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Chapter 3 - Self-Checkout Thief

Searching my dorm room, I realized that I had been thrust into this world with a grand total of 0 Gold.

I'd already known this from the Soul Transfusion, of course. But still, it was a little disappointing to confirm that whoever transported my soul into this world didn't have the courtesy to give me money.

Though I should really blame the Cabal.

I'm a fucking noble. Where is my money? I seem to contain the idea that the funding of this mission—along with Melena's words in the letter—did not seek to cover any more than it needed to.

All it really needed to cover 9 million Gold. Yes, that's the Dim's real yearly tuition. Even in another world, universities are still egregiously priced.

I could buy a loaf of bread for 1 Gold. A private airship for 100,000. A walled village of my own for 10 million.

The Dim is insanely prestigious. And it represents one of, if not the only, method of upward mobility in a somewhat static aristocratic system.

For the upper nobility, graduating from the Dim is a necessity for them to garner respect. Above all, it's expected of them.

For the lower, like me—though I'm a fraud—it's a boom or bust gamble. The tuition itself can completely bankrupt a Barony. But if that Baron were to stand out at the Dim, or simply make connections here, they can recoup their losses or even end at a net positive. The potential gain keeps them hooked like gamblers.

As of now, none of this matters. I need money. As soon as possible. And a lot of it.

Portal transport from the Dim to the Free Empire's capital city, Columbia, is free.

An airship from Columbia to Landeskog City will be 100 Gold and three days one-way.

Nearly a week spent in total solely on traveling means I need to begin the journey to Darrow's burial ground within the next three weeks. I have to be back with my power-up in time for the Entrance Exam.

To reach the burial grounds I'll need an Excursion Pass.

This is by far my biggest obstacle.

The burial grounds are outside of the walls of Landeskog City. In any walled city, unless you are a service member of the esteemed Excursion Corps, you need an Excursion Pass to leave the walls.

As a noble and a Dim aspirant, I qualify for a pass. But that doesn't bring the price down at all.

It's 500,000 Gold for a one-time use single-person pass. I obviously can't afford another person, so it's just me.

Why are they so expensive? Well, like many things in life, capitalism has gotten its greasy, grimy paws on it.

The Corrupted dominate every inch of the outside world. They are Humanity's greatest threat as of now, but they are also Humanity's greatest resource.

The Souls of Corrupted are incredibly potent. Killing Corrupted is how you primarily obtain Shards, which in turn allows you to infuse them into your own Soul, increasing your stats.

They are also incredibly difficult to kill for many Favored, so dissuading all average nobles from obtaining Excursion Passes with high prices makes sense.

But the better answer simply lies in the fact that the richest, most powerful families and their Guilds, the Big Five, cling to their monopoly on power. They can afford the passes, so they can continue to get stronger and make more money. It's a positive feedback loop that only a few are fortunate enough to be in.

I don't intend on paying the 500,000. I simply cannot in this time frame. That leaves me with two options.

I can either buy a forged Excursion Pass from the Interrealm Hub for 50,000 Gold, or I need to figure out a way to get it for free.

From Melena's letter, the Cabal has cut me off from any funding for a while. Bureaucracy has no fucking place in a secret organization.

My dressers have nothing but my worn black cloak and the black and red military-style uniforms of the Dim. Selling these is against school policy, I'm afraid, but someone might pay a pretty penny.

I could do it illegally, of course. I know how to access the Interrealm Hub. It's a bad idea for many reasons, but the biggest is a tacit lesson everyone in the Seven Realms understands; don't ever fuck with the Dim.

My only possessions remaining are the school-issued Artifact watch—very expensive but even more of a danger to sell than the uniforms—and my Shiv.

All aspirants were allowed to take one personal weapon. I took my Shiv, an artificial Artifact, a weapon of choice for many assassins. It's a shortsword made of soulsteel that folds into a phone-sized brick. The Dim keeps it under lock and key for now, but it's mine. They'll hand it to me when I leave.

I could sell it for around 50,000 Gold at the Interrealm Hub. However, not only have I grown quite attached to this particular Shiv, but I also need it to protect myself; artificial soulsteel Artifacts are effective against low-ranked Corrupted. Using a normal steel sword would be like using a butter knife to kill a live chicken. Very difficult.

Unless I want to fight difficult monsters with my bare hands—and I'm not the most talented mage—then selling the Shiv isn't an option.

Also, selling my apartment isn't an option either. Real estate takes too long, and it's not even really my apartment.

You don't fuck with the Cabal's money, just like you don't fuck with the Dim's.

Except, there is a way to fuck with the Dim's money. In a "proper" way.

***

"Sir…" a mousy clerk tries his best to protest. "I don't think I can let you buy anymore—"

"You're correct, little lowborn rodent." I snap. "You don't fucking think at all. Here."

I point to the points counter on my watch, smug arrogance leaking from my every pore as I shove it in the clerk's face.

"I have 3450 points left. These are 5 points each. I've read the Dim's terms. You haven't."

"But this is…"

"Egregious? Ridiculous? Who the fuck cares!? They don't give a shit about how much I spend. Now scan the fucking things and help me bag it. Or shut up and scan."

The young lowborn shop clerk in the Dim's commercial district sags down, utterly defeated.

He can't do anything to me. I'm a fucking noble attending the Dim, and he's a nobody.

Besides, I wasn't lying about having read the terms of the point usage, though I'm pretty sure if his manager were here right now, he'd force me to stop, which he is well within his rights to do.

Even then, I'd just buy something else. I am a force, and above all, a good actor. I've lived so long under the terror of aristocratic rule that this noble facade is second to none.

Once he finishes bagging the last of the items, he takes a deep sigh and takes my points through the watch.

"Thank you for your patronage…" it comes out as a drawl like he's nearly on the verge of tears.

I smile ear to ear as I make out like a bandit, holding a dozen massive bags.

Inside is 10,000 points worth of self-care cosmetics.

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