Chapter 2:
Clutching his heavy four-edged rondel dagger in his left and a war hammer on his right, a lightly armored teenage boy silently prowl towards a lone Holtpaw lounging in an ankle-deep groove. Each step he took was big strides – appropriate considering he is an Educer who falls solely underneath the Strider category. Special humans who can manipulate Ether to make themselves quick and elusive to any of the six senses, along with a few other abilities a typical Strider would possess.
Invisible or not, he needs to tread carefully. The groove is filled with blue flowers that grow up to one's ankle. If he makes any careless movement, the flowers will sway and might attract the Holtpaw's attention.
As he got closer to the Holtpaw, the boy felt more intimidated by the size of the Aberrant – baffling and terrifying creatures native to their respective dimension.
The size of an adult bear, a Holtpaw has a compact build making it look buff and heavy. Its appearance is that of a hyena tiger hybrid with a hunchback and sports dark brown stripes on pale green fur. Sharp branch-like antlers grow sideways on its head; used for fending off attackers from its neck. Located in the front of its face are two yellow eyes and a powerful snapping jaw that could extend wider than one would have expected. Given even more powerful arsenals are its jaws that it can use to grasp and hold onto prey.
Yet, the Holtpaw is a Category 4 Aberrant.
Specifically, its full Threat Class is C4/V3 – Category 4, Vincibility 3.
Category (C) denotes the monster's abilities and powers it possesses. Vincibility (V) denotes how difficult the monster is to capture, intimidate, injured, or kill. These labels have levels from 1 to 9 – with 1 being the weakest and/or the easiest, and 9 being the strongest and/or the most problematic.
And a Holtpaw is quite easy to kill if one can infuse their weaponry with Ether. A feat easier said than done for the teenager.
'Carefully… Don't get cold feet now, Kieran. Empty your thoughts.'
The boy steeled himself as he approach the Holtpaw's neck. Just one quick puncture to the base of the skull and the monster will drop dead. Steady maintaining his Ether for his Sensory Elusion, Kieran raise his four-edged rondel dagger over the lounging Holtpaw and channeled his Ether into the blade. He then press the shaft of his war hammer onto the wide and flat pommel of his dagger and took a slow deep breath.
He plunged his rondel dagger onto the Holtpaw's neck, throwing his entire weight onto it.
"GRRRRRAAAA!"
Kieran lets out a grunt as he was launched into the air by the Holtpaw's violent spasm. The sudden motion caused his dagger to tear a large gash over its neck, inflicting grievous wounds to the Aberrant. He lands on his back, ears ringing from the Holtpaw's guttural roar, and hastily rolled over to his feet in a defensive stance.
To his relief, the Holtpaw was in its death throe; its left foreleg shakily stretched out in front of it before slowly going limp. Greyish-red blood was pooling out from the jaw and neck without a single twitch from the Aberrant.
Aberrant neutralized.
Kieran removes his open-face helmet and breathes out.
"Wheeew…"
Seeing no threat nearby, he ceased maintaining his Sensory Elusion revealing a soft-faced teen with slightly high cheekbones, moderate-length black hair, and pale blue eyes. He wore a tactical light armor vest composed of dull-colored materials that are resistant to cut and stab. His arm and hands were protected by a pair of forearm guards while his lower half was outfitted with shin guards, steel toe boots, and impact pants layered over by olive green cargo pants.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he glanced down and place a hand over his protective vest that shielded him from the impact. He could feel his rapidly beating heart slowing down and his adrenaline wearing off.
For an aspiring and talented Freelancer, he still has a long way to go.
Suddenly remembering he should call in his kill, Kieran holstered his war hammer and reached for his walkie-talkie.
"I saw it." A young man's voice spoke from the other end. "Stay there. I'm heading over."
It didn't take long for the owner of the voice to show himself, leaping down from the trees. A fit young man with medium-length ashy-colored hair and pale eyes. He wore a light grey combat uniform with a faded silver segmented cuirass covering his entire torso. A pair of shin guards, kneepads, heavy black boots, and faulds protected the lower half. Similar to Kieran, he had a pair of forearm guards in addition to elbow pads.
"You're late."
"You're bad."
The two briefly jibe at each other like siblings, cousins actually, before examining the dead Holtpaw together.
"So, how many more credits do I need before I can take the exam to become Class D?" Kieran asks his older cousin and mentor.
