I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Level Up With In-app Purchases – 55

EP.55 The Letter (3)

[Name: Gaon (SSR)]

[Rank: A]

[Skills: ]

[Stats: Power (B) Stamina (A) Agility (D) Magic (D) Charm (D)]

[Name: Peter (SSR)]

[Rank: A]

[Skills: ]

[Stats: Power (A) Stamina (C) Agility (D) Magic (C) Charm (D)]

No matter how you look at them, they’re trash for a reason.

Both are single-target attackers, and even if raised well, their potential isn’t high, making their performance poor.

Even if they are SSR by birth, not all characters have the skills to be useful.

‘Still, having SSR character cards is good for showing off.’

Let’s not be too gloomy about it.

There are many other things I need to focus on right now.

“First, confirming that Fran is doing well on the battlefield is the top priority…”

Next, I need to draw Ariane’s unique equipment.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the unique equipment that Ariane uses.

However, in Ariane’s case, there were ways to gather the funds needed for the equipment as the scenario progressed, so there was no need to rush.

“So then…”

Until Ariane’s scenario begins, I don’t have much to do….

‘Can I take a break?’

If I had drawn an SSR worth raising, I would be busy running around even now.

I had planned to retire from mercenary work and leisurely run the general store, but things didn’t go as planned.

As the main scenario began, I had to move people around busily to prepare for the monster wave and worked hard to build relationships with the kids.

Thanks to all the SSRs turning out to be trash, I had nothing to do, and it felt like the heavens were granting me a break after running around so much.

“After all this running around, I deserve a break.”

Yes, so let’s take a few days to rest peacefully.

That’s what I thought.

But the peace would be shattered in just a few days.

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***

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“Knock, knock, knock!”

“….”

An intruder who flung open the door to the general store knocked with their mouth.

Then, rolling their eyes, they spoke again.

“Come here~!”

With a haughty tone reminiscent of the royal palace, the little brat Ariane made her entrance.

“What is it?”

Why do weekends pass by so quickly?

I’m supposed to be the invincible general store owner who doesn’t care about weekends, so why do I feel as tired as a salaryman facing Monday?

“Ahem!”

When did we become so close….

We’ve only met twice, haven’t we?

Ariane, with her extreme E personality, cleared her throat, signaling me to play along with her antics.

I’m not a butler working at her house, am I?

“Kid, this isn’t a playroom.”

“Ugh!!”

If you ever find yourself suddenly having to babysit your niece or nephew, never let them know you’re a fun person.

If you let your nieces and nephews know you’re fun, you’ll be branded as the fun uncle and they’ll stick to you like glue, draining your energy to the core.

The same applied to Ariane.

The cunning little brat, who knew how to use her cute appearance to her advantage, seemed to realize that her charm didn’t work on me.

“What’s your business?”

In fact, there was only one reason Ariane would come to see me.

She must have found out about the request I made last time.

“Che, I found out what boss asked for!”

“Where Fran was dispatched to?”

“Yes!”

“If that’s the case, you should have come and told me that first. What were you doing?”

“You expect me to tell you for free?”

Her tone was curt and sassy, likely because she was still upset that I didn’t play along with her earlier.

Realizing she wouldn’t say anything without getting something in return, I sighed and said,

“Orange juice?”

“Yay! I love it~❤️”

I roughly seated her on a chair in the general store and brought her some orange juice.

She seemed disappointed that there were no snacks, but I couldn’t give her what I didn’t have.

“Where is it?”

“Um… Fran is safe for now. And I made sure to tell them. How could they take an academy student and not provide proper protection?”

Knowing the location was crucial in case she was in a dangerous place and needed help.

Hearing she was in a safe place was reassuring, but given the situation, I couldn’t fully relax.

“You protested in your name?”

“Uh…yes.”

“Then it probably didn’t have much effect. Even if you had used your family’s name, it wouldn’t have had much impact. They would easily ignore someone like you.”

The military is full of stubborn people.

They are so full of pride in protecting humanity that they are likely to look down even more on nobles from prestigious duke families.

