Chapter 328 Impulse Purchase

Having finished their business, Ian and his party returned from the Monster Market.

It was late afternoon.

Usually, it was a time when everyone would be spending their time individually, but right now, they were all gathered in the lounge.

It was because of something Ian had bought at the market.

Most of the materials had been delivered to the warehouse due to their size, but there was one thing he had brought back personally.

’....’

’....’

Everyone gathered in the lounge, quietly staring at what Ian had purchased from the market.

He had always been someone who boldly bought unexpected things out of the blue, but...

What Ian had purchased this time was... a person.

Everyone’s gaze moved back and forth repeatedly between Ian and the single mercenary slave standing beside him.

The Master... bought a slave.

In a situation where it was difficult for anyone to say anything, they kept glancing and reading each other’s countenances.

After that awkward silence continued for a moment.

Lia stepped forward as the representative and cautiously spoke up.

’...To the dungeon?’

’I told you we don’t have one.’

At Ian’s firm reply, Lia stepped back with a slightly disappointed face.

However, it seemed to be a chilling story for a mercenary who had come here for the first time today, especially in the status of a slave.

The mercenary standing next to Ian flinched and trembled.

A-A dungeon?

Hearing such a sinister word, the mercenary who had been sold as a slave was terrified and shrank back even further.

The mercenary hurriedly took a step to the side and looked at Ian with wary eyes.

Suspicion and caution.

Ian received that gaze and quietly nodded to himself.

Well, I suppose this reaction is normal.

It would be stranger if someone followed faithfully without a word just because they were bought as a slave.

...And it wasn’t just the mercenary he bought today; even the members were looking at Ian with slightly suspicious eyes.

It seemed it would take a bit of time to lower this guard and accept her as a member of the mercenary group.

Ian kept his mouth shut and stared at the mercenary, who was scanning her surroundings anxiously.

A mercenary named Airi, purchased from the slave shop held near the Monster Market.

Airi. C-rank mercenary.

Naturally, she had no affiliated mercenary group.

And her crime was default on debt.

She had borrowed money and was caught because she couldn’t pay it back within the period.

The purchase price was exactly the amount of Airi’s debt.

In other words, Ian paid off Airi’s debt on her behalf, and in exchange, Ian received the right to use Airi as a slave for two years.

Working as a slave for a fixed period under the person who paid off one’s debt was how penal labor worked here.

Of course, they weren’t a real slave. Since it was strictly penal labor, they couldn’t truly be treated like a slave. Although it was a pittance, the fixed minimum wage, food, clothing, and shelter had to be provided.

Because of this structure, slaves with good skills were popular and sold quickly.

Conversely, slaves whose debt was too large or who weren’t very useful didn’t sell.

It was only a profit if one could earn more than the debt amount through that slave during the period they could be used.

If one couldn’t earn more than that within the period, it was a loss, so no one would buy a skilless slave.

If they didn’t sell until the end, it seemed they were sent to places like quarries.

This was information he had learned by asking the sales staff while purchasing the slave.

’So, Master. Why a slave all of a sudden?’

It seemed the commotion among the members had finally settled down a bit.

Hearing that question, Ian first introduced Airi to the members gathered in the lounge.

’This is Airi. She’s a new member.’

’A prisoner...?’

Lia asked with a slightly worried expression.

Other than her, although they didn’t say it, everyone had similar faces.

They had expected it might be time to accept new members soon, but no one expected a slave mercenary to suddenly join.

’If it was something like robbery, I wouldn’t have bought her either.... It’s just because of debt.’

While purchasing her at the market, he had heard Airi’s general personal information in advance.

She was working as a mercenary alone when she ran low on funds and borrowed activity expenses, but after that, she failed successive missions.

The interest kept growing, and her activity funds ran out. Eventually, she became unable to pay back the money.

Since it wasn’t something like gambling, it was at least the most moderate reason among the slaves who were there.

’There must be plenty of people who want to join, so why a slave specifically...?’

Lia muttered.

As she said, inquiries about joining were pouring in even now.

It was a mercenary group whose name had become quite well-known, and the facilities and wealth were considerable.

If he were to just accept applications, applicants would flock in massive numbers.

Since he would have to hire staff soon, Ian was also thinking of doing a public recruitment eventually.

But he couldn’t hold back after seeing Airi’s stats.

