Chapter 32

031. Siblings (2)

The Jefrin Central Bank.

A golden castle that exchanges all foreign currencies into rin.

This place, known for generating a tenth of the empire's tax revenue through exchange gains and fees, is protected by no less than seven layers of grand magic.

The first-tier grand magic built by the first emperor himself, these seven layers interact with each other, such that if one is destroyed, the other six activate simultaneously to compensate, making it impossible to bring down all seven at once.

A young girl approached this most secure and grand bank.

"It's Euph von Loewen格林."

"Princess. We deeply welcome your visit to the Central Bank. What brings you here today?"

Euph von Loewen格林.

The only royal in Jefrin with a rank, her authority is on par with that of a grand professor. Considering her future as a member of the royal family, shaking the world, no one in Jefrin, a mere place of learning, could possibly be hostile to her.

Thus, a veteran consultant specifically assigned to Euph greeted her.

The only guaranteed success ticket in Jefrin. No room for incompetence.

However, the atmosphere today was a bit different. Euph's expression was strangely stiff and dark.

"I came to... withdraw."

"Excuse me?"

"I came to withdraw my savings."

Euph's savings?

Why?

Is Jefrin's budget in danger?

The consultant tilted her head but, maintaining excellent professionalism, did not ask further.

"Yes, yes... I will check your savings account, Princess."

After checking the account, the consultant couldn't help but tilt her head again.

"Yes, Miss Euph, your account has been confirmed. However..."

"Excuse me?"

"It matures next month. Is that okay?"

At those words, Euph's expression turned to despair.

***

I kept staring at the gloves on my hands.

The Gloves of Order and Balance. In other words, the Beginner Set.

"Still, 'Beginner Set' doesn't quite roll off the tongue."

Originally, the gloves had a more humiliating name.

Official name: [More More Fighting Set].

Users shortened it to 'Jonman Fighting Set'.

It's a cute and good name, but when newbies who barely cleared Act 2 posted clear shots of their achievements, comments like 'Jonman's mouth gallery' and 'Jonman's pursuit' started appearing, and newbies with wounded pride demanded a name change.

The person who named it probably got a pay cut, but I prefer the 'Jonman Fighting Set'.

Anyway, this Jonman Fighting Set, or rather the Beginner Set.

It's truly packed with honey options.

First, the Gloves of Order, which I obtained after clearing 1-1, add 10% extra experience.

Next, the Gloves of Balance, obtained from Mosman in Act 2, compensate for any lacking stats by +3.

And there are three set options attached.

First, all resistance.

This is a godsend.

If you complete the set in the Sleeping Mountains in Act 2, you get all resistance, making it a must-have.

And there's a hidden option and an 【8T】 skill obtained randomly.

But it's not entirely random; there's a tendency.

Users know the general tendency, but I know it for sure.

First, it aligns with the highest stat.

If you have high strength and sword proficiency, you get skills like 【Cleave】 【Charge】 【Unnamed Slash】.

If you have high magic and focus on healing, you get skills like 【Restoration】 【Soul Change】 【Life Force Conversion】.

If you're lucky, you might even get an advanced version of a skill you already have.

So, what's the characteristic of Wolfram von Loewen格林?

The three skills I obtained through casting were 【Cooking】 【Potion Making】 【Accessory Making】.

Since my base stat is dexterity, I can roughly guess what skills I'll get.

【Cooking: Feast】 【Magic Craft】 【Potion Effect Boost】 【Herbalism Intermediate】—something like that.

Whatever comes out, it's definitely a huge bonus. I've planned my tech tree well, and there are no gaps in my calculations!

The skills I obtained were as follows:

【Magical Pastry Chef】

【8T】

【When making snacks, a trace to small amount of magic is granted.

The stronger the effect, the more special the ingredients used.

The probability of granting magic depends on the user's dexterity.】

"Well, no gaps there."

The most frequently used skill is cooking.

The highest stat is dexterity.

The most made items are snacks.

"Of course, this skill could appear. It does, though."

A sigh escapes me involuntarily.

It's a useful skill. The characteristic of snack recovery items is 'consumable', 'quick effect', 'restoration'.

But with the Magical Pastry Chef skill, you can add magical effects or buffs, making it a very useful skill.

