I'll Be Sure To Put It To Good Use

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'To hell with fate—is what I said, but... What the heck was I thinking?! Since when the hell did I start leaving things to chance?!'

Once he finished filling out the form, Linkin handed it over to Sini along with the 5 reisai processing fee.

After she received the form from Linkin, Sini walked to a strange device located on a long countertop that was attached directly to the wall behind her. The device resembled a small handheld mirror; however, Linkin believed that it was a magic item. After all, the form he gave to Sini vanished into thin air the moment she held it up in front of the device.

Simultaneously, numerous strange symbols and characters that Linkin had never seen before appeared on the magic item's surface.

'Should I just run away while there's still time? But I've already forked over 5 reisai..! No—how can a bit of money possibly be worth my life? Yeah, forget it. I'll just sneak away while it's still busy processing.'

After mulling it over, Linkin decided to forget about registering at the Merchant's Guild.

Just as Linkin turned away from the receptionist area, Sini's voice sounded from behind him, "Congratulations, your application has been accepted. Allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to the Merchant's Guild, Merchant Linkin."

Linkin abruptly halted his steps. He stayed perfectly still—as if he had been frozen in place.

After seeing that there was no response from Linkin, Sini said, "Um... Are you alright-"

Linkin turned around as he quickly rushed up to the receptionist counter and said hastily, "I've been accepted, right?! I didn't mishear you just now, right?!"

Sini blinked a few times with a bewildered expression on her face. However, she maintained her professional behavior and swiftly reaffirmed, "Y-yes. There were no issues with the form you submitted. You are now a Class 5 Merchant of the Merchant's Guild. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have."

'I really didn't mishear it!'

A large uncontrollable grin appeared on Linkin's face—he was genuinely smiling.

After he awakened inside of that dungeon and heard that the previous owner of this body had a run-in with a noble, Linkin was almost certain that a criminal record would pop up, which is why he immediately regretted submitting the form. However, who would have thought that there was no record for him to worry about?!

'Wait... If they have the technology to keep track of criminal records, then... Does that mean the previous owner of this body was wrongly imprisoned and kept off the official records?'

Linkin was relieved that his application to the Merchant's Guild had been accepted; however, a part of him did not know how to feel about the fate of his body's previous owner.

In truth, Linkin still had many questions on his mind. Did the original owner of his body die on that day in the dungeon? Was he currently trapped somewhere deep inside of him and would abruptly emerge one day to reclaim ownership of his body? Why and how was he brought to this unknown world?

Those were all just a few of the questions that always stuck in the back of Linkin's mind. Even now, everything he had experienced thus far felt so surreal. But Linkin knew that there was no point in overthinking things so far beyond the common scope of knowledge that existed back on earth.

Whatever happened, in the end, it did not change the fact that he was now a person of this world with no method or idea of how to get back home.

Linkin smiled lightly as a look of melancholy flashed through his eyes.

'Ha... How pathetic. Most people in my situation would be missing their family and friends by now. Yet, not once since I've come to this place has the thought of looking for a way to return ever crossed my mind. Honestly, what a shitty life I lived...'

Linkin organized his thoughts and gathered himself as his gaze become sharp and concise.

'Since I've been given a second chance, I'll be sure to put it to good use. I won't go down that path of destruction again.'

Linkin cleared his throat and stood up straight.

"Excuse my poor manners. I became momentarily lost in my excitement. I hope you won't think too poorly of me." Linkin said calmly as the atmosphere around him shifted.

Sini was taken aback by Linkin's sudden change in demeanor. For some reason, at that exact moment, he reminded her of those respectable merchants who passed through the Merchant's Guild on rare occasions.

Sini shook her head and replied with a warm expression, "Joining the Merchant's Guild is a goal that many people spend a great deal of their life aiming for. It is only natural to show excitement."