My Goddess is a Tsundere

"Bane!" Winter exclaimed. Bane had returned earlier than usual from the dungeon, having spent around six hours down there. It was only slightly past noon.

"How is my favorite adventurer doing?" she asked with a smile.

"Am I really your favorite adventurer?" Bane asked, looking confused. Winter blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well… I'd say yes. Every time you come to the guild, you greet me and treat me with respect. The others who come in here can be so…" Winter became flustered and stopped herself short. Bane nodded in agreement.

"You're right there. Some adventurers can be a handful. And to put it out there, you're my favorite guild employee," Bane said, returning the sentiment.

"R-Really?"

"Yes, you're basically the only one I've interacted with."

"O-Oh, that makes sense." Winter's skin returned to its snow-white complexion as she composed herself.

"Anyway, it looks like you've got another sack," Winter said, standing on her tiptoes to peek at the sack on Bane's back.

"Yes, I do. And this time, I didn't destroy it," Bane said with an embarrassed smile. He slung the heavy sack off his back and set it down gently on the counter.

"Woah! That's so many," Winter exclaimed, looking at the full sack, which was almost bursting at the seams. "Give me a minute, and I'll have your money."

"No rush, take your time."

Bane watched as Winter easily lifted the incredibly heavy sack and moved it for inspection. Every time he talked with the girl, he noticed a youthful naivety about her. But seeing her lift such a weight with ease shocked him.

Like a machine, Winter quickly examined and calculated the value of over one hundred Energy Crystals. Her hands moved like lightning, picking up each crystal, examining it, and tossing it into another bin.

"Okay, I owe you… 10,400 Shill," Winter said, confirming the total in her head before reaching under the counter and retrieving the amount.

"Here you are, Bane. Keep it up," Winter said, placing five coins in his hand: one ten-thousand Shill coin and four one-hundred Shill coins.

"I will. Thank you, Winter," Bane said, retrieving Mr. Grey's sack and throwing it over his back. The two exchanged a brief goodbye as Bane left the Guild Hall.

Bane sauntered down the road, basking in the mid-afternoon sunlight. However, his surroundings abruptly changed from paved streets and well-kept buildings to dirt roads and slum housing.

'I want to help…' Bane thought as he looked out at the sad area. Having grown up in such a place, he knew its harshness and the cycle it created. Once you became one with the slums, you couldn't escape. Many people Bane knew in the slums were locked into predatory loans and debts, and eventually, they would disappear.

Bane was an oddity. Born into such a poor environment, he had managed to escape. He was deeply appreciative of his goddess, Eir, and the people who had supported him during his upbringing. With his escape came a desire—a desire to liberate and support those forced into the slums.

Deep down, Bane knew the task was impossible and even childish, but that didn't stop him from thinking and planning.

Ding. The bell above Old Grey's door jingled as Bane stepped inside. Mr. Grey was reading a book while sitting behind the counter. Hearing the bell, he looked up, and his eyes widened.

"Back so soon? I knew you were quick, but this is shocking," he said, shaking his head and laughing before closing his book. He couldn't believe Bane's speed. While ten thousand Shill wasn't much for a high-ranking adventurer or an established faction, for a single low-level adventurer to earn that in one day was surprising, to say the least.

"I earned the ten thousand you asked for."

"I know you did. Let's see it," Mr. Grey said. Bane reached into his pocket and retrieved a ten-thousand Shill coin from his Bank ability. With his thumb, he flicked it to Mr. Grey, who caught and examined it.

"Amazing…" Mr. Grey said, confirming the coin's authenticity. "Well, I guess you've earned the reward I offered. One second." Mr. Grey tossed the coin back to Bane and went to the back, where Bane could hear shuffling and clanking, as if Mr. Grey was moving things around.

Soon, he emerged with an odd-looking, almost bowl-like object. He set it down and presented it to Bane. "I have an offer for you. I'll give you this in return for ten percent of everything you earn throughout your time as an adventurer."

Bane was taken aback by such an offer. "What?" he said, almost insulted. He gazed down at the round object, which had a hole on top that emanated an eerie presence. A void of darkness was inside, even though a lantern hung above, showering everything in ambient light.

Without saying a word, Mr. Grey reached inside the lid, his hand being consumed by the darkness. Bane looked on cautiously, but Mr. Grey kept a straight face as he pulled out an Energy Crystal from the void.

"What is that?" Bane asked while simultaneously using his skill, Appraisal.

"It's a Void Sack—a sack capable of storing an unlimited amount of any item. It was mine back when I was an adventurer, and now I'm offering it to you at the stipend of ten percent of all profit you make," Mr. Grey explained, reiterating his proposal.

Bane's Appraisal skill confirmed the same information:

Void Sack: A carrying sack infused with spatial magic, giving it the ability to store a single item an infinite number of times.

Mr. Grey was telling the truth, not that Bane expected him to lie. The concept of such a sack was just hard to believe. Bane hesitated, so Mr. Grey continued to elaborate on the offer.

"While you'll lose out on ten percent of your profits, with this sack, you'll gain so much more. Plus, the sack's weight doesn't change with the number of items inside. I believe it's a fair offer," Mr. Grey said, placing his hands on the table. Bane's mind raced with questions.

"Why would you even offer something this valuable to me?" Bane asked, unable to comprehend the reasoning.

"A few reasons. Firstly, I don't need it anymore. While I could sell it now for millions of Shill, I believe that if I give it to you, I'll make that amount in no time. Secondly, I want to support people like us…" Mr. Grey's words trailed off. The "us" he referred to were the slum folk.

"I want to see you succeed and believe you can. And lastly, I'm sick of the adventurers and factions of today—so arrogant and frustrating. I want you to show what us slum folk can do," Mr. Grey said with a gentle smile as he slid the sack across the counter.

"So, if you agree to my terms, it's yours." Bane was at a loss. The fact that the item before him was worth millions scared him, but he couldn't let fear control him. He had been like that for too long. He looked up and met Mr. Grey's gaze.

Bane extended his hand, and the two shook firmly. "You have a deal," Bane said, grasping the small sack. It was just bigger than his hand, with a neck wide enough to fit a variety of objects, though Energy Crystals seemed to be its main use.

Mr. Grey showed Bane the basics of the sack—how to store and withdraw items. But as he took out the Energy Crystal, another question arose.

"Won't the guild and other adventurers see this and try to steal it or something?" Bane asked, glancing down at the millions of Shill he now had strapped to his hip.

Mr. Grey chuckled. "Only if you let them. Speaking of which, if you do lose it, you'll have to pay back its full value." Bane's mouth dropped.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Bane shouted.

"Oh, I thought I did," Mr. Grey said with a mischievous smile. "Anyway, it's not like these are particularly rare. Many top factions have hundreds of these. There are even more expensive ones that can hold more than just one item. If you hand a guild clerk one of these, they'll know what to do. As long as you don't lose it, you'll be fine," Mr. Grey assured Bane.

"Oh, and one last thing—for the ten percent stipend, you can set that up at the Guild Hall. Request a meeting with a clerk, and they'll help you work out the specifics." Bane started to wonder if Mr. Grey had done something like this before. He seemed very knowledgeable about the sacks and their inner workings.

They chatted for a while longer, with Mr. Grey sharing the latest weapons he was forging and Bane recounting how he had defeated the floor two boss. Bane exited the shop with a newfound excitement for adventuring.

'With this, I'll earn so much more,' Bane thought, imagining a life of luxury and fortune. But in the depths of the slums, it still felt like a faraway goal.