01-20 · 019
Arc 4
Chapter 18: Browsing the Marketplace
“So, in short, you're my subordinate. Looking forward to working with you, Rin.”
“Ugh… demon, devil…”
Having signed the 10 billion yen penalty slave contract… correction, the exclusive management agreement, Rin was slumped on the VIP lounge sofa, completely drained of spirit.
Now my back was fully secured. In addition to Seira-san, the ‘strongest shield,’ I had Rin as my sales manager.
“Well then, getting right to it—”
“W-What!? Are you going to work me to death right away!?”
“No, you can go home for today. You're on standby for a while.”
“…Huh?”
Rin tilted her head, still teary-eyed, looking confused.
“Because, come to think of it, I don't have any items to sell right now. I gave the Aegis Shield to Seira-san, and the Star Spirit Choker is also meant as a gift for her.”
“Z-Zero inventory!? Then I won't have any income after all!”
“Exactly. So until I source new items and finish restoring them, you're on break. Go ahead and compile a list of wealthy overseas clients in the meantime.”
Leaving those words, I left the stunned Rin behind at the lounge and briskly got into a taxi.
◇
Back at my room on the 35th floor of the Shinjuku tower apartment.
The first thing I did upon returning was head to the balcony.
There, soaking since last night in mineral water infused with magical power and being purified under the sun, was the item.
The Legendary Level artifact I'd found in the deep layer's garbage dump—the ‘Star Spirit Choker.’
I lifted it from the water and gently wiped it with a soft cloth. The grime and mud covering its surface vanished as if by magic, and the silver-white setting and the sapphire-blue gem, which looked like a captured starry sky, began to shine brilliantly.
《Purification Complete: The Star Spirit Choker has regained its original power.》 《True Value: Constantly and automatically recovers the wearer's physical and mental fatigue.》
“Alright, perfect.”
I carefully placed the choker into a ‘velvet jewelry box (30,000 yen)’ I'd ordered from a high-end online store for this very day.
From that day when I'd wrapped the 1.5 billion yen Excalibur in 100-yen store bubble wrap and handed it to an S-Rank, I'd grown at least a little.
“Well, now I really have no items on hand…”
I dove into the plush sofa and opened my laptop. The quickest way to source items was to go back to the dungeon's garbage dump. But I was an F-Rank with no combat ability. Going in alone carried too high a risk of being attacked by monsters or unscrupulous explorers.
“A way to source treasures safely and reliably…”
Then I recalled what had happened at the lounge earlier. I'd appraised the electronic data (PDF) of the contract through the tablet screen and seen through the hidden traps.
“Wait. If I can use ‘True Appraisal’ through a screen…”
I shot up from the sofa and accessed the explorers-only online auction site, ‘D-Market.’ I typed keywords into the search bar.
[Search: Junk / Details Unknown / Issues / Curse] [Sort by: Price Low to High]
When I hit Enter, a mountain of ‘trash’ listed by explorers from all over the country filled the screen. Cracked staves, rusted rings, pitch-black lumps of mystery. Items that couldn't be identified by the guild's appraisal machines or were deemed irreparable and sold for next to nothing.
“No way…”
I gulped and focused on my right eye. Staring intently at the monitor's glow—
—Thrum.
My vision shifted, and mechanical system windows began to pop up one after another over the PC browser screen.
[Just a pebble (it's really just a pebble)] [Broken Goblin Sword (cannot be repaired)] [Slime Mucus (rotting in progress)]
“…! I can see it! I can appraise items even through photos, even auction listings!”
I cried out in joy. With this, I didn't need to make dangerous trips to the dungeon. From the safety of my air-conditioned tower apartment, I could use my ‘Divine Eyes’ to comb through mountains of trash collected by explorers nationwide! Moreover, a massive amount of money sat nearly untouched in my bank account.
“I'll use my financial power to buy up all the junk across the country!”
I began scrolling with the mouse wheel furiously. After scrolling through thousands of listings, about two hours passed—
“…Hm?”
One listing caught my eye.
[Item Name: Pitch-black stone? (Heavy) Sold as-is, no claims.] [Buy It Now Price: 10,000 yen]
The photo was slightly blurry, showing only a black lump covered in mud and soot. But my ‘True Appraisal’ clearly revealed the truth sleeping within.
====================
[Name] Ring of Subspace
[Rank] Mythic Level
[Condition] Hardened by severe magical sludge, disguised
[True Value] A storage space with infinite capacity and time-stop function. Accessible only by the wearer.
[Repair Conditions] Bubble cleaning in lukewarm water mixed with baking soda and citric acid.
[Estimated Market Price] Unmeasurable (*At least 2 billion yen—)
====================
“…!! An item box!?”
I stood up from the PC.
For explorers, carrying luggage was an eternal problem. Even high-capacity magic bags sold for tens of millions. But infinite capacity with a time-stop function, a Mythic Level item? With this, future ‘sourcing’ and ‘shipping’ would be dramatically easier. It was a cheat item I absolutely had to obtain.
“Alright, I'll use Buy It Now before anyone else notices!”
I clicked the purchase button without hesitation and completed the payment with my credit card.
But who in the world would sell such an incredible treasure for a mere 10,000 yen? I checked the seller's name.
[Seller ID: Brave_Leader]
“…Hm?”
Brave_Leader…
A familiar string of text. I couldn't help but smile wryly.
“…Goda. You really are something.”
I pressed my hands together in a prayer-like gesture toward the screen, offering a silent thanks to my former leader who had let go of an ultra-rare item for just 10,000 yen.