Alex, shopping without his [Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask] today, since he has nothing to sell, quickly tries to appear calm and collected, concealing the greed sparked by the item in question.
[285th Hunter Exam Application]
Quality: Gray
Type: World Item / Quest Item
Effect: Allows the player to enter the World of Hunter x Hunter as soon as every last ticket is sold. If not all tickets are sold in 6 Days - 18 Hours - 16 Minutes, the mission will begin regardless.
Requirements: Level 1-4
Note:
Monsters and beasts
Vast riches… Hidden treasures
Evil haunts… Unexplored frontiers
The mysterious unknown
Those captivated by those words are called Hunters
Note: This item cannot be traded, discarded or sold. It will disappear after the effect activates
Price: 1000 FC
Current Discount: 100%
New Price: 0 FC
Quantity: 17 / 30
Despite Alex’s best attempt to look composed, the seller immediately directs his pitch at him.
“Looks like today is your lucky day! Aren’t you a fortunate newbie? This exclusive item is free today, just for players like you. Do you want one? But be careful, they’re strictly limited, and nearly half have already been claimed! You better hurry, or you might miss your chance!”
Alex, entirely focused on the item, a simple desk with 17 identical pieces of paper lined up, each displaying the official Hunter association logo, suddenly looks up to examine the seller.
It’s a… strange, green-skinned figure. "A goblin?!" he blurts out.
The creature narrows his eyes. “Oy, human, have you never seen a goblin before? This is not a zoo! Look at my product, not me. So, do you want one? A simple ‘yes’ will suffice. Better hurry!”
[...]
Alex feels 1337 trying to say something but sees that no sound is coming out. He smirks, thinking, "Don’t worry, 1337, I’m not stupid. This is the most obvious snake oil salesman I’ve ever seen. What he’s really after isn’t the player’s FC, it’s their lives."
Walking away, Alex ignores the goblin's continued shouting. “You’ll regret this, you foolish human! That was your chance for riches beyond your wildest dreams!”
“Amateur.” Alex chuckles to himself. “This goblin was probably sent to the tutorial zone because of his terrible skills as a merchant. Anyone with half a brain can see right through him. But how in the world has he already sold 13 out of 30 tickets?”
Despite everything, Alex heads toward the central square of the Realm and quickly messages Rishi and Tereza, asking if they can meet up. He even sends a quick message to Roja and Stephen, his only two other real contacts.
Stephen had been a bit angry with Alex after learning that Alex had downplayed some of his accomplishments, claiming to have been getting low rankings which was an obvious lie. However, after a genuine apology from Alex, the two had patched things up, and they still talk often.
Alex shares with them the details about the merchant’s “too good to be true” offer, making sure to especially warn Stephen, who is known for making impulsive decisions, not to buy the ticket blindly.
Responses come quickly:
[Stephen: WOOOOW! Thanks for telling me. I’ll buy my ticket ASAP! Thanks, dude!
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Just kidding, thanks for the warning. Even I can see something’s off with this offer. I’ll check it out anyway, but I’m busy with my new girlfriend, so I’ll pass for now.]
Alex shakes his head, thinking, "This guy… how many girlfriends does that make? Seven? I suppose he’s aware that there’s a decent chance he’ll be dead in a few months. Might be smart to enjoy whatever life he’s got left, so I can’t really blame him."
Roja replies as well.
[Roja: Thanks for the heads-up, I’ve already received ten messages about this goblin merchant. Needless to say, DON’T BUY IT—not that there’s anything to buy since this complete idiot reduced the price by 100%. What kind of merchant does that? …Also… funnily… come to think of it… Anyway, see you soon and please reconsider my offer!]
“Is she bored? I think a scammer on that level must’ve pissed her off. I guess she can’t stand people who are this obvious in their approach. Interesting.” Alex laughs, reading her message.
A few minutes later, Rishi and Tereza arrive and take seats beside Alex, who’s waiting on a bench near the mission portal in the central square of the tutorial section of the Realm. As always, Tereza can’t resist teasing him, and instead of sitting beside Alex, she plops down right on top of him, grinding her hips against him on purpose, nearly making him topple off the bench.
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"Very funny, cut out the bullshit! Let’s check it out,” Alex grumbles, brushing her off while steadying himself.
Together, they enter the Trading Hub, where a large crowd surrounds the merchant’s stall. By now, it seems like everyone knows about him by now. Alex also notices a small group of around twenty players standing off to one side. Most women, with even a few men in the mix openly crying and looking defeated.
“I guess these people are too stupid for their own good and just learned the truth!” Alex mutters, realizing they must’ve already bought the ticket, only to discover the downside.
Rishi and Tereza walk up to inspect the item while Alex keeps a distance, carefully observing the chaos around him. Rishi studies the details, analyzing the object thoroughly.
“This isn’t even a scam, strictly speaking. The system and the Fantasy Realm may be ruthless, but they’re fair. You just have to read the clues,” Rishi explains, pointing to the item. “For starters, the quality rating is Gray. This is a low-quality rating for any item, even if it’s a World Item or Quest Item. Quality matters just as much as type, and Gray quality usually indicates limited or even detrimental value.
