Several hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already afternoon when Zayn returned to Emberfall. His armor was smudged with dirt and grime, giving him a rough look. Yet, his appearance was still leagues above the majority of Players residing in Emberfall. Most Players had just purchased their first proper weapon and it would take a while before they could get hold of a Ranked Weapon, and a tempered leather armor set like the one Zayn was wearing.

After spending several hours acting as a professional Herbalist, Zayn’s backpack was filled with ripe flowers, herbs, and other plants. Initially, it had been a little bit difficult to find rare herbs, but Zany got used to Scent of Treasure. Zayn learned how to distinguish the scents permeating the air and the Card leveled up a few times as well. Thanks to that, he could move from one spot of half-ripened herbs to the next. Zayn found a large batch of Azura Lecantris flowers at some point. They were small saplings and wouldn’t blossom until a few weeks later, under normal circumstances. Fortunately, Zayn had a solution for that issue.

He used Rapid Plant Growth repetitively.

Since the Demonic Treant’s Card Set was in full effect, Rapid Plant Growth’s potency reached new heights. The plants targeted by Rapid Plant Growth matured rapidly, thus increasing the Card’s proficiency rapidly as well. It was only afternoon, yet the progress of his Cards could only be described as rapid.

Blink

Uncommon - Level 2(1.2%)

Scent of Treasure

Common - Level 4(11%)

Rapid Plant Growth

Common - Level 6(2%)

Iron Bark

Common - Level 2(24%)

Root Strike

Common - Level 5(8%)

It was great to see the Level of his Cards improve slowly while Zayn harvested a wide variety of rare herbs. He could earn a living while leveling his Cards. That was great if that was his plan – which wasn’t the case. He could make a living as a herb collector, but the money he could make was not enough for his plans. Sadly.

‘It would be great if I could earn a fortune by using Rapid Plant Growth non-stop,’ Zayn joked lightly. Some Players focused on gardening and farming, and their income was not bad either, but the big money was hidden somewhere else.

‘Level 13 should be enough for the Card Set…as long as the next steps work out.’

Zayn opened a holographic screen to check the online forums and trading platforms where Players sold their items. The Forsaken Auctionhouse was only one of many platforms that had appeared overnight. Many trading platforms for Forgotten Lands have been established once people realized that Forgotten Lands was a treasure trove.

“What is wrong with those prices?!” Zayn cursed under his breath. The prices for most goods were nowhere close to their actual worth. It was almost as if all Players decided unanimously to ask for a small fortune for products that were worth half a penny.

“Well, it makes sense. Players have yet to find out how rare some items are. Nobody wants to sell something for a few Silver only to find out that their items were heavenly treasures. Though, I doubt something like that will happen in the next few days.”

It would take a few days but the prices would adjust themselves naturally. The majority of those idiotic Players would soon find out how much – or little – their ‘treasures’ were worth. A grin formed on Zayn’s face at the mere thought of these idiots’ faces once they found out that they tried to sell trash online.

Fortunately, there were also reasonable Players on the trading platforms. They compared the prices of the local merchants with other Players to find out if there was a disparity before they came up with a price. That was a common tactic, which had been implemented early in the game.

He searched through the catalogs of items sold online and ordered some herbs and plants using Credits. Even though he’d been in the Arylin Forest for quite a while, Zayn had yet to find all the herbs and plants needed for his future ordeals. Most of the herbs he couldn’t find in the Arylin Forest existed in other regions – regions that were not close to him. That was also why Zayn was so glad that reasonable Players existed, otherwise, he would have been forced to overpay idiotic Players, rewarding them for their delusional thinking.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

That was certainly not what Zayn wanted.

‘Ah right, I forgot to give Mom Credits.’

Zayn didn’t even pay for the groceries his mother purchased specifically for him. That was not right. He opened his bank account and transferred 1000 Credits to his mother’s account. That should be enough for the time being.

The next time his eyes fell on the Player names with reasonable prices, his attention was picked.

“Millenia, Xertos, and PrimordialCaravan. Why do I feel like I should remember these names?” Zayn asked himself, biting his lower lip as he continued staring at the names. He hoped to attain enlightenment and recall who these people were but his memories were not the best. His mind was already tormented with thousands of plans and details he had to remember for his future plans. Forgetting three names didn’t seem abnormal.

