Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Swindling Merchant
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Agas had a wide variety of jobs.
There were jobs that fought up close with swords and shields, as well as those that shot arrows or cast spells from afar.
And of course, one couldn't overlook support jobs like priests that aided from the rear during battle.
Tankers.
Dealers.
Supporters.
This was how players commonly classified job categories.
But there was one exception.
Amid those categories existed a fourth: non-combat jobs.
Jobs with absolutely no abilities related to combat.
Simple examples included merchants or coachmen.
Rather, they specialized in aspects related to daily life.
Their job change methods were also relatively low difficulty.
Merchants or coachmen, as mentioned, could job change quickly via quests in a small city.
In a way, it could be seen as a small consideration from the developers for players uninterested in combat.
"Buying and selling stuff like this is way more fun than fighting."
"For old-timers like us, these laid-back jobs fit better than complicated combat."
People of all ages and genders enjoyed Agas in their own ways, depending on their job categories.
And that included the infamous Dai Sso.
He was the same.
'Hunting really isn't my thing.'
He had little talent for physical activities.
And he didn't like them anyway.
So when he arrived in Small City Parten, he'd headed straight for the merchant alliance upon hearing about it.
To job change into a merchant who could buy and sell goods.
'Just buying and selling like this lets you level up your main level and skill levels.'
Of course, the amount gained depended on how much you sold and the profit margin.
That meant simply buying and selling like everyone else wasn't ideal.
Sticking to ordinary trade would mean never chasing big profits in a lifetime.
Better to take some flak and scam beginners with a straight face.
'Sure, I run into crazies now and then...'
But succeed once, and the profits were enormous.
'Ha, hope a proper sucker bites today.'
Dai Sso took a break and scanned the other merchants clustered near the entrance.
Competition in the business had spiked lately.
Stay like this, and he'd close shop without selling a thing.
'Now we even have to compete at scamming.'
He sighed.
Then, suddenly, a shadow fell over Dai Sso, who was sitting on his mat.
"Excuse me?"
It had happened.
A customer had come to his display.
"Welcome, come on i... Huh?"
He'd greeted quickly, but the customer's face looked oddly familiar.
Where had he seen it before?
Dai Sso tried to recall.
But.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, yes, yes."
"I came to look at some items."
"Oh my, you should've said so sooner!"
He couldn't zone out with a customer right there.
'The outfit says it all. A clueless newbie here for gear.'
Shop prices were burdensome, but they wanted equipment anyway.
So they came to entrance merchants like him.
Dai Sso analyzed the customer in the Training Robe and started pushing items.
"Every one of these has insane early-game cost-performance. With just one or two for beginners, any hunt's a breeze!"
All while smoothly deceiving with his tongue.
"R-Really?"
"You bet!"
"But the prices are a bit..."
"What, what do you want?"
"That cape over there..."
"Ah!"
A drab-colored cape on the display.
Did that catch their eye?
Dai Sso's eyes gleamed as he launched into the magic routine to sell it.
"Wow, good eye. It's a common item, but the defense is top-notch. No better cheat gear early on."
"Ooh!"
"That's why the price is like that..."
"C-Could you lower it a bit?"
"Hmm, well!"
He stalled.
The customer's anxious eyes.
Dai Sso pretended to agonize as much as possible.
Why?
Chopping the price right away made it look desperate to sell.
So he faked deliberation to inflate the cape's value.
'But drag it too long, and it backfires...'
Time to pretend generosity and drop it.
Now was perfect timing.
"Argh, what the heck. It's a mood thing. Can't help it when you want it that bad. Alright, special discount. Just this once!"
"Whoa, really?"
"Don't blab elsewhere. Absolutely, got it?"
"O-Of course! Wow, I wanted it so bad. Thank you! Really, thank you!"
"Ahem!"
The customer's ecstatic reaction lifted his lips automatically.
Idiot.
Did they even know they were being scammed?
No, they didn't.
Innocent joy like that wouldn't happen if they did.
'Nailed another sucker today!'