As a Freelancer Cadet, he has yet to become a licensed Freelancer; individuals who kill Aberrant for a living. All cadets are Class E and need to earn enough kill points and field hours to qualify for the exam to earn their license and become a Class D Freelancer. He already has the hours down. All he needs is the points.
"Later." His cousin waves dismissively and resumes breaking off the Holtpaw's antlers.
"No, now."
"Eh."
"Ian…!"
"Fine. You need about 122 points if I didn't calculate this wrong." Ian scans over his calculation on his notepad. "Looks about right. Here, hold the antlers while I mark the corpse for the haulers and we'll be on our way."
He hands Kieran his kill proof and pulls out a plastic yellow device. It made a beeping sound and Ian began scanning the Holtpaw. Completing the scan, the yellow device emitted a ping and then a beep, producing a wristband engraved with matrix barcodes and tied it onto the Holtpaw's leg.
"Can we go now?"
"Just go. I'll catch up with you."
Kieran rolls his eyes and secures the Holtpaw's antlers in one of his reserved back pouches before trekking off. There wasn't much to see inside this Dimensional Rift, at least to Kieran. Sure, there are odd plants and swirling colorful clouds that are hypnotic to look at, but the awe and wonder have greatly dulled since he's been here many times before odd as that may seem.
Most Dimensional Rifts have a 'closing condition' like destroying the rift's Occlusion to cause the rift to collapse. Uncommonly, there are Dimensional Rifts that have no such thing and are contained and monitored by the military and this place is one of them. Only a select group of people are allowed to enter, like Freelancers and scientists.
Kieran idly traced the glossy smooth stone hill with his gloved hand, slowly walking around the obstacle, and was able to reach the halfway mark until he heard something around the corner.
KCIRK! KCIRK! KCIRK!
'What's that sound?'
It sounded like something or someone was chipping away at something. Kieran's hands hover over his walkie-talkie to call Ian over but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. He's a Freelancer Cadet and a Strider to the boot. He can quickly perform reconnaissance rather than wait for his cousin to come over. Putting on his helmet, Kieran draws out the Ether from within him, churning it throughout his body and quietly vanishing from sight.
Sensory Elusion. It allows one to elude the other's six senses, though Kieran could currently deceive five out of six senses; sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. He has yet to evade those possessing a sharp sixth sense which is why he was always caught by his cousin whenever he tried to hide or sneak out.
And he best hope that whatever is around the corner of his stony hill doesn't have a good sixth sense.
He turned the corner and found… An amber blond teenage boy in a red hoodie and dark blue trousers sitting on a side chair and observing a smooth piece of the stone hill in his hand. Behind him is a rucksack filled to the brim and looked like it would explode at any given moment. A large craftsman workbench was situated beside the overfilled rucksack. It contains several piles of green and brown thorny scales and a few large bones placed underneath the workbench.
An ornate store plaque could be seen hanging on the edge of the workbench reading:
[Here and There]
A Store From Out of Nowhere
Kieran felt his brain stuttering a bit. 'Who in their right mind would open a store inside a Dimensional Rift?'
Much less in the wilds of a Dimensional Rift.
Unlike the wilderness of Earth, the ones in every Dimensional Rift are teeming with hyper-aggressive Aberrants that are unnaturally durable. Camps established in the Dimensional Rifts require good security and are temporary at best lest they outstay their welcome. A store out here is a recipe for disaster; threatened by Aberrants and even other people.
'It's likely just decoration.'
Kieran maintains his distance while studying the amber blond teen. He was around Kieran's age with a face one could describe as charming with brown eyes and a seemingly fit body. Everything else screams civilian casual which makes Kieran wonder if the teenager is lost.
"This looks like a labradorite tumbled stone." He heard the amber blond boy musing before putting it down and turning to meet Kieran's gaze despite being masked and invisible. "Ah! A customer! I was beginning to wonder if I was the only human here in this place."
'He can see me?!'
"Yes, I can see you despite your best attempt to hide." The amber blond teen leans back on his chair and smiles. "And no, I cannot read minds. Though I am good at reading people in general. Expression, body language, and all."
Having been exposed, Kieran dispelled his concealment while keeping his Ether actively circulating in his body in case he needs to run or fight. He took off his helmet and stepped out in the open, trying his best to appear unthreatening.
'He could be a cadet like me.' Or even a licensed Freelancer, which is not completely unheard of for someone their age. 'Wait… Did he refer to me as a customer?'
"Judging by your attire, I would make an educated guess that you're a hunter of sorts."
