Chapter-05 · EP-073
Episode 73: Price of Potions
Phew… Class A has such a heavy atmosphere.
I finished my business there and wiped away cold sweat.
I acted cool, but inside I was totally terrified.
Still, a Rank 3 potion really was rare. I didn't expect those other guys to be so frustrated.
Thinking that, I took the other Rank 3 potion out of my pocket and looked at it.
Yesterday, during skill verification, I'd made an incredible discovery.
If you cast Healing Magic on a potion immediately after it dropped, its rank increased.
When I cast Heal on a Rank 1 potion dropped by a slime, it became Rank 3. So it seemed the original rank of the potion plus the Healing Magic level equals the rank after upgrading.
With this method, obtaining Rank 3 potions was easy for me.
Using Skill Camouflage to reset the usage count, I could lure slimes with Water Magic, hunt them down, and eventually a potion would drop. Then I just needed to cast Heal on it at the right time.
Right after discovering this yesterday, I continued verifying to confirm my guess. As a result, when I cast Heal on another potion that dropped, it similarly became a Rank 3 potion.
What would happen if I told someone about this? It would surely cause a huge uproar. So this was top secret. I'd secretly make lots of high-rank potions, sell them quietly, and make a fortune.
For now, I gave one to the young lady. Should I sell this other one? Since I could now use Healing Magic myself, I didn't need potions even if I got injured. But wait, the fact that I could use Healing Magic was also a secret, so I couldn't use it in front of others. That meant I should keep a potion on hand in case I got injured in public.
So I decided to keep the remaining Rank 3 potion without selling it.
Anyway, a lot happened last weekend too. I was leveling up steadily, finding new strategies one after another. Dungeon exploration was fun.
I headed back to the classroom in a good mood.
The next day during lunch break, for some reason, Hikaru Kujo and Mei Kisaragi were sitting across from me at my usual spot where I always ate alone.
"Um…"
They asked, "Is this seat taken?" but sat down without waiting for my reply. I couldn't hide my confusion about why they had come.
Hikaru started talking, in a tone that made it unclear whether she was addressing me or just talking to Mei.
"This is my first time using the first-floor cafeteria. The ticket system is quite interesting, isn't it? It saves the trouble of ordering, and I was surprised that the food comes out much faster than on the second floor."
"Uh…"
"Surely commoners are impatient, so they must have devised this system."
"That might be true. Also, the prices are surprisingly low. I was worried whether such a small amount of money could really buy a full meal."
"The food quality is completely different, and probably this self-service system keeps labor costs down."
"It's a bit different from a buffet style, isn't it?"
The two continued their conversation about the commoner cafeteria.
"Uh…"
"What is it?"
Hikaru finally acknowledged my words.
"Why are you here? This is the commoner cafeteria."
"Oh? Is there a rule that we're not allowed to use the first floor?"
"No, probably not…"
"Well then, isn't it fine? It's a learning experience."
Using the commoner cafeteria as a learning experience… Well, that was fine. What bothered me more was:
"Why are you sitting at my table? There are plenty of empty seats."
Yes, all the other students ate inside the cafeteria. I was always the only one eating on the outdoor terrace. No one else ever sat at the other terrace tables.
Hikaru answered my question straightforwardly.
"Because we have business with you."
"I see, that makes sense."
Even so, she didn't have to come during mealtime. Eating together made it look like we were close friends.
"Thank you for yesterday."
"Ah, yeah. You're welcome."
She must mean the potion I gave her. Frankly, for me now, a Rank 3 potion was something I could get anytime. It wasn't worth that much gratitude.
"Also, I haven't paid you yet, so I came to settle that."
"Ah, right."
I'd completely forgotten. Well, yesterday wasn't the kind of atmosphere to discuss money. Besides, a Rank 3 potion was cheap enough that I could have given it away for free.
Hikaru took out her smartphone.
"Is DE-Pay alright?"
DE-Pay was a form of electronic money commonly used by dungeon explorers. All Tokyo Dungeon Academy students used it for buying and selling gems.
I also took out my smartphone and exchanged QR codes with Hikaru.
"The promise was double the market price, wasn't it?"
Come to think of it, that might have been the deal, but…
"No, that was for a Rank 4. This is Rank 3, so the regular price is fine."
"I can't do that."
Saying that, Hikaru processed the transfer. A mechanical voice from the smartphone said, "DE-Pay!"
I checked the received amount on my phone.
"Boo!!!!"
"Ew! That's vulgar!"
"B-but this… Young lady, aren't you mistaken about the amount?"
The display read: 'Amount received: 2,000,000 yen.'
Hikaru peered at my phone screen and answered.
"No mistake. 2 million yen. Double the current market price."
"…Does a Rank 3 normally cost 1 million yen?"
"You didn't know that either?"