybe even better in some regards.


    And all this was only regarding the very first portal he would establish.


    The value and utility provided by any subsequent one would certainly raise exponentially.


    At first, apart from some limited number of curious common folk, the main clientele would surely be adventurers who either had direct use for his products, or people with flying artifacts who could head further north and leave the floating mountain by air.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Once the second portal would be established, however, surely all kinds of other, even ordinary classless people, would use his services as a means of travel. First and foremost, of course, merchants.


    Thinking about the various deals he could cut with this group of people once he turned his mountain into a trading or a traffic hub, just for a moment all Severin could see were gold coins. Momentarily, he forgot all his complaints.


    That being said, naturally, there were also disadvantages. Disadvantages that went beyond Severin¡¯s silly ambitions of becoming an innkeeper just for the sake of it.


    Like having to leave the safety of the mountaintop. Now, where he probably had the least number of customers, he would have ever again, was probably the time to go for it. That being said, Severin was still painfully aware of his low HP pool. It was something he had already debated previously and had even influenced his choice back when he had to choose his second subclass.


    No matter how tempting it was to see the outside world, it was not something he looked forward to, either. Quite the opposite. After all, this was a world where the secondary effect of any random magic spell might instantly end his life.


    Just the thought made Severin feel stressed. And so did the time pressure he felt.


    Leaving his money to rot in the inventory without investing it was paramount to burning it; he would have to make a decision soon.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see if I even could afford it.¡¯


    Reluctantly, Severin begun making the math and inspected the options available to him.


    ¡®Any of the prefabs with more than one connection are out of the question anyway, no matter the discount. That directly eliminates most of them.¡¯ Severin paused for a moment and looked further. Soon, he dismissed the remaining alternatives as well.


    ¡®Whoever-or whatever-came up with those deals seems to assume that multiple of those portals will be placed in somewhat close vicinity to each other.


    Well, I certainly don¡¯t.


    If I should ever end up with multiple of those, I don¡¯t just want people to come out of one of them and then directly disappear into the next. They better stop by at any one of my other money-earning businesses.


    There will be no such thing as no overlay.


    And I don¡¯t think I need any of those fancy lobbies either. Maybe on the other side, the one located in Malcos or wherever, sure, but not up here. Not for that price. Not now.


    I guess that leaves me with¡­ yeah, just the portals themselves; plain and simple.


    Doesn¡¯t even cost extra based on the distance between the two established points¡­


    Roughly three hundred and fifty thousand¡¯ Severin had to admit the deal wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡®Around three hundred and seventy thousand for the two portals and some modest building at the endpoint that I¡¯ll have to design myself. Leaves me with around thirty thousand for the property itself, and fees, and so on. Might be cutting it close, but maybe...


    Well. No use even thinking about it. Not like I have any way of getting there anyway,¡¯ Severin ended his train of thought with a convenient excuse.

 Chapter 129

    As if to challenge Severin¡¯s stubborn inner voice, the familiar sight of a giant man draped in a similarly oversized pelt entered his eyes and possibly presented a solution to his problem. One that Severin immediately tried to deny.


    ¡°No way, don¡¯t even think about it. I can¡¯t just ask my customers. Besides, Samuel would never¡­¡±


    ¡°What would I never?¡±


    Only barely did Severin manage to suppress an ugly expression from forming on his face as he complained to himself,


    ¡¯How the fuck did I say that out loud? Must be that girl¡¯s influence. Shit.¡¯


    Towards Samuel, however, he said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. Just thinking out loud. Think nothing of it!¡± At the end, Severin almost pleaded; enough so that he achieved the opposite effect of what he had intended. Now Samuel was even more interested in the matter.


    ¡°Humor me.¡± The [Berserker] said.


    Severin debated with himself whether to tell the truth or not, but ultimately came to the conclusion that he should. Not only because of Samuel¡¯s intimidating presence and the feeling that this man could easily spot any lie, but also because of the slightly bad conscience towards himself.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯d have to go into too much detail.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I was thinking about visiting Malcos. Hanvia, to be precise.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Looking to expand your business?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Samuel raised his eyebrow but didn¡¯t inquire any further after hearing Severin¡¯s evasive answer. Instead, he pointed out, ¡°And you don¡¯t know the way.¡±


    Severin was taken aback but soon understood that in Samuel¡¯s mind there was no way he didn¡¯t possess his own flying artifact. Realizing this misunderstanding might make things even more difficult for him in the future, Severin could only nod in confirmation with a bitter taste in his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you keep flying high enough and keep heading in that direction,¡± Samuel vaguely pointed in the direction that correlated to the south-southeast on Severin¡¯s minimap, ¡°it¡¯s pretty much impossible to miss.¡±


    Severin was about to say his thanks and make up some excuse why his excursion would have to wait for an indefinite time, but the old man seemed to be in a good mood and continued on.


    ¡°That being said, why don¡¯t you just join us? Only if your schedule allows it, of course.


    Some time ago those brats made me promise we¡¯d visit the Hanvian Arena once they manage to rank-up. And now with the Society being up here and with those elixirs of yours¡­¡± Samuel didn¡¯t have to finish the sentence for Severin to understand-Samuel expected the group to leave in the next couple of days.


    Severin realized this would probably be the best opportunity he would get in a long time. Besides being able to lift a ride, staying close to the [Berserker] should also guarantee his safety. And not only that. Samuel was also a person that would be able to vouch for him-which was an even bigger boon. After all, Severin couldn¡¯t just approach the palace or even just some random official while claiming to be an acquaintance of the [Prince], owning a magic shop and looking for preferential treatment regarding property prices.


    In that case, he might as well take the initiative and directly jump down the oubliette on his own.


    Severin didn¡¯t think himself a superstitious person, but even he had to admit that the stars were simply too favorable to ignore this opportunity; no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.After a moment of hesitation, he therefore accepted the invitation.


    The two men then kept exchanging a few pleasantries, but Severin soon excused himself under the pretext of having to make preparations for the trip.


    It wasn¡¯t a complete lie, just that the kind of preparations were different from what one might usually expect.


    Severin moved into his room where he could be undisturbed and opened the System¡¯s integrated store. There, he quickly searched for the most basic portal option available, and imported it into the editor.


    Even though he had already accepted the man¡¯s invitation, which in return meant he had, at least for now, given up on his inn, Severin knew himself well enough to know that it would take just a single moment of weakness for him to change his mind once again. Therefore, to prevent this scenario of him sabotaging himself, Severin wanted to make the purchase as soon as possible. This way, even if he had a change of heart, he would already be committed.


    Another reason to build this end of the magical pathway first was convenience.


    He then would be able to return all the way back to his store in just an instant and whenever he wanted, without having to rely on anybody else.


    Only the uncertainty regarding property prices and the possibly needed construction permits made him feel uncomfortable, as he knew that money would be tight once he went through with this plan. Then again, this kind of pressure could also be a motivator.


    Either way, Severin knew he had to make the purchase as soon as possible and proceeded accordingly.


    Inside the editor, Severin placed the stone platform with the strange-looking carvings near the edge of the mountaintop, in the direction Samuel had pointed towards just a couple of minutes ago.


    Then, before confirming actually confirming the placement, he fixed the would-be portal¡¯s orientation with the help of a translucent arrow only visible in the editing tool.


    Having potential customers fall to their deaths right after exiting the portal, before they even had the chance to spend their hard-earned money, just didn¡¯t seem right to Severin.


    Only after confirming the exit direction, as well as the small pedestal with the convenient coin slot were facing in the right directions, did Severin go ahead with the purchase.


    In an instant, his balance was almost cut into half.


    It was a painful sight, but something else suddenly demanded his attention and distracted him.


    A notification pop-up.


    Not the already familiar one that told him that the construction-or rather the summoning-would only occur during the night, but one that congratulated him for the completion of a long overdue quest.


    ¡°What¡­? 50000 gold spent. Right. I guess there was something like that. Now let¡¯s s...¡±


    Severin tapped the notification, eager to reveal and accept the unknown quest reward.


    [Unlocked: Small Deposit


    Allows customers of the Emporium to deposit up to 10000 standardized gold coins.


    Allows customers to preserve up to five unused activation charges a day for the [Alchemical Item Combinator] - for each charge, a fee of 100 gold coins is deducted from the customer¡¯s deposit.


    The activation cost using thus preserved charges is increased by 50%.]


    Seeing these words floating in front of him, Severin didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry.

 Chapter 130

    After all this time and with his business becoming more and more lucrative, fifty thousand gold coins weren¡¯t nearly as prohibitive an amount anymore as it had been when he had first accepted the quest. So by now he could¡¯ve easily had finished the quest already; especially since a good amount of progress had already been made due to all the upgrades and expansions he had purchased. It was simply due to his own stubbornness and inflexibility that Severin was now filled with regret and the feeling that he had missed out.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve had this... weeks ago¡­ no, maybe months¡­ the amount of money I could¡¯ve¡­¡± Severin stammered to himself as he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about all the riches he could¡¯ve had accumulated already.


    ¡°Andreas¡¯ and Markus¡¯ groups¡­ in total, that should be around fifty people or so. If all of them¡­¡± He didn¡¯t dare to finish the thought. Instead, he forced himself to calm down.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t think about that. Just don¡¯t think about it!¡± he told himself repeatedly. ¡°Just focus on ¡®what is¡¯, and how to proceed from here. Think things through calmly.¡±


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    After a minute or so, when his heart didn¡¯t feel like it might at any moment anymore, he opened them again and started looking through all the relevant System notifications and menus.


    ¡°Okay, great. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any withdrawal function. That means once the money is deposited, it truly is mine and can be used freely. In the worst case, it is just some kind of prepayment to get things started.


    Just as important is the fact that I don¡¯t have to do anything in return. The System and the combinator handle things on their own. No additional work on my end. It¡¯s just free money, it seems.¡± Severin kept analyzing the situation to the best of his ability.


    ¡°Also, in the long run, the deposits will probably only make up for a small amount of the total income generated by this new feature. The majority will come from the extra fees and the additional purchases that come with using the combinator. Especially if I can offer even more potent and therefore more expensive products. It¡¯s almost as if the deposits only serve the purpose of accelerating me getting ahead.


    Sadly, there aren¡¯t too many people up here right now,¡° Severin almost started complaining again, but caught himself just in time, ¡°but I guess with a bit of advertising I should still be able to make enough to work with. At least enough to not have to worry about money issues once I¡¯m in Hanvia.¡°


    With that thought in mind, Severin got up and headed for the door. But stopped after a few steps.


    He then fiddled around with the System settings for a short while. Only then did he continue outside, where he once again found Samuel sitting in the cafe, as if he was waiting for something.


    With little hesitation did Severin approach the man, and, with an uncharacteristic loud voice, so that even the two ex-guards who were sitting a few tabled over couldn¡¯t miss a single word he said, started peddling his newest available service that ¡®was perfect for everyone planning to go on an extended trip¡¯.


    After that, he procured another two custom made signs to set up near Emily¡¯s counter and the combinator, where a certain old woman was creeping around, respectively.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Severin then, with a self-satisfied expression on his face, headed back outside and started waiting for a couple of thousand gold coins to roll in, without him having to lift a finger. During that time, he once again started browsing the System¡¯s store.


    But not the commercial half of it.


    Luckily, just in time, before he had left his room, he had thought about adjusting the gold conversion rate. He was now taking a look at a variety of safety and defense-oriented clothing and accessory options that were only available to him and his [Employees] and could only be purchased with their private money. The shop¡¯s balance couldn¡¯t be used; and neither could those items be resold to Severin¡¯s customers later on.


    Two particular items caught his eye, only one of which he would be able to afford.


    First was a white, long-sleeved, and generally ordinary looking shirt that would grant the wearer an additional +200 HP and +10 Armor; Severin was pretty much clueless when it came to evaluating the worth and potency of the provided Armor, but just knowing that this piece of equipment would effectively triple his meager health pool was very tempting.


    The second option was a silvern ¡®Ring of Flicker¡¯ which promised to save its wearer from incoming damage. The caveat was that it had a cooldown of one hour and would apparently break once a total of five hundred damage had been negated.


    Severin had to make a decision, and was mulling over the advantages and disadvantages of both options. One was clearly geared more towards dealing with a longer encounter during which he would get hit multiple times, with the armor providing some degree of damage mitigation, effectively boosting his survivability.


    The other item was quite the opposite. It might save Severin from unexpected and otherwise certain death, but would leave him pretty much defenseless afterwards.


    Severin was racking his brain about this matter, when suddenly some excited shouts tore him from his thoughts.


    Startled, he looked around and saw three people leaving the building belonging to the Society.


    ¡®Might be leaving even sooner than I thought,¡¯ came the realization.


    The shouts were clearly coming from two of these figures. The third-he noticed even at that distance-appeared rather gloomy in comparison.


    All three of them made their way over.


    ¡°Seems like they already did it,¡± Samuel noted approvingly, though slightly surprised. ¡°Both of them.¡±


    It was one thing for Timothy to pass the evaluation, but it was a whole different matter for Miriam.


    Even if some of the tests and thresholds they had to pass were class-specific, it still had to be ensured that their overall combat-effectiveness was on par with that of other adventurers of the same rank. As such, the girl that had a common class that was notoriously hard to manage, especially during the early levels, was at quite the disadvantage. Samuel, of course, knew this firsthand.


    Soon the young [Berserker] and the [Chaos Mage] were showing off their newly earned badges to their mentor and reminded him of his promise.


    Severin watched the situation play out from the side, when he felt a cold shiver go down his spine.


    He turned around and saw the third person standing right in front of him, with a strained smile on her face, giving him a death-stare.


    ¡°We need to talk!¡±

 Chapter 131

    The chubby woman¡¯s cranky mood and almost hostile attitude towards him took Severin by surprise.


    He knew she wasn¡¯t all too pleased about his elixirs¡¯ ability to stay in effect even inside the dispelling array located inside the Society¡¯s basement, and his targeted advertisement probably didn¡¯t help either. But he had greatly underestimated how big of a deal it was not only to her, but to the Adventurer¡¯s Society as a whole.


    But saying it out loud only made things worse.


    Magda had to visibly hold herself back when she asked him rhetorically if he hadn¡¯t also been present when she had explained to Emily of the importance of the Society¡¯s standardized evaluation procedures.


    Severin didn¡¯t feel that helping Miriam advance her rank a little bit sooner would put anyone¡¯s life in danger, but he understood where she was coming from. Only because of this understanding did he decide to endure her ensuing complaints until he finally promised that he would at least try to think of a more acceptable solution.


    This, of course, didn¡¯t mean Severin intended to stop his advertisement of the product, much less halting its production and sale.


    Instead, he was thinking along the lines of establishing another exclusive contract with the Society.


    The best-case scenario would be a mutually beneficial deal between him and the Society, which made the stat-boosting elixir an integral part of the evaluation process itself, making its consumption-and therefore its purchase-mandatory.


    At this point, however, such a deal was unfortunately not possible, even if Magda''s employers would not laugh right in his face just hearing the proposal.


    The rules stipulated by the System simply didn¡¯t allow him to make any deals that would allow another party to ignore the maximum carrying capacity of his items, nor could he sell his products at a discount to non V.I.P., without having to make up for the price difference from his own pocket; both conditions, he firmly believed, were necessary to facilitate a deal of this nature.


    Luckily, not even Magda expected him to come up with a solution right this moment; it was something he¡¯d have to think about in more detail later and it certainly wasn''t something he would put off the upcoming trip for. If anything, it confirmed to him that his decision to leave the mountaintop for a few days, maybe weeks, probably was the right one after all.


    After what felt like a small eternity, the mollified woman let up on Severin and he could finally make some preparations. Not that there was actually that much for him to take care of before leaving, but at this point, time was running short.


    As a guest, Severin didn¡¯t have much of a say as when to depart, and since apparently the event Timothy and Miriam wanted to watch would start in just a few days, the leave was scheduled for mid-morning the next day.


    Severin gathered his two [Employees] and informed them of his decision to join the trio on their trip to Malcos¡¯ capital city while also sharing his reasons for doing so.


    Contrary to his expectations, Emily made no fuss about wanting to join him. Instead, she wanted to stop him from leaving altogether, but the promise of some pocket money she could spend on food while he was gone silenced her objections almost immediately.


    It was actually the dwarf who had a harder time accepting Severin¡¯s words.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.Not because he knew that such a portal once it was established would bring its own share of problems, such as his brothers¡¯ spies, but because just the existence of such a portal itself was simply too absurd for him to accept.


    Even now that he had a pretty good understanding of the System and its capabilities, the thought that it could create a magic pathway as Severin described was too outlandish.


    Sure, both portal and wormhole magic were a thing, but there was a reason why there was no such connection even between Rhenia and Malcos, two kingdoms that were located relatively close to each other; and it was not because of their political differences.


    Only after seeing the various portal designs offered in the shop firsthand did he start to believe that Severin maybe wasn¡¯t just making fun of him. But even then, he wasn¡¯t totally convinced.


    Because one thing still bothered him.


    ¡°At that price, really? How is that even possible? If that¡¯s truly the case, why would you even consider paying for it yourself? Countries would pay you multiple times the amount! What am I saying?! Even most guilds probably would! Maybe even some individual rich people. Merchants. Nobles. Some retired big-shot adventurer. You get my point. And none of them would probably even care where it led to, either.¡±


    The more Bandur said, the more Severin¡¯s expression twisted. It was the first time since his employment that the dwarf commented on Severin¡¯s business related decisions, much less going so far as to openly voice criticism, but Severin had to admit that the dwarf was completely right.


    Only now did he realize that there hadn¡¯t been a good reason for him not to consult Bandur during his decision making; not with the System guaranteeing confidentiality. Somehow, he didn¡¯t realize that he wasn¡¯t on his own anymore. There now was another adult, one whose knowledge regarding many things in this world was inevitably greater than his own.


    He quickly tried to think things over.


    Though as of right now it was probably impossible to approach any other parties for cooperation, at the very least Markus, or one of his trusted aids and associates, might very well be willing to stem the cost of his endeavor as long as he framed it appropriately. Especially when something like contract magic could guarantee everyone¡¯s sincerity.


    Maybe it truly wasn¡¯t too late to get his money back.


    Severin, in a conscious effort to better himself, asked Bandur for his opinion on how to proceed from here on.


    As it turned out, the dwarf not only agreed with him, but in reality was even more optimistic than Severin in that regard. In Bandur¡¯s opinion, the whole thing would easily be resolved favorably as long as he ¡®just asked the ¡®walking muscle mass¡¯ to introduce him to the right people.¡¯


    He then handed Severin an amulet that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡®Just in case.¡¯


    That was the only explanation Bandur offered, but despite his offhanded behaviour, the dwarf¡¯s expression was serious enough to give Severin a good idea as to what this item represented; enough so for him to hold his tongue and not make sarcastic remarks regarding the amulets clich¨¦d design, representing a small but ornate double-headed hammer.


    After solemnly promising he would return the amulet safely upon his return, the only other thing Severin could think of was to remind both of his [Employees], not just Bandur, not to shy away from making liberal use of the blacklisting feature during his absence.


    Severin then headed to his room and went to bed early.

 Chapter 132

    This night, Severin simply lay awake in his bed without getting even an ounce of sleep. To him, it felt a bit like he had gone back in time to the night before a school trip.


    The only difference was, besides the excitement, the joyful anticipation, and the slight nervousness he felt back then, now there was also this strange feeling of discomfort mixed in. Calling it fear might be taking it too far, but it still reminded him of the decision he had postponed during the day.


    Shirt or Ring.


    An item that provides armor and boosts his health pool so that he would, in theory, be able to take multiple smaller hits, or the accessory that would protect him only against a single but potentially lethal and unexpected source of damage.


    During the course of the night, Severin changed his opinion many times.


    From a bandit raid to an air crash; one after the other, Severin tried to envision all kinds of life-threatening situations he might encounter during his travels and tried to estimate the performance of the two items accordingly.


    Naturally, after dwelling on his mortality and the dangers of this world he would soon step into, Severin wasn¡¯t in the most clear-headed state of might to make a decision. He realized at this point, he might as well leave it to the flip of a coin.


    Maybe if everyone currently residing on the mountaintop had deposited the maximum possible amount, or if he was able to further adjust the conversion rate of personal income, Severin maybe could have purchased both items. As it was, however, he would have to be satisfied with the fact that even after making his decision, he at least would still have enough funds to cover his travel expenses.


    Severin let out a regretful sigh before finally pressing the purchase-button.


    Strangely enough, though he had felt uncertainty even at the last moment, now that the money had been deducted and the item appeared in his inventory space, he felt that a burden had been lifted. Suddenly, he felt very tired.


    ¡°Maybe just for a few minutes¡­?¡± Severin mumbled to himself.


    The answer came immediately in the form of movement on the minimap that was located in the upper-right corner of his vision. Apparently, it was already later than he had expected.


    With red puffy eyes that had black circles around them, Severin had no choice but to hoist himself out of his bed even though he was more tired now than at the time he had laid down.


    On every other day, he could simply leave things to Emily and Bandur and simply take the day off, but not today. He still had preparations to make and provisions to stock up on before leaving.


    Potions and elixirs and the like were one thing; those he could simply take from the shelves in his store and have Emily replenish them later on.


    The real issue was food.


    Fresh food, and in large quantities; too large to let Bandur handle it all by himself. No matter that it was perishable, Severin would only be satisfied once his personal inventory was filled to the brim with foodstuff.


    The gut-punching feeling he had suffered when he first left the premises of his Emporium was still too fresh in his mind and not something he wanted to feel ever again; at this moment, he felt very sympathetic towards Emily.


    ---


    A few short hours later Severin couldn¡¯t help fidgeting with the ring on his left hand as Samuel led him to board a flying artifact that was of especially high quality in terms of craftsmanship; even Severin could tell as much with only a single glance.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.The ship wasn¡¯t nearly as big as the one used to house Markus and his men, but was certainly larger than the one Samuel usually used whenever he was joined only by the two youths exploring the Golden Mountains. Severin couldn¡¯t help wonder whether the [Berserker] was simply trying to show-off his collection of flying artifacts, when the man answered Severin¡¯s unvoiced question explaining that this, apart from a one-seater he owned, was simply the fastest of his ship.


    Samuel went on to explain a bit more about the ship and its specifications, but Severin barely took note of it.


    The moment he stepped onto the deck of the ship, the moment he left his new home behind, though the pain didn¡¯t come, the ever-present minimap suddenly disappearing was almost as disturbing to him. He felt as if he was deprived of one of his senses. Combined with his lack of sleep, Severin felt he was going insane.


    ---


    When Severin came to, he didn¡¯t know how much time had passed since their departure. He looked through the porthole on his left and determined that, judging by the position of the sun, it hadn¡¯t actually been as long as he had feared.


    For a moment, he debated whether to simply roll over and stay in bed, but ultimately decided that sleeping through the whole journey would be too rude to his host.


    Reluctantly, Severin got up from the comfy mattress and slowly headed for the door of the otherwise empty cabin.


    Standing in the hallway with the many doors that probably led to similar cabins, Severin felt disoriented.


    After the boarding, because of the state he had been in, Severin hadn¡¯t even bothered to try memorizing the layout of the ship. It didn¡¯t help that Samuel hadn¡¯t directly led him to this guest room, but first showed him the full-blown dining hall and something that should be the equivalent of an engine room sheltering two strangely familiar looking blue-purplish crystals that where embedded directly into the ship itself.


    Severin was still wondering where he was supposed to go, when the sound of bickering reached his ears.


    Following the noise down the hall, he soon reached the steep staircase that led to the main deck of the ship-like flying artifact.


    ¡°Back among the living?¡± Samuel greeted him as soon as Severin stepped onto the deck. But the [Berserker] wasn¡¯t the only one to notice his arrival.


    The bickering that had guided his steps suddenly stopped and before Severin could give his reply, he found himself interrogated by two excited youths.


    ¡°Who do you think will win this year¡¯s free-for-all? [Slaughter King Rich] or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Pah. Only brutes and savages care about the free-for-all. Ask him about the team competitions or the¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it you two!¡± Samuel bellowed. ¡°Give the man some space. Besides, Severin hasn¡¯t joined us for the Games. And even if he did, not everyone is so obsessive as you two.¡±


    Timothy and Miriam didn¡¯t even listen to the end. As soon as they heard that Severin wasn¡¯t joining them to watch the fights, the two looked at him incredulously.


    ¡°Wha~?¡±


    ¡°But why else would¡­?¡±


    ¡°I plan to expand my business,¡± Severin answered honestly.


    ¡°Oh? Like opening another branch?¡±


    This time he hesitated for a bit, but then decided to answer truthfully; not least because he still had to ask Samuel for his support. Hiding the matter wouldn¡¯t to him any good.


    ¡°Not directly. What I plan is to¡­¡±


    ¡°Then do you have any promotional offers? Some new products?¡±


    ¡°No, what I¡­¡± Mid-sentence, he realized that the two had already stopped paying him any attention. Half-amused and half-annoyed, he shared a look with Samuel, who wore a similarly helpless expression on his face.

 Chapter 133

    When Miriam and Timothy turned around, they wasted no time and immediately continued their petty squabbling.


    From what Severin could understand, the two argued about the performance of their favorite fighters and the upcoming events they were most looking forward to.


    At the same time, Severin knew that they didn¡¯t actually need any reason to butt heads. To it had simply become a habit; one that even he, as an outsider, was quite used to by now. As such, he was also used to their preferred way of resolving those disagreements.


    Not, however, when currently on a largely wooden ship, sailing in a sea of clouds.


    Involuntarily, Severin began fidgeting with his ring again and wondered whether the damage resulting from a fall from this height would exceed five hundred or not.


    The answer he came up with made him sweat profusely, and only Samuel¡¯s somewhat annoyed, but otherwise unperturbed expression prevented him from having a small breakdown.


    Still, any kind of distraction would be more than welcome to him, and so Severin decided that now was the perfect time for him to approach the half-giant and to ask for his help.


    This, of course, required Severin to first reveal and explain the specifics regarding the purpose of his trip-just like he had planned to do anyway right before he had been so rudely interrupted by the two fighting maniacs.


    Samuel¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t nearly as pronounced as Bandur¡¯s had been, but the shock was still visible on his face. And yet, unlike the dwarf, Samuel at no point seemed to dismiss the words as some kind of bizarre joke or a straight up lie.


    Perhaps the difference between the two was due to Samuel''s lifetime of experience as a seasoned adventurer. Or maybe it was these last couple of months of him witnessing Severin produce one miraculous item after the other, that the half-giant was finally so desensitized that he didn¡¯t even question Severin¡¯s outlandish claims anymore.


    ¡°You were right to come and talk to me first.¡±


    After saying these words, Samuel didn¡¯t immediately elaborate, but judging by the gravitas in his voice and the serious expression on his face, Severin knew there was more to come. He kept quiet and waited for the [Berserker] to collect his thoughts.


    But with each passing second he had to wait, the [Shopkeeper¡¯s] nervousness also increased.


    In his mind, the whole thing wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, so why did it suddenly sound like it was?


    Soon he understood.


    ¡°It¡¯s one thing for you to not be aware of those things, but given his status, it¡¯s a whole different matter for Bandur. One would think that dwarf would be more well versed in politics than this. To give you this kind of advice; of encouragement.¡± Samuel paused a few seconds, simply for effect.


    ¡°You cannot simply purchase or rent a piece of property and establish one of those magic pathways you¡¯ve talked about. Not right in the middle of Hanvia. Or anywhere in Malcos, for that matter.


    Well, I¡¯m sure you could. But you really shouldn¡¯t. Not if you don¡¯t want relations with Malcos to turn hostile, that is. And hostile might still be putting it mildly.¡±


    Severin wanted to object but wasn¡¯t given the opportunity to do so, as Samuel kept assuring him that establishing a portal such as he had planned might not be met with as much appreciation as he had imagined.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Even if you were to implement some kind of vetting process, there is no way a portal that leads right into the hearth of the kingdom could ever be allowed to exist.¡± Samuel repeated himself with emphasis.


    ¡±Not if it was to be under the control of a merchant who many would claim, just by virtue of their profession, would only be interested in their own profits and nothing else.¡±


    After a moment of silence Samuel hastily added a quick ¡®no offense¡¯, realizing that his last few words could easily be misunderstood by the [Shopkeeper].


    But the latter didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    Severin stood there deep in thought, finally realizing how na?ve he had been.


    Subconsciously, he began to verbalize his thought.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s how it is! I focused too much on the positives, but a portal like this would also provide criminal elements with a means to enter the country unchecked. And also a way to escape prosecution.¡±


    ¡°And not just that,¡± Samuel chimed in from the side. ¡°Don¡¯t forget foreign military.¡±


    No matter how much he might have had underestimated the potential consequences and dangers attached to his project, the idea that some kind of military would use his portals to invade another country seemed more than farfetched to Severin, but no matter how much he wanted to scoff at the words, no sound came out.


    By now he was starting to regret having already built and, more importantly, paid for the other end of the magic portal.


    Severin¡¯s mood turned sour. Visibly so apparently, judging by the fact that the old man felt compelled to offer some words of encouragement.


    ¡°That all being said, I don¡¯t actually think your plan is impossible to achieve. Quite the contrary, I¡¯d say. Even I can see its obvious merits.¡±


    Hearing this, Severin immediately perked up.


    He didn¡¯t think Samuel was the kind of person to say things like this without actually meaning them, simply to cheer him up. So if Samuel, despite the seriousness of the situation, claimed that not all hope was lost, there was no reason for Severin not to believe him.


    But his regained enthusiasm was short-lived.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ You will most certainly have to cede at least some degree of control. Both in terms of choosing a suitable location, but also in regards to, let¡¯s call it, access control; meaning not everyone might be able allowed to use this service of yours.


    As for whether Bandur is right, and you at least get to charge for the portal¡¯s construction or if you¡¯re the one to pay taxes for it instead is not something I can answer. Not really my specialty. Not that any of that other stuff is.¡±


    The thought of how he would¡¯ve embarrassed himself if it wasn¡¯t for Samuel¡¯s honesty made Severin physically cringe. The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how unfeasible his basically non-existent plan going into this had been.


    How stupid he had been.


    He hated the feeling very much. Almost as much as he hated the thought of having to cede control of his business.


    That was if he even could do it. After all, everything was ultimately controlled by the System.


    Which reminded him of something else.


    ¡®Pah. So what if I simply don¡¯t get permission? What are they gonna do about it? As long as it¡¯s recognized as part of the Emporium, the System should be able to protect it from any harm.¡¯

 Chapter 134

    Now that Severin belatedly realized just how sensitive of an issue this whole portal business was, he knew that stubbornly going through with his plan without first consulting the respective authorities was not a realistic option.


    The pros simply wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for the cons. And that was assuming there even were pros.


    In reality, even if the safety of the portal facilities themselves could be guaranteed, it would barely do him any good. Not if the ruling party of a country was set on preventing anyone from actually setting foot on said property and arrested anyone emerging from it.


    And these measures, which effectively would render his portals useless, would most certainly be the least of his worries. Even outright banning its citizens from frequenting his store, even by regular means, and purchasing his wares, would still be one of the more reasonable responses.


    Severin didn¡¯t even want to think about the more extreme measures he could face in such a scenario. But still.


    He hated being put in this spot.


    It had taken him much self-control to put his previous plans, that of establishing an inn, on ice.


    And for what?


    The more he thought about it, the more stubborn and reluctant he became to change his plans once more. He refused to believe that he¡¯d have to settle for another compromise. There had to be another way. A way that showed everyone he wasn¡¯t to be trifled with. That he wouldn¡¯t budge.


    Biding his time and leveling up his [Shopkeeper] main-class until he unlocked some other useful subclass or functionality, or simply throwing large enough sums of gold at the System-Severin reckoned one way or the other there had to be a way.


    ¡°Ha, now cheer up. All things considered, there is no reason to look so grim.¡± Samuel¡¯s voice tore Severin from his silly, defiant thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes too high, but the fact that you have quite some influential people vouching for you really shouldn¡¯t be dismissed. At the very least, people will be willing to listen. Don¡¯t waste that opportunity. So, take your time. Make a plan first. Things like this can¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    Samuel paused for a moment, during which he gave Severin an appraising look.


    ¡°Most importantly, I think you should relax for a bit. Take some time off.


    You¡¯ve never been to Hanvia, right? Or Malcos in general.


    Now this is the perfect opportunity for you to explore the city and get a feel for it, no?


    And you should join us for the Games. Then, afterwards, I¡¯ll see what I can do for you.


    How does that sound?


    Might be better for you to wait until the Games are over and done with, anyway. Everyone should be pretty busy right now and if I had to guess, I¡¯d say this is probably not something old Ringald can decide on his own.


    Well, who knows how exactly these things work? Haha.¡±


    Hearing Samuel¡¯s words, Severin¡¯s first inclination was to decline the well-meaning offer.


    Not even because of his terrible mood or because he was reluctant to explore the city once he arrived-he wasn¡¯t.


    After all, this would be his first opportunity to experience a foreign civilization belonging to a magical world, first hand. There wasn¡¯t a single person who would let such an opportunity pass.


    But he didn¡¯t make this trip simply for fun, or to satisfy his curiosity, either.


    Right now, a little girl and a dwarf he barely knew were left in charge of everything he possessed in this world. He hadn¡¯t realized it until now, but the floating mountain had become a true home to him.


    So while he certainly was looking forward to actually experiencing part of this world, its people and some of their customs, a prolonged holiday was not something he was especially keen on right now.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Until he realized. Maybe Samuel was right. Maybe he really needed to take some time off. Some time to relax.


    It wasn¡¯t that he felt exhausted; the last couple of days, he spent complaining about boredom, so how could he?


    But clearly, he wasn¡¯t in a right-some would even say, sane-state of mind. Just a few minutes prior, he had considered, if only briefly, to basically go to war with an entire kingdom simply because he might not get his will.


    So, just maybe, taking off more than just a single day or two before negotiating a deal with far-reaching consequences that might determine the future of him and his business wasn¡¯t all that bad of an idea.


    ¡°Fine.¡± After a short internal debate, Severin finally conceded.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    With that, a tense atmosphere he hadn¡¯t even been aware of until now was dispelled; apparently Severin hadn¡¯t been able to hide his displeasure as well as he had thought.


    Samuel¡¯s almost elated exclamation only reinforced this suspicion.


    At the same time, as if mirroring Severin¡¯s state of mind, the dense wall of clouds that had surrounded the ship ever since he got up and began to clear, revealing the breathtaking sight of seemingly endless expanses of untouched nature.


    Without realizing it, Severin soon got lost in the sight and cleared his head.


    Few hours later, according to the position of the sun, the scenery began to change, as the first signs of civilization appeared.


    Such as the rectangular shaped agricultural fields, the collections of tiny dark dots representing remote settlements, and the hint of rough pathways connecting them.


    Yet another hour later, and these sightings became not only more frequent, but they also increased in size.


    But the focus of his attention had already shifted to another matter.


    Severin noticed they weren¡¯t the only ones up in the sky any longer.


    At some points, a variety of different flying artefacts had appeared.


    In terms of shapes, most of them looked like mastless ships and boats, similar to the one Severin was riding right now.


    But not all of them.


    He found that the second most common design of flying artefacts, which mostly were on the smaller side, looked just like the one Xander was flaunting about whenever he had the opportunity; it looked like the basket of a hot-air-balloon with a magic gem attached to each of its corners.


    After passing several of those balloons at a relatively close distance, Severin realized that the crystals attached to the smaller specimens tended to be fully translucent, whereas the ones stuck to the slightly larger ones-the ones that could hold more than just a single person-had some faint bluish color to them.


    Apart from the flying ships and those balloons, some of the more popular designs were that of a plain disk, which somehow reminded Severin of flying carpets, and something that looked like an oversized torpedo or an undersized submarine.


    While the former completely exposed its passengers riding on top, the latter did the exact opposite, encasing them and giving off an unpleasantly claustrophobic feeling to Severin, making him very grateful for his current arrangements; and certainly not just because of all the means of transportation the one provided by Samuel¡¯s was by far the most impressive looking .


    That was apart from maybe one exception.


    Maybe, because the distance sadly made it impossible for him to be one hundred percent sure whether the giant bird he, at one point, had spied on the horizon had really been someone¡¯s mount. Just the possibility, however, was still enough to make him giddy with excitement.


    So much so, that even after the beast was already out of sight, it still took Severin several more minutes to calm down and realize that basically all the traffic, including said beast, was either coming from or headed in the same general direction as him.

 Chapter 135

    Given the scenery, Severin half expected them to still arrive on that same day, but when he asked Samuel he learned this would not be the case.


    In fact, at evening when the sun set, the [Berserker] stopped the ship altogether, leaving them hovering who-knows how many kilometers up in the sky as if anchored in place.


    Based on some information he pieced together, Severin roughly understood that someone had to actively control a flying artifact for it to keep moving.


    That revelation left him a bit stumped as he, at no point, felt that Samuel was behaving any different from usual, much less actively driving the ship.


    Also, apparently the top speed of an artefact like this was not only determined by the quality and quantity of the installed crystals, but dependent on the person controlling the ship as well.


    Severin¡¯s first, game-knowledge inspired, thought was that maybe the ship was using mana as some kind of fuel which had to be actively channeled into those crystals for them to act as the engine.


    Then he remembered that as a [Berserker] Samuel shouldn¡¯t have any mana whatsoever.


    It also wasn¡¯t clear to him why, even when the ship wasn¡¯t moving, and therefore, he assumed, not actively controlled, was it still able to float about?


    Severin had great interest in those crystals and similarly many questions, but after some consideration he thought it best not to ask them; they would only arouse suspicion or, at the very least, evoke some unwelcome counter-questions in return.


    ¡®Maybe I can look into it once we arrive in Hanvia. Find some shipbuilder or artificer or whoever builds these things and approach them for some information. Or anyone, really. Anyone who isn¡¯t under the impression that I must own one of those ships myself.¡¯


    Severin made some rough plans for the days to come, but those were soon put to the back of his mind when he heard someone mention the word food.


    No longer was he able to ignore his body¡¯s complaints about being deprived of lunch. His stomach began to growl, and Severin realized he didn¡¯t eat anything since he had come on board. When the others had lunch, he must¡¯ve still been asleep.


    The discussion about what to eat was still ongoing when Severin took the initiative and, without hesitation, summoned several full menus worth of everything his kitchen had to offer to share with his hosts.


    Not just as a sign of gratitude for being able to tag along, but also because he had stocked up his personal inventory exactly for this occasion. He also knew from the comments of his regulars that even when stored this way, the food was still perishable. Not sharing while it was still fresh would simply be a waste and if it earned him some goodwill, then all the better.


    And indeed, his gesture was well received.


    Seeing Miriam and Timothy pounce on the food, especially on the somehow still slightly hot pizzas, Severin was reminded of his first [Employee].


    He turned his attention inwards and concentrated in an attempt to contact the girl.


    ¡®Em?¡¯


    But something just didn¡¯t feel right. It was no different from simply thinking to himself; he could tell immediately, based on the missing feedback he usually experienced whenever he made use of the System-provided telepathy-like ability, that something wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡®Damn! Guess that¡¯s another feature that only works within the limits of the Emporium.¡¯


    The other feature was, of course, the minimap that had disappeared the moment he stepped onto the ship.


    ¡®Should¡¯ve thought of that possibility earlier! Wonder what else isn¡¯t working out here.¡¯


    It was something he should probably have verified earlier, but hadn¡¯t thought of because of his lack of sleep. After that, he simply forgot.


    He felt stupid and that it was a gross oversight on his part; one he decided to rectify on the spot.


    During the next half an hour he checked which of the feature were still working, and which weren¡¯t.


    The result wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as he had feared.


    Apart from the telepathy and minimap features, he was happily surprised to find that all others were still functioning; albeit some only to a limited extent.


    Whereas he had still full access to his own private inventory, for example, he could still examine the contents of the one belonging to the Emporium itself, but not insert or withdraw anything from it. The same was true for the respective balances; it also meant that even in his absence he would still be earning some gold coins he could use during his travels as long as he set the income conversion settings accordingly.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    His finding elevated much of his worries and with a mind of ease, he went to bed relatively early that evening; after all, though he had already caught up a bit on sleep earlier, it was only for a few hours and just after a long previous day at that.


    ..


    Next day was largely uneventful.


    Shortly after Samuel took up the invisible helm again, Severin found they were leaving behind the rural parts.


    What he had seen the day before were some few houses with maybe one or two equally small fields to sustain the residents, but overall, these settlements were too small to even be called hamlets.


    Now, something resembling real villages started to pop up.


    Then towns.


    But none of the scattered flying artefacts they encountered ever seemed to pay those any attention, whatsoever. The kind of people who could afford those artefacts were obviously not interested in those backwater places.


    Sooner rather than later, even Severin had lost all interest in them; he could never make out more than their general shapes, anyway. So once the novelty factor had worn off, looking into the distance really wasn¡¯t all that entertaining.


    Severin decided this might be a great opportunity to pick Samuel¡¯s brain on a few matters. Only to find that the man was busy fulfilling his duties as a mentor, leaving Severin to his own devices for most of the day.


    As a consequence, most of his time was spent observing the landscape, after all. That, and, more often that he would care to admit, he checked the numbers on his System screen to see whether his two [Employees] had made any sales in the meantime.


    At the beginning, he had tried to listen in to Samuel¡¯s lectures, but quickly gave up on that.


    Lessons on monster anatomy, resource-management, itemization choices, and combat formations were surprisingly much less interesting than he would have imagined.


    Only in the evening, when it was time for dinner, which Severin gladly provided, did the lessons come to an end and the conversations turned to a more interesting topic. Even if said topic was still the same as the days before. But after hours of twiddling his thumbs, the youths¡¯ enthusiasm was strangely infectious to Severin, so that in the end he too couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the spectacles.


    Learning that a bunch of healers of various different classes were apparently on standby throughout all of the event somehow made the idea of spectating some gladiatorial games just that much less repulsive to him. He didn¡¯t fool himself in regard to the effectiveness of these measures, but flying limbs and spilling guts were more easily acceptable to him when he knew those were just a byproduct of the show and not the main attraction.


    Though the day had overall been rather dull, Severin was in high spirits, and now that his interest was piqued, he had a couple of questions about the event he wanted to ask.


    But that was when the [Berserker] suddenly interrupted them.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s as far as we¡¯ll go today.¡± Only now did Severin realize that the ship had stopped, above a coniferous forest, the lights of real cities visible in the distance.


    ¡°If we keep going, we would arrive in the middle of the night. At that time, processing would be painfully slow. And then we¡¯d still have to find our accommodations. It¡¯s a hassle. I say we call it a day and then enter the city in the morning before it gets too lively. So, get some sleep, will ya.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s way too early!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not kids anymore!¡± Miriam and Timothy immediately started complaining, realizing the words were more than a friendly suggestion. But the old man was having none of it.


    ¡°Consider it part of your training. Just like good soldiers, good adventurers should be able to take advantage of any off time they can get to get a bit of sleep and replenish their energies. You never know when the next opportunity arises.¡±


    Samuel had only specifically addressed the two youths, but Severin naturally took the hint. On the day before, he might¡¯ve also complained, at least inwardly, or roll his eyes just like the two youths. Now that he didn¡¯t feel the need to rush anymore, however, checking out the perceived competition could easily wait one more day. Their beds wouldn¡¯t be as comfortable as those on the ship, anyway.

 Chapter 136

    If it wasn¡¯t for the ship already being in motion when he woke up, Severin would¡¯ve assumed he was the first to wake up on this day. It was still dim outside, and the interior of the ship wasn¡¯t illuminated either.


    Once he reached the deck, however, where during the past two days the four people spent basically all the time they weren¡¯t sleeping, he realized he was, in fact, the last person to arrive.


    His surprise about this was short-lived. Though for a moment he wondered whether the two youths had even slept at all, if they were woken by Samuel, or if, as adventurer¡¯s, they were simply accustomed to make to with comparable little sleep, he soon noticed something far more interesting.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed it looking through the small porthole in his cabin, partly because of the poor light conditions, partly because he hadn¡¯t really paid attention to it, but now he realized they were flying lower than the previous days. Considerably lower, and from what he could tell, they were still on a gentle but continuous descent.


    This in return made Severin finally realize just at what kind of speed they were traveling.


    He had known early on that his shop was located very much desolated and far removed from all civilization, so much so that up to this point, people found him only by pure coincidence.


    People needed multiple days crossing the Golden Mountains his shop was located within.


    Markus, though he admittedly had made many detours and breaks on his journey, had taken at least a week or two for his trip.


    So how was it now possible to make the same trip in less than three whole days?


    It hadn¡¯t been a question that had been on Severin¡¯s mind, but now he knew the answer.


    He was shocked.


    Sure, the few noteworthy landmarks usually disappeared rather swiftly, but from up high, especially when they were surrounded by nothing but clouds or traveling across the seemingly endless lakes, there simply was no real point of reference to accurately estimate their speed of travel.


    Now that more and more details of their surroundings became discernable, so the speed they were traveling at also became more clear.


    It was something Severin was vaguely familiar with back from his few flights back at home, but never to such a degree.


    Furthermore, now it was still rather dark, and the height they were traveling at couldn¡¯t be considered to be low. The longer they would keep this course, the more would the dizzying sensation grow in intensity.


    Startled and with a sudden bout of vertigo, Severin took a quick step back from the railing.


    For a moment, he even feared being swept off the deck.


    Only to find that at no point in their journey had he even felt the wind that should now be whipping their faces and make breathing impossible.


    In that regard, the situation was rather similar to when he had first arrived in this world, he noticed.


    Back then, when the invisible barrier kept him captive to the then still comparatively tiny store, had also cut off any weather effects; in fact, it still did. After all, the barrier never completely disappeared, but simply had grown in size whenever Severin expanded his premises.


    Though still shaking, Severin moved back to the rail, tempted to reach out his arm and try to feel if there really was a similar barrier surrounding them right now. Something he could touch and feel.


    Before Severin was able to think things through, a voice reached out to him.


    ¡°Sev! You¡¯re already up. Great. I was just about to clarify some things before we enter the city. Most of this does not concern you directly, so I didn¡¯t want to wake you, but now that you¡¯re here, you might want to join us.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Right. Sure thing.¡± Severin felt like a child that had been caught doing something stupid, but quickly found his bearings.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.¡°Have you guys eaten yet?¡±


    They hadn¡¯t, and so Severin provided everyone with his seemingly endless supply of bread while listening to what the [Berserker] had to say.


    ¡°First things first. Unlike last time, we will go through official channels. That means once we arrive, we will have to deal with a bunch of questions and inspections.


    I understand it¡¯s annoying, but those guys are only doing their job. I want no complaining or the same. If they ask you something, answer. Truthfully. Is that clear?¡±


    It was clear who these words were meant for, so Severin remained silent.


    Miriam and Timothy, however, answered obediently.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Satisfied by the immediate answers, Samuel nodded to himself, and his voice become considerably softer as he continued.


    ¡°Great.


    Then next is this. Once we set foot on the ground, it falls to you guys to find us an inn. I suggest you don¡¯t dawdle too much. The city will already be rather crowded, and with only more people to come. So, if you want a place to sleep, you better get a room when it¡¯s still early.


    That means two things.


    First, you can¡¯t be too picky; not much to say about that.


    Second, there will be people trying to take advantage of the situation. Therefore, I suggest you take Severin with you.¡±


    At the last part Samuel turned his attention from his two mentees towards the [Shopkeeper] , who immediately agreed to accompany them, though he wasn¡¯t sure whether to feel flattered by the suggestion that he would probably be less likely to fall for a scam than Timothy and Miriam, or if the comment was a jab at his occupation and work ethics.


    He decided not to dwell on the matter as the youths started to complain.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we do it like last time, instead?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Why look for an overcrowded, overpriced, and probably noise hole when¡­¡± Miriam¡¯s voice became lower and lower as she looked into the old man¡¯s face, until it faded completely, realizing that the man wasn¡¯t too happy about their objections.


    The two quickly changed their tune.


    ¡°Ha, which self-respecting adventurer needs a clean bed?¡±


    ¡°Right, right! How could we learn from other people¡¯s experiences if we try to avoid them?!¡±


    But they didn¡¯t give up completely.


    ¡°I just wondered¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Samuel asked with a smirk.


    ¡°I wondered why you won¡¯t be joining us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join you later on. First, I¡¯ll have to take care of some business. Which includes securing seats for you guys. Unless¡­¡± Samuel stretched the last word.


    This time, the two shut up for good.


    ¡°As I thought,¡± Samuel laughed.


    ¡°Well then. Lastly, I expect you guys not to cause any trouble. Especially, don¡¯t disturb the regular citizens. Also remember, no offensive, or generally combat related abilities. So you, Miriam, better don¡¯t use any abilities at all. As for you Tim¡­ well, you know what? You better don¡¯t use any, either. Just to be safe.


    If you really can¡¯t help it, you might check out one of the many training grounds near the Arena, once you¡¯re done. I believe this time around there should be more than enough other knuckleheads like you to challenge. Might even do you some good. Get to know some different fighting styles.¡±


    Severin could see the two¡¯s eyes sparkle in response; they could hardly wait to challenge someone else besides each other, or some boring monsters.


    Luckily, they didn¡¯t have to wait for much longer for the flying ship to reach their destination. Just shortly after Samuel was done with another lecture, and the sun began to show herself on the horizon, Miriam called out,


    ¡°We¡¯re there!¡±

 Chapter 137

    Severin jumped up and hurried to join Miriam at the bow of the ship. Samuel and Timothy quickly joined them as well.


    ¡°Quite the sight, huh? Never ceases to amaze me.¡±


    Slack-jawed, Severin nodded in response, but could not get a word out.


    What he expected to see was a larger version of the cities they had passed. Nothing had prepared him for this. The dimensions of the city-the metropolis- in front of them, were simply too exaggerated. Impossible almost.


    Was it comparable to the megacities in his home world that housed tens of millions of people? Surely not. But those weren¡¯t encompassed by walls that made the Walls of Constantinople look like a miniature installation either.


    Accordingly massive city gates, a colosseum-like arena and uncountable other buildings of similarly impressive size. Not to mention the palace that sat proudly, right in the middle of the city, surrounded by extensive green spaces.


    Severin didn¡¯t know where to look.


    His mind went blank. Fantasy world or not, in his mind, this shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    And the impression only grew with every passing second; with every meter they approached further.


    Not just because everything grew even bigger and bigger as they approached, but because of all the details that began to reveal themselves.


    ¡®No metal,¡¯ was the first of those things that jumped out at Severin once his senses began to return. Even the large towers, which easily deserved to be called skyscrapers, appeared to be constructed only out of stone and wood.


    ¡°¡­magic?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Many nobles will remind you that it was their magic abilities, hard work, and sacrifices that shaped this city into what it is today. In fact, those deeds are what earned many of them their titles in the first place.


    What they oftentimes forget to mention, however, are the ones whose classes simply were not rare enough to warrant similarly special treatment. Or the majority of just as hard-working and indispensable ordinary people who simply weren¡¯t lucky enough to be blessed with any class at all. For Hanvia to continue to thrive¡­¡±


    Severin acknowledged Samuel¡¯s words with a grunt, but stopped listening. At any other time, he would appreciate this kind of impromptu history lesson, but right now, he wasn¡¯t in the mood. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t concentrate on it even if he wanted to. He still hadn¡¯t completely calmed down; all he could do was stare down at the huge structure in front of them while trying to understand the implications of what he saw.


    Shaped by his preconceived notion of what a fantasy world would have to look like which was then further exacerbated by everything he had seen so far, be it the cold weapons, the clothing, or simply the overall aesthetics of the flying ships and Magda¡¯s outpost, what he expected to find was something more medieval.


    Now it began to dawn on him just how ridiculous it was to assume that the only difference between a world that contained magic and his own would be a technological difference of maybe a few centuries.


    ¡®Fuck. Thinking about it, those things are basically flying cars. How primitive can such a world, such a society, really be?¡® With this thought still in his mind, Severin shifted his attention back upwards to eye-level, where, even at this early hour, was already an armada of said vehicles hovering in the air.


    He was too overwhelmed to even be surprised by the sight of an oversized, obviously tamed, bat-like beast hovering in relatively close proximity.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Only then did he finally notice that in the meantime, the ship had stopped moving even though they were still a good distance away from the city itself; so far so that the pedestrians and carriages on the ground lined in front of the city were still only dots to him.


    But he also noticed that they weren¡¯t the only ones. In fact, only a handful of flying artifacts were currently in the airspace directly above the city itself. The other ships, balloons, torpedoes, carpets, and occasional beasts were all floating in place, just like them.


    ¡°What exactly are we waiting for?¡± Severin finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer and had to ask the question he, under normal circumstances, would¡¯ve easily been able to answer himself just by observing his surroundings and using common sense.


    ¡°See this sphere?¡± Coming from a first-time visitor, Samuel apparently didn¡¯t think the question was all that strange and answered while pointing at an object that was hidden from Severin¡¯s sight by the man¡¯s massive frame. Only after taking a step back did Severin see that there was a one meter tall buoy floating next to the ship emitting a red light.


    ¡°Once it changes its color¡­¡±


    ¡°A traffic light,¡± he interrupted without thinking.


    ¡°Oh? What a fitting name, haha. So you do have something similar back where you are from?¡± The [Berserker] didn¡¯t wait for an answer. ¡°There look,¡± Samuel now pointed towards another flying artifact and the construct next to it. Its light had just changed from red to blue.


    The carpet immediately began to speed up and towards the city. Or, more precisely, towards one of the many towers located right behind the city walls.


    Interestingly enough, multiple lights installed on the towers¡¯ docking platform were now also blinking in a familiar blue light.


    Now knowing what to look out for, Severin soon found a few dozen more of these towers spread along the enormous wall, not all of which currently in operation.


    Seeing that about ten to thirty minutes after docking, the manmade ships disappeared into thin air, Severin grew curious as to how the procedure would be for flying beats. Yet before he could figure out the details, their own sphere turned green and guided them towards the nearest docking bay.


    With that, everything else became unimportant.


    ¡°Remember to behave,¡± Samuel warned a last time as parts of the railway retracted and a gangplank extended to bridge the small gap between ship and docking platform.


    ¡°Coming aboard,¡± a sleepy voice announced, and two uniformed men boarded the ship without waiting for a response.


    ¡°Purpose for your visit, name, and class. If applicable.¡±


    ¡°Jim.¡±


    ¡°Name¡¯s Samuel. Coming for the Games. And business, actually. [Berserker].¡±


    ¡°Jim.¡±


    ¡°¡­serker].¡± The man called Jim repeated the words to himself as he jotted them down on a single piece of shimmering paper without looking up.


    ¡°Jim!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the man finally snapped at the colleague that kept calling his name and was about to turn around, when for the first time, his eyes met Samuels¡¯.


    ¡°Wha¡­ what did you say your name was, sir?¡±


    ¡°Samuel.¡±


    gulp


    ¡°And your class? Sir.¡±


    ¡°[Berserker].¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 138

    ¡°When¡­ when you say you are here for the games, you don¡¯t mean than you are here to participate yourself. Do you?¡± The man who had recognized Samuel first couldn¡¯t keep his hope and excitement from creeping into his voice.


    ¡°Those days are long past, I¡¯m afraid. But maybe in a few years¡¯ time you will be able to cheer on my disciples,¡± Samuel, with a faint smile, offered in return.


    For the first time, either of the two uniformed men looked at the people standing next to the [Berserker].


    ¡°Your disciples!? Of course. I¡¯ll be sure to remember them. With your guidance, they are bound to have bright futures ahead of them, haha!¡±


    At this point, neither one of them showed any more concern for their duties.


    ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t want to keep you any longer. Please enjoy your stay.¡±


    ¡°What about the inspection? Don¡¯t you need to¡­¡±


    The star struck man called Jim waved his idol off and replied,


    ¡°that won¡¯t be necessary, Sir! You are basically a national hero! Our higher ups wouldn¡¯t forgive us if we were to trouble you any longer.¡±


    Sigh


    Samuel was too familiar with this kind of situation to convince them otherwise. He realized long ago that these things weren¡¯t actually about himself.


    All he could really do was to accept the people''s goodwill and later on make sure the two youngsters wouldn¡¯t take this kind of treatment for granted.


    Severin observed these interactions from the side. While, unlike Timothy and Miriam, he felt uncomfortable by the probing looks, he still gladly accepted the benefits of being mistaken as one of Samuel¡¯s followers; answering intimate questions was the last thing he wanted to do.


    He also realizing he had severely underestimated Samuel¡¯s fame.


    From the first time he met him, Severin knew Samuel was not an ordinary old man. This was later on confirmed when his relationship with Malcos¡¯ [Prince] had been revealed. But somehow it still took him by surprise that the bare-chested man was immediately recognized and called awe-inspiring names the moment they arrived.


    But this wasn¡¯t the only thing he learned.


    He once again realized just how na?ve he had been. One couldn¡¯t simply enter the city of Hanvia as one pleased, so how could he ever be allowed to operate a portal station that would circumvent those mandatory inspections? Especially since he had to believe that, under normal circumstances, the three questions regarding name, class, and purpose were likely just preliminary measures. Even inventory searches, if those were actually a thing, weren¡¯t unthinkable to Severin.


    Severin would need to take all those matters into account when negotiating and only because he had already decided to take things slow, the pressure was still bearable.


    One after the other, people started to disembark the docked flying ship. Severin was the last person to leave and only because of this did no one bumped into him when he suddenly stopped moving .


    [Spread the Word


    As a [Shopkeeper] and business owner, you never truly have time off; take this opportunity to advertise the Emporium and its wares to a completely new customer base.


    Reward: Receive two more V.I.P membership cards and unlock the ability to adjust some V.I.P. privileges.]


    The reward was not all that enticing, but the request was reasonable enough that Severin didn¡¯t outright dismiss it. If anything, advertising his store was something he had planned to do anyway and all the notification did, was to remind him of the existence of his remaining two V.I.P. cards he hadn¡¯t yet utilized.


    ¡®Maybe I should consider giving one of them to Samuel,¡¯ Severin thought, but not entirely without ulterior motives as he quickly fell in line behind the others.


    The next moment, the large ship disappeared into nothingness and, after Samuel entertained his two excited fans for a few more minutes, the group finally made their way down the magically reinforced wooden tower and down into the city.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°That¡¯s where we will split up. You know what to do?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Miriam assured. Severin followed up by a question of his own.


    ¡°Where are we meeting up later?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll find you.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ..


    The moment Samuel left the group, Miriam and Timothy could no longer restrain themselves and started their boisterous chattering.


    ¡°Master is amazing. See how everyone acknowledges and respects him?!¡± The pride in Timothy¡¯s voice was all too obvious.


    ¡°Of course they do! He might just be the greatest [Berserker] that ever existed. That is, until one day I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it! I dare you.¡± Tim interrupted Miriam before she could finish her sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t insult him by comparing yourself to him. Not in a million years will¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Pah, just you wait. Don¡¯t be too cocky just because you won a few duels! You know as well as I do that our class is way more dependent on levels than most others. Seriously, sometimes I wonder why Sam even bothered to take in some caster like you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just call him Sam! And stop with those excuses, will you!?¡±


    Severin simply followed the quarreling youths on their aimless search for accommodations, too busy contemplating his surroundings to be bothered by the noise they created.


    Most eye-catching were the occasional skyscraper-like buildings like the one they had just emerged from. From down on the ground, they looked even more mindboggling and physics-defying, making Severin involuntarily tense up. Even knowing on an intellectual level that there was nothing to be afraid of and that everything was hold in place by some kind of magic, the feeling that those constructs at any moment could collapse in on themselves didn¡¯t subside and made Severin subconsciously fasten his steps.


    In comparison, he looked way more favorably onto the half-timbered houses that took up most of the place on both sides on the cobbled, but strangely smooth, street they were walking on; those didn¡¯t exceed more than three or four floors at most and their rustic charm more closely coincided with Severin¡¯s initial expectations.


    Every few meters, a smaller-sized version of the traffic light buoys was floating in place and with a warm yellow light lit the way for the many people that already filled the streets. This light also made it easier to read the many name signs attached to the various buildings; at least those that weren¡¯t already glowing by themselves.


    It turned out that even more of those signs than expected, ended up advertising inns or even full-fledged hotels with foyers he expected only to find in his old world. And yet, they soon found that without relying on Samuel¡¯s name, finding lodging would not be an easy task.


    Even after lowering their demands, after searching for close to two hours, things didn¡¯t look particularly promising.


    For two young, somewhat successful adventurers and a shop owner, the problem was not with the money, and Samuel¡¯s warning in regards to getting scammed, so far, had also been unnecessary; for the most part, the problem had simply been to find an establishment that still offered multiple free rooms.


    Because of that, the three people decided to stray from the main street to instead try their luck on some of the narrower, shoddier side and back streets. With largely the same results; those that weren¡¯t completely booked out, simply were so rundown that Miriam and Timothy decided they would rather draw Samuel¡¯s ire than spend a whole night there. Severin found himself agreeing with that sentiment as they fled one of these particular establishments.


    ¡°Maybe we should check with the Society. They should be able to point us in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bother. I guarantee you that the hotels officially registered with them were the first ones to be booked out.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise¡­ I heard at times like this, quite a few regular citizens will rent out one of their rooms. Apparently, the money they can earn off adventurers this way easily exceeds what they make with their normal jobs.¡±


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s the case, but what good is a single room?! Might as well split up.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I try to come up with something!¡±


    ¡°Looking for lodging?¡± The two youths silently glared at each other when an unfamiliar voice reached out to them.


    Severin turned around and found a dwarf even smaller than Bandur, almost completely hidden behind a heavy-looking cart filled to the brim with all kinds of vegetables and other foodstuff.


    Without giving the brats a chance to interfere, Severin immediately answered,


    ¡±Yes! Please!¡±

 Chapter 139

    ¡°Three rooms?¡± The small man poked out his head from behind his cart, looked at the group, and voiced his educated guess.


    Though the man¡¯s reasoning was flawed, since he still arrived at the right conclusion, Severin didn¡¯t bother to correct him and explain the situation in more detail.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°One of them has to be a double room, though,¡± Timothy quickly added. ¡°Otherwise, we need four.¡±


    Realizing he had overlooked this detail, Severin simply nodded when the dwarf


    once again, shot them an inquisitive look.


    ¡°Hm. Shouldn¡¯t make a difference, anyway. Well then, follow me.¡± With these words, he disappeared back behind his cargo. The next moment, the cart began to move towards Severin and the two youths.


    ¡°Guy that runs that place is a cheapskate. Be glad he didn¡¯t have any more rooms available.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he did¡­¡± answered Timothy, who was the first to understand what the man, who had just caught up to them, was getting at.


    ¡°Hahaha, that bad, huh? To be snubbed even at times like this¡­ well, serves him right, I say.¡±


    Ptui


    Unerringly, a yellow glob found its way right in front of the door of the rundown inn where the group had just tried their luck.


    Seemingly unperturbed by his obscene behavior, the two adventurers quickly fell in line with the dwarf. Even Severin didn¡¯t even make a disgusted face and also followed; yet again, another novelty had caught his attention. The dwarf¡¯s cart had made the impression that it was heavy enough to warrant the use of a donkey or a mule or some otherworldly equivalent. But now that Severin¡¯s sight was no longer obstructed by the many crates, he took a closer look at the man pushing his cart. And he noticed the dwarf didn¡¯t even have to make an effort.


    Severin was taken aback and for a moment considered the possibility that the man was actually a classbearer.


    Only to realize that the cart wasn¡¯t actually a cart.


    It was more of a hugely oversized box. A box that was somehow floating just a few centimeters above the ground and therefore, it seemed, did not generate any of the friction of a normal, traditional cart. Fascinated, Severin wondered whether somewhere inside this box he would be able to find an embedded pale blue crystal.


    For a few minutes, during which the dwarf led them through several hidden passages that only a local would know, Severin''s attention was mainly focused on this floating box that perfectly kept a constant distance from the ground, no matter if the road was rising or falling.


    Only when he almost ran into Miriam¡¯s heels, as everyone else suddenly stopped, did Severin start paying closer attention to his surroundings again and found himself standing in front of what looked like the rear entrance of a small hotel or pub. Seeing this, Severin almost betrayed his inattention during the last few minutes when he was about to ask, "We''re here already?" but was interrupted before he could even open his mouth.


    ¡°Alright, first stop. Come to think of it, you might as well help me out a bit. You two,¡± their guide nodded towards the youths before pointing at one large crate and two smaller sized ones, ¡°grab these for me, will ya.¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, the dwarf then marched over to the door and was about to start hammering it with hands that were large even by human standards, when the door opened from the inside to reveal a simply but neatly clothed man with a friendly face.


    ¡°Gorik! I knew that delicate voice had to be yours. Oh, and it seems like you finally took my advice and found yourself some assistance.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡°What assistance?!¡± came the brusque reply. ¡°Simply taking them to Milly. Thought they might as well make themselves useful on the way.¡±


    The human, who had obviously been expecting the delivery, gave the youths an apologetic smile and nodded briefly at Severin before turning his attention back to the dwarf.


    ¡°Milly? She¡¯s back in business already?¡±


    ¡°She will be later today. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    That was all Severin caught of the conversation before the two men disappeared into the building; Miriam and Timothy obediently followed them while carrying the crates without moaning.


    Seeing this, Severin wondered if the two men even realized that Miriam was able to easily carry all of Gorik¡¯s cargo just by herself; and all at once.


    No five minutes later, Gorik stashed away a few coins into a small pouch that was knotted to his belt in such a way that under normal circumstances it was hidden under his long beard.


    For the next hour, the group then continued their travel through the side streets of Malcos¡¯ capital, making deliveries; even to some private residences.


    Severin was on the verge of complaining, but when only four medium-sized crates were remaining, and the dwarf stopped in front of a surprisingly new looking building that was twice as wide as the surrounding ones and had an extra floor, he swallowed his annoyance.


    The weathered sign reading Milly''s that hung above the door was a stark contrast to the immaculate-looking facade, confirming that they indeed had finally reached their destination.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Just take the remaining crates with you when you go inside; I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± As if he were suddenly in a great rush, the dwarf started hurrying the two young adventurers.


    ¡°Ah, just like that? Alright, I guess. Thank y¡­¡±


    ¡°Gorik!? What do you think you are doing? Trying to sneak away without any pay?¡± Seemingly out of nowhere, a portly woman with a messy bun appeared next to the dwarf and started scolding him. While doing so, she somehow managed to maintain a friendly smile on her face. But despite that smile, which reminded Severin of a similarly built woman, she didn¡¯t look especially elvish to him. Though her long narrow ears exposed her exactly as that.


    ¡°I just¡­¡± It was hard to believe that the helplessly stammering man in front of them and the coarse dwarf called Gorik were actually one and the same person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you take pity on me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I¡­ Just pay me back once this whole spectacle is over!¡± Gorik couldn¡¯t take it any longer, and, with a red face, almost began to shout.


    Having seen enough, Severin quickly motioned for his two companions to unload the hovering cart to give the visibly embarrassed man an opportunity to excuse himself.


    ..


    ¡°And you are? I don¡¯t believe that old fool has finally given in and hired some help, has he?¡±


    ¡®At last, someone with sense.¡¯


    ¡°So, that means¡­¡± she continued to think aloud.


    ¡°He overheard we were looking for a place to stay. Said you might have some rooms for us.¡±


    ¡°And on the way he had you help him out, is that right? Haha, well that sounds just like him, alright. But please don''t hold it against him.


    At the very least, he didn¡¯t promise you too much. Though my modest inn hasn¡¯t officially reopened yet- I still have some cooking to do, beds to make and dust to wipe- but after coming all this way and helping out that stubborn dwarf, I can not simply refuse you, can I? So please come inside.¡±

 Chapter 140

    Milly led the way towards what served as both the reception desk of the inn as well as a small bar counter. From underneath it, she pulled out an old, well-worn book.


    She put the book down in front of her but did not open it. Instead, she looked one by one at the three people on the other side of the counter until her gaze finally lingered on Severin, whom she identified as the leader of the group; if only by merit of his age.


    ¡°Currently, it¡¯s me running this inn by myself. The only other help I have is that of my son. That means I¡¯m not currently able to run the kitchen,¡± she offhandedly pointed to the door behind her, ¡°and the bar at the same time. Therefore, the bar will stay closed during the day. Similarly, that means that in the evening I won¡¯t be able to provide any meals. Unless you order it beforehand, that is. Then I can keep it for you in the kitchen for later. But in that case, I don¡¯t want to hear any complaints about it being cold. Of course, that also means you have to pay for it in advance.


    Same goes for the rooms themselves-advance pay only.


    If you have a problem with any of that, I suggest you look for another place to stay.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± With that, the elven woman visibly warmed up to the group and opened the book in front of her.


    ¡°How many rooms and how long will you be staying?¡±


    Somewhat stumped by the second half of the question, Severin looked at the people next to him.


    ¡°About least a week, I¡¯d say.¡± Timothy voiced his opinion.


    ¡°Right,¡± Miriam agreed as well. ¡°Especially with your other business later on.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Severin thanked them and turned back to the innkeeper. ¡°So, a week it is. Or you know what? Add another three, no, four days. Just to be safe. I¡¯ll cover the difference.¡± The last part was added for Miriam¡¯s and Timothy¡¯s benefit, but before either one of them answered, it was again Milly who spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go with just one week, then. Once the Games are over, a lot of people will depart immediately. By then we won¡¯t be that starved for rooms anymore. At that time, you can just as well book the rooms on a daily basis.¡±


    In turn, Severin¡¯s opinion of the woman also increased. He didn¡¯t argue with her, nodded, and repeated Timothy¡¯s earlier words.


    ¡°Depending on what¡¯s available, we¡¯ll take either a combination of one double room and two regular ones, or simply just four regular ones.¡±


    ¡°As I already said, right now you are our only customers. I expect to be completely booked out in just a few hours from now, but as things stand, you have the free choice.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll take the double room.¡±


    Though he was a bit surprised by the interjection, Severin didn¡¯t comment on it; despite their constant arguing and bickering, the relationship between the two was apparently not as bad as one might think.


    And even if he wanted to comment, he wasn¡¯t given the opportunity to do so.


    In response to the group''s answers, Milly began to jot something down in her book when footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs leading to the inn''s accommodations.


    A few moments later, a dark-haired boy stood in the middle of the spacious yet cozy common room.


    ¡°Are you our guests? I thought we weren¡¯t opening for another few hours.¡±


    ¡°Nel! Don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, and welcome everyone. I am Nel,¡± the boy quickly introduced himself after being scolded. But still couldn¡¯t keep his curiosity in check, as he followed up, ¡°and you are?¡±


    Nel was much younger than Severin had expected after Milly mentioned that her son would be helping out. He doubted the boy was any older than Emily. But then again, even if Nel¡¯s ears weren¡¯t as striking as his mother¡¯s, he was very obviously still an elf. At least in parts. So, for Severin, whose thinking was influenced by the notion of elven longevity and stories of their correspondingly slower development, it was impossible to rely on his assessment; unfortunately, now was hardly the time to find out with certainty how much of these stories was actually true.


    ¡°They are indeed our guests. And no, we¡¯re not open yet. I made an exception since old Gorik brought them over himself.¡±


    If the boy had actually been looking at his mother when she was answering his questions, he would¡¯ve been able to notice an unhappy scowl appear on her face. Instead, he kept on asking his questions, staring at both Timothy and Miriam, while basically ignoring the comparatively ordinary looking Severin.


    ¡°You are real adventurers, right!? Classbearers, I mean.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Please excuse him. He is obsessed with adventurers, and outside of special occasions such as the Games this year, hardly any ever find their way to us.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± Severin asked, while Timothy and Miriam indulged Nel.


    ¡°Too far on the outskirts. And not officially registered with the Society. So, they won¡¯t send any business our way.¡±


    This made Severin even more curious, asking her what kept her from doing so.


    ¡°Haha, money, of course. The inspection fees are too prohibitive for someone like me. Even if I didn¡¯t have to spend most all my funds on those renovations.¡±


    Severin was genuinely confused. He ignored the innkeeper¡¯s bitter smile and wondered aloud, ¡°what do you mean, inspection fees? Are they demanding bribes?¡±


    Somewhat surprisingly, it was Miriam, who had been listening in with one ear, who now cleared up the confusion; seeing her dressed in a pelt around her shoulders, not unlike her mentor, it was all too easy to forget that Miriam had been raised a merchant¡¯s daughter. And exposed to all the knowledge that came with it.


    ¡°Everyone wants to be officially partnered with the Society. But they cannot accept just anyone, right? They have to verify that certain standards are met. Simply not being a fraud is not good enough.


    But even the Society can¡¯t just inspect every inn, every blacksmith, every alchemist, every¡­ you get the point. So, they narrow it down by demanding an inspection fee. It¡¯s actually not that bad of a system,¡± the [Berserker] gave Milly an uncharacteristically apologetic smile before continuing with her explanation.


    ¡°You might even just think of it as a deposit instead. In case you get accepted, they return the money as well. And if not¡­ well, then they don¡¯t. Keeps away everyone that isn¡¯t serious.


    My point is, your case is special, Sev. The Society probably never considered yours to be a regular store. Didn¡¯t they even check your wares for counterfeits? They must¡¯ve thought you¡¯re either a criminal and would¡¯ve dealt with you accordingly, or¡­ well, you know better than me what you guys have worked out. But either way, there never was the need for you to go through official channels to get your shop evaluated.¡±


    Severin barely had the time to process the explanation.


    ¡°You¡¯re a merchant? Just what exactly are you selling for you to have caught the Society¡¯s attention? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± Milly obviously disagreed with Miriam''s assessment of the Society''s partnership process, but when she learned that Severin was some sort of trader or merchant, one who was actively courted by the prestigious Society, her curiosity was piqued; the revelation wasn¡¯t any less impressive to her than learning that Timothy was a rare [Chaos Mage] was to her son Nel.


    Severin felt embarrassed. By no means did he consider himself a modest a person, but something about having to explain and introduce his products to the woman in front of him just didn¡¯t feel right. Not when the profits from selling even just one of his cheaper products probably exceeded the woman¡¯s average daily earnings. But since it was Milly herself who had asked him this question, avoiding answering altogether was even less of an option.


    ¡°I mostly specialize in adventurer supplies. Just potions and elixirs and the like.¡±


    ¡°Pah! What an understatement. There really is nothing better than his products. Nothing. Even Sam-our Mentor-says so. Otherwise, the Society hardly would¡¯ve gone out of their way to ask for a partnership themselves. ¡±


    ¡®Well, thanks for that, brat.¡¯ The smile on his face strained as the elf¡¯s eyes grew bigger and bigger. To make things worse, another voice suddenly chimed in from the side.


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget the food! Its effects are unheard of, yet it¡¯s the tastiest I¡¯ve ever had. Quite affordable as well.¡±


    ¡®Fuck!¡¯ Severin hated the position he was put in and Milly¡¯s expression turning from being impressed to showing evident doubt didn¡¯t make the situation any more pleasant to him.


    He knew he had to think of something. And the best he could think of this moment¡­


    Ahem


    ¡°Speaking of which. Looking for hours on end for some accommodations made me quite hungry, and I happen to still have some pizzas on me. Why don¡¯t you two join us as well?¡±


    Milly immediately saw through Severin¡¯s poorly hidden intentions and hesitated.


    For one, she still had some things to take care of before she could officially reopen her business.


    Secondly, and most importantly, this meant whatever this thing called pizza was, if it truly was something that provided adventurers with some kinds of effects, it was not something she could afford.


    And thirdly, she noticed Severin didn¡¯t have any luggage with him. Yet he claimed to carry enough food with him to feed at least five people. That suggested he too was a classbearer and not just a simple merchant.


    The elven woman struggled with herself; both her own curiosity and her son''s pleading looks made her want to accept the offer.


    ¡°In exchange, why don¡¯t you save us some of the dinner you spoke of for tonight?¡± Severin made the suggestion after noticing the woman¡¯s reservations. It wasn¡¯t completely without ulterior motives, either. With the still outstanding quest asking him to come up with new recipes, trying some of the local food was something he had planned to do, anyway.


    ¡°Well, alright then.¡± She finally gave in and led the group to one of the many rustic refectory tables.


    ..


    ¡°Moom! I have a buff! Look, mom. A buff. Like adventurers. Like dad!¡±

 Chapter 141

    After Miriam and Timothy unintentionally made him look like a fraud in the eyes of the elven innkeeper, Severin counted on the pizza¡¯s tooltip and its taste to convince her otherwise while at the same time winning over her son.


    But as far as the actual buff effect was concerned, he didn¡¯t have much expectations.


    Even if classless people were subject to the same stats and attributes as classbearers, they had to be so low that an increase of a few percent to any of them shouldn¡¯t be noticeable at all. In fact, he himself never physically felt any difference having a few additional HP or a point in strength. It might be different for adventurers or people of a higher level, but Severin could only tell he was currently buffed because his status screen told him so.


    And in his opinion, that was not something regular people would have access to.


    It turned out he was wrong.


    The son¡¯s excited shouts and the mother¡¯s grateful but somewhat guilty looks made it impossible for the group to immediately leave. Settling the bill and paying for their rooms was only possible after repeatedly rejecting her offers to upgrade their rooms to double rooms, free of charge.


    Even when she finally conceded and took their coins, she still insisted on giving them her best rooms.


    Best in this case-she explained- simply referred to their location, farthest away from the stairs and on the top floor.


    Initially Severin thought the opposite would be the most convenient, but changed his opinion and readily accepted Milly¡¯s goodwill, when she abashedly explained that his estimation was only true for the more upscale establishments that either noise canceling or at least noise dampening enchantments installed.


    She proudly added that while she could not compete with some of the better-known inns and hotels in terms of facilities and services, she could at least guarantee that she was in no way inferior to them in terms of cleanliness. As if to prove her claim, she invited the [Shopkeeper] and the two young adventurers to inspect their rooms.


    Severin politely declined.


    Maybe if he had any real luggage in his inventory, he would have humored her under the pretext of wanting to stow some of it away inside the room.


    But none of his items lent themselves to this. Neither the jelly cubes, nor the bottled oils and elixirs.


    And most certainly not the large amounts of supposedly perishable food, that, contradictory to what his customers suggested, still hadn¡¯t lost any of their taste or effectiveness while stored inside his inventory.


    Above all, Severin knew that the woman, by her own previous admission, could hardly afford to waste time like this, anyway.


    Hinting at this, the group finally managed to convince Milly to let them go.


    ..


    Standing outside, Severin deliberated on how to proceed.


    He first opened the System menu and checked the questlog.


    During their meal, Severin had talked a bit about his store and, with the help of both Timothy and Miriam, roughly described where it was located.


    Despite that, he now found that the status of the vaguely worded task asking him to promote his store hadn¡¯t been updated at all.


    Was it because the System, rightfully so, didn¡¯t consider her a potential customer?


    Because the scale of his impromptu advertisement wasn¡¯t large enough? Or maybe because he couldn¡¯t actually pinpoint the location of his store, let alone give directions, even if he wanted to?


    Whatever the case, the result wasn¡¯t anything unexpected, and he figured for more success he might as well try visiting one of Hanvia¡¯s local branches of the Adventurer¡¯s Society.


    To his understanding, those establishments had to be packed with potential customers, and getting a hold of a map depicting a certain land bridge shouldn¡¯t be impossible either.


    That reminded him.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The agreement he had with Magda stipulated that the Society branches operating on exactly that land bridge, which was commonly referred to as the Golden Mountains, were contractually obligated to promote his wares; the results of which he expected to soon be able to see reflected in his balance sheets. Not only that, but Andreas¡¯ group was also bound to return any time now.


    Severin took a look at the corresponding menus and confidently estimated that based on the revenue of his store, neither new nor returning customers had found their way to his floating mountain.


    He didn¡¯t find anything else that seemed of the ordinary, mentally swiped away the bluish screen, and was about to excuse himself and go on his way.


    ¡°Do you want to join us?¡±


    Severin was taken slightly off-guard and wasn¡¯t sure whether the invitation was entirely sincere or only made out of politeness. He still considered it earnestly, without having to ask whereto they were actually headed.


    Since he had already decided to take things slow, time was not a factor he had to take into consideration.


    On the other hand, it might not be a bad idea to stick to someone who was at least somewhat familiar with the place. Plus, it couldn¡¯t be ruled out that on their way to or from, the two might just make a stop at the Society or some other places that were of interest to him, anyway.


    In the worst case, he would simply follow them to a place packed with potential customers and see if he could find any opportunities.


    All things considered, the decision wasn¡¯t all that hard.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Severin agreed and let Timothy lead them towards the Colosseum like arena, that, thanks to the many helpful street signs with their unambiguous pictograms pointing them in the right direction, was impossible to miss, to begin with.


    By now the city had truly woken, but the streets were spacious enough for the group not to be slowed down by the droves of people going along their business. Even if they did, Severin would not have minded as there were still all kinds of novelties that demanded his attention; it was impossible for him to grow bored in this environment.


    From the magic shops that sold common household items, such as magically enchanted cooling and heating stones, to the pair of centaurs who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and passed him at a trot, which, after the initial shock, made him think back to the large double doors leading inside the Society¡¯s faculties back on his mountain.


    Around an hour later, and the group found themselves standing in the shadow of a huge stadium. Another set of signs, this time in written form, pointed them towards a side entrance, with the person manning the ticket booth looking more like a guard or maybe a thug than a ticket agent.


    ¡°Three people? Six gold.¡± Said a bored voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Two gold a person. Classbearer or not, makes no difference.¡±


    Realizing there would be no use trying to negotiate with the woman, almost reluctantly and while grinding his teeth, he handed over the money.


    Severin reacted this way not because the price actually affected him, but because he felt the amount was grotesquely disproportionate to the few silver coins he paid Milly.


    Seeing and most certainly misunderstanding his behavior, the rough-looking attendant decided to ignore Severin and instead turned towards Miriam and Timothy, who looked more like their typical clientele.


    ¡°Then to give you the quick rundown. Too many people currently in town and the individual rooms are all assigned to the participants. Meaning you¡¯re limited to the shared open space which currently is pretty packed.


    Both equipment and sparring rings are therefore scarce at the moment.


    So, for now it¡¯s first come first serve.


    Only exception is the big ring in the middle. That one is reserved for settling grudges and wagers. Higher the stakes, higher the priority; pretty simple. And these days it¡¯s always occupied.


    That should be all.


    Oh, and don¡¯t even try to sneak into the restricted areas because you want to meet your favorite fighter or some shit like that. Unless you want to be mistaken for an opposing team¡¯s spy, that is.


    Now off you go.¡±

 Chapter 142

    In a spacious training room that seemed to have been cleared of any equipment one would expect to find in such a place, about two dozen animated flying swords battled each other in groups of two.


    In between, a bald man with closed eyes and a sword in each of his scaled hands lived up to his class name, as he too seemed to be fighting several invisible enemies.


    The concentration demanded of the man was visibly written on his face.


    Because of this, he didn''t notice when the door opened, and another person entered.


    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    clash


    The man''s eyes immediately snapped open, and simultaneously and with a great noise, all the magically moving swords fell to the ground.


    ¡°Fuck! Don¡¯t come sneaking up on me like that. It¡¯s still break-time, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you already at it again? Without waiting for me to return.¡±


    ¡°You know full well that I can¡¯t afford to waste any time.¡±


    Only a few more days until Richard would once again have to defend his title as the reigning free-for-all champion. The stress was immense; losing was not an option to him.


    But things had become more and more difficult over the years.


    Ever since his first appearance on the scene, which earned him his moniker and consolidated him as the best [Sword Dancer] in the history of the Games, he never stopped improving, but neither did his competitors.


    Or rather, his opponents.


    True competitors would not stoop so low.


    Two years ago, they had barely even tried to hide their intentions anymore and effectively turned the competition into a nine-vs-one. And this was not just the exception, but a trend he had observed before.


    And yet, Richard was confident he could be victorious once again. If only it wasn¡¯t for the limitations of his class that became more and more obvious with each level-up.


    The damage he did with his skills and basic sword attacks scaled with the same physical-based stats as was the case for most melee damage dealers.


    That wasn¡¯t the problem.


    The problem was that his ability to control these swords, both in terms of numbers and precision, didn¡¯t.


    This part of his class was strongly linked to the stats more commonly prioritized by casters. Summoners.


    Not [Fairy Mages] or [Golemancers] whose summons were at the very least conscious enough to follow simple instructions, but more like an [Animator] who, like him, had to mentally control the objects he brought to life one by one.


    Sadly, the number of stats acquired upon level up -which had become a rather rare occurrence anyway- felt very much insufficient to him; especially in regards to his willpower.


    Finding more appropriate gear and solving the problem this way was the obvious solution. But alas.


    Equipment with this almost contradictory distribution of values was not only difficult to find and seemingly even more difficult to craft, but also usually required some sort of trade-off that would ultimately lead to a reduction in his overall combat prowess.


    That left him with few options.


    Nowadays, hardly any classbearer would think of lifting weights to push themselves to their physical limits over an extended period of time, merely to be rewarded with a measly strength point or two; this method was usually reserved for classless people.


    But it was basically the mental equivalent of this method which Richard had been practicing for the past few weeks, manually controlling all of his swords to the highest degree and for extended periods of time, all in an attempt to increase his willpower by just that one more point.


    Without the support of Sib, his better half and the most capable [Mindbender] he had ever known, this regimen would have been impossible for him to endure.


    ¡°All I know is that you¡¯re incorrigible.¡± [Mindbender] chided him and stepped over the swords littering the floor, making her way over to the window overlooking the shared training facilities below, before waving Richard over.


    Knowing arguing would be futile, Richard complied. He made his collection of handpicked swords disappear into his inventory and also walked over to the window.


    ¡°These two are going to fight next.¡± Sib pointed towards a girl and a boy.


    The scaled man was not interested in the slightest, but played along.


    ¡°Who? Those two? Should be [Berserkers]. Silver badges. Not bad for their age. Especially the boy. Looks like he might be able to reach for gold soon. Still. Not exactly a fight to be excited about.¡±


    ¡°Yet they¡¯ll be fighting on the featured stage. And it was the girl who made the challenge.¡±


    Slightly more interest than before, Richard started observing the girl in question more closely as she gulped down the contents of a small, strangely shaped bottle, before asking, ¡°What could these silver badges possibly wager to skip right to the front of the waiting list?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly these badges.¡±


    ¡°What? They¡¯re betting their badges? Stupid kids. Just what exactly did happen for them to go this far?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m not completely sure myself. Apparently, the boy was running his mouth. Saying [The Savage] was an overrated has-been. That in a few years¡¯ time he would be the strongest [Berserker]. Something along those lines.¡±


    ¡°[Savage Sam]? Paha.¡° Hearing Sib¡¯s words, Richard had to laugh, which was very rare these days.


    ¡°For this he really does deserve a thrashing, ha. But the girl¡­¡±


    He kept observing the foolish [Berserker] as she summoned her claws.


    Topnotch quality. For its level.


    Showing the markings of a certain popular dungeon located in the Golden Mountains, he felt his suspicions confirmed as to her level, and thus roughly heir actual strength. Similar was true for her opponent; in Richard¡¯s eyes, the fight was already as good as decided.


    The fact that the girl was now applying the contents of two vials to both of these claws made her look even more desperate in his eyes. Poison was strictly banned in these settings, and aside from that, there was nothing that could save her in this situation.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Once she was done with this hopeless act, the girl exchanged a few words with the two people accompanying her-a robed boy who appeared even younger than her, and a nondescript-looking man in his thirties who looked completely out of place- before climbing into the generously laid out sparring ring where her opponent was already waiting for her with an uncomfortable smile on his face.


    Soon the official, working for the operator of the arena¡¯s training grounds, gave the go-ahead.


    Immediately, the difference in levels, or at least in stats, was confirmed, though Richard had to admit that the girl was way faster than he had expected her to be based on her gear.


    ¡°Maybe hasn¡¯t found a suitable replacement yet. Still doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Her movements are, though. Great fundamentals. Few openings.¡± Even if her class allowed her to do otherwise, and Sib usually took a more supportive role, that didn''t mean she was any less able than Richard to see through and judge these matters; especially not when it involved two children several levels below her own.¡±


    ¡°And that boy is far from horrible, either. Movements look a bit more unconventional, but he obviously put a lot of hard work into it. He certainly didn¡¯t just leech experience and relied on his level-ups.¡±


    At this point, the observing man and woman visibly cringed as the girl received a brutal backhand blow to her gut.


    ¡°Almost got skewered there. And all those wounds already¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I hate watching [Berserkers]. For them, the real match only starts at the point where most casters and even some melees would forfeit. That, and they¡¯re usually too low level to display any kind of finesse.¡±


    For several minutes, the two kept observing the fight in silence; what happened in the ring below them was a very one-sided beat up not worth commenting on.


    ¡°What do you estimate their health?¡±


    ¡°Eighty percent. Maybe even higher. As for her¡­ let¡¯s just say I expect the next hit or two to put her into enrage. With that, she should be able to at least get some more damage in, but I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    "There it is!" When Sib saw the female [Berserker''s] eyes begin to glow red, she knew that the situation Richard had just predicted had just become reality. But.


    ¡°Did I see that wrong?! I swear she was just about to enrage.¡±


    ¡°No, I saw it as well,¡± Richard agreed. ¡°Her HP was right on the threshold.¡±


    ¡°Look! Her wounds.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°The blood is still there, but I swear some of them just closed. The big one on her thigh. See? It¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Neither one of them has the levels to have learned [Furious Recovery] yet.¡±


    Silence


    They exchanged a quick glance and continued spectating the fight.


    ¡°Whatever that was, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    And now she just wasted all of her rage for an [Empowering Shout] without the means for a follow up.¡± Neither one of them was a [Berserker] nor did they encounter them too often, but as high leveled professionals, they still had a good understanding of the specifics, the strengths and weaknesses of the class.


    ¡°Maybe I overestimated her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be harsh. She¡¯s probably just desperate.¡±


    ¡°You might be right. At the same time¡­ why does the boy seem to become more and more reckless? And¡­ slower?¡±


    The more they watched, the more bizarre the fight became.


    Just as they deemed the fight to basically be over, the girl unleashed an onslaught of [Wild Strikes] she shouldn¡¯t have had the resources for.


    ¡°But she telegraphed it too obviously. His [Bearskin] is still off-cooldown. There is no way¡­¡±


    The next moment, Richard was once again proven wrong.


    But not just him. The [Mindbender] didn¡¯t know what to think anymore, either.


    Faced with a in their eyes, low-level fight, their years of experience suddenly seemed completely worthless.


    ¡°I get it now. It provides some kind of slow effect.¡±


    ¡°What did?¡± Richard didn¡¯t immediately catch on.


    ¡°That stuff she put on her claws.¡±


    ¡°You might be right.¡±


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ the damage?¡± He completed the sentence.


    ¡°Hm. His wounds don¡¯t match with either the amount or the kind of hits she landed on him. Doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    ¡°Unless that stuff has some other properties as well. Like somehow providing elemental damage. Cold damage, specifically. Would easily pierce through the defenses of a [Berserker] expecting a physical hit. I don¡¯t know how, but that has to be it. I mean, look at him. Look at his face! He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, either.¡°


    As if to affirm these words, now it was the male [Berserker] whose eyes began to turn red. Then his whole body bulged up. The blood he was covered with almost seemed to be boiling. His movements visibly quickened.


    But he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    The girl experienced the same changes. And this time, her transformation wasn¡¯t interrupted.


    Following the flow of combat, it should have been obvious that this hadn¡¯t been a balanced fight. And yet, judging by the fact that both combatants fell into [Enrage] at exactly the same time, the crowd spectating the fight grew excited, attraction even the spectators who had previously dismissed this confrontation as too low level; watching two equally matched [Berserkers] going at each other while enraged, truly was a rare treat.


    ¡°Those fools, don¡¯t they realize something is off? She must¡¯ve lost enough health to fall into [Enrage] multiple times already.¡±


    ¡°She barely managed to defend against his counterattack,¡± Sib agreed. ¡°How she is still standing is beyo¡­¡±


    Another change inside the ring cut Sib off.


