Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Welcome to the Doom Shop
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His appearance called to mind a British gentleman.
The only standout feature was the pointed ears poking out from under his hat.
'This is the NPC running the Doom Shop?'
Last time it was a cat for the quiz.
This time, another character that didn't fit the apocalypse vibe at all.
And his name was 'Mad Hatter'?
If my memory served right, that was definitely—
"Are you the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?"
Hye-na's question made the man burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I get that a lot. But please don't compare me to that madman. The Doom Shop is always kind to its customers."
Lee Yoo-ri, who had been listening with her arms crossed beside me, leaned in and whispered.
"Where's this Wonderland country?"
"You don't know the novel? Lewis Carroll."
"......No clue."
Apparently, Alice didn't exist in Yoo-ri's old world.
Or maybe she just lacked the cultural knowledge.
".......You just thought I was dumb, didn't you?"
"No? Never crossed my mind."
"Hmph, suspicious."
Reincarnators had sharp instincts, it seemed.
I quickly changed the subject.
"It's a shop, so you sell items? Can anyone buy?"
"Of course! Absolutely!"
The Mad Hatter replied with a confident grin.
"Our shop doesn't discriminate—as long as you have coins. Especially welcome are customers like you with plenty of them!"
Hye-na tilted her head at that.
"Mr. Mad Hatter, can you tell how many coins we have?"
"Oh, that was just a merchant's keen eye! But there is a precise way... Curious, are you?"
The Mad Hatter spoke with an expression begging her to ask.
Overwhelmed by his momentum, Hye-na nodded hesitantly.
"I have a special item for that. It lets me check a customer's Doom Coins. Like this!"
The Mad Hatter's eyes flashed gold for a moment.
They scanned over us one by one.
"Ooh, impressive for early game. Hmm! As expected, this one is still... Gah?!"
The Mad Hatter suddenly winced and staggered.
I wondered what was wrong when a message appeared before my eyes.
Metafiction could do that too?
I'd thought it was impressive blocking the boss's mental attack.
But deflecting items? No way.
'Is this trait even more amazing than I thought?'
Maybe there were hidden functions I didn't know about.
It blocked an NPC's item, after all.
"Ahem! Ahem! Well, this is surprising. An ability that ignores an A-grade item's effect."
The gentleman cleared his throat and chuckled.
Seemed shocked that his item got blocked.
His gaze toward me had shifted a bit.
"Anyway, the Doom Shop always has items ready for our customers. What would you like?"
"Could we see what you have?"
"I can show you, but it won't be much help."
The Mad Hatter snapped his fingers.
A massive wall of text unfurled.
It stretched past my head all the way to the building's roof.
"W-Wow... Is all that the item list?"
"The Doom Shop manages items from countless dimensions. Naturally, there are a ton of them."
"So, we have to know what we want and ask?"
"All right! Spot on!"
......Did he have to throw in pointless English?
It grated on me for some reason.
"Of course, if you tell me what you need, I can recommend something..."
"Don't listen to this guy."
Yoo-ri, who'd been quietly listening, cut in.
"He acts like a gentleman but'll rip you off."
"Haha, still harsh as ever."
The Mad Hatter didn't deny it.
Probably hit a nerve.
'Still' huh... So they met in her previous life.
Made sense—Yoo-ri had already lived through one apocalypse before reincarnating.
"Ah~ Yoo-ri must've shopped here in her last life!"
"Yeah, something like that."
Yoo-ri nodded and sidled up to me.
Her gaze felt oddly intense.
"Lee Ji-hoon, anywhere hurting bad?"
"Huh? I'm not injured."
"......No need to hide it from me. I get you're acting tough in front of Hye-na."
What was this about?
Yoo-ri said weird stuff sometimes.
Even more since the boss fight.
But just like that, she turned back to the Mad Hatter.
"I'd like one Essence of Life."
"Hmm, what grade?"
"At least B-grade."
The Mad Hatter's eyes went wide at Yoo-ri's words.
"Pardon? But with your coins, you can barely afford one B-grade? And as you know, the efficiency..."
"None of your business."
The Mad Hatter glanced at me after hearing that.
Then he grinned like he'd figured something out.
"Ahaha! Indeed! Of course! Well, if you're buying, I'm happy to sell."
A small blue vial dropped into Yoo-ri's hands.
She uncorked it casually, like it was routine.
"Drink up."
For some reason, she held it out to me.
Like a kid offering a potato chip.
I blinked, totally lost.
"Why give it to me?"
"Just drink it."
"It's not poisoned, right?"
"......Wanna get hit?"
She looked ready to smack me if I kept doubting.
No choice—I downed the vial in one go.
The liquid had no real taste.
If anything, a clean flavor?
But the effect wasn't simple.
'Whoa, that's awesome.'
Just drinking it boosted my stats by 2.
Like some elixir?
"How's it feel? Any changes?"
