>> Soul Ledger Token acquired.

  The roaring of the enemy bikes grew louder, and Pete began to see that his first guess had been wrong. They weren’t bikes at all, but Mad Max style open-top buggies with altogether too much metal piping and smoke pouring from their backs. He could make out one of the huge figures sitting in front of the closest vehicle and it looked like the kind of roid-infused goblin that ate other goblins for breakfast.

  “Any ideas, Nero?”

  [Nero] Ordinarily, I would not suggest this, but considering the current circumstances and your injury, plus your relative inexperience, lack of a soulbound weapon, or any weapon for that matter, generally unimpressive stature when compared to the hobgoblin foes you are about to face and—”

  “NERO! For fuck’s sake, just tell me!”

  [Nero] Yes, my apologies. Given the circumstances you might want to look at purchasing a class on credit. You will, of course, incur a significant debt and your options will be extremely limited given your current lack of funds, but it seems to be your only option.

  “Fine. Let’s do it. Show me my class options.”

  

  >> Soul Ledger Token used. Novice classes include:

  +| Blue Chip Brawler [Warrior Archetype]: 5000 Belch Bucks

  +| Market Manipulator [Mage Archetype]: 7000 Belch Bucks

  +| Black Market Broker [Rogue Archetype]: 7500 Belch Bucks

  +| Venture Capitalist [Summoner Archetype]: 8000 Belch Bucks

  

  >> Current available funds 51 Belch Bucks [-150 Novice Bundle debt] equates to -99 Belch Bucks. Given your current limited funds you will be restricted to classes that can be purchased on credit.

  Available classes include:

  +| Penny Pincher [Unknown Archtype]: 500 Belch Bucks.

  “What the hell? There’s only one option?” Pete asked, noting that the hobgoblins were drawing nearer and weren’t being quiet about it at all.

  Several cars parked on the side of the road had been shoved aside by their outrageous vehicles and he could hear the angry growl of their voices as they spat unintelligible phrases, banging weapons against the side of their cars to produce a loud clattering.

  [Nero] I’m afraid only one option is available. I’ve not seen this class before. It must be a unique class which has recently entered the market. From time-to-time individuals who acquire unique items, classes, and weapons are able to pass these onto the open market in exchange for renewed life.

  “And I can buy it, even though I don’t have any money?”

  [Nero] Yes indeed. You will incur the usual 50% charge for the transaction however, so the actual cost will be 750 Belch Bucks, in addition to the money you already owe for the Novice Bundle.

  Coop stood up on his shoulders, peering down the street like a meercat, a frown on her face. “Hurry up, Pete. They’re almost here and I don’t fancy standing in the middle of the road when they arrive.”

  Pete started moving back towards his apartment. “Okay, and what abilities will it give me if I choose this class?”

  [Nero] I cannot say, Pete. This is a unique class which means it could be incredibly valuable, but it could also be problematic. Unique items and classes are, as the term suggests, one of a kind, so they don’t have to conform to the usual qualities of items or skills acquired elsewhere in the contest. Unfortunately, because this is a unique item, only its creator can say what abilities, strengths, and weaknesses it presents.

  “Damn it!” Pete barked, realizing that his apartment wasn’t going to provide any safety seeing as there was a green forcefield preventing him from getting inside.

  It was the same with every house and apartment building up and down the street and, aside from a few parked cars here and there, he couldn’t see anywhere to hide from what was coming.

  “Just pick the damned class, Pete!” Coop ordered.

  “Can I choose another class later on?”

  [Nero] Not without paying an exchange fee and they can be quite exorbitant. It can be done, however.

  Pete shook his head, watching as three oversized vehicles roared into view, their weapon-toting inhabitants now clearly visible. Each car had a bulky, green-skinned figure in the driver’s seat, all wearing driving goggles with a variety of golden earrings and studs on their faces. At the back of each vehicle stood a thick-limbed specimen holding a weapon in the air—either an axe or club, or something in between, glinting with sharp metal and promising a brutal death to anyone stupid enough to get in its way.

  The hobgoblins in the rear were shouting and thrusting their weapons in the air while the roar of the engines continued and smoke belched from the many exhaust pipes jutting from the rear and pointing directly upward so that much of the smoke blew into the faces of the car’s passengers.

