Chapter 124: The Great Micro-Transaction Scam
The aftermath of Gold-Slayer_99's forced disconnection had left a scar on the landscape of the new world, but for Aki, it was like a dream come true. He was literally swimming in gold coins that had no owner. However, Von (Volt) wasn't looking at the gold. He was looking at the horizon, where more pillars of light were beginning to descend like a rain of divine needles.
"Aki, stop rolling in the currency," Von said, his voice cold and sharp. "The first one was a 'Scout.' The ones coming now are 'Whales'—players who have spent thousands of real-world credits to buy items that can rewrite the laws of physics. If they arrive and find a world without a system, they won't just leave. They'll try to force a new one upon us."
Aki sat up, a gold coin stuck to his forehead. "Wait, you mean they'll try to turn us back into NPCs? No way! I'm the Mayor! I'm a Manifestation of RNG! I'm not going back to saying 'Hello traveler, would you like to buy a potion?' every time someone walks past me!"
Rena approached, holding a flickering crystal tablet she'd recovered from the pile of coins. "Von is right. Look at these logs. There's a massive fleet of 'Admin-Vessels' approaching the upper atmosphere. They think this is a 'Server-Wide Event.' They think we are a bonus boss meant to be farmed."
"Farmed?" Sai growled, slamming his fist into his palm. "I'd like to see them try to harvest my shield."
The Grand Plan: The Fake Item Shop
"We can't fight a million of them at once," Von admitted. "Even with my twilight power, I have limits. We need to thin their ranks before they even draw their swords."
Aki stood up, dusting off his scarf, his eyes sparkling with a familiar, dangerous greed. "If they're players, they have one major weakness. It's not their HP, and it's not their defense stats. It's their 'Loot-Lust.' They can't resist a rare item, especially if it's on sale."
"What are you thinking, Aki?" Rena asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We build a shop," Aki grinned. "But not just any shop. A 'Legendary Hidden Vendor' stall right at the landing site of the next pillar. We tell them that because the system is 'glitching,' we are selling 'Admin-Tier Gear' for the low, low price of... everything they have."
Von looked at Aki for a long moment, then a slow, dark smile crept across his face. "You want to scam the players before they can raid us."
"Exactly! We sell them 'The Sword of Infinite One-Shots,' which is actually just a regular rusty blade painted gold with Rena's magic. We sell them 'The Armor of Divine Invulnerability,' which is just some old pots and pans polished to a shine. By the time they realize they've been cheated, they'll have traded away their real legendary gear for our junk."
Building the Trap
For the next five hours, the group worked with a speed that would have made the Architect dizzy. Rena used her remaining mana to create 'Visual Illusions'—fake stat windows that popped up when a player looked at an item.
[ITEM DESCRIPTION: The Blade of Zero-Logic. Damage: 999,999. Special Effect: Instantly deletes any enemy. Price: 10,000 Golden Coins + One Mythical-Grade Armor Set.]
Aki was in his element. He fashioned a disguise out of some old robes, making himself look like a 'Mysterious Old Hermit' with a long, white beard made of sheep's wool. He even practiced a shaky, mysterious voice. "Ho, ho... welcome, traveler... would you like to see my... hidden treasures?"
"You look ridiculous," Sai muttered, while he was busy polishing a pile of literal rocks to make them look like 'Power Gems.'
"I look like a 5-star Quest Giver!" Aki retorted. "Now, everyone hide. The next pillar is landing in three... two... one..."
The Arrival of 'Noob-Crper_X'
The pillar of light hit the ground with a deafening roar. As the dust cleared, a group of five players emerged. They were covered in glowing neon gear, their names floating in the air: 'Noob-Crper_X', 'Valkyrie_Queen', 'Loot-Goblin-King', and two others.
"Whoa, look!" Valkyrie_Queen shouted, pointing at Aki's makeshift stall. "A hidden vendor! I told you this event had secrets! Look at the stats on that sword! It's higher than the server cap!"
The players rushed toward the stall, completely ignoring Von and the others hiding in the bushes.
"Greetings, brave... uh... gamers," Aki said, his voice wobbling. "I am the... Keeper of the Lost Code. Due to the... server instability... I am authorized to sell you these 'World-Breaker' items. But be warned... I only accept 'True-Game Gear' as payment."
Loot-Goblin-King didn't even hesitate. He stripped off his 'Chestplate of the Eternal Dragon'—a genuine legendary item—and threw it onto Aki's counter. "Take it! Give me the 'Blade of Zero-Logic'! I want to be the first one to kill the Demon King boss!"
Aki handed him the rusty, gold-painted blade. "A wise choice, traveler. You now hold the power of... math... or something."
The other players followed suit. They traded their glowing boots, their enchanted rings, and their mythical shields for the 'Legendary Junk' Aki had prepared. They were so blinded by the fake stat windows Rena was projecting that they didn't even notice the items felt light and flimsy.
The 'Lag' Strike
"Alright team, let's go find that boss!" Noob-Crper_X shouted, waving his 'Divine Rock' (which was just a painted stone). "With this gear, we're gonna be gods!"
But as they turned to leave, Von stepped out from the shadows. He wasn't hiding his aura anymore. The violet-grey twilight energy swirled around him like a storm.
"The boss is already here," Von said, his voice echoing with a thousand years of authority.
The players laughed. "Oh, look at this NPC! He's got some cool dialogue. Hey, watch me one-shot him with my new sword!"
Noob-Crper_X lunged at Von, swinging the rusty blade. CLANG. The sword didn't just fail to cut Von; it shattered into a hundred pieces of rusted iron.
"What?! My 999,999 damage sword!" the player screamed.
"It seems," Von said, grabbing the player by the throat, "that your connection is... unstable."
Von didn't need to kill them. He used his 'Eclipse' power to forcefully 'Log Them Out.' One by one, the players turned into pixels and vanished, leaving behind the real legendary gear they had traded to Aki.
The Spoils of War
Aki jumped over the counter, hugging the 'Chestplate of the Eternal Dragon.' "We did it! We actually did it! We scammed the whales! Von, do you have any idea how much this armor is worth? We could buy ten cities with this!"
Rena walked over, looking exhausted but impressed. "We didn't just get gold, Aki. Look at these items. They contain 'Raw Code Shards.' If I can process these, I can give Sai a shield that can actually block a 'True Player's' attack without the system's help."
Sai picked up a glowing neon shield. "It feels... weird. It hums."
"That's the sound of victory," Aki said, stuffing a handful of enchanted rings into his pockets. "But Von... there are still more pillars. And I'm running out of gold paint."
Von looked up at the sky. The clouds were turning a deep, angry red. The 'Admins' were starting to realize their players were being 'disconnected' by something that wasn't supposed to exist.
"Then we change the strategy," Von said. "If they want a 'World Raid,' let's give them one they'll never forget. Aki, keep the shop open. We're going to need a lot more junk.