EP 2: The High School Graduate Myth
The morning had arrived. Even though I no longer had a job to go to, my eyes opened on their own. The slave-like routine that had seeped into my life over the years moved my body naturally.
“I’m hungry.”
I took milk and cereal out of the fridge, fixed a simple breakfast, and turned on the TV. A documentary program called Relic Appraiser, which was currently trending, was playing. It was a variety show that tracked down relic owners and researchers to determine whether a given relic was authentic.
While half-watching the TV, I thought about my plans going forward. First, I needed money. Medicine was expensive, and living alone required funds. When I’d fallen asleep last night, I’d thought I could make a fortune using Hephaestus (SS). But once I woke up, several problems became clear.
In short, I couldn’t earn money by crafting equipment right now. I lacked the necessary qualifications. Even if I used this skill to produce a low-grade elixir (D), no one would choose mine over the mass-market elixirs from major corporations or the products of reputable workshops. Besides, who would trust medicine made by someone with no identity or credentials? There was a vast difference between crafting for personal use and crafting for sale.
Anyway, selling equipment was impossible.
The second problem was the depletion of points. To use my skill Hephaestus (SS), I needed points—gratitude earned by making women happy. Simply crafting items and selling them wouldn’t solve the point supply issue. The points would hit zero in no time.
While shoveling cereal into my mouth, I kept thinking of ways to solve both the money and point problems with this ability. If crafting wouldn’t work, maybe cooking? But to make money from cooking, I’d actually have to work at a restaurant—meaning I’d have to throw myself into a female-dominated workplace. That was impossible.
“What do I do?”
As I munched on cereal, my eyes suddenly caught the contlet on screen. My skill Hephaestus instantly analyzed the relic just from seeing it.
◈ The contlet used in actual combat by the Knight King Arthur. Contains Arthur’s will; when enhanced, has a high chance of granting a unique skill.
“It’s the real thing.”
A tremendous cheer erupted from the TV screen. The female professor flipped her golden hair back with a triumphant expression.
“The Cambridge Magic Department professors have finally done it!!!!”
“With this, the final piece of the twenty-year Arthur Project is complete!!!!”
In that moment, I felt a thrilling sensation as if electricity were racing through my entire body. The spoon clattered to the floor.
Maybe. Just maybe… I was something incredibly valuable?
EP 2: The High School Graduate Myth
People of similar backgrounds gather and form their own communities. In the Middle Ages, communities formed by artisans were called guilds. Guilds, initially created simply for exchanging techniques, gradually became corporate and established themselves as powers in their own right. As times changed and society evolved, those communities moved from the real world to the internet. Connecting through internet lines allowed real-time conversations with people from all over the world—an unimaginable feat in the past. This led to the activation of communities across all fields.
I accessed the Alchemy Association’s official internet community. My information appeared on the screen.
Even though it was only Beginner rank, it was just the result of completing twelve hours of free online lectures and passing an exam because it was required for work. In reality, it was no different from being an ordinary person. Of course, that wasn’t why I’d logged in.
I clicked on the [Requests] category on the screen. Various requests appeared. While browsing the most recent ones, I suddenly held my breath.
Over 999 comments, and the poster’s impressive credentials. Scrolling down, most comments weren’t from people who had actually found it—only those claiming they might have, or trying to sell leads.
After looking at such requests for a while, I hovered over the categories and entered the sales board. Various posts appeared.
My strategy was simple: buy cheap, sell expensive. Like those pawnshops I’d seen on TV, if I could purchase relics from people who didn’t know their value—treating them as junk—and then resell them at a high price, I could make a fortune just by clicking from home. Of course, I’d have to find the valuable items among mountains of junk. It would be like searching for a needle in a desert. Still, it was worth trying.
I clicked through the posts on the sales board one by one, staring at the screen. Most were replicas or junk.
“…Is this even allowed?”
After about thirty minutes of clicking, just as I was about to give up, I hit the jackpot.
(Photo of Tigris’s Book)
(Photos of dozens of A4 sheets covered in messy handwriting)
My parents passed away when I was young, and my younger sibling and I have been living together. Recently, a strange bag arrived at our house, supposedly from our grandmother’s belongings. Inside were an unnamed leather book and dozens of A4 sheets with strange writing. After reading a few pages, it seems like this book might be Tigris’s Book. My sibling has been sick lately… Would selling this make some money? I really need cash urgently. I know it’s shameless to ask for a free appraisal, but please, I’m begging you.
A translucent window appeared.
◈ A grimoire written by the ancient Greek spirit mage Tigris. The final volume among the eight tribute items presented to the king. Contains methods to summon the most powerful and greatest spirits, demon-sealing techniques using stars, and contracts with divine spirits. An absolute relic capable of elevating a mage to a higher realm, but extremely dangerous in the hands of the unqualified.
It was nothing less than the genuine article. Hephaestus (SS) had confirmed it. The poster didn’t seem like a scammer either. According to the age information, she was just an ordinary seventeen-year-old. From the post, she was a girl who had lost her parents at a young age and was raising her sick younger sibling alone.
I started to write a comment but hesitated. I had planned to buy valuable relics cheaply and sell them expensively. But wasn’t that fraud? Wasn’t it betraying and insulting the grandmother’s final wish to help her granddaughter?
“……Hmm.”
While I was agonizing over it, someone else commented.
SadnessEndurer immediately replied.
SadnessEndurer was right. It was the real thing—a relic worth at least several billion. The grandmother’s final act of love for her granddaughter.
Several more comments followed.
Janus unni took time to appraise it, and you can’t even say thank you?
This is why family environment matters.
After about ten minutes, SadnessEndurer finally commented.
My gaze lingered on SadnessEndurer’s comment for a long time.
“Ah, I’m sorry lol.”
What kind of feelings had she been staring at the comment section with for those ten minutes? What kind of heart had made her write that reply? Her grandmother’s keepsake had been mocked, her mother ridiculed, and finally she herself treated like an idiot.
More comments piled up below.
lololololololololololololololol
lololololol
lololololololololol
lololololololololololololololololol
By the time I came to my senses, my hand was already moving.
Janus, who had apparently been watching the situation, also commented.
I wasn’t anyone special. I hadn’t studied extensively to accumulate knowledge about relics. I’d only completed twelve hours of online lectures. But did that even matter?
When it came to that part, I wouldn’t lose to anyone.