Chapter 44: The Next World
Marcus memorized the information of the two stalls; both stated they were online at midnight, the same time most stalls did.
He returned to the silver-armored stall, and this time the same blue-scaled man was online.
"This is the list of items I need," Marcus said, handing the stall owner a printed sheet of paper.
The paper was from the catalog the stall owner had given him last time, only reprinted with red text.
The stall owner picked up the list and glanced at it. He had become familiar with running the stall these past few days, serving many customers, but the items on this list were still somewhat outrageous.
"So much? You can't bring this into the story world, can you?"
The silver-armored stall owner hesitated. This guy wanted so much stuff; was he planning something extreme in reality?
The list read: two pairs of tactical gloves with reinforced knuckles, two spiked morning stars (with chain). This was normal.
But then came the rest: two M134 Miniguns with 20,000 rounds of ammunition; two M249 SAW light machine guns with 6,000 rounds of ammunition; 100 fragmentation grenades; 20 bulletproof vests; 50 sets of tactical combat uniforms; 10 commercial drones with 100 drone-launched grenades; one portable light helicopter; and rocket launchers.
It filled an entire page.
"Sell or not?"
Marcus didn't explain much, just asked. If he didn't sell, other stalls were selling them.
"Sell!" the stall owner replied decisively.
Reality had its own forces protecting it; even if these weapons were used in something extreme, it wouldn't matter. It was better to earn survival points first.
Remembering the organization's instructions, he glanced at Marcus's appearance—wearing a disguise and mask. Although concealed, there was still a unique familiarity about him, an Earth native, but it couldn't be ruled out that he was deliberately disguising himself.
This person could afford to buy so much with survival points; he was definitely deep into the plot missions.
The stall owner thought for a moment and said,
"My code name is Greenscale, and I belong to the Jade Circle. There are three Tower Masters in the association. We welcome Earth people to join us. If you are planning to join a faction, you might want to consider us."
"Okay, I will consider it."
Marcus saw that the other party had already sensed his identity as an Earth native, so he didn't object. Sometimes intuition is quite accurate.
"Alright, you need a lot of things, about 642 survival points. Do you really need that much?"
"Actually, you can be more frugal. Modern firepower is only useful in some early worlds. Supernatural and mystical powers are the right path. You will understand later."
"There are some things I can't say too much about, but don't go astray. In the future, only by strengthening yourself can you survive."
Greenscale hesitated for a moment, but still offered some advice.
"Yes, thank you for your guidance. I understand."
Marcus understood Greenscale's point of view, but he didn't lack those survival points, and his Life Reservoir space was huge.
Although he could get firepower in the story world, taking it out would also require teleportation fees, so it was better to have some on hand for peace of mind.
"Alright, there's a lot of stuff, I need time to prepare. Let's trade in my private room in half an hour. I'll give you temporary access, that way it'll be confidential."
Greenscale saw that Marcus seemed to understand, knowing he had his reasons, and decided not to press further.
A private room opened with survival points was absolutely safe; it was certified by the Lighthouse, unlike the main plaza. Marcus knew this and nodded in agreement.
After looking around again and finding nothing else he needed, Marcus returned to his bedroom in reality to think about his plan.
He went to the Lighthouse once to retrieve the items he had traded with Greenscale.
At midnight, he returned to the Lighthouse. The two vendors who had left messages on the trading board were online as scheduled, and Marcus bought the two items he wanted.
One was a small glass vial about the length of an index finger, containing half a bottle of thick, black blood.
The other was a two-inch-long, yellowish-brown candle, only as thick as a pencil, emitting a putrid stench.
Marcus entered his private room in the Lighthouse, opened the small glass vial, and the thick, black blood inside seemed disturbed, its color changing.
He attempted to absorb the blood using his absorption ability; the thick, black blood vanished, and a subtle energy surged into the heart within the Life Reservoir.
Witches were beings who used inherited power to cast dark magic.
Marcus felt a sharp clarity in his mind; the perception he gained from absorbing the blood of the Divine Children seemed to have been activated.
His perception, which couldn't leave his body, began to become richer and more agile, allowing him to freely observe his surroundings within a foot of himself.
In comic book terms, this would be considered "psychic awareness."
Marcus checked his belongings again to make sure nothing was missing, and with a thought, activated the tower seal.
"Entering the story world ahead of schedule."
[Identity information locked, Lighthouse ID: SL914]
[Anchored World: Tomie]
[Teleportation Countdown: 5 seconds.]
[4 seconds!]
[3 seconds!]
In the shifting void, Marcus had already passed through a barrier and appeared high in the sky. Below him were rows of suburban houses, and a group of people, like ants, kept moving past.
Marcus sensed the information transmitted by the tower seal.
Current World: Tomie
[Survival Mission: Survive for 20 days (Complete the mission, reward 500 survival points.)]
[Story Mission 1: Kill Tomie (Complete the mission, reward 3000 survival points)]
[Number of Entrants: 1]
[Descent Countdown: 10 minutes (Enter Now)]
"Enter Now," Marcus chose.
"No way, that's hilarious!"
A surprised, playful voice rang in Marcus's ears.
He opened his eyes and found himself sitting in the passenger seat of a gray sedan.
The driver was a young man wearing a blue shirt, a black baseball cap, and sunglasses; it was he who had spoken just now.
"Yeah, that guy's totally like that!"
A girl with her hair in a bun, a slightly round face, and delicate features replied with a smile from the back seat.
"Yes, yes, totally!" The guy nodded in agreement again.
Marcus observed the surrounding environment. Rows of trees lined both sides of the car window, and the car was driving on a tree-lined road, making it seem like they were in the middle of nowhere.
The girl leaned forward and asked, "Tyler, are we there yet?"
"Almost there!"
"Come on, when are we going to get there~!" The girl complained in a whiny voice.
"How much longer!"
She propped her chin up with her hand, looking at the trees outside the window, and repeated.
"Jess, how impatient are you!"
Tyler chuckled. The car continued to move slowly forward, and the sky gradually turned gray and darkened, soon to be night.
"No way~, can't you hurry up!" Jess clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them, pouting.
"Where are we going?"
Marcus felt like he had been dealt a shit hand by the Lighthouse.
The few memories the possessed youth had were enough to make him feel nauseous and disgusted.
Moreover, this body had been drunk and dragged into a car by his best friend Tyler while he was unconscious.
Now that Marcus was awake, he didn't even know where they were going.
"We're here, ta-da--!"
Before Marcus could ask any more questions, the car stopped by the side of the road.
Tyler stretched out his arms, pointing to an old house outside the car window, looking like he was showing off a treasure.
Marcus looked at the dilapidated building and felt a chill run down his spine.
He'd been to Hell. He'd killed gods. He'd implanted supernatural organs in his chest.
But somehow, this rundown house in the middle of nowhere felt worse than all of that.
Because he knew what was waiting inside.
Tomie.
(End of Chapter)
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