Dai Sso hid his glee and took the money.
But.
'Hm? Money pouch?'
Not coins, but a pouch of them placed in his palm.
'This...'
Dai Sso glanced at the pouch and smirked.
'Seen this before too.'
Some newbies were like this.
Desperately imitating others to hide being green.
This player was exactly that type.
'Buying a cape like this screams newbie anyway.'
Hiding that thought, he handed over the cape.
"Mind if I look at the others too?"
"Ah, of course. Browse all you want!"
The customer was offering themselves up as a sucker again.
Blissfully unaware of already being duped.
'Guys like this keep me in business.'
Dai Sso grinned wide, watching the newbie browse.
But he didn't know.
The sucker customer was grinning too.
Scout lit up the money pouch.
The operation was as good as complete the moment he confirmed it.
So Luke had played the sucker.
Acting the naive newbie on purpose.
And even after buying the cape, browsing the display again.
All to buy time for Scout and Steal.
And ultimately, to steal back his own money pouch.
'Took a bit...'
The fake sucker—no, Luke—grinned at the pouch in his hand.
'Ended up buying Night King's item without spending a dime.'
The sleazy merchant was probably thrilled with his "earnings" right now.
Clueless that the money was back in Luke's hands.
'He might notice it's gone midway, but he can't pin it on me.'
Why?
Because the fool wouldn't even know how the pouch vanished.
At best, suspicion.
'And even if suspicious, the suspect's a newbie in Training Robe!'
With that, Luke swapped from Training Robe back to the Ancient Hunter set.
'Guys like him don't remember faces unless you're a sucker.'
Thanks to that, he'd played newbie to his heart's content in the changed outfit.
'Anyway...'
His gaze dropped.
The money pouch that enabled this ploy.
Scout revealed its name, letting him snag Night King's item for free—but the process was no joke.
Not ultra-rare, but low-probability nonetheless.
Especially with a large amount inside; odds dropped further.
'Can't use this often.'
Like other items, only steal when proc rates were high.
Luke muttered inwardly and opened his inventory.
'Alright, let's check what this cape can do.'
The drab cape issued as a purchase reward.
Seemed he needed to hold it directly, like the compass.
'Here goes...'
He pulled it out with eager anticipation.
Black haze bloomed from the cape and seeped into Luke's body.
The cape slowly vanished at the same time.
'Damn it, went through hell for this crap, and it vanishes like nothing?'
Was absorbing energy what this meant?
Luke stared blankly at the nearly gone cape.
But only for a moment.
'A skill!'
His eyes spun at the belated message.
A new skill.
A job-exclusive one, no less.
'Some items just for skills, others not?'
The broken compass hadn't vanished after granting ability.
'Stuff with separate uses doesn't disappear regardless of Night King's energy.'
Likely.
The compass was broken now, but in memory recall, it seemed to have special utility.
'Or items with both.'
Skills plus utility.
Many possibilities.
But not important now.
The skill was.
A new hidden job skill, at that.
'Yeah, hidden job skill—not some basic one. A cape is nothing!'
False Identity.
Scout.
Steal.
The next new skill.
Luke checked it with pounding heart.
[Parkour]
Type: Passive
'Huh?'
The term felt familiar.
'Parkour...'
Using surrounding terrain, buildings, objects to climb and traverse everywhere.
That was the basic meaning.
A word anyone modern might've heard.
And here it was as an Agas skill name.
'Explanation matches too—basically confirmed.'
Problem: hard to tell if good.
Even if good, performance limits and uses unknown.
'Thieves max at double wall-run anyway.'
No feel for it.
'Gotta test.'
Luke looked around.
'But how to start?'
Parkour had many types.
Dozens of techniques, hundreds easy.
So?
No clue where to begin.
'Testing sounds tough... Huh?'
Then.
Something caught Luke's eye.
'Why's that wall red?'
A narrow alley wall.
Red paint between sections.
Like markers.
But that was just the start.
Red marks everywhere he turned.
Gulp!
Luke swallowed hard at the red marks filling the area.