Last updated: Jan 17, 2026, 11:05 p.m.
View Original Source →Two weeks had passed since I’d stolen the Scroll of Appraisal from the goblins in the ruins.
As was my daily routine, I headed to the Guild to handle the gutter cleaning, but the atmosphere felt strange.
"Mister, did something happen?" I asked the man at the reception desk.
"Oh, Allen-boy. Well, apparently they found a goblin nest in the ruins of the Ancient Labyrinth to the northeast."
I see. It looks like those goblins were finally discovered.
"If you leave goblins alone, they just multiply until the damage gets out of hand, so they’re putting together a subjugation unit. If the monsters have been hoarding treasure, it’ll be a nice payday too."
Maybe in the game’s original scenario, that Scroll of Appraisal was the only thing left behind in the dirt, and that was how Amy was meant to find it.
"Well, it’s still a bit early for you, Allen-boy."
"I know."
In any case, it didn't concern me anymore. I had already obtained the 【Appraisal】 skill, and that was enough.
As a side note, I was currently hiding my 【Appraisal】 skill, just as I did with 【Stealth】. It would look incredibly suspicious if an eight-year-old’s Guild Card suddenly sprouted new skills out of nowhere.
Now, my next objective was making money. I needed to focus entirely on turning a profit and amassing 15 million Cent as quickly as possible.
The reason I needed such a massive sum was to buy a Scroll of Alchemy. Naturally, using that scroll would grant me the 【Alchemy】 skill.
As for why I needed 【Alchemy】... well, it was a total cheat skill. Explaining exactly how it broke the game would take too long, so I’ll leave that aside for now.
The Scroll of Alchemy was essentially a "pay-to-win" item that you couldn't obtain without effectively using real-world microtransactions. In this world, it could be purchased at a suspicious shop called the Lulu Store. In the game, that shop served as the premium item exchange. You could buy everything there with enough money, from Scrolls of Alchemy to Magic Stones.
The price for the scroll was a staggering 13 million Cent. The price tended to fluctuate based on the scenario's progress, but at its peak, it hit 15 million.
Back in my previous life, I’d been so stuck on the reverse-harem route that I’d tearfully said goodbye to several "Yukichi-sans"—the 10,000 yen notes in my wallet—just to buy the Cents I needed for that scroll.
Ugh, just remembering it makes me... cough.
Anyway, the key to my plan was that 【Alchemy】 skill. I was going to use that cheat to flip the script on this destiny—this "scenario."
To do that, I needed capital. I had to earn, earn, and earn until I was swimming in money.
With that in mind, I finished my gutter cleaning in the morning, changed into the best clothes I owned, and headed to the district where traveling merchants set up their stalls.
In the game, this was a district where you’d come for a date with a capture target. If you’d triggered the right flags, they might buy you a foreign accessory as a gift. However, I wasn't looking for jewelry; I was looking for bargains.
I only had a little over 5,000 Cent to my name, but I intended to find something valuable within that budget.
Since I didn't have a Magic Stone yet, I didn't have the "Heroine Cheat" version of the 【Appraisal】 skill, but even the standard version was incredibly powerful. Being able to see exactly what an object was and its true market value was a massive advantage.
I immediately began scouting a reasonably priced accessory shop. The cheaper items started at around 1,000 Cent. As I browsed, a dingy earring in the "2,000 Cent Flat-Price" corner caught my eye.
Name: Strength Earring
Effect: Slightly increases the physical strength of the wearer.
Grade: Rare
Price: 300,000 Cent
"Mister, about this earring—"
"Ah, that? There’s only one of 'em. Take my advice, kid: if you’re giving a gift to a girl, you’ve gotta give her a matching set or she’ll hate you."
"Oh, no, it’s not like that. I was just wondering what kind of item it was."
Seriously, what is this guy trying to teach a kid my age? Honestly.
"Is that so? A merchant I used to do business with had his wife leave it behind as collateral for a debt. But never mind that, boy. What’s the girl like?"
"No, really, it’s not like that. I’ll take the earring, please."
