"Bip...Bip... Bip..."

“Hmmm…”

I hummed dissatisfied while moving my hand around, looking for my phone. Finding it, I slipped my finger a few times, but the bipping didn't stop.

“Bip... Bip…”

Moving my finger around, and even slapping the phone, still didn't work. I put my head under my pillow to muffle the sound and try to go back to sleep, but to no effect.

"Bip... Bip... Bip..."

'Why...?'

I feel like crying.

‘It’s the only day I can wake up late… So why won't this sound stop!’

“Bip... Bip... Bip…”

Already impatient, I sat up in the bed, trying to look around for its origin. To my surprise, the first thing I see is a blue floating screen in front of my face, brightening my room. It said:

Loading 87%...

And the number keeps going up with each bip. Even after rubbing my eyes, it continued there.

Loading 89%...

Looking around, there was nothing out of place. I am in my bed, in my room, the lights are off, the air conditioner is on, the door and the curtains closed, the smell is alright. I looked at the time on my phone and it's only 2h05 a.m.

“Ah, gimme a break…”

I murmured and lied down in my bed.

‘I'm sure it's a dream, tomorrow it will be back to normal.’

Closing my eyes with peace of mind, ignoring the sound, until at some point the bip stopped and I was able to sleep like an angel.

《☆》

Drumming my fingers on the table, I looked ahead impatiently.

‘What's up with it? Why didn't it disappear? What do you mean ‘binding completed’? And it changed… What’s up with this 'Welcome, Arya'? I'm at home, though, nothing differs, even the neighborhood, just this.... THING!’

It's late evening, I woke up around eleven and ignored it all day, but it just won’t go away. I’m AWAKE and shouldn’t be seeing this.

‘Leave me alone! How am I supposed to drive with that distracting me? I want sushi... No, that's not the problem, this is WEIRD.’

I pursued my lips, remembering how no one said anything when I put the trash out in the morning. It seems that either I'm the weird one for thinking this is weird or no one sees it, only me. And I bet all my chips on the last option. I pinched my thigh again and hissed while grimacing in my mind.

‘It really hurts… So, have I played too much lately? Read too much? Now I'm having problems separating dreams from reality? Am I hallucinating? Did someone put something weird on my food? But I live alone.’

While denying the less possible options, I have to consider the worst: Maybe I lost my mind.

“Sigh... There is no way... No way…”

I'm not insane, you know, I can't be, I'm pretty sure of it. No family history of this kind of disease, no trauma, not under too much stress either... There is no trigger, so how could a perfectly sane person lose her mind in one day? No, I surely didn’t.

‘Is something wrong with my eyes?’

Looking in the mirror, there is nothing in them.

‘Wait, did it just disappear? Oh, it's here again... It’s not anymore…’

I played getting near and far from the mirror, it seems if I stay too close to something it will disappear and won’t block my view.

‘Great, that's an advance... oh, how about glasses? Oh... didn't work…’

Putting my sunglasses aside I blocked my eyes with one hand, then tried looking with one eye and then the other.

"Still there... still there... sigh... okay, what do you want? Uh?"

I snapped to the air. Nothing happened. I slapped my forehead, sliding my hand across my face and sighing again.

“What am I even doing...?”

I shook my hand, where the screen should be, for the thousandth time today. Nothing.

“Alright, you won’t disappear, so why don’t you change? It's been a day already, didn't you change in the morning? Change again, are you just going to continue… Uh?” The screen finally changed.

"Traveling Merchant System? Turning in the best in business you say? What now? Do you think we're inside a novel by chance? Do you know what age it is? Go back a few decades to find someone... Besides, why would I sell things while traveling? It may still work for some people, but… Do you think I'm crazy and would go for this career change after studying so much? I'm good and well, becoming a doctor in two more years! Don't fuck with me."

I ignored it again and began cooking my dinner.

'Why does it seem to be getting brighter?'

Looking up, the text changed. It had one more line.

Congratulations, you're randomly selected by the system 'Traveling Merchant', you will be able to become the best in business.

Confirm to begin the tutorial ➧

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Didn't I already say I don't want to? Leave me alone."

I had my fill and played with my phone, until ten. I'm adapting to its presence easier than I thought, is it the power of human adaptability?! Now how should I sleep with this light in my face… Maybe a pillow will do… Looking at the letters again, it changed.

Time limit to begin is almost finished. As such, the tutorial, missions and tasks will begin automatically in 2 hours.

"What? Didn't you say I needed to confirm? What do you mean by a time limit? Begin automatically in 2 hours? Aren't you too full of yourself?"

I was flabbergasted at how thick skinned this said system was. I didn't ask for it, I'm living well, you know. Seeing the countdown and thinking about how I needed to sleep soon, I frowned.

'I will just take a look. Only a look.'

"Begin tutorial?"

It said a lot of things, showed some things, but basically I can resume it to this:

- There will be missions or tasks: mandatory and optional, which can be time-limited or not.

- If you accept an optional mission or task, you have to finish it, like the mandatory ones. If you fail those, you will be punished as the system sees fit.

- The missions and tasks can give you points that you can use to unlock facilities to produce products or directly buy products at shop, to be a better merchant. Or the prize can be directly something the system designed.

- Another way of getting points is unlocking facilities and producing.

And that's all it makes clear, besides, it says I will know more with upgrades. I can only give it an eye roll.

'Seriously... And of course it has to give me time-limited tasks in the middle of the night...'

Tutorial Mission 1: A good merchant should have a proper way to store products, find a suitable container and you will get yours. Prize: unlock storage. Type: Mandatory. Done: 0/1.