    The girl¡¯s movements slowed down. Her color and overall size of her body turned back to normal.


    ¡°Impossible. She clearly didn¡¯t leave combat. So, how did she ...?¡±


    ¡°She must¡¯ve somehow healed herself. Again. It¡¯s the same as earlier.


    This fight is far from over!¡±


    ¡­


    As he went down, Felix didn¡¯t know what happened. How did he end up in this situation? How was any of this real?


    He had been confident he would be the first [Berserker] in years to push through to gold rank. And he was still young. Even going beyond gold was not just an empty dream.


    So how did it come to this?


    Was this the punishment for wanting to show off in front of a cute fellow [Berserker]?

 Chapter 143

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Sib asked, even though the frustrated expression on Richard¡¯s face should¡¯ve been answer enough.


    ¡°Already gone when I arrived. Wasted too much time after the fight was over. But I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d leave immediately, just like that. Shit. Not only that strange weapon enchant but also those potions...¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re truly convinced? About her using potions, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Has to be; as unlikely as it sounds. It¡¯s the only explanation I can come up with, and I¡¯m sure I saw her swallow something at some point. In terms of timing, it just fit. But only one way to find out, so¡­ did the boy say something?¡±


    Sib shook her head.


    ¡°Still hasn¡¯t come to yet. But I still learned something. According to his friends, before leaving, that girl told them that in the evening he should come to a place called Milly¡¯s if he wants his badge back. Ring a bell for you?¡±


    ¡°Milly¡¯s? No,¡± Richard denied after just a short moment of thought, but looked visibly relieved doing so. ¡°But should be easy enough to find.¡±


    ---


    ¡°Why are we leaving already?¡± Timothy complained. ¡°I was just about to have some fun myself.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not interested in all these guys surrounding and challenging me.¡±


    The [Chaos Mage] didn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡±What do you mean!? Wasn¡¯t being challenged the whole reason for us going? And now, after you had your share, you back out? What¡¯s up with that?!¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know it would end like this! And none of the sparring rings are available for us, anyway. Not unless you want to wager your badge as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure someone would¡¯ve happily made some room for the winner of one of the featured fights! For whatever reason, you were quite popular.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a hassle, and I¡¯m tired! Besides. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m preventing you from staying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, riiiight.¡± Timothy rolled his eyes at the girl, ¡°so now what? What¡¯s you plan? You better not want to return straight away.¡±


    To Severin, the fight hadn¡¯t been all that spectacular. It wasn¡¯t too different from what he was used to. The main difference was probably that this time around Miriam actually emerged victorious.


    In his mind, the premises weren¡¯t especially impressive either. Too crowded, too stuffy; certainly not worth the entrance fee.


    Nor did he have any real opportunity to advertise or sell the limited amount of goods he carried.


    Therefore, while surprised by her decision, he didn¡¯t mind when Miriam, right after he congratulated her on her win, decided it was time for them to leave.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.As the third wheel in this group, he was aware it wasn¡¯t up to him to decide otherwise anyway and mostly kept his quiet.


    Yet now that the question regarding their next destination was brought up, Severin was ready to interject and suggest one of the places he had wanted to visit; if they declined and couldn¡¯t come up with a different suggestion, he could still decide whether to split up or not.


    As it turned out, there was no need for him to butt in.


    ¡°I thought this was a good time to do some shopping,¡± Miriam said before turning her attention to Severin, catching him slightly off-guard, adding, ¡°your stuff is great and all that-the fight would¡¯ve certainly ended differently without it- but I really wish at some point you will start selling some actual equipment. These melee-vs-melee fights are rough on my gear, you know? I feel like I need a replacement for my cloak,¡± she said while pointing at her now haggard pelt. ¡±And maybe some boots as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot! At least wait until after the Games are concluded. Right now, with so many adventurers around, prices are bound to be inflated. You should know this as well as I do. Actually, you should know that even better than me, considering that¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t you worry about that. In fact, if you are nice, I might even consider treating you.¡±


    While still talking, Miriam stretched out her right arm, opened her palm and made a large stack of differently colored coins appeared on top of it.


    But only for a moment, making the tower of coins disappear again right as it was about to collapse onto itself and scatter on the ground.


    ¡°Where did you get all these from!?¡± the surprised boy asked her almost accusingly. Instead of taking offence from his tone, the girl seemed rather pleased by this reaction, even though she tried to appear as matter-of-factly as possible when she explained,


    ¡°I bet on myself. The odds were quite in my favor. Or not. Depending how you look at it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°When did you¡­ No, wait. More importantly! That¡¯s the whole reason, huh? That¡¯s why you wanted to leave in the first place? Well, fine! But don¡¯t be stingy, you hear. If I had known, I would¡¯ve bet as well. Should¡¯ve said something!¡±


    ¡°Ooh? So you would have bet on me as well? Didn¡¯t know you had this much confidence in me,¡± Miriam teased.


    Snort


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of yourself. With all those enhancements, there was hardly a chance for you to lose. Besides, he just didn¡¯t look all that strong to me, anyway. Though that might¡¯ve just had something to do with his class. As you know, my win rate against [Bers¡­¡±


    ¡°Careful, now!¡±


    While feeling a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Severin followed wordlessly as the two bickering youths made their way towards the part of the shopping district that was mostly frequented by adventurers and other classbearers.

 Chapter 144

    Though Hanvia¡¯s main shopping district was not officially separated into two distinct parts, it was impossible for Severin not to feel like he had suddenly stepped into a whole different part of town.


    It wasn¡¯t just that he suddenly found himself surrounded by even more people than before, more people even than had been in the already crowded trainings hall he was coming from right now, nor the fact that the vast majority of these people, by all appearances, were classbearers, but the obvious display of wealth.


    Not to mention the huge, immaculate looking stores on either side of him or the expensive clothes and equipment of the people frequenting this part of town, which made Severin feel uncomfortably out of place in his plain white, long-sleeved cotton shirt, but the fact that even the smallest street stall looked more luxurious than any of the regular stores he passed his way to get here.


    It was one of those stalls, or rather, the small, exquisite-looking glass bottles on display and the advertising shouts of the corresponding stallholder that caught his attention.


    ¡°Hanvia¡¯s most efficient potions. Available for all level ranges! Fair Prices! Only while stocks last!¡±


    The street cries stood in stark contrast to the upscale appearances of his surroundings, but given that, at least in terms of products, this booth was his direct competition, Severin decided it would be worth to take a closer look.


    With some effort, he pushed his way through the crowd until he was close enough to take a look at the openly displayed tooltips hovering next to the items in question.


    What he saw left him unimpressed yet excited.


    Unimpressed, because the potions by his standards were just that bad. Be it the frightening low replenishing values, the basically nonexistent variety, offering only basic health and mana potions respectively, or the fact that all of those consumables had rather harsh level restrictions imposed on them. What he saw left much to be desired. Not to mention that these potions, unlike his own, most certainly all shared one cooldown and were evidentially much harder to consume in the midst of battle. The only advantage these potions might have over his own were the missing carrying-capacity restrictions.


    Excited, because he realized just how much better his own products were in comparison to those things, which, judging by the number of actual customers in front of the stall, somehow were actually regarded rather highly.


    Just based on this, it seemed his future was bright. Especially considering that these inferior products were sold at much higher prices than his own.


    Severin inwardly complained that he couldn¡¯t just set up his own stall right then and there. But even more than that, he was annoyed by the fact that the System, for whatever stupid reason, didn¡¯t allow him to set his own prices.


    Hopefully, this would change in the future once he earned enough experience for some main-class level-ups; or rather, once his two busy [Employees] earned him enough experience.


    Severin knew that for now there was nothing he could do about this situation, but still felt the need to vent his frustrations. He turned around towards the direction where he had last seen his two travel companions.


    And found that they were gone; disappeared in the mass of people.


    For a good minute or so, Severin scanned his surroundings in an attempt to spot the two youths but didn¡¯t leave the spot to actively go searching for them.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.To no avail.


    Severin didn¡¯t worry.


    Anticipating just how crowded the place would be, Timothy had suggested arranging a meeting place for just this kind of situation beforehand.


    Given the high density of stores and stalls catering to the needs of classbearers, and thus directly or indirectly to adventurers, it was only logical that at least one of the local Adventurer¡¯s Society branches could not be too far away either.


    Or maybe it had actually been the other way round, and it was the stores that settled around said branch office, but either way, exactly this establishment had been designated as their meeting point.


    And as it turned out, it was impossible to miss as one of the city¡¯s skyscraper-like buildings with its unmistakable green windows dwarfed even the largest and most grandiose of the already much bigger than average stores in the vicinity.


    The sight made Severin suddenly think of Magda, and he vaguely remember that supposedly she came all the way from the HQ. Voluntarily and per her own request.


    Severin didn¡¯t know where that HQ was located, or whether this towering monstrosity of a building actually was said Headquarter, but even if it wasn¡¯t, the real thing most certainly wouldn¡¯t be any less impressive.


    And to think that she left such a place, because of the promise she saw in him-in his products. Severin was greatly pleased and slightly reevaluated his opinion of the woman.


    With this or a similarly impressive building as the benchmark, it also explained why she insisted on renting an even larger plot of land and why she fought so hard for the right for vertical expansion. It also reaffirmed Severin¡¯s thought that he had charged her way too little for that property.


    From there, his thoughts went on yet another tangent. The angry voice of the ever-smiling woman resounded in his head and reminded him of his promise to address the issue of him advertising his elixir¡¯s ability to work even within the Society¡¯s buff-dispelling enchantments, which jeopardized the integrity of their advancement evaluations.


    The more he thought about it, the more he regretted this promise. Just what was he to do about this issue?


    Was he supposed to tweak the elixir¡¯s recipe? Surely not; even if that was within his capabilities- which it wasn¡¯t- that would be too ridiculous of a demand.


    So was he supposed to just not advertise the fact?


    But even that seemed similarly out of the question. Sooner or later, someone was bound to find out about this matter, if only by accident, anyway. And then what?


    Feeling a headache coming, Severin quickly shook off the thought and focused his attention back to the wares in front of him.


    Something he had earlier dismissed as unimportant jumped out to him.


    To make sure he wasn''t simply mistaken, he walked even closer to the potion seller''s stall to get another close-up look at it, attracting the attention of the owner, who had so far ignored Severin and paid more attention to the people who looked more like potential customers to him.


    "Dear customer! What you are looking at it the..."


    Without giving the man a chance to finish his sales pitch, Severin elbowed his way through to a similar-looking stall. Then to another. And then towards one of the actual, but comparably empty, stores.


    It didn''t matter that none of these sold potions, but instead magical amulets, hidden weapons, and crafting materials and tools for the crafting oriented classbearers, respectively.


    What did matter, however, was the fact that he was able to make sure that every single one of them had their wares - even the most fragile pieces of equipment - branded with their own unique emblem.


    "Brand logos!" exclaimed Severin when he finally saw his suspicions confirmed.

 Chapter 145

    Just the day before, Severin had decided to take things a bit more slowly and relaxed, to take some time off and lighten up.


    But now, it seemed like he would have to break this promise he had made to himself.


    Though at least for now he was not directly affected by what he just learned, Severin couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of urgency.


    In hindsight, he even wondered why he hadn¡¯t come up with the idea himself.


    Coming from a world like his own, it should not only have been obvious, but he also knew that the power of brand recognition could not be underestimated - no matter how confident he was in the quality of his products or how much the Society would be willing to endorse him.


    If everyone else had a brand logo, then he too would need one as well.


    Severin could hardly wait to go back and shut himself inside his room at Milly¡¯s. Hopefully, he would find something useful inside the System¡¯s store.


    But then again. Wasn¡¯t the branding of his store something the System should¡¯ve provided to him right from day one, anyway?


    On a different note, coming up with his own answer to this situation, without overly relying on the System, was maybe even part of his current quest that asked him to advertise his store.


    If only he could head right back and didn¡¯t have to wait for Timothy and Miriam.


    But he didn¡¯t fool himself. Severin thought it was almost impossible that the two youths had already done their shopping and thought it equally unlikely that the two would set off to the agreed meeting place before then.


    In fact, he deemed it more likely that they still hadn¡¯t even noticed he was missing.


    As such, Severin decided to make the best of it.


    He took one last look at the flask and sickle that had been artfully engraved on the jar he carefully held with both hands before placing it back on the shelf next to the hundreds of similarly airtight jars containing all manner of finely ground plants, and exited the store.


    ¡®In that case, I might as well check out some of the other stores and stalls. Especially since this is probably be the perfect location for my portal station. Shouldn¡¯t hurt to have a look around. And who knows, maybe I¡¯ll come across some branding agency,¡¯ Severin joked to himself as he plunged himself back into the crowd while on the lookout for anything that might be of concern to him.


    Like the one stall where it seemed not only quieter but also less crowded.


    The store he had just left had a similar feeling to it, but upon approaching this stall Severin realized the reasons were completely different.


    Because of the Games, a disproportionate number of adventurers were currently staying in these parts of the city  - not the kind of people who would normally be interested in a store that specialized in ingredients and tools for classbearers with crafting professions. And the craftsmen who came from out of town usually had their own established sources, anyway.


    As for the stall, none of the adventurers currently standing in line even dared to breathe for fear that the muscular owner who was engraving a heavy-looking metal breastplate might lose her concentration.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Only when she wiped away the sweat from her autumn-brown scaled forehead - which was a curious sight in itself for Severin - and loudly announced, "Done!" did things suddenly become lively.


    ¡°Okay, okay, calm down. Who¡¯s next? You. Show me what you got for me.¡±


    The boy in question stepped into the respectfully cleared space around the woman¡¯s booth and summoned a magic wand.


    ¡°Metalwork only!¡± she immediately pointed towards a sign next to her with an expression that seemed to ask, ¡°can¡¯t you read?¡±.


    ¡°For wood and cloth-based stuff, go look for Marcy some three stands over.


    For leatherwork¡­¡±


    Initially Severin had wondered whether the woman, just like the potion seller from before, might also end up as his competition in case the portal station ever became reality.


    A few moments later, he realized how unlikely this was.


    His weapon oils and heir engravings might try to accomplish very similar things, but they were so fundamentally different in nature - one a permanent modification of the equipment itself, the other only a temporary application - that Severin thought it more likely that the two enchantments would reinforce each other rather than suppressing each other.


    ¡®A potential partner, maybe, but not an enemy,¡¯ he thought while observing her skillful work for a few more minutes.


    Severin then turned around and, while continuously on the lookout, walked towards the huge skyscraper with its unmistakable green windows, which, he realized only belatedly, were in a way also a kind of brand logo.


    ¡­


    Just half an hour later - mostly because he couldn''t find any eateries along the way that also offered buff-food - Severin was standing in front of four centaur-sized, wide-open doors that allowed for smooth traffic in and out of an equally huge lobby. Even without entering, he could make out a good two dozen or so counters located on the opposite side, each with their own line waiting in front.


    Only half an hour later - mainly because he couldn''t find any places that also offered buff food along the way - Severin was standing in front of four centaur-sized, wide-open doors that allowed for smooth traffic in and out of an equally large lobby. Even without entering, he could make out a good two dozen or so counters on the opposite side, each with its own short queue.


    For an instant, Severin was stunned by the sheer size of everything and only snapped out of it when a small group of people almost pumped into him as they entered the lobby. He quickly hurried towards one of the queues that, with only four people waiting in front of him, seemed to be one of the shorter ones.


    To his surprise, he quickly noticed that the people who joined these lines were clearly in the minority. Most visitors went directly to one of the many stairwells or to what looked like the magically powered equivalent of a modern elevator.


    Without realizing as he was too busy staring like a country pumpkin arriving in the big city, Severin¡¯s queue quickly advanced until it was his turn.


    Severin was too busy gawking like a country bumpkin in the big city, so that without him noticing, the line had moved forward until it was suddenly his turn.


    ¡°Good day. How can I help you?¡± a smart-looking elf greeted him with trained politeness.

 Chapter 146

    Taken by surprise, Severin quickly whirled around - until the voice suddenly called out to him. He was too lost in thought and wonder to notice that he had arrived at the head of the queue.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The man behind the counter repeated.


    ¡°Ah, yes! I¡¯m looking for a map. Specifically, one of The Golden Mountains. I figured that¡¯s something the Society should be able to provide.¡±


    ¡°Naturally. If you head to the third floor and keep to the left, you will find a variety of readymade maps for some of the more popular travel destinations, for both adventurers and regular folk. The Golden Mountains undoubtedly fit that description to a tee. But in case I am mistaken or if you''re looking for something even more detailed, or something else entirely than we have to offer, our in-house [Cartographers] located on the same floor will be more than happy to help.¡±


    The elf paused for a moment, giving Severin the chance to interject; when the [Shopkeeper] didn¡¯t, the man asked, ¡°If there is anything else?¡±


    Realizing he had missed his cue, Severin thanked the man and hastily formulated his next question.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time in Hanvia and I¡¯m still unfamiliar with the city. A bit of difficulty finding my way around. So, I wondered where I could ask for directions and maybe get some general information on some establishments.¡±


    While it wasn''t too high on his list of priorities, Severin hadn''t forgotten that he wanted to visit an [Artificer] or [Artisan] or whatever profession that made all these flying artifacts. And since he hadn''t found what he was looking for along the way, Severin was still quite interested in finding a restaurant that specialized in buff food; since he had already located some of his future potential competition in regard to alchemical products, why not check out what his fellow [Chefs] had to offer as well?


    ¡°Again, I would suggest you visit our third floor. Our collection of city maps is quite extensive and some of the premium versions also include a full register of all local stores currently registered with The Adventurer¡¯s Society. As well as all the major attractions Hanvia has to offer, of course.


    If you prefer a more personal touch, I can only recommend checking out our Information Guides on the second floor.


    A complete register? That was even better than what Severin had hoped for.


    It was one thing to be able to look something up you already knew existed. To be able to look for things one wasn¡¯t even aware of was something else entirely; especially when in a world full of magic.


    ¡°Amazing! Thanks.¡±


    Barely able to contain his excitement so as not to seem even more of a hick than he feared he already did, Severin - this time more present mindedly than before - took the initiative to address the last problem on his list. Without having to be asked first.


    ¡°One more thing.¡±


    Despite this branch of the Society towering so plainly above everything else within its vicinity, it was only when Severin stepped inside that he realized it was probably too big and too crowded to actually serve as a reliable meeting place. Just waiting in this oversized lobby and watching the foot traffic pass through the entrances was not how he wanted to spend his time. Not when he could attend to some other business instead, in the meantime.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.¡°It¡¯s like this. I¡¯m supposed to meet up with someone, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Severin didn¡¯t have to explain himself any further as the elf sensed his hesitation and replied while giving him a knowing look. Apparently, this kind of situation wasn¡¯t too uncommon.


    ¡°If your acquaintances are already expecting you, they likely have already checked in with us. Let me see whether I can find their names. In that case, we can easily notify them for you. ¡±


    ¡°Timothy. Miriam.¡± Relieved, Severin answered the implied quest.


    The elf acknowledged his answer with a curt nod and looked down at an empty sheet of paper before starting to write a few words.


    The next moment, the sheet was completely blank again.


    ¡°No Timothies.¡± the elven clerk shook his head and started writing again without giving a further explanation.


    This time, while the words written by the clerk again disappeared, in its stead a short list of names appeared.


    ¡°Miriam, right? Class?¡±


    ¡°[Berserker]¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the man double checked the list multiple times. ¡°I¡¯m afraid no luck either.


    Maybe they didn¡¯t want to register and instead left you a note? If you want me to check.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, I guess. Let¡¯s try. Name¡¯s Severin.¡±


    Without further prompting, the clerk consulted again with the magical piece of paper. And again, he shook his head apologetically.


    "Seems like they''re late." Severin had known that there was a very real chance the two of them still hadn''t finished their business and therefore didn¡¯t yet bother to head towards the agreed meeting place, but the current situation had become awkward enough for him that he felt like he had to explain himself and his circumstances.


    "No problem. In that case, I can offer to officially register your arrival so that others can look for you - just as we just tried to look for your acquaintances.


    While on our premises, we can then notify you directly if someone asks for you.¡±


    With no better idea himself, the choice was easy.


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°Very well, but¡­ while the service itself, of course, is free, I would still have to ask you for a temporary one-gold-deposit in exchange for our notification device.¡±


    Without much ado, Severin - much to the clerk¡¯s apparent, yet silent surprise¨Cmaterialized a gold coin and handed it over.


    The elf let the gold coin disappear somewhere beneath the counter. He then confirmed ¡°that was Severin, right?¡±, before writing down the name and some other information that couldn¡¯t be read from the other side of the counter. After he was done with that, he turned around towards one of many drawers behind him and grabbed a small, round, stone-like object and handed it over to his customer.


    ¡°Please keep it close and refrain from storing it inside your inventory. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be able to notify you. When it does, please head over to our group assembly room on,¡± the clerked stopped for a moment and quickly checked his paper,¡± the one on the second floor. The one right opposite the Information Guides.


    Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, that will be all. Thank you for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure. And please remember to return the device on your departure and to collect your deposit.¡±


    With that, Severin headed towards one of the human-sized staircases and used his [Identify] ability on the item in his hands.


    [Vibrating Stone (Part B).


    Vibrates when its counterpart is infused with magic.


    Commonly used as a primitive communication device.]

 Chapter 147

    Severin, all by himself, was sitting in one of the many half-circle booths on the second floor¡¯s meet-up room.


    The atmosphere was quite lively, with both groups and individual people like him alike either waiting for more members or discussing their further actions.


    Still, the room was large enough that it didn¡¯t feel overly crowded and was laid out in such a way that the arrival of any newcomer would not go unnoticed as long as one did not space out.


    After he had been done with his business of the third floor, Severin for a short time played with the thought of further exploring the building and some of the other services the Society had to offer and which were available to anyone who could afford the fees.


    A library spanning over the entire eighth floor of the massive tower, the advertised wellness area on the fifth, or the many different adventurer classes and workshops which, Severin quickly found out, taught everything from basic and mundane adventurer knowledge as how and where to choose campsites and finance management, to lessons teaching the characteristics of specific dungeons and their inhabitants, over to in-depth theorycrafting services to successfully plan one¡¯s future class progression.


    These were simply just the most prominently advertised services that caught his immediate attention.


    But alas. As much as Severin was interested in each of these things, since he didn''t know how much time he had available at the moment, he decided it would probably be a better idea to take a whole day or two off for it-provided the opportunity would present itself.


    And it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t had anything else to do, anyway.


    Like the newly emerged issue regarding his own brand. But even if the waiting room wasn¡¯t as noisy as one would expect, Severin deemed a quieter and less public environment more suitable for this occasion.


    Because of that, he instead decided to take a look at the maps he bought following the receptionist¡¯s advice.


    The first ten minutes or so Severin looked at the map depicting the Golden Mountains.


    Though mostly uninterested in the many dungeons and outposts with the vast majority of them located on the far west side of the land bridge connecting the two kingdoms of Rhenia in the north and Malcos in the south, Severin was still curious enough to look up the entrance of one specific dungeon called The Harrowing Plains, before dedicating his attention to another, more deserted-looking part of the map.


    The east side still harbored plenty of dungeons and outpost, more probably than what was average in most other regions, but in comparison to the west, what really stood out were the many floating rocks of various sizes. In were so many of these rocks, in fact, that Severin had a hard time pinpointing the one he claimed for his own.


    After narrowing it down to three especially large mountains, Severin called it quits and decided to ask Timothy and Miriam-or better yet, Samuel-to help him to identify the right one.


    Only when he was one hundred percent certain might he return to hire one of the [Cartographers] to make some custom-made maps for him.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Severin disappeared the map into his inventory and quickly took out another one to take its place.


    Or rather an atlas, as the map depicting Hanvia was split over multiple sheets of paper. Not to mention the attached pages-long register, which matched the names and short descriptions of hundreds if not thousands of establishments and other points of interest to their corresponding locations.


    Severin spent the better part of the next hour flipping through it to see what else this city had to offer.


    To orientate himself, Severin decided to first look up the few places he had already visited; the Arena and the building he was currently in were easy enough to find. So were the few shops he had checked out on his way, if only because of their immediate vicinity to the easily found, aforementioned skyscraper.


    Finding the place called Milly¡¯s, however, turned out almost impossible. Only after wasting a good amount of time, and only because he knew its general direction and memorized some of the surrounding landmarks to find his way back, did Severin finally succeed.


    He could easily see how not being recognized as one of the Society¡¯s official business partners-which meant one was not listed in their publicly available registers- could massively hurt a business; he also recognized that keeping an updated map of every single establishment within the city was rather unfeasible. Even with magic.


    Easier to find on the other hand- again because of its sheer size, but also because of its somewhat more remote location near the city wall- was the docking station the group had arrived at. And the nearby shipyard that, considering the lack of water access on this side of the city, seemed more intriguing to Severin than it otherwise would.


    But not enough so to keep his eyes from gravitating towards an even more eye-catching structure whose size rivaled even that of the Colosseum; if not in width, then certainly in height.


    ¡°Her Holiness¡¯ Cathedral. Home to one of the kingdom¡¯s few soul anchors,¡± Severin read the corresponding entry and fell in thought.


    He had been warned that the prices charged to bind one¡¯s soul were exorbitant, even for adventurers¡¯ standards. But surely, it still had to be worth a visit. If only¡­


    Severin was still debating whether it might not be a wiser to give the fantasy world¡¯s church a wide berth, no matter how tempted he was, when at long last something in his pocket started vibrating.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sorry for the wait!¡± Seeing how the two could barely hide the smiles on their faces, Severin was inclined to doubt the sincerity of Miriam¡¯s apology.


    ¡®At least Timothy¡¯s gear doesn¡¯t look that ridiculous anymore.¡¯


    ¡°Right. We might not have immediately noticed you were missing,¡± Timothy admitted, oblivious to Severin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°And when we traced back our steps, you were already gone.¡±


    That he could believe. Having already figured as much, Severin waved them off and changed the topic.


    ¡°So what now? I¡¯d say we head back. Unless you have something else to take care of?¡±


    Not only had the day started early, and he was already feeling a bit tired with still some work ahead of him, but a certain innkeeper by now should have a generous meal waiting for all of them.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Fine with me as well. That guy is probably already waiting for his badge.¡±


    ¡°Remind me to thank him for this new hat!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? How about you thanking me? You know, the one you actually paid for it?¡±


    sigh


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, kids.¡±

 Chapter 148

    As Severin stood in front of the renovated inn, he didn''t know exactly how much time it had taken him to make his way back - the constant arguing behind him had numbed his sense of time - but thanks to his newly acquired map, which saved him from many unwanted detours, it couldn''t have been too long; even if the sun had set in the meantime.


    The sounds of a well-busy establishment could be heard even from outside.


    He opened the door and stopped.


    The sight before him was exactly what he had envisioned when he still had plans for his own inn.


    But before the hint of regret could manifest itself further, a high-pitched voice reached out to him, cutting through the noise of at least three dozen boisterous guests.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± The boy beamed; this morning¡¯s experience was still fresh in his mind. He had just taken an order to the nearby table and was on his way back to the counter his mother was manning. ¡°Come inside,¡± he hurried, ¡±your friend is already waiting inside.¡±


    At this, Nel unnecessarily pointed to an unmistakably massive figure that was draped in the fur of a ferocious-looking animal, earning the man enough respect from the surrounding people not to be bothered and securing one of the larger tables all for himself.


    Even though he had his back turned to Severin, the man''s posture and movements revealed that he was one of the few people who were currently eating; the kitchen was already officially closed by now.


    Severin nodded to the boy and stepped inside. ¡°Still have some of that food you promised us?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll bring it over right away!¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And one of these drinks everyone seems to be enjoying.¡± While giving his order, Severin half-turned around, making his words also an implicit question to the people behind him.


    ¡°Make it two.¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Nel eagerly replied before excusing himself.


    ..


    Severin and Miriam were still circling around to the other side of the table, while Timothy headed straight for the seat next to his mentor.


    Without looking up and shortly after he had emptied the bowl that seemed almost tiny in his hands, Samuel spoke up.


    ¡°Nice place you found here. Good food. And it seems you made a lasting impression on the host.¡±


    ¡°Ah! How did you know it was us?!¡± Timothy hadn¡¯t exactly been trying to sneak up on the man but was still visibly annoyed he had been noticed this quickly.


    ¡°Haha, with your bickering, I could hear you coming from a mile away.¡± Severin wasn¡¯t exactly sure if the man was speaking figuratively or literally; he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised either way.


    ¡°Besides, so far, no one else around here had approached me like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. So they do know who you are,¡± the miffed boy concluded.


    ¡°Ha, Timy, nothing the like. They see a half-giant wearing the skin of a Deathstalker. To the majority of people-adventurer or not-that is reason enough.¡±


    Timothy was about to protest once more, but was halted in his tracks.


    Samuel looked at the now seated group and steered the conversation in a different direction.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask you how you spent your time, but I guess that won¡¯t be necessary. I just hope you remembered what I have told you.


    ¡°Keeping track of one¡¯s expenses is a vital and often overlooked aspect of adventuring. You never know when you might run into a dry spell.¡± Judging by the cadence of her words and the way she rolled her eyes, this was not the first time Miriam recited these words.


    ¡°As long as you know. And what about the stats?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°We can show you later! Why don¡¯t you instead tell us how your day went?¡±


    ¡°You little brat,¡± Samuel laughed. ¡°What you really mean to ask is whether or not I got a hold of the tickets. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    cough cough


    ¡­.


    ¡°Here you are.¡± Hardly a minute had passed since welcoming them, when Milly¡¯s son returned carrying a large tray with three bowls of stew and three large beer mugs on top of it. He served them and ignored the discontent objections of some of the other patrons who noticed their order had been skipped.


    ¡°I hope you like it!¡±


    ¡°We will. At least I will,¡± Severin assured sincerely.


    Back in his world, he had never been too fond of this kind of food, but now simply just the generous chunks of meat made his mouth water. And even the vegetables-especially the pieces resembling potatoes-looked more appetizing than anything he remembered.


    Maybe now that he was outside the System¡¯s direct area of influence, this was just a side effect of his returning sense of hunger, but either way, Severin could barely restrain himself. He faded out the conversations around him and focused solely on his food, which he gobbled down in a matter of minutes.


    Satisfied, he patted his belly with his left hand and reached for the cup with his right.


    ¡®Sweeter than what I¡¯m used to,¡¯ was his immediate judgement. ¡®Fruitier. But not bad.¡¯ With that, he started for a second swig when he felt like he was being watched.


    He halted mid-motion, looked around, and saw a woman standing inside the door, looking in his direction. A moment later, she turned around and left without entering.


    ¡®Checking just how crowded it is,¡¯ Severin concluded and finished the sip. ¡®But at this time, it¡¯s not like you have much of a choice.¡¯


    Thus Severin wasn¡¯t much surprised when a few moments later the door opened again and the same woman, now accompanied by a man with scales similar to those of the woman he had seen earlier, stepped inside. And towards him.


    ¡®Guess it¡¯s too packed to expect we could keep the whole table for ourselves. Even with Samuel as a deterrence.¡¯


    Sigh


    Knowing it would be impossible to ignore the approaching pair, Severin forced himself to an inviting smile - a skill possessed by all shopkeepers, even the classless ones.


    The woman replied in kind.


    The man, however, didn¡¯t even pay any attention to him and looked right past him.


    ¡°Sla.. [Slaughter King]!?¡±


    Severin¡¯s eardrum nearly burst when Miriam suddenly shouted; the newcomer visibly flinched.


    Multiple heads turned around to see who was making this ruckus. And immediately fell silent.


    Within a few breaths time, the whole room had become quiet.


    As much as the girl- and most everyone else in the inn- was excited, the actual center of attention regretted not having been any more careful in his approach. He tried not to let his displeasure show and got straight to the point.


    ¡°You are the [Berserker]. The one from earlier. From the sparring grounds.¡± The man confirmed his companion¡¯s observation had indeed been correct.


    Miriam was rarely at a loss for words, but now that one of her idols and arguably one of the strongest fighters in the history of The Games, was not only standing right in front of her, but talking to her directly, this was exactly such a case.


    She was still trying to process what was happening when Samuel, sitting opposite of her, turned around to examine the newcomer.


    ¡°Richard? Is that you? My, you have grown.¡±


    ¡°Master Samuel?!¡± Now it was the newcomer¡¯s turn to be taken aback. The man immediately became very respectful. ¡°Then this is... your disciple?¡±


    [Berserker]? Half-giant? Called Samuel? Knows the [Slaughter King]?


    Even if they hadn''t recognized the old man before, now, with all these clues, they just had to put two and two together.


    The crowd, which had been watching everything with bated breath since Miriam''s sudden scream, could no longer contain itself. The whole room erupted into a deafening din.

 Chapter 149

    Two busy days later.


    ..


    From the inside, the arena looked even more impressive than from the outside. To Severin it didn¡¯t appear any inferior to the stadiums of his homeworld. Even the big screens floating in the air were the same. These screens, though they still remained dark at the moment, promised a clear view of the action - even from the higher ranks, where Severin was currently sitting next to a half-giant figure while regretting his decision not to accompany the youths.


    After their unexpected meeting with Richard and Sib, the latter, more socially aware than the former, invited everyone to spectate Richard¡¯s opening fight of the Games, right from the sidelines. Apart from the first responders and the security forces that were always on standby, only the teammates and the supporting staff of a combatant taking part in the current event could usually get this close.


    For the hardcore fans, it was an irresistible offer.


    As for Severin... All of a sudden, the idea of getting splattered with blood and gore didn¡¯t sound all that bad anymore.


    Not if that was the alternative.


    That, being the inquisitive looks.


    The whispering he couldn¡¯t hear but had to assume was there.


    His, as so often lately, inappropriate clothing.


    And, of course, the sheer proximity not just the country¡¯s political elite, but to the Imperial Box itself, which was located just a few meters behind him.


    Severin had never felt this much out of place.


    Despite this, an amused smile appeared on his face when he thought about the three youths.


    The third being Felix, the previously large-headed [Berserker] who had stumbled through the inn¡¯s suspenseful atmosphere that evening. Not truly understanding what was going on and with all eyes on him.


    Or rather, almost all eyes on him.


    At that time, he still hadn¡¯t realized just who the two men were whose backs were turned to him. When he did, he thought he might lose his consciousness for the second time this day, with his heart racing harder than ever before, shaking like a leaf and pale as a ghost.


    But in the end, the whole situation turned out less awkward and more cheerful than it could have been.


    On one hand, the affable [Mindbender] calmed his nerves, while, on the other, Miriam whose original plan had been to make this fellow [Berserker] apologize to her mentor for his rash comments in return for his badge, had enough sense to consider the circumstances and to refrain from doing so.


    And Felix, too, to his credit, had enough sense to offer an apology on his own accord, anyhow.


    What followed after, was the most fun night Severin had in a long time; and also the reason why he had been so busy afterwards.


    But the current circumstances didn¡¯t lend themselves for Severin to keep dwelling on his thoughts and memories for too long.


    At least this time, it wasn¡¯t one of Samuel¡¯s surprisingly many sycophants that came disturbing the peace.


    Instead, it was an elderly man appearing in the middle of all the screens that suddenly had come to life.


    Ringald¡¯s full mop of hair had already faded, but Severin suspected that it had once been the same color as Markus'', who seemed to be absent.


    Were it not for the luxurious robes, at first sight, Severin would hardly have described the man as regal - in his eyes, the man''s features were too soft- almost cordial- for someone of his status. The image simply did not match the one he had in his mind.


    A closer look at the [King''s] almost frighteningly sharp eyes, however, immediately dispelled any notions one might have had of being able to take advantage of the man.


    Given the close proximity to him, instead of relying on the screen, Severin simply turned around.


    Only to find that his vision was blocked by a figure dressed in a green robe. It wasn¡¯t the Society¡¯s emerald color, but a lighter, almost screaming green, which identified the figure as one of only tens of people in charge of the image transmission. According to Samuel, these people had the ability to transmit everything they saw directly towards nearby mediums they were currently attuned to.


    ¡®Basically cameramen.¡¯


    Having to rely on one of the huge screens after all, Severin turned back around.


    In the meantime, the whole stadium had turned quiet. Or at least as quiet as was realistically possible for a gathering of that many people.


    In response, the man on the screen nodded, and his magically amplified voice filled the stadium.


    ¡°It is my great honor and privilege to host the one-hundred-and-ninety-ninth biennially held Games inside our beautiful Malcos, and to be able to welcome all of you who have come from near and far alike to witness this occasion.


    In particular, I want to welcome our friends from Adria, Elheim, Irisburg, Rhenia and Urgisland,¡± each mention was followed by excited applause from the citizens of the respective countries, ¡±and their delegations without whom none of this would have been possible.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.It pleases me greatly to see all of Galira coming together as one.¡±


    Just a minute into the speech, and Severin was already bored.


    ¡­


    ¡°And of course, I have to say my thanks and wish the best of luck to all of this year¡¯s participants who will be competing over these next couple of days.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°And with this, I, Ringald, [King] and ruler of Malcos, declare this year¡¯s Games officially open!¡±


    ¡®Finally!¡¯


    Judging by the loud applause, Severin wasn¡¯t the only one with this sentiment.


    The applause hadn¡¯t sounded completely off yet, when the view on the screens changed, and a new voice could be heard.


    ¡°And also a warm welcome from me! My name is Jake and I will be commentating for you on most of today¡¯s events. Including the first and probably one of the most anticipated ones of this series.


    The ten-man free-for-all!


    As you can already see on the ground below and as is tradition with this event in particular, we won¡¯t be seeing any of the fancy battleground layouts. Instead we¡­


    Ah, excuse me, but it seems the gates are already opening! Please welcome the participants with me as they enter!


    Through the first gate¡­!¡±


    The big screen once again changed to the point of view of another one of the green-robed mages, showing the opening of the first of eleven gates leading into the oval shaped fighting arena, and a dwarven woman stepping inside.


    She raised her arms, evoking another storm of applause, before coming to a halt inside the clearly demarcated area right in front of the now already closing entrance behind her.


    This sight, as well as the accompanying shouts and chants, repeated itself for another eight times¨Cskipping the considerable larger gate located between the fifth and the sixth which was only used for raid-boss-worthy monsters for the guild challenges and similar events.


    And then, appeared the last of the gates. Drawing the attention of everyone inside the arena.


    ¡°And here he comes! The man of the hour! The man to beat! The reigning champion and record-holder! [Slaughter Kiiiiing Riiiich]!¡±


    This time around, the noise was incomparable to anything Severin ever witnessed before, and it didn¡¯t subside for another three or four minutes.


    Only then did the voice return, knowing that trying to compete with the raging fans in terms of volume would be futile; even when his voice was magically augmented.


    ¡°Now, while we wait for the last preparations, let me give you a quick rundown of the rules.¡±


    The voice paused for a second.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it. Haha.¡± The commentator laughed at his own joke and enough of the audience joined in that they could clearly be heard even through all the shouting and the choruses of the fans singing their favorite fighter¡¯s battle hymn.


    ¡°Jokes aside, but the rules are indeed few. Only really one. And that is not to kill if deemed unnecessary. What does that mean, you ask?


    It means not to finish somebody off who is already out of commission.


    That does not mean killing is otherwise encouraged, but in the heat of battle, it is just impossible to avoid completely -even for participants as experienced as today¡¯s- and as such will not lead to disqualification.


    Other than that, almost everything else goes. That explicitly includes all kinds of consumables, with the only exception being a select choice of outlawed poisons and the like. And of course, no outside help.


    That means no buffs from your friendly support beforehand,¡± commentator Jake laughed again.


    ¡°And to prevent exactly such unsportsmanlike behavior, what we can see down there right now are the last-minute inspections.


    Every item the participants might want to use has to be checked beforehand. As well as their current status screens.


    That¡¯s also the reason why, sadly, we can¡¯t get any closer than this right now.


    But¡­ it seems¡­ Is there a problem with the champion¡¯s items? I can see some movement down there.


    But no. No, it seems the green light has been given.


    The assistants are leaving the field! The countdown has begun! One last minute of preparation for the athletes. Once this clock hits zero, they are allowed to leave their starting positions and use offensive skills.


    Until then, they are restricted to only use buffs and to take whatever consumables they have just registered.


    Some of you might already know this, but here¡¯s a small fun fact. Did you know that wasn¡¯t the case until the one-hundred-and-thirty-seventh games? There was no preparation time at all!


    That meant certain classes, such as most summoners and others that are similarly dependent on pre-casting some of their skills, were virtually never seen in this event. Unimaginable nowadays, huh?


    But speaking of which. Not really a summoner in the traditional sense, but our reigning champion after emptying this small bottle is currently¡­? He has already summoned his swords, which is very out of character for him. And¡­ aren¡¯t they more than last time? Way more, I mean. One, two¡­ someone count them for me!


    But what is he doing there? Only a few more seconds to go and he seems to be busy coating each and every one of them with the contents of those small flasks.


    Just what is he planning to do? And what are these patches on his gear? Anyone else see them? S.E., is that what they say? Maybe some new kinds of enchants? I guess we will soon find out as¡­¡±


    Bang


    ¡°That¡¯s it! The Games have begun!¡±

 Chapter 150

    ¡°And with that, our participants are allowed to take off from their preparation zones. But it seems none of them is too keen on leaving behind the safety of the outer parts of the arena.


    You have to remember, this is very much unlike the one-versus-one challenges were making the first move and taking the initiative is king. In free-for-all, patience is the name of the game. The one to make the first move draws the attention of nine other bloodthirsty fighters. But don¡¯t worry folks, once the equili¡­ There he goes!


    It seems the champion has already had enough of this! He activated his [Quick Steps] and almost immediately closed the gap towards Briss the [Chainwhirler]! What confidence! Does he think he can finish her off before the others reach them? But either way, it seems this will be a quick one! Everyone is are already on the move as Briss wrapped herself in her chains hoping to withstand Richard¡¯s first onslaught.


    But where are his remaining swords? If he wants to finish this quickly, then¡­


    Ah! There they are! Do you see that? He uses them to stake off a small area around them. He is trying to isolate the [Chainwhirler] and himself from the remaining eight combatants! But is this really enough to force the one-vs-one?¡± The commentator apparently didn¡¯t need to breathe and continued without pause.


    ¡°Well, for the moment, it almost looks that way! For the remaining fighters, it¡¯s as if nothing has changed. There is just nothing they can do. They just keep circling each other; the occasional probing attack here and there, but that¡¯s it.


    I can only guess that no one wants to expose themselves while trying to breakthrough Richard¡¯s sword minions, as I like to call them. Too high risk for too little gain.


    That being said, his main focus still lies on Briss, who keeps on struggling, so just how much attention can he really put towards controlling these swords? Isn¡¯t he underestimating his fellow challengers a bit too much? If only one of the mages would¡­


    No!


    [Stonefist]!


    It is Brad the [Stonefist] who¡¯s looking for the breakthrough. He¡¯s charging forward! His small [Earth Shield] at the front to deflect the swords, and the large one on his back to defend against any opportunists who might want to take a stab at him.


    And looks like he almost made it through! Only a few¡­


    What...? What just...? First blood?¡±


    For the first time since the beginning of the fight, it seemed, the commentator was at a loss for words. But only for short.


    ¡°First blood!¡± he finally confirmed.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, it is First blood! The first fighter is down! And down for good he is. Just out of nowhere, another five swords suddenly appeared.


    Brad basically impaled himself!


    The first responders are already moving, but I doubt there is much they can do for him.


    Just how much did the champion improve his control since last time!? This truly is unexpected and will serve as a warning for the other!


    And just look at them. Look at the remaining fighters. Look how sloppy their exchanges have become! They still can¡¯t believe their eyes!


    All but Briss, that is. She has no time to worry about anything else, as¡­ AS SHE GOES DOWN AS WELL! And what a mess.


    Barely a minute in, and already down to eight.¡± Jake¡¯s voice cracked. The crowd went wild.


    ¡°And now his blades are on the prowl again! Searching for their next potential victim to isolate! So very much unlike his last couple of performances! It seems like Richard wants to end this quickly, not even pausing to regenerate some of that [Energy] he just expended. But no luck this time!


    The remaining competitors have finally remembered this ain¡¯t one of the duelist events;


    these people don¡¯t excel at single combat.


    As if reading each other¡¯s minds, the melee fighters all rush towards Richard before his blades can reach them. Haha, soon this will turn into the slugfest we all have been waiting for!¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡­


    ¡°You managed to defend your title yet again. And what an exciting fight that was! Congratulations!¡± The star-struck woman could barely hide her excitement.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But say. It appears your fighting style has seen a drastic change since the last time we saw you fight. Previously, your swords almost resembled a second armor; always close to you and ready to deflect any incoming hits.


    But this time, it was almost the complete opposite! This time, you sent them out to actively fight your opponents. So fierce!


    And then, of course, your more frequent use of your active abilities.


    What happened? What caused these changes? ¡°


    ¡°Well. I get that from the outside it must look as if my style has changed. But in reality, that is not really the case. It might have evolved, true, but the fundamental philosophy is still the same; don¡¯t let anyone touch me. And to that extend preventing anyone from getting close to me is simply just the most effective method. Wouldn¡¯t you agree? It¡¯s just that previously I didn¡¯t have the... means¡­ to achieve this feat.¡±


    As his previous curt answer has indicated, Richard wasn¡¯t usually known to give any extensive answers. The interviewer could hardly believe her luck, even if he didn¡¯t directly answer her question. She immediately pressed.


    ¡°But now you haven gotten ahold of these means, as you call it? Care to explain more?


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked.¡± Richard seemed to have expected her follow-up question, and yet to the trained eye it was obvious he wasn¡¯t really all that glad at all.


    In fact, the [Sword Dancer¡¯s] hesitation was rather un-champion-like. Only with reluctance did he continue.


    ¡°It is all thanks to my new sponsor,¡± Richard said, turned to the green-clad mage, who was observing the exchange from the side, and suddenly all but shoved one of his many patches with the initials S.E. in the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Severin¡¯s Emporium.


    Be it the temporary weapon enchants known as weapon oils or the stat increasing elixirs-only their exclusive products allowed me to perform like I did today.


    So if you too want to fight like a champion, go and come visit Severin¡¯s Emporium.


    But where can I find this Emporium you might ask?¡± he paused. Whether for effect or out of embarrassment was unclear, but if it wasn¡¯t for his scales, his face would have been bright red by now.


    When he continued, a sheet of paper, or more precisely a map, had appeared in his hand.


    In its center was a single floating mountain, marked with a red blinking circle enchanted onto the parchment and accompanied by the words Severin¡¯s Emporium.


    Despite its location on the comparatively overlooked eastern side of the Golden Mountains, since the map section was still large enough to include some of the more well-known landmarks, even a lot of the present non-classbearers could tell the general location.


    Dutiful as well as grateful for every second the camera wasn¡¯t turned on him, Richard kept pushing the map in the mage¡¯s face, ensuring everyone could get a good look at it.


    But in the end, the attention did turn back to him.


    Not to mention a red face, by now Richard¡¯s whole body had already lost all of its color. This wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°As for your other point,¡± Richard said, as if addressing the dumbstruck interviewer, but instead looked directly into the distressed mage¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The reason I could use more abilities than usual are Severin¡¯s groundbreaking potions. Like this Resource Potion.¡±


    He put on a grimace of smile-his mouth unnaturally wide open.


    Then a small, purplish colored cube appeared between his teeth.


    The [Slaughter King] forced himself to a wink and swallowed the jelly whole.


    ¡°Well. That certainly was something,¡± Samuel remarked to a smug Severin.

 Chapter 151

    Severin ignored Samuel¡¯s almost flippant remark and instead started clapping.


    After getting over their initial shock- Severin recognized the [Slaughter King¡¯s] behavior probably wasn¡¯t considered proper- the majority of the surrounding high ranking figures nevertheless joined in as well. Still, in these upper ranks in the stadium, the applause remained rather reserved.


    It was the fans in the lower tiers who were responsible for most of the noise, and willing to shower the successful title defender with the applause Severing firmly believed he deserved; though maybe for different reasons.


    But that didn¡¯t prevent the people in the upper tiers from animatedly discussing amongst themselves, trying to figure out what exactly they had just witnessed .


    With pointed ears, Severin leaned back into his seat.


    This was what he was actually interested in.


    ¡­


    ¡°Did¡­ Did that really just happen?¡±


    ¡°The fight, or..?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? No. Not the fight! I¡¯m talking about¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­ someone of his caliber. Of course, it has to be real. Even if you don¡¯t believe his words, couldn¡¯t you see the enormous difference compared to his last performance? Or have you already forgotten?


    And you should be just as clear as me that someone like him won¡¯t have that many level-ups anymore. So how do you explain his performance?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t really fault him, I say. If that stuff really makes you fight like that, then just sign me up as well!¡±


    ¡°Right. Whatever that stuff was, I want some for my guards.¡±


    Not just the guards! Didn¡¯t they say it buffed his focus? The effects might just be equally beneficial to regular people.¡±


    ¡°By regular you mean non-combatants?¡±


    ¡°Same thing, same thing!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°So that last thing was a mana potion?¡±


    ¡°Tzz. Since when do [Sword Dancers] use mana? If anything, it has to be an energy potion.¡±


    ¡°Certainly didn¡¯t look much like a potion to me. Summoned directly into his mouth?! Besides. Normally potions are supposed to be, you know, some kind of liquid, no?¡±


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯m pretty sure he called it a potion. A resource potion at that. Not mana, not energy. Resource.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­?¡±


    ¡­


    The various smaller groups were still talking amongst themselves, but Severin had heard enough. The reception was as well as he could¡¯ve hoped for.


    Now it was time to check out his rewards.


    The rewards for completing his advertising quest. Apparently, the System was just as satisfied with Richard¡¯s performance as Severin himself.


    He checked the status prompts.


    Two more of the matte black membership cards. Of those he already knew in advance. And they were already reserved.


    But what he didn¡¯t knew were the additional V.I.P. features that also came with the quest completion. In that regard, the System had been rather vague. As so often.


    Could it be that the unspecified rewards scale with the efficiency with which a quest was completed? Was the System rating his performance?


    Once he thought about this, Severin really hoped this suspicion was right. After all, he had just surpassed himself. If this didn¡¯t earn him full marks, then what would?


    With bated breath, he scrolled down.


    [Adjustable V.I.P. privileges.]


    ¡®Five more combinator charges. Boring.


    Then... let¡¯s see.


    The five percent discount can be increased up to ten. Also, kinda meh, to be honest. And if I understand this right, I have to compensate for the loss of revenue all by myself. The System¡¯s cut remains unchanged. Great,¡¯ he grumbled to himself.


    ¡®But still worth it, I suppose.¡¯


    Severin was not exactly pleased with this arrangement. But as much as he was annoyed, he knew that a little generosity towards his most loyal customers would go a long way.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Conversely, being too stingy with someone like Richard¨Cwho just paid a not negligible price himself - and limiting the benefits to the bare minimum might just jeopardize future cooperation.


    Therefore, he concluded that, ¡®I should probably see this as more of some kind of marketing expense.¡¯


    Still, Severin felt the rewards so far were rather lackluster. But luckily¡­


    Severin scrolled down further and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.


    ¡®Now that¡¯s more like it!¡¯ He almost started laughing out loud and only caught himself at the last moment.


    ¡®The limited carrying capacity has always been a problem! But let¡¯s first see how exactly this works.


    The membership card itself will serve as a magic storage? And because in a way those things still are the store¡¯s, or rather the System¡¯s, property, it¡¯s not bound those same limitations as regular inventories? That¡¯s at least how I understand it.


    In that case, it should also affect the foodstuff, right?!¡¯


    Severin still remembered Andreas'' complaints about the limited shelf life of Severin¡¯s food. While normal food was well preserved inside one¡¯s inventory, Severin¡¯s stuff had soon begun to perish, and therefore making it unfeasible to sustain the corresponding food buffs over the course of prolonged dungeon exploration tours.


    On the other hand, Severin himself didn¡¯t have those same problems. In fact, the last time he checked, the few slices inside his own inventory still hadn¡¯t even turned cold. The difference was all too evident.


    ¡®Only shame that it¡¯s only twenty slots.


    Well. Then again.


    Given that the capacity for elixirs and oils is only five to begin with¡­¡¯


    ¡°Haha.¡± This time, he couldn¡¯t control himself.


    ¡°What are you so pleased for? Is it still because of the number you did on Rich?¡± Samuel teased.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡± Severin vehemently denied the accusation, but carried a wide smile on his face while doing so.


    ¡°I just thought about sharing some of my good fortune with my most loyal customer,¡± saying this, he waved one of the black cards around. ¡°But I have the feeling he isn¡¯t even interested.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey now brat!¡±


    The title of most loyal customer naturally referred to Samuel himself, Severin¡¯s first ever customer.


    The [Shopkeeper] was in a great. Only because of that, and the fact that it was Samuel who first addressed him so casually, did he dare to be similarly jovial with the half-giant. And after the last couple of days, it just felt right.


    In the end, Severin handed over the card. But despite the atmosphere, the decision to do so hadn¡¯t been as spontaneous as it may have appeared.


    It was Severin¡¯s way to say thanks not only for the man¡¯s continued patronage and for taking him with him on this trip, but also for setting up the meeting with the man sitting not all too far behind them.


    Samuel understood all this. When the two of them had become more serious again, he therefore didn¡¯t decline the gesture.


    He said his heartfelt thanks and studied the cards with ever-growing excitement. Samuel already knew of some of the features-or rather privileges-it granted, simply because of his contact with Andreas, but the newest addition naturally came as a surprise to him.


    But with Samuel being occupied, the surrounding voices, again, became impossible to ignore.


    ¡°But why would anyone set up shop in the middle of nowhere? Only to go to such lengths? Advertising in front of all these people? In front of all of Hanvia. Half of Galira even! Who would do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I think Sefron, was it? Sefron¡¯s Emporium? What a grand name, tz.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Severin?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Could be. Sounds at least somewhat familiar.¡±


    The [Shopkeeper] suddenly felt several heads turn toward his back.


    Ahem


    ¡°I think I should get going.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Samuel asked. ¡°The first rounds of the one-vs-one tournament should start soon.¡±


    Maybe if it were already the finals, or preferable even one of the guild subjugation events where he could see his first real fantasy monster, and where the first responders were more compelled to intervene immediately instead of waiting until the participants were already at least half-dead, he might have let himself be persuaded.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. Richard must already be waiting.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I think you are right. And he truly has earned his reward!


    But all jokes aside. I think it wasn¡¯t a bad deal for him either.¡± This time, Samuel waved around the membership card. ¡°And I would¡¯ve said the same thing even before I learned of those new features you added!


    You know what? I¡¯ll might as well accompany you. I should see what the two troublemakers are up to, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Severin paused for a moment. ¡°What about the third guy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±

 Chapter 152

    The next few days after the Games'' grand opening passed by quickly for Severin, despite the fact that he wasn''t one of its biggest fans.


    Maybe if the System had granted him a more combat-oriented class when he was first brought into this world and if he had embarked on an adventurer¡¯s journey himself, maybe then his perspective on the matter might¡¯ve been a different one; maybe then he would be more appreciative of the bloody spectacle.


    But as things were, and despite Severin never considering himself an overly squeamish person, he still couldn¡¯t get used to the sight of people getting gored simply for entertainment.


    In that respect, the guild raid challenges turned out to be little better.


    Less human-or rather humanoid-casualties, sure; at least in terms of mortality rate.


    But the sight of monster heads measuring multiple meters in diameter being cracked open and leaking their grey matter was hardly any more appealing to him.


    Still, every day, some sense of morbid curiosity drew him towards the spectator stands. And every day he regretted it. Not even because of the grizzly sight, but because of the ever-growing number of people directly approaching and bothering him.


    Some only to introduce themselves.


    Some to inquire after his name, his store, and his wares.


    And some with shady business-proposals.


    Severin didn¡¯t even want to imagine how unrestrained these people would¡¯ve been if it weren''t for Samuel¡¯s company.


    Consequentially, each day, Severin drastically reduced the time he would spend inside the arena, and either concentrated on preparing himself for the upcoming, and surely nerve wrecking business meeting, or on the further exploration of the city; neither his small excursion together with Miriam and Timothy, nor his trip the day after, during which he ordered the custom-made map and patches for Richard¡¯s advertisement deal, was nearly enough to fully explore a city the size of Hanvia.


    He was busy and every day he came to visit some place new.


    Like the extensive and, despite what its name suggested, publicly accessible, royal gardens.


    The wharf on the outskirts of the city, where he inquired with the master shipbuilder-a specialization of the [Artificer] class, Severin learned- about the price of those flying artifacts, their general mechanisms, and some other matters he decided he would later bring up in his conversation with Ringald, should the opportunity ever arise.


    Or the food market which seemed even more crowded than the area around the big screens right outside the arena which were barely in range of the green-robed mage¡¯s sphere of influence and which allowed for free public screening of the ongoing events for the general populous.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    In comparison, the already familiar shopping mile almost seemed deserted; the contrast was especially stark when he reached the part that earlier, before the opening of the Games, had been so busy, he even got separated from his companions.


    But luckily for Severin, this also meant when he entered the store called Magic Fabrics, he didn¡¯t have to wait for long until one of the two [Tailors] running the place found the time to see him personally.


    In principle, the services of their classless counterpart would¡¯ve been more than sufficient for Severin¡¯s demands. Which was a simple suit with no unnecessary enchantments and for the sole purpose of making him look presentable. But since he figured that even if he wanted to, he probably couldn¡¯t afford to wait a couple of weeks until a regular craftsman could finish their handiwork, Severin felt he had no choice but to visit the kind of store that could complete his order in a matter of minute; though at a price that was more than ten times that of a handmade one.


    That was if he didn¡¯t want to choose an off-the-rack suit. But for better or for worse, on this occasion, he had to look the part. And worse, it was.


    He gritted his teeth and paid a sum that made his own products look dirt-cheap, while already knowing that after that one occasion he would never again wear this hideous thing with all its frills and ruffles that were currently in fashion amongst those that had more money than aesthetic sense.


    ¡®Usury! At that point, I could have just as well have paid the extra premium and purchased directly from the System itself. At least that thing would have given me plus one to negotiations. Whatever that actually even means.¡¯ Severin habitually started complaining, but immediately noted it was not as bad for his finances as he had feared.


    ¡®Has the advertisement already paid off? Maybe. Probably... not? Then, maybe those guys have finally returned? About time. I think. Let''s just hope they all made it in one piece.¡¯ Severin¡¯s concern for Andreas and his group was largely genuine.


    But either way, given the turnover, it had to be a large group of people. But maybe even more important than the money was something else that came with it. Large amounts of experience.


    If the group wouldn''t immediately move on and was instead willing to continue to use his Emporium¡¯s services, Severin figured a level up or even two in the near future might not be impossible. Maybe that would even include one for his [Shopkeeper] main-class.


    His grievances already forgotten, Severin returned to meet up with the others back at Milly¡¯s.


    ¡°There you are! I have gotten word. The day after tomorrow, he will see you. So be prepared.¡± Severin didn¡¯t have to ask who he was referring to. Not that he was able to.


    Too soon! In the moment, he didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°You know what that means, right? It means you will be one of the very first people he receives after the Games have concluded. Despite the mountains of work that must have piled up in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ a good thing?¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Samuel answered frankly.

 Chapter 153

    Ever since receiving a concrete date for his meeting with the [King], Severin had been a nervous wreck.


    Even the breath-taking, magical fireworks that lasted the whole previous evening and covered the whole city of Hanvia, commemorating the conclusion of this year¡¯s Games, could not offer him any distraction.


    Now he sat there without appetite and poked around in the pasta dish which Milly had prepared especially for him.


    He briefly wondered whether pasta like this usually contained eggs and told himself to find out. Maybe this way he could make some progress with his stagnant combination quest.


    But he didn¡¯t feel the same joy he normally would in this situation.


    To him, this simply felt too much like a last supper.


    He was going to meet a King. Not a nominal one-a real one. One with power. The power of his office, and therefore that of a whole country, but also that of a magical class of the same name.


    It didn¡¯t matter that it wasn¡¯t his King. Even if this meeting wouldn¡¯t decide the future direction of his business, Severin would still feel apprehensive.


    The only bright spot was that Samuel had promised to accompany him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± the half-giant announced.


    ¡­


    Severin had no mind to pay any attention to what Samuel was saying as they made their way through the extensive royal garden and towards one of the strictly guarded hedge arcs which demarcated the junction between public space and royal estate-even in his absentminded state Severin realized they definitely weren¡¯t headed towards the main entrance.


    His palms were starting to feel sweaty, and he hoped he looked calmer than he felt.


    If at least he wasn¡¯t stuck in this overpriced rag.


    They kept walking and passed through the arc, without any of the guards stepping forward. Instead, they saluted them respectfully and let them pass without questioning them.


    Severin briefly wondered whether these people simply recognized the man besides him, or if the guards had been previously informed of their visit.


    ¡®Probably both¡¯, Severin concluded.


    The next moment, those thoughts were already forgotten.


    Severin simply kept following Samuel¡¯s lead.


    A few hundred meters further, and they found themselves standing in front of an ornate door.


    By now they had walked so far, and everything was so intimidatingly huge and extensive, that Severin wasn¡¯t even sure if this door still led inside the actual palace or inside a different building altogether.


    This time the sole guard, or at least the only one Severin could see, didn¡¯t immediately make way.


    The two men stopped.


    The [Berserker] summoned a small item Severin couldn¡¯t clearly make out and handed it over to the guard.


    ¡°Sir.¡± The uniformed man saluted like his comrades before him and stepped aside.


    The door opened seemingly on its own and invited Severin and his escort to step inside a short but richly decorated hallway. The moment the door behind them had closed, they already found themselves standing in front of yet another door.


    The final one, Severin instinctually knew.


    It was behind this door that Ringald, [King] of Malcos, would give him an audience.


    Samuel not immediately opening said door and instead giving Severin an encouraging pat on his back, all but confirmed this suspicion. No words required.


    Severin took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped forward. Now it was him leading the way and the half-giant following behind.


    The nervousness was gone.


    But only for an instant.


    The room was smaller than he expected, almost cozy, and generally more modest than what he had expected, given the proportions and pomp of everything he had seen leading up to this way.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.But why were there already two people inside?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he supposed to let me wait before he shows up? Did I just barge through the door with the [King] already waiting? Did I keep the actual [King] waiting? Did Sam lead me on? A set up? Or am I just an idiot?¡¯


    Severin¡¯s thoughts were racing.


    ¡°Aah, there you are! Samuel! And Severin, I presume?¡±


    ¡®Not angry. Good. Then I¡­¡¯


    Severin started a respectful bow. ¡°It is my¡­¡±


    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t. Not while we are in this room.¡± The seated man interrupted Severin, who was about to make a fool of himself and with an open palm gestured towards the round table.


    ¡°Please take a seat.


    And what about you, Sam? Care to join us as well?¡±


    ¡°As a mediator.¡±


    Severin was surprised, but glad, to yet again feel an inhumanly large hand reassuringly on his back. The gesture evoked a small eyebrow raise of the otherwise pleasantly smiling [King].


    Under the expressionless gaze of who was apparently the [King¡¯s] personal aide and who was standing directly behind the man, Severin crossed the room and did as he was told.


    ¡°Severin.¡± Severin had barely sat down and the calculating eyes that immediately struck him when he saw them on the stadium¡¯s large screen were now focused solely on him.


    ¡°I have already heard about you. First from my old friend over there, and then later again from my son. Markus,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°And I have seen what you are capable of.


    Sadly, so has everyone else in Malcos. Thanks to dear Richard¡¯s striking performance¡±. Ringald didn¡¯t openly show it, but Severin felt the man wasn¡¯t particularly happy about the way he conducted his first advertisement campaign.


    ¡°So, tell me. What exactly is it that brings you here? Samuel refused to say. Uncharacteristic. Was quite adamant about it as well.


    That set me on edge. Quite frankly, your¡­ products¡­ they are dangerous. And by extension, so are you.¡±


    Severin felt as if he was stared down by a predator. The fact that the man was still smiling only made it worse.


    ¡°So unless you decided to accept my son¡¯s prudent offer and seek to move your business towards Hanvia and under our protection, I¡¯m not sure what you are hoping to achieve with this visit.


    Maybe establish a branch?


    But given your stunt during the Games¡­¡±


    Only a few minutes had passed-Severin didn¡¯t even have a real chance to open his mouth-behaving like a fool, instead- but Ringald had already brought up his promotion, twice.


    No doubt anymore, the man was more than just slightly annoyed by it. And this time some of the annoyance had made it into his voice.


    A cold sweat formed on Severin¡¯s back. It was time for him to step up.


    ¡°Your Highness.


    You are right in that I don¡¯t intend to do either of those things. But I maintain that what I have to offer might just be even more valuable. That is, access to my store just as convenient and easily reachable as if it was located right here in the middle of Malcos and, maybe more importantly, the prospect of opening up future trade routes.¡±


    Severin then continued to rattle off the small speech he had written and memorized the day before regarding the matter of the portal station that was just waiting to be completed.


    ¡­


    ¡°Commercially available teleport magic? Is this supposed to be a joke?¡± A visibly agitated [King] confronted not Severin, but the massive man next to him; even the so far expressionless fourth person presently in the room, for the briefest instant, seemed to have lost some of her cool.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it is. One half of the station-one of the terminals- is already completed. I have seen it myself.¡±


    ¡°But you have not seen it actually work.¡±


    ¡°I have not,¡± Samuel admitted. ¡°But if anyone is capable of something so outrageous, it is him. And for what it¡¯s worth, Mylana herself still, at this point, cannot figure out the mechanisms behind the two machines we told you about.


    I vouch for him.¡±


    ¡°And I¡­ I would be willing to back my claims up with [Contract Magic].¡± Severin injected himself back into the conversation, drawing Ringald¡¯s gaze back onto him; for a few seconds.


    Then, without saying a word and deep in thought, he turned back to his old [Berserker] friend.


    Looked at him. Lingered.


    And finally, back at Severin.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

 Chapter 154

    ¡°And you want to establish this so-called terminal right inside the capital.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I believe this would be in the ideal arrangement for everyone involved. As this would be for now the only connected terminal, it would be almost no different from my shop itself being located inside the city.¡±


    ¡°The first you say. So, you plan to establish even more of these portals later on. Possibly connecting to other countries as well. That is what you mean by opening up trade routes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your High¡­¡± Not high on formalities if the circumstances absolutely didn¡¯t require it, with a wave of his hand, Ringald cut Severin off.


    ¡°And just to be clear. Those portals would be bi-directional?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that explains your secrecy.¡± This was directed towards Samuel.


    The monarch didn¡¯t immediately follow up and instead fell into deep thought.


    Severin knew better than to disturb him with another, more elaborate sales pitch he had originally thought out, explaining how other businesses would profit as well by him providing adventurers like Andreas who were usually stuck inside the Mountains over a prolonged period of time with a shortcut directly into the city of Hanvia and back.


    Just when the silence was about to turn the mood awkward, Ringald spoke up again. More serious than before.


    ¡°I admit the advantages are evident. But so are the disadvantages. The dangers. And you having recognized them as well is the true reason you are here. So tell me your solution. Otherwise, this conversation is over.¡±


    Severin swallowed.


    That truly was the crux of the matter.


    He hoped he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything and sorted his thoughts.


    ¡°First of all, I would propose the establishment of some kind of border checkpoint. Much like the ones at the city entrance and the docking bays. This way, the same security standards can be upheld.


    To that extend I would naturally give up some of my land surrounding the portal station.¡±


    While saying this, Severin couldn¡¯t help but think back to the day of their first arrival and the security standards in question when the guards realized who they were dealing with. But the slight amusement he felt at this thought immediately evaporated when the response to his suggestion simply was,


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Not good.


    He knew this wouldn¡¯t be enough to assure a [King] of the safety of his land and people, but Severin still expected more of a response to his proposal.


    Realizing this was all the response he would get out of the man, his confidence was weening. Though he tried not to let it show.


    It seemed he couldn¡¯t afford to take things slow.


    Originally, his next proposal would have been to make a contractual commitment to completely disable the portal in question either upon request or in the event of a hostile force approaching. Realizing that this would in no way satisfy Ringald - even if the man fully trusted Severin and their contract they would draw up, no penalty in the world could make up for a breach of contract - Severin went straight to the big guns; if that didn''t convince him, nothing would.


    ¡°I am also willing to concede two controlling devices able to remotely shut down the corresponding terminal,¡± Severin said. And then added, ¡±This, however, would require further contractual negotiations in order to safeguard against arbitrary use and abuse and the like.¡±


    In his current position Severin hated to have to make this clarification, but under no circumstances would he cede total control of any of his faculties. In that case, he¡¯d rather have no deal at all.


    But luckily Ringald¡¯s, at times icy demeanor, apparently didn¡¯t mean he was unwilling to negotiate, or that he was generally an unreasonable person.


    ¡°Tell me what you have in mind¡± the [King] said, making Severin believe that not all hope was yet lost.


    With newfound confidence, he begun to clarify.


    ¡°I believe when it comes to the security of the kingdom and your people, the established portal station would be no different from any other border crossing point and its dangers and, therefore, should be largely treated as such.


    The only exception to this would need to involve a direct assault on the Emporium itself. Or, admittedly, my cooperation.¡±


    Severin paused for a moment and tried to gauge Ringald¡¯s reaction, trying to make sure they were on the same page.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.A difficult to interpret hand gesture later, Severin continued.


    ¡°To render such an assault useless and for you not to be dependent on me and my own judgement of any given situation, I would leave you with two devices capable of shutting down all means of teleportation transport.


    But as I said, and for obvious reasons, this would require further contract negotiations.


    That is, on one hand, to prevent misuse of this privilege on your end,¡± Severin was very uncomfortable when he said this last part out loud,¡± and to prove my technology and promises can be trusted, on the other.¡±


    That, Severin had recently found out, was the real beauty of [Contract Magic].


    Since any breach of contract was automatically and magically sanctioned, with skillfully chosen wording of a contract clause, this type of magic could easily serve as a reliable lie detector.


    In case Ringald wouldn¡¯t reject his proposal outright, this meant such a contract, even if only in effect for a few minutes or until certain questions had been answered, would allow Severin to convince the man of his sincerity and, more importantly, the authenticity of the kill switches he would have to purchase from the System.


    But the next answer was not what he expected.


    ¡°Just to be clear. I won¡¯t be signing any contracts of this kind.¡±


    Severin¡¯s heart fell.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯ That was the last thing he wanted to hear. Not even the slightest opening.


    The initial discomfort and nervousness he had almost forgotten suddenly washed back over him.


    For a moment, he didn¡¯t know how to act or what to say.


    ¡°What the old crook means to say is he would be willing to engage in further negotiations but that any actually reached agreement would not be signed by himself, but a representative.¡±


    For the third time that day, Severin felt a reassuring hand on his back and though the flicker in the eyes of the silent attendant- clearly unhappy the man she had sworn lifelong fealty to had been called a crook- made his heart skip a beat, the hearty laugh by the man in question made him ease up again.


    ¡°As the [King], personally signing any magic contract and thus making myself and the kingdom as a whole vulnerable is simply unfeasible. If we should come to an agreement, it would therefore be signed by someone else. Someone I trust. Usually one of my children,¡± Ringald clarified.


    The drastic change in the [King¡¯s] attitude came unexpectedly but was welcomed dearly.


    ¡°Markus?¡± Severin asked without thinking.


    ¡°No. After all, he might end up being [King] himself. It¡¯s usually one of my daughters.¡±


    ¡®So, kind of the equivalent of a political marriage? Used as a sacrifice to forge bonds and secure relationships. And business deals, it seems.¡¯ Under other circumstances, Severin probably would have felt sorry for said daughters, but between the fact that he himself had to make the same commitment and the fact that he had no intention of breaking a possible contract, that pity was quickly forgotten. He nodded and wondered just what exactly this meant for him and the negotiations.


    As it turned out, it meant work.


    For the next three days, Severin all but lived in this far-removed conference room, arriving at dawn and leaving at dusk, spending most of his time either negotiating the finer details of the contract, or resting between meetings.


    Severin did not exclusively deal with the [King], but the pressure he felt during this time was enormous. Every day, he was afraid to make a mistake that might cost him dearly.


    There was just too much to go through.


    From the size of the land Severin had to cede, to the draft of a mutual defense clause, to the actual number of troops stationed, their well-defined duties, and whether or not Severin would have to pay, at least in part, for their pay and quarters.


    The need to put rules in place that would prevent the arbitrary apprehension and harassment of potential travelers was just as important as figuring out what transit fees to charge and how to distribute the thus generated profits.


    The list of discussion points was virtually endless and the discussion of every single point demanded a lot from Severin.


    Still, he did the best he could to make sure he would retain as much of his sovereignty of the Emporium and its properties as possible. It was to stay a neutral zone where arrest warrants would lose their authority unless Severin decided to cooperate with the authorities; in that regard having Bandur to fall back on to make his point-after all thanks to his brothers¡¯ efforts the dwarf with friendly ties to Ringald himself was wanted in more than one other country- was just as helpful as the fact that Magda as a representative of the Society had already agreed to similar terms.


    Comparatively easier to stomach were some of the less consequential demands. For example, when the [King] personally asked Severin to grant his son Markus V.I.P. status the next time they met.


    In fact, the request just suited him as it allowed Severin to reciprocate in kind, confident his inconspicuous request would be granted. After some long and exhausting days, the negotiations were finally coming to an end when Severin thought back to his visit at the local wharf and said,


    ¡°Just one more thing, and I think we are done.¡±

 Chapter 155

    Severin stood in front of a construction site located somewhere between two and three kilometers outside one of Hanvia¡¯s main gates.


    It was close enough to the capital of Malcos so that everything that was going on around here could safely be observed from the top of the city walls-even when the weather conditions would be somewhat hazy-but with still great enough a distance between them  that the guards on watch would still have enough time to set the city¡¯s emergency measures in motion, should circumstances ever require it.


    In the end Severin hadn¡¯t been able to secure himself a spot of land inside the city walls, much less in the midst of the bustling shopping mile.


    Currently next to Severin¡¯s were the two people who would be responsible for the kill switches.


    According to his understanding, each of the devices was to be kept separate from each other at all times, one on each side of the portal and never to be present at the same location.


    On his right was the [King¡¯s] eldest daughter, [Princess] Jasmin-or maybe it was simply princess Jasmin, Severin wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain- the one who had signed the contract as her father¡¯s proxy and representative. With some exceptions, she would therefore have to bear the brunt of the consequences in case Malcos¡¯ contracting party ever decided to break the agreement.


    Severin estimated her age at about twenty-five. The impression that emerged after the few encounters with her was that of a reserved and strangely distant young woman, more settled than her younger brother Markus, who still showed some youthful exuberance.


    ¡®Or, considering her circumstances, maybe it is just plain resignation.¡¯


    Following behind her at a respectful distance, which nevertheless made Severin feel uncomfortable, was a small retinue counting a total of six seemingly well-trained men and women. From their shiny armor to their bearing, at least to Severin¡¯s untrained eye, they looked rather impressive. Though not as impressive as the man to his left; that much even he could tell. But then again, considering that this man too would be responsible for one of the switches and the fact he was commonly referred to as Sir Singerton probably meant he wasn¡¯t just a simple soldier to begin with.


    Together, the group inspected the construction work, which was already in full swing.


    Severin was torn by what he saw. On the one hand, he was impressed by the progress that had already been made in the last ten hours. That was how much time had passed since the contract had been signed and after which Severin directly went back to his room at Milly¡¯s, which, after the conclusion of the Games had become more peaceful again, though Richard¡¯s and Samuel¡¯s encounter inside the inn had had a positive and hopefully lasting effect on their overall business volume.


    On the other hand¡­ he wasn¡¯t.


    The speed and overall efficiency with which the Society¡¯s workers under Magda¡¯s supervision had finished their literally bone-breaking task was still fresh in his mind.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.But then again, the dimensions of their respective tasks were on two completely different levels.


    While Severin¡¯s vision for the portal station was more akin to a small bus stop, Ringald, and his advisors, envisioned a airport; even if that airport had only a single terminal. But in short, like almost everything else in Hanvia, the dimensions seemed exaggerated. Though maybe it was Severin who simply still underestimated the importance of this deal.


    Wherever he looked, there was construction and even some enchant-work to further secure the place could be seen; that hadn¡¯t even been the case at the docking bay he had originally arrived at.


    Ultimately, however, he felt that whatever happened on this side of the portal didn¡¯t actually matter all that much, as long as the agreement was honored. He was much more interested in something else. That was the piece of land located right in the middle of this ongoing chaos and was his real objective for this excursion.


    ¡°Right at the beginning of the negotiations, I feared we wouldn¡¯t reach an agreement,¡± Severin revealed in an attempt to make some friendly small talk while the group was on their way. ¡°My products were dangerous, His Majesty said. Had me worried. But now look at all this.¡±


    ¡°I have heard about your products before. In fact, I was one of the few who had the honor of being first informed of their existence when old Samuel brought us some examples. I also heard that since then you have expanded your selection.


    I agree, it¡¯s dangerous stuff. But that is just all the more reason we want it. Malcos wants it.¡± Sir Singerton said.


    ¡°That, or make sure no one else can have it.¡± Jasmin also chimed in. ¡°But it seems Samuel is rather fond of you, and in my father¡¯s eyes, that is worth a lot. Besides, I have heard that rock of yours has at least some kind of defenses to fall back on.¡±


    Disregarding her calling his newfound home a rock, the manner with which she spoke was too matter-of-factly for Severin¡¯s taste, the implications causing a slight shiver to run down his neck.


    A simple, ¡°Yes¡±, was all he replied with, hoping to quickly put this conversation behind him.


    ¡®No small-talk¡¯ he made a note to himself.


    For the next minute that it took them to reach their destination-longer than it normally should, thanks to all the busy personal walking about and equipment blocking their way- no one of them said a word.


    Until they finally arrived and the woman spoke up again.


    ¡°Will this much space be sufficient?¡± she asked.


    ¡®Barely,¡¯ Severin thought to himself. The room itself, or rather the hall, was most definitely large enough. The piece of land they had granted him, to build the actual portal was comparatively tiny. But it would be enough.


    Still, his response was a different one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to see. Give me a minute,¡± Severin said and stepped into the demarcated area.


    <<Hello? Em? Bandur? Can you guys hear me?>>

 Chapter 156

    <<Sev? Where are you?>>


    <<Was the deal successful? When will you be back?>>


    Severin¡¯s two [Employees] answered immediately but skipped right over the pleasantries. For the moment, he didn¡¯t think much of it said,


    <<Yes, everything¡¯s alright. I¡¯m still in Hanvia, but if everything goes as planned, the portal should be ready by tomorrow. Day after at the latest.>>


    <<Great, but please hurry.>>  This time Severin picked up on the urgency and the hint of desperation in the voice. And he didn¡¯t believe it was because the dwarf had missed him that much.


    <<What¡¯s going on over there? Are you two okay?>>


    <<We¡¯re okay, just¡­just¡­hurry.>>


    <<It¡¯s hell over here.>>


    <<Everything was fine when you left. Then, a few days later, one of your old customers returned. With his whole raid group.>>


    <<Andreas>>Em clarified


    <<Right. Called themselves part of the Lion¡¯s Head guild I think. Kept us busy-specially on the first day. Should¡¯ve seen him. Was going on about how his V.I.P. card kept notifying him about new products and how he almost canceled their raid because of it on multiple occasions.>>


    <<Are they well? All returned in one piece?>> Severin interrupted.


    <<Yes, they did. Thanks to you, they claimed. Though a bit too well for my taste. Especially that one guy.>>


    <<Xander?>>


    <<That¡¯s the one! But either way. They kept us busy, but it was still manageable.>>


    Severin picked up on the word still but didn¡¯t interrupt the dwarf.


    <<Then came the others. Emily didn¡¯t know them either, and it were only a handful of people in total. Most actually came alone, all on some expensive high-speed artifacts. In retrospect, that¡¯s probably the reason their numbers were still so little at the time.


    But I didn¡¯t think much of it. Still too busy to really think about it, you know? Andreas and his people hadn¡¯t left yet; and still haven¡¯t.


    Well, in reality, even just one new customer should¡¯ve made us suspicious, given our location and all that.


    Again. Still manageable up till this point.>>


    Not inhibited by the same restrictions as regular speech, Bandur''s transmitted voice became faster and faster, his pitch higher and higher.


    <<But then came the day after. And the one after that. I¡¯m glad business is going well, you know, BUT SERIOUSLY!? THE [SLAUGHTER KING]? WHAT DID YOU EXPECT WOULD HAPPEN?>>


    <<Even I heard of him before.>> the girl said.


    <<We just can¡¯t keep up. There¡¯s only so many pizzas that fit into the oven at once. Only so many salads I can toss. And most importantly, only so many customers the poor girl can serve while trying to maintain a steady supply.>>


    <<It is not that bad.>> Emily said meekly.


    <<Yes. Yes, it is! You hear Severin? Our supplies. The customers. It just doesn¡¯t add up. You need to do something. Either sent help or raise the prices. Double them. No, increase them tenfold. Just maybe that will give us enough air to breathe. Better yet, do both. But do something. For the girl¡¯s sake.>>


    The dwarf¡¯s verbal assault left Severin speechless. That was unexpected, to say the least. He was still the boss, right?


    ¡®Besides, it surely can¡¯t be that bad.¡¯


    For the first time in the last couple of days- he had been quite busy himself, and during that time the exact amount of money the shop was making in his absence was not really all that relevant - Severin opened the System screen, navigated towards the store¡¯s balance sheet, and let himself be overwhelmed by what he saw.


    Turned out it was that bad.


    Even now, during this brief exchange, the two had been busy making multiple sales.


    And it was true Emily was taking the brunt of it.


    <<I¡¯ll come up with something.>> Severin tried to assure them after regaining his composure, acknowledging their troubles. Though at the moment he had no clue what he could do to alleviate the situation, other than, <<I¡¯ll try to be back tomorrow. Then I¡¯ll help you out.>> Though that was a rather short-term solution.


    <<Until then, remember to blacklist anyone who makes trouble.>> Maybe that would ease some of their burden.


    <<And Severin?>>


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.<<What is it Em?>>


    <<Uhm. Magda also wanted something from you. She seemed angry.>>


    ¡®What is it now?¡¯ Severin thought, holding his head, already feeling another headache coming.


    <<Any idea why?>>


    <<Not sure exactly. Something about our consumables and people lining up for her rank evaluation exams.>>


    <<She has her hands full as well.>> Bandur added.


    <<I understand. Shit. I¡¯ll come up with something! >> Severin repeated himself- this time with even less of a clue as how to handle the matter. During his trip he had completely forgotten about his promise to Magda and the issue of his products not being affected by the Society¡¯s dispelling enchants.


    ¡®Not really an issue for me to begin with, though.¡¯


    <<Was there anything else you wanted? We¡¯re still pretty swamped right now, soo¡­>>


    <<Ah, right. Just a small thing. I¡¯ve just put some items into the shop¡¯s storage. If you could take a look whenever you find the time. Just some branding stuff.


    Like some new molds for the potions. So once they solidified, they¡¯ll have the store¡¯s initials S.E. engraved into them. Stuff like that. There is also¡­>>


    <<Severin!>>


    <<Yes, Yes, I know you¡¯re busy! I¡¯ll just leave you to it. And I¡¯ll think of something!>> Severin repeated his promise a last time and left his [Employees] to their work. Emily didn¡¯t even reply; to Severin, that detail emphasized the urgency of the matter more than any of Bandur¡¯s words had.


    With the intention of returning to his room as soon as possible, he quickly finalized what he originally came to do here in the first place.


    In less than a minute¡¯s time, using the System¡¯s map editor, he had properly aligned the counterpart of the portal terminal waiting back home.


    He confirmed the purchase and realized that his new balance still amounted to quite the sum of gold; no matter how much Bandur and Emily complained about their work-even if rightly so- it most certainly came with tangible benefits.


    In fact, now that he took a closer look at it, he projected that if business kept running like this, then in just a few weeks he might be able to realize his original plan of building his own inn, after all. But though the prospect was tempting, he realized he was getting ahead of himself.


    Severin double-checked everything one last time and turned his attention back to the onlooking pair.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Everything looks good.¡±


    ¡°Good. But what exactly does that mean? When will you, or your people, start the construction?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±


    ¡­


    After excusing himself, Severin returned directly to his room. He had a lot on his mind as he threw himself onto the bed. For the next couple of hours, he kept staring at either a semi-transparent screen floating above him or at the wooden ceiling behind it.


    The most pressing matter was to ease Emily¡¯s burden and while by tomorrow he probably would be able to help her out personally, he was hoping to find a different, more sustainable solution.


    Like maybe that one thing he spotted in the System¡¯s store, which he figured, or rather hoped, was a largely automated crafting station- an upgrade to the so called advanced alchemy station they were using right now. Sadly, the item was still grayed out for him, which meant he not only couldn¡¯t access its description to actually make sure, he couldn¡¯t even see its unlock requirements, or check its, even at this point, undoubtedly prohibitive price.


    ¡®Either way, I should be looking into hiring more [Employees]. Too mad I only have one slot left.¡¯


    But he soon realized even filling just that one slot and hiring a single person would not prove to be easy. Not if he didn¡¯t want to rely on others once again. And given that in this context other people translated into his contract partners, he was very much disinclined to do so.


    ¡®Maybe I can go downstairs and ask Milly¡¯s boy¡¯, but this thought was also quickly dismissed. Trying to rob this small, friendly family business of half their manpower didn¡¯t seem right to him.


    ¡®And people might get the wrong impression if I only hire people that are at least four heads smaller than me. But... maybe it doesn¡¯t have to be actual [Employees]. Can¡¯t have them do any of the crafting work, sure, but working as regular servers and cashiers¡­¡¯


    Seriously considering this option, Severin didn¡¯t notice that it was already in the middle of the night by now.


    Similarly, he also didn¡¯t notice the ruckus outside. Only the three heavy knocks on his door and the blowing open of the same brought him back to the present.


    ¡°You. Come out. And tell us what¡¯s the meaning of this.¡±


    Confused, Severin found himself faced with an unamused Sir Singerton and a very unprincesslike-looking princess Jasmin.

 Chapter 157

    Severin was equal parts confused and infuriated.


    Without warning, the door to his room had been slammed open, his privacy violated,


    and without justifying themselves, the intruders then started to demand answers of him.


    Answers to questions he didn''t know.


    But saying as much, directly denying any kind of wrongdoing and, in turn, demanding answers himself, didn¡¯t help defuse the situation. The one, or maybe two expletives, surely didn¡¯t help either. Considering that at least one of the two people these were directed at was of royal blood-and therefore in this world of royal class- they might even have constituted a crime in themselves.


    But if it was, the [Princess] chose to ignore it. ¡°Fine. We show you. But by then you better have some satisfying answers for us,¡± was instead her response forestalled anything Singerton might have had to add.


    In his righteous anger, Severin didn¡¯t think about any of these things, and was more than glad to accept this challenge.


    Only to soon discover that a small contingent of troops had surrounded the inn, and was ready to escort him to who-knows-where.


    That took some of the wind out of his sails.


    The anger begun to give way to apprehension and nervousness. Severin started fidgeting with the ring on his hand, and suddenly was painfully aware that any physical resistance would not only be futile, but would only worsen his position.


    On the upside, however, all this-the way these people had forced their way into the inn and into Severin¡¯s room, their numbers and the volume of the initial confrontation-meant this spectacle was impossible for any of Milly¡¯s guests to miss.


    No matter if they had been enjoying themselves down in the common room or had already been soundly asleep in their room upstairs, they all were now wide awake and more than just slightly intrigued about the fuss that was going on and which apparently even involved some of the imperial troops.


    And that, of course, also included a certain half-giant.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Samuel demanded as he spied a surrounded and now forlorn and anxious looking Severin.


    ¡°Sir!¡± After a moment of inner debate, Singerton gave a crisp salute. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Out with it.¡±


    The officer of unknown rank was considering the onlookers and how much could be revealed in front of them on one hand, and the extents of Samuel¡¯s authority on the other, when a clearly unhappy [Princess] answered in stead.


    ¡°We have reason to believe the agreement has been violated.¡±


    ¡°Reason to believe?¡± Samuel asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Those things are usually rather clear-cut, are they not?¡±


    ¡°I... we¡­ concede no actual breach has been detected. But there have been irregularities, nonetheless. We don¡¯t believe matters have proceeded as we had agreed, and now we want answers. Need answers.¡±


    Singerton, now more willing to talk, backed her up. ¡°An unidentified structure has appeared at the designated location. The one we inspected earlier today and upon which¡­¡± The man hesitated, afraid to give away more than he was authorized.


    ¡°Surely you have read the reports beforehand?¡± Samuel asked. ¡°They state¡­¡±


    ¡°They state new facilities have a tendency to simply appear overnight. Undetected and unseen. Yes.


    But we had agreements. And not only¡­¡±


    Very belatedly, Severin now realized what was going on. And almost started to panic.


    He barely managed to consult the System¡¯s log functionality.


    And breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°It¡¯s deactivated! It¡¯s still deactivated!¡± he started shouting, more to placate himself than anyone else, and not quite in control of his voice.


    Having signed the agreements the woman just referred to himself, he was naturally very aware of what they said. And of the fact that with all their precise wording, there had been no room for something like the spirit of the contract or something similarly vague, like in the contract he had worked out with Magda.


    There were no ifs or buts.


    Neither in regards to what exactly constituted as a violation, nor to the question of how such a violation would be sanctioned.


    But although this meant that their affront to him was all the less justifiable, Severin was suddenly very aware of just how close he had come to lose his head. In the literal sense; and not because of some insult.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°So you finally stopped pretending?! Well then, maybe now you can start answering some questions.¡±


    ¡°Not operational yet!¡± Severin croaked, still too excited to properly process the words.


    If the System had wanted to get rid of him, and had activated the portal station upon its completion, meaning that it technically would have been operational without the other party¡¯s explicit consent¡­


    gulp


    ¡°We should make sure everything is in order!¡± Severin suddenly urged and from one moment to the next became the driving force to direct everyone back towards the construction site.


    No thoughts for anything else than to go and rectify the situation as quickly as possible.


    The change in attitude was abrupt, but if anyone was commenting on it, Severin had no mind to notice them.


    Without waiting for anyone, Severin started off into the directing of the closest city gate, ignoring the group of soldiers who were unsure how to react to the strange man¡¯s behavior and looked inquiring over the two people in charge.


    The command came in the form of a slight nod from one of the two, and an ill-humored, ¡°I¡¯ll keep my eye on you¡±, directed at Severin, from the other.


    Roughly twenty minutes later- sooner than the chubby [Shopkeeper] under different circumstances would have preferred- was standing inside the magically lit and still very much busy construction site; the progress since his visit just a couple of hours prior was immense and work was still being done even now.


    In case Severin had wondered how anyone could have noticed the System¡¯s handiwork at this time of day, the many busy workers were answer enough.


    Only now that he stood inside the centerpiece of the transitioning hub did he calm down.


    Severin looked around and at the slightly elevated stone platform, very much similar to the one on his mountain.


    The carved runes made the structure seem more like a mosaic than a portal-gate.


    ¡®Maybe like a warp platform,¡¯ he thought while at the same time wondering if the appearance of something that more closely resembled an actual passageway would have caused an even bigger, more inconvenient, and possibly fatal misunderstanding.


    He quickly dismissed these thoughts and looked at the small, plain column.


    It had a small opening that every regular customer of the Emporium would immediately recognize as a coin slot, and together with the platform it occupied all of the land Severin had been granted.


    Everything was in order.


    ¡°So, this is really it? This thing is supposed to¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Once it¡¯s activated,¡± he stressed again. ¡°Shall we then?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the scion almost spat the word in a way that didn¡¯t befit her stand and which was uncharacteristic to everything Severin had seen of the woman on the previous days. Then again, considering the circumstances¡­


    Severin chose not to overthink anything when she added, almost hopefully, ¡°Provided all the required troops are ready for deployment on such quick notice.¡±


    But it turned out that wasn¡¯t actually much of a concern.


