I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

First, I went to the Artena Academy Scholarship Foundation to complete my student loan.  

After paying all the tuition fees, I was left with not a single penny to my name.  

I redirected my steps elsewhere.  

“Let’s get going.”  

My destination was the Loren Trading Company, operated by Lien Lodran.  

I intended to take out a loan for living expenses there.  

For student loans, the Artena Academy Scholarship Foundation supports students with low-interest rates, but living expenses were different.  

While the tuition started at 30 gold coins, living expenses could mostly be covered with much smaller amounts in silver coins.  

Therefore, the scholarship foundation did not provide small loans. If you insisted on getting a living expense loan, it would have to be at least in gold coins.  

For lenders, the amount is what matters, not the number of transactions; it’s just bothersome to collect many small debts.  

‘I don’t need to borrow much.’  

That’s the difference in perspective.  

If I borrowed in gold coin units, I’d end up not using much, and my interest payments would increase. 

The interest rate wasn’t particularly lower compared to the student loan, so there was no advantage.  

In that case, the best option was to go to the Loren Trading Company, which was expanding within Artena Academy.  

As everyone knew, the head of that company was Lien Lodran, a first-year student who had just enrolled.  

By enrolling in Artena Academy and setting up a branch there, she was raising her status.  

I arrived at the front of the Loren Trading Company.  

“Welcome. This is the Loren Trading Company.”  

The Artena Academy branch of the Loren Trading Company was as large as a decent mansion.  

There were three buildings: the shop, the premium shop, and the Loren Hall.  

The shop had almost everything, and the premium shop displayed luxurious accessories and items for nobles.  

These two places were crowded with students, but the relatively less frequented Loren Hall handled all things related to money.

In short, it was a building for money lending and administrative work.  

Without hesitation, I entered the Loren Hall. Unlike the other buildings, which were extravagant and decorative, this one had a neat and orderly atmosphere.  

Smoothly polished wooden furnishings, magic-powered lamps, attendants to assist, and people who didn’t appear particularly well-off.  

Normally, one would have to take a number, but students were given a free pass.  

I identified myself as a student and went up to the second floor.  

There was an office there. Not too spacious, not too cramped—just enough to handle work. 

When I knocked on the door, a clear voice echoed from the other side.  

“You may come in.”  

As I opened the door and entered, a girl writing with a quill pen at her desk immediately came into view.  

She had short blue hair and eyes that shone like gold. Her attire included a checked dress with a tilted bun and white hose that went under her skirt.  

The girl’s name was Lien Lodran.  

The owner of the Loren Trading Company and the hidden daughter of one of the empire’s five ducal families—an indispensable character in the original storyline.

Though it was still quite far off, she was a key character in Act 2, Scene 3, The school Trip, and Act 2, Scene 4, The Memorial Festival. 

She also frequently made appearances and intervened in various other episodes.  

If I were to estimate Lien’s disposition, it would fall somewhere between good and evil.  

With a seductive smile, she freely crossed the boundary of that central line.  

At times, she aided the player, and at others, she could become their most formidable enemy.  

Keeping that in mind, and remembering that her values revolved around money, I stepped further into the room.  

“I’m here because I have business with you.”  

Lien now faced me. She appeared focused on her documents at first but soon turned her attention to me.  

Her lips curled upward like a fox’s. It was the perfectly calculated smile of a merchant.  

“Is this your first visit? What brings you here? Need quick cash? A loan? A proposal? Well, it’s all fine, so why don’t we have a chat? Feel free to speak.”  

“It’s close to needing quick cash.”  

“Hmm, so you need money. Understandable. The cost of living at Artena Academy is sky-high. Can you tell me what you intend to use it for?”  

“To get straight to the point, I want to use it for living expenses. A butcher’s knife, a carving knife, a hand axe, a steel shovel—I need quite a few things.”  

Like with any loan, a valid reason is needed to build trust before lending money.  

Since I didn’t have a grand excuse, I said it plainly. I needed living supplies.  

However, Lien’s pupils widened. It was the moment when her flawless poker face cracked.  

“A b-butcher’s knife? A hand axe? A-and a shovel? Are these really necessary for living, Kyle?”  

It seemed she was quite surprised to hear that the infamous Kyle was looking to procure a dagger, hand axe, and shovel. 

If I were in her shoes, I’d probably wonder if I was planning to take care of someone.  

And the fact that she referred to me as Kyle—so she already knew.  

As expected of the information network of the Loren Trading Company. It had only been an hour since the exam results were announced, yet they already had all the details on the new students.  

I quickly added, “You know my name?”  

“Oh, apologies. It’s just that our information isn’t particularly slow. Rumors must have already spread among the nobles that ‘Kyle’ has enrolled in Artena Academy. But don’t worry, I don’t really care about your past. Right now, Kyle is my client, right? So, do you really need the knife, hand axe, and shovel?”  

“Well, if you’re asking whether I need them, I do. You could send someone to confirm, but I’ve built a house in the forest. However, since I don’t have the tools I mentioned, I’m struggling quite a bit.”  

“A house… in the forest…?”  

Lien’s gentle smile stiffened once more. It was the second time her poker face broke.  

But regardless, I continued speaking.

“So I think 50 silver coins will do. Would I be able to borrow that amount?”  

