I came to a halt and squinted at the display. Judging by the way they were presented, the items smelled strongly of a fraud.
If these were genuine skill scrolls, there was no way they would be laid out so carelessly.
"Welcome! See anything that catches your eye?"
A clerk in his mid-thirties, wearing a crisp white dress shirt with a nameplate and black slacks, called out to me. He wore a refreshing, friendly smile that didn't immediately betray the sketchiness of selling counterfeit skill scrolls.
"Oh, no. I just thought these were quite rare..."
"Rare indeed! Those are skill scrolls—limited-edition items for this event. We managed to procure only ten of them through our company's private channels."
"I see..."
"The fact that you're interested suggests you might be an explorer?"
The man's smile remained fixed as he asked the question. I felt a slight twinge of unease from that expression and instinctively shook my head.
"Is that so? Well then, allow me to give you a brief overview of the product."
I felt a wave of conflict as the man began his proud pitch. Having missed my window to walk away, I was forced to listen to his sales talk.
"And so, for this event only! Only for this occasion! We are offering these ten scrolls for the shocking price of fifty thousand yen!"
His delivery was full of over-the-top gestures, sounding like a high-pressure home shopping segment. It worked, though; other shoppers were drawn in by the commotion, and a small crowd began to form.
While the clerk emphatically pitched the product to the gathered group, I used Appraisal Analysis on the scrolls in the basket. The result was, as expected... guilty. They were fakes, meticulously crafted to look like the real thing.
"Sigh..."
I let out a soft sigh, barely audible.
Though I’d predicted this outcome, actually facing it was another matter. I wasn't sure how to handle it. Should I call him out, or just keep quiet?
"Now then! We only have six left! If you miss this chance, you'll never see them at this price again!"
As the clerk used his practiced rhetoric to drive home the sale, I sensed several people in the crowd preparing to reach for their wallets.
This is a bad sign. Since my Appraisal Analysis had confirmed they were fakes, my conscience pricked at the thought of letting these people get scammed. I couldn't exactly stand there and scream "Fake!" to the heavens, so I decided on a secondary tactic.
"Thank you for the detailed explanation. Unfortunately, I don't have any intention of buying one today. I'm sorry to have wasted your time. If you'll excuse me."
I projected my voice, making sure everyone around could hear my clear refusal. After a polite bow, I purposefully pushed through the center of the crowd to make my exit.
My deliberate actions acted like a bucket of cold water on the group. The people who had been on the verge of buying suddenly hesitated, losing their momentum and falling into an awkward silence.
I hope that did the trick.
"Um, well... is anyone else interested in purchasing a skill scroll?"
The clerk, who had been momentarily stunned by my abrupt departure, regained his composure after about ten seconds. He tried to pivot back to the remaining customers, but the spell was broken. The shoppers glanced at one another before drifting away one by one until nobody was left.
Success. I could feel a heavy gaze burning into my back—likely the clerk’s resentment at seeing his marks slip away.
Leaving the counterfeit stall behind, I resumed my walk through the local products hall area. It was an intriguing lineup. Some shops sold magic items found in the dungeons, while others offered handicrafts made from monster fangs and claws. It felt like a lot of experimentation was going on, which made it fascinating to observe.
"Huh, so these use horn rabbit horns? That’s an incredible level of detail."
I stopped at a shop specializing in handicrafts and focused on some ivory-hued horns covered in intricate carvings. According to the description on the price tag, they were indeed made from horn rabbit horns.
"Welcome. Are you interested in those?"
"Ah, yes. They caught my eye..."
A professional-looking female shop clerk wearing an apron with the shop’s logo approached me. She latched onto my comment with a practiced smile.
"May I ask what part of them intrigued you?"
"Well... the material. I didn't think horn rabbit horns were this color."
"Ah, I see. If you're familiar with the original color, your confusion is perfectly natural."
She clapped her hands together in realization and began to explain.
"By carefully polishing the surface, we can achieve this specific color and luster. Removing the hard outer layer takes quite a bit of effort, but the inner core is a material that rivals ivory in quality."
"Interesting."
I took another look at the processed goods. Even after the explanation, it was hard to believe these had come from a horn rabbit.
"Lately, explorers have been bringing in a large supply of horns, so even with the labor costs for polishing, they’re much more affordable than ivory. Of course, given their size, we can't make anything particularly large."
"But since they're monster horns, aren't they too hard to work with?"
"Actually, no. While the outer layer is too tough for fine work, the interior has a perfect level of hardness—very similar to ivory, which makes it quite easy to carve."
"I had no idea."
So, aside from the dimensions, they were practically identical to ivory. Polished horn rabbit material might be affordable, but real ivory was famously expensive.
"This isn't common knowledge yet, so the circulation of these crafts is still low, but the industry sees horn rabbit horns as a very promising substitute for ivory. Currently, most ivory in Japan is used for making seals. For that purpose, these horns are more than large enough to be a viable alternative."