    Though at least one or two days ahead of the schedule that Malcos had apparently and mistakenly drawn up, with the construction work around them already in its final stages and located so close to the capital itself, gathering the required and already instructed troops-and construction workers, for that matter- naturally wasn¡¯t much of an issue.


    In fact, even if it had been a problem, thanks to the stipulations which had been adopted to avoid any kind of delaying tactics when deploying this new kind of magic-technology, there wasn¡¯t much of a choice, anyway.


    By the time Severin had double and triple checked the relevant System settings and contract clauses in order to avoid another-and this time undoubtedly costly- mistake, everything and everyone seemed to be set.


    He produced a small device-a remote control with a single mechanical button that almost looked silly in its simplicity- and presented it to the young woman.


    Its counterpart, as per agreement, he would only hand over once he and Singerton were on the other side.


    ¡°If you will do the honor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the one in charge of this terminal will be me,¡± Singerton corrected in a harsh and unwilling tone, which seemed to indicate he wasn¡¯t all too happy about this arrangement and the treatment the woman had received.


    The [Princess] barely concealed her displeasure, either.


    ¡°Oh.¡±

 Chapter 158

    ¡®I guess this wasn¡¯t really about the agreement. Not solely at least¡¯, Severin at last began to understand just why the previously so composed woman now seemed so annoyed. With him in particular.


    He also understood now was not the time to dwell on the matter.


    The protocol from here on out was very clear and brooked no further waste of time.


    He turned his attention back to the floating blue screen, and for the last time Severin made sure that all the right people had made it onto his portal payment exemption list; which sadly didn¡¯t mean these people could actually use the service for free, but that it was on Severin to bear the cost for them; the corresponding amount would be automatically deducted from his account.


    Jasmine and Singerton, of course, were the names that topped the list. Followed by the former¡¯s private security detail.


    Then the names of the two ranks of soldiers currently facing each other, standing at attention. Only one half would actually follow them to then be stationed on the other side.


    And lastly, a good fifth of the list was comprised of the names of the laborers, crafters, and enchanters responsible for the construction of the barracks-cum-embassy back on Severin¡¯s mountain and its eventual magic reinforcements and security measures; not all the details Severin was actually privy to.


    This last group would be added only temporarily; after their task was done, their names would be removed immediately and a few new ones would then take their place-namely the non-military personnel that would only be dispatched once everything was in order.


    A moment of hesitation, and Severin also made sure his V.I.P. membership card holders would also be automatically added to the same exception list.


    This would include Samuel, who after the situation at Milly¡¯s had largely been defused, decided to stay back at the inn as to reign in his mentees as well as the more adventurous patrons whose curiosity might¡¯ve otherwise gotten them into trouble, but also of course also the [King] himself.


    Now, Severin strongly doubted he would ever see Ringald personally step through the portal, but then again, the membership, or more precisely the privileges associated with it, were, after all, temporarily transferable to another person.


    With these matters taken care of, Severin turned to Singerton, and gave him the okay.


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    The officer didn¡¯t act immediately.


    With a doubtful look, he once more turned his attention to the strange mosaic on the ground, the small box with its sole red button, and then towards the scion, who in turn also gave him the nonverbal go-ahead.


    But again, he didn¡¯t yet press the button.


    He shifted his gaze towards the unimpressive, and in fact very ordinary-looking man and stared at him.


    And then, after a couple of seconds, Singerton simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say, not my head that¡¯s going to roll when this turns out to be one big ruse.


    Click


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    With that, the stone platform that had looked so out of place began to float upwards, revealing a similar stone panel, one that was level with the surrounding ground, right underneath it.


    Severin knew everything that was now happening in front of him was mirrored on the floating mountain a few thousand kilometers north-west from here.


    Apart from a few surprised exclamations, no one had yet really reacted to what was happening when the floating disk came to a sudden halt at a height of about five meters, which also corresponded to its diameter and that of its grounded twin.


    The phenomenon demanded everyone¡¯s attention and by now even the most discipled of the soldiers was breaking stance to take a closer look.


    Just in time to see a speck of dark light appear right in the middle between the two stone discs, which then rapidly expanded into a perfectly shaped, dark column that seemed to connect the two stone circles.


    And still not a single word.


    Some-particularly the construction workers who were waiting a bit farther removed from the rest-hadn¡¯t known what exactly to expect, and those who did hadn¡¯t quite believed it.


    The people belonging to the latter group had no more of an idea of how exactly a proper portal had to look like than those of the former, but this would certainly do.


    Everyone recognized something significant had just happened, though some only because of the silence of the others.


    As the perceived architect of this construction and the one least caught off guard, Severin realized it was now up to him to take the initiative again.


    He approached the pillar of dark light and, as he came closer, noticed its dark color wasn¡¯t as solid as it had first appeared.


    Moving shadows and hazy shapes that looked somewhat familiar could be seen within. And flickering lights.


    He reached level with the small pedestal, stopped his steps, and put his right hand on top of it.


    ¡°To register myself,¡± he explained to the stunned onlookers, not wasting time explaining that normally this was also the step where a small prompt would ask for coinage to be inserted into the small slot. Nor did he explain that classless people would only be asked to pay a nominal fee of a few coppers, opposed to multiple gold coins that would otherwise be demanded. And of course, there also was no need to mention the fact that once this hub was officially opened for business in just a day or two, a handful of chosen officials sent by Malcos would also demand a fee from the visitors; one that wasn¡¯t dependent on a person¡¯s class, but on their actual occupation, with the maximum rate reserved for adventurers and merchants.


    The sound of his echoing steps followed by his three words that pierced the silence was enough to bring most of the people back from their thoughts and wonderment.


    The [Princess] was among the first to react, and when Severin tore himself from the fascinating sight in front of him, she was already approaching the small pedestal he was still occupying.


    He gave her a curt nod and made way and towards the portal.


    Just two steps and he had reached the light.


    Thinking that if the System had meant him any harm, he would already be dead was somehow very reassuring to him and with more confidence than he probably otherwise could have mustered, Severin took a deep breath.


    Then the third step.


    And then he was gone.

 Chapter 159

    A small living quarter, a medium-sized store, and a larger than usual kitchen with a tiny little caf¨¦ in its front.


    And the building with its distinctive green windows.


    That was the sight Severin had expected to find. Instead¡­


    ¡®A campsite!?¡¯ Had the System made a mistake?


    Severin of course already knew the answer, but he still stopped to give his eyes a second to adjust to the new lightning conditions- the stars above him and a handful of small campfires a few hundred meters away in the middle of the spacious mountaintop- in the hope that might clear things up.


    It did not. In fact, Severin didn¡¯t actually feel his eyes had any adjustments to do in the first place; somehow, it seemed plenty bright already.


    He didn¡¯t dwell on that fact and instead confirmed that his mountain had indeed been overrun by so many people that even his [Employees¡¯] previous warnings had done little to prepare him for the sight.


    He tried to tell himself all of these represented a paying customer, but even that did little to improve his mood.


    And maybe worst of all, some of them were already headed his way; despite the time of day, not everyone was yet asleep.


    ¡®Foolish¡¯ Severin thought, as he himself at the moment desired nothing more than to crawl into his warm and comfy bed.


    Instead, he would have to deal with this.


    Severin sighed and turned around.


    But contrary to his expectations, he didn¡¯t find himself standing in front of a dark pillar of light similar to the one he had just stepped through.


    But in front of one that was glowing brightly instead.


    ¡®No wonder my arrival hasn¡¯t gone unnoticed,¡¯ was his first thought.


    His second was, ¡®bit blurry, but isn¡¯t that the terminal hall?¡¯


    And the third, ¡±Fuck!¡±


    One of the many indistinct, unmoving figures on the other side started moving and towards him. Jasmine, he realized, as he jumped to the side.


    And just in time.


    The figure in the pillar of light disappeared and the next moment stood in the exact same spot Severin had just been standing at.


    In a split-second, various questions and fears shot through his mind.


    Was that a coincidence or is there a fixed point of exit?


    Maybe it correlated to one¡¯s point of entry?


    More importantly, what would have happened if he hadn¡¯t made that last second jump?


    Would she have remained on the other side? Or would she still have been transported to the exact same spot?


    On top of him?


    Or maybe... inside?


    He shuddered and decided someone who was not him would have to figure these things out.


    And preferably not someone, some princess and business partner, either.


    Severin snapped out of it and roughly jerked the oblivious woman, who was still in awe of having experienced something most reasonable people would have deemed impossible towards him.


    Again, not a moment too soon.


    Once their charge had disappeared, the private guards didn¡¯t have the luxury to further assess the situation, if they were even inclined to do so in the first place, and, in a single file, followed behind her.


    As such, it didn¡¯t take long for the first soldier caught up to them.


    Luckily the princess was quick-witted enough that her first instinct was not to flare up at Severin and to demand an explanation for his behavior which under normal circumstances would have led to a whole series of further problems, but recognized the purpose of his actions and immediately took charge.


    ¡°Move! Keep moving. Out of the way.¡± She commanded.


    Fortunately, the man¡¯s extensive training kicked in and, once given the command, he obeyed without hesitation. So did the ones who followed, and thirty nerve-racking seconds later, Severin was as wise as before in regard to the potential complications and dangers involved when using long distance portal installations; every one of the woman¡¯s private guard had made it over safely.


    He breathed a sigh of relief, grateful this hadn¡¯t ended in a political fiasco, and observed the princess instructing a lean figure of a man to return through the portal and warn the remaining soldiers and workers still on the other side.


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    In hindsight everyone would¡¯ve agreed that maybe it would have been a smarter, more prudent approach to have a dedicated scout follow behind Severin who would then have to check out the situation and report back within a given timeframe, before having other people-most notably, royalty- make over. But then again, this was uncharted territory for everyone involved. There was not yet an established security protocol to be followed when it came to this kind of transportation.


    With that taken care of, Jasmine approached Severin and looked at him with a complicated expression. He half expected her to curse him, and half to thank him, and apparently, she hadn¡¯t yet decided herself. In the end she just stood there saying nothing and after a while Severin simply took this opportunity to hand the second of the two small remotes over to her. Which she accepted without much ado before turning her attention back to the more pressing matters at hand; while Severin had done his part, the others had their work cut out for them.


    Magic lights appeared over their heads, building materials appeared out of nowhere, and instructions were being shouted.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to get away.


    Only problem, by now probably everyone but the mountain¡¯s permanent residents, who were sleeping in the comfort of their own beds, were wide awake and wanted answers. And it seemed more and more that the task of answering them would inevitably fall to Severin.


    While the portal itself was still very much his own property, the immediate area surrounding it was not-that had been part of the deal- and that area was now tightly guarded by Malcos¡¯ soldiers and the moment he left that area was the moment he would be swarmed by adventurers.


    Only exception to this was a certain old hag who did not wait for permission from anyone, whom no one dared to deny access, and who was now sneaking around the pillar of light.


    In this situation, Severin suddenly felt very forlorn. People were either busy with work or gawking and, like that, he stood out like a sore thumb and drawing unwelcome looks.


    For a second Severin was tempted to simply blacklist everyone of these onlookers and head straight to his room to get some sleep; surely as long as he removed those blacklist entries later on, everything would turn out fine.


    But alas, his tiredness had not yet robbed him of the last bit of reason and so Severin had already resigned himself to his fate when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.


    ¡°Andreas!¡± he recognized. ¡±I heard you all made it back in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that! Better tell us what exactly is going on here.¡±


    By now most people had realized what had happened, and even if they didn¡¯t, then at least the colors of the uniforms worn by the guards that had suddenly appeared made it clear it was something big was going on.


    But among those spectators, no one could have been more clear about the true nature of the two stone circles than Andreas.


    As the proud owner of one of Severin¡¯s matte black membership cards, he was immediately notified of the Emporium¡¯s latest feature.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean it was easy for him or his group to accept. Or to understand just the full scope of thing.


    Realizing finally someone with answers had appeared, even before he had the chance to say anything else, Severin was surrounded and pushed and shoved about, and much to his chagrin, the guards didn¡¯t bother to intervene on his behalf either. Not when the objective of these people was so clear and no actual danger to his well-being existed; inconvenience and annoyance apparently did not count, and Severin had to be happy with the fact that the people closest to him were some of his trusty customers and therefore maybe a bit more considerate.


    He gave them a quick rundown of his dealings with Malcos and what that meant for them as his customers.


    But even that, thanks to all kinds of interjections, questions, requests, and even accusations, took much longer than it should have.


    And even then, when he finally managed to escape after a good hour, it was only because of his threats to not open his store the next day if he didn¡¯t get at least a couple of hours of sleep that night - something that now seemed impossible to even think about for anyone else.


    With maybe one exception. And that was a certain princess who looked strangely helpless, exhausted, and generally out of place, standing there in the middle of the night next to a construction site in an unfamiliar place, with no suitable accommodations, with no more instructions to give, and none of her usual maids, she most certainly was accustomed to, anywhere in sight to serve and take are of her.


    And all this was due, Severin realized, to the sudden¨Cat least from Malcos¡¯ point of view- advance of the portal¡¯s activation.


    Severin didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit guilty in that regard as he looked at her, and in fact was still weighing his own resentment at having been treated so rudely earlier this even-or rather this night.


    But finally decided to reach out an olive branch to her.


    ¡°I currently still have an empty room available,¡± he offered and pointed to the building next to his store, and then after a long day, without waiting for her to make up her mind, headed off in that direction himself.

 Chapter 160

    Just a couple hours of sleep and Severin was already woken by the telepathic shouts of an excited girl who was less concerned about his sudden overnight appearance than with all the other changes that had taken place:


    The construction-site near the mountaintop¡¯s rim which was already swallowing up the newly activated portal.


    The people who looked so different from the adventurers she was usually serving and who-judging by the small text floating next to Jasmine¡¯s name on the System¡¯s map- included another royal descendant.


    And, most notably, the appearance of a black hole covering parts of said map.


    The land upon which the small Society outpost had been built upon was still technically Severin¡¯s-as he was simply renting it out-,but the same was not true for the area Malcos was now claiming; the land was no longer his, and the System would therefore have no sovereignty over it. The only exception was, of course, the small circle within this black hole representing the teleportation installation itself and barely enough to tell the name and class of any person using its services; more than sufficient, however, for the System to log all arrivals and departures.


    Severin was currently not in a state to form any cohesive thoughts, and much less able to convey them. An unintelligible grunt was the only response he managed to muster, and it was a small miracle in itself that the [Shopkeeper] didn¡¯t just turn around and went back to sleep.


    <<Give him a few moments>> said Bandur who was apparently also tuned in into this conservation and though he was just as curious as Emily, he had a pretty good idea as to Severin¡¯s current state of mind and knew that assaulting him with questions at this point in time could only ever result in having to deal with a grumpy, bad-tempered boss for the remainder of the day.


    Severin sat up and on the edge of the bed, resting his head on his two hands. He stayed like that, in a state somewhere between sleep and wake, for the next few minutes.


    Until one of the dots in the corner of his vision that had been moving around searchingly returned back to its owner¡¯s domain.


    Uugh, he groaned as he heaved himself up.


    Half a minute later he was sneaking towards the kitchen, careful not to draw the attention of anyone who might feel the urge to continue the previous night¡¯s questioning, but quickly enough that he would already be gone if Magda, for whatever reason, suddenly decided to leave her own counter behind.


    He only stopped for a second to take a good look at the progress that had been in the way too few hours he had been asleep.


    It was considerable, but not as much as he had feared.


    Severin headed inside and was gratified to see that an already busy Bandur had put away for him some still warm slices of bread.


    He made sure to stay out of the dwarf¡¯s way, but didn¡¯t hurry with his breakfast and instead watched him work while eating, and trying his damnedest not to show even the slightest hint of a smile whenever the small man had to use a stool to reach up the countertop.


    Only when, without choking, he swallowed down his last bite, feeling revitalized and less muddleheaded than just a few minutes ago, did he move to make himself useful.


    At this time of day, the kitchen was by far the busier of his two businesses.


    On the one hand, everyone who was not his [Employee] and therefore not on the System''s life-support, actually had to eat, and since breakfast, as everyone in this world knew, was the most important of all meals, the demand was correspondingly great; if one hadn¡¯t brought their own food or wanted to go hunting, there just was no readily available alternative these people could rely on instead.


    But his actual workload of making food was only one aspect of Bandur¡¯s responsibilities. The other was to ensure that his food reached the customer;


    if someone ordered a loaf of bread from Emily and one was readily available in the store¡¯s inventory, then that was one thing, but in every other case, Bandur would have to leave his station and make the delivery himself. It was stressful, bothersome, and an utter waste of time and efficiency.


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    On the other hand, the main store¡¯s last order of business on any given day was to craft one last batch of consumables and to restock the empty shelves.


    This meant in the early hours the girl¡¯s sole job was that of cashier¨Cthe stressful part would only begin once she had to start her balancing act of simultaneously crafting consumable to keep up with demand, as well.


    So for now, Severin decided to stay at Bandur¡¯s side and started kneading some dough for the next order that had been relayed by the [Employee] next door. And while doing so began his recount of all he had experienced since leaving the mountain on Samuel¡¯s flying ship.


    He started with the second half of his trip, namely with the negotiations and some of its details he deemed especially important for them to be aware of; though there were some contingencies for his personal safety in place, the misuse of the System¡¯s features by any of his [Employees], for example, using the blacklisting functionality on Jasmine or her guards, could entail some very serious repercussions.


    Bandur showed some genuine interest that went beyond the surface level and asked all kinds of following up questions, not just about the contract and its contents but also regarding the people Severin had dealt with-and then shared some of his own insights from his own time he spent with those people at the malconian court.


    Emily¡¯s disinterest, on the other hand, was evident even without her needing to be in the same room as them.


    That only changed when Severin began talking about the city of Hanvia with its skyscrapers and the spectacle that was the Games; her sudden enthusiasm was enough for Severin to feel an irrational pang of guilt leaving her behind and silently promised to take her to visit Malcos¡¯ capital as soon as possible.


    But that would first require him to reduce her working hour.


    Which led Severin to a different topic he had wanted to discuss with the two: his idea to hire classless cashiers and servers - both jobs that didn¡¯t require a direct connection to the System but which, he figured, would relieve the overall burden enormously.


    As expected, the proposal was received very favorably by both of them - even Emily, who previously had claimed things weren¡¯t actually that bad- but the dwarf also drew his attention to a detail Severin hadn¡¯t considered carefully enough.


    Or rather, which he had considered but too one-sidedly. That was the pay.


    Originally, he had happily concluded that even the lowest amount he would be comfortable paying was still enough for a lot of classless people to kill for, meaning that finding willing applicants should not prove to be a problem.


    That was until he learned that the killing part might not just be proverbial in nature.


    Paying on a regular basis-not even necessarily daily-whole gold coins, for work that many considered comparatively simple, would attract unwanted attention.


    At the very least, Bandur convinced him, being able to offer optional, local accommodations on the mountaintop itself was a must.


    During all his time in Hanvia, Severin had not been aware of any form of crime and therefore, maybe willingly, never thought of it as much of an issue. But once pointed out he was not oblivious enough to deny it. To deny Emily¡¯s past experiences. Or the rumors that suggested that maybe the fire that had forced Milly to spend all of her saved money for renovations might not have been an accident after all.


    Severin had a lot of things to consider before the floodgate that was his portal would officially break open and was once again very grateful for the fact that he should have at least one more day to deal with these things.


    Which also meant that all planning had to be finished today.


    He made that much known and while he asked for their suggestions, from then on he mostly kept his thoughts to himself; that was as much as Emily allowed him to.


    For the rest of the workday Severin crafted consumables in the main store while leaving the girl to deal with the customers, and once again was grateful to the dwarf when after work when he was going to catch up with the acquainted [Princess], allowed Em, who had previously threatened Severin to ask more details regarding the gladiatorial fights off him, to tag along.


    For the remainder of the evening, he hid from Magda withdrew into his room where he could experiment undisturbed with the System¡¯s editor.

 Chapter 161

    After taking care of everything he had his mind set to, instead of joining the others outside to catch up with Andreas or try to improve his relationship with Jasmine, an exhausted Severin-owed in large parts to his lack of sleep the night prior- directly went to bed.


    In fact, his plans for the next day required him to retire early, anyway.


    So, at dawn, while certainly not the only person up and about-though maybe, he thought, the first to actually wake on this day-according to his map, everything was still peaceful.


    Before leaving for his actual destination, Severin¡¯s first order of business was to inspect the new changes he had commissioned a few hours ago. Changes, he was sure, most of his customers wouldn¡¯t even notice.


    First of which was the expansion of the apartment building he was currently in towards the back were people only seldomly gathered, to include two more living spaces; one downstairs, and one upstairs.


    He had considered adding even more accommodations, including the possibility of expanding the already existing apartments, but ultimately forced himself to wait for at least the next couple of days or maybe weeks until he had a better idea how the new portal would affect his business. And for the money that came with it, and which may allow him to tackle even bigger projects.


    ¡®If the depositing feature will even just be half as well received by the newcomers as it currently is¡­¡¯ Severin forced himself out of his daydream when he found himself standing in front of yet another new door that had appeared overnight on the ground floor of the small tenement.


    Playing around with the settings of his map, he changed the displayed layer to two meters underground and confirmed what he already knew -not that he actually distrusted the System in that regard-, before entering the magically lit tunnel.


    With his main store being directly adjacent to his current location, after only a few meters he already reached a junction and instead of following the tunnel further and towards the direction of his kitchen, he took the stairway to his right.


    A couple of seconds later, he stood in the middle of a newly added and completely empty room.


    Satisfied, he nodded to himself and exited through the door leading behind the store¡¯s counter.


    Here he wrote a short note for his two [Employees], reiterating what he had already told them the day before. He excused himself for once again leaving them to their own devices, but assured them he would try to make it as quick as possible, maybe quick enough even to return before the afternoon shift was over.


    When he left the store and if anyone of the few people who noticed him wondered how he managed to get over there, nobody made mention of it.


    ¡®Maybe I can make it back even earlier¡¯ Severin told himself, hopefully seeing that the sun was not yet fully up and walked towards the fortress-like building near the edge of the mountaintop.


    At a distance, to him, the fortification-and it certainly was a fortification, one that was comprised of four towers connected by a massive curtain wall-looked very much already complete; only the few workers still scurrying around in the black hole of his map claimed otherwise.


    Even banners and flags were already flying, showing a crest that had some suspicious similarities to that of a certain adventurer¡¯s guild led by a certain [Prince].


    Even at a distance, the open gate, guarded by four soldiers, who had already locked onto him, and through which a familiar-looking pillar of light could be seen, appeared almost needlessly huge; even the Society¡¯s large double doors appeared tiny in comparison.


    ¡®Wide enough to accommodate multiple trading wagons side-by-side¡¯, Severin concluded as he got closer and was confident that this truly was one of the two reasons for these dimensions.


    The other being simply to intimidate.


    The moment he-unchallenged by the guards who had to be aware of his identity, which allowed for some privileges- passed through the gate and into the bailey, Severin felt confirmed in his assumption and suddenly felt very small.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.A feeling that only got worse the deeper he went inside and towards the portal.


    To make things worse, still no one approached him.


    Not the soldiers who were training only a short distance away to the right of the portal, nor the robed official who just then disappeared through one of the many doors leading inside the fortress and into, Severin imagined, one of the many customs offices he knew were laying inside.


    Severin felt out of place; like an intruder.


    To make things worse, he felt multiple eyes staring down at him from within the oppressive masonry and the sudden discomfort he was feeling had nothing to do with the fact he had left behind his own property without having eaten anything for half a day.


    He fastened his steps and hoped dearly that once this place had opened to the public, the mood in here would lighten up. Some attendants would go a long way.


    Soon, though not a moment too soon, Severin stood in front of the portal which, he only noticed now, was actively being illuminated.


    ¡®To make the most of its semi-see-through nature,¡¯ Severin concluded and peered into the light.


    Some shadows were flickering and he could make out some people moving around on the other side, but not towards him.


    The other side was deemed clear and Severin stepped forward and away from this uninviting place and into a more colorful and pleasant terminal hall.


    The unscheduled arrival startled the guards just as much as their immediate reaction startled him, but a Sir Singerton who this time around was far more amiable than during their previous meeting, quickly intervened and made sure that about twenty minutes later Severin was standing, unharmed, at the end of an already far too long queue before Hanvia¡¯s city gates; it was the main reason he left so early in the morning in the first place, as his actual business, he figured, might not even necessarily take all that long.


    So the wait didn¡¯t come as a surprise to Severin and he took this opportunity to grab the map he had bought back at the Society no two weeks prior and planned out a route that would lead him to his destination.


    When a uniformed woman whose approach had been hidden by the big cart in front of him suddenly stood next to Severin.


    He didn¡¯t need to look at her insignias to know she was more than a random foot soldier.


    ¡°Excuse me, Sir. Are you Severin?¡±


    He eyed her suspiciously and for a moment considered denying his identity, though more out of reflex than out of any sort of consideration. But before he could do so, the woman apparently noticed his hesitation and explained, ¡°I am Sergeant Janice. In charge of this part of the city wall. One of my men saw you leaving the¡­ new facility.¡± She gave him a knowing look. ¡°And you don¡¯t look like any of our guys. Nor like one of the builders or enchanters.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Severin gave a careful nod, and no longer considered telling anything but the truth. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Now he only hoped it wasn¡¯t Ringald or some other person he couldn¡¯t turn away, who would demand his attention and thwart his plans for the day.


    A needless worry, as it soon turned out.


    ¡°Magnificent! Then please allow me to escort you into the city. Given your contributions, there is really no need for you to be standing here in line.¡±


    Under the curious glances of the people they were passing, he was then led to a door beside the huge gate reserved for official business.


    ¡°And please take this,¡± said the officer respectfully, ¡°with regards from the [King] himself.¡±


    The item in question was a bronze-colored badge of a size that fit perfectly into Severin¡¯s large hands. It showed the relief of a flying eagle on its front. Its reverse was blank.


    Even without the use of his [Identify] ability or a need for the officer¡¯s explanation, which she provided dutifully, Severin quickly grasped its use and was elated to own what he deemed to be the [King¡¯s] equivalent to one of his own V.I.P. cards.


    And so Severin¡¯s mood was great enough for him not to have one of his usual fits when he connected the dots after overhearing two passersby discuss some official announcement inside the arena that was scheduled for next day¡¯s afternoon.


    From what he had just seen of the progress of the two terminals as he called them, the actual timing didn¡¯t come as much a surprise. In fact, he had already expected as much the day before, but having to learn of the date of the official opening this way greatly displeased him, nonetheless.

 Chapter 162

    Twenty minutes later Severin stood in front of his destination located in a part of the city he seriously suspected not any classbearers would ever stray into.


    Maybe with the exception of people like him, that was.


    Severin shook off the last bit of irritation he was still feeling because of the perceived slight and entered the Free Workers Guild.


    The building wasn¡¯t as large or as well-maintained as the Adventurer¡¯s Society, far from it, but was still rather impressive, especially in terms of activity, even at this hour.


    In here, he immediately noticed, he didn¡¯t look nearly as out of place in his simple clothes as he did on some other occasions; though maybe his were a tad cleaner than that of most others.


    He was pleased by that realization until the thought occurred to him that surely there had to be a middle ground between the ridiculous looking, uncomfortable and overly expensive costumes worn by those who thought themselves important, and the simple garments that made him blend in, a little too well, with the, mostly manual, workers in here.


    ¡°Get moving boys, get your stuff. I got us the gig at Simba¡¯s farm. Guaranteed work for at least a week. Maybe even two. But we need to get there by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That place is in the middle of nowhere! It will take us-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to get moving! West Gate. Half an hour. Go!¡±


    Severin let the group of weather worn men pass and, without wasting any more time considering his wardrobe, headed towards one of the few empty counters where a man, maybe twenty years older than himself, was waiting for him.


    ¡°Greetings and welcome to our modest guild. It is your first time visiting, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Severin admitted, ¡°first time.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! All the more pleasure. So then, please tell me how I can help you?¡± The lively man looked him up and down, hesitated, and apparently unable to place Severin, added:


    ¡°Searching or offering?¡±


    Severin refrained from explaining that in a sense, he would be searching, as the man had put it, for something, either way. He settled for, ¡°Offering.¡±


    ¡°Marvelous! We can always use more. Job offers, that is.


    So what exactly are we talking about? What do you need? Who do you need?¡±


    ¡°One server. One cashier. Long term, both of them.¡± Severin said as concisely as possible. And then, remembering Bandur¡¯s advice and the newest changes back home, ¡°Optional lodging provided.¡±


    ¡°Offers lodging¡­¡± the man repeated the provided information quietly to himself as he jotted them down on what was, as far as Severin could tell, an ordinary piece of paper, quite unlike the fancy magical one used by the clerk¡¯s counterpart at the front desk in the Society¡¯s skyscraper.


    The man then slightly raised his voice in a way that invited Severin to interject and began to amend the just taken notes. ¡°Cashier¡­ will be handling money. Basic math skills required. As for the other¡­ mostly stamina¡­ preferably someone younger? Stronger. But certainly none of the rougher folk. And at least a modicum of manners is, of course, a must; after all, it¡¯s customer service.¡±


    With that, the man looked up towards Severin again and waited for his acknowledgement.


    Only then did he continue and said, ¡°Then the next question is this. What exactly do you consider long term? Some of our workers would consider even a weeklong assignment rather long term. Especially in the area of expertise you are looking for. A lot of the people we represent take every job they can land with their responsibilities often changing even from day to day. Most of them are not properly trained,¡± the man admitted. ¡°Otherwise, they would probably be part of one of the vocational guilds.


    Now of course the service sector is a bit of a special case to begin with, but outside of short-term employment for the duration of a single event or as a stand-in, this kind of personal is usually trained in-house and according to one¡¯s specific needs and demands. That is especially true for the more... distinguished establishments.¡±


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    Severin was momentarily taken aback by the man¡¯s bluntness but appreciated his honestly all the same; but he didn¡¯t come looking for highly qualified personal, anyway.


    ¡°Months,¡± he clarified. ¡°Possibly even years, and with the option to be promoted to a more permanent position. One that comes with certain extra benefits,¡± he added and immediately regretted his blunder. Luckily, it didn¡¯t raise any follow up question.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The clerk thoughtfully bit into the end of his well-worn pen.


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Severin considered asking explicitly for honest, trustworthy people, but in the end settled for something a bit more diplomatic, sure that the other party would take great offense by the suggestion they might actually refer anyone dishonest.


    ¡°If possible, I would prefer someone experienced,¡± Severin expressed himself in a roundabout way, not actually caring about work experience and despite the fact the man had just explained to him the unlikeliness of finding someone who fulfilled this requirement, anyway.


    What Severin really wanted was two employees he could trust without having to draw up a soul devouring contract. Hoping to get his point across, he added, ¡°Someone who has already proven themselves. Someone whose previous efforts have been noted. Especially the cashier.¡±


    Severin received what he thought to be an understanding nod and a follow-up question regarding the working hours the new hires would need to put up with.


    Listening to Severin explain that while the actual workload might vary from day to day, the job would be full-time, from morning to evening and every day of the week, the clerk visibly winced, but Severin preceded anything the man might¡¯ve had to say about this matter by mentioning his willingness to pay an accordingly generous salary.


    ¡°A signing bonus might also help to convince some people to make such a long-term commitment. Especially on such a short notice.


    And I suppose with this, we have touched upon maybe the most important issue. Which is, of course, the matter of payment.¡±


    ¡°A gold a day,¡± Severin said with a lowered voice, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to him, ¡°what do you say?¡±


    The guild¡¯s employee seemed surprised, but not in a way Severin had expected. That was to say, not pleasantly. His demeanor immediately became much more reserved and serious.


    ¡°I say we are an upstanding business.¡± The response was almost accusatory. ¡°And I would remind you that in the interest of all our customers, we are obligated to investigate the nature of any new business we deal with and do our best to verify their claims.¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or feel insulted, but figured neither would help his case.


    As calmly as was realistically possible for the [Shopkeeper], he introduced his business and explained the potential employee¡¯s responsibilities in more detail. Which seemed to mollify the elderly man, at least to some degree.


    ¡°So you cater to adventurers, is that right? That explains at least in some parts the higher than usual salary. Fine. Optional living accommodations, you said?¡± He asked and double-checked his notes.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the name of your establishment? And where is it located? As is said, we still need to confirm your claims.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ within walking distance,¡± Severin said vaguely, not quite sure how much he should, or even could, reveal before the official announcement. ¡°Severin¡¯s Emporium¡±.


    At least that seemed to ring a bell, but nothing more than that; and maybe for the better.


    ¡°Hm. So a local business, you say. In that case, one of our own staff will accompany you to confirm your claims. You wouldn¡¯t mind, would you? But first, we need some kind of identification.¡±


    ¡°Eh..¡±


    For an instant Severin was stumped. The next, his frown turned into a self-satisfied smile.


    Pleased with himself, he produced his newly acquired bronze badge and handed it over.


    ¡°I have no idea what exactly this is, but it most certainly is no proper identification.¡±

 Chapter 163

    It took Severin the better part of an hour until he arrived at Hanvia¡¯s extensive administrative district because of course it just had to be located on the other side of town, seemingly on purpose as far away from where the common people resided as possible.


    And because bureaucracy was apparently not solely a thing of the world Severin had left behind, he then spend another four hours, which felt more like twelve to him, either waiting for some oh-so busy official who would then either put him off entirely or, more commonly, direct him somewhere else, resulting in him making circles around the city hall, immigration affairs, the department of labor, the tax office, and various other kinds of increasingly obscure regulatory bodies.


    And again, the eagle-faced badge proved anything but helpful, making him seem more suspicious than anything else.


    It was only by sheer coincidence that Severin was finally had some success that day.


    In fact, it could easily take days, if not weeks or even months until an appeal usually reached the right ears, -and at times even longer until they were then given the attention they deserved or required- Severin was assured by his savior who came in the form of a high-ranking, though nameless official who had recognized him from his time spent in the palace and who was aware of Severin¡¯s special circumstances and the dealings he had with her [King].


    With the woman¡¯s standing and knowledge of the inner workings of the administrative apparatus she was fortunately able to pull some strings for Severin and to provide him with two documents that would¡¯ve looked boringly ordinary if it wasn¡¯t for the application of a magical stamp to guarantee its authenticity and which immediately fused into the paper itself, taking the appearance of a holographic watermark.


    The first of the two documents was the identification the clerk of the Free Worker¡¯s Guild had asked of him.


    The second, his savior took upon herself to issue, was a local business license, something that, considering the actual location of his business, would have been otherwise impossible for Severin to get his hands on; just in case she had said.


    As his form of thanks, Severin invited the women to visit his store with the implicit promise of a generous discount, before quickly excusing himself.


    If it wasn¡¯t for his two [Employees] relying on him, being at least equally exhausted as him, and the fact that things would only get even more busy from here on out, then by now at the latest Severin would have called it a day.


    But as it was, Severin directly made his way back to the Guild; by now the whole city was wide awake, and the same way now almost took him twice as long as before.


    Once back inside, however, he realized the Guild¡¯s business had calmed down considerably.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Severin thought about the reason for this while waiting for the counter of his clerk to free up; as soon as it did, he cast the matter aside, stepped forward and, wordlessly and with more force than he had intended, slammed both his documents onto the counter.


    The clerk found his bearing more quickly than Severin would have in a similar situation and showed a genuine smile when he realized just what exactly these papers were.


    ¡°Aah splendid. That will help things along. I knew I would see you again.¡± If the man had been surprised to see Severin back so soon, he hid it well.


    Then again, Severin had told the man to expect him, going so far as to pay the Guild¡¯s fees upfront before he had left earlier, in the hope of speeding things up this way.


    And apparently with great success, considering the next thing the clerk said was, ¡°You will be pleased to hear that in fact I already found two potential hires when I looked through our register. Just who you are looking for. One of them¡­¡±


    In his current tired and irritated state, Severin didn¡¯t really care or have the patience to learn about some people¡¯s backgrounds or the circumstances that drove them; those were things that could be left for when the deal had actually gone through and after the two had proven themselves; or maybe just until he was in a better mood.


    What he did care about, however, was the but he could clearly hear coming in the man¡¯s voice.


    "But...?" he forestalled.


    ¡°Well¡­ It just so happens that the server is still bound by some contractual obligations.¡± And then before Severin could even begin to frown, ¡°But that is not a problem a small donation wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of, I am sure. A transfer fee, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Riiight. And how much time would this transfer take?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say for certain, I¡¯m afraid. It largely depends on the current contract holder. But it is safe to say that the larger the offered sum, the more willing he might be to see things through quickly. I am sure you understand.¡±


    In fact, Severin himself wasn¡¯t quite sure he did.


    That was, he couldn¡¯t decide whether he was simply being fleeced or not.


    But in the end, it didn¡¯t really matter to him either way; he understood that throwing money at a problem more often than not would take care of it, and, since money was the one thing he had plenty of, especially in comparison to most classless people, that was exactly what he did.


    Yet another two hours later and several coins lighter, accompanied by three wary people-one of which the guild¡¯s inspector who still would have to do his duties and give his okay before any actual agreement could legally be finalized- Severin led the way towards the city gate through which he had entered the city some eight to nine hours prior.


    Severin noted that while the line leading inside was just as long as before, if not longer, the way out was completely clear and without a single holdup due to the lack of inspections in that direction.


    This in turn meant that Severin had no opportunity to flaunt the badge Sergeant Janice had given him.


    Trying not to let his silly displeasure at this realization show, he quickly passed through the gate and headed towards the building on the horizon, of whose existence his three companions until now apparently had been completely unaware.

 Chapter 164

    ¡°That¡¯s your store?¡±, one of the people asked incredulously as the group approached the strange building that stood out like a sore thumb not only because of its remarkable size but also because it was the only manmade structure so closely outside the city; from an elevation, one could see what Severin suspected to be some farm and its fields in the distance, but that was about it.


    ¡°No, but we will pass through there,¡± Severin said.


    ¡°But there is nothing else here,¡± was immediately pointed out and Severin thought the only reason his own reply of,¡± You will understand once we are inside¡± was not challenged because of the increased military presence around said building, with every of the serving men and women uniformed in the same familiar and somewhat reassuring colors of Malcos.


    Whatever was going on with that annoyingly evasive man, at least they could be sure there wouldn¡¯t be any danger, were the thoughts of more than one of Severin¡¯s companions. Knowing that Severin had the Guild¡¯s initial approval and the fact that he might very well be a classbearer, despite his ordinary looks, surely helped as well.


    Luckily for Severin, the same military presence that reassured these people also made them swallow any further questions and soon enough, they actually reached the building itself.


    Instead of being turned away as his three companions half expected despite Severin¡¯s words,-since that was exactly what they had observed happening from a distance when a curious passerby stopped to inquire with the guards- a voice reached out to them.


    ¡°Back already?¡±


    Understanding the question was largely meant as a pleasantry and a way of greeting, Severin tried his best to suppress a frown from appearing on his face and forced himself to an amiable nod,¡± All done. I hope.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear. But who might these people be?¡± That question was, of course, the officer¡¯s real objective, Severin understood.


    ¡°Staff and clients from the Free Worker¡¯s Guild,¡± he explained. ¡°Preparing for the storm, so to speak, Sir Singerton.¡±


    No sooner had he completed his sentence and Singerton expressed his understanding, did Severin notice a sudden change in said group¡¯s demeanor.


    ¡°Si- Sir Singerton?¡± the guild¡¯s inspector croaked with a breaking voice; the other two seemed just as startled.


    ¡®Or rather star-struck,¡¯ Severin realized as he recognized the look in their eyes to be the same as the one that people gave Samuel whenever they recognized the half-giant.


    Apparently, the officer was a much bigger deal than he had realized.


    ¡®Which makes sense considering Singerton¡¯s responsibilities in this matter are exceeded only by that of the [King¡¯s] daughter herself.¡¯


    Conveniently, for Severin, the man was gracious enough to humor his admirers and,-after making sure Severin himself hadn¡¯t told them more than he was supposed to -took it upon himself to go into more detail and introduced to them the use of these facilities after swearing them to secrecy; something they were more than willing to comply with.


    The result was better than Severin ever could have hoped for.


    Not only did they accept the fact that this was a teleportation station far more readily than they would have if it was anybody else who had made this claim, he noticed how his own status in their eyes also rose as they began to understand Severin¡¯s own role in this matter.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.By the time they reached the circle of light in which the fuzzy images of a courtyard could be seen, Severin¡¯s previous grievances and fatigue of the day, seemed almost forgotten and when he and his three companies side by side stepped towards said light-apparently it was found that this traveling arrangement guaranteed that nothing and nobody would get tangled up during the transportation process- Severin¡¯s posture might have looked a slight bit more upright than before.


    Another step and Severin was almost back home.


    This time around, to Severin, the atmosphere felt far less oppressive than it had earlier; whether it was because he had already once experienced it, because of his currently elevated mood, or simply because the three people next to him seemed even more unsettled than he had been, was unknown probably even to Severin himself.


    With no danger of anyone following behind them, he gave his guests a short opportunity to take in their surroundings and find their bearings and checked with the System;


    what he saw improved his mood even further.


    ¡®Maybe not so bad a day, after all,¡¯ Severin thought as he looked at the newest dish that must have unlocked during his absence.


    On a different occasion, he might have felt shortchanged by the fact this new dish consisted of only two new ingredients-milk and eggs; the oil, salt, and pepper had already been provided anyway- but now, besides being able to appreciate the obvious benefits that came simply by having another new product available to sell, it also reminded him of a different issue he had almost forgotten.


    That was the matter of trying to replicate Milly¡¯s pasta dish he had tasted a week prior, and the question of whether or not it contained eggs; now he could find out and either way was all but guaranteed to make some progress in regard to his still outstanding [Mix and Match I] quest.


    Making sure nothing else demanded his immediate attention, Severin quickly stepped forward and off the small strip of his own property surrounding the portal, before either Emily or Bandur could call out to him.


    ¡°Almost there ¡°, said Severin with a smugness that, in their current state, was missed by the others and led the way towards the half-closed gate.


    He slowed his steps for the others to catch up with him and which it also allowed someone else to reach him before he stepped back into his own realm.


    ¡°Sir! Lady Jasmine sends word that the official opening would take place in the morning of the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Another bit of welcome news; whatever was planned inside the arena the next day, the actual opening would take place only the day after, buying Severin some more valuable time.


    He acknowledged the young page¡¯s words and deliberately said, ¡°Give the princess my thanks.¡±


    If one of his guests hadn¡¯t immediately made the connection before, then now even the slowest of them would have caught on.


    Judging by the gasps behind him, Severin¡¯s assessment was indeed correct; he didn¡¯t wait and with a smile on his lips led on and outside.


    The view that revealed itself was that of a sea of clouds surrounding the mountaintop, his own business, the Society¡¯s branch office, and that of the many visitors who all had arrived by regular means and who now wouldn¡¯t leave the mountain unless it was via the still restricted portal.


    To the unexpecting, Severin was sure, this sight would be quite impactful in its own right.


    ¡°Now we have arrived¡±, he proclaimed and didn¡¯t have a single doubt left in his mind that he had already succeeded with what he had set out to do; the inspection would be a mere formality.

 Chapter 165

    This time around Severin could not avoid the attention of his [Employees]- not that he actually wanted to- and so, at one point while leading his guests across his mountain, Bandur¡¯s voice appeared in his head, though the fact that it took the dwarf so long to notice Severin¡¯s uniquely conspicuous dot popping back up onto the System¡¯s map, was testament to the current busyness not just him, but also Emily had to deal with.


    <<Ah, there you are! Are these the guys?>> The dwarf was obviously referring to the three white dots-none of them with a class accompanying their name-sticking closely to Severin¡¯s green one. Bandur didn¡¯t expect an actual answer and continued without wait.


    <<So, when do they start? Could really use some additional pair of hands.>>


    <<There are still some formalities that have to be taken care of first. One of them is an inspector from the¡­>>


    Severin briefly explained what all the holdup was about but at the same time also voiced his confidence, before reminding,


    <<Just don¡¯t let anything regarding the System slip, you hear. Not more than you have to, that is.>>


    <<Yeah, yeah, the stipulations were explicit enough; not a risk I¡¯m gonna take. But speaking of that thing... just unlocked a new dish and ingredients.>>


    <<I saw. You put it up on the menu already?>>


    <


    >


    <<Fair enough, >> Severin conceded, while wondering to himself just what kind of magical benefits the eggs might provide. And how they tasted.


    <<Once you put these people to work, however¡­ might even find the time to start your experimenting again.>>


    <<Thought the same thing, but we mustn¡¯t be too hasty. Two days. That¡¯s when they told me they open the portal to the public. At that time, even with the additional help, we probably won¡¯t be any less occupied than we are now.>>


    <<Hm. In that case, maybe you should have looked for more people to begin with.>>


    <<Nah>>, Severin denied. << I don¡¯t believe it would make a difference. It¡¯s all dependent on you and Em.>>


    <<Hm?>>


    <<I mean to say that it doesn¡¯t matter how many more servers and cashiers I hire if we can¡¯t keep up with production.>>


    <<If you say so, boss.>>


    Severin heard the barely disguised objection and therefore, in an attempt to placate the man, added <<And if it turns out we need more help after all, I can still go and do so. Once this inspection thing is dealt with, any further business with the Worker¡¯s Guild should proceed much smoother.>>


    Bandur grunted his reluctant agreement and Severin cut his conversation with the dwarf short as at that point he reached his store; Severin turned his attention back to his wide-eyed guests that had been following him like a bunch of ducklings.


    Now standing next to the door of his store, allowing a pair of customers inside, while another one was leaving, he started pointing.


    ¡°This right here is the main business is. In there, we produce and sell all kinds of different consumables-most of them with very unique effects and benefits, I have been told-and a few other services which are also in high demand. Mostly by adventurers and certainly by classbearers. You can see the details of it for yourself in just a minute.


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    Then this over there is the kitchen,¡± Severin again pointed, this time towards the building partly hidden behind the bustling seating area.


    ¡°I think you can already see why I wanted to hire a waiter. Right now it is up to our chef himself to¡­¡±


    At this moment, as if to underline his words, the door of the kitchen flung open and a small man with multiple plates in his arms came charging outside and straight towards one of the many tables; the dwarf could have eased his burden considerably if only he chose to directly summon the food from the store¡¯s inventory itself. As this, however, would reveal his possession of a class-if [Employee] really could be counted as such-he decided to do without; especially not in front of so many people, who, at least some of them, had definitely already recognized the little man; most of these people who arrived so soon after Richard¡¯s advertisement during the Games had belonged to Hanvia¡¯s higher circles, after all, and were therefore familiar with the palace¡¯s resident dwarf.


    ¡°¡­well... you get the idea. Anyway. Next is this,¡± Severin said, and this time specifically addressed the Guild¡¯s other two clients, his own would-be employees. If everything went according to plan, that was.¡± In here we have the living accommodations for myself and all my employees. That would also include your own, if you should choose to stay with us.


    For now, every unit consists of two separate rooms.¡±


    If they started working here, they have to loosen up a bit, Severin thought as they were only silently nodding in response and still with eyes full of wonder; for now, however, not only did he not mind their reaction, or rather the lack thereof, but instead was rather pleased by it.


    ¡°And finally this,¡± he paused shortly for effect. ¡°Based on the very recognizable¡­¡±


    ¡°Society,¡± One of his guests blurted out, and was all that needed to be said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We are currently in an official business relationship with them. They were the first to recognize our potential to grow not only our own business, but with it the entire mountain, into a flourishing commercial outpost. Since then, they have approached us and are now leasing some of our land. You can see the results.¡± Severin said and sneaked a glance at the inspector to gauge his reaction.


    He was pleased by what he saw, but forced himself not to overdo it any further; it was about time to let the man do his work.


    Severin cleared his throat.


    ¡°Well, then. Shall we go inside?¡±


    Met with no objections, he led the way.


    Inside, only a relatively small line was waiting in front of the counter, but it was still more than enough to keep Em busy. Severin felt a sense of pride welling up in him when he saw the girl dutifully absorbed in her work, multitasking between serving customers and brewing supplies, but was more than glad that soon he would be able to offer her some respite.


    A larger group was surrounding the two machines sitting in the back.


    ¡°And that¡¯s that.¡±


    Severin invited the group with a sweeping gesture.


    ¡°Please take a look around and do whatever it is you have to do. And please don¡¯t hesitate to ask questions,¡± he said to the inspector, who was obviously way in over his head; this was not the kind of business he usually dealt with.


    And then to the other two people,


    ¡°the same naturally goes for you as well. Make yourselves familiar if you like, and if you too have any questions, just go ahead and ask.¡±


    Ahem


    ¡°Soo. One gold, you said, right? Per day?¡±

 Chapter 166

    Krill, the older gentleman and would-be cashier, didn¡¯t seem to very much approve the younger woman¡¯s blunt question regarding their pay, but visibly leaned in closer as not to miss Severin¡¯s answer, nonetheless; the [Shopkeeper] himself, on the other hand, didn¡¯t mind at all, as this inquiry to him only confirmed what he already suspected, even counted on.


    That was, most ordinary, meaning classless, people in this world, would never make this much money relying on an honest job and would be unable to resist the temptation of his offer.


    He readily confirmed Sabina¡¯s question before reiterating to them a detail the Guild should have already conveyed to them beforehand. Just to make sure. And maybe to sweeten the deal even further.


    ¡°In the future, when the business grows further and the demand for staff increases, there will also be opportunities for promotions, I am sure.¡± Severin said without concern of putting himself in a disadvantageous negotiating position by letting his own eagerness show through.


    ¡°That means a more involved position, working directly to create some of our products. Just like Em over there. And of course, this would also mean a raise.¡±


    ¡°Even better pay?¡±


    ¡°That young lady over there, is¡­?¡±


    Severin decided to ignore the would-be waitress and focused on the man¡¯s observation instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She is currently not only selling but also crafting all these products you see here sitting on the shelves. The few that are still left, that is. As you can see, it is getting a bit much for her to handle on her own.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that require ¡­?¡±


    ¡°And you say we would also be able to¡­?¡±


    This time Severin only smiled meaningfully, not quite willing to answer the unspoken question after Emily¡¯s class and the implications that came with it. If they wanted to find out more, they would have to prove their worth and loyalty first.


    ¡°Anything else you want to know?¡± he asked instead, not all so subtly changing the course of the conversation.


    Realizing his intentions and that further efforts to get answers out of him would not only be in vain but might also cost them a hefty paycheck if they overdid it, all they could do was to comply.


    Sabina¡¯s reluctance in that regard was especially palpable, and so it was Krill, many years his senior, who took the initiative and asked Severin to see said products, Emily¡¯s handiwork, from up close.


    Not only, the man must have figured, were those items the closest thing they had to an actual answer, but he also understood his own role in all of this. If everything went according to plan, selling these items would soon fall to him; as someone who took pride in his professionalism, familiarizing himself with these products was the least he could do.


    Besides, when else would a classless person ever get the opportunity to see such wondrous items? A sentiment that, put this way, the woman could only share.


    Severin was naturally more than willing to grant this request and soon the three retraced inspector Geffrey¡¯s steps through the rows of shelves and floating tooltips.


    The sheer novelty of it was more than enough to distract the two from whatever other thoughts might have still been lingering in their minds and more than once Severin had to confirm that the prices were indeed correct and had to explain to them in great detail the use of various of his products. Like that of his [Weapon Oils] were the tooltip alone was not sufficient for most non-adventurers to understand just how useful and potentially even lifesaving its effect could be in a fight to the death ¨C such matters were simply just too foreign to them.


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    Like this they had finally made it through the second row, when a underpaid and visibly stressed Guild inspector emerged from the group of customers standing in the back, started looking around searchingly, and, once he spotted the group, exclaimed, ¡°Ah there you are!¡± and came running over.


    ¡°Mr. Geffrey! How is it? I hope everything is to your satisfaction. Have you concluded your inspection?¡± Severin tried not to sound too impatient. The other two could hardly keep their calm, either.


    ¡°Almost,¡± came the reply, accompanied by a grave nod, ¡°but I figured I wouldn¡¯t be doing my due if I didn¡¯t go check in with the local Society¡¯s branch as well. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Severin said, not letting his real thoughts show; displeasure, for wasting more time, and on the other hand, impressed by the man¡¯s sense of duty despite obviously feeling very uncomfortable in his skin right now. ¡°Just take your time.¡±


    ..


    ¡°Well then, shall we go outside as well? Take a look at the apartments, if you like? Or maybe I can offer you something to eat?¡± Severin suggested with only a slightly guilty conscious for creating even more work for poor Bandur.


    In the end the group opted to do both, and in the process it was not only Severin who revealed more about himself, the store, and its circumstances, but in exchange also learned a bit about the two as well.


    Both of them were very eager to work for him- that much was clear by now- with Sabina even going so far as to claim that in case that ,for one reason or another, the inspection would fall through, she would sever all relations she had with the Guild and hire with Severin directly; consequences be damned.


    Buying her out from her current employer, a lecherous but very well-paying geezer, simply wasn¡¯t acceptable to her if she was then kept from actually signing another, even more lucrative contract.


    Considering that the people relying on the Free Worker¡¯s Guild to find employment were not the most well off to begin with, Severin understood her all too well. But kept to himself that it was ultimately him who had paid the buyout fee, not the Guild, and kept nodding encouragingly.


    Where the young adult counted on this job to secure her own future, the older man was in it to secure that of his children and grandchildren. He had long come to terms with his lot that required him to seek mostly short-term employment, even at his advanced age, but wanted something more for those that came after him. And a whole gold coin a day was most certainly the once in a lifetime opportunity to make this a reality.


    Most notably, however, to Severin was something else regarding their attitudes.


    All of his other customers currently on his mountain were in a position that allowed them to splurge many times a regular person¡¯s monthly salary on just a single purchase, with most of these people owing their good fortune to the sheer luck of being born either directly as a classbearer, or into a rich family; a certain annoying [Duelist] and his taciturn childhood friend were probably the only exceptions to this rule.


    And yet Severin, who knew very well the resentment he would feel in their stead, at no point could see any signs of hostility towards these people, neither from Krill nor Sabina.


    Once he realized this, Severin¡¯s impression of them greatly improved and when previously just about anyone would have done for him to hire, it now had to be them.


    Like this, pleased and with hope for the future, all three of them waited for the good news, when with a strained smile on her face and followed by a profusely sweating Geffrey, a woman came charging out of the green windowed building and towards Severin.


    ¡°There you are!¡±

 Chapter 167

    Severin was relieved to learn that Magda had enough decency as not to make a scene and humiliate him, not only in front of his would-be subordinates but also his customers.


    Friendly, though not friendly enough not to disrupt his current conversation, but with a firm voice, she invited Severin to visit her in her office.


    ¡°I¡¯ll join you in a bit,¡± he assured. ¡°Once we have concluded our business- shouldn¡¯t be too long, I hope.¡± The last part was just as much directed towards the Guild¡¯s inspector as it was to the woman, and so, her irritating announcement, ¡°In this case I¡¯ll wait right over there¡±, was followed by the clear of a throat and Geffrey¡¯s assurance that indeed everything was in order; it seemed the woman who was now seated at the next table over and who was awkwardly observing the situation making sure Severin would not once again try to slip away from her- having no problem letting her own patrons wait in the meantime-, had not said anything to make things complicate for him.


    He understood that the sway she held as the head of a branch -no matter how small- of the, even by classless people much respected, Adventurer¡¯s Society, was immense.


    And though he doubted her word would outweigh that of his dozens of customers, or that of Sir Singerton and even the princess herself, he knew that if she wanted to cause trouble for him, it would have been easy enough for her; especially since poor Geffrey was probably in no position to include the names of the latter two people in his report.


    Severin tried to ignore Magda¡¯s staring as much as possible and instead focused on Krill and Sabina, who were too excited to take note of anything else around them.


    With a pre-prepared, and notably non-magical contract ready at hand, the details of which corresponded strictly to the terms Severin had stated back at the Guildhall in Hanvia, without a big fuss, everything was soon in order.


    Besides Severin and Sabina and Krill respectively, Geffrey, as a witness and mediator of the Free Workers Guild, also signed both contracts.


    His two, now official, employees were visibly excited. Almost immediately, however, they both showed their eagerness to start working and to prove their worth.


    In their minds, they couldn¡¯t afford to slack off for even a second. Not with that kind of pay. Not when someone would surely step up to replace them if they showed even just the slightest hint of an opening.


    But Severin had different plans for them. Or rather, now was simply not the right time for them to start working. No matter how perfunctory, first they would need to be introduced to Bandur and Emily, and discuss the details of their assignments; jumping right in without first organizing the two new pairs- Em and Krill responsible for the main store, and Sabina and the dwarf responsible for kitchen and caf¨¦, would do more harm than anything else, Severin decided.


    Instead, his first order, to their great surprise, was to send them back to Hanvia.


    Both had decided- for security concerns and reasons of practicality alike- to accept his offer and live with Severin on the mountain; the prospect of having two decent-sized rooms for one¡¯s own personal use surely had a certain allure as well.


    But this also meant that sooner or later they would have to move, inform their friends and family of their decision, and take care of whatever else there was to take care of under such circumstances.


    So why not sooner?


    To help things along, Severin handed them a gold coin while another one found its way into Geffrey¡¯s pocket- part fee, part tip.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll be back soon!¡±


    Severin remained seated and watched the three people leave towards the fortress at the rim of the mountain.


    No sooner were they out of earshot than another voice reminded him of another¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Then if you please?¡±


    Severin knew that resistance not only would be futile and childish, but, in light of the latest development, also ungrateful.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Obedient but sullen, he accompanied Magda back to the Society, past impatiently waiting and adventurers, whose complaints were deftly ignored, and into a small office in the back.


    Where she had a minor breakdown.


    ¡°So. Those elixirs of yours. You promised me a solution, did you not? Quite some time ago, if I might add. And although I have the distinct feeling that you have been avoiding me, I dearly hope you have something for me.


    Because if things keep going like they currently are, I certainly have no idea how to explain the abnormally high success rates of those advancement tests around here. Advancement tests I¡¯m responsible for, you understand!?¡± He didn¡¯t.


    ¡°The look of that¡­ and I can¡¯t put it off much longer! Not with so many people around and when I have to request reinforcements much sooner than I initially thought. I can¡¯t put establishing of a reliable connection to HQ off for much longer.


    I certainly didn¡¯t expect things on your end to develop that quickly.¡±


    Severin suppressed his urge to blurt, ¡¯why not just tell them how it is¡¯ and focused on her wording which reminded him of the fact it wasn¡¯t her superiors, but Magda herself and owed to her own foresight and willingness to bet on his success, that she was now settled here on his mountain, taking on great amounts of responsibility while trying to establish a new branch instead of being content with cushy job at the HQ.


    ¡°And I reckon things will only get worse now with your deal with the Malconeans. Would have appreciated some warning, by the way. Imagine my surprise when one day I wake up and am the last to find a whole delegation of these people¨Cincluding the princess herself, mind you!- sitting right at the doorstep. Out of nowhere. And all the reports I¡¯ll¡­!¡± During the course of her complaining monolog, Magda¡¯s voice had become more and more high-pitched, when all of a sudden she caught herself.


    And slumped back into her chair.


    Severin still didn¡¯t quite understand why the issue at hand was such a big deal. What he did understand, however, if belatedly, was that his decisions no longer concerned only himself and his people, but also those around him. The last days and weeks, this woman in front of him was just as stressed as he, Bandur, and Emily had been.


    Now, did that mean he would let those things influence his decisions in the future? Probably not. But it was certainly worth taking note of.


    And it was enough for Severin to feel bad for her-though not the least bit guilty.


    But that didn¡¯t mean he had a solution for her.


    Even if he removed the advertisement regarding his products¡¯ ability to remain effective even downstairs inside the Society¡¯s evaluation facilities, it most certainly would not change a thing.


    But what else could he do besides making ill-informed suggestions and simply lending the woman an ear?


    Nothing.


    But sometimes that is all it needs. And so, after one of Severin¡¯s, even in his own opinion, more farfetched sounding suggestions, Magda¡¯s eyes started to sparkle.


    Her smile started to relax.


    ..


    Severin found himself dragged out of the room and stood inside the main hall


    where Magda unceremoniously announced:


    ¡°Listen up! From now on, the rules for the advancement test at this location will undergo some drastic changes.


    It won¡¯t be mandatory, but I strongly encourage every one of you to consume one of this man¡¯s elixirs. You all know the one I¡¯m talking about. Don¡¯t pretend otherwise. And maybe have a good, hearty meal beforehand as well.¡± The disdain in her voice could hardly be missed, eliciting some embarrassed chuckles throughout the room. All of which fell silent after her next sentence.


    ¡°Because the baseline score will be raised accordingly.¡± Her smile was now as bright as ever. Magda paused for effect and let her audience process the information.


    ¡°And to any genius amongst you guys who thinks he might instead try his luck at another branch. Be warned that anyone caught doing so while under the influence of mentioned elixirs, and food buffs, and whatnot, will be expelled. Their membership revoked. For good.¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t know whether this was a simple bluff stemming from desperation. If it was even feasible. Or how her superiors would react to this decision. Was it even hers to make in the first place?


    He truly didn¡¯t know. But neither did he care enough to find out.


    His bottom-line would remain mostly unaffected by this either way and so, the most important thing was that Magda had gotten off his back.


    Hopefully, for good.

 Chapter 168

    ¡°Things have finally calmed down a bit,¡± Sabina said while eating her breakfast, a slice of bread topped with scrambled eggs.


    ¡°It would seem that way,¡± Bandur agreed between bites, secretly relying on the minimap he had already gotten so used to, to confirm the young woman¡¯s observations.


    The other three people sitting in the kitchen were likewise chewing and nodding.


    And indeed, compared to the last three and a half weeks, this morning it felt almost deserted.


    Large part of it was that with the ability to spend one¡¯s nights in a nice inn with warm beds and food back in the capital, hardly anyone still camped on mountaintop in front of the Emporium.


    Another part was that with more convenient access to the store, people didn¡¯t feel as compelled anymore to completely restock every single potion or elixir they used every single day. Especially not when depositing was a thing and allowed them to save up some of their daily combinator charges that would have otherwise expired.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean business was bad. Quite the contrary. In terms of absolute numbers, their customer count was higher than ever before, high enough to make any other potionmaker in Hanvia or elsewhere in Malcos turn green with envy. But with the addition of two new employees and the customers arriving more evenly spread throughout the day, the workload and pressure on the individual had become far more bearable.


    Enough so that Severin had even found the time to resume his experiments in the kitchen, coming up with not just one, but two new creations, thereby increasing the counter for his Mix and Match quest that promised a mystery reward, to three out of five.


    Or rather, it was old Krill who came up with the recipes-a classless person didn¡¯t grow this old without picking up some tricks in the kitchen.


    Maybe Severin could have managed to recreate Milly¡¯s pasta dish on his own, but certainly not the egg noodles which the System titled with the very faintly familiar sounding name Sp?tzle.


    Once enhanced by the System, the dish had immediately become one of Em¡¯s new favorites.


    Then there was also the addition of a new alchemical product; with so many customers, a level up had only been a question of time. But overall, other than in terms of increased turnover and a new wave of experimentations with the combinator, it didn¡¯t influence the overall business operations.


    In the beginning Severin had still hoped the item which came in the same shape and consistency as his health and resource jelly-potions, and in a color that was traditionally reserved for antidotes, might open up new markets and target groups, but alas, a [Status Cure] was far from being the same as a [Cure All]; able to rid the user of any and all detrimental status afflictions- even able to purge stun effects if its consumption was timed just right or applied by someone else; meaning if it was pushed down one¡¯s throat with force- and therefore being a more than welcome addition to his product range, was it not the magic-bullet he hoped for; removing stuns and silencing effects was after all not the same as curing paralysis-not the status-effect- or regrowing tongues.


    However, Severin wasn¡¯t too disappointed. It earned him a nice chunk of money and would surely continue to do so.


    Money which he could use to revive plans put on hold or to add another story to his store, the latter being repeatedly brought up by Magda as it would allow her, as per their contract, to follow suit and increase the size of her own hall accordingly.


    With her own reinforcements having arrived just a week and a half prior, and the commissioning of the quest-board, which not only listed requests for this part of the Golden Mountains but also those concerning Hanvia and its surroundings, Magda too now apparently wanted to focus more on the long-term development of the business.


    But for now, Severin had other plans. Plans he didn¡¯t know were even feasible to begin with and which might easily cause him a lot of, first and foremost political, trouble if they were.


    And large amounts of wasted money if they weren¡¯t.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But it was also something Severin had dreamed of ever since he first witnessed the arrival of an annoying [Duelist] on his mountain. Dreams that went further back even than that of opening his own inn. Just that, unlike an inn, it had seemed impossible.


    Until now.


    Or rather, until he had successfully sneaked a certain condition into his contract with Ringald, one which granted him certain purchasing rights.


    And one whose implications, if they indeed hadn¡¯t noticed at the time, they surely must have figured by now.


    Or maybe not?


    On this day, with far more gold in his private inventory than he had ever owned before, and with the certainty that his shop was in good hands, after the communal breakfast he excused himself for the rest of the day and, nagging doubts and fears ignoring, headed towards the flag-waving fortress on the rim of his mountain.


    ¡­


    Hours later.


    Severin was now lying wide awake in his bed, staring at the floating screen above him. The red numbers that stood out from the light-blue indicated a very recent and very considerable decrease in the store¡¯s funds.


    Even after his return, he could have still changed his mind. At this point, it had only been his personal wealth he would have wasted. He could¡¯ve probably even still returned the goods.


    But he had gone through with it and proceeded to spend the shop¡¯s funds as well. He was committed and all he could do now was wait.


    Wait for the System to do the things it only ever did at night.


    And this time around, Severin had the impression it took particularly long.


    With nothing else to do and with no mind to sleep, he inevitably began to ponder.


    Maybe he should have taken someone into his confidence, after all? Probably, yeah.


    But then, this someone might have been able to convince him otherwise.


    He tried to distract himself from the reality that he had made his decision a long time ago and started thinking about the day.


    How he felt when he left the mountain; when he stepped back into the administration district; into the Natural Resources office; the Aviation Bureau.


    To when he subsequently visited the massive and heavily guarded warehouse adjacent to the city¡¯s wharf. The warehouse filled with spatial storage units, which in turn contained even greater amounts of the treasure he had put his hope in.


    And lastly, to his work with the editor.


    Had he overdone it? He surely hadn¡¯t damaged the mountain¡¯s integrity, right? Nah, not with those small holes and crevices. If anything, he should¡¯ve purchased more of the crystals, and then¡­


    And then his thoughts were interrupted.


    Bing


    [Work Order completed.]


    [Warning! High Alert!]


    [Multiple foreign and potentially threatening objects detected.]


    [Isolating foreign objects.]


    [Analyzing sequence started.]


    [Risk assessment underway.]


    ..


    [Analysis complete.]


    [All-clear. Repeat, All- clear.]


    [Foreign objects identified as [Aero Crystals].


    Moderate flight capabilities and maneuverability detected.]


    [Integration process initiated.]


    ..


    [Integration process successful.]


    [Congratulations, limited aviation capabilities unlocked


    Major experience bonus has been provided.]


    [Congratulations, your main class [Shopkeeper] has leveled up.]


    [Congrat-


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Severin couldn¡¯t keep his cool any longer. The flood of System notifications had not yet subsided, but he was too busy dancing around like a fool and with a big stupid grin on his face to pay any more attention to them.

 Chapter 169

    Still dancing around, stupidly laughing and singing- if the off key sounds could be called as such- to himself, Severin was caught off-guard when suddenly the door to his room flew open and two equally small people came rushing inside.


    Visibly upset to a degree where they didn¡¯t even have the mind to pay attention to the compromising position they caught Severin in, they instead asked ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± and ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why didn¡¯t you answer?¡±


    ¡°The alarm?!,¡± Bandur specified with urgency in his voice when his boss didn¡¯t immediately answer.


    Only then did he understand. The high alert notification didn¡¯t go out only to him, but everyone connected to the System.


    Thinking about it, it made sense. Unlike the fact that the corresponding all-clear seemingly didn¡¯t as well.


    Severin didn¡¯t let the System¡¯s surely malicious oversight ruin his mood.


    He motioned the two further inside his room and assured them that everything was in order and briefly explained to them what he had been up to, why they were now pretty much broke, and how in return they were no longer doomed to be floating around at the same location in the middle of nowhere.


    Still too agitated himself, though purely in a positive sense, Severin didn¡¯t pause to give them the opportunity to ask questions themselves or even to process the information he gave them and kept rattling on and on about how the idea came about in the first place. How he never believed these crystals could actually lift a whole mountain, much less a massive one like his, no matter how many of them he attached to its outer surface, but that since the thing was already floating to begin with, in his mind, there was no need to, anyway.


    Instead, he figured that as long as he didn¡¯t plan on changing altitude, all he needed to do was overcome the air resistance; surely a comparatively easy task.


    He also revealed that he never counted on the System¡¯s assistance, but admitted that it was a more than welcome surprise. One that made him confident they wouldn¡¯t suddenly fall out of the sky.


    Towards the end of his rambling, Severin¡¯s two [Employees] had considerably loosened up. More than that, their frowns had been replaced by huge grins similar to the one Severin knew he was wearing himself. Especially Emily.


    But though Bandur wasn¡¯t any less excited, even showing as much, as the oldest in the room it fell to him to reign in everyone¡¯s excitement and be the voice of reason.


    Not disregarding all the possibilities and opportunities that just presented themselves, he also understood that suddenly taking off just like that and without restraint could, and probably would, lead to many different kinds of trouble.


    Severin wasn¡¯t oblivious to that fact either. But hearing someone else point it out loud had a different weight to it and made him become more serious again.


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t see what¡¯s the problem? Isn¡¯t it great that we can go wherever we want? Everyone likes what we are selling!¡± Only Emily didn¡¯t quite understand; as well a child her age shouldn¡¯t.


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    ¡°Well, first, we don¡¯t actually know the specifications of this whole setup. Its speed. Its maneuverability. Things like that. Though admittedly I don¡¯t think we are in any imminent danger, not with the System officially adopting my makeshift installation and all that, that still doesn¡¯t mean we can just take off and expect things to work out. That being said, the main kind of problem we are going to face is probably¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­political in nature.¡± Bandur recognized. ¡°Not everyone will take kindly to a massive, heavily manned, flying fortress invading their airspace.


    Unless our boss here intends to stay where we are or somewhere within Hanvia, that is. In which case, he wouldn¡¯t have gone through all this trouble in the first place, I don¡¯t think.¡± Severin and the dwarf exchanged a quick look before Bandur continued.


    ¡°And with that, I suspect we have touched upon what I understand to be the main issue. Hanvia and their interests.


    Severin has just signed a contract with them, and though us leaving won¡¯t be in direct violation, I can only suspect how people will react to this. It might very well incite some angry voices who feel, or at least pretend to feel, taken advantage of. They will claim we were being disingenuous. That we are leaving right after we got what we wanted. And with the [King¡¯s] dear daughter as our de facto hostage, at that. At least that¡¯s how one might frame it. It is the perfect pretext for all kinds of ¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence.


    ¡°So, I guess you are saying we should take things slow. Probably better to take the initiative and inform Jasmin ourselves. And the Society. Probably better to stay within the Mountains for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I would say so. Take our time. Let people get accustomed to the fact that they won¡¯t be able to find us around here any longer. Especially those that set out from here to venture deeper into the mountains and expect us to be their ticket back to Malcos. I don¡¯t know what exactly your plans are, but maybe head over to the west for now. To where the Golden in The Mountains comes from. Stay in the vicinity, so to speak; stay in neutral territory.


    Also, should be good for business, and with the funds running low¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Sounds good. Best case, of course, would be if we could establish another portal station right around here, but I doubt that¡¯s gonna happen.


    But either way, I think there is one more thing we should discuss first. Not sure whether you saw the notification, but I got a level up. For my main class. It came with another choice for a sub-class.¡±


    ..


    For the remainder of the night, the three people discussed the alleged pross and cons of each of the many available class choices. To no end.


    Before they knew it, the sun was rising again, and the mountaintop became lively, and so, instead of rushing a big decision, all three, all with dark rims under their eyes and determined to continue the conversation the following night, readied themselves for another busy day of work.


    Severin''s self-imposed first order of business that day was to inform the few parties to whom he felt he owed an explanation of the impending changes.


    With much apprehension Severin stepped outside and approached the [Princess] who, during the last few weeks, had already become one of his caf¨¦¡¯s regulars.

 Chapter 170

    Continuing with her breakfast, the woman seemed rather unperturbed by Severin¡¯s claim.


    ¡°Show it to me.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said show me. Show me how you move this rock around. How you make it fly.¡± She looked up from her plate and, with an intense look, looked directly at him.


    ¡°Uhm,¡± that wasn¡¯t exactly going as planned. But then again. From the outside, his claim had to sound rather absurd. Perhaps he should¡¯ve even been grateful she didn¡¯t immediately start laughing at him and asked for evidence instead.


    Still, even if he couldn¡¯t quite refuse her, the request was still rather inconvenient.


    ¡®To have the maiden flight under these circumstances¡­¡¯ he thought, and instead said,


    ¡°¡­right. Give me just a moment.¡±


    Uncomfortable because of the stares and unwilling to give away more than he had to, he willed open the bluish System screen and took great care not to accidentally slip up and, by force of habit, use his hands to navigate the menu.


    It was a strange, uncomfortable feeling summoning and using said menu in front of people he knew couldn¡¯t see it. Moreso, when knowing that his eyes were focusing on something that, from their perspective, simply wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Well then. Here we go. I guess.¡± After quickly plotting a rough course westward, he willed a virtual slider to its first notch.


    And the result¡­well, whatever he had expected, that wasn¡¯t it.


    In fact, there didn¡¯t seem to be any tangible reaction at all. No sudden jerk or jump or change of scenery; not above this sea of clouds and with no other point of reference.


    Maybe there was a slight breeze, but that might just as well have been his imagination; if it wasn¡¯t for the indicator on the floating screen to say otherwise, he would have doubted his actions had changed anything.


    It was underwhelming, to say the least.


    And potentially even dangerous if Jasmin felt she was being made a fool of.


    When all of a sudden the eyes of one of the princess guards- a robust middle-aged woman with sharp facial features- narrowed as she seemed to spot something in the distance; maybe the swirling of some clouds?


    The woman bent down and forward and whispered something intelligible in the [Princess¡¯] left ear.


    Only then did the expression of the latter visibly ease, her face now much less like the stiff mask that it had been before.


    Appearing slightly more approachable than before, she considered Severin for a moment.


    ¡°So it is indeed like this. Sooner than expected. Better executed as well.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Severin repeated his earlier question, thinking-hoping?- he misheard.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t think you would be quite this fast.¡±


    Severin was momentarily at a loss for words. And then burst out,


    ¡°You expected this!?¡±


    ¡°Well. We certainly expected you to try. What else would you need all those [Aero Crystals] for? But admittedly, we didn¡¯t expect it quite so soon.¡±


    ¡°Wha- I see.¡± So, his aspirations hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed after all. Had he been a fool to believe otherwise? That he could just sneak some clause into his contract with the monarch of a prosperous¡¯ nation? Not just unnoticed by the [King] himself, but all his advisors as well? Without figuring out his intentions? It almost seemed that way.


    But more importantly¡­ignoring his self-doubt and confusion, he carefully considered how to phrase his next question. And then simply went for, ¡°that means you, your father¡­ is not going to take this badly?¡±


    ¡°Well. He certainly will not be particularly pleased. But it was only a question of time. And besides.


    From the get-go, it was very clear that we couldn¡¯t keep you- your products- for ourselves. After all, from what I understand, it was part of your sales pitch that your plan was to establish many more portals. I think the word trading hub had been mentioned?


    Either way. If one can visit you from wherever, what does it actually matter where exactly you are floating around?


    So, no. Father does not harbor any petty thoughts of retaliation, if that¡¯s what you were worried about.¡±


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    ¡°Of course not!¡± Severin quickly, and unconvincingly denied- a reaction which was met with an amused raise of an eyebrow.


    ¡°An attitude that may, however, change if he should think your future¡­adventures, will put us, meaning me, into undue danger.


    That is to say, you are, of course, free to navigate these new waters, so to speak, however you see fit and without our intervention. You have proven to be competent enough.


    But this also means it will be up to you to negotiate passage. If other nations are unhappy with our presence here on your mountain¡­ we certainly won¡¯t be going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Of course not¡±, Severin repeated himself, this time feeling even worse than before. This was going exactly as Bandur had pointed out. Nothing of this had ever been part of his considerations. At all.


    ¡°If there is anything else? If not, might I trouble you and order another one of your exquisite breakfast plates?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Sure. I mean, of course. Please excuse me.¡±


    Severin felt a strange sensation. Was it disappointment? He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on the feeling. Distracted by this, he even lacked the presence of mind to feel insulted by the way of his dismissal.


    He stood up, forwarded the order, and while still collecting his thoughts, headed straight over to the other woman deserving of his attention.


    Standing in front of the double door, he paused for a moment and looked into the distance.


    A few moments later, he shook himself awake and headed inside.


    ¡­


    ¡°What do you mean?! You can¡¯t be serious?! That¡¯s unheard of!¡±


    ¡®Ha, that¡¯s more like it,¡¯ Severin thought and admitted to himself that this kind of reaction was more to his liking. More appropriate.


    Though pleased with himself, in the absence of Magda¡¯s smile, he tried hard to suppress his own, forcing a more rigid expression onto his face.


    One that soon froze in place.


    ¡°This will inevitably lead to several infringements of jurisdiction!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±, he let slip. And was ignored.


    ¡°Have you any idea what you¡¯re saying there? What you are doing to me? No. No, of course you don¡¯t!¡°, came instead the unexpected, almost hostile, accusation. ¡°How could you? All the paperwork I¡¯ll have to file! Just thinking about it... argh.


    ¡°What is it with you?! With things like this continuing to happen, sooner or later, I¡¯ll have an investigation from HQ on my ass. What then? Will you take responsibility?¡±


    ¡­


    With a blank look on his face, Severin left the still cursing woman¡¯s office. Was it his imagination or was she even more agitated than previously with the issue of the advancement tests?


    ¡°What is it with these people?¡± was all he could ask himself as he headed to work.


    Soon, the news broke, and it wasn¡¯t the Society¡¯s agent¡¯s shouts, nor any gossip which spread the news.


    Over the course of the day, the movements of such an enormous piece of rock, no matter how slow, could remain a secret.


    From time to time, the cover of clouds would break and the passing peaks of other, smaller, floating mountains did the rest.


    Soon it was the topic of conversation and Severin, as miffed as he was by their reactions, was glad that he had taken the initiative to inform the two women beforehand so that they didn¡¯t have to learn the news this way.


    But while he could make up some generic excuses for most other people, there were two who he didn¡¯t want to put off and lie to. Though telling them the whole story wasn¡¯t exactly an option.


    Severin debated with himself and finally decided to explain the sudden changes and additions had all been realized with the help of his, admittedly unique, class.


    This was far more than he had ever disclosed to anyone else, aside from his official [Employees] who were naturally in the know. At the same time, this much simply had to be obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes and half a brain. And so, after working hours, when he was just about to head to the last, and arguably most important and definitely secret, meeting of the day, Sabina wasn¡¯t quite willing to let him go and be satisfied with the non-answers he had provided so far.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain¡­¡± she started to argue, when an older man, gently put his hand on her shoulder and, raising his eyebrows, gave her a poignant look which seemed to say ¡®Not asking any more questions than necessary is also part of our job and reason for the exceptional wages¡¯.


    ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Reluctantly, the woman dropped the matter and allowed Severin to go confer with his trusted, overtired aides regarding the choice of a new subclass.

 Chapter 171

    For the umpteenth time, the group of three went over the choice list of available classes.


    Naturally the final decision would lay with Severin, but not consulting the people of this world and instead solely relying on assumptions made based on fantastic games he had played in the past, would, of course, be foolish.


    Not that he had overly relied on Emily¡¯s opinion regarding his class choices in the past, but this time was different.


    For one, now there was also Bandur, and, outcast or not, the man was, after all, of dwarfish royalty. And with that came a, at least perfunctory, education in classology.


    Severin learned that classes he had previously dismissed simply based on their ordinary sounding names, classes such as [Fisherman] and [Herbalist], were indeed what he considered to be gathering professions. Not useless mind you, several communities and even whole societies relied on these classes, Bandur assured him, but now they seemed even less suitable for him than last time; these two classes and a handful similar ones were shortly dismissed.


    Similar was true for the classes on the other end of the spectrum, including some new ones. [Holymancer] and [Dark Knight] certainly had a ring to them. Especially the latter of the two fueled some heroic notions of his. The longing in Bandur¡¯s eyes only amplified these feelings.


    But no. He would stick with those that could be widely categorized as crafting professions.


    But even amongst them, there had been those he had dismissed without giving them much thought. Like [Woodworker] and [Weaver]. Or [Sculptor], to mention one of the new unlocks. Again, too ordinary sounding.


    It was only due to Emily¡¯s sudden objection that he briefly reconsidered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not the same. Your classes are different,¡± she had pointed out.


    And rightly so. After all, regular [Alchemists] did not craft jelly potions, nor stat elixirs or any of his other products. Not to mention the existence of the [Alchemical Item Combinator] that had also come with the profession.


    And what about the [Cook] class? Wasn¡¯t that rather ordinary sounding as well? And it still turned out to be a great addition to his business. From what Severin knew, his dishes were hardly comparable with that of others with the same class. Only a real high-level [Cook] could even dream about creating buff-food.


    He conceded that judging any of his options by whatever the regular version of the class had to offer was neither fair nor smart. Whatever he chose would, in one way or the other, turn out to be extraordinary. But then why not chose something that was already extraordinary, special, to begin with?


    Still, the girl insisted for him to at least consider some of the other options as well and was an especially outspoken proponent of the [Beast Tamer] class, which he had briefly considered himself in the past and one which made him think back to the huge flying mount he had spotted in the distance on his first journey to Malcos.


    Since the girl¡¯s main argument, however, came down to wanting a pet, it was easy enough to dismiss the suggestion.


    In that respect, her second nomination, though somewhat speculative in nature, was much better thought out and therefore had to be considered more thoroughly.


    A [Shipwright], she argued, might just be able to construct add-ons for the mountain itself; because, in a way, it had become somewhat of a flying ship.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Maneuverability, speed, the ability to adjust altitude. Maybe even defensive and offensive capabilities. All these things could potentially be enhanced by the class. She pointed out that no one knew just how durable that defensive barrier even was, and that so far there had been no signs of any kind of weaponry at all.


    ¡°And even if it doesn¡¯t work this way, we could still create flying ships! We don¡¯t even have to sell them if you don¡¯t want to. We could start a transportations service? As a shuttle between the mountain and the surface below. Not everyone has their own flying artifact. Especially not regular people. They can come visit us through the portal but are then stuck up here!


    And do you remember Samuel¡¯s big ship? The one that [Prince] and his guild have slept in? If that is something a regular [Shipwright] can create, then just imagine¡­¡±


    Severin agreed with most of her notions but would have been more readily convinced if he personally was still thinking about owning his own ship. But alas, the need for that had drastically been reduced during these last couple of days and weeks.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, lad. But don¡¯t forget that classes often have some kind of overlap with others. An [Artificer] should just as well be able to craft some flying ships. Maybe only at a higher level and only smaller ones, but still. And in terms of the other aspects you mentioned, the class should be even more suitable.¡±


    Hearing this, Severin was elated. So far [Artificer] was his own top choice and Bandur¡¯s short insert further reinforced this.


    ¡°That being said, I like how you are thinking, Em. I too think we should invest in our defenses. And some firepower can¡¯t hurt either. So I suggest either going with [Enchanter]. Otherwise I¡¯d probably go with [Blacksmith]. Again, there is some overlap.


    You guys have seen some of the enchants the Society uses, right? I mean the scale of them. People often think enchants are simply a convenient way to imbue one¡¯s equipment with some extra firepower or defenses. And don¡¯t get me wrong. Those things should earn us a pretty penny. But they can do so much more. With enough preparation time, a skilled [Enchanter] can lock down whole areas. Make it virtually impossible for unauthorized people to enter. You know of the elemental enchants they imbue weapons with? Now imagine that large-scale, applied to the ground itself instead of some tiny piece of equipment. I¡¯ve seen firsthand how one of these installations turned a man into charcoal.¡±


    Gulp


    ¡°And about [Blacksmith]?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. It is only my second choice, but mostly because what it provides is not as applicable to our specific circumstances. I doubt furnishing the mountain with steel plates will do us much good and though just maybe you¡¯d be able to combine these [Blacksmithing] skills with your expertise as an [Alchemist] to create some sort of long-ranged weaponry, some cannons maybe, that would have be so far in the future that it¡¯s not worth considering at this point.


    That aside, I think [Blacksmith] is one of the most versatile classes out there. Unlike the leather and cloth workers, they not only provide armor but also weapons. Even tools, if needed. And then the overlap in capabilities I mentioned. A talented [Blacksmith] able to imbue their creations with some basic enchantments is not unheard of. And while the same is also true for the two other classes I mentioned, I for one certainly prefer an enchanted piece of plate mail over a fire-imbued handkerchief.¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± Severin laughed at that, though he already felt his headaches returning. The missed sleep was only part of the reason why.


    ¡®Is that what they call overchoice?¡¯ he asked himself and considered consulting with the Society. He knew the branch in Hanvia had an extensive library and even offered class progression lectures.


    He dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. That would only expose himself.


    But then what? What to choose? [Artificer] was still his top choice, but the reasons for this were not nearly as differentiated as he would have wished they were and instead came down to the hope of being able to create all kinds of cool gadgets.


    ¡®Not much better than Em wanting a pet, I guess. But should I just go for it?¡¯

 Chapter 172

    Severin recognized his mind was too muddled by sleep deprivation and that an important decision like that of choosing a new sub-class would best be made after sleeping on it for one more night.


    And indeed, over the course of the night, his subconscious had had enough time to carefully consider the potential choices and their consequences.


    The decision was made.


    Even if he wanted to, as a conscientious shop owner who put his customers¡¯ needs above all else, he simply couldn¡¯t choose [Blacksmith]. Too many other people with that same profession were already out there offering their services, and though his own products would most definitely turn out superior, the added value would be too low. And would be even lower when compared to dungeon drops.


    Not to mention the fact that not everyone used melee weapons or metal armor. He could surely never bring himself to favor one specific group of customers over another! Neither the prospects of having to work in the hellish conditions of a smithy, nor the fact that he had his own, different, top choice in mind, had anything to do with it!


    And as much as it grieved him, for very similar reasons [Shipwright] simply had to be rejected as well.


    How many people actually needed such a ship? And how long would he have to let them wait while he, all on his own, was busy constructing it? Days? Months? Years?


    And all the while spoiling the view of his loyal customers with a full-blown wharf? Unthinkable. No, sadly, this wasn¡¯t an option either.


    So, maybe [Enchanter]?


    But then what would happen to that scaled woman he had observed working during his stay in Hanvia? And her colleagues?


    No, he could never hurt local businesses for his own personal gain.


    As much as it pained him, there was only one real option.


    Severin sighed a heartfelt sigh, though surely some malicious people would accuse him of theatrics. Just like they would describe his reasons as farfetched, maybe even accuse him of disingenuousness.


    Severin himself, of course, knew better and concluded,


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to go with [Artificer].¡±


    The fact that- from what he understood based of Bandur¡¯s explanations- many of the gadgets that an [Artificer] could craft oftentimes bore a strong resemblance, at least in terms of functionality, to the technology of his home world, had absolutely nothing to do with this choice.


    Still lying in bed, he reached out his arm above him and confirmed his choice on the floating screen.


    ¡®Please give me a good recipe! Please give me a good recipe!¡¯


    [Congratulations on acquiring the sub-class [Artificer]!


    A novice workbench and set of tools has been placed in your inventory.


    Two new crafting recipes have been unlocked.]


    ¡°Two?! I knew it! I made the right choi-¡± Severin shouted with elation and jumped out of the bed, quickly navigating to the corresponding information screen.


    And then froze.


    ¡­


    ¡°What did you unlock? Tell us! Quickly!¡±


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    Severin was still too much in shock to have the presence of mind to wonder at what point it had become acceptable for his [Employees] to barge into his room uninvited.


    He didn¡¯t say anything, still frozen in place, only slightly nudging the screen for them to see.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Uhm. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not actually that bad.¡±


    ¡°Right. Don¡¯t jump to conclusions! Just craft one of each, first. Test them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Awkward silence. Then a dwarfish hand on his lower back. And the sound of two pairs of footsteps carefully shuffling outside.


    ¡­


    The mood in the backroom of the Emporium¡¯s main store was tense. Emily didn¡¯t say a word as she focused solely on potion making, not daring to shoot even the smallest glance towards Severin, who stood next to a workbench opposite her.


    The constant stream of curses leaving Severin¡¯s mouth suddenly became louder when he once again slipped with the small chisel, bloodying his hands even further.


    ¡°Fucking bullshit. Could be the most amazing product ever and it still wouldn¡¯t be worth it. Half a gold. I¡¯m disfiguring my hands for half a fucking gold a piece!¡±


    Still, that much didn¡¯t stop him. He wiped his hand on his clothes and continued working on the small crystal-like stone that was fixed in a vise in front of him. Though the curses didn¡¯t stop. In fact, the more he thought about his situation, the worse they became.


    The System provided him with only the bare minimum knowledge needed to create a new product. In particular, this did not include the fine motoric skills required to carve all these delicate lines and nonsensical runes.


    Nor did it include actual knowledge regarding the profession¡¯s underlying concepts and rules.


    ¡®Which means I won¡¯t be making any progress whatsoever with that shitty Mix and Match quest. It couldn¡¯t be any worse!¡¯


    Only when at last he completed his current task, his grievances were momentarily forgotten.


    The grooves he had carved were almost like veins, and the moment Severin did the last stroke with his chisel and successfully connected two of them, the previously clear stone suddenly flared up and from one moment to the next and took on a bright red-yellow color.


    Carefully he reached out to touch the thing with his hands, which, surprisingly, still had all digits.


    But nothing. No reaction. Whatever he expected, it didn¡¯t happen.


    He took the stone out of the vise and put it carefully aside. He felt somewhat disappointed, but was no longer cursing. His displeasure had turned into curiosity, and he started to work on the remaining pieces.


    First was a thin metal ring upon which he carved two strings of numbers. That was done relatively quickly.


    Then came two half-spheres of the same material in the hollow side of which he again engraved strange veins and characters he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of. Not quite as quickly this time.


    But he was finally done.


    All that was left was to assemble the parts.


    The stone fit perfectly snuck into the center of the metal ring. Then, on either side of that ring, and encasing the stone, the two other parts obediently clicked in place.


    The result was a metallic ball that easily fit into Severin¡¯s hand.


    ¡°So what now? How does this work?¡±


    He tried pulling on either side, but the previously separate parts seemed welded together. Nothing moved.


    Until he started twisting, instead.


    Independently of each other, the two half spheres turned; the ring in middle remained fixed in place.


    ¡®Almost a bit like a rotating egg timer,¡¯ he thought. ¡®But with two dials instead of one?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± Emily inquired after hearing her boss talking to himself and realizing he had apparently calmed down.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± came the sudden scream of pain, a red glowing globe rolling across the floor and an even redder faced Severin, frantically flailing around his right hand.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, I¡¯m fucking done with this piece of shit! [Heating Sphere] my ass!¡±

 Chapter 173

    Still cursing, Severin pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped his hands inside.


    And then leaped after the small red metal ball.


