Daisuke felt a bead of sweat f on his brow, but he cluded that telling a lie might create a worse first impression than admitting to harb a pet. Almost as if on cue, Zephyr’s tiny head popped out, looking endearingly i.

  “This is… my friend, Zephyr.”

  “Oiyah?” the woman examihe pup that was obviously a manner of beast Daisuke hadn’t seemed to have properly identified. “A friend you say…”

  “Mr. Starfrost,” the clerk interjected. “Are you, by any ce, from a small remote vilge?”

  “Umm, yeah… but how did you know?”

  “Well, you’re not currently doted in the ?Global sus Register?. It’s not unon for people living in rural areas to have this problem. Unfortunately, you will o pay a pulsory service fee for that process before I issue you your card.”

  Daisuke and his three copper pieces paled at this untimely news. “And how much is the service charge?”

  “…One silver,” the woman said regrettably.

  Damn, just my luck. “I-Is it possible te a payment pn?”

  “Pff!” someone who was discreetly eavesdropping on the versation struggled to hold in a ugh. “A payment pn for just one silver?”

  “Ha-ha! Just what kind of mert are you?”

  “Bahahaha!”

  Laughter erupted throughout the entire lobby.

  The clerk shrunk back, her smile awkward.

  Daisuke’s shoulders hunched, his body trembling with embarrassment. But despite the btant mockery, he held the woman’s gaze firmly, refusing to back down. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, but I really his—please…”

  “…I’m sorry, but we don’t offer any services o.”

  “I-I have a product I sell; you take the difference from the sale.”

  “I’m sorry, but without your ID, the guild ot engage in any form of busiransas with you.”

  The merts were still ughing, but Daisuke persisted. This was an important juncture in his life; if not now, then when would he make any kind ress?

  “ you at least tell me what this is?” he asked, pulling out a shimmering blue shard from his pocket.

  “We only provide appraisal services to our members—”

  “That’s enough,” the old woman said in a calm uone, yet the clerk and all the merts fell quiet. “I will personally allow and oversee the payment pn.”

  “Pff!”

  The elder shot the man a peing gaze, and he immediately fell silent, swallowing the ugh. All the other merts looked away nervously.

  “G-Guildmaster?!”

  Daisuke’s eyes wide the clerk’s excmation. “Guildmaster? Then she’s…”

  Fingers ced behind her back, the tiny eeked out from a single eye, gng from the silver-haired boy to his e panion. “Now then, I expect you to keep your word and follow through with the agreement.”

  “O-Of course!” Daisuke responded with a y-degree bow. “Thank you so much!”

  More than half of the merts could be heard clig their tongues, and a few even dared to scowl.

  The woman turned on her heels to leave. I could have simply paid the silver myself, but I’m curious what those two will look like the ime I see them. “Now then, go ahead and take care of the rest, Jean.”

  “Yes, of course,” the girl said with a polite bow before turning back to her er. “Here is your ID,” she offered the metallic card that was roughly the same size as a real-world credit card. “This will also act as your passport and will make it that much easier to access other towns and cities.”

  Daisuke accepted the card with both hands.

  “As for the payment pn, the first will be due at the end of the month with a twenty-five pert i rate. If you’re incapable of paying everything upfront, then monthly installments be iated.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re wele,” Jeaurned with a smile, then she gestured at the shard still sitting on the ter. “You wanted information on this shard, correct?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Sorry if I came off as a bit rude earlier…”

  “No, it’s fine,” Daisuke waved dismissively. “Your supervisor was watg; it would have been stranger if you didn’t go by the book while she resent.”

  The woman smiled coyly. “T-Thank you for uanding.”

  ***

  “Hey, brother,” called a man in a friendly tohe moment Daisuke stepped outside the guild. “Did I hear you say you were pnning oing up shop in town?”

  Daisuke gnced around, firming that he was ihe one being addressed. “Um, yes?” he respoentatively.

  “In that case, it would probably be in your best io sider our services.”

  Daisuke’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. He didn’t care before, but now he was carefully scrutinizing the zy-eyed man, looking fns of treachery. “And what kind of services might that be?”

  “…Prote.”

  Daisuke’s frown deepened. “…You meaortion.”

  A broad, almost intimidating smile spread across the man’s lips. “Wonderelle is undoubtedly a beautiful and flourishing town,” he decred, his tone businesslike, “but with prosperity es a certain unsavory element—thieves and gangs that the soldiers don’t always have the numbers or resources to apprehend.

