Rent

"Ollie... you have been in my life for many years," Jackal begins.

Seated in a formal position with his legs folded and tucked back to cushion his ass, he adopts a serious demeanor for once. To others, it might be a joke. But if his second trait is anything to go by then every living being should be considered equally important and every sacrifice must be met with gratitude.

"With Gods around, I cannot risk trying to use the second trait if it truly exists within me. I... and I am not THAT Jackal. I'm not a robot. I cannot take care of you forever. You will grow old one day and even then, we both will be still as distant as ever."

Jackal wanted to hear him speak. Something. Anything. Just to not let their last conversation be this one-sided.

Alas, Ollie, the potted plant kept his stoicism. Jackal can respect that.

Choosing the virtue of silence over meager bonds.

That is unbelievably based.

But not the one to look back after making a decision, Jackal uproots Ollie and then brings the lush plant to his magical stove powered by magic crystal from the dungeon.

*Tuc*

A ring of flames comes to life and Jackal closes his eyes for a moment.

'So long.'

*Whoosh*

The plant, despite being lush, quickly catches on fire as the smoke rises to the chimney's vent built above the stove.

As this happens, Jackal curiously tilts his head slightly.

'I'm feeling nothing...'

'Did... Did Ollie die in vain?' He wails internally.

But as Jackal switches off the stove, he sees a glimmer of something rise from Ollie's smoldering ashes!

It's a wave of gentle glow the size of a palm and hopefully, only he can see it. As for what happens next, the wave of light blinks and disappears into Jackal's body.

He did not catch the light enter him but he is sure that it is within him.

'Consumption... digestion, and excretion. This must be what that dog referred to as consumption. What about Digestion and Excretion?

With traits only having one trigger, the trait Death Eater is active inside of me. To move to other processes, there wouldn't be any more triggers. Meaning, it is possible that the next steps are automatic.'

He quietly takes his seat after storing Ollie's remains in a jar. His sacrifice is well met and he shall stay immortalized in Jackal's house.

Meanwhile, within a few seconds, the warmth moves from the location of his heart to his head and then... somewhere else. Where? Jackal cannot pinpoint but he is sure that this new 'something' is important to him.

Finally, the warmth settles in his stomach. After waiting for five minutes, Jackal feels that the first two processes of the trait are completed.

'So, excretion. This 'energy', I hope it's energy, else Ollie's soul went through a great trauma... Anyway, this energy doesn't feel uncomfortable but I suppose enough of it and I will feel bloated. So... how do I let it out?'

*Whoom*

At the thought of letting it out, his body and this energy react at the same time, and from the flat of his right palm, a wave of light gathers in front of Jackal and forms into a small green-colored vial with an unknown liquid flowing through it.

Catching it before it breaks, Jackal gapes, 'Another matter manipulation trait!'

The liquid within the verdant green flask sloshes inside a bit, bringing Jackal back to attention.

Now observing the flask, he notices darker green veins around the flask similar to Ollie's leaves.

'Everything reminds me of you!' He sniffs back one manly tear and uncorks the index-finger-long flask.

Sniffing the slightly sweet and subtle scent before focusing on the red, viscous liquid, Jackal begins to swivel the green tube. After a few minutes, he smiles and closes the 'potion.'

'I'll have to get one of the mixers to check it out but I think I have a fair understanding of Death Eater now.'

Pocketing the green tube, he ponders calmly.

'Killing someone with life is a trigger. But not all living things fall under this condition or the many, many, single-cell organisms we consume during breathing would be a part of this trait. So, to be precise, the trigger revolves around WHAT is killed.

Once killed, something important from the target is extracted and consumed. This is the first process. With this consumption, the body needs time to digest this energy. But like the usual digestive system, the body is not able to digest every bit of this energy and there lies a need to excrete waste.

Only this time, the energy is not a 'waste.' It is a spare. I could feel most of the 'warmth' seeping into my body, mind, and something else. So, this digestion is meant to bring me benefits. I'll see by sacrificing more things what these benefits are but...'

Looking at his clenching and unclenching palm, Jackal smirks, 'I have a good idea what the benefits are. And finally, the last process is removing the final bits of energy. But the trait converts them into items similar to the living being sacrificed. This time I got a potion with unknown effects similar to Ollie's leaves.'

'What I don't understand is... how is this breaking the circle of life and death?' Jackal frowns as he recalls the other... 'diety's' words.

'Well, I'll try and think of a way to communicate with him but damn... after this, I can't sleep! I'm actually full of energy!'

Standing up, Jackal adopts a determined expression, 'Let's buy more of Ollie's cousins and... a few small creatures, too. Let's see what the results are!'

