After the chaotic first sales event using his new red outfit, wig, and, of course, his favorite [Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask], which for some reason makes him feel safe and comfortable, essentially allowing him to become an anonymous person, safe from detection—Alex feels great! With his new identity, he has developed a ruthless and no-nonsense trading personality. He hopes to keep this up, as it will simplify many things in the future.
After a good night’s sleep and going about his daily business, Alex returns to the Trading Hub. He attempts to sell his [Quality Fur Armor], [Quality Fur Boots], [Quality Fur Gauntlets], and his [Solid Marine Saber]. He receives a few reasonable offers, but for some reason, he feels oddly attached to these items. They carried him through his first mission and even the early stages of his last mission, enabling him to find better upgrades in the Final Fantasy 9 world.
Maybe it’s personal bias, but to him, these items aren’t just "three weak White items and a starter saber", they’re something to be treasured.
After a few hours of contemplation, Alex convinces himself to let go of that mindset. "It’s just silly and serves no useful purpose," he tells himself. He decides to sell them if he gets an offer slightly above the market price, one that leans in his favor.
For some reason, the market is unusually empty today compared to yesterday. "Did a lot of players leave today, or... wait! It’s Monday. Haha, guess people are still working at this stage?"
After not having much luck, Alex decides to check out other merchants in the Trading Hub. He finds nothing of particular value.
He does come across a few interesting items, like a flintlock pistol—not a powerful tool like the one he obtained in the One Piece world, but a genuine old-style pistol that can only fire once before requiring a tedious reload using two different sets of gunpowder and a small ramrod. Apparently, a player acquired it in the Pirates of the Caribbean world. The only advantage Alex sees is that this type of gun is likely allowed in any world without restrictions. Also, the ammunition seems dirt cheap, compensating for its low efficiency.
A few days go by, and Alex finally manages to sell a few more items. Using his real identity, he sells the [Solid Marine Saber] for 4,000 FC. His three [Quality Fur Armor], [Quality Fur Boots], and [Quality Fur Gauntlets] go for a combined total of 1,500 FC.
Alex also spends a total of 1,000 FC repairing his items. Several of his weapons and armor pieces, especially the Pluto set, had low durability since they were already damaged when he acquired them. On average, the blue items cost him 10 FC per lost point of durability, with weapons, shields, and other equipment costing even more. In the end, Alex decides to use 1,000 FC to restore everything to 100% condition.
In his new identity, he continues to have success over the next few days. The blackmailers and scammers eventually give up, realizing that Alex isn’t giving them any openings. He quickly sells all his items, excluding the essences and, of course, the heavily overpriced [Skillbook: Black Magic (Fire-Series)].
His sales for [Antidote] x2, [Eye Drops] x3, [Rod], [Mage Staff], [Wrist] x2, and the [Iron Sword] bring in a solid 20,000 FC. Apparently, someone who has already formed a sizable group and plans to convert it into a full-fledged guild once his core members and he reach level 5 bought the items. Alex and the buyer haggled hard, eventually agreeing on the sum of 20,000 FC, which Alex feels is very fair. The weapons are all weak, with minor effects, the other items are situational, and the [Wrists] are practically useless. Still, Alex admits it’s quite a diverse set of equipment, something useful for almost anyone.
After a series of negotiations and chatting with various players, including his new acquaintance Stephen, who is a fun guy to hang out with and feeds Alex a lot of information, although much of it is just rumors and conspiracy theories, Alex decides to head "home" to his room. But before he reaches his room, he senses someone approaching him from behind.
It’s a younger man, probably in his mid-twenties, maybe a few years younger than Alex. He has flawless skin and looks like some kind of foreign prince to Alex.
"Hello, friend. Your aura tells me you’re quite bored today, and I’m not interrupting any important business. Do you have some time for me, please? I’d like to discuss something very important with you."
Alex’s bullshit detectors immediately go off, practically slapping him in the face and kicking him in the nuts—repeatedly. "It’s a scam," he concludes.
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Still, for some strange reason, Alex decides to go along with him, curious to see how this guy is planning to scam him. He sees it as a chance to learn more about the Fantasy Realm and the System.
They walk to a beautiful, open, circular structure, surrounded by tall, temple-like walls, with a round space in the center. In the middle stands an ancient-looking well, where the man sits down, inviting Alex to join him.
After carefully scanning the area and confirming with 1337 that it’s not dangerous and that he can’t be attacked or tricked by merely sitting down, Alex takes a seat. "There’s a fine line between being extra cautious and being paranoid enough to see FBI agents around every corner," Alex tells himself.
