1.
You have entered the hidden space, "Golden Goblin's General Store."
[Achievement: Discovery] achieved!
You receive a [Bronze Box].
The moment the message popped up, a goblin stared at me with its eyes wide open.
"Krk. How is a human here already?"
I was even more shocked.
'Are you really a goblin?'
Aside from its stubby height, it didn't look goblin-like at all.
Unlike the skinny, wiry members of its race, this one was plump—no, fat.
'Looks like a pig.'
It wore so many jeweled rings that they were buried in the fat of its fingers and couldn't be seen.
On its neck hung a pure gold necklace; on its waist, a shining golden buckle; on its shoulders, tassels of golden thread.
It was basically shouting, "I am the Golden Goblin!"
Instead of a monster, it looked more like a Black rapper desperate to flaunt his wealth.
"Isn't this a shop? You should be asking 'what,' not 'how.'"
Goblins as a race are weak to the strong and strong to the weak.
I deliberately spoke sternly.
The goblin—whose identity was questionable at this point—lifted its chin arrogantly and replied:
"Krk, krk. This is no place for a lowly human to walk into. This store is for noble—"
"Do I qualify now?"
The creature's eyes widened again.
Because I casually showed it the [Gold Box] I had tucked into my coat.
"G-Gold Box!"
Greed filled the Golden Goblin's face in an instant.
"S-slightly disappointing, but… you qualify, human. Not that the item looks particularly important or anything."
For god's sake, wipe the drool off your mouth before talking.
Even without looking closely, I could read its mind.
During the early days after the server opened, very few people understood the real value of items.
It probably thought it could easily scam some lucky newbie who hit the jackpot.
But who was the real sucker? That remained to be seen.
"Well then, I should treat you like a customer."
I sat back comfortably on the sofa and motioned with my chin.
The goblin frowned slightly, then disappeared to prepare tea.
'This is where it begins.'
From the very start, I had a completely different growth plan from everyone else.
This place was a battlefield fought with items and money.
The Golden Goblin was essentially the boss monster.
He used "crafty wordplay" to rip off desperate people for outrageous profits.
He was like a rat gnawing away at humanity's grain stores.
'I'll pay you back for all of it.'
I sharpened my metaphorical blade.
The hunt was only beginning.
2.
After leisurely enjoying the expensive tea and tormenting the Golden Goblin's nerves, I began the transaction.
"Krk, krk. Human, open the box. I'll start my appraisal after I see the item that comes out."
The Golden Goblin, looking practiced, took out a ledger and pen from his pocket.
"Do I really have to open it?"
"Krkrrk. What kind of foolish question is that? If you won't open it, what possible use does it have?"
He snorted at me as if I had said something ridiculous.
Though the grade varied, the usage was always the same.
Tear off the wrapping and open the box—then a random reward would drop.
Gold, items, skills, mounts, information—anything could appear.
Rarely, special rewards like Authorities or Quests could also come out.
"Instead of that, how about you buy this?"
"Krk. Khk. Why would I?"
At first, the Golden Goblin just scoffed.
"If the person opening it changes, the result might change too."
"Human, nonsense. I don't believe in such superstitions."
"Whether you believe it doesn't matter. What matters is that others believe it."
"Hmm…?"
The goblin's interest was slowly piqued.
Boxes were essentially like lottery tickets.
Even though everyone knew it was governed by probability, people always thought, 'If I draw it, it'll be different.'
They assumed a much higher chance of winning when they opened it.
Because of this demand, boxes later became a substitute for currency.
"You're not completely wrong, human. So, how much do you want?"
Ah—the classic "You name the price first!" tactic.
"5,000 gold."
At my confident answer, the Golden Goblin's face twisted.
"K-krk! You're insane, human. Do you know how much money that is? Most items that come out aren't even worth a quarter of that!"
"You're right. But sometimes, treasures worth far more than ten thousand gold come out, don't they?"
"Krk. That's an extremely low probability. Only fools believe that."
"But it can happen. You never know until you open it."
The Golden Goblin's pupils wavered.
Lotteries have something called expected value.
To oversimplify: A $1 lottery ticket is statistically only worth about $0.60.
Yet people still buy them.
Why?
Because unless you scratch it, unless you open the box—nothing happens.
If you dream of flipping your life upside down, you have to try first.
"Krk. Only idiots chase such luck-based—"
"But you could resell the box to those people. For an even higher price."
The Golden Goblin, throat dry, pulled out a pocket flask and gulped it down.
Bingo!
Seeing that, I grinned, sensing victory.
Ding-ding!
You have acquired 5,000 gold.
You have accomplished a Remarkable Deal.
[Achievement: Trade] achieved!
You receive a [Silver Box] as a reward.
Even a bonus reward—what a great start.
But the Golden Goblin turned away, exhausted.
"Krkrrk. I should close the shop early today. My luck is awful."
"Already? You'll regret that."
The most important part always comes at the end.
Playfully, I pulled out one more item from my coat.
[Platinum Box]
The moment the deep ocean-colored box appeared—
"Krkr… kuhk!"
The Golden Goblin froze, unable to utter a single word.
He just trembled all over, as if nailed in place, staring at the box.
"Y-you human… Don't tell me you plan to sell that too?"
It took him a long while to finally speak cautiously.
Money really is everything, huh.
Without realizing it, the goblin had clasped his hands together and bowed.
