Fortunately for him, Cyrus already had a solution to his money problem. Materials were the economy of this world, and he was sitting on a full treasure trove full of them. It took herbs to make potions and the garden where he came from was brimming full of resources. He figured this would at least get him a weapon and some light armor to start.

The journey back was simple, the path back to his pocket garden was practically straight from the entrance in town and then a small veer off into the forest off the path. The journey itself wasn’t even an hour before he found himself back inside the garden. The events of this morning felt like an entire week to him.

Walking over to the herbal section of the garden, Cyrus used the effects of the System to identify the plants in front of him.

*Herb – Tuscany: A rare herb that grows in warm climates near swamps. Used in potions of strength*

*Herb – Sellan: A common herb used for health potions. Good for vitality*

*Herb – Nightingale: An ultra rare herb that usually only thrives in high elevations. Used to cure poisons*

“Jackpot” was all Cyrus could help to think while looking at the rows of these herbs. He wasn’t sure about the recharge rate of these plants, so he picked sparingly. Only taking a small portion from each row before moving onto the next herb. He wouldn’t be cheap though; money was a problem for him, and he needed a temporary quick fix.

After finishing transferring his herbs to his cosmic space, the garden started to look like someone actually lived here. In the past two months Cyrus really hadn’t touched the area all that much, choosing to live in silence and solitude as if he was dead. That all changed at the arrival of the system yesterday and he intended to make good use of it.

After picking the Nightingale Herbs he was met with a notification from the System.

*Title: Herb Lover – Picked an ultra-rare herb. +5 luck*

Nothing felt more satisfying right now then knowing he was improving bit by bit. Luck seemed almost like an impossible stat, being able to affect probability was difficult for his mind to approach. Deciding ultimately just to roll with it, Cyrus gathered his pouch with the collection of herbs and made his way back to town.

It was no convenience that the potion shop where the alchemist resided was right next to the adventurers guild. The customers that brought the most money was obviously those who were getting into fights and near-death situations all the time.

Entering the shop was somewhat akin to stepping inside of a perfume bottle. The only difference was that the scent changed every time you moved. Hundreds of bottles sat upon rows of shelves, a variety of colors for their likely different purposes. Cyrus spotted all sorts of uses, potions that increased an individual’s stats, health and stamina potions, poisons. The choices were all too good.

The shopkeeper on the far end was a grizzly looking demon, casually chewing on a large leaf in the same way a farmer would chew on straw. Cyrus was sure this was more like smoking then the straw however, as the leaf had smoke coming off it with each chew.

The demon waved on to Cyrus “Welcome newbie, I’m Charles! Looking to get yourself your first health potion for some action?”

“Not this time, just the opposite. I’m interested in selling you some herbs, that something I can do here?” Cyrus replied.

“Of course you can, provided it’s good enough quality. I doubt you got much from around here though so don’t be disappointed if I don’t give you much coin.” Charles answered while sizing him up, clearly giving Cyrus the once over as if judging his appearance. The appearance in question needed some work.

On that note, Cyrus realized he had no idea what the currency exchange was in this country… or how much said currency was even worth. This was probably not the best time to have this problem, but he figured he’d be able to wing it. Deciding ultimately just to roll with it, he began unpacking the different kinds of herbs onto the table in front of the alchemist.

The common and uncommon herbs elicited little more than grunts and nods from the man, that all changed when Cyrus started showing off the Nightingale. While there was no verbal reaction, Charles’s pupils dilated as if he had to check more than once on what he was seeing.

“Where in the Creator’s name did you find Nightingale out here? Are you a merchant?” Charles pressed, looking for answers.

“They’re homegrown, that’s really all I’m looking to share on the subject. How much can I get for all this?” Cyrus asked, suddenly becoming very aware of a presence behind him. He turned his head only to see nothing, even though he was so sure of eyes on his back, like a danger sense.

“Keep your secrets boy, just thought I’d ask. Since it’s your first time here I’d be willing to give you 15 gold coins and 20 silver. Then if you’d like I might be willing to offer a contract for that Nightingale. I’d offer a pretty coin to take it off your hands every so often.” Charles replies, showing off the clear merchant charm. Opportunities for business are clearly a multiverse thing.

“Sounds good to me, the herbs are yours. As for the contract, I’d rather not have anything to tie me down yet.” Cyrus pushes the herbs over the counter and the alchemist forks over the money at the same time, sealing the exchange. He puts the coin inside his cosmic space and feels good about the gains. Hopefully when he goes to buy a weapon and armor he’ll see if he got scammed or not.

“Aye I can understand that young man. Tell you what, even without the contract I always give a fair price for whatever needs you got with potions and herbs. Bring them to me first and I can at least quote ya.” Charles says, making a last business venture.

Cyrus had to agree, the demon alchemist made a convincing offer. There weren’t any downsides to it, and not being under contract gave him more freedom when it came to buyers. Humanity back on earth would be stunned to find out that demons were actually just stand-up dudes. Not that he was actually going to admit it.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“That offer works for me, know any places I can get some weapons around here?”

“Sure I do young man, three doors down the street and you’ll find all the sharp weapons your heart desires. There’s also an inn next door if you need it, one silver a night with meal included.”

“Thanks for the info, I’ll come back with more herbs at a later date.” Cyrus says waving goodbye to the demon and walking out the door. The whole exchange had been pretty lucrative. It was only one silver for night’s stay with a meal and he had gold pieces as well.

He made his way three doors down as instructed by Charles and walked into what one could only identify as combat heaven. The building was huge, two stories with racks of armor and weapons covering every inch. While he was no expert, Cyrus already knew that using a longsword or something heavy wouldn’t be his style. Even with the newfound strength he obtained from his stats, he would be hard-pressed to have much skill. Something lighter and speedy seemed more his style in that case.

