Downtown (2)

The aftermath of the EX-rank quest had replaced the cast of this game-turned-world wholesale, and the moving pieces tied to them must have shifted considerably as well.

One of those pieces was event bosses like the Masked Gentleman out there—or field bosses, for that matter. Just how he'd washed up on Dungeon Island remained a mystery, but at the very least he wasn't off causing havoc anywhere. The sum total of his mischief was staging magic performances like that and, every so often, tossing a hidden piece to a spectator, so there was hardly any need to take special measures against him. The Academy couldn't possibly be in the dark about him either, and the fact that they left him unsubdued suggested they'd judged him no real threat.

That said, an event boss slipping onto Dungeon Island meant the door had cracked open for field bosses to do the same—ample reason to stay alert. Later on, I'd have to ask Shin Byungcheol to at least keep tabs on the movements of a few of them.

After the magic show, Seo Yein and I kept walking and browsing this and that, until we arrived at our first destination.

I showed Seo Yein the exchange voucher I'd received the night before.

"The butler says she's getting you and me each a piece of equipment from there."

"Mm..."

She nodded along at the promise of new gear, but just as Ahn Jungmi had reported, she didn't look particularly invested.

"Let's go in and look around first. You never know. Something might grow on you."

When I led Seo Yein into the shop, a middle-aged woman with a plump, kindly face came out to greet us. She had more the air of a proprietor than a clerk. And her ears weren't the least bit pointed.

"Welcome— oh my, first-years?"

"Hello."

"What adorable little customers."

Then she looked back and forth between the two of us with a knowing smile, apparently laboring under some grand misunderstanding. Setting her straight felt like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more trouble than it was worth, so I let it slide.

The woman welcomed us politely enough as customers, but she clearly didn't expect much. Magic items were uniformly expensive—what were the odds a first-year could actually afford one, and even if we bought something, how good could it possibly be?

For the sake of smooth dealings from here on out, it was better to establish our purchasing power up front. So I produced two [Exchange Vouchers - Pointy-Ear Magic Item Shop (B)] and said,

"We'd like to use these."

"...!"

The owner's eyes went round. B-rank vouchers were the sort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of thing only third-years occasionally pulled out, and here were two freshmen flashing a pair. Sales, performance, results—words like those must have flashed through her mind.

She had been courteous before; now she ushered us toward one section of the store with double the warmth.

"The B-rank corner is over here. Looking for anything in particular?"

"We'd like to look around first, actually."

"Go right ahead, and ask if anything catches your eye."

Pointy ears—keywords closely bound up with elves included archery, wood-and-earth magic, nature, and the like, and most of this shop's stock belonged to those schools. That sat poorly with my pursuit of aggressive spellwork and with Seo Yein's magitech-heavy loadout. Even so, there were pieces that proved useful regardless of class.

"Let's focus on accessories."

"Okay."

With the field narrowed like that, I simply stood back and watched. Ideally, she would pick out what she wanted herself.

"..."

But that was apparently still a tall order for Seo Yein. She passed over most of the display without a glance, and when curiosity did move her to check an option or two, her interest fizzled out just as quickly and she set the item back down. In the end, I watched a while longer, then threw out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠proposal.

"Want me to do the picking?"

It seemed better, I figured, to show her an item or two—anything at all—and follow her reactions from there. Seo Yein met my eyes, then slowly rocked her head up and down.

I had already sized up every item worth a second look the moment we stepped inside. From among them, I held up the one she'd most likely take to.

"How's this one?"

"Good."

Instant approval. ...Without even giving it a proper look.

As a test, I showed her the runner-up I'd set aside in advance.

"And this?"

"Good."

"This one too?"

"Good."

She even approved of the very item she'd set down out of boredom moments ago. The pattern was getting hard to miss.

'So as long as I'm the one choosing, everything's a winner.'

Hand her anything at all and the mission was a success. She would grow attached to it naturally enough, which meant things were unfolding exactly as Ahn Jungmi intended. Still, actually giving her just anything didn't sit right with me. If I was giving, it would be the best items I could manage.

Just then, the owner came over wearing her friendliest smile, having caught on with uncanny timing that we'd finished our first pass through the shelves.

"See anything you like?"

I had already drawn up a mental list of the items with passable options and ranked them in order. But I played the hard-to-please customer and answered vaguely.

"Hard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to say. Some of it seems usable, but..."

"Oh, come now, pick something out. You're spending two vouchers, after all—I'll throw in plenty of extras on top."

Apparently a C-rank accessory would be tacked on as a bonus. Instead of answering the offer, I asked something else entirely.

"Um, would it be alright if we took a look at the warehouse in the back?"

Beyond the merchandise on its display shelves, this magic item shop kept a warehouse piled with nothing but dead stock that simply refused to sell.

"Now who's been telling you about that?"

"Some seniors said there was plenty worth seeing back there too."

"Honestly, these kids."

The owner gave an awkward little laugh, plainly guessing where the tip had come from. I'd improvised that line on the spot, and it had landed. Her deliberation was brief. She was somewhat reluctant to walk customers into a warehouse, but we were patrons who had turned up with not one but two B-rank vouchers. She would want to accommodate us as far as she could—and with any luck, she might even clear out some dead stock in the process.

