It had already been three days since Yuto returned to Axel, and during that time, a heavy, oppressive mood had settled over the entire town.
Quite a few people wanted to leave Axel and seek refuge in larger cities.However, they were equally afraid that if they ran into the approaching Demon King's army on the road, death would be all but guaranteed.
Inside the Adventurers' Guild hall, the usual laughter and noisy banter were nowhere to be found. Everyone had entered a tense, high-alert state, as if preparing for an imminent battle.
According to Luna, the situation had already been reported upward, and powerful reinforcements would soon be dispatched to Axel, so everyone was told not to panic too much.
Because the Demon King's army might strike at any moment, most adventurers had stopped accepting requests that required leaving town. As a result, the quest board had become completely clogged with unclaimed commissions.
Although this severely disrupted the guild's normal operations, the circumstances left them with no other choice.
To prevent damage to the guild's reputation, Luna—after receiving approval from her superiors—announced that all current quest rewards would be increased by roughly fifty percent.
Where there's a heavy reward, there's always someone willing to take the risk.
While many adventurers remained unmoved, some simply couldn't resist the temptation—such as a certain party that constantly struggled just to stay fed.
Other adventurers had savings. Even if they stopped working for a while, they could still enjoy meat and ale every day.
But for Ren Kuroda, Akua, and the others, if they didn't take jobs soon, they'd starve to death before the Demon King's army even arrived.
And with rewards boosted by fifty percent, this was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Worth mentioning was that shortly after Megumin joined the team, they welcomed yet another new member.
Her name was Darkness—a blonde beauty who radiated noble elegance from head to toe.Her class was the advanced job Crusader.
And unlike Megumin, she didn't join because she was starving.
She had explicitly stated that she joined because of Ren Kuroda.
"There's a rumor going around Axel," she said seriously."It speaks of an adventurer recently arrived—one infamous for his cruelty—who forcibly keeps beautiful girls at his side…and subjects them to inhumane torment every night…"
As a knight of justice, Darkness claimed she couldn't ignore such rumors.
Her purpose in joining the party was to persuade Ren to release those girls and instead direct his pent-up, uncontrollable beastly desires entirely toward her.
In short—
Darkness, despite her icy goddess-like appearance, was actually a hardcore masochistic pervert.
At this point, Ren no longer had the energy to complain about personalities.Anyone remotely normal wouldn't have joined this party in the first place.
And while Darkness had dumped all her skill points into defense—making her almost incapable of landing attacks—she was still far more reliable than Akua and Megumin in certain ways.
Combined with her masochistic tendencies, she actively enjoyed charging forward to absorb all incoming damage.
Her defense was so absurdly high that she could withstand even Explosion Magic-level impacts, which had recently made the party's hunts extremely profitable.
Sure, the things she said while tanking monster attacks were… difficult to listen to.
But once you accepted that she was a pervert, it somehow became tolerable.
Meanwhile, Yuto hadn't left Axel at all during these days.
Instead, he took up work as a clerk at Wiz's Magic Item Shop, where he began selling the shop's notoriously questionable items in bundled sets.
With the Demon King's army seemingly about to attack, magic items and equipment had suddenly become hot commodities in Axel.
Most adventurers valued their lives more than Eris. Strengthening themselves before the invasion—even slightly—increased their chances of survival.
Yuto naturally wasn't going to miss an opportunity like this.In fact, he'd already prepared for it the day before.
"Black and white net, twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns, footsteps, distant thunder, sharp peak, turning back, night crouched in the cloud sea—fill the garden and pierce the heavens!Bakudō No. 77 — Tenteikūra!"
A spiderweb-like network of glowing lines spread from Wiz's shop into the sky above Axel. Moments later, Yuto's voice echoed throughout the entire town.
"This is Wiz's Magic Item Shop.As a member of Axel, and with the town now facing possible attack from the Demon King's army, our shop has decided to contribute what we can.
"For a limited time, all adventurers who purchase magic items from our shop will receive a ten percent discount.
"I know many of you have heard rumors about the side effects of our items.But those issues have already been resolved.
"I swear on the name of Tenjoin Yuto, Axel's strongest adventurer—you will find our products more than worth the price!"
Yuto might not have run a business before, but he was from modern society.
Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd at least seen pigs run.
Citywide advertising, discounts, and a celebrity endorsement—he refused to believe this wouldn't work.
And once people stepped inside the shop, he was confident he could sell even Wiz's most cursed items.
"Seriously? I rushed here because I heard the side-effect problems were fixed, but nothing's changed at all!Using these won't save us from the Demon King's army—we'd probably die faster!"
Thanks to the effects of Tenteikūra, Wiz's shop was quickly packed with adventurers.
To be fair, if you ignored their side effects, Wiz's magic items were genuinely powerful—on par with high-level magic.
But when adventurers realized the items were exactly the same as before, disappointment quickly followed, and accusations of fraud began flying.
"Our shop's items do have flaws," Yuto admitted calmly."But just as I said, those flaws have been solved."
"For example—this magic item creates a swamp that swallows enemies whole.The drawback is that it affects the user as well."
"But there is a solution."
"Buy this magic scroll as well. It grants short-term levitation.You can't fly freely, and the duration is brief—so yes, it's another item with heavy side effects."
"But think about it.If you use both items together?"
"The swamp won't affect you while you're airborne, and you even gain the high ground."
Yuto's sales pitch was surprisingly effective.
The adventurers around him gradually began nodding in realization.
Seeing their interest spark, Yuto immediately pressed the advantage and pulled out another infamous unsold product.
"This item induces paralysis in enemies.You all know how devastating paralysis is in battle."
"Unfortunately, it also paralyzes the user—just like the swamp item."
"But that drawback has been solved too."
"In fact, if used correctly, it can completely turn the tide of battle."
"Now look at this—Petrification Recovery Potion.It rapidly heals most physical injuries."
"The side effect? Temporary petrification."
"Being attacked while petrified would obviously be fatal."
"But what if you used this potion together with the paralysis item?"
"You'd both be immobilized—but petrified bodies aren't affected by paralysis."
"Your defense increases, your injuries recover, and when the paralysis wears off—you're fully healed, and your enemy is still stuck exactly where they were."
Who could possibly fight back in that situation?
Everyone present was an adventurer. It didn't take much thought to understand how powerful these combinations were.
At the same time, they couldn't help but admire Yuto's creativity.
These defective items had sat unsold in Wiz's shop for ages—and weren't even expensive.
So why had no one thought of this before?
"And one more piece of good news!" Yuto announced cheerfully."Anyone who purchases a bundled item set will receive an additional discount—twenty percent off on top of the original ten percent!"
There was no question about it.
Under Yuto's relentless promotion, Wiz's Magic Item Shop exploded in popularity.
Not only did all previously unsellable items vanish from the shelves in record time—demand soon exceeded supply.
His bundling strategy didn't just neutralize the side effects of the items—it made Wiz absurdly rich.
As for discounts?
Anyone who understood business would realize that "bundle deals" actually cost more overall.
Which meant Yuto and Wiz earned even more.
For the past few days, Wiz felt like she was living in a dream.
She never imagined there would come a day when she'd be so busy counting money that she nearly collapsed from exhaustion.