Yoo-ri asked with more anticipation than I had.
I nodded honestly.
"Yeah, my stats went up. Incredible."
"......Any other effects?"
"Huh? Nothing else that I noticed..."
"I see..."
She looked visibly disappointed.
What? Wasn't that the reaction she expected?
'Why'd she buy this for me out of nowhere?'
Sure, Yoo-ri was strong now too.
But early in the story, she still had room to grow.
And from what the Mad Hatter said, it was pricey.
Handing over an item bought with her entire fortune?
'Maybe still feels bad about me helping in the boss fight?'
She even knew about items like this.
The reincarnated protagonist was on another level.
Seizing the moment, I asked Yoo-ri for advice.
"Any good items worth buying now?"
"Best to save coins early on. Never know what quests'll pop."
"Huh? Then why buy and feed me an expensive Essence of Life?"
"......Shut up. It's my coins, my choice."
She seemed embarrassed at being called out.
Her ears turned a bit red.
Yoo-ri tilted her head back and changed the subject.
"Ahem! If anything, 'Pharsa's Amulet' would be good right now."
"Pharsa's Amulet?"
"Lets you attack ghosts and spirits. Physical hits don't work on them. Plus, it's way cheaper now."
"Cheaper? Why?"
"This shop's prices fluctuate based on events and timing."
The Mad Hatter looked caught off guard at Yoo-ri's words.
"Haha... It's not random. Sometimes info spreads and prices drop later."
Huh, item values changed with the story.
In other words, some were bargains right now.
Trusting Yoo-ri, I bought Pharsa's Amulet.
Luckily, it wasn't too expensive.
'Yes, this is what I wanted. With regression knowledge, time to snag some deals.'
Webnovels always had that trope.
Time to leech off protagonist knowledge for some opportunities.
"Anything else?"
"Hmm........You still have Cat's Blessing, right?"
"Gasp! No way!"
The one who reacted was the Mad Hatter.
He grimaced like he was in real trouble.
'What, is this a big deal?'
The buff from the boss fight quiz.
Boosted Cat-Cat Energy by 50%.
Still no idea what it was for.
"With that, you can buy the 'Yellow Cat Shoes'."
"How much for those shoes?"
The Mad Hatter opened his mouth with a face screaming he didn't want to say.
"2022 coins."
More than expected.
Not unaffordable, though.
"Ugh. You're killing me, customer. Once word gets out, the price triples at least."
"Not my problem."
His reaction confirmed it was a gem.
Original price over 6000 coins, even.
Worth the investment.
"I'll take the shoes then."
"......Coins confirmed."
Seemingly ordinary sneakers appeared before me.
As I went to put them on, a cat-shaped ghost burst out.
"What?"
"Shaaaah!"
The yellow cat lunged at me.
I reflexively swung my baseball bat.
-Whoosh!
But the bat passed right through harmlessly.
'Right, physical hits don't work on spirits!'
Should've used Pharsa's Amulet first?
I fumbled for my pocket, but it was too late.
Sharp claws extended from the cat's paws.
Just as it slashed at my arm—
"Nya?"
It froze mid-air.
The cat sniffed around, then rubbed its cheek against my leg.
"Whoa... So cute! Looks like it likes you, Ji-hoon."
It was trying to kill me a second ago, and now this?
As I puzzled over it, messages appeared.
Moments later, the cat slipped back into the shoes.
Felt like I'd cheesed the test somehow.
'Who knew Cat-Cat Energy had this effect.'
If Yoo-ri hadn't tipped me off, I'd never have dreamed.
Slipping on the shoes brought up the item info.
'Whoa, insane!'
Five effects, all straightforward powerhouses!
Hopping in place, I could feel how much lighter my body was.
'2022 coins? Total steal.'
I'd have considered it even at 6000.
No words needed—this was busted.
"Worth it, right?"
Yoo-ri beamed proudly at my delight.
I nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah, total jackpot."
"Normally, you'd have to beat the cat spirit to use them. But with Cat's Blessing? Game changer."
This was reincarnated protagonist power.
Made my chest swell.
"Ahem! Glad it worked out, customer. Though I took a huge loss."
The Mad Hatter still looked glum.
I'd be sad too, selling this for that price.
Then he asked with a sly glance.
"......Care for a Doom Lottery ticket?"
"Lottery?"
I reacted, and he jumped in.
"Yes! But unlike others, this one's free."
"Free? Why would a merchant sell free stuff?"
The Mad Hatter let out a creepy chuckle.
"That's the fun part of Doom Lottery! Plus and minus. Plus, you win coins. Minus, you lose them."
"So plus means you pay me coins, minus means I pay you?"
"Perfect! You get it!"
No fixed prize—pure gamble for buyer and seller alike.
'2848 coins left. Not bad, but more is always better.'
Never knew when I'd need something pricey.
More coins the better.
Issue was the risk of losing some.
"What do you say? Buy a ticket?"