Chapter 130: The First Market and the Potion of 'Pure Luck'
The new world didn't have a global trade network anymore. No auction houses where you could buy a legendary sword with a single click. Instead, there was something much noisier and more chaotic: A Village Market.
"Step right up! Get your fresh dirt-grown carrots! Guaranteed to not turn into pixels!" a farmer shouted, holding up a bunch of orange roots.
Aki, who had spent the last two hours trying to figure out how to be a 'Businessman' in a world without a digital currency, was standing behind a wooden crate. He had filled several glass bottles with clear river water and was currently glowing his hands over them to give them a faint, golden shimmer.
"Aki, what are you doing?" Rena asked, looking at the bottles with suspicion. "That's just water. You're literally selling people water."
"It's not just water, Rena! It's 'Infused Essence of the Glitch'!" Aki whispered, his eyes sparkling with a familiar greed. "I'm telling them that if they drink it, their 'Luck Stat' will increase. Since there are no more stat bars, nobody can prove me wrong! It's the perfect scam!"
The Price of Honesty
Von (Volt) approached the stall, his eyes scanning the crowd. He saw people trading furs for bread, and iron tools for warm blankets. It was primitive, but it was honest.
"Aki, stop," Von said, his voice low and firm. "We didn't destroy the system just so you could build a new one based on lies. If you want to sell something, sell something real."
Aki pouted, looking at his golden bottles. "But Von... I need to buy that shiny new dagger from the blacksmith! He won't take 'friendship' as a payment!"
"Then use your daggers to hunt the wolves that are harrassing the village," Von replied, pointing toward the dark woods at the edge of the market. "The village leader offered a real reward for it. Real leather. Real steel. No glitches required."
The Wolves of the New Era
Just as Von spoke, a howl echoed from the forest. But it wasn't a normal wolf. From the shadows emerged beasts that were twice the size of a horse. Their fur was grey, and their eyes were a piercing violet—the same color as Von's twilight energy.
"The wolves... they've evolved," Rena whispered, her staff glowing. "They've absorbed the residual energy from when the System collapsed. They aren't monsters anymore; they are 'Predators of the Void'."
The market descended into chaos. People ran for cover, leaving their goods behind.
"Aki! Put the water down!" Von roared, his own blade igniting in a storm of violet shadows.
Aki sighed, drawing his twin daggers. "Fine. But I'm charging the village leader double for this. Saving a town is way more expensive than selling fake juice!"
The Battle of the Violet Woods
The wolves moved with a speed that left trails of violet light in the air. They didn't have 'Levels' anymore, which made them unpredictable. You couldn't tell how much HP they had left until they actually fell.
Von lunged, his blade clashing with the lead wolf's claws. The impact sent sparks of pure energy flying. "They're using the same power as me! They're drinking the twilight!"
Aki dived under a wolf's belly, his daggers flashing in the sunlight. "Hey! Overgrown puppy! Try a taste of 'Actual Daggers'!"
As Aki struck, he realized something. Because the wolves were made of the same energy as the Key he once held, his daggers—which still had traces of Admin-Code—were incredibly effective. Every strike he made didn't just cut; it 'corrupted' the wolf's form.
"Von! Aim for the chest! Their 'Code-Core' is vulnerable there!" Aki shouted.
A New Source of Power
The battle was short but intense. As the last wolf fell, it didn't dissolve into pixels. It left behind a physical body, and a glowing, violet crystal in its chest.
Von picked up the crystal. He could feel the raw, unfiltered energy inside it. "The System is gone, but the power it left behind is still here. We can use these crystals to rebuild. Not as a system, but as tools."
Aki looked at the violet crystal in Von's hand, then at his fake water bottles. "You know... if we put those crystals inside the water, I wouldn't have to lie anymore. It would actually be a 'Mana Potion'!"
