[Welcome, Archivist.]
The yellow system message floated gently before Kyara's face, casting a soft golden glow across the dim room.
"Archivist? What is t—"
[Owner! Owner! Look!]
The voice—hurried, high-pitched, and undeniably excited—snapped her out of her confusion. Kyara blinked and looked down at the floor. The mimic chest was gone, replaced by a fluffy ferret with twitching ears and suspiciously intelligent eyes. It pointed a tiny paw toward the exit door.
"That... wasn't there before," Kyara muttered.
The frame looked familiar, but the door had changed. It shimmered with runic golden etchings that pulsed like living ink. The sunlight that once warmed the bookstore was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness. No windows. No outside noise. Just a heavy silence, broken only by the soft flickering of magical lights overhead.
[Customer will come! Quick!]
The ferret bounced in place, its tiny legs flailing with energy.
"Customer? What do you mean—wait, seriously, where am I?"
[Job! You work! Go, go fast!]
"I already have a job! I mean—I had one. Technically still employed until payday," Kyara muttered, slumping against the counter. Her thoughts spun wildly, but no conclusion made sense.
[Too late. Bookstore open done!]
A soft chime rang out. The yellow message blinked out, replaced by a familiar blue.
[Job registration in process...]
[You have awakened as a Bookstore Keeper!]
[Title: Archivist — Keeper of the Arcane Archive]
[Perks: Language Comprehension (Universal), Inventory Linking, Auto-Sorting Shelves, Customer Guidance System]
[Weekly Payment: One High-grade Mana Gemstone]
Kyara's eyes latched onto the last line.
"One high-grade mana gemstone… per week?!" she gasped, nearly falling over.
Her brain did the math. A single mana gem could pay rent, buy groceries for months, and still leave enough to splurge on new boots. And that was just a low grade.This job paid more than a whole bouquet of flowers kyara had collected.
Straightening, she dusted off her shirt and cleared her throat. "Oh, noble ferret master... what is my first task in this humble and sacred employment?"
The ferret blinked.
[Owner's tone change detected.]
[Owner greedy?]
"No! Just... spiritually motivated. Very committed to serving literature."
[Hmm... acceptable.]
A soft hum resonated through the room. The door clicked once more.
[Customer approaching.]
Kyara stiffened. "Wait, what do you mean customer? I'm not ready!"
[Too late! Don't be scared!]
"Why would I be scared?!"
Ding.
The bell above the door jingled.
The runes glowed briefly, and the door creaked open. Something stepped inside.
It was massive—covered in fur, with twisted antlers like tree branches and glowing eyes that flickered amber. A heavy satchel hung from its shoulder. The creature paused and stared.
Kyara's scream got lodged in her throat.
Inner Kyara: WHY IS THAT TREE WALKING?! WHY IS IT LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M A SNACK?!
Outwardly, she forced a smile. "H-Hello! Welcome to… the bookstore."
The creature tilted its head. Then, in a deep rumbling voice, it said, "Books."
"Yes! Books. We have them! So many. You want—uh—fiction? Nonfiction? Maybe magical memoirs?" She gestured vaguely at the nearest shelf.
The creature slowly walked over to a reading table, picked up a thick volume on rune weaving, and sat down. Its massive claws turned the pages with an unexpected gentleness.
"Is it… just going to read here?" Kyara whispered.
[Customer browse first. Then decide.]
Minutes ticked by. Kyara remained frozen. Eventually, the creature stood, lumbered toward the counter, and carefully placed the book down.
[Owner! Monster like book! He buy that.]
The creature reached into its satchel and pulled out a small, glowing pink leaf.
Kyara stared at it. "Uhh… is this money?"
[Different currency! I teach later! Take now.]
The antlered creature gave a soft grunt of approval and walked back through the glowing door.
As soon as it vanished, Kyara dropped to the floor behind the counter. "I just sold a book to a tree deer demon."
[Next customer soon!]
And they did come.
A glittery-eyed fairy traded shiny pebbles for a book of poetry.
A silent lizardman offered a spellbook in exchange for a crystalline tooth.
A jellyfish-like creature floated through the aisles, picked up a book on ancient music, and left behind a pulsing, iridescent coin.
Each time, Kyara greeted them with a stiff smile, panic bubbling inside.
Inner Kyara: Why does this one have three eyes? And why is it wearing reading glasses?!
Inner Kyara: Oh no. It's levitating. Is that legal?
But somehow, she powered through. Her voice trembled, her hands shook, but she kept selling books. The strange forms of currency piled up on the counter.
After the fourth customer, she groaned and lay flat on the floor. "I need a nap. And therapy. Maybe a holy blessing."
[Owner! Look what you get!] the ferret cheered.
[Currency exchanged. Book Points +1400]
Kyara blinked at the notification. "Book points? What do those even do?"
Then her eyes widened. "Wait! The flowers!"
She reached into her void bag and pulled out all 54 dungeon flowers. "I collected these. Rare. Glowing. Sparkly. I thought maybe we could sell or craft something? But if I sell this to the hunters association,They might ask me a lot of questions and probably bring attention I don't want."
The ferret squeaked with delight.
[Owner gift?! I eat now!]
"Wait, what—NO, DON'T—!"
CHOMP.
The flowers vanished in one bite.
Every. Single. One.
Kyara stared at the empty spot in her hands. "You... you ate them?! ALL of them?! Some of them sparkled in the dark!"
[Good sparkle! Tasty sparkle! Make good items later!]
"I could've traded those for a small island! Do you understand?! I basically fed you a whole car dealership.. A whole parking lot.. three flowers is worth a car... a car!"
[Better inside me. Processed already. Magical digestion complete.]
Kyara clutched her chest dramatically. "I've been robbed by a furball."
[Myth Item will be ready in 24 hours.]
She blinked. "Wait. Myth item? As in... the myth item? Like the kind that shows up in hero museums?"
[Auto-generated item. I make normal flower better flower.]
"Normal...?" Her eye twitched. "You call that normal?!"
The ferret squeaked proudly.
[Supreme Assistant. Praise welcome.]
Kyara sighed, defeated. "Alright, Supreme Assistant. What's next?"
The ferret's ears twitched.
[Next customer big. Might be loud. Maybe hungry.]
Kyara paled. "Hungry?"
[Don't worry! Not for you.]
"THAT IS NOT REASSURING!"
Before she could say anything else, the door chimed again.
Kyara stood up straight, smoothed her shirt, and pasted on her bravest face.
Her internal screaming, however, only got louder.
And so began Kyara's new life as the Archivist of a dungeon bookstore.
One page at a time.