    ¡°Hours! I wasted hours. For this! And now look at me. Scarred and scorched and fumbling on the floor like some¡­ fuck!¡±


    Severin caught the ball with his makeshift gloves and quickly turned the two dials back to their default positions, but not without burning himself one more time in the process. The next moment, the sphere not only immediately stopped radiating its heat but instead felt like it had never been hot to begin with. Almost pleasantly cool even.


    With disgust Severin stared at the thing, and for a moment considered tossing it away. In the end, he refrained from doing so and instead kept pressing it on a spot that was especially hurting.


    But there were things that hurt more than the cuts and burns he had incurred.


    ¡°Half a gold¡­¡± he reminded himself, readying himself for another rant.


    But even the far too low price was only part of the problem. There were so many more issues.


    Like the fact that no one in their right mind would buy one of these things; cheap or not. Maybe one at most, if only for its novelty and because as customers used to a certain standard of quality regarding Severin¡¯s products, they wouldn¡¯t believe anything he sold would actually be as useless as it sounded. That had to be the only reason they would ever give the thing a try. Only to be utterly disappointed.


    ¡°And then they¡¯ll burn themselves and sue me for damages!¡±


    But what should he do? Or rather, was there anything he could do? His gut reaction was to simply not bother with it. Write it off as a dud and be done with it.


    But that would mean his newly acquired sub-class would stay at level one forever. And that obviously wouldn¡¯t do. After all, not all the recipes he would unlock could be as useless as this. Right?


    ¡®So then, I¡¯ll just keep crafting and simply not sell any of them. Means no [Shopkeeper] experience from the sales, but who cares? Since that experience depends on the earned amount of gold, I¡¯m not losing out on much, anyway.¡¯


    But he knew that the System provided supply of materials also had its limits. Once he reached a seemingly arbitrary number of stocked goods, there would be no replenishments.


    ¡®Then again, I know it has something to do with the store¡¯s overall storage capacity. I already once managed to raise those limits. If necessary, I¡¯ll open up a second floor and hope extending the store will do the trick a second time.¡¯


    In reality Severin didn¡¯t believe it would be quite this easy to outsmart the System, but on the spur of the moment this was the best he could come up and the thread of hope that kept him from completely losing his composure.


    Knock Knock


    Half irritated by the sudden interruption which disturbed him in his state of grudging acceptance, and half relieved by the unexpected distraction, Severin swirled around.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked the old man whose head had popped up in the crack of the door. The unintended harshness of Severin¡¯s voice did not even register with the man. He was too excited. And too perplexed by the disheveled sight Severin presented with his upper body still exposed.


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    ¡°Sorry for the disturbance, boss. It is just that¡­ There is a group of people asking for you. They were quite determined to speak with you. I think it is urgent.¡± And then, after noticing Severin narrowing his eyes, quickly added and with the reverence of a most loyal citizen of Malcos, ¡°The eldest Princess herself is amongst them!¡±


    ¡°Did she say what it¡¯s about?¡±


    A shake of the head.


    ¡°Well, it does not matter. Go ahead, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Aah, there you are, boy,¡± were the words that greeted a fully clothed Severin.


    On a different day, his habitual checking of the map in the periphery of his vision would have prevented Severin being caught off-guard by probably the only person he tolerated calling him boy.


    ¡°Samuel!¡±


    ¡°You kept us waiting!¡±


    On a different day, Severin would have immediately grasped what was going on. That only Richard-who, some people rumored, was still too embarrassed to show his face after he gave that one particular interview during the Games- was missing in this lineup.


    On a different day, he also would have retorted that not even half a minute had passed since he had been called over by Krill.


    But today he instead said,


    ¡°Andreas. What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s bringing you guys over?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± answered the third member of the group, producing a black matte card which must have been signed over to her by her father. ¡°It speaks of a new product.¡±


    Only then came the realization.


    ¡°Right.¡± So much for the distraction I hoped for. ¡°Well, the thing is¡­¡± he began to fidget uncomfortably.


    ¡°Stop teasing us, will ya¡±


    Sigh


    Severin would have preferred some time to prepare himself for this occasion. Or maybe he could¡¯ve passed of the task to Krill or Em altogether.


    But now there was no escape.


    Reluctantly, he revealed the item in question he had still been clutching tightly.


    Expectant gazes.


    ¡°Well?! What is it? What does it do?¡±


    And another sigh.


    But ultimately, he explained what he knew.


    ¡°It is a [Heating Sphere]. See those two dials? You can twist the two halves. This one here regulates the temperature. The other one the duration.¡±


    Severin paused for a moment and considered.


    In the end, he refrained from badmouthing his own product as a potential fire hazard. But warned, ¡°There is a short delay before it activates. Short,¡± he repeated with emphasis.


    ¡°And though in theory you can turn it off prematurely simply by twisting one of the dials back to their initial position¡­ well, depending on the current temperature¡­ you get the idea.¡±


    ¡°Right. So. Uhm. Anything¡­ else?¡±


    Severin was met with very limited enthusiasm.


    Making him want to disappear into the ground.


    ¡°There will be a freezing version of it available as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only half a gold each.¡±


    ¡°For real?!¡± a new, somewhat familiar, but most of all very excited, voice suddenly cried out, immediately dispersing the awkward silence and forcing its way into the conversation. ¡°That sounds amazing! Can you show me?¡±


    The original audience, taken aback by the sudden shout just as much as Severin was, turned around as one, and gave way to the sight of a stout woman with a delighted expression her face which stood in stark contrast to the look of disappointment the other three had unwittingly displayed until just a moment ago.


    ¡°Milly?!¡±

 Chapter 174

    ¡°Huh? Severin! It really is you. And you Sam. I knew I recognized that big back of yours.¡±


    ¡°Milly, what a surprise. How are you? How is your son?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine, and I suspect Nel is having the time of his life right now. He begged me to stay outside. Next to that area with the two dummies. Lots of fighting going on there. And magic everywhere. Not often we get to see too much of either of those things, and you know how boys his age are.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear you¡¯re alright, but what brings you here? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously, I just had to check things out myself. The new terminal, I think they called it, that appeared almost overnight and just outside of the walls had become the talk of the city. At least amongst classbearers. Had nothing much to do with us common folk; public announcement or not.


    But ever since the Games, a few couple of adventurers have become regulars of mine. Fairly certain that is because of you,¡± she said while facing the half giant. ¡°That one evening. Learning who you are and the fact that you were staying with us. Really was the best kind of advertisement my small inn could hope for. I still haven¡¯t thanked you for that.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sure I had nothing to do with that and is all about your delicious food and clean rooms.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try,¡± Milly answered with a laugh. ¡°But where was I? Right, the adventurers. They talk, you know. Gossip. Among other things, also about magic potions and food. And about how the store the Slaughter King himself had endorsed was the same that was located on the other side of that terminal. And then all things considered¡­well, I counted one and one together.


    So when I learned the admission fee for us regular folk wasn¡¯t quite as steep, we just had to come and see it with our own eyes.


    So here I am, and it is quite something, let me tell you. You really are quite the bigshot, aren¡¯t you?¡± This was towards Severin. ¡°Though I have to say, that pile of stones? That fortress or whatever? A bit overdone, if you ask me.¡±


    At once that remark made Severin forget his frustrations. Sneaking a glance at the other woman standing next to the counter, whose expression didn¡¯t change the slightest, he did his best to suppress a laugh. ¡°Duly noted.¡±


    This was met with a serious nod.


    ¡°But enough about all that. What you said about that stone, that sphere, is it true?


    And about having another one that can cool things down?


    Can¡¯t say I agree with your choice of words, calling half a gold only, but if it can keep its promises, it might just be a worthwhile investment, after all.¡±


    By now Severin naturally understood that he very likely had missed something when first evaluating that small metal sphere¡¯s usefulness. And he wasn¡¯t the only one. Before getting the opportunity to answer, another voice chimed in.


    ¡°Excuse me, missus, but might you be willing to share with us the reason for your interest in this particular¡­ device? Judging by your apparent interest, it seems we might have overlooked something substantial. If you are willing to help us out?¡±


    This request put a disbelieving expression on Milly¡¯s face, as if the woman before her just asked the most ridiculous and obvious question there was. Then, looking the questioner up and down, concluded, ¡°You are a classbearer.¡± It was no question at all.


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    It followed a short moment of awkward silence, before Samuel took it upon himself to intervene.


    ¡°We are indeed all classbearers. I should have made the introductions earlier. Excuse me for that oversight. This right here is¡­¡° One by one he made the introductions, at the end of which the innkeeper once again nodded to herself.


    ¡°So, just as I thought. Only classbearers wouldn¡¯t know how to appreciate all the possibilities that come with a tool like this. Not everyone can use fire magic. And not everyone can afford to have other people make all of their meals. To heat their rooms. Laundry. Baths.¡±


    ¡°We get the point.¡°


    THe stout woman ignored the interjection. ¡°But somewhere down the line, there is always someone like me who has to go through all the troubles that are related to starting a fire. And caring for it, keeping it alive.¡±


    Milly did not mince her words as she schooled the-in her opinion-pampered classbearers; largely due to the fact that Samuel had not mentioned any class names and, therefore, wasn¡¯t aware of the identity of the other woman who bore the brunt of her small lecture.


    But neither would have Krill if it wasn¡¯t for his employment in Severin¡¯s service; most regular people would seldomly get the opportunity to see and therefore recognize their rulers, much less their offspring.


    But said person didn¡¯t seem to mind and, in fact, appeared quite intrigued by this rare occasion.


    ¡°What about the magic heating pipes? Wasn¡¯t there a royal initiative to spread the usage of those? I was under the impression their running cost was quite affordable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Unlike the cost to install them in the first place,¡± Milly snorted her reply. ¡°No. Most of us are dependent on good old wood. Sometimes coal. And before you ask, it is not as cheap as you might think. Not at all. Not in the long run, and not with that demand.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the other heating artifacts that are out there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on those lukewarm things.¡±


    With that, Milly abruptly turned away and back towards Severin. ¡°Which begets the question, just what temperatures can your tool produce? From what I have heard about your store, I hope yours is a bit more¡­ potent?¡±


    ¡°Uhm.¡± Severin was taken aback by the sudden question, though he should have seen it coming. After his initial frustration with the tool, he hadn¡¯t bothered checking any of its specifications. The tooltip wasn¡¯t too helpful in that regard either. But after thinking back to the numbers he had carved into the metal, he said, ¡°One half turn and it should reach temperatures sufficient to boil water.¡±


    Eeek


    Inadvertently, an almost girlish, and very much uncharacteristic squeal of delight-especially now, her right after her harsh words-escaped Milly¡¯s lips.


    She quickly caught herself, and with a heavy blush, cleared her throat.


    The next moment, and so matter-of-factly that made everyone doubt her small outburst had actually just happened, she said,


    ¡°Not quite enough to fuel an oven, or to replace an open fire to heat a room, I fear. But still.


    That being said, I would have to see its effects first hand, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ..


    Five minutes later, everyone was surrounding a large pot of water Emily had been sent to fetch from the kitchen.


    ¡°Well, then, if you will do the honor? Please, just be careful¡­¡°


    ¡°¡­not to burn myself. I get it. First set the temperature¡­¡±, she twisted the according half sphere to slightly above the mark which said 100, ¡±and since the timer still isn¡¯t set, I can safely keep on holding it. Nice design, really. It¡¯s basically impossible for someone to accidentally burn themselves.¡±


    ¡°¡­right.¡± Severin half-heartedly agreed but was largely ignored.


    ¡°And then... let¡¯s put it on five minutes for a start? Or maybe ten?¡±


    Another twist and Milly threw the sphere the size of a tennis ball in the water filled pot.


    Not half a minute later, the water inside was boiling at literally full steam.

 Chapter 175

    ¡°My gosh, it works! And how it works, haha.¡± Milly¡¯s initial reaction was one of great delight. But her mood quickly shifted.


    ¡°Though I guess that does mean accidents can happen, after all.


    Damn, that¡¯s bad, huh? So, what now?!¡±


    Milly was, of course, referring to the fact that she had severely misjudged the potency of that small artifact. By the time the sphere¡¯s timer had run out, there would be no water left. And then what would happen to the pot itself?


    She didn¡¯t want to find out, but had no way to stop the [Heating Sphere] from doing its job.


    ¡°This is really bad.¡±


    ¡°Under different circumstances it might be, indeed. But at least in this situation you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± said Samuel with a deep, reassuring voice. Yet it wasn¡¯t him, but Andreas, who had mostly been silently observing from the sidelines, who now acted to defuse the situation. With gauntlets appropriate for a [Warrior] like him, he reached straight into the boiling water, fished for the metal sphere, and twisted its dials back until the thing lost its glow.


    ¡°That has to be the so-called resistance stat at work?¡± Milly asked, fascinated but with a hint of jealousy in her voice. But instead of waiting for an answer, once she realized the sphere had stopped radiating its heat, and not a second later, without a care in the world she had already snatched it back out of the man¡¯s hands and held on to it as if it was a most valuable treasure.


    And yet she appeared torn. Amazing and l need to have it were phrases she could repeatedly be heard saying. But so could some of her complaints.


    ¡°Now if only that thing¡­¡±


    ..


    Everyone else seemed either lost in their own thoughts or was otherwise distracted.


    Andreas, though he carefully tried to hide it, was occupied with his sore hands. Even though he was more fire, or in this case heat, resistant, than even most other adventurer¡¯s, given his role as his group¡¯s main tank, sticking his hands into boiling water and grabbing onto a hot and very much active heat radiating sphere with a heat conductivity that had to be even higher than that of diamond, was not a pleasant experience by any stretch of one¡¯s imagination. Especially not when considering that his own gloves did not share the magic property of being able to dissipate heat from one moment to the next when turned off.


    Trying to keep up appearances, he was busy carefully tending to his hands.


    Jasmin, on the other hand, seemed still hung up on what the innkeeper hat told her about the common folk¡¯s plights.


    In particular, the woman¡¯s dismissive notion towards the mentioned heating pipes, which, Severin figured was this world¡¯s equivalent to district heating-though probably far more potent if it could also be used for cooking-seemed to be bothering the [Princess].


    And then there was Severin. Who was worrying about her, Jasmine¡¯s, thoughts. Or rather, about the conclusions she would draw from them.


    If Milly was so taken in by his newest product and spread the word, he might be in trouble.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.And if Jasmine would turn out to be a more caring royal than her usually cold expression made her seem, then¡­


    Unnoticed by anyone else, Severin grimaced.


    He had just complained about the fact that no one in their right mind would buy something like that supposedly useless sphere.


    But the prospect that it might be the opposite, that demand might instead skyrocket, that people might actually jump on his offer and flood his store, wasn¡¯t much better either.


    In fact, being honest with himself Severin came to the realization that of the two options, the latter was what he dreaded even more than the former.


    Even with practice producing these things and therefore considerably cutting down on the processing time, earning only half a gold each¡­the ratio was just off.


    And then there was still its counterpart.


    He might not have immediately realized the [Heating Sphere¡¯s] benefits, but once being made aware he naturally also understood the potential value of a [Cooling Sphere].


    Severin groaned inwardly.


    When suddenly all these people, meaning Severin himself, Andreas, Jasmine, as well as Em, Samuel, and Krill, who were also still present, looked up and towards Milly.


    Abruptly, the latter had stopped, mid-sentence, her lamenting of the fact that even a full twist of the sphere would not be enough to produce the temperatures needed for anything else than cooking, and maybe heating a bath or making laundry.


    The sudden silence drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    And what they saw in the innkeeper¡¯s now wide-open eyes was first dread.


    Then great delight.


    And then her hands started moving again. Twisting.


    Half a turn. And another half turn. And another. And another. And a full turn.


    And Milly¡¯s hands still did not stop.


    Only when she began laughing like a madwoman did the group collectively snap out of it and hell broke loose.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Stop it.¡±


    ¡°Someone get that thing from her.¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Amidst the ensued chaos and the frantic shouts, Severin put his hand on Em¡¯s shoulder and pulled her back as far as the limited space behind the counter allowed for and it was above all to Milly¡¯s own good fortune that just-in-time someone had managed to reach through to the absorbed woman, as Severin was getting ready to blacklist the woman at a moment¡¯s notice and have her removed from the mountain altogether.


    With all that entailed.


    ¡°Nothing to worry about, guys. I haven¡¯t touched the other dial, see?¡± She said bashfully and suddenly very aware of the intense looks-frightened and frightening at the same time-the classbearers gave her.


    But, as she deliberately and under careful observation, twisted back the metal sphere into its original state, she added, if somewhat subdued, ¡°For half a gold, I¡¯ll buy it.¡±


    Before any deal could be made, however, Samuel made another suggestion.


    ¡°I think before that, we might actually want to test its limits. Just not in here.¡± The last part, he said with an admonishing look on his face. Then he turned around towards Severin to ask, ¡°If you would be willing to clear the sparring area for us?¡±

 Chapter 176

    Severin didn¡¯t have a good feeling about this situation, but what could he do about it? Deny their request and not let them test his products? Try to make up some excuse about not wanting to disrupt his other customers?


    No one would buy that. Even if they did, it wouldn¡¯t take care of the underlying problem. Not in the long run, at least. And so, a few moments later, and as one, the group went outside, drawing even more attention to themselves than Severin had initially feared. So much so, that he didn¡¯t have a reason to deny Krill and Emily their request to join in as well. There was no one left in the shop for them to serve anyway- everyone wanted to know what was going on when the bigshots were on the move.


    ¡°Mooom? Why are you-¡°


    ¡°Master?! What¡¯s happening-¡±


    Nel, Milly¡¯s son, and Timothy who were both standing next to sparring grounds like everyone else also immediately realized something was up when they saw the group approach, but unlike the many people observing from the sidelines, they had no qualms to shout out and ask them directly; Severin half expected a certain shameless [Duelist] to also chime in, but in the end the man in question only pricked his long ears, remaining silent and at a surprisingly respectful distance.


    ¡°We are going to test a new product,¡± Samuel confirmed the already spreading rumors, circulated either by the people who had been within earshot inside the store or those that had been intrigued why the store owner¡¯s longest employee was suddenly sent to fetch an ordinary pot filled with water.


    ¡°A new product?!¡± Timothy cried out loud enough for the news to reach even the last person, and judging by their reactions, it didn¡¯t even seem to matter to them just what kind of product it was. Based on their experiences, whatever the small shop on the now flying mountain offered had always exceeded expectations.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Samuel affirmed. ¡°But we have yet to fully determine its capabilities. I suspect at the very least it will be a useful utility tool, worth a one-time purchase,¡± What?! No, it won¡¯t!, Severin wanted to shout, ¡°but we still haven¡¯t figured out its whole potential. There might just be something more to it.¡± No, there isn¡¯t!


    With Samuel¡¯s perceived threats, Severin¡¯s mood worsened by the minute, but no one seemed to notice.


    The [Berserker] continued.


    ¡°So where is Miriam? What is she up to? I fear she¡¯ll be angry with me again if we do this without her, haha.¡±


    ¡°Over there¡±, the boy pointed towards one of the training dummies. ¡°Still hasn¡¯t figured out the timing for her new skill.¡± One could tell he was rolling his eyes just by hearing his voice.


    ¡°Timothy.¡±


    The boy indicated a bow in response to the admonition, but a feisty grin was still plastered on his face.


    Samuel slightly shook his head but didn¡¯t comment on it further.


    ¡°Well, that should make things easier,¡± he said instead, and turned back to the group of people he came with.


    ¡°Need anything?¡± Only a vague sense of responsibility forced Severin to ask the question through his gritted teeth.


    ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. But if you would,¡° Sam prompted Milly, holding out his opened palm.


    The woman hesitated, visibly reluctant to part with the sphere she was holding on to, but ultimately placed it in the enormous hand where it seemed to disappear.


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    With no further ado and under most everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, the half-giant stepped onto the training area and towards the dummies. He approached his disciple until he was only two meters away from her, at which point all of a sudden, the girl who seemed too focused inflicting pain onto the dummy before her to notice anything else around her, and much faster than her class might suggest, turned around ready to pounce on the approaching person.


    ¡°Wha- Ah! Sam.¡± She was clearly unhappy by the interruption. Any other person would surely have gotten a piece of her mind.


    But only a few words later, and her displeasure had turned into excitement. The next moment she rushed towards the dummy, punched in some settings-most likely adjusting its fire resistance values-and then back towards her mentor.


    A few more words were exchanged between the two and yet another half a minute later, a visibly disgruntled, young [Berserker], was standing just outside the demarcated area, next to a now even wider smiling [Chaos Mage], who, the next moment let out a cry of pain as an elbow found a way into his ribs.


    This seemed to be Samuel¡¯s starting sign.


    The man turned back around to face the dummy that stood a good ten meters in front of him and started twisting the small sphere in his hands.


    Everyone was looking on with bated breaths. Maybe this would be the moment someone finally managed to put a scratch into one of those dummies? The possibilities this would open up would be endless.


    The sheer size of the man made every one of his actions stand out. Seeing his right shoulder and arm move, people tried to count along.


    The first twist. The second. The third.


    And another one.


    Or was it only a partial one? Hard to tell from the distance; only Samuel knew for sure. And he kept going, another tw-


    The man¡¯s movements stopped.


    His muscles began to bulge.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Why are you stopping!?¡± soon the first impatient shouts emerged from the group of spectators.


    ¡°Yeah, keep going! Show us what that thing can do.¡±


    With time, as the half-giant remained unmoving, the shouts only grew louder, more disorderly and impatient when Samuel almost helplessly exclaimed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­it doesn¡¯t turn any further! It is stuck!¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Severin¡¯s sudden exclamation of elation was luckily drowned out by ones that were instead fueled by disbelief, disappointment, and indignation.


    He tried hard to suppress a laugh.


    ¡®Only five!¡¯ That was the result of his own count. And if the engraved scale wasn¡¯t off, that would translate to a maximum temperature of a thousand degrees. Hot, sure. ¡¯But it is not some kind of thermal weapon, at least. It will largely be useless to them.


    Yes! Great news for once!¡¯


    ¡°Great.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯ Surely, he must have misheard. Had to be.


    Severin looked around just to make sure.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    The voice¡­ this time, it couldn¡¯t have been a mistake. With a bad premonition, Severin swirled around. And was faced with the person he least wanted to see right now.


    ¡°I was truly afraid of the implications if that thing could actually melt most of our metals and alloys. Would make it terribly unsuitable for residential use. But with this¡­ I solemnly pledge to bring at least one of those things to every Malconean household.¡±


    ¡®Nooo!¡¯

 Chapter 177

    The last few days had been a real drag. Severin was exhausted to no end, mostly mentally.


    Day in and day out, he had spent his time in the small room behind the store¡¯s counter, busy crafting the annoying little metal spheres and avoiding most human contact apart from Emily with whom he shared the working space and ruining his hands in the process.


    Despite the reserved, even disappointed, reactions of most of his regulars who had been there at the time to witness the demonstration, the demand was still huge.


    Unlike what many had initially hoped, the sphere had proven itself unable to eradicate even low-level monsters, much less whole groups of them. Yet with time, many had still recognized their great utility even outside of combat; not least thanks to both Milly¡¯s and Jasmine¡¯s involvement.


    Though the spheres might not be able to melt any hostile monsters, it was not difficult to imagine their usefulness in a cold-climate dungeon.


    It could easily, in terms of generated heat at least, replace any campfire.


    As for the lighting aspect of the tool-or rather the lack thereof-, depending on the situation, this too could be taken advantage of.


    And when an argument was true for the [Heating Sphere], then more often than not, a similar one was also true for its counterpart, the [Cooling Sphere].


    And who knows, maybe with enough creativity, the spheres could be turned into weapons after all.


    Either way, these things shouldn¡¯t be underestimated, the adventurers realized.


    Not at just half a gold a piece.


    Even completely decking out each and every member of a group, or even a raid, to their full carrying capacity, would still cost far less than even just one person¡¯s remaining purchases.


    Even if a group couldn¡¯t see themselves actually using the spheres, there really was no reason for them not to stock up on them.


    And then, of course, there was Jasmin. The ghastly princess, who, every evening just before closing time, sent a couple of her many subordinates to buy up all the remaining stock that remained sitting unsold on top of the shelves.


    At least that last part shouldn¡¯t have bothered Severin.


    After all, he had already resigned himself to the mind-numbing labor that was crafting as quickly and as many of these metal balls as possible until his corresponding [Artificer] class reached a level up at which point he would hopefully unlock some other, more practical and more profitable, recipe.


    And considering the pitiful amount of experience he had managed to accrue so far, it would still be a long time until then.


    If anything, the princess¡¯ involvement saved him from having to spend money on building a new floor simply for storage purposes.


    Not to mention the princess¡¯s goodwill he was garnering along the way.


    And so, all these things considered, one might think there was no reason for Severin to complain.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    And yet, from the [Shopkeeper¡¯s] point of view, this was a Sisyphean task, unable to ever fully stock his shelves, and neither the money nor experience to show for it.


    Not even after multiple days of constant work.


    The only thing Severin was looking for each day was the moment he could crawl back into his comfy bed. Only to wake up a few hours later and do it all over again.


    Severin, who was widely known for his cool and calm, never losing his temper, was close to reaching his breaking point and on the verge of doing something drastic. Maybe stupid even.


    Something like swapping places and responsibilities with Bandur; have the dwarf deal with it. Maybe close down the caf¨¦ completely and work on it together.


    Or promote one of the two newbies.


    That was when one day the perfect excuse to take a break presented itself to him, something he should have long seen coming, but which he had somehow forgotten about in the daily grind.


    [You have reached your destination.]


    What he couldn¡¯t have expected, however, were the other notifications that followed before he could even react to the first.


    [Abnormally high density of potential customers detected in the vicinity. Issuing new task.]


    [ Spread the Word II


    As a [Shopkeeper] and businessowner it is your responsibility to constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities. Spread the word and with it your influence. Introduce your wares to new potential customers and win them over.


    Reward: Class-Orb Removal Device]


    Severin was ecstatic at the sudden notification. And with no imposed time limit, even without his involvement, the quest would simply take care of itself, he was convinced. And yet it was the perfect excuse of a distraction. A reason to take a break. Go sightseeing. Go see what adventurer-life really is like.


    It didn¡¯t even matter that the reward seemed so lackluster.


    Nor did he mind the lack of a concrete goal, number-wise, he had to achieve; in that respect, it was the same as with the previous task of the same name; the one that led to his cooperation with Richard.


    But in the end, that wasn¡¯t all the System had in store for him.


    Severin had barely begun to make plans when another barrage of similar notifications arrived.


    [Abnormally high dungeon density detected in the vicinity. Issuing new task.]


    [ The Core of It


    Obtain a dungeon core from any dungeon.


    Reward: Variable - dependent on various factors, such as the provided core¡¯s condition and quality.]


    Now that was different.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even bother to make up another shitty reason for its demand.¡±


    In his mind, this also pretty much confirmed his previous assumption that some quest rewards were dependent on the satisfaction to which he accomplished the respective task.


    Severin wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about this fact, ¡°but at the very least that means I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m missing out on when I skip this one. Last time was only because of the dungeon break. No shot I get my hands on another one.¡±


    [Notice: Until further notice, flight capabilities have been limited.


    Thank you for your understanding.]

 Chapter 178

    ¡®So, no leaving until the System got its will. Meaning a dungeon core. That¡¯s what this notification is really meant to say, huh?¡¯


    Following this realization, one might think Severin thought the System was being unfair. Unreasonable.


    That it had broken their tacit understanding.


    It had taken away a well-earned reward from him. More than that, even. After all, the flight capabilities had not been unlocked as the result of just some quest he had finished, but because of his own initiative.


    Because of the risk he took.


    Because of the gold he spent; his own gold.


    One might expect Severin to feel-as was the case so often in the past- shortchanged by the System.


    One might expect him to take personal offence at the System¡¯s blatant taunt that was asking for his understanding.


    One would be right.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t explode and throw a fit, and be it only out of habit, was because of the fatigue; the monotonous work had taken its toll on him.


    In reality, at this point, any kind of distraction was welcome.


    In that regard, maybe the System¡¯s overbearing attitude, compelling him to take a break and to dedicate his attention to those new tasks, wasn¡¯t really all that bad a thing.


    Of course, that thought was not something Severin would ever admit out loud, but it was enough to cause him to pause and consider things more calmly.


    The supposed trigger, as well as the wording of both new quests, had been very similar. And yet, upon closer examination, he noticed their contents were all but.


    That was to say, to accomplish the first, the seemingly easier of the two quests, he would probably have to win over the local populace.


    But the same wasn¡¯t necessarily true for the dungeon core. It didn¡¯t say he had to get hold of one of the local ones. Or even one that was still active; alive?


    No, his best bet would be to aim for the bare minimum requirements and settle for another expired one.


    Surely, that wouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue. Surely, he could simply buy one of these.


    Back then, trading one of his V.I.P. cards was all it took. And that was at a time at which those cards had been far less valuable than they were now, with their upgraded functionality and the store¡¯s expanded product range.


    Even if those orbs were rare, Andreas had called it a mere trophy with no inherent value. Severin strongly questioned this point- otherwise the System wouldn¡¯t go so far out of its way to acquire another one - but felt if this was the general consensus on the matter, then his chances might not be all that bad, after all.


    At least, better than expecting a bunch of adventurers to hand over one of their proverbial golden geese.


    Confident in his own conclusion that he hadn¡¯t just been given an impossible task and that he wasn¡¯t stuck here forever, Severin allowed himself to, for a moment, forget his grudge and to shift his attention to more positive and exciting matters.


    Like the real Golden Mountains that were waiting for him outside.


    Severin quickly resumed his work on the half-finished metal sphere that had been interrupted when the notifications demanded his attention.


    Few minutes later when the job was done, together with his tools, he deposited it into the store¡¯s inventory.


    He looked up and-


    ¡°Also got the notification?¡± The moment he noticed Emily¡¯s urgent stares on him, he immediately understood. At least, he thought he did.


    And a cautious nod only confirmed his conjecture.


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    ¡°Yes!¡±


    He had not yet finished his question when the girl, in stark contrast to her previous restraint, shouted in excitement.


    ¡®Silly girl. Why hasn¡¯t she said anything if she¡­¡¯


    Only then did it dawn on him. The way she had looked at him.


    These last couple of days he hadn¡¯t been especially approachable, had he?


    And forced to work right opposite him and with his nonexistent attempts to even try to conceal his bad mood, meant the girl must have gotten the worst of it, intended or not.


    Determined to better himself and to somehow make it up to the girl, he forced a smile onto his face and tried to sound as enthusiastic as his sudden feelings of guilt and shame allowed him to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± He invited Emily to go check out their new neighborhood.


    Severin walked towards the backdoor- or in this case rather the hidden underground passage that connected to the remainder of his premises.


    A few steps and a short look towards his minimap later, he stopped and turned around and towards the normal exit; by now, barely any customer was still inside the store or anywhere near his establishments.


    Instead, there was a bustling coming and mostly going at the westerns part of the mountaintop.


    Severin might have only noticed their arrival a short while ago and only thanks to the notifications-not to mention the time he had wasted since then brooding and finishing his work-but more than a few people had apparently not only noticed, but had been actively looking forward to this moment, with many of them setting off even before the mountain came to a stop.


    Considering that to many adventurers these parts of the Mountains were akin to their second home, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising.


    Snippets of conversation confirmed this as Severin and Emily fought their way through the excited crowd.


    As such, sentences like, ¡°Finally, we¡¯re here¡±, and others which expressed similar sentiments, could be heard in abundance.


    ¡°No need to hold back with the consumables anymore. Just get in there with no restrained and see how far we can get. Then get back out, restock, and repeat. Easy.¡±


    ¡°There certainly are some records waiting to be broken!¡±


    ¡°No more camping inside dungeons, either.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would you do that in the first place?¡°


    ¡°Because it beats paying for those overpriced shitholes most of the guilds down there call inns?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t sure if he quite understood what these people were talking about, but once they reached the edge of the mountaintop nothing of that mattered anymore.


    The layers of clouds weren¡¯t quite as dense as back at their old spot, but more importantly, the increased traffic of flying artifacts stirred them enough to reveal the sight below them.


    Unlike what Severin was led to believe, there wasn¡¯t just one or two encampments below them.


    They were basically everywhere.


    For as far as he could see, there were countless camps of various sizes and design, many of them only separated by a short distance of a couple dozen meters.


    From what looked from a distance like medium-sized roman forts built out of wood, over impressive looking tent cities, to more permanent settlements made from stone, such as the vertical villages carved into the faces of the many mountains raising from the ground.


    Almost everywhere he looked, there was some sort of outpost, each with hoisted banners proclaiming the identity of their occupiers.


    All the more pronounced were the spots of land that weren¡¯t.


    On a closer look it appeared that each of these settlements which initially gave off the feeling that they had been placed randomly and without much forethought, had in fact been purposefully built in the proximity of these blank, empty spots, in the form of concentric circles around them, with the larger encampments located closer to the center.


    ¡°Those are the dungeon entrances?!¡± Severin realized and pointed towards one of said spots, a black pit in the ground that was surrounded by some especially imposing fortifications.

 Chapter 179

    Severin kept staring and staring. He didn¡¯t know just how long exactly he had been standing there, but he realized it must have been quite some while.


    He simply didn¡¯t grow tired of the sight. Wherever he turned to look, something he previously unimaginable, if not straight up impossible, demanded his whole attention.


    The bright-blue lake with its floating village and the small island in the middle of it. The shimmering, light-distorting, and raid groups worth of tiny dots swallowing thing, that just stood there, waiting for more and more of said groups to throw themselves at it.


    And how at one point a different collection of similar dots, consisting of a much smaller number, suddenly popped up on the other side of said island.


    Or double summit. One of the peaks covered in blinding, white snow whereas its twin seemed drowned in lava. It just didn¡¯t make any sense.


    But most of all, it was simply the sheer size of it all that captured Severin¡¯s attention, making even a simple pit in the ground appear like it just had to lead straight down to hell.


    And then people everywhere.


    Severin wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if the amount of people down there far exceeded the whole population of Hanvia.


    Difference being that the vast majority of these guys, no doubt, had to be at least classbearers if not actual adventurers.


    Only exception to this, Severin imagined, would probably be the people providing food and accommodations, the managers of these commune-like establishments, though undoubtedly they too would still be closely affiliated with the respective guild.


    Well, or maybe not; in reality Severin had no clue regarding these finer points that went beyond what he could actually observe from such a great distance away, and it was simply his imagination that started running away with him as he kept staring.


    ¡°Impressive, huh?¡± The deep voice startled him. Trying to find his own voice again, he only managed a nod in reply to the question.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Hearing someone else answer the question in his stead, Severin finally tore himself away from the view. Only to realize the half-giant who at some point had appeared behind him wasn¡¯t actually talking to him, but to the girl to his side.


    Severin felt his face slightly heat up but did his best not to let his embarrassment show.


    ¡°Wanna go?¡±


    ¡°Yees!¡± Again, it was Emily who answered Samuel¡¯s question, though this time Severin knew it really was him who was expected to answer. As did the girl.


    ¡°Please, can we?!¡± she immediately started begging.


    Severin himself really was looking forward to a trip down there. That was even though he knew he wouldn¡¯t get to see a dungeon from the inside-not that he actually wanted to, not with his pathetically small health pool and with no suitable subclass to guarantee his survival against even the weakest of mobs- and despite fully expecting that once there, the whole experience would probably be rather boring with not much to do or see.


    But it was still a temptation too great to resist. It was too outlandish. Too magical.


    But somehow, the thought of bringing the girl made him uneasy.


    Severin was already racking his brain for an excuse when his eyes met the girl¡¯s, and he was reminded of his resolution to make it up to her.


    Nor had he forgotten that he still never had taken her through the portal to visit the capital with him. Or the fact that she had never complained or even mentioned these matters.


    Severin still didn¡¯t like it and didn¡¯t immediately answer, but already knew the decision he would make, nonetheless.


    If that hadn¡¯t been the case, then Emily¡¯s next plea would have sealed the deal.


    ¡°Pleaseeee?¡±


    ¡°Fiiine. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes, thank you! You¡¯re the best. I swear I¡¯ll work extra hard when we return.¡±


    Somehow, her immediate outburst only made him feel worse. Especially, the last part brought forth another bout of guilt in him and almost made him flinch in response. Still, as calmly as he could, he finished his sentence.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.¡°But! First, I¡¯ll have to take care of some things. Make sure that everything is in order. Check in with Bandur.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t wanna go?¡±


    ¡°Ney,¡± came the gruff response. ¡°Someone has to take care of business.¡±


    Bandur had made this claim before, but Severin still didn¡¯t buy it.


    For the longest time, the dwarf had been holed up in a foreign palace with no real opportunity to ever explore his surroundings or really meet other people; even by the twisted standards of royalty, he had lived a rather isolated and not exactly normal life.


    Now he had left that place, but his life since then still couldn¡¯t really be considered free, much less easy-going, working day in and day out.


    Surely the dwarf must feel at least some sense of wonder and curiosity; some urge to leave on an excursion to witness firsthand what, in Severin¡¯s mind, had to be the most wondrous thing to exist in either of the two worlds he knew.


    And so he offered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I told you, if you want to go, go. I¡¯ll cover. We¡¯ll be here for a while, I reckon. I¡¯ll just go some other time.¡±


    ¡°Really, boss. I¡¯m fine. I really appreciate the offer, but¡­¡± The dwarf paused for a moment. Seeing Severin wasn¡¯t buying it, he stopped mid-sentence and finally gave in. Ready to give a straight answer.


    ¡°I know you have seen how it looks down there. All those flags and banners? I guarantee you there will be dwarven ones amongst them. Humans aren¡¯t the only ones who have settled down there, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He didn¡¯t quite know how to respond. The emphasis with which the dwarf had spoken those last words made Severin pretty certain he exactly understood what he was getting at. Nothing more needed to be said.


    Given the man¡¯s background, maybe it was something he should have thought of himself.


    Then again, up to this point, there had been no attempt on his life, so it was easy to forget.


    For a moment Severin considered explaining that it was Samuel himself who would be escorting them. That it would be safe.


    But in the end he refrained from doing so. He didn¡¯t want to further pressure the dwarf.


    But more importantly than that, he would be accompanying Emily in his stead, and exposing her to any kind of danger was the last thing he wanted to do; even if it sucked for the dwarf.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he finally acquitted. ¡°But we¡¯ll have to figure something out about this. You can¡¯t go on like this.¡±


    Severin then also considered asking Sabina and Krill.


    But ultimately refrained from doing so.


    Maybe it spoke badly of him, but while he was willing to fill in for his dwarven employee, he wasn¡¯t quite willing to do the same for his two non-System-employed workers. Not quite yet. And closing down both the caf¨¦ and main store was not something he was willing to do, either.


    ¡®It would be so much easier if I had some more actual [Employees]. If one of us always has to stay behind, then even if we managed to figure something out for Bandur, we still couldn¡¯t go as a group. Not to mention, I could finally give them some days off and still record an overall increase in productivity.


    You hear that?


    I don¡¯t know what exactly it is you want, but we would still profit. That has to count for something, no?¡¯


    Severin felt stupid talking to himself like that. But emboldened by the System¡¯s latest slip, he made sure no one else was within earshot and tried again. Out loud, this time.


    ¡°You can quit this charade. You¡¯ve already revealed yourself when you took the navigation ability from me! So let me tell you again, since you keep on raving about the importance of being a proper businessman and store-owner and all that.


    I need. More. [Employees]. For your sake as well.¡±


    With crossed arms and for the better half of a minute, Severin stood there sullenly, demanding a reply he secretly knew he would never get.


    When without his doing, a familiar bluish general information screen opened itself and by the way of a highlighted line of text seemed intent to remind him of the fact that he still had one open [Employee] slot waiting to be assigned.


    ¡°!!!¡±

 Chapter 180

    It took Severin a while to find back his bearings.


    When the menu suddenly popped up in front of him, he knew it was the System¡¯s way to finally communicate with him, but as the minutes passed and with no follow up whatsoever, Severin started to doubt himself.


    Maybe he had subconsciously opened the menu himself? After all, the fact that the System allowed him to support one more official [Employee] wasn¡¯t news to him.


    But no, after some deliberation and soul-searching, Severin decided he was not yet insane.


    He decided the System really had made contact with him, though he would have preferred a more direct way, using a notification message, for example.


    Was it trying to gaslight him? To drive him insane, if he wasn¡¯t already?


    Again, no. Even he had to admit that was unlikely and probably his bitterness speaking that had accumulated over the course of the last couple of months. It just wouldn¡¯t be in its best interest. Couldn¡¯t be.


    So what exactly was going on?


    Severin was determined to find out, but all attempts of persuasion led to no results. Instead, he felt himself forced to closer consider what it had been trying to tell him.


    That was to at least make use of what he had available to him before asking for more. But even under different circumstances, he figured, simply asking for the things he desired would lead to nowhere.


    Or would it?


    They were in some kind of symbiotic relationship, after all. Right?


    That was the conclusion he had arrived at, even if he didn¡¯t understand the specifics.


    Why else would it ask him to do all these quests? Why else did it need a host-how he hated that term- to begin with? Because no matter how much he, at times, despised it, even he wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call it a parasite.


    And that should mean anything that profited Severin and his ability to improve the quality of his services, and thereby the amount of profits he raked in, in some way or the other, surely had to benefit the System as well.


    ¡®So, I should promote either Krill or Sabina? That¡¯s what you¡¯re telling me?¡¯


    No answer. Of course.


    ¡®But which one? Either way, the other will be upset. And it¡¯s still way too soon. Half a month or what, since I hired them.¡¯


    Both of them so far had proven themselves to be hard and reliable workers, even if for his taste the woman had a bit too much of a tendency to chat with the customers. But that didn¡¯t say much.


    Not when considering such a short timeframe. Even if he liked them, promoting one of them now would hardly be any different from promoting any random stranger; not to mention he would have to go looking for a replacement again.


    The only reason he had accepted Bandur into his service this easily was because of how highly recommended he came. Well, and maybe the magic bullet that was the threat of soul erasure if the dwarf ever went too far out of line; something he didn¡¯t want to rely on if it could be avoided.


    As for Emily. For one, Severin might just have been even more desperate for help at that time than he was now.


    And then of course there was the whole ordeal with Xander the girl had to go through to arrive on his mountain, which, admittedly, might not have put him in the most rational of mindsets.


    That and the fact she was a child. Made it easier to trust her. Especially with motives so transparent and easy to satisfy.


    ¡®Well, I didn¡¯t want to do it before, but maybe now, with three more adults working here, I could look into hiring someone her age? Have her make some friends.¡¯


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    Severin took great care to not even think of the ugly and the situation most certainly not befitting term child labor.


    Ahem, he cleared his throat.


    ¡°You know what? Instead of hiring more people, we should look into machinery to do the work instead. Nothing more efficient. Automatization. Industrialization. You should look into that! I tell you, it¡¯s the future.¡±


    Severin half-expected another screen to pop up, this time directing him towards the System¡¯s store and some either still greyed out and locked, or simply just exorbitantly overpriced item.


    But again, no response.


    If it was that easy, then there wouldn¡¯t be a need for said store to begin with.


    By now Severin started to feel silly. At the same time, he had become painfully aware that ever since the System¡¯s brief demonstration of sentience-maybe consciousness or sapience even?- his thoughts no longer felt quite as private as they should.


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He decided if he didn''t want to descend into paranoia, instead of dwelling too closely on the matter of some¡­thing? reading his thoughts, he had to get moving. Get out of there and clear his mind.


    And Emily and Samuel were waiting for him.


    ¡­


    Forcing himself to let his thoughts wander, the moment he boarded the flying ship, a vastly smaller one than the one he had been on before, he was reminded of Emily arguing about how convenient it would be to have one of these for themselves.


    Now he had to agree. It wasn¡¯t something that came up often and therefore was easy to forget, but now that it did, its importance became apparent.


    Not because he didn¡¯t want to travel with the [Berserker] or anything like that, but because of how reliant it made him. Just the thought of suddenly being stranded down there with no way to get back to his store without outside help, for a moment, made him consider canceling the whole trip.


    Then he saw how excited the girl was, running over the ship¡¯s deck towards the bow, and leaning over its rail to get an even better view than from on top of the mountain, and he immediately rejected the idea.


    With the girl preoccupied with herself and past the point of no return, Severin started to engage in some uncharacteristic small talk.


    ¡°Soo. How are the children? Aren¡¯t they coming along?¡±


    ¡°Timmy and Miriam? They¡¯ve already gone ahead. Couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Markus had promised to take them along on a raid the next time they visited. Once they realized where your mountain was drifting towards, they grew impatient. Already left two days ago, making sure they didn¡¯t miss their chance.¡±


    ¡°Markus? He¡¯s down there?¡±


    ¡°Ha, where else would he be? We¡¯re headed towards his camp right now.¡±


    That revelation came as a pleasant surprise to Severin. But he didn¡¯t dwell on it. Right now, was an unique opportunity to talk to the experienced adventurer away from any prying ears. And the topic was already breached.


    ¡°Well. Talking about which,¡± he began awkwardly. ¡°Recently I have become a bit more interested in dungeons. So I wondered if you could tell me something about them?¡±


    ¡°Apart from the obvious stuff, I mean,¡± he quickly added when he saw Samuels¡¯ raised eyebrow. And then, ¡°Like about their cores.¡± Which only caused them to raise even higher.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not really my specialty. I only know a bit about the experiments done with them. Just enough to know most, if not all, have either ended fruitlessly or in tragedy. My Master should know some more than that, though.¡±


    Severin nodded quietly, processing what he had just heard and thinking about a way to approach the unsociable, sneaky hag, when Samuel took him by surprise and continued,


    ¡°But I suspect even she doesn¡¯t know more about them than you do.¡±


    Ahemcough


    That caused Severin¡¯s second coughing fit day


    ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡±

 Chapter 181

    Samuel¡¯s raised eyebrow indicated the man wasn¡¯t quite sure how to interpret Severin¡¯s reaction. Was he trying to deny what had become so obvious due to his careless question? Was the shop keeper simply surprised someone had finally put things together?


    The man in question, of course, had no idea what was going on or what had prompted the [Berserker¡¯s] sudden claim.


    Why would he know anything about dungeons? Why would anyone suspect such a thing? If anything, of all the people on his mountain, apart from maybe a handful of others such as Emily, Krill and Sabina, and maybe Bandur, he should be the one least familiar with even the concept.


    If one discounted his highly fictitious and oftentimes even contradictory knowledge on the matter, taken solely from games and novels, that was.


    He wasn¡¯t an adventurer who, day in day out, risked his life for some gold and fame and levels and whatnot. Everyone else was. How could he know more than them? What was he missing?


    Severin was still trying to think up some noncommittal reply when the half-giant, despite no one else but Emily being in the vicinity, much less within earshot, continued to explain in an almost conspiratorial low voice; maybe in an attempt to convince Severin that further denial on his part was useless.


    ¡°Even without understanding the actual science being done on them, I understand that dungeons are considered one of the world¡¯s great mysteries. As someone more familiar with them than most, I concur with that sentiment. I have seen what they are capable of. Reservoirs of seemingly endless amounts of energy.


    I have seen some shape their environments. Others simply adapt to it. And the most deadly of them almost seem to evolve with every group of adventurers delving into them seeking their riches. And while the magic-sciences may still claim the research in that regard inconclusive, I and every other adventurer worth their salt knows they are able to create life; they don¡¯t just corrupt it. Twisted and cruel creatures, sure, but still very much alive. And they have control over it. If not directly, then at the very least, enough influence to ensure those creatures do their bidding and sacrifice themselves, seemingly on command, to protect their creator.


    In the low tier dungeons it might not be that apparent, but believe me, in the higher ones it is.


    And there is one more thing I know for sure, one even the scientists seem to agree with. If something can create life, it can create other things as well. Loot, for example. Literal treasures. Out of thin air.


    And you know what? Somehow they do it without even leaving any traces. No magic fluctuations or disturbances. No, nothing.


    Now, again, that should almost be as impossible as creating life. I don¡¯t understand how something like that is possible. And in the past, I would have thought no one does, but¡­¡±


    When at the beginning of Samuel¡¯s speech Severin was just glad he wasn¡¯t expected to explain his small lapse and instead was given some of the answers he had been looking for, he now began to fidget uncomfortably.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He didn¡¯t like where this was going. Not one bit.


    The only relief was that Samuel ended his sentence with a poignant look instead of finishing it. If he did, Severin wouldn¡¯t have known what to say. This time, he wasn¡¯t as confident he could bullshit his way through this conversation; with the exception that it wouldn¡¯t be bullshit either.


    He didn¡¯t know what to think. He understood what Samuel was getting it, but what did it actually mean? And why the fuck did the System still remain silent even now?


    ¡°Of all the people around here, I¡¯m probably the one who knows you the longest, no? And I have certainly seen more than most. So really, there is no need to play coy with me. I might be old, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m blind.


    Whole buildings suddenly appearing overnight and with no one noticing? Just a couple of meters away from me? And those machines of yours.


    You know just as well as I do that Mylana still hasn¡¯t given up on figuring them out. But all this time and she hadn¡¯t made the slightest bit of progress. And she is far more knowledgeable than me when it comes to the magic sciences, you know? More sensitive towards magic than me as well; comes with being a caster, I guess.


    And I haven¡¯t forgotten about your deal with the one from the¡­ Lion¡¯s Head guild, was it? Andreas.


    That core was already considered depleted. Dead. Or whatever you wanna call it.


    I can only imagine what might be possible with one that was still alive. That is why you have decided to come here, a place that is so abundant with dungeons, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Severin croaked with a dry throat. Because what else was he to say? The truth? For that, he would first have to know what the truth actually was. Sure, the [Berserker] had gotten that last part wrong; it had been the other way round; the quest to get a hold of another dungeon core had popped up only after he had already arrived, not before. But apart from that? For all he knew, the man could very well be right. Well, not with everything, since obviously Severin had no clue how to control or make use of a dungeon core himself. But maybe he knew some¡­thing? Who did?


    As for the alternative, Severin refused to even think about it.


    All he could do for now was play along.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for another one,¡± he said, hoping he managed to sound as conspiratorial as Samuel did when he had lowered his voice, and not as awkward as he felt.


    ¡°Haha, well, well.¡± Satisfied that his conjecture had apparently been proven right, Samuel¡¯s booming voice returned, carrying not a hint of suspicion.


    ¡±In that case, you might want to check in with Magda. Last time I saw her, she was still going on about her paperwork, and how she would have to request special exemption status, seeing as she inevitably would end up infringing upon the jurisdiction of potentially even multiple other branches. Last I heard, she was considering applying for nineteen of those. One for each of the branches down there.


    But where was is?


    Ah, right. Talking to her would probably be the easiest way. Or at least the fasted, I reckon. Just issue a quest. If you are willing to advertise the fact that you¡¯re looking for a core, that is.


    Sooner or later, people will come to the same conclusion as me. Not sure if you want to speed this along, though.¡±

 Chapter 182

    With the System¡¯s action earlier, Severin already had enough on his plate. And now Samuel inadvertently had given him even more to think about. And a decision to make.


    If it was up to him, Severin would have turned back right at this moment. What would he even do down there? Clearing his mind, as was the original goal of this trip? In theory, yes, but at this point, he couldn¡¯t seem himself relax no matter what he did; might as well stay home and make up his mind on how to proceed from here.


    But at least the [Berserker] was giving him some time to think things through, if probably not on purpose.


    Under normal circumstances, and even while flying at a leisurely speed, they would have reached their destination only a few minutes after takeoff. But when Severin initiated their conversation, Samuel had slowed down the ship considerably. Even more so when it became apparent just what exactly they would be talking about.


    Afterwards, Samuel noticed just how smitten Emily seemed by the view of her surroundings and refrained from accelerating back up to speed, instead entertaining her by answering many of the girl¡¯s questions.


    The girl pointed and he in turn told her what he knew about a specific guild banner or its owners or what kind of monsters lurked in which specific dungeon and how to dispose of them most efficiently.


    Under normal circumstances, Severin would have loved to join in as well.


    Generally speaking, he was just as curious about these things as the girl, largely explained by their same lack of education in these matters, and when oftentimes in similar situations he felt he couldn¡¯t very well ask his most burning questions without exposing himself, this time was different. Now most questions referred to local affairs and phenomena he wasn¡¯t expected to know about in the first place. Besides, Emily seemed very adept at asking the most interesting ones herself.


    But now he didn¡¯t pay attention to them. Not too far away, he himself was slightly leaning over the railing, staring down, but the conversation next to him didn¡¯t even seem to reach him. He had other, more pressing, things on his mind.


    Bad enough, the thing able to read his mind had proven itself to actually be alive, now he learned to at least consider the possibility it also belonged to a species known to manipulate others into do their bidding; even into sacrificing themselves.


    And if, in fact, it didn¡¯t, then it had the capabilities to somehow exploit the former. Which arguably might make it even more dangerous. And now it seemed he would inadvertently draw unwanted attention to himself as a result of it.


    At least it didn¡¯t come without some benefits.


    Still, the headache that had been ever-present these last couple of days being locked up in that small room where he spent every waking hour crafting, intensified, and Severin forced himself not to at least suspect it was that thing¡¯s doing, torturing him on purpose; maybe trying to disrupt his train of thoughts; if it was, it succeeded.


    He took a deep breath, and consciously this time, took in the sight.


    ¡°Wow¡±, he heard himself blurting despite himself. If all the people that must live down there ever came together and joined forces, Severin had no doubt, they would make a formidable force. And that was even if all of them were regular-classless people, which of course he knew they weren¡¯t.


    Then again, the many separated and often times tightly guarded encampments immediately suggested to him just how unlikely that scenario was.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Though by now he could see some exceptions.


    Some, usually larger camps, seemed more open than the others; still fortified, they somehow appeared more inviting. Maybe because these weren¡¯t flying just a single guild¡¯s banner, Severin noticed.


    They were passing above just one of these camps when a reflected glint of green light from below caught his attention. His thoughts immediately went back to what Samul had suggested. Should he make his search official and issue a quest with the Society, or¡­ well, or what? What were his alternatives?


    Before Severin could come up with any answers, the feeling of a large hand on his back snapped him back.


    ¡°... that Severin? We¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Either the girl was done with her questions, or maybe Samuel just couldn¡¯t be bothered any longer, but either way, Severin realized the speed at which they were going had drastically increased. By the second, his surroundings became larger and larger.


    Only a few moments after Samuel had approached him until he felt the ship beneath him roughly touch the ground in the middle of what appeared to be a small town. Between his daydreams and the speed at which they had suddenly been moving, Severin hadn¡¯t even noticed what banner this camp was flying; though, of course, he had a pretty good idea.


    ¡°Remember what I just told you. Don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Remember what you¡­?¡±


    And with that, the ground under his feet suddenly disappeared. Or rather, the ship did.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Tightly closing his eyes and wildly flailing his arms, Severin was falling towards the ground beneath him. Could the day get any worse?


    A moment later and still midair, he felt something grab him. The next moment, another rough landing. But without the expected painful impact.


    ¡°Hahaha, Sam, that was soo much fun!¡±


    Severin opened his eyes and stopped his flailing just in time not to embarrass himself any further as the realized the half-giant had tucked him away under his left arm like a little child and was now lifting him down to the ground.


    Speaking of children, Emily, who was tucked under the man¡¯s other arm, was squealing with delight.


    Ahem


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Severin cleared his throat and thanked the man, trying to sound as unperturbed as possible, and, in an attempt to win back some of his long-lost dignity, begun perfunctorily smoothing out his clothes and whipping away imaginary specks of dust.


    Even if anyone had actually cared to pay this theatrics any attention, a single look at his brightly flushed face would have immediately given his true thoughts away.


    But no one did. Not to him specifically.


    Just when Emily, albeit reluctantly, had finally let herself be dropped off as well, a group of five or six- things happened too quickly for Severin to tell with certainty- heavily armored, yet terrifyingly fast moving people came rushing towards them. Seemingly out of nowhere and making no sound in the process.


    Only by sheer coincidence was it that Severin noticed them.


    So it could get worse.


    With a yelp he reached for Emily, trying to pull her behind himself as he in turn tried to hide behind Samuel. The large man, however, remained unperturbed.


    Even when the indignant leader of the group announced their arrival with a shout of, ¡°Who dares to¡­¡±


    ¡°Old man! Should have known it was you after the two brats had pulled a similar stunt just a few days ago.¡±

 Chapter 183

    The situation defused as quickly as it had appeared.


    The leader of the group, with a wave of her hand, quickly dismissed her awed subordinates, stepped forward, and clasped hands with Samuel, a gesture which turned into something of a half-hug. Accompanied was this sight by an exchange of friendly ribbing and more than one of these comments referred to Samuel¡¯s advanced age, his eyesight, and the fact that maybe it was time for him to pass off his collection of flying artifacts to someone younger than him if he couldn¡¯t even manage to find the designated docking tower any longer; of course, the woman also had a good idea as to who that younger person should be.


    Severin used this exchange to in the meantime, and only reluctantly, take off the ring he once again had been fiddling around with and handed it over to Emily, made sure she put it over her thumb, and warned her not to take it off under any circumstances.


    He was already starting to regret that he hadn¡¯t prepared better and, not for the first time this day, wished himself back into the safety and comfort of his bed and for this rotten day to finally end.


    Instead, after the initial exchange, the intimidating woman¡¯s attention now changed over to him.


    ¡°So, who is this? Picked up another stray or two? Speaking of which, if you¡¯re looking for the two other brats, you¡¯re too late. Already gone ahead.¡±


    Following that remark, discontent but, hopefully, with a naturally looking smile forced onto his face, Severin stepped forward and extended his hand.


    From up close, the woman looked much less rough than her ferocious arrival and the fortress of an armor she was hurling around had led him to believe. On a closer look, she almost seemed fragile. Mostly because of her own apparent age. The lines on her face, the crow¡¯s feet in particular, revealed that while she may not have quite reached Samuel¡¯s age, she couldn¡¯t be that much younger than the man she had just scolded. The amusing realization greatly improved his mood. But only for a moment.


    ¡°What do you mean, gone ahead?¡±


    Before any introductions could be made, Samuel¡¯s surprised question caused the woman to stop in her tracks and, consequentially, to leave Severin hanging.


    ¡°Well, Markus was getting ready for another dive when they arrived. Left together the next day.¡±


    ¡°What?! These two¡­¡± Samuel was looking for the words to describe his irritation.


    ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t get so upset. Markus knew you wouldn¡¯t just let them join a full-blown raid without you supervising them in person. They headed into the Garden-¡°


    ¡°The Garden? Wh-¡±


    ¡°Now, let me finish, old man! They said they would stay on the first floor until you caught up to them. And before you go rushing after them, I suggest you go check in with Gillion. I think they left a notice for you with him where exactly they set up camp.¡±


    ¡°Pah, near the river crossing, of course. Where else would they camp in there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be grumpy now, you hear? And don''t turn senile on me, either. Or do you need me to remind you about your younger days? Trying to sneak away at night to settle a score? Trying to cheat the Society for some easy task completion rewards? Entering a dungeon on your own because you outleveled it? I¡¯m sure that was your words. And by four levels, let me remind you. Who knows how a troublemaker like you would have turned out if it wasn''t for that hag saving your ass over and over again?¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Hmpf.¡± Obviously unwilling to admit anything of the kind-though the change in his complexity spoke for itself - the [Berserker] crossed his arms. ¡°Better watch your words. That hag¡¯s hearing is still as abnormal as ever, you know.¡± With that, he nodded towards something high up behind him.


    Slowly, as she stared in the indicated direction, one could see her expression change. A blank mask of incomprehension at first, to a hint of apprehension, before finally, after swallowing her saliva with a loud gulp, turning to understanding.


    "Up there, you say? Why would...wait. So it¡¯s true? And that means... you¡¯re the guy?!¡±


    For the first time, she really paid attention to the ordinary-looking man who had been awkwardly standing there.


    All of a sudden, the woman stepped towards Severin, pulled him in by his long retracted hand, and, with her left, patted him roughly onto his back.


    Either not noticing or simply ignoring Severin¡¯s sparse remainder of goodwill and his struggle for air that came as the result of having a classbearer slap their metal glove onto his back, she took a step back and looked him over. With different eyes than before.


    ¡°Took it for just another floater, you know?¡± She said while gesturing towards upwards but still a little meek, as if she really was afraid someone could hear her from all that distance away.


    But Severin didn¡¯t know. Though he had a suspicion.


    Knowing what sight to expect, he turned around himself. And still found himself surprised.


    The last time he had the chance to look at the mountain from outside, from afar, was when he had first joined Samuel on his trip to Hanvia. At the time, though, it had still been covered in clouds, he had already realized it had to be huge. Now he realized just how huge exactly; the System¡¯s side view of the thing did not do it justice. Just how tall was that thing?


    Any reply he might have had come up with got stuck in his throat; not that the woman seemed to notice. With no pause and as if not even expecting him to answer in the first place, the woman simply kept on talking.


    ¡°So it turns out you can steer that thing, huh? Interesting. And brought some people with you? Explains the traffic up there. Have you considered settling around here? I¡¯m sure once the word goes around you¡¯ll have plenty of customers¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Markus will regret having gone ahead already if he learns of this.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t Tim and Miriam told you?¡±


    ¡°Only that you were coming. Not that you would bring¡­ guests. Guess they knew they couldn¡¯t convince him if they did.¡±


    ¡°Ha, could¡¯ve just waited either way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But he seems to be in a rush to make some progress. Make a name for himself. Not content with being just the second string leader anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­ still twenty levels too ear-¡±


    By now the woman had already proved to be a chatterbox, and Severin wasn¡¯t the only one whom she did not let get a word in edgewise. This time it was Samuel who she abruptly cut off and simply continued,


    ¡°Also, shouldn¡¯t sound all too unfamiliar to you, no? Well. With that being the case, you really should give Gillion a visit. Besides, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be glad to see you. Come, let me escort you two. Three. Sorry there, young lady. Almost overlooked you. You should get some meat on your ribs. Unless you want to remain a stick forever, be sure to always eat up, you hear?¡±


    Emily earnestly nodded in response, but the woman had already swirled around and with a wave of her hand indicated the others to follow behind her.

 Chapter 184

    At no point during their admittedly short travel through the small but full-fledged town did the woman stop her constant chatter.


    On the one hand, it was exhausting, causing Emily and Severin more than once to exchange exasperated glances with one another; only Samuel ¨C probably already desensitized due to their apparent history together- seemed mostly unperturbed by her constant talking and the overall absurdity of the situation, though even he could not help rolling his eyes on one or two occasions.


    On the other hand, this meant Severin wasn¡¯t expected to do much talking himself, apart from a sporadic acknowledging grunt here or there -something he was rather grateful for on this day.


    It also helped that the woman wasn¡¯t just mindlessly rambling about meaningless matters. In fact, some of the information she shared seemed way too confidential for an outsider like him to be privy to. But though he considered her a chatterbox, Severin understood it had to be deliberate as he dared not think the woman to be either stupid or negligent; though he didn¡¯t know her official job title or her rank inside the organization, just knowing she and her group were apparently the first line of defense made him determined not to underestimate her.


    It was far more likely, he realized, that simply being led by Samuel himself held just that much weight. That, and maybe her realizing who Severin was, prompted her to be more open and trusting than she otherwise would have been towards an outsider.


    And so Severin not only learned that Gillion, the man they were on their way to visit, was a close confidante of Ringald, handpicked to manage this outpost, and at least the nominal leader of the Malcos Eagles, but also that in turn this meant that Markus, as the leader of the second string raid squad, at most, was third in the chain of command of both the guild and this outpost as a whole.


    At most, because while there was some talk regarding the structure of the guild, Severin didn¡¯t know for certain just how high ranking the position of a raid leader actually was. It was at least thinkable that there were some other, even higher, ranking positions out there.


    But either way, third ranked or not, Markus¡¯ rank had to be up there. That much Severin could infer from when the woman voiced her suspicion that the reason the [Prince] was so eager to prove himself to the degree he wouldn¡¯t wait any longer for Samuel¡¯s arrival and instead was willing to rush ahead into some dungeon was exactly because his position inside the guild was such a high-ranking one. One that, apparently, he hadn¡¯t earned purely based on merit; not originally, at least.


    Samuel managed to find the rare opportunity to get some words in himself on this topic and voiced his agreement with that assessment.


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that. No one thinks he¡¯s just some pampered princeling. Not after everything he has achieved over the years. And at such a young age. But he''s always been insecure about that. Still thinks he has to prove himself. Stubborn fool. Like all of them. The whole family.


    The girls aren¡¯t any better, either.¡± When he wasn¡¯t immediately interrupted, he continued.


    ¡°Set up some kind of forward base up there, you know? When they were discussing who to send-to be in charge-the oldest of the daughters insisted on going herself.¡±


    Now that came as a surprise even to Severin, who had been closely listening in from the side. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to figure out where exactly this up there was supposed to be, and the identity of the oldest daughter was accordingly easy to figure out as well, but he recalled, especially during the early days, it always had seemed that Jasmine all but resented being stuck on his mountain.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.¡®But maybe that isn¡¯t necessarily a contradiction,¡¯ he thought.


    Judging by her reaction, the woman had quite some things to say about the matter. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, undoubtedly about to unleash another one of her barrages, ready and willing to offer her own thoughts, opinions, and conclusions on the matter. But it was also the moment they turned into a busier alley at which point it was deemed only prudent to stop the discussion of the inner workings of the guild and the dealings of the royal family.


    But this, of course, did not mean the talking stopped altogether. It only meant their escort turned into something of a tour guide instead, now solely for Severin¡¯s and Emily¡¯s benefit.


    Not that there was actually much to see in terms of attractions for her to comment on. Instead, she explained some of its not-so-secret structure and organization.


    The outpost, as a whole, was closed off. That meant access to foreigners- non-guild members or affiliates- was severely restricted to people with personalized invitations. Otherwise, one would have to request access way in advance, with chances for approval being relatively slim.


    Even when a visitor was admitted, they would usually have to go through many careful examinations; a fact which- though unspoken-to Severin all but confirmed the special privilege he was granted.


    All the more surprising to him was the crowd of people they now found themselves in. And those weren¡¯t just adventurers. In fact, the vast majority of them, judging by the style of their clothes- not their quality- seemed to be classless people. Enough to make the streets near the center of this outpost suddenly seem very lively, even.


    How could there be so many people if access was so limited and security measures supposedly this strict?


    Given just a few moments to consider this thought and Severin likely would have drawn the correct conclusions himself. But the woman beat him to it.


    She immediately pointed out the manpower the maintenance of a permanent fortification like this required. And not just the fortification itself. Their gear. Their consumables. Food and drink. Entertainment. Housing. Administration.


    Everything a regular city required, this outpost did, too. And, of course, those were not the kind of things most adventurers would take care of themselves. Assuming they could, in the first place.


    In the matter of just a few minutes and only some hundreds of meters traveled, Severin had counted three smithies, four herb gardens, two leather workers, two taverns, and one eatery. All underscoring her claim. No matter how much he liked Markus, Severin did not have confidence in him for any of these tasks.


    Interestingly enough-and something that was not specially pointed out to him-none of the buildings had shop or house signs attached to them. On a closer look, street signs seemed similarly absent. It appeared everyone was expected to know exactly where everything was located and how they could reach it.


    It was also due to that lack of clear identification that Severin didn¡¯t realize they had reached their destination until the chatter had suddenly stopped and they stood in front of a nondescript, if larger than average, building.


    ¡°You still know the way from here, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Right. Very funny, Rania. We¡¯ll catch up later.¡±

 Chapter 185

    The group entered the administrative building and was met by a clearly disgruntled clerk, but whose complaints regarding the intruders¡¯ nonexistent appointments and business hours quickly got stuck in his throat when recognizing the half-giant before him.


    Not half a minute later, they found themselves standing in a cozy office, led inside by a now very courteous young man.


    Behind the large desk sat an even larger man, one who, a surprised Severin suspected, hadn¡¯t actually seen a dungeon from the inside in quite some time - if ever.


    Much like his clerk, the man called Gillion, initially seemed quite displeased when, without prior announcement, his office door opened, and a bunch of supposed strangers were led inside. Until, also much like his clerk, he took a closer look at the man at the front, at which point recognition swept over his face.


    Still, as excited as the man was by the [Berserker¡¯s] surprise visit¨Che too, just like Rania the blabbermouth, appeared to be an old friend and of the same generation - even while exchanging pleasantries, his eyes kept flicking over to Severin and Emily.


    That was until Samuel once again made some introductions, at which point Gillion¡¯s suspicion towards Severin turned into interest and friendliness.


    Overly and annoyingly so. To the point where Severin wholeheartedly regretted his choice of tagging along.


    Instead of meeting an old acquaintance, namely Markus, he felt he would be forced to play politics. Even on the best of days, that wasn¡¯t something Severin particularly enjoyed, much less on this day.


    Repeatedly the man let Severin know about the great pleasure it was meeting him, how impressed he was by his products, samples of which the [Prince] had brough him, how, regrettably, they had long since run out of them, and how, before long, he would have paid him a visit on his own if he wasn¡¯t just so swamped with work, that he looked forward to their future cooperation -especially since both had such strong ties to the Malconean royal family-, and so on and so forth.


    It was tiresome.


    Luckily Samuel was determined to time and again steer the conversation to the topic of the brats as he called them annoyed but affectionately, a term which this time around also included Markus, and thereby saved Severin some of the hassle dealing with a man who, at the moment, was obviously more keen on talking business with him than anything else.


    It was clear that while the man in charge also agreed that Markus seemed somewhat overzealous as of late, he didn¡¯t think it especially concerning and deemed there was no real danger to either him, the [Prince], nor to Samuel¡¯s two mentees. Not on the early floors, that was.


    In fact, he made it clear, much to Samuel¡¯s displeasure, that in his opinion these two very promising youths, future recruits and basically already unofficial members of the guild- if simply by virtue of being Samuel¡¯s disciples- might even benefit from not having the overprotective Hero of Malcos overseeing every one of their moves.


    As the guild leader his highest priority was for the guild as a whole to flourish, and from the moment he understood Severin¡¯s identity it became very clear that this above all else meant taking the greatest possible advantage of the impossible products that had just been delivered to his doorstep. And quickly, before the other guilds could catch on.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The man wasn¡¯t so delusional to think he could realistically monopolize Severin¡¯s products and keep them a secret from their competitors forever- reminding himself that Ringald would have done so already if possible, and a simple look out the office window and towards the flying colossus above, dispelled any of the notions he might have harbored in that regard- but he would be damned if he didn¡¯t at least try to exploit the small advantage he had as much as possible.


    Which ultimately led to a compromise all parties involved could be satisfied with.


    It was decided that it would fall onto Samuel himself to delve into the dungeon, locally referred to as simply The Garden, meet up with his disciples and Markus¡¯ group, and order them back outside; the raid would have to be postponed.


    In the meantime, Gillion would busy himself by rallying the other troops and instructing them to, as inconspicuously as possible, head for Severin¡¯s Emporium without drawing attention from the other guilds who hopefully still considered the rock to be a random floater.


    If they acted fast enough and played their cards right, it might just be possible for the various groups of the thus newly equipped Eagles, in an orchestrated effort, to claim multiple first clears at once. Thereby securing the respective mining rights before their counterparts from Rhenia and the four smaller regional nations could even realize what was happening.


    Samuel seemed happy enough to oblige, and though Severin didn¡¯t have much say in the matter, he too was rather satisfied with the conclusion of that meeting.


    Not because of the promised profits- between all the local guilds, sooner or later those would inevitably be coming his way either way, and in the grand scheme of things the business of just a single guild¡¯s worth of customer wasn¡¯t all that much to begin with-, but because it meant he could soon head back. There was nothing that kept him here. Nothing more for him to do.


    Unless¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sev. Em.¡± As soon as they left the office, the half-giant began to profusely apologize.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t exactly what I had envisioned when I asked you guys to tag along. I hoped to let you meet Markus and the guys. Maybe show you some of the local flora and fauna; it¡¯s crazy how those are shaped by the nearby dungeons. But I really have to go see to this. Feels like I¡¯m abandoning you, but you heard what Gil said. Honestly, I shouldn¡¯t even fly you back before heading to the Garden. Better if there was no more observable traffic between the outpost and your store before everything is set in place. I hope you understand. And I assure you, it won¡¯t take too long. If it¡¯s the first floor, I¡¯ll make it in and out in less than two hours. Closer to one, probably.


    Though if you insist¡­¡±


    ¡°So one to two hours, huh.¡± Severin thought aloud.


    ¡°But anywhere else should be fine, though, right? For you to drop me off, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess?¡± Samuel said, not quite understanding where this way going.


    ¡°Well then, how about you drop me off at one of the local Societies first?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Oh!¡± Came the realization.

 Chapter 186

    ¡°So you have already made up your mind, I take it. In that case, it might really not be a bad idea issuing the task in a local branch down here where nobody knows you. Yet,¡± Samuel praised the decision.


    ¡°That should avoid some of the potential rumors, at least. They¡¯ll probably think of you as a researcher. Or simply a fool. Which honestly wouldn¡¯t be too bad either.


    And if you¡¯re lucky and the local branch-leaders are upset by Magda¡¯s infringement of their jurisdiction, then all the better for you. In that case, you can probably count on them at least wasting some time before sharing any newly issued tasks with her. And therefore, with your customers.


    I like your thinking. Not bad. Not bad at all¡±, the [Berserker] mused.


    Satisfied, Severin nodded in agreement, though if he really had thought this far ahead was unknown; it was quite possible the [Shopkeeper] had simply been looking forward to some distraction. To the opportunity to get out of this isolated, boring fortress. To have something to do.


    A more open, freely accessible encampment, one that even hosted its own branch of the Adventurers Society, was bound to be more lively and welcoming than one occupied by a single, secretive guild, after all.


    And all too readily, it seemed, Samuel was willing to oblige and give him a ride.


    ¡®Probably out of guilt¡¯, Severin thought, but kept the words to himself.


    Instead, while on their way to the docking tower -for their departure Samuel seemed more willing to adhere to the appropriate protocol - he listened to the description of one of said outposts, specifically the one which according to their guide was closest to The Garden and just a short flight away.


    At the beginning Severin still tried to remember all the resident guilds¡¯ names, banners, accomplishments and interrelationships, but soon lost both concentration and interest.


    It might have been a different matter if he had recognized even just one of the names - be it that of a guild or even just that of a particular dungeon they had conquered.


    Instead, he found himself distractedly speculating regarding Samuel¡¯s true intentions.


    So far, the man had always been trustworthy, but the recent development had him in doubts.


    He knew from pretty early on in their relationship that the old man was kind of a big deal in Malcos, almost revered in certain circles even, and with a close relationship to the kingdom¡¯s royal family and their supported guild.


    Nothing about these facts had changed.


    But with their latest conversation still fresh in his mind, Severin kept wondering just how much of what the man knew about him- or rather what the man thought he knew about him-, would he be willing to share and discuss with those other parties?


    Where exactly lay his loyalties? Severin was still confident the man wished him no harm, but just how much could he count on his advice?


    Considering their current whereabouts, he might have to rethink just how much he was willing to share with the man.


    And maybe he should start preparing for some unwelcome inquiries.


    ¡°Do we really have to go? This is soo booring.¡± When Severin was snapped out of his thoughts, they were already back in the air again.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.And, surprisingly, it was a very uncharacteristic complaint of his young, loyal assistant that had caused him to.


    And so all the more striking was its effect; when under different circumstances a child¡¯s similar complaint might have been dismissed offhandedly, Severin¡¯s own feelings of guilt immediately flared up again.


    After all, he had wanted to make it up to her. This whole trip was supposed to be his apology to her. For his difficult behavior this past week. And as a reward for her hard work.


    Instead, he was now dragging her along on his way to conduct business. Something he had hated when just a short while ago the man called Gillion tried to drag him into a similar situation.


    But what was he to do about it now?


    ¡®I guess I could ask Sam to bring us right back home, still.


    Probably wouldn¡¯t be happy about it, but should at least be understanding.¡¯


    But would Gillion and the guild as a whole feel similarly? Or would it sour their relationship?


    And it wasn¡¯t like there was any more fun waiting for them back home, either. Only more work.


    This day truly sucked. And somehow it kept getting worse and worse.


    Now it even started to affect Emily, and Severin had to admit to himself that due to all of this day¡¯s chaos he had somewhat forgotten about the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they have a bunch of food stands over there, you know,¡± he helplessly suggested the first, most obvious thing that came to mind when thinking about ways to placate Em.


    ¡°You think so?¡± the doubtful yet clearly interested girl asked.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m certain. I mean, there has to be something to eat. My treat.¡±


    ¡°Fiiine. But I get to choose the stands.¡±


    ¡°Stands? Plural?¡± Severin pretended to hesitate for a moment until the girl started to fidget uncomfortably, afraid she had overplayed her hand.


    ¡°Well, alright.¡±


    Pleased with himself, Severin reached out and ruffled the squealing girl¡¯s hair.


    ¡°You know, I have to admit, trying the food of the local footstalls is quite the culinary adventurer. That being said, I think I might be able to offer you an even more exciting alternative.¡±


    Immediately Severin had a bad feeling when he saw the amused glint in the half-giant¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Normally, I would never suggest a non-adventurer to set foot into a dungeon. Muss less into a raid. But...¡± The bad feeling immediately intensified. Manyfold.


    ¡°¡­if it is only the first floor. And if it¡¯s only a single person. Say, for example, a small enough person who I could take piggyback¡­. ¡°


    ¡°Aaah! I am small!¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you? Well, I think you are quite right. So what do you say? Think you would like to see a dungeon from the inside? Might that be even more fun? ¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes! Please!¡±


    ¡°Haha, alright, alright. But I fear you would have to ask Sev¡¯s permission first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Pleeeease. Pease, Sev! Can I go?! And then maybe eat afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be safe. I promise, haha. And this way you wouldn¡¯t have to hurry your business either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 187

    ¡°You can still change your mind, you know. You don¡¯t have to do this if you don¡¯t want to; we can still turn around.¡±


    She had been so excited. Yet now, standing in front of the menacingly swirling portal¡­


    So intimidating!


    Now she didn¡¯t feel quite as confident anymore. She hesitated. And judging by the giant man¡¯s words, it showed. But the ones that followed immediately erased all her doubts at once.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Sev would be glad to have you back.¡±


    ¡°No! I want to go. I¡¯m sure,¡± she said with conviction and tiny, clenched fists. Hearing the name of her boss made her determined.


    He hadn¡¯t wanted to let her go. He had been worrying way too much.


    She had to beg him. Make so many promises. Until he finally relented.


    After that, she couldn¡¯t just turn around and call the whole thing off.


    And it would be so much trouble for Sam as well.


    No, turning around was no option!


    Besides, he said it would be safe. There was nothing to fear.


    ¡°Hmm. Alright then,¡± said the man after giving her an intense look and before turning around and kneeling down. ¡°Hop on then.¡±


    She moved forward, but after only two steps stopped again, not knowing how to proceed; even kneeling, the man seemed as tall if not taller than her boss standing up.


    ¡®Maybe if he lied down flat. Or if I had a-¡¯


    As if reading her thoughts, the [Berserker] folded his hands low behind his back, creating an impromptu mounting block.


    It still required some effort on her part, but soon she had made it past the halfway point, up the stone-like muscles. Where she again stopped in her ascent.


    Back when she had lived in the small town and even later on in the even smaller trading post, she had seen others doing it, riding piggyback, that was. Those with parents.


    Now she was thinking back to just how exactly this worked. If she remembered correctly, they usually sat on both shoulders and with their legs dangling down on either side of their parent¡¯s neck.


    But this neck in front of her¡­ the degree to which she would have to spread her legs¡­


    Again she hesitated, and again it was as if the man knew exactly what she was thinking. Or maybe unlike her, for him, it was simply not the first time going through these motions.


    ¡°Onto my shoulder. The left one,¡± he specified.


    One or two minutes after starting her climb and only slightly out of breath, she had taken her seat upon the man¡¯s wide shoulder, with her right slung around his neck.


    ¡°All set?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± she tried to sound confident.


    ¡°Alright. Hold on tight then.¡± With that Samuel stood up, inevitably causing her to do just that; the muscle mass she was sitting on sprung into motion and the distance between her and the ground drastically increased even further - holding on even tighter than before was all but instinctive.


    Yet, after the initial scare, once the man stood upright, it wasn¡¯t actually all that frightening. He didn¡¯t budge at all. It was as if sitting on a sturdy rock. Even when he was moving, to her great relief, it was barely noticeable and not at all what she had feared, judging simply by Samuel¡¯s rough appearances.


    In reality, this much body control was, of course, very much expected of a high leveled and accomplished adventurer like him, and nothing much to write home about.


    ¡°Well then, off we go,¡± he stepped closer to the portal.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± she agreed, still apprehensive but with newfound confidence.


    The next moment they stood somewhere else entirely, and Samuel didn¡¯t immediately continue moving.


    Crossing over took some time to getting used to, and few crossings were more disorienting than that of the Garden.


    From the outside, it was one of the more ordinary looking dungeon entrances, with its portal located in some nondescript cave, not at all betraying what would await intruders on the other side.


    It made the contrast all the more extreme, and it didn¡¯t help the newcomer experience that whoever had come up with the dungeon¡¯s name apparently fancied themselves some sort of comedian.


    This wasn¡¯t a garden.


    It was a green hell.


    One which assaulted all senses.


    Trees and other plants everywhere. The various shades of green and brown closing in on them.


    The feeling of the damp, thick air on one¡¯s skin.


    The smell of exotic flowers mixed with the stench of death; almost palpable.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.And the unexpected noise. Screaming animals. The chirping and buzzing of insects. Birds screeching at each other. And the rustling in the undergrowth caused by whatever else lived in there.


    Not to speak of the temperatures which might have been bearable if it wasn¡¯t for the humidity.


    None of this seemed to bother Samuel, but he knew better than to immediately rush forward and instead gave the girl some time to adjust.


    Even when he finally did start moving again, he took it slowly to begin with.


    Pointing things out and explaining them.


    He started by once again assuring her that despite the menacing atmosphere in here, there was nothing much to worry about.


    They were only on the dungeon¡¯s first floor.


    Most dungeon monsters were very adept at judging the difference in strength between them and the unbidden intruders; out of their own volition, driven by their own survival instincts, they would never attack those who were significantly stronger or higher leveled than them. Unless it directly concerned the core¡¯s survival, that was.


    But with this simply being the first floor with many others to come and the difference in strength being as large as it was, there was virtually no danger to her. As long as she stuck close enough to him, so that Samuel¡¯s own aura, as he called it, would cover-conceal-her own; this was also the reason he wanted to bring only one person, he explained.


    Reassured, she started asking questions of her own.


    ¡°You called it a dungeon right now. I thought this was a raid?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. The lines between the two are oftentimes blurred. It usually refers to the danger involved, and the number of people needed to clear the thing. In some extreme cases, that means one group¡¯s raid is another group¡¯s dungeon. In longer dungeons or in cases like this where the dungeon as a whole is still unconquered, we usually end up declaring some kind of threshold floors. It¡¯s usually somewhat arbitrary, but in the case of the Garden, depending on who you ask, the first ten to fifteen floors are usually considered a dungeon; beyond that, the Garden turns into a full-blown raid which requires way more in terms of coordination, communications, preparations, experience and simply raw strength to advance. In the higher floors of these raid-levels, I might still be able to survive on my own, but something like we are doing right now would be unthinkable down there.¡±


    Unseen by him, she kept nodding in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speed up a bit now,¡± Samuel warned.


    Where previously he had been carefully climbing through the thicket, he now started to either savagely break through those obstacles or nimbly skipped over them, making the girl scream in a mixture of apprehension and excitement.


    Still, he didn¡¯t stop his explanations fully, though now he had to raise his voice even further for it to reach the girl, even though she was sitting right next to his head.


    ¡°There are, of course, some exceptions to the rules I just told you about. But those are rare. In the early levels of the Garden, it is mostly plant-based monsters that lack said instinct of self-preservation and therefore could potentially be dangerous. Again, not all of them. And even fewer try actively hunting for their prey. Most try luring their would-be victims into their clutches by tempting them with loot or via pheromones; easily avoidable with some resistances and experience.


    Think of them of more like organic traps. Only a small subset of them, and all of them vines, might try to strike at us. But even if those try to ignore the existing difference in our strengths, that doesn¡¯t mean I do as well.


    It¡¯s basically impossible for them to remain undetected or be fast enough in their attack for me not to notice; much less both at the same time.


    Maybe some mutated feline or reptile might have some more luck in that regard, but those are even rarer up here.¡°


    Speaking of reptiles¡­


    Samuel kept moving freely through the undergrowth as if he were in an open area seemingly not restricted in his movement at all, only stopping on some occasions to point out especially noteworthy parts of the local fauna and flora.


    Like the many herbs which made this dungeon of special interest to many alchemists.


    Or some of the especially brave- or stupid- monsters that were native to this dungeon¡¯s habitat; a hybrid between lizard, monkey, and ¡­ pig?


    Those never made any move to attack them, only observing them from what they thought to be a safe distance.


    Their scaled curly tails causing the girl a particular delight whenever one of the creatures realized they had been spotted, and started scurrying away up above them through the dense canopy.


    This only happened twice¨Cmost inhabitants had more sense than getting so close to them- though Samuel assured her that he had spotted quite a few more of them in the distance; she could only believe him; it was hard for her to make things out in here, with her range of vision being severely restricted by all the green and with Samuel not going out of his way to actually hunt let alone kill any of these comparatively low leveled monsters she had no way of actually knowing.


    She didn¡¯t understand how exactly the man was navigating through this environment, but in less than a way too short hour, they had reached a waterfall; now they weren¡¯t far away from their actual destination anymore, she knew.


    Samuel slowed down and begun to travel downstream for a few minutes until the waterfall¡¯s deafening sound had disappeared in the backdrop.


    And indeed, they had made it.


    Here at the riverbank the view was somewhat more open, and soon even she could make out some wooden structures.


    Not the same as she had from time to time seen hints of in the treetops above them, but rough, temporary, but clearly human-made structures.


    In way too short a time for her liking, they had made it to the Eagles¡¯ camp.


    But at least there was still the way back.

 Chapter 188

    The moment they arrived Severin noticed just how different the whole atmosphere in this encampment was compared to the one he was coming from; moreso even than he had expected.


    Managed by multiple guilds and a local branch of the Adventurers Society, it was far more open and welcoming to an outsider like him.


    After docking at one of the designates towers, the stationed guards didn¡¯t bother him with questions about the purpose of his visit. Not even an entrance fee was required of him. That, Samuel had explained, was one of the Society¡¯s usual stipulations. Every newly created branch would have to be freely accessible to everyone, and charging for entrance into the outpost would violate that imperative. It was because of this reason that no chapter of the Society could be found in the more secretive guilds¡¯ outposts like that of the Malcos Eagles.


    Feeling uneasy departing on his own, knowing that his assistant was about to enter an actual dungeon, Severin took his time making his way through the streets and towards the impossible to miss building with the familiar green tinted windows. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry and took in every sight he could in an attempt to distract and calm himself.


    Quickly, the impression that this was more of a trading hub than anything else further solidified.


    All kinds of people, just like him, were strolling through the streets, stopping Infront of the various stores and stalls which openly advertised their wares.


    Some of these stores, but by far not all, displayed small, colored emblems next to, or above their entrances, in a way to declare their affiliation to a respective guild, or so Severin assumed; if he had paid more attention to Samuel''s lesson, he probably would have known for certain.


    Most of these store vendors, barring his initial curiosity, however, were not of particular interest to him; he looked at most all of them, but most of the time did not actually stop to take a closer look and instead continued his way to his actual destination.


    Only near some food stalls and one surprisingly fancy looking eatery did he linger for a moment to mentally note their locations so that maybe later on, together with Emily, he might return and have a taste of their wares.


    Even though this whole situation didn''t quite fit his idea of a quiet day off to relax and distract himself, the atmosphere was at least pleasant enough. Until he reached his destination.


    The moment he stepped inside, he felt out of place. An impression with which he was not alone, judging by the many looks he attracted.


    When outside on the streets, the crowd had seemed to be somewhat evenly split between adventurers and non-adventurers; even the number of people he suspected to be non-classbearers had been much higher than he had expected.


    Now, there was no sight of those people. The vast majority of patrons were clad in armor and worn like a second skin, leaving no doubt as to their profession.


    The small amount of people who didn¡¯t fit that description, either wore some guild¡¯s colors and probably held some managerial position, or they wore sturdy aprons which betrayed them to Severin to be craftsmen who relied on the Society and its rough patrons to acquire the rarer materials necessary for their craft.


    Still, no one actually cared enough about his unusual appearance to pay him attention for longer than just a few moments, let alone approach and call him out directly.


    Severin lined up in the line he estimated to be the shortest and began waiting, looking around, and comparing; not to the branch he had visited in Hanvia -that one was on a whole different level to begin with, not just in size, but simply in its layout, with no business other than that of the information desks actually being conducted on the ground floor- but to the one managed by Magda back on his mountain.


    More precisely, it was the amount of people in here that surprised him the most. At Magda¡¯s, even at its busiest, it was nothing compared to the bustle surrounding him right now. And it didn¡¯t make much sense to him.


    Not with the newest influx of people visiting his mountain-thanks to the now fully operational portal station.


    Why was there such a difference in busyness?


    ¡®Maybe because of the portal station, not despite. Easier to take their business to the main branch instead,¡¯ Severin mused, but had the feeling that explanation wasn¡¯t quite it.


    ¡®Or maybe it is because of the lack of dungeons in the immediate vicinity. Meaning there aren¡¯t many people looking for groups. Not much information broking to be done either, I would assume.¡¯


    Severin felt this was closer to the actual truth, feeling a pang of pity for the ever smiling woman since with his mountain now situated right above the area with the- according to the locals- highest dungeon density on the continent, they should soon find out.


    After a shorter time than he initially expected given the circumstances, it was finally Severin¡¯s turn at the counter.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.The clerk was of advanced age and more likely than not had once been an adventurer herself. Either way, she was experienced enough to not even raise her eyebrows at Severin¡¯s rather unusual request, and professional enough not to ask any prying follow-up questions either.


    Instead, he was first asked to provide his name. Then, optionally, to state his guild affiliation and to produce a guarantor.


    Since he could not and would not do either one of those two, it meant firstly, that there was no way for him to be contacted upon completion of his issued task and that he would have to check up on the progress in person, and, secondly, that he was required to pay the renumeration in advance. The whole thing, and under the assumption the retrieved core would be of pristine quality; any deductions due to inadequacies of the actual retrieved object would only be refunded afterwards.


    At least the woman was accommodating enough to provide him with a publicly accessible list of similar tasks that had been issued in the past, including the compensation that had been offered as a reference point for the price he was going to tender, however outdated and short the list had been.


    All the more surprising just how low those prices had been even in the past. Severin had expected worse. Though after a closer look¡­


    ¡°I guess that explains the long completion times. Maybe I should raise the price. I don¡¯t intend to have to wait for months. Much less years.¡±


    ¡°If I may,¡± the helpful clerk interjected. ¡°You are, of course, free to further increase the reward money as you see fit. However, since I am obligated to assist you to the best of my abilities, I have to advise you from doing so.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± that got his attention. ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because, realistically speaking, it will simply not result in a more timely completion of the issued task. Nor will it likely increase the odds that it will be completed at all.


    I have to assume you know that removing a core from its dungeon effectively destroys the dungeon itself? Most self-respecting adventurers will not even consider accepting such a task. Especially not since any group that had the capabilities to actually do so in the first place would be far better served keeping it intact and treat said dungeon as their golden goose. Assuming they don¡¯t vastly out-level the dungeon and its inhabitants.


    And even then...


    Well. Of course, there are other reasons as well. Such as our regulations with which you are, of course, familiar.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he lied sheepishly, but was ignored.


    ¡°Or the resentment these people would inevitably incur from most, if not all, other groups and guilds in the area.


    No one sane wants to be responsible for setting off the second Dungeon Wars.


