I'm Trying To Go Broke, So Why Do I Keep Getting Richer?!

Just as Leo thought that his expressions couldn't get worse, he heard the following words of the tiny bank manager.

"As for our branches, we only have one... The one sitting before you. I am the only branch and the only employee of Arcadia Bank. Pleasure to be in your presence."

"So let me get this straight. My wealth... that I have been striving hard to accumulate, is tied to a bank that has only one branch, one employee, one table and one ancient computer. Is that even freaking legal?"

Leo almost grabbed his head subconsciously. How could such a bank be approved by the authorities?

He suddenly went silent and thought of something.

His gaze narrowed, as he asked "Please tell me you have the authorization to run a bank?"

"Authorization to run a bank? Let me check." The Goblin grew serious and started typing something on his mechanical keyboard with his small fingers.

After typing fiercely for a few minutes, he stopped and smiled comfortably. He sighed in relief. "Fortunately I haven't failed your expectations."

Seeing his sigh of relief, Leo also grew a little calmer. Even though the bank's operations looked a little suspicious, and it wasn't up to the mark, at least it wasn't illegal.

"I am pleased to inform you that we don't have any authorization." The Goblin proudly stated, making Leo almost fall face first from his chair.

Leo was literally feeling his blood pressure rise within his body. His reward money was tied to a bank that was illegal? It wasn't even part of the Galactic Banking Network?

Then could his reward money even be called legal? Wasn't it no different from playing pretend money that was useless and couldn't be transferred to any official bank?

There was a small part of Leo's conscience that was urging him to grab his sword and beat this tiny goblin up.

He took a deep breath, and tried to calm his rising blood pressure.

'The system won't screw me that badly, right. I can't forget that he managed to appear in this place within a wormhole without a sweat. It can't be that simple. Have faith.'

He patted his chest, and became a little calmer.

"Mr. Manager...?"

"Yes, our dear customer."

"Is your bank legal by any known standards within this universe?"

"Of course, not." The Goblin was just as proud as ever as he answered, as if it was something worth flexing.

Leo was trying really hard to keep faith, but it was growing harder. He could literally hear the sound of his blood boiling and his future coming crashing down.

He had wasted all his money. Even his company was almost bankrupt with no funds left to spend anymore. If he couldn't even use his reward anymore, then wasn't he truly screwed?

He picked a bottle and gulped the water down his throat before asking another question, "If I wanted to use my credits, can I do that?"

"Of course, you can do that. It's yours after all."

"Then can you answer one more question?"

"Sure. Anything for our dear customer."

"If I had to use my private funds that are stored in your... bank, if it can even be called that." Leo was speaking as calmly as possible.

His face was the definition of calmness as he stood up, and moved closer to the goblin. He placed a finger on the goblin's tiny table, extremely careful to not crush his computer or the table.

He took another deep breath, before he abruptly yelled, "How the fuck will I use those funds if the bank isn't even registered, or legal, or have any authority in the global financial framework! Would I play house with that money?!"

In that instance, all the calmness was gone from his face. The goblin felt a sudden rush of warm wind that sent his chair rolling back, and him along with it.

The chair flew so far that it even passed through the ship's walls, ending up outside the ship with the goblin.

"The fuck? Did I just... kill my bank manager?" Leo ran towards the wall, and looked out the magically reinforced window.

Outside, he saw nothing. There were only spiralling lights of the various spatial intersections within this wormhole.

No one could survive in the chaotic energy of the wormhole. Even a little goblin that had appeared out of nowhere inside the ship shouldn't have been able to survive without this ship's protection.

"I didn't think that he would fly so far, or pass through the walls."

Leo's face grew solemn, as he turned around to look at the floating table with a little computer resting on it.

He couldn't help but remember the goblin, feeling extremely guilty. Even though he was worried about his credits, should he have done something like this? The goblin, although always giving wrong answers with pride, had never really talked disrespectfully with him.

Leo sat back on his chair, looking at the empty floating table.

His voice broke, as his fingers lightly brushed against the table, that was the last remnant of his shameless branch manager that didn't deserve to die.

"I am really sorry. If I could go back in time, I would never..." Leo's voice had started to break and grow heavier as he felt grief rising within him.

"Wow, that was fun," a voice came from next to Leo. "Can we do it again?"

Leo didn't react initially, and only said, "Shhh. Keep a moment of silence. I am mourning for a shameless yet friendly goblin."

"Alright, dear customer," The voice came again, as the person also lowered their head in the direction of the table.

"Dear shameless yet friendly goblin, I hope that your soul may find peace in the afterlife." Even though he agreed to Leo's order of staying silent, he couldn't really stay still.

Throughout this time, he kept mumbling, talking to himself. "Although we share the same species, I wish we could've met before. My righteous energy would have helped you become less shameless. Albeit, that wasn't in your fate."

"Don't you know the meaning of a moment of silence?" Leo raised his head to look at the source of the noise, only to have his eyes go wide as he saw the tiny goblin next to him.

"You fu-" Leo was so frightened that he had seen a ghost. He almost fell off his chair, only to later realize that the reality didn't have to be so extreme. It could've been much simpler.

"You are alive?" he asked.