Chapter 82: Professor Pencilgon's PK Laundering Classroom

"What was it again? Is this a loaner?"

"Yep, yep. It's probably a top-tier item among all the items in Shangri-La Frontier. I mean, if you just pile up the money, you can get power even greater than a Unique Monster, you know?"

Although it's debatable whether even the entire national budget would reach that line... saying that, Pencilgon pulls the golden scale—the "Scale of Compensation," if I recall—closer and starts operating it.

"Let's see... 'The Scale maintains balance, value into experience, return the offered compensation'...... Wait, that's wrong. Then... 'The Scale maintains balance, value into the past, return the offered compensation'... This one, silly me."

Pencilgon had been fiddling with a window that had a luxurious frame, different from the usual windows. The moment she finished, particles of light left her body and were sucked into the scale. After a momentary flash, a small flower ornament and a single book appeared in front of Pencilgon.

"In extreme terms, I was prepared to lose Inventoria, but thanks to its Cursed Equipment-like effect of crushing an equipment slot, it wasn't confiscated even with the PKK penalty... However, I absolutely didn't want these taken, so I laundered them."

"Laundered?"

"Hmm? Well, simply put, it's a little trick to protect your possessions from PK penalties."

When a Player Killer is killed—in other words, Player Killer Killed (PKKed)—ownership of the items they held at that moment transfers to the one who defeated them. However, if the victor doesn't collect them within a certain time, the items become ownerless. And anything the PK player owned that was stored in a warehouse or similar at that time is automatically sold off.

"There are generally two penalties for Player Killers: affinity with most NPCs drops to the minimum value, and a fine that increases depending on the crimes... basically how much you PKed. The fine is the same as the bounty proportional to the PK player's Karma Points, but that's irrelevant right now."

The troublesome part is the fine. Although the total value of the sold-off items is deducted from the fine, as long as the fine remains, money obtained by any means will apparently be used to repay it.

"Then how did you buy that equipment?"

"Threatened an NPC in Secondil and bartered with monster items."

"You're living in a post-apocalyptic century after civilization collapsed."

To protect items from such thorough bankruptcy seizure is apparently the technique called "Laundering."

"But well, this is quite complicated. Just transferring items to someone else will result in them being sold off normally."

In other words, even if I received items from Pencilgon before she was PKKed by Saiga-0, those items would vanish the moment she was PKKed. It feels like seizing anything related to a criminal... So simply entrusting them to a trustworthy friend isn't a solution.

"Then what about that scale? Why didn't it disappear?"

"In the first place, this isn't mine. Ownership belongs to the NPC organization 'Golden Scale Merchant Guild.' Even if I had it at that time, it might have turned into an object, but I don't think it would have become Saiga-0-chan's property."

And here is the miso (key point) of laundering. In short, transferring items is meaningless because they are mercilessly sold off, but if you are in a state where you have "completely relinquished ownership at the moment of being PKKed," you can escape forced liquidation.

"This 'Flower Ornament of Distant Prayer' was in a state of being offered by the effect of the Scale of Compensation until just now... In other words, it was out of my hands. Having received a random Luck stat boost as compensation for offering the ornament, I had transferred ownership of the ornament to this scale. Furthermore, items offered to the scale can be returned within a week if the price is paid, but they didn't exist in this world as matter. That's why they weren't affected by the item seizure."

"...I see. And you just got them back with that operation."

"I consumed 40 Pasts (Levels) just to get this and the 'Tome of Truth [Tombguard Edition]' back, though... Good grief, what an outrageous price gouging."

"Ah, to be blunt, the Tome of Truth is a spoiler strategy guide, so it's mostly useless."

"Seriously!? Damn it!"

My condolences.

Pencilgon held her head in her hands, but perhaps pulling herself together, she stowed the Tome of Truth, equipped the Flower Ornament of Distant Prayer, and continued speaking.