    Therefore dungeon cores usually only become available under circumstances where they have to be removed, not because someone actively chooses to do so. And at that point, basically, any coin such a core can earn is a net positive; after all, there is hardly any demand for those things - and therefore no competition that would drive up those prices.


    Not here at least, where the dungeon dense ecosystem and the economies of guilds and even whole countries are so tightly interconnected.¡±


    Pretending familiarity with the key points the clerk had brought up and which apparently constituted common knowledge, and nervously insuring her that there was no hurry and that of course it was not his intention to violate the local rules, Severin quickly excused himself and left the scene; the Society had accepted his issued task, but he could not resist the impression of having attracted some unwelcome attention to himself.


    For the next three quarters of an hour, Severin impatiently paced up and down in front of the docking tower he had been dropped off at and which had been designated as their meeting place.


    ¡°Seev!¡±


    ¡°There you are! How-¡±


    ¡°It was soo much fun!¡± the girl¡¯s excited, high-pitched voice immediately reassured Severin and made him forget all the other issues that had been on his mind.


    ¡°It was incredible! At first it was a bit scary, but then... we just fleeew through the trees. And we saw soo many strange animals and creatures. Even the plants were alive! It was amazing!


    But Severin¡­?¡± Abruptly the girl¡¯s bright demeanor changed. ¡°Now, please don¡¯t be angry, but¡­uhm the ring you have given me...¡±


    Abashed, Emily stretched out her little hands and revealed several fragments within in.


    ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t do anything. Once we were in the camp, it just suddenly broke! On its own! I swear. But it¡¯s okay! I promise I will replace it. I still have some savings, so please don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    With a feeling of sudden dread, Severin felt all color leave his face. He felt lightheaded and didn¡¯t know how to respond - apparently giving the girl the impression that everything was just fine, that her promise and her appeasement efforts had been successful in avoiding a scolding, and quickly continued with the recount of her adventures.


    ¡°Ah! But right after I noticed it breaking, we saw this biiig cat! You should have seen it! It was really cool. And really close too.¡±


    Slowly and with a twitching eyelid, Severin turned towards a fidgeting half-giant trying to hide behind the little girl.

 Chapter 189

    Severin continued shooting angry looks towards Samuel. But it was the oblivious girl who picked up on his displeasure and questioned him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Forcing himself to calm, he answered, ¡°Nothing, Em,¡± and suppressed the urge to hug the girl. Instead, he contended himself with ruffling her hair. ¡°I have just been very worried about you. That all sounded pretty dangerous, you know.¡±


    ¡°No way! Samuel was looking out for me. There was nothing to worry about! This was just the first floor of the dungeon. The monsters there are soo weak, you know, and since they can recognize the difference in strength, they would never approach Samuel. And as long as I stay close to him, his, eehm, aura, would conceal mine. So there was no danger at all!¡±


    Severin tried to be patient and let the girl recite the information she had clearly just been told herself. Only when she was done he said, ¡°Oh? What a relief,¡± while squinting above the girl¡¯s head and again in Samuel¡¯s direction. ¡°So he was taking care of you when you saw that cat?¡±


    ¡°Well, of- uhm. I mean, that was when we were in the camp with all the others. There were all kinds of people!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Severin said, still searching for eye contact with the [Berserker].


    ¡°Obviously!¡± she laughed.


    ¡°Obviously. You are right. Haha,¡± laughing a strained laugh, he again ruffled her hair. Before seemingly changing the subject.


    ¡°What do you say? Want to try some of the local food. While you were gone, I have be-¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes, please. That¡¯s the best day ever! Thank you so much.¡± The girl could not be stopped in her excitement.


    ¡°But only if you tell me some more about your trip.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Severin started backtracking his steps and led the small group towards the nearest of the food stands he had already scouted in advance, as the girl was overflowing with words, recounting her adventures.


    When they arrived at the stall, Severin produced some coins and pressed them into the girls¡¯ hands, holding them a bit longer than strictly necessary, the girl still too excited to notice.


    ¡°Get one of those skewers for each of us, will you?¡±


    ¡°Only o-¡±


    ¡°We will eat it on our way to the next stand over there,¡± he pointed a few meters ahead and quickly forestalled her objection.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she steamed off.


    Severin waited for a few moments until he was sure the bustle on the street put the girl out of earshot.


    ¡°So. Tell me! What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯-¡±


    ¡°The cat! What happened?¡± He demanded again.


    ¡°It¡¯s like she said,¡± still fidgeting but not trying to avoid the topic, Samuel finally gave in. ¡°It was a Margay. It is relatively harmless to humans and tends to avoid their contact. It either hunts prey that is smaller than itself or tries to lure it into an ambush by mimicking its prey¡¯s calls. Now, the dungeon variant is, of course, more cunning and daring, but even then, it wouldn¡¯t sneak into the camp of a whole raid group. So it¡¯s not some- ¡°


    ¡°Samuel!¡± Severin finally interjected, his patience running low.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ as I was saying. Its behavior was highly uncharacteristic, and judging by its size, it had to be a mutated specimen. Nothing anyone could have predicted. Even the regular ones are quite rare to begin with. But even then, I assure you, this sounds far mo-¡±


    ¡°There you go!¡± Way too soon for Severin¡¯s liking, Em came running back towards them. ¡°They let me skip the line! This really is the best day ever! Just look at the meat!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Em. But stop running with those skewers in your hand. If you stumble, you will only hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeees, Sev.¡±


    ¡°Your being overdramatic,¡± Samuel meekly came to Emily¡¯s defense. Causing Severin to swiftly turn around towards him. ¡°You!¡± he said, almost accusatory. But before he could say anything more than that, he was interrupted by his little assistant¡¯s smacking voice.


    ¡°Hmm. Shish ish shooo tashty! I-I wonda, wad,¡± Gulp, ¡±kind of meat this is.¡±


    Severin, who had only taken a few bites off his own skewer, had to reluctantly agree with her; it was very tasty, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to indulge.


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    Samuel, again in an attempt to smooth the waters, took this chance to change the topic of the conversation and begun to answer her question.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain, but it has to be some sort of dungeon monster. Like basically all the meat around here. Most of the fruit and vegetable are as well.


    That spicy flavor, though. That sting? That¡¯s the Adventurer¡¯s Spice I told you about. That one herb I showed you, remember? The one with the four lobed leaves and the thick stems?¡±


    ¡°Really? It tastes amazing.¡±


    But Severin was having none of it. With the sweetest and calmest voice he could muster in the current situation, he asked, ¡°Wanna go check out the next stall?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The girl, of course, readily agreed.


    Just a few meters further ahead-not a great enough distance for Severin to further question the girl - the scene of him pressing a few coins into the girl¡¯s hands repeated. And again, off she went.


    Set on continuing his talk with Samuel, he turned around. But this time the man, surprisingly, beat him to it.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry about what happened. The beast shouldn¡¯t have been able to sneak into the camp like that. Mutated or not. But there really wasn¡¯t any danger-¡±


    ¡°Five hundred,¡± Severin interrupted.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Severin took a deep breath before continuing; apparently the man wasn¡¯t quite aware of the extend of things and what had almost happened to Emily. ¡°That is the amount of damage that ring could prevent before breaking.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the incredulous question was followed by an audible, uncomfortable gulp. Similar to Severin¡¯s own initial reaction, Samuel¡¯s face now too was drained of all color. ¡°That is not what...¡±


    ¡®Not what?¡¯, Severin had the inclination to demand, but somewhat mollified by the-if in his opinion belated- reaction, restrained himself, and let the man finish his sentence.


    ¡°¡­ they had told me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean they told you?¡± Severin immediately blurted accusatory.


    Look at these! And how they smell!¡± again the young voice interrupted them at the worst conceivable time. Accordingly, grumpy was Severin¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Em! What did I say about running?¡±


    ¡°You only talked about skewers. Can¡¯t hurt myself with these, can I?¡± the girl said, pouting and while holding up the three disposable bowls she was carrying, each filled with what looked like to be deep fried vegetables topped with a blob of green sauce. Severin had to admit it truly did smell delicious, even if the color of the sauce wasn¡¯t quite as appetizing. Still, given his current mood, he had to force himself to down the stuff as he changed his approach.


    Ignoring Samuel for the moment, his full attention was now back of Emily, fully intent to figure out what exactly had happened.


    ¡°So, about that cat, Em.¡±


    ¡°It was soo cool.¡±


    ¡°Right. And you said that was inside the camp?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± she had already stuffed her face again. ¡°Ahlwedy dishmandld. It shudnly-¡±


    ¡°Swallow first.¡±


    Gulp


    ¡°It suddenly stood right behind me, wh-¡°


    ¡°Behind you!?¡±


    ¡°Seeev. Do you want me to tell you or not?¡±


    Silently, Severin made an apologetic gesture and let her continue.


    ¡°I suddenly tripped and for a moment thought something was passing by my head. Then I heard Miriam shouting that something was behind me. Well, and there it was. So cute, with its big eyes! Like a confused little kitten! Well, more like a big kitten. But¡­¡± at this point disappointment crept into her voice, ¡°¡­ Timothy immediately chased it away. I think he was just startled, hihi.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡± Severin asked with bated breath.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she answered, her voice now regretful. ¡°Miriam pulled me away towards the others. Left soon after.¡±


    ¡°Towards the others?


    ¡°Mhm. Sam was still talking to the [Pri- I mean Markus.¡±


    Severin¡¯s look towards him immediately prompted Samuel to speak up and explain himself.


    ¡°Once we arrived, I had to go report the situation to Markus,¡± he admitted. ¡°So I instructed the two to watch out for her. But this is not quite what they¡­ I guess that explains¡­¡± Dread, guilt and a hint of anger could be heard as Samuel began mumbling to himself to process the facts he himself quite obviously hadn¡¯t been privy to in its entirety.


    The person in question was already off again to the next stand when the man finally spoke up.


    ¡°In case it makes you feel better... Timothy got the thing. It is dead.¡±


    It followed a short awkward silence during which Severin again evaluated all the information and tried to calm himself. He was still very much upset, but noticeably softer and nodding to himself, he finally replied,


    ¡°It does.¡±

 Chapter 190

    Severin was glad to be finally back on his mountain. The day was far from over yet and there was still a lot of work waiting for him, but he didn¡¯t actually mind too much.


    At this point, he simply wanted to be left alone and clear his mind of everything that had happened this day.


    And so he decided to give Emily the rest of the day off, a gesture she only accepted after Severin assured her that the broken ring had been nothing but a good luck charm of little monetary value with no need for her to work it off.


    Even then she only accepted this excuse reluctantly, pointing out the charm¡¯s potency, as it obviously allowed her to have such an exciting day.


    Still, the prospect of being allowed to continue her feeding frenzy in the cafe, inevitably adding to Bandur¡¯s and Sabina¡¯s workload, was ultimately enough to sway the girl.


    Severin withdrew himself into the backroom behind the counter of the main store, and filled in for the girl.


    Not least to prepare for the imminent influx of customers as forewarned by Gillion, the only nominal, Severin suspected, guild leader of the Malcos Eagles.


    Already in his absence, a handful of said guild¡¯s members had arrived, stocked up on consumables, and immediately left again for one of the many surrounding dungeons or raids; over the next couple of hours this was bound to repeat many times over, and though the store¡¯s stock would probably still last throughout the day, tomorrow¡¯s business would be all the more impossible to take care of if he didn¡¯t already start craft supplies and instead also took the rest of the day off.


    Especially considering what was to come. Not just based on the two men¡¯s -meaning Samuel and Gillion- words, but also going by common sense, all this was merely a precursor of what was inevitably to come.


    With a huge mountain suddenly floating above a whole army worth of adventurers, the impossible to miss coming and going of his regulars, the Society¡¯s advertisement of his business as per their original agreement, the soon to be expected newly set dungeon records by the Eagles, and so many other smaller factors all coming together, it was only a matter of time-of days, at most- for the word of his arrival and the miraculous products he brought with him to spread far and wide; even though his current workload didn¡¯t allow him any more breaks and kept him from further working on these troublesome heating and cooling spheres, he knew this was still just the calm before the storm that would soon break over them.


    Faintly, he regretted not having used some of the time he had wasted during his earlier trip to the ground looking for an additional worker like the System had suggested him to; who knew when he would next find the time and opportunity to do so?


    Still, right now, he was as content as the day and its circumstances permitted him.


    The mountain of work waiting for him meant that even if he wanted to meet Markus, he would not actually have the time to do so.


    After having considerably calmed down, Severin finally accepted that this whole incident in the dungeon had in large parts been a freak accident, with Markus being the least responsible of all people involved. Still, he was not in the mood to see the young [Prince] just yet.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.Nor Samuel¡¯s two disciples who accompanied Markus when he arrived on the mountain just shortly after he had returned himself. Because these two certainly would have been more to blame than the former.


    Then again, they are basically still just children themselves and, by all accounts, acted exemplary and without hesitation once they actually realized what was happening. Still, he didn¡¯t want to see their faces.


    At least not until they returned from their dungeon conquering undertaking.


    But it wasn¡¯t just these people he didn¡¯t want to see, it was no one at all. Because in the end, the one person he blamed the most was actually himself. He secretly knew that it was him letting Emily tag along that consequentially exposed her to danger in the first place.


    Either way, even after realizing the severity of the incident that occurred inside the dungeon, the people in question would likely not have the time of day to drop by to see him personally, anyway. Time was of the essence, as their scheme as proposed by Gillion was already in full swing.


    Guild interests were at stake.


    Maybe even those of Malcos as a whole, considering the ties between the two factions and the fact that the one person Markus actually did confer with during his short time on the mountain, was his royal sister.


    That was after stopping at the front of house where old Krill assisted them restocking their consumables, when the group-that was Markus¡¯ entire squad, as well as Samuel and the two youths-made a stop at the cafe to get their food buffs.


    As if expecting her brother, Jasmine had already been waiting for them.


    For a moment Severin considered instructing Emily to eavesdrop and relay the conversation between the two siblings to him in real-time via their telepathic connection, but ultimately refrained from doing so; he wouldn¡¯t drag the girl into these kinds of matters.


    Certainly not today.


    Severin forced himself to ignore the System provided map of his property which until now he had a constant eye on and which allowed him to be aware of all of these things happening outside, and instead focused on his own work and productivity.


    Like that, Severin kept busy till well after the shop¡¯s closing time, and when he finally left the backroom, it was only because of Bandur¡¯s insistence. With the dwarf who must have had an even more stressful day than himself personally checking in on him, Severin had little choice but to give in and call it a day.


    After a busy day, the two of them sat side by side in front of the store, silently observing the mountain top. Even now people were still sitting in the already closed cafe and loud cheerful sounds could be heard coming from Magda''s place; things really had become lively recently.


    They had come far, and tomorrow would be another busy day.

 Chapter 191

    ext morning   Which he now feared he would then take out on Emily. Again.


    He would not allow his brooding and irate nature to ever again affect the girl


    Or so was his resolution; if Severin,  difficult


    But at least this morning and despite everything, he was trying his best to make a conscious effort.


    Not e


    Leaving his self isolation during which he


    Though torn  Today would likely be their busiest day yet, and it would only get worse over the next couple of days The response were some grunts and moans but overall the reaction only confirmed what he had already suspecte


    And Severin had a good idea as to why; especially


    It was because of the distinct difference of the nature of their respective jobs.


    The potions wouldn¡¯t distill faster because Emily put in more effort.


    The bread wouldn¡¯t bake any faster because Bandur willed it so.


    No, fundamentally, the biggest challenge for his two [Employees], would be the decreased downtime between their tasks- meaning fewer and shorter breaks- the tasks themselves, however, and their working speed would largely remain unaffected.


    That wasn¡¯t to say they would have it easy. But it was different for the two regular, non-system-bound workers.


    Without a classbearer¡¯s enhanced stamina and strength, that was.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    And as everybody knew, a few bad apples are enough to spoil the whole bunch.


    An offer, which, to his great surprise, but also his gratification, so far she had not made use of even a single time, a fact that only raised his opinion of her; not because he was reluctant banning people-paying customers, even- but because of the tenacity it spoke of; even if said tenacity was misplaced.


    Since he could not risk any sort of animosity forming between the two groups, however, he didn¡¯t want to let these two leave empty-handed either, and promised them a onetime bonus.


    While any form of additional pay would surely help his employees and [Employees] alike, endure the coming days, a way to downright decrease the burden on them would not just be preferable, but also much more sustainable.


    But instead of immediately implementing it, he first wanted the get the opinions of the people it would actually affect.


    You two naturally referred to Sabina and Bandur.


    That won¡¯t do. Boss,And they plan whole expeditions around those.


    Sure, they could still just order for take away whenever the right¡°If you ask me, you should instead simply increase your prices. A few gold coins for a meal¡­ it¡¯s absurd, but¡­ but even I understand these people would be willing to pay even more. Much more. Even if some didn¡¯t, overall, that would still mean greater profits, I¡¯m sure. And less work.¡±


    Severin Not just because he reminded himself of his newly made resolution Still, he could not keep entirely quiet, as this was a very sore point for him.


    <<hmm


    Well, then it seems

 Chapter 192

    Soon after everyone but Bandur left the kitchen, getting ready for work, the other great benefit Severin, Emily, and the dwarf shared over the two regular employees came into play.


    That was the telepathic connection the three of them shared with each other and which could, of course, be used for more than just allowing an upset boss to vent his frustrations about the careless words of an unsuspecting employee.


    Where, Krill¡¯s and Sabina¡¯s human contact was largely restricted to dealing with customers-the only real exception being Sabina¡¯s short interactions with Bandur when forwarding orders and picking up dishes- the three others could still freely communicate with each other, either in private one-on-one discussions, but also in a larger group chat, making for some welcome distraction during their, at times, rather monotonous work.


    And, of course, its scope was not limited to entertainment purposes.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand the implications of being the only supplier of products as unique and potent as those the Emporium had to offer.


    Severin held the sole monopoly and everyone understood that simply by that merit alone, the business, and therefore their work, would only ever increase.


    Business that was unfeasible to take care of with just five people.


    And so, with the importance of the issue apparent and the ability to communicate even when spatially separated, even after they had opened for business, the previous discussion, if in smaller number, was continued.


    At least for a while


    Severin was encouraging his [Employees] to keep brainstorming potential solutions and the business¡¯ direction as a whole with him. Sadly, to no avail.


    He had explicitly included Emily in this conversation, in the hope that she might offer a different view on things than the adults. After all, previous discussions, such as the one regarding the choice of a new subclass-even if he had ultimately disregarded her suggestion to go for the [Shipwright] class and instead became an [Artificer], a choice he had repeatedly regretted these last couple of days- she had proven herself more than capable to also consider the business side of things.


    Today, however, she could not be counted on to partake in the discussion. She seemed distracted; her eagerness to change the subject and talk about a, in her opinion, more exciting topic, was all too apparent.


    Which was, of course, referring to her yesterday¡¯s trip.


    Realizing it would be fruitless to try to continue the conversation under these circumstances and how much this meant to Emily, Severin decided to come back to the topic later, and for now, let her have her way. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have his own interested in a more detailed recount of the events, either.


    An eager, and just as unwitting in regards to the danger she had faced, Emily, as the day before, didn¡¯t have to be asked twice.


    Indeed, this time around the recount of her experiences had been even more detailed, making Severin¡¯s hair stand on end whenever she mentioned the growling of a creature that appeared so close but which she couldn¡¯t actually see, or when she described the sweet foul smells which, in his uneducated opinion, could only have been that of rotting flesh.


    Bandur, who heard the story for the first time, and who most of his life, and in a sense even now, was basically a non-classbearer, was similarly shocked. Especially when Severin secretly provided some commentary on the matter regarding the cute cat on a private side channel.


    But however nerve-racking her story had at times been, it certainly was captivating. Time passed quickly.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Only when at one point the girl began fawning over one of the adventurers in Markus¡¯ group, about how cool but also elegant the woman had looked whenever she was handling her weapon, how effortlessly she had moved through the dense undergrowth, and, how now Emily too wanted to be an [Archer] when she grew up, Severin decided it was time to cut her off; for a moment he might even have contemplated downright grounding the girl.


    ¡°Ahem, Emily,¡± he interrupted. ¡°I think it is about time to refill the shelves again. Come help me, will you?¡±


    ¡°Suuure!¡±


    Severin had a constant eye on their supplies, and while it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary to stop her as abruptly as he did, the fact that they needed to refill the shelves was not just an excuse.


    With the man behind the counter busy with his own work and having no direct access to the store¡¯s inventory anyway, more often than not, it fell to either one or both of the two people in the backroom to take care of that task.


    And now, with relatively few customers in the store which they could bother in the process- that was compared to the number during the rest of the day, so far-, was as good an opportunity as any.


    His interjection couldn¡¯t downright prevent Emily from continuing her story, and he had no interest in shutting her up completely, but, Severin figured, this might at least steer her thoughts towards something else, away from her aspirations of becoming an adventurer herself.


    The two emerged from the backroom behind the counter and stepped inside the store itself; indeed, the inventory in the shelves was running alarmingly low. Quickly Severin stepped forward, and, summoning consumables from the inventory into his hand, he then sorted them into the compartments on the upper half of the shelves. As practiced many times before, Emily did the same, focussing on the lower half.


    Like this, the well-coordinated team had already refilled several shelves and was now working near the entrance when the door opened and two peculiar people entered, drawing both their attention.


    Vaguely these people reminded Severin of Richard and of the woman he suspected to be an [Enchantress], the one he had observed in Hanvia¡¯s adventurer district.


    That was to say, while these two had some of their skin covered by scales, from what Severin could tell, the two newcomers were completely covered by them, making them without a doubt the two single-most non-human, and therefore somewhat disturbing looking inhabitants of this world Severin had met, more so even than the centaur-like people he had seen in Malcos.


    Involuntarily, taken aback by the strange, somewhat unsettling appearance, he took a small step backwards.


    The two newcomers either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°And you are sure this is the place?¡± Severin was sure he could hear something in the raspy voice, but couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, and too distracted to actually care.


    ¡°How many floaters housing stores and a Society office do you know of? What about that fortress? Have you not seen the flags?¡± A similarly raspy voice answered the first. And then added firmly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. This is the place.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± responded the one with the slightly lighter scales, clearly irritated by the barely disguised contempt in the voice of the other.


    ¡°Uhm. Excuse me. Welcome. To the Emporium. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Severin hadn¡¯t even noticed the girl leaving his side and approaching the newcomers.


    It was apparent that just like him, she too was similarly taken aback by their unfamiliar appearances. Still, her training and her position as the former salesperson demanded of her to do her best and to be a courteous host; Severin was more than gratified, when¡­


    Krrrssh


    A sudden snarling, hissing sound caused Emily to freeze on the spot. But she wasn¡¯t even given a glance.


    ¡°It dares talking to us! Look at it. Doesn¡¯t even have a class! And you still think this is the place?¡± The hateful words sounded almost smug.


    ¡°Hey!¡± taken aback by the sheer audacity, an enraged Severin roared at the person-the creature.


    But even then, Severin too wasn¡¯t spared even a single look. Instead, again, the lighter colored of the two only considered their scaled companion.


    ¡°See? How primitive they are. How loud. How rude. Surely if this was to be the- ¡±


    ¡°When will you learn? How often do I have to tell-¡± Clearly annoyed, the one with the darker scales didn¡¯t wait for the other to finish spewing their insults and started reprimanding them.


    Too late.


    Severin was already seeing red.


    ¡°Rude? I show you rude!¡±


    Surprised by his words, both of the scaled people turned towards him.


    The next instant, one of them disappeared.


    Plop

 Chapter 193

    ¡°¡°You speak our lan-!?¡± Only then did the realization that their companion who had been standing right next to them had, all of a sudden, disappeared, set in.


    ¡°Where is¡­ Hizgal! What have you-?¡± The scaled person became frantic. And instinctively knew the disappearance must have been related to Severin.


    ¡°What have you done? Where is the hizgal?¡± The lizard-like eyes on the almost featureless, scaled face, opened wide in panic, made for an almost funny sight. But not quite.


    He had just killed someone.


    Or maybe¡­ maybe that creature-or was it a person, after all? No. It was just a creature. It had to be; made it easier-, ...or maybe that creature was still in midair.


    Falling to its death. Even right now.


    Would that make it better? Or worse? Severin didn¡¯t know. He felt sick.


    ¡®Maybe they take less fall-damage?¡¯, he thought to himself. ¡®Is that a thing?¡¯ he doubted it.


    He crossed his arms, almost hugging himself, and said,


    ¡°We don¡¯t tolerate this kind of behaviour around here. Your friend has been blacklisted. That means they can no longer step foot on any of our properties. So wherever that¡­ Hisgal? fellow of yours is, it is no-¡±


    ¡°Friend? Hisg¡­? Human! Listen to me!¡± The creature took a sudden step forward, not at all looking funny anymore. Not in the slightest. But threatening. And maybe... fearful? Severin wasn¡¯t sure he could trust his senses right now, but assuming he could, Severin the feeling the creature felt just as sickened as himself.


    It was the only reason he didn¡¯t immediately blacklist that creature as well after its aggressive approach. That and the fact he didn¡¯t want to become a double murderer if it could be avoided. One more step, however, and...


    ¡°


    ¡®There had been no characteristic features to identify her as such. Neither in terms of visible characteristics, nor in terms of its deep, raspy voice. Then again, he had no point of reference to begin with. Who knew if that creature before him wasn¡¯t a female as well? And who knew what their male counterparts looked like?


    Severin kept his mouth shut and decided he wasn¡¯t too keen on ever finding out; he would be quite contend, never again coming in contact with any other specimen of their race, at all.


    this actually was- and preferably in a way that wouldn¡¯t cost another life.


    ¡°Your... lims...?¡± he started to inquire


    ¡°Limzahl, human! Limzahl. A¡­ how do you zay? A rreprezentative. To conduct negotiationz. To speak for the clan. Without Limzahl¡­ can¡¯t do buzinesz.¡±


    ¡°Not like I would do any business with her anyway,¡± Severin replied under his breath; and found out that the small holes on the side of his opposite¡¯s head made for much better ears than he had expected.


    ¡°Ooh! Zo you arre alzo Limzahl!¡±


    ¡°I am the owner of this store... if that¡¯s what you mean. I make the decisions, yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you muzt know. You understand the importanze of Limzahl. Of hizgal. Help me find it. Pleaze. You must know wherre to look.¡± By now the creature was almost begging him, dispelling all notions of fear and feelings of apprehension in Severin. Instead, he began to feel bad for the creature that, though initially not very forthcoming, had in fact reprimanded its now missing companion.


    Plus, he was curious. And hoping that, just maybe, he had been mistaken.


    That maybe that creature had somehow survived. After all, they had made it up here somehow. And it was a long way down - long enough to summon one¡¯s flying artifact, even?


    ¡°The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.¡°Maybe she is over therre?¡± the creature suggested once outside, pointing towards the direction of one specific building.


    ¡°As I said. Once someone is blacklist-¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the Zoziety! They arre-¡±


    ¡°-still on my property,¡± Severin completed, irritated by the interruption. Then, more forgiving, ¡°That¡¯s why I suggested asking around. To check whether someone saw where you lim-.. your companion has been pushed over the edge. Maybe I haven¡¯t made myself very clear. But all of this is my pr-


    ¡°


    ¡°But stopped and¡­


    ¡°Ah! Another one! So it¡¯s true. Lady Jasmine had suspected this was the case, but-¡± the agitated man forced his eyes away from the scaled creature and turned towards the originally intended receiver of the message he was so hastily sent to deliver,


    ¡°Severin? Your presence is requested. If you would do us the honor? We have some kind of... situation. And it is believed you might be able to resolve it.¡± during his last few words, the man once again had been solely focused on the one standing next to Severin; the latter didn¡¯t mind.


    He had totally forgotten that large parts of where the fortress was now standing- all apart from the small area containing the portal stations itself-, was not actually his property anymore, a fact, which the black hole on his minimap should have reminded him of immediately. This certainly would do it. Maybe he wasn¡¯t a murderer after all!


    ¡°You have found Limzahl? Where? Lead the way, human. Quickly!¡±


    Severin himself encouragingly nodded towards the uncertain guard- swiftly but not quite at running speed, the small group headed in the according direction.


    ¡°¡°Tzzz.¡± Going by its reaction, it was clear the creature didn¡¯t particularly liked that term. ¡°Tell uz, human. Iz she well? Why are you ztill keeping her?¡±


    ¡°Ah?! It spe- Yes, well, of course. The, ehm, saurian is well. Mostly. I think.¡±


    ¡°Moztly?¡± A long, split, blue tongue hissed out of the saurian¡¯s mouth. ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Well. We didn¡¯t¡­ we couldn¡¯t talk to... them? We have no interpreter stationed here. At the same time, it wasn¡¯t possible for the... for her¡­ to leave. It was almost like she was trapped by an invisible wall. At this point, she started getting aggressive. Even more so than before. But it was also at that point the Lady sent me looking for you.¡± This naturally referred to Severin, who by now had a pretty good idea of the situation.


    ¡°There you are! Come! Help me, get me out of here! These atrocious, scaleless softlings are holding me prisoner. You talk to them. That¡¯s the only reason you¡¯re here to begin with, no? To talk to them. Who else would bother learning such a primitive language?¡±


    ¡°Enough! Haven¡¯t you already done enough harm already? Do you still not realize the position you have put us it?¡±


    ¡°How dare you! How dare you speak to your Limzahl like that? Do I have to remind you of-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about being Limzahl! Not after insulting another clan¡¯s Limzahl.¡± With that, the darker scaled saurian pointed towards Severin, who, he suspected, was in fact the only one present, able to follow the conversation between the two; the System¡¯s [Language Mastery] be thanks. ¡°You think you can still conduct business for our clan now? Instead of opportunities, you only brought us shame!¡±


    A moment of hesitation.


    Then another outburst.


    ¡°¡°Enough! You had your chance!¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t clearly see what happened after this shout. It happened too quickly, all in an instant.


    But what he did know was that his decision to have Emily stay behind in the store was the right one to make.


    Two bloodied short-swords, nonchalantly wiped clean, before disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.


    An elaborately decorated necklace taken from a headless neck.


    A lightly scaled head being picked up.


    And then being presented to him.


    ¡°I am Limzahl now. Zo we can do buzinezz now, no?¡±

 Chapter 194

    Far from even just contemplating to do so, he instead tried his best not to empty his stomach contents over the detached head.


    He wanted to tear himself away from the gruesome sight, but¡­ the cold, dead eyes. They stared right at him, full of hate and demanding his attention.


    Was it for him? For the perceived slight of misleading her? For allegedly pretending to be someone he wasn¡¯t?


    Or was it directed towards that other saurian? Did she, in the last split second of her life, perceive her approaching death?


    But either way, the situation as a whole was enough to make his blood run cold.


    All warmth left his body and with it, everything around him seemed to slow down; everything felt muted; it was like he was in his own small bubble.


    He was aware of a voice calling out, but only vaguely, and it didn¡¯t quite manage to reach through to him.


    His mind was in too much of a mess.


    A sudden realization set in.


    Had taken responsibility for other people, including even for a small girl he grew to hold dearly and for whom-even if he had yet to quite realize it himself- he had developed almost paternal-like feelings.


    On a daily basis, he saw and interacted with all kinds of different people, some of which belonging to races he previously thought to exist only in fantastical stories .


    He had gotten used to the fact that magic was a real thing. No, not just magic, but all kinds of supernatural phenomenons; floating mountains and monster-overrun dungeons included.


    For some inexplicable reason he had even accepted and come to live with the fact that some parasitic thing, calling itself System, nested in his brain and tried to dictate his actions.


    But this incident was a clear reminder. A reminder that, based on the reactions of the bystanders, he was still an outsider after all.


    Just how casually these people dealt with death. No, with murder.


    It was clear that the inhabitants of this world -at least the class-bearing kind- were simply too used to sights like this.


    Of course, on an intellectual level, he had always been aware of that fact.


    The countless stories of dungeon monsters wiping out whole groups of people proved that, for them, death was just another workplace hazard.


    And the widely popular tales of adventurers¡¯ justice, which had always struck him as particularly cruel, should have long told him that under the wrong circumstances, even murder was easily acceptable, sometimes even celebrated.


    Now it had become reality. And reality was that the surrounding people showed a, in Severin¡¯s mind, disturbingly callous lack of¡­ well, any kind of sensible reaction; to the point of which it was hard for him to even swallow and accept the fact that this was supposed to be normal.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.Not that there weren¡¯t any reactions at all. Sure, the moment they realized the dark scaled saurian had drawn their two weapons, so did the guards, ready to pounce on the creature at a moment¡¯s notice.


    The moment it became clear there was no acute danger either to them, the visitors who came and went through the portal, or, most importantly, their royal charge, however, it became clear they didn¡¯t really care. As if it had nothing to do with them and, therefore, was of no interest.


    As for the creature holding up the leaking head, most seemed to regard it more with a sense of morbid curiosity, as if this was part of some exotic, foreign ritual, than with fear and apprehension.


    ¡°My saurian friend, I fear Severin over here is not particularly comfortable with the¡­ say, messy nature of your customs. Please don¡¯t be offended by his refusing of your offering; I am certain he means no insult.¡±


    ¡°¡°I am the administrator of this malconean enclave. You can call me Jasmine,¡± answered the owner of the hand that still rested on Severin¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It is my understanding that he is not originally from here. Meaning from this continent at large. Which might also explain his outlandish wares, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°Iz that zoo? Vell then.¡±


    It followed a shrug with its scaled shoulders and a look that seemed to say ¡®your loss; more for me¡¯. The head, and shortly after the torso it just recently had been attached to, disappeared into the same void of nothingness that had previously swallowed the two shortswords.


    ¡°There was no ridicule in its tone, or anything that suggested even in the slightest the creature might doubt Jasmine¡¯s previous claim; it was making a simple observation.


    ¡°¡°But alas - it seems our friend could do with some rest and a strong drink. Then, I¡¯m sure, he will be more than happy to do business with you.


    Plus, I think we two have some business to discuss ourselves.¡±


    ¡°¡°I think we do. You have put us in something of a bind, you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do not. Vat arre you zayying?¡±


    ¡°I am saying, just as I did earlier, that we are currently in a maybe small, but certainly very important part of Malcos. Meaning that technically, you have committed murder inside of Malcos¡¯ jurisdiction. The murder of the Clemenscale Clan¡¯s Limzahl, judging by the markings on your hisgal, nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Hum-¡± started the scaled creature, at last starting to lose its cool.


    ¡°Yes, yes, please.¡± Jasmine tried to further appease the saurian. ¡°I understand the transfer of office cannot be compared to ordinary murder. Still, formalities, you understand?


    Look at this as more of an opportunity to deepen the relationship between our two clans. Isn¡¯t that also part of a Limzahl¡¯s responsibilities?¡±


    ¡°You zeem to knoow a lot about uz and ourr cuztomzz. For a human.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, an indicator of my sincerity, don¡¯t you think? And something we seem to have in common, judging by your most impressive mastery of our language.¡±


    ¡°Grrr, glib-tongued, smooth-scaled devil,¡± the saurian snarled as it conceded.


    ¡°Ha, please, follow me.


    And you, Greg, be so good and escort Severin here back to his store, will you?


    And pack a bottle dwarven spirits; the good one.

 Chapter 195

    On the one hand, he was grateful to Jasmine for her intervention. On the other, he was upset with her for speaking on his behalf, claiming he would be willing to do business with the creature in the future.


    Not because he was unwilling to do so. But because he simply didn¡¯t know yet.


    Then again, he understood her motivation, or at least he thought he did.


    Even Jasmine probably didn¡¯t quite realize just how disturbing, how just not-normal this whole incident was for him, who, quite literally, came from a whole different world.


    Even if she did, did she even care? After all, she most definitely had her own agenda in all of this. Even in his current state, it had been obvious that it hadn¡¯t been for his sake- not exclusively at least- when she insisted on talking with the creature in private; obviously she pursued a political goal which might or might not concern the whole of Malcos. And ultimately that was her one, first and foremost obligation as the [Princess] - to further the interests of Malcos as a whole; assuming anything else, that she acted solely out of concern for him, would most definitely be a mistake, he thought, disillusioned.


    clans had to discuss would occupy them for at least a few hours until after closing time.


    The doubts. And the overwhelming sense of guilt that came with it.


    All this would never have happened if he hadn¡¯t blacklisted that creature to begin with. If only his temper hadn¡¯t once again gotten the better of him just because of some stupid words.


    He had no obligation entertaining such behaviour in his store. Someone like that was not welcome here; especially not since it was them wanting something of him, and not the other way round.


    No, it was the only correct choice to deny that creature entry to his premises and access to his wares.


    It was just that¡­ for its transgression, he had been willing to go so far as to drop the creature to its death. The fact that things turned out different than originally intended, didn¡¯t change the morality of his actions.


    The outcome was ultimately the result of his actions-just that instead of colliding with the ground a few kilometers below them, the creature instead collided with a sword.


    No, it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, of course not. But it was close enough for Severin to lose his mind.


    Maybe he had set something in motion. Maybe the moment he had pulled the trigger, blacklisting the creature, its fate had already been sealed?


    Who knew in this world?


    ¡°¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you have just been standing there. Are... are you okay? What happened?¡± The anxious expression on the girl¡¯s face and the realization that he really had just been standing there for at least a whole minute only intensified his feelings of guilt and shame.


    ¡°Ye-yes, of course. Everything is fine. I am fine. I have just been thinking; nothing serious.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Are you... sure?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sure. Come here.¡± Saying that, it was he who took a step forward and walked towards the unconvinced girl, giving her a big hug; just as much to reassure her as to reassure himself.


    Until...


    ¡°¡°Ooutch!! Fuck!¡± involuntarily Severin flinched with his burnt hand, knocking over a whole array of glassware.


    The second outburst was harsher than the first.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck this shit! Fuck this whol-¡± Just in time, he managed to stop himself from saying something he might later regret.


    And on the very same day he had pledged to better himself and to be more considerate of Emily¡­


    ¡°¡°I am sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I¡¯m fine. Why don¡¯t you call it a day? I¡¯ll take care of this mess. I-¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are-¡±


    ¡°Yes. Really.¡± Again, he cut her off, with more emphasis than he intended. ¡°The kitchen should still be open for a few more minutes. I¡¯m sure if you hurry up, Bandur will whip something up for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Again the small voice.


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t rest. He knelt down on the floor and, silently, began picking up the scattered shards of broken glass.


    Click


    ¡°¡°Quite the mess you made here, lad.¡±


    ¡°Bandur? What are you doing here?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I should be asking you that question? Emily¡­ seemed concerned, you know?¡±


    ¡°Sigh ¡°I told her not to worry.¡±


    In response, the dwarf crossed his arms.


    ¡°Really? Looks very worrisome to me. So, tell me, what happened? I heard some talk about a group of saurians making trouble?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you people around here call it? Trouble?! Yeah, I guess a fucking cut off head could be considered troublesome!


    Fuck! Got to be kidding me! People act like it¡¯s nothing. Like somehow I¡¯m the insane one. What a joke. But I guess I should have known that after that spectacle during the Games. Some straight up medieval stuff going on, and people are celebrating it like it¡¯s some fucking movie! All fun and games, and the messier the better. Of course I shouldn¡¯t be surprised! Shit. Like unciv-¡± Again Severin stopped himself, but unlike earlier when he talked to Emily, this time he had already said more than enough; he felt he crossed a line.


    ¡°


    ¡°

 Chapter 196

    It was the one topic he didn¡¯t really want to talk about. Or rather, the one topic he was afraid to talk about.


    But now... maybe that was simply the price he had to pay for his outburst. If he wanted to make things right, that was. He felt like he could hardly decline the request. Partly because he was tougher on himself than Bandur was.


    not divulging.


    He carefully evaded the many glass shards on the floor until he stopped next to his boss, where he noticed a certain, still intact, bottle standing on one of the workbenches.


    ¡°Quickly, almost comically so, the small man leaped forward and grabbed the bottle situated above him. With practiced ease, he removed the cork in a matter of seconds, seemingly with his bare hands.


    The next moment, he was taking a big gulp, right out of the bottle.


    ¡°Aaah, that¡¯s the good stuff,¡± he said, sounding almost surprised, as if he had not quite believed the large label on the bottle¡¯s front.


    ¡°¡°That was the only one, right? You didn¡¯t destroy any?¡± With a panicked look that bore a stark contrast to his calm demeanor of when he first entered the room, even after seeing the mess Severin had created, he now scanned the floor. Only after finding no shards of the same brown-green tint as the bottle in his hands in-between the many transparent fragments of destroyed laboratory equipment, did he breathe an audible sigh of relief.


    ¡°With that said, Bandur took another sip after which he wiped his beard-covered mouth with the back of his hand, making him look more than ever like one of the dwarves Severin knew from his world¡¯s stories, instead of the nobleman the small man actually was.


    Only then did he hand over the bottle; that was, he roughly stuffed it bottle into Severin¡¯s stomach, prompting him to drink.


    The later accepted the bottle, and gladly obliged.


    ¡°Paah!¡± he almost spat. ¡°Refined my ass!¡°


    ¡°Haha, it is an acquired taste, I¡¯ll give you that much. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there, eventually.¡±


    ¡°Ha, it tastes like it¡¯ll leave me blind if I take even just another sip.¡± Resigned to this situation he had caused himself, Severin momentarily found some of his humor back; despite his unflattering evaluation of the ghastly drink that was more burn than taste, he laughed and again raised the bottle to his mouth.


    Another sip, another curse, and he handed the bottle back over.


    ¡°What a swill. I needed that.¡±


    ¡°Swi-?! Aah, nice try.


    But seriously now, talk to me. Tell me about where you¡¯re from. What¡¯s it like? It can¡¯t truly be that different.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Severin repeated. On the surface, it was such a simple question. But he found it more difficult to answer than he initially thought.


    ¡°It is... was¡­ well, different.¡±


    Bandur¡¯s response was a look that seemed to say no shit, causing Severin to realize he had to be more specific than this.


    The most obvious difference would of course be the existence of magic and all the other stuff that came with it, and while this was still a topic he wanted to avoid if he could, he felt it wasn¡¯t even the most crucial point in this discussion, anyway; it wasn¡¯t magic why he had been so upset. If anything, the magic of this world, which in Severin¡¯s mind also included his System, had been the one thing he had come to accept with surprising ease.


    No, it was the local customs-if one could call them that-which had left him so troubled.


    ¡°We don¡¯t pretend someone being killed in broad daylight and without reason is in any way normal or acceptable, for instance.¡± As he was saying that, an even more scary thought came to him.


    ¡°This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.No, more than that, they enjoy it. I have seen it in Malcos, in the Arena. The bloodier the better, they-¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses now, lad!¡± Severin was about to talk himself into another frenzy, when Bandur turned serious and firmly interrupted him.


    ¡°It is my understanding that whatever happened this afternoon at the outpost was a very unfortunate incident, one which can not be judged by normal standards, with several political intricacies that need to be taken into account. But let me assure you of one thing. If it had been a regular citizen that had been assaulted in the same fashion, there would have been consequences. Serious ones. As for the good and hard-working people of Malcos, I won¡¯t have you slander them. I don¡¯t see anything wrong with them enjoying a good fight every once in a while. They don¡¯t have much else, do they?¡±


    ¡°A good fight? They were killing each other! And-¡±


    ¡°And never on purpose! There are rules in place to prevent exactly that. And they join out of their free will, fully aware of all potential dangers, and-¡±


    ¡°AND,¡± Severin now interrupting the dwarf in turn, to finish his own sentence ¡°the fact they don¡¯t have anything else to do, to look forward to, is very much a problem in itself! A city full of magic! And you tell me that is the best they can do? Organize a slaughter every few years, have them celebrate a bloodbath, and call it a day?


    And while we¡¯re at it, lets no forget dungeon diving itself! Sure, at least they are only getting themselves killed¡­¡± at this point, he had to pull himself together not to think about Emily¡¯s dungeon incident again,¡±¡­but they are risking their lives, not once, but on a daily basis. And for what? Think about it!


    We both know the amount of money they make! Even the most inexperienced adventurer with one single dive makes more than some regular folk make in a whole year. And yet they go in there again and again. When they could instead simply retire and live out their lives in peace and quiet. But they don¡¯t want peace, do they?! At this point, they are obsessed with death. They want-


    ¡°Severin!¡± came another admonition. ¡°You¡¯re overdoing it.


    And what are you even trying to say? That you are looking down on this place? Its people? Its customs?¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°The Games unite a whole continent of people, you know? And even if you were right with your claims- for which, by the way, I have yet to see even the slightest indicator, much less actual proof-then whose fault do you think that would be? The common folks¡¯? Certainly not, I would hope.


    As for adventurers risking their life. What¡¯s wrong with that? You make it sound as if this was some foreign concept and not a universal truth that as long as there are people with classes, there will be people diving dungeons.


    And aren¡¯t you the same?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± ¡°


    Isn¡¯t that why you are here, in the first place? To take the very same gold people died for, for yourself? To take advantage of the behaviour you condemned? You. No, we. We profit from these people risking life and limb without, in turn, risking anything substantial ourselves. So how can you judge them, following their nature?


    Just as we do what we do, because we are [Shopkeeper] and [Employee],


    they do what they do, because they are [Warrior], [Berserker], and [Barrier Mage].


    It¡¯s what gives us levels. It is what we are supposed to do. It is the order of this world!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You say that, but explain that to someone who doesn¡¯t have a class to begin with, why levels are so important! Why a class dicta-¡±


    ¡°Sev! Do I have to seriously remind you how I ended up here in the first place?¡±


    Now just as agitated as Severin, Bandur took another big gulp to calm himself, after which the former immediately requested the bottle for himself.


    Both men, each annoyed with the other, sat there quietly, having their own thoughts.


    ¡°People here have their flaws, Severin, we all do. And I should know it better than most. But while I don¡¯t know how people do things where you are from, I can¡¯t imagine it to be truly all that different.


    But before I hope you finally tell me the real difference in our ways, let me first tell you one thing.


    Herbs. Ores. Meats. Pelts. Skins. Woods. Artifacts! We wouldn¡¯t have access to a vast majority of the resources we so heavily depend on. That goes not just Malcos, but for all of Galira. Society as we know it simply wouldn¡¯t function without adventurers and their sacrifices.


    And just how I can¡¯t believe these aspects to be all that different from where you are from, I don¡¯t believe your people don¡¯t have to make some, at times, unsavory compromises when it comes to politics.


    People here aren¡¯t obsessed with death, as you put it.


    They just don¡¯t fear it. They have learned to live with it. They are simply pragmatic.¡±


    He would first have to calm down. Then he would try his best to let go of his pre- and postjudices as much as possible. He would control his emotions, and, once calmed down, evaluate Bandur¡¯s words by their own merit. Not just because he didn¡¯t want to drive him away, but because at least that much he owed the dwarf. And after that¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this could be possible, but I heard you have been quite the adventurer yourself in the past. Maybe you wanna talk to me about that as well?¡±


    ¡°You, what?!¡± Severin blurted involuntarily.


    ¡°Not my words. Em¡¯s. Something about being a Dragonslayer? Ring any bells?¡±


    ¡°Em did...? A Dragons-¡± Then came the realization.


    ¡±Ooooh, fuck!¡±

 Chapter 197

    "Obviously¡± Bandur concurred, but gave Severin a look that made clear he wouldn¡¯t leave it at that.


    Severin once again had to rack his brain for an acceptable explanation.


    But he quickly dismissed this approach. Not only because the dwarf deserved better, but also because Severin was aware enough of himself and his demeanor to understand just how unbelievable this story would be if he was the one telling it. Because of their previous argument they just had, and also because he simply didn¡¯t come across like an explorer; not to speak of the specialized knowledge that would come with such a profession and which he quite obviously lacked.


    It would only lead to a whole bunch of unpleasant followup questions he couldn¡¯t answer without burying himself in an even deeper hole of lies, inevitably damaging their relationship in the process.


    No, telling a half-lie would definitely be a more preferable option. He could maybe talk about an array of interconnected artifacts which allowed its users to temporarily change their class, while placing them in some sort of alternate reality where one could meet and group up with other such users, to fight the projections of all kinds of horrible monsters, without actually having to risk one¡¯s life.


    Maybe he could sell it as some kind of advanced combat simulator; that way, he might be able to explain any misunderstandings that had occurred while at the same time saving face.


    Most importantly, this explanation, he felt, was close enough to the actual truth for him not to feel like he was deceiving the man. He would at worst have to embellish some parts that otherwise, in the context of this world¡¯s level of technology, wouldn¡¯t make any sense.


    But, he also realized, this explanation would still sound incredibly farfetched, maybe even more so than straight up lying, which was the option he had already dismissed.


    But In that case, even saying nothing at all would be preferable.


    Then maybe¡­


    Then why go through with it in the first place? Was it his buried desire to share and belong? Or simply the alcohol?¡®


    Well, here goes nothing.¡¯


    ¡°Whatever I¡¯m going to tell you next, most definitely falls under our confidentially agreement. You understand?¡±


    Saying these last two words, he opened his eyes and looked straight into Bandur¡¯s, making sure the threat of soul erasure was understood.


    Yet he didn¡¯t hesitate for longer than the few instants it took him to process Severin¡¯s words.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Bandur replied solemnly.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Once he answered, there would be no going back¡­


    Another sip, and before he could change his mind, Severin finally began to speak.


    ¡°¡°Well, ye-¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°Bandur,¡± he interrupted, ¡°I am not talking about different continents.¡±


    ¡°I don-. Wha- What do you mean?¡±


    Then a vague sense of understanding; but not of acceptance.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°Ha-ha?¡± nervous laughter.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time for you to hand over that bottle, lad? Tha- That sound like something straight out of the Travelers¡¯ Chronicles.¡±


    Was this supposed to be a joke? Had his boss gone insane?


    His very soul was at stake for this?


    Surely not. Severin¡¯s eyes were still clear, and the look in them was too serious, too grave. But then¡­


    ¡°¡°I¡¯m from a different world, Bandur. I mean literally.¡±


    ¡°B-But that¡¯s... how? From where? No way. I mean, a whole world? With no magic? And no classes? That, that makes no sense! How could such a world function? There is no way. And what do you mean, only humans? No dwarves? That¡¯s absurd. What about elves, then?¡± The more Bandur actually considered the explanation, the more torn he became. On the one hand, the look he gave Severin was almost pleading, pleading that in fact all this was a big prank after all.


    On the other, his excitement was just as obvious.


    ¡°This time Severin didn¡¯t refuse the man.


    Gulp


    ¡°Do you actually have¡­¡±


    ¡°...have proof?¡± Severin completed, ¡°No. Not direc-.¡± He stopped himself. ¡°You know what? Maybe I do. One second.¡±


    Party A hereby undertakes to Party B, and under penalty of extreme physical pain, to answer truthfully one question regarding their origin.


    Party A at the bottom of the short document, intent on putting down his signature; but was stopped by a small but strong hand.


    ¡°¡°Are y-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure! Just, just give me a moment to... I mean¡­ another world? Really? That¡¯s¡­ How? How did you come here? How did you get¡­ become a [Shopkeeper]? You said you didn¡¯t have a class before? Just¡­¡± Bandur was looking for the right words, still not quite believing what Severin was saying, not because he didn¡¯t trust Severin-his gesture the moment earlier, him refusing the magic contract, made clear that trust wasn¡¯t the issue-, but because even to someone accustomed to the existence of magic, all this was simply too outlandish and overwhelming.


    In the end, the dwarf simply said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°know it can communicate.


    Which makes me believe that it¡¯s not quite like the other classes you guys have around here. Admittedly, the menu says it is a unique-grade class, but I¡¯m not quite conv-¡±


    ¡°¡°Never mind that for now, I have some burning questions myself.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Bandur began to protest. ¡°Well, fine. But we¡¯ll come back to this later!¡±


    ¡°But first tell me about those chronicles you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Chron-? You mean the Travelers¡¯ Chronicles?! It¡¯s nothing. Just a collection of silly children¡¯s sto- ¡° His eyes suddenly widened.


    ¡°Ooh.¡±

 Chapter 198

    The same was true for Severin, who finally shared his biggest secret with someone else.


    That said, the latter knew-for a fact, even-he could trust Bandur with this knowledge. Also, he had had more time to mentally prepare himself for this occasion; he wasn¡¯t the one whose whole worldview had just abruptly and fundamentally changed; for him, that experience had already come some months ago when he first woke up in this place.


    As such, despite his own excitement and despite the alcohol he had consumed, Severin was by far the more clearheaded of the two.


    He had immediately picked up on that term.


    Traveler


    The fact that it immediately came to Bandur¡¯s mind after hearing Severin¡¯s, at the time, outlandish claim, only made it that much more intriguing.


    So much so that he hardly had the patience to answer Bandur¡¯s most burning questions, and instead was intent on interrogating the dwarf in turn.


    ¡°¡°It¡­ it¡¯s a collection of several children¡¯s stories. Most people know them.


    Well, at least of them.


    They are about-¡± Bandur cut off and simply stared at the human.


    ¡°About what, Bandur? Talk to me!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Bandur nervously opened his mouth, moistening his lips and leaving Severin in agonizing suspense, before finally continuing with a raspy voice,


    ¡°I think you might not have been the only one to cross over, after all.¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    So it was as he had suspected. Still, the revelation left Severin momentarily for words.


    Luckily, this time around, Bandur didn¡¯t need to be urged to continue,


    ¡°Each of its stories is the tale about the deeds and exploits of some otherworldly champion.¡±


    Sadly, though, for the moment, this was all he had to offer.


    ¡°So?¡± Severin asked impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me hanging. Tell me more!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, lad! Despite my looks, I have quite some years under my belt. I¡¯m not the youngest anymore and I¡¯m not in the habit of reading children¡¯s stories, you know.¡±


    Severin rolled his eyes. ¡°You got to remember something. At least tell me what¡¯s a champion? Is it a class?¡±


    ¡®Because if it is, then there goes the theory,¡¯ he thought to himself but didn¡¯t say the words out loud, since by then Bandur was already answering him.


    ¡°¡°Gods?!¡±


    When he first arrived in this world, the thought of divine intervention as the cause of his circumstances, of course, crossed his mind. As did reincarnation or some sort of summoning ritual.


    Ever since, however, no indicator for either of those possibilities had revealed themselves to him, and as such, all thoughts of the matter had been discarded.


    That was until now.


    ¡°Gods,¡± he repeated, ¡°do they exist!?¡±


    shrug


    ¡°If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Severin understood where the dwarf was coming from with that last remark, but he wasn¡¯t sure he agreed. If anything, in his mind, the involvement of some god, assuming they even existed, had become less likely, not more; at least if that small tidbit regarding champions was to be trusted. After all, if he was indeed brought over to this world by some deity and was now considered to be their champion, wouldn¡¯t he know about that?And besides.


    Where was the obligatory meeting with his patron god in the in-between?


    Where was the introduction? The manual?


    The purpose?


    No, Severin didn¡¯t believe that explanation. Still, this was his one and only lead, and he would be a fool not to follow it.


    Either way, Bandur didn¡¯t actually expect an answer to his rhetoric question and instead continued as it seemed some of his childhood memories were slowly coming back to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure regarding the specifics, but the general theme of these stories was some champion traveling the continent, spreading their respective god¡¯s teachings and thereby spreading their faith. This, most importantly, was always done through actual work and effort, never just preaching, and changed the lives of everyone around them for the better.


    ¡°Lauter?¡± came the intermediate question.


    ¡°God of charity and compassion,¡± Bandur explained.


    ¡°His champion, wherever he traveled, established community shelters for all kinds of people in need.


    Be it children without parents, elderly with no family, disabled people who struggled to cope on their own, and so on. Everyone who was in need of help, really; he created a safe space where they all could live together under one big roof.


    Those shelters were set up in such a way that everyone did what they could to help, relying on everyone¡¯s strengths to cover each other¡¯s weaknesses and shortcomings.


    The able cared for the unable, the educated taught the uneducated.


    The old nourished the young, and the young nursed the old.


    That sort of place.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great in theory, b-¡± Severin hold his tongue just in time to suppress a cynic remark; now wasn¡¯t the time.


    Fortunately, Bandur either didn¡¯t catch or simply ignored Severin¡¯s faux pas,


    ¡°Indeed. So great, in fact, that wealthy adventurers started donating large amounts of money. In part to help out those of their more unfortunate former companions who had sustained grave injuries-both physical and mental in nature-and now lived in those institutions, but also as some kind of insurance in case they themselves should ever find themselves in a similar situation in the future.¡±


    ¡°God of medicine and wisdom.¡± Bandur this time clarified before Severin could interrupt him again. ¡°The churches dedicated to her, even to this day, are basically all hospitals, housing associated schools which aim to promote medical knowledge and general skills amongst classbearers and non-classbearers alike.


    Long story short, before her champion¡¯s intervention, medicine that could be practiced by non-classbearers wasn¡¯t really a thing; most such healers were either crooks, or, the few with actual skills, didn¡¯t usually impart their knowledge to others.


    As for those classbearers with healing capabilities, few of them offered their services for free or for the pittance regular folk could afford, when instead they could work for either a guild or some rich nobles. That¡¯s not to say that those adventurers and nobles were all heartless monsters who would deprive the general populace of healing, but it wasn¡¯t quite as widely accessible as it should have been.


    Well, until in Heidel¡¯s name, the first clinics had been established and the previously tightly guarded secrets that allowed even classless people to cure others were publicly taught.

 Chapter 199

    And, after a short stretch of silence, finally asked,


    ¡°Were they humans? Those champions I mean.¡±


    shrug


    ¡°And yet another shrug, though this time accompanied by the dwarf shaking his head.


    ¡°Sorry, lad. No clue. I told you what I know. As I said, you might want to get a full copy if you want to know any more than that.


    Or you could always just ask someone else. Ask Samuel.¡±


    ¡°¡°What do you mean, suspicious? Suspicious of what? That you¡­ aren¡¯t from here?¡±


    ¡°No, not that, but¡­ He had remarked how summoning new buildings out of nowhere reminded him of dungeon cores and how those tend to seemingly create things out of nothingness. Also mentioned some sort of fluctuations; or the lack thereof. Not really sure myself on that one.


    In any case, ever since I mentioned that I was looking for another dungeon core, he seems convinced that I somehow can harness a core¡¯s power. Thinks others will reach the same conclusion. So for now, I don¡¯t really want to give him any more strange ideas.¡±


    ¡°would make sense, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not just from their perspective, I fear. Told me about how these things can seemingly communicate with their monsters even across longer distances. And apparently without leaving a trace. Just like the-¡±


    ¡°Like the chat feature, as you call it,¡± the dwarf completed.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Severin nodded. ¡°And not just that. All these things, the buildings, the materials, the knowledge. They all have to come from somewhere.


    As does the gold I spend in its store, by the way. Plus,¡± Severin hesitated for a moment. But alas. At this point, he might as well reveal everything.


    ¡° ,the thing I mentioned earlier. I think it reacted to my words. It opened a menu on its own.¡±


    ¡°¡°I¡¯m not trying to say anything,¡± Severin therefore tried to calm him, but also himself. ¡°Only that we have to consider all possible options. No matter how unlikely and far-fetched they might seem. I mean, it doesn¡¯t necessarily have to mean anything. Other classes have to be fueled by something as well. No? And it is a [unique] class, after all, so who knows?¡°


    ¡°all the information? Maybe someone like him, who¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± This time Severin¡¯s refusal was even more firm than before. ¡°I know where you are coming from, but no. I understand Samuel means well. That he is trustworthy. But this matter goes beyond simply trusting someone.


    Besides, I¡­ we¡­ aren¡¯t the only people he has to consider. You know his relationship with Malcos better than I do. How close he is with Ringald and his children. Can you guarantee that when¡­¡± Severin shook his head. Too much that could go wrong when politics was involved. Or faith.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I understand if you feel uncomfortable with¡­ well, whatever this is, and I won¡¯t hold it against you if you decide to term-¡±


    ¡°Stop it, don¡¯t even try. I will not back out of this, Sev. You will not get rid of me quite this easily. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Even if he wasn¡¯t currently as busy as he was, going himself, Severin felt, he would only draw unnecessary attention, and, consequentially, suspicion, onto him; that may have been him simply taking Samuel¡¯s words too much to heart, though.


    Still, on a first glance, asking someone else to get it for him seemed like better suited alternative to him. On a second glance, however, this ultimately would be no different from directly questioning that person about the stories and would draw just as much attention.


    The only exception would probably be Emily. But, even disregarding the fact that the girl was currently just as indispensable, in terms of workforce, as Bandur, the girl at times was surprisingly quick on the uptake. There was a chance for her to catch on to not necessarily the truth, but to something. And involving her was not an option.


    It would involve either lying to her or telling the truth.


    The former was something Severin didn¡¯t want to do.


    The latter was something he couldn¡¯t afford to do; he wasn¡¯t afraid of her exposing his secret on purpose, but doing so on accident was a very real possibility; especially for a child. Expecting her to keep silent about interdimensional traveling, about potentially be some sort of champion, or whatever else this might be, was just not realistic.


    And the risk not worth it; not just the risk to him, but also the risk to her soul.


    ¡®Yes, he would look more into it if he ever got the opportunity, but there was no hurry.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me, anyway.¡¯ That was Severin¡¯s conclusion; more so even after hearing the two stories than before.


    He just wasn¡¯t one of these traveling and world-improving good Samaritans like those alleged champions.


    All he now was, was being a shopkeeper. Nothing more.


    ¡°¡°Huh?¡± Severin was startled when Bandur suddenly interrupted this prolonged period of silence and didn¡¯t immediately catch on.


    ¡°Tell me something about your world. You said some ridiculous things before. That your home world doesn¡¯t have any other races besides humans? That¡¯s also why you asked if the story¡¯s champions had exclusively been humans, no?


    And yet you claimed to have known of other races even before coming... arriving here. That you have stories about them. I don¡¯t know how this could be possible, but I want to hear them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Yes. Well. I- I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t really tell you. There isn¡¯t any one specific story I could tell you. Just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly just folklore. No clue about where exactly, even. Or how far they date back.


    Some hundred years? Thousand, maybe?


    And they will probably have significantly changed over time. So even if I did know something, it would probably be wrong. There are movies, but I doubt¡­¡±


    ¡°Movies?¡±


    ¡°Eh, forget it.


    Dwarves are basically depicted as small, hairy-or rather beardy- humans. Mostly fun, sometimes grumpy. Living inside mountains with a penchant for masonry and metalwork and smithing. And alcohol.


    As for other humanoid races like elves-¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment. That¡¯s it? That¡¯s what we have been reduced to? Some archaic stereotype?


    Coming from some lanky, dwarvenoid creature who lives in collapse-prone huts, and with a penchant only for making gold? Well, and also alcohol.¡± Bandur in his faux-outrage could hardly suppress a snort.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Careful there, little man.¡±

 Chapter 200

    As such, and with Severin already having had his own most pressing questions answered, he was willing to dedicate the remainder of this specific evening to, in turn, answer the dwarf¡¯s question; not, however, for the lack of an ulterior motive.


    Severin still hadn¡¯t forgotten his earlier outburst, and he feared neither had Bandur. He didn¡¯t like in what light it might have painted him and was anxious to justify himself and to make Bandur understand where he was coming from, both literally and figuratively speaking.


    Much to Severin¡¯s surprise, however, the lack of magic wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s main concern. Or rather, it was almost as if he either didn¡¯t quite believe or understand Severin¡¯s claim.


    That became only worse after Severin¡¯s explanation that almost all the things that, in this word, were achieved by magic, back on Earth- quite the stupid name for a planet, Bandur remarked- had been achieved by non-magical means.


    It didn¡¯t help that Severin was largely unable to actually explain the underlying concepts and mechanics that allowed for those more advanced achievements, in any satisfactory detail, so that, at one point, Bandur simply concluded,


    ¡°A inexplicably flying metal tube carrying people? Sounds very much like magic to me, lad.¡±


    ¡°Wahaha, lad, don¡¯t ever let them hear this, paha¡± Bandur had been wheezing with laughter, when Severin, almost proud he remembered some knowledge on the matter that didn¡¯t just come from some modern movies, mentioned once reading that elves, at one point, had been depicted as these small, fairy-like creature with wings.


    A world inhabited only by humans and other animals, but still aware of all these other races.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.Bandur had his theories. Theories of great wars, lost civilizations, and just as lost knowledge. Basically, in his opinion, some kind of cataclysm must have occurred some long time ago and wiped everything out, with humans being the only survivors.


    And it wasn¡¯t like he had any other, more convincing, alternative to offer instead. After all, be it transmigration or reincarnation, or whatever else this was, that in itself was just as impossible. Or should have been, at least.


    The question of how to proceed with the saurian.


    This topic soon proofed to be another point of friction and cost them another half an hour arguing, before Bandur finally succeeded persuading his unwilling boss to let the matter drop.


    The saurian¡¯s actions, in a way, were done to honor him and show him respect, not to harm or offend him.


    And, following the [Princess¡¯] interference, his decision to refuse servicing the saurian, and thereby potentially painting her a liar, might not just damage his relations with her, but with Malcos as a whole.


    Not just for his own sake, but for that of everyone surrounding and depending on him; maybe for the first time in his life, Severin had actual responsibilities which had to be taken into account when making decisions.


    After all, it had already been way past his usual bedtime when he finally got to lie down and, given the day¡¯s events, even then, he had difficulties actually falling asleep.


    The alcohol surely didn¡¯t help with the quality of his sleep, either. And neither did the fact that the next morning he had to get up earlier than usual.


    Reason for that was twofold, with the first being a direct result of Bandur¡¯s and his last argument; Severin, reluctantly and annoyed he had to waste money for something like this, navigated to the System¡¯s shopping menu and placed an order per his custom design; customers from this day forth, all over the mountaintop, would find wooden signs saying,


    Severing of limbs and other lethal practices, strictly prohibited.


    The second reason for his early rising this morning was the unfinished business of the previous day.


    Severin had been in the middle of cleaning the mess he had created in his anger, when Bandur came looking for him, at which point finishing this work, sliding across the floor on his knees and cutting himself on the remaining strewn around glass shards, would seem oddly inappropriate given the circumstances; still, it had to be done before they could open for another day of business.


    Severin then, and with dark rings under his eyes, bought a replacement set of laboratory glassware, desperately hoping this day would be more quiet than the one before.

 Chapter 201

    quiet would have never been a possibility.


    But it wasn¡¯t a regular day - none of the days since the Emporium had arrived at its new location had been.


    Enough time had passed for more and more people to realize the mountain was more than just a random stray floater; if it wasn¡¯t the increasing number of flying artifacts that could plainly be observed coming and going, then it was the spreading rumors directing the attention of ever more people and potential customers to Severin and his store.


    Time was short, and since, with the others around, there was no opportunity to continue their conversation in person, Severin didn¡¯t linger, and soon was on his way back¨Cnot through the secret underground passage connecting all of his facilities, but through the fresh morning breeze to shake off his sleepiness.


    claim, record, and eagles was very clear to him. The news didn¡¯t come exactly unexpected.


    That said, for now there was nothing much he could or would do about it, and Severin simply continued on.


    Soon he was preparing the day¡¯s first batch of elixirs.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Though once everyone was settled and begun their work, the dwarf telepathically continued yesterday¡¯s interrogation, it wasn¡¯t the bombardment of questions Severin had initially expected.


    Instead, the questions seemed more specific and deliberate, more sober, than on the night before and with enough time between each of them to carefully consider every one of Severin¡¯s answers.


    And Bandur wasn¡¯t the only one who needed that time to process Severin¡¯s words; Severin himself soon realized the questions weren¡¯t quite as easy to answer as they might have seemed on a first glance, and instead forced him to some self-reflection.


    these aspects were exactly where Bandur now latched on to.


    Questions regarding government systems, laws and rights, social norms and contracts, education and opportunities. Questions which led to matters like equality, standards of living, and distribution of wealth.


    Questions that, when he answered them, became increasingly awkward in light of his earlier comparisons.


    Would they live together as peacefully as they did in Malcos?


    Even if there were less developed living districts, none of them could be considered being slums; they might have been modest, but certainly proper.


    Sure, even in his comparatively short time in the city, he had seen, or rather heard, disparaging remarks regarding non-classbearers, and he himself had drawn unkind looks upon him solely because of his, at the time, plain clothes that very much made him look like a classless person himself, but compared to what it could have been, things could only be considered peaceful.


    Sigh


    ¡®


    Word has spread about your exceptional goods and expert services, attracting customers from near and far to your Emporium.


    You have therefore successfully completed the Quest [Spread the Word II].


    Your reward, the handy and unique [Class-Orb Removal Device], has already been deposited into your store¡¯s inventory, and is ready to be deployed so that your valued customers, old and new alike, can continue to grow and thrive alongside you.]


    ¡°Well, haven¡¯t you become wordy?¡±

 Chapter 202

    [You guys also got that notification? Seems like we got a new gadget. It¡¯s still in the store¡¯s inventory if you want to have a quick look.]


    that soon and with no active involvement on their part. The [Shopkeeper] was just about to share his own theory regarding the Malcos Eagles¡¯ involvement in the matter, but Emily was already shouting, both physically right next to him, as well as mentally into their telepathic link,


    [Why would anyone ever use that?! It¡¯s soo useless!]


    But her slack-jawed expression immediately turned to one of sheer horror as she had another realization


    [And people have to pay money to use this?]


    [It¡¯s a rare service, mostly offered by some of the bigger churches; that scarcity alone makes it worth some amount of coins.


    And though you are right that not many people are usually in need of such services, it is far from unheard of. There are some actual practical applications to a service like this. Just not for most regular people. Or rather, most regular classbearers, that is.


    I think your biggest misconception, however, is that those people plan to get rid of their class.


    It¡¯s to replace their class.]


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears; it didn¡¯t make sense.


    To someone like her, who had been born classless and struggled to survive from a young age, removing one¡¯s class to replace it with a different one was the pinnacle of decadence, the ultimate degeneracy.


    [Replacing a class?] she repeated with disbelief, but maybe also even a hint of anger, trying to convince herself that surely she had simply misheard.


    should have had- a class on their own, but was denied that birthright, and someone who had witnessed this practice first hand.


    [Yes, though not done very often, it does happen,] Bandur confirmed once again.


    [Don¡¯t forget that most of those people, those whose family trees are entirely made up by classbearers, are actually born with their class; they don¡¯t get to choose. Now, a noble [Berserker] - could you imagine? Even in Malcos, where that class¡¯ image is far from being as terrible as it is elsewhere, it is still not exactly prestigious. Nor especially useful, considering it¡¯s very narrow area of application, with its sole focus on heavy-handed man-to-man combat and its steep, deadly learning curve. Unsuitable even to show off, ha] another bitter laugh.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Then, almost reluctantly, [But don¡¯t be mistaken. That practice is not just motivated by vanity. There are also more practical concerns.]


    [Really?] Emily¡¯s doubt was evident.


    [Really. Or who would you rather be governed by? Said [Berserker] or a [Sage]?]


    [I meeean¡­ Samuel is a [Berserker], so...]


    [Em,] Severin reprimanded, but had to suppress a chuckle.


    [Well, I gueeess a [Sage] would probably be preferable,] she admitted, before mumbling to herself, ¡°But it¡¯s not like they care about us either way.¡±


    For now, however, Bandur, who wasn¡¯t privy to her short remark, continued on with his explanation.


    I am sure you could accuse those guilds of many things, not being pragmatic isn¡¯t one of them.


    Considering that not all classes are equal, with some even thought of to be strictly better than others in the broach context of adventuring, why not reward a loyal, experienced guild member with an upgrade? Better than replacing them and relying on some unknown newcomer.


    Group dynamics or even just specific boss encounters can also be reason enough to change a group¡¯s class composition; as long as they think it¡¯s preferable to the alternatives, they won¡¯t shy away from those things.


    That said, the loss of class-experience and the need to re-level and start over from zero, is a big enough obstacle even to those guilds that it is only seldomly done.


    So. While I think you severely underestimated its practicality and demand, you are right in that it will hardly be a bestseller of ours. I suspect to see at most one or two sales a year; and that is assuming our customer numbers keep increasing as they currently are.


    That said, depending on the price¡­]


    ¡®


    [How cheap?!]


    [So high!]


    [Huh?]


    [Huh? Oooh.]


    [How is that cheap!?]


    [You can¡¯t just look at the absolute amount. You also have to consider the competition,] explained Severin, who, after catching the dwarf¡¯s exclamation, quickly caught on and realized his own mistake.


    Twice the monthly amount Magda¡¯s Society paid him for the property lease, to be exact, and enough to make him curious; with a quick jerk of his right hand, a motion made out of habit not out of necessity, Severin pulled the actual device into the real world.


    He gave up, and instead, together with Emily, inspected it more closely and in person.

 Chapter 203

    First to catch his attention was, of course, Krill, who stood just two arm''s lengths away from him. Despite this, the old man was amongst those who didn¡¯t notice Severin¡¯s arrival, too busy was he. More quickly than one might have expected from a man his age, and without letting his composure slip, Krill served one customer after another, without pausing, trying to fend off the ever-increasing onslaught of new arrivals.


    A losing fight, by the looks of it; for every one customer that left the store, a group of at least two or three people seemed to enter.


    Severin didn¡¯t want to make the man¡¯s job even more difficult than it already was and refrained from making himself noticed.


    First were those who were actively moving through the store, scanning and combing through the shelves, arguing amongst each other about who saw which product first, which guild they belonged to and which class and level they possessed, about their willingness to take things outside, and who should just obediently wait for the products to be restocked.


    ¡°¡°...believe it either, but if these potions and elixirs are for real, then-¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the Society office right outside? Of course they are real.¡±


    ¡°Pah. Might just as well be fake. Could all be part of one big scam.¡±


    ¡°A fake Society outpost? Are you...? Argh, why am I even talking to dimwits like you...¡±


    ¡°What was that?!¡±


    ¡°¡°Of course they were. Just like that, they lost three potential dung-¡±


    ¡°Four! And rumors say there are more to follow. Including some raids!¡±


    ¡°Make sure you got everything, you hear!? Who knows when or if there will ever be another opportunity like this. Malcos sure is bound to restrict acc-¡±


    ¡°Ha, you must be new. Malcos has no control over the Emporium.¡±


    ¡°Wha-?! And¡­ then what about that fortress out there? Haven¡¯t you seen the banners?¡±


    ¡°This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, and rumors say she has a super high leveled Saurian bodyguard always following her while in stealth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yesterday she ordered him to execute a thief!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk shit! No way there is a portal connecting straight to Hanvia.¡±


    ¡°No? Then how do you explain all these people coming and going over there?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ That doesn¡¯t mean anything! A portal? Commercial available? That¡¯s just ri-¡±


    ¡°Bet? Once we are done here, we can just che-¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°Yeah, and his apparently his potions will simply stop working for you if he doesn¡¯t like you. Don¡¯t tell me we didn¡¯t warn you.¡±


    ¡°No way, the Society would never allow-¡±


    Listening to those exchanges, for an instant Severin was tempted to simply turn around on his heels and abandon old Krill to deal with this mob on his own. Knowing full well that if anything the oldtimer deserved another raise and that he himself was naturally the one who benefitted the most from this influx of customers, Severin, if reluctantly, headed to the far end of the counter where no merchandize was being displayed and therefore currently was the least cramped area of the store.


    ¡°


    Without much ado, he summoned the small but impossibly heavy box onto the empty corner of the counter and unceremoniously announced,


    ¡°We have a new product.¡±


    Their bored and annoyed expressions froze in place and their eyes focused on the strange-looking device whose purpose they did not yet know.


    ¡°¡°Wha- What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°A new product!?¡±


    ¡°¡°There at the front! Some new device.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Out of the way!¡±


    ¡°What? Where?¡±


    ¡°Lemme through!¡±


    ¡°Stop pushing!¡±


    ¡°


    Ahem, Severin cleared this throat, willed into existence the tooltip of his new gadget, and, well aware only a handful of people could actually get a glance at said tooltip, proclaimed loudly,


    ¡°Class Orb removal service. Only Fifty-thousand per activation.¡±


    ¡°

 Chapter 204

    The old woman sat in front of the large desk inside her huge yet suffocatingly cramped study.


    When she had locked herself into this room, a whole stack of books had been sitting on the desk¡¯s left.


    Now this stack had been moved over to the right with its order being reversed as she closed one last dusty tome and put it on top of the others.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she sighed, while massaging the bridge of her nose. ¡°Not even a hint.¡±


    The woman leaned back into her cushioned chair with her head resting on its back, staring at the high ceiling above.


    She remained like this for several minutes, appearing as if she had resigned herself; as if this latest failure had finally broken her spirit.


    But far from it.


    ¡°It¡¯s unheard of. It should be impossible! And yet¡­¡±


    And yet reality had proved her wrong. Not just her, but all the brightest minds of the continent she had studied. But that didn¡¯t mean she was willing to give up.


    It simply meant she had overlooked something.


    And so a decision was made.


    The woman stood up and, more nimbly than anyone her age had any right to, walked over to the covered window, and easily moved the solid shutters.


    She squinted as she let the early afternoon sun flood in.


    ¡®Earlier than expected, it seems. Good. So there is still some time left today.¡¯


    With that, she took some quick steps back to her chair, grabbed the cane which she clearly didn¡¯t need and which was leaning against it, and then headed straight for the door leading into the foyer.


    ¡°Dear Lady-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a lady,¡± she barked irritatedly at the unfamiliar and inexperienced steward who had been upon her the moment she had left her sanctum where even her oldest and most trusted servants weren¡¯t allowed to enter and which was accordingly secured by more than just a few deadly enchantments.


    The boy- everyone younger than half a century was either a boy or a girl to her- momentarily froze up; this was supposed to be one of the good, easy assignments to get familiar with this work, the manor, and also the Lady Mistress herself.


    But the woman didn¡¯t stop and without halt and no intention of slowing down, simply carried on.


    That realization was enough to snap the man out of it.


    He quickly moved to catch up and fall in one step behind her.


    ¡°Ye-Yes, of course, La- I mean, Mis-¡±


    ¡°What is it? Out with it,¡± she reprimanded the stammering mess.


    ¡°Right. Is-is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can bring you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She carried on. And then suddenly stopped moving, causing the steward to stumble and almost run right into her, and then turned around.


    For the first time, she looked at the young man, and said,


    ¡°Actually, yes. Tell the kitchen staff I¡¯ll be out, and probably eat at that place. If they have already begun preparations, tell them to serve it to staff. No need to waste perfectly good food.


    Also, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back. Maybe tonight, or maybe I¡¯ll pay a spontaneous visit to some of my old colleagues. I don¡¯t know yet.


    Just make sure the place is presentable when I return, otherwise I don¡¯t care.


    Ah, and since you seem to be new here:


    Don¡¯t even think about entering the study, understand?¡±


    Gulp


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± she said with a smile. The woman then turned around and continued in the same direction she had originally been headed.


    Leaving behind a confused steward and a virtual army of servants, she soon reached the manor¡¯s large portal, headed through the extensive garden area, and into the streets of Hanvia¡¯s most noble and prestigious quarter.


    Yet another few minutes later, and she reached the city¡¯s enormous gates, at which point her destination came into view.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? It¡¯s even busier than usual. What did I miss?¡± The question was directed towards a particular city guard who was standing out because of her many decorations and who was momentarily taken aback by being addressed so suddenly and informally by some random passerby.


    ¡°Who-? Ah, it is you!¡±


    No matter if she was arguably Malcos¡¯ most learned woman and mentor of who was considered by many to be a national hero, not many, especially today¡¯s youngsters, would not recognize the old woman; too much time had passed since her heydays and too rarely did she appear in public.


    Not so Sergeant Janice, however; or any other person in Hanvia and maybe all of Malcos, who had even just a speck of import, for that matter.


    The briefing she had received with her promotion and the introductions that came with it, had made sure of that.


    In the unlikely case she was ever to be approached by this person, she was to provide whatever aid she could, regardless of circumstances; her privileges were basically that of the king himself.


    ¡°Excuse my-¡± the Sergeant started as reality sunk in, but was quickly interrupted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for these things. Just answer the question, my dear.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± The Sergeant saluted. ¡°It is my understanding that one of our-I mean Malcos¡¯-affiliated guilds, has just successfully conquered several heavily contested dungeons. It seems the word is already spreading and attracting more visitors than ever. Especially since the products of that store apparently paid an integral role in the Eagle¡¯s success.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Ah! And I heard rumors of a new product. But I have not yet had the opportunity to conf-¡±


    ¡°A new product?!¡± That got the old woman¡¯s attention. ¡°What kind? Another potion?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not certain,¡± Janice admitted. ¡°As I was saying, I didn¡¯t yet have the chance to personally investigate the matter. That said, it appears to be some new gadget.¡±


    ¡°A new gadget, you say? Like those other two devices? Hmm. Most interesting. Thanks, darling.¡±


    Just as quickly as she had appeared, the old woman suddenly disappeared, leaving behind yet another overwhelmed person in her wake.


    Another one of those machines! That was just what she needed. Those potions and elixirs, even the foodstuff, those all were miracles in their own right. But those machines that didn¡¯t seem to emit any sort of magic, those were what really had tickled her academic curiosity like nothing else in the last few decades. And now, just maybe, a new hint, a potential key for solving this mystery, might have appeared; surely the third of these things couldn¡¯t be just as flawless as the previous two.


    Excited like a girl a tenth her age, the woman forgot everything else around her and accelerated to a speed most adventurers couldn¡¯t even dream about achieving even in their prime, and towards the portal station outside the city;


    once there and unchallenged by any authority, including that of Sir Singerton, guardian of this most important facility, himself, she skipped the sheer never-ending line, and made over to the other side.


    The mountain itself was even more crowded. Meaning, every part of it.


    Be it Malcos¡¯ small fortress which housed the other half of the portal gateway, the outdoor cafe that now was in serious need of some extra sets of seating arrangements, the training ground which similarly could do with some additional training dummies, the Society¡¯s outpost, or even just vast, and usually very much empty, areas in between; the mountaintop was turning into a proper adventurers¡¯ hub.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    But the woman didn¡¯t pay heed to any of these things, and single-mindedly forced her way to the self-proclaimed Emporium¡¯s main store.


    If the outside was already crowded, then it was positively congested on the inside.


    And yet, surprisingly, here the atmosphere was far calmer; most everyone was facing in the same direction and only very few and hushed words were exchanged between the visitors.


    Undeterred, with deliberate and energetic use of her cane, the woman managed to reach a spot from where she could see the center of everyone¡¯s attention, namely the store¡¯s counter; or rather a small cube like object sitting on top of it.


    Only now that this device had come into her view did the woman slow down her advance, stopping herself from immediately pouncing on said object.


    Something else was already happening; something important judging by the Society¡¯s involvement and obviously one of the two reasons that everyone was still behaving orderly; it seemed she had arrived at just the right time.


    ¡°... has to be done. You know how it is.¡± A vaguely familiar woman with a strained smile on her face, clad in a Society Green uniform, patiently explained to a young man dressed in the same colors.


    ¡®Right, she¡¯s the head of this branch. Acted the moment she heard the first rumors about this store. Good eyes. Good sense.¡¯


    ¡°Bu- but why me!? Something like that is unheard of! No way it will work! And even if it does, I¡­ I just recently¡­¡± At this point, he was almost crying.


    ¡®But none of the onlookers are mocking him. Curious, considering the kind of people they are.¡¯


    But thinking about it more thoroughly, it soon made sense.


    It had to be a big deal if the Society went out of their way to validate the authenticity of a new product of an already registered merchant; especially one that was not only valued and trusted to such a degree as this one, but also one with a track record for dealing pretty much exclusively with items whose effects were previously unheard of.


    Whatever that object was, it had to be something extraordinary, even by this shop¡¯s standards.


    The woman got excited just thinking about it.


    All the while, the almost infuriatingly ordinary looking man behind the counter, creator of those all-but ordinary products, also observed this exchange with crossed arms and a confident but curious look on his face.


    ¡®Interesting. Why is he curious?¡¯


    Something to think about later. For now, Magda-she remembered the other woman¡¯s name was- convincing her junior to act as a guinea pig was more intriguing.


    ¡°It is just a formality. After everything I have seen in here, there is no doubt in my mind that everything is just as the tooltip says. There really is no reason to doubt its claims.¡±


    Hearing this and realizing there was indeed a tooltip floating next to that object, the old woman craned her neck to get a better look at it.


    To no avail; not with this many people blocking her view.


    For an instant, she considered taking matters into her own hand. But that might just end up labeling her a troublemaker, and as much as she would have loved to conduct some studies on that strange dome that, to her knowledge, had only ever appeared when that one expelled troublemaker had tried to force his way back onto the Emporium¡¯s premises, she preferred doing that kind of research from this side. She would have to remain patient. For now.


    ¡°And it is exactly because it had been so recently. Assuming it works, who else would be better suited?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°I tell you, you don¡¯t have to worry. The Society will reimburse you. With a completely new one.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± came another powerless objection. But was once again cut off by Magda.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure if I put in a good word for you with HQ, they might even let you chose one.¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ you sure?¡±


    ¡°Sure I¡¯m sure. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Fiiine. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Reluctantly, the boy opened his hands and received multiple golden ingots, each with a denomination of ten-thousand, from a reassuringly smiling Magda.


    The old woman still didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on, what the use of that gadget was supposed to be, but even if she miscounted the number of ingots in the boy¡¯s hands, considering the Emporium¡¯s usual prices, her suspicion that something big was about to happen seem all but confirmed. Like the many other surrounding onlookers, she was becoming more and more restless.


    The resigned youngster, one after the other, inserted five golden ingots into the opening on top of the device, took a long deep breath, closed his eyes, and put his hands on the correspondingly shaped depressions on either of its sides.


    Every person in the store held their breath. And waited.


    But even the ones who already knew of the supposed purpose of the device didn¡¯t know what for. Who knew how the change would manifest itself?


    What certainly no one did expect, however, was the following.


    The same opening into which the boy had just deposited the service fee, suddenly, without warning, spat out a perfectly round crystal sphere.


    This change didn¡¯t seem to immediately register with the room full of onlookers.


    Until it did, and people realized the impossible might just have occurred.


    ¡°That¡­?¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°Say something? What¡¯s happening there at the front?¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a class orb?¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?!¡±


    ¡°A class orb!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, a class orb?¡±


    ¡°A class orb! It¡¯s the same class!¡°


    ¡°Same class..?¡±


    ¡°It is not just removal?!¡±


    Chaos broke out. But things were about to get even worse, still.


    The old woman, as a latecomer, had been utterly unprepared for this turn of events.


    Class removal? And for a fraction of the cost the churches demanded?


    That was already hard to believe.


    Then again, considering class-orb removal already was a thing, it would have been less of an innovation than some of the store¡¯s other products.


    But it wasn¡¯t just that. It was actually orb extraction, not removal.


    ¡®But unlike those other devices, it¡¯s not something I can realistically use myself. Doing research on it will be hard.¡¯


    The woman was still absorbed in these kinds of thoughts, when¡­


    ¡°Level two! It¡¯s level two! The orb. Level two!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk shit!¡±


    ¡°Level two!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! I see it. It¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°What-what level had that guy been?¡°


    ¡°Level two! That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you! He was level two. Same as the orb!¡°


    ¡°It- It maintained its level!?¡±


    That was when things truly got out of hand.


    Shouting, and pushing and shoving in every direction.


    Some who wanted to confirm that outrageous claim with their own two eyes, and others who wanted to skip over that step and be the first to make the report.


    A class-orb of any other level than level one? For a lot of people, that was arguably even more unbelievable than the extraction of one¡¯s class.


    But both things combined¡­? The implications could hardly be put into words; the possibilities would be endless!


    And one of those possibilities¡­


    Without wasting another second, the old woman rushed forward and closed the gap to the counter; not towards that incredible new device, but towards the ordinary man standing behind it.


    The man, Severin, was clearly taken by surprise, looking almost just as confused as everyone else currently in this room.


    That, however, surely had to be attributed to the general mayhem that had descended upon them and her own sudden appearance right in front of him.


    She, therefore, directly got to the point.


    ¡°I want to work for you.¡±


    The only answer she received was a blank stare.


    ¡°I know your employees help you with all kinds of work. Including crafting. Which means you are teaching them your techniques.


    That¡¯s why I want you to hire me,¡± she explained bluntly.


    ¡°I- I only hire classless people,¡± the man answered, still a bit sluggish but clearly indicating he recognized her.


    ¡°I have not forgotten, my dear,¡± Mylana responded.

 Chapter 205

    Even behind the counter, which was currently the least crowded space in his store, the constricting feeling became more and more unbearable.


    some point.


    Then again, having that inconspicuous looking box sitting there on his counter, he understood, would drastically change a lot of these peoples¡¯ lives.


    Ignoring the more unforeseeable consequences that would only be apparent given enough time or to people smarter than him, some of the most far-reaching implications were obvious even to an outsider like him.


    Severin¡¯s thoughts wandered to the video-games of his past, where people on the regular changed their classes and specializations, either to adapt to the specific challenges they were about to face, or simply for variety¡¯s sake.


    It was just a matter of time until his customers would also come up with this hitherto unknown concept of multiclassing.


    And he had a lot of dreams.


    The expansion of his store, for one, which, given its recent raise in popularity, now felt insufficiently small.


    Or to browse certain sections of his System¡¯s integrated store with its prices so exorbitantly high, he had never dared to check out more closely; surely somewhere in there had to be something, either some sort of device or some piece of equipment, that could help raise his [Employees¡¯] productivity or could otherwise take some load off their shoulders.


    And thinking about equipment, Severin had yet to replace the ring that had saved an oblivious Emily from being shredding to pieces by some big cat.


    dungeons, was the very epitome of an adventurer¡¯s life.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Fifty-thousand gold each meant even just a handful of activations would be enough to alleviate most of his monetary troubles and make those dreams come true.


    Envision a bright future, Severin felt a stupid grin forming on his face.


    ¡°


    The request was so unexpected, so out-of-place, that Severin didn¡¯t immediately know how to react.


    Where did this come from?


    ¡°I know your employees help you with all kinds of work. Including crafting. Which means you are teaching them your techniques.


    That¡¯s why I want you to hire me,¡± said the woman, which Severin recognized as both as Samuel¡¯s supposed mentor as well as the old hag who, at times for hours on end, was creeping around his other two devices in the back and the training dummies outside.


    So she was after his secrets. At least that made the decision easy.


    ¡°¡°I have not forgotten, my dear,¡± Mylana replied and took a meaningful look at the device sitting between them.


    Maybe her age?


    But why make excuses in the first place? He could just simply tell her off. No need to justify himself.


    ¡®Or¡­ I could just hire her, anyway.¡¯


    After all, he was currently in dire need of an additional pair of hands.


    And what did it matter that he couldn¡¯t trust her, as long as he could trust the System? To protect its own interests, that was.


    Especially should he ever decide to expand his business into a more self-determined and autonomous direction, one that would make him less reliant on the System¡¯s support and its demanding tasks.


    ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t see any reason not to hire you,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°There are still some specifics we need to work through, though. And a contract to sign. Just to make sure those techniques you are so interested in remain confidential. I am sure you understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And you are confident that could stop me from simply making off with that knowledge?¡± Severin wasn¡¯t quite sure if the woman was teasing or challenging him. It didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± he answered without a thought.


    Hahaha, the woman laughed an almost youthful laugh. ¡°Interesting. Now I am even more intrigued. I can hardly wait. So let¡¯s get on with it.¡± With these words, the woman expectantly held out her open palm towards Severin. Causing him to raise his eyebrow in confusion.


    "

 Chapter 206

    He opened his mouth to protest but didn¡¯t manage to produce any sound before the woman in front of him started laughing.


    ¡°Just teasing,¡± she explained with a toothy grin. ¡°I think we will have a lot of fun together.¡±


    But his mood improved when, without hesitation, the woman then made good on her assurance and, from one moment to the next, five small golden ingots appeared in her still outstretched hand stacked on top of one another.


    ¡°If you insist on using that device anyway, I have it known that the Society will not take responsibility for any mishaps or unintentional side-effects.¡± This part Magda directed towards the other, older woman.


