Avoid Yandere Constellation

[The Goddess of Fate unexpectedly asks why you're searching for your mother.]

The constellation reacted calmly.

Maybe because she doesn't have a mother, someone who truly birthed her. My playful comments seem to have minimal effect on her.

Well, it's easier to cross boundaries when you don't have a mother.

Unexpectedly, I felt a wave of sympathy and paused to look up at the sky.

[The Goddess of Fate is curious about why you're looking at her with such a gaze.]

As I gazed at the sky, Kage stared back at me, her face showing he thought I'd lost my mind.

"Master. What's the issue? Have you suddenly gone insane?"

"There's a situation. Can you hide your ears and tail?"

"Yes. I can."

"Good. Let's start our task now."

I gave Kage a quick rundown of our plan.

Upon my words, Kage hid her ears and tail.

"We're going to the adventurer market. Stay as far as possible from me."

Hearing my instructions, Kage nodded and discreetly trailed behind me, moving silently like a shadow.

The Adventurer's Market.

This place sells a variety of essentials for adventurers: weapons, armor, potions, and so on. It's essentially a store.

I scanned the area to find a suitable spot.

-Potions for sale! More affordable than the regular market rate!

-Transit scrolls for sale! Only 1 gold!

-Mithril-made weapons for sale!

In my gaming days, I didn't notice, but in reality, it's easy to spot the scam artists.

Their pitches are quite convincing.

If I could secure a transit scroll this easily, I would buy one immediately.

A small smirk escaped as I overheard the wizard in a pointy hat advertising transit scrolls, an item even nobles struggle to obtain, for just 1 gold.

Of course, 1 gold isn't a trivial sum.

In terms of Korean Won, it's around 100,000 Won. But relative to the worth of a transit scroll, it's just a drop in the ocean.

An item that might barely be purchased with hundreds of platinum coins, each equivalent to 1 million Won, was being sold by an obviously shady man in a pitiful fashion.

I guess there are always a few naive people in the world, and that's why such blatant scams persist.

I disregarded the scammers and headed towards an open spot.

I found an empty spot, laid down a mat, and unloaded all the bottles I had brought.

[The Goddess of Fate scrutinizes the holy water you've created.]

What does she expect to achieve by observing them?

Sure, if he chose to, he could shatter the holy water right in front of him, but he wouldn't want to suffer that loss.

If the constellation descends to the surface voluntarily, the protagonist here loses all meaning.

While I was setting up and ignoring the constellation's message, a man planning to set up a trade next to me turned to look at me.

"Hmm... Are you selling potions?"

"Yes, that's correct."

As I confirmed, he grunted and gave me a frustratingly sarcastic look.

If my identity weren't something I had to hide, I'd have given him a piece of my mind.

"Your potions don't seem to be of decent quality. Do you really think you can do business with those?"

What's with this irritating guy?

Not only does he mock me out of the blue, but he also dismisses the potions that I've put my heart into making?

Right now, I want to reveal that I am Cain, force him to kneel, and give him a serious telling off. But it seemed pointless, so I held back my anger.

Finding my silence dull, the merchant next to me turned back to his own affairs.

Once I had everything set up, I called out as loudly as I could.

"Over here! Selling divine potions that enhance abilities!"

My voice was lost in the loud cries of seasoned traders. The merchant beside me laughed at my efforts.

"You seem to be a novice. Haven't been doing this for long, have you?"

He then shouted so loudly it hurt my ears.

"Selling beginner, intermediate potions! First-come, first-serve, beginner potions! Free for the first two customers!"

Highlighting the word 'free' did the trick. Adventurers nearby quickly gathered at his stall.

"Alright, customers, I'll distribute them right away."

The first two customers, both covered in various wounds, received their potions. They each drank half of the potion and applied the rest to their injuries. Slowly, their wounds seemed to fade.

Witnessing this, others were misled into believing the high quality of the potions this trader was selling.

Wow, is this a coincidence? Are there others thinking like me?

Those first two injured customers. They're likely friends of the trader, or possibly hired actors.

No, they definitely are.

The free potions weren't real. They just seemed real at a glance.

The only reason I could tell was that the injuries of the two customers didn't heal, but rather appeared to dissolve.

Potions don't dissolve wounds; they heal them.

Isn't that what the game's potion description said?

Of course, unlike me, most people in the game wouldn't know this unless they were experts in potions.

[The Goddess of Fate urges you to swiftly discipline these fraudsters with the holy water you've made!!]

That was exactly my plan.

I briefly scanned the area. Despite the two phony potions given out for free, the other customers were healing properly.

Indeed, it seems all the other potions are genuine.