Von shook his head, but he was smiling. "Aki, you never change. But for now, let's get this reward. We have a world to build.Chapter 75: The First Market and the Potion of 'Pure Luck'
The new world didn't have a global trade network anymore. No auction houses where you could buy a legendary sword with a single click. Instead, there was something much noisier and more chaotic: A Village Market.
"Step right up! Get your fresh dirt-grown carrots! Guaranteed to not turn into pixels!" a farmer shouted, holding up a bunch of orange roots.
Aki, who had spent the last two hours trying to figure out how to be a 'Businessman' in a world without a digital currency, was standing behind a wooden crate. He had filled several glass bottles with clear river water and was currently glowing his hands over them to give them a faint, golden shimmer.
"Aki, what are you doing?" Rena asked, looking at the bottles with suspicion. "That's just water. You're literally selling people water."
"It's not just water, Rena! It's 'Infused Essence of the Glitch'!" Aki whispered, his eyes sparkling with a familiar greed. "I'm telling them that if they drink it, their 'Luck Stat' will increase. Since there are no more stat bars, nobody can prove me wrong! It's the perfect scam!"
The Price of Honesty
Von (Volt) approached the stall, his eyes scanning the crowd. He saw people trading furs for bread, and iron tools for warm blankets. It was primitive, but it was honest.
"Aki, stop," Von said, his voice low and firm. "We didn't destroy the system just so you could build a new one based on lies. If you want to sell something, sell something real."
Aki pouted, looking at his golden bottles. "But Von... I need to buy that shiny new dagger from the blacksmith! He won't take 'friendship' as a payment!"
"Then use your daggers to hunt the wolves that are harrassing the village," Von replied, pointing toward the dark woods at the edge of the market. "The village leader offered a real reward for it. Real leather. Real steel. No glitches required."
The Wolves of the New Era
Just as Von spoke, a howl echoed from the forest. But it wasn't a normal wolf. From the shadows emerged beasts that were twice the size of a horse. Their fur was grey, and their eyes were a piercing violet—the same color as Von's twilight energy.
"The wolves... they've evolved," Rena whispered, her staff glowing. "They've absorbed the residual energy from when the System collapsed. They aren't monsters anymore; they are 'Predators of the Void'."
The market descended into chaos. People ran for cover, leaving their goods behind.
"Aki! Put the water down!" Von roared, his own blade igniting in a storm of violet shadows.
Aki sighed, drawing his twin daggers. "Fine. But I'm charging the village leader double for this. Saving a town is way more expensive than selling fake juice!"
The Battle of the Violet Woods
The wolves moved with a speed that left trails of violet light in the air. They didn't have 'Levels' anymore, which made them unpredictable. You couldn't tell how much HP they had left until they actually fell.
Von lunged, his blade clashing with the lead wolf's claws. The impact sent sparks of pure energy flying. "They're using the same power as me! They're drinking the twilight!"
Aki dived under a wolf's belly, his daggers flashing in the sunlight. "Hey! Overgrown puppy! Try a taste of 'Actual Daggers'!"
As Aki struck, he realized something. Because the wolves were made of the same energy as the Key he once held, his daggers—which still had traces of Admin-Code—were incredibly effective. Every strike he made didn't just cut; it 'corrupted' the wolf's form.
"Von! Aim for the chest! Their 'Code-Core' is vulnerable there!" Aki shouted.
A New Source of Power
The battle was short but intense. As the last wolf fell, it didn't dissolve into pixels. It left behind a physical body, and a glowing, violet crystal in its chest.
Von picked up the crystal. He could feel the raw, unfiltered energy inside it. "The System is gone, but the power it left behind is still here. We can use these crystals to rebuild. Not as a system, but as tools."
Aki looked at the violet crystal in Von's hand, then at his fake water bottles. "You know... if we put those crystals inside the water, I wouldn't have to lie anymore. It would actually be a 'Mana Potion'!"
Von shook his head, but he was smiling. "Aki, you never change. But for now, let's get this reward. We have a world to build.