  “Pick the damned class, Pete!” Coop bellowed.

  “Shit! Alright, I’ll take it!”

  

  >> Would you like to select the Penny Pincher class? Yes/No

  Pete selected the affirmative answer and felt his right hand vibrate as the invisible gauntlet shifted momentarily into the visible spectrum, glowing with vibrant golden light. Time slowed to a crawl and the world surrounding Pete was leached of color.

  It was similar to when Nero took him and Coop into a kind of stasis zone to offer the Newbie Bundle, but instead of stopping altogether, time had simply slowed dramatically. Coop also seemed to be similarly slowed.

  “You here with me, Nero?”

  

  >> I am indeed, Pete. I must confess, I am just as keen to learn the scope of this unique class as I’m sure you are.

  Details began showing up in front of Pete and he read the information quickly, instinctively understanding what was meant as though the words were not only appearing in front of his eyes but somehow the knowledge was simultaneously being imparted into his mind.

  

  >> PENNY PINCHER CLASS DETAILS:

  A master of economic survival, the Penny Pincher thrives on scarcity. Your power doesn't come from the gear you find, but from the resources you deny yourself.

  KEY CHARACTERISTICS:

  +| SELF-INFLICTED TAX [Passive Class Debuff]: Every Belch Buck, every potion, every rare drop is taxed at a crippling rate. The moment it enters your inventory, its value is automatically reduced by 90%. That shiny new armor set you just found? It’s now worth less than the iron ore used to make it. This forces Penny Pinchers to master the art of survival with the most basic and discarded gear, often relying on their wits rather than their equipment.

  “Damn it!” Pete shouted.

  

  >> Oh dear, that is most unfortunate. For a contest such as this, the ability to rapidly amass wealth is a significant advantage. Conversely, with such a tax imposed upon you, this class seems to put you at quite a disadvantage.

  “Of course it does,” Pete complained. “This is just how shit goes with me. Every time I think I get a break, the universe turns around and shits all over me. I go for a promotion and the sleazy ass temp who arrived two months ago snatches it up. I finally get together enough money for a decent computer and a power surge screws it a day after it’s out of warranty.”

  

  >> I’d suggest reading on, Pete. We have limited time and perhaps there are other facets to this class which will be more beneficial?

  “Sure as shit hope so, because that first one is a real kick in the balls!”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  

  +| THRIFT [Class Core Mechanic]: The 90% of value that is "taxed" from your items doesn't just disappear. It's siphoned into a hidden resource called Hoarded Value. This resource builds slowly over time, accumulating the economic potential of every single item you've ever possessed and every penny you’ve earned. Once the Penny Pincher is able to unleash this store of power, they can utilize god-tier abilities.

  NOTE: Thrift based abilities cannot be used immediately and must be used in conjunction with higher level skills and abilities.

  “Now that’s more like it. Thrift? Sounds like that one could be a winner, but I’m gonna have to survive long enough to use the damned thing. Still, good that I don’t lose all of that cash.”

  

  >> Indeed, you are simply forced to save the greater part of the value of everything you obtain and store it away for later use. As you say, this could be quite a beneficial mechanic at higher levels. I begin to see now what makes this class unique.

  Pete kept reading, keenly aware that time was still moving and the hobgoblin brutes were edging ever closer. He needed to find something he could use to defend himself. Better yet, something he could employ to kill the brutes, seeing as how he was going to have to kill every enemy in sight just to pay back his considerable debts.

  

  >> BASE ATTACK ABILITY

  +| COIN TOSS: The cheapest insult with the nastiest bite. Coin Toss allows the Penny Pincher to flick a worthless copper coin at an enemy with a snap of the fingers. On its own, the damage is pitiful—barely a scratch, more an affront than a threat. But the magic laced within the coin carries a cruel twist: Inflation.

  > Casting Time: Instant. A flick of the wrist, nothing more.

  > Mammon Cost: Negligible. Practically free.

  > Damage: Minor physical damage. Enough to sting, but rarely to kill.

  > Secondary Effect — Inflation: For 10 seconds, the target suffers an economic crisis of their own. All spells and abilities cost 20% more Mammon to cast. Every move becomes overpriced, every action a painful extravagance.

  “A coin toss?” Pete mused. “Good for a distraction I guess, but how the hell am I gonna kill anything with that?”

