Wiz's Magic Tool Shop
Outside the storefront, three adventurers were whispering among themselves.
"This is it. The owner of this place? Total knockout."
"For real?"
The blond guy in the red short-sleeved shirt on the right lit up with interest.
"Tsk, tsk, once you see her, you'll understand. She's on par with the succubi at the Succubus Café."
"Hehehe… now you've got my attention."
Just as Dust was rubbing his hands together and preparing to head in, one of his companions stopped him.
"But I gotta warn you."
"What?"
"No matter how hot she is, don't buy anything from her. Total scam. Overpriced junk magic tools."
Dust nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. I swear I won't buy a thing."
Jingle...
The door opened.
Wiz immediately greeted them with enthusiasm.
"Welcome! How can I help you?"
Oh wow!
Dust's eyes went wide—really wide.
She was a stunner.
One of the older adventurers rubbed his nose.
"Miss Wiz, mind if we just look around a bit first?"
Wiz blinked, then smiled sweetly.
"Of course."
Completely unaware that they were just here to ogle, she remained cheerful.
The three adventurers lingered in front of the shelves, occasionally sneaking glances at Wiz behind the counter.
She's gorgeous…
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" Wiz asked, tilting her head slightly.
Dust was already drooling.
The older adventurer quickly covered for him.
"Haha, Miss Wiz, I think we'll come back later. We're just—"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Shoving Dust aside, he sprinted to the counter.
His eyes locked on something.
"This is... a magic crystal?!"
He picked up the glowing blue crystal and inspected it closely.
No doubt about it. A real magic crystal.
And based on the glow, it could definitely be used to craft decent magic equipment.
Wiz hesitated.
"Well, the purity is only about 50%, so it's not exactly high-grade..."
"Doesn't matter!" the man cut her off.
"Miss Wiz, I'll buy it for 100,000 Eris. Deal?"
"Eh? 100,000?!"
"That's right. If that's not enough, I'm willing to offer more!"
Wiz was completely stunned.
Since when is a C-rank magic crystal this popular?
To a high-level lich like Wiz, C-grade materials were nothing.
But in Axel, full of newbie adventurers?
A 50% purity crystal was practically a treasure.
"O-Okay… I'll sell it for 100,000 Eris."
"Thanks!"
The man dropped his pouch on the counter and walked off with a huge grin, ignoring Dust and the others.
"C-rank...?"
The other adventurer stared, dumbfounded.
"Miss Wiz, do you still have more of those magic crystals?"
"Yes, but..."
"Please let me buy one too!"
"O-Of course, please wait just a moment."
Wiz hurried into the storeroom, heart pounding.
She could hardly believe it.
Since opening her shop in Axel, this was the first time her products were flying off the shelves.
Am I about to get rich?!
What an amazing company!
Stars danced in her eyes.
It felt so good to finally make a sale!
"Underground Labyrinth Enterprise Ltd.? Are you there?"
[Ding!]
A projected shelf appeared in front of her.
[How can we assist you?]
Wiz: "I'd like to order more magic crystals."
"Give me 20, please!"
[No problem. We're happy to serve.]
[Wishing you a nice day!]
Back at the counter.
"Miss Wiz, if you'd told us earlier you had real stuff in stock, I would've helped promote your store!"
The adventurer left with a satisfied grin, crystal in hand.
Dust stared blankly at them as they walked out.
Didn't he just say everything in here was garbage?
...Was this some weird new pickup strategy?
Wiz clasped her hands in front of her chest with a warm smile.
"Would you like one too?"
"Hehehe..."
Dust's expression twisted into a pervy mess, clearly overwhelmed by Wiz's charm.
"O-Okay... I'll take one too."
———
Meanwhile, back with Chishiya
[System received: 50,000 Eris]
[System received: 50,000 Eris]
...
"They sold that fast?"
The system's payment notifications kept popping up nonstop.
"Chishiya, I'm hungry."
"I'm hungryyy~."
Rim, still wearing rags, clung to him like a needy koala.
Chishiya opened his panel.
[Name: Chishiya Shuntaro]
[Occupation: Labyrinth Administrator]
[Core Employees: 0]
[Account Balance: 1,000,000 Eris (convertible to reputation points at a 100:1 rate)]
[Labyrinth Level: 1]
[Special Abilities: None]
One million?!
In under an hour, 20 crystals had already been sold?!
Chishiya's mood shot through the roof.
All that mining pain was finally paying off.
And this was just the beginning.
He could only sell magic crystals for now, and the profit margins were limited.
Still, he had start-up capital now.
Time to put his business background to work.
He wasn't here to mine.
He was here to build.
"Maybe I should look for local stores to act as agents…"
But right now.
His stomach rumbled.
"Alright. We've got money now. Let's go eat."
"Eat~! Eat~!"
Rim pumped her tiny fists in excitement.
———
Adventurers' Guild
Regret.
Deep, seething regret.
Chishiya clenched his jaw.
"How did this happen?!"
Across the table, the petite pink-haired menace was wolfing down steak like a starved beast.
The empty plate mountain was growing by the second.
"Delicious~! So good~!"
Chishiya twitched.
He thought having start-up capital meant things would finally go smoothly.
What kind of bottomless pit was this girl?!
And that wasn't the worst part.
He had just learned something critical.
Why did one plate of steak cost 5,000 Eris?!
Is this economy pegged to the yen?!
Unbelievable.
He had been so smug earlier, thinking he was loaded.
But 1,000,000 Eris?
Converted to Earth money, that was less than 50,000 yen.
Not even enough for a decent emergency fund!
Chishiya rubbed his temples, utterly defeated.
Still, there was one silver lining.
He checked Rim's status.
[Name: Rim]
[Energy: 25%]
[Labyrinth Resource Generation Speed: Slow]
At least the energy output had improved.
Several adventurers nearby stared in awe.
It was their first time seeing such a tiny girl eat like a dragon—well, technically, she was one.
Stare...
Chishiya didn't notice.
In a quiet corner of the guild sat a girl in a red robe and pointy hat.
She watched them intently.
Her red eyes glowed with curiosity.
(To be continued.)