Chapter 13

Squeeeeak──

Autumn leaves falling. The momentum is unstoppable.

The power of Brand New Ari was truly formidable.

“Master Jjuin, I’m bored… woof…”

“Lumi, fetch!”

“Woof!”

Lumi had left the front lines and was now leisurely playing fetch, showing just how relaxed things were.

The reason Ari, despite being a 3-star character from birth, received such high praise.

Basic skill? Strong with area damage.

Ultimate skill unlocked at rank 3? Just plain strong in single-target.

But the real deal was in the Enhancement Skill.

[Enhancement Skill: Spirit of Wind (LV.1)]

[Summons a Spirit of Wind at the location where the arrow hits, pulling monsters towards its center. Enemies hit take 200% of attack power as damage.]

[Cooldown: 12 seconds]

A crowd-control skill so overpowered that even 5-star characters rarely have it.

Pull!

Even the range was wide, so in the original work, every time a special attack triggered, an entire wave was neatly cleared.

“Kuo!”

“Keeer!”

“Grrk!”

Here too, its power was faithfully reproduced.

Of course, the damage coefficient was on the lower side, so later on, it was reduced to just a pulling tool.

If I weren’t the shop owner but a guide.

If I were a newbie with poor game understanding.

From this point on, I would already be struggling with a lack of EXP potions, twisting my body while working hard in a 5-man party…

But satisfaction was rising.

Now that the forge is running properly, equipment farming issues will be resolved.

If the so-called ‘EXP Cocktail’ sells well, I can clean out the heroes’ pockets.

Everything’s going great!

Keep going, Arc!

—

Nice job, Arc!

My perfect plan led to perfect success.

“Cheers!”

“Is this a drug? Why is it so delicious?”

“Here, one more cocktail!”

“And some Wild Boar Skewers!”

Business is going too well.

I’m a genius, after all.

There was a reason I was reincarnated as a shop owner.

Didn’t the gods recognize my talent?

“Achoo, cough cough…!”

Ugh, spicy.

The moment the sizzling wild boar fat dripped onto the fire, thick smoke assaulted my nose.

Sparks flew too… my skin stings a bit.

“Arc, is it ready yet?”

“Yes, almost done!”

I checked the properly cooked Wild Boar Skewers one more time with the status window and plated them.

Then.

“Woof!”

Lumi took over and delivered them to the customers.

Now, there were cocktails too, right?

I dashed to the counter, poured the perfect ratio into the shaker, and shook it!

“Ooh…!”

“Cool!”

The heroes sitting at the counter applauded, and I responded with even more enthusiastic shaking.

And glug, glug.

Poured into the glass to the right amount.

“Hey, I came to sell some items…”

“Ah, yes! Let’s see, Essence of Slime, quite rare, huh? 100 gold. How about having a drink while you’re here?”

“There’s a line outside… is that okay?”

“You brought such a precious item, so of course. Ari! Bring a wooden chair here!”

One worry solved.

“Here’s an extra Wild Boar Skewer!”

“Coming right up!”

…

Business is going too well.

—

Taking a short breather, I looked at my partners.

“Tastes good, right? Haha, come by often. I’ll give you some service!”

Ari was handling the madam role.

Originally, I planned to push her into the kitchen, but Ari was the goddess of creation, turning wild boar meat into charcoal.

At least her social skills were shining, holding a smooth talking bar at the counter, chatting away.

And.

“Woof!”

“Yay yay, I’ll go cook now.”

Lumi was in charge of serving and being the mascot.

The deadly cuteness of a dog beastman was a direct hit for the other heroes.

The sight of her struggling with heroes who just wanted to touch her ears brought laughter to everyone.

Yo-Hena was…

“Don’t worry. Nabi will be back soon.”

“Really…? That’s a relief…!”

Using the Saint’s authority, she was counseling the heroes on their trivial worries.

I just let it be. Everyone has a role that suits them.

Then what about me?

Cook. Grilling Wild Boar Skewers.

Bartender. Mixing cocktails.

Cleaner. Cleaning tables.

Cashier. Accurately handling payments without a single error.

Shopkeeper. My original job.

…

Something feels off, but…

The fact is, my wallet.

No, my gold chest is getting healthier.

That’s enough for me.

—

“Good work today, Captain!”

“Yes. Riley, you worked hard too.”

Since the guide started climbing the Tower, the number of monsters pouring out of the Tower has decreased exponentially.

But due to the twisted space, monsters still occasionally pop up around the city.

To prevent problems that could arise from this, the Celestia Knights were formed.

Named after the city, they were an officially recognized group by the sanctuary.

“I’m tired.”

Saha, having finished today’s patrol, stretched and prepared to leave.