The Platinum Box was not something one could ever obtain through luck.
"Do you want it? More precisely, do you even have the money to buy it?"
"A… ah…"
Even a Golden Goblin wouldn't have enough loose cash to buy a Platinum Box.
He just bit his ring-covered fingers and let out painful groans.
"If not… then fine. I'm in a good mood. How about trading it for everything in this shop? A blowout sale."
"K-krk!? Are you insane!"
The Golden Goblin shouted, utterly stunned.
Behind him, the shelves were filled with dazzling items.
A full silver plate armor, a mage's staff, herbs that temporarily boosted strength, piles of skill books—it was a mountain of treasure.
"Human, do you even know how much that's worth?!"
"Is what I'm saying really that crazy? Then why can't you stand up?"
He looked like he might leap out of his seat any moment, yet he couldn't bring himself to lift his hands off the armrests.
Because he knew: though Platinum was only one tier above Gold, its value existed on an entirely different plane.
His entire life's savings versus a single box.
Faced with the decision of a lifetime, he aged years in real-time.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a small mind. Just watch, then."
Who in their right mind would actually sell something this precious?
When I placed the box on the table and prepared to open it, the Golden Goblin let out a sigh of relief.
He even bowed his head slightly, as if thanking me for making the decision for him.
However, I held out my palm toward him instead.
"You need to pay."
"Human, what do you mean? Weren't you not selling it?"
"Not that. The viewing fee."
"V-viewing fee?"
"This is a Platinum Box opening event. You thought you'd watch it for free?"
I shook my head as if he were the ridiculous one.
"T-that's…"
His panicked face trembled.
Got him.
I grinned inwardly.
Charging money just to watch someone else open a box was, of course, absurd.
But if you first drop an outrageous suggestion?
Anything smaller offered after that is comparatively easy to accept.
Not the trick of a scammer—but a psychological tactic professional negotiators often use.
After thinking for a long time, the goblin finally whispered:
"Th-then… how much?"
"1,000 gold."
"K-kuhk."
"Instead, any information you learn from what comes out—you can use it however you want. Except anything about me."
After agonizing over it, the goblin finally handed over the gold with trembling fingers.
He wasn't stupid.
The Platinum Box was valuable enough that even a scrap of information about its contents was worthwhile.
And then, in front of him, I opened the box.
— Swaaah…!
With a burst of brilliant blue light, the system message rang out.
— You have acquired [Authority: Midas' Hand].
The moment the contents were displayed, the Golden Goblin shrieked and went berserk.
"AAAAAAH! KRK! AAAAAAAH!"
He smashed his head against the wall repeatedly, self-destructive in his agony.
"I should've bought it! I should've spent every last coin—no, gone into debt if I had to!"
He looked like someone who had just lost his entire country—no, like someone who missed a winning lottery ticket right in front of him.
"A moment's choice decides your life, haha."
Enjoying his wails as background music, I checked the message again.
[Authority: Midas' Hand]
1) Fortune (Wealth)
Luck related to wealth increases dramatically.
2) Commerce (Merchandise)
Your talent related to trade rises significantly.
3) Probability Correction
When random probability applies, you obtain the most favorable result.
When using luck-related skills, efficiency increases overwhelmingly.
A full gift set sweeping up every kind of luck imaginable!
For anyone dealing with money, this was literally a dream Authority.
And the part I liked most was the Probability Correction.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how useful this would be when opening boxes.
'I got this…?'
Authorities often related strongly to the life someone had lived.
I had once heard that the chairman of a global mega-corporation later obtained a similar Authority.
'Still… when it comes to luck, I'm no slouch. I just couldn't protect what mattered because I was incompetent.'
Remembering my own hidden dungeon made a sigh escape my lips.
Regret, longing, and yearning.
Pushing aside the emotions, I called to the goblin.
"Hey, aren't you running your shop?"
The goblin, who had been screaming moments ago, looked at me with hollow eyes and answered:
"H-human… please stop. What more do you want to take…"
I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
But there was still more to squeeze out.
"You sell magic contracts here, right? Give me one."
I flicked a single gold coin toward him, pretending to be generous.
"Krk… magic contract. Contract. Yes, that's… 1 gold. Khhk…"
Like a drunk man staggering, he pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer.
"Human, do you know what this is?"
"Generally, yes. But I want a detailed explanation."
With a resigned expression, he explained.Providing product details was the bare minimum duty of a merchant.
"Krk. A promise written on this contract becomes binding. Truly binding—not just words."
"Oh? Interesting. But isn't it too cheap for something like that?"
"Are you daring to doubt it, human? The contract's power does not come from the paper!"
"Then from what?"
"Krk. The guarantor. That's what matters. The guarantor enforces the contract."
If a random bum on the street boasts he'll cover everything, no one listens.
But a loan guarantee signed by the President of the United States?That's as good as a bank deposit.
"A guarantor, huh. I actually know just the right person."
I slipped my hand into my coat and grinned.
"Y-you human? What… what are you planning now?!"
The Golden Goblin's eyes rolled anxiously in their sockets.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a gamble with my life on the line."
"D-damn it! STOOOOP!"
The Golden Goblin screamed, sensing impending doom.
But even I couldn't help tensing up this time.
— Summoning a final boss–level entity inside the tutorial!
I was about to execute a plan so insane, even I questioned my sanity.