NOVEL WEB Chapter 81: Bought Until Sold Out
With the academy now self-sufficient in producing mana crystals, Victor pondered over the surplus. Ten novice-grade mana crystals per day were more than he needed. Selling half to the players for two hundred merit points each seemed to be a feasible idea to enhance their progression and make them stronger more quickly.
Resolved, he listed them in the virtual shop. But then a logistical issue arose — who would handle distribution upon purchase? In the end, he assigned the task to Lizbeth, who accepted it with noticeable reluctance. Clearly, the need for additional NPCs was becoming more pressing than ever.
Soon, a series of footsteps approached, and without any preamble or knock, the double doors swung open. The perpetrator, a girl with unique clothes, made an unannounced entrance and waltzed inside.
“You called for me? Victor?” Lizbeth hadn’t exaggerated; Eleanor was literally bathing in sweat from head to toe.
“Uh… Yes. Please have a seat.” Victor motioned toward the nearby sofa.
“What, still keeping up formalities?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Just be casual, will ya?” Then, she crashed onto the sofa, clearly a bit out of breath. Beads of sweat were raining down on the sofa as well.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Victor dove straight into the heart of the matter. “Remember the magic tool you used in the forest before?”
“Sure do! What about it?” She cranked her head.
“How many of those do you have?” Victor cut to the chase.
“Only this one,” she replied, pulling out a teardrop-shaped amulet with intricate runes etched on its surface. “But I’ve got spare parts to make more, though incomplete ones.”
“So, you can produce more of them?” Victor raised an eyebrow. “What are the materials?”
The drive behind Victor’s question was the potential benefits for the players. Such a magic tool could be incredibly useful and practical. To reach the lair of the Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid, which he had designated as a “dungeon,” players would have to journey through the forest for several kilometers. Even if they purchased the {Demonic Eye} spell, there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t encounter a deadly supernatural phenomenon at all.
“Yep, that’s right! Though I can only produce three more at most. As for the materials, each one requires a moonstone — most importantly — then silver, obsidian, and any magical wood. The reason that it isn’t complete is that it hasn’t absorbed enough negative energy.”
The materials, while not exactly commonplace, weren’t exceedingly rare either. Most were, in fact, accessible around the academy, with some being on the ravine. This meant that producing more in the future shouldn’t be a problem. Still, even in its current state, this amulet was already on par with standard low-grade magic tools. Wouldn’t the complete one at least be equal to mid-grade?
“Three are enough,” Victor affirmed. “I’ll arrange for the material costs later; please go ahead and make them. The acolytes will soon need them for forest exploration.”
While Victor had the option to acquire the necessary materials via the System shop, he deemed it imprudent to spend AP on such expenses. Conserving them for more crucial or high-value items, or in case of emergencies, seemed a wiser strategy. He had a hunch that the value of AP would only escalate over time. Talk about not being able to do gacha again.
“Gotcha!” She responded with a vigorous nod, rising back to her feet. “Not trying to toot my own horn, but my skills don’t pale even compared to a one-star Artificer.”
Artificers, much like Alchemists, were classified by a grading system that reflected their level of expertise. Being a one-star Artificer meant she had the ability and proficiency to craft superior-grade magic tools. Typically, this level of skill was found only among official Magi because of the high difficulty.
“I hate to admit it, but I feel she can be trusted, Master