It was a particularly unfocused day.

If I had to pinpoint the reason, it was one thing.

The fateful meeting this morning.

—

It felt like meeting an angel descended from heaven, a strong, fateful tremor.

Golden hair that seemed to hold the radiant sunlight just rising to illuminate the earth.

Facial features so perfect that no other words came to mind.

And especially the mouth and neck.

Even though it was moving at a slow pace, the panting…

The vibrating neck and the white breath escaping from the cracked lips.

Truly, the epitome of a man worth protecting!

Even in the city of flames, he’s the top candidate for a groom!

His appearance was so perfectly my type that I was too flustered to even greet him at first.

Only after he passed by and walked away did I manage to speak.

“Leader, do you know him? He’s so handsome…!”

“Fiancé? Is he your fiancé? Right? Kyah!”

No, no.

…I just saw him for the first time today.

Then, a sudden question arose.

How did that man know my name?

And, though it was very subtle, there was a feeling of being tied together by a thread of fate. Like when I first met the Seer…

“No, that can’t be it.”

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Saha emerged from her reverie.

The Seer hadn’t shown his face since the first meeting, so he must still be struggling inside the Tower.

After all, announcements related to the Tower’s conquest were intermittently echoing.

So, who was that man?

How could he know my face and name if we’ve never met before?

With these unresolved questions filling her mind, Saha was heading back to her mansion when she suddenly heard a commotion.

Listening closely, it seemed to be the voices of women, presumably warriors, laughing and chatting.

It felt similar to when they occasionally went to the meeting tavern for gatherings.

“At this hour, here…?”

But.

This place was far from the meeting tavern.

As far as Saha knew, there was nothing ‘fun’ around here.

Curiosity piqued, Saha followed the source of the sound.

And what she saw was…

Arc’s Shop of All Things.

A place she had never been to before.

A strange shop run by a hooded owner who had been with the Saintess not long ago.

In a place that had been silent until recently.

Loud laughter was now echoing.

What’s going on?

What’s happening here?

Eventually, Saha was drawn into the Shop of All Things.

Of course, entering in full armor would attract attention—so she temporarily set aside the warrior’s blessing.

“Welcome! Come this way!”

As soon as she entered.

A cute dog-like beastman grabbed her arm and led her to a table.

Sitting down in a daze.

Surveying the entire shop—

She saw it.

The sight of the shop owner who could do ‘everything.’

With arms so thin you’d worry if he could even hold a sword, he was wielding cooking tools, heating oil, and grilling skewers.

As soon as a customer left, he flew over and wiped the table clean with those thin arms.

Moreover.

He was shaking some mysterious liquid in a strange container, showing off those slender arms that didn’t even have muscles.

Truly.

A man who met all the conditions of an ‘ideal man,’ enough to make you want to kidnap him.

Gulp.

Saha unconsciously swallowed her saliva.

“Yes, coming!”

Although the voice coming from under the hood sounded distorted, perhaps due to some recognition-hindering magic.

It only added to the mystery.

What face could be under that hood?

Surely… no, it couldn’t be that man…

Laughing at the thought that such a coincidence couldn’t possibly exist.

“Hey, can I get one of those cocktails or whatever here?”

“Woof!”

Drawn by the cheerful atmosphere of the place.

Saha ordered a drink she wouldn’t normally touch.

* * *

Manly cooking.

Manly shaking.

And even manly cleaning.

The first two hours were almost unbearable.

But humans are adaptable, and now it was getting manageable.

What was surprising was the number of 3-star warriors I had never seen before.

Like that girl who vaguely resembles Saha.

Same green hair, red eyes—basic character design.

But Saha has a ponytail, and that warrior has her hair down.

And, wow, her chest.

Lumi-level, wow.

My Saha isn’t that busty. At best, she’s an A-cup?

You can tell just by looking at her breastplate size.

Full plate armor doesn’t lie.

Anyway.

Shake shake—

Clink clink—

“Wow!”

Our forge’s first creation.

Wasn’t equipment, but this shaker.

And it performed quite well.

Even showmanship-wise.

So, what was our blacksmith, Ha-Rong, doing?

“Phew—”

“Wow, damn, that’s crazy!”

“Ha-Rong, isn’t it hot?”

“Fire is coming out of his mouth!”

He was enthusiastically performing a fire show.

Hammering away while sipping alcohol like a true second-rate drunk.

Then, getting carried away, he even did fan service.

Anyway, he was providing a spectacle rivaling my shaking.

This is teamwork.

Truly hard work, in every sense.

“One more!”

…Or maybe.

Am I the only one struggling…?

Anyway, looking at the sales so far.

At least money worries would be a bit less if things continued like this.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll focus more on conquering the Tower.