Chapter 6

With [Area Pins], I Can Go Anywhere I Want!
[!][!][!][!]

"Tabito, why are you staring at the ground?"

"Ah, just a sec. Quick question—what’s the law on picking up lost items here?"

"Hweh? Finders keepers, isn’t it?"

"Even in hunting grounds? Even in the capital?"

"Yeah, pretty much. At your own risk."

Just as I thought.
This world runs on survival of the fittest.

Lost item = Free = Yours = Mine.

I’d been picking up stray gill coins scattered all over the streets.

"This one… that one… and that too."

Of course, I wouldn’t take anything that looked deliberately lost—I’d turn those in to the guards later. But random coins? Fair game.

This was just another perk of my ability.

Then—a new status alert popped up.

Oh? A new skill!?

[New Title Unlocked: Master of Pocket Change]

…………….

"Tabito? You look… dead inside."

"It’s nothing."

I walked over to a pair of kids—a boy and a girl—selling flowers.

"How about a flower, mister~ Just one copper coin~"

"Give me one. Payment’s… all this."

"E-Eh!? T-This much!?"

"Yeah. That’s what this flower’s worth."

"Th-Thank you, mister!"

I glanced at my status window.

[Master of Pocket Change] was shaking violently. But it didn’t disappear.

Tch. Not enough, huh?

… Fine.

"H-Here, take this too."

"Eh!? This is… a silver coin!?"

"Yeah. I hope you sell more flowers."

"Mm!"

—[New Title: A Man with a Slightly Kind Heart]

… Phew.

Damn status window, reading me like a book.
No one else could see it, but having my personality quantified messed with my mood.

Morale’s important. It changes how you experience the journey.

But the Otherworld Guide Map was even more OP than I’d imagined.

Then—an announcement chimed.

[Ding, dingy, ding!] Walking distance reached 50,000 steps! [Hyper Maturation] bonus unlocked: New [Area Pins] added!

I stopped and called out to Milfie.

Area Pins? Never heard of it.

—
[Tabito] Level: 2
Stamina: C
Magic: C
Willpower: E

Status: Feelin’ goooood.

Equipment: Brown shirt, unevenly hemmed brown pants

Skills: Otherworld Guide Map, Hyper Maturation, Multilingual Comprehension, Auto-Mapping, Travel Bag

Map Progress: Ostria Capital (5%), Demon Forest (30%)

Area Pins: 1/1

Travel Bag: 11/100

Titles: Otherworld Traveler, A Man with a Slightly Kind Heart
—

Sure enough, it was there. 1/1 meant it’d increase later, right?

A pin, huh…?

I opened the map.

As expected, a tiny version of me had appeared in the bottom corner.

I dragged it with my finger—it snapped to the capital’s entrance. Nowhere else.

Limited to towns?

"... Hmm."

I let go.

[Set Area Pin at Ostria Capital Entrance?]

Selecting “No” returned it, so “Yes” was the only real choice.

Click.

The tiny me pinned itself to the gate.

Different from the current location marker.

I pressed the pin.

Then—a countdown appeared.

[Teleporting in 10 seconds. Cancelled if combat initiates.]

Teleport!? What’s gonna—!?

3… 2… 1… 0.

—Vision swapped.

"Hweh!? Tabito!? Wait, Tabito!?"

Milfie’s voice cut off mid-sentence as I—stood at Ostria’s gate.

The guards stared at me, baffled.

"... Huh? Kid, where’d you come from?"

"Uh, well—"

"High-speed movement magic? Invisibility? Impressive for your age."

"Haha… ha…"

Magic?
Wait…

I hurriedly checked the map.

The Ostria Capital pin was there. Clicking it again did nothing.

Instead: [Next teleport available in: 23h 58m 34s]

… So that’s how it works.

I rushed back inside and found Milfie.

"Where’d you go, meow!?"

"Sorry, sorry. Hey, Milfie—does teleportation magic exist here?"

"Teleportation?"

"Like instantly moving from where we are now to an inn, hunting ground, or even another country."

"I’ve heard of it… but never seen it. Maybe the Great Sages can do it?"

"Great Sages?"

"A title for the most powerful people. There’s only one or two in the world, meow. Wait… did you just teleport!?"

"Yeah, looks like it."

"Fweeeeh!? That’s insane, meow!!"

Area Pins. If it worked in the capital, it’d probably work in villages too.

And if the number could increase…

More pins = more fast-travel points.

—This is broken.

Traveling’s fun, but moving sucks. You can’t just go back whenever, or see people whenever.

But with this—I can.

… Insane.

If I work at it, could I teleport anywhere in this world?

Heh. This’ll be fun.

Right now, I teleported alone.

But what if… I held someone’s hand?

I want to test it—but I’ll have to wait a day.

Damn it. Well, the anticipation’s part of the fun.

Then I noticed—Milfie looked oddly guilty.

"What’s wrong?"

"Well… if you can teleport too, you’ll probably get party invites. Am I really good enough to stay with you, meow?"

Ah, so that’s it.

"... I want to travel with you, Milfie. That won’t change."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Even if I get offers, I’m sticking with you. We’re partners, right?"

"Ehehe~! That makes me happy, meow!"

If an A-Ranker like her felt this way, my skill must be insane.
And the number of skills I have is still growing.
Hell yeah.

"Alright, Milfie, let’s go!"

"Meowmeow!"

—
[Milfie] ★★★★★
Tabito can teleport!? So cool!
Am I really good enough to stay with him…?
He’s so cool…

[Tabito] ★★★★★
The Guide Map’s even more OP than I thought!
Wait—could I use this for trading too?
The future’s looking bright!