    And then, to Severin, ¡°As for you, I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t have as much say in that matter. Though customers may choose to ignore the Society¡¯s pending investigation status of any particular product-if they are willing to take the risk, that¡¯s on them-the same is not true for you. Until the Society has completed its investigation, the product in question is not to be further advertised.


    We ask for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to help me take care of all these people first. Get them out. Impossible to do business in here until you are done.¡±


    Half an hour later, the store was largely devoid of people. With the exception of those affiliated with either the Society or Severin.


    And his would be [Employee].


    ¡°¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary anymore. Might as well wait a bit longer and see what you guys come up with.¡± Samuel¡¯s mentor answered Magda.


    ¡°¡°Hardly. The tooltip, and you as well for that matter, only ever mentioned that it was capable of removing the user¡¯s class-orb. Now, while this might technically be correct, I think it is rather misleading. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?


    Which begets the question, what other information isn¡¯t mentioned on its tooltip? The class-orb¡¯s extraction is one thing. But there is not even a hint regarding its level retention. So what else are we missing?¡±


    Much to Severin¡¯s annoyance, even Mylana, who should have been on his side, was nodding in agreement at Magda¡¯s clarification.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.¡°We can¡¯t just take your words for it. This is too big. You yourself should best understand just how big. And yet you didn¡¯t deem it necessary to give us even a heads-up. Or explain its intricacies. So that is why we aren¡¯t done here just yet,¡± the local Society¡¯s branch manager explained, clearly annoyed but still sporting an albeit strained smile.


    If anyone should have known all about this new device and its features, it was naturally him. But not only did he fail to properly introduce them even to his customers, if anyone had actually paid closer attention to him back when the device was first activated, Severin understood that person would have found him to be just as surprised as everyone else had been.


    ¡°Seeing the young man clasping tightly the orb in question in front of his chest, it was more of an observation than an actual question.


    ¡°Go ahead then.¡±


    ¡°Severin, intrigued to witness this process in person, leaned forwards and paid close attention.


    Only to be disappointed by how unspectacular the whole process was.


    Apart from the big, clearly relieved smile of the human guinea pig, the probably biggest observable change was that of the dot representing the young man on Severin¡¯s minimap, which had now updated to once again indicate his possession of a class.


    ¡°¡°Good. Now remove it again.¡±


    ¡°Whaa~?! Do- Do I have to?¡±


    Like before, he then placed his hands on either side of the device.


    Almost immediately, the money that had just been inserted into the corresponding slot was ejected through the same opening. This opening then closed and firmly rejected the gold now laying on top of it.


    At the same time, a bluish semitransparent box appeared, hovering directly above the device and in front of a visibly confused young man.


    ¡°Individual user access to the Class-Orb Removal Service is currently restricted. Please wait for another 149 days, 23 minutes, and 42 seconds for repeat access,¡± he read out loud.


    ¡°¡°I should quite frankly issue you with an official warning because of this. You are lucky we noticed this before any overzealous adventurer got locked out of their class,¡± she admonished the [Shopkeeper].


    ¡°Well, at least that should answer your questioning why we are doing this.


    Argh! How troublesome,¡± she repeated before ordering her subordinate,


    ¡°No way around it. Go get the other classbearers. All of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma-¡±


    ¡°No, forget that. Close the whole thing and get everyone. Now, go. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°On my way!¡±

 Chapter 207

    Now take this money and go.


    Well, then¡­ you. Aanya. Come here, you¡¯re next.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you. Come here and wait until-


    Ah, done already? Great. Level 17 [Scout] was it, yes?¡± Magda turned her attention away from the classless woman and back towards the man she had just ordered towards the orb-removal device, and who was now tightly grasping the thus extracted orb in front of his chest; just like everyone else who had come before him had done. But unlike during those previous tests, the man wasn¡¯t permitted to immediately reabsorb the orb himself.


    ¡°Now hand it over to her, will you?¡± Magda said, to the man¡¯s great shock.


    ¡°Hand it over?¡± The face of the man who had been a [Scout] just a few moments prior became white as a sheet. As did his knuckles as his grasp on the crystal became even tighter.


    ¡°Me?!¡± The woman called Aanya also repeated herself in disbelief, apprehension, but also a hint of excitement.


    ¡°With us being so shorthanded and that thing so heavily restricting our access, we have to start switching things up at some point if we want to make any progress. It¡¯s about time to figure out what happens if we actually let someone else absorb those things.


    After all, that¡¯s what it will ultimately be used for, no? People selling and trading, or simply replacing their orbs. So, of course, that¡¯s the one thing we have to test before anything else.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m the highest, and-¡±


    Both man and woman started to object, though one of them clearly had more urgency in their voice than the other.


    Magda was having none of it.


    ¡°It is exactly because you are higher level than the others that you get to hand it over to Aanya. Her being classless means she has a spare activation to use. Understand? You¡¯ll have it back in just a minute. Now stop complaining and get a move on. Both of you.¡±


    ¡°¡°Of course.¡±


    Both finally complied, but the man, despite Magda¡¯s assurance, looked to be in visible pain as he handed over his treasured crystal orb. ¡°Careful,¡± he instructed Aanya as she received it.


    Good. Now concentrate on it. And push. With both hands, as strong as you can. As if you were trying to push it right through your hands. Or if you were trying to flatten it. And keep concentra-


    Ha! That¡¯s it. Good job. I guess that stuff comes naturally. Now, how is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing! I-I can feel everyone in this room. It¡¯s as if¡­ as if I-¡±


    ¡°As if you got another sense?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Exactly! It¡¯s so strange. But also¡­ it feels so natural.¡±


    ¡°Again, Aanya was already a step ahead and interrupted, this time confused,


    ¡°One? I¡¯m only level one.¡±


    ¡°Loudest of them, one particularly invested person, ¡°No! That can¡¯t be. Giv- give it back! Let me see. What have you done?¡±


    Knowing arguing would be meaningless whilst also quite interested herself in this turn of events, she soon ordered the woman to do as the distraught ex-[Scout] said.


    But she did so with an almost pained smile on her face.


    She understood the man wasn¡¯t the only one deserving of sympathy in this situation.


    Asking someone who, after years of longing and dreaming of an opportunity like this, finally got to experience what it felt to be a classbearer, just to immediately be asked to give it all up again, had to be similarly painful.


    And yet, this was all part of the job, and Aanya wasn¡¯t the orb¡¯s rightful owner, and so Magda could only offer her a few words of encouragement as the dejected woman dutifully approached the extraction device,


    ¡±You are already four years with the Society, aren¡¯t you, Aanya? So don¡¯t worry. Only one more until you can apply for your own orb,¡± Magda tried to cheer up her subordinate. ¡°Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but don¡¯t forget that a branch¡¯s performance plays a huge part during these kinds of considerations. And with this, which other branch could hope to compete with us in the long run?¡±


    Still, the words achieved at least some effect by the looks of Aanya¡¯s mollified expression; when the orb was soon snatched back from her, her hands trembled only slightly.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.¡°17! The divines be praised. I¡¯m still level 17. It¡¯s still there. All of it.¡±


    ¡°¡°And really no changes? None at all? What about your experience?¡±


    ¡°Still the same as before!¡± the [Scout] answered.


    ¡°Hmm. So what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It means level don¡¯t carry over between people. And that it remembers its previous owners.¡± Several of the Society¡¯s people started to speculate and discuss.


    ¡°You might be right. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that clear-cut. Plenty of other possible explanations. Until we have further investigated the matter, that is.¡±


    ¡°He is exactly right,¡± Magda agreed with the staff-member. ¡°So let¡¯s continue our work here. We are far from being done. And don¡¯t jump to conclusions just yet.


    ¡°What do you mean!? Why us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re both classbearers. What¡¯s this about? Shouldn¡¯t you ask one of them instead?¡±


    Immediately, the protests began anew. And this time even more vehemently than before; both men had a bad feeling about this.


    A feeling that soon proofed well warranted.


    ¡°


    investigation already significantly exceeded the amount he had earned in the weeks prior. And now two more cash injections at once were seemingly coming his way.


    Both being classbearers meant they would be stuck with the other¡¯s class for nearly half a year. Neither of them was accepting this without putting up a fight. One which soon turned more into a quarrel between the two than anything else.


    ¡°¡°Are you stupid? Or have you just not paid any attention? Aanya was still level one!So please explain how level even matters in this situation? It¡¯s all about the class itself. In which case...¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°You really are that slow on the uptake, huh? Well then, let me spell it out for you:


    If anyone has reason to be upset, it is me. Might as well be classless with your [Notary] class. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised you try to make off with-¡±


    ¡°Can you believe this fucker? That is outrag-¡±


    ¡°¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± If the promise of the carrot wasn¡¯t enough to keep them in check, then maybe it was time to remind them of the stick.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the last I will hear of it. Unless you want me to invoke article seventy-two of the Society''s Charter of Exploration and Investigation.¡±


    ¡°¡°Wh-? Me too?! I¡¯m still level five.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Is it random?¡± Someone suggested.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Magda cut through the general confusion, and, following a somewhat more systematic approach, asked, ¡°Tell me again what you guys¡¯ level were? Eight? And five?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± confirmed the two men, Murat and Jett, in unison.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it clear what¡¯s happening, then?¡± Came yet another interjection from the side.


    ¡°Oh? And that is?¡±


    ¡°That is, one¡¯s previous level matters just as much as the orb¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°Fascinating. Very fascinating. But why does it sound like you people don¡¯t even realize the implications of what you are suggesting?¡±


    ¡°What?! You disagree?¡± came an almost hostile response from one of the Society¡¯s staff-members towards the old woman who had observed this the whole time.


    ¡°Haha, not at all. In fact, I tend to agree. It¡¯s just as I said: I don¡¯t think you realize the gravity of this situation.¡±


    ¡°Please. If you would enlighten us, La-¡±


    ¡°Just Mylana.¡± the old woman waved off the formalities. ¡°Well, just think about it. We have a class-orb of a certain level. A level other than one-which in itself is already unheard of. And yet upon reabsorption, that level isn¡¯t retained. Then why have a level in the first place?¡±


    ¡°But it is retained. Just not in every case.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Only if the person had already once exceeded that level themselves they do retain it. Meaning they don¡¯t just level-up beyond the experience they themselves already earned in some capacity.


    But the reserve is also true. Your previous level doesn¡¯t matter if the new orb is too low-leveled. Which makes me believe there might be more to this. Some fundamental misunderstanding about level and classes. We always assumed that a person¡¯s level and their class-level were one and the same.


    In fact, there never had been any distinction between the two. After all, there never was a reason to.¡°


    ¡°What? What are you saying?!¡±


    ¡°Saying? I¡¯m not saying anything. No, what I do is ask questions.


    After all, first and foremost, I have always been a researcher.


    And I believe there is nothing more exciting than to research the possibility of every person having their own¡­ character-level, so to speak.


    Hahaha, do you understand? Just the idea. Every person having a level. Completely separate from their class-level.


    This would be the discovery of life- no, of a century.


    I get all jittery just thinking about it, haha.¡±


    Ahem


    ¡°Hahaha, another hearty laugh, as if she had just heard the funniest thing in years. ¡°No, lad. Quite the contrary,¡± Mylana said while scanning Severin from head to toe, giving him a scrutinizing look.

 Chapter 208

    But that didn¡¯t mean the investigation had officially come to an end. It couldn¡¯t be. Not for at least another hundred-fifty days; only then could the theories be tested in practice. Until then, some degree of uncertainty was inevitable.


    But how to deal with that uncertainty?


    Hours upon hours of discussion and speculation were dedicated to this question, with Magda being gracious enough to allow Severin and Mylana both to also attend.


    Severin, of course, could have chosen to decline that invitation, and was tempted to do so given all the money he would miss out on, but ultimately made the right decision; prioritizing short-term profits when other people were debating his business would at the very least be negligent; no matter how great those short-term profits actually were.


    The one saving grace that kept things from turning hostile was Magda¡¯s own admission that even if he did help them out, they still couldn¡¯t just take his word for it.


    Still, his cooperation would have helped tremendously and as things were, he was probably the one most annoyed by these circumstances, as he now found himself in a situation that made him look more uncooperative and petty than he actually was and thereby risked to jeopardize his relationship with the Society.


    Luckily, Magda was professional enough to not let her own annoyance with the overall situation and with Severin¡¯s perceived peculiarities cloud her judgement; while some of her staff were strongly advocating for a straight-up ban of the extraction-services, at the very least until the likes of Murat and Jett were back in possession of their original classes and could provide a final assessment, Severin still managed to convince her of a more moderate approach.


    That was the matters of security and safety.


    Who extracted which class?


    For which purpose?


    And which new class would replace the old one?


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Especially when it came to the Society¡¯s law enforcement side of things, Magda explained, a wanted criminal¡¯s class, and thus his potential abilities, was an important piece of information that determined the approach to tracking down and apprehending them.


    Even more so than appearances and name, a class could not readily be changed, not without jumping through many hoops, certainly not without losing their levels and thereby their threat potential. At least, that¡¯s how things had been.


    Now, Magda and many of her subordinates argued, without close supervision of the class-removal device and its users, this would drastically change.


    The Emporium would become a hotbed for criminals, they predicted, especially in the future, with more and more portals to the far end of the continent becoming readily available to them.


    And luckily for him, he didn¡¯t need to be.


    Instead, he could remind Magda of their contractual agreement which not only declared his mountain a neutral zone over which the Society had no jurisdiction, but also that every attempt to circumvent this clause via a loophole, would be a violation of the spirit of their agreement; which in turn also would constitute a violation of their agreement.


    ¡°They will be greatly sought after. Especially rare ones like ¡­ what¡¯s his name... Timothy¡¯s? Or, gods forbid, unique classes. What do you think will happen? Humans are greedy by nature. As are most other so called intelligent species. It¡¯s just a matter of time until something terrible happens as a result of this invention of yours.¡±


    ¡°With who his mentor is, I don¡¯t think Timothy will have much to w-,¡± Severin begun defiantly, fully aware of the ridiculousness of his reply. And was harshly interrupted, ¡°You are missing the point entirely! What will you do when, not if, something happens to one of your customers? When someone is forced to give up their class? Will you take responsibility? Because we can¡¯t if you don¡¯t let us.¡±


    ¡°I will think of something.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope you will. I really do. And fast.¡± Those were Magda¡¯s final words before she and her people left Severin¡¯s store, her usual smile nowhere to be found.


    Sigh


    But before he could even begin to rack his brain about these matters, he was again interrupted.


    Ahem


    ¡°Shall we then?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°You know? Hiring me?¡± The woman reminded with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Seems to me you are severely understaffed. Now, I¡¯m not an expert on this, but let me tell you, that is no way to run a business.¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t sure what he had expected.


    Perhaps that after all these hours, the woman would have come to the realization that parting ways with her high-leveled class orb, one which had stayed with her for many decades and one many would kill for as Magda had reminded them, wasn¡¯t the wisest decision.


    Either way, he had been wrong. Whereas she, on the other hand, had been exactly right with her remark about him being understaffed. And so¡­


    ¡°Right. Of course. Let¡¯s do this then,¡± he said while making a sweeping gesture towards the device on his counter.

 Chapter 209

    Even then, Severin noticed no sign of insecurity or uncertainty on her part.


    Instead of feeling helpless and a sense of loss, as most of Magda¡¯s people had described it, in Mylana¡¯s case, there seemed to be only curiosity.


    She closely inspected first the orb, and then herself. And Severin didn¡¯t interrupt.


    When she had made sure everything was in order, meaning the orb showed the correct class and level and her body was still healthy, despite becoming noticeably weaker due to the loss of benefits her class had provided, only then did her attention turn back to Severin and the business on hand. With unexpected humor in her voice, she asked him,


    ¡°So, what now? Where do I put this?¡±


    ¡®¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have done that before I got rid of my class, then?¡± With faux outrage, she then suggested, ¡°You only did this to get my money, didn¡¯t you? So that even if I should refuse your impossible conditions, you still made money off of this old woman. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Repeatedly, his mouth opened and closed again, but no words came out. Instead, every time the sparkling glee in the woman¡¯s eyes only further intensified.


    Until ultimately Severin gave up explaining himself and decided to let the System do the talking for him.


    ¡°


    ¡°She tried to touch it. But her hand went right through it.


    She tried to move around it. But it kept following in front of her.


    Ten minutes or so, during which Severin could do nothing but patiently wait, Mylana focussed solely on the contract itself; not on its words.


    He didn¡¯t understand what exactly she was trying to accomplish, or if she actually did. But she did seem rather pleased when she finally said, ¡°Seems I really did make the right decision.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.Here the woman finally became more serious, and judging by the few words Severin could make out from her mumbling, both the terms System and soul-erasure drew particular interest.


    For the first time, Severin thought he recognized real apprehension. But also still the very same excitement and curiosity as before.


    Severin, at this point, expected her to look up at him and ask the questions she surely had.


    Instead, Mylana dedicated her attention to the last remaining item.


    ¡°So, let me get this straight. If I back out of this whole deal now, I will forget all about this,¡± she said, pointing at the contract. ¡°And should I accept, I could still back out of this at any time? Again, forgetting the relevant parts pertaining to this so called System thing? Well, if the consequences are basically the same either way¡­ that makes it a very easy decision for me, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    [7¡­26¡­57¡­ 74¡­ 96...99¡­100]


    ¡°Mylana didn¡¯t turn to Severin for help or to seek an explanation of him, and the [Shopkeeper] was more than happy to simply sit back and to enjoy her look of confused astonishment.


    ¡°


    And that was before she had even seen the good stuff.


    Still, her face said it all.


    The infamous blacklist.


    The status screen that showed her listed amongst other [Employees]; [Employees] who, incredible as it may be, were also listed as [Cook] and [Alchemist] respectively; not to mention her new boss¡¯ own entry which not only identified him as [Shopkeeper] (Unique), [Cook] and [Alchemist], but also an [Artificer].


    With each of those classes having its own submenu titled Recipes attached to it; though currently all of those were unavailable to her.


    quest-entry inside a submenu called Tasks.


    And then the¡­ store? Which not only offered products even more outrageous that the ones sold by the Emporium, but which also offered the [Shopkeeper], the host of this so called System, to modify this whole mountain itself?!


    And finally, managed to tear herself away from the floating screen.


    When not just the voice of Severin, who didn¡¯t even open his mouth in the first place, but those of two other people as well, suddenly reverberated inside her head,


    <<Oooh. Hiii!>>


    <<So I didn¡¯t see it wrong after all. Haha, welcome. We can certainly use an additional pair of hands.>>

 Chapter 210

    <<What? If you have enough time to notice this kind of stuff, you might as well come help me out a bit over here. Something is definitely going on here today. The amount of orders¡­ I can hardly keep up. And neither can the girl.>>


    ¡®


    Severin felt a bang of guilt. He had been too infatuated with the amount of coin that had come his way during Magda¡¯s so-called research, that he had forgotten all about the kitchen and how his decision to close the store to the public, on a day like this, would only create even more work for those two.


    Still, the responsibility didn¡¯t lie with the girl, Severin knew. As did Bandur, and the fact he still asked for her assistance, therefore, only further highlighted how overworked he was.


    we are coming over. Won¡¯t reopen the store for just two more hours, so we might as well help you out a bit. I¡¯m sure Mylana is more than eager to give things a try herself.>>


    The Mylana? How? When? What happened? Just what did you guys do over there?>> The dwarf truly had been left in the dark.


    <<Yes, her. We got another toy, and Mylana decided, well¡­ I¡¯ll explain later. That said, we soon should have enough money to further expand our business and->>


    <<What are you talking about?! I told you we can hardly keep up as is. New [Employee] or not, further expanding at this point would just be...>>


    <<I know, I know,>> Severin quickly appeased as the dwarf was still searching for a fitting insult. <<We¡¯ll also talk about this later.>>


    A short <<Hmph>> in return indicated Bandur wasn¡¯t quite convinced. Nor did he have the time of day to discuss such matters more in-depth; later, it was.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°How, what? The telepathic link?¡±


    ¡°No, not just the¡­ telepathic link. All of it! What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°All part of the System,¡± Severin replied with a shrug.


    ¡°As are the [Language Mastery], the [Identify], and the [Contract Magic] skills, by the way. You know, everything necessary to run a successful business,¡± he joked, trying to imitate the phrasing of the System¡¯s notifications, an attempt that was clearly lost on her.


    He cleared his throat and continued to explain to a blank faced Mylana,


    ¡°Only works for people directly bound with the System, though; unlike those other skills, that link isn¡¯t really a something we can just use however and with whomever we want. Meaning, can¡¯t communicate with Krill and Sabina, our two regular employees, this way. Don¡¯t know about it either,¡± he said, giving her a meaningful look.


    Mylana understood Severin¡¯s not-so-subtle warning, but waved him off.


    ¡°But¡­ how?¡± was the more important question right now.


    ¡°Or rather, what is the System?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± He answered plainly. ¡°To be honest, I hoped you could tell me. Came with class, but¡­ Well. Samuel suggested it might have something to do with dungeon cores.¡°


    ¡°Dungeon cores?¡± She sounded incredulous. ¡°How would¡­¡± she then started, but almost immediately realized, ¡°What?! Sammy?! What does he have to do with all of this? What does he know?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really. Just expressed his suspicious after I said I was looking for one. A core, that is. Talked about new buildings popping up overnight, just like that. And about those contraptions that seem to work with no observable magic oscillation.¡±


    ¡°Fluctuations,¡± the woman corrected by habit, so deep in thought she probably wasn¡¯t even aware of it herself.


    ¡°Right, that one. Anyway. Said it reminded him of a dungeon expanding and shaping its domain. Therefore, concluded I¡¯m somehow able to harness a dungeon core¡¯s powers. Or something along those lines.


    Warned me others would reach the same conclusion and that it might spell trouble if they do. That¡¯s about it. Guess I wasn¡¯t exactly discreet with my actions. Not that I have much of a say in those matters.


    But I¡¯m kinda surprised he didn¡¯t tell you, to be honest.


    Do you think he¡¯s right?¡±


    ¡°So am I¡±, the old woman sounded almost annoyed; maybe especially so knowing she couldn¡¯t let her displeasure out on this old mentee of hers without risking that thing¡¯s, that System¡¯s, wrath.


    She paused for a while.


    ¡°I¡¯m I¡¯m not sure. I guess it would make sense from his point of view. Always had been a bit of a dungeon dweller. Certainly spent more time in them than even me. Of course, his mind would go there.


    But¡­ I don¡¯t know. I need more time. To clear my mind and to observe things. Take things in. Do my research.


    That said, [Unique] classes are far rarer than you probably realize; rarer than their names already suggest, even. And they truly are unique. Not just in the sense that there is no other copy of that class out there. According to the few records that are out there, they work¡­ differently.


    I guess what I mean to say is that there simply is no point of reference. Nothing to compare to or judge things by.


    He is right, however, in that people might reach the same conclusion as him.


    As for what that means¡­ again, I¡¯m not sure. But it certainly helps that you were smart enough to surround yourself with some powerful and influential allies.¡±


    Severin didn¡¯t like what he heard. At all.


    Not only was nothing clarified, but the fact that what might await him in the future could even require the help of powerful allies to begin with made him more uncomfortable than anything else. Even more so when in his mind, at least one of those allies Mylana undoubtedly referred to, namely the Society, was more of a supervisory authority than an actual ally of his.


    ¡°That said, if things were easy to figure out, I wouldn¡¯t be here in the first place. This¡­ For now, I think I should get familiar with all of this. With being an [Employee], I mean¡± she finished with excitement in her voice, delighted at the prospect of being able to investigating some strange phenomenon and a [Unique] class, from this close up; and just in time, as an impatient, overworked dwarf made himself once again heard, and demanded to know,

 Chapter 211

    <<On our way!>> Severin assured an impatient dwarf and waved over Mylana, who was already heading towards the store¡¯s front door. Instead, he led her inside the backroom, through the same hidden tunnel which Emily had used to slip past the customers who had been waiting outside, and over to the kitchen.


    Where the next surprise waited for the woman.


    ¡°What are those?¡± The question was rhetorical in nature-clearly she recognized the various kitchen appliances and utensils as such, but she still expected some answer. A modern day, commercial kitchen was clearly not a sight anyone but Severin¡¯s employees were accustomed to.


    ¡°It¡¯s a design from back home,¡± he said truthfully.


    Mylana readily accepted this explanation, her attention already captured by some other thing, but to Bandur this remark-Severin mentioning back home-had a whole other meaning, enough so that for the first time since the two newcomers had entered his kitchen, he actually looked up from his work to spare them a glance.


    ¡°Right, then. Want to give it a go?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, kitchen work isn¡¯t exactly what-¡± she began, but hesitated as she reminded herself of her new position.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This won¡¯t be permanent. I think. At least for now I plan to assign you where ever there is the most work. I think that should work for you as well, to get yourself familiarized with all aspects of the System?¡± Severin understood this situation had to be new and unusual for the old woman, after decades of being an independent adventurer and later a respected researcher; still, this wasn¡¯t really a question; nor a suggestion. ¡°I can always just reassign you.¡±


    ¡°Reassign...? Truly? And what about the level?¡±


    ¡°The sub-class level, you mean? It¡¯s shared amongst all of us. No need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ reassigning classes¡­ shared levels... of course¡­¡±


    Desensitized as she may have been by now, those words were still hard for her to accept. But when she did accept them, she did so with renewed vigor.


    ¡°Haha. Well then. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    When Severin then opened his menu and assigned the woman as a [Cook], he could have sworn someone was saying finally under their breath;


    if that hadn¡¯t just been his imagination, and if that complaining someone had in fact been a certain impatient dwarf, then that same dwarf would soon find their patience tested once again.


    For the second time this day, Mylana felt something being loaded right into her brain.


    Knowledge about the System¡¯s officially sanctioned recipes, but also kitchen skills and cooking techniques necessary to recreate those dishes; skills that would take a regular person years, if not decades, to hone.


    What it didn¡¯t come with, however, was the knowledge of culinary theory, of how to make something new and tasty out of all these readily available ingredients.


    But that was no excuse.


    Now equipped with all this new knowledge, with access to the System¡¯s pantry, and previously having peeked a glance at the [Tasks] menu, the woman¡¯s next course of action wasn¡¯t to help out Bandur, but instead...


    ¡°Flour... eggs¡­ tomatoes ¡­ Mozza- some cheese...¡± she went through the list of available ingredients, and, ¡°Milk¡­ seasoning¡­ wait, what? Milk? Really?¡± She turned around with a look of disbelief. Then opened some System menu to double check something.


    ¡°You guys... have milk? But not a single dish that actually contains milk? All while there is some quest asking you to come up with new recipes? Are you¡­¡± at this point she had to stop herself and took a deep, long breath.


    ¡°Surely there is something I¡¯m missing, right? Maybe the reward...¡± With a swiftness that didn¡¯t betray her inexperience with the System, she once again navigated its menus, and soon began to read out loud,


    ¡°Host will get to pick one item out of a randomly chosen assortment of products.


    Limitless supply of selected item will be provided. Item in question does not require manual crafting.


    Presented choice of items is not restricted by host¡¯s currently learned professions.¡±


    The more she spoke, the more tense her voice became; Bandur and Severin both could do nothing but sheepishly exchange looks.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your excuse?¡± the woman finally demanded, her arms crossed.


    ¡°I, ehm¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡±


    The two culprits began stammering, but were cut short.


    ¡°Forget it! Unbelievable. You two get the orders ready. I¡¯ll take care of this and whip something up.¡±


    Severin hesitated for a moment, but decided that right now was not the time to remind the newcomer of her position, after all. All of this had already much delayed their work even further; with a nod towards Bandur, he indicated to him to do as she said, while he himself also rolled up his sleeve and lent a hand. That, however, did not stop him from sneaking glances at Mylana and the work she was doing on the other side of the kitchen.


    Two bowls. Both filled with a mixture of milk and whisked eggs, though from what he could make out, the ratios differed for both bowls differed.


    The seasoning also differed.


    Salt and pepper for the first. ¡®Scrambled eggs,¡¯ Severin figured.


    The other with sugar. And¡­


    ¡°Slices of bread?!¡± he blurted out and thereby drew attention to himself.


    ¡°If you got enough time to stand there gawking, you could help me make some butter.¡±


    ¡°Butter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, butter. It¡¯s made of milk. You know the-¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Not in the mood for a lecture, with a lot of the extra work Bandur had been complaining about already taken care of, and being quite curious as to what the old woman was coming up with over there, Severin let himself be volunteered.


    Yet another twenty minutes later, with butter as a new ingredient unlocked though not counting towards the quest progression, and two mouthwatering dishes, one sweet, one savory, stood in front of the group. And those two dished did count towards the System issued task.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    As such, before Severin could taste either the eggs or the dish Mylana insisted was called bronze¡¯s feast and which Severin by now recognized to be French toast, a series of System notifications popped up and demanded everyone¡¯s attention.


    [Congratulation for your completion of the quest [Mix and Match I].


    Please choose your reward from the following range of four randomly selected products.]


    [Choice #1:


    [Heavy Armor of Evolving Strength]


    This reward comprises a full set of heavy armor with no class, stat, or level requirements for the wearer, other than its sheer weight.


    Every part of the armor can be worn independently.


    The stats of the equipment are dependent on the wearer¡¯s level.]


    What then followed were several sheets describing in great detail the stat growth of every individual piece of equipment, none of which Severin could make any sense of, but judging by Mylana¡¯s impressed whistle, it was more than adequate.


    Bandur seemed even more infatuated with the description of the heap of metal, calling it a beauty without having actually seen it, emphasizing how one would never again have to upgrade their gear and how he would definitely get one for himself even if he wasn¡¯t an adventurer.


    It was clear, if it was up to Bandur, they wouldn¡¯t even take a look at the three alternatives.


    [Choice #2:


    [Taming collar] (Special)]]


    ¡°Special Grade?!¡± Mylana noticed immediately.


    [This reward is an upgraded version of the [Taming collar] which usually only high-level [Tamers] who were lucky enough to find the corresponding skill scroll and materials could craft and subsequently use.


    If put on a magical beast, makes it docile towards the collar¡¯s owner.


    Only creatures at most half the owner¡¯s level can be tamed this way. A thus tamed creature¡¯s level may never exceed that of their owner.]


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Flying drake¡¯s as mounts for everyone!¡± For a moment, the dwarf seemed to have already forgotten the previous armor.


    ¡°Have you read the same thing I did? Or what level do you think those things usually are?¡±


    Ahem


    ¡°Still should be able to find a good mount with this.¡±


    ¡°Really? That is your first thought? There are so many other¡­ argh, forget it. Let¡¯s keep going for now.¡±


    And so they did.


    [Choice #3:


    [Scroll of arbitrary improvement]


    On use, randomly either upgrades an already learned skill or grants a class related new one.


    It is random which skill is thus upgraded or granted.


    Limited to one activation per person.]


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± This time, it was Mylana who couldn¡¯t quite believe her eyes. Multiple times, she had to re-read the notification until she finally managed to form a coherent sentence.


    ¡°You have to get this one! No question about it.¡± She seemed even more impressed by this [Scroll of arbitrary improvement] than Bandur had been with any of the other two previous choices; or than Severin, who secretly shared Bandur¡¯s idea of getting his own flying mount.


    ¡°You guys have no idea what this means. And how could you. You are too low-leveled. No offense.


    But¡­ any high-level classbearer would kill for this. Literally, I assure you.


    Do you have any idea how long it has been since I got my last new skill? Yeah. Neither do I.


    And not because I¡¯m going senile, you hear!


    It doesn¡¯t even matter that it¡¯s random. Seriously. Even upgrading an existing one would be indescribably valuable. Depending on the skill, it might even be preferable. This is so exciting! And without downside. You simply mustn¡¯t be impatient and use it while you still have enough room to grow naturally. But aside from that...¡±


    If her intention had been to convince Severin to settle for this third option, then she had achieved the exact opposite. Worse enough that the armor could realistically only be sold once to each customer, at least it could actually be used.


    Whereas using this scroll would truly be a waste, unless one had reached an actual roadblock. He certainly wasn¡¯t tempted using it, even in the slightest. Not if he only got one shot.


    ¡®And by the time I actually might want to use it, I might be able to just create something like this myself. After all, according to the System, all those rewards are things I might at one point learn to craft myself.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s first check out the last one.¡± And so this time it was he who had to urge her.


    [Choice #4:


    [Communication Set]


    This set consists of two separate items.


    The first is a small [Transmitter crystal], capable of recording one¡¯s surroundings. It can be linked to other [Transmitter crystals] within a 200 meter radius. Recorded sound can be shared between such linked up [Transmitter crystals].]


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda¡­ disappointing.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Depending on its design, it might proof useful in some fights to coordinate movements. Especially for newbies. But¡­¡°


    ¡°Right. And it somehow seems strictly inferior to the telepathy skill we have access to. I don¡¯t really see the point of it. Certainly can¡¯t compare to a good piece of armor, I say.¡±


    Mylana and Bandur had already dismissed the fourth choice, and either had already forgotten about the existence of a second item in the [Communication Set] or simply didn¡¯t bother to check it out. But Severin hadn¡¯t. Even though his own enthusiasm for this last reward option was already dwindling as well, his eyes kept moving, scanning the following words.


    And then, as a child of 21<sup>st</sup> century earth, Severin¡¯s breath quickened.


    [The other item of the set is a dedicated [Receiver]. It is able to receive the transmissions of paired [Transmitter crystals]. This transmission is not restricted by the distance between [Transmitter crystals] and the [Receiver].


    The dedicated receiver is able to receive both sound and imagery.]

 Chapter 212

    ¡°¡°You keep saying that. But what good is a powerful item if it can¡¯t actually be used?¡±


    ¡°Of course people can and will use it. They just shouldn¡¯t do so immediately.¡°


    ¡°In which case it wouldn¡¯t sell immediately, either.¡±


    ¡°But... what are you talking about? Yes, it will.¡±


    ¡°It probably will,¡± Bandur conceded. ¡°But the collars, for example, definitely will. Everyone will want one. Now. And most people probably even more than just one. As for the armor, I think it might be even more powerful than that scroll.¡±


    ¡°Dwarf!¡±


    ¡°What? It can be worn by everyone. And provides superb protection, does it not? What else could be more important to an adventurer than the means to protect themselves?¡±


    ¡°Just because it could theoretically be worn by anyone, doesn¡¯t mean it will! Do I really have to explain it? No [Ranger] will ever wear it. No [Rogue]. And no [Mage] either. No matter how great its stats. And certainly not if those stats strength based. No one but a select choice of frontliners will want to wear this. The ones already wearing heavy armor like this, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Some [Battlemages] might.¡±


    ¡°Some [Battlem-]¡­ you can¡¯t be serious! Just how many [Battlemages] do you know? And I will have you know that strictly speaking, most of those can be considered frontliners as well. So my point stands either way, no matter what ridiculous exceptions you try to come up with.


    ¡°¡°What about them?¡± Again, the dwarf wasn¡¯t too convinced by his own argument, but hearing the annoyed, almost dismissive tone in Mylana¡¯s reply, he became stubborn.


    ¡°Well, the armor doesn¡¯t have any requirements,¡± he therefore pointed out.


    ¡°So what? They don¡¯t have level a-¡± she halted and remembered.


    Bandur naturally knew nothing about those thoughts and this new hypothesis of hers. He simply saw Mylana¡¯s sudden hesitation and decided it was an opening he had to exploit.


    ¡°Even without any level bonuses, its baseline stats alone would be huge for any classless person. Sure, it might be on the heavy side, but for a physically trained soldier? Shouldn¡¯t be too much to handle.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Ostensibly a sound of agreement; which was already was a small victory.


    ¡°I¡­You might be right,¡± she finally conceded, much to Bandur¡¯s surprise and satisfaction. ¡°It might at least be worth considering.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°And what do you think, boss?¡±


    Imagery


    The receiver is able to receive imagery.


    That was all that mattered. The possibilities would be endless.


    ¡®Well. Maybe not endless, but...¡¯


    Then an outcry that, in terms of intensity, rivaled even the reactions he had experienced earlier this day when he had announced a new product to a room filled with customers.


    ¡°What have you done?¡±


    ¡°Why did you do this? Are you insane?¡±


    ¡­


    Next to that device stood three signs that had popped up overnight.


    The second told any potential customer looking to extract their class-orb despite the warnings on the first sign that would have to submit themselves to a brief questioning while under the influence of a short-lived magic contract.


    Just to ensure they were acting out of their free will.


    ¡°[Transmitter crystal]?¡± The moment the first customer of the day read this line out loud, the old woman¡¯s frown grew even deeper than it had already been.


    The grin on the chubby man¡¯s face who stood right behind her, however, widened by the same margin.


    Sigh


    ¡°Without further ado, the woman raised her hand and pointed towards her ear, where, now, upon closer observation, a small, transparent device could be seen sticking out ever so slightly.


    Which she then touched.


    ¡°Aargh,¡± came the surprised scream. ¡°What is-?!¡±


    ¡°Aargh! What is-?!¡± His own face screamed back at him, causing the man to almost fall over backwards.

 Chapter 213

    ¡°That is¡­?¡± was a question asked by several customers, all who had entered the store the moment it opened for business that day and who had been eager to be amongst the first to use the new class-orb extraction service.


    ¡°The future!¡± Severin announced as he stepped forward with a sweeping gesture.


    ¡°The future!¡± repeated the [Receiver], startling even Severin himself with its volume.


    Annoyed, but maintaining his smile, Severin reached up to his ear and touched the protruding crystal.


    A few motions later, the [Receiver] fell silent, and the projected images changed; the actual sight was still largely the same, but the perspective had shifted to the side and upward.


    Ahem, he cleared his throat. His customer¡¯s reaction hadn¡¯t quite been what he had hoped for. Instead of amazement, or at least some sense of curiosity, there were only blank stares.


    Still, he didn¡¯t let himself be discouraged and took it upon himself to advertise his latest product with his enthusiasm returning the more he talked about its various features. Special emphasis was put on its ability to livestream, as he called it, one¡¯s surroundings to a dedicated [Receiver] such as the one hovering behind him, showing the even still unimpressed faces of the people in front of him.


    Again, not the reaction he had hoped for.


    But the one he had expected. Last night¡¯s conversation had prepared him for this.


    Mylana and Bandur both had let him known in no uncertain terms that this sort of product would not speak to the vast majority of adventurers.


    Yet, Severin decided, and the fact that at least Emily could be excited by his explanation that this tool, amongst other things, would have allowed her to spectate The Games back then, gave him at least some hope.


    When framed like that, even the other two had to admit there might be some application to this [Communication Set], but probably more for the military than for their main clientele.


    He would have to prove them wrong.


    And to this end he came up with an idea, one he hadn¡¯t discussed with any of the others beforehand as he already knew what their reactions would be.


    And so, right after his explanation, he made one more announcement.


    ¡°Sometime in the near future, I plan to hold a contest.¡±


    No reaction from the customers, only Mylana, who suddenly turned to face him and gave him a penetrating look.


    ¡°Everyone who bought at least one [Transmitter crystal] and one [Receiver], is eligible to enter.¡±


    Still no reaction other than the burning stare from the side.


    ¡°The winner will receive a V.I.P. membership,¡± he further explained.


    And alas, this was finally enough to get them excited; though not all of them in a positive way, as Mylana was the first to flare up.


    ¡°What?!¡± she shouted. But any complaints she might have had were immediately drowned out before she could even voice them; just like the day before, a small riot broke out.


    ¡°For real?


    ¡°So its true? That¡¯s really a thing?¡± This was a sentiment shared by many; to most, the existence of certain matte black cards which granted their owner special privileges and prices in the Emporium had been little more than rumors. Some especially absurd ones even claimed that the Slaughter King himself was one of those cardholders.


    Suddenly, those stories sounded a lot more plausible. Everyone wanted this card and not even one minute after Severin¡¯s announcement, it became clear the contest would be a success.


    Much to Severin¡¯s relief, as the price he had to pay for this, namely the fifth and last of his cards, wasn¡¯t a cheap one to pay.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°But what exactly do we have to do?¡± someone asked the important question.


    ¡°Does it even matter? I¡¯ll do whatever!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, idiot! I can¡¯t hear.¡±


    Ahem, Severin cleared his throat again. This time, not out of embarrassment.


    ¡°Further details such as an actual schedule and concrete rules will be revealed at a later date. That said, there will be no specific theme you have to follow. Let your creativity run free. Record and share whatever you think will interest or entertain people.


    Just be aware that the contest will be held publicly and that the winner will be chosen by a majority vote of the audience,¡± Severin said without giving it much thought; to him, it wouldn¡¯t matter who would win this contest, as long as it garnered some traction and could shape the way people thought about this new medium.


    What followed this announcement was yet another uproar and another flood of question.


    Questions, which, to a large degree, he simply ignored.


    The ones asking for guidance he didn¡¯t want to answer.


    The ones regarding the organization of the event he could not yet answer. Too little thought had he given the whole thing himself.


    Nonetheless, the seed had been planted, and the news about the upcoming contest and an irresistible prize soon spread to every corner of his mountaintop and beyond. Even without Severin having to create another sign.


    Incidentally, the sales of [Transmitter crystals] and [Receiver] soared. But even though the sheer number of sales was impressive, in terms of profit they didn¡¯t even come close to make up for the lack of class-orb extractions carried out this day which had largely been caused by the Society¡¯s warning; if a class change couldn¡¯t be as easily reverted as first assumed, then, for most people, it would take more than just a single day of consideration before committing.


    This, in turn, however, meant that Mylana, who had originally been assigned to oversee the extraction process and to perform the mandatory questioning, could spend more time helping out in the back. If occasionally someone wanted to make use of the service still, then Krill could simply notify her using his very own [Transmitter crystal].


    Unlike the day before, both the main store and the cafe were open for business. Also, the most popular item this day did not have to be handcrafted and the overall workload, therefore, remained largely the same as on any regular day. If anything, it slightly decreased as Sabina could now conveniently relay any new orders to Bandur remotely, saving her multiple hundreds if not thousands of steps.


    And so, despite a healthy bustle all over the mountaintop, all those things combined allowed Severin a rare opportunity to take some time off from work and to take care of some other matter.


    Multiple crystals in hand, all paired with a certain [Receiver] that was located in the back of his store next to Em¡¯s, his own, and now also Mylana¡¯s, workspace.


    A few hours later, he was finally done setting those crystals up, with the last batch of them installed in such a way that they covered different parts and angles of the training ground.


    But just as Severin was ready to head back to the store and check if everything was set up to his satisfaction, someone called out to him.


    ¡°Severin! There you are. I¡¯ve been looking for you!¡±


    ¡°Hey there. Take this,¡± he spontaneously materialized another of the crystals in his hand and tried to hand it over to a woman whose smile seemed much more sincere on this day than on the one before.


    ¡°I already got one.¡± Magda pointed at her ear as she declined his gift. She then hesitated for a moment before taking it out and handing it over to Severin to have him pair their two devices.


    He obliged, but continued the conversation.


    ¡°If you¡¯re coming from the store, then you should already know that I complied with your request. The sign is there, successfully scaring of my customers. I also put Mylana in charge to make sure nothing fishy is going on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. And yes, I know. It also seems like you are planning something big,¡± she probed. But continued when Severin wasn¡¯t biting. ¡°Well, anyway. This is about something else. Severin. Have you placed any commissions on any of the other branches?¡±


    If she really didn¡¯t know the answer to this question before, then she did now, as the strange, chubby man became visibly uncomfortable. She did not insist on an answer.


    ¡°Well, I got a notice. Someone claims they got what you are looking for. But they want to meet you first. In person.¡±

 Chapter 214

    But also because of the second part that Magda had told him.


    ¡°¡°Yeah. Now, the Society doesn¡¯t look all too kindly upon such practices, but we don¡¯t actively discourage them either. Not our business. And not nearly as uncommon as you might think,¡± she assured him after hearing the clear suspicion in his voice.


    But that didn¡¯t yet quite explain it either.


    ¡°Such practices?¡±


    ¡°Right, you haven¡¯t dealt much with the Society yet, huh? Such face-to-face meetings become more usual when it involves either some especially dangerous monsters or some valuable or rare items. Generally, those are requested whenever a contractor thinks they don¡¯t have much, or any, competition. Gives them some leeway to renegotiate their compensation.¡±


    ¡°Ah! So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Severin exclaimed in relief. No matter how he felt about the specifics of this task, he still wanted to get it over with. And if this was just a matter of money, then, renegotiations or not, with his recent windfall, there was nothing much for him to worry about. The timing was truly auspicious.


    ¡°¡°You can head over pretty much whenever, is my understanding. Just give me a heads up as to when and where you want to meet, and I will inform Dan to take care of things on his side.¡±


    ¡°Dan? That¡¯s the guy? And what do you mean, where? Here, of course.¡±


    ¡°No, Dan is the manager of the branch where you first issued your request.


    And that¡¯s the thing. They requested to meet somewhere else. Anywhere else, really. Any of the local branches would do. Just not here.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± If it was one specific branch they wanted to meet at, Severin might have understood. But to only exclude one branch specifically? That didn¡¯t sound right to him.


    ¡°And that is also not uncommon?¡± Severin asked suspiciously.


    ¡°For one of the parties to insist on one specific meeting point? Yes.


    Excluding only one specifically? Around these parts, where everything is so close and one branch is as good as the other in basically any aspect? No. No, that is not common. Not at all,¡± Magda confirmed, his own thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°Initially, I thought it was Dan and the other local managers teaming up. To make a stand, you understand?¡±


    He didn¡¯t, and his blank stare said as much.


    ¡°Me infringing on their territory. I thought it was a ploy of some sorts to drive me out of here. But it wasn¡¯t, Dan assured me. On his own accord. Because he too found it suspicious,¡± she revealed with a strained smile.


    All kinds of thoughts went through his mind.


    One of which being, ¡®Then why not open with that first?!¡¯


    But in the end, he settled on a more diplomatic approach; the woman was here to help and there was no need to antagonize her.


    ¡°¡°Some nefarious scheme? Well, I certainly don¡¯t think anyone would be foolish enough to attack and rob you, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. Again, not around these parts. Not with so much Society and adventurer presence all around. Unless they are tired of living.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going? Want me to set something up with Dan?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. Thanks.¡± Even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t go, anyway. Once again, he lamented the fact that he had ignored Emily¡¯s suggestion to become a [Shipwright] and was instead stuck with that annoying, unprofitable, and most importantly, time consuming [Artificer] subclass. If he wanted to leave the mountaintop any other way than through the Hanvia portal, he would once again have to rely on other people.


    With Samuel currently accompanying Markus on his dungeon conquering tour, that left very few alternatives.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Maybe Andreas. But Severin didn¡¯t even have to search his minimap for his name to know that he couldn¡¯t be anywhere nearby. Otherwise, Severin was confident, the [Warrior] would have already come knocking at his door, the moment his V.I.P. card had informed him of a new service and a product.


    ¡°


    Severin promised he would.


    He said his thanks and the two parted ways.


    When he was finally back, his mood was accordingly somber.


    And what he saw when he opened the door to the backroom, didn¡¯t exactly cheer him up either.


    ¡°huge one, was unclear.


    Unlike the girl, however, the woman hadn¡¯t missed Severin¡¯s arrival and with a single glance she determined her boss¡¯s poor mood and what he was about to do.


    With a quick gesture, she urged him to stop.


    Only when her job was done and it was again time to wait for the flames to do their part, did Emily allow herself to be distracted again.


    He swallowed the reprimands he had almost and unjustly unleashed onto the girl, and only then entered deeper into the room towards Mylana, who seemed equally as taken with the girl as he was.


    <<What a bright lass. If I was just a few decades younger, I would snatch her away, give her a class, and take her in as my disciple.>>


    <<What the-! Don¡¯t get any funny ideas! Is that what you did with Samuel?>>


    <<Heh>> a short laugh was all he got in response. Instead, the woman began probing herself, <<So. I saw you talking with that girl from the Society and you¡¯re obviously irritated. What¡¯s going on?>>


    <<You saw-? Wait. You kept track of me onto your map? >> Again, no answer other than a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.


    <<Argh. You¡¯re impossible, you know that?>>


    <<I¡¯m aware some people think that way, yes. But few have ever dared to say that to my face.>>


    Realizing he was getting involved in an argument he could not win and one which the old woman seemed to enjoy way too much for his liking, he decided he was better served changing the subject and telling her exactly what his conversation with Magda had been about.


    <<Huh?>>


    <<Well, aren¡¯t you curious? Another quest to complete. And another reward.>>


    <<Well, sure, but->>


    <<No buts! Let¡¯s see what this is all about! It¡¯s not like waiting will solve anything, is it? Just go tell that woman we¡¯re heading over right away. In the meantime, I¡¯ll get one of my flying ships ready.>>

 Chapter 215

    <<What about her? You¡¯ve seen how she handles herself. She got this.


    And if you¡¯re so worried, then maybe you should stop dallying. The sooner we depart, the sooner we can return, the sooner we can go back to helping her.>>


    ¡®Yeah, right. Why did I even bother asking?¡¯ What


    Severin felt was annoyance but also doubt.


    He looked at the girl, who was still oblivious to his presence even now, and even the disappearance of the woman who had worked next to her until just a moment ago seemed to have gone unnoticed. Yet it was this deep immersion into her work, as she was readying yet another batch of potions, that ultimately convinced Severin she really got a handle on things. Severin shook his head and turned around.


    <<Fine. But only because I don¡¯t want those contractors to suddenly change their mind and to have to wait for another couple of weeks or months, you hear? Or who knows how long it usually takes to find one of those cores. Maybe even years, from what I¡¯ve been told.>>


    <<Right, right, exactly>> Mylana didn¡¯t even bother pretending to care about anything he said other than the fac that he was in.


    While the transmission range between transmitters was not large enough to cover the entire distance, it saved him the last two hundred meters.


    No immediate response.


    {{Changed your mind already?}} Came Magda¡¯s answer only some ten seconds later, with a tone of voice which made it all too clear to Severin that he must have taken her by surprise; not in terms of his actual request, but with his voice suddenly and without warning, appearing inside her head. Still, after having found her bearings, Magda made no direct mention of this fact, hence Severin didn¡¯t mention it either.


    {{I¡¯ll inform Dan,}} she said. {{You¡¯ll want to meet at his branch then, I assume? In that case¡­ I say that should give you about an hour.}}


    {{Wait, what? An hour? That long?}}


    {{What do you mean, long? Despite your new toy, not every communication has suddenly become instantaneous, you know?}}


    ¡®Yeah, I really must have offended her somehow,¡¯ Severin said to himself. But her rant wasn¡¯t over just yet.


    {{Well, even if it was, I doubt whoever took your request has nothing better to do than sit in place and wait for your answer all day long. They must first be located and informed. And those things take time.


    So all things considered, I would in fact argue that one hour would be quite fast even if there was no delay.}}


    {{Hm. Your welcome}} Was the last he heard of her.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Had this truly been his fault? Surely not!


    But was there anything he could have done differently? Maybe.


    Maybe he should install her one of those dedicated [Receivers].


    Then he wouldn¡¯t have to leave his store to contact her, either.


    And so, with more time on his hand than he had initially anticipated, Severin decided to pay his [Cook] a short visit before his departure.


    But Mylana had other plans for him.


    <<Hey. Where are you going? Wrong direction! I¡¯m waiting. Over here.>>


    <<Are¡­ are you tracking my movements again?>>


    <<I¡¯m just checking up on you. You¡¯re taking so long I got worried>> the woman blatantly lied.


    <<Well, don¡¯t be! Just give me a few minutes. We got some time to kill anyway.>>


    ¡°¡°Well, I thought the trip would be fast!¡±


    ¡°The trip would be fast if you actually knew where to go!¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s the one near the Eagles¡¯ camp.¡±


    ¡°The one near the Eagles¡¯ camp,¡± Magda repeated incredulously. ¡°Yeah, that narrows it down.¡±


    ¡°Its manager is called Dan.¡±


    This time, she didn¡¯t even acknowledge his words with anything other than a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°¡°And waste even more time? Don¡¯t be silly. Now that we¡¯re here, he might as well keep looking. Unless you have also forgotten what the place looks like. In which case, I should probably rethink my employment with you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey no need to get nasty!¡± Severin shot the woman an annoyed look, before turning his attention back to scanning the ground beneath them.


    ¡°Seriously though, why the rush?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself. As did the girl from the Society. These aren¡¯t exactly normal circumstances. Which means our approach shouldn¡¯t be normal either. Getting there before the other party to scouting the location and maybe ask around a bit. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s the least we should do in a situation like this?


    As a retired adventurer who had to overcome many unknown, and therefore dangerous, situations all her life, let me tell you: You don¡¯t grow old by conceding to fate and hoping to get lucky.


    Foresight is better than hindsight. A lesson that also applies to business. And one you very obviously have yet to learn.¡±


    With her last few words, some of her occasional harshness returned, but Severin understood she was well-intentioned.


    And so he remained silent as she continued to bear her sermon.


    ¡°Because of that unique class of yours. Things are bound to become troublesome at some point. Right now, things might still seem like walk in the park fo-¡±


    ¡°Park!¡± he suddenly interrupted.¡± That¡¯s it. A park.¡±


    ¡°What are you-?¡±


    ¡°The place where Sam took Emily. The dungeon they were headed to when he dropped me off.¡±


    ¡°Park? There is no¡­? Don¡¯t tell me. The Garden? Not a park. You¡¯re talking about the Garden?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s the-¡±


    Severin couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence. The flying ship accelerated and made a hard left turn, causing him to stumble and lose his breath.


    ¡°Hold on tight, haha.¡±


    ¡°Funny¡­¡±


    Similar to how the [Berserker] had previously done it, the old woman pointedly ignored the docking towers and landed right in the middle of the medium-sized outpost, waving around a badge that looked similar but somehow very different from the bronze, the silver, and the golden ones Severin had seen being flaunted by other adventurers. And it was enough to shut up the angry shouting guardsmen, and for Mylana to exploit their moment of hesitation to slip through their ranks, dragging a helpless Severin behind her.

 Chapter 216

    ¡®Let me do the talking,¡¯ Mylana instructed as she dragged Severin behind her and into the building with any possible objection on his part, immediately drowned out by the sudden noise that broke over them as she opened the door.


    It was more crowded than on Severin¡¯s last visit.


    Long lines had formed behind each of the numerous counters at the other side of the room, reaching all the way towards the entrance, ending just in front of them. Even if it wasn¡¯t for all the other visitors, just those people made the whole room feel cramped and difficult to navigate.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop Mylana; with the help of her elbows and liberate use of her cane, she forced her way through those throngs of people.


    ¡°Heey, careful there.¡±


    ¡°Get in line, hag!¡±


    Accompanied by the swearing of many aggrieved, they soon stood at the front of one of those lines.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Hey boy, tell your grandma she can¡¯t just skip lines as she pleases.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am! I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t ju-¡±


    Mylana ignored the complaints and curses of the other patrons.


    And even the clerk in front of whose counter they were standing right now was promptly interrupted by the old woman as she tried to repeat the same trick she had just pulled on the guards outside; once again, she flashed her adventurer¡¯s badge for everyone to see.


    With only moderate success, it seemed at first.


    Though for a moment the clerk didn¡¯t seem to know exactly what to do, with his eyes bulging at the sight, he soon enough regained his composure, and though obviously flustered, still stood his ground and explained,


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. B- But I still can¡¯t have you skip in line like this. In compliance with the Adventurers Society¡¯s st-statutes that state that an adventurer¡¯s rank shall hold no sway in t-terms of quality of received services nor in terms of granted privileges, I-I have to kindly ask you t-to wait for your turn just like anybody else.¡±


    Between dying of embarrassment and feeling sorry for the poor clerk who had been put in such a difficult situation, Severin was wondering whether that badge was even valid anymore now that Mylana was his [Employee].


    The woman herself, however, obviously had no such concerns. As response to the clerk¡¯s short speech, her only reaction was to deliberately turn around, take a short look at the people she had squeezed in front of, and then, with a raised eyebrow, back towards the clerk.


    Somehow the line as a whole had taken ten steps backwards, with those people who had shouted the rudest remarks, nowhere to be seen, at all.


    ¡°I think we are, in fact, next in line. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Gulp


    ¡°I, am¡­ uhm.¡± The clerk stuttered. ¡°Pl-please wait a moment. I think I should get Dan, our man-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± she ordered, making the clerk freeze in his tracks. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Just a quick word, and we¡¯ll be out of your hair.


    We¡¯re here to meet with a contractor, regarding a request commissioned under the name¡­¡± Mylana paused and turned around towards her company.


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± the man asked in disbelief once he understood why the woman was looking at him. ¡°Severin. The name¡¯s Severin,¡± he then answered, rolling eyes. ¡°Unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Right. Severin. Anyway. We¡¯re supposed to meet them here.¡±


    ¡°Of-Of course, one second.¡±


    The clerk nervously flipped through his notes. Suddenly he perked up and with relief said, ¡°Got it! Yes. They have already signed in with us. Booth six. Over there,¡± eager to get rid of the old woman, the clerk pointed. ¡°There on the left.¡±


    Severin traced the direction the man was pointing, but the dense crowd of people blocked his view. Mylana, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even bother; the layout of most of these branches was all the same, anyway; she knew exactly where to find each of the booths.


    ¡°They are already here? Since when?¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t know.¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Not the answer she wanted to hear; she shot him an annoyed look as if saying, of course you don¡¯t, but pulled herself together.


    She further inquired, ¡°What do you know about them? Something you can tell me? Anything?¡±


    Again, the clerk started flipping through some sheets. ¡°No, ma¡¯am. Sorry, ma¡¯am. It doesn¡¯t say.¡±


    And again she shot him the same look.


    ¡°M-Maybe you want to speak to our manager, after all? I¡¯m sure he could help you.¡±


    Silence.


    For a moment, Mylana seriously considered the offer.


    But ultimately declined, saying, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± and abruptly turned around.


    Severin was still considering whether it was more appropriate to apologize or to thank the clerk, but before he could do either, he was already dragged away again.


    ¡°So. It seems that whole affair, that waste of time, has cost us.¡±


    ¡°Which means? What are we doing now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much we can do. If they were planning anything nefarious to begin with, we can only assume they had their eyes on us from the moment we entered.


    If not earlier.


    In which case we can only hope that my short performance was enou-¡±


    Cough cough


    A coughing fit overcame Severin. A performance? Who would believe that?


    Even knowing her for only this short amount of time, he certainly didn¡¯t.


    Mylana shot him a glance, annoyed by the sudden interruption, but didn¡¯t bother continuing.


    Instead, she repeated her earlier instruction, ¡°I¡¯ll do the talking¡±, as they had successfully navigated the crowd and had almost reached their destination, giving Severin little time to prepare himself.


    They sidestepped what looked to be a group of newbie adventurers deep in discussion and came face-to-face with the person sitting in booth number six.


    Severin had yet to fully catch his breath, as Mylana next to him was already saying,


    ¡°Are you- Senheim!? Is that you, boy?¡±


    The boy in question was, in fact, a grown man.


    Tall - that much was clear even when he was seated. At least one, if not two heads, taller than Severin, who himself, with his almost 1.9 meters, was already far taller than most. And unlike Severin, he was in shape.


    ¡°Lana?!¡± His voice was surprisingly soft for a man his stature, Severin thought.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Without warning and without waiting for an answer, the boy bent down onto his knee and embraced the woman into a hug.


    She let it happen.


    ¡°So, what are you doing here?¡± He asked again, but this time did expect an answer. What he got was a counter-question.


    ¡°Where did you get a dungeon core from? And why did you have us come here?¡±


    ¡°What? You are the client?¡± the man only now realized. ¡°Then you are¡­¡± For the first time, his attention shifted away from the woman and towards the chubby man accompanying her.


    ¡°Sa- Severin,¡± she introduced. ¡°He is your client.¡±


    Instead of greeting him, Senheim¡¯s eye¡¯s wandered back towards the woman.


    ¡°He? Then what are you ¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working for him. He is my boss.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?! You? Working for him? For anybody?! What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    That last question would have to wait until later, the man understood. His attention was now fully back on Severin, scrutinizing him further.


    And then reached out his hand.


    ¡°Senheim. My pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Severin. Likewise.¡±


    ¡°He is the leader of the White Squall,¡± Mylana interjected from the side, sounding as if that name should mean something to Severin. But to him, it sounded vaguely familiar at best.


    ¡°You two are acquainted,¡± Severin instead voiced the obvious, hoping that fact would make things easier going forward.


    ¡°Know each other? Haha. Everyone knows her.¡±


    ¡®Certainly not the clerk or anyone else in here.¡¯


    Apparently Severin¡¯s doubts showed on his face.


    ¡°Anyone of standing, that is. Or of a certain age.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean age?!¡± On a first glance Mylana seemed and sounded offended, but by now Severin knew better than to take her outbursts at face-value. Especially considering how often the woman liked to point out her age, herself.


    ¡°Haha, what can I say? After all, I truly was truly just a boy back then.¡± Senheim pointed at his hair. ¡°Now look. I¡¯m starting to become gray. I have kids now. And they are older than I was back then.¡±


    Strangely enough, the moment he said those words, his expression turned into a grimace, an ugly sight as if reminded of something unpleasant.


    ¡°Which brings us to our business and the answer to your question as to why I¡¯m meeting you here.¡±


    With that, the big man moved to the side and gave way to two other people who had been hidden by his shadow until now.


    First was a strangely familiar and amiable looking man, but Severin was too occupied by the question of how he could have missed a man of such volume, until now.


    And then there was the other person. Younger. Also, somehow familiar and with a face that instinctively made Severin want to slap him.


    And then it came to him.


    ¡°You!¡± Severin roared, enraged.

 Chapter 217

    Ahem


    ¡°So you still remember,¡± Senheim said into the awkward silence that followed Severin¡¯s outcry, preventing his son from potentially aggravating the situation even further. ¡°I guess that makes things easier,¡± he then continued, though it was doubtful that really was what he was thinking at this moment.


    ¡°You know, I was very impressed by your wares ever since Edward here,¡± he pointed at the plump man who shot Severin an apologetic smile,¡± had brought back a small assortment of them from his visit at your store. I immediately knew your potions would forever change the way we adventurers do things, and that I would have to personally pay you a visit at some point.


    Regrettably, I was also informed that my son had caused a bit of an incident and is barred from your premises ever since.


    Which is why I have delayed my visit. Until now.


    ¡°You see, the pace at which your wares changed the adventuring landscape, at least in these parts, was far quicker than even I could have predicted. Not least due to the ever-expanding range of new products you keep on releasing.


    Products which have become mandatory for many groups.¡±


    Here the man paused for a moment. And though Severin strongly suspected he knew where the man was going with this, he remained silent.


    The incident back then had not only involved insulting some of his regulars, one of which now an actually V.I.P card holder, the employment of intimidation tactics offering protection in exchange for exclusive access to his services, but most importantly the intimidation of his youngest, and at the time only, [Employee].


    He certainly wouldn¡¯t go out of his way to make things any easier on the other party than he had to.


    ¡®Not with Mylana around,¡¯ he admitted to himself; because who knew if this man, who could probably kill him with a flick of his wrist, would otherwise be as courteous as he was now?


    And so Senheim¡¯s only choice was to continue with his strategy, which largely relied on not giving his son the opportunity to speak, and buttering up Severin.


    ¡°Especially now, with the news of the Eagles¡¯ latest achievements spreading like wildfire, silencing even the last doubters, I predict it will become virtually impossible for adventurers without access to your wares to find a group.


    Be it the food buffs or the customized potions crafted by that incredible device of yours. They make it so much easier. Quicker, and therefore, more efficient. And, most importantly, safer.


    Now, as a big guild with many members and internal groups, this is a bit less of an issue. Still, it has become troublesome to say the least.


    Because of that, I have been very excited when I learned that you are looking for a certain rare item. I thought this was be the perfect opportunity to finally meet you in person.¡±


    With that, Senheim produced a large box inside in his right hand and held it out in front of him, not quite handing it over. With his left, he opened the box¡¯s lid.


    Inside lay a shining, unblemished crystal sphere.


    Everything about it was perfect. Pristine.


    Its shape. Its size. Its luster. The absence of even just a single scratch on its surface.


    Severin could practically feel the magic seep out of it.


    In comparison, the thing Andreas had given him and which had ultimately earned the [Warrior] his V.I.P. status, was a shabby, cracked marble.


    Phew


    Only the sound of Mylana releasing a long held breath reminded Severin of her and everyone else¡¯s presence.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± she confirmed what was apparent even to Severin¡¯s untrained eyes. ¡°In every aspect. Where did you get something like this?¡± And then, added only for Severin to hear, {{Take it. You have to!}}


    ¡°Ha. You said it yourself. We are the White Squall,¡± the voice sounded very pleased, as if that alone was answer enough, but Severin couldn¡¯t bring himself to tear his eyes away from the core to check Senheim¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Your request stated the reward would be in proportion to the quality of the delivered item. I took this to mean you are preferably looking for a high-quality specimen.


    I hope this shows our sincerity. And that with this, we can leave past grievances behind us.


    What do you say?¡±


    Severin closed his eyes so as to not be distracted by its otherworldly allure and considered.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.{{What are you even thinking about, boy? Take it.}}


    When he reopened them, he raised his head and looked straight into Senheim¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ***


    Severin had to give the group credit. Not just Senheim, but even his son, who he had expected to throw an immediate tantrum, had maintained his cool long enough for Severin to explain his decision.


    If anything, it had been his [Employee] who lost their composure; Severin was unsure whether it was her verbal abuse that caused his sudden bout of headaches or if it was the System¡¯s punishment.


    Either way, he was glad when the flying ship finally docked at his mountain.


    <<Em! Come here for a second, >> he called out the moment his feet touched the ground and regained access to all the System features.


    <<Eh? Wha~? Where are you?>>


    <<Over here, >> he said but immediately felt stupid as he had no way to convey where here actually was. Luckily, the green color of the dot representing him on everyone¡¯s minimap was unique and therefore conspicuous enough to be found quickly, before the situation turned awkward.


    <<Ah, over there? What¡¯s going on?>>


    <<Just come for a moment. I¡¯ll explain later.>>


    <<But- What about my work? Lana also isn¡¯t he- ah! She¡¯s with you?!>>


    <<Emily. Please. It¡¯s fine. Just come for a moment.>>


    This time, no argument. But no other reaction, either.


    Some part of Severin was annoyed knowing the girl was ignoring his instructions to instead finish her work even after he told her not to.


    The greater part of him was gratified.


    Almost a whole minute passed before the girl¡¯s blue dot finally started running towards him.


    Huff Puff


    ¡°So-Sorry,¡± she began, still out of breath. ¡°I-I came as soon as I-¡± she stopped.


    ¡°Go catch your breath first.¡± But the amusement left Severin¡¯s voice when he realized that wasn¡¯t why she had suddenly stopped talking.


    ¡°He!¡± she pointed towards the ship docked behind Severin. ¡°It¡¯s him! The troublemaker!¡±


    ¡°You really left an impression this time, huh? I begin to think Edward might have embellished some details in his report.¡± Senheim maintained his smile as he made his comment outside of Severin¡¯s and Emily¡¯s earshot; both son and his aide involuntarily cringed.


    ¡°You too Lana, careful¡± the girl warned as she hid behind Severin.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, child. Don¡¯t worry. He came to clear things up. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Mylana swirled around to face Simon directly.


    ¡°He did?¡± she asked.


    ¡°She likes her. You better make this good,¡± Senheim again commented and gave his son a small push, causing him to step forward.


    Bong


    A purplish barrier out of nowhere manifested itself directly in front of the White Squall¡¯s heir, who crashed right into it.


    He gnashed his teeth but quickly regained his composure.


    ¡°I did,¡± he answered the girl¡¯s question, rubbing his bumped nose.


    ¡°I was rude back then. For that, I want to apologize. I- When I heard about your wares, I was torn. On the one hand, I doubted they were even real,¡± he saw the girl narrowing her eyes, and quickly clarified, ¡°the promised effects seemed just too good,¡± which seemed to mollify her, at least to some degree.


    ¡°On the other hand, I thought on the off-chance they are real, that it was only my duty as a member of the White Squall to secure access to them. By any means. And that was when I might have gone slightly overboard. I am sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to frighten you.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t frightened!¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. I mean, uhm, to cause any trouble for you. But now the thing is, your products have, of course, proven themselves to be invaluable for any adventurer. Consequently, with me being blacklisted from the store¡­ It has become almost impossible for me to go adventuring.


    I beg you to reconsider!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the girl asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, you,¡± the young man confirmed. ¡°I was told this decision would be up to you alone.¡± Severin confirmed those words with a firm nod.


    ¡°Please,¡± he now all but begged, ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a dungeon in forever! Everyone requires food buffs, and weapon enchants, and potions, and elixirs, and-¡± he caught himself. ¡°Please, show mercy.¡±


    The blindsided girl didn¡¯t know how to react.


    ¡°¡­ hasn¡¯t been in a dungeon,¡± she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, the memory of her own adventure still fresh in mind. It had been the most exciting experience ever! It was amazing and she couldn¡¯t wait to repeat the experience.


    The thought of an adventurer having to miss out on this was a horrible one that indeed filled her with pity.¡±


    She looked around at Severin for help.


    <<As said before. It¡¯s solely up for you to decide. Do what you think is right.>>


    He didn¡¯t remind her of the fact that Andreas back then had told them that Simon¡¯s overbearing behavior was not an isolated incident. But he also didn¡¯t mention the pristine, quest-advancing dungeon core and the consequences her choice would have in that regard.


    The girl slowly nodded.


    Then, for a moment, she turned towards Mylana.


    Before she faced her petitioner.


    ¡°But only if you promise to behave from now on! Or we will ban you again!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course. Thank you. Thank you!¡±


    The young man hadn''t even finished his first word when Mylana had already snatched a certain box from his father''s hands; which immediately disappeared.

 Chapter 218

    Emily had made her decision. And since it was Severin himself who had put this burden onto her, it was now up to him to honor this decision. Whether he on a personal level was apprehensive about the guy and his intentions, or not. Whatever would come out of this decision, he had no right to complain.


    But at least for the moment, the young man seemed honest enough. His gratitude and relief seemed real.


    It probably also helped that Emily had thought of issuing an official warning along with her pardon.


    ¡®Smart girl,¡¯ he praised inwardly. If the guy was just faking his remorse, then he wouldn¡¯t get away with it for too long.


    ¡®But I hope his father straightens him out before it comes to that.¡¯


    Even though he didn¡¯t like Senheim¡¯s previous use of the word misunderstanding when referring to the trouble his son had caused, Severin had a relatively good impression of the man; as for Edward, though the man stayed mostly in the background this time around, Severin had not forgotten his attitude back when they first met, and that it had been a lot better than that of his young master.


    All things considered, Severin didn¡¯t think he would need to pay the group any special attention going forward; at least not for security reasons.


    The three visitors seemed pleased. And for now, so was Severin.


    Another quest was successfully completed. And if his working theory, the one that the quality of System rewards directly correlated with how well he had accomplished the specific task at hand, had even just a hint of truth to it, then this time around he would be in for the most significant reward yet.


    Just the thought of that made him giddy with excitement, his reservations all but forgotten.


    And so it came as no surprise, and was in fact a very welcome sight, when a notification popped up in front of him.


    Initially. Until not even a heartbeat later.


    Severin didn¡¯t have the opportunity to scan the message even on a cursory level, when suddenly his enthusiasm was turned into dread.


    From one moment to the next, the minimap in the upper right corner of his vision, the one he had become so accustomed to, simply disappeared.


    And he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    Gasp


    ¡°What is-?¡±


    ¡°S-Sev?¡± While Mylana, as his latest [Employee] and therefore the one least familiar and dependent on the System in general and this feature specifically, was certainly surprised by this situation, Emily fared far worse. The quiver in the girl¡¯s voice made it obvious how downright scared she was; Severin¡¯s own feelings aligned much closer with the girl¡¯s than with the old woman¡¯s.


    But he also knew that in a situation like this it was up to him to maintain his cool and reassure her. No matter his own feelings.


    <<>> He tried to reach out to both of them, hoping to avoid drawing attention from the other three people, who, for the time being, were still preoccupied amongst themselves.


    <<>>


    But nothing.


    <<>>


    No matter how often he tried, he couldn¡¯t establish a telepathic connection.


    Exchanging meaningful looks between each other, he realized he wasn¡¯t the only one with this issue.


    His panic intensified.


    Luckily, at least Mylana, despite her own discomfort now also starting to grow, was still clearheaded enough to remember their latest product,


    {{What¡¯s going on? Has this happened before? Have you done something?}}


    {{Never!}}


    {{No. And I didn¡¯t!}} Severin agreed. {{I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.}}


    Only then, in search of an urgently needed explanation, he finally turned his attention to the window in front of him.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    {{The notification! Tha-}}


    {{What notification?!}} he was immediately interrupted. {{I don¡¯t see anything.}}


    {{Me neither.}}


    Severin ignored the others and read.


    And then let out a deep sigh of relief.


    Things finally started to make sense; maybe the situation was not actually as bleak as he initially thought.


    He took a deep breath and steadied his voice before he read the short message to the others.


    {{[Assimilation of the provided dungeon core initiated. Entering hibernation mode. Non-critical functionalities temporarily disabled.]}}


    A short moment of silence.


    {{I guess that means the map is considered non-critical.}}


    {{As is your notification-feed,}} Severin concluded.


    With those observations made, visible relief washed over them. But it was shortlived.


    {{What dungeon core?}} Emily still wasn¡¯t aware of the consequences of her decision, that it earned them a most pristine specimen of a dungeon core, that with it they had completed a quest, and that it was this quest completion which had triggered this situation.


    But before someone could fill her in, the girl was already asking her next, and maybe the most pertinent question of them all, {{And what else is considered non-critical?}}


    Mylana and Severin exchanged a dismayed look. They didn¡¯t know. And depending on the answer to this question, they were in deep trouble. They grew nervous again.


    ¡°-ock?¡±


    And of course it had to be just at this moment that someone demanded the currently preoccupied Severin¡¯s attention. Or rather, it was only now, after having already been called out repeatedly, that he finally became aware of this fact.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he managed to pull himself together just enough not to sound rude.


    ¡°Uhm. Are you guys okay? You seem¡­ troubled. It is just that, well¡­,¡± instead of explaining with words, Simon decided to just show them.


    He raised his hand and reached out. And once again, the purplish barrier materialized itself in front of him and denied his passage.


    {{At least that¡¯s still working,}} Mylana read his thoughts.


    But that wasn¡¯t yet reason enough to relax. Severin frantically opened the System menu.


    Which features were still available to him?


    His first impression was not particularly promising. Several menu points were greyed out.


    But on a closer look, things weren¡¯t quite as grim as he first feared.


    Yes, the navigation module, which should have come back online the moment he completed the quest, was still unavailable. As was the integrated store, the quest log, as well as access to his personal information, which, amongst other things, included his name, level, stats, and classes.


    The most important one, however, was still available; had he been more clearheaded Severin might have realized from the get go that there was actually little-to-no possibility of that not being the case, given that at least in terms of personal safety, there was no feature more critical than the blacklist to begin with.


    With a flick of his wrist, he fulfilled his part of the agreement.


    The barrier simply dissipated.


    ¡°Now, if you will excuse me.¡±


    And then he started running.


    Simon, his father, and his personal aide were left dumbfounded by the sudden departure of not just Severin, but also his two unlikely employees.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? They can¡¯t be serious. Right after-?¡± The young man was indignant. The disrespect of disrespect was unfathomable. Yet he was swiftly cut off by his father, who seemed to have a better read on the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve rarely seen her this tense. I¡¯m sure something important had come up.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No buts. Listen. Even if this was just one of her whims, you would be well served to keep your loose mouth shut for once and try not to get on her bad side. You are too young to understand this. You don¡¯t know her. But let me tell you, this woman is the last person you want to make an enemy of.


    At least that was until the Emporium popped up. You understand?¡±


    Gulp


    For even his father to go this far¡­


    ¡°I understand,¡± Simon answered, though still somewhat skeptically, as he observed from a distance how a chubby man, a little girl, and an old hag with a cane were racing towards a distressed-looking dwarf in an apron, stumbling over his short legs.

 Chapter 219

    {{Bandur!}} he shouted once the other was in transmission-range.


    {{T-The map! It suddenly disappeared. And then when I tried to reach you... what is going on, Sev?}}


    Severin was too worked up to stop and explain. Instead he asked, {{Did you notice any other changes?}}


    {{Wha-? Other than map and communication? What do you mean? What else-}}


    {{Your class? Your skills? Our tools?}} Severin almost began shouting; the more he thought about all the possible ways the System could screw him over, the more upset he became.


    Instead, he started shouting instructions to his [Employees].


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± were the words that involuntarily escaped him. He turned around and at full speed followed behind the others, who by now had all passed him by.


    ¡°¡°No, it¡¯s still working. We pretty much confirmed as much on our end. Still, that¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    With this concluded, Severin turned his attention to the old woman. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was no opportunity for me to check the Class-Orb Removal Device, but everything else seemed to be working as usual. So I would be surprised if that machine wasn¡¯t as well.¡°


    Phew


    A collective sigh of relief.


    ¡°


    ¡°What about the portal station? Has anyone checked that one?!¡±


    ¡°No need to worry about that,¡± Severin gave the immediate all-clear. ¡°If that one was down, we would already know about it.¡±


    ¡°The [Princess] would already be up our- she would be standing in front of us demanding an explanation. The fact she isn¡¯t means everything is still working,¡± Bandur added to his boss¡¯ explanation when he noticed the girl¡¯s incomprehension.


    ¡°Then that means¡­¡±


    ¡°That means things might not be as dire as we first thought. Inconvenient, yes. But nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°¡°I¡­¡± Severin was momentarily taken aback; that  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.But at least in Bandur¡¯s mind, there was no question about it. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will,¡± ¡°Why? What makes you say that?¡± Mylana asked ¡°Because nothing indicates otherwise. We just went through everything. And the only things not working are critical-


    ¡°¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that without the System, there would be no minimap to begin with. No special store. No telepathic connections. Those things only exist within the System itself.


    But granted skills and abilities? Those are now all part of us.


    As for those machines out there, for all we know, those aren¡¯t actively powered by the System either. And that¡¯s what hibernation implies, doesn¡¯t it? The saving of energy. For all we actually know, everything directly powered by the System isn¡¯t currently working. All but the defensive systems, that is.¡±


    ¡°But... but even if you were right- and that is a big if- the supplies are just as important!¡±


    ¡°For us running the Emporium? Sure, maybe. But for the System? Who knows?


    If its existence is directly bound to Savr-¡±


    ¡°Severin!¡±


    ¡°-to Severin and his well-being? Then, from its perspective, there is nothing more important than his survival. It called him its host, no?¡±


    ¡°Wha-What exactly are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing definitive. Only that we should be prudent going forward. And that we should expect the worst. At this point, we don¡¯t even know how long we¡¯ll have to manage.¡±


    All this was hard for Severin to accept. But even if he thought the probability of Mylana''s theory being correct was low, he couldn''t just pretend it was zero. And he said as much,


    ¡°


    ¡°Bandur?¡±


    ¡°O


    ¡°¡°Uhm. We¡¯re still fully stocked. Got a new batch just before you called for me.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s at least some


    ¡°If anything, that would only make it worse, girl,¡± Mylana explained. ¡°Best case, the demand would remain the same. But now everyone would come shopping at the same time, only making more work for us.


    Worst case, this rush would lead to panic purchases and cause an actual raise in demand of our products- the last thing we would want in a situation like this- because people fear there might not be enough for everyone. And they would be right.¡±


    ¡°Oooh.¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes. Thanks Bandur.¡± It was impossible for Severin to hide his annoyance. ¡°But I would prefer not to. Not until absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°¡°How is turning them away any better th-¡±


    ¡°No, no, you misunderstand. I don¡¯t mean to refuse them. Give them something else to do. Give them a reason to stay away for a while.¡±


    ¡°Right! Issue another request with the Society or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Or use that stu- that event of yours as a pretext! These people will do anything for one of those black cards!¡±

 Chapter 220

    Some, looking forward to their breakfast, went to secure their seats in the still closed cafe.


    Others formed an orderly queue in front of the Emporium¡¯s main store.


    A few headed towards the building with the green tinted windows.


    And still others, a comparatively small group, all people who had arrived via the portal station, immediately left the mountain and flew off into the distance.


    And for the Emporium to open.


    None of the familiar faces that usually greeted them each morning appeared; the doors remained shut.


    That of a chubby man standing behind a familiar counter.


    ¡°Many of you have probably already heard the rumors. But today- as our way of giving back to all of you and as a big Thank You- we want to make it official!¡± Severin inside the store paused for a moment, maintaining a big, fake smile on his face that made him feel dirty.


    ¡°


    Maintaining his smile, Severin produced a small, matte black card in his hands and held it towards Emily, who zoomed closer in.


    ¡°One copy of our Emporium¡¯s V.I.P membership card! That stands Very Important Patron and comes with a diverse array of unique benefits.¡±


    With a nod of his head, Severin signaled to zoom out again. Once assured by a look towards yet another [Receiver] installed on Emily¡¯s right, and which showed the same images as the ones outside, that he was indeed the main focus of the broadcast again, he continued,


    ¡°


    What exactly do I have to do to win this exclusive membership, you wonder?


    Well, wonder no more!


    novel products, we want you to show us the new heights you can reach using with them. So that we can all grow together!


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    novel to have a chance at the grand prize!¡±


    But even utilizing the event Severin had originally thought up only to popularize a, in this world, still unknown form of entertainment, in itself, wouldn¡¯t be quite sufficient.


    They didn¡¯t just want to make them leave. They also wanted them to stay away. At least for a while.


    Telling them don¡¯t bother us for the next few days if you want to win obviously wouldn¡¯t do. They couldn¡¯t be too on the nose about it.


    And so what Severin and his [Employees] had instead come up with overnight, was a theme for their event, a motto to gently steer the participants into the right direction:


    Novelty.


    Which, in turn, meant slow progress.


    Be it challenging unfamiliar enemies, grouping up with new people, or coming up with novel tactics, whatever it was these people would choose in order to qualify for the chance to win the desired V.I.P membership, the next couple of days a lot of them were bound to be stuck in some dungeon.


    novelty certainly wasn¡¯t one of them.


    Besides, while having a theme was a nice touch, the most important thing was the event itself, as it would give Severin an excuse to temporarily change some of the Emporium¡¯s sales practices under the guise of organizational considerations without arousing any suspicion and thus risking provoking the panic buying Mylana had warned against.


    ¡°Which is to say you are also free to hand over your submission as a recording as long as you meet the deadline, which is set to be in six days from now.


    In fact, for most of you, this will probably be the preferred option, as it will be the audience¡¯s, meaning your votes that will ultimately determine the winner of this friendly contest.¡±


    He allowed his words to sink in for a moment.


    ¡°But be warned! While voting for yourself, your group, your guild, or even just your friends, will of course be permitted, buying or otherwise extorting votes, is not.


    Should such a behavior be exposed, the involved parties will not only be disqualified but also permanently banned from all our premises and access to our products and services,¡± Severin warned gravely.


    Again, he paused and made sure the people outside had gotten the message.


    ¡°


    And again they showed the same chubby man behind the same familiar counter.


    ¡°Greetings valued customers. I am Severin. As the owner-¡± the image repeated itself.


    At this same time, the doors to the Emporium finally opened.

 Chapter 221

    People proved eager to partake in the Broadcasting Event, as Severin called it.


    At the same time, the event gave Severing the perfect excuse to temporarily restrict the amount of items each person could buy; the Emporium being notoriously understaffed and the now increasing number of responsibilities, such as taking care of registrations and otherwise prepare for the main event, would simply make it impossible to simultaneously keep up production and sales. Or at least that was the official reason.


    And in the beginning, this scheme seemed to work out quite well.


    Soon, the contrived excuses of them being too busy to take care of their regular duties very much became a reality. As the day passed and the number of customers increased, so did the number of overeager participants.


    Ito an extend which far exceeded anyone¡¯s expectations.


    While the rules stated one could cast their vote as one pleased, no matter their affiliation, this only applied if one was not a participant themselves. This important exception was thought up in order to at least somewhat mitigate the inherent advantage larger groups had over their smaller counterparts. To maximize this same advantage, Severin and his [Employees] had assumed these people would register as one or at most two separate groups, which by sheer size would guarantee them a certain minimum of votes.


    As it turned out, far fewer groups than expected adapted this strategy, with many guilds registering several smaller groups, instead.


    Severin grew restless again.


    Every single unit sold made him more anxious, as their current stock suddenly appeared utterly insufficient.


    Yes, it was advertised to be automatically replenished by the System, but given their current circumstances, was this really something they could depend on? Wasn¡¯t this situation much the same as for their other ingredients?


    More and more, it seemed the problem they had tried so hard to avoid had found them, anyway.


    Only that this time around, there would be no good excuse to stop the sales.


    The whole event was dependent on this. And there was no going back.


    His anxiety ultimately peaked in the late afternoon of the second day, when the last available unit was sold, and a line of customers, all expecting their own unit, stretched to the front of the store.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Even a whole night of brooding had not brought them any closer to a solution.


    All he could do now was pray to the System.


    His prayer had been heard.


    The moment coins exchanged hands was the moment a new batch of products appeared in the store¡¯s inventory.


    Waiting only for Severin to be used to restock the shelves of the store.


    Either way, while his sigh of relief was long and deep, Severin hardly had the time to dwell on the matter. Not until the next day, the third since the announcement, that was.


    Would they resume manufacturing again now that they had reason to believe their supplies weren¡¯t limited, after all? Or would they use this downtime to take a much deserved break? And how would the actual main event in a few days look like?


    Questions upon questions. Decisions upon decision.


    As if a switch had suddenly been flipped, a second wave of would-be participants broke over them.


    First, the ones who didn¡¯t have their main base of operation directly in either this focal point of the Golden Mountains or around Hanvia, and who therefore only received the news belatedly.


    Like for example, Samuel, his two mentees, Markus and his retinue of Eagles, and the many other groups like them who had been holed up in some dungeon or raid.


    It helped that the matte black cards in their possessions had already informed their holders of the new available products and service and thus saved them at least some time catching up.


    Still, the descriptions clearly didn¡¯t paint the full picture. While they already knew about the Class-Orb Removal Device, they weren¡¯t aware of its full capabilities.


    Or that it was due to this new technology that the [Berserker¡¯s] old, prideful mentor had somehow become Severin¡¯s subordinate.


    Even seeing it firsthand, it was hard for the man to accept.


    It didn¡¯t matter much to him that he already had one of these memberships at his disposal. In his eyes, these cards represented more than just a cheap discount. It represented real political power. Power which would only increase as the Emporium gained more and more influence. Power which shouldn¡¯t just be surrendered to some random adventurer.


    Much to the lamentation of his worn-out guild members and subordinates, Markus almost immediately decided their participation; a short meeting with his royal sibling and they would once again depart.


    It was also the second to last day before the actual main event. And the day that Severin finally had to admit to himself that he had no idea how he would handle it.


    Which he left hours later, with his signature under a piece of paper that declared his commitment to drastically increase production of the gravely neglected [Heating Spheres] the princess had been so interested in.

 Chapter 222

    ¡°¡°But didn¡¯t they-¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes they did.¡± The woman in charge was clearly annoyed. ¡°But they changed their tune the moment they learned the elves were also interested.


    It¡¯s ridiculous, yes, but I really don¡¯t want to deal with that insufferable Bandir prick turning this into some diplomatic incident. So please just set up some another five or six booths or however much the elves have, will you? Or do I have to repeat myself?¡±


    ¡°N-No, of course not, la-¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The woman cut the flustered worker off and immediately turned her attention towards yet a different victim.


    ¡±¡°No need,¡± was the confident answer.


    ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s okay to tell me. Just tell me now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain Lady Jasmine. The sound is impeccable. It¡¯s a truly magnificent tool. And if I may?¡±


    A raised eyebrow gave him the go-ahead.


    ¡°It might be presumptuous of me, but in fact I would strongly suggest equipping our own Arena with some of those crystals.¡±


    The woman slowly nodded in response to the elderly man¡¯s suggestion; clearly the man held enough seniority that his words carried some weight with her.


    ¡°Alright then. I trust your opinion on the matter.¡± This was the man¡¯s dismissal.


    ¡°¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you so personally involved,¡± Severin admitted frankly.


    ¡®And judging by your looks, you¡¯re already at it for a couple of hours,¡¯ he thought but didn¡¯t dare pointing out loud, even though this observation only served to raise the respect he felt for the young noble.


    ¡°Plus, let¡¯s not forget those heating devices you promised to sell us,¡± the princess reminded him. ¡°Those in itself are motivation enough. So having us help entertain our own citizens so that in return we can equip every Hanvian household with one of those spheres is quite the deal for us, ha.


    ¡°But mentioning the Games... I truly wish you¡¯d agreed to host your event in our Arena, you know? Could have offered you a much larger share of the revenue, too.¡±


    ¡°This really isn¡¯t about the money.¡± Severin explained.


    ¡°You already said this during our negotiations. But aren¡¯t you still a merchant?¡±


    Severin in response rolled his eyes in a deliberately exaggerated fashion; now that he and his team earned a couple of days¡¯ rest, he had regained much of his humor. Still, he couldn¡¯t divulge more than he already had, and left it at that gesture.


    The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and after Severin confirmed everything was still on schedule, the woman turned her attention back to some organizational matters.


    From now on, Severin was simply another visitor with no other responsibilities. Everything happening from now on was out of his hands and left to more experienced people.


    From now on, he and his employees had some long overdue free time. Which first of all allowed for an extensive breakfast.


    Only Emily joined him in the otherwise empty cafe.


    Krill and Sabina had already left to spend some time with their families while Mylana used this opportunity to do some tinkering in the store¡¯s backroom.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.As for Bandur - with the minimap still disabled, Severin had no clue what the dwarf was currently up to, but he wasn¡¯t too worried either.


    He kept to leisurely observing the nearby workers, and the crowd gathering in the distance while eating.


    Though the official start was still some hours away, entrance would be quite some time before that. At which point the food stands would also open for business, Emily had pointed out.


    Before they knew it, the screens all over the festival side-the smaller ones on the outskirts of the site, as well as the enormous one on the center stage- came to life, and an all too familiar voice could be heard; it was the signal that the main show would soon begin and for people to get settled.


    Emily and Severin grabbed another tray of some unfamiliar plant-based elvish snacks, before joining the surge of people who had yet to get to their seats.


    He couldn¡¯t help praising himself for his foresight to record the welcoming speech, he as the organizer of this event, was obliged to hold, beforehand.


    When others, such as Malcos¡¯ eldest Princess, surely would have jumped at this opportunity, just thinking about having to do this live and in front of a city¡¯s worth of people, made Severin¡¯s stomach turn with anxiety.


    Severin tried to ignore his own voice resounding from every one of the [Receivers] and focused on making his way towards the elevated seating area specially reserved for himself, his employees and their families, and a select few other people personally invited by Jasmine. And, of course, several guards.


    Missing no opportunity to play politics, Severin thought to himself once they arrived.


    Not that he cared, as long as she wouldn¡¯t involve himself in her plans.


    Instead, it was mainly the families of his two regular employees who insisted on meeting him to personally thank him for their newfound wealth; much to Severin¡¯s own embarrassment and discomfort - after all, their few coins of salary to him was truly negligible.


    He only escaped this awkward situation when the playback of his speech full of trite platitudes finally came to an end and was met with a thunderous storm of applause so loud that it made all other communication impossible.


    Applause, Severin understood, which was not for himself or his speech, but was testimony to the audience''s enthusiasm and expectations for what was to come.


    It lasted a few minutes, just long enough to actually get seated, before the screens once again flickered to life and now showed the face of some annoyingly handsome fellow Severin didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°, all you people of Galira who found their way here, be it as participants or solely as spectators, Thank You for your warm welcome!