"Incidentally, I dumped my entire fortune into this thing (the Scale) for the Wethermon fight in the first place, so there were almost no items to lose. Furthermore, the main weapon I deposited with the 'Golden Scale Merchant Guild' as collateral to borrow this is completely owned by the Guild until I return the scale... In short, the penalty seizure can be bypassed if you completely let it flow into the market or physically erase it from this world."

"Uwah, so sneaky."

She said she was washing her hands of it and starting fresh back then, but she nonchalantly protected her crucial main weapon and important items.

"By the way, how much is the fine?"

"Roughly 500 million Mani, I guess."

"I'm not lending you money."

"I won't borrow, I won't borrow. It's not an amount I can't repay if I work hard. My foolish brother probably hit the trillions; that guy got carried away spawn-killing clans with only low-level players."

Ugh... Being saddled with a fine comparable to a national budget... won't the service end before he pays it off? Though Pencilgon saying she can easily repay 500 million is also quite something.

"I realized something from this battle with Wethermon... Unique Monsters make money."

"...You say it so simply."

It is certainly a fact. Selling even one item from Inventoria would probably repay a percentage of the debt instantly. If Wethermon yielded this much, the possibility of similar profits from other Unique Monsters is high.

"Based on that, I have a proposal."

"Selling the stuff in Inventoria requires consultation."

"Sunraku, letting this guy handle negotiations guarantees defeat."

"Let's talk a lot, okay...? No, my proposal is: why don't the three of us form a clan?"

A clan. I've interacted with them a few times, but I thought they were unrelated to the current me. True, I've only been looking at clans like Ashura-kai and Black Wolves that are basically Guild-scale, so I almost forgot, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a large group.

"I don't mind. I don't particularly belong anywhere."

"Same here."

"Okay, decided! It really helps that you guys are quick."

Now then, the three of us pause for a moment and...

"I'd like to decide on a clan name. From me: 'Pencilgon and the Useful Go-furs'."

"That's fine."

"Clan 'Pencilgon-chan and the Useful Go-furs' formed."

"I want you to take it as a joke!!"

If you're going to be embarrassed when it's decided, don't propose it from the start, good grief... Let's see.

"How about 'Trash Game Alliance'?"

"Do that by yourself. Since we're all no-good types, how about 'Outrage'? Isn't that cool?"

"If a guy who claims to have washed his hands of PK is in a clan called Outrage, I absolutely wouldn't trust them."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to entrust my back to them."

It feels like I'd be stabbed in the back for chump change like cigarette money, so rejected. After that, the process of various opinions coming up and being rejected by the other two looped. To give specific examples:

• Since we defeated a Samurai (Wethermon), "Decapitation Prison Gate"... Too violent, NG.
• Since we're the three who subjugated a Unique Monster, "Unique Hunters"... Simply lame, NG.
• Since we're short on money, including for good luck, "Gold Rush"... You're the only one short on money, NG.

"Gold Rush is fine..."

"The only one suffering from debt is Pencilgon, though..."

Hmm, let's see... Something with appropriately cool-sounding words... Right.

"How about 'Wolfgang' (Traveling Wolf)?"

"Doesn't that clash with Black Wolf?"

"We, who defeated a Unique Monster, are the superior version ahead of them, right? Any elementary schooler can just raise their level. Besides, ours is German. The coolness is on a different level (danchi), a different level."

No, in terms of combat power, I think there's a difference worse than a called game loss, but I don't think there are that many crazy people like Saiga-0, and the name value of Unique Slayers should be able to compete. No, I have absolutely zero intention of fighting the clan "Black Wolves" or anything.

"I see... That sounds good."

With a somewhat meaningful (evil) smile, Pencilgon agreed to my proposal, and OiKatzo also agreed, saying there was no particular reason to oppose.

"Strangely enough, it became a birthday cake for the birth of the clan."

"The result is alright, but why did we order a birthday cake...?"

"Probably no deeper meaning than a whim... Oh, here it comes."

Presumably an additional order, Fruit Wine (Non-alcoholic is out the window) was handed to each of the three, and Pencilgon took the lead.

"Then, celebrating the birth of the clan 'Wolfgang'... Cheers!"

