Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim

“Please deposit 100 credit points first if you want to visit our club, Trade Circle.”

Inside a somewhat luxurious tent, a beautiful lady in a long gown spoke as soon as Soren and Aurelia entered.

Although the tent looked like any other from the outside, the moment they stepped inside, it was clear it was anything but ordinary.

Just the space inside alone was larger than he expected.

‘A space-type camp artifact?’

Soren thought, feeling a bit jealous, his eyes flickering a bit.

—

[Artifact: Portable Camp]

[Rank: B]

[Effect: A portable space-type artifact that unfolds into a hidden camp. The interior space is larger than its outer size, providing shelter, temperature control, and minor concealment from nearby monsters.]

—

“100 credit points just to visit a club? What kind of rule is that?”

While Soren was busy looking at the tent, Aurelia, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows and argued.

Although for them, a mere 100 credit points was nothing, it was still a huge sum for a newbie hunter.

Wasn’t this outright theft?

“Miss, it is our policy. Our club is called Trade Circle, and since it focuses on trade, anyone who wants to join must have enough wealth.”

“Besides, 100 credit points is not much at all. If you cannot even fork out this much, there is no point visiting our club at all.”

Despite Aurelia’s dissatisfaction, the beautiful lady smiled and explained bluntly, not caring whether Aurelia felt bad.

“You…”

“Okay, we would like to visit your club. Please subtract 200 credit points from this.”

Just as Aurelia was about to argue, though, Soren suddenly took his ID card, asking the lady to scan it.

“Soren…”

Aurelia was a bit confused and about to stop him when she saw Soren signalling her to stop.

Dejected, she watched the lady take his card before withdrawing the 200 credit points as promised.

“Dear guests, welcome to our club, Trade Circle. You can now visit our club freely and decide whether to join or not.”

“Please go that way. Someone will briefly come to your help.”

Once the points were taken away and the name was written down, the lady smiled more beautifully than before, signalling towards the large hall.

“Thank you!”

Soren nodded lightly before turning around and walking towards the large hall through a narrow corridor along with Aurelia.

But once they were at a bit of a distance, Aurelia finally couldn’t control herself and asked,

“Hey, Soren… why did you pay credit points just to visit this club? They are clearly greedy. Didn’t you see how happy that lady looked just now?”

She pouted a bit, feeling distressed for him.

Nobody liked getting taken advantage of, let alone someone as proud as Aurelia.

If not for Soren, she would have already stormed out of the tent in anger.

“Haha… don’t worry. I promise those credit points aren’t wasted. And besides, why are you hating that receptionist lady when she is clearly a Golem?”

He suddenly smirked.

“What? That lady is a Golem?”

Sure enough, the moment she heard his words, Aurelia spoke out, her face full of shock.

“Hey, Soren… don’t lie to me. That lady is clearly a human, right?”

She asked, but saw Soren resolutely shaking his head,

“No, she is indeed a Golem, a very unique type, you see. To be honest, even I was almost fooled if not for noticing some subtle signs.”

Well, the sign was the panel that suddenly appeared when he scanned the tent before.

—

[Name: Mimic Golem]

[Rank: A]

[Level: 100 (max)]

[Effect: A humanoid golem concealed by a perfect living veil, making it indistinguishable from a real human. Can follow orders, fight, and conceal its true nature.]

—

To be honest, he was a bit shocked when he saw her level before.

‘As expected of a club owned by the Guild, Golden Ledger. Even the receptionist is so excellent.’

Come to think of it, despite focusing on trade and connections, Golden Ledger was still a five-star guild, just like Flareborn.

Considering that, it didn’t seem that surprising anymore.

“Wow, so she is indeed a Golem?”

Aurelia was still a bit surprised as she really didn’t sense anything, as Soren said.

To be honest, she was still a bit skeptical when, suddenly, a loud laugh echoed the moment they stepped out of the corridor and into a large hall.

“Haha… Miss Aurelia, he is indeed right. That lady you saw before was indeed a Golem I own. To be precise, it is a Mimic Golem.”

The voice belonged to a tall, chubby man draped in an extravagant robe studded with glittering jewels.

A golden necklace hung across his broad chest, while his fingers were heavy with rings that caught the light with every gesture.

One look and Soren could feel they were all very precious artifacts.

“It seems the rumors aren’t false. Really, you cannot underestimate an Archer’s eyes, it seems.”

Although Soren only gave a brief glance, the guy, of course, managed to notice his gaze, giving a slight comment.

“Who are you?”

By this time, Aurelia also noticed the chubby guy along with two other figures behind him.

Surprisingly, they were the twin sisters they had competed with before, Elara and Elise Vans.

It seemed they also came here to visit the club.

‘They probably came here after learning the background of this place,’ Soren guessed when he saw the chubby guy showing a huge smile.

“Haha… where are my manners. I forgot to introduce myself.”

Despite being a senior with a high level, he seemed quite amiable, although whether it was because of Aurelia’s identity, Soren didn’t know.

“Hello, my name is Owen Dale, and I am the owner of this club, Trade Circle. You can just call me Owen.”

He introduced himself before signaling at the twin sisters standing behind him.

“As for them, you probably know already. They are the famous twin sisters, Elara and Elise, who came here to visit my club just like you two.”

He smiled as if he was very satisfied to make such connections on the first day of club recruitment.

“Hello, I am Aurelia Flareborn.”

“I am Soren.”

“Elara!”

“Elise!”

Due to Owen’s presence, for the first time ever, the twin sisters and they introduced themselves formally.

Before, in the classroom, they were just there to ask about the competition and didn’t actually talk the whole time.

Soren noticed that, although both sisters looked exactly the same even up close, the one who called herself Elara was cold and detached, while Elise seemed more curious, her eyes scanning Aurelia and Soren intently.

“Perfect! Since the introduction is over, let me briefly explain what my club, Trade Circle, is about.”

Owen smiled and continued,

“Our club offers practical experience in trade and artifacts within the Academy, and it also provides a channel to buy and sell items that might not normally be available anywhere.”

“However, it is only for the members of the club, and to qualify, a person must either have a strong background, substantial wealth, or exceptional ability.”

He then gestured toward the hall where multiple artifacts were displayed, his voice brimming with pride.

“Although our club focuses on trade and commerce, it is also extremely helpful for finding rare items, discovering hidden potentials, and gaining insight into the value of artifacts.”