The night is still young, after all!

---

Staring herself in the mirror, Eina flicks back her two long tresses framing her fairly round face and she looks at her ears.

'Geez... just what happened to Jackal-san?' Eina had many instances of doubt and worry for her former senior. But those moments subsided fairly quickly whenever she saw him smiling and laughing like a kid...

Like the children happily playing in Maria's orphanage.

'But that doesn't give him the right to just... comment about my ears!' She covers her ears but this only causes his voice to reverberate within her... 'Still, none of the things he said sounded bad... but I just feel Jackal-san... He feels more 'dangerous.''

Recalling his glances sweeping past many people and resting on beautiful girls during their search for a store, she cannot help but compare Jackal to how he was... yesterday.

Cold and stoic like a block of ice.

'There were rumors when I joined that Jackal-san was a genius. He joined the guild after learning how to read and write at the age of nine and has been helping out ever since. In fact, many say that he takes after his senior who taught him... Rose-san...'

And indeed, Rose is generally stoic. But that is encouraged within the circle of the Guild Advisors specifically.

After all, bonding with an adventurer only for them to die the next day is quite... sad. It affects Dungeon Advisors who take their jobs seriously and after many such instances, Rose simply crawled back into her shell of stoicism.

'I wonder... if I am like them...' Eina sighs before shaking her head. As her hands lower... she takes in the sight of her entire body.

Wearing nothing but her white undergarments, her gaze drawls down to her legs...

'Jackal-san... like legs...' A heavy blush introduces itself to her face and neck as she curls her shoulders in.

'He wasn't staring or anything... and this isn't the first time he looked at me... but it feels that this is the first time he truly LOOKED at me...'

'Haaaauuuu!' Whining internally she swiftly turns around and crawls into her bed, 'I don't care! I'll... I'll just try to help him when he asks for it... that's all! I should still make Rose-san try and persuade Jackal-san to do the right thing and stop this madness... He just doesn't listen to me and keeps making fun of me!'

Curling into a fetal position after setting aside her glasses, Eina narrows her already sleepy eyes, 'But... I had fun when Jackal-san had fun...'

---

'Oh, my goodness!' He licks his lips. Talk about... being one of the best traits ever!

Like any source of power— Power depends on the user.

His trait, the Humble Store, would feel less than usual if he does not make use of the regular shift of market rates, right?

But some powers are just... good.

'Death Eater...' Jackal grins and lays back.

'Welp, no familias for me!'

He tried it last night. From Ollie's cousins to butchering a few sedated chickens...

The benefits of 'digestion' are clear.

Strength.

As mortals intake food for nutrition, the Trait Death Eater intakes 'life' to provide something to the user— Strength.

But there are differences.

For instance, food can be broken down into its nutritional values.

You know, carbs, proteins, fibers, and such. Similarly, different sources of 'food' for Death Eater provide varying benefits.

For instance, Ollie and his cousins— The floral specimens— all provide equal nutrition to his mind, body, and something else... let's call it soul for now.

Why?

Well, in various sources of fiction, there are three major hotspots for one's growth— mind, body, and soul.

Ignoring that tangent, the three chickens provided more physical benefits than to his mind but that is not to say there were no benefits to his mind.

The conclusion stares directly at him, after all.

Even if he didn't sleep at all last night, he is not feeling the least bit sluggish!

He feels 'bouncy'. Energetic. The will to do something crazy, let's call it the Will of C that he loved about the popular series in his homeworld— Two Piece— courses through his veins.

He wants to punch some snobbish rich noble in the nobbin,' too! He wants to set sail and mark the high seas with his piss!

He... wants to enter the dungeon!

Sitting up from his sofa, Jackal looks at the seven tubes set on the table.

Four of them have dark green surfaces with even darker green veins printed. Red, viscous liquid settles in each of them.

The other three tubes are bone-white in color and bone-like to touch. Instead of a simple cork, the lid of the tubes is shaped into wooden carvings of a chicken's head.

Within each of these tubes is a concentrated yellow liquid. Unlike its appearance, the scent of the liquid is spicy but not the least bit repulsive.

'I need to get them checked, too,' Jackal hums. A part of him wanted to join a familia.

The idea sounds so good. Having a Goddess for yourself, leading a bunch of cute adventurers, and even making ties with other familias...

Familia— A group of familiars. Gods' Familiars.

Now, why would selfish mortals ever get along with the divine who descend into a mortal plane as a mortal? If they are mortal, what benefits do other mortals get?

Why should they feed another selfish mouth?

After all, in some cases, the Divine is more fucked up than mortals.

