I was still giddy from seeing that Mine Owner notification when suddenly, my [Ownership Menu] updated again.

  Now there were more options. A lot more.

  Upgrade Options Avaible:

  Install Lighting System – 2,000Add Support Structures – 3,500Expand Deeper Paths – 6,000Generate Mine Map – 500Build Mineral Storage Facility – 4,000Reveal Hidden Chambers – 8,000Install Rail and Cart System – 7,500Hire Workers – (Variable Cost)I blinked. “What in SimCity Minecraft Tycoon is this?”

  I scrolled further, mouth slightly open.

  A mine this abandoned had options like this? My Buy & Sell system just kept leveling up with the bullshit.

  But one option caught my eye:[Generate Mine Map – 500]

  I clicked it without thinking.

  Confirm Purchase?Yes / No

  I hit YES, and suddenly—

  Pop!

  A rolled parchment fell into my p like a prize from a vending machine.

  Elise gnced over. “What’s that?”

  “Nothing!” I yelped, snatching it up. “Just a… uh… map.”

  “You didn’t have a map before,” Garron muttered from a few feet away.

  “It’s a… memory map. Keeps track of where I’ve been. Totally normal. Absolutely not weird or glowing or worth asking more questions about.”

  I unrolled it, trying to act casual while my heart pounded.

  The map was beautifully detailed. Every path, tunnel, and chamber they’d walked so far was etched in real-time.

  And in the bottom-right corner?

  A small, blinking blue icon.

  I stared. “Oh my god… it’s like a real RPG map.”

  The blinking was along a path deeper than any we had explored. Way deeper. And if this thing was blinking, that meant something was there.

  Treasure?

  Hidden boss?

  A secret chamber?

  Whatever it was, I wanted it.

  “What’s with your face?” Elise asked, squinting at me.

  “My face?” I said, immediately fttening it like a board. “This is just my normal face.”

  “You look like a kid who just discovered the sweet and juicy taste of a peach.”

  “…that’s oddly specific.”

  “Are you pnning something?”

  “Always,” I muttered under my breath.

  While everyone was going back to inspecting walls and discussing how many corpses they’d seen in their lifetime (spoiler: too many), I subtly tapped another option on the menu:

  [Hire Workers]

  Avaible Options:

  Laborers: 50/day eachSkilled Miners: 125/dayDwarven Contractor (Limited Time Offer!): 500/dayOverseer (Automates scheduling and task assignment): 250(Per 5 worker)/dayAll hired personnel will appear at property entrance within 24 hours of purchase.I blinked.

  I could hire people directly through my system.

  Real people. That would appear. Like a hired team straight from a fantasy job board.

  This was no longer just a dungeon. This was the start of DanCorp?.

  And I was going to be filthy rich.

  But first—secret chamber.

  Then profits.

  Then figuring out what the hell a Dwarven Contractor actually does.

  I tapped [Hire Workers] again, scrolling through the options while pretending to listen to Garron and Seraphina discussing structural integrity and post-monster infestation cleanup procedures.

  Boring.

  I clicked through the hiring menu and selected:

  2 Laborers – 100/day total? 1 Skilled Miner – 125/day? 1 Overseer – 250(per 5 workers)/dayI hit confirm.

  Congratutions! Your hired workers will appear at your mine entrance within 24 hours. A bonus has been applied: All hired workers inside this mine will now lose stamina 25% slower.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Wait, what?”

  I double-checked the message.

  A bonus?! For clearing the mine? So that’s a thing now? Hell yeah, passive perks!

  I was grinning like a madman when Seraphina’s voice snapped me back to reality.

  “Alright,” she said, turning toward the group. “Now that the mine has been cleared, we’ll return to the vilge.”

  Return? Why? There's still so much shiny stuff here—

  “I’ll need to formally assess the location with the appropriate appraisers and officials,” she continued. “There’s paperwork to be filed, resource estimates to be completed, and most importantly—”

  She turned to me.

  “Taxes.”

  And just like that, my good mood evaporated faster than a bottle of cheap wine in a tavern brawl.

  “Taxes?” I echoed, trying to sound innocent and confused. “Isn’t that… like, a vilge thing?”

  “Correct,” she said calmly. “And since this mine is part of the territory under Viskar, the tax dues must be recalcuted accordingly. Things the person in charge of the vilge's finances should know.”

