The haunting howls sent chills down our spines, but also fueled our determination. Our small village consisted of approximately thirty people, with five families assigned to the five available houses. Because of her circumstances, Mrs. Norris joined the McMillans, who were still haunted by the memory of her husband's death at the hands (or paws) of the Kobolds.

As a result, it left eight of us to accommodate ourselves in the inn's rooms. Sarah and Hanna shared a room, considering that Sarah's husband had been mobilized by the national guard unit in town the day after the countdown began and hadn't returned home since. This arrangement proved to be a sensible choice.

Tanya Ingram and her daughter, Viv, occupied another room in the inn. Tanya used to work as a receptionist at a local doctor's office before the system disruption. Jeff and Jennifer Carson, a young couple, were also roommates. Jeff had worked as a pharmacy technician at Walmart, while Jennifer had recently started her career as an elementary school teacher.

This arrangement left us with three remaining rooms. Jayden and I each claimed a separate room.

Before settling in for the night, everyone felt the need to retrieve a few belongings from their homes, despite the state of decay. It was understandable, but the incessant howling in the woodlands presented a dilemma.

We gathered in the crowded tavern, where Wesley took the initiative to address the situation. Standing on the bar, he raised his voice, "I understand everyone wants to make their houses feel more like home. However, before we scatter in different directions, we need to figure out how many of us can defend the village if necessary."

The rest of our group stood near the front, and Wesley's gaze landed on Sarah. "Would you mind helping our group?" he asked.

Sarah held her hands open, expressing her uncertainty about her potential contribution. "I suppose so, but I'm not sure how much a teacher can do."

Wesley gave her a thumbs-up before continuing, "Any other volunteers?"

Jeff Carson raised his hand and spoke up, "Jen and I can help."

Several others followed suit, and soon there were eleven volunteers. Rusty daggers and swords from previous encounters with goblins and kobolds were distributed, ensuring that everyone who desired a weapon had one, even if they were unfamiliar with how to use it. I didn't want to dwell on it, but in terms of village militias, we were probably more of a danger to ourselves than the lurking threats in the woods.

After assisting several families in settling into their new homes, I finally had the chance to visit my old one. Despite having been inside the day before, it now exuded an air of abandonment. Could it be the result of the system-enforced decay taking hold?

With Jayden accompanying me, we headed towards the gun safe. It took us several trips, but we managed to transport all the weapons to the inn. Even though the system seemed to work against us, I couldn't bear to let the weapons go to waste, even if I hadn't discovered a way to incorporate them into the System. The guns themselves weren't that heavy, but the cans and boxes of ammo caused both of us to strain under their weight as we lugged them to my new room.

"Dude, why are we hauling all this stuff?" Jayden groaned while helping carry the ammo crate loaded with .227 rounds for the AR15.

Ignoring his complaint, we maneuvered the boxes up to my room in the inn. Once we set the ammo crate down, I opened the lid and muttered, "System, inspect."

A blue screen materialized.

Unincorporated .227 caliber or 5.56 millimeter ammunition. 95% effectiveness. Each day, the propellant's effectiveness will decay by 5%.

I remarked, "There's probably a couple of thousand rounds of .227 ammo. It's pretty common as far as ammunition goes. Who knows? Maybe we'll find a use for it."

Jayden leaned back, stretching his muscles. "Next time, find someone else to haul this stuff."

I smirked at him and replied, "Wuss."

He playfully flipped me off and flexed his muscles, saying, "You just wish you had this physique."

Several choice words crossed my mind, but considering the events of the day, those flippant remarks didn't seem funny anymore. "We have some time before our watch tonight. Want to check out the System store?"

A single candle flickered in the Tavern, casting dancing shadows across most of the spacious room. It had only been a day in this new and dangerous world, and comforts like electricity already felt like relics of the past. At least the tavern still had indoor toilets and some kind of septic system that I didn't bother trying to comprehend.

The inn stood at the heart of the system-designated village. The gatehouse lay about forty yards away, connected by a cobblestone paved path. Gone was the asphalt, transformed by the system into blackish cobblestones. It appeared the System was determined to thrust humanity into some sort of medieval fantasy realm.