It is useful, though.

I read the last line of the skill tooltip.

[The magic that makes everyone's snacks glow with a dreamy light!]

"Am I supposed to be a dreamy pastry chef?"

The dough seemed to sparkle with starlight, annoyingly.

My head throbbed, and it started to hurt.

***

The next day, after my snacks were filled with dreamy light.

An unexpected customer visited the convenience store.

"Wolfram. It's been a while!"

"Rudica? This is sudden. Is there something you need?"

Small stature. Ashen hair. Blue eyes.

The assassin who loves spicy flavors.

A first-tier assassin with 22 agility, Rudica Hotan Shadow.

She said bluntly,

"The red flame grass is all gone. Can I get some?"

"Difficult. I don't have much left."

"Is that so...?"

Rudica visibly pouted but then suddenly perked up and smiled.

"Then we can go gather some together!"

"It's dangerous for just the two of us."

"···Oh."

Before, it was safe with Nefte, but not now. Go back home quietly.

"Is it really impossible? That's a shame."

"It's a shame for me too."

Last time, we only gathered red flame grass, but the charm of the Sleeping Mountains doesn't end there.

Wait a moment.

"It's fine to go."

"Really?!"

"In exchange, I'll go on your commission. I'll take a fee."

"Alright!"

"I'll take a million rin."

"Hehe. Just that much? Rudica has plenty of money. I completed two missions."

Don't ask what missions or how she completed them.

So, we headed to the Sleeping Mountains. Rudica pulled the cart and charged into the crowd of Sleepies and Mosmen without a care for me.

"Keeeeeek!"

"Kyaahahahahah!"

The overwhelming number of Sleepies and Mosmen. Rudica cleanly killed one at a time with precise grabs and neck breaks, leaving me in awe. She really doesn't care about me at all.

As a result, one Mosman looked at me first.

Oh, scary. Really scary.

I gripped the gloves on both hands and activated the hidden set option.

【Active: Play Dead】 has been activated!

This is the true set option of the Jonman Fighting Set. A hidden skill.

If you lie down and activate it, the effect of playing dead kicks in, and the monster's aggression is reset.

The Mosman eventually decided I was dead and retreated.

I lay down and looked up at the sky.

The blue is truly beautiful.

***

We gathered the red flame grass and, thanks to Rudica's diligent execution of my instructions, we also managed to gather plenty of other herbs.

"Red flame grass, peony grass, blue spirit grass, and true essence grass. A field of herbs."

A collection of herbs that boost all kinds of resistances, starting with fire resistance.

Usually, they are tricky to handle, but with skills like 【Cooking】 【Potion Making】 【Magical Pastry Chef】, I can somehow cook them.

"Let's think positively."

Even so, with experience bonuses, dexterity +10, an 8-tier skill, and all kinds of herbs, compared to starting from scratch, it's an overwhelming growth.

Thinking positively and smiling, I felt at ease.

"Anyway, I have something to boast about now."

Donuts and other snacks are dangerous if the recipe is stolen, but magical snacks... Ah, damn.

Anyway, snacks with magical effects are my identity. They will be a good reason for people to visit my convenience store.

Once Euph brings the sign she promised, my convenience store will stand tall among the renowned shops in Jefrin.

And Euph said she would visit the convenience store today after winning the auction for the sacred tree El Wood.

My kingdom is about to begin.

"But she's late. When does she plan to make the sign?"

While gossiping about Euph for a moment, I saw something approaching from a distance.

On her back, she carried something too large to be a tree, and it was coming this way.

"Is that Euph?"

"Yes. Wolfram. Euph von Loewen格林 is here. I have the items I prepared!"

Thud. The El Wood fell to the ground.

"Excellent sacred tree."

"Do you know how much this cost?!"

Why would I care?

"I won't ask how much it cost."

"Well, what are you saying?"

"I'll take it as a heartfelt gift from a relative. Now, you owe me nothing in your heart."

"···Do you think my light will pierce your belly someday?"

Euph frowned. So, who told her to solve everything with money?

"Let's start the work. I've already designed the sign."

"···Sign work."

"Right. You can leave now."

"No. I'll help too."

"What?"