  Yup. And there goes my retirement pn.

  “Oh, and,” she added, arching a golden brow, “I will also need to speak with the person currently in charge of appraising the mine and collecting the taxes.”

  I pointed behind me. “That’s… definitely not me.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Isn’t it, though?”

  Garron cpped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “He’s the most qualified.”

  “Qualified in what!?”

  “Getting into trouble,” Elise muttered behind me.

  “I heard that!”

  “I wanted you to.”

  Seraphina folded her hands neatly. “Come. We return to Viskar. I have paperwork to prepare, people to interrogate, and a kingdom to report to.”

  “Fine,” I sighed. “But I’m walking behind everyone. In protest.”

  “Suit yourself,” Seraphina said.

  As we started the slow march back to the vilge, I kept gncing back at the mine entrance, thinking about my workers, the bonuses, and the blinking blue icon still marked deep in the map.

  DanCorp? was off to a hell of a start.

  Now, I just had to survive the IRS of fantasynd.

  ___

  We were barely back in the vilge before the “tax meeting” began—aka Seraphina rounding up every miserable soul who looked remotely important and dragging them toward the elder’s house like a holy debt collector.

  And me?

  Somehow still in charge of vilge finances.

  Don’t ask me how that happened. I still don’t know.

  “So,” Seraphina said, arms crossed, gaze sharp enough to cleave armor. “Viskar’s annual taxes are threefold—one part gold, one part resources, one part food.”

  The elder coughed into his hand. “Yes, well, about that…”

  “We’re broke,” I added helpfully.

  Everyone gred at me. I held up my hands. “What? I’m just stating facts.”

  Seraphina turned toward me. “Then expin, oh wise steward, how you pn to fulfill your duties.”

  Alright, time to pull out the Dan Magic.

  I smirked and opened my Buy & Sell. Quick search, fast scroll… and there it was:

  Large Sack of White Rice — 20 (Feeds a family for one week)Note: Premium, high-grade export quality. Vacuum-sealed in anti-spoige reinforced packaging.

  I hit purchase. Then again. And again.

  Thirty massive bags appeared on the ground beside me in neat rows with POP POP POP sounds.

  The vilgers flinched. Someone might have fainted.

  “Behold,” I said grandly, sweeping an arm over my magnificent pile of carbohydrates. “Grain. Beautiful, filling, and debt-erasing.”

  There was a moment of stunned silence. Then came the whispers.

  “What is this sorcery?”“Did those bags just… appear?”“What kind of divine storage magic is this?!”

  I dusted off one of the sacks. “This, my friends, is rice. Top-grade. Better than anything grown around here. Should cover the food quota just fine.”

  The tax collector—an older man in dull chainmail with a monocle (because of course he had a monocle)—stepped forward and ripped open a sack.

  He ran the grain through his fingers, sniffed it, even licked a kernel.

  Alright, weird flex, but okay.

  “This…” he murmured, eyes wide. “This is exceptionally refined. No pests, no rot, perfect texture…”

  He turned to Seraphina. “Lady Seraphina, this alone could fulfill half the resource and food obligation. It's worth double what they were originally supposed to supply.”

  Seraphina raised a brow. “Impressive.”

  I smirked. “Told you.”

  She looked at me. “And the gold?”

  My smirk died.

  “Yeah, so, about that… the vilge is poor. Like, bone-dry beggar-tier poor. They were supposed to pay using minerals from the mine, but that didn’t really happen.”

  The elder jumped in. “There was an illness and majority of those who could work fell ill. Not to mention the spiders.”

  I nodded vigorously. “Yup, can confirm. I nearly died. Several times. Very tragic.”

  The tax collector frowned. “Normally, we’d mark this as a failure to pay.”

  I quickly jumped in, because this felt like it would all be bmed on me if the quota was not met. “But consider this: thirty more sacks of rice. That’s right. Thirty more. Let’s call it an early donation to future obligations.”

  The collector paused.

  Seraphina looked intrigued. “An interesting proposal…”

  The collector inspected the rice again, calcuting. “Thirty more of these… that would fulfill the total quota, plus offset their missed minerals. It’s a stretch, but pusible.”

  Seraphina nodded. “Very well. If the additional sacks are provided today, I’ll consider the quota fulfilled, and the king’s record marked as paid in full.”

  Everyone turned to me.

