NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 27: Gaining Wealth, Losing Integrity
After a few hours, Alex is startled by a loud buzzing sound and lunges forward.
"Damn, a message. Looks like Roja finally replied. Let's see."
[Roja: Do not sell the soul crystal, and better yet, don't even mention that you own one. Certain worlds aren't peaceful, and in some, players can kill each other to steal items. Some worlds even force players to join opposing factions. From what I know, small soul crystals are worth around 10,000 FC, and they're essential for upgrading any high-ranking skill up to level 5, and even used as a resource for special abilities. They also have many other uses, from what I'm told. Even high-level players need them when they unlock additional skill slots. The demand for soul crystals will never disappear.
If you've still got some of that cheap jerky left, sell it! You might actually get a few FC for it. Recovery items are in high demand, and prices are outrageous. The generic healing potion only restores 20 HP and costs a whopping 1,000 FC. Those jerkys heal half of that over 10 minutes. It's slower, but still decent. I wish I had known this earlier and stocked up. Don't sell them for less than 100 FC, and keep a few for yourself.]
Alex nods, thinking, "Looks like I made the right call about the soul crystal..." Then he remembers the jerkys—he's got 14 left. He received some from side quests on the second and third days and even bought a few. He always thought they were pretty bad, but now he realizes he should've bought more. Jerkys only cost 10 contribution points... "If I'd spent 10,000 contribution points on 1,000 jerkys, I could've earned... 100,000 FC??? Nah, there must've been a limit on buying them."
Still, he's annoyed he missed out on that extra profit. His mindset wasn't right after the fight with Mr. 5. "Next time, I'll be more alert for good deals and investments," he thinks, starting to learn the economy of the Fantasy Realm.
Alex decides to keep 4 jerkys for himself and offers the other 10 for 300 FC each. With weeks before the next mission, he figures he can aim for a high price. Smirking, he renames his stall: "Bow & Arrows V2 + Cheap Healing Items."
[Smoked Wolf Jerky] x10
World: One Piece
Quality: Gray (Inferior)
Effect: Slowly restores 10 HP over 10 minutes
After a while, an average-looking man approaches his stall and tries to bargain.
"I'll give you 100 FC for the jerky," the man says.
Alex, seeing the desperation in his face, just smugly refuses. "Sorry, I'm not negotiating."
"200 FC, please! I don't want to die in the next world. Have some compassion." The man continues pleading, but Alex has a gut feeling it's just an act. Angry that the guy is trying to use his emotions to get a better deal, Alex turns away, ignoring him.
He's startled when he suddenly hears a system sound:
[[Smoked Wolf Jerky x3] has been sold. Player receives 900 FC.]
Instead of celebrating his sale, Alex gets angry. "That bastard did all that emotional manipulation and begging, then ended up buying three at full price. He had the money from the start! Cheap bastard." He mutters to himself, "Thankfully, maybe thanks to my new basic skills and stats, I knew from the start that guy wasn't honest. I should trust my instincts and not let people manipulate me with sob stories."
After another four hours, Alex cheers inwardly. He actually managed to sell the bow and arrows for 2,800 FC, and despite multiple people begging him to lower his prices, he sold the jerkys at full price as well. Thankful for Roja's advice, Alex messages her back—not outright thanking her, but relaying some information. "Fair is fair, I don't want to owe that two faced snake anything."
[Alex: Roja, I sold the Jerkys for 300 FC each. Did you want me to sell them for 100 so you could buy them yourself? If you thought 100 FC was a good price, I hope you haven't sold yours yet, because you can get at least 200 FC, maybe even 300 if you're patient and can wait half a day.]
He gets an immediate reply.
[Roja: Stop being an arrogant dick!
...
...
...
The information is appreciated.]
Alex smirks. "I'm such a nice guy, aren't I?"
After earning a whopping 5,800 FC, Alex happily decides to snack on some treats he pulls from his inventory, which now has more space since it's no longer packed with his bow, arrows, and jerkys.
Without hesitation, Alex buys the healing potion he had seen earlier and 120 bullets, spending 3,000 FC in total. He didn't actually spot the ammunition for his revolver, mentioned in the weapon's description, until he asked a worker directly. Apparently, these are special bullets made specifically for Mr. 5's revolver. Normal bullets from the real world aren't compatible, which is disappointing but makes sense since the revolver is an antique flintlock-style weapon from the One Piece world. Yet, despite its outdated design, it functions like a modern revolver with rapid shooting capabilities. The One Piece world really is a strange one. But as long as it works, Alex isn't complaining.
[Healing potion]
World: Fantasy Realm
Quality: White
Effect: Instantly heals 20 HP and minor wounds, can only be drunk once every 12 hours. May reduce the effectiveness of similar healing items.
Note: Basic healing item
Price: 1000 FC
[.44 Caliber Bullet] x 120
World: One Piece
Quality: White
Type: Bullet
Note: Required to shoot .44 Caliber weapons from the One Piece world.
Before leaving the trading hub, Alex comes across a small crowd gathered in front of a stall. Curious, he squeezes through to see what's causing the commotion.
