I stepped into the open market, the smell of grilled takoyaki mixing with the chatter of the crowd. Dropping my loot bag onto a rickety wooden table near the food stalls, I watched as a cascade of platinum coins spilled out like I'd just cracked open a legendary treasure chest. The bustling market fell silent for a moment — eyes wide, jaws dropped, like someone had hit pause on their day.
Then an old man with a wild beard and a belly that looked like it housed its own ecosystem shuffled over, squinting suspiciously at the coins. "No way that's legit," he grumbled, "You must be lying." I met his glare with a smirk. "Forty days in the dungeon grinding, fighting monsters that'd crush a whole squad. Try surviving that before you judge."
Some well-dressed nobles nearby sneered, whispering, "Someone like her couldn't possibly earn that much." I rolled my eyes — ignorance always runs deep.
Just then, the crowd parted, and she appeared. Bright orange hair tipped with white, whipping behind her like a fox's tail. Her tracksuit was fiery red, complemented by gloves, boots, and a bold yellow cape that screamed, "I'm here to shake things up." She stopped by the takoyaki stall, blinking as if she'd just stumbled into a side quest.
Her timing was perfect.
One minute I was defending my hard-earned coin.
The next, this fox-tailed badass flipped the whole damn scene on its head.
In the chaos of the open market, anything could happen. And believe me, it did.
To be continued...