Chapter 1: Death Money (and profit)
Ryo Kurogane died on a Tuesday.
Not in a cool way, like battling a dragon or saving a kitten from a runaway carriage. Nope. He got flattened by a truck while jogging to his soul-crushing office job. The last thing he heard was his boss yelling over the phone: "Where's the TPS report?!"
"Damn it" Ryo thought as his soul floated into the void. Even death can't save me from overtime.
A glowing goddess appeared, her voice like a bored customer-service rep. "Congratulations! You've been chosen to reincarnate in a fantasy world! Would you like cheat skills, divine weapons, or—"
"Money," Ryo interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I want to earn unlimited money. Gold coins. Gems. Cold, hard cash."
The goddess blinked. "But… you could have godlike strength! A harem!"
"Money is godlike strength. And harems sound expensive. Pass."
She sighed. "Fine. Your body will grow stronger the more absurdly you train. But no refunds."
---
New World Rule #1: Medieval cities smell like wet sheep.
Ryo stood in a cobblestone alley, clutching a rusty sword he'd "borrowed" from a drunk knight. The academy loomed ahead— St. Valora's Royal Academy, where students dueled for prestige and the cafeteria served mystery meat.
He'd been here a week. His plan? Act average. Skip classes. Hunt monsters for coin. Simple.
Until "she" showed up.
"P-please… help me!"
A girl stumbled into the alley, pale skin, raven hair, and horns. A demon? Her uniform was torn, eyes desperate.
Ryo turned to leave.
"Wait! I-I'll pay you!" She shoved a single copper coin into his hand.
He froze. "…How much you got?"
"This is all I have! But… the monsters in the sewers—they killed my brother! I need power to get revenge!" Tears dripped onto his shoe.
Ryo stared at the coin. Pathetic. But money's money.
"Close your eyes," he said.
"Wh-what?"
"I'm gonna do something weird. It'll hurt. You'll owe me 10,000 gold. Deal?"
She nodded, trembling.
Ryo pricked his thumb and smeared blood on her forehead. Black static crackled—Glitch Magic. Her horns glowed crimson, and flames erupted from her hands.
"Agh! What is this?!"
"Soulfire. Burns magic. Try not to set my coat on fire."
She gaped at her hands. "I'm… strong?"
"Nah. You're still weak. But now you're weak with a gimmick. Go kill sewer rats or whatever."
"My name is Aiko! I'll repay you, I swear!"
"Just stay alive. Dead clients don't pay debts."
---
Later, at the Academy Dorms
Aiko burst into the cafeteria, covered in sewer gunk and triumph. "I DID IT! I killed three sludge mutants!"
Students stared.
Yumi Nakano—a cat-eared archer with a chip on her shoulder—snorted. "Wow, demon girl killed some rats. Want a medal?"
"Shut up! This is… this is just the beginning!" Aiko slammed a soggy mutant fang on the table. "I'm joining the monster-hunting guild!"
Ryo, nibbling stale bread in the corner, muttered: "Guild fees are 50 gold upfront."
Aiko paled. "Uh… can I get a discount?"
"No."
"What if I… clean your room?"
"200 gold."
"WHY DOES IT GO UP?!"
---
That Night
Ryo slipped into the shadows, his "ordinary" facade melting. Black static swirled around him—his eyes flickered rainbow, his sword glitching like a broken TV screen.
A bandit gang was robbing a merchant.
"Hand over the loot or die!"
"How about I take your loot and you die?" Ryo grinned.
Five minutes later, he tossed a bag of gold to the trembling merchant. "Delivery fee: 30%. Pay up."
"Y-you're a hero!"
"Hero? Pfft. I'm Death Money. Now scram."
As he vanished, Aiko peeked from behind a barrel, clutching her Soulfire.
"…Who are you, Ryo Kurogane?"
Aiko found a strange pendant in the sewer—a skull with glowing red eyes.