“Then there’s the level requirement—this one’s capped for low-level players. A similar quest item with this requirement would be at least Blue or, more likely, Purple!” He points at the tag, nodding to Alex. “It doesn’t stop there. The massive price reduction is another obvious sign. And here’s the clincher: once you buy this thing, you can’t trade it, sell it, or discard it. You’re stuck with it, hence all the weeping ‘winners’ over there who’ve locked themselves into this."
Tereza raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. “We all know it’s a trap. This couldn’t be more obvious—it practically screams ‘do not buy.’ No need to overthink things, right?”
Rishi ignores her, still fixed on the item. “Actually, there are also several reasons this item might be… well, strangely desirable.”
"What???" Alex and Tereza nearly yell at the same time, looking at him like he’s lost his mind.
“What do you mean, desirable?” Alex presses, genuinely curious.
Rishi explains, “First of all, the world of Hunter x Hunter holds incredible opportunities. I doubt players will gain access to Nen easily, at least not so soon after entering the Realm. It likely has high requirements."
Alex interjects, "That’s probably true by Fantasy Realm standards, but according to Hunter x Hunter lore, anyone can learn Nen. There are ways to awaken it, even in ordinary people. So maybe the requirements aren’t as high as you think.”
Rishi smiles, “Actually, that’s exactly what I was getting at. It’ll still be incredibly difficult to get, because the Realm balances things out to keep valuable abilities hard to obtain for players. But I do think it’s technically possible… well, it would be, if any of us had any open skill slots.”
Alex sighs, “...Right, which we don’t.”
Vindicated and clearly exasperated, Tereza chimes in, “Exactly, we don’t. So, case closed? Can we move on already?”
Rishi, ignoring her, continues: “There’s more to consider here. The Realm tends to be fair, even if it’s harsh. A 1,000 FC item isn’t trivial, it has a value. And the fact that it’s been reduced to zero probably just reflects its unpopularity with players rather than any lack of worth.”
Alex nods. “True, I guess. Something could seem useless to most people, but with the right buyer, it might be a hidden treasure. People get rich at flea markets for that very reason—those who know the item’s value can see what others miss.”
Looking at Rishi with mounting concern, Alex asks, “So, what’s your final take?”
With a wide grin, Rishi replies, “My conclusion? We should stay the hell away from this, my friend.”
Tereza snorts, clearly unimpressed, “No kidding, Sherlock, thanks for stating the obvious.”
Curious despite themselves, the group looks back toward the merchant, seeing that he’s managed to sell 22 out of the 30 tickets so far. But a rumor is quickly spreading: apparently, someone had casually nodded at the merchant’s sales pitch—just a polite gesture. The merchant had taken this as “acceptance” and immediately transferred the item to them without warning!
Now, players are keeping their distance, even avoiding eye contact with the goblin, fearing he’ll somehow twist a simple glance into accepting his scam.
Suddenly, Alex, Rishi, and Tereza find themselves surrounded by a few curious onlookers. "Look, it’s those three! Are they actually reckless enough to accept this application? Surely Not?"
"No way, even they wouldn’t be that arrogant!"
Tired of these kinds of situations, Alex quickly agrees, "Yes, we just got lucky last time. We don’t want to participate, so don’t worry ab—"
Before he can finish, the goblin merchant suddenly storms out from his little stand, grabs an application form, and rushes toward Alex with a cruel smile on his face.
Rishi shouts, "ALEX, RUN!" then stands in the goblin's way, trying to trip him. He doesn’t fully succeed, but he manages to make the goblin stumble. Alex, shocked, runs off, struggling to understand what this insane merchant is trying to do.
The goblin suddenly activates something on his boots. Alex hears people shouting, "Goblin rocket boots!"
Seconds later, Alex sees the goblin closing in quickly with a heat trail behind him, and anger flares up in him, genuinely intending to take the goblin down, Alex draws his sword.
"Blizzard Sword!" Alex yells, and the goblin leaps toward him.
A loud impact.
You have dealt 67 + 44 damage to Goblin Merchant 17836.
You have killed Goblin Merchant 17836.
Alex tries to process what just happened and notices the [285th Hunter Exam Application] now sitting in his inventory.
Meanwhile, the goblin lies on the ground, frozen solid, covered in ice, and split in half—completely dead.
[Violence is strictly forbidden in the Fantasy Realm. The offending player will be punished.]
Alex sees lightning building up, clearly targeting him. "Oh, shit..." he mutters. The charge intensifies, growing to the size of a skyscraper. "Guess this is it," Alex resigns. "At least I took down that little bastard with me."
But suddenly, he hears 1337, not only speaking to him but broadcasting to the entire realm.
[FR-System 1337 is invoking its right for arbitration! Goblin Merchant Nr. 17836 has broken the rules of the Realm and forcibly distributed his items, so force was deemed necessary by the player to save his own life.]
The light abruptly halts, and a white, vaguely human-like figure appears, its entire body cloaked in dark, gray, and white shades, making any further details indistinguishable.