Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: If I Were a Hero
-----------------------------------------------------------------
With Ian's permission, the shady merchant slipped inside the base, letting out a suspicious chuckle.
Everyone eyed him warily, their faces full of disbelief, but the merchant paid no mind to their stares and plunked his bundle down on the table.
Ian sat in the chair in front of him, waiting for the merchant to prepare his wares.
Ever since buying the base, random visitor events like this had started popping up.
Sometimes mercenaries would show up begging to be hired, other times merchants like this one came peddling goods, or clients arrived with requests.
"So, what are you selling?"
"Ah, I'll show you right now."
He seemed like a weird guy, but since Ian had given the okay...
Curious to see what he had, the team members gathered around the table.
The merchant began pulling items one by one from his bundle and laying them out.
Everyone's eyes locked onto the few goods he'd brought out.
[Suspicious Pouch][Suspicious Necklace][Suspicious Book][Suspicious Potion]
"......"
"......"
"......"
Is this for real?
The three of them shot Ian questioning looks all at once.
The items the merchant had laid out were a pouch and potion of unknown contents, a necklace wrapped in cloth, and a tattered book.
The team members' faces, who had hoped maybe something decent would turn up, grew cold.
They all looked like junk that wouldn't even sell on a street stall.
Only Mika showed interest in one of them.
The most intriguing item among them: the book.
It looked shabby on the outside, but who knew? It might be a magic book.
Like most mages, Mika had a compulsion to inspect every old book or staff she came across.
"What's this book?"
"I don't know the contents either."
"...You're trying to sell something you don't even know about?"
Mika said that as she reached for the book.
She could probably tell what it was by peeking inside.
If it was a magic book the merchant didn't recognize, she might snag it for a steal...
But the shady merchant blocked her hand.
"No touching before purchase."
"......"
Mika's face twitched with irritation, but she barely held it back.
Fine. Merchants are all like this.
"Alright. How much?"
"Ten gold coins."
"......"
Mika's grip tightened on her staff.
Rin, watching the scene, sidled up to Ian and whispered.
"Should we kick him out?"
"...Nah, let him be."
In the meantime, Mika backed off after bickering with the merchant, and Tanya stepped up next.
"What's in this pouch?"
"I don't know the contents either."
"...Can't I open it before buying?"
"Five gold coins."
"......"
In the end, Mika and Tanya retreated to Ian's side too.
Let's beat him up and toss him out.
As Ian calmed the two who were suggesting that, Rin sighed and spoke up.
"That's why we shouldn't let in random peddlers like this. They won't leave if you don't buy."
Rin pointed at the merchant, who was brazenly sitting there with his wares spread out, showing no sign of budging.
But Ian was lost in thought, pondering which of the merchant's items to buy.
A shady-looking NPC selling shady goods.
He looked like the type peddling cursed junk or running a scam, but this NPC was actually a seller of genuinely rare items.
Even if what he sold was random, the items themselves were the real deal.
Veterans even advised newbies asking about him to just buy everything if they weren't sure.
Ian had been saving gold coins in preparation for this merchant's visit.
The items were random, so no info popped up, but he hadn't played this game for years for nothing.
He could tell roughly what they were from their appearance.
After a moment's deliberation, Ian pointed at the items in front of the merchant.
"Everything except this potion. I'll take the rest."
"Pardon?"
"Excellent eye!"
As Ian selected his purchases, the merchant let out a creepy laugh and pocketed the gold coins.
Twenty-five gold coins.
"Wait, hold on..."
Before the flustered three could stop him, the pouch of gold coins went straight to the merchant.
As the merchant packed up his remaining goods, the three rushed Ian and tried to intervene.
"Why buy that crap?!"
"Captain, I wasn't that desperate for that book..."
"We don't even know what's inside, and five gold coins...?"
Of course, they'd made a fortune lately—enough to move into a building this massive.
But still, wasting gold on obvious scam trash like this?
As the three tried to change Ian's mind, the shady merchant finished packing and stood up.
