Chương 10: The First Payment

Stepping out of the house, Arthur walked down the street, taking a deep breath. For the first time in his life, he felt a profound, overwhelming sense of peace and freedom. Ever since he was five years old, he had understood the crushing weight of his family's poverty, forced to watch his father work himself to the bone as his health slowly declined. He had walked this exact street countless times, his head hung low, agonizing over what to do to improve their miserable lives.

Today, however, he walked with his head held high. The environment around him was still depressing, and the stale air was far from fresh, but the dead-end path he had been walking his whole life suddenly opened up into a road with a future. The suffocating penalty debt of 10, 000 credits, which had loomed over him like an impassable mountain just half a day ago, was now nothing but a trivial annoyance. It felt like an astonishing miracle how quickly he had acquired such immense wealth.

But as he walked, a sobering realization crept in. Earning that money hadn't actually been easy. A violent shiver racked his body as he recalled the life-and-death battle he had barely survived just to get his hands on it. Earning a single credit in the future would still require hard work, and the harsh reality was that no one was ever going to just hand him a mutated monster heart again. That sobering truth sent him tumbling from cloud nine right back to solid ground.

He had to spend this fortune wisely and figure out a way to earn more. With his mind set, Arthur arrived at a local material shop in Outer Sector B. His mission was simple: buy an ounce of unrefined iron ore, pay the outstanding debt to the notebook, and properly awaken his class. Currently, he couldn't see any details about his class. Sometimes, he even doubted he had awakened at all, as he hadn't felt the physical or mental changes that usually accompanied an awakening.

If it weren't for Coburn's physical presence in the real world when he summoned, Arthur might have believed he was still a normal human. First things first: he needed to unlock his status window, understand his class, and then plan his next steps. The shop he entered was relatively nice for the Outer Sector, though it couldn't compare to Mawman's shop in the Inner Sector. Still, he didn't need to travel all the way into the city just to buy a piece of iron ore.

An older man, looking to be in his late forties with a pair of old spectacles perched on his nose, stood behind the counter inspecting an object. When Arthur walked in, the man merely flicked his eyes up without bothering to tilt his head. Taking in Arthur's tattered clothes, the shopkeeper clearly deemed him an unimportant customer and immediately went back to his inspection. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Arthur approached the counter and stood in polite silence, waiting for the man to finish so as not to disturb his concentration. After a moment, the middle-aged man finally set the object down and looked up.

"Uncle, do you sell unrefined iron ore?" Arthur asked.

"How much do you want?" the man grunted.

"I need one ounce." The shopkeeper turned to look at him, his expression a mix of shock and annoyance, making Arthur wonder if he had said something wrong.

"Kid, I don't sell by the ounce. You have to buy it by the kilo. Now, how many kilos of iron ore do you need?" Arthur wasn't too surprised; an ounce was a very small quantity, even if it was all the notebook required.

"How much for one kilo?"

"A kilo of unrefined iron ore is 2, 500 credits." Arthur let out a silent sigh of relief, inwardly thanking the people from the Old Mining District. If they had only given him the originally promised 1, 500 credits instead of handing over the Heart, he would have been severely short on cash. Now, however, the price wasn't an issue at all.

"I'll take one kilo," Arthur said smoothly. The shopkeeper shot him a quick, appraising look before turning and heading into the back room. While he waited, Arthur slowly wandered around the store, his eyes taking in the strange and fascinating inventory. There were monster hides, bones, various types of ores, razor-sharp claws, dried jerky, raw flesh preserved in specialized containers, glowing liquids in glass vials, twisted roots, and dried medicinal leaves.

For some reason, Arthur felt a deep, pulling interest toward these materials. He didn't know why, but the urge to study and understand them was incredibly strong. He quietly resolved to learn everything he could about them in the future. His thoughts were interrupted when the middle-aged man returned, lugging a large, jagged rock patterned with glittering minerals. Arthur quickly walked to the counter, handed over the credits, took the heavy ore, and exited the store. Everything was finally set.

He had the 500 credit notes and well over an ounce of unrefined iron ore. He quickly found an empty, quiet alleyway. After double-checking to ensure no one was watching, he took out the 500 credits and unwrapped the large chunk of ore. He didn't have any tools to chip off exactly one ounce, so he decided he would just offer the entire one-kilogram rock to the System. See how generous I am? Arthur laughed inwardly.

Holding the cash in one hand and balancing the heavy ore in the other, he focused his intent on the System or the notebook, letting his willpower peak. Sluck. A strange sensation brushed across his palms, and he snapped his eyes open. The 500 credits had completely vanished into thin air. However, the heavy, one-kilogram chunk of iron ore remained resting in his hand, completely untouched. Do I really have to cut off exactly one ounce for the System to accept it? Arthur wondered, a frown creasing his brow.

Before he could worry any further, a crisp ding! echoed clearly in his mind, and a translucent message screen materialized directly in front of his eyes.