Arion stepped into the Adventurers' Guild building, ignoring the curious glances from the guards this time. With his new clothes—still simple but at least clean—and a posture that now radiated confidence, he no longer looked like a beggar.
He headed straight for the reception desk, where the young blonde clerk sat waiting. When she saw him, her eyes widened a little. "Oh! Welcome back, sir. Here to sell more resources?" Her voice carried noticeably more respect than before, but there was a sly little smile tugging at her lips.
"Yes." Arion said coolly. "I have new goods. Lots of them."
Arion dropped everything he'd gathered onto the counter—meat, hide, and fangs of the Greater Shadow Wolf, plus rabbit hides and horns, hedgehog meat and spines, lizard hide and claws. Even his old ornate sword was among the pile. The goods glowed faintly—proof of their quality.
The clerk gasped, her eyes widening in genuine shock. "A Greater Shadow Wolf?! Another rabbit and hedgehog? And a lizard too? And—an ornate sword? Are these… all yours?" She was clearly struggling to contain her excitement, but her eyes gleamed with an almost hysterical delight.
"How much will you pay?" Arion asked sharply, watching her face like a hawk.
She began to "inspect" the haul, her eyes flicking from fangs to hides to piles of meat. She pretended to do some quick mental math, but it was painfully obvious she was just stalling to hide her glee. After a few moments, she looked up—this time her wide smile wasn't even remotely hidden.
"Well, sir… this is a huge amount of rare materials! Greater Shadow Wolf meat is extremely rare—its hide and fangs are highly valuable. And the sword… old but beautifully decorated. We can offer you… 520 copper for everything!"
Arion's eyes widened. "520 copper?!" It was a huge sum, but the clerk's overjoyed expression made Arion's suspicion flare even stronger. She was fidgeting with her hands, her eyes gleaming with a greed she could barely mask.
"Yes! That's the best deal we can give you!" she said, her grin stretching almost from ear to ear. She looked moments away from bursting into laughter from sheer delight.
A deep prickle ran down Arion's spine. "Damn it! I'm getting swindled!" he thought. "She's way too happy about this price—its real value must be way higher! But… how would I even know? I don't have a skill to appraise items!" His "Insight" only gave him info on living creatures, not market prices.
"Fine. I accept." Arion said, masking his anger behind an icy calm. He wouldn't reveal his cards now. He'd take the money, grow stronger—and come back for payback later.
A large pouch of copper coins dropped into his hands. It was heavy—like holding a small fortune.
"Thank you so much, sir!" the clerk said sweetly, flashing him a smile dripping with fake gratitude. "We look forward to seeing you again!"
Arion stepped out of the Adventurers' Guild, his heart pounding. 520 copper, plus the 132 he already had—totaling 652 copper. An unbelievable sum for him. But the gnawing doubt wouldn't leave him. "Why was she that happy? What don't I know? Did I just sell all that for pocket change? Of course I did! Damn you, filthy system—damn that greedy clerk!"
Arion sighed. "Damn it! I need a way to figure out the real value of things in this world. This damn system won't tell me, and I can't trust these people!"
With 652 copper in his pocket and a heavy sense of suspicion in his gut, Arion walked away from the Guild. He glanced up at the setting sun. "No time to waste."
---
Shopping Spree: Spending the Spoils
The first place he went was the nearest weapons shop. He stepped inside and scanned the swords on display. Most were plain—but far better than his old ornamental blade.
"I need a sharp, light sword—something strong enough to handle beasts." Arion told the shopkeeper.
After a bit of haggling, he settled on a simple but well-balanced steel sword. "120 copper," the shopkeeper said. Arion's eyes widened, but he paid up begrudgingly. "Damn it! This world devours all my money!"
[Item acquired: Steel Sword (Rank: Common)]
He stored his new sword away and headed for the food market next. He stocked up on bread, cheese, and vegetables that would keep well. "This should last us for days," he thought. That cost him another 80 copper.
"Now, the big one." Arion muttered. He went to a furniture store—somewhere he'd never imagined himself visiting in his old life.
"I want two mattresses," he told the vendor.
The seller blinked. "Two mattresses?"
"Yes. One for me, one for my siblings."
When he saw the prices, Arion nearly screamed. "One mattress is 150 copper?! What is it stuffed with, griffin feathers?!"
"It's a good mattress, sir." the vendor replied with a polite smile. "Not fit for a palace, but very comfortable."
Arion felt his blood boil. 300 copper for two mattresses. "Fine! Take it!" he barked, handing over the money like he was giving away a kidney.
[Purse: 652 - 120 (Sword) - 80 (Food) - 300 (Mattresses) = 152 copper.]
"Damn you, world! My fortune vanished in a heartbeat!"
---
An Unexpected Surprise at Home
Arion dragged himself home that evening, exhausted and arms full of supplies. Leora and Kalin were playing in the yard.
"Brother! You're back!" Kalin shouted gleefully.
"What did you bring us this time?" Leora asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"I brought you… a big surprise!" Arion said with a forced smile, gesturing to the two new mattresses.
The kids' eyes widened in amazement. "New beds?!"
"Yep!" Arion said proudly. "Now each of you can sleep on your very own mattress!"
The children jumped up and down with joy and rushed to test them out.
"It's so soft!" Kalin squealed, bouncing on one.
"Finally I don't have to sleep next to Kalin's snoring!" Leora teased playfully.
Arion looked at the tiny bedroom. It barely fit the two new mattresses. "Wait a minute… how are we supposed to fit three beds in here?"
"Don't worry, little ones." Arion said solemnly. "I'll get rid of my old ragged mattress. I don't need it anymore."
He dragged the new mattresses into place, shoving his old, battered one outside. But even with it gone, the room was still absurdly tight. The two new mattresses filled the entire space, leaving barely a sliver to walk through.
"Oh god…" Arion muttered. "This isn't separate beds—it's one giant communal bed!"
When bedtime came, Arion found himself squeezed next to Leora, while Kalin lay sprawled on the other mattress—his feet occasionally kicking Arion square in the head.
"Damn it!" Arion growled under his breath, pushing Kalin's foot away. "I was supposed to separate you two! Now I'm stuck dealing with two tiny beasts instead of one!"
In the dead of night, Arion felt a hard smack across his face. He cracked an eye open to find Kalin's tiny hand flailing in his sleep, having just whacked him square on the nose.
"Kalin! You wicked little goblin!" Arion muttered, rubbing his sore face. "Trying to kill me in my sleep, huh?"
Kalin didn't answer—he just kept snoring softly, twisted in a strange position. Arion sighed in defeat and lay back down, resigned to his fate as the family's "human pillow."