As we reached the gatehouse, we found Mr. Lowe in the guardroom, accompanied by his son, Steve Jr. Mr. Lowe held a hunting rifle while his son wielded one of the looted rusty swords.

Steve Jr. waved at us. We had been in the same class back in high school. I nodded, dipping my head slightly. "Hey, what's up? How are things here?"

Steve Jr. gestured toward the woodlands. "Kinda creepy. Whatever's out there won't stop making noise."

His father leaned on the hunting rifle. "As long as it stays in the woods, I don't care about the racket."

Still, Mr. Lowe seemed well acquainted with the rifle in his hands. If we were to face an attack, I had a feeling he would be an asset to the village.

Within the guard room, there was a dark stairwell leading to the second floor where the System store was located. As Jayden and I made our way up the stairs, struggling in the pitch-blackness, I silently promised myself to find out if we could purchase some candles. On the second floor, the only source of light came from the narrow windows that one would expect archers to use.

The store occupied an entire wall, and as we approached it, soft blue light emanated from three stations, dispelling the shadows in the room. The blue boxes appeared to hover in the air, positioned above a long wooden countertop. These blue boxes bore a striking resemblance to the ones that appeared in our vision when interacting with the system, with the key difference being that these boxes physically existed in the room.

Jayden eagerly stepped up to one of the kiosks, remarking, "Cool, it's like a kiosk straight out of our MMO."

I approached an open kiosk and read the text displayed:

Welcome to the Universal Development System Store. Select 'Continue' to browse our merchandise.

Upon selecting the "Continue" option, a large screen unfolded, showcasing a display of twenty different items. At the bottom of the screen, a forward icon beckoned me to explore further. As I reached out to touch the arrow, a tingling sensation ran through my finger, reminiscent of placing your tongue on a nine-volt battery, though significantly milder. With a flickering effect resembling the turning of book pages, the next page of goods materialized. The range of options was extensive, encompassing everything from ropes to candles, even including baked bread and flour. Essentially, anything one would expect in an online game. However, this was no ordinary game; here, your choices could have life-or-death consequences.

Notably, there was a search feature, allowing me to type in "candle" and reveal a list of options. Many choices presented themselves. For a slender taper candle, I could buy one for thirty copper coins. Alternatively, a larger candle with hours of burn time came at a cost of three silver coins. While I wasn't an expert, I had a rough understanding that an ounce of silver exceeded twenty dollars. I knew this because my dad had a small coin collection as part of his survivalist gear. I did not know how much silver went into a system coin, or if the two were remotely comparable. However, if a candle amounted to sixty bucks, it showed we were in serious trouble.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Continuing my search, I couldn't shake the feeling that the prices seemed off. What I needed was a help file to make sense of it all. The information I had found within my vision's screen had proven unhelpful thus far. Typing my request, I waited expectantly. Within a couple of seconds, the store screen displayed a response: "System Store: How to Buy and Sell."

The store demanded ten silver for the guide, prompting a frustrated expletive from me. I scrolled down the list, eventually stumbling upon "System Store—Definitions A-Z" priced at 4 silver. While not too expensive, it felt unnecessary to spend coins just to understand the terminology.

However, my attention was captured by the next item: "System Resource Excavator." My jaw dropped when I saw the hefty price tag—five gold. That equated to a staggering five hundred silver. Nevertheless, my curiosity urged me to find out what it could do. Unfortunately, there were no tips available for the item. Still, armed with its name, I searched the help files for information.

According to the description, the [System Resource Excavator] is a common tool for reclamation, obtainable from the System Store. It allowed for the repurposing of non-integrated materials into System-integrated materials. The efficiency of the excavator depends on the degree of decay. This model is designed for reclaiming basic wood, stone, and metal.

Realization dawned on me. This was exactly what we needed to gather enough resources for completing the village walls and constructing additional homes as needed.

Then my eyes fell upon the dreaded price tag: 5 gold. In frustration, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Might as well be fifty million!"