The answer is simple. God's Blessing— Falna.

It unlocks the potential of a mortal and allows them to gather excelia and gain strength. In layman's terms— Excelia are the experience points that allow a familiar to boost his stats and level up.

But falna is not a foolproof plan.

You see, when a God 'departs', so does their Falna. It locks mortals back in their mortal shells.

So...

'If I can get stronger without gods, using my own traits... do I get Falna and tie myself to the carriage of a God? Most likely, my traits will be established as unique skills but that's not the point. What if I get Falna... and somewhere down the line lose all of it, even my traits if my patron divine 'departs?''

Jackal purses his lips for a few moments before smiling.

'Well, I'll get my answer after my first dungeon dive! But... I need to focus on my store first. Damn right, I wanna be my own boss!

With that thought, Jackal takes a bath to wipe off the scent of chicken's blood and changes into fresh clothes.

Pocketing the seven tubes, Jackal sets out to complete his day's objectives!

---

Many gods and goddesses are known for their professions.

Hephaestus for her skills in smithing.

Loki for her sly and trickery.

Freya for her charm.

Ishtar has her pussy.

Soma has his wine.

And Miach...

"You wanted to see me?"

With a face cuter than beautiful women and the smile of a teen heartthrob, the dark-blue-haired god smiles gently.

Wearing simple black robes and a brown stole over it, the man still manages to come across as divine.

Yes, Gods are identifiable at a glance. But Miach stands above most Gods and Goddesses.

In Jackal's eyes, at least. With barely any wealth, he remains as kind-hearted as ever... not that it is a wise choice. But a respectable one, nonetheless.

Nodding but not the least bit ashamed to state at the divine man in both looks and heart, Jackal smiles, "Miach-sama, I wanted to see if you can help me understand the effects of some potions."

Finding Miach was easy. He is known to enter the market street early in the morning to purchase products for his potioneering business. There are a lot of things Miach has to deal with in his mortal life so Jackal did not want to waste the man's time.

"Hah... I see. When I saw you, Jackal-kun, I thought my familia is in some financial issues once again!" Miach exhales as his smile turns wider.

"Don't worry," Jackal chuckles, surprising Miach quite a bit, "I've resigned from my position. Anyway, this is the stuff I am talking about."

While Miach wanted to console the mortal child for the loss of his job, his brows cannot help but perk up slightly as he observes two customized tubes set in front of him.

Green and bone-white.

One of them even has a chicken carving for the lid.

Silently fishing up the bone-white tube which looked the most interesting, Miach opens the lid and sniffs the yellow liquid without any apparent disgust. Then, he tilts the tube to let a drop of it fall upon his palm which he tastes the next second causing Jackal to straighten his back.

He did not want to poison Miach but if this—

"Oh!" Miach's eyes sparkle, "This is a good quality potion... I think, it... rouses the user? No... a rush in the body. Adrenaline. You can consider this potion the 'fear-killer' in a way. It causes the body to feel more excited and less mulish."

Looking straight into Jackal's eyes with focused curiosity, Miach questions, "Did you mix it?"

Knowing full well that gods can feel blatant deception in one's words at a spiritual level, Jackal does not attempt to deny it but keep his answer vague, "You can say so."

Nodding with a smile, Miach sets down the potion and picks up the other one.

One sniff and he nods, "It's a stamina potion..."

But this surety doesn't last when his nose twitches for a moment and he stops.

Once he lets up a drop of the potion on his hand and tastes it, his eyes widen!

He looks at Jackal with a stunned stupor, "Although the quality is lacking when compared to other products in the market, including my familia's... this potion rejuvenates body AND mind!"

Miach knowingly keeps his voice low.

"Oh, cool," Jackal grins back.

"No, no, Jackal-kun. 'Cool' doesn't cut it!" Miach, too, grins, "You're an amazing mixer!"

'Ah, Ollie... your sacrifice was not in vain!' Jackal sighs internally, feeling closure.

Plugging the tube back, Miach hands the items to Jackal and nods, "So, all in all, these are amazing potions. Rare, definitely. They can be sold for a small fortune at that."

'Potted saplings cost me 40 Valis each... and the chicken cost me 60 valis each. Not... bad.'

He nods internally.

"Thank you, Miach-sama," Jackal grins broadly.

"Please, none of that. You were a good advisor to my children," Miach sighs softly but perks up regardless, "And seeing you, of all people, so cheery makes me want to laugh, too."

Collecting his paper bag, Miach smiles, "Don't be a stranger child and visit the store from time to time. I'm sure Naaza will be happy to see you, too."

Jackal nods and pockets the potions, "I will, of course. No reason to not meet Gods like you, Miach-sama!"