"Freelancer, actually. Well, a Freelancer Cadet." Kieran corrected him. "If you're Korean or German, they'll call themselves Hunters in their language." He blinks. Does he not know what Freelancers are? "And you are?"
"Where are manners?" Seth rose from his chair. He placed one hand over his heart, the other behind his back, and bows. "Call me Seth. I am but a traveling merchant and occasional storyteller."
"A merchant? Here?" Kieran asked skeptically. 'So, I wasn't mishearing him.'
"Of course. There isn't any competition here, for one."
Kieran snorted at that. He isn't wrong about that.
"And two, I happened to enjoy traveling here and there. Practically anywhere. There are so many wonders to see with each dimension."
'And so many things trying to kill you.' Kieran mentally added.
"But enough of that. Let's get on the business, shall we?" Seth walks over and grabs the straps of his overfilled rucksack.
Before Kieran could say a word, Seth somehow unfurled his rucksack in a single motion causing all the contents to fly out. He flinched and instinctively raised his arms to protect himself from whatever is flying out of Seth's bag.
"Hey! Watch… it?"
Kieran lowers his arms only to find all the contents within the rucksack had neatly rearranged themselves and were displayed in an orderly manner. An assortment of goods was meticulously displayed on top of a Persian silk rug ranging from First Aid kits to monster parts placed on marble trays.
'Definitely a Psionic Educer if he can do that.'
If one were to refer to the basic RPG classes, a Psionic would be a mage while a Strider would be somewhere like a Rogue or Ranger hybrid. The former is uncommon amongst the four Educer Generalized Ability Classification though there are rarer instances of those who overlap in the current classification like his older cousin.
"I apologize for this unseemly store of mine. I'm afraid I was sidetracked and didn't contribute enough time to set up properly."
"Uhh…"
"Weapons, medicine, monster parts – just about anything of your materialistic desires, I can provide. If it's within my power, of course."
He picks up the ornate store plaque and sets it down on his chair. Blue light begins to emit from it and soon a blue detailed holographic screen materialized from the plaque.
[Here and There]
A Store From Out of Nowhere
Supplies
Medical provision, utility equipment, you name it!
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Smithy
Buy, upgrade, repair, or design your own weapon and armor!
Clothes & Accessories
Spare wear while being functionally fashionable!
Food & Drinks
A wide selection of ingredients, meals, and drinks to choose from!
Sell
'What are ya selling?' Because everything has a price!
A slight look of fascination was on Kieran's face. There is impressive Ether-powered technology out there, but his local town isn't as advanced as the big cities and other well-developed towns. The ones he has personally interacted with are at the guild buildings where his cousin worked and those are relegated to boring analysis like gauging one's Ether amount.
"… This feels like I'm in a video game."
Seth chuckles. "Since you're my first customer, I'll be happy to discount all my wares by let's say 70% for your first two purchases." His eyes shift up at the smooth stone hill. "Your chaperone included."
'Chaperone?'
It took Kieran a few seconds to realize that he was talking about Ian. He look up where Seth was glancing and noticed his cousin eavesdropping on them behind a few jutting rocks at an angle only visible to Kieran. Although considering how keen Seth's senses are, it's not a surprise that he could detect Ian.
"Huh. Sharp sense." Ian leaps down from his hiding spot, landing next to Kieran. "Sorry for listening in. I'm Ian. Representing the Avalon-Estria Guild."
"A pleasure. Call me Seth. Owner of Here and There."
The two professionally greeted each other and exchanged their business cards.
'Is this how business people interact?' Kieran thought to himself.
"And it looks like something has caught your eyes. I can confidentially say that I have a few rare things on sale." Seth said to Ian who was staring intently at the workbench filled with piles of large green and brown thorny scales. "You're free to take a closer look and appraise the material."
Ian considers it briefly before nodding. "I think I will."
He walks over to the large workbench containing the piles and piles of large scales. Kieran curiously accompanied him and watched as his cousin rapped against the dense bones placed underneath the workbench, then turned his attention to the thorny scales on the table. Each one was the size of an adult's hand.
"These look like… Bombardier Thorn Drake scales?" Said Kieran.
A Bombardier Thorn Drake is an extremely dangerous monster. A Category 7 Aberrant with a Vincibility of 5. They're called Bombardier Thorn Drake because of the hot noxious chemical venom they spray from their fangs. The venom they spit is a potent and fast-acting neurotoxin which is enough to kick them up a category. Their thorny scales earn them the 'thorn' part of their name and supposedly protect them from rivaling Bombardier Thorn Drake and other powerful Aberrants. They're one of the few apex predators in this dimension and require heavy weaponry or a very good team to put down. Seth must have been very lucky to scavenge this many scales that have been shed off since materials from Category 7 Aberrants and above are very hard to come by.