Jayden joined me, peering at the screen. "Hey, that would allow us to repurpose the entire neighborhood," he remarked with a hint of excitement.

I pointed at the exorbitant price, and he let out a whistle. "By the time we gather that much money, the remaining houses in the neighborhood will have completely decayed. It's insane."

Curious, Jayden asked, "How much do you have?"

I accessed my inventory, which comprised twenty-four slots for items, while my coins were stored separately in a "pouch" attached to the inventory. I revealed my meager wealth: two silver and 38 copper. His face paled. "Talk about inflated prices. Everything even remotely cool is priced beyond reason, let alone that excavator."

As my dad once said, the longest journey begins with a single step. Despite our inventories mostly comprising items I would have considered vendor trash in the games we played, the exorbitant prices ignited my curiosity. I made a decision and selected a stack of eight kobold fur. With a mere thought, I moved the fur stack onto a scale. For a moment, the weight of the fur caused the scale to sink towards the counter. A flicker on the screen, and the scale balanced out. In its place, a stack of copper coins materialized.

Letting out a sigh, I collected the coins, watched the kobold fur vanish, and added the meager earnings to my money pouch. "Twenty-four copper. That's just three coins each. Not much."

Jayden shook his head, frustration evident as he furiously typed on the screen. "Holy shit, Cade. The store selling kobold fur sells for thirty copper. They're giving us only one-tenth of the actual sales price. What a fucking rip-off!"

What options did we have? If we wanted to make purchases from the store, we needed coins. Despite the unfairness of the buy/sell system, we seemed to have no other choice. Besides, acquiring the resource excavator had become a pressing need.

That's when I noticed a tab at the top of the store screen. It read "System Store." There was a second, faint tab alongside it, barely visible. I had to strain and stand on my tiptoes to touch it. When I did, the screen transformed. The new tab was labeled "System Auction House." On this page, there was still a list of twenty items, but they appeared to be what I would typically consider vendor trash. One item that caught my attention was an auction for kobold fur. Rather than allowing bids, the seller had set a buy-out price of five copper.

Scrolling through the auction lists, I discovered a few items of significant value. There was an old-school AK-47 up for sale, with the seller claiming it was still 95% effective. The opening bid stood at ten silver, or was it eleven? Someone had already increased the bid.

"Looks like someone has found a way to make some money. They just bid eleven silver for an assault rifle," I grumbled, frustrated by the situation.

Jayden glanced at the screen, his eyes fixed on the options. "You should sell some of that two-two-seven ammo while it still holds value. Ninety-five percent effectiveness is a lot better than nothing."

I shot him a glare filled with resentment. "That ammo is for my dad's AR15. He'd be furious if I sold it all."

He rolled his eyes dismissively. "So what? In less than three weeks, it won't be worth a damn. If it bothers you, just give your dad the money when he comes back."

My heart tightened at the thought. It had been almost a day and a half since the system had descended upon humanity. My phone had a little battery left, but there was no signal, and there was no sign of my dad. I didn't want to contemplate a world where he never returned. Yet Jayden had a point. It would be foolish to hold on to something valuable now that would soon lose its worth.

Aware of the pressing time constraints, we descended the dark stairwell with urgency before swiftly crossing over to the inn. Despite being a late spring night, the air carried a warm breeze. The distant echoes of howling persisted, but I chose to ignore them for now. We swiftly retrieved an ammo can, loaded with .227 ammunition. The weight of the can slowed us down, preventing us from moving at full speed along the road. Nevertheless, we made good time.

Upon arriving at the gatehouse, we discovered Mr. Lowe and his son, Steve Jr., stationed in the guardroom. Curiosity gleaming in his eyes, the teenager questioned, "What's up with the ammo crate?" Without breaking stride, I replied over my shoulder, "Auction house in the store. We're gonna try selling some stuff."

Having navigated the staircase with some difficulty, Jayden and I discovered that Steve Jr. had left his father to stand guard downstairs. "Hey, you guys found the auction house?" he exclaimed. I interacted with the floating blue screen and switched to the auction tab. Curious to test it out, I placed a single cartridge on the scale.

