I Refused to Be the Chosen Hero

Chapter 5: A 1,000 Percent Markup

A rough knocking on the convenience store's glass door woke Marcus from a brief doze on the cashier stool.

Fabian, who was updating numbers on the wall map, only glanced over briefly. The mist outside had thinned slightly since morning, but the smell of blood and ozone still hung sharp in the air when he unchained the door just a shoulder's width.

Four people stood at the threshold. Two men in torn, dirty suits, a woman wearing a mage's robe scorched at the hem, and a young nobleman whose face was covered in scratches. All of them were panting, the wounds on their arms and legs still leaking dried blood.

"Is this The Ledger?" asked the man in the front suit in a raised voice. "We need potions and mana batteries right now. Quickly!"

Fabian closed his notebook. "Come in. One by one. Leave your weapons outside."

The robed woman scoffed. "You're a shopkeeper giving us orders? We just survived a golden pillar of light. You should be grateful we're alive to buy your goods."

"I didn't ask anyone to survive," Fabian replied flatly. "I'm only selling what's left. Come in or leave."

They shuffled inside. Marcus locked the door behind them. Fabian pointed to an empty chair near the register. "Sit down. State what you need."

The man in the suit who had spoken earlier stared at the shelves, which were nearly empty except for the designated sections of tea, batteries, and potions. "You've been hoarding since day one. Cowards. While we were fighting at the pillar, you were hiding here hoarding goods."

"Correct," Fabian said without changing his expression. "And now you come to the hoarding coward because supplies outside have run dry. Medium stamina potions are 180 pounds per bottle. Medium mana batteries are 250 pounds per unit. Minor healing potions are 200 pounds."

The mage woman's eyes widened. "That's a markup of over a thousand percent! I could report you to whatever authorities are left!"

"Feel free," Fabian answered. "While you file your report, the wound on your left leg will keep bleeding. From the way you're standing, infection will set in within four hours if untreated. The mana battery in your staff is below 15 percent. You won't be able to seal the wound yourself."

The young nobleman, who had remained silent until now, spoke up in a raspy voice. "I am Lord Cedric of the Ashford family. I have a name. Lower the prices, or I will make sure this store is destroyed once I recover."

Fabian looked at him for a moment. "A name doesn't restock inventory. Cash or equivalent valuables. No credit for people who arrive with threats."

Marcus swallowed hard behind the register. One of the men in suits slammed his fist on the counter. "You're crazy! We just saw hundreds of people die at the pillar! We deserve fair prices!"

"Fair prices stopped existing the moment the mist came down," Fabian said. He opened a small wooden box and pulled out four potion bottles and two mana batteries. "This is the stock I can sell today. Once this is gone, you'll have to wait for the next delivery. Or look elsewhere. But based on the data I've gathered, everywhere else within a three-kilometer radius is completely empty."

The mage woman gritted her teeth. "Have you monopolized all the local supplies?"

"The Ledger records every transaction," Fabian replied. "And every route report. If anyone still has hidden inventory, they come here to sell, not to buy. You're free to check for yourself."

Lord Cedric clutched his injured abdomen. "What is the total for four potions and two batteries?"

Fabian calculated quickly on his calculator. "Eleven hundred pounds. Or the equivalent in pure mana stones and jewelry that I can weigh."

The man in the suit who was most badly injured pulled out a leather pouch from inside his jacket. "This is everything we brought from the pillar. Mana stones and a few old coins."

Fabian poured the contents onto the counter, weighing each item with a steady hand. "Enough for three potions and one battery. The fourth potion and the second battery will require additional payment."

The mage woman gripped her staff tightly. "I have a family ring." She slid a gold ring set with a blue gemstone off her finger. "This is worth far more than what you're asking."

Fabian inspected the ring briefly. "Accepted. Transaction complete."

He handed over the bottles and batteries. All four immediately used the potions. The wound on the mage woman's leg slowly knit together. Color returned slightly to Lord Cedric's face.

The suit-clad man who had been angry earlier glared at Fabian with resentment. "You'll regret this. Once we recover and gain skills from our next quest, we'll be back. The Ledger won't be safe forever."

"Please come back," Fabian replied. "Prices may have gone up again by then. I'm currently restocking Earl Grey tea and backup mana batteries. People who feel entitled always need even more after coming close to dying."

Lord Cedric stood up unsteadily. "Are you truly not afraid? We come from influential families."

"Influence doesn't power the generator," Fabian said. "And influence doesn't restock bare shelves. The Ledger only knows numbers. The numbers say you need what I have. So you pay."

The mage woman tucked away the remaining potion with a rough gesture. "I will remember your face, coward. And the name of The Ledger, too."

"Good to note down," Fabian replied as he wrote in his ledger. "Buyers: Ashford group and associates. Over 1,000 percent markup. Status: paid in full. Note: probable return within 48 hours for additional stock."

They shuffled out one by one. Marcus locked the door chain with trembling hands. "You just made enemies of a nobleman and a mage at the same time."

"I just made repeat customers," Fabian replied. He returned to the wall map and added a new marker. "They survived the pillar, which means I can add survival data for that location. And they will tell others that this is the only place left with potions and batteries. Tomorrow, the line will be even longer."

Marcus sank heavily into his chair. "A markup that high... they really had no choice."

"Because there is no alternative," Fabian said. He opened a box of Earl Grey and moved a few tins to a more visible front shelf. "The people who look down on hoarders today will be the ones lining up tomorrow. The most effective slap in the face isn't a punch. It's the bill they have no choice but to pay."

The System screen materialized briefly before Fabian.

[Observation: Monopoly transaction detected]

[Individual continues to reject primary path]

[Coercion protocol remains suspended]

Fabian dismissed the notification expressionlessly. He grabbed his calculator again and began computing inventory projections for the next three days. Outside, the footsteps of the nobleman and mage's party faded deeper into the mist. Inside, The Ledger had logged its second small victory. Not with a sword, but with prices they couldn't refuse.