“Well, um, this is surprising, but you wouldn’t be telling a lie that would get exposed, right? Of course, I can lend you that amount. But are you really going to be satisfied with just that?”  

Lien had regained her composure. She extended her hand while smiling sweetly as she made a proposal.  

“How about 100 silver coins, roughly equivalent to 1 gold coin? If you only take 50 silver coins, the interest rate would naturally be higher. For an amount equivalent to that of a gold coin, we offer a lower interest rate than the scholarship foundation. If you can just manage to reach that amount, I’ll make sure you get the benefits.”  

With her cute demeanor, Lien made a tempting offer as if it were a great opportunity.  

But I wouldn’t be fooled so easily. If I fell for that cute appearance, I would only end up bleeding money.  

‘More than a few people have fallen victim to her tricks at the company.’  

Lien Lodran was the character responsible for the business model (BM) of the game.  

When you navigated to the shop page in the game’s user interface, she’d appear saying, “How much do you need?” or “Is this your first visit? Lucky you. We’re giving double the amount right now,” and try to sell you gold coins, which were the premium currency.  

Then, when you went to the character draw page, she would present a glittering list of names and make the characters appear with a flourish.  

It was all very familiar.  

A 4-star character would be colored purple, while a 5-star character would be golden. It was exactly like the blue-haired character from a certain gacha game.  

During the demonstration videos, users had very strong reactions.  

They’d already find her infuriating. Apparently, the creators aimed to craft her character as a cunning brat type because of this.  

The story set her up to have a natural talent for commerce. Lien never made a deal that resulted in a loss for her.  

You always have to remember that if she’s making an offer, she’s not losing out.  

Looking closely, it was just a difference in interest rates. In the end, the interest on 1 gold coin was lower than the interest on 50 silver coins.  

This wasn’t just a trick; it was an opportunity she was offering me—a chance to utilize the value of 1 gold coin at a low price.  

Of course, I only intended to buy living supplies.  

“I’ll have to decline. Please prepare 50 silver coins for me.”  

There was no reason for me to accept her offer.  

“I see. That’s a shame. I’ll bring the contract over.”  

With that, Lien handed me the contract, looking a bit regretful.  

I signed the contract, received a pouch of silver coins, and then left the trading company without any lingering attachment to do some shopping.  

‘Just wait…! My knife, axe, shovel, mana stone!’  

———

Lien had been involved in the trade business for many years.  

— Our family’s successor will be the one who builds the greatest trading company.

After hearing these words from her father, the ‘Golden Duke,’ she ran away from the main family, started her own trading company, and expanded the Loren Trading Company from the size of a small stationery store. 

Now, it had grown large enough to open a branch within Artena Academy.  

All of this was achieved through Lien’s business acumen and talent, ensuring that she never took a loss.  

No matter how difficult the business, she knew how to assess its value.  

She knew when to cut losses on ventures that wouldn’t work out.  

She knew how to maximize profit in conversations with people.  

… She had learned to see the scent of gold coins.  

Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were plenty of challenges along the way.

The opponents who conducted fraudulent schemes, contracts packed with hidden toxic clauses, spies from her own bloodline who embezzled ledgers to bring down her trading company, the struggles of her past when she starved with nothing to eat—all these challenges, she had somehow overcome with her wits.  

Through these experiences, Lien’s ability to assess value, her ‘golden eye,’ had evolved to the point of being almost a supernatural power.  

“Quite uncommon.”  

Lien gazed at the spot where Kyle had just been.

A quiet stillness filled the office, but an inexplicable atmosphere lingered.  

Lien reevaluated her impression of Kyle.  

“I thought he was desperate for money.”  

There were none of the usual signs of someone urgently in need of money in Kyle.  

Desperate borrowers tend to show submissive behavior, willing to be pushed around, believing everything will be okay as long as they get the money.  

When offered a larger sum, they eagerly bite at it, their faces lighting up in greed. They often take on more capital than they can handle and regret it later.  

“Kyle was different.”  

But Kyle was different.  

He had accurately calculated the amount he needed and refused to compromise, neither more nor less.  

He wasn’t servile.  

Kyle was the first person to cut off Lien’s suggestion so simply. He seemed to understand the relationship between the lender and the borrower. 

A deal is only valid if both parties benefit.  

He had a complete grasp of the trading company’s perspective.  

“I’ve heard his behavior is supposed to be terrible.”

Lien felt as if she’d been struck on the back of the head.  

The rumors painted a poor image: a man with a flashy history of romantic affairs, easily led around, violent, vulgar—nothing but negative things.  

When he first came to the office, Lien had planned to manipulate him gently to extract as much profit as possible. 

But she soon realized that this information was completely wrong and changed her approach.  

People like Kyle didn’t fall for smooth-talking sales pitches.  

They have firm resolve and confidence in their own judgment.  

Almost like herself, with her golden eye…  

“Interesting…”  

For the first time in a long while, she met someone of the same kind.  

Perhaps, in a way, he had intentionally created that image for himself.  

And so, for a long time, Lien continued to stare at the office.  

She couldn’t help it, because—  

The sweet, intoxicating scent of gold coins, so strong it was dizzying.  

It lingered in the room like a breeze painted with a golden hue after Kyle had left.  

In Lien’s thoughts,  

“Haah…”  

This was the first time she’d ever encountered such a rich scent…