The Runaway Master Sora's Scenic Day: I Became a Legend Just by Not Fighting - The Boundary Between Rare Items and Junk

Several hours had passed since then. After desperately trudging through the Verdant Forest at night and somehow making it back to the town of Centra Rivière, Sora was curled up into a tiny ball on the simple bed of a cheap inn. Soft morning light streamed in through the window. (Yesterday was... really terrifying.) Just remembering it made Sora's body tremble. Chased by wolves, watching the sunset from a sheer cliff, getting hassled by a strange trio on the way back—and before she knew it, her hands had moved on their own to take a screenshot. That sea of clouds. That, at least, was truly beautiful. "[gentle]But... I did find something nice..." Sora rolled over and opened her item window. A list of collected items stretched across the display. Pendant of the Azure Sky, Wind-Reading Boots, Stardust Earrings, Robe of Moonlit Cloth... They all looked sparkly and pretty, but she had absolutely no idea if any of them were actually valuable. They were just things she happened to stumble upon while running around the forest. "[sad]I wonder if I can sell these... They're probably just junk, right..." But if she didn't try selling them, she wouldn't have enough funds for her next adventure. She needed dried meat, money for the inn, and new shoes. Hers had gotten pretty beat up yesterday. (Alright, I've got no choice but to go.) Sora made up her mind and reluctantly hauled herself up. The commercial district of Centra Rivière was incredibly crowded, even though it was still morning. Energetic shouts flew back and forth from the shops lining the streets, and the sound of armored footsteps pounded endlessly against the cobblestones. Several warrior-type players with massive greatswords strapped to their backs walked by, while a mage in a flamboyant robe passed through, reading a book floating in midair. "W-whoa..." Sora immediately nearly bumped into someone and hastily pulled back. This time, she was pushed by a player coming from behind and stumbled sideways. Even when she tried to shrink her shoulders and make herself small as she walked, people pressed in on her from all directions. This city always had two million players in it. To Sora, that was nothing short of terrifying. "[scared]Excuse me, excuse me...!" Half in tears, apologizing over and over, Sora wandered unsteadily this way and that through the main street. (Where is the appraisal shop...?) This seemed to be an area called "Bazaar Row," one of the widest parts of the commercial district. A weapon shop sign read "Edgeworks" in large letters, and the high-pitched clang of metal being hammered rang out from the armor shop across the way. The savory aroma of baked goods drifted from a food stall, making her stomach growl loudly. But this was no time for that. "[sad]The map is... huh, which way is north again..." Sora opened her system menu and brought up the map. An arrow showed her position, but the direction the arrow pointed and the direction she was facing just wouldn't match up. When she spun her body around, the arrow spun around with her. "[crying]I can't take this anymore...!" In the end, after being lost for over an hour, Sora found a map posted on a bulletin board and was saved by the words "Appraisal Shop Street" drawn on it. The long-established appraisal shop—"Trésor Curie"—stood quietly tucked away deep within the back alleys of the commercial district. Just a short distance from the main street, the hustle and bustle fell silent as if it had been a lie. The only things around were a shop dealing in old books and a few stalls displaying dubious antiques. (To think there's an appraisal shop in a place like this...) Sora timidly pushed open the old wooden door. A dry bell jangled. The shop interior was dim, its walls decorated with old maps and monster specimens. On the counter at the back, brass scales and loupes of various sizes were laid out, gleaming dully in the faint lamplight. Beyond them sat an old man. He was an NPC appraiser with a long white beard and a spotless black vest, looking quite refined. He turned his eyes to Sora with a gentle smile. "Welcome. Do you have something for me?" "[whispers]Um, these... They're probably just junk, but..." Lacking confidence, Sora began taking items out of her item window one after another. The sparkling items were placed carelessly onto the counter. The old appraiser's face, which had initially worn a soft smile, froze the moment the first item—the Pendant of the Azure Sky—was set down. "...This is..." With trembling hands, the old man gently lifted the pendant. When he held it up to the lamplight, a radiance like a galaxy shimmered and wavered within the stone. Sweat beaded on his forehead. When she placed the next item, the Wind-Reading Boots, the old man let out a small gasp. His fingers trembled slightly as he set them into the appraisal device. "...I-I've never seen boots like these... Negates fall damage...?" As she continued to line up the Stardust Earrings and the Robe of Moonlit Cloth, the old man's face grew paler and paler. When she finished placing the fourteenth item, the old man staggered up from his chair and placed both hands on the counter. Then, he bowed his head deeply, very deeply. "S-such a collection of super rare items...! Even with my shop's entire fortune, I cannot afford to buy them...!!" He was practically prostrating himself on the floor. Sora blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. Then, her shoulders slumped slightly. "[sad]...I knew it, I can't sell them..." (I thought they were junk, and I guess they really were... Even the appraiser turned me down...) Dejected, Sora bowed apologetically towards the pale, trembling old man. "Um, I'm sorry for showing you such strange things..." "N-no, you misunderstand!! That's not it at all!!" The old man was desperately shouting something, but Sora was no longer listening. She trudged out of the shop. That was when it happened. Just outside the appraisal shop, a girl