"One way to find out." Ian pulls out his knife and shoots Seth a glance.
"Go right ahead. I won't ask for compensation even if you manage to destroy it.
Ian nods and picks out a scale to test. He pours his Ether into the knife making it gleam like a bright mirror. In an instant, the blade became nothing more than a sliver blur, partially piercing the scale with a metallic ping. The impact made Ian's hand quiver along with the blade.
"So, it's not a thorn drake scale?"
"No, it is," Ian answered with a grunt, struggling to remove his knife from the scale. With a hard tug, he dislodges the blade and examines it. The tip of his combat knife was noticeably blunted. "And this is why you don't use blades against armored opponents. Ether or not."
Kieran blinks. "Aren't these very expensive then?"
"Who knows?" Ian turns to Seth. "How much are these?"
"$250 per 1 kilogram or 2.20462 pounds. If you're going by US Dollars." A knowing smile spread across the merchant's face. "Though it seems that the stored-value cards you carry around use a different currency that's interestingly called scrip. Did you know that scrip is often a form of credit? A substitute for legal tender?" Seth stops himself and looks sheepish. "Apologizes. Here. Let me display the pricing."
He snaps his hands and a price tag display pops into existence.
{Bombardier Thorn Drake scales}
$250 per kg (~2.20462 lbs.)
246 scrip per kg (~2.20462 lbs.)
Ian lets out a low whistle. "Lower than the average price."
It's a bit of a shock Ian that the price is lower than expected. Materials like these are difficult to acquire and extremely expensive. Some possess unnatural properties from the mundane extreme durability, such as these scales, to conduits for users to wield supernatural powers.
"And lower if you factor in the 70% discount for your first two purchases." The amber blond teen starts to calculate with his hand. "That'll be about $75 or 73.80 scrip per kilogram."
Anyone who knew the true average price of Bombardier Thorn Drake scales would be drooling at the prospect of a big profit while having a heart attack at the same time.
"… What's the catch?"
"No catch. I like to price my wares fairly and below my competitor's usual price. It retains and attracts potential customers. I sell for a lower price, and they buy and sell it for a higher price. That's arbitrage and the classical principle of trade. Though there might be a line where it becomes price gouging if you sell it for an unreasonably high price depending on whatever regulations are on your end."
"You're a business major?" From the sound of it, Ian can presume Seth studied business or economics.
"I had mentors, but was mostly self-taught," Seth said proudly.
"I see… Do you have a way to process SVCs?"
He pulls out a card reader from his rucksack. "That I do."
Ian reached into his pouch and took out a corporate stored-value card displaying the Avalon-Estria guild logo on it. A winged dragon on the left and a phoenix on the right, holding up an embellished shield with various symbols on it. On one edge of the SVC is a microchip that conducts the transaction. On the other end is a fingerprint pad for Ian to unlock the SVC so that if it was stolen or lost, the money inside the card would not be accessible.
"Kieran. Use your two discounts for these scales as well. I'll buy them." Ian turns to Seth. "Is that allowed?"
"I see no problem with that." The amber blond teen regards Kieran. "Only if he wills it."
"I'll be getting my share, right?" Kieran asked his cousin seriously.
He knows that these Bombardier Thorn Drake scales will sell a lot and refuse to miss out on making some money.
"100% for your two kilograms, 3% for the others."
"Deal."
Seth claps his hands and grins. "Doesn't anyone have a fondness for a good deal? Now then, where are my weighing scale and boxes? Ah, here they are!"
The amber blond teen rummaged through his bag, pulling out a weighing machine and several small storage boxes along with a handful of rope straps. He sets them beside the workbench and gestures for Ian to make his selection. Kieran on the other hand was more interested in the holographic interface.
[Here and There]
A Store From Out of Nowhere
Supplies
Medical provision, utility equipment, you name it!
Smithy
Buy, upgrade, repair, or design your own weapon and armor!
Clothes & Accessories
Spare wear while being functionally fashionable!
Food & Drinks
A wide selection of ingredients, meals, and drinks to choose from!
Sell
'What are ya selling?' Because everything has a price!
Kieran reached out and pressed on Smithy prompting another screen to materialize. A wide selection of weapons and armors were neatly displayed like any retail website. On the top corner is a search and filter option for him to narrow the search.