""Cheers.""

Downing the fruit wine poured into wooden mugs in one go, here is one impression.

"Roughly sweet."

"Wort (Bakuju) with fruit juice dumped in?"

"What's Wort?"

"Beer with the alcohol removed."

What's that? Like a hot dog without the wiener?

"By the way, regarding forming the clan, one important thing... Who will be the Clan Leader?"

"...Rock, Paper,"

"Jan"

"Ken!"

Me: Paper
Pencilgon: Rock
OiKatzo: Paper

"Best of three!"

"Rejected."

"Damn it!"

"Well, do your best, Pencilgon."

"Sunraku-kun, who has the Wolf Curse in his name, should do it... Or rather, there's no way I can win in reaction speed (Rock-Paper-Scissors)..."

Did you just realize? The moment OiKatzo initiated Rock-Paper-Scissors, it was already two-against-one beneath the surface.

"Strangely enough, it took the exact form of 'Pencilgon-chan and the Useful Go-furs'."

"Osu! Pencilgon-Anego!"

"Pencil-Anego! Shall I go buy you some Yakisoba Pan!?"

"Wait, don't say things like my foolish brother trying to act tough, it's embarrassing!"

I felt a little sympathy for Orcelott-kun, who is being treated as a living shame.

And so. Pencilgon went on a marathon to Fifticia saying, "I'm going to return the Scale and get my main weapon back." She apparently dropped to around Level 50, but what does she intend to do?

OiKatzo went to the next area for leveling and conquest, saying, "It kinda pisses me off that my level is lower than Sunraku's."

As for me, I'm waiting for Emul to investigate whether the reactor can be repaired by returning to Rabituza once. Because Pencilgon became penniless, I can't obtain Disposable Magic Scrolls right now. So, I designated a time and asked Emul to come to Thirdrema. It's treating her like a convenient tool, but I convince myself that ShanFro, which makes you hallucinate that you're talking to a living player, is the abnormal one, and game NPCs are originally like this.

"Five minutes until Emul comes..."

"Um... Could you be Sunraku-san?"

"No, you have the wrong person. I'm 'Sasoraku'."

"Ah, is that so? I'm sorry..."

"No problem."

Asserting so with a smile completely free of clouds (though masked), I sprinted into a back alley the moment the inquiring player looked away.

"...No, wait, font-wise it's definitely not Sa'so'raku but Sa'n'raku... He's gone!?"

"Shook her off, huh."

Good grief, thanks to the grand announcement, I feel like a Hollywood star chased by paparazzi. Thanks to that, I've memorized the back alley map of Thirdrema enough to input it into my brain. Emerging from the shadow of piled-up rotten wooden crates, I think about the player who spoke to me... I couldn't see the name, but it was a female player who didn't seem like the very active type.

"But still, that player didn't have equipment appropriate for Thirdrema's level..."

She was a Cleric-type woman with equipment clearly befitting a high level.

Until now, I was merely "a player with a clothed, talking Vorpal Bunny," but defeating Wethermon added the fame of "unprecedented Unique Monster subjugator" on top of that. The frequency of being spoken to by other players seems likely to increase... As expected, this "Curse" stands out in a bad way. Curse you, Lycaon.

"Now then, what to do from here..."

Well, first is Rabituza.

Author's Afterword

In short:
Personal ownership... No good. We'll search every nook and cranny and find it.
Transfer to another... No good. That's an item associated with a criminal, isn't it? Confiscated.
Sell and "flow into the market"... Kuh, once it flows into the market, identification is impossible.
Erase from this world... Cannot confiscate what doesn't exist.

It's a penalty-kun with subtly loose seizure policies.

By the way, Pencilgon's main armament was laundered with a double defense: she used the Scale of Compensation to make a contract in the form of "Offering the main weapon to the Scale to obtain temporary rental rights to the Scale itself," so Pencilgon didn't have ownership, and it didn't exist in this world.
Pencilgon is a bad guy for setting up a safety net while saying cool things (impartial view).