"My name is Rishi," the man says. Alex instantly laughs, giving him a strange look. He doesn’t know much about other cultures, but he’s aware that "Rishi" is a name commonly used in India, referring to a kind of wise seer. He knows this because of the former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who, despite his name, acted like a total buffoon, completely alienating his own voters. Sunak now leads the opposition, though Alex doubts it will be for long. "Probably not long if he keeps doing the exact opposite of what he should be doing," he thinks.
"Sorry about that," Alex says, "your name fits your character very well. At least better than a certain other guy I know."
"I’m not too familiar with those things," Rishi responds with a smile. "I live far from populated areas, with my brothers, trying to ascend to a higher plane of existence... Pwhhh!" Suddenly, he breaks into laughter. "Ahah! Ahahahah! Sorry, I just like to act mysterious sometimes. One of the perks of having such a mystical name, forget about that! Hahahaha!"
Alex smiles, having momentarily fallen for it, thinking this guy might be a serious Buddhist or something.
"My parents just followed a family trend when they named me that. I have nothing to do with Buddhism or acting like a seer... or at least, that was the case until recently."
"I’ve been having mysterious feelings and intuitions. It’s my innate skill. There are no visible effects, no stats or anything like that, unlike other skills. It just gives me visions and insights about the future. Upgrading it only makes them clearer and occur more often."
"Why would you tell me that?" Alex asks, clearly skeptical about everything this guy is saying.
"Well, we’ll be entering the next world together in a few weeks, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to die... unless I ally with you. You have an odd sense of honor. You’re ruthless in some ways but honorable in others. My skill tells me that opposing you would be a big mistake. You’re vicious towards your enemies, but if my prediction is correct, you’ll be a loyal friend to your allies, so long as they don’t betray you. I like comrades like that, and since we’re entering the same world, I want to team up with you. I know talk is cheap, so as a sign of my trust, please accept this."
He initiates a trade window, and Alex watches as he enters a large sum of FC... 5, 50, 500, 5,000, 50,000!
"What are you doing?" Alex asks, shocked.
Then, he sees the man confirm the trade, Alex only needs to accept, and he’ll receive 50,000 FC. A whole 50,000 FC!
"This... can’t be real. 1337, is there any scenario where accepting FC could have negative consequences?"
[No conceivable case detected—this is simply a favorable trade for the Host. Perhaps skills and abilities exist that depend upon the victim’s FC amount, but these can’t be used in the Fantasy Realm.]
Alex hesitates, then quickly presses accept. "No reason to doubt the system and be overly cautious."
You have received 50,000 FC
"Alright, you have my attention... you just gave me 50,000 FC. That’s enough to decide someone’s life or death. It’s more than the average player earns in three or four worlds, and you did it just to ‘earn my trust’?"
"No, I didn’t. I want to not only survive but genuinely prosper and get stronger. This is just a way to get your attention. My skill has never failed me so far, and I trust it with my life. Giving you this amount of FC is a solid investment for me, I have no doubts about it," he says with a calm smile, showing no hesitation or regret.
"You... what’s stopping me from walking away right now and never dealing with you again?"
"Absolutely nothing, my friend. But maybe I should show you one more thing."
[Player Contract]
World: Fantasy Realm
Quality: White
Effect: Enables players to create a binding contract—determining the scope, length, details, and the punishment for breaking the contract is up to the players involved.
Note: This contract can turn a player into an actual slave, potentially for life if the duration is not specified. It is highly recommended that players sign contracts only within the Fantasy Realm, where precautions against manipulation are in place, and players are aided by their personal System.
Price: 3,000 FC
"I know about contracts," Alex says, and he’s not lying, he does know about them, but he’s avoided them due to the cost and his preference for a solo playstyle.
"I want to form a contract with you for our next mission. Don’t worry, we have time to get to know each other and discuss the contract terms." Rishi calmly states
Alex is genuinely confused. "Is this guy just a master scammer, pulling a long con by luring me in with money... or is he serious? With my MND stat and Basic Meditation lvl 2, I’m not worried about dealing with him, even outside the Realm. If I stay inside, there’s NOTHING he can do to me. And I definitely won’t sign any vague contracts, I know 1337 can help explain all the risks to me... plus, I studied law, even if I did flunk out for not putting in the effort. But I know the basics. That’s why everyone gets a personal system, to protect against being tricked into signing stupidly one-sided contracts. They also make it so players can’t be drugged and accept contracts in such a state."
Finally, Alex makes a decision. Genuinely intrigued by this mysterious man, he smiles and says loudly, "Whatever your game is, let’s play!" He extends a hand, and Rishi accepts it with a knowing smile.