Ironhold, Lower District.
Sebastian materialized back in the alleyway where he'd logged out. The smell of the city felt more real than the air in his apartment.
He checked his notifications.
[Auction House: Sold - Potion of Knitting (x5). Total: 25 Gold.]
The market was stabilizing. The initial rush was over. He still had a monopoly on high-tier alchemy though.
He needed to head to the Blacksmith Guild. Find a clue about the second shard of the Key. The lore stated that a master smith had once tried to reforge it.
As he walked through "Market Street," a commotion ahead blocked his path.
A crowd had gathered. Forming a circle. Jeering laughter echoed off the stone walls.
"Look at her! The Princess of the Blue Rose!"
"Where are your bodyguards now, little miss rich girl?"
Sebastian frowned. He pushed through the crowd. His high strength stat allowing him to shove players aside like cardboard cutouts.
In the center of the circle, a female player was backed against a wall.
[Player: Valerie]
[Class: Mage (Fire)]
[Level: 9]
She was beautiful. Sharp, aristocratic features and silver hair that marked her as a high-tier character creator user. Right now though, she looked desperate. Her robe was torn. Her HP bar flashing red at 15%. Her mana empty.
Surrounding her were five players wearing the tabards of the Golden Lion Guild. Baron_K's lackeys.
"The Boss is very unhappy," the leader of the thugs, a rogue named 'Shiv', sneered. "He lost a lot of face today because of some mysterious bidder. And then he sees the heiress of the rival Blue Rose Guild wandering alone? That's just free stress relief."
"My guild will hunt you down," Valerie spat. Though her voice wavered. She held a broken staff like a club. "If you kill me, you start a war."
"A war?" Shiv laughed. "Blue Rose is soft. Your father plays this like a stock market simulator. We play to win. Strip her gear, boys. Let's send her back to spawn naked."
The thugs stepped forward. Leering.
Valerie gripped her staff. Her knuckles white. She was out of mana. Injured. Helpless.
In a normal story, this would be the moment the hero jumps in. Sword drawn. Defending the damsel's honor for free.
Sebastian watched from the crowd. His face impassive.
He knew Valerie. In the future, she would become the "Flame Empress." A leader of the human resistance. She was brilliant. Ruthless. Powerful.
Right now though? Just a resource.
"Hey," Sebastian called out.
The thugs turned. Shiv glared at him. "Who the hell are you? Get lost, rags, unless you want to join her."
Sebastian ignored Shiv. Looked directly at Valerie.
"You look like you need a drink," Sebastian said calmly.
Valerie blinked. Confused. "What?"
Sebastian reached into his inventory. Pulled out a vial. It glowed with a vibrant, neon green light.
[Item: Potion of Knitting (Epic)]
[Effect: Instant 500 HP Heal. Cures Trauma. Restores 200 Mana.]
"This potion will fix your broken arm," Sebastian said. Gesturing to her left arm which hung limply. "It will refill your mana. Let you cast [Fireblast] about... four times? Enough to kill these five trash mobs."
Shiv's eyes widened. He recognized the glow. "That's the potion from the auction! The one that sells for 5 gold!"
Sebastian looked at Valerie. "5 Gold is the market price. For you, right now? It's 50 Gold. Supply and demand."
The crowd gasped. He was extorting her? In the middle of an assault?
Valerie stared at him. Shock warring with anger in her eyes. "You... you're trying to sell me something while I'm about to die?"
"I'm offering you a solution," Sebastian said coldly. "You can die. Lose a level. Drop your gear. Let them win. Or you can pay me, and burn them to ash. Your choice, Heiress."
Shiv lunged. "Kill him! Take the potion!"
"Void Walk."
Sebastian phased. Shiv passed right through him.
Sebastian reappeared next to Valerie. Holding the potion out. He didn't look at the thugs. Looked at her.
"Do we have a deal?"
Valerie looked at the thugs regrouping. Looked at Sebastian's cold, mercenary eyes. She saw no pity there. Only calculation.
She respected it.
"Deal," she hissed.
[System: Trade Request Accepted.]
[Valerie transfers 50 Gold to Zero.]
[Zero transfers Potion of Knitting to Valerie.]
Instant.
Valerie uncorked the vial. Downed it in one gulp.
The effect was miraculous. Her HP bar shot from red to full green instantly. Her broken arm snapped back into place with a sickening crunch she didn't even flinch at. Her mana aura flared. Turning the air around her hot.
She smiled. A terrifying smile.
"Thank you," she said to Sebastian.
Then she turned to Shiv.
"Now," Valerie said. Her staff glowing with blinding orange light. "You wanted to strip me?"
"Wait!" Shiv backed up. "She's full HP!"
"Pyroblast!"
BOOM!
A fireball the size of a beach ball slammed into Shiv's chest. He didn't just take damage. He was launched backward into his friends. The explosion engulfed the alleyway in flames.
[-800 (Critical!)]
Valerie didn't stop. She cast [Fire Wave]. A cone of flame that caught the remaining four thugs. They screamed as their HP melted away.
Sebastian leaned against the wall. Watching the carnage.
'She has good casting timing,' he critiqued silently. 'Inefficient mana usage. Raw power is decent though.'
Within thirty seconds, the five Golden Lion members were dead. Their corpses turning into particles.
Valerie stood amidst the scorch marks. Breathing heavily. Her eyes bright with adrenaline. She turned to Sebastian.
"You knew I could win," she said.
"I knew you had the stats," Sebastian corrected. "You just lacked the resource."
Valerie straightened her robe. Looked at him with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
"You're Zero," she realized. "The Drifter who won the arena match. The one Baron_K is raging about."
"I have no name," Sebastian said. Turning to walk away. "I'm just a merchant."
"Wait!" Valerie called out.
Sebastian stopped.
"You... you sold me this for 50 gold. That's robbery."
"It saved your life," Sebastian shrugged. "Cheap at the price."
"I want to hire you," Valerie said quickly. "My guild... we found a Hidden Dungeon. But we can't clear the entrance. There are traps we can't see. You... you can walk through things."
Sebastian paused. A Hidden Dungeon?
"Which one?"
"The Crypt of Silence," she said.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed under his hood. The Crypt of Silence. That was where the [Grimoire of Souls] dropped. A necessary item for his Necromancy skill tree.
He turned back to her.
"I don't do charity, Princess."
Valerie smirked. Tossing her hair back. "I don't expect you to. I'll pay. Triple your rate."
Sebastian smiled.
"Now you're speaking my language."
"Send the invite," he said. "But be warned. If you slow me down, I leave you behind."
"I won't," Valerie promised. Clutching her staff.
Sebastian looked at the burning marks on the ground. The alliance was formed. Not out of friendship. Out of blood and gold.
Just the way he liked it.