If this were an anime or some dumb isekai his would be the part where I find out I have some overpowered ability, that I’m the chosen hero, and that a beautiful princess is about to kneel before me, beggio save her kingdom.

  But no.

  No magic hero summoning. No divine propheo ridiculous cheat ability—at least, hat I knew of.

  Because when I expio the elder that one moment I was sleeping in my bed, and the I woke up outside the vilge, he simply shook his head and said, “That’s impossible.”

  Right. Because obviously, I’m not standing here right now.

  Elise frowned, gng at the elder. “Is there any magic capable of summoning someone from another world?”

  The elder scratched his , deep in thought. “I wouldn’t know. I am not a mage.”

  I blinked. “Wait—magic is real?”

  Elise stared at me like I was an idiot. “Obviously.”

  “So, it wasn’t a thing in your world?” the elder asked, his wrinkled hands resting on his p.

  “Well, no. Not really,” I admitted. “We have stories about it, sure. Books, games, movies… but actual magio.”

  “That expins why you speak of it sely,” the elder mused.

  I shook my head. “That’s not the point. If magic is real, then there has to be a way home!” I leaned forward, suddenly hopeful. “Where’s the mage? Someone has to know how I got here, right?”

  Elise sighed. “That’s not how it works.”

  I turo her, frowning. “What do you mean?”

  “If you were paying attention,” she said with exasperation, “you’d have heard the elder say that kind of magic does.”

  I crossed my arms. “Then how the hell did I get here?”

  The elder inhaled deeply, the out a slow breath. “It is not possible,” he repeated, though he didn’t souirely vinced himself. He frowhen added, “And if it is possible, then it would take a tenth-circle mage to pull it off.”

  I frowned. “Okay… and?”

  “There has never been one.”

  I scoffed. “Bullshit.”

  “Believe what you will,” the elder said calmly.

  I stood up, pag. “Fine. How does o magic? I’ll just send myself home.”

  Elise snorted. “Good luck with that.”

  I shot her a gre. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You don’t even know if you have magic,” she said, shaking her head. “Did you even bring up your status window?”

  I stopped. “My… what?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Your status window. You know, with your stats, information, and all that?”

  I blinked. “There’s actually a status window? Like, an RPG?”

  “Yes. Everyone has one.”

  I stared at her. “How do I bring it up? Do I have to say it out loud or something?”

  “Just think of it,” she said simply. “It will appear.”

  I closed my eyes and focused. Status window.

  Nothing.

  I frowned. Status. Stats. Skills.

  Nothing.

  My eyes twitched. “I got nothing.”

  Elise frowned. “Then you must be doing it wrong.”

  “Like hell I am!” I snapped. “I’m thinking super hard about a fug status window and there’s nothing!”

  The elder coughed into his hand, drawing our attention. “If you do not see it,” he said, “then that means you do not have it.”

  I stared at him. “What?”

  He shook his head. “As far as I know, all beings in this world have access to the status window. It is how we level up, obtain skills, and wield magic.” He paused, then gave me a pointed look. “But you are not from this world, are you?”

  I felt my stomach drop.

  Oh. Oh.

  I didn’t have a status window.

  Which meant—

  “So what?” I muttered, slumping bato the chair. “I’m stuck here? Forever?”

  her of them answered.

  I buried my fa my hands. This is the worst isekai ever.

  All those anime protagonists got cheat abilities. They got to fight monsters, use magic, bee powerful rulers. And me?

  I was just a normal person.

  The elder let out a small hum of thought. “That seems to be the case.”

  I groaned, running a hand through my hair.

  After a brief silehe elder spoke again. “Perhaps… you should check if you have access to the All-Skill Window.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, sure. Because that will definitely work.” But still, I sighed and gave it a shot.

  All-Skill Window.

  Something flickered in my vision. My breath hitched.

  It worked.

  And there, right in front of me, was a single skill.

  [Buy and Sell].

  I blinked.

  Elise raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  I stared at the words h in my vision.

  “I… I think I found something.”

  The elder’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What did you find?”

  I hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “It’s called Buy and Sell.”

  Elise blinked. “That’s it?”

  “Yup.”

  Silence.

  I shifted unfortably. Saying it out loud made it sound really underwhelming. Buy and Sell? Seriously? Not Heavenly Sword Mastery, Divine Are trol, od-Tier Cheat System? Nope. Just… Buy and Sell.

  I cleared my throat. “I mean, yeah, it sounds me, but maybe it’s cooler than it sounds.”

  The elder stroked his beard. “I have never heard of a skill like that before.”

  Elise tilted her head. “Me her.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, so that means it’s like… super rare, right? Maybe even overpowered?”

  Elise scoffed. “You sound dumb.”

  I smirked. “Oh, do I?” I leaned back, crossing my arms. “Then tell me, Elise—what if this is actually a cheat ability? Like some godly, reality-breaking power?”

  She shook her head. “There’s no magic or skill that lets you cheat your way through life.”

  “Oh yeah?” I grinned. “Wan? Because I’m looking right at one.”

  Elise sighed dramatically, rubbiemples. “You’re stupid.”

  The elder, ign our bad forth, leaned forward. “What does this skill do?”

  I shrugged. “No clue. How do I activate it?”

  The elder hummed in thought. “Fiust visualize the spell in their mind, and it will ma. For skills, after enough practice, they bee sed nature and improve as they level up. However, All-Skills are different… They are i abilities, meaning there is no guide for them. Some awaken naturally, while others—”

  “Oh, sweet. I just had to touch it,” I interrupted, my grin widening as I watched something flicker to life before me.

  The elder stopped mid-senteilting his head slightly. Elise frowned. “What do you mean, touch it?”

  I didn’t answer. I was too busy staring.