"It's something I bought, and I need to see how it's completed. Even for a sign, scraping and painting, and the final installation, will require your strength."

"That's true. I was planning to ask Nefte."

"Don't rely too much on the noble ideals of your junior from the Knight Department. Are you paying her well?"

"···Yes."

"Don't exploit her with cheap labor. It's about not using others' kindness."

What fresh nonsense is that?

But if I asked Nefte, she might demand a million rin, so I decided to rely on Euph's kindness.

"···Then I'll ask you. I'll start drawing the design now."

With that, I picked up a pencil and began writing.

Before the regression.

I imitated the store I wanted.

But not so much that it would be considered plagiarism.

Anyone would recognize it as a convenience store, but I wrote each character with Wolfram's heart.

In fact, I thought a lot about what to name it.

Let's see.

Wolfram's Convenience Store would be Wolfram's Convenience.

The abbreviation would be W.C?

8th District W.C is 80 meters inside.

Are you crazy?

So, I decided on Wolfram's Rest Stop. Abbreviation W.R.

To me, a convenience store is a very convenient place.

It's open even at dawn, you can eat a light meal, and there are plenty of drinks.

Some sell chicken, some have appealing bento, and some bake bread in ovens.

Some have surprisingly large toy sections, and when you're so busy you lose track of time, convenience stores can also serve as indicators of the season, with seasonal items like Pocky Day, Valentine's Day, and White Day limited editions.

With that in mind, to make people who come to this store feel a bit more comfortable and rested.

That was the last wish of Lee Youngjin, who wanted to create a convenience store.

【You have successfully completed the most difficult task in repetitive work with the highest concentration.】

【You have met all the conditions, including the number of times and difficulty.】

【Dexterity +1. Willpower +1.】

I smiled lightly at the system message.

"Don't suddenly grin like that. It's annoying."

Euph sneered but then shrugged at the writing I had done.

"Not bad for something written by Wolfram."

Even the genius Euph thinks it's good.

"Wolfram, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What exactly do you hope to achieve with this convenience store?"

"I didn't say it before, but it's a store for the convenience of all students."

"Alright. I'll believe that and provide the service from now on."

"What?"

With that, Euph lifted the sign with magic.

"When you chose El Wood, I thought you were crazy. But then I realized, if El Wood becomes the sign, it would be incredibly efficient."

That's right.

El Wood absorbs ambient magic and can be used as an energy source.

Not as powerful as Madongseok, but self-repair is possible.

"Then I'll color it for you. Do you have a preferred color scheme?"

"Coloring? We don't have ink."

"I'm a user of light magic. Fixing a prism is no big deal. Choose from the seven colors of the rainbow."

Ah, I see.

It means she can take one of the seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—and fix it in place.

Isn't that crazy? How is that even possible?

"Then here, this color, and there, purple. Hmm. Alright."

Thus, the convenience store sign, completed with Euph's help, was hung at the top of the store, not a grocery store, but Wolfram's Convenience Store. Euph dusted off her hands and looked at me.

"I made El Wood glow on its own and cast self-repair and protection spells. It won't break easily and doesn't need a separate power source."

"···I see."

Honestly, it's an item close to an artifact. Essentially, it's just a glowing sign, but it doesn't break and has a self-cleaning function.

"Wolfram."

"What is it?"

"Your evil deeds last year. I don't think your sins will be forgiven as a result. Honestly, it's hard to believe you won't do anything worse."

"I never asked you to believe me."

"···But if you don't do anything worse and really work hard on this convenience store..."

"······?"

Euph clenched her fist and then let out a deep sigh.

"No, I'll leave now."

"···Alright."

Euph turned around, and then, thinking of something to say, she stopped and called out to me.

"Wolfram."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"······Hmph."

Such a snobbish kid.

Euph left without looking back, and I looked up at the glowing sign.

For a long time, I didn't notice the passing time, and when I finally came to my senses, it was already dark evening.

Crackle. Crackle.

Pests stuck to the sign and exploded, and the automatic cleaning spell activated.

Anyway, when the bright light started hurting my eyes, I went inside the convenience store and went to bed.

The light that entered the convenience store.

I asked with a small smile and a question.

"But how do you turn it off?"

Seriously.

How do you turn it off?