Welcome to the Auction House. This is your first time placing an auction, and there are three methods available:

1. Place an item for auction: You can list an item for auction, with a listing fee of 1% of the buy price on the System Store. While it's not mandatory, you can set an opening bid. The auction will run for 24 hours, and the highest bidder at the end of the time will win the auction. The item will be delivered to the winner's auction house, and you will receive payment. A 1% commission fee, minus the listing fee, will be deducted from the final price.

2. Place an item for auction with a buy-out price: Similar to the first option, the listing fee is 1% of the buy price on the System Store. You can set a buy-out price for the auction. If a buyer pays the buy-out price during the auction, the auction ends immediately. If the buy-out price is not met, the auction will run for 24 hours, and the highest bidder will win. The item will be delivered to the winner's auction house, and you will receive payment. A 1% commission fee, minus the listing fee, will be deducted from the final price.

3. Place an item for sale with an asking price: No bids are allowed in this option. You can set an asking price, and the sale will be posted for 24 hours. If a buyer accepts the asking price, the sale is finalized. The item will be delivered to the winner's auction house, and you will receive payment. A 1% listing fee is charged when placing the sale. If the sale doesn't finalize, your item will be returned to you through the kiosk dispenser.

All sales are final.

Please select the option you would like to use.

Both Jayden and Steve Jr. peered over my shoulder as I contemplated which auction option to choose. I wasn't thrilled about waiting a full 24 hours for the auction to conclude. "I think I'll go with the second option," I finally decided. "That way, if someone wants the cartridge, they can buy it and end the auction."

Jayden chimed in, curious, "How much should you set as the buy-out price?"

I shrugged, feeling a bit clueless about the intricacies of the system's economy. "I'm not sure. This is all new to me."

Steve leaned forward, offering some advice. "Why don't you go back to the store and check the one percent listing fee? It might give you an idea."

Taking his suggestion, I switched back to the store interface. To my surprise, the system offered a measly five copper as the one percent listing fee. "Wait, what's one percent of five copper? I thought this was the lowest-valued coin."

Without missing a beat, Steve suggested, "Go back to the auction and try using the search function. See if anyone else is selling bullets on the AH."

Feeling intrigued, I followed Steve's advice and navigated back to the auction interface, eager to explore the possibilities.

To my surprise, the auction page was filled with listings for ammunition, including multiple auctions for .227 rounds. The first listing caught my attention—it was an ongoing auction without a buy-out option. The bidding had already reached one silver and 13 copper. I refreshed the page and watched as the bid increased to one silver and fifteen copper.

Jayden exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, check this out! There was one auction that just disappeared. It had a buy-out price of seven silver."

Seven silver seemed like a hefty sum, more than what I currently had in my coin pouch. Nonetheless, I was familiar with the auction process and quickly understood how to proceed. Wasting no time, I listed the cartridge as an auction, but with the added option for a buy-out at five silver.

To my astonishment, it only required a single copper coin to post the listing.

Easy enough. I gathered a handful of cartridges and placed them on the auction scale. A new prompt appeared, offering me a choice:

"Do you want to sell the items as a single auction or create a separate listing for each item?"

Opting for the second option, I finalized the listings, and in a matter of moments, all the ammo vanished from my possession. A handful of copper coins disappeared from my money pouch as well. In less than five minutes, I had exhausted all my funds and had over two hundred buy-out auctions successfully posted.

Steve Jr. let out an exaggerated yawn and said, "Once first watch is over, I'll see if I can find something too. I wonder if there's a market for Yu-Gi-Oh cards."

As I headed towards the staircase, a notification flashed in the corner of my vision. Curiosity piqued, I opened it to read the message:

"A buyer has been found for your [95%] effective .227 cartridge. Collect 4 silver 96 copper from the System Store kiosk."

Despite being slightly late for the second watch, I couldn't contain my excitement. I had also managed to post an additional four hundred and ninety-six auctions.