As I continued to watch, I briefly made eye contact with the merchant beside me. His smug expression seemed to say, 'This is how you conduct business, rookie.'

His deceitfulness is amusing, in a way.

Now, I shifted my focus to Kage, who had been watching from a distance, ready to kick-start my operation.

I nodded at her, and she approached me, her face embodying the very essence of innocence.

"Would you like to give this a try?"

"Well... my mom told me not to accept stuff like this?"

Oh, the innocence! It's so believable that it almost caught me off guard. Her performance was more convincing than I expected.

Impressed with Kage's act, I handed her the potion I had brewed.

"Don't worry. Go ahead, try it. This one's on the house."

"Oh!! Thank you."

Kage bowed deeply, just like a naive child would. She then downed the potion I had handed her.

Simultaneously, I activated my game setting abilities: volume control, effect quality adjustment, color setting, map view, inventory, cash shop...

I activated the effect quality adjustment.

[500 points have been consumed.]

Brushing away the message box that popped up in front of me, I employed the ability without a second thought.

From Kage's body, having ingested the superior potion I had concocted, a faint divine aura blossomed suddenly and enveloped the surrounding area.

-Woah!!!

[The Goddess of Fate is taken aback by the current situation.]

[The Goddess of Fate requests an explanation.]

Predictable.

The effect quality adjustment.

Initially, I had thought that it only applied to me.

But that wasn't the case. In retrospect, in the game, these settings affected other characters as well, not just my own.

This ability seems extraordinarily biased.

To be honest, to truly powerful entities, it may be a pointless ability, but to the weak, like me, there's nothing better.

From a practical standpoint, this ability alone could assist me in bluffing and surviving.

Kage was staring at herself in bewilderment, probably wondering 'What just happened?'

To fool your enemies, first fool your allies. There's a reason that's a well-known saying.

I only instructed her to consume the potion I handed over. I didn't provide any additional explanation for the sake of authenticity.

The spectators around us were taken aback by Kage's divine aura.

As anticipated, her magnificent divinity was drawing attention. People around us began to turn their heads my way.

Alright, this is my opportunity!!

"Over here!! Potions that significantly boost your abilities!! Only 2 silvers!!!!"

Upon hearing my call, people began to crowd around.

2 silver coins is equivalent to 20,000 Korean Won. It's a typical price for an ordinary potion.

But the potion I just demonstrated isn't worth just 2 silvers. Given its quality, it wouldn't be an overstatement to consider it as an elixir.

Of course, that's just on the surface.

In reality, I only made the small spark of divinity appear enormous with my ability. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sure, you could see it as a scam.

But I merely conducted a perfectly (?) legal business using the placebo effect!!

Yep. I'm not a fraud.

While I was busy justifying myself, the grumpy merchant next to me was biting his lower lip so hard that it was bleeding.

His expression was priceless.

[The Goddess of Fate expresses relief.]

She must be quite relieved, considering she usually doesn't side with me.

While I was delighting in my victory internally, the merchant next to me shouted out in outrage, seemingly refusing to accept what had happened.

"This is absurd!! It's a scam!!!"

At his words, the crowd's attention shifted to him. Spitting in his fury, the merchant continued to rant.

"Think about it, everyone. Does it make sense to sell a potion that massively boosts physical abilities with such a large divinity like that girl's for a mere 2 silvers?"

The adventurers murmured in agreement with the merchant's words, and...

"So, are that girl and the merchant in cahoots? How can a single potion hold such sacred power?"

An upset, evil-looking uncle made this comment.

Of course, from his perspective, he had every reason to question. My legitimate business had driven away all his customers.

To put it bluntly, I had damaged his trade.

But, what was I to do? The world has always been like this.

"Well then, why don't you try it yourself?"

I proposed, catching him off guard. He didn't seem to expect my direct challenge.

Now, the adventurers and other customers turned their attention to the merchant, eager to see what would happen next.

Feeling the pressure, the man gulped down the potion, hoping to avoid any further embarrassment.

The effect quality adjustment activated!

-~~!!!

Suddenly, his body was filled with a radiant golden aura. The merchant looked shocked, his eyes wide open in disbelief as he witnessed the holy power within him.

"This can't be real, can it?"

Or is it a fake?

He started to examine his body from head to toe.

"My body... it's getting warmer, almost hot."

Oh, really? You're not used to such a powerful drink, are you?

Realizing that my potion was indeed genuine, the man went silent, apparently at a loss for words.

Seeing this, the crowd began to rush toward me to buy my potions before they sold out.

The man watched me with envious eyes from the side.

That's how you do business, kiddo.