Chapter 617: That's Just the Kind of Creature They Are

"Three heads are better than one" is the saying... wait, wasn't that originally "Three people together bring the wisdom of Monju"? Monju was the name of a god... or was it a Bodhisattva? Either way, if there are six of us gathered here, then by simple calculation, we should have access to twice the amount of wisdom. Double Monju...!!

Our realization of that fact was completely accidental.

When Rust, Rei-shi, and I stepped inside the cube, the other three waiting outside—Mold, Survival, and Yashirobird—observed the box actually move.

After repeating several trials, we discovered that only four of us—Sunraku, Rei-shi, Rust, and Yashirobird—could make the box move by entering its space. So, what exactly was the dividing line between us and Survival and Mold?

"It's the 'shaken down for cash' duo, right?"

"Hahaha..."

"No, I really will pay you back..."

"...Can't we just put it on my tab?"

Rust, do you not possess a human heart? Well, in Rust's case, she can easily make it back with just a little bit of effort, so maybe it's fine for her... but that line of thinking didn't seem entirely off-base.

What Sunraku, Rei-shi, Rust, and Yashirobird possessed, but Mold and Survival did not.

The word "cage" that Isana used when I asked her about this box on the map.

And if the First Layer was a labyrinth, the Second Layer was a ranch, and the Third Layer was an entertainment facility... when considering the overarching concept of the entire Fourth Shell Layer, the answer became clear.

"───It's a shopping basket."

"What did you say?"

"The difference between us and you guys is whether or not we purchased something here. Rei-shi, Rust, and I bought the Inventoria, while Yashirobird bought the Chestoria. And you guys, who merely lent money to these two idiots, haven't bought a single thing!"

"...Two idiots?"

It's not like you're in a position to object.

"So what does that mean? In other words..."

"The greater the total purchase amount... the more it drops?"

"Ah, I see. This box... is a hybrid of a scale and an elevator. The heavier it gets, the further down it drops... but that's only what we inside perceive. From the outside, this box is actually ascending toward the Fifth Shell Layer."

God dammit, so that's how it is. If the mechanics of the Fourth Shell Layer are this, then the Third Shell Layer was a complete and utter farce.

With half-closed eyes, I turned back toward the hologram floating in the air, which wore a completely innocent and fair expression.

"You... no matter how you look at it, this is just a blatant command to go grind Score in the Third Layer..."

『What I wish to see is your determination to move forward. Regardless of the means, regardless of the path... watching your unstopping strides is highly entertaining.』

"Hey, what should we do, Survival? She's starting to sound like a final boss."

"Well, I've had my suspicions about the 'final boss Isana' theory from the very start."

"What a terrifying entity... to think she was manipulating us behind that smile just to drain our Score...!"

"Wait, Yashirobird, why are you trying to position yourself on the side of justice?"

"Your bankruptcy was one hundred percent your own damn fault."

"Eh? Are we not currently in the process of condemning Isana?"

What I'm complaining about is how it pretended to be a fair entertainment facility when it was actually a cash-grabbing joint where anything goes. An idiot who simply bankrupted himself has absolutely no right to join the condemnation, in my opinion.

"But wouldn't we need to pile up an absurd amount of money for this? To think that even the combined value of the Inventoria and Chestoria isn't enough to reach the top..."

"...Mold, a unique window pops up only when we're inside here."

"Eh?"

She's right. Windows that only appear in specific locations are usually a total rookie trap, oi... Let's see, what does it say?

"SP and DP... I assume SP stands for Score Points?"

"Then what is DP?"

『That would be Danger Points.』

You're strangely helpful in some aspects and completely unhelpful in others... Score Points literally represent points from your Score, which we can basically assume is the total value of purchased items brought into this room. In that case, this abnormally low Danger Points value must be...

"A measure of hazard/lethality?"

Even though the utility of Inventoria has been nerfed countless times, it remains incredibly powerful. However, as for whether it's physically lethal... you can hardly call it more dangerous than a simple blade. Even if it allows you to pull out highly hazardous weapons, the Inventoria itself is ultimately just a transport tool.

"In other words, we just need to dump a bunch of highly hazardous and expensive weapons into this thing?"

"...We have no choice but to grind in the Third Layer."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Should we all head back and start grinding again... No, maybe it's better to have Rust and Yashirobird stay here and look for weapons that seem to have high DP?"

"...When it comes to aesthetic assessment..."

"I have absolute confidence."

It's not like I don't have anxieties about literally every other aspect of them, but by nature, neither Survival nor I have the patience to examine the detailed stats of weapons and armor one by one, so they are probably the best fit for the job.

"So the real question is how we're going to grind... but on my end, I actually have a few ideas."

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"S-Sunraku-san... T-This is the promised cash. So..."

"Could you please stop roleplaying like we're in a shady drug deal?"

"Ah, sorry."

"Well then, Renga-san. This is the Crystal Scorpion deck I put up for auction. Please verify the card count inside."

"Crystal Scorpion, Golden Scorpion... Wow, incredible. This actually looks surprisingly viable."

"It might sound weird coming from the guy who put it together, but is this deck actually usable? Isn't the brick rate incredibly high?"

"Ah, no, it's just that the only cards I actually want are this Extreme Environmental Branching Evolution and Branching Pruning. Since it didn't look like anyone was selling them as singles, I figured I'd just buy the whole deck."

"...So literally just for those two cards?"

"That's just the kind of creature card gamers are."

......

............

..................

"Hey Isana, is this considered scalping/reselling?"

『Since it is a transaction utilizing a system officially established by the publisher, wouldn't it not be considered illicit reselling?』

I see, so there's absolutely no issue.

Before ascending to the Fourth Layer, having secured a grand justification through my conversation with Isana, I had temporarily awakened my magnificent talent as an alchemist. In other words: Card Game = Money Game. I held an auction designed to maximize the unfair advantage that currently belonged to me and me alone.

The Crystal Scorpion card apparently has a much lower drop rate under normal circumstances. However, because my custom card pack is completely glitched, I pull an absurd amount of Crystal Scorpions, with even rare monsters like Golden Scorpions popping out about two or three times for every ten packs. In other words, I can assemble a Crystal Scorpion deck at a fraction of the cost of anyone else.

And so, I decided to host an auction. Even if I didn't know the market price, the card gamers competing for them would naturally establish it themselves. Or rather, they would actively inflate the value far beyond the standard market rate.

"And even if someone tried to flip the decks they bought from me, it would be entirely futile."

My stock can be replenished endlessly just by spending ten percent of my earnings. And as demonstrated by Renga-shi just now, it seems there are specific cards that everyone is absolutely dying to get their hands on...

"The primary supplier... what a sweet, sweet sound..."

『Going by that logic, wouldn't Isana be the primary supplier?』

"Well then, Primary Supplier-san, just how rare is this?"

『That is a True Rare—a highly elusive card capable of expanding the card pool of the Experience Pack. If I may offer Isana's personal impression... it is bound to be incredibly popular without a doubt.』

"Those words are music to my ears."

Now then... let's go make some money.

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Author's Afterword

Card gamers are indeed that kind of creature.