Monsters really did have some unexpected uses. In games, monster drops were usually just for upgrading gear. After browsing the shop for a while under the clerk's guidance, I ended up buying a rabbit-shaped keychain as a souvenir for my parents.
Once that was done, I headed back out into the local products exhibition area. It was well past lunch now, and the crowds were beginning to surge again. Navigation was becoming a bit of a chore, but it was still manageable.
"Wait, are those... recovery potion bottles?"
I stopped again at another stall. Familiar vials were piled high in plastic crates.
"Welcome! Hey there, lad. If you're interested, I can give you a deal."
"Oh, no..."
The clerk, an older man with salt-and-pepper hair, had called out to me.
"Sorry. It's not that I'm looking for any..."
"What, just window shopping?"
When I declined with a bow, the man looked annoyed, his mood souring instantly.
"Ah, no, it's not that. I was just wondering why there was such a massive pile of empty vials..."
"Hmph. Is there a law against piling 'em up?"
"No, of course not..."
The clerk’s expression darkened. As I began to panic and stammer while trying to clear up the misunderstanding, the man’s mouth curled into a smirk.
"Heh. Just a joke, just a joke. Don't look so scared; I'm not actually mad."
I’d been played.
"That’s... a pretty mean joke."
"Sorry, sorry. We haven't had many customers, and I was bored out of my mind."
Don't use customers for entertainment! I barked the thought at him in my head.
"Really, I’m sorry. Tell you what—to make it up to you, you can take a few of these vials for free."
My brow must have twitched, because the man noticed and quickly bowed in apology. But as for the peace offering...
"I don't need them."
"You sure? These things are insanely tough. You could drop 'em on concrete and they wouldn't crack. Want me to show you?"
I already knew. I knew from firsthand experience that those potion bottles were freakishly durable.
Before I could say no, the man produced an anvil and a hammer. I have no idea where he’d been hiding them. He set them up with the speed of a stage magician, plucked a vial from a crate, and placed it on the anvil.
I stood there, watching in silence. Passersby who heard the noise began to stop, forming a curious circle behind me.
"Alright, watch this! Heave-ho!"
The clerk raised the hammer and swung it down with everything he had. A few onlookers let out short gasps, expecting the glass to shatter.
Instead, a clear, high-pitched ping rang out across the area. People walking nearby stopped in their tracks and looked toward the sound. The clerk remained frozen for a moment in his follow-through before slowly setting the hammer down and picking up the vial.
"See that? Hit it as hard as I could, and not a single scratch."
He wore a triumphant grin as he held the bottle aloft, showing it to me and the rest of the crowd. A murmur of admiration rippled through the onlookers.
"With glass this strong, you can find all sorts of uses for it, right? So, how about it? Want some?"
"..."
While I was wondering how to respond, several voices from behind me chimed in, asking to buy some. That triggered a chain reaction, with more and more people stepping forward to purchase the glass vials.
"Whoa, slow down! One at a time!"
The clerk was suddenly swamped, busy handling the rush of customers. My presence was forgotten as he dealt with the crowd. Left with nothing to do, I stood at the edge of the stall, watching the frenzy, when my eyes met the clerk's. In that instant, he gave me a knowing wink.
"...!"
That was when I realized what he’d done. The old man had used me as a shill to drum up business! He’d provoked a small scene to draw a crowd, then used the "apology" as a pretext for a demonstration to sell his wares.
That was a cunning move.
"Sigh..."
I let out another sigh, gave the busy clerk a slightly resentful look, and quietly slipped away. I’d been completely outmaneuvered.
After wandering around for a while longer, I left the exhibition area and headed for the merchandise area where Mika was working. I’d taken quite a few detours, so it had been nearly an hour since I arrived at the park.
In the distance, I saw a row of tents bearing the Dungeon Association logo. I’d heard that the goods sold here were similar to what the Association sold in their official shops, marketed with the hook that they were actually used by explorers. It was probably like selling "space food" because astronauts supposedly ate it.
"Whatever. Now, where is Mika?"
I stopped overthinking things and started scanning the tents for her. However, the staff all wore identical happi coats and hats, making it difficult to pick her out. I could have gone closer, but I wanted to fulfill my parents' request and get a few photos before she noticed me.
Squinting at the tents, I finally spotted her. Mika was carrying a cardboard box, restocking a shelf.
"She's actually working hard."
Impressed by her diligence, I pulled my digital camera from my bag. I adjusted the focus on her and clicked the shutter.
"Okay... yeah, that's a good shot."
As I was checking the image on the LCD screen, a familiar voice called out from behind me.
"What are you doing, Big Brother?"
I turned around to find Saori-chan standing there, dressed in the same uniform as Mika.