Episode 10: Unmarked Production Area (1)

In my previous life, as I dedicated myself to martial arts, money naturally followed.

I spared no expense on good ingredients, and when I think about it, besides buying a house and a car, most of my expenses were for food.

To a martial artist, their body is their wealth.

It wasn't that I had a picky palate, but rather that I was meticulous because it was food that would go into my body.

As a result, I realized that my sense of taste was particularly sensitive.

Whether it was because of my eating habits in my previous life or because of my sensory stats, I knew at a glance that this beef wasn't Bertisan.

The color was subtly different, and the ratio of marbling was also different.

It was obvious in appearance, but the difference would be even greater when eaten. Liu, who had no way of knowing this, was drooling and about to put it on the grill.

"Liu, wait a minute."

"Why? Why?! Is there something else left?"

"This is fake."

"Fake?! You shouldn't say such things in front of precious food."

"It's probably Weiji, though."

If Bertisan was the highest grade, Weiji was the grade below it.

It's only one grade lower, but the gap is enormous.

Strictly speaking, it's a fake version that imitates Bertisan.

"This is Weiji? I can't tell."

The guards said that, too. That they were both the same.

Since beef itself is rare, it's natural not to know the difference.

How would the average citizen know the taste of the highest grade beef that only goes into the Blue House?

"My eyes can't be fooled. These guys are selling fakes."

"Hmm…. Wouldn't Weiji or Bertisan all be the same once they're in your stomach? I just want to eat it. I'm so hungry…."

"It's frustrating to pay for Bertisan and eat fakes. It's the consumer's right to fix this."

"You're different, being a noble. We live on the streets and suffer more than a dozen unfair things a day.... That's why we struggle to be the ones deceiving rather than being deceived."

"Cheer up. We're legitimate customers."

"Y, yeah…. I don't know what you're planning, but I'll do that for now."

At that moment, an employee who had been watching them from the beginning approached.

It was the guy who had been staring at them unpleasantly, so they had made eye contact several times. The employee tapped the table a couple of times and made a disgruntled face.

"Hey, could you hurry up and leave? There are a lot of customers waiting. You're just taking up time with only one serving?"

Wow, not only are they selling fakes, but they're also giving them the stink eye?

He didn't want to make a fuss, so he was going to end it nicely, but he changed his mind. They had been deceiving customers and making exorbitant profits, so they had to pay the price.

Of course, to him.

"Excuse me? Did you not understand what I said? Are you perhaps too precious to eat?"

"This isn't Bertisan."

"…What?"

"What I ordered was one serving of Bertisan beef. Wouldn't it be right to bring it properly first?"

"Ha-! Do you know where this is? Are you trying to pull a stunt that only works on the streets?"

"I have nothing to say to you. Bring out the owner."

The guy grinned and looked around, then changed his attitude. He came close and lowered his voice, speaking loudly into his ear.

"Quietly get out of here if you don't want to die without anyone knowing."

"Oh, I'm so scared I'm going to piss my pants."

"If you talk nonsense outside, you really won't die peacefully. Just go."

"I know, so call the owner."

"Huh! These days, beggars have no fear?"

"Your owner would be very happy if we were making a fuss here, right?"

Instantly, the employee's expression hardened.

He bit his lip and went somewhere.

A moment later, the guy led him and Liu to the back of the restaurant.

Well, there was no need to follow, but if you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into the den.

"I've brought them, boss."

In that place, which looked like a small secret room, three or four burly employees were waiting.

As expected of a meat restaurant, they were even holding sharp knives.

The fat man sitting in the middle spoke rudely to them without hesitation.

"Are you the rude beggar customers?"

"You're the one who's rude. You're selling fakes, aren't you?"

"Hahaha! It's good that a young guy is full of spirit, but know your place."

The employees behind him blatantly showed off their knives.

He became even more stubborn, as if saying, 'So what?'

"If you mess with me, who will die, you or me?"

"Wow-! If you're going to bluff, you're a serious case."

As the atmosphere became fierce, the frightened Liu stepped forward.

His voice and body were trembling, but his words were brave.

"Y, you guys! Do you know who this person is…?! He even beat Icas! Are you guys stronger than Icas? Huh?! Where are you getting off with these threats!"

"What? Icas?!"

Since he was such a famous person, they seemed to know him.

One of the employees whispered, and the owner's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Huh.... I heard that Icas lost to some beggar, but I didn't think it was true."

"You'll bring trouble on yourself if you judge by appearances. So, how long are you going to keep up with these pointless threats?"

"Tch…!"

At the man's signal, the employees put away their knives.

Honestly, he was a little surprised. He couldn't believe they wouldn't even think of fighting just because he mentioned Icas.

His reputation seemed to be more impressive than he thought. Perhaps it was more pronounced because it was a small city.

"Hoo.... So, what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm a reasonable person. I want fair compensation."

"What if I refuse?"

"You'll get caught for fraud. And if I don't like it, I can destroy everything."

"Hahaha! Fraud? Who's going to judge that? Are you going to report it to the mayor?"

Of course not. They must be gathering together and forming a cartel.

As expected, there was a force backing them. Well, if they were openly running a scam and still doing well, they must have won over the mayor.

"And I never said I was selling Bertisan beef. The customers are just believing it on their own, so what's the fraud?"

Hmm. Thinking about it, that's true.

Even Liu ordered two servings for one person, but didn't mention Bertisan.

It wasn't written anywhere on the menu.

"Z, Zed…. Let's stop and go. I think that would be better."

Liu whispered, judging that the situation was unfavorable. They couldn't back down just because they had committed a crime and there was no evidence.