carrying a basket full of materials was staring intently at Sora. She had long, straight silver hair that reached almost to her waist. The hair on the sides was braided and tied together at the back. Her large purple eyes, though seemingly half-closed, emitted an unnaturally intense radiance. It was Luna. She had happened to come to Trésor Curie to sell herbs she had gathered herself. And her ears had absolutely not missed the old appraiser's exclamations leaking from inside the shop—the words "Pendant of the Azure Sky" and "Wind-Reading Boots." "...Pendant of the Azure Sky." Luna murmured quietly, then began operating her handheld terminal at super-high speed. Search results from public databases cascaded down the screen like a waterfall. Movement speed plus fifteen percent. Only three recorded transactions in the past six months. Estimated minimum market price—. "One million two hundred thousand Lux." Luna's fingers accelerated further. She called up the data for the Wind-Reading Boots. Negates fall damage. Zero records of similar items being listed. Theoretical demand value—. "Over two million... no, at auction, the sky's the limit." Luna looked up. Her expression still blank, she spun around three times on the spot. The herbs in her basket fluttered and scattered. "[excited]Who... is that person?" And the moment she recognized Sora trudging out of the shop, she dashed over without a second thought. "[excited]Big Sis!!" "Eep!?" Suddenly, a silver-haired girl appeared right in front of her, and Sora jumped slightly. She backed away a few steps, teary-eyed. "W-w-w-what is it!? I-I didn't do anything!" "I want you to show me all the items you picked up!" Luna's voice was rapid, yet somehow soft. She thrust her terminal in front of Sora's eyes. Displayed on it, the estimated market values of the items, just analyzed moments ago, danced in numerical form. "[excited]All together, they're easily worth eighteen million Lux! No, that's the minimum price, so it could be even more!" "E-eighteen million...?" Sora tilted her head. She knew the currency unit called Lux. But she couldn't quite grasp just how much the number eighteen million represented. (I wonder if that's enough to cover the inn...?) Seeing Sora's lukewarm reaction, Luna pressed further. This time, she ran a database search on Sora's player name right then and there. A portion of her public action log appeared as a graph on the terminal. "...This is..." Luna's half-closed eyelids flew wide open. Evasion skill: 1247. Movement speed skill: 1083. Total accumulated time since starting the game: just a few days. Numerical values that a normal advanced player couldn't reach even after half a year—this girl had achieved them in a single day. "[excited]This is a build that defies all theory...! I've never seen anything like it...! Magnificent...!!" Overcome with emotion, Luna hopped twice on the spot. Then, she tightly grasped Sora's hands. "[excited]Sora Big Sis! From today onward, I'm your biggest fan!!" "F-fan...?" Growing more and more confused, Sora looked around restlessly. "Um, er, I don't have anything to be proud of, you know...? I can't even fight, and I get lost..." "[excited]That's exactly it! The contradiction of achieving these numbers despite all that! It's the very pinnacle of the free-build system!" Luna rattled off rapidly, then took Sora's hand and started walking. "Come on, let's go, Sora Big Sis. We'll have someone proper buy them from you at a fair price!" "Wha, whaa...!?" Luna led her to the guild district, "Society Square," a little ways from the center of the commercial district. In one corner stood a particularly magnificent stone building. An emblem shaped like silver wings was displayed on its wall. It was the guild house of Wings of Dawn: "Ark Lodge." "They have a guild item buyback system here. You can buy and sell at much fairer prices than at a regular appraisal shop." Luna quickly typed her ID into the guild-exclusive terminal. Normally, this was a high-value purchasing route unavailable to non-guild members, but she pushed through an application on the spot, claiming it was an "urgent matter!" As each item was registered into the system, the automatic appraisal value was displayed on the large screen in front of them. "Pendant of the Azure Sky... 1,500,000 Lux." "Wind-Reading Boots... Unappraised. Provisional guaranteed buyback amount: 3,000,000 Lux." And when all the items had been registered, the final total was displayed in the center of the screen. 'Total: 18,220,000 Lux' Expressionless, Luna repeated a small, quiet fist pump twice. "[gentle]Hehe. How's that, Sora Big Sis?" "...Will this really go into my account?" To Sora's tilted head, Luna nodded firmly. "[gentle]Yes. After the handling fees are deducted, it will be transferred here at a later date." "[gentle]Oh, good... With this, I can buy the inn fee and dried meat for my next trip." Sora smiled brightly, looking genuinely relieved. At those words, Luna's movements stopped dead. "...Dried meat." (The use for eighteen million Lux is... dried meat?) Luna was inwardly astonished at Sora's complete lack of financial sense. But that, in turn, shook her heart intensely. This mysterious existence, possessing such power yet utterly devoid of any attachment to fame or money. (As I thought, this person is amazing.) Operating her terminal and proceeding with the final procedures, Luna asked casually. "[gentle]Sora Big Sis. Why do you think you're normal, when you're so strong?" "[surprised]Huh? ...I'm not strong at all." Sora looked down, a little troubled, and stared at her own fingertips. "[sad]Fighting is really scary for me. Even now, I feel like crying when I see a monster... But I wanted to see beautiful scenery, so I ran desperately, and before I knew it, I was somewhere with no one else around. I think it was just luck, every ti

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Episode 2

Name: The Runaway Master Sora's Scenic Day: I Became a Legend Just by Not Fighting
Author: Novelia

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