It had been two days since Kaito fulfilled Professor Tannel's wild order of "dummy traps," and now his workshop had become a localized warzone—by design.
The sound of a pop, followed by an alarmed "Aagh!" echoed from the eastern hills again.
Garon glanced out the window of the inn's dining hall and shook his head. "That gnome's gonna blow off his own eyebrows."
"He already did," Kaito said, sipping the last of his tea. "Twice."
Word of the new merchant with "summoning tech" had spread faster than fire in a hay barn. Now, Kaito had more business than he could handle. He was still getting used to the fact that people here used gold coins, bartered for favors, and occasionally paid in eggs. Literal eggs.
He scrolled through his Modern Mart app again, seated on a bench outside the guild.
New Request Received
Client: Guild – Urgent Adventurer Supply Resupply
Reward: 12 silver (negotiable)
"Huh. Looks like the Guild wants a delivery." Kaito stood and headed inside.
At the front desk, the receptionist elf—Liera, he'd learned her name was—looked mildly surprised to see him again so soon.
"Let me guess. You're here about the supply request."
Kaito nodded. "What do they need?"
She handed him a parchment list. "A group of bronze-ranked adventurers had to rush out this morning. Their healer was undergeared and the mage forgot his catalyst. I'd do it myself, but the Guildmaster wants it done discreetly."
Kaito skimmed the list:
3 x Healing Salves
1 x Basic Wand Catalyst
5 x Emergency Rations
1 x Firestarter Kit
"Easy," he said. "Give me ten minutes."
Ten minutes later, he returned to the guild with a neatly packed crate—modern plastic, not wood, which drew some stares.
He'd ordered everything through Modern Mart with a small markup.
"Here," he said, placing the box on the table. "I even bubble-wrapped the wand."
Liera opened the box, blinked at the supplies, then raised an eyebrow. "This is… impressively fast."
"It's called next-second delivery."
She handed him a small bag of silver. "The Guildmaster says he might have more for you later."
Kaito gave a small nod. "Tell him to bring a bigger pouch."
Later that afternoon, Garon dragged him to the local tavern, "The Iron Mug," insisting he'd earned a break.
The place smelled like beer, garlic, and wet leather. A bard strummed in the corner while a pair of dwarves arm-wrestled for coin.
Kaito sipped his drink—some local fruit ale—while Garon tore into a roasted boar leg.
"You know," Garon said between bites, "you could build a whole empire with that little glowing brick of yours."
"That's the plan," Kaito said. "But empires need customers."
"You've got customers. What you need is protection. One mage with a brain sees what you're carrying, and boom—fireball to the face."
"Then I'll summon a riot shield."
Garon blinked. "You can do that?"
Kaito tapped his phone and smirked. "You'd be surprised."
Selected: Riot Shield – Law Enforcement Grade
Item added to Inventory
Their conversation was cut short when a group of adventurers entered, armor dusty and boots stained with blood. One of them—a woman in chainmail with short red hair and a long scar down her cheek—pointed straight at Kaito.
"You the merchant?" she asked, approaching their table.
"That depends. You buying?"
She slapped a coin pouch on the table. "You got anything that can stop a band of goblins without setting the woods on fire?"
Kaito glanced at Garon, who shrugged. "We're not busy."
He opened the app again.
Selected: Ultrasonic Pest Repeller (Wide Range)
Selected: Stun Net x2
Selected: Flashbang x3
The items materialized beside his drink.
The red-haired adventurer blinked. "Are these… magic?"
"Better," Kaito said. "They work every time."
The next day, reports came in of an entire goblin nest being flushed out without a single burn mark. The adventurers returned grinning, praising "the guy with the glowing book" who sold them thunder eggs and ghost traps.
By noon, Kaito had three new orders, one marriage proposal, and a note slipped under his door that simply read:
"We know what you're doing. Stop it."
— A concerned magician
Kaito stared at it and chuckled. "Looks like someone's jealous."
Garon frowned. "Could be trouble."
Kaito held up his phone again.
"Good thing I sell solutions."
To be continued…