"I'm only showing you this once. You won't go blabbing it all over the island like your seniors do, will you?"

"Thank you."

The owner led us into the warehouse. Like the shop floor, it was divided into sections by rank. But nothing here was arranged for browsing; the items were packed away just enough to tell what was what, which did a splendid job of crushing any urge to buy.

"..."

Seo Yein was as indifferent as ever. I, too, idly picked up one item after another and set them back down. My eyes, however, were racing through dozens of items at speed.

'So none of it sold after all.'

And among that stock, a handful of items snagged my attention. Under the circumstances, walking out with those would be the best possible outcome. Naming exactly what I wanted minutes after setting foot in the warehouse would have struck them as strange, though, so I kept rummaging around and let the moment breathe.

Then I turned to the owner.

"You said we'd get a bonus for using both vouchers."

"Why, yes—I said I'd give you something nice."

"In that case, bonus included—would you sell us three items from here instead?"

Two vouchers normally bought two B-rank items off the display shelves plus one C-rank bonus. I was proposing three B-ranks out of this warehouse instead.

"..."

The owner faltered for a moment at the unexpected counteroffer—then visibly began running the numbers. Sure, 'three B-grades for the price of two—isn't that a loss?' might be the first objection, but business can't be reckoned on rank alone. The popular items on display were merely expensive; given time, they would sell, and the profit would follow. The pieces gathering dust in here day after day, meanwhile, came with no guarantee of selling even if she waited years. Handing over three dead-stock items instead of two display pieces was no loss at all. Even if she shaved the price down a little further on top of it.

Her arithmetic apparently complete, she turned back to me with her friendly air restored.

"So which ones will you take?"

"This one, and this one, and..."

I pointed to the items I'd marked in advance, one by one.

A hefty block of wood, cut to roughly an arm's length.

A thick branch steeped in fresh green, studded with palm-sized leaves.

A glass bottle, pretty as a piece of artisan craft, holding a translucent vapor within.

My selections must have struck her as genuinely peculiar, because the owner asked,

"How curious. No one has ever come looking for these. What do you plan to do with them, taking them off like that?"

"I'm going to try making something with friends and some seniors."

"Ah, for crafting."

Only then did she look satisfied. For crafting purposes, it made sense to take rarely used materials and give them a try. The ranks were a touch high to burn on trial and error, but that was no concern of the seller's.

I paid with the two vouchers and took ownership of the three items I'd chosen from the warehouse. The woman saw us to the door and offered a farewell.

"Thank you, come again."

We moved a little way out of the commercial district to a comparatively quiet spot: a rest area lined with simple tables. Perfect for sitting out in the evening air, though not a soul was around at this hour. We claimed a table and sat facing each other, and I began plucking leaves from the [Side Branch of the World Tree].

With each leaf, a portion of the branch's fresh green glow came away with it, and Seo Yein took each one and pressed it onto the [Processed Fairy Wood], quick and neat.

"Here."

"Mm."

"This one."

"Mm."

"Stick them on, nice and neat."

"Nice and neat."

The longer the pluck-and-stick routine went on, the more completely the fairy wood vanished beneath green leaves, while the branch grew barer and barer by contrast. And the moment the final leaf came away, the mystical energy the branch had harbored flew off with it. What remained was nothing more than decent-quality lumber. The B-grade item's value had plummeted in an instant, but my hands never slowed.

I sprinkled the [Fairy Queen's Blessing] slowly over the leaf-covered wood. Little by little the leaves drank in vitality, unfurling soft and smooth as though alive, like flower buds coaxed into bloom. Then the fairy wood that had been sitting there vanished without a trace, and in its place lay a jewel box that looked woven from grass and wood.

A random box crafted by combining pointy-ear-related materials. At B+ rank, it sat half a step above even what I'd pulled from the Black Snake Gang. Of course, if that were the whole story, I would never have gambled on a random box no matter how high the rank.

'This one has published drop information.'

What came out of it, and roughly how often each drop appeared—both were known quantities. Run the numbers, and unless your luck was spectacularly Go Hyeon-woo-tier bad, there was no losing.

'And if Seo Yein is the one opening it...'

There was even less telling what might happen. All the same, I wanted the odds stacked as high as possible, just in case. Watching Seo Yein, I opened my mouth carefully.

"You know that card you got earlier?"

"..."

Before I could even get to the rest, Seo Yein produced the [Lucky Trump Card] she'd just received from the Masked Gentleman. Her eyes asked whether this was where it went. When I nodded—

— Flash!

The trump card flared with brilliant light and was absorbed into the jewel box. The odds of high-grade items appearing had risen; the odds of a dud had fallen.

Seo Yein looked from me to the jewel box and back, tilted her head slightly to one side, and asked,

"Open it?"

"I'm counting on you."

I nudged the jewel box gently across the table, and Seo Yein drew it slowly toward herself. She gazed down at it for a moment—and the instant she opened it—

— FWOOSH!

It erupted like a cloud detonating, spilling out to swallow the entire area.