    And of course Thank You to Severin and the Emporium for making all of this possible in the first place¨Cand for paying my salary, haha.


    The Games or the All Galirian Rumble. It is my honor and pleasure to now present to you the first ever Broadcasting Event!¡±


    ¡°Before we begin, however, I want to remind everyone that this is new for all of us. Not just this stunning venue in the heart of the Golden Mountains, or the premise of this event, but also the involved technology.


    Novelty truly is the theme here, haha.


    And so I ask you all for your understanding and patience if not everything is always running smooth. After all, many of our submissions will be actual live footage!


    So while we wait, let¡¯s take a look at some details of our first participant, shall we?¡±


    With this, Jake dramatically produced a sheet of paper. He took a look at it, and,


    ¡°Woah, who would hav-¡±


    ¡°¡°Waah!¡±


    ¡°What the-!¡±


    Parts of the audience were either startled by the sudden change on the screens, others, mostly the regular folks, were truly frightened by what they saw: a closeup view of a light-green scaled snout bearing multiple rows of razor-sharp fangs which seemed to close in on the audience.


    ¡°¡°Doez thiz vork?¡±


    Short silence and even more shaking.


    And then, suddenly, the view zoomed further out, revealing the full image of the¡­ creature?


    ¡°Aah, thiz should be better, yez? You can zee me no, no? Vell, I hope zo.¡±


    Ahem.


    ¡°I am Limzahl ov Clemenzcale Clan. And zhe nove¡­ novilt¡­ ar.. new thing I showz yu iz great Zaurian culture!¡±

 Chapter 223

    ¡°Well¡­ this certainly was something, don¡¯t you think? Haha.¡± Jake¡¯s laugh was forced; it had been only the first screening of the event and things had already turned awkward ¨C if not straight up disastrous.


    Even with all his years of experience, commentating on people ¨C sometimes monsters- going at each other in the savage, unrestrained fashion, he had never seen anything quite like this. And now it was up to him so salvaging the situation.


    ¡±I don¡¯t think anyone here will forget this show anytime soon. It certainly met the requirements for something novel, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he tried, but with his face put back on the giant monitor, it was easy to see just how uncomfortable he was. At least, judging by the reserved applause, he wasn¡¯t the only one unsettled by what they had just witnessed.


    Even the little applause that could be heard, most certainly wasn¡¯t for the Saurian who had sounded so proud at the end of their broadcast, but was simply an expression of sheer relief that the show had come to an end.


    Severin as well could only consider the show a disaster.


    It was almost ironic.


    All the blame he had lain on these people, on several previous occasions, when he had accused them of being obsessed with death and violence. And yet nothing he had seen during the Games came even close to what he had just seen during the event he had organized himself.


    The short history lesson and the explanations of saurian societal structures, though somewhat educational, had already been awkward. It certainly didn¡¯t help the entertainment value of the show that half of the saurian¡¯s words were practically incomprehensible to human ears, even if it was technically still the common language of the continent. But it was the many repeated mentions of expected self-sacrifice and the gruesome details of how internal conflicts-both private and political in nature-were solved within the tribe that even at this point already painted a disturbing, off-putting picture that was truly unfit to entertain the spectators on Severin¡¯s mountain.


    And still, some sense of morbid curiosity managed to captivate the audience.


    That was until the crowning finale of the broadcast, when the Limzahl introduced a saurian youngling wearing an intricate headdress and who soon went to prove that all the talk about self-sacrifice hadn¡¯t just been a figure of speech.


    Without much of a prior warning and with no shred of hesitation, the willing sacrifice rammed a discolored dagger into their stomach.


    That was the body-part where at their age the scales still hadn¡¯t completely hardened and could thus easily be penetrated, the Limzahl explained matter-of-factly.


    The reactions at the two locations could not have been more different.


    Back on the mountain, gasps and screams and cries went through the shocked audience, whereas cheerful chants could be heard sounding from offscreen; for not even an instant did the Limzahl turn their attention away from the disturbing sight, instead forcing their spectators to become accomplices, all while explaining just what exactly it was they were witnessing.


    ¡°Ve prefer zhe heat ov thiz dezert and ve need little vater to zurvive. Ztill, vater iz life, even for uz, and zhe dezert doesn¡¯t provide even zhe little ve need. Not for free, that iz. Zo ve trade for it.


    Blood of the land, for zaurian blood. Life for life.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It was hard to watch, but soon came the proof that this was more than just a superstitious ceremony of a primitive people.


    The small saurian, already on the verge of death, still held their head high, full of pride, reciting words in their native language, which, other than Severin, probably no one else in the audience could understand, and which even to him made only little sense.


    It did, very evidently, however, did have some effect.


    The moment the recitation finished, the pool of blood that had formed on the ground around the young¡¯s feet started to glow. And then was quickly absorbed by the sand, leaving not even a single drop behind.


    ¡°You did good. Your sacrifice was accepted. Don¡¯t linger. Rejoice and join the ranks of our revered ancestors. You and your sacrifice will never be forgotten.¡±


    Again only Severin could understand the words the Limzahl said to the young sacrifice, making him feel as though he had heard something he shouldn¡¯t have. That feeling was only reinforced by the fact that everything on the screen was shown through the Limzahl¡¯s point of view, who was now intimately close to the child who, with their last breath, flashed a bright, toothy smile, relieved and proud of their accomplishment. Then their lifeless body fell onto the ground. In a matter of seconds, it quickly shriveled up as the dry earth absorbed even the last drop of liquid inside the body.


    The whole audience on the mountain had become completely silent, whereas the chants on the other side only intensified.


    And then came the downpour. Over the desert - where not even a speck of cloud could be seen even seconds earlier.


    That was when the stream cut off, leaving them in the current situation where it was now Jake¡¯s thankless task to save the situation


    It truly was a disaster. Only an excited princess tried to convince Severin otherwise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the people¡¯s reaction. We witnessed something truly outstanding. Something which probably no outsider before us has ever witnessed. People will study this for years to come!¡±


    Mylana, who, without Severin¡¯s notice, had joined them at some point in time, nodded in sober agreement.


    ¡°This is irrefutable proof of their use of actual [Ritual Magic].


    They don¡¯t just randomly kill, as people like to claim. Above all, they don¡¯t sacrifice any other races. They can¡¯t. It has to be their own - the sacrifice is also the one actually conducting the ritual! This is huge, you understand? In the long term, this will surely dispel some of the nasty rumors.


    It¡¯s a great step in the right direction. With this, I can only see our relations improve.¡±


    Severin was very doubtful of her words. But it wasn¡¯t like he cared much about its political implications, anyway. Certainly not right now.


    At the moment, all he cared about was to get rid of the feeling of disgust he felt, and the success of his event going forward.


    But surprisingly, it didn¡¯t come to the great exodus of spectators he had already feared.


    Maybe they were still too shocked to move, Severin mused.


    Also, Jake did much better than expected and managed to make the best out of this situation. At a time like this, it seemed, his shitty jokes were just the right thing to lighten the mood; it certainly helped that people wanted to be distracted. By any means necessary. They willingly played along with their host, who soon went to introduce the next act.


    ¡°Think our next group of contenders can match the¡­ excitement of the last show? Think they have a shot at winning the coveted grand prize? Well, let¡¯s see and find out, shall we?¡±


    More than one person prayed they would.

 Chapter 224

    The next, this time prerecorded, submission was definitely more in line with what Severin originally had in mind when he thought up the premise of his event.


    They did this while actually fighting the boss, a hunchbacked kobold-shaman waving around a gnarled stick serving as its magic staff.


    The group naturally vastly out-leveled the creature to the degree that it posed no danger to them whatsoever.


    For the longest time, the group all but ignored the monster¡¯s moves, letting it go all-out and thereby highlighting all of its attacks.


    Each of those was then examined in great detail, followed by concise explanations of how to actually counter each and every one of those attacks.


    Be it tank, healer or support, or ranged or melee oriented damage dealers, everyone got their money¡¯s worth.


    From analyzing the kobold¡¯s attack patterns and how to position oneself within the limited available space to avoid them, over highlighting its four main weak-spots, all the way to discussing the right timings for the most common defensive cooldowns, each and every eventuality was taken into consideration by the experienced group.


    Screams could be heard everywhere in the audience-some excited, some genuinely frightened- whenever this happened, making Severin think of the stories he had heard back home about early cinema and the audiences¡¯ at times extreme reactions when presented with the recording of a train speeding towards the screen.


    By the bronze badges, who could hardly wait to put the new knowledge into action as soon as possible.


    By the silvers, who discussed amongst each other which aspects of the lesson might apply to their own circumstances.


    And by the even higher ranked adventurers, who could appreciate and discern the true mastery that went into each and every bit of advice.


    Even Mylana could be caught once or twice, nodding her head in approval¨Cprobably the biggest praise the group could ask for.


    In the following, it turned out the idea of this format wasn¡¯t unique to this group of participants.


    Many of the other submissions screened that night were essentially boss, dungeon, or class guides, many of which discussing the same dungeon or the even same boss.


    But the audience didn¡¯t seem to mind this sort of repetition and instead enjoyed every minute of it.


    In fact, being introduced to different strategies for the very same boss only served to deepen the understanding of the matter for many of the spectators.


    But even he had to admit, boring was a good thing. Certainly after a start as today¡¯s.


    And so, with nothing much else to worry about, Severin allowed himself to go grab a snack when everyone else was still glued to the big screen; only to be reprimanded by the dwarf working the booth for his audacity to disrupt him while enjoying the show; after all, Severin was told, that is what the breaks between programs were for.


    Not only in terms of audience engagement, but financially as well, Jasmine assured Severin some time after this day¡¯s show had come to an end. At this point, the majority of the audience had already left the mountain. Still, a large group of them had stayed behind and set-up camp on the outskirts of the mountaintop; despite being so far removed from the actual festival site, their animated voices could still be heard.


    It was proof of the great reception the first day of the Broadcasting Event had received.


    The people had enjoyed the show, and that was, after all, the most important thing.


    Knowing this, Severin had a restful, if short, night of sleep.


    The next morning, when he woke up, earlier than usual, the mountain was already bustling again.


    The booths serving food and drink were already open and very busy. Flying artifacts were arriving to no end. And the portal station was practically glowing. People, eagerly looking forward to a continuation of yesterday¡¯s show, were everywhere and in even greater number than on the previous day, Severin reckoned.


    They wouldn¡¯t have to wait for long. Severin barely had the time to grab breakfast before the screens all over the mountain once again came to life.


    Today would be a much longer day.


    ¡°¡°Well, you did good. This is not something you can afford to miss! We sure got a long and exciting day ahead of ourselves. You definitely made the right choice coming this early.


    But let¡¯s not waste too much time. We have much to do, so let¡¯s keep it short, and let¡¯s start the day with¡­¡± Jake paused a moment as he dug out his notes, and read ¡°¡­ a live broadcast, it seems! In that case, I will let them make their own in-¡±


    Zapp


    ¡°


    ¡°¡°Argh, and here I thought he would show us some of yesterday¡¯s strategies in action.¡±


    ¡°Right. Show us if those tactics are truly as foolproof as those gold badges made it seem.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys talking about? Do you even have eyes? Look where he is standing. That¡¯s none of the usual dungeons fit for a group of bronze.¡±


    ¡°God, you¡¯re right. The boy has no business being there!¡±


    Oblivious to those comment¡¯s, the young adventurer continued,


    ¡°


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    out-outdated and a th-thing of the p-past.


    We ha-have a-already once c-cleared this du-dungeon several levels e-earlier, a-and we will s-show you e-exactly how w-we did it, s-so that others at our level t-too can level a-as quickly as p-possible. A-all without risk. A-And no worries. W-we it be q-quick!¡±


    ¡°Bad enough that lizard child yesterday, but now we have to look on as these greenhorns get themselves killed?! Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty now. They said it¡¯s not their first time doing this.¡±


    ¡°Pah?! And you believe that? The boy was basically shaking in his boots!¡±


    Carefully but confidently, he took the lead-the camera closely behind him-until they reached a small clearing just ahead.


    The young adventurer did not immediately step inside this clearing. Instead, he pointed and made sure the camera caught exactly what he was looking at.


    A group of massively oversized, but otherwise harmless looking, mushrooms blocking the way to the other side.


    ¡°You know what those things are, right?¡± That said, he stuffed something into his mouth and stepped away from the rest of the group and into the clearing.


    With each step the man took, the pulsating became more and more obvious, faster, and more intense. Then, after the fifth step, something could be seen emitted from their gills. By the time the young man stood in the center, right next to the group of fungi, the whole clearing was covered in a brownish cloud of spores.


    ¡°Including but not limited to the usual suspects such as, [Confusion], [Disassociation], [Fear], [Silence], and [Paralysis]. It¡¯s considered a cocktail impossible to defend against at low level and very much capable to wipe out whole groups all on its own. Well, that was in the past. As you can see, I am still doing just fine.


    And by the way, I am a [Warrior], so this has nothing to do with my class.¡±


    After that, it was only a matter of time until the air cleared up and the passage became safe.


    ¡°See? No problem at all. And it¡¯s all thanks to this.¡± The man produced a small green cube of jello consistency.


    ¡°No, that is no custom made potion, but the regularly sold [Status Cure] of the Emporium. I¡¯m not sure many people have noticed, but they can actually be used preemptively. Lasts a minute or so and completely trivializes this encounter.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Is that true?!¡±


    ¡°No wonder the boy-¡±


    ¡°You knew of this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, if I did then-¡±


    The adventurers in the audience went crazy over this revelation.


    At the same time Severin felt multiple, some curious, some annoyed, and some even angry, gazes on him; he pretended not to notice and forced himself to keep on staring straight towards the big screen.


    Whatever it was, those things were disgusting to look at, even when they were on their own. And straight up horrifying when multiple of them came together and formed what looked like one big, wriggling, living knot that acted with a single mind.


    No resource-like mana or rage, for example-meant no healing and no large damage abilities - every combat would soon turn into a battle of attrition.


    ¡°


    Again Severin felt multiple pairs of eyes on him.


    ¡°I have nothing to do with that! I didn¡¯t pay them,¡± he felt himself forced to explain.


    ¡°No one even suggested you did¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on! Maybe they think that will increase their chances at winning the V.I.P membership.¡±


    ¡°And? Does it¡­?¡±


    In response, Severin helplessly threw his arms up in the air.


    On the other side of the screen, the group of five kept chugging, or rather gobbling, one resource potion after the other; with no actual danger to their wellbeing, they quickly disposed of their enemies, picked up their loot, and continued on.


    Until soon they were standing in front of a cave with only a small hole as an entrance, leading steeply underground.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t the first time Severin heard this sentiment. Samuel had once told him something very similar, he remembered.


    ¡°Well, plus, of course, all the usual properties and abilities of a slime. High physical defenses that make them virtually immune to any attack coming from our [Archer] or I, as well as their famous regenerative abilities.


    And all in a narrowly confined space, hardly large enough for me to even swing my sword. That leaves us with very little option. Simply relying on the same products we have used to come this far, while fighting that slime head-on, won¡¯t do.


    That said, the young man turn towards his companions and waved them over. Together, they now stood next to the cave entrance.


    Twisted.


    And lobbed them into the opening.


    And again.


    Metal sphere. Twist. Throw.


    And again.


    And again.


    Only stopping when a shrill sound, almost like that of a deflating balloon, could be heard coming from the same opening. Followed by a black haze raising out of it.

 Chapter 225

    What they had seen on the big screen seemed more like a leisure stroll through a forest than the conquering of a dangerous dungeon; it almost made them feel cheated.


    Then there were the inexperienced, low-level adventurers, clearly the target audience of this last submission. Those didn¡¯t share that sentiment. They were thrilled.


    People their own level, if not lower, had just cleared a whole dungeon. In record time. And they made it look easy. No, they didn¡¯t just made it look easy. With the right approach, it was easy.


    Compared to all the other previous instructional videos, this one was on a whole different level.


    But knowing an enemy¡¯s attack patterns, their timings, and weak points and actually being able to remember and exploit those, in the midst of combat, were two very different things.


    That wasn¡¯t to say it was impossible, but why take the risk when now there was a safe and easy alternative?


    It was withing this group that a great divide revealed itself after the broadcast, splitting the audience into effectively two major camps.


    The trivialization of a whole dungeon bore a very real danger, claimed the first of those groups, one that would ultimately lead to the demise of a whole generation of new adventurers.


    After all, they argued, it was the bronze stage which was the most important and would decide their future. It was during that time that adventurers learned the ropes of the trade. Becoming familiar with their own abilities. Learning how to coordinate with other people. Learning how to dealing with danger. And with the mental stress that came with it. Being a bronze rank was all about learning what it meant to be an adventurer. It was about getting to know oneself and one¡¯s limits.


    In an environment that was still comparatively risk free.


    Taking shortcuts during this formative stage would not just be negligent, but straight up inviting death. To themselves, but also to their future group members who would entrust them with their own lives.


    People who took the easy way out and advanced their rank with cheap tricks like this would be no different from people who straight-up faked their rank, they argued.


    That didn¡¯t mean they denied there was some truth to those arguments, but they argued it very unlikely that anyone relying solely on such a strategy would ever make it beyond the bronze rank in the first place.


    Instead, they praised the creativity and adaptability these newbies displayed, characteristics which were important for any adventurer, but which were often times neglected exactly because many chose to mindlessly follow the footsteps of their predecessors. A deviation from that pattern should be lauded, not condemned.


    Stolen story; please report.


    If anything, he was grateful for the delay. Any interruption bought him just that much more time before he had to reopen his store and resume business as usual.


    With otherwise no particularly vested interest in the matter, Severin soon took to observing his surroundings and the reactions of the people closest to him.


    Severin dismissed the feeling as a fragment of his imagination and kept observing.


    Also, it was a very specific, niche type of content. Much more so than the previous guides. The only people who would actually appreciate this contribution were naturally fellow [Berserkers], which, in the grand scheme of things, still only made up a fraction of the audience. Amongst the [Berserkers] present, however, the young woman¡¯s explanations were very well appreciated. And to the woman, that was all that counted. Following the screening of her submission, the female [Berserker] sitting in the audience was very pleased with herself. The smile that adorned her face was big, confident, and content.


    ¡°


    The young man, however, wasn¡¯t fazed in the slightest. Timothy was beaming as if he had just won the whole of the event. A stark contrast to Miriam sitting next to him, whose expression in a matter of minutes, had twisted into an unsightly grimace.

 Chapter 226

    In the grand scheme of things, however, the two submissions didn¡¯t really stand out and were soon forgotten. Neither one was a serious contender to win the competition.


    With a real novelty coming next, something Severin had been looking forward to since the very beginning.


    And twice in a row.


    Sadly, that was true for both of the following shows.


    Like the merchant before him, this man, too, used this opportunity to advertise his company¡¯s services, forfeiting every notion of actually fighting for the main prize of the event. That was, he managed a mercenary outfit specializing in escort missions, primarily used by merchants such as the one aforementioned.


    But that was not the clientele the man was targeting with this stunt. Instead, he used this rare opportunity to speak in front of so many adventurers to try to recruit some new muscles.


    The reception for both of these submissions had been reserved, to say the least. But at least the two men had enough sense to keep their programs short enough for them not to be cut off midway by the organizers.


    But while even their flimsy excuses as to what made their contributions truly novel, and therefore eligibility to be screened in the first place, had been borderline, Severin was secretly impressed with both of these people. Unlike the audience, he wasn¡¯t at all upset, instead praising their entrepreneurship and business acumen.


    In his mind, they were early adapters, who saw an opportunity in this entirely new medium and acted on it.


    And though unexpected, it wasn¡¯t like Severin had expressedly prohibited the participants from using his platform to advertisement their wares and services.


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    The moment Jake pronounced that name, a noticeable air of excitement washed over the crowd.


    Those who were in the know and recognized the name, largely adventurers with some years under their belt, were visibly thrilled; this was an elusive figure and whatever they had to share was bound to be extraordinary. As for the ones who didn¡¯t recognize the name, the shift in atmosphere alone was enough to arouse their curiosity.


    Severin belonged in the second camp of people.


    ¡°Who...?¡± he asked, also not oblivious to his surroundings.


    The fact that Mylana, Samuel, and Jasmine and her guests-all big shots in their respective fields-seemed to immediately recognize that name only made him even more intrigued.


    One thing, as the image on the big screen changed, was certain, however. This was not one of his regulars.


    And it wasn¡¯t just her face, either. Every single one of her exposed body parts was similarly marked. If not more so. When on her face it had only been cuts, hers shoulders, arms, and hands also displayed several burn scars in addition to those.


    Curiously, Severin realized, not a single recent injury seemed to cover the woman¡¯s dark skin.


    Lone Wolf Zarah,¡± Samuel reiterated. ¡°[Rogue].¡±


    Severin made a double-take at the mention of her class. ¡°[Rogue]? Are you sure she isn¡¯t a [Berserker]? Or maybea [Flagellant]? If that is a thing?¡±


    Severin couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from the screen, but judging by Samuel¡¯s voice, the half-giant had an amused smile on his face as he further explained,


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡°She earned her moniker for famously having surpassed the Gold Rank, working exclusively alone. Meaning she doesn¡¯t group up with other people. No guild either, if I¡¯m informed correctly.


    But that was years ago. Who knows what rank she actually carries nowadays? One thing¡¯s for certain though, she¡¯s as tough as they come.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the real deal,¡± even Mylana agreed.


    Somehow this superficial introduction left Severin with more question than it answered. But now was not the time.Further questions would have to wait. For now Severin decided to watch and hear what this blonde adventurer, who, despite all her scars, still maintained a certain attractive charm, had to say.


    ¡°¡­and so it has always been my philosophy not to rely on others in circumstances of life and death. I prefer to trust myself. My body, my skills, my preparations.


    In short, I trust the work I have put in.


    Those are things you have to figure out for yourselves.


    But even I have a partner I can¡¯t do without - my equipment. It is just as important as those other things I just mentioned.


    And it also is an aspect I can teach you about. How to maintain it, but also how to choose it in the first place.


    Don¡¯t be fooled. It¡¯s not quite as easy as comparing tooltips and picking the item with the most stats on it,¡± she warned.


    ¡°As an inexperienced adventurer with no guidance, I had to learn this the hard way.


    I will share with you some of the knowledge I have learned since.


    So if you don¡¯t want to end up looking like me, I recommend you pay attention,¡± something in the way the woman called Zarah said those last words, gave Severin the distinct feeling she actually enjoyed showing off her scars, and wasn¡¯t nearly as embarrassed as her words might have otherwise indicated.


    ¡°And then make sure you not only meet the suggested defensive values for your particular armour-type, but surpass it. By at least twenty percent. Always assume one piece of equipment is going to break.


    Also, I know it is tempting, but don¡¯t include temporary buffs into this consideration. Always over-prepare. And don¡¯t think you can skimp on this because you have a group and think everyone has your back. They only do until they don¡¯t.¡±


    But at some point, even those weren¡¯t enough to keep him interested any longer; as it turned out, this had only been the prelude and things soon became more and more technically. That¡¯s when he tuned out entirely.


    Similar irrelevant to him were the woman¡¯s insights regarding the weight of one¡¯s equipment, how it affected one¡¯s mobility and what tradeoffs, in her opinion, were acceptable to make in this aspect, and which weren¡¯t.


    The section about resistances and by how much those should be overcapped, as she called it, wasn¡¯t of especial interest to him either, and neither was the part about secondary defenses such as block and evasion.


    Only her reminder that the Society¡¯s official certification did only protect against straight-up scams and fake tooltips, not against poor craftsmanship or reasonable prices, was of some interest to him.


    ¡®


    ¡°dress for the occasion.¡±


    Hearing those words, thinking the scarred [Rogue] was finally concluding her lecture, Severin perked up. Only to immediately be disappointed.


    ¡°I said this before and I¡¯ll emphasize again: Don¡¯t go out of your way to get offensive stats or properties onto your armor unless your defensive requirements are already satisfied. If that leaves you lacking in a different area, that simply means you have no business fighting these enemies in the first place.


    Another lesson, this time about armor penetration values, about damage and weapon types, about base damage, and about the difference between damage increases and amplifications.


    But even that became boring to Severin after some time, no matter the lecturer.


    ¡®Almost as if the roles between him and the girl had been reversed this time around, it was Emily who seemed glued to the screen, and closely followed each of the woman¡¯s words and actions, whereas Severin was the one who decided it was time to go grab a bite.


    Inconspicuously, Severin excused himself from the scene and made way towards his kitchen¨Cthere were only so many elvish veggie snacks he could stomach until he began craving for a slice of his pizza-, when all of a sudden...


    Ding


    New feature unlocked. User input required.]

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    ¡°¡°Well, not much we can do, is there?¡± retorted another of similar age, ¡°someone has to step up. Make up some excuse and forfeit.¡±


    ¡°Someone, huh?¡±


    ¡°Guys,¡± the soft voice of a third person, an equally young girl wearing long, light-colored robes, was easily overheard.


    ¡°Well, I say the one who registered us on such a short notice and without asking beforehand should have the honor.¡±


    ¡°Guys.¡±


    ¡°You can talk, but have you seen the amount of people watching? No way, I can-¡±


    Guys!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Finally, the girl managed to get through to the bickering boys.


    ¡°Look,¡± she pointed and directed their attention towards yet another, the fourth and last, member of their group, ¡°Over there, Annie found something.¡±


    ¡°What did she find this time?¡± One of the boys asked, rolling his eyes. But as he turned around, ¡°What the fuck!? What is that?¡±


    ¡°How- When¡­?¡± The other boy was just as confused by what he saw.


    Huff Puff


    ¡°What¡¯s that thing, Annie?¡± asked the first boy to arrive.


    ¡°No clue, Vik. Still trying to figure that out,¡± the girl answered without turning her attention away from the creepy stone structure, ¡°But looks like a crypt to me.¡±


    ¡°A crypt?¡± asked the other boy, who caught up just in time to hear Annie¡¯s words, before he could inspect the building more closely himself. Then, just to make sure he and Vik hadn¡¯t just imagined things, ¡°How did we miss this thing before?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The boy was clearly annoyed by this noncommittal answer.


    ¡°Either way, doesn¡¯t really matter right now. We still have to figure out what to do about this whole-¡±


    ¡°¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just-


    ¡°Paul, Vik. Don¡¯t just stand there. Help me,¡± Annie repeated.


    Without waiting for the two boys to react, Annie put her whole weight against the massive double doors. And finally managed to open them just wide enough to take a curious peek inside. What she saw caused her to momentarily hesitate.


    ¡°I- I think there¡¯s a dungeon in there!¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters. Right?¡±


    ¡°Just come and look! There¡¯s a portal in there. Now help me, will you?¡±


    The two boys shared a quick look before finally jumping into action; now all three pushed the doors until the gap had widened just enough for a person to pass through.


    And then they stared.


    ¡°See? I told you there was a portal inside!¡± With that, Annie stepped through the door and into the dark interior.


    ¡°


    ¡°¡°I know, I know,¡± she replied. ¡°But aren¡¯t you guys curious? Don¡¯t you want to see what¡¯s on the other side?¡±


    ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s truly a dungeon,¡± Vik pointed out. ¡°It could lead anywhere!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. What else could this be? Of course, it¡¯s a dungeon portal,¡± Paul, the other boy, challenged.


    ¡°Ooh? I didn¡¯t realize we had an expert in our midst.¡±


    ¡°Dude, I-¡±


    ¡°Stop bickering already, you two,¡± Annie admonished. ¡°I still think we should take a look. I mean, we can always turn around. Right? And we could broadcast all of it! Better than having to forfeit, no? Wasn¡¯t that what you guys were so worried about?¡±


    ¡°Both boys again looked at each other, more serious this time. And nodded.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the boy conceded.


    ¡°Whatever you say, boss,¡± Paul also agreed. ¡°But in that case, I suggest we hurry. We should at least make sure how to use that crystal. Not sure what time it is exactly, but it should be about time for us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already recording,¡± came the soft voice of the other girl, who, after she had caught up to the group, had remained silent.


    ¡°Whaaat? Since when? This is live, no? People are watching? Quickly, we need to introduce ourselves! Otherwise, we might get disqualified! If we aren¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Quit panicking already! Boss, I think you should handle this.¡±


    Ahem


    ¡°Hello! We are a group of four adventurers and explorers. I am Annie, the leader! And those here are-¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to know that!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, skip that part! Continue with the motto!¡±


    ¡°What motto?¡± Irritated by the interruption, the girl turned towards one of the voices off-camera, where she saw someone mouthing the word N-O-V-E-L-T-Y.


    ¡°Ever. I guess that¡¯s pretty novel, huh?¡±


    ¡°We might even be the first people ever to enter this dungeon!¡± added another voice, still secretly convinced this building, and therefore this portal, hadn¡¯t been there just mere minutes earlier.


    ¡°If this even is a dungeon in the first place!¡± Came again the reminder.


    ¡°¡°What? Just like that? Don¡¯t we need to discuss and prepare first?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss? You know what to do. Just do as we practiced! Go, go!¡±


    With that, the girl materialized her one-handed mace in her right, and a big, sturdy shield in her left. Then she turned around to face the portal, waited for a moment-to take a deep breath, to mentally prepare herself, and to give her teammates similar opportunity to ready themselves-, and then, with all the confidence she could muster, stepped forward and disappeared.


    She was then followed, first by a boy who was now carrying a bow, and then by another who had a big magic tome floating in front of him.


    She hesitated for a few seconds, and then also stepped forward.


    ¡°


    In a matter of seconds, the confidence of the group¡¯s leader had completely fallen apart. Everyone was either screaming, frantically looking around, or both.


    ¡°Nissa! There you are.¡±


    The girl couldn¡¯t even inquire what was going on before her name was called out; by now she too was scared without even knowing what was going on, just because of everyone else¡¯s antics.


    ¡°There is no exit! No- The portal leading outside. It¡­ it¡¯s missing!¡±


    ¡°Surely it¡¯s just hidden somewhere around here? Aren¡¯t all dungeons supposed to have a way back out, right at the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Bu- but! Doesn¡¯t that just mean I was right?¡± Vik tried to convince himself just as much as everyone else, ¡°that this isn¡¯t a dungeon, I mean.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°¡°As I said before, it doesn¡¯t really matter if it¡¯s a dungeon or not. We need to be careful, either way. Be ready for anything. So stay composed, you hear? So far, nothing has really changed!


    Now, everyone get into formation as we practiced and follow me. And don¡¯t talk unless it¡¯s important!¡±


    Only the two next pairs of torches could be made out in the darkness, and only the group¡¯s steps and their breathing could be heard.


    Then past the second pair, maybe twenty meters later.


    By the third pair, the group¡¯s steps had become lighter, their breathing more relaxed.


    By the fou-


    click


    Vik drew his bow. And Paul¡¯s tome began to flip through its pages as if searching for just the right spell for this situation.


    But nothing else happened.


    Anxiously, the group waited, frozen in place, not daring to move even the slightest bit, afraid even to breathe.


    For a whole minute, they just stood there, nervous and unsettled, mental exhaustion quickly overcoming them.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Annie finally asked, not daring to turn around.


    Three confirmations later, she let out a deep breath.


    ¡°Any idea what that was?¡± This time, three negations.


    And so, unsure how to react in this situation, another minute passed.


    ¡°I- You stay where you are. Don¡¯t move, but be ready for anything. I¡¯ll take a step and see what happens.¡±


    Somehow that would make the situation less nerve-wrecking. At least then, they knew what they had just triggered.


    As things stood, however, the group didn¡¯t have much choice. All they could do now was to tremble in fear and continue forward.


    And there they stopped. Again. Afraid of having the situation from before repeat itself; afraid to step into a hidden trap.


    As thoroughly as they could in those lightning conditions, the group stopped and searched the ground for possible pressure plates. To no avail.


    Using some of Vik¡¯s arrowheads, checking if those would trigger any hidden mechanism once they hit the ground before them, was similarly inconclusive.


    All the group could do was hold their breath and continue to sneak forward.


    From then on, their pace became even slower, the fear of that click sound still fresh in all of their mind.


    Only then did the group slowly relax, breathing a sigh of relief.


    ¡°¡°Now we will find out whether this truly is a dungeon or not. Be ready for anything; stay behind me.¡±


    That said, the young woman at the front used her left shoulder to push against the obstacle in front of her.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.This time, unlike earlier, outside, the left wing she put her weight against opened with almost no resistance. Almost as if by itself, it swung wide open, revealing a well-lit, dusty, circular room.


    The whole room was entirely made out of stone featuring artistic, albeit morbid, engravings of skulls and bones arranged in strange patterns.


    And in the middle, the prominently placed, long awaited Sarcophagus.


    Bang


    As they had the predicted, the door hat slam shut behind them.


    Nissa, who had stayed behind the rest of the group the whole time, was now the closest to the entrance.


    Despite her better knowledge, the healer pushed and shook at the door.


    In vain, of course.


    ¡°¡°Shut up! I swear once we¡¯re out of here I will-¡±


    ¡°Both of you, get a grip! Fan out and stay at a distance. Only I need to stay in melee range!


    Paul, ready some spell. Vik,¡± Annie was about to shout further instructions while still only a single skeletal hand had made it out of what should have been its final resting place, when a seldom heard voice interrupted her, ¡°Annie!¡±


    ¡°Wha- ¡±


    ¡°Use that stuff! That oil. Quickly befor-¡±


    ¡°Good thinking!¡±


    The next moment a small hexagonal shaped flask appeared in her hand.


    ¡°Paul! Catch! It¡¯s the only one we could afford, so make it count!¡±


    Secretly doubting something like a stat-increasing elixir could truly exist, the spellcaster of the group obediently uncorked the small flask his group leader has thrown him, and downed it.


    In the meantime, the girl had summoned another small bottle into her trembling hand, the red contents of which she was now dumping over the metal head of her mace. The moment the last drop was spilled, she discarded the bottle and once again materialized her shield in its stead.


    Blargh


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Paul shouted as the tome in front of him flipped to one particular page, only one of two that wasn¡¯t empty, in fact.


    The transparent image of an ever-shifting ball rose up from that page, where it hovered in place. With a pushing motion, Paul then reached out towards it, pushing it.


    Upon touching it, this template of a spell was filled with actual magic and turned into a blazing ball of fire which shot out in the direction he had motioned.


    But it was enough to make it stumble, just for an instant, as it was slowly raising its dull but heavy two-hander above its head.


    Just long enough for Annie to snap out of it and dodge backwards and evade the attack.


    At the same time, two other things happened.


    First, Annie felt a warm light washing over her, replenishing half of the health she had just lost.


    And secondly, Vik was unleashing a barrage of arrows upon the fearsome opponent.


    Out of the seven arrows fired, however, only four actually hit; the remaining ones flew straight through all the gaps in its body.


    The damage dealt so far seemed uncomfortably negligible. Still, this maneuver bought the group valuable seconds; Annie might be the group¡¯s tank, but as she was yet to make a move, the skeleton¡¯s attention was now shifting away from her.


    Which opened up an opportunity for her to activate one of her skills and swing her coated weapon in a wide arc towards the mindless monster¡¯s spine.


    crack


    ¡°Would cracking the spine of a magically moving skeleton be enough to paralyze it? Would a few broken bones be enough to stop it? Annie wasn¡¯t exactly sure about those things. But she clearly did some damage.


    ¡°It¡¯s work-¡±


    Crack!


    ¡°Arrows flew and missed, fireballs hit and seemed largely shaken off.


    This time around, the enemies¡¯ attention stayed firmly on the reeling girl spitting blood.


    Despite all, she managed to raise her shield once again, and just in time.


    Though that alone would¡¯ve been useless if it wasn¡¯t for yet another healing spell revitalizing her at precisely that moment; an instant later, all the damage that had just been healed, and more, was already gone again.


    The skeleton, though somewhat sluggish, simply overpowered them.


    Annie¡¯s defenses, even combined with Nissa¡¯s healing, were not enough to resist their opponent for long.


    Nissa cast another healing spell, putting Annie back to maybe one fourth of her total health, quickly followed by the only other spell she knew, a small healing-over-time spell. That was all she could do before her mana pool was almost entirely exhausted.


    ¡°


    ¡°Then buy us time,¡± he therefore demanded.


    Paul understood where the [Archer] was coming and nodded in return, a gesture naturally lost in the midst of combat.


    One of his fireballs was still midair, as his tome began flipping again.


    This time, an elongated, triangular shape arose from the book.


    Again he put his magic into this shape. And the icicle flew forward. Not towards the target he himself had designated, but towards its feet.


    Where it dissipated impotently, not achieving anything.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    ¡®Missed,¡¯ Annie breathed a sigh of relief. That would buy them another two or three seconds until its next attack. ¡®Unless it suddenly speeds up again!¡¯


    She shook off this thought. If that was the case, they were already dead. No use even thinking about that possibility.


    Sidestepping the puddle underneath her, while gritting her teeth in pain, she quickly lashed out at the small wound she had left behind earlier.


    Then, making sure their enemies¡¯ focus was still on her, she quickly jumped backwards, away and outside of its large attack radius. Keeping it focused on her while maintaining her distance, in her mind, was their only chance.


    Fush


    It, first, allowed Annie to put some more distance between them while slowly recovering her health.


    And secondly-


    Swoosh


    Clank


    ¡°¡°Not enough! It¡¯s not enough! Again!¡± The boys kept shouting.


    The energy consumption of Vik¡¯s [Snipe] ability was immense, and so was its preparation time. And a hit, despite its name, was not actually guaranteed; repeating this feat would in no small parts come down to luck. At least its damage, if it did hit, was equally immense.


    That much was proven by the skeleton¡¯s reaction; with one foot still frozen to the ground, its upper body now turned away from Annie and towards the [Archer].


    Trusting his mates, the latter again took aim. Five seconds. That¡¯s how long he would be immobilized now that he was activating his [Snipe] skill again. If his group-members didn¡¯t think of something, he would be done for.


    real battle at that-they hadn¡¯t seen Vik¡¯s attack coming. More importantly, they hadn¡¯t seen its shift in aggro coming.


    After all, even she as a newbie knew that holy element healing skills such as hers were an every undead¡¯s weak-point. And so, instead of topping up their tank¡¯s health, she had opted to turn her healing-over-time regeneration spell into an attack aimed towards their adversary.


    And so it was left to Annie, after all, to pull the monster¡¯s attention back onto her.


    Just like before, ignoring the impossible pain in her chest, the girl approached the skeleton from behind, activated her skill to take a large swing and-


    ¡°


    With a healer¡¯s sense of duty to keep their party alive and well, fully knowing that another healing spell of hers not only would be too late but also too little, the youngest of the group threw herself in front of her friend, absorbing the blow in her stead.


    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t enough; Annie took another hit.


    With the last strength she could muster before giving out herself, she flew into a fit of rage, using not only her mace but even her shield to strike and the foe towering above her.


    Which only further ensured that neither Vik nor Paul would ever manage to gain the skeleton¡¯s attention and turn it away from their tank, who was just about to faint.


    ¡°Move! Run,¡± sounded the desperate pleads again.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Pressing their attacks while desperately shouting, was all they could do as their lifeless opponent kept going after their friend, who was refusing-and at this point probably also unable-to move.


    Leaving behind only its crude weapon and a random assortment of loot.


    And a shimmering portal.


    Only when they finally did, the yelling began anew.


    ¡°¡°Nissa! Get her out of here! I¡¯m fine, just get Nissa! Please, be okay.¡±

 Chapter 227

    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± The person who asked this question was still more of a boy than a man.


    ¡°Well, not much we can do, is there?¡± retorted another of similar age, ¡°someone has to step up. Make up some excuse and forfeit.¡±


    ¡°Someone, huh?¡±


    ¡°Guys,¡± the soft voice of a third person, an equally young girl wearing long, light-colored robes, was easily overheard.


    ¡°Well, I say the one who registered us on such a short notice and without asking beforehand should have the honor.¡±


    ¡°Guys.¡±


    ¡°You can talk, but have you seen the amount of people watching? No way, I can-¡±


    Guys!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Finally, the girl managed to get through to the bickering boys.


    ¡°Look,¡± she pointed and directed their attention towards yet another, the fourth and last, member of their group, ¡°Over there, Annie found something.¡±


    ¡°What did she find this time?¡± One of the boys asked, rolling his eyes. But as he turned around, ¡°What the fuck!? What is that?¡±


    ¡°How- When¡­?¡± The other boy was just as confused by what he saw.


    Without waiting for an explanation they knew they wouldn¡¯t get, both of them made off and towards the girl who was busy closely inspecting the strange looking building they had somehow overlooked, just a few hundred meters away from them.


    Huff Puff


    ¡°What¡¯s that thing, Annie?¡± asked the first boy to arrive.


    ¡°No clue, Vik. Still trying to figure that out,¡± the girl answered without turning her attention away from the creepy stone structure, ¡°But looks like a crypt to me.¡±


    ¡°A crypt?¡± asked the other boy, who caught up just in time to hear Annie¡¯s words, before he could inspect the building more closely himself. Then, just to make sure he and Vik hadn¡¯t just imagined things, ¡°How did we miss this thing before?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The boy was clearly annoyed by this noncommittal answer.


    ¡°Either way, doesn¡¯t really matter right now. We still have to figure out what to do about this whole-¡±


    ¡°Guys, come help me out, will you? The doors of that thing are fucking heavy.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just-


    ¡°Paul, Vik. Don¡¯t just stand there. Help me,¡± Annie repeated.


    Without waiting for the two boys to react, Annie put her whole weight against the massive double doors. And finally managed to open them just wide enough to take a curious peek inside. What she saw caused her to momentarily hesitate.


    ¡°I- I think there¡¯s a dungeon in there!¡±


    Hearing these words, everyone fell silent.


    After a while, ¡°Are you... certain? What makes you say so?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters. Right?¡±


    ¡°Just come and look! There¡¯s a portal in there. Now help me, will you?¡±


    The two boys shared a quick look before finally jumping into action; now all three pushed the doors until the gap had widened just enough for a person to pass through.


    And then they stared.


    ¡°See? I told you there was a portal inside!¡± With that, Annie stepped through the door and into the dark interior.


    For now, she ignored the shimmering portal, the only light-source inside, and started looking around.


    ¡°No coffins,¡± she observed. ¡°So not a crypt after all, I guess? But nothing else in here either.¡± She sounded almost a bit disappointed and her focus shifted back towards the portal. She took a step into its direction.


    That move finally woke the boys up from their stupor; they quickly hurried after her.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Paul warned.


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± she replied. ¡°But aren¡¯t you guys curious? Don¡¯t you want to see what¡¯s on the other side?¡±


    ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s truly a dungeon,¡± Vik pointed out. ¡°It could lead anywhere!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. What else could this be? Of course, it¡¯s a dungeon portal,¡± Paul, the other boy, challenged.


    ¡°Ooh? I didn¡¯t realize we had an expert in our midst.¡±


    ¡°Dude, I-¡±


    ¡°Stop bickering already, you two,¡± Annie admonished. ¡°I still think we should take a look. I mean, we can always turn around. Right? And we could broadcast all of it! Better than having to forfeit, no? Wasn¡¯t that what you guys were so worried about?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­,¡± Vik stopped himself.


    Both boys again looked at each other, more serious this time. And nodded.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the boy conceded.


    ¡°Whatever you say, boss,¡± Paul also agreed. ¡°But in that case, I suggest we hurry. We should at least make sure how to use that crystal. Not sure what time it is exactly, but it should be about time for us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already recording,¡± came the soft voice of the other girl, who, after she had caught up to the group, had remained silent.


    ¡°Whaaat? Since when? This is live, no? People are watching? Quickly, we need to introduce ourselves! Otherwise, we might get disqualified! If we aren¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Quit panicking already! Boss, I think you should handle this.¡±


    Ahem


    Without arguing, the leader of the group cleared her throat and turned around to directly face the recording crystal the group¡¯s healer was carrying.


    ¡°Hello! We are a group of four adventurers and explorers. I am Annie, the leader! And those here are-¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to know that!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, skip that part! Continue with the motto!¡±


    ¡°What motto?¡± Irritated by the interruption, the girl turned towards one of the voices off-camera, where she saw someone mouthing the word N-O-V-E-L-T-Y.


    ¡°Ah, right! Novelty. Ehm. We are¡­ new adventurers!¡± was the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Aaand¡­ right. This will be our first dungeon. Ever. I guess that¡¯s pretty novel, huh?¡±


    ¡°We might even be the first people ever to enter this dungeon!¡± added another voice, still secretly convinced this building, and therefore this portal, hadn¡¯t been there just mere minutes earlier.


    ¡°If this even is a dungeon in the first place!¡± Came again the reminder.


    ¡°Well, either way! Let¡¯s just assume it is. So. Shall we go?¡±


    ¡°What? Just like that? Don¡¯t we need to discuss and prepare first?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss? You know what to do. Just do as we practiced! Go, go!¡±


    With that, the girl materialized her one-handed mace in her right, and a big, sturdy shield in her left. Then she turned around to face the portal, waited for a moment-to take a deep breath, to mentally prepare herself, and to give her teammates similar opportunity to ready themselves-, and then, with all the confidence she could muster, stepped forward and disappeared.


    She was then followed, first by a boy who was now carrying a bow, and then by another who had a big magic tome floating in front of him.


    At this point, only the crystal-bearer recording everything, the shy healer of the group, was left behind.


    She hesitated for a few seconds, and then also stepped forward.


    ¡°-we do now?!¡±


    What greeted the healer and the audience of the Broadcasting Event on the other side of the portal was sheer panic.


    In a matter of seconds, the confidence of the group¡¯s leader had completely fallen apart. Everyone was either screaming, frantically looking around, or both.


    ¡°Nissa! There you are.¡±


    The girl couldn¡¯t even inquire what was going on before her name was called out; by now she too was scared without even knowing what was going on, just because of everyone else¡¯s antics.


    ¡°There is no exit! No- The portal leading outside. It¡­ it¡¯s missing!¡±


    ¡°Surely it¡¯s just hidden somewhere around here? Aren¡¯t all dungeons supposed to have a way back out, right at the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Bu- but! Doesn¡¯t that just mean I was right?¡± Vik tried to convince himself just as much as everyone else, ¡°that this isn¡¯t a dungeon, I mean.¡±


    ¡°You again! Just look around! What else is this supposed to be?!¡± Paul wildly gesticulated, pointing out their surrounding, a corridor, wide enough for all four people to traverse side by side, dimly lit by magic torches arranged on either sides of them. With one direction walled off, there was only one way to go.


    ¡°Stop shouting and stop arguing!¡± Annie interrupted in an attempt to restore order, her wits slowly returning, as the heavy responsibilities of being the leader of this group somewhat cleared her mind.


    ¡°As I said before, it doesn¡¯t really matter if it¡¯s a dungeon or not. We need to be careful, either way. Be ready for anything. So stay composed, you hear? So far, nothing has really changed!


    Now, everyone get into formation as we practiced and follow me. And don¡¯t talk unless it¡¯s important!¡±


    Hearing Annie take charge seemed to calm down at least the boys; though if it wasn¡¯t for Nissa¡¯s continued trembling, the audience-who was closely following these newbies¡¯ first real adventure with bated breath-, would have seen that everyone else, including Annie, was also still shaking.


    Annie, her weapon and shield firmly grasped, took her first step into the dark corridor, whose end couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Only the two next pairs of torches could be made out in the darkness, and only the group¡¯s steps and their breathing could be heard.


    Annie at the front, Vik and Paul maybe half a meter behind her with roughly two meters in the middle between them, and then Nissa following behind; the four moved in a diamond shaped formation, allowing everybody to dodge forwards or backwards without getting in each other''s way; Nissa had come up with that herself.


    Like this, they walked forward into the unknown. Past the first pair of torches.


    Then past the second pair, maybe twenty meters later.


    By the third pair, the group¡¯s steps had become lighter, their breathing more relaxed.


    By the fou-


    click


    As quickly as her low level allowed her to, Annie pulled up her shield; half a breath later, the other three reacted similarly.


    Vik drew his bow. And Paul¡¯s tome began to flip through its pages as if searching for just the right spell for this situation.


    But nothing else happened.


    Anxiously, the group waited, frozen in place, not daring to move even the slightest bit, afraid even to breathe.


    For a whole minute, they just stood there, nervous and unsettled, mental exhaustion quickly overcoming them.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Annie finally asked, not daring to turn around.


    Three confirmations later, she let out a deep breath.


    ¡°Any idea what that was?¡± This time, three negations.


    And so, unsure how to react in this situation, another minute passed.


    ¡°I- You stay where you are. Don¡¯t move, but be ready for anything. I¡¯ll take a step and see what happens.¡±


    But nothing did happen, though Annie almost wished otherwise.


    Somehow that would make the situation less nerve-wrecking. At least then, they knew what they had just triggered.


    As things stood, however, the group didn¡¯t have much choice. All they could do now was to tremble in fear and continue forward.


    It took them almost five whole minutes to make it to the next pair of torches, just another twenty meters ahead of them.


    And there they stopped. Again. Afraid of having the situation from before repeat itself; afraid to step into a hidden trap.


    As thoroughly as they could in those lightning conditions, the group stopped and searched the ground for possible pressure plates. To no avail.


    Using some of Vik¡¯s arrowheads, checking if those would trigger any hidden mechanism once they hit the ground before them, was similarly inconclusive.


    All the group could do was hold their breath and continue to sneak forward.


    Until, without further incidents, and half an eternity later, they had reached the ninth pair of torches. At which point they could see there was only one more to come; they had almost reached the end of the corridor.


    From then on, their pace became even slower, the fear of that click sound still fresh in all of their mind.


    Another ten nerve-wrecking minutes later, and the group found themselves standing in front of a closed gate which covered the whole width of the corridor.


    Only then did the group slowly relax, breathing a sigh of relief.


    ¡°So, wha-what now?¡±


    ¡°Now we will find out whether this truly is a dungeon or not. Be ready for anything; stay behind me.¡±


    That said, the young woman at the front used her left shoulder to push against the obstacle in front of her.


    This time, unlike earlier, outside, the left wing she put her weight against opened with almost no resistance. Almost as if by itself, it swung wide open, revealing a well-lit, dusty, hexagonal-shaped room.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.The whole room was entirely made out of stone featuring artistic, albeit morbid, engravings of skulls and bones arranged in strange patterns.


    And in the middle, the prominently placed, long awaited Sarcophagus.


    At this point, everyone understood what was likely awaiting them. But with nowhere else to go, all they could do was to exchange encouraging glances and nods, swallow their apprehension, and step inside.


    Bang


    Instinctively, the whole group turned around.


    As they had the predicted, the door hat slam shut behind them.


    Nissa, who had stayed behind the rest of the group the whole time, was now the closest to the entrance.


    Despite her better knowledge, the healer pushed and shook at the door.


    In vain, of course.


    At the same time, the sound of stone scraping across stone could be heard. Again, all heads flung around.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon alright! Are you happy now, Paul?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I swear once we¡¯re out of here I will-¡±


    ¡°Both of you, get a grip! Fan out and stay at a distance. Only I need to stay in melee range!


    Paul, ready some spell. Vik,¡± Annie was about to shout further instructions while still only a single skeletal hand had made it out of what should have been its final resting place, when a seldom heard voice interrupted her, ¡°Annie!¡±


    ¡°Wha- ¡±


    ¡°Use that stuff! That oil. Quickly befor-¡±


    ¡°Good thinking!¡±


    The what seemed to be the sole enemy of this strange, unusual dungeon, was still putting itself together, when the tank of the group put away her shield of all things.


    The next moment a small hexagonal shaped flask appeared in her hand.


    ¡°Paul! Catch! It¡¯s the only one we could afford, so make it count!¡±


    Secretly doubting something like a stat-increasing elixir could truly exist, the spellcaster of the group obediently uncorked the small flask his group leader has thrown him, and downed it.


    In the meantime, the girl had summoned another small bottle into her trembling hand, the red contents of which she was now dumping over the metal head of her mace. The moment the last drop was spilled, she discarded the bottle and once again materialized her shield in its stead.


    And just in time to raise it over her head and defend against the heavy attack of a worn but heavy sword coming down at her.


    Blargh


    Just like that, Annie was spitting blood and overcome by fear. Despite her successful defense, one third of her health was gone.


    At least this was enough to get the other three people moving.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Paul shouted as the tome in front of him flipped to one particular page, only one of two that wasn¡¯t empty, in fact.


    The transparent image of an ever-shifting ball rose up from that page, where it hovered in place. With a pushing motion, Paul then reached out towards it, pushing it.


    Upon touching it, this template of a spell was filled with actual magic and turned into a blazing ball of fire which shot out in the direction he had motioned.


    Its impact on the huge, human-shaped skeleton¡¯s rib-cage was underwhelming, to say the least.


    But it was enough to make it stumble, just for an instant, as it was slowly raising its dull but heavy two-hander above its head.


    Just long enough for Annie to snap out of it and dodge backwards and evade the attack.


    At the same time, two other things happened.


    First, Annie felt a warm light washing over her, replenishing half of the health she had just lost.


    And secondly, Vik was unleashing a barrage of arrows upon the fearsome opponent.


    Out of the seven arrows fired, however, only four actually hit; the remaining ones flew straight through all the gaps in its body.


    The damage dealt so far seemed uncomfortably negligible. Still, this maneuver bought the group valuable seconds; Annie might be the group¡¯s tank, but as she was yet to make a move, the skeleton¡¯s attention was now shifting away from her.


    Which opened up an opportunity for her to activate one of her skills and swing her coated weapon in a wide arc towards the mindless monster¡¯s spine.


    crack


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Would cracking the spine of a magically moving skeleton be enough to paralyze it? Would a few broken bones be enough to stop it? Annie wasn¡¯t exactly sure about those things. But she clearly did some damage.


    ¡°It¡¯s work-¡±


    Without warning, and faster than anything the group would have thought possible, the skeleton spun 180 degrees, swinging its large weapon around viciously.


    Crack!


    That wasn¡¯t just a small chip. That was at least one rib completely obliterated.


    ¡°Ann!¡± her teammates shouted frantically.


    Arrows flew and missed, fireballs hit and seemed largely shaken off.


    This time around, the enemies¡¯ attention stayed firmly on the reeling girl spitting blood.


    Despite all, she managed to raise her shield once again, and just in time.


    Though that alone would¡¯ve been useless if it wasn¡¯t for yet another healing spell revitalizing her at precisely that moment; an instant later, all the damage that had just been healed, and more, was already gone again.


    The skeleton, though somewhat sluggish, simply overpowered them.


    Annie¡¯s defenses, even combined with Nissa¡¯s healing, were not enough to resist their opponent for long.


    But at least that sluggishness allowed for the group to at least try to retaliate.


    Nissa cast another healing spell, putting Annie back to maybe one fourth of her total health, quickly followed by the only other spell she knew, a small healing-over-time spell. That was all she could do before her mana pool was almost entirely exhausted.


    ¡°Aim for that crack! Aim for its spine!¡± If everything had gone as planned, no one but Annie would be giving instructions. As things stood, however, Paul took it onto himself to issue the command, seeing as their leader was in no condition to do so herself. Given the evident success of her one and only attack so far, he decided their best bet was to focus on that small vulnerability that had just opened up.


    Under such circumstances nobody argued back, but seeing how his previous [Arrow Barrage] had been ineffective, and given the new instructions, Vik¡¯s only move was to use his only other skill.


    ¡°Then buy us time,¡± he therefore demanded.


    Paul understood where the [Archer] was coming and nodded in return, a gesture naturally lost in the midst of combat.


    One of his fireballs was still midair, as his tome began flipping again.


    This time, an elongated, triangular shape arose from the book.


    Again he put his magic into this shape. And the icicle flew forward. Not towards the target he himself had designated, but towards its feet.


    Where it dissipated impotently, not achieving anything.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    At the same time, the two girls were consuming potions. Nissa, the healer, blue ones, replenishing her mana; Annie a red cube.


    The latter was hurting all over, the small ticks of Nissa¡¯s healing spell doing little to alleviate the pain. But it kept her alive. And strengthened her enough to allow her to quickly swallow the strange potion, simultaneously scurrying away from her lifeless grinning opponent, almost slipping in her own blood in the process.


    Again the massive slab of metal came crushing down towards her.


    ¡®Missed,¡¯ Annie breathed a sigh of relief. That would buy them another two or three seconds until its next attack. ¡®Unless it suddenly speeds up again!¡¯


    She shook off this thought. If that was the case, they were already dead. No use even thinking about that possibility.


    Sidestepping the puddle underneath her, while gritting her teeth in pain, she quickly lashed out at the small wound she had left behind earlier.


    Then, making sure their enemies¡¯ focus was still on her, she quickly jumped backwards, away and outside of its large attack radius. Keeping it focused on her while maintaining her distance, in her mind, was their only chance.


    And just as she intended, the skeleton, not willing to let its prey slip away, was about to move after her.


    Fush


    That icicle was more successful than the first, freezing it in place. Even if it was just for an instant, that was more than enough.


    It, first, allowed Annie to put some more distance between them while slowly recovering her health.


    And secondly-


    Swoosh


    Clank


    ¡°Bullseye!¡±


    ¡°Not enough! It¡¯s not enough! Again!¡± The boys kept shouting.


    The energy consumption of Vik¡¯s [Snipe] ability was immense, and so was its preparation time. And a hit, despite its name, was not actually guaranteed; repeating this feat would in no small parts come down to luck. At least its damage, if it did hit, was equally immense.


    That much was proven by the skeleton¡¯s reaction; with one foot still frozen to the ground, its upper body now turned away from Annie and towards the [Archer].


    Trusting his mates, the latter again took aim. Five seconds. That¡¯s how long he would be immobilized now that he was activating his [Snipe] skill again. If his group-members didn¡¯t think of something, he would be done for.


    The others also understood what was going on and did the best they could.


    Paul, using his left, kept drinking mana potions, while using his right to infuse magic into his icicle templates, giving up the initial plan of him being the main damage dealer of the group and instead trying to slow down the enemy the best he could.


    Though the two girls by now had also caught up to the plan, in the midst of battle -their first real battle at that-they hadn¡¯t seen Vik¡¯s attack coming. More importantly, they hadn¡¯t seen its shift in aggro coming.


    That¡¯s where the problems truly began.


    Nissa, realizing that Annie, for now, was trying to maintain a safe distance from their enemy, was now under the impression she could focus some of her attention elsewhere, and go into the offense herself.


    After all, even she as a newbie knew that holy element healing skills such as hers were an every undead¡¯s weak-point. And so, instead of topping up their tank¡¯s health, she had opted to turn her healing-over-time regeneration spell into an attack aimed towards their adversary.


    Problem was, none of Paul¡¯s spell wanted to freeze its target. Step by step, the thing came dangerously close to Vik, who was still rooted in place.


    And so it was left to Annie, after all, to pull the monster¡¯s attention back onto her.


    Just like before, ignoring the impossible pain in her chest, the girl approached the skeleton from behind, activated her skill to take a large swing and-


    ¡°Nooo-¡±


    The girl¡¯s enchanted mace, once again, had found her target square on. But it wasn¡¯t enough to actually fell their foe. And so, with their foe still on its feet, what followed was also exactly the same as before. Again, with superhuman speed, a pile of bones shouldn¡¯t possess, it suddenly snapped around swinging with it its large weapon towards the target which had just assaulted it.


    While Annie, still at relatively low health, hadn¡¯t seen this attack coming, Nissa very much did.


    With a healer¡¯s sense of duty to keep their party alive and well, fully knowing that another healing spell of hers not only would be too late but also too little, the youngest of the group threw herself in front of her friend, absorbing the blow in her stead.


    At this point, even the last semblance of order dissolved into chaos.


    Annie was momentarily paralyzed, her brain refusing to process what had just happened. As for the others, they hadn¡¯t even clearly seen what was going on, only that their healer was down and their tank wasn¡¯t moving, either. All the while, their enemy was about to attack again.


    ¡°Move. Move! What are you doing?!¡± Paul was screaming incessantly, trying to get the girls to move. Simultaneously, he unleashed everything he had onto the boss, hoping to draw its attention; at this point, no one had the time to carefully aim for any eventual weak points.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough; Annie took another hit.


    Unlike the skeleton¡¯s special retaliatory move, its regular hit, though painful, wasn¡¯t enough to finish her just yet. But it snapped her out of it. If she didn¡¯t start moving, they all were going to die, she realized.


    With the last strength she could muster before giving out herself, she flew into a fit of rage, using not only her mace but even her shield to strike and the foe towering above her.


    Which only further ensured that neither Vik nor Paul would ever manage to gain the skeleton¡¯s attention and turn it away from their tank, who was just about to faint.


    ¡°Move! Run,¡± sounded the desperate pleads again.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Pressing their attacks while desperately shouting, was all they could do as their lifeless opponent kept going after their friend, who was refusing-and at this point probably also unable-to move.


    That was when the whole body of the dungeon¡¯s sole monster, one last time, was bathed in a bright light - the last tick of Nissa¡¯s healing spell.


    With no forewarning and without much fanfare, their so far unrelenting enemy simply collapsed into itself; before the grinning skull had even reached the floor, it, and all its other bones, had already turned into dust.


    Leaving behind only its crude weapon and a random assortment of loot.


    And a shimmering portal.


    It had been a quick and painful battle; even those who weren¡¯t hurt directly were on the verge of passing out from sheer exhaustion.


    For a good five seconds, the group of youths didn¡¯t understand what was happening, half expecting the skeleton to reemerge behind them.


    Only when they finally did, the yelling began anew.


    ¡°Quick, let¡¯s get out of here! I¡¯ll take An-¡±


    ¡°Nissa! Get her out of here! I¡¯m fine, just get Nissa! Please, be okay.¡±


    Under Annie¡¯s instructions, Vik, the [Archer] and physically stronger of the two boys, quickly carried Nissa through the portal, praying it led outside.


    ***


    The sight on the big screen was a particular one. Suddenly the scene everyone had been watching changed to that of a seemingly empty room, dimly lit by a faint flicker coming from behind and the bit of light that shone in from the narrowly opened double-door in front of them, a gap through which, in the distance, not only an immense crowd of people could be seen but also parts of a screen. On it, a hint of a video feedback.

 Chapter 228

    But he didn¡¯t get far. Just a few meters before the worried shouts of Paul and Annie once again caught up to him; they too had made it out of the dungeon.


    ¡°¡°Go help her! Leave me here,¡± a battered Annie instructed.


    Paul paused to assess the condition of the girl leaning on his shoulder. She hadn¡¯t even managed to leave the dungeon with her own strength, and was bleeding profusely.


    But she would make it. Having come to this conclusion, Paul quickly but carefully lay Annie down onto the cold stone floor and was about to spurt towards their even more critically injured group member.


    Then, before anyone could process what was happening, people came swarming inside and surrounded the confused and desperate group.


    ¡°


    On the big screen, it was almost impossible to make out any specifics; nobody knew whether the healer of the courageous group had made it. They only knew, by the way her [Recording Crystal]-the one still recording even at this moment-moved and from its perspective, that the girl had long lost her consciousness.


    ¡°


    But his pleas hadn¡¯t been necessary in the first place. Even before he could finish, a whole range of white, and green, and yellow-colored healing and support skills had enveloped not just Nissa, but all four of them.


    The woman then reached out and-


    ¡°¡°Did she make it?¡± cried the more empathetic spectators.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± demanded the resentful ones.


    To them, in a way, it was even more captivating than all the previous submissions, where the groups, without any real struggle and no suspense regarding the outcome, had basically just been showing off their skills and knowledge.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The group around Annie might have been very inexperienced and poorly prepared, but there was at least one thing the group got right. And that was that all dungeons-be it the ones such as this one, which transported each group into their own separated and isolated dungeon space for them to conquer, or those existing in the regular plane which would often times pit various groups of invaders against each other-had an exit located at the entrance point. Anything else was unheard of.


    Now that both these fundamental rules had been violated, countless discussions had been sparked; everyone had their own speculations.


    If now, in this atmosphere, this knowledge was to spread, things were all but guaranteed to take a turn for the worse; the ensuing chaos would be beyond control.


    ¡°


    Amongst them, the one actually in charge of those purple-uniformed troops, couldn¡¯t help but ask,


    ¡°Did they make it in time? Did she¡­?¡± Jasmine stopped herself, as she didn¡¯t truly expect an answer to her question; her men had yet to return and report back to her. All the more surprised was she therefore, when the old woman nodded and told her, ¡±don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The fact that the girl¡¯s dot had still not disappeared from the minimap which had returned just minutes before the group had entered the dungeon, was proof of that.


    ¡°really needed to question, she suspected, had to be Severin. Who, coincidentally, was nowhere to be found.


    So many people wanting answers. Not just Jasmine, who, without hesitation, had sent her local troops to manage the situation.


    But also the Society, which would undoubtedly make this dungeon their business. He could already hear Miriam¡¯s probing questions.


    Questions he couldn¡¯t answer. But even if he refused, then what?


    But Severin knew better than that.


    ¡®Even if in the end they don¡¯t try to outright restrict all access, I reckon it will be at least a few weeks before they will approve access to the public. What a hassle this all is. Just because I couldn¡¯t control myself when I saw that dungeon core module pop up.¡¯ Severin regretted how impulsively he had acted. But that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t still put at least some of the blame onto the System,


    ¡®

 Chapter 229

    With the return of the System and all its capabilities-in particular the minimap feature and the ability to telepathically communicate with his [Employees]-he would be able to keep on top of things without running the risk of exposing himself to those demanding answers from him; no matter if those were a curious princess, an angry official of the Adventurer¡¯s Society, or a whole bunch of impatient and overeager adventurers.


    And though the woman would certainly not be able to make all his troubles magically disappear, it would be enough, Severin was certain, to buy himself some time.


    Chiefly, of course, the appearance of the dungeon itself.


    In that regard, he would just have to play dumb.


    ¡®Well, that one¡¯s still easy. I did make those [Transmitter Crystals] mandatory for all my employees, after all. The real question is how to explain how I knew what was going on before anyone else.¡¯


    ¡°¡°I could just claim I suddenly found that crypt and was just as surprised as everyone else. I looked inside, saw the portal, and just made a lucky-no, an educated-guess. It was, after all, a dungeon no one had recognized. Also, the dark interior did match what we had seen when the group first started their stream.¡±


    He knew such excuses were flimsy at best. Insulting at worst. But what else was he to do? Tell the truth?


    He snorted at that thought.


    Whether anyone actually believed his excuses would only be of secondary importance, anyway. It all came down to plausible deniability.


    ¡®Besides, the truth would hardly sound any more credible.


    That said, I don¡¯t really want to offend them either. Jasmine and the Malconeans are one thing-in light of our cooperation they probably won¡¯t be too bothersome. But Miriam and the people behind her¡­these people will make my dungeon their business. No doubt about that.¡¯


    A few moments later, a tired-looking person opened the door to his room and invited themselves inside.


    ¡°¡°Severin,¡± came the exhausted greeting, ¡±good to see you.¡±


    ¡°You look horrible,¡± was Severin¡¯s immediate reaction. Followed by, ¡±where have you been? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Despite his words, the anxiety in Bandur¡¯s words was impossible to miss.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look like it. Like you haven¡¯t slept. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Because I haven¡¯t. Not much,¡± he explained with a tired smile. Then, realizing that wasn¡¯t explaining much, he said, ¡°My brother. He¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Your brother?¡±


    ¡°The third,¡± Bandur clarified. ¡°I think you even had the pleasure meeting him already? Look, even now he clings to Lady Jasmine, like a fly to dung.¡±


    Despite the sea of people, it didn¡¯t take him long to find the dot representing her.


    Next to her, one name in particular stood out.


    ¡°¡°A very unpleasant man,¡± Bandur confirmed. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t want you dead. Or so I¡¯m told.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.How his siblings vying for succession to the dwarven throne saw him, the youngest, as just one more obstacle that needed to be removed. That was despite Bandur himself having neither the ambition, nor the means to realistically be considered a contender.


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°Well, of course not. It¡¯s not like someone like him would do his own dirty work. Especially not in the presence of the princess. He just has to keep his eyes and ears open and let his men take care of things. Or of people.


    By now, he must at least suspect that I¡¯m currently hiding here on this mountain. And that event of yours is just the perfect opportunity.


    ¡°


    Without saying a word, he went to open his window and observed his cafe.


    Not a minute later, the dot had already circled around the building and stepped into the space of his currently closed cafe. While not looking especially conspicuous, and more like a disappointed customer who was greeted by closed doors, it was indeed a dwarf.


    Not that this was the proof Bandur claimed it to be, but all things considered, it was good enough.


    ¡°Outrageous!¡± Severin got agitated. More than that, he felt ashamed for not immediately believing his trusted [Employee]. And now that shame turned into unbridled anger.


    ¡°Just you wait. I hope you are prepared for the consequences.¡±


    With a hateful snort, Severin willed open his System and navigated towards one specific menu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Bandur warned, seemingly knowing exactly what Severin was up to. Just in the nick of time.


    ¡°Why would you...?! We can¡¯t let these people get away with it. If anything, blacklisting them is still too good for them; there is a chance they might survive.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t risk a political eclat.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing political about it. Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? This is neutral grounds.¡±


    ¡°Yet Bandir is still a guest of Malcos. And so, by extension, are his men. All dwarfs.¡±


    ¡°But¡­!¡± It didn¡¯t make much sense to him.


    ¡°It would only cause more trouble in the long run. Besides, it would confirm their suspicions that I¡¯m here. Trust me on this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Having reached this point, Severin was unwilling to concede.


    ¡°Please, Severin.¡±


    ¡°I think it is a mistake! But fine. It¡¯s your call,¡± still, Severin agreed, if grudgingly. He owed him as much.


    ¡°But in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to immediately blacklist them if you feel you¡¯re really in danger. Don¡¯t worry about the consequences, you hear? We¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Despite his promise, Severin was annoyed by this feeling of helplessness; as long as people even thought about going after him or his people, on his own property at that, then, he felt, he wasn¡¯t yet influential and powerful enough; both things he previously hadn¡¯t really cared about.


    ¡°But we should at least inform Jasmine either way.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°


    Reluctantly Severin agreed to let the matter rest- for now-and roughly explained what had been happening.


    ¡°Our own dungeon?! Truly?¡± This time it was Bandur, who, despite all evidence, was in disbelief. ¡°But I fear the Society will cause some trouble. Scouting. Mapping. Categorizing. Before those things are taken care of, they¡¯ll never agree to giving access to the public,¡± Bandur immediately pointed out, reaffirming what Severin was fearing the most.


    ¡°Mylana said something similar,¡± he said unhappily. Then, trying to cheer himself up after all the bad news,


    ¡°At least it will be worth the wait. Once they are done, we¡¯ll be set; money issues will be a thing of the past. I reckon at that point we might even keep the store closed entirely,¡± Severin even went to joke.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Bandur asked in incomprehension.


    ¡°Here, look.¡± He opened a menu.


    ¡°The store¡¯s inventory? Why-?¡±


    ¡°There,¡± Severin pointed towards one particular item.


    ¡°A¡­ dagger?¡± The dwarf still didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Our cut of the loot. We just have to sit back and wait,¡± Severin laughed. But knowing what the Society¡¯s investigation would actually find, he anxiously added,


    ¡°That is, if people will actually dare venturing inside.¡±

 Chapter 230

    had been true. No, if anything, the previous reports had been understatements. The reality was far more remarkable.


    A whole floating mountain.


    Those hadn¡¯t been just empty words either. Without his approval, it proved impossible to settle down on that patch of land.


    Unlike every other sensible person in his position, the man hadn¡¯t welcomed her and the prospect of an entirely new branch of the Adventurers¡¯ Society¡¯s right on his doorstep.


    Surely, from then on out things would be smooth sailing.


    If one disregarded the existence of a certain ship-state, she now was the administrator in charge of the first and only non-stationary branch of the Society.


    Or at least that¡¯s how it should have been.


    In reality, things seemed to only ever get worse.


    But nothing.


    The HQ¡¯s usual support for a job well done never came.


    The Emporium and its owner were so much of an outlier that the higher-ups only became more and more cautious and reserved.


    Not even the fact that the Searing Witch herself was now working for that man seemed to change their attitude.


    But that didn¡¯t mean she could accept their decisions. She and her people were simply overworked. They severely lacked the manpower necessary to successfully run a branch with such daily customer volume.


    And finally, it came to bite them in the ass.


    A major dispute also among the adventurers, who demanded answers and clarifications.


    ¡®As if that decision was up to me.¡¯


    What a disaster it had been. If only-


    Now was not the time. Not for grief, and certainly for self-pity.


    But it was time to swallow her pride and to do what had to be done.


    It was still early, more night than day, and the festivities hadn¡¯t yet resumed. Still, things were already busy on the mountaintop. Jasmine¡¯s troops, in particular, had their hands full maintaining order.


    While she was, of course, grateful for their support, this observation only further dampened her mood.


    Someone in her position shouldn¡¯t have to rely on anyone else¡¯s support to handle such situations. Not if the Society wanted to remain truly neutral. Not to mention their prestige.


    It certainly wasn¡¯t comparable to the HQ, but it was still by far the largest and most influential branch in the area.


    Coming here and having to beg for reinforcements was humiliating, the situation unfair.


    She hesitated. But only for a moment.


    The situation was truly grave, and she refused to let her personal feelings or ambitions influence her decision making.


    She swallowed her pride-not least for her people''s sake- and stepped inside.


    The moment she saw one adventurer had finished her business and was now leaving, Magda nonchalantly squeezed into the resulting gap.


    ¡°Magda didn¡¯t wait for the diligent clerk to start paying attention to her uniform or the badge she wore and instead directly handed over her papers to identify herself that way.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°Excuse me, but I really need to see the local manager. It is urgent,¡± she assured.


    The woman behind the counter was visibly annoyed by the interruption, but realizing she was dealing with the manager of a different branch, she didn¡¯t dare argue.


    The woman leaned to the side and made an apologetic gesture to the person behind Magda, the one originally next in line.


    ¡°One second,¡± she then excused herself and stepped away from her desk to disappear into the back.


    ¡°Mr. Lee is waiting to receive you.¡± That said, the clerk placed a key onto the counter between them and push it over towards Magda. ¡°I trust you know how to use it? The elevators are over there,¡± she pointed.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Of course. My pleasure.¡±


    Magda stepped into one of them. Once the door closed behind her, she took the key she had just received and put it into the opening below the buttons panel.


    And then turned it.


    ¡°¡°I- Mr Lee. Thank you for receiving me,¡± the woman returned the greeting, offered her hand, and, after a gesture from her opposite, took a seat. Only then did she satisfy her curiosity.


    ¡°The Emporium? Why are you saying that?¡±


    ¡°Haha, am I wrong? Ever since it had appeared, things have become quite the hassle. We have more to do than ever, and the kind of requests and inquires we receive have also changed drastically. Everyone wants to know where to buy the elixirs that increase one¡¯s stats. Or the foods with similar effects. Or they want to know how to combine different consumables together into one. That and all other kinds of similarly absurd requests. And the situation has only become worse with the appearance of that portal right outside our city.


    I can only imagine how all of this must affect you.¡±


    ¡°No. You are exactly right. It-,¡± she hesitated. ¡°It shames me to have to ask you. But I fear I must. I urgently require backup. A trained exploration group. Preferable more than one.¡± In the end, she admitted frankly.


    Mr. Lee raised his eyebrows. Whatever he had expected, this had obviously not been it. So Magda quickly continued to explain herself,


    ¡°


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve already heard about it. How could I not? But I also heard it was quite the low level dungeon. Even a group of four newbies with only one or two skills in their repertoire had managed to conquer it successfully. My sources tell me it was quite the close call. And they also told me that dungeon was quite unique in some other aspects as well. But even then...¡±


    The meaning in his words was clear, even without him having to finish his sentence. No matter how much the HQ had neglected Magda and her branch office, there was no way she couldn¡¯t deal with something like that herself. Either that or the woman was utterly incompetent.


    ¡°It is not quite that simple. Have you seen the dive?¡±


    ¡°I have not,¡± Lee answered matter-of-factly.


    ¡°In that case, let me show you.¡± With that, Magda produced several crystals; a [Receiver] as well as a [Transmitter Crystal]. ¡°I got my hands on a recording.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± now Lee was intrigued.


    ***


    ¡°But still, you have to excuse me. I quite frankly don¡¯t see how any of this explains your request. Despite all, nothing¡¯s changed- it is still just a low level dungeon. You don¡¯t mean to tell me that¡­¡± here Mr. Lee hesitated. He was looking for the right words to express his opinion on the matter without having to directly insult Magda and her staff.


    Last night, I already set out some men to map the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lee¡¯s curiosity was once again piqued.


    In response, Magda took out a second set of crystals and wordlessly handed them over, her expression grave.


    And so, soon, a different recording started to play. This time, in much better quality; it wasn¡¯t just a recording of a big screen with parts of an audience visible and audible like the last one, but clearly the original.


    More professional, judging by their equipment and the manner in which they carried themselves. Also, the group¡¯s number of members and their composition:


    Five people, as opposed to the previous group of four. And the only one carrying a melee weapon.


    The skeleton¡¯s only skill had been a deadly sweep of its sword; a group composition which tried to minimize the damage this attack could do was only prudent.


    He could already imagine the group¡¯s formation. The tank would bind the enemy to himself in the middle of the room. The other four would spread around them.


    ¡®


    The group proceeded slowly. Not because of caution, but because one of their members had to conscientiously map every stone in the tunnel. The mood was relaxed, jovial even, with friendly banter between the group members. Until they approached the eighty meter mark, as indicated by the fourth pair of torches on either side of the tunnel.


    ¡°¡°Chill. I¡¯m confident it was right over here. Look.¡± With that, the man at the front confidently stepped onto a particular stone plate.


    *click*


    ¡°fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh


    ¡°But Magda had watched this scene multiple times already. ¡°A classic ceiling trap. Nothing special.¡± Besides the obvious grief, there was also a hint of anger in her voice. ¡°Easily preventable. So unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°¡°Just keep watching,¡± her voice was shaking. But despite her words, the first thing she did was actually pause the video and fast-forwarded the recording a good forty minutes. She couldn¡¯t handle sitting through the whole ordeal, the screams and the cries of the group. Not again.


    And now this group, because of the lack of the usual exiting portal right at the beginning of each dungeon, had been forced to carry on and face the boss of this dungeon without a tank.


    As the recording resumed, Magda turned her face.

 Chapter 231

    Mr Lee acted more decisively than most outsiders might have expected him to.


    It had nothing to do with sympathy, though he did feel for Magda¡¯s loss.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the close proximity between their two branches, either, that he felt the woman¡¯s troubles concerned himself as well.


    The reason Lee acted with little hesitation was because he understood what was at stake.


    First of all, he knew the Society would have a vested scientific interest in this matter as it concerned a dungeon that greatly deviated from the norm in more than one aspect; if the investigation somehow furthered their understanding of dungeons and dungeon core¡¯s as a whole, the benefits would be immeasurable.


    And secondly, the more immediate and arguably more important concern, was how this would affect their image.


    The Society had a reputation to uphold.


    That wasn¡¯t just a matter of petty vanity.


    Their reputation was their currency, their legitimacy.


    The main reason the Society held the power it did was because their work had always been beyond reproach.


    Not that mistakes never happened, but they happened seldom, and never when it truly mattered.


    And now, with what felt like half of Hanvia and the whole of the Golden Mountains watching closely, it did matter; failure was not an option.


    And it certainly wasn¡¯t the time to play politics.


    Mr Lee clearly understood this when additionally to his direct support, he promised to put in a good word for Magda with HQ.


    When the woman left, she was accompanied by nine other people, all wearing grave expressions.


    Those people knew little about what had happened, the reason for Magda¡¯s visit, or about their upcoming mission, except that it involved a new dungeon and the Emporium.


    But the fact that they had been dispatched on such short notice only highlighted the severity of the matter.


    Magda wouldn¡¯t brief the group in public and on the go, and so their journey proceeded without much words being exchanged.


    But it was only a short trip to begin with; soon all ten of them stepped through the portal just outside the city walls.


    And found themselves in a curious situation.


    Usually, people would only remain for a very short amount of time in the inner courtyard of Jasmine¡¯s small fortress, only as long as the queues in front of the portal would necessitate.


    Only a small minority of people, usually either supplicants vying for the [Princess¡¯] favor or a rare merchant with tax concerns, would engage with Jasmine¡¯s small contingent of officials stationed on the mountaintop.


    Now, however, a huge gathering of people-clearly adventurers-crowded the space and could be seen and heard arguing.


    ¡°We demand answers!¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep us from-¡±


    ¡°The audacity!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the Society! We have a right to-¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these neutral grounds?! Yet Maloconean troops dare to-¡±


    Just some of the snippets which reached her ears were intelligible, but those were enough to even further worsen Magda¡¯s already terrible mood. And now she had a bad premonition.


    Trying to avoid drawing attention, she didn¡¯t linger and quickly led her group of reinforcements outside and onto the open area of the mountaintop.


    And indeed.


    Even at this distance, she could see that her branch was similarly besieged.


    Unsurprisingly, the crypt-like building, located even further away, also seemed to be surrounded.


    But despite all, the last day of the Emporium¡¯s event-by now in full swing-didn¡¯t seem any less packed than during the previous days. It was still as popular as before; if not more so. The area of the open air festival was packed.


    But Magda had no interest dealing with either those pesky adventurers set on finding themselves an early grave, or to observe how a somewhat familiar looking [Duelist] was making a fool of himself on the big screen.


    Determined, the woman simply continued on while secretly praising herself for her foresight.


    Again mindful not to draw unwanted attention-easier said than done when being accompanied by such a large group, no matter how busy and preoccupied everyone else was-she circled around the building with the green tinted windows. Only then did she actually approach the building and, outside of everyone¡¯s view, led her guests through a hidden backdoor into the empty main room of the building.


    Tired and not much concerned about appearances anymore, Magda exhaustedly collapsed onto a nearby chair located in one of the spacier seating arrangements, designated for raid groups to hold their strategy meetings; her office would¡¯ve been far too small to host all these people, even if she was so inclined in the first place.


    She wordlessly indicated for the others to follow suit and to sit down as well.


    Their sudden departure meant these people couldn¡¯t have possibly been briefed by Mr Lee beforehand. Their questioning expressions only confirmed this assumption.


    She pondered for a minute.


    In the end, she decided, that suffering through this whole ordeal once again was probably the shortest and easiest way to explain the situation.


    Reluctantly, and for the umpteenth time on this day, she again took out the crystals and played the first recording.


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    Incomprehension soon appeared on the faces of her curious guests, a reaction she had grown tired of by now and didn¡¯t bother commenting on; not even after the recording had ended and when she was bombarded by questions.


    At this point she simply started up the second recording.


    And again, the reactions were just as predicted. Only that this time around, the mood turned much worse than on the previous occasions.


    Unlike bureaucrats like Lee and Jasmine, these people worked in the same line of business as those four they had just seen dying.


    Even if they didn¡¯t know them personally, those were their comrades.


    The image of the desperately crying man, the sole survivor, trying to drag the lifeless bodies of his fallen compatriots through the exit portal left even the most hardened of them with an aching heart.


    Also, by now, everyone understood their upcoming mission, even without Magda having to explicitly explain the situation. That certainly didn¡¯t improve their mood.


    Unpredictable dungeon were scary, no matter how experienced one was.


    The stout woman was the first to speak up, her usual smile nowhere to be found,


    ¡°as you can see, we don¡¯t quite understand what we are up against.


    It doesn¡¯t help that I¡¯m unfamiliar with you guys. All I know is that you come highly recommended by Mr Lee and that you usually work as two independent teams. I suggest you stick with that arrangement. No experimenting, no unnecessary risks.


    Also, I¡¯ll leave it up to you guys to decide which group goes first, but one of you has to. That is to say, I won¡¯t let both groups go at the same time. The reason should be obvious. With these things,¡± Magda pointed towards the crystals laying on the table before her, ¡°we can gather information about what¡¯s going on inside, even if you don¡¯t make out. That¡¯s too huge of a benefit for us to forsake simply for the sake of fairness; I hope you understand.


    ¡°And for what it¡¯s worth, with the right setup, these things also allow for a bidirectional line of communication; should the need arise, we¡¯ll be here to support you as best we can.


    Finally, I will ask the owner of the Emporium for assistance. So make sure you stock up on consumables.


    The rest will be up to you.¡±


    Serious nods all around; the discussions started once anew.


    ¡°I get that you don¡¯t have much more information than us, but you must have at least a theory, no?¡± This question, asked by a particularly buff woman, was naturally directed towards Magda. ¡°The boss was definitively stronger the second time around. But what else?


    That trap, for example. Do you think the first group simply got lucky? That the trap got stuck somehow?


    And that Bonespray attack that wiped the second group? Was it really a new ability? Or do you think it simply used a different attack pattern because of the different group composition? You know.. with no tank in melee range and all that¡­¡±


    Magda could only helplessly shake her head. ¡°We don¡¯t know for certain. But I spoke both to the sole survivor of this last expedition, as well as to all members of the first group. Having compared their impressions and, based on what we know about dungeons, I can only speculate.


    I believe that the issue lies solely with the core¡¯s growth-rate. Its leveling speed.


    As for how something like that could be possible? I have no clue. Maybe because of its lack of regular monsters, so it has more free energy to invest elsewhere.


    It will be your job finding out for certain, but so far, I, as well as Mr Lee, believe that in between the diving attempts, it had somehow leveled up. It simply upgraded.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It didn¡¯t simply upgrade,¡± Severin explained as he pointed towards the screen. Ever since that screen had been installed, his store¡¯s backroom had become somewhat of a community room during break and off time.


    After Magda, with bloodshot eyes, had approached him and requested his assistance-which, of course, he was all too eager to provide, given all of this directly concerned the opening of his dungeon to the public-he invited his [Employees] to join him to watch Magda and the Society continue their investigation.


    ¡°Though it certainly looks like it,¡± he had to admit as after just a few steps, this new group triggered the first trap; one which was arguably more devious than the one that had skewered the poor fellow the night before, as its poisonous gas affected all five of the group¡¯s members, not just the one at the front.


    Severin paused with a serious expression, ready to cover Emily¡¯s eyes if the situation should call for it; he hadn¡¯t any more of an idea what exactly they were facing, than the group itself.


    Only once all five of them were in the clear, did he continue,


    ¡°And that in itself is problematic for us as well.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the girl didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Because they don¡¯t know what we know,¡± Bandur explained without taking his eyes from the screen. ¡°Look at it from their perspective. Each time someone entered this dungeon, it became more deadly than before.¡±


    ¡°Even if they thought there might be something more to it, they can¡¯t take the risk to find out. They can¡¯t suddenly decide to let a weaker group dive the dungeon when the more experienced ones were already struggling,¡± Mylana also chimed in.


    ¡°It would be akin to a suicide mission. Impossible for Magda, or whoever is in charge of this investigation, to justify their order.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And quite frankly speaking, the idea of a dungeon actively adjusting its difficulty to match its invaders¡¯ strength is simply unheard of. Absurd!


    Sure, the thought of a dungeon evolving at such speeds is also quite absurd. But still. Far more reasonable than the alternative. It goes against all that they know about dungeons. You can¡¯t really fault them.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Em suddenly understood. And then, with the innocence of a child, she suggested an easy and obvious solution. ¡°But can¡¯t we just tell them?¡±

 Chapter 232

    This newly appeared dungeon was clearly unique in more than just one aspect. Its difficulty level being all over the place, just one of them. So how could it be that only Severin, who was neither an adventurer nor a researcher, knew about these things, when even the Society didn¡¯t?


    The fact that the dungeon had coincidentally appeared right on his mountaintop, of all places, was already suspicious enough. Especially with all those other anomalies surrounding the Emporium.


    ¡°You know what? Maybe you are right.¡±


    ***


    ¡°¡°Careful! DODGE!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you-?¡±


    ¡°¡°Quickly now!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let up now! You almost got him. I can feel it!¡±


    With all the screaming and backseat commentary going on ever since this third group to ever set their feet into the dungeon engaged the skeletal boss, Magda quickly realized that having a two-way channel of communication wasn¡¯t quite as beneficial as she had initially thought it was; as to not distract the five-headed group, she had to temporarily turn off the corresponding transmitter crystal.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°¡°Finally.¡±


    ¡°Well done!¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± huff puff, ¡°not even a scratch,¡± jokingly postured the out-of-breath tank of the victorious group. It was a great success. Everyone¡¯s relief was palpable and with no losses to be mourned, everyone could now focus on what was truly important.


    ¡°Now show us the loot!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what did that thing drop? Was it worth it?¡±


    Everyone was happily chatting and joking. Including Magda.


    There had once again been many great changes to the dungeon. Various different traps in the corridor and new skills and attack patterns for the boss.


    In fact, the changes this time had even been more numerous and pronounced than the previous time.


    ¡®Was there an upper limit to it? And was it based on time passed? Or maybe based on the amount of groups that had previously ventured inside?


    Not to mention the other anomalies.


    No regular monsters. The strange behaviour of the exit portal. The-


    And then she realized.


    ¡°From one moment to the next, both rooms became deadly silent; for a moment.


    Then, as understanding set in, so did the panic.


    Unlike in the recording they had watched earlier, no blue shimmering exit portal had appeared in the middle of the room, but unlike what they were used to in regular dungeons, they couldn¡¯t just backtrack their steps to the entrance; the heavy door was still tightly shut close.


    The recording crystal attached to the ear of one of the group members started frantically turning around. Left and right, up and down. Searching for an escape, a way out. A portal. Something.


    ¡°The confidence in his voice was enough to calm the other team of five and snap them out of it.


    Their actual team-leader in charge of the group didn¡¯t take offence by the other giving orders, and instead doubled down, ¡°He¡¯s right. Replenish your health and resources first.¡±


    ¡°¡°There, Look,¡± someone pointed.


    ¡°The walls!¡±

 Chapter 233

    Now it seemed the dungeon was mocking them and not everyone was able to quickly switch gears.


    The constant grinding noises made for an oppressive atmosphere, while the slowly rising walls put pressure on everyone and evoked a deep fear of the unknown that hid behind them.


    The unknown had always been an adventurer¡¯s worst enemy. Ironically, this was especially true for the more senior ones, as it was they who most relied on years of experiences to quickly and accurately assess every situation they found themselves in. Whereas for newbies, on the other hand, anything they encountered was a completely new and foreign, anyway.


    Still, there was not much they could do, but helplessly continue to watch and pray. No amount of encouragements or reprimands or clever tips could possibly do any good in such a situation.


    The speed at which the walls were moving upward was slow. So slow that by the time they were completely raised, more than enough time would have passed for them to prepare for any eventuality, to come up with a battle plan to face whatever it was that awaited them behind those walls. This realization in itself allowed them to somewhat relax, to find their bearings, and to adjust their mindset.


    Accordingly, the grating sound of stone scraping against stone, picked up as well. It became almost impossible for the group to focus on anything else.


    ¡°Look! It¡¯s hard to see anything without light, but¡­ don¡¯t they seem empty? Maybe-¡±


    ¡°Maybe what?¡± an especially restless man holding tightly onto his bow interrupted with an eager tone. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The woman ruefully shook her head and explained, ¡°It just reminded me of the recording of the first group. The trap they encountered. Remember?¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°Just a speculation. Maybe that one is also just a dud. Maybe it''s all just meant to be a psychological trap. To unnerve us. Otherwise, someone or something should be inside. No?¡±


    All the greater was the disappointment when they realized their companion was spouting nonsense and indulging in wishful thinking.


    Everyone knew that psychological attacks such as this one would only be employed if they were followed up by an actual, physical attack.


    Because, where was the sense of unsettling someone if the next moment they were to be let off the hook?


    Without anyone¡¯s notice, from behind each of the four rising walls, a creature fell to the ground.


    klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack


    Without giving the invaders any time to adjust, thirty-two long legs squeezed through the openings of their respective chambers and rushed towards the blindsided group, who were stumbling over themselves and didn¡¯t know which way to face.


    Before the group could form anything even remotely resembling a combat formation, four pairs of chelicerae were already upon them. Only their trained instincts kicking in prevented the group from being wiped out right there and then.