Miach stills for a moment since he notes no sense of deception. Looking back, Miach smiles at Jackal kindly, "I hope you quickly find a new job and if anything bothers you, feel free to consult me."

'What a bro,' Jackal nods.

---

After confirming the effects of the potions, Jackal decided to find Fat Licker Gonjo.

He wasn't hard to find at all.

Like many property dealers in Orario under the service of the Guild, he had an office registered under the Guild's directory which Jackal knew of. It's surprisingly situated on the lower floors of the tower of Babel.

Babel is the choicest spot for any store! It has all the clout! All the products! And all the highest prices!

Naturally, anyone who can maintain an office here must be a competent man and as expected, unlike his rumors, 'Fat Licker' is a thin, well-built man with a head full of grey hair and a thick grey mustache covering his top lip.

Dressed in a lavish purple suit with a black bow tie, the man regards Jackal calmly.

The office itself is very small with space for one desk and Gonjo himself. But his office isn't the only one like this. There are many offices like this for businessmen like Gonjo who only need a small space for paperwork and greeting potential clients.

Tilting his body forward slightly in a well-mannered bow, Jackal replies quickly.

"I would like to rent a store near Daedalus Street. If possible, I would like to make a purchase."

Gonjo raises an eyebrow, "A store? Near Daedalus no less. Boy, are you sure?"

Jackal nods.

---

As a professional in property dealerships, Gonjo not only has his fair share of properties but he has a connection with other such dealers who would like to have their properties shown to prospective buyers. Since all of them work on commissions, too, showing another man's property in the market is perfectly fine for them.

Not eager to reveal that he already had a choice lest Gonjo increases the prices, Jackal patiently let himself get dragged away to various properties.

They even walked past Maria's Orphanage but they weren't playing on the front lawn this early in the morning.

There were a few more stores in the depths of this labyrinth-like slum area. These centers have more... 'discreet' dealings. But Jackal had to hand it to Gonjo.

He had no trouble skirting through the obvious comments but still managed to get his point across.

Finally, a few empty properties down the same, Jackal made a choice to rent the two-storied building with a sturdy basement.

But...

The building itself needed quite a renovation.

"The owner of the building has stated that you can rent it as is and pay 7000 valis per month with an annual increment of 5%. All the renovations will be on your tab.

But if you want to rent with renovations in place, the rent needs to be 20000 valis with an increment of 15% every year and a contract for your stay to last at least six months."

Tapping his chin and mulling over it, Jackal takes the first option, "I'll rent it without renovation but I need the lease to hold the same terms for the next 50 years."

That way, the owners cannot just use his success to force him to pay more or increase his rent and whatnot.

Gonjo nods, "Anything else?"

Jackal raises an eyebrow at that, causing Gonjo to smile.

"A good customer is a paying customer. You don't seem like the kind to skirt around the bushes and 'think it over' after wasting my time. So, you also get premium service. I know I'm going to get paid for my time."

"Then..." Jackal smiles, "What do you suggest I ask for?"

Looking at the store, Gonjo crosses his arms, "If you're looking to cover your butt in case your store is a hit, aside from asking the lease to remain the same for 50 years, also demand a no clear-out policy. The owners cannot ask you to leave unless you screwed over their payment for three consecutive months or a total of twelve months."

"And I can pay rent in a lump sum, too, right?"

"Right. But this is only me muttering to myself. I'm not your advisor." Gonjo's face splits in a crooked grin.

"Well, you should be my advisor then," Jackal shrugs, "I saw your card. You act as a mediatory, right? If you know the owners, help me reduce the rent."

"The commission will increase due to personal... investment."

"15% then," Jackal grins.

"Surely, you jest! 40%. I can see your future is almost blinding with the reflection of valis! 40% won't hurt you."

"Nope, my future is only blinding if I don't get ripped off now. 15%."

Knowing that they both are set on renting this store, now all they had to do is haggle for a good price/commission.

Finally, the commission was set at 20%. Meaning, Jackal only 'lost' by 5% while Gonjo lost by 20%.

But they both knew that this haggling was only to cut corners in the total price.

After all, commissions are pure profit so technically... Gonjo lost nothing.

And his alias— Fat Licker... also starts to make a lot of sense!

***

Alternate Title: Common Miach W; Ollie's sacrifice is Not in Vain!; Mighty Ollie W; F in the chat for Ollie; *Narrator Voice* Eina Did In Fact Enjoy Herself; Fat Licker Gonjo Makes Sense; The Way of Profit— Slaughtering Chicken and Ollie's Cousins!

***

A/N: Poor Ollie.