Once I had pulled myself together I decided my best course of action was to just work with what I had and worry about the rest later. With a few light stretches to undo the kinks caused by laying on hard stone I firmed my resolve and activated the crystal again. Let’s figure out what we’re going to do!

  I started with the Stock. No point worrying about how things look until I know what I'm going to be selling. The interface broke it down for me into smaller categories or just one massive list if I wanted. It looked like I could stock weapons, armor, potions, accessories, and utility items. Well easy enough I guess. Nothing seemed to be of any great value as it was all basic items. Weapons and armor made of simple steel, low grade potions and mostly mundane items. I wondered if I would eventually get more magic stuff to sell. That could be fun.

  There was one item I didn’t recognize. It was labeled as a Dungeon Tag and displayed as a short necklace with a small metal plate hanging on the chain. From what the description implied it would be how adventurers could keep track of quests and could store their funds with a dimensional space. It also would display their stats. Man, that would have been useful back home. If I had that before I died, I might have realized what a terrible idea it was to go dungeon diving.

  I grabbed a sheet of paper and started a list of what I would initially stock. The Tags were a must. I added a few simple weapons like daggers, clubs, short swords and bows. From there armor was important so I added the basic sets of light leather armor and some heavier iron armor. Health and mana potions followed along with a couple boosters for speed and enhanced perception. They were low-grade so it wouldn't be much of a boost, but I wanted people to have a better shot at surviving.

  At the moment the accessories were mostly just cosmetic effects like color changes or emblems, but there was one magic amulet. It was called Amulet of Enemy Detection and I had a good feeling about it. I added it to the list with high hopes it would be a bestseller. Unfortunately it did not give a very detailed description, just stating it would alert the wearer when enemies were within a certain radius.

  The utility items were a mix bag. Honestly, I was sure much of it would be useful as I doubt people wanted a bundle of fifty spoons. I added some basic camping supplies and rope. From what I had heard adventurers say in the past, You can never have too much rope. I figured one hundred foot bundles should be long enough and easy to carry around. As I was about to move on I saw something that I immediately imported into the space. It was a chair. I could finally sit down comfortably! I found a second one that could apparently rotate at the base. What a novel idea. I summoned one of those as well and put it at my service counter.

  With my inventory list set I moved over to Appearance. I discovered something that immediately set my heart aflutter. There was an option there that said Shopkeeper. I quickly selected it and a revolving image of me pulled up. I saw a setting for height and nearly had a heart attack. This was it! I could finally rise above my natural limits and end the tyranny of the tall! I slid the little icon as far as it could go and confirmed my selection. My body began to feel hot as I felt my bones and muscles stretching and growing. Yes, I could feel the power of the cosmos flowing through me. A flash of light erupted out of me and I stared down at my new form. Wait a second…I’m basically the same! At most it felt like it had added half an inch to my height.

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  I refused to cry again so I just soldiered on. It looked like the most I could really do is change my coloring and hair style. I decided this was some grade A quality bullshit. Who would ever waste time with weird hair colors and over the top hair styles. I did take a moment to change my eye color though. I figured I might as well do something, so I changed my eyes to a grey color that had golden flecks to match the walls. This was my new life, so might as well look the part.

  Moving over to the actual shop I had a pleasant surprise. The interface brought up what looked like a three dimensional blueprint of the shop and living quarters. The design was intuitive and nothing like the rest. It had dozens of things I could adjust. I quickly set up shelving space along the back wall and added some hanging displays for the larger items. I even had the option to add small plaques that would display item names and prices. I had been worried that all of the paper on my desk was meant for that purpose. Thankfully I would not have to write out everything. I mean I could have, but I hated writing display tags. My Uncle had never been satisfied with my hand writing before I died.

  I confirmed my changes and heard the sound of stone grinding against stone from the doorway. I poked my head out of the back room and saw the walls changing. Shelves were growing out of the wall and hooks were forming at different heights. Well, it looks like I’m moving up in the world. No more bare walls for this guy. I mean, there wasn’t anything up there yet as I hadn’t ordered the stock yet, but still it was heartwarming to see.

  I wanted to check out upgrades, but I had a feeling it would just disappoint me so I held off for now. I moved back over to stock and purchased everything on the list I made. I made sure to have some back stock of everything since I had no clue what to expect. It was a bit odd though, as I didn’t see anything indicating I had paid for the items. There was a small box in the corner that displayed as:

  Store Funds: 0P 0G 0S 0C

  So yeah, the store was broke. No platinum, gold, silver, or even a single copper coin in our coffers. Whelp, that sounds like a future me problem. It was time to set up my display. I looked around unsure of what to expect. After about five minutes I heard a POP and a few loud thuds from the front. I found several large wooden crates sitting on the ground. After a second I discovered I had no way to open the crates. I sheepish went to order a pry bar. It seemed when I ordered a single item it would just appear next to me, but larger orders were sent in crates.

  Now I know that it may sound like I hated my previous job, but setting up my displays and shelves felt really cathartic. I liked to think I had an eye for this type of thing. Making sure items were arranged in a way that guided the eyes to the more expensive products and grouping items that were commonly used together. There is an art to displaying your goods. I had made a mistake when I set the shelf spacing. The highest shelves were out of reach.

  With a grumble I moved some of the crates and climbed on top of the precarious pile. As I was trying to set one of the iron shields on the display hooks, the boxes below me shifted. I lost my balance and fell off. Now in my previous experience, a fall from six feet up wouldn’t be a problem as normally it would just end in a few bruises or a sprain. However my legs instinctively kicked out as I shifted and fell. That gave me just enough momentum to push me towards the counter top. My head hit the edge of the counter at an angle and felt the bones in my neck snap. I lost all feeling as my body lay sprawled on the ground. Well shit, I accidentally killed myself on the first day of the job.