    ¡°Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.¡°Focus them down one-by-one. Start with that thing on the left. Just wait until I- No! Not yet. What are you-?!¡± The shouts turned into desperation.


    The wounded specimen immediately changed its target.


    everyone at risk.


    A single hit of a qualified tank would be more than enough to account for the aggro generated by a single regular attack of a similarly leveled damage dealer. The most difficult part in all of this was for the tank to actually connect his attack without opening himself up to the numerous legs and jaws aiming for him.


    But it was still doable.


    Rob waited for the perfect moment, just when his target was about to leave his range of attack and swung.


    thud


    did connect. But its effect was almost entirely negated by the thin but surprisingly durable chitin armor of his target. For an instant, the spider stopped its tracks and threateningly raised its bulging abdomen. Only to, moments later, continue its chase undeterred.


    And thus the situation was about to derail.


    Turning around for a single attack was one thing.


    Turning his entire back, and for a prolonged time, towards the remaining three enemies while chasing the other one, was a whole different matter.


    It certainly was not a valid option.


    Several options came to mind.


    First was to have Jesse, their [Bowman], directly make up for his mistake and have the spider chase him into the middle of the room and in position for Rob to once again try to take the enemy off of him.


    This option was quickly dismissed. It involved too many legs in too narrow a space. Things would turn only even more chaotic than they already were and put both Jesse and him at unnecessary risk.


    But this approach was also war from ideal.


    The room was simply too small.


    Also, this plan would mean that Jesse could not actively participate in the battle.


    Most importantly, however, these were unfamiliar enemies with unfamiliar skill-sets. Who was to say they didn¡¯t have the ability to web their enemies in place and directly prevent such strategies? In that case, Jesse¡¯s death would be all but certain.


    Not a gamble Rob was willing to make.


    ¡°Styr,¡± he called out.


    ¡°Boss,¡± a guy in heavy armor, carrying a sword but no shield, answered.


    ¡°You try to tank it! Once you got it under control, everyone burst it down. Use everything you¡¯ve got. I can manage for some time, just try to be quick. And don¡¯t forget to throw me some heals every now and then, Jill.¡±


    ¡°


    When with a sudden Bang, the front door of the Society flew open.


    ¡°


    huff puff


    At that thought, Magda¡¯s expression became ugly again. Seeing this, the man didn¡¯t dare delay any further.


    ¡°


    ¡°What?!¡± That got everyone¡¯s attention, not just Magda¡¯s. Every head in the room immediately snapped towards him, making him feel very uncomfortable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how any of us could¡¯ve missed it for so long. But we found an inscription, outside the crypt, just above its door. Her highness figured you would want to hear of this immediately, so-¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright we get it,¡± a man sitting next to Magda interrupted impatiently. ¡°Just out with it.¡±


    Ahem


    ¡°overcome yourself, or be overcome by death.¡±

 Chapter 234

    The moment they heard them, the entire room was silently ruminating on their meaning; only the dampened sounds of battle escaping from one of the many crystals sitting on the table in front of them provided some background noise.


    But while they only raised further questions for everyone else, in Magda they evoked a vague sense of understanding.


    What if her previous assumption about the dungeon had been wrong?


    What if those words were actually to be taken at face value?


    Maybe they weren¡¯t a challenge but more of an instruction.


    Under that assumption, things slowly fell into place. It was almost suspicious.


    But the more Magda considered the matter from this angle, the more convinced she became.


    But even then, she felt confident in her assumption.


    Despite this short timeframe, she had already thoroughly studied the corresponding recordings and was way more familiar with them than she cared for.


    Like, for example, how an utterly inexperienced group of newbies with all their shortcomings had made it out alive of this deathtrap simply by being aware of them, by being cautions, and by not giving up. Despite everything, they had always given it their all. Even when they were desperate.


    It was, of course, true that the dungeon had become considerably more deadly in the meantime. But it should have still been well within the group¡¯s capabilities; no one was clearer on this than Magda herself.


    Like how the trap that had taken out their tank, which had been entirely avoidable.


    As painful as it was to admit, they had brought it onto themselves.


    They thought they knew exactly what awaited them and, therefore, became complacent.


    Even after the tank had died, which should have been a wake-up call, the remaining group members had still stood a chance to make it out alive.


    But most didn¡¯t.


    They didn¡¯t manage to adjust their mindset and continued to assume the boss would remain the same as before. As had Magda herself, admittedly.


    But the fact remained. Had they treated this dungeon like a total unknown, similar to the group of newbies before them, they would have made it outside.


    Instead, only a single person did.


    But while Magda personally thought those were her best explanatory approaches, she still realized how ridiculous her assumptions would sound to others.


    And with that realization came the doubts.


    Had she become too desperate for answers? That would certainly be one of the accusations people would throw at her.


    ¡®Maybe,¡¯ she admitted to herself. Because how else was it possible for her to so easily believe those words likely fabricated by the dungeon itself?


    Wasn¡¯t she being na?ve and reckless?


    But just a gut feeling and a good track-record wasn¡¯t good enough to convince anyone. She needed something more tangible. Some solid proof to support her new theory of a dungeon actively adjusting its danger level.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°But that¡¯s the crux of the matter. That¡¯s even more impossible to verify than the theory of a dungeon with a vastly accelerated growth rate. Unless¡­¡±


    Thoughts about certain loopholes that existed within the Society¡¯s guidelines.


    How she didn¡¯t have to immediately dispatch the remaining group of helpers sent by Mr. Lee.


    And how eager the crowd outside was to risk life and limb at the prospect of earning fame and riches in a newly borne dungeon.


    And then she snapped out of it.


    They had made it farther than any other group before them. With more ease and less damage taken.


    So had she been wrong? Wasn¡¯t that in itself already counter-evidence to her theory?


    ¡®I¡¯ve been silly,¡± she breathed a sigh of relief; despite all, she didn¡¯t actually cherish the thought of a dangerous anomaly of a dungeon in her immediate area of administration.


    They had truly performed flawlessly. Until they didn¡¯t. And now they were far from operating at their best. They certainly didn¡¯t manage to overcome themselves when it mattered the most.


    ¡®In that case¡­,¡¯ what if she was right after all?


    ¡°


    What? Noo. Whyyy?!¡± Em cried out.


    Severin¡¯s sudden interference just when things were getting exciting, visibly annoyed Bandur just as much, but knowing why he did it, the dwarf didn¡¯t actually complain out loud.


    ¡°It¡¯s a forgone conclusion, anyway. If they pull themselves together, maybe two of them still have a chance of getting of there alive, but that¡¯s about it, I reckon. And even that is only if there aren¡¯t any other nasty surprises waiting for them after the fight. Oh, well.¡± Mylana tried to appease the two while shaking her head, but her words had the opposite effect, instead making everyone, even Severin himself, only more curious as to the outcome of the fight.


    ¡°¡°No buts! This is far from everything,¡± he chastised. ¡°After we¡¯ve been closed for so long, everyone will want to come restocking their consumables, all at once. Including some entirely new customers we have attracted these last couple of days, I am sure. Demand will be surging and we will have much more work on our hands than on a regular day.


    Also, aside from our regular stock, we¡¯ll also have to start producing more of those damned [Heating Spheres].


    You can thank Jasmine and that meddling group of adventurers for that.


    ¡°There is more?!¡±


    This time Severin ignored Emily¡¯s insertion and continued unperturbed, ¡°while, based on what we¡¯ve just seen, it certainly doesn¡¯t look like we have to worry about it anytime soon, we still have to be prepared for when Magda and her crew will allow access to our dungeon. Which, I guess, it depends somewhat on whether they get the hint or not.


    Either way, I¡¯d like to get your feedback on a new business opportunity regarding the dungeon. Its loot, to be precise.


    ¡°That said, there is also a silver lining. We are close to some level ups. If we¡¯re lucky, we might just get something useful out of all this.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but don¡¯t level-ups only ever mean more work for us?¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 235

    The last submission had just been screened and his Broadcasting Event was about to be wrapped up.


    Only a brief break to double-check every entry¡¯s votes, and they would proceed with the reward ceremony; his presence was required.


    ¡°¡°Yeah,¡± Severin said begrudgingly. Even if he was unwilling, there was no way around making an appearance for the closing ceremony and since he had to physically hand over the prize, he couldn¡¯t just rely on a prerecorded video like he had done for the opening.


    Luckily, his part was a relatively small one to play, with Jake and Jasmine handling most of the formalities and the winners of the event being the main star of the show.


    ¡°Great, then why don¡¯t we walk a bit together?¡± Jasmine suggested with an innocent smile that gave Severin a bad premonition.


    ¡°I fear we don¡¯t have the time,¡± Severin pointed towards Jake, who at this moment was taking the stage again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no need to rush. Everything is carefully planned down to the last minute.¡± Her smile grew wider.


    ¡°Great,¡± the bad feeling intensified, but no further excuses came to mind.


    ¡°Great,¡± she nodded in agreement and led the way; four guards followed at a respectful distance.


    Severin understood those were always following her. Even on those occasions where he couldn¡¯t see them with his bare eyes, his map still revealed their presence. But despite knowing these people weren¡¯t after him and that they couldn¡¯t touch him on his mountain even if they were, in this situation they made him feel even more uncomfortable.


    They had taken just three steps when Jasmine took the initiative,


    ¡°So. About that dungeon.¡±


    ¡®Great. Here it comes.¡¯ Stage fright or not, suddenly he couldn¡¯t wait to get up there. From the tone of her voice, which sounded as if she was simply bringing up a random topic for small talk, to the look in her eyes, everything gave him a bad feeling. He didn¡¯t like any of it.


    ¡°What a coincidence, huh?¡± she said upon realizing Severin wasn¡¯t playing along.


    In his mind, the more he said in this situation, the more foolish he would have to be. So even now he only replied with a simple and ambiguous,


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that, would you?¡±


    ¡®So direct!¡¯ his heart almost skipped a beat.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± he denied with a croaky voice.


    ¡°Right. Of course not. Just thought it remarkable. A new dungeon coming out of nowhere. Without any of the usual prior signs. So close to your store. And unique in many ways. So many coincidences.


    And just a few hours ago my people came across an inscription they swear wasn¡¯t there previously. One which is hinting at some very interesting possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Really? He feigned interest, but still kept his replies as short as possible.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you? Magda I mean?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t heard from her since the morning,¡± he answered truthfully, ¡°was busy preparing for our reopening.¡±


    ¡°Though this revelation didn¡¯t come unexpectedly, it still left a bitter taste in Severin¡¯s mouth. But before he could act surprised, Jasmin continued.


    ¡°But it sounds like it was almost worth it.¡±


    This time, his surprise was genuine. His head immediately spun to face her. He didn¡¯t think her to be this callousness.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one, all of these things, that inscription and whatever transpired inside the dungeon this time, had apparently led Magda to come up with an interesting theory. You should ask her directly about the details.


    But more importantly, the two survivors have looted a class orb, I am told. And of a rare class.¡±


    Jasmine gave Severin a meaningful look he couldn¡¯t interpret.


    ¡°Very curious all this. But I wonder what you make of it?¡±


    Without being given any time to absorb any of the new information, Severin was again taken by surprise and not at all prepared for such a direct question. Why would she ask him?


    ¡°¡°I think this dungeon, like any other, is a great opportunity, as long as some caution is exercised.¡±


    His answer was the most generic and least revealing he could think of, but somehow the woman walking next to him seemed very pleased.


    ¡°Hm,¡± she nodded. ¡°I will keep your words in mind. Thank you,¡± Jasmine said with a smile that Severin didn¡¯t like.


    For the rest of their walk towards the edge of the main stage, she remained silent and deep in thought, giving Severin some welcome time to sort through his own.


    He considered reaching out to Mylana. But what could she do?


    ¡®Nothing much,¡¯ he finally decided and forced his attention to the happenings on the stage next to him.


    ¡°Legend of the Farmhand!¡±


    Under resounding applause, Jake gestured behind him and stepped to the side to give way to the big screen.


    The next two minutes showed some highlights of what Severin understood to be a play about an orphaned, hardworking boy who, by chance, got his hands on a class-orb and later became an accomplished and much respected adventurer.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°It had been shown only a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°I see. But second place?¡±


    ¡°Troupe Evergreen is quite accomplished. Besides, with how much of the audience are just regular Malconean citizens and given how beloved the Legend of the Farmhand is, it¡¯s not actually that surprising.


    Beloved by classbearers and non-classbearers alike, I might add. And all across the continent,¡± Jasmine explained, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡®No more talking to her!¡¯ he decided and simply nodded in acknowledgement. He outright ignored her probing gesture.


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    Yet another short but surprisingly intense round of applause as Severin, hiding his extreme discomfort, also climbed onto the stage.


    ¡°


    First time dungeon divers! A dungeon nobody has ever set a foot into! And not only did they make it out alive, but they successfully conquered it! Right in front of our eyes.


    Every single one of those things would already be a great accomplishment in its own rights.


    But what really captivated us was neither of those things.


    It was their courage and bravery, their solidarity and willingness to sacrifice themselves for each other, that truly inspired us all!


    For the umpteenth time, the audience was roaring. This time fully deserved, and louder than ever.


    With their red faces nervously looking around, it was clear to Severin that they were even more uncomfortable on this stage than him; he reckoned they¡¯d rather be back in that dungeon again fighting for their lives.


    After the greetings had been exchanged, the host was intent to get more content out of the group, preferably some more personal information about the four friends, but at the very least a short acceptance speech.


    Seeing that in front of so many people, even the usually confident Annie in her slightly oversized gear looked helpless and insecure, Severin was having none of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how things had been rehearsed! The audience wants to know more!


    Severin didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I genuinely couldn¡¯t have wished for someone more qualified to win and receive one of my very limited memberships.¡± With that, he directly produced the matte black card and respectfully handed it over to Annie, the leader of the group.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to figure out most of its benefits and features. But let me tell you just one thing, since it doesn¡¯t look right to only give you one card when all four of you were integral to your success.


    And some may even already be aware of it.


    The ownership of the card, with all its privileges, can temporarily be transferred to other people. Keep that in mind so that all four of you can get the most out of it,¡± Severin explained with a smile.


    ¡°Any attempt at unauthorized access will be heavily sanctioned.¡±


    And then froze in place when suddenly a text box appeared in front of his face.

 Chapter 236

    To encourage similar proactive behavior in the future and to equip the host with the means to further expand the Emporium¡¯s business, he shall be rewarded.]


    Though he couldn¡¯t have done any of this alone. It was in large parts thanks to Jasmine¡¯s direct involvement and the very fair terms for their cooperation. Like the generous cut she had negotiated for him from the numerous food, drink, and merchandise booths that had set up shop for the duration of the event.


    ¡®I guess interpersonal relationships and the right connections are just as important as business acumen.¡¯


    Severin stood on top of the stage and looked down at the packed audience. Only now, seeing them from this elevated view, did he truly understand how many people he had reached. It far exceeded anything he could have imagined. It also explained the System¡¯s rare praise.


    [You are hereby awarded the ability to hire three additional [Employees].]


    ¡®So stingy! How underwhelming!¡¯ His initial reaction was not one of gratitude or joy.


    ¡°Are you okay? You look a bit¡­,¡± a soft voice, as to not be picked up by the omnipresent transmitter crystals, asked, bringing him back to the present.


    ¡°No. I mean yes. I just thought what a big success this turned out to be,¡± Severin replied, addressing Jasmine¡¯s evident concern.


    ¡°It went well,¡± she agreed, misunderstanding the true meaning of his words.


    Though it remained true that this was probably the most boring reward imaginable, his disappointment had long turned into genuine delight.


    It solved all of his most pressing issues! And not just because of the increase of customers they would have to deal with.


    More and more, it looked like the Emporium would soon experience some vast changes.


    He immediately became wary. [Mylana? What is it?].


    Why would she call him in a situation like this? [Has something happened?] he echoed her question with concern.


    [That¡¯s what I want to ask you. You look like an idiot up there. Did something happen with that System of yours?]


    ¡®How sharp!¡¯ Severin couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by how perceptive she was. Was he really that easy to read? But more importantly¡­


    [What do you mean, like an idiot!?]


    [So you¡¯re not denying it! Out with it then. What is it that can make you forget your composure in front of so many people? I¡¯m not the only one who can see you, you know?] the rough oldtimer reminded him.


    ¡®That old hag!¡¯ Severn was torn between annoyance and amusement, but at this moment he didn¡¯t intend on bickering with her. The timing might have been somewhat inappropriate, but given his excitement, he couldn¡¯t wait to share the good news. Without expanding too much on why the System had rewarded them, or what it meant to him, he directly told her about the reward itself.


    When he was done, he eagerly waited for a response, hoping to share the excitement.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.For a small eternity, he received no answer.


    Only when he no longer expected any reply at all did Mylana¡¯s voice again appear in his head. At which point he much preferred if she had remained silent.


    [We¡¯ll talk about this later.]


    ¡®


    ¡®Though the event¡¯s closing ceremony was about to be officially concluded, that didn¡¯t mean he was free to leave. There was still much for him to do:


    Winners to entertain, Runner-ups to congratulate, consolidation prizes-namely store credit- to award, helpers to thank, and a bit of politics to play; there was no chance in hell Jasmine would let him leave just like that without having him meet some of her very own VIP.


    ***


    ¡°¡°I know. You¡¯ve made sure I do. But that¡¯s exactly why we are going now. If we had to wait until you had your beauty sleep, then it would be too late. Wasn¡¯t it you who said it was best to take care of these things while the store is still closed?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. But don¡¯t you think we should have at least waited until we spoke with Sabina and Krill about our plans? What if-?¡±


    ¡°What if, what?¡± Mylana waved him off as she kept leading him through Hanvia¡¯s sleepy streets. ¡°They don¡¯t want to become classbearers? Or have a raise?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t exactly become classbearers and-¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to fool?¡± Mylana directly cut off his objections. ¡°I¡¯m tell you, there is no way they will reject the offer. And even if they did. It might not be ideal, but with all the fail-safes and special clauses one has to accept before the binding process, you could promote pretty much any random person off the streets without having to worry. And they would be grateful for it.


    We are pursuing greatness. Stop worrying about the small stuff.¡±


    ¡®I think she might be more into this than she lets on,¡¯ he noted with amusement.


    ¡°Where are we going then?¡± he asked as at this moment they turned into one of the city¡¯s more wealthy quarters. ¡°The palace?¡± he then added with apprehension; he didn¡¯t want to yet again rely on the royal family for his business related matters.


    ¡°¡°I might not be very familiar with this city, but I¡¯m pretty sure this is not the way to the employment agency,¡± Severin retorted.


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°Anyway, my point is, you got lucky so far. But you can¡¯t just rely on that. More importantly, if you keep hiring people-which you obviously have to if you want to expand- then soon you won¡¯t be able to keep an eye on all of them.


    You will want to hire experienced people. Trustworthy people. Especially if you want to go ahead with that idea of yours.


    Now, these kinds of people will cost you, but I think we are beyond the point of having to care about a few coin, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    But why had they suddenly stopped in front of this grand property that almost rivaled the palace itself in its splendor?


    ¡°And this is where we will hire them?¡± he asked with apprehension. Maybe they weren¡¯t beyond the point of worrying about money, after all, Severin thought while suddenly feeling like a pauper.


    ¡°

 Chapter 237

    ¡°¡®Being an adventurer is that lucrative, huh?¡¯ Severin could hardly believe what he was seeing. And that was even before he had seen the full extent of it.


    But what he didn¡¯t forget was to question, ¡°Why did you bring me here? Didn¡¯t you say we-¡±


    Immediately upon recognizing the master of the estate had returned, the man approached them as fast as the decorum of someone in his position allowed him to.


    ¡°¡°Anything noteworthy happened in my absence?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he shook his head, a fact which Mylana acknowledged with a nod of her own.


    ¡°Please, I am at your service. Anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Go inform Perc that my guest and I will be in the tearoom,¡± she instructed, without ever halting her steps.


    ¡°Of course, Madam. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you. That will be all.¡±


    ¡°Madam,¡± the man acknowledged before scattering off, not just to inform Perc but the whole mansion of their mistress¡¯ return.


    Once seated, he ordered his thoughts and picked up where he had left off.


    ¡°


    He strongly suspected that his own employees, Sabina in particular, would not be this committed.


    Was letting him experience this, what Mylana had in mind when bringing him here? He asked as much.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of it,¡± Mylana admitted. ¡°But no, while I might have maybe a hundred members of staff working here, and could certainly afford to appoint some of them to the Emporium, that is something I will most definitely not be doing.¡± She said, shaking her head disapprovingly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be doing you a favor if I did, and the fact that I have to tell you that only means you still have much to learn.


    ¡°¡°Madam. I¡¯m glad being able to serve you again. Sir,¡± the butler briefly but with a polite bow acknowledged Severin¡¯s presence before putting down his tablet and serving the tea as per his mistresses¡¯ instructions.


    ¡°Anything else I can do for you?¡± the elder gentleman asked once he had finished his task and had re-assumed his straight posture.


    ¡°There is. That¡¯s why I asked for you in the first place. Please see if Mr. Everheart has some time available to join us. Let him know it is business related.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Also, I trust you have kept up with local affairs while I was gone?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The reply was the same as the previous one, but Severin could have sworn that this time the man sounded as if he had just been slighted.


    ¡°Good. Tell me then, are there any auctions held in the White Hall today?¡±


    ¡°In the early afternoon there is an art auction featuring-¡± Without having to think about his answer, the well-prepared man started his reply. But was soon cut off.


    ¡°Who leads the auction?¡±


    ¡°Miss Evelyn, madam.¡± If Perc, was annoyed by the rude interruption, he was too professional to let any hint of it show.


    ¡®He is probably used to it by now,¡¯ a bitter Severin joked to himself, fed up by Mylana¡¯s incessant reprimands and interruptions.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Nothing else?¡±


    ¡°There is also another private auction later in the evening-¡±


    ¡°The auctioneer? Again, she interrupted.


    ¡°Mr Reigh.¡± And again came Perc¡¯s immediate and plaintless answer.


    ¡°Great. Be a dear and make sure we are on the guest list, will you?


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.¡°Madam? Please excuse my impertinence, but if you would allow me the question. What are your plans for the coming days? Are you planning to stay? The kitchen staff, in particular is very concerned about this question.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°We don¡¯t have too much time now. If he hurries, the messenger will be there in about fifteen, twenty minutes.¡±


    Following her words, Mylana saw the incomprehension in Severin¡¯s face. She explained further, ¡°Mr Everheart. If he is available, we can expect him in maybe an hour.


    It would be for the best if by then you¡¯ve figured out how many people you actually need.¡±


    ¡°¡°...the headmaster of the country¡¯s most prestigious butler school. Most of my staff have graduated from there and I am very satisfied with their skills and services.¡± Severin suspected that coming from Mylana, those words were the highest praise one could hope for, but kept those thoughts to himself.


    ¡°Short of investing a whole lot of money, time, and effort to train them yourself, I¡¯d say they are the best money can hire. If you have a referral, that is.¡±


    ¡°¡°Among other things, yes.¡±


    ¡°But a butler school? Isn¡¯t that a bit much? I don¡¯t need anything so fancy, just some regular staff. Like a new server and a cashier. Not someone like that,¡± he nodded towards the door.


    ¡°butler or school fool you. Besides, you really have other things to worry about if you consider only hiring two people.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Severin crossed his arms defiantly. ¡°Assuming Krill and Sabina will take on the new roles I¡¯ll offer them, two people fill their positions are just the bare minimum. That¡¯s all I was saying.


    ¡°¡°I don¡¯t even know if the relevant parties will agree.¡±


    ¡°This again,¡± Mylana sighed in faux exasperation. ¡°If you can offer them what they want, then of course they will.


    You don¡¯t plan for failure, but for success. Remember that. And it¡¯s not like having some additional people at the ready will do you any harm.¡±


    ¡°Another six then,¡± he concluded after some calculation.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Mylana nodded in satisfaction, a sight that was almost impossible for Severin to imagine after all her complaining and prodding he had to endure this day.


    Instead of the estimated one hour, not even forty minutes had passed when there was another knock on the door.


    ¡°Mr Everheart,¡± announced Perc as he stepped inside and made way for an immaculately dressed man with puffy red cheeks who followed closely behind him.


    ¡°Lady Mylana! Always an honor and a pleasure. I came the moment I learned you were in need of our services.¡±


    ¡°Much obliged. But it isn¡¯t me who requires your services.¡± She gestured towards the other person in the room.


    ¡°Severin. No, Sir.¡±


    ¡°


    Severin was amused by the man¡¯s excitement, which fit not at all the image he had of a person of his apparent status.


    ¡®Or maybe it was exactly his experience that lets the man know how to best deal with each person individually,¡¯ Severin surmised; this certainly beat dealing with the kind of people said [Princess] surrounded herself with, and as long as his services were satisfactory, then that was all that mattered to Severin.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve heard of my store, then that should make it easier. I require staff. Not to take care of nobles or retired adventurers, but to run a business.¡±


    ¡°¡°We indeed don¡¯t offer these services, but I don¡¯t think Lady Mylana would have referred you to me if that was what you are looking for.


    But if you are looking for anything else, say a salesperson, a server, a clerk, a maid or a cleaner- anything along those lines- then please rest assured. My people are well up to the task; they have proven so many times over. You wouldn¡¯t be the first to approach us for such purposes.

 Chapter 238

    Knock Knock


    ¡°The mistress lets you know that dinner will be served in half an hour. If you would join her in the small dining room in the east wing.¡± Severin was still drowsy, but hearing the voice coming from the other side of the door reminded him where he was.


    After his dealings with Mr Everheart had concluded surprisingly quickly, Mylana had announced that it was still some hours until dinner would be served, that until then she had some personal business to take care of, and invited a tired Severin to rest in one of her mansion¡¯s many guest rooms, in the meantime.


    This explanation once again reminded Severin of how much Mylana had given up when joining him. That despite her at times questionable attitude, she must truly care for the Emporium; otherwise, to him, her sacrifice wasn¡¯t making much sense.


    Still, he managed to resist the temptation of the warm nest he had built himself and forced himself to get up; though according to the voice that had called out to him, it was still some time until his presence at dinner was required; on the other hand, it was too soon for him to go back to sleep again.


    Severin washed his face and made himself look presentable. Then he left the room that was bigger than his own apartment back on the mountain and went on a short exploration through the spacious mansion.


    He found that his guestroom was only one of many, though it appeared as if his was the only one currently inhabited.


    He found a courteous staff member-not the one who had called out to him, that one had simply disappeared after delivering their message- who pointed out that additionally to the sink and toilet in each of those rooms, there was a large bathing facility available to him in one of the basements. He learned that it was designed so that it could hold all the manor¡¯s potential guests at once.


    That description intrigued Severin, but as he didn¡¯t want to stray too far, he decide to trust her word on that; based on the scale of everything else he had seen so far, there was no reason for him to doubt the description.


    ever seen in one place.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡®small dining hall? Nothing fancy?¡¯ Those words repeated in his mind over and over again, as he stood there, staring like a country-bumpkin.


    ¡°¡°R-Right,¡± but eventually the admonishing voice confirmed that he was in fact in the right place.


    Slowly, at first, he approached the richly laid table.


    Two steps later, his stomach betrayed him. The next instant, he sat opposite Mylana, who was well hidden behind a proverbial mountain of food.


    Some sweet, some spicy. Some hot, others cold.


    But every single one of them tasty.


    ¡®If Em ever finds out about this, I¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡¯ But despite his bad conscience, Severin didn¡¯t stop stuffing himself. At this point, his table manners had already been long forgotten.


    It wasn¡¯t just the overall taste of every single item he tried, or the novelty of trying the food of a different culture- a different world even-, though those were certainly part of it. But it was also the lack of a System actively inhibiting his sense of hunger that made gorging himself on delicacies just that much more enjoyable.


    His stomach was budging and a wave of nausea washed over him; forty minutes after the beginning of dinner, Severin wished for nothing more than to be carried back to the bed in his room and be left alone for at least one whole week.


    If only Magda, who he didn¡¯t know if she had even touched the food, hadn¡¯t had other plans for him.


    ¡°¡°Wha~?¡± Surely this had to be a cruel joke? At first Severin didn¡¯t at all understand what Mylana was talking about. Until it slowly started to dawn on him.


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean already?¡± she chastised. ¡°Do you have any idea how long you have slept?¡±


    He didn¡¯t, and Mylana¡¯s raised eyebrow indicated she already knew his answer.


    ¡°Really?¡± he instead asked.


    ¡°Really. Now let¡¯s go. I reckon you can use the exercise.¡±


    Now his attention was more focused on the other properties in the upper-class district they were currently walking through.


    But while certainly impressive, he noticed that none of those they passed seemed to even come close to Mylana¡¯s in terms of size or splendor. None of the properties, much less the actual mansions, could compare.


    Which beget the question. Was there another noble quarter he didn¡¯t know about?


    Because if not, what did this say about Mylana and her status?


    With renewed curiosity, Severin turned his head towards the old woman walking next to him.


    ¡°

 Chapter 239

    White Hall.


    It wasn¡¯t the people coming out of them that drew Severin¡¯s attention, but the carriages¡¯ curious lack of coach horses-or any other animals-pulling them.


    ¡®


    The closer they got, the more distinguishable the actual individuals entering the White Hall became. Everyone of which, and with no exception, as far as he could tell, was dressed in fancy clothes that made his own look like rags in comparison.


    everyone arrived in one of those vehicles.


    Walking was obviously not the preferred mode of transportation for high society.


    Why didn¡¯t Mylana warn him? And why didn¡¯t they too use one of those carriages? Surely she owned not just a few of them herself.


    ¡°The Lady will be very pleased and I am sure she will be eager to greet you in person herself, once the auction has concluded. But please, we are about to start.¡± The servile woman said, as they walked through the portal and into the foyer of the imposing hall.


    Golden light flooded over them and Severin needed some time for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he found his surroundings weren¡¯t nearly as pompous as he had expected. The entrance hall was largely empty, not at all flaunting its wealth with expensive exhibits.


    ¡°Will you participate from the main hall, or do you want me to escort you to your private booth?¡± inquired their guide.


    ¡°The booth,¡± Mylana answered with no hesitation, obviously not very keen on mingling with the other guests.


    At the beginning Severin counted how many of those doors they passed, but stopped bothering when he reached twenty. Still, it was clear their guide hadn¡¯t just picked one at random when they eventually stopped in front of one door that looked just like all the others; Mylana''s barely perceptible nod confirmed as much.


    The woman then stepped to the side and excused herself. ¡°Please enjoy your stay.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°Hm. Thanks.¡±


    her private booth.


    The two stepped inside the dimly lit room and Mylana directly made for one of these seats while instructing Severin to close the door behind them.


    He complied, but didn¡¯t immediately follow to take the remaining seat.


    ¡®Still, he made a mental note of his observation.


    Only then did he turn his attention elsewhere: towards the booths on the opposite side of the hall, the ones reached, presumably, via the other staircase in the foyer.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad?¡± He pointed out after a moment of observation.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°That everything is so visible. You can easily tell which of the rooms is occupied. You might even recognize them. Especially if you know who owns the booth. Doesn¡¯t that beat the purpose?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Tell me which ones,¡± Mylana challenged while again using her cane to point towards the booths in question.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Tell me which ones are currently occupied,¡± she clarified.


    ¡°Given this is just such a small and private auction, you are probably right: there is no one there. But it¡¯s too na?ve to take these things at face-value. This isn¡¯t just some backwater town hall or the like.


    Ever since we entered the White Hall, we are surrounded by all kinds of different enchantments. And that is doubly true in here.


    No one on the outside can tell we are in here. Unless I want them to.


    Somehow Severin was more surprised by Mylana¡¯s rare praise than by her explanation.


    ¡°want to be seen.¡±


    With this, Mylana directed his attention to the main attraction, the auction hall below them. And the crowd of people socializing.


    ¡®Which I guess makes sense, considering this is a private event.¡¯


    But going by the number of children he saw-and most importantly heard- he couldn¡¯t help but have his doubts.


    Within a minute, everyone in the crowd took had taken their seats.


    Another minute and things had quieted down.


    ¡®That¡¯s more like it¡¯, Severin thought. Things finally looked proper.


    ¡®Mr. Reigh,¡¯ Severin understood, as the man took up his position behind the rostrum.


    ¡°It is my pleasure to, at Lady Sorn''s invitation, welcome you all to this very special occasion. Following recent circumstances, her Ladyship has decided to auction off large parts of her famous and much coveted collection.


    I speak for the entire White Hall when I express our deep gratitude for entrusting us with such an important task. Thank you.¡± The man deeply bowed towards one particular woman in the audience.


    ¡°And today we are very pleased to present to you all of our findings and some of the finest handcrafted dolls and puppets the continent has ever seen.


    A Model-5 Isabell.¡±

 Chapter 240

    It was clearly a pre-arranged signal, as, exactly at this moment, another employee appeared on the stage, pushing a trolley. On its top shelf sat a doll, with its legs dangling over the edge.


    Immediately, the crowd broke out in excitement.


    Severin, however, could only stare.


    Initially, he suspected that maybe he had misheard or misunderstood the auctioneer.


    But clearly he didn¡¯t. It truly was a doll.


    At this distance it was hard to see every detail and Severin was no expert on this matter, but at least to him the Isabell looked very much like a Victorian porcelain doll. Roughly fifty centimeters in size, with blonde curly hair, wearing a lovely dress.


    ¡°


    ¡°¡°Right.¡± Severin clearly had some doubts, and it was noticeable in his voice. But thinking about it more carefully, he found Mylana was right; again. After all, it wasn¡¯t solely out of spite that Mylana interrupted him whenever Perc wanted to tell them about the actual items of today¡¯s auctions.


    ¡°Right,¡± he repeated, this time more sincerely, and stuck to quietly observing from above.


    Soon, the initial excitement in the audience below had similarly died down.


    While the visibility from the balcony was poor, especially when the object of interest was so small, the sound, Mr. Reigh¡¯s voice in particular, was very clear.


    ¡°This is without a doubt the pinnacle of Silven-style of doll-making.


    But please, see for yourselves. My words alone could never do justice to a masterpiece such as this.¡± Reigh gestured towards his assistant, and continued.


    ¡°This Isabell in particular comes with several of the most popular modules already pre-installed. Such as the time-proven Mk6 Household module, a custom-made sewing and knitting-,¡±


    While the auctioneer kept educating the audience about the most noteworthy aspects of this first item of the evening, his assistant didn¡¯t remain idle, either. Following Reigh¡¯s previous gesture, the woman leaned over the motionless doll.


    From up high Severin couldn¡¯t see what exactly she was doing, and initially he didn¡¯t especially care. That was until soon after the woman was done with whatever it was she had been doing.


    At this point, the assistant straightened before raking back several steps to give the audience an unobstructed view of the doll.


    Which suddenly sprang to life.


    Without forewarning and with a swift movement that escaped Severin¡¯s eyes, the seated doll swung her entire body up into the air. And landed in a standing position on the top shelf of the trolley.


    The small human-like figure then slightly lifted her dress and curtsied towards the audience.


    But the surprises didn¡¯t end there.


    This time, she didn¡¯t stop for any grand gestures. She directly turned around and reached for an item laying on the bottom shelf of the trolley; a doll-sized broom.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.Under different circumstances, this would have been the most boring and mundane demonstration imaginable. But at this moment, to Severin, this was the most incredible thing ever. Observing the small artificial human work demanded his full attention; Reigh¡¯s talk about the modules implanted into the doll¡¯s core- that was the component which enabled the doll to this kind of task-were only of secondary interest to him.


    And so, after a minute or so, she was instructed to a different task.


    At this point, he was tempted to leave for the main hall to get a clear view of things.


    The broom had been one thing. But now he couldn¡¯t make out anything. All he could see was that some colorful thing way laying on the doll¡¯s lap and that she was rhythmically moving her tiny hands in front of her chest.


    ¡°


    ¡®Someone should tell this White Hall about my transmission crystals,¡¯ Severin complained to himself, fully convinced those items of his would make for a far better viewing experience for the VIPs in their private booths. But he also concluded that someone wouldn¡¯t be him. If everything panned out as planned, this wouldn¡¯t only be Severin¡¯s first and last time in the White Hall, but helping them might actually end up hurting his own business; just this thought drastically improved his mood immediately.


    Like the other doll that was suddenly carried onto the stage.


    ¡®But the closer he looked, the more he declined that notion. This one wasn¡¯t comparable to the Isabell, at all. Not only was it easily thrice its size, and completely undressed, it also lacked all of the other¡¯s detail; that much Severin could distinguish even at this distance.


    ¡®That¡¯s how plain that thing is. It looks more like a regular mannequin. But then why bring it onto the stage? Do they intend her to create a full set of clothes, after all?¡¯


    ¡°That said, let us focus our attention on a far rarer subtype of modules altogether.


    It took Severin a moment to understand the doll hat never let go of her two needles.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Came his delayed reaction, but his own shout was drowned out by a series of cries.


    ¡°¡°I want her! Daddy, please! Please, get her for me!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Moooom, I will be good, I swear. Just-¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± he repeated.


    Only that this time a voice unexpectedly answered.


    ¡°¡°???¡±

 Chapter 241

    ¡°Just remember what I told you. He is held in high regards and considered being one of the best at what he is doing.


    Which means his services are highly sought after. You certainly won¡¯t be the first to approach him. And obviously, no one has succeeded thus far.


    Doesn¡¯t make it easier that he is rich. Not just regular person rich, but actually rich.


    You understand? This won¡¯t be a question about money.¡±


    ¡°We have been over this. I know.¡±


    ¡°If you know, then why don¡¯t you just-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Severin shook his head, knowing where Mylana was going with this. Again.


    Though it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand where she was coming from. Still, even after careful consideration, he had rejected this option.


    ¡°I already told you, I already have plans for the last slot.


    Maybe I¡¯ll reconsider if nothing else works, or if one of the others ends up declining. But for now, I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°But you do realize that the prospect of gaining access to [Identification] skill alone would be enough to convince someone like him, yes? Not to mention all the other benefits that would tempt any regular person. I tell you, you are being foolish.¡±


    Here Severin hesitated. The [Identification] skill. He couldn¡¯t deny this argument was a very strong one.


    But ultimately he didn¡¯t waver. He had already made up his mind and nothing Mylana said could change that.


    ¡°Maybe I am. But it doesn¡¯t matter. With everything I know about him, I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll be able to convince him either way; then I can still always promote him afterwards when the opportunity presents itself.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mylana questioned. But not in a challenging way. More like a teacher who was looking forward to a student¡¯s answer to a particularly difficult question.


    But the student wasn¡¯t willing to waste any more time; Severin simply nodded.


    Understanding his intent, Mylana, too, nodded and pushed herself out of her armchair. She then leaned over the balcony¡¯s railing and looked at the crowd below. The auction had already concluded, but a majority of people had yet to disperse.


    ¡°Well, in that case, let¡¯s go. Before things become hectic.¡± With that, Mylana turned around and once again led the way; Severin quickly followed suit.


    The moment they stepped outside and into the corridor leading back, Severin was surprised to find a person standing in front of their door, apparently waiting for them.


    ¡°Dear guests. Are you ready to leave? If you would allow me to escort you back.¡±


    If Mylana was similarly surprised by the other¡¯s presence, then she didn¡¯t let any of it show on her face.


    ¡°Please,¡± she answered, unperturbed. ¡°But I wonder if it would be possible to meet Mr. Reigh in person. Only if it doesn¡¯t cause too much trouble, of course.¡±


    Severin could barely stifle his laughter. By now he was very aware of the status Mylana enjoyed and the kind of treatment she received from those in the know. There was no way these people would ever admit anything Mylana demanded of them was any sort of trouble.


    Severin¡¯s conjecture was immediately proven to be exactly right.


    Though the servant tried their best to hide their surprise, for a moment, it had been very evident. As was the hint of reluctance. And yet their answer was one of confirmation.


    ¡°But of course. I am certain Mr. Reigh will be pleased to have the honor. Now if you would follow me.¡±


    Silently Severin and Mylana were led through the long corridor, down the stairs, back into the foyer, through one of the cordoned off doors and deep into the not publicly accessible parts of White Hall.


    Ten minutes after leaving their private auction booth, Mylana and Severin stood in Reigh¡¯s personal dressing room.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.The elderly man had already changed out of his costume and into clothes that looked more like Severin¡¯s own; a stark contrast to their lavishly furnished surroundings.


    Despite that, the man hadn¡¯t lost any of his captivating presence. Even without the fancy dress he had been wearing just minutes earlier, Severin was certain Reigh was the center of attention, wherever he went.


    ¡°Lady Mylana, what a pleasure. What brings you here? I hope you enjoyed the auction?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, my dear. But it¡¯s not me who has come to see you.¡± She gestured towards the person accompanying her. ¡°My boss did.¡±


    Reigh¡¯s eyes widened; a reaction, Severin got the feeling that for any other person would be tantamount to a surprised outcry.


    Severin understood that this was Mylana¡¯s effort to elevate his own status and smooth the way for him.


    As to not let this opportunity slip, Severin quickly took the initiative. He nodded in acknowledgement of Mylana¡¯s words, stepped forward, and reached out his hand.


    ¡°Severin. My pleasure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors, but¡­ But I¡¯m being rude, my apologies.


    Reigh. Likewise, a pleasure.¡±


    After the first hiccup, Reigh was quick to adapt. ¡°Please, what can I do for you?¡± he asked with the same courtesy he paid Mylana herself.


    Severin didn¡¯t beat around the bush.


    ¡°I will be direct with you. I want you to come work for me.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t even try to hide his displeasure; Severin had the suspicion there was a real chance the man would have laughed right in his face if it wasn¡¯t for Mylana¡¯s involvement.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough for him to get discouraged; after all, had yet to play any of his cards.


    Instead of feeling offended, Severin held up both of his hands to forestall the otherwise inevitable rejection.


    ¡°Please, at least hear me out. I¡¯m aware that over the years many people have tried to poach you away from White Hall, but-¡±


    ¡°-but none of them have been so brazen as to approach me in the White Hall itself. Much less in my private facilities. But I concede. The presence of Lady Mylana makes me curious. Go on.¡±


    A smile he hoped was imperceptible to the other crept onto Severin¡¯s face.


    ¡®Got him,¡¯ in Severin¡¯s mind, this was all he needed. He was very confident in what he got to offer.


    ¡°In case you don¡¯t know, I¡¯m the owner of the Emporium. And all its surrounding premises,¡± Severin introduced himself in a little more detail; that the man hadn¡¯t heard about the Emporium, to Severin was out of the question, and he wouldn¡¯t humble himself so much as to pretend otherwise.


    ¡°I think you are aware that we are in a very unique situation,¡± he went on to explain. ¡°One that sets us up for success. A situation no one else can compete with. Not even White Hall, that is.¡±


    Seeing the doubtful expression on the other¡¯s face, Severin explained further,


    ¡°I want to set up my own auction hall. And I want the best. Which, by all accounts, refers to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered, Sir. But you still haven¡¯t really explained yourself. Or why I would want to work for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, I offer you the opportunity to design it yourself. Your own auction house.¡±


    ¡°I already-¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Severin quickly interrupted. ¡°Let me paint you a picture. Imagine, for a moment, a flying metropolis. A trading outpost connecting to every capital on the continent.


    And a dungeon that attracts flocks of adventurers of all skill-levels; a forge creating heroes, so to speak.


    Imagine the wealth created when two such places coexist and become one. The items that will be exchanged in such a place that even the Adventurer¡¯s Society can¡¯t control. And right in the middle of it, your auctioning house.


    Just imagine all the spectacular loot. The items. Literal treasures passing through your hands. And not just to end up in the hands of a few deadbeat nobles.¡±


    The more he talked, the more excited Severin became himself. Something along these lines had always been his dream ever since he had arrived in this world. Now, with a dungeon on his doorstep, things were bound to pick up. Just its existence itself would attract all kinds of people, and therefore business. But then there was also the fact that he received a certain cut of the dungeon¡¯s loot; this would lay the foundation of his own auction house.


    When Severin ended his pitch, he wore his most confident smile.

 Chapter 242

    Why was he rejected?


    Had he misjudged the man? Had he overestimated himself? Or the potential of his mountain?


    ¡®No,¡¯ he shook his head. He vehemently denied the possibility. ¡®Then maybe I have just failed to sell it?¡¯


    But again, he rejected the notion; even a blind person should be able to see that the future of the Emporium was a glorious one.


    When he felt a hand patting him on his back, causing him to tense up.


    told you so he half expected occurred. Neither did Mylana tell him to turn around and offer up the third, still unaccounted for System [Employee] spot to sweeten the offer.


    Instead, she gave him some slight, but very much uncharacteristic, words of encouragement.


    ¡°Though still clearly bitter, just this well-intentioned gesture was enough to cause a shift in Severin¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°After the novelty of the auction had worn off, Severin had closely observed the man and even until the very end there had been nothing that stood out to Severin. For the life of him, he could not point out anything that made Reigh look particularly remarkable. Sure, he was very professional in his appearance, but so was everyone else working for the White Hall.


    The more he thought about it, the more Severin wondered where Reigh¡¯s reputation even came from.


    Maybe he needed to see a regular guy in comparison to be able to appreciate his performance and to recognize the man¡¯s alleged skill, but Severin had his doubts.


    ¡°Gold will always shine, as they say. Maybe this had been a fools-errand from the get-go.¡¯


    Until finally he had calmed down and stopped his rant when they found themselves entering an alley even Mylana, as a native, didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°So, what now? Do you even know where you are going? Do you want to head back?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet. And yes, I do. In fact, we have already arrived,¡± he announced as they came to a sudden halt in front of a building which, though clearly renovated somewhat recently and generally well-cared for, appeared almost destitute in comparison to the White Hall they were coming from.


    ¡°Where even is this?¡±


    The puzzled expression on Mylana¡¯s face somehow dispelled even Severin¡¯s last hint of bitterness; it was a rare occasion that he knew something she didn¡¯t and as usual when this was the case, it cheered him up immensely.


    ¡°¡°What? Here? Who could we possibly find here? Someone preferable to Reigh, that is.¡°


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Severin laughed, apparently not minding the mention of the now disgraced name.


    ¡°I already figured you haven¡¯t been here before, but you should still be familiar with that person.¡± That said, and without further ado, he pushed open the heavy door in front of them.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°


    ¡°¡°Yes, Sir! Is there anything I can do for you?¡± the boy asked eagerly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let us distract you, just take care of your regulars,¡± Severin waved him off as he stepped further into the inn. Judging by the tray Nel was carrying, it was evident that Severin¡¯s entrance had interrupted the boy in his work.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for your mother, but there¡¯s no rush. We don¡¯t want to interfere with business; we can wait. Just treat us like normal customers.¡±


    On the other, there was still work to do and his mother would get angry if he fooled around again.


    Only to find it surprisingly empty.


    ¡®Well, not that surprising given how quiet everything is.¡¯


    Once he sat down, he started observing.


    Thirteen patrons in total, one group of five, and one of three. The rest were sitting alone.


    ¡®Not that bad, I guess. Enough people for them not to go under, at least. Probably even slightly more than just the two of them can comfortable handle at a time. But still. The majority of seats remain empty. And I doubt any of these people will actually rent a room and stay the night.¡¯ Severin was weighing his observations, trying to figure out their implications, when Mylana, who wasn¡¯t used to being kept in the dark, and certainly not for that long, couldn¡¯t hold in any longer.


    ¡°who are we here for?¡±


    ¡°I told you, you have already met her,¡± he pointed with his head towards the counter of the bar where a worn elf was currently busy rinsing mugs and washing dishes.


    ¡°Her?¡± she asked incredulously. But then she recognized. ¡°Her! Isn¡¯t she the one from that time? The one with the [Heating Spheres]?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you have to thank her for the princess¡¯ sudden interest in those things. Has put quite some work on your shoulders. No wonder you want to hire her. Want her to work off some of the debt you owe to Jasmine, heh?¡± she accused jokingly. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Mil-¡±


    ¡°Her name¡¯s Milly,¡± interrupted a slurred voice, answering in Severin¡¯s stead.


    Both Severin and Mylana turned around in surprise to see a man of Nel¡¯s size approach them with a wobbly step.


    ¡°Lng time no zee. What, hick, bringss you here?¡± the question sounded almost hostile. Without waiting for an answer, the dwarf pulled another chair and joined them.


    ¡°You are¡­?¡±


    ¡°hick, the in-infmous Em-Emporium, huh? Has become to- too good to remember uss common folk, hu- hick?¡±


    ¡°Gorik.¡± Before the small man could continue his unhinged rant, he was cut short by a woman drying her hands on her apron and stomping towards them.


    ¡°


    ¡°hick, help out thoze who¡¯ve helped you out in the past? What do you say, hick? A few couples, hmm, let''s say some, hick, hundred gold coins, for our Mi-Milly here? Shouldn¡¯t be too much for a bigshot like you, huh?


    ¡°Gorik!¡± Milly finally shouted after the first time calling him hadn¡¯t achieved anything.


    By now, she directly stood behind the seated dwarf, glaring daggers at him.


    ¡°

 Chapter 243

    First he had to wait for the other guests to leave. That included a certain dwarf who was suddenly very intent on renting a room for the night, despite living just a few houses away.


    ¡°¡°It did. But that was during the Games. Which was basically an eternity ago,¡± the woman answered unperturbed by Severin¡¯s blunt question; though they hadn¡¯t spent all that much time together in the past, the rapport they had built was good enough to be comfortable with such questions.


    Severin didn¡¯t know what kind of answer he had expected and didn¡¯t immediately know how to respond to the answer, but before things got awkward, the innkeeper all but jumped at the opportunity to vent some of her built-up frustration.


    ¡°Severin quickly understood what Milly meant by this. While this inn was certainly well maintained and cared for, it was not the kind of establishment the kind of people who could-simply by virtue of being classbearers- afford to spend several months worth of a regular person¡¯s salary, in a single night, would frequent; back then it was only because every establishment in the city had been fully booked during those busy days.


    ¡°Well, it had gotten a bit better lately. Not least thanks to you, I assume.¡±


    This time Severin wasn¡¯t quite as quick to catch the meaning of her words. It took him a moment to understood what she was referring to. Namely to the portal he had established because of more adventurers than ever would decide to spent their nights in the city, and return to the wilderness only the next morning. The demand for a comfortable inn must¡¯ve risen accordingly.


    Even so, not all of this made sense to Severin.


    ¡°On the other hand, he genuinely felt the matter had to be addressed. Even just the money she had made during those few days, he understood, should have been enough to further expand and upgrade the building, and even to hire some people to work for her on top of that.


    Not to mention that nothing account explained the striking absence of regular, non-classbearing people-the locals-visiting the inn¡¯s bar.


    Though apprehensive as not to overstep, he ultimately still voiced his thoughts.


    ¡°


    ¡°If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Because he still vaguely remembered; already back then during his first visit there had been mentions of a fire. In fact, he also remembered, that this day he had visited Milly¡¯s inn, had also been the one of their reopening. Which explained why everything appeared to be in such great condition when the surrounding buildings did look anything but.


    Severin explained as much whereas Milly just listened and absentmindedly nodded in confirmation to his words.


    ¡°But what about the regular folk?¡± Mylana then inquired after the same question was previously ignored.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s the real issue, I guess¡± for the first time the elf didn¡¯t just look, but actually sounded exhausted. ¡°As it turns out it is quite easy for classbearers to intimidate regular folk. At this point Gorik might actually be the only real regular we still have left.¡±


    ¡°Classbeares?¡± Mylana asked incredulously. ¡°Intimidating regular people? Here in Hanvia? Who would dare?!¡±


    ¡°The same people who would burn down a small family run inn, I guess¡± the elf answered bitterly.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Severin had been shocked by this revelation, but not nearly as much as by Mylana suddenly jumping up from her chair and flying into a fit of rage.


    ¡°Just who-?!¡± she demanded loudly. But Milly simply cut her off, shaking her head and pointing towards the back of the inn. Seeing this reaction, it initially seemed Mylana had calmed down; she stopped making a fuss and sat down again.


    But clearly her anger hadn¡¯t receded just yet.


    ¡°Who would threaten your patrons? Any why?¡± Mylana again demanded, this time more quietly, careful that none of her words reached the boy working in the back.


    ¡®But just when he opened his mouth and was about to speak, he felt a hand on his knee under the table; looking at the owner of said hand, he received a poignant look.


    Given that Mylana had been even more agitated than himself, the interrupted came at a surprise. Still, Severin took the hint and kept his mouth shut. By know he understood well that the hag wasn¡¯t one to let go of such matters once they caught her attention; knowing this he put the most burning questions to the back of his mind and hold his tongue, but didn¡¯t worry about this matter not being resolved in the future.


    Instead it was the innkeeper who spoke up.


    ¡°But by now much of Severin¡¯s eagerness had already dissipated. It had turned into a bad conscience and shame.


    Initially he had been somewhat excited by the current state of affair. Not because he wished the woman ill or because he begrudged her of her success. But because he figured it would make his proposal all the more attractive.


    Now he felt horrible for those previous thoughts and felt like he was preying on the family¡¯s misfortune.


    He consciously had to remind himself that ultimately this didn¡¯t change anything. Milly¡¯s circumstances didn¡¯t influence the offer he wanted to make in any shape or form. In fact, Severin felt his offer was fair, generous even.


    ¡°¡°Me?¡± Unlike Mylana who had more than enough time and opportunity to figure out what this was all about, to Milly this sudden offer came out of nowhere.


    ¡°You want me to work for you? On that mountain? Why? Or rather where? I know you don¡¯t have an inn up there. I know that for a fact. Otherwise I fear we would¡¯ve gone under a long time ago.


    So no. We might be desperate, but I won¡¯t be-¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have an inn yet¡± Severin put special emphasis on the last word as he interrupted Milly who continued undeterred.


    ¡°-working in someone else¡¯s kitchen or behind some counter if that is what you think. This inn-¡± suddenly she halted.


    ¡°What do you mean, not yet?¡± she pointed almost accusatory at a smiling Severin.

 Chapter 244

    ¡°So I figured I would ask a professional for help - one I feel I can trust. Which brings us here.¡±


    ¡°You- I-¡±


    Determination to reject him? To stick with what she got, despite the obviously dire circumstances? It was, after all, a family run business, even named after herself. The memories she had made in these walls had to be innumerable.


    Severin realized things might not be as easy as he initially thought. But he wasn¡¯t willed to be rejected twice on the same day.


    ¡°Before you decide, hear me out first. Or rather, let me show you something.¡±


    With that said and with Milly still in a daze, Severin first craned his neck, making sure the boy was still occupied with his work or whatever he was doing right now; all that mattered was that he wasn¡¯t anywhere within sight or earshot.


    Only then did Severin proceed and turned his attention back towards the innkeeper. And willed the System into action.


    About the existence of a unique [Shopkeeper] class and the [Employee] pseudo-class it employed, about some entity vaguely called the System, and the certainty that all of this knowledge was only fleeting and would immediately be forgotten the moment she declined the offer. It also came with strict warnings prohibiting her- under the threat of punishment- from revealing any of this information.


    And still all of this knowledge was enough to give a person as quick-witted as Milly plenty of opportunity to infer various things about Severin and his enterprise; that was after the elf had taken a couple of minutes to catch herself and sort her thoughts.


    When she did finally shake off her initial shock, however, it was Milly who took the initiative to further question her two guests; much to Severin¡¯s liking as to him, it represented a crack in her previously perceived determination.


    It was clear that even a steadfast person like her, one who had long since come to terms with the fact that she was a classless person and would likely remain one for the rest of her years, would waver in the face of such a revelation. The lure of obtaining class-powers was incredible. No matter how mundane they would end up being. It was certainly enough to stimulate anyone¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mylana affirmed. ¡°It¡¯s real. I had to give up on a lot of things for this opportunity. And I regret nothing.¡±


    Milly slowly nodded in what she thought was understanding. It wasn¡¯t hard for her to imagine what lengths a person would go through if it meant becoming a classbearer. But, of course, she didn¡¯t truly understand the meaning of Mylana¡¯s words.


    The thought that even an actual classbearer- a high-leveled and hugely accomplished one, at that- would sacrifice their position to become the [Employee] of a [Shopkeeper], was way too far-fetched for someone like Milly to even imagine. Her thoughts were much simpler than that and concerned much more practical aspects.


    About the financial aspect of things. Like what would her pay look like if she indeed started working for someone with such means?


    About her potential coworkers and about her responsibilities; that was in large parts the question about her independence.


    Would she become just one of many employees? One of many people to be commanded around by those more senior to her? Would she lose her voice? Or would she retain her independence and simply handle the inn in Severin¡¯s name?


    ¡°¡°Our cook. A dwarf. I don¡¯t think you two have met yet. But while I plan to keep him in charge of the kitchen, he won¡¯t have any say in how to run the inn. That will be entirely up to you.¡±


    That explanation appeared to mollify the elf. Still, she kept asking; things weren¡¯t going to be that easy.


    ¡°Then what about those other two? The ones you brought along back then.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ah. You mean Miriam and Timothy? No. Those don¡¯t work for me at all. We are still only a few people. Though we are currently working on rectifying that.


    All in all we have three full-blown [Employees] and two regular people.


    One you already know,¡± he gestured towards Mylana. ¡°Bandur we just talked about, and last of the [Employees] would be Emily. I don¡¯t think you are familiar with her, either. She is-¡±


    ¡°That the girl?¡± Milly interrupted, suddenly appearing very interested.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Emily. Is that the girl? When we visited, I swear I have seen a young girl working for you. That her?¡±


    Severin was unsure whether he was imagining the sudden shift in her demeanor. He didn¡¯t dwell on it and simply answered her honestly.


    ¡°Yeah. That should¡¯ve been her,¡± he answered honestly, not overthinking things.


    ¡°And you mentioned two regular people? Does that mean not everyone has to be¡­ what was it called¡­? Bound? To that System thing, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Right. Those are limited, but nothing stops me from simply hiring regular people as well,¡± Severin revealed, certain there was no risk in doing so. ¡°But I certainly plan to offer those who have proven themselves a promote when the opportunity arises.¡±


    Following this short explanation, Milly fell silent. Severin realized she was coming to some sort of decision and refrained from saying any more and possibly pushing her away. All he could do now was exchange uncertain looks with Mylana and hope.


    ¡°Considering everything I have seen and which you have told me, and assuming all of this is true... I think rejecting you would be foolish. Irresponsible even. So I will join you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Severin was about to cheer in celebration. But was immediately cut short.


    ¡°But! Only under one condition.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± where did this suddenly come from? Severin didn¡¯t understand. This was not how this usually went. Yet at the same time, he didn¡¯t expect anything too outlandish from her. Her being reasonable was one of the many reasons he liked her in the first place, after all.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he allowed.


    ¡°I want Nel to be the one to become your [Employee] in my stead.¡±

 Chapter 245

    ¡°¡°I am,¡± Severin answered confidently, not at all sharing the woman¡¯s worries. In his mind, there was no question that he had made the right decision. And the fact that the System, in a rare showing of consciousness, went out of its way to help facilitate the arrangement only further strengthened this belief.


    His initial reaction when hearing Milly¡¯s condition was one of mild surprise - nothing more - and one he was all too willing to grant her.


    But he soon realized the request wasn¡¯t as simple as it first seemed.


    In fact, he soon deemed the potential consequences and risks to be so high that Severin almost felt forced to cancel the whole deal if Milly wasn¡¯t willing to budge. No matter how much he racked his brain, he just couldn¡¯t find a solution.


    At that moment, the [Shopkeeper] couldn¡¯t even be mad about the reminder that some strange entity was constantly monitoring his thoughts. Instead, he was delighted that everything seemed to pan out just right.


    Because no matter how much he liked the duo, there was no way for him to agree to the suggested arrangement if the mother couldn¡¯t know about the powers her son would receive.


    Not only would it hinder her work, but more importantly, Severin simply didn¡¯t trust young Nel to successfully conceal his new powers from Milly for any prolonged period of time; a severe problem considering the System¡¯s non-revelation clause, any potential [Employee] had to accept. This would just be a disaster in the making.


    ¡°¡°Because I like them. And because I want the inn more than the auction hall.¡± Knowing the woman¡¯s objections weren¡¯t made of malice but out of genuine curiosity and concern, Severin explained himself even though he didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°But there is no added value in having an [Employee] and with all the abilities that come with it, run a regular inn. A regular person could just as-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision,¡± he decided resolutely.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± the response to Severin¡¯s words sounded unconvinced, but if it wasn¡¯t for the inadequate lighting of the empty side alley, one might have been able to see a sly smile forming on the aged face of the former adventurer.


    In reality, Severin would have much preferred to stay the night at Milly¡¯s. It was, after all, still very much an inn.


    But it was Mylana who had convinced him that, given the circumstances, it might be more appropriate to give mother and son some time alone. Not just to break Nel the big news, but also to give them the opportunity to think things through one last time.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Both decency and practicality required his presence on the mountain in equal measures. The former because in the morning he had to welcome the first batch of Everheart¡¯s people.


    The latter because of the System¡¯s limitations that denied him any access to most of its major functions when off his mountain.


    Such as the functionality to plan and build entirely new apartments with just a thought or a tap of his finger.


    He fully understood that Mylana¡¯s mansion was in no way representative or a suitable measuring stick, but the experience had still put things into perspective. Knowing that just a bed in her guestroom was half as spacious as the entire living quarters of his staff and even his own, just didn¡¯t sit well with him; some major renovation was due.


    Maybe it was about time to introduce some of his own world¡¯s many popular games?


    But he didn¡¯t actually have to check with the returned minimap to realize that even now, this late and a long time after the event had already concluded, the mountaintop was still bustling with life.


    The many campfires were plenty proof of that. In his mind, they also confirmed his decision to go through with his plan to finally open an inn.


    From one moment to the next, he was wide awake and alert.


    ¡®An ambush?!¡¯ was his immediate thought.


    Then a realization as he spotted a vague outline of a short person in the dark, ¡®Bandir¡¯s man?!¡¯


    Severin inevitably thought of the suspicious man-supposedly a henchman of his brother- Bandur had pointed out to him just recently during the event.


    Without the time to think about any potential consequences, Severin was just about to banish the figure off his mountain and into a free-fall towards the Golden Mountains beneath them.


    Just long enough.


    ¡°Sir Severin?¡± the unexpected call of his name immediately let him know that he had almost made a grave mistake.


    The person he almost doomed to a certain death was not a malignant dwarf assassin.


    But a child.


    ¡°

 Chapter 246

    Instead, he wore an excited expression, one which, in light of these circumstances, only further worsened Severin¡¯s mood.


    ¡°


    ¡°Huh?¡± the boy who until now had only stared at the chubby man with the stiff expression, was momentarily taken aback.


    Who was this old woman?


    With this realization also came the understanding that he had succeeded, that he was given an opportunity to make his pitch. Anything else, such as the woman¡¯s actual identity, at this moment were simply irrelevant details.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he croaked overeagerly.


    Ahem, and then cleared his throat.


    Next, the boy¡¯s high-pitched voice became stiff and unnatural. Almost mechanical, as if he was simply reciting words he had obviously memorized.


    ¡°The [Shopkeeper] could only roll his eyes.


    ¡°It is thanks to your open portal policy these last couple of days that-¡±


    ¡°My open what?¡± a still disgruntled Severin suddenly demanded brusquely, disrupting the child¡¯s pitch and drawing his attention back onto himself.


    Clearly the boy didn¡¯t know how to handle this situation


    .


    ¡°Eh?¡± asked the boy in confusion, looking back and forth between the two adults in front of him.


    ¡°This so called open portal policy. What do you mean by that? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Uhm? I mean¡­ that¡¯s what they called it back in Hanvia.¡±


    ¡°How they called what back in Hanvia?!¡± still on edge due to the incident that almost made him kill an innocent person, Severin¡¯s impatience and unhappiness grew by the second. Noticeably.


    In turn the boy only became even more intimidated.


    Unsure how to read the situation, Isaac turned back towards the woman for help. Who, to his visible relief, nodded at him in encouragement.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡°That¡¯s how the officials called it. Open portal policy. During the broadcasting event, they announced that the entrance fee through the portal was even further reduced for regular people than usual.


    And entirely free for children under the age of eight. It¡¯s only because of that, that I am here in the first place. It¡¯s also the reason I had to wait here for you. I can¡¯t afford to-?¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t aware that any of this had been happening; he certainly hadn¡¯t noticed any dip in his share of the profits made by the portal.


    ¡®So it¡¯s something Jasmin took onto herself,¡¯ he decided inwardly, but it was something else entirely that really drew his attention.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you aren¡¯t eight yet?¡± Severin didn¡¯t even try to hide the skepticism. Sure, the boy looked young. But not that young.


    ¡°I. Uhm.¡± the fidgeting intensified as the called out boy was looking to make an excuse.


    ¡°Severin,¡± a female voice rebuked. Before softly commanding the boy to, ¡°continue.¡±


    ¡°No-Not only was I lucky enough to see the event firsthand, but I also got my hand on one of these.¡±


    Saying that, he rummaged through the pockets of his relatively clean but thoroughly worn out trousers. Until he didn¡¯t just produce one, but several items.


    ¡°Got your hands on, huh?¡± Severin observed in a dry tone, as he looked down onto a whole set of [Transmitter crystal] and [Receivers].


    ¡°Severin!¡± this time Mylana¡¯s scolding was way harsher than before.


    ¡°¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± started the boy, seemingly relieved he was once again let off the hook; which in turn made Severin only even more suspicious.


    ¡°I heard it was free, so I went to watch the show. All of it! It was amazing. There were so many people. And yet most of the ones actually participating weren¡¯t.¡±


    Severin wasn¡¯t sure where any of this was going, and by now he was losing even the last bit of patience. ¡°Boy,¡± he reprimanded.


    ¡°Eh? Oh, yes. I mean. I just thought it would be so amazing to share everything with the ones who couldn¡¯t make it. So when I finally figured out how to use these things,¡± he gestured with his hands holding the small crystals,¡±I started to record. Everything.¡± That said, a proud smile appeared on the boy¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡°Yes! So when I told people of the record, everyone wanted to see it!¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So I thought if I had more of those things, I could create even more copies. You won''t belief how much some of those people offered to pay me for it. Whole gold coins, I tell you. Can you believe it?! We could be rich! I would only need a few more, and then-¡±


    ¡°And then you could sell them?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the boy nodded incessantly, too excited to notice the expression the two adults wore.


    ¡°I thought I could maybe open a stall around here somewhere? You won''t find people with so much money anywhere else! I would just need a bit of help, of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The supposed confirmation only fired Isaac up even more.


    ¡°And if you could organize even more of those events! Just imagine. Then I could directly record them and make even better copies. I mean quality wise.¡±


    ¡°I admit, you got some nice ideas there. But what exactly would we need you for?¡±


    ¡°Wha~?¡± the boy suddenly lost all color. His body became rigid, his expression horrified.


    ¡°

 Chapter 247

    Still, even now, a day later, Magda stood by her decision to do exactly that. For many reasons.


    She had needed the time to think. To write reports. To double check certain legal documents. To mourn the loss of some good people who needlessly died in the line of duty.


    And to care for the survivors.


    That those survivors had retrieved a rare class orb also didn¡¯t make things easier.


    Adding to all that the presence of the last remaining group that had accompanied her from the Hanvian branch, and, given how otherwise shorthanded they were, Magda couldn¡¯t have proceeded with business as usual, even if she wanted to.


    With how incessantly those reckless fools had been pestering her and her staff ever since the sudden emergence of the new dungeon, she feared ignoring the crowd of foolish adventurers any longer would only further escalate the situation.


    But the anticipated scene didn¡¯t appear.


    Even after an entire minute of waiting, there was no sign of the usual shoving and shouting.


    Was it still too early?


    ¡®What nonsense,¡¯ she dismissed the thought. ¡®For those people, it was never too early. Or too late, for that matter.¡¯ If it was up to them, the branch would remain open all around the clock; as some of the larger branches actually did.


    Failing to come up with a satisfactory explanation for this abnormal scene, Magda finally lost her patience and let her curiosity take over.


    Again she approached the door, firmly placed her hands, and pushed them open herself.


    The sight that greeted her was unsettling.


    Where was everyone?


    ¡®Did those idiots finally cross the line and storm the dungeon? Couldn¡¯t they wait any longer and decided to collectively throw away their lives?¡¯


    Magda refused to believe that was the case. It didn¡¯t make much sense.


    But what else could be going on? After a moment of apprehension, she decided to find out. She stepped outside to inspect her surroundings.


    What she saw stopped her right in her tracks. Though what she saw immediately answered all of her lingering doubts and question, in turn several new ones were raised.


    This observation, on a personal level, was maybe the most important to Magda. As per their contractual agreement, this change meant that she was now fully authorized to similarly expand her own facilities; back then, it had been a major concern for Severin that the Society might try to outdo and overshadow the Emporium.


    ¡®As if I don¡¯t already have enough on my plate.¡¯


    Like for example the changes to the building on store¡¯s right.


    It, too, had expanded in size. But on a much greater scale. In fact, the change to the actual store, at least in terms of its visual impact, was by far the least significant one.


    ¡°And why was there a second building of the same dimensions also standing there?


    Nothing of this made much sense to Magda.


    Was he hiring more people? But why? Even if Severin required more personnel to man the store¡¯s new floor, just how many people could he possibly need? What for?


    And yet. Despite its dimensions, Magda felt the building gave off a certain inviting warmth. She felt herself drawn to it.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    By now, it was all too apparent where the majority of her usual clients had disappeared to.


    Magda had half a mind to join them to investigate. She craned her neck.


    Just an expansion of the cafe? That seemed unlikely, given its size.


    ¡®Then maybe a restaurant?¡¯ Magda mused, but was unconvinced.


    Curiously, she couldn¡¯t see any signs that could provide some clarity, either.


    With that, she headed towards a different destination. One that was similarly packed with people ever since its sudden emergence.


    It also confirmed that coming here was the right decision.


    In these people¡¯s eyes, she was the one ultimately responsible for the current situation. Meaning it was Magda who had ordered the dungeon to be off-limits.


    Because of that, it didn¡¯t take long for everyone¡¯s eyes to be focused solely on her.


    She was faced with an impatient, almost hostile crowd of people, which now loudly demanded answers.


    ¡°¡°It¡¯s her!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you owe us some answers?¡±


    ¡°Are you finally willing to let us in?¡±


    ¡°That has to be it, yeah? I mean, it¡¯s been half an eternity. At this point, anything else would just be malicious.¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t, we should just file a complaint with the Society.¡±


    ¡°I say we should do so either way. To let an amateur like her take charge of maybe the most important newly established Society Authorization District in recent times. It¡¯s a fucking joke.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right! We have all seen the footage. The dungeon is obviously a joke. There. Your evaluation.¡±


    Magda wasn¡¯t flustered or even intimidated by those shouts and maintained her stoic smile; she was confident her status and the authority that came with it protected her against even the most foolish adventurer. Also, she understood quite well how all of this must look from the outside.


    So, instead of issuing a lifetime dungeoneering ban to the more insulting loudmouths in the crowd, she did the most inconceivable thing.


    ¡°


    ¡®


    ¡°I understand you are getting impatient,¡± she began. ¡°Well, let me assure you, these last couple of days, we have worked our hardest to accurately determine the dungeon¡¯s danger levels. However, we encountered some complications. We lost some good people-¡±


    As such, a situation in which a branch manager directly addressed their delayed progress with an active investigation was pretty much unheard of and made everyone hesitate.


    That was until this point.


    ¡°¡°Who do you think you are fooling? Lost some people? Do you think we are idiots?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s gonna believe that?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We all saw the footage. Even the group of newbies made it out alive.¡±


    ¡°Have you guys become that much of a joke? Is that what you are telling us?¡±


    ¡°What a fraud!¡±


    Luckily, some more reasonable and experienced groups were also present and seemed to understand that there had to be more to this matter than initially met the eye; otherwise, there was no way anyone representing the Adventurers¡¯ Society-much less a full-fledged manager-would put themselves out there like this.


    ¡°¡°Agreed. At least have her finish. Surely no one in their right mind thinks she came here just to tell us some fabricated stories and make us go away. Or do you?¡±


    ¡°It is true that we lost people. From our own branch. But also some reinforcements. From Hanvia¡¯s main branch,¡± she put special emphasis on that last part. Not because these people deserved more grief and attention than her own staff, but to make even the last person understand that this had not been an issue of qualification, skill or level.


    ¡°Let me be clear: What our people have faced in there is not the same as you guys have seen during the recent event. It has changed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s not the same?¡±


    ¡°Changed? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Is it evolving that rapidly?¡± someone caught on.


    ¡°


    ¡°The more attentive ones, however, didn¡¯t miss the significance of Magda¡¯s words.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the other theory?¡±

 Chapter 248

    Starting with the more subtle changes the dungeon had experienced over the last few days. Like the trap that had initially been deemed to be a solely psychological one, with its purpose being to put pressure on less experienced groups. It was usually the hallmark of a young and still relatively weak dungeon that didn¡¯t yet have either the sense or the ability to opt for more deadly alternatives.


    Fast-forward to the third group¡¯s attempt to conquer and scout the dungeon, and those ideas had been proven wrong once and for all. The whole corridor was now littered with a wide variety of lethal traps.


    Now, however, a collective murmur of disbelief went through their ranks.


    subtle changes? People weren¡¯t buying it and were quick to accuse Magda of embellishing and exaggerating her story to garner sympathy.


    Or in this case, the ones pertaining to the enemies themselves.


    Initially, that had been the skeleton warrior, the, at the time, presumed boss and singular enemy of the dungeon and whose skill-set had then further changed between dungeon dives.


    That was how, after defeating said skeleton warrior, the third group was not met with the exit portal but with four deadly, eight-legged foes instead.


    The present adventurers, even Jasmine¡¯s usually so disciplined guards, were in total disbelief.


    The loudmouths who had been so vocal early on had long been silenced. But even those interested in an actual challenge, those whose lust for battle and adventure had intensified with every one of Magda¡¯s words, suddenly had lost all interest.


    This revelation momentarily reignited many people¡¯s fighting spirit.


    Class-orbs always had a great draw on people and this, of course, also included adventurers who didn¡¯t have a practical use for them, simply because every single one represented large amounts of money. Large enough for people to risk their lives.


    And so, despite some greedily flickering eyes here and there, Magda¡¯s revelation did little to change the minds of the people who had already given up on taking even a single step inside this dangerous dungeon.


    And then some people remembered.


    While everything pointed towards this dungeon being a dangerous aberration which evolved at an unprecedented speed, Magda, early on, had pointed to a different possibility.


    ¡°


    She understood this was the hardest part.


    She was confident in her theory.


    She knew she was right.


    But this would be of little consequence if she couldn¡¯t convince other people of this as well. People who would have to actually risk life and limb to verifying the theory in her stead.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    So far, procedures had demanded that each subsequent scouting party had to be stronger than the last one; after all, the danger level had risen and people had been lost.


    But the only way to be certain was to break with these procedures. In case Magda¡¯s hunch was incorrect, the consequences would be most dire.


    Though not nearly as derisive as before, people still let her know, in no uncertain words, what they thought of her plan.


    ¡°¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not your guinea pigs.¡±


    ¡°At least some proof would be nice, you know?¡±


    ¡°Not even the Society could pay us enough for a trip like this!¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡®She hesitated for an instant, but quickly shook off her doubts, all while maintaining her smile.


    ¡°Her words elicited another round of objections from the many curious bystanders.


    ¡°¡°Right. Why wouldn¡¯t you start with this? Let us make our own impressions.¡±


    ¡°For real. What is she thinking?!¡±


    ¡°Just show it already.¡±


    Magda, however, deliberately ignored these complaints and maintained steady eye contact with the woman who had accepted the challenge; at this moment, hers was the only opinion that mattered


    ¡°Magda, in a questioning gesture, cocked her brow.


    ¡°Either your assumption is right, in which case any preconceived notion of what might await us in there would only lull us into a false sense of security and will ultimately come to bite us.


    Or you are wrong, and we are jumping headfirst into a rapidly evolving deathpit that even the Hanvian exploration forces couldn¡¯t handle. In that case, we are doomed no matter what. No?¡±


    These antics quickly snapped Magda out of her thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she agreed with a smile on her face that had lost most of its previous tension.


    ¡°Magda didn¡¯t immediately catch on. She didn¡¯t believe anyone could be so reckless; even if they declined to check the recordings, surely there were other preparations that needed to be done first.


    Her unspoken questions were apparently written all over her face.


    ¡°A good adventurer is always prepared.


    That¡¯s what your organization keeps preaching, isn¡¯t it? Now don¡¯t be surprised someone is actually listening and let''s get on with it.¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, the woman turned around and headed towards the dungeon¡¯s crypt-like entrance. As if this matter wasn¡¯t one of life and death, her men followed her without a hint of hesitation, almost as if they were headed for dinner and not into a potentially lethal anomaly of a dungeon.


    ¡°Magda turned her head, as did the group of four.


    What they saw was a young boy, previously concealed by the crowd, standing behind a small wooden stall near the entrance of the crypt.


    ¡°I understand you are heading inside? On behalf of the Emporium, let me offer you a five percent discount on your next purchase. All you have to do in exchange is to take this [Transmitter Crystal] and let us be part of your adventure. What say you?¡±

 Chapter 249

    After all, this would be the last time this would be an issue. After today, a lot would be taken off his plate, allowing Severin to enjoy a much more hands off approach of running a business.


    His stress would be reduced and his free-time increased; this kind of trade-off was exactly to his liking.


    Everything turned out exactly as he had imagined. If not better. His focus lay exclusively on the would-be inn.


    Despite its towering, almost intimidating size that was large enough to welcome dozens if not hundreds of guests, from the outside, it still gave off an inviting air.


    Yet on the inside it wouldn¡¯t feel too cramped even at the busiest of times; the many corners made for comfy retreats that allowed people to withdraw from curious glances. If they wished to do so. If they didn¡¯t, there would still be more than enough opportunities to mingle amongst the people.


    A place to eat, to drink, to socialize, and to sleep. Some kind of home for people who wouldn¡¯t settle.


    At the time, Mylana had been the only one to know about Severin¡¯s plans, or at least about their short-term realization.


    And so, the Emporium¡¯s patrons were not the only ones who had many burning questions when they saw the overnight changes; Severin¡¯s employees too demanded answers, and unlike from the outsiders, from those he couldn¡¯t hide.


    ¡°Not because they were displeased or because they didn¡¯t care about the other, more impressive changes, but because, unlike the others, these two were not used to their surroundings changing over night and without their notice.


    Even all the magic they had witnessed ever since moving onto this mountain could have prepared them for this.


    Both of them were startled to their cores and demanded answers.


    For the dwarf, the kitchen didn¡¯t just represent his workplace, but also his retreat and safe-place.


    Waking up and finding it gone, without prior consultation or even just a head¡¯s up, left him not just anxious, but angry.


    Even finding out that the kitchen wasn¡¯t actually gone but simply assimilated into the new building did little to alleviate Bandur¡¯s worries.


    Still, Bandur wasn¡¯t easily convinced. The prospect of having people other than Severin ordering him around and traipsing in or around his kitchen was one that had the usually calm dwarf fuming in apprehension.


    Learning that, no, the kitchen wasn¡¯t gone, and yes, she could still have her meals and snacks as usual, was all she needed to know to be happy and content.


    ¡°While I get that, apparently, no one else but Krill and me is interested or even surprised by this tiny detail, but how the fuck did any of those things even happen in the first place?¡±


    Everyone seemed surprised by her outburst, not least of which Sabina herself.


    All eyes turned towards her, but no one said a word. Until after several seconds of uncomfortable silence, she herself added,


    ¡°I mean, since all of us are here, I think this is a great opportunity for you to give us some answers. You owe us some answers.¡±


    Even old Krill, who wasn¡¯t nearly as confrontational as the woman, nodded in agreement; he wasn¡¯t the youngest anymore and the fact that the room he went to sleep in had, overnight, doubled in size, still creeped him out.


    Ahem, Mylana, the only one who seemed entirely unfazed by all of this and who apparently had no questions or concerns herself, cleared her throat.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.¡°Technically speaking, not everyone is here.¡±


    Again a brief silence, with everyone looking around and at each other.


    ¡°¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Did you already hire people?¡±


    ¡°¡°Kinda? What kinda answer is that?¡±


    ¡°So far, I only really hired one person. And unlike you, he is already at work,¡± he tried to deflect.


    Met by a collective and angry stare-down, Severin turned away his gaze. His attitude and voice became much more demure as he answered, ¡°Some time today, the first batch of people will arrive to help us with all sorts of tasks. Taking orders, delivering food, restocking shelves. Those kinds of things. Even with the new inn open for business, I expect all of us to be much less busy.¡±


    all. The implications were twofold.


    One, Severin didn¡¯t just hire regular staff, but also new [Employees] as only those could help with the crafting tasks.


    And two, someone was going to meddle with his kitchen, after all.


    The internal struggle on Bandur¡¯s face was evident to any who paid attention.


    ¡°


    ¡°He was expecting several people this day, so he was constantly scanning his minimap.


    What he didn¡¯t expect, however, was to see these two. Not today, and certainly not so early in the morning.


    He halted and looked towards Krill and Sabina.


    ¡°I will answer any of your questions. Soon. Real soon, it seems. Just bear with me a little longer,¡± he said. Without waiting for a reply, he then hasted outside.


    Even at a distance, one could hear Nel¡¯s excited shouts.


    ¡°And you¡¯re really not lying?! We¡¯re staying here where all the adventurers are? And look! That building, it¡¯s soo huge. I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t there last time!¡±


    ¡°¡°Ah, Sev-?¡± the boy, in his excitement looking everywhere but ahead, hadn¡¯t even noticed Severin¡¯s approach.


    Then, only belatedly, the penny dropped.


    ¡°Whaa~?! This is the inn? Our inn?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± they couldn¡¯t believe it either and directly skipped the pleasantries.


    The two adults put down the luggage they were carrying. Only now Severin recognized that the big piece was actually a wooden sign bearing Milly¡¯s name; her old shop sign.


    ¡°All of this? You can¡¯t be- If I had known¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this anymore. Just look at this place. It doesn¡¯t suit you. It doesn¡¯t have the same character¡­ I bet they don¡¯t even serve real booze. Only that fancy swill you¡¯ll have to pay for in whole gold coins. Pah.


    And the food and the rooms won¡¯t be any better. It is not a place for the likes of us. An honest working dwarf could never¡­


    Not to mention the portal fees¡­,¡± the more he talked, the quieter he became. It was clear where his thoughts were.


    While Milly¡¯s last doubts dissolved right in front of their eyes, the dwarf was obviously concerned about not being able to see his elven crush anymore.


    Now looking at him, Severin even suspected that the night before the man hadn¡¯t been quite as drunk as it first appeared.


    ¡°¡°But to be honest, I didn¡¯t think I would see you again so soon.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I,¡± Milly admitted, but without ever taking her eyes off her new home and workplace; in her distraction, the answer turned out rather terse.


    ¡°So I take it then he received it well,¡± Severin followed up.


    ¡°Yeah he- Oh, you mean that?!¡± she abruptly turned around when she realized what Severin was referring to. Then checked that Nel wasn¡¯t paying them any attention before replying, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Severin asked; the ears of the dwarf next to them suddenly perked up.


    ¡°Well. Turns out that even I had underestimated his obsession for anything Adventurers. The moment I mentioned the possibility of running an inn in this kind of place, there was no stopping him anymore.


    But tell me. Didn¡¯t you say there was so inn, yet?¡± Milly squinted her eyes at Severin.


    ¡°Yet.¡± The single word and a meaningful smile was all the answer she received, before Severin in turn asked,


    ¡°But if that¡¯s what you assumed, then why are you already here?¡±


    ¡°Gorik here thought it was too good an opportunity to pass by,¡± she finally admitted truthfully. ¡°Together with Nel, who was already going crazy anyway, he convinced me to come here as soon as possible and hold you to your word.¡±


    Hmpf, came the snort from her side.

 Chapter 250

    ¡°


    ¡°Severin stopped in his tracks and also turned around.


    ¡°You guys?!¡±


    ¡°What? You think you could leave just like that? That we wouldn¡¯t follow you and go straight to work?¡± asked Bandur, who seemed to act as everyone else¡¯s spokesperson.


    Severin¡¯s response to this was to exaggeratedly throw his hands into the air.


    ¡°Well, if you guys are already here, you might as well lend a hand. Come help us carry. And welcome your new co-workers, will you?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked his fellow dwarf, who he still hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off since the moment he first learned his name.


    ¡°Just a cook,¡± came the friendly sounding answer delivered with a grave expression.


    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Milly demanded of her friend, unaware of the significance of the exchange. And so she didn¡¯t wait for an answer and instead rushed towards the self-proclaimed cook. She grabbed his hands and announced, ¡°It is my understanding we will be relying on you? My pleasure.¡±


    The following second of silence almost made Severin sweat in apprehension. Completely in vain, as it turned out.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± he replied, disarmed by the woman, who was so obviously eager to leave a good first impression with her future colleagues.


    Nel! Introduce yourself,¡± she admonished again when her son still hadn¡¯t reacted to her previous request.


    ¡°¡°Milly. Just call me Milly.¡±


    ¡°Miss Milly. I heard what you said earlier. How busy you¡¯ve been all night. I think you should accept Sev¡¯s invitation to get some breakfast! Replenish your energy and do our introductions with a full stomach.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my. What a thoughtful girl you are,¡± Milly said, delighted, not understanding why all of Severin¡¯s staff suddenly started laughing as if the girl had said something particularly funny.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The food was tasty, the atmosphere welcoming, and everyone seemed eager to introduce themselves and get to know their new co-workers. And with Severin¡¯s employees having been unaware of his plans themselves, there was more than enough to talk and speculate about while occasionally prodding Severin for some more details.


    The overall atmosphere was friendly and casual.


    Still, Milly wasn¡¯t oblivious to the restraint some of the people were showing, with Emily, as the youngest and least experienced of the group, being the most obvious about it; several times the woman caught the thoughtful girl eyeing the newcomers or suddenly clasping her hands over her mouth when talking about matters like the most recent over-night changes or her responsibilities as a potion crafter.


    ¡®real adventurers was all he cared and could talk about.


    And then he remembered that this was the place where that food had come from. The one that had made him feel like an adventurer himself.


    Now seeing his antics, Milly could only tiredly shake her head and hope her boy would find a good friend and influence in the girl.


    Surprisingly, Gorik, who most people thought of as a rough drunkard-also understood something was going on. Just that, unlike the elf, Gorik didn¡¯t know what exactly it was; only that apparently Milly was somewhat in the know.


    After eating his fill, stuffing his pockets with leftovers, and ensuring that Milly and her brat were being taken care of, the grouchy dwarf excused himself of his own volition and without making a fuss; that was after throwing a last indecipherable look towards the only other dwarf in the room.


    Krill? Sabina? I promised you two some answers. And you two, as well.¡±


    ¡°Only then did Milly catch on. ¡®Not everyone here was actually initiated!¡¯ In her tiredness and stress, she had somehow forgotten about maybe the most important part Severin had told her about. She had almost jeopardized their future with her carelessness.


    Not revealing anything about that strange System to the uninitiated, was the one condition she had been warned about not to violate.


    ¡®And to think I was worried about Nel,¡± she sighed to herself.


    They were simply happy to finally get some answers to their question.

 Chapter 251

    That was despite old The [Shopkeeper] Before


    Only difference in this case being that with young Nel around, opening the kitchen and the adjoining inn for business was currently all but impossible, anyway; if at this moment they decided to open the doors, Severin was convinced the boy might actually become System¡¯s first victim of its dreaded Soulerasure punishment. A fear his mother obviously shared and the cause of many headaches all around.


    ¡°Give everyone some time to familiarize themselves with their new powers, and I¡¯m certain everything will pan out just fine.


    That Milly seems to have a good head on her shoulders and I¡¯m sure Bandur will also do his best to get the brat settled. He might be a bit grumpy now, but he¡¯ll get over it; he¡¯s no idiot either. He knows that going forward, they¡¯ll have to work closely with each other.


    Anyway, the main store is one thing, but the inn¡­ couldn¡¯t open it either way. Not just because I think that me might want to prepare something special for the grand opening, but because it would be futile before our reinforcements arrive.¡±


    ¡°Well, speaking of the devil,¡± Severin cut Mylana short.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m saying they are here.¡±


    ¡°How- Ah, I see.¡±


    The arrangement of eight white dots moving one behind the other made for a very peculiar formation that wasn¡¯t only eye-catching when looking at it from a bird-eye¡¯s-view, but also immediately identified them as non-adventurers; at this point, they didn¡¯t even need to double-check the names to know that the dot at the front would be reading the name Everheart.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°¡°Hm,¡± Mylana agreed. ¡°But that¡¯s entirely on you. Maybe next time you put some more thought into your expansion plans. It¡¯s no wonder and well-deserved that Bandur is mad with you, you know?¡±


    ¡°Well,-¡± Severin wanted to make up some flimsy excuse. But Mylana didn¡¯t let him.


    ¡°Nothing we can do about it for now,¡± she continued, ignoring Severin¡¯s sour expression. ¡°At least you remembered to create some more apartments. And that community room you talked about, yes?


    So just give them the rest of the day off and let them settle.


    Unfortunate that this means we¡¯ll have to remain closed for the rest of the day, but so be it. Unless you have a better idea?


    In the meantime, see that you prepare for tomorrow¡¯s opening of the inn.


    Just don¡¯t make stuff like this a habit. Even you can¡¯t get away wi-¡±


    ¡°I get it. I get it! So please, can we just go?¡± Severin couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯m not stopping you,¡± Mylana conceded. With crossed arms and a wry smile on her face, she pointedly stepped to the side and made way.


    <<It seems some of our reinforcements have arrived. However, I have decided we¡¯ll do the introductions later, either today or tomorrow. That means we¡¯ll stay closed for the remainder of the day. So use that time to familiarize yourselves for a smooth opening tomorrow.


    More importantly than that, don¡¯t forget that these people are all just regular folk.


    I hope you get where I¡¯m going with this, yeah?>>


    Then, without waiting for any acknowledgements, he broadcasted a similar message using the transmitter crystal lodged in his ear. After all, Milly, the arguably most important person to receive this warning, didn¡¯t have the same System capabilities as her son, and Severin still didn¡¯t count on the latter to forward the message himself.


    He reached the door out of the main store, opened it, and-


    Bang, Severin slammed the door shut.


    ¡°¡°The real question is, how did you not? You checked the map just a minute ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°But what?¡± Mylana teased.


    ¡°Nothing! Let¡¯s just wait for them here! We can use the underground passage to lead them to their apartments.¡±


    Fortunately, Severin didn''t have to endure her mockery for long.


    As quickly as the congestion in front of the store allowed, the expected guests arrived in front of the store¡¯s closed doors.


    Just before the knuckles of the person leading the group could connect with the door-a gesture that would have been entirely in vain anyway, given the protective magic covering all the Emporium¡¯s properties- it opened from the inside.


    ¡°Please, come inside,¡± Severin hurriedly invited.


    ¡°¡°...Reigh?!¡± he finished.


    ¡°¡°Sir Severin.¡± Both returned the greeting. Everheart then continued, ¡°On the way to our agreed appointment, I bumped into an old acquaintance. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°And I must admit. All that I have seen and heard so far has quite exceeded my expectations. I assumed the rumors in the capital were just the same exaggerations as usual. But in this case, it seems they don''t do the reality of it any justice.¡±


    <<Huh? It¡¯s all first come first serve. And of course, the ability to defend your claim.


    It¡¯s no-man''s-land after all. Anyone presumptuous enough to try to officially regulate the process would get into a lot of trouble with basically everyone. Maybe even provoke a full-blown military conflict, depending on who it is. Why are you asking? Where is this suddenly coming from?>>


    <<Haha, I just thought that things are finally falling into place. So it might be time to finally move on. Just go grab a nice spot of land down there to establish a new portal. And then get going.>>