  In front of me, floating in midair like some kind of holographic s, was a marketpce window. It looked surprisingly modern— white interface, search bar, categories, and a whole list of items ly dispyed with prices.

  At the top, I saw different tabs: Food, ons, Clothing, Pills, Sexual Wellness—wait, what? I quickly scrolled past that before anyone else noticed.

  My eyes nded on a single apple listed for purchase.

  Price: 5.00

  I blinked.

  Then blinked again.

  “…This is a scam,” I muttered.

  Elise raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “FIVE BUCKS FOR AN APPLE?!” I yelled, pointing at the s. “Are you kiddihat’s robbery!”

  Elise and the elder exged a look of pure fusion.

  Then, something else caught my eye.

  At the top er of the window was my bance:

  0.00

  I frowned. “Wait. How am I supposed to buy anything with no money?”

  That’s when I had a terrible realization.

  “…Oh no.”

  Elise crossed her arms. “What now?”

  I slowly turo them, rubbing the bay neck. “Sooo… either of you got some spare cash?”

  Elise rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck.

  The elder, however, tilted his head slightly. “What is this cash you speak of?”

  I blinked. “You know—money.”

  The elder nodded slowly, his fareadable. “And why do you need mohere aren’t any shops open here. It is rather… useless.”

  I huffed. “Well, normally, yeah. But my skill is a marketpce.” I gestured at the floating window in front of me. “See? Lht here—”

  Elise cut me off with a ft stare. “Dan… we don’t see anything. You’re pointing at air.”

  I stopped mid-motion.

  Oh.

  That was… ing.

  For a moment, I sidered expining, but holy? I didn’t feel like arguing. Instead, I just waved away the ent. “Okay, so you ’t see it, but I . I’m looking at a list of things I buy, but—” I gestured at my pathetice. “I have no money.”

  The elder hummed in thought. “I see the problem.”

  I straightened. “So, you’ll help me out?”

  The elder reached inside his tunid pulled out a small brown sack tied to a thin rope around his neck. He uhe knot with practiced ease arieved a single copper from i was tiny, dull, and looked like something a kid might find buried in a sandbox.

  He held it out to me. “This is what I spare. Take it or leave it.”

  I squi the . “Is that a penny?”

  The elder frowned. “A what?”

  I sighed. “Never mind. Look, I need five dolrs to buy something.”

  The elder shook his head. “I do not know what a ‘dolr’ is, but we are a poor vilge. This is all I offer.”

  I hesitated for a moment, then took the . “Fine. Now I just o figure out how to sell it.”

  I turned my attention back to the floating window and… tried shoving the through it.

  Nothing happened.

  I frowned, rubbing my . “Okay, sell.”

  Still nothing.

  I tapped the s. The interface reacted, letting me scroll through the marketpce, but my bance didn’t ge.

  I groaned. “Great. My own ability won’t even work with me.”

  Then I remembered what the elder had said about magic—visualization.

  I took a deep breath, held the between my fingers, and pictured it moving into the window.

  A soft chime sounded in my head. A small i popped up.

  Sell Imperial Bronze x1 for 1?

  My eyes widened. “Oh, hell yeah. Yes.”

  The vanished from my hand, and my bance finally increased.

  Current Bance: 1.00

  I grinned. “Sweet.”

  Elise’s brows furrowed. “What just happened?”

  I wiggled my empty fingers. “The ’s gone. My skill accepted it. One dolr earned!”

  Elise’s expression darkened. “Wait… you get it back?”

  I frowned, opening my menu. There was a Buy Back tab. I tapped it—

  —and immediately felt my soul leave my body.

  Imperial Bronze – 10.00

  I let out a long, suffering sigh. “Yeah… no. It’s lost.”

  Elise stared at me. “Lost?”

  “It costs ten dolrs to buy it back.”

  “…You sold it for one.”

  “I KNOW.”

  The elder cleared his throat. “So, what does your skill actually do? What you buy?”

  I scratched the bay neck. “Uh… nothing.”

  Elise narrowed her eyes. “Nothing?”

  I sighed, scrolling through the list. “The cheapest thing I’ve seen so far is an apple for five bucks. So unless you guys are willing to give me four more of those s, I’m pretty much useless.”

  Elise smirked. “So, nothing’s ged?”

  I scowled. “I’m not useless.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I beg to differ.”

  The elder sighed. “I’m afraid I ot give you more. Our vilge is in crisis. Your skill does not seem as though it would aid us.” He paused, then spoke grimly. “If we ot overe this disease, then it is only a matter of time before erish.”

  I felt my stomach sink.

  “Well, that’s just great.” I threw my hands up. “I’m stu a world that doesn’t want me, with no way home, and now there’s a tig cloy death?”

  I slumped into my chair, groaning. “This is still the worst isekai ever.”

  Elise smirked. “You pin a lot.”

  I shot her a look. “What do you expect me to do? Just accept this? You would too if you were in my shoes.”

  Then I stopped.

  I blinked.

  Slowly, I looked down at my feet.

  A realization smmed into me.

  I ughed, standing up so fast the chair almost tipped over. “Haha! I could almost kiss you!”

  Elise immediately took a step back, looking disgusted. “Please don’t.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ew. I wasn’t talking about you—I was talking about my shoes.”

  I quickly sat back down, reached for my boots, and pulled them off. They were sturdy, well-made hiking boots I’d bought for a weekend trip that I never actually went on.

  I held them up and focused. Sell.

  A notification appeared:

  Sell Hiking Boots (Pair) for 50?

  My grin shattered.

  I threw the boots onto the floor. “FUCK THIS.”

  Elise jumped. “What now?”

  I poi the window, ed. “I paid TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS for these and you’re me FIFTY?!”

  I threw my hands in the air. “THIS. IS. A. SCAM!”