  However, anization possesses a u of skills perfectly tailored for dealing with such troublemakers. By iing in hly affordable services, you ehe seamless operation of your business without any interference.”

  “Thanks,” Daisuke said, his tone sour, “but I’m pretty sure I ’t afford it.”

  “Well, that’s a shame,” the man uttered in a monotone, his eyes unreadable as he watched the boy leave.

  ***

  “Rawrwu~”

  “Daisuke gently patted Zephyr’s head, a grateful smile spreading across his face. “You’ve been amazing leading us back here without any unwanted monster enters. Who needs a repel potion when we’ve got your awesome nose?”

  “Kiyuu-Kiyuu~”

  Daisuke’s expression hardened as he walked up to the shrubs that cealed the preerdise. Acc to Jean from the Merts’ Guild, we’ve stumbled upon what’s known as a ?Crystal Field?. Apparently, this phenomenon could sometimes be found inside or by the entrances of normal or ?Hidden Dungeons? and was one of the primary indicators people used when trying to spot the cave from a distance.

  The crystals themselves are called ?Mana Crystals?, and could only be acquired from Crystal Fields or monsters inside of dungeons. It was strahat monsters on the surface weren’t embedded with them.

  Climbing a nearby tree, Daisuke found a thick branch that was almost twice the girth of his forearm. Using a sharpened rock, he painstakingly hacked away at the oer-tall limb until it fell, just narrowly missing Zephyr on the ground.

  “Rawr!”

  Daisuke ughed at his harmless growl. “My bad, I didn’t see you there.”

  Removing the leaves and tapering one end of the wood, Daisuke used it as a crude pickaxe of sorts to dig around the edges of the Mana Crystal. Then he drove the makeshift tool underh it and began pushing down with all his might. Zephyr was almost as light as a feather, but he helped too.

  Owo. Three. Push.

  PLOP!

  The cluster of crystals soared into a high arch before falling to the ground, prompting triumphant gnces between Daisuke and Zephyr.

  “This is all thanks to you, buddy,” Daisuke roughly caressed the pup’s head. “I’d be beef jerky for some lucky monster right now if you didn’t help me.”

  “Kyuu~”

  With aatic smile, Daisuke walked over to the football-sized k of crystal and took it into both hands. “So, this is a Mana Crystal,” he said, trying to assume the weight. “It feels light sidering all the trouble I went through prying it loose from the ground.”

  cealing the crystal with the hide of the Horned Rabbit, Daisuke started on his way back to town. Acc to Jean, the base cost for Mana Crystals is around y silver per ounce. I’ve only had one opportunity to spend money in the game, so I ’t be sure how reasohat sounds.

  Anyway, I o keep my standard of living at the bare minimum and i all the money into starting up my business. After selling the Mana Crystals, I o study the market and decide what’s the best product to supply.

  “Hey, Big Brother!” a little girl with ruby red eyes and pink, short-cropped hair called exuberantly from a distance, her arms dangling behind her back like Sonic the Hedgehog as she ran up to him. “My mom said I’m supposed to give this to you.”

  “Your mom?” Daisuke’s eyes widened in surprise as the girl extended a meat aable kebab toward him. Following her gesture, he gnced up to see a lovely woman waving from behind her food stand in the distance.

  Daisuke smiled warmly.

  “She said you looked poor and hungry.”

  “Argh!” an arrow beled ‘shame’ struck his heart.

  “Before you sider being a thief, I just want you to know there is great reward in ho bor.”

  “Heok!” this time it was an arrow of ‘guilt’ in the brain.

  “You’re… painfully ho, aren’t you?”

  The girl beamed.

  With a crooked smile, Daisuke tucked his cargo underh his arm and accepted the gift. He didn’t notice the fleeting moment the little girl’s expression ged as she stole a glimpse at the Mana Crystal hidden within the hide.

  At the smell of food, Zephyr’s head popped out of Daisuke’s clothes like a gopher emerging from its den.

  “Uwaaa~” the little girl’s eyes glittered like nterns. “He’s so adorable! Is he yours?”

  Daisuke nodded awkwardly.

  “ I pet him?”

  “Sure.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “It’s Zephyr.”

  She giggled softly. “That’s a great name.”

  As soon as she caressed the e’s head, her mother started calling and she twirled around pyfully.

  “Bye, Big Brother,” she said over her shoulder. “Bye Zephyr! Let’s py together ime, kay.”

  Daisuke waved his kebab in the dire of the mother to show his appreciation, and then he was off.

  Fear of monsters & the unknown: 3.4%