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

“This is… my friend, Zephyr.”

“Oiyah?” the woman examined the 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 chance, from a small remote village?”

“Umm, yeah… but how did you know?”

“Well, you’re not currently documented in the «Global Census Register». It’s not uncommon for people living in rural areas to have this problem. Unfortunately, you will need to pay a compulsory service fee for that process before I can 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 to arrange a payment plan?”

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

“Ha-ha! Just what kind of merchant 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 blatant mockery, he held the woman’s gaze firmly, refusing to back down. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, but I really need this—please…”

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

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

“I’m sorry, but without your ID, the guild cannot engage in any form of business transactions with you.”

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

“Can 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 undertone, yet the clerk and all the merchants fell quiet. “I will personally allow and oversee the payment plan.”

“Pff!”

The elder shot the man a penetrating gaze, and he immediately fell silent, swallowing the laugh. All the other merchants looked away nervously.

“G-Guildmaster?!”

Daisuke’s eyes widened at the clerk’s exclamation. “Guildmaster? Then she’s…”

Fingers laced behind her back, the tiny woman peeked out from a single eye, glancing from the silver-haired boy to his canine companion. “Now then, I expect you to keep your word and follow through with the agreement.”

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

More than half of the merchants could be heard clicking 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 next time 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 customer. “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 plan, the first will be due at the end of the month with a twenty-five percent interest rate. If you’re incapable of paying everything upfront, then monthly installments can be negotiated.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jean returned with a smile, then she gestured at the shard still sitting on the counter. “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 watching; it would have been stranger if you didn’t go by the book while she was present.”

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

***

 

“Hey, brother,” called a man in a friendly tone the moment Daisuke stepped outside the guild. “Did I hear you say you were planning on setting up shop in town?”

Daisuke glanced around, confirming that he was indeed the one being addressed. “Um, yes?” he responded tentatively.

“In that case, it would probably be in your best interest to consider our services.”

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

“…Protection.”

Daisuke’s frown deepened. “…You mean extortion.”

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

However, our organization possesses a unique set of skills perfectly tailored for dealing with such troublemakers. By investing in our highly affordable services, you can ensure the seamless operation of your business without any interference.”

“Thanks,” Daisuke said, his tone sour, “but I’m pretty sure I can’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 encounters. 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 concealed the precious merchandise. According to Jean from the Merchants’ 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 strange that 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 one-meter-tall limb until it fell, just narrowly missing Zephyr on the ground.

“Rawr!”

Daisuke laughed 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 underneath it and began pushing down with all his might. Zephyr was almost as light as a feather, but he helped too.

One. Two. Three. Push.

PLOP!

The cluster of crystals soared into a high arch before falling to the ground, prompting triumphant glances 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 an ecstatic smile, Daisuke walked over to the football-sized chunk of crystal and took it into both hands. “So, this is a Mana Crystal,” he said, trying to assume the weight. “It feels light considering all the trouble I went through prying it loose from the ground.”

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

Anyway, I need to keep my standard of living at the bare minimum and invest all the money into starting up my business. After selling the Mana Crystals, I need to 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 and vegetable kebab toward him. Following her gesture, he glanced 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 labeled ‘shame’ struck his heart.

“Before you consider becoming a thief, I just want you to know there is great reward in honest labor.”

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

“You’re… painfully honest, aren’t you?”

The girl beamed.

With a crooked smile, Daisuke tucked his cargo underneath his arm and accepted the gift. He didn’t notice the fleeting moment the little girl’s expression changed 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 lanterns. “He’s so adorable! Is he yours?”

Daisuke nodded awkwardly.

“C-Can 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 canine’s head, her mother started calling and she twirled around playfully.

“Bye, Big Brother,” she said over her shoulder. “Bye Zephyr! Let’s play together next time, kay.”

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