When Ben Scott woke up, the first thing he saw was grass.
Green. Soft. Peaceful.
The kind of grass that belonged in the Windo*s XP wallpaper.
And then it hit him.
Literally — the sun hit his eyes.
He sat up slowly, blinking at the calm blue sky. His hands were shaky. His clothes were damp. And most importantly…
"Huh. Why am I alive?"
The last thing he remembered was… oh.
"Oh right. I was skydiving."
The memory trickled back in.
The rush of wind. The adrenaline. The wide-open sky.
…And the fact that his parachute refused to open.
He could still feel the smack when he hit the water. That bone-crushing, air-stealing moment where he thought: Well, guess I'm done for.
Apparently, he wasn't done for. Somehow.
The breeze was warm now, but the shadows were getting longer. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that grass was, unfortunately, not edible. He scanned the horizon for any sign of civilization. Nothing but rolling hills and the distant outline of a forest.
"Great. No people. No buildings. No McD*nald's."
The sun was already dipping toward the horizon, painting the sky orange. Night was coming, and with it… probably things he didn't want to meet unarmed.
Time to find shelter.
That's when he spotted it — a dark gap in the side of a rocky hill. A cave.
"Alright, hope there's no bears…" Ben muttered, walking toward it.
Up close, the cave looked almost… artificial. The walls were smooth in places, with odd markings carved into the stone. And right there, halfway up the tunnel… was a door.
A wooden door. In a cave.
It didn't fit. It looked like someone ripped it off a medieval tavern and shoved it into the rock wall.
He hesitated for about half a second before grabbing the iron handle and pulling.
The door creaked open… and he froze.
Inside was water. Not a puddle, not a damp floor — an entire shallow lake, stretching into the dim interior. Wooden platforms floated across the surface, arranged like stepping stones, forming little paths and islands. The walls glittered faintly with damp moss.
And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it.
A flicker.
A small, pale blue light, hovering in the air just at the edge of his vision.
He turned to look directly at it — and something popped up in front of him.
[Dungeon Shopkeeper System]
[Name: Ben Scott]
[Class: Dungeon Shopkeeper]
[Level: 1]
[Skill: Set-up Shop Lv1 — Set up a shop inside one dungeon. Attract adventurers, sell your items, gain Dungeon Credits]
[Class Benefits: Can buy anything for half the price]
[Dungeon Credits: These are the currency that let you upgrade your shop, set up a second or third shop on any floor of the dungeon, or even modify some parts of the dungeon]
[After setting up the shop, you will be at Dungeon Shop Lvl 1]
[At the next level of the shop, you will be able to restock the supply automatically by consuming Dungeon Credits]
[A single Dungeon Credit is worth 100 Copper Coins, or 10 Silver Coins, or 1 Gold Coin]
[Monsters may come to buy something from you. Remember, Don't discriminate.]
[It's probably all you need to know.]
Ben stared at the floating text box.
Then he looked around, just in case some prank show crew was hiding in the shadows with a camera.
Nothing. Just the sound of dripping water.
"…So let me get this straight," he said slowly.
"I died skydiving, woke up in a fantasy world, and now… I'm supposed to run a shop inside a dungeon?"
The blue light blinked once, like it was saying Yes.
"...Huh." Ben rubbed his chin. "Do I at least get to set the prices? Because if so… we're charging double for adventurers who smell bad."
The light blinked again.
Somehow, Ben got the feeling this was going to be a very weird job.
The blue light vanished after the last message, leaving Ben standing in the damp cave with only the faint ripple of water against the wooden platforms.
"Set-up Shop Lv1, huh?" he muttered. "Alright, let's see how this works."
The moment he focused on the skill, a soft chime echoed in the air.
[Activating: Set-up Shop Lv1]
The platforms in front of him trembled, shifting and locking into a more organized layout. In the blink of an eye, a small wooden stall materialized — complete with a counter, a rickety stool, and three long shelves.
On the counter sat a shiny brass bell. The kind you tapped for service.
[Congratulations! Your Dungeon Shop has been established.]
[First-Time Shop Set-Up Bonus: You may take up to 20 units of every item in the Starter Catalogue for free.]
[Note: This bonus is available only once. Make it count.]
Ben blinked. "…Twenty of everything? For free?"
A new window popped up in front of him:
Starter Catalogue:
Basic Health Potion (15 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Basic Mana Potion (15 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Stale Bread (10 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Rusty Short Sword (80 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Used Leather Boots (70 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Wooden Shield (60 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Cheap Rope (25 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Flint & Steel (20 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Basic Arrows (bundle of 10) (30 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Dungeon Map (Floor 1 Only) (50 Copper Coins) (Free For Now)
Ben grinned. "Alright, let's max this out."
The moment he confirmed his order, flashes of light filled the shop as shelves and racks instantly stocked themselves.
Twenty short swords lined up neatly like soldiers on display.
Stacks of wooden shields leaned against the counter.
Boxes overflowed with arrows.
Health and mana potions glimmered like liquid jewels in rows of twenty.
Even the stale bread had its own basket — which, somehow, still smelled edible.
In less than a minute, his once-empty stall looked like the armory section of a medieval superstore.
Ben folded his arms and nodded. "Now this… is a shop."
As if on cue, a distant splash echoed in the cavern. Ben straightened.
A figure hopped across the floating platforms — tall, broad-shouldered, with a sword strapped to his back. Mud spattered his leather armor, and he had the look of a man who'd been running for hours.
When he stepped onto the platform in front of the shop, he let out a tired chuckle.
"We're in for a long haul here," the man said, shaking water off his boots.
Then he noticed Ben. His eyes narrowed as he looked from Ben to the overflowing shop shelves, then back to Ben again.
