Chương 9: The Fortune Comes Home

Arthur's curiosity had reached a fever pitch. The urge to open the bag and gaze at the credits inside pushed him to the absolute breaking point. Yet, he stubbornly restrained himself, determined to hold out until he was safely home. Suddenly, a practical problem threatened his resolve. He had already spent what meager funds he had earlier in the day. For a tense moment, it seemed he had no choice but to open the bag. It was his only way to pay for the taxi he was sitting in.

It was the perfect excuse to take a peek, but Arthur forced the temptation down. He firmly decided not to take a single credit from the bag. Instead, he made up his mind that the moment they pulled up to his house, he would simply get the taxi fare from his mother. Arthur's face was plastered with a bright smile for the entire taxi ride home. When they finally arrived, he asked the driver to wait for just a second and hurried toward his house.

He knocked on the old, tattered door, and soon, the patter of small footsteps rushed to answer. The door swung open to reveal his eight year old sister, Suzie, beaming up at him. She wore an old, patched up dress.

"Brother, you came back!" she cheered, though her eyes quickly darted to his luggage.

"What is that bag?"

"Suzie, where is Mother?" Arthur asked, stepping inside.

"Arthur, what is it?" his mother's voice called out. The house was cramped, consisting of just a kitchen, a small hall, and two bedrooms. He found his mother out in the tiny backyard, scrubbing a pile of dirty clothes.

"Mother, do you have eight credits?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, check the main desk drawer," she replied, continuing to wash the laundry.

"Come inside, I want to show you something," Arthur called back. He walked into the hall, dropping the heavy bag onto the small dining table, and rummaged through the nearby desk. Finding a ten credit bill, he dashed outside to pay the taxi driver. When he returned, his mother was waiting in the hall, looking at him with deep confusion and worry.

"What is it, son? Did something happen?" she asked, unnerved by his sudden change in demeanor. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Since you left so abruptly last night, your father has been deeply concerned. He was up all night blabbering, regretting that he didn't stop you from leaving."

"Nothing happened, Mother. Please, sit down," Arthur reassured her, taking a seat at the table himself.

"Where is Geoffrey?"

"Geoffrey just went to the potion shop," Suzie chimed in. She sat at a nearby table, keeping her eyes glued to the massive bag. Her older brother Geoffrey worked as a helper in an Outer Sector potion shop, bringing in fifty credits a month. It was a meager sum that barely fed the family for a few days. His mother sat down, her gaze now fixed on the bag just like Suzie's.

"What is in the bag, Arthur?" Eager to see it himself, Arthur turned to his sister.

"Suzie, open it." Suzie cheerfully climbed up onto the table and unzipped the bag. The zipper glided smoothly, revealing its contents to the room. No one could quite believe their eyes. Arthur included, as he felt the exact same shock as his mother since he hadn't actually looked inside yet. The bag was filled to the brim with neatly stacked credits. Suzie, however, pouted with a hint of disappointment. She had been hoping for something fancy, like a cake, a toy, or good food.

"Arthur..." his mother whispered, slowly standing up, unable to tear her eyes away from the cash.

"Where did you get this bag?" Arthur stared at the fortune. He guessed the amount easily exceeded 100, 000 credits. It dawned on him that the Heart he had sold must have been worth far more than 10, 000 credits. His mind drifted back to the people in the Old Mining District. Why had they been generous enough to share the profits of this rare, expensive Heart with him when their original deal was only for 1, 500 credits? He shook the thought away. It didn't matter now.

He had the money, and his family's struggles were over.

"Arthur, answer me! Where did you get this much money?" Panic suddenly seized his mother as her mind jumped to the worst, terrified he had done something illegal or robbed someone.

"Mother, sit down and relax. I earned this money using my awakened skill. You don't have to worry about a thing," Arthur assured her gently.

"How is that possible?" she argued, refusing to believe he could earn such a fortune honestly on the very first night of awakening.

"Didn't you say you awakened the 'Inventory Sorting' class?"

"I promise you, I earned this legally. No problems will come of this in the future," Arthur insisted.

"Use this money to solve all our problems for now. Once I earn more, we'll move to a better place, maybe even the Inner Sector." He knew that leaving their current life behind would do wonders for his parents' failing health and secure his siblings' futures. His mother was still reluctant to believe his claims of earning it legally. But as she looked at the mountain of wealth, the dam finally broke.

After living in crushing poverty for so long, drowning in financial ruin and health issues, the sight of their salvation overwhelmed her. Tears spilled down her hollowed cheeks, and she began to sob.

"Use as much as you need to buy food, get new clothes, and fix the house's air vents. Don't worry about spending it," Arthur smiled softly.

"This is only half of it, anyway. We have the other half on this." He placed a bronze bank card on the table. Another wave of absolute shock and disbelief washed over his mother as she stared at the card. Slowly, they began to discuss everything they needed to buy for the house, the food they would eat, and the debts they could finally pay off to the local loan sharks. After a while, Arthur stood up.

"Mother, take care of these things. I have some urgent work to do, and then I need to visit the Awakening Head Office to register my class."

"Arthur, please be careful out there," his mother said, her voice laced with a lingering, cautious warmth.

"Don't worry, Mother. I'll take care of everything," Arthur replied confidently as he turned and walked out the door.