There’s no one in this world who doesn’t know the importance of money.

    Even a five-year-old child, who’s barely grown their first few hairs, understands that.

    As people grow older and start working, most come to realize the harsh truth:

    Earning money is excruciatingly difficult and exhausting.

    Unless you were born into privilege or happened to win the lottery by sheer luck,

    earning money requires you to continuously create equivalent value.

    Because of this, one must always remember how precious money is whenever spending it.

    Fail to do so, and one day, you’ll be left with nothing but deep regret.

    ‘I’m broke. I could’ve sworn I had a decent buffer of cash...’

    Clink.

    Inside the empty can, a few coins rolled around weakly.

    Two 1-credit coins and one 5-credit coin—a total of 7 credits.

    That was the change left over from the deluxe chocolate croissant I’d had for lunch today.

    Not enough for a full meal. Not even enough for a pack of gum. Yet, this was all the money I had in the world.

    Overwhelmed by self-loathing, I covered my face with both hands and rolled around on the bed.

    ‘Why did the baker have to release a limited-edition special menu now of all times?!’

    Of course, the baker wasn’t at fault.

    With business booming lately, he’d simply used his newfound resources to ambitiously create a limited-run product.

    It was my own stupid choice—falling for temptation and blowing all my money.

    ‘But still... how could anyone resist that massive golden croissant, gleaming like it was glazed in honey?’

    Half in resignation, half in self-reproach, I ended up crumpling the edge of the bed with telekinesis.

    Then, feeling dejected, I held my head in my hands and mulled over my situation.

    ‘Sigh. I never used to care that much about food. But ever since I got this body, it’s like I can’t control my appetite. Especially these days—it’s getting worse.’

    Back when I first landed in the underworld, a single hamburger a day was enough to fill me up.

    But the more I used my telekinesis, the hungrier I seemed to get.

    Over time, my meals quickly grew from one a day to two, then from two to three. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

    At this rate, I’d end up becoming a pig with a big round belly.

    ‘Ugh... well, I guess eating well is good for me. Maybe this tiny body of mine will finally grow taller. But more importantly, I’ve spent all the money I saved up. That’s the real problem.’

    I glanced up at the dirty calendar hanging on the wall.

    Today marked one week since the nighttime chase with that blonde pervert.

    For the past week, I’ve minimized my time outside.

    If I ran into that creep again in the back alleys, I wasn’t confident I’d be able to lose him this time.

    Naturally, I’d also put a complete stop to my one source of income: stealing bits and pieces here and there.

    With nothing coming in, I’d spent my days doing nothing but burning through my funds.

    Thankfully, I had saved up a bit of money to buy a bed, so I hadn’t starved right away.

    But it seemed that even that buffer had now reached its limit.

    I had to do something. Anything.

    ‘Maybe... just today. Just for a little while, I could try picking a few pockets again...?’

    The thought crept into my mind cautiously.

    After all, finding work outside seemed nearly impossible for me.

    I’d have to hide my body—or at least cover my face—to do any kind of job.

    In a city like this, my appearance drew too much attention.

    But what employer would hire someone who kept their identity completely hidden?

    And if that someone couldn’t even speak and didn’t know the first thing about the world? I’d kick myself out in a heartbeat.

    On top of that, I was a walking empty can—useless without my telekinesis.

    Yet, using my powers openly came with too many risks.

    Judging by their frenzied reactions, it was no wonder the bounty hunters were going wild.

    ‘There’s no way I can pickpocket like this...’

    To be honest, none of the bounty hunters seemed particularly strong.

    From the way they fought with the back-alley thugs, they were only slightly tougher than the average person.

    But their sheer numbers... There were just too many of them.

    How bad was it? So bad that by the time I found a “bad person” to steal from, the bounty hunters had already dealt with them first.

    I couldn’t even wander around at night safely, let alone pickpocket.

    ‘Ugh, this is bad. I didn’t see this coming at all.’

    This was entirely beyond my expectations.

    Even if I had predicted trouble, I would have expected the blonde pervert to still be stalking around.

    Who could have imagined the back alleys would be overflowing with bounty hunters?

    My grand plan to earn money through pickpocketing was now in shambles.

    ‘What do I do now...?’

    Growl.

    Apparently, my tiny stomach didn’t care about my worries and demanded food instead.

    Of course, it couldn’t have been a better time.

    Feeling despondent, I trudged aimlessly through the labyrinth with my shoulders slumped.

    ‘How did I end up here...?’

    Eventually, I realized I had wandered near Greg’s general store.

    Perhaps it was because this area was relatively quiet and seldom visited by bounty hunters.

    Subconsciously, my steps had led me here.

    Quiet was nice, but... I didn’t have anything to sell right now.

    And I didn’t want to risk getting too involved with a main character like Greg unnecessarily.

    Making up my mind, I turned to leave without hesitation.

    That is, until a certain scent stopped me in my tracks.

    ‘Ugh, this smell... B-Barbecue...!’

    It was a form of violence.

    To someone as hungry as me, it was like being leashed by the neck—a brutal assault of fragrant, meaty aroma.

    The savory, tantalizing scent was so overwhelming that it made me drool uncontrollably.

    ‘No, no, no. Greg is just a trustworthy trading partner. I can’t risk creating unnecessary ties like this...!’

    “Is that the ghost? Have you come to trade?”

    ‘Ah.’

    By the time I came to my senses, I was no longer on the rooftop.

    Instead, I found myself standing at Greg’s shop door, which was half-open.

    I couldn’t believe myself. I’d actually caved to the smell of meat.

    Overwhelmed by shame and self-reproach, I clenched my eyes shut and lowered my head.

    Greg, noticing my sudden appearance, walked over with a puzzled expression.

    —

    Growwwl!

    Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed from my stomach.

    The sound was so loud that I felt like my entire body had been drained of blood, leaving me trembling with embarrassment.

    “...Would you like to eat something?”

    Greg, seeming to understand my condition, offered cautiously.

    An orc sharing their food...

    It was so gentlemanly that it nearly brought me to tears.

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