[Smithy]
Buy, upgrade, repair, or design your own weapon and armor!
Search: [Enter here to search for a specific item]
Filter
{Heavy Flanged Mace}
$109.99 (108.23 scrips) {AegisExternal Multi-damage Resistant Body Vest}
$339.99 (334.55 scrips) {Under Armor Heavy Duty Field Boots}
$249.99 (245.99 scrips)
…
"Do you really have all these things on you?" Kieran asked about the weapons and armor listed on the interface.
He wasn't planning to buy anything at this moment, just browsing. His equipment may not be the best, but it gets the job done and it's affordable.
"Of course. It would be fraud if I didn't or I would have them marked as out of stock." Seth clasps his hands, retaining his professional smile. "So, what are ya buying? Haha! Excuse me for that and don't feel pressured. I couldn't help myself. It was one of my mentor's catchphrases. In any case, what are you looking for?"
"I honestly don't know – was thinking of browsing through the firearms section or something."
"Anything specific?"
"Not really. Maybe a select fire rifle?"
"Hmm. You seem hesitant. I'm assuming you do not have a license to operate a firearm?"
"I have a Class E Freelancer license. I don't need a firearm license and I've used a rifle before." He would like to have a ranged weapon and is considering his options. A gun or tactical crossbow would be nice. The only problem is his control over his Ether. "I'm just not good at infusing the bullets with Ether so using a gun won't really help."
"Oh? Please enlighten me."
Is Seth really just a clueless merchant? How on earth did he survive inside a Dimensional Rift with all his belongings intact?
Kieran stares at him with disbelief. "You don't know how Ether works?"
"I've been traveling a lot and my knowledge is mostly second-handed. Please, enlighten me on the interaction between Ether and firearms. I might be able to help you out."
"I guess I can give you a basic rundown..."
He begins to give Seth a crash course on the limitation of Ether on ranged weaponry.
To start off, any Aberrant possessing a level 4 Vincibility and over will shrug off just about every non-Ether infused weaponry. It'll be like shooting a slingshot at a rabid bear. That doesn't mean guns and explosives are completely useless. On the contrary, it's still prevalent, especially in the hands of the military and private military/security companies. However, infusing one's Ether into guns and bombs is different than infusing Ether into melee weapons.
Ether needs to linger within the projectile like bullets and there's a limit to how much Ether can be contained due to size and mass. If the infusion of Ether isn't stable, the projectile will have its Ether decay quickly midflight and the damage dealt would be pitiful, only enraging the monster. Nowadays, technology has improved and firearms used for hunting Aberrants have conduits on the grips that allow easy channeling of Ether directly into the loaded ammunition. However, being able to contain and maintain Ether in the bullets is up to the user's control over their Ether.
In his current state, Kieran could empower his weapons with Ether through continuous physical contact. The moment he stops holding his weapon, the Ether flowing through his weapon will be cut off like turning off an electric switch.
When Kieran was finished, Seth cupped his chin in deep thoughts.
"Hm. I feel like I've dealt with something like this before." Said Seth. "Please hold on a minute or less."
The amber blond teen opens up a neon blue holographic window and begins working away, furiously typing away, dragging, dropping, opening, and closing multiple smaller screens in quick succession. It was an impressive sight, needless to say.
"Sheesh. And I thought Miss Patti works fast." Even Ian, who has seen professional and longtime office workers, had never seen anyone work this fast on a screen.
"I'll take that as a compliment… And done!" Seth reaches into his rucksack and pulls out two cases.
'How many more things does he have in there?' Kieran wonders to himself.
Seth put the bigger case down and opens the smaller one for Kieran to see. Inside the small case is a polymer-framed and locked-breech semi-automatic pistol. The pistol grip has a series of pale trace that acts as a conduit to channel Ether. A small screen appears beside the case displaying the brand, name, and technical details.
{Teratte 20 E-Gen2 Semi-Auto Pistol}
$577.68 (568.44 scrips)
Caliber: 10mm Auto
Mag. Capacity: 15
Barrel Length: 119 mm | 4.69 inch
…
[Buy] [Customize] [Loan]
"The Semi-Auto Pistol Teratte 20. Ether Generation 2. Beginner friendly; packs decent stopping power, and high magazine capacity for its type." The teenage merchant looks over at Ian. "I think it'll be a perfect weapon to train and test, don't you think?"
Ian shrugs. "He doesn't know a thing about guns, much less gun safety. Probably never will."
"Hey."
