Strategy Diary Vol. 14: A Sage's Guide to Buying Notes - Freelancer 18

1. It all started with a little curiosity

From the beginning, I didn't have some grand resolution like,
"I'm going to pour in 15,000G (the cost of 100 plates at Hama Sushi) and taste-test this!"

It's just that, as someone who had just started out as a freelancer, there were several treasure chests (note articles) lined with attractive words scattered before me.
"Maybe I'll take a peek inside."
With that lighthearted feeling, I cast my first gold 💰.

As I wrote in my previous article, my journey of "taste-testing" began here. ↓

2. The sense of unease arrived with the second payment

I quickly bought the first article via the smartphone app, and while tilting my head at the contents thinking,
"...Hmm?"
I reached for the second treasure chest on my PC that night. Seeing the payment confirmation numbers pop up on the PC screen, my fingers froze.
I realized something was off.

"...Wait? Was the amount I charged on the smartphone app earlier being added on top?"

Thinking it might just be my imagination, I pressed the price button for the same article on my browser (Safari) once more.
And what do you know?
Charging 1030P on the app costs "1,400 yen".
Buying it via browser payment costs "1,000 yen".
I, the hero, had been completely tricked despite the 30P savings.

3. The hero learns the true nature of the "Royal Capital's Transit Tax"

In that moment, I realized the terrifying specifications of this dungeon (platform).

Paying gold directly from an iPhone or Android "app" is like passing through the luxurious main gate of the Royal Capital.
The gatekeepers (App Store / Google Play) were waiting there,
and they were arbitrarily adding a ribbon called
"Transit Tax (payment processing fee)"and collecting it.

It's what you call
"in-app purchase fees."
Here, the former teacher remembered:
that when buying the same notebook, the back-alley shop was a few yen cheaper than the major retailer.

4. If you accumulate dust, it becomes 100 plates of tuna

In the end, even after that,
"Surely the next one will have a real potion (useful information) in it."
I kept opening treasure chests, and before I knew it, my total taste-testing expenditure had reached
15,000G = about 100 plates at Hama Sushi
.

If I hadn't noticed this "transit tax" trap with that second article and had kept buying everything through the app...
The gold I lost wouldn't have stopped at 15,000G.
I'm sure dozens more plates worth of tuna would have vanished into the darkness.

5. "Note Appraisal Procedure" for Sages

To everyone who will travel through the vast dungeon of note from here on, I will pass on the "secret to saving" that I mastered with that second article.

1. Find it on the app: Even if you find an article you're interested in, don't press "purchase" immediately (patience skill).

2. Reopen it in a browser: Log in to note on Safari or Chrome and look for the same article.

3. Check the payment amount: Confirm that it is the original price.

4. Payment via the back door (browser): With this, you've successfully avoided unnecessary tolls to the royal capital!

By purchasing through a browser, not only do you avoid extra fees, but more gold reaches the creators you want to support directly.

6. Use the gold you saved to experience the "real thing"

The biggest lesson I learned after paying 15,000G.
It wasn't just about "information security," but also
"how to protect your gold."
It was.

Save that gold you worked so hard to protect for the
"words that will truly help you"
that you will encounter someday.

To the noter I admire.
My note savings will be ready in 90 days.
Please wait for me until I can buy it ( *´艸｀)

I, too, am preparing to write something with heart and soul for someone like my past self who was desperately searching for information.
I want it to be a "real potion" born from gritty experience, not an inorganic strategy guide generated by AI.

"Hero, reclaim the equivalent of 100 plates of Hama Sushi!"
I look forward to your loving support (a click from your browser).