Chapter 3

### Explanation Session

Even when it comes to merchants, there are various types, such as weapon merchants and armor merchants, all of whom fall under the category of "merchant."

What they have in common is that the first skill they learn is called "Item Box," a storage skill.

This skill creates a special space through magic, allowing items to be stored within it.

In the past, this skill was even referred to as a cheat in popular novels and anime.

However, as one might expect, it was not as omnipotent as depicted in fictional works.

There are limits to the storage space, time passes inside the box just as it does outside, items cannot be automatically listed or disassembled, and living beings cannot be stored, among other restrictions.

In short, it was a simple skill for storing items.

Despite this, its usefulness did not diminish.

From water and food needed for exploration to spare equipment, materials that can only be obtained in dungeons, and items dropped by monsters, there were countless things that needed to be stored.

Therefore, for several years after the appearance of dungeons, merchants were highly valued as a desirable profession.

The tide began to turn about five years after the dungeons appeared. As countries recovered from the chaos, the dangers of merchants began to be discussed.

### The Dangers of Merchants

1. **Item Box**

It goes without saying, but with an Item Box, anything can be transported.

Not just valuable resources from dungeons, but illegal drugs, firearms, explosives, precious metals, nuclear fuel, and even corpses. Anything can be transported in the truest sense.

It's inevitable that such a skill would be used for criminal activities.

Indeed, those who made a living from shady dealings extensively used Item Boxes, and even explorers with merchant-related jobs often used them for petty crimes like shoplifting.

Of course, not everyone engaged in criminal activities, but the mere fact that the skill could be used for crime was enough to raise suspicion and caution among others.

At times, experts suggested, "Using it in daily life might be a problem, but it's fine to use it just to bring back resources from dungeons. Why not limit the skill's use to dungeons only?"

However, problems still arose even in dungeons.

For example, the most common issue was that party members began to suspect each other of hoarding drop items and materials.

After all, no one but the owner can verify the contents of an Item Box.

It's like trying to prove a negative.

Even if a merchant says, "This is the last of it," if even one member of the party suspects, "Isn't that a bit less?" no one, including the merchant, can clear the suspicion.

At first, it might be dismissed as a misunderstanding.

However, as physical and financial resources dwindle, the suspicion grows without bounds.

Accumulated grievances turn into distrust, and the atmosphere within the party worsens over time.

In the end, the merchant is expelled for being "untrustworthy."

Worse still, it's not just a peaceful expulsion; physical violence is common. Even when it's known to be a false accusation, cases of merchants being reported for theft and demanded to pay compensation have been frequent.

Many explorers have ended up in debt because of this, showing how terrifying human malice and greed can be.

However, that alone wasn't enough to make society persecute people with the incredibly useful Item Box skill.

There were other reasons why society began to reject merchants.

The second danger of merchants, their second skill, "Appraisal," is one of them.

Merchants can learn this skill, which is hailed as a cheat, after reaching a certain level and gaining enough experience.

Initially, it was valued by guilds and research facilities as a skill that could determine the effects of mysterious items from dungeons. However, this skill could reveal more than just that.

When used on explorers, it could reveal their name, job, and level.

For explorers, who sometimes deal with humans, knowing someone's job and level is a matter of life and death.

This led to them being disliked by their peers.

When used on non-explorers, the results were even worse.

Not only the name and age, but also height, weight, body fat percentage, body measurements, underwear color, and even the contents of bags and wallets were revealed, leaving the person completely exposed.

There was no privacy left.

It was only natural that the majority of ordinary people, who make up the bulk of society, would dislike such a skill.

The extent of this dislike is evident from the fact that as soon as the capabilities of Appraisal were revealed, efforts to understand its principles and develop countermeasures were urgently pursued worldwide.

Research concluded that "Appraisal uses the 'mysterious power' of explorers to probe the target, and thus, disrupting this 'mysterious power' can seal the skill."

In response, governments around the world quickly developed and installed devices to disrupt this "mysterious power."

This process took just over a year.

While the problem was resolved in an extremely short period, the costs and efforts incurred in developing and installing the devices, as well as the accumulated bad reputation, did not disappear.

As a result, the position of merchants became even worse.

Item Box? No good.

Appraisal? No good.

What about the most important job for explorers, "battling monsters and gathering resources"? That was no good either.

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