VRMMO: Am I The Strongest Yet?

In the heart of Viv's bustling capital, a modest stall could be seen between rows of merchants and artisans.

The smell of freshly baked bread and pastries spreading through the air drew curious glances from passersby. Behind the counter, Erisea, the pretty girl in her early twenties, her light-brown hair loosely braided and tucked beneath a flour-dusted cap, greeted her customers with a smile.

Her hands, worn from long hours of kneading dough, burned a little from the magical baking fire that she used, her face still bright and cheery, worked swiftly and precisely as she arranged her golden loaves, donuts of non-round shape, rolls filled with various meats and fruit jellies, biscuits, cookies, and delicately crafted pastries on display.

The sign above her stall simply read Maru's Bakes, but it didn't really belong to her, just like this shop. She was simply renting it after paying a little silver to the owner.

"Can I have two of those?"

"Please give us that one!"

"Hey! I'll pay more! Just let me have that one!"

"No! Rules are rules! The line is there! No breaking the line!"

The foreign visitors, with their distinct clothing in this capital city and casual demeanor, often referred to her as the "baker newbie."

It hadn't been too long since she appeared in this street. At most, it was a little over a week, and yet she had become the talk of the town in the capital city.

"The rules are rules! Breaking them will have consequences!"

These foreigners were not like the other inhabitants of Viv who had lived here for a long time; they were players from another world. To them, Erisea, who was wearing a concealing item hiding her player status, was an NPC.

She appeared out of nowhere one day and then she started selling her fresh goods that were preserved in enchanted plates so that they are always warm.

She wasn't the owner of this shabby shop, but the things that she was selling were unlike anything that they could find in this simple street.

It most definitely wasn't street food.

The things that she was selling gave them high quality buffs that the players don't find with things as cheap as what she was selling.

The things that she was selling were too good to be made by a newbie player that didn't even seem to have achieved their first awakening and they were also so cheap that a player who understood the prices of their goods would sell at such a cheap price.

She was also strict with the rules that she had set.

Anyone who wanted to buy anything from her stall would first have to form a line. Breaking the line wasn't allowed and breaking into the line wasn't allowed.

She would open according to her convenience and only after she is open would she start selling her goods.

The things that she would sell every day were limited, and it did not matter if someone from a big guild or was the queen of this nation itself, if one wanted to buy anything from her, they would have to stand in line and wait for their turn.

She also didn't care about money.

The price for each and every thing she sold was already set and even if one was ready to pay a thousand times more than what the rates were, she wouldn't sell them if they weren't in the line.

One person could only purchase a maximum of three things of any category. And, a guild or a group can only purchase a maximum of twelve items from her per day regardless of their actual size.

She was strict with her rules, and as the one who temporarily owned this stall, she knew her rights as a seller so she had asked for help from the Capital guards, the elite guards of (Level-200)+ who were famous all throughout the world for their strengths and abilities.

They knew even with one of these guards present, they couldn't do anything to her or to that stall.

They can try and break her rules if they wanted to dare, but they would immediately be blacklisted and would never be allowed anywhere near this stall.

"Next~."
Your next chapter awaits on empire

There was a new line in this street that started from the face of her stall and went all the way to the main road more than half a kilometer away from there.

She was dominating the market since she appeared, and thanks to her, the other people were also getting more business, so they didn't mind her at all.

Especially when they were getting free things from her that they can sell out to these desperate players for much more money than what they would make through their goods each day.

She was a blessing to them… and… you don't curse the goddess that blesses you.

You worship them.

So, they did just that.

And embraced her warm grace.

"How's the baker newbie doing today~?" one of the regulars who she had somehow seen multiple times by now called out, her tone light and teasing as she handed over a handful of coins for a warm, stuffed roll.

"You like that a lot, I see."

"Half of the capital likes this… I won't be surprised if the Queen comes here and says she likes these as well."

"Haha, don't say silly things. Why would the Queen be here~?" Erisea smiled, though the compliment made her cheeks flush slightly.

The Queen was still not someone she can approach even with her high status within these streets or among these players. Her father or big brother could perhaps, perhaps Alex as well, but she was still not so popular that the Queen of the only kingdom of the western continent would come to this shabby place just to try her stuffed bread.

"I'm not being silly, huhuhu. This is great. Every time I eat this, I feel like it is improving little by little.

It's not even a question that you're working hard for this each and every day."

She complimented her once again, took a bite from her meat stuffed bread, and placed her free hand on her cheek as she felt the delight run though her entire soul.

This bread, and the filling, was amazing. So much so that she always thought the limit of three items per person was nothing less than a curse.

"Haaa… if I could, I'd buy everything you have in a heartbeat, Erisea."

"Yeah, no. That's not happening, Miss. Everyone is standing here for these things as well. There are rules and we should follow those rules at least a little bit."

She packed the rest of the stuff in a special, premium bag and urged her to go in her way.

The people looking at her eating that bread was almost drooling right now. And though it was a great sign for a creator, for someone who still looked after their personal hygiene, she couldn't see them like that.

"Please come again~." Erisea had gotten used to saying that after having her IRL shop for so long.

"Oh, of course~. See ya in three days~."

"Sure~."

She didn't know if she would still be in the capital in three days, but she didn't have any motivation to leave this place anytime soon.

She was having fun being called the baker newbie and this whole gig. Seeing people long for something so simple, something made from the things that they usually don't even eat, was a new and fun experience for her.

The whole 'fame' and the new customer drama that she got to see was much more fun than her IRL work where she just made and made and made all kinds of things.

She was a baker and a creator but at the same time, she also enjoyed seeing the reactions of the people who ate her dishes.

It was something she had left behind as she moved ahead of intrapersonal boundaries and gratifications.

She worked on herself and she continued working on herself until she was able to create things that earned her that Golden star, and she had struggled to achieve what she had.

"Next~."

She was used to compliments and praises by now— but unlike what she had thought, opening a stall and not a fancy shop that might put more restrictions on her customer base was a great idea.

She had not yet forgotten what it actually meant to have fun with the selling part instead of just the creating part, and with all these people and this specific open setting, she was having fun… that much was certain.

"I'll have three of the snowflake donuts please."

"Yes~!"

This stall, these baked goods, were her passion, not a quest objective. She was simply doing what she liked, and she was doing it in a much better environment where she was still not recognised.

People called her a newbie and at the same time, they praised her just as much as how people in their reality praised her.

"Thank you~. Please come again~."

"If fate allows it, yes."

"Haha~."

Despite the foreign nickname, she was proud of her work. She may have been new to the market, but each day she sold her bread, her pastries, she felt a little closer to becoming something more—something much more than what she already was.

'This is more fun than when I was hunting with dad.'

She was carried on by her dad and big brother and thanks to them, she was already (Level-110).

She had achieved her first awakening already and she had earned some unique abilities like they have, but she wasn't yet sure what she actually wanted to do in this world.

She liked playing, she liked baking, and she liked selling as well. So, she wanted to reach out to even more people, but to do that she would have to do something more than what she was doing right now.

A stall in the capital, unlike what she had anticipated, wasn't that big a deal.

She needed something more than that… if possible she wanted as much traffic as what the capital's magic tower, or the adventurer's association has.

But that would be crazy, and she would need a castle to fit that many people.

And, a castle would not be a cafe or bakery or something modest as she liked it.

She had a plan, but she still needed some time to properly prepare herself for what she was thinking right now…

"Next~."

But until then, she was happy with these small things.

She was happy.

That was more than enough.