Walking down the aisle, glimpsing over swords of all designs he made his way over to the rapiers. This line of weaponry gave him pause, while they were small and thin swords this might be just what he needed. His magic allowed him to coat his weapon of choice in an aura, which meant that if his enemy ended up being armored, he could just cast a spell to overcome the disadvantage.

If his enemies weren’t armored or too tough, the rapiers on their own without magic would be fast enough to get past their defenses. This was a heavier choice then he expected, as his stats were going to change the capabilities of whatever weapon he decided to use. If he wanted to become powerful using this, Cyrus had a guess at what stat would be the most important.

Dexterity. The possibility that he could attain overwhelming speed against his enemies. It would make sense that someone with a heavier sword would go for strength instead, or a shield user might strive to raise their defenses as much as possible. The stats made the man after all.

Looking down at the price tags, judging by the make and materials used the costs were highly varied. The cheapest was 50 bronze coins while the most expensive was 2 platinum coins. In this case he would have to go with the cost that was just right for him. About halfway up the line was a beautifully crafted rapier that curved up towards the end, the handle had finger grip points made of gold that would fit his fingers. The tag was for only 7 gold, while this was nearly half of his currency, a good weapon would keep him alive long enough to make more money. Hopefully at least.

He picked up the weapon and brought it up to the front counter, placing it there as a start for his equipment. Cyrus checked out the armor choices next, finding promise among the leather and chain mail mostly. The metal pieces were all too expensive, costing high amounts of gold just for the cheapest options and he wasn’t looking to go broke right away.

Cyrus instead settled on leather armor that covered most of the areas on his limb, as well as chain mail that would go on his main body. Checking out brought the cost to 12 gold in total, taking out more than half of his coffers at this point. Considering how much he bought though, Cyrus felt that he had gotten a pretty good price on the herbs.

He had asked about the exchange rate when buying the armor from the shop, the keeper telling him that for every 100 bronze coins it was 1 silver. 50 silvers got you 1 gold. 100 gold got you one platinum coin. The rates were fairly simple and seemed to be working for the economy at least.

Cyrus made his way to the inn just two buildings down, wanting to get some rest before he set out for the dungeon tomorrow. The last thing he wanted to do was go somewhere dangerous while tired and unprepared. Upon walking inside he was met with a lively scene.

Tons of people were sat across the tables cheering and laughing with comradery. Most of the groups had three to seven people at them, going to show how close they were as the drank and sang like no tomorrow. Alcoholic drinks spilled on the floor from all their clumsiness, more than one table had at least one person passed out after clearly losing a drinking game. Many groups at the table cheering as one of the many gorgeous waitresses brought more rounds to their tables.

While the scene brought a smile to his face on the outside, it just made him feel worse on the inside. He was alone in this world and had no one there with him. Everyone at this inn knew somebody, had friends and family. Cyrus didn’t have any of that.

Sighing to himself, he walked over to the counter where he was greeted by a very friendly woman. She had a bright smile on her face as if it was practiced that it almost made him want to smile as well. Almost.

“Welcome to the Silent Inn, where we’re anything but silent sweetheart. What can I get for you pumpkin?” She asked with what sounded like a caring voice, such hospitality to strangers was pretty unknown back on earth.

“I was hoping to get a night stay in a room, a meal as well.”

“Sure thing pumpkin, you seem pretty tired so I can have that meal sent up to your room. Here’s a room key, just go to whatever number is on the key upstairs and that’s where you’ll be staying. That’ll be one silver please.”

Cyrus placed the silver on the table and took the room key from her hand. Offering a smile of thanks before making his way up to the room. He had been feeling pretty good before coming to the inn, but now his mood just felt like it was shot. Too many memories were running through his head, and he couldn’t get them to stop.

Upon entering the room he noticed it was fairly simple, a small bed in the corner with a nightstand next to it. Against the opposing wall was a desk and chair and there was a storage container on the floor beside the desk. While simple, it allowed for plenty of room to be placed on the ground and didn’t feel cramped either.

Since the price was so cheap per night, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to live here for long periods of time. Though he doubted that the owner would just let someone make a home out of their inn without a reason. At the very least Cyrus knew he could stay here instead of making the trip back and forth from the garden every time.

After a few minutes of undressing he heard a knock on the door to reveal a waitress slightly shorter than himself standing with a platter of steaming hot meat and vegetables. She had short fluffy brown hair and a cute smile on her face that Cyrus wasn’t sure how to describe. He was snapped out of his thoughts as she addressed him while taking the platter.

“Enjoy the meal sir! In addition, if you want companion services we offer for another silver.”

Cyrus would never call himself graceful, but he’s never been clumsy before. The unexpected offer causing him to nearly trip in surprise, almost dropping the platter in the process. Thankfully he regains his bearings quick enough to make some eye contact with her again.

“I’m g-good t-thank you miss” Cyrus stammers politely, his face bright red at the forward offer that this place gives. While he knew that the rules were different around here, this was still not expected. The waitress gives a teasing smile and closes the door as she leaves, clearly finding his flustered state amusing.

It only takes him a couple seconds to get himself back together before sitting on his bed with the meal. The entire consumption process could only be described as mundane, while he was sure that the meal was delicious, he really couldn’t taste it. Perhaps Cyrus was just numb, tired of being alone in this strange, altered world. Maybe he was miserable, but it was getting harder to tell how he was really feeling the longer he spent here.

The platter was finished after only a couple minutes, and he set the platter on the floor outside his door. He lay down in bed just staring at the ceiling, praying that the next day in the dungeon would prove to be a better day.