“But I protested about something they should have obviously done, right? They’re working her to the bone without giving her any rest!”

“Hmm.”

Actually, that’s not a bad situation.

The worst I imagined was them taking her to the front lines and leaving her there.

The military is more than capable of doing that.

Fran isn’t from a powerful noble family and is even associated with a church.

She doesn’t know it, but she’s also an illegitimate child of a noble family.

‘Despite that, her abilities are incredibly good.’

She’s like fresh meat, ready for everyone to take a bite.

A needle in a pocket.

The pocket holding the needle is as weak as thin fabric.

Who will pick up the needle that sticks out of the pocket?

That’s what I was worried about.

‘Fran isn’t someone who will go down easily, but she could end up being manipulated by those in power and become useless.’

However, there was a way out of this frustrating situation.

As the battle situation worsens, Fran’s abilities will stand out more and more.

‘And that’s how it will begin. Fran. The followers and fanatics of the Saintess.’

The military, which underestimated the future leader of the church, will be shocked and taken aback.

And my job here is to protect Fran while she grows her influence.

“Oh! And about what boss told me, I did relay it to my sister, but she scolded me for worrying unnecessarily. Actually, our relationship isn’t that great. The letter I sent her was the first one because you told me to.”

“…….”

What? So, regardless of the choices the players made, their relationship was already strained?

Ariane twisted her body as she spoke.

“But I think she was a little grateful that I sent the letter. She said she’d contact me when she’s on leave.”

“It’s good for sisters to get along.”

Ariane nodded cutely, agreeing with me.

“As you can see, I’m super cute, right? So, my sister hated me a lot since we were kids because I hogged all the family’s love.”

If there isn’t much of an age gap, it’s natural for the older sibling to feel jealous if the younger one gets a lot of attention.

“So, her saying she’d contact me when she’s on leave is a huge deal!”

Her flapping arms were quite endearing.

However, that cuteness didn’t affect my emotions.

The thought that came to mind after hearing her words was this:

“So, what’s your point?”

“Ack!! I’m saying thank you. I don’t know why I didn’t think of sending a letter sooner. It’s not like it’s hard to send one.”

If she had sent it early in her enlistment, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Her sister must have realized how tough life is after being in the military for a while.

Jealousy towards her sister?

Seeing peers who are better than her achieve success and promotions would have made her realize how petty and foolish her jealousy towards her sister was.

“Then consider the favor repaid.”

“Oh! I didn’t expect anything in return in the first place.”

“I’m the type who has to repay any debt I feel I owe.”

Ariane pouted her lips but then seemed to remember something.

“But boss, what’s your relationship with Fran?”

“What relationship? As you can see, it’s just a customer and a general store owner.”

“You sent such a secretive letter, and you’re saying it’s just a customer and store owner relationship? How can I believe that!”

“I sold her some goods, and she hasn’t paid for them yet.”

“Oh~!”

“This letter was just to say she’s not running away and to wait for her. But why do I have to explain this to you? If you don’t have any more business, leave.”

“Aaah! Wait a minute. Since I’m here, I’ll buy some stuff. I need some things for class… Hehe.”

I had already anticipated that Ariane would be suspicious of my relationship with Fran.

That’s why I could explain it without hesitation as soon as she asked.

And it wasn’t a lie, was it?

I gave Fran a holy relic, and since she couldn’t pay for it yet, she sent a letter saying she’d repay me in ten years.

“Did you pick everything?”

“Yes~”

True to her wealthy background, she didn’t hold back on the number of items she picked up while shopping.

Ariane quickly paid for the pile of items she had gathered and left the general store.

“I’m leaving! Bye!”

“Ha… She’s exhausting.”

Extreme E-types wouldn’t understand.

How much stress an I-type endures while conversing with them.

“Thank goodness there’s nothing more for now.”

As I sighed in relief, I remembered something I had forgotten.

Why do I always remember these things after she leaves?

“So why did she bring Fran’s letter instead of Shine?”

That question remained unanswered.

While it was understandable that Fran was suddenly conscripted, Shine wasn’t, right?

Could it be that she was too busy with her academy life?