"Looking forward to seeing you again."
"...Wait! Grab him first!"
The merchant turned to leave briskly now that the deal was done, so Rin decided to hold off on convincing Ian and go for the merchant instead.
But...
"Huh, he's gone?"
"What? Look harder!"
"No, he's really vanished!"
The three dashed outside to catch the merchant who'd left, but he had disappeared like a ghost.
"Find him?"
"No sign..."
"Asked around nearby—no one saw him."
Thinking maybe he'd hidden somewhere, they scoured the area around the building but eventually gave up and came back inside.
Twenty-five gold coins...
It was Ian's money, sure, but whenever they started saving up, he'd blow it like this—Rin couldn't help but worry.
Rin sighed deeply as she flopped onto the lounge sofa.
Tanya and Mika, figuring they might as well check out what they'd bought since the deed was done, approached the table with the new items.
In that time, Ian had inspected all the item info and nodded.
[Magic Book: Barrier Magic]
- Special Item
- Adds [Barrier Magic] trait upon use
[Crystal Necklace]
- Accessory Item
- [Charm +10]
- Increases affinity when given as a gift
[Fairy Stone]
- Talisman Item
- Holding it gives [Affinity +10] [Luck +10]
Ian picked up the tattered book Mika had been eyeing and handed it to her.
"Here, Mika. Learn this."
"Learn it?"
"It's a magic book."
"......Pardon?"
Stunned by the words "magic book," Mika nearly dropped it but caught it just in time and clutched it to her chest protectively.
Of course, as a mage herself...
She always wondered if shabby books like this might be magic books and would peek at them in markets.
But actually finding a real one like this was a first.
She cracked it open a bit to sneak a peek, and sure enough, it was filled with magic lore.
"A magic book?! So I get to learn a spell?"
"Mika. You are a mage..."
Though up until now, she'd only been a mage in name...
It wasn't an attack spell, which was a bit disappointing, but it was a high-tier support magic, so Ian was satisfied.
Next, Ian opened the leather pouch and pulled out its contents.
What rolled out was a round stone emitting a mystical glow.
Inside the transparent material, blue light swirled like gentle waves.
"Tanya, you carry this."
"Whoa, ooh... Is it a gem?"
"It's a talisman or something. Keep it in your bag."
When she'd heard a mystery pouch cost five gold, she'd thought it was ridiculous...
But this gem looked worth way more than that.
Tanya carefully accepted the sparkling blue stone.
"And this..."
Now only one item remained on the table.
The necklace.
Its only stat was Charm, useless for regular mercenaries except specialized jobs like dancers.
But the affinity boost made it great as a gift.
Especially for NPCs who favored valuables—it could instantly bump their affinity to "Positive," handy for deals with high-ranking female NPCs or unlocking personal quests.
"......"
As he picked up the necklace to pocket it...
Ian belatedly noticed the odd atmosphere in the lounge.
Rin was staring at him.
Mika and Tanya were whispering and glancing at the necklace in his hand.
With real faces right in front of him instead of a game screen...
Some game-logic strategies suddenly felt off-limits in reality.
Like stripping good gear from one merc to give to another.
Or filling the base solely with functional facilities, skipping rest areas.
...Or gearing up everyone but one person.
It hadn't been intentional, but Ian realized Rin was the only one who'd gotten nothing.
It wasn't his fault the merchant hadn't sold anything for her...
But the merchant was gone now. This was on him regardless.
"...Rin?"
"Y-Yeah..."
Rin, her face faintly flushed for some reason, shyly leaned forward.
As if waiting for him to put the necklace on her.
Ian... lacked the guts to say in this moment that it wasn't really for her.
If he'd invested in the [Hero's Will] trait for charisma, maybe.
Unfortunately, he hadn't saved up the points yet.
After agonizing, Ian started to drape the necklace around Rin's neck...
But deciding it felt too weird to do it himself, he gently placed it in her hand instead.
Rin giggled softly, thanked him, and took the necklace.