  I sighed dramatically. “Fine. But you better start calling me ‘Dan the Provider’ or something.”

  I purchased another thirty sacks. POP POP POP POP POP POP— Even more massive sacks materialized in the courtyard, creating a veritable mountain of rice.

  “...You have the gods’ favor,” the elder muttered.

  “No,” I said smugly. “Just Buy & Sell.”

  Seraphina smiled—an actual smile—and nodded. “You’ve done surprisingly well.”

  “See? Told you I was a genius.”

  “And yet,” she added, “still incredibly annoying.”

  I shrugged. “It’s part of my charm.”

  She sighed. “I need to write a report on this. Elise, Garron, with me.”

  As they turned to leave, I looked back at the rice pile, grinning.

  Debt erased. Food handled. Vilge saved. Now… I just need to avoid future responsibilities.

  Which meant I had about twenty-four hours.

  Maybe less.

  Seraphina sat at the elder’s table, parchment spread out before her, quill scratching furiously. Her elegant script flowed with such purpose and divine righteousness that Dan swore the ink glowed. Probably didn’t, but it felt that way.

  “Report on Viskar Vilge,” she muttered aloud, “Status: Cured. Taxes paid. Mine cleared. Local idiot—still a threat.”

  “Hey,” I called from the corner. “That st part better be metaphorical.”

  She didn’t even gnce up. “It’s not.”

  I huffed, hands on hips, standing beside a crate like a self-decred hero posing for a statue. “You know, I think this entire kingdom owes me a thank-you. I’m the economic backbone of this vilge now. Dan the Provider. Dan the Tax Savior. Dan the Mine Master.”

  The elder looked up from his pipe, puffing thoughtfully. “Speaking of the mine… it’s time we put it back to work.”

  Garron nodded. “Agreed. But we’ll need more men. We don’t exactly have a thriving popution left.”

  The elder sighed. “It’s true. We’ve lost most of our able-bodied workers.”

  I snapped my fingers. “I’ll do it.”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “You?” Garron said slowly, as if trying to make sure he’d heard correctly.

  I nodded confidently. “Yeah. Time for me to start pulling my weight around here. Contributing to society like a good, honest vilger.”

  There was a beat of silence. Then several people started ughing. Loudly.

  “Bullshit,” said Brent from the corner.

  “Complete bullshit,” said Elise with a grin.

  “Total, absolute bullshit,” added the elder with a chuckle.

  I scowled. “Why does no one believe in me?”

  “Because we’ve met you,” Elise said.

  “I’m serious!” I said, spping my chest. “Mining builds character. It’s honest work. Plus, it beats going back to the capital.”

  That caught Seraphina’s attention.

  She set her quill down and leaned forward. “Interesting. If you’re so set on staying, then perhaps arrangements could be made.”

  I immediately regretted opening my mouth. “Wait, what kind of arrangements?”

  “If you stay,” she said thoughtfully, “the royal researchers could simply come here instead. Study you in your natural habitat.”

  “Habitat?” I echoed. “Am I a squirrel now?”

  Seraphina smiled faintly. “Still better than you running away. Because let’s be honest… you would.”

  “I would not,” I said defensively. “Scout’s honor.”

  Elise snorted. “Most scouts don’t have honor.”

  Garron nodded. “If they’re caught, they usually surrender and spill every secret to save their skin.”

  I groaned. “You people are killing me.”

  Seraphina turned back toward her parchment. “Then it’s settled. I’ll stay here for a while longer to oversee operations… and to ensure our local provider doesn’t suddenly develop an urge to flee.”

  I held up my hands. “That’s completely unnecessary. No need to cramp your holy style. You’ve done enough. Really. You deserve a break.”

  Seraphina raised an eyebrow. “You’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t you?”

  I ughed nervously. “What? No! Pfft. Ridiculous.”

  “You’ll get used to my presence,” she said.

  “Unlikely.”

  She smiled serenely. “Gods work in mysterious ways.”

  I muttered, “Yeah, and sometimes the gods have a cruel sense of humor.”

  The elder cpped his hands together. “Good. Then it’s decided. Tomorrow we begin organizing the mine. Dan, if you’re truly going to be a worker, you’ll need proper tools.”

  I blinked. “Oh. Right. Tools. Great.”

  Elise leaned closer and whispered, “Bet you regret saying anything now.”

  I sighed. “Regret is the foundation of most of my decisions.”