“WAIT! Millenia! That guy is Millenia?!?” Zayn exclaimed all of a sudden. His voice traveled through the outskirts of the small Beginner Village, hundreds of Players turning their heads in his direction.

Zayn ignored the attention lingering on him and smiled brightly. He faintly recalled Millenia being a merchant who supplied everyone with goods in the past. He had been a good guy. Unfortunately, he died way too early. A Beast Horde ambushed his caravan on his way to deliver holy elixirs out of the Holy State.

Zayn never met Millenia personally but they had been in contact for quite a while. He purchased a few Armaments and a shitload of potions from Millenia.

“Are Xertos and Primordial Caravan also merchants I should remember from the past? Hmm…No idea,” He mumbled, smiling from one ear to another. He decided to send a friend request to all three Players with a list of items he needed and the price he was willing to offer. The list of items he added to the friend request was a means to show that he was willing to become their trading partner. He was not a weird Player who sent everyone friend requests, after all. At least, Zayn didn’t consider himself weird…maybe, just a little.

Other Players could see his inventory history of items he bought and sold in the past. His history should be enough to attract their attention, hopefully. His heart skipped a beat recalling more names from the past, but he decided to ignore the desire to add all of them as friends. He felt like bombarding them with messages and revealing everything about the past. Unfortunately, that would lead to him getting blocked instantaneously. Nobody would believe a lunatic who spoke about the end of the world and nonsense like that…nonsense that turned out to be real.

‘Next step!’

Zayn paved his way through Emberfall with quick strides. The city was bustling like usual, but the increasing number of Players changed the atmosphere within the quaint village quite a bit. Small scuffles broke out now and then and it was not uncommon to see Players curse the villagers. Apparently, the Players had a different worldview than the villagers. According to the comments he heard as he walked past some gossiping villagers, all Players – the Immortals – were arrogant and full of themselves.

“Why do we have to accept the Immortals into our rows? They’re good at solving issues, but their existence alone creates more problems than the monster population,” One of the villagers mumbled to the other, who sighed heavily. He tried to control his trembling hands but failed miserably.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen either. I’m scared. The Immortals eye my wife weirdly. Maybe, we should move away until the Guards arrive? The Guards will bring back peace and take over control of the Immortals.”

“As they should.”

“Indeed. I hope the Guards will be here soon.”

Zayn smiled lightly at the gossiping villagers who realized too late that an Immortal had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Their hair stood up to its end and their legs turned into jelly.

“There is no need to be afraid of me. I agree with your opinion on the Immortals. They consider everything like a game. It’s not real for most, and they’re more inclined to give in to their carnal desires,” Zayn said calmingly, “Just stay out of the Immortals’ sight until the Guards arrive. And…don’t talk so loudly. We’re hunting monsters to improve our Foundation. Our senses are better than the norm.”

The villagers didn’t stop trembling but they sighed in relief. They stared at Zayn as he departed and shouted, “Thank you!!”

“We will remember your warning. May the Patheon be on your side!”

Zayn flinched hearing the second villager’s prayer, but he continued on his path to the shabby workshop. Igor Brecht, the former Blacksmith, was still in the same old workshop. However, the interior of the workshop changed drastically.

“It seems like you’ve been working all day. The interior looks great. All that’s left is polishing the workshop’s facade. The outside looks as trashy as before,” Zayn teased the former Blacksmith, whose expression contorted upon seeing Zayn.

“I hope you didn’t return to insult me. You better have something important to talk about, otherwise, I’ll drench your body with filthy water!” Igor pointed at the wooden bucket filled with brown, almost black water, and smiled deviously.

Zayn raised an eyebrow and raised his arms. He surrendered.

“I have a request.”

“A request?” Igor Brecht halted in his tracks. He didn’t know much about Zayn but his gut feeling told him that requests from Zayn couldn’t be good.

“Yes,” Zayn nodded, “I want you to introduce me to the Emberfall’s Alchemist!”

The dirty cloth in Igor’s hand fell to the ground, his eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

“You want…me to introduce you to an Alchemist…in a village revolving around blacksmithing?” Igor asked and Zayn nodded.

“Do you even know who our Alchemist is? That old hag is insane!” Igor declared, shaking his head. “No No. I don’t want to go anywhere near her.”

Zayn’s smile widened as he watched the former Blacksmith. Igor continued to shake his head, but Zayn’s smile turned even more vibrant.

“No. I said no!!!”