MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

— Ding! 12 841 Credits Added to Your Balance! — 

— Ding! 29 321 Credits Added to Your Balance! — 

The first one came from Pancakes, while the second came from the game after the 5% handling fees.

He had only ever cared about Credits to give his family a better life, but something had come up. 

< Alert! The Item you've requested has arrived! > 

This resulted from an alert he had casually placed to a bunch of antique shops not long ago. He hadn't expected to get an answer any time soon, so he had pretty much forgotten about it. 

Today he had finally obtained a match. Checking out whether this was legit was a priority even before Infinite. 

He hurriedly grabbed his jacket, heading outside. 

"Y-you're going out?!" Lilly almost dropped the apple she was devouring from shock. 

"Yep, got somewhere I need to go. See you later." Jack's head was filled with that single message. 

He quickly made his way toward the rustic-looking part of the City. The ambiance here was slow and agreeable. 

The streets were filled with lovers walking arm in arm, gazing at fancy restaurants, art galleries, and each other. 

He was the only one rushing….actually so was Lilly, who did her best to tail him. Should he laugh or cry? She wasn't that bad, he just had too much experience. 

He turned a corner and waited. 

"I have to hurry before I lose him—" She froze as their eyes met, seeing his grin. Her thoughts were obvious.

"Nice day for a walk, right?" He playfully remarked. 

"I want to meet whoever you're here for." She confessed. 

"Fine, you can follow if you want." He shrugged, leading them in the depth of the area. 

They went from alley to alley, finally reaching a small shop hidden from view. It looked ancient, and the windows were tinted, giving it a mysterious air. 

< Treasures From the Past! > 

The inside was filled to the brim with countless artifacts. Then again, most would have just called it trash. 

There were plenty of small statues, rusty items, and lots of incense too. They were assaulted by a mix of scents nearly impossible to recognize. 

"Oh? A visitor? Oh, right. If you're looking for Treasures From Your Past, it's a few streets away. If you rush there, I'm sure they'll slot you in for a photo-shoot." A young man said. 

"Photo-shoot?" Lilly asked, baffled. 

"Nope. I'm at the right place, here." Jack showed the youngster the notification. 

The youngster nodded in understanding, getting a small wooden box from the back store. The wood looked old yet surprisingly well maintained.

"This should be what you're looking for." He gently placed it on the counter, carefully opening the wooden lid, revealing the content. 

Lilly could barely contain herself. What kind of magical treasure could have her brother voluntarily leave his room?! 

As it was finally revealed, she couldn't help but exclaim, astonished.

"That's it?…." 

Magical treasure? It was a small Buddha statue that looked extremely plain. It was the kind of item that would usually have a made-in "insert default country" sticker. 

It was cracked at places and seriously looked like junk. She kept trying to figure out its value, but this could only be good for a museum, right? 

Her brother buying this for himself? No way! 

Yet, he looked highly pleased as he saw it. It was as if this was the one thing he had been looking all his life for. 

"I'll take it." There was no hesitation in his voice. 

"Alright, it will be...." The shopkeeper's turned silent, his face changing. "Did Gramps make a mistake?" 

"How much?" 

"45 000 Credits….no, this can't be right. Let me make a call and—"

"I'll take it." Jack was already getting his card out. 

"?!?" 

Both stared at him in flabbergasted. Was he for real?! The young shopkeeper finished the transaction akin to a robot, wondering if he was dreaming. 

- 45 k Credits, + 1 Shitty Statue! 

"H-how about you leave me your number. Maybe the price really was a mistake. In this case, I'll contact you and…." The nice youngster proposed. 

Jack simply waved away, leaving the shop with Lilly in tow. 

"What the actual?!—"

"I'll explain at home." Jack simply stated. 

He could feel Lilly's piercing gaze on him and the package he was carrying during the entire journey back. 

This was way too much to take in at once. Her brother had 45 k to blow on one thing?! Why did it have to be that thing?! 

As soon as it was the two of them alone. 

"Speak!"

"Getting this for 45k was actually a bargain…."

"WHAT?!" 

"It's a statue that's part of a collection. There are only 7 in the whole wide world, thus making it incredibly valuable. Do you understand now?" 

"Is it for a girlfriend? Are you reselling it for a profit? Which is it?" 

"Neither, there happens to be a genius doctor who's looking for it, one that deals with comas. You can understand why I got it now, right?" He smiled warmly at her. 

That's when Lilly broke down. 

Realization set in her eyes as she finally let resurface emotions that had been buried deep. She erupted in tears, rushing into his embrace. 

There was a reason the old man was always at the hospital, and there was a reason why they never spoke about the only woman in their lives. 

She was in an incurable coma, never to wake up— Or that's how it should have been. Right now, Jack had brought hope back. 

"D-do you think  this doctor—"

"Yes, he'll bring her back." He gently murmured. 

They stayed silent for a while, neither speaking. After a while, he delicately pried her away.

"I'll call the guy. Can you take pictures of the statue in the meantime?" 

— Nod!! — 

He composed one of the few numbers he had ever memorized as he exited the room. He knew it because the doctor had blocked his number in the previous life. 

— Ring! Ring! Ring! — 

"Who's this? How did you get this number?!" A gruff voice was heard. 

"I have one of the incredibly rare statues of—" Jack began. 

"Good for you, asshole!" 

— Click! — 

"….." 

He chuckled to himself. Oh well, he'd just have to persevere. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That's when a scream came from the other room….