"But I'm willing to risk my life and those around me," Ian said jokingly.
He and Seth shared a laugh much to Kieran's dismay.
"I'll show you." There's no way he'll let his cousin show up on him. "I'll buy it. Ammo too."
He took out his SVC and held it out for Seth. He'll likely make back the money by reselling the scales anyway, so why not spend a little cash on something he'll need one day? Besides, he has no plans to be limited to his melee weapons only, not when there are many monsters you do not want to get close to.
"For my unprofessionalism earlier, let me make the ammo free as an apology. There are 10 magazines in this case." Seth lifts up the larger case that came along with the pistol. "A total of 150 10mm Auto. Comes free with the Teratte 20."
Transaction:
1x Teratte 20 E-Gen2 Semi-Auto Pistol – 568.44 scrips
10x 10mm Auto magazines (special) – 0 scrips
Total: 568.44 scrips
THANK YOU!
Seth hands Kieran the receipt of his purchase along with the two cases.
"Guess I'll be teaching you how to use a firearm. Oh, checking out too."
"Of course." He swiftly counts the number of boxes containing the Bombardier Thorn Drake scales and displays the total price.
Cart:
4x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales (special) – 295.2 scrips
6x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales – 1,476 scrips
Total: 1,771.2 scrips
Ian whistles as he held up his corporate SVC to scan through the card reader. The transaction went through and the card reader spits out a receipt detailing their purchase.
Transaction:
4x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales (special) – 295.2 scrips
6x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales – 1,476 scrips
Total: 1,771.2 scrips
THANK YOU!
"A pleasure doing business with you. Do you need assistance carrying your goods back?"
"Thank you, but I have something to haul these boxes."
Ian took off his backpack and drags out a portable emergency stretcher. He motions to Kieran to help him place the boxes onto the stretcher so they could transport them back.
"Ah. Simple improvising." Seth nods in approval. "Well, I wish you two a safe journey back."
"Thanks. You too."
The two cousins hauled off their purchased goods, tracing their steps back to the military outpost where they'll go through the checkpoint before being allowed back onto their home dimension, Earth.
Their trek back was thankfully uneventful. Not a single Aberrant was encountered to trouble them and the materials they were transporting. Still, their encounter with the amber blond boy named Seth was rather surreal.
"… Not to be rude or anything, but wasn't that Seth guy a bit strange to you?" Asked Kieran.
"Very suspicious. But if it's one thing I've learned from playing Roguelike games, it's that you don't mess with the shopkeeper who hangs around in danger zones." Ian narrowed his eyes. "Those bones underneath the table belong to a Bombardier Thorn Drake. Unless someone sold those to him or he just so found them somewhere, I have a feeling that our merchant friend personally acquired those materials himself."
"Now you're just messing with me."
"Maybe. Who knows?"
----------------------------------------
'This universe reminds me of those Manhuas and Manhwas where some gates from other dimensions open on Earth and monsters wreck everything because they have magic or something along those lines.'
Then you have special groups of people who possess special powers and fight back those monsters, kick-starting a new era centering on those people possessing special powers. Let's not forget our story protagonist who gains some sort of 'cheat' and begins accumulating an insane amount of power till the point they wipe the floor with just about everything and everyone.
'I wonder if that's how this universe will be. Eh, it shouldn't be my problem anyway.'
I've made a decent profit today. Killing that Bombardier Thorn Drake was profitable. It's a pity that its bones aren't of interest to my two customers today. As for the drake's venom sac and fang, I decided to keep those for myself since it looks like I could make weapons out of them like Monster Hunter.
"Give me today's earnings."
[End-of-Day Sales Totals Report]
4x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales (special) – 295.2 scrip
6x Bombardier Thorn Drake scales – 1,476 scrip
1x Teratte 20 E-Gen2 Semi-Auto Pistol – 568.44 scrip
10x 10mm Auto magazines (special) – 0 scrip
Total: 2,339.64 scrip
Conversion Amount: 701.89
'That's about a 30% conversion rate.'
It could have been worst. I lowest I ever had was a 7% conversion rate in which universe again? The Naruto universe? Those ninjas and samurais need to up their currency.
With my heavy rucksack on me, I leaped over a flowing river and stroll through the darkening forest. It'll soon be night, and I could either rest or jump dimensions within this universe to satisfy my wanderlust. I can always return whenever I need to.
"Should I dimension hop onto Earth or another one of these Dimensional Rifts?"
I pondered to myself, continuing my hike through the dusk-lit forest.