"When did people start making shops in dungeons? And your clothes look funny."
"Actually—" Ben started.
Wait, his brain screamed. If he doesn't have a System, blurting out that I have one — and that I'm from another world — might be a really bad idea.
"I just thought of setting up a shop so adventurers can get their supplies from here," Ben said casually.
The man raised an eyebrow but didn't press. Instead, he glanced at the rows of gleaming potions and weapons, eyes practically sparkling. "Well… guess I'll take two health potions."
Ben rang the bell on the counter and took the coins as the system confirmed:
[Sale complete! +30 Copper Coins earned]
[Reminder: 100 Copper Coins = 1 Dungeon Credit]
Ben's grin faltered a little. "…Oh. So that's gonna take a while."
Still, it was his first sale — and it meant he was officially in business.
If this kept up… maybe he could survive here after all.
The adventurer left with his two potions, clinking coins still warm in Ben's hand.
Ben slid the copper into a small box under the counter, leaned back on his stool, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Well… one customer down. Ninety-nine more sales to get my first Dungeon Credit," he muttered. "At this rate, I'll be rich in—" He counted on his fingers. "…several years."
He reached for a piece of stale bread from the shelf and tore off a chunk, deciding to taste-test his own stock. The bread was about as soft as a brick but surprisingly not terrible.
That's when he heard it — the sound of wet, squishy steps on the wooden platforms.
Ben looked up, expecting another weary adventurer. Instead…
A slime bounced into view.
It was the size of a large beach ball, translucent blue, and leaving little puddles with every hop. Normally, Ben would expect something like this to attack, but instead, the slime hopped right up to the counter and… waited.
"…Uh," Ben said. "Can I help you?"
The slime gave a cheerful blorp! and spit a single copper coin onto the counter with a wet plop.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "That's… 14 short except you wanna buy... Stale bread, buddy."
The slime blorped again, then turned and bounced toward a small crack in the wall. It squeezed inside, disappeared for a moment, then hopped back out and plopped another copper coin on the counter.
"…You're kidding me."
It went back in. Blorp. Another coin.
In. Out. Coin.
In. Out. Coin.
Ben just leaned on the counter and stared as the slime made fourteen trips in total, each time dragging itself through the crack, fetching a coin from who-knows-where, and depositing it with a proud wobble.
When the final coin landed with a wet plop, the slime tilted toward the shelf of health potions.
"You could've just… brought them all at once," Ben muttered, handing over a potion.
The potion sank into the slime's gelatinous body like a cherry in jelly. It gave one last satisfied blorp and bounced away.
Ben shook his head and chuckled. "We getting rich, baby."
The shop's bell chimed.
[Sale complete! +15 Copper Coins earned]
[Customer Satisfaction +1]
[Note: Friendly interactions with dungeon monsters may affect local monster behavior toward you.]
Ben sat back down, rubbing his temples.
"So, adventurers AND monsters… guess I'm officially the weirdest shopkeeper in history."
A faint rustle came from the other side of the shop, and Ben froze. Slowly, he turned his head… just in time to see a goblin wearing a battered helmet step inside, carrying a bag of assorted loot.
The goblin gave him a toothy grin and slammed a small pile of coins on the counter.
Ben looked at the coins, then at the goblin.
"…This is gonna get complicated."
The goblin's grin widened, revealing teeth that were somehow both crooked and sharp.
He pushed a ragged cloth bag forward. The coins inside jingled alongside… other things.
Ben slowly peeked inside.
"Oh."
A rusty dagger.
A cracked gemstone.
A half-eaten loaf of bread.
And… a finger bone.
"Uh… nice selection?" Ben said carefully.
The goblin nodded like a merchant showing off fine silks.
[New Action Unlocked: Item Appraisal Lv.1]
[You may now inspect the value and properties of items brought to your shop.]
A faint blue tint washed over Ben's vision as the System did its thing.
Text began floating above each item like price tags at a pawn shop:
Rusty Dagger — Value: 5 Copper Coins (May or may not have tetanus.)
Cracked Gemstone — Value: 8 Copper Coins (Shiny. That's… about it.)
Half-Eaten Bread — Value: 0 Copper Coins (Who buys this? Seriously.)
Human Finger Bone — Value: ??? (Do you really want to know?)
Ben's smile twitched. "Right. So… uh… I can offer you…"
The goblin slammed a fist on the counter, rattling the coins.
[Tip: Dungeon monsters may attempt to haggle. A strong stance will prevent loss of profit.]
Ben decided to channel every stubborn flea-market vendor he'd ever seen. "Five for the dagger, eight for the gem, and you can keep your bread and… bone."
The goblin stared.
Ben stared back.
Finally, the goblin gave a gruff hrmph, shoved the bread in its mouth, tucked the bone into its pouch, and slid the dagger and gem toward Ben in exchange for a small bundle of copper coins.
[Sale complete! +13 Copper Coins earned]
[Customer Satisfaction +1]
The goblin left, muttering something in a language Ben couldn't understand.
Silence filled the shop again.
Ben leaned back, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Okay… so not all monsters are trying to kill me. That's… good?"
His gaze drifted toward the small lockbox under the counter where the slime's fifteen coins still sat.
A thought crept in.
A cold, unpleasant thought.
"…Wait… how exactly did that slime get fifteen copper coins?"
Images flashed through his mind — an adventurer desperately swinging a sword, a slime engulfing them whole, armor clattering to the ground… coins sinking into the ooze.
Ben swallowed hard.
"Oh no."
For the first time since arriving in this world, the wooden walls of his little dungeon shop suddenly felt much, much thinner.