002.
“Happy fifteenth birthday, Lana!”
“What are you doing? Hurry and blow out the candles!”
“Thanks, everyone!”
Whoosh!
I blew out the candles with all my might — though my heart was anything but light.
“Lana, you look a bit down. Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no, nothing at all.”
I smiled as naturally as I could.
My friends, fooled by my grin, started to giggle.
“Yeah, you’ve got a bright future ahead of you, Lana.”
No, my future is folding up, not opening.
“Getting into the Academy from our small village! Isn’t this a first?”
A “first,” huh… I used to love that word. Maybe I should rethink that now.
“Lana, don’t forget about us when you get there, okay?”
“Of course not! I’ll come back a successful Academy graduate!”
I flashed a confident smile — but inside, I was a mess.
And for an obvious reason.
[Job Quest Progress: 0%]
‘Y-Yeah… I already know that, thanks!’
The glowing system window above me seemed to mock me.
“…Right. I forgot something important.”
That money equals power!
“No matter how I think about it, how am I supposed to suddenly become a noble?”
Not just any noble — the hidden daughter of the richest family in the empire!
That was beyond unexpected.
Where’s that rich old man I was supposed to save, huh?
Or at least something easier like…
“Something more… effortless…”
[You are currently in a Mythical-rank quest.]
Great. Just great.
It’s not like this game didn’t have easy jobs before.
There were people who stumbled upon ancient ruins or found ownerless gold mines by luck.
Low risk, high reward.
‘Even if that didn’t work, I could’ve used my future knowledge to make money!’
I may have never reached an ending, but I wasn’t a total newbie.
I’d learned plenty from my time as a Battle Dancer before I possessed this world.
Like which trading companies would grow huge later on…
‘Investing early and earning steady money — that’s a rich bum too, right?’
I thought I’d finally get to use my cheat powers as a possessor.
But no — apparently, the system’s idea of a “rich bum” meant born rich.
How depressing.
I thought I’d chosen the easy path, but nope.
I even checked if I could change jobs again, but — of course — I couldn’t.
“Haa… I doubt the Academy will help me much either.”
Nope. I can’t see any way forward.
“I thought getting into the Academy would be the biggest challenge of my life — or game life!”
But there was an even steeper road waiting for me.
“Maybe all of this is one giant snowball from picking Very Hard Mode…”
When I first started the game, I’d picked “Very Hard Mode” without hesitation.
But I didn’t know that the difficulty setting referred to… my parents.
How was I supposed to know that?
For reference, “Very Easy Mode” meant you were royalty.
If I had picked “Very Easy Mode” and then chosen “Rich Bum,”
my high talent stats would’ve already cleared the quest by now.
“Wait… so maybe this wouldn’t even have been Mythical difficulty if I’d picked that mode?”
…Let’s not think about that.
So, what kind of background did my “Very Hard Mode” character have?
I was an orphan.
It all started on a cold winter’s day.
A kind-hearted nun found a baby abandoned in the snow — and took her in.
That baby was me.
‘Such a cliché tutorial opening…’
But then…
‘It really lived up to the “Very Hard” name.’
Not that I wanted it to.
Even though my plans had completely fallen apart,
I decided to leave the village.
There wasn’t much I could do if I stayed here.
“Lana, I’m so proud of you.”
“Haha, thank you, Sister.”
“Promise to write, okay? Stay healthy and safe!”
Standing in front of the carriage that would take me away,
the Sister hugged me tightly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll earn lots of money and come back!”
“Oh, you…”
She laughed softly, thinking I was joking.
But I was completely serious!
The orphanage was poor, and the villagers weren’t exactly kind.
Yet the Sister raised me lovingly, never once treating me like a burden.
‘If I ever get the chance, I’ll repay her somehow. The best way… is still money.’
Leaving her embrace behind, I climbed into the carriage.
“Take care, Lana!”
“We’ll always be here! If things get hard, come back anytime!”
“…Okay!”
It had been years — plus five days — since I got my job quest.
And finally, I was leaving my starting village.
The trip to the capital would take about a month if slow,
or two and a half weeks if rushed.
Even though there was still time before the Academy’s opening,
I had to leave early.
There was no train station or proper transport here,
so I hitched a ride with a merchant caravan that passed by every few months.
“Oh-ho! Heading to the Academy, are you?”
“Yes, sir. I’m a new student.”
“My boy’s been thinking about going there too… Ahem! Mind if I ask something?”
“Of course. You’re giving me a ride, after all.”
Well, technically, I paid for it.
“Haha! Such a polite young lady. So… do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Really? Then what about my son? He’s only a year younger!
If he gets in next year, you two could look out for each other.”
“Hoho, I’ll think about it.”
‘Ah… hearing the same talk I always got from villagers, even as I’m leaving.’
Well, as expected from a dating sim character — this body is pretty.
Not bragging — just stating facts.
Light brown hair that glows like platinum in the sunlight,
eyes the same warm color,
and shoulder-length hair since long hair is hard to manage.
My clothes were plain, my hands rough from work,
but my bright features made up for it all.
Nothing about me stood out too much — yet somehow, it all worked perfectly together.
‘Maybe that’s because I’m a game character?’
A small pale face, long lashes, soft hair fluttering in the wind.
Simple yet elegant — that’s how you’d describe me.
‘Well, maybe that’s why I’ve gotten so many confessions before.’
…Except from my friends.
So, the merchant’s teasing didn’t surprise me.
In my village, people called me “the pretty orphan,”
but once I got into the Academy, it became “the pretty and smart girl.”
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage started shaking harder — we were crossing the mountain.
Once we passed a few villages, there’d be a train station.
From there, a straight ride to the capital — easy.
Ding!
[You’ve left your birthplace for the first time. May your growth continue.]
[Logic +10]
[Stats affect heroine capture difficulty.]
Ooh, free stat points!
Ding!
[Job Quest Progress: 0%]
Just as I was about to celebrate, another window popped up.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
[You seem to be having difficulty progressing your quest.]
Of course I am! It’s a Mythical quest — what do you expect?
[As the first player to choose a Mythical quest, a new ‘Helper System’ upgrade is available. Would you like to download it?]
“What?”
I jumped up and opened my quest window.
<<Helper System>>
Created for players struggling with quest progression.
Provides sub-missions to guide you toward your main goal.
Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?! Of course I’ll download it!
[Download now?]
[YES / NO]
Without hesitation, I hit YES —
and felt that same uneasy thrill I’d had when I chose “Rich Bum.”
[Download failed. Not enough currency.]
“…”
This was pure emotional torture.
The system was being annoyingly realistic.
[Upload instead?]
YES.
[Not enough currency.]
“YES!”
[Not enough currency.]
YES!!
[Not enough currency.]
“Ugh, seriously?! How much do you need? Just tell me already!”
I’d give everything I had if it helped me become a real rich bum!
I was determined!
[Your current balance:]
[356,000]
[Required balance for download:]
[1,000,000,000]
“…One, ten, hundred, thousand… one billion?!”
Are you kidding me?!
Is my entire fortune a joke to you?!
“Listen! I’m not a rich bum yet — I’m an aspiring rich bum!
Ten billion won?! How am I supposed to afford that?!
Just because it’s a Mythical quest doesn’t mean the helper system should cost a Mythical amount!”
[Collecting player complaints…]
[Loading…]
[New system uploaded.]
“…Huh? Wait, did you… do it for free?”
Excited, I quickly tapped the new glowing [NEW!] button.
[NEW! Loan System has been uploaded.]