He could respond in the same way as that guy.

"You never deceived anyone in the first place?"

"Of course."

"Then it's okay to go around saying it's Weiji?"

"…Huh?"

"You said you guys didn't deceive anyone and the customers misunderstood, right? So, it's okay to clear up the misunderstanding, right? You're a clean and conscientious restaurant owner."

"...."

Where is this bastard spouting off from? In his world, not marking the production area was illegal.

"…What do you want from me? You're making a fuss because you want something, right?"

"First, the money you took from us in advance."

The owner threw five gold coins. It was as if he was saying, 'Take this and get lost.'

Liu quickly picked it up and tried to leave, but he had other ideas.

If he was going to end it here, he wouldn't have made a fuss in the first place.

"And also."

"What else?! You're done when I return the money! I refunded you properly, so get lost!"

"You tried to deceive me with petty wordplay, so you have to pay the price for that too."

"Damn it! Where in the world is there such a law?"

"There is. It's called 'offending my feelings'."

"This bastard, really…!"

The owner barely swallowed his anger and couldn't even think of retaliating.

Perhaps because he had beaten a famous fighter, his influence was quite good.

"Haa…. Okay, I understand. Tell me your conditions. But don't say anything different later. I really won't stand still then."

"From now on, the beef we eat will be provided free of charge. And you'll pay me for the beef we eat. Of course, at the Bertisan price."

"What?! You're not only going to eat for free, but you're also asking me to pay you?"

"You understand well."

"You son of a…!"

The owner's face flushed as if it would burst at any moment.

It was the first time he had seen a person's face turn so red.

The reason for making such unreasonable demands was that the guy had no other options. He couldn't forcefully subdue him, and if rumors spread, the restaurant would go bankrupt.

For someone with no remaining cards, the negotiating table is originally hell.

He had no choice but to listen even if he made even harsher conditions.

It would be better to appease him appropriately than to go bankrupt because of rumors.

He was a reasonable person, so he should be thankful that he was only doing this much.

He had to eat to live, too.

"Even if it's Weiji, it still has nutrients, so whatever. I'm hungry, so bring 5 servings first."

"...."

He got up from his seat, ignoring the fuming owner.

As they sat back down at the restaurant table, Liu admired him and looked at him with adoring eyes.

And that night, they crammed down 10 servings.

Isn't it funny? Money is copied when you eat beef until you're full.

This is called a creative economy.

The next day, and the day after that.

The first thing Liu said when he woke up in the morning was, "Let's go eat beef."

But they didn't go to the meat restaurant for three days.

The reason was simple.

You have to corner a rat while leaving it an escape route, and you shouldn't cause too much trouble. More than anything, they had enough money, and there were plenty of highly nutritious foods even if it wasn't Weiji beef.

"Wow, you only work out without taking any breaks?"

"It's a long-standing habit."

"Why do you like abusing your body and sweating so much? You're a mage, right? Mages hate sweating more than death."

That was true.

They were the kind of people who demeaned knights who trained and sweated as barbarians.

Mages mainly train through meditation for the amount and quality of mana.

Compared to knights who increase their strength and stamina through harsh training, mages were like hermits who sat cross-legged in cool and warm places.

That's why Liu was wondering.

"Maybe you can't handle mana, so you're trying to train your body? Like knights?"

"Well, it's a similar reason."

"Ah...."

No, why are you looking at me so sadly?

Even though he was a trash character with zero magic power, he had several S-class traits....

'Still, it's not going up at all.'

Since his class was mage, he had no intention of giving up magic power. That was like a knight not holding a sword, and it meant being eliminated in this world.

He checked his status window several times a day, but his magic power was still 0.

At this point, he wondered if he was cursed. Perhaps it was taking a long time because going from 0 to 1 was like creating something from nothing.

'So, making that 1 is important. After that, it will go up much better.'

He put down the equipment, running a baseless hope circuit.

The tension that was appropriately applied to the muscles was always refreshing.

"Zed, I'm hungry. When are we going to eat?"

"Morning workout is over now. Let's go eat."

"Where are we going today? Potato salad? Chicken stew?"

"No, let's eat beef for the first time in a while."

"Ooh-! Finally!"

It had been about 3 days, so it was time to visit again.

He had spent a lot of money buying good lodging and exercise equipment.

Liu, who came outside, walked far ahead of him.

His steps looked very light, but he was probably more excited about making money than about eating beef.

'What is he planning to do with the money he's stashed away?'

Liu, who knew this area well, took on all the tasks of going outside because he was good at avoiding the eyes of the guards.

Buying exercise equipment, buying daily necessities.

Liu said he bought it at a fair price, but much more money was being spent. He had been playing this game for 10 years, so how could he not know the approximate market price?

Since Liu wasn't the type to get ripped off, the conclusion was that he was pocketing a little bit for himself.

"Liu, how much gold do we have left?"

"Not much left. The prices in this city are very high."

He lightly nodded his head.

To spend 50 gold coins in 3 days, you'd have to throw it away on the street. This guy seemed to think that he was from a noble family and didn't know the ways of the world.

The reason he was pretending not to know that he was taking kickbacks was because there was no sign of betrayal.

Well, he didn't really have any desire for money.

Since they were using the money together anyway, who cared if someone took a cut?

'But I can't just leave it like this. If I knew the reason, maybe….'

He looked at Liu walking ahead.

What was this guy hiding? Was it simply because he was greedy for money? Surely he hadn't gotten into gambling?

"T, they're here! Quickly tell the boss!"

As he was thinking this and that, he saw the meat restaurant sign and the doormen bustling about.