Up until just a few moments ago, the two of them had been happily exchanging ideas and making plans for the shop’s future. And then, all of a sudden came Severin’s change in behavior.

The strange questions.

The penetrating look.

And most importantly, his unsettling silence, which bothered the girl the most.

It was so uncomfortable for her that Em nervously slid back and forth on her chair to keep herself from simply jumping up and leaving the room. All while avoiding her boss's gaze by looking stubbornly at the floor.

Only after what felt like an eternity did the man finally start talking again.

"Ha. Ha. You know what I've been thinking about? I think it's important to try to understand the experiences of our customers. Starting with their journey," Severin emphasized this part with particular emphasis, "up to the actual shopping experience. As you’ve just arrived here so recently, why don't you tell me about your own experience in this regard?"

If it hadn't been for Severin's strange behavior, Em probably wouldn't have thought too much about the request. It seemed strange, sure, but harmless enough. In this instance, however, Em realized that something was wrong. Even if she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Nevertheless, she tried to ignore the strange feeling inside her and instead decided to answer the question as best she could and get things over with to get back to work as soon as possible.

"I don’t think I’ll be of much help in that regard. I can't say much about the journey," she had to admit. "The way the thing was shaking all the time, I didn't want to look too closely...and most of the time we were flying above the clouds, anyway. Coming from the south, I think. If that matters. That's pretty much all I can say about the journey."

The girl had no idea why Severin even bothered with such questions.

Even if she had been able to recount her experience in a more detailed way, how would that change anything about the shop’s business? Much less the customer’s experience. She quickly realized from the dissatisfied expression on his face, however, that this was not what Severin wanted to hear. Even without him having to mention it explicitly. Shyly she added, "But when I saw the hut, I knew it was something special! Especially with so many adventurers gathered around. For them to go out of their way to such a far-off place, just to get their hands on our wares, speaks volumes! I’m sure any new visitors would only agree!”

Still no reaction.

Wanting this all to just stop, she decided to just keep on babbling until her boss was satisfied with her answer.

“Ah! About the shopping experience…Once I entered the store…”

"It’s okay." Severin waved her off.

Em didn’t feel as relieved by this as she had expected. The silence returned, and with it, the uncomfortable atmosphere. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Severin, but she really didn’t want to be here at this moment.

Soon this discomfort became so apparent that even Severin, in his odd, absentminded state, noticed it.

Exhale

Much of the intensity seemed to dissolve into nothingness as he became somewhat aware of the situation; Em’s shoulders seemed to relax.

However, that didn't mean that Severin’s strange line of inquiry came to a halt.

“Let me rephrase this. Suppose you meet a random person on the streets.” This time, he made sure to put on a slight smile as he tried to hide the urgency in his voice. Without much success.

“What would you tell such a person about the store?"

Again, such a strange question. This time, though, it seemed slightly more relevant.

"I guess that depends. Is the person an adventurer? A class bearer?"

"Oh?" That reply made Severin perk up. "Why do you think that matters? Because classless people can't use..."

"Because classless people can't use our products, anyway!" The girl nodded furiously as she thought she finally told Severin exactly what he wanted to hear. Only to see his short-lived smile slip off his face.

Inhale

Exhale

He wanted to scream.

Inhale

Exhale

'Okay. One more try.’

"Suppose you had to describe this whole area here to a stranger? The land bridge, I mean. Someone who's never heard of it." Before the resigned girl could answer, he added, "A class bearer!"

She also wanted to scream.

Still, at this point, Em resigned to her fate of having to answer random, trivial, and hypothetical questions; She had already given up trying to understand Severin’s intentions.

No longer particularly uncomfortable, just annoyed, she decided that simply answering these ridiculous questions as best she could. Without even trying to understand their meaning, this would be the fastest way for her to get back her sanity.

"You mean someone who had never heard of the Golden Mountains? Like at all?" Again, at these specific words, his excitement was written all over Severin's face as he slid uncomfortably close towards Emily.

"Eh. I would describe it as an adventurer's paradise. As I understand it, there are endless opportunities for adventurers to seek tons of experience, loot, and gold. The latter is also the reason why I originally..."

"What about the Mountains themselves?" At any other point in time, Severin would've gladly listened to anything the girl was willing to reveal about her past. At this moment, though, Severin didn't even notice that he had rudely cut her off.

The girl, however, wasn’t bothered by that in the slightest. Instead, she was hopeful, as for once, he had actually pointed her in a more specific direction.

"The mountains themselves? Well, that's where most of the dungeons are located. That’s why they are ‘golden’ because they harbor all those opportunities to get rich!”

Severin couldn't take it anymore and suddenly jumped up, startling Em so much that she almost fell off the chair herself.

She didn’t understand. Wasn’t that what he had asked about?

Without wasting another breath, the [Shopkeeper] all but ran out of the door, leaving behind the astonished girl without giving her the time to process what had just happened. Using the System, she was able to observe Severin’s dot move towards the end of the map.

‘Let’s do this!’

After just a moment of hesitation, he took the step.

[Employee Emily had temporarily been assigned to oversee the Shop and its business in the host’s absence.]

One step.

Under different circumstances, this would’ve been an occasion for celebration.

Two steps.

Not today, though.

Three steps.

If what he feared would actually prove to be true, then it wouldn’t really matter that he was finally able to move outside his store, anyway.

Four steps.

"Argh!"

A sudden pain erupted in Severin’s stomach, which instantly brought him to his knees.

As if he had been hit with a hammer. Without a warning and out of nowhere.

He couldn’t make any sense of it.

“What the...”

As he tried to get back on his feet, another pang of pain caused him to topple over entirely.

Laying there in inexplicable pain, he tried to observe his surroundings as much as the situation allowed.

No enemies. That calmed him down somewhat.

Next was checking his own body. No blood. No apparent wound.

“Don’t tell me this is just…Hunger?!"

It was such an unfamiliar feeling. In fact, what he previously knew as hunger was nowhere close to what he was feeling right now. But he naturally still recognized the sensation.

‘You piss-poor excuse of a System! What’s the meaning of this?’ His question was rather rhetorical in nature.

He wasn’t curious.

He was angry.

As he staggered back towards the fence, where he came from, a tirade of hate was all that could be heard.

Kaching

Kaching

Kaching

Kaching

Kaching

A very narrow path now reached all the way towards the edge of the mountaintop.

As if rooted to the spot, Severin was standing there, staring down onto the thick layer of white. His feeling of apprehension was reflected on his face. He felt so uneasy that even the earlier rage seemed all but an illusion.

And then. There it was. After an indefinite amount of time.

A gust of wind, strong enough to, for one brief moment, part the dense clouds, allowing Severin to peek down right at the land a few kilometers below.

“FUCK!”