  

  >> You may need to rely on other methods to kill the enemy, but this ability certainly seems useful. The debuff alone is worth the cost.

  “And by ‘cost’ I presume you mean that I need to throw a real coin to use this ability. Seeing as everything in this game requires money.”

  

  >> In this instance, yes. In other cases, however, you may need to use mammon to cast a specific spell or to use a special ability.

  “Mammon? So, like mana. I have a limited amount of it that I can use but it will replenish over time?”

  

  >> Exactly. Though, in this contest you will need to recharge your mammon with Belch Bucks.

  “Of course,” Pete said flatly. “What kind of game System would allow players to just use mana without charging for it?” His voice was thick with sarcasm, but the AI didn’t seem to notice.

  

  >> Mammon costs very little, however. A paltry sum really. A single Belch Buck is typically sufficient to charge your mammon reserves for an hour or so and, given that you are only at a novice level, you will have quite a small mammon reservoir, so a solitary Belch Buck will most likely last for a day or so.

  Pete grunted at that. It still irked that everything in this competition relied on money, particularly seeing as this class put him so squarely on the back foot when it came to gathering cash quickly.

  While he was considering this, a grayed-out bar appeared at the base of his HUD and he understood instinctively that this was his mammon bar. There was a little up arrow symbol at the far end of the bar with a golden coin and the letters ‘bb’ written on it, symbolizing the need to periodically recharge the bar.

  “So, I don’t need to use this at the moment? None of my abilities use mammon, right?”

  [Nero] Correct. The abilities you have acquired as part of your Penny Pincher class will not require the use of mammon as these are core class abilities. Later on, you may develop new abilities which will require mammon. At that stage, the mammon bar will be activated, and you will be able to use it as a resource.

  “Got it. Okay, what’s next?”

  

  >> BASE DEFENSE ABILITY

  +| PAUPER’S WARD: A desperate man’s shield, flimsy but cheap. Pauper’s Ward is a low-tier defensive incantation that throws up a brittle barrier, just sturdy enough to block one solid strike before shattering. While ineffective against repeated enemy strikes, this spell’s no-mammon cost and short cooldown may make it an effective defensive measure if used efficiently.

  > Damage Mitigation: 100% for a single strike.

  > Durability: Negligible. Will almost always collapse after a single direct hit.

  > Cooldown: 10 seconds after breaking.

  “Okay,” Pete said. “So, a shield that breaks every time you use it, but which takes 100% of the damage no matter how hard the hit is. That’s not nothing.”

  

  >> Agreed. Used wisely, it could provide quite an advantage in any fight.

  The more he considered the shield the more Pete suspected that there had to be a catch. 100% of the damage? That made no sense at all. Even though it would break immediately, the shield didn’t seem to stipulate that it would only mitigate damage if a particularly overpowered enemy hit him.

  “Okay, so if I’m reading this right, I could come up against an enemy who is a much higher level than me, with a god-tier weapon and this shield will still deflect 100% of the damage? That seems completely overpowered to me.”

  [Nero] I concur. Nonetheless, your reading of the spell’s abilities seems sound. It will indeed stop 100% of the damage. Again, this Penny Pincher class contains some unique abilities which are profoundly advanced, particularly given your current status within the contest.

  Pete turned to the side, noting that the hobgoblins were edging ever closer. He imagined what it would be like to use his newly acquired shield against one of those huge axes. Even with the Pauper’s Ward stopping a single strike he would have to find some kind of weapon to defend against further strikes.

  The limited damage done by his Coin Toss ability would also mean he would likely need to use a club or a knife to finish the job. But the skillet he'd used to good effect against the small goblins was inside his apartment and he couldn't see anything lying around that would be useful as a weapon. That left one likely option. He'd need to steal one of the axes from the hobgoblins and use it against them.

  He turned back and read the details of his final spell already thinking through how he could utilize both shield and Coin Toss abilities in a fight.

  

  >> BASE UTILITY ABILITY

  +| PAWN SHOP PORTAL: Why sell to the greedy when you can trade with the desperate? Pawn Shop Portal lets the Penny Pincher rip open a shimmering rift to a pocket-dimension pawn shop. The shop’s shelves are stacked with oddities and knock-offs—cheap, disposable trinkets that often prove far more useful than they appear.

