I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 43

EP.43 Before the Semester Starts (3)

“Would you like it if I brought some of those things from my house?!”

Shine’s response to my words was unexpected.

“You have those kinds of things at home?”

“When my family elders were active, they collected a lot of items that are now piled up in the warehouse. We feel uneasy about just throwing them away, but we don’t know their value, so they’ve been left untouched. If you like such things, I can bring them to you.”

“Hmm… How about you just show me around instead? It’s not like you have an eye for these things.”

A noble family’s warehouse filled with various mysterious items collected over the years from contaminated zones. Only a fool wouldn’t be excited.

‘Who knows, there might be some good equipment that drops at a low rate from boss stages in their warehouse.’

I knew it wouldn’t be easy to open a noble family’s warehouse to an outsider, but if Shine, who was now aiming for S-rank, asked, it might just be possible.

“You can’t just show a noble family’s warehouse to an outsider.”

“I’m not asking to see the main warehouse. Just show me the place where you keep the miscellaneous items. Is that too much to ask?”

“No, I can do that! But not right now. The semester starts tomorrow…”

“I wasn’t asking to barge into your main house right away. Just show me when you have time, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s fine too. I didn’t do all this expecting something in return.”

I sensed that she felt burdened by my kindness, which led to her wanting to repay me. If it worked out, great; if not, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.

“Once the semester starts, we won’t see each other often. Are you going to keep using the private training facility?”

“Well, once the semester starts, it will be crowded, so it might be hard for me to go there. I’m thinking of buying some exercise equipment and working out in my yard.”

I didn’t want to cause any trouble by hanging around a place frequented by nobles as a commoner. Besides, once the academy opened, Rebecca wouldn’t have a reason to use the private training facility anymore. The academy had excellent training facilities. No matter how well-equipped the private facility was, it couldn’t compare to the academy’s training grounds. So, I had no reason to frequent the private training facility.

‘Once the semester starts, I’ll have my own things to take care of. With that on my mind, I won’t have time for the training facility.’

– Thump, thump, thump! –

“Huh? I hear something outside.”

“Sounds like Sasha’s here.”

And then Sasha, the owner of the private training facility, finished her work and joined us.

“Tada!”

She came in carrying a lot of alcohol in both hands.

“I thought you might complain about having alcohol with a minor present, so I brought drinks that Shine can have too!”

“Ha! There’s no one like our Sasha. It wouldn’t be the same without alcohol.”

“I can drink alcohol too!”

“Hush! What are you saying in front of your teacher!!”

“Oh.”

It was a rather heartwarming dinner.

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***

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The next day.

The academy ended its vacation and finally started the new semester. The city was bustling with students coming from all over. However, despite the crowd, it was hard to find anyone in the alley where my general store was located.

Although the proximity to the academy was an advantage, it became clear that the location had nothing else going for it. The few customers who visited the general store were undoubtedly busy with the start of the semester. Taking advantage of this time, I decided to completely close the store for the first time in a while and head to the agreed meeting place.

– Ding –

The meeting place was a teahouse commonly used for rendezvous. After sitting down and waiting for a bit, the person I had an appointment with appeared.

“Are you Mr. Suhan?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“It’s finally a pleasure to meet you in person. Despite your generous donations to our academy, we haven’t had the chance to properly thank you.”

“It’s nothing significant. Compared to the amounts donated by other noble families, it’s probably not much.”

“Consistency is what matters, isn’t it? For ten years, you’ve consistently donated to support students who fight for humanity. Thanks to you, students from financially struggling families have been able to graduate safely.”

Most scholarships from noble families are based on academic performance. This means they are reluctant to provide scholarships to students who don’t meet their academic standards. While donations do end up helping financially struggling students to some extent, the amount is usually insignificant compared to merit-based scholarships. However, for the past ten years, I had been consistently donating to the academy to support students from financially struggling backgrounds.

‘I donated to build a relationship with the academy, not because I cared about the scholarship recipients.’

Noble families donate to attract academically outstanding students from less fortunate noble backgrounds to their own families. They also donate if they have students from their own families attending the academy, as it is considered a matter of honor. But for me, the act of donating itself was important, so I didn’t need to be involved in how the donations were used. These unclaimed funds usually went to students who genuinely needed financial support. This is why the academy staff showed such goodwill towards me.

“Moreover, I didn’t realize you were so young. It’s truly impressive.”

The academy staff knew I wasn’t of noble birth. Despite being a commoner, the fact that I had been donating consistently for ten years earned me their utmost respect.

‘It wasn’t just a small amount, after all.’

While working as a mercenary, I couldn’t always receive monster byproducts as payment. As a result, the money accumulated as I kept myself busy, and the leftover funds after living expenses and savings went into donations. This was to ensure that the academy wouldn’t look down on me for being a commoner. In other words, I had been donating consistently for ten years precisely for this day.

“The students would love to meet the person who donated to them and thank you in person.”

“I’d prefer to avoid such formalities. It might be burdensome for the students as well.”

“Oh… the students might be disappointed.”

“If that’s the case, a letter would be nice. If they write back, it would alleviate any disappointment.”

“A letter! Haha, that would certainly make the students happy.”

The conversation with the academy staff was consistently pleasant. They treated me with respect and courtesy, so there was no reason for the atmosphere to be bad.

“Oh, and here’s the item I mentioned earlier.”

I handed over the boxes I had brought to the staff member. The academy staff’s eyes sparkled as they looked at the boxes.

“You mentioned you would be donating for this year’s graduates.”

“Please ensure that no one is overlooked.”

“If these items are as you described, you will have made the largest donation this year, Mr. Suhan.”

From my perspective, donating items obtained through in-game purchases was cheaper than donating actual money.

‘While I can’t say in-game purchases are free, these items weren’t my target, so they’re just junk.’

Running the general store made me realize that if I tried to sell all the items I had accumulated, it would take a lifetime. So, this year, I decided to substitute my donation with various consumables.

“I hope this isn’t too much of a burden, but may I extend a humble invitation?”

“An invitation?”

“Now that the semester has started, the students will undergo new rank evaluations.”

“Hmm.”

“On the day of the rank evaluations, many spectators come to watch. It’s a day enjoyed like a festival. Watching from the VIP room would allow you to have a more comfortable and enjoyable time.”

It’s a day when students who have grown can enjoy the festive atmosphere and celebrate, while those who haven’t can find solace in the festivities despite their disappointment. Parents of students and idle nobles visit the academy to watch the day’s festivities. The academy staff wanted to give me an invitation to this event.

“I don’t think I can refuse this. I will gladly attend.”

“Oh!”

I had planned to watch anyway, so I didn’t mind accepting. In fact, I had been donating consistently to receive such conveniences. In the future, I would need to continue interacting with the SSR characters I summoned. However, the academy and the students’ families might find me suspicious. A mysterious person hovering around the students would naturally raise concerns. But if this mysterious person had been donating to the academy consistently for ten years? At least the academy wouldn’t be able to dismiss me harshly. Even the students’ families, upon hearing about the ten-year donations, might think there’s something special about me despite being a commoner.

‘As long as they can’t touch me easily, that’s enough.’

The invitation was handed to me with both hands. I accepted it and placed it in the inner pocket of my coat. With the start of the semester, the main scenario would progress. Before that, I needed to check if the seeds I had sown over the past 14 years had blossomed properly.