[Skillbook: Sword Proficiency]
Quality: Blue
Effect: Teaches the skill: "Sword Proficiency"
Note: Dropped by *Censored*
The price tag reads 20,000 FC, way out of his budget. Another interesting discovery is that the Sword Proficiency skill requires both Basic Close Combat Prowess and Basic Footwork. Alex begins to seriously contemplate whether learning this skill is even worth it. He only has one skill slot left. For now, he decides to move on but starts asking around: "Anyone know if Sword Proficiency is a requirement for Katana Proficiency or if it's separate?" No one seems to know, except for one guy who demanded 1,000 FC upfront for the information. Alex looks like he just stumbled across a dead rat and walks away.
As he heads back to his room, Alex checks his updated status screen, deciding not to display his remaining ammunition. "I don't want my status getting unnecessarily long," he mutters. It's getting late, and he has a lot planned for tomorrow, so heading to bed is the next logical step.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 1
HP: 80/80, MP: 80/80
STR: 7, AGI: 7, PHY: 7, SNS: 7, CHA: 7, MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7, LUK: 7
Available Stat Points: 0
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 1/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1
Fantasy Coins: 2800 Soul Crystals: Small x1
Current Weapons: Mr. 5's Revolver (Deep Blue), Solid Marine Saber (Light Green)
Current Armor: Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x4 (Gray), Healing Potion (White)
Alex returns to his apartment, orders a pizza, and devours it in a matter of minutes after it arrives. As soon as he hits the bed, he falls into a deep sleep and, for the first time in a while, sleeps through the entire night, waking up at 9 AM, feeling surprisingly well-rested.
He gets up, showers, brushes his teeth, and even decides to clean up a bit, actually behaving like a decent human being for once. Around 11 AM, he heads to the local branch of his bank, which is just a few minutes away.
When Alex asks to withdraw 10,000 Euro in cash, he slightly shocks the bank workers. It's rare for someone like him to request such a large sum. They take extra precautions, double-checking his documents, asking him questions, and verifying everything thoroughly. After about 30 minutes, Alex stuffs a thick bundle of 100, 100 Euro bills into his backpack.
Feeling slightly paranoid, he walks behind the bank building and stashes the money in his inventory instead. "Can't be too careful," he mutters to himself. As a rather boring guy who usually doesn't spend much money, he's not used to carrying large sums of cash around.
Now that he thinks about it, "Why did I even bother googling how much cash I'm allowed to take to South Africa in the first place?" With his inventory, he wouldn't need to declare it anyway. "Alex, you dumb idiot. You need to start thinking like someone with an inventory and stop acting like a normal guy."
Still, to avoid drawing suspicion, he decides to carry some cash openly. "Yeah, better keep a bit on me just in case," he reasons.
Alex thinks about what he's doing in the first place: traveling to South Africa to deliver a large sum of money—life-changing, really—to the family of a dead player, albeit one who saved his life not long ago. He feels conflicted. "Well, Thato deserves this much at least," he reasons. "I can always make more money."
After a quick visit to his local doctor, Alex fakes a list of psychological symptoms like burnout and stress, successfully scoring a 4-week doctor's note. "Guess my Basic Eloquence skill really boosted my lying and acting ability! I should've done this earlier," he chuckles to himself.
One brief call to his employer later, and Alex manages to secure four weeks of paid leave.
*Author's note: Never do this in real life. It's such a scummy thing to do. Not only is it basically stealing, but you can and should get fired for it. Mental health disorders like depression and anxiety can destroy lives. Honestly, I'm slightly disgusted writing this, but trust me, this isn't just '"for the lulz." There's a reason behind it that will be shown very soon.*
Alex returns home, packs a few things into his rarely used suitcase, and decides not to put it in his inventory, aiming to appear like a regular guy going on a vacation. He relaxes for a bit, calls his parents to let them know he'll be gone for a few days, then spends a few hours in the Fantasy Realm, checking out the market.
Later, he drives to the nearest airport to catch his flight to South Africa, still cringing at the lame excuses he told his parents about his "holiday."
Alex checks his phone. "6 PM, two hours left until takeoff to Cape Town... let's do this!" He proceeds with the usual check-in and finally sits down in front of his gate, glancing at his phone to gather some more information about South Africa.
"Hmm, I always thought Cape Town was the actual capital, but apparently, the country has three capitals—each focusing on executive, legislative, and judicial powers," he muses.
Looking into his trip, he feels relieved. "Thato's family lives in a medium-sized city in the Western Cape, not too far from Cape Town. It's only about an hour by car. Since taxis are cheap there, I'll just take one, but I need to be careful not to get scammed."
He calculates, "Once I arrive, I should exchange my Euros for Rand. Looks like I get a bit less than 20 Rand per Euro, so I'll have about 190,000 Rand after the exchange."
He finally hears a woman announce over the speakers: "We are now boarding passengers for flight 8PM to Cape Town. Please proceed to Gate 12."
Without listening any further, Alex stands up and joins the line, ready to board the plane.