  >> Function: Opens a temporary trade portal to a hidden pawn shop.

  >> Selling Bonus: All “junk” items offloaded here fetch a slightly better price than at standard vendors, making this the only consistent way for a Penny Pincher to turn trash into treasure.

  >> Inventory: Rotating stock of peculiar, one-use items.

  >> Duration: Portal remains open for as long as the Penny Pincher is inside and will close once the contestant leaves.

  >> Cooldown: 12 hours.

  “How the hell will this work then?” Pete asked. “I mean, as soon as I pick up an item it's going to drop 90% of its value, right? So if I sell that same item through this Pawn Shop Portal will I get more than 10% of its value?”

  [Nero] The logic of the spell seems to suggest that items of lesser value will generate more income when exchanged by means of this ability. Lower value items will still incur the 90% tax but because they are so low in value already the impact will be less notable than with higher valued items. For instance, if you pick up a knife which is valued at 2 Belch Bucks, your class tax function will likely only reduce the item by 50% dropping it to 1 Belch Buck. In this sense, you will have saved 40% of the value you would otherwise have lost. Even if you only get a single Belch Buck when you exchange the item via your Pawn Shop ability, you will have still gained significantly more than if you repeated this exercise with an item valued at 10 Belch Bucks.

  “Right, so I basically need to gather as much trash as possible and sell it off to try and recoup some of the value I'm losing every time I pick up a decent item.”

  [Nero] It seems as though that would be a wise strategy given the nature of this class. I should advise however that you have picked up unique class and, while I can access some of the details of that class, many of the mechanics will not be known to me until we discover them together.

  “You’ve never seen this class before?”

  [Nero] I have not. If it had been used before, even though it is unique, there would be a record in the Mammon Codex, and I would be able to understand every component of the class. In this case though, I can only advise as to what is most likely given my extensive experience.

  Pete nodded, wondering why a class like this would just be sitting there, ready to be taken for such a comparatively low cost. It was suspiciously convenient. Then again, the class slapped you with a 90% loss with every item you picked up, so maybe this was just intended as some kind of cruel joke? A joke that he’d blundered right into.

  “What kind of items are we talking about here? The kinds of things I can sell as junk, I mean. Is it just things that are part of the contest, like weapons I lift from enemies, or can I grab anything that I find and trade it in for Belch Bucks?

  [Nero] This entire world is now part of the contest, Pete. Anything you find here can be exchanged for belch bucks provided it is an item you can pick up and hold with your own hands. The bigger issue with this approach will be the limits of your inventory.

  Your current inventory allows you to hold up to 100 items at any one time. Given this you would do well to utilize this new Pawn Shop ability frequently so as to free up space within your inventory and allow you to gather more low-cost items.

  Pete was beginning to understand how the mechanics of this new class might work to his favor. It would potentially involve a lot of grinding, a lot of gathering and selling trash items, but if he was able to do enough of this he might be able to offset the huge amount of value lost whenever he picked up a new item. It was a backward way of thinking, prioritizing low-cost items instead of trying to find rare and valuable objects.

  It reminded Pete of the games he'd played with Ollie during their high school years. Magic the gathering had been their favored game of choice and they'd spent every waking moment battling one another with a variety of different decks with different strengths and weaknesses.

  During the course of their battles, Pete found that decks that provided benefits to sacrificing creatures were some of the more interesting to play. Instead of focusing all of his attention on gathering and strengthening the largest possible creatures to attack his foe he would instead concentrate on stacking the battlefield with as many low-cost, low-level creatures as possible throwing them towards the enemy and knowing that each minion death made him stronger and improved his chances of victory.

  He had called it the Zapp Brannigan method and employed it time and time again, much to Ollie’s annoyance. In a way, this was the same kind of strategy he would have to use with this new class to maximize his chances of gaining profit and progressing.

  

  >> New abilities engaged and available for use. Class core soulbound to contestant Pete Harrison, all Penny Pincher attribute slots enabled, and requisite code installed. Would you like to see class progression options? Yes/No

  Pete turned to look at the oncoming hobgoblins once more.

  “Not at the moment, thanks. I'll check it out later.”

  

  >> Class configuration complete. Returning to normal time.