Weekly task: Day 1/7 - A merchant needs a healthy body to travel - walk 4 kilometers. Prize: 30 points. Type: Mandatory. Done: 0,005/4. Time left: 1h 33 min 05 s

Daily task: A trader should trade, trade at least one time today. Prize: 10 points. Type: Mandatory. Done: 0/1. Time left: 1h 33 min 05 s

Did it count the steps I just walked? No, wait, what's with this time... and all mandatory...

'I should have seen that coming... shameless system!'

I kept passing around, how should I even trade with someone at this time, people will think I'm crazy. I decided to try my luck, although I'm not sure if I should really obey it... Anyway, I will try the easy way.

I changed clothes, got my purse and walked down. There is a burger store on the corner of the street. If I'm lucky it will work. Making my way there, I saw a beggar going through the trash on the side.

'BINGO.'

I ran and bought the burger before losing my target.

"Hey, friend! What a nice... uh... bottle u have there, how about trading it with this food?" I smiled harmlessly.

'Come on... it has to work...'

"Trade? Do you really want it? There is more there..." he said pointing to the trash can.

"Oh, no, just trade that one with me." I smiled again.

"I don’t need charity, miss."

He told me dismissively.

'Oh, great, I had to hit a wall. I can do this...'

"It’s not it, the one in your hand just brought me memories…" I looked aside as if reminiscing about the past. He looked as if I was weird, looked at his bottle and seemed to decide it wasn't worth losing this time.

"Alright..."

I finished the trade and before I could look at the screen I heard the man murmuring:

"Crazy..."

'Yeah, sir, I know... Come on system…', I smiled looking at the system window, hoping it recognized this trade, but soon my smile vanished with a pop up with red letters.

Invalid exchange, values too far apart, constituting a loss.

‘Uh? What the…’

“Humph…”

'I won’t do it, you can keep your ten pitiful points...'

I walked around a bit, before heading home. Then, I searched the house for a container, while passing around to finish the four kilometers and, by the way, getting ready to sleep. It’s not much, but how can they give me this task at this hour... I sighed, resigned. I tried many containers, but to my surprise It was satisfied with my traveling backpack in one of my last attempts before giving up.

'Yeah, I should know that one. Now I just need to walk a few more meters.'

I ignored the daily assignment and lied down to sleep, but the screen was getting brighter and brighter, even with a pillow in my face and almost no breathing space I wasn’t able to sleep.

‘I want to swear so bad. Are you getting back at me? Shut down, I need to sleep, I have class tomorrow!’

I got up again after thirty minutes, I almost had a sun in my room with how bright it was.

“Do you want to blind me???? I will do it, OKAY? JUST STOP IT!”

As if it understands me, it got back to how it was. If it was a cartoon, I’m sure my face would be as red as an tomate and there would be smoke coming out of my ears.

‘It’s eleven p.m., for God’s sake, where can I find someone to trade at this time…’

“UGHHHHH…”

I changed clothes again and got outside with my purse.

Then I heard sounds from a neighbor's house and saw an old woman getting out with a bunch of trash bags. I had an idea.

“Ma’am! Excuse me, I live a few houses up this street and I was going out to buy a few, uh…" I blurted the first thing I could think in a hurry, "Tomatoes, I really need tomatoes right now, but I was a bit afraid of going out at this time alone, so I think God sent you to help me!” I could feel my face heating up, I’m so ashamed of the bullshit I’m saying, but I really need sleep.

“So, do you have tomatoes? I’m sorry, could you please help me? Just two is ok! Please ma’am… I can pay you… Or give you something in exchange? Do you need something?”

She sized me up and looked around, maybe afraid it's a scam or I’m working with bad people.

“Please…”

I pleaded again, trying hard to not run away to somewhere where I could find a hole to jump inside. I could see her frown and how she stepped back.

“Are you pehamps drunk?”

“I’m not!!! I’m just afraid of going outside and coming back later alone… And I really need the tomatoes.”

I hoped she could feel my despair and just accept it already.

“REALLY! I… How about I give you cucumbers? Or apples? I will get it back soon, just help me out this time… Please, ma’am.”

After suffering the blow of having to do it, I decided to put my shame aside and just make sure this time I was able to finish it successfully.

“Are you pregnant?” She looked at my belly and then complemented, “or maybe someone you know that is pregnant and is wishing for it? Is that why you are looking for it at this time?”

She found a perfect excuse for my behavior and I just nodded hard and then shook my head.

“Not me, it’s for someone else… I really need it now…”

“Sigh, why isn’t the father the one looking for it? Sending a small girl like you outside at this time… I remember when I had those kinds of wishes, but it was way weirder… At least it’s just tomatoes… Alright, I will just give it to you… Wait a bit…”

“Oh, wait, I can’t just accept, I will pick something and will be right back! Please, just three minutes!”

“Alright, kid, I will wait here.”

I ran home fast, I got three cucumbers and ran back, she traded with me, shaking her head all the time and mumbling about how it should be the father looking for it. I thanked her and got back home.

This time, I finished my assignment successfully and while the system was in my face telling me to accept the prizes and begin the next mission, I lied down to sleep.

“Don’t think I forgave you already! And I won’t do another mission today, I need sleep!”

I yawned, while dismissing it. But, while lying in bed, I remembered everything I said and from time to time I had to hide my face in the pillow and slap my bed, while curling my toes. It took a few minutes to calm myself down and get over how ashamed I was.

'I just don’t know why I can accept this situation, I even did the other missions without much questioning… Maybe reading got my acceptance level up or maybe it is my gamer side pushing me to do the quests and not let go of any prize I can get... I really should stop with that…'

While thinking about the day, I yawned and was finally able to sleep with a pillow above my face to block the bright light of the screen, at least it wasn’t as bright as before.