RAGNA POV...
Lilith looked exactly as my parents had described. Around the same age as my mother—thirty-nine. About 1.7 meters tall. Plump, with dark skin darker than anyone I had seen so far. Her black hair was braided neatly, hanging down her back.
And just like that... my first real gamble began.
She could be considered an average woman—if one ignored the details.
Her plump body, sharp eyes, and rough demeanor combined into something closer to intimidating than motherly. The fat on her face only made her glare more pronounced, giving her an almost aggressive presence. She wore a wrapper around her waist, and a scarf loosely covered her braided hair.
The moment I saw her, I abandoned any thought of her being a vegetarian.
’Yeah... no way. This looks more like the side effect of laziness and giving birth to ten children.’
"Hi, Aunt Lilith. Good afternoon!"
Lilith frowned a little then raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over me from head to toe. She clearly wasn’t expecting anyone.
"You?"
She clearly hadn’t expected to see a four-eyed child standing at her door. Confusion and frown flashed across her face, followed by a hint of recognition. But before she could speak, I beat her to it.
"Aunt Lilith, it’s me—Ragna Your older brother’s son. John."
I had no leverage here. Walking in and blurting out that my household was struggling and I needed money would only get me chased off with a broom. So I went with the safest opening.
Family.
"Oh?" Her brows creased slightly from understanding, finally aware of who I was.
"How is my brother?"
"He’s fine, Aunt Lilith."
I nodded obediently. "I came because we have fresh pumpkins and similar vegetables. I figured you wouldn’t believe me, so I brought some. They’re all fresh."
She stared at the stalks in my hands, for barely a minute and then she snorted.
"No, little child, you’ve got it wrong. Who did you steal these from?" Her eyes glinted faintly. "And how much for a stalk?"
Earlier, I had taken a stroll toward Wortham forest. Years of helping my mother had trained my nose well—I could recognize the scent of her vegetables with my eyes closed. Heck, I could even smell them from a distance.
I had plucked a few stalks and given some to Ada, lying shamelessly that I found them near Father’s farm just so she wouldn’t worry or suspect a thing.
From my parents and siblings, I already had a rough idea of who in the village bought vegetables in bulk—excluding those openly hostile toward me and my family.
"Three stalks for ten coppers," I said confidently, putting on my best merchant face.
The fastest way to gain customers was simple: sell cheaper than the market.
"Hmph." She scratched at her scarf. "I honestly don’t believe a child who can barely hold a bowl of food can sell something like this—unless it came from my brother."
She paused, clearly calculating.
Then she smiled.
"Here’s my deal. If you want me to buy from you, you’ll sell five stalks for ten coppers. And if I hear even a single complaint that these were stolen, I will report you to my brother immediately."
’What a pathetic excuse, of a relative.
’Why don’t you just rob me outright, you greedy bastard? She’s even worse than the old hag.’
I swallowed the urge to imagine ripping her head off and granting her a slow, painful death.
"I’ll take it," I said calmly. "How many do you want?"
"Twenty coppers’ worth. Will you be around tomorrow?"
"Yes," I replied.
"I will be here all day. My husband might return from hunting, so I will need more for the family food and soup."
I handed over the stalks and took the money.
Seeing my timid expression, I could tell Lilith wore a victorious smile—as if she had just outsmarted a fool. To her, this must have felt like stealing a banana from a monkey.
That smile vanished when the door slammed shut.
She stumbled backward, landing butt-first on the floor.
Cursing loudly, she scrambled up and yanked the door open again—but I was already gone.
After getting the money, I couldn’t help feeling excited.
Even if it looked like I had been scammed, only I knew the truth.
I had sold her random weeds that merely smelled like my mother’s vegetables.
’No need to go all out for a cheapskate.’I thought to myself.
At first, I had hesitated about selling them—but watching her try to scam me erased all doubt.
By the time I reached the edge of the woods, I glanced back toward her house. The sun was sinking, and a faint red tint colored my dark eyes.
Then—
[Host has completed ’Personal Quest: Achieve First Earning’]
"...Huh?"
I squinted, all four eyes focused on the notification.
Personal quest?
"...Looks like I completed a quest the system issued subconsciously on my behalf," I muttered.
[Quest Rewards]
<2000 EXP>
I stared at the rewards, mildly surprised—but neither angry nor particularly happy.
I hadn’t even used Morph. In fact, aside from studying Mana control, I had barely touched any of my abilities. I had even wondered why gaining control over Mana hadn’t triggered a hidden quest.
Seems like I will need to test Morph later, I thought.
With that, I opened the system interface.
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