"Huh? Well, fine by me. That’ll be 2,000."
"Payment by Guild Card, please."
"You got it!"
I tapped my Guild Card against the shopkeeper's card. A prompt appeared in the air before me: [Pay 2,000 Cent. Is this okay?]
I tapped "Yes," and the transaction was complete.
That was a steal. Even if I only managed to sell it for half its value at 150,000 Cent, I’d be set. My potential customers would be adventurers or shops that specialized in magical items.
As I continued my search for more bargains, I spotted a pair of tattered, filthy gloves being sold for 1,000 Cent.
Name: Fire-Resistant Gloves
Description: Protects the wearer from flames through magical power. Extremely difficult to burn.
Grade: Rare
Price: 70,000 Cent
Notes: Dirty, but washable.
I see. If I wash these, the value should skyrocket.
"Mister, I’ll take these gloves."
"Sure thing. Doing an errand for your folks?"
"Something like that."
I paid the 1,000 Cent with my Guild Card.
It hadn’t even been thirty minutes, and I’d already made some incredible finds. With my remaining balance sitting at just over 2,000 Cent, I decided to head home.
I went to the communal washing area and scrubbed the dirty gloves. I figured I might as well do the rest of the family's laundry while I was at it. The sun was still high, so everything would have time to dry.
After spending about two hours on the gloves and the rest of the laundry, I hung them by the window. The stains on the gloves had been more stubborn than I’d anticipated, but with this weather, they’d be dry by evening.
Sure enough, once the grime was gone, the value of the Fire-Resistant Gloves jumped to 100,000 Cent.
The next day, after school let out, I took my haul from yesterday and headed to the Adventurer's Guild.
"Hey, mister."
"Oh, Allen-boy. Here for the gutters?"
"Yeah, but I also have something I want to sell. I was hoping you could give me some advice."
"Ho? Let’s see what you’ve got."
I decided to consult the usual receptionist. He was a retired adventurer who had taken a staff position after an injury. I’d recently learned his name was Rudolf.
He’d taken a liking to me because I was a kid who worked hard at gutter cleaning. He told me most kids hated the "3Ks" of the job—Kitsui, Kitanai, Kusai (Hard, Dirty, Smelly)—and usually quit almost immediately.
I couldn't blame them; the job sucked. I understood exactly why they quit. But because I stuck with it, Rudolf and the senior adventurers treated me with a sort of fond respect. I figured he wouldn't try to screw me over.
"I want to sell this Strength Earring and these Fire-Resistant Gloves."
"What? Where’d a kid like you get treasure like this?"
"I bought them at the Market for 3,000 Cent total."
Rudolf looked at me with a pained, pitying expression. "Kid... I hope for your sake they aren't fakes. Let me have a look."
That was the natural reaction. If I heard a story like that, I’d assume the person had been scammed too.
I handed the items over. The moment Rudolf touched them, his expression shifted.
"Stay right here, Allen-boy. I’m going to take these to the back and have them examined."
He ran toward the back office. I could hear muffled voices and the occasional "What?!" of surprise echoing from the other room. After a short wait, Rudolf returned.
"Listen, if a kid like you tries to sell these on the open market, some nasty characters might come sniffing around. Is it alright if the Guild buys them from you at a fair price?"
"Sure."
"Alright. We’ll give you 250,000 for the earring and 60,000 for the gloves, for a total of 310,000 Cent. The gloves are in rough shape; if they were like new, they’d be worth 500,000. Sorry about that."
"No way. I’ve never seen that much money in my life. That’s more than enough."
It was safer to act humble. I needed him to handle my future hauls, so I was happy to take a small hit now to build long-term trust.
"Alright, I’ll transfer the funds to your Guild Card."
Rudolf processed the payment immediately.
"Now listen, kid. You got lucky this time, but don't go getting a swelled head. If you start thinking it’s always this easy, you’ll end up ruined. Understand?"
"Yeah, I understand."
Rudolf really was a good guy.
After that, I finished a full shift of gutter cleaning before heading home for the night.
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