A Survival Guide for a Counselor in the Apocalypse Chapter 37

Chapter 37

 

“Wow, wow! This–this is something! I’ve been waiting for quite a while!”

It was a small, furry creature that didn’t even reach my waist.

Calling it a “furry animal” might not even be accurate, but still.

A being completely covered in fur came scurrying over. The fur wrapped around its body like living fibers, each strand containing tiny letters that flickered on and off.

Its face was covered by a mask, and in its furry hands were soft pads like animal paws.

Strangely, the expression on the mask kept changing every moment, like frames dropping, something about it was unsettling.

“Come, come! Sit down! Since this is my first sale, mm-hmm, cheap, cheap!”

There’s one thing to remember:

Story merchants never take a loss.

They’re the greediest species in existence.

So whenever they say “cheap,” you should always be wary.

It basically means, “I’ll pretend it’s cheap while stripping you of everything.”

I headed toward the stall.

The reason I came here.

‘Incomplete Transfer Mark’ and ‘Imperfect Subspace’.

My eyes quickly scanned the items.

There.

The Incomplete Transfer Mark was drawn on a small piece of paper, while the Imperfect Subspace looked like a shimmering space contained in a glass bottle.

As my gaze lingered, the merchant rushed over.

“If we’re talking about this~! It’s a trans-fer mark! What does it do? If you engrave it somewhere, you can ‘transfer’ things! Whatever you want to transfer, just push it into the marked spot! Even small fragments? No need to wor~ry! It stretches really well, you know?”

As if demonstrating, the merchant stretched the mark wide.

I could see the light enter the eyes of the two beside me.

Yeah, it’s good.

But the problem is, they’re not telling the full story.

The reason it’s incomplete is simple:

Once the size exceeds a certain limit, the probability of successful transfer drops exponentially.

Right now, it probably can’t handle anything larger than 10×10 cm.

“Really? Then show us more. Can a person go through it?”

A natural question.

Usually, something like a transfer mark sends a mortal instantly to another location.

The merchant didn’t hesitate for even a second.

“Ah, of course!!”

“Then why don’t you try it yourself?”

“Ahaha! Of course! I’ll demonstrate right now!”

The merchant bustled about, then suddenly froze when it realized I wasn’t buying it.

Clearly annoyed.

“…It’s incom~plete. Incomplete, haha! That’s why it’s on special discount!! 20 lowest-grade, 8 low-grade!”

Oh, trying to rip me off?

“Well, I actually got something like this for just 2 lowest-grade.”

“Pardon?”

The merchant laughed as if saying, “What nonsense is this brat saying?”

“Sure, sure! Let me see!”

It probably thought I just had some random item.

What I pulled out… was the key I got from the ‘Third Party,’ the ‘Eternal Pleasure Seeker.’

Well, I got it by whining about 2 stones being too expensive.

“……”

“……”

“…Pardon?”

The merchant looked back and forth between me and the key.

“Is that really more valuable than this?”

“Pardon?”

I could practically hear its tiny brain spinning.

Go ahead.

Try to outplay me.

 

***

 

In the end, I bought the Incomplete Transfer Mark and Imperfect Subspace as a group purchase for all three of us.

Final price:

60 lowest-grade + 18 low-grade for 6 items.

A good deal.

But you shouldn’t just aim for cheap.

Story merchants have their own networks, better to be remembered as a “smart but difficult customer” than someone they dislike.

As long as you don’t get scammed, that’s already success.

 

—

[Incomplete Transfer Mark (1)]

Incomplete!

Maybe it’ll be completed someday?

Be careful when transferring!

※ Current size limit: 10×10

 

[Imperfect Subspace (1)]

Incomplete.

※ Remaining capacity: 95%

—

 

“Uuugh… my first customers… m-monsters of greed…”

We still had some leftovers.

I immediately engraved the transfer mark onto my left palm and linked it to the imperfect subspace.

The subspace was absorbed as a skill.

When I placed stones into the mark, it opened into a pitch-black hole and swallowed them into the subspace.

When I reached in again, I could feel something rattling beyond my palm.

Not a pleasant sensation.

Lee Hoin copied me and engraved his on his left palm.

Cha Hyeongseo engraved her somewhere between her wrist and elbow.

We then browsed the stall again.

As we moved toward weapons, the merchant followed us, still sniffling.

What stood out…

Arhat Divine Fist.

The same item Cha Hyeongseo once spent everything to buy in the original.

“Ahhh! That is! A legendary item filled with–!!”

Here we go again.

I stood beside it and listened.

After a long speech, the price:

34 lowest-grade, 10 low-grade.

“Too expensive.”

At my blunt remark, Hyeongseo hesitated.

Buying it would cost nearly everything he had.

“Come on! It’s legendary! A one-of-a-kind ‘legend’! Once you get one, it carries you to the late game!”

Sure.

A real legendary item would.

But this one?

A knockoff.

The merchant kept sweet-talking.

Hyeongseo wavered.

“Can you lower the price? We already bought six items. This is too expensive.”

At that, the mask’s frame flickered slightly.

“Oh my… quite the natural negotiator, aren’t you?”

If you priced things properly, there’d be no need to negotiate.

“If it’s too cheap to be complete, and too expensive to be incomplete… then what is it?”

The frame flickered again.

 

—

[Oh? Your logic is taking shape.]

—

 

“What do you mean? I only sell the best.”

“If it’s truly legendary and usable late game, then it should be complete.”

But it’s not.

It’s just wearing a legendary shell.

“Ahem! I never said it was complete!”

“Then it’s too expensive.”

“It has potential! You just don’t understand the value of a ‘legend’ yet!”

Talks well, though.

“But do we need ‘legendary’ right now? If we can’t use it properly yet, wouldn’t it be better to buy a basic weapon and save up for something better later?”

“…That’s true.”

She’s way too easily swayed.

Even the merchant noticed, its mask went completely blank for a moment.

“Fine, fine! I get it!”

It surrendered.

“30 lowest-grade! 9 low-grade!”

This bastard.

 

—

[Do not underestimate merchants who have lived for eternity. (Laughter)]

—

 

“Just buy something else.”

Hyeongseo hesitated…

“28 lowest-grade! No, 25! Low-grade stays the same! How about it?!”

I immediately countered:

“28 lowest-grade, 7 low-grade.”

You started this.

“Haah!”

That was about the fair price.

And I know how humiliating “fair pricing” is to a greedy merchant.

“We’re buying two more weapons anyway.”

The mask froze.

It gave up.

Selling more was better.

But it eyed me suspiciously.

“…You’re not a merchant yourself, are you?”

Thanks for the compliment.

 

—

[A life feared by arrogant merchants!]

—

 

*** 

 

In the end, Cha Hyeongseo bought the Arhat Divine Fist.

Fake or incomplete, it was still hers now.

The glove, like worn bandages, fit snugly on her hands.

We checked the rest… but there was nothing suited for Lee Hoin.

So instead, I recommended a massive greatsword:

‘Chamwol V231-2’.

Obviously not the original.

A replica.

Who made it?

The suffix tells you.

Among the “Third Parties,” some live by producing items.

Weapon-makers especially.

They often stamp their initials into item names.

And among them, the combination of V and numbers points to…

‘The One Who Holds the Genesis Flame.’