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Name: Airi

Level: 23

Affiliation: None

Traits:

[Agility Enhancement D] [MP Increase D] [Archery C] [Stealth A]

[Weapon Mana Infusion B] [Dark Attribute Affinity C] [Misfortune] [Search B]

[Dependent] [Poor Communication] [Weak to Pleasure] [Masturbation Addiction]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ian, who had examined Airi’s stats at the market, had a certain thought the moment he saw them.

This looks like a ’Coconut Opener’...

It was an intuition he felt from his experience playing this game countless times.

A ’Coconut Opener’ was a nickname for characters who collectively possessed certain peculiar performances.

In short, it literally meant a character like a coconut opener in a kitchen drawer.

Usually, it’s a tool that’s not very necessary, so it stays tucked away in the drawer. Looking at it then, it seems quite useless.

But, very occasionally.

In this game, moments would come when one had to deal with a coconut.

At that moment when everyone would be flustered with a coconut in front of them.

A character like a coconut opener who, if you have them, resolves difficult situations very easily.

It referred to an extreme specialized character who had low efficiency usually but demonstrated performance in very restricted and limited situations.

Ian felt that intuition while looking at Airi’s ambiguous trait combination that was hard to explain.

I want to secure this one.

The moment he realized that, he couldn’t resist his desire to collect.

He needed someone in charge of long-range anyway.

Rationalizing like that, Ian purchased Airi immediately on the spot.

Honestly, her ability as an archer didn’t look that great, but if he equipped her well, she could sufficiently perform a minimum long-range support role.

For that reason, Airi was hired as the person in charge of long-range attacks for Ian’s mercenary group.

’You’ll be working in our mercenary group from now on. I look forward to working with you.’

Ian said so while looking at Airi.

Since Ian, the Master, seemed to have already decided so, the rest didn’t bother bringing it up further.

Airi stole a glance at the person named Ian who had bought her.

Sigh.

Just how did she end up becoming a slave.

Airi let out a small sigh internally.

It might not have turned out like this.

It was because truly forced misfortune had piled up.

Then again, since she had almost never been lucky until now, who was she to blame?

Airi stole a glance up at Ian’s face and made eye contact with him.

Feeling a slight pressure, Airi quickly looked away.

Flustered, Airi trembled while staring at the floor.

Worrying about what kind of person would buy her, she had lost sleep every day with various thoughts.

To think a man bought her.

Their eyes had met several times so far, and the strange gaze that seemed to be observing her was also chilling.

She even had suspicions about what purpose he had bought her for.

Well, honestly, the worst person she had imagined...

It was a relief that he didn’t look like an unscrupulous employer of that level of severity, but she couldn’t help the anxiety.

A man talking to her or making eye contact was something she wasn’t very used to in the first place.

The fact that all the members were women was also somehow suspicious...

Furthermore, she wasn’t used to getting along with people, but suddenly having to join a mercenary group was her greatest worry.

Since it was a situation where she had to work here for two years, she couldn’t help but worry.

Airi herself knew better than anyone else that with this personality, she wouldn’t be able to properly get along with the members.

As time goes by, surely these people will also come to think of her as a gloomy and unpleasant person.

Because she had a personality that couldn’t even converse properly.

Airi calmed her trembling heart and let out a very small breath.

She had to fix this personality somehow.

Wasn’t that why she hadn’t even been able to join a mercenary group until now, wandering the forests alone before falling into debt and becoming a slave?

The next two years. She already felt worried about the future.

Could she pull it off?

’...?’

Airi suddenly noticed belatedly that everyone, including Ian, was looking at her. Feeling the gazes of several people staring at her, Airi’s body shrank back even more.

Come to think of it.... Did this person, the Master, speak to her?

What did he say? Was it that he looked forward to working together?

As Airi’s head heated up rapidly, she began to worry about how she should answer the words she just heard.

What do people usually say when they hear something like that?

Since she had only shared the exact same conversations with innkeepers, shopkeepers, and guild receptionists for quite a long time, an answer to an unexpected question didn’t immediately come to mind.

If I don’t answer, he’ll feel bad that I ignored his words. Thinking so, Airi hurriedly searched for words to reply with.

However, Airi had never been good with words since long ago. Conversing with people itself wasn’t very familiar.

Unable to properly explain her long-winded thoughts until now, Airi finally managed to squeeze out only the one word she had been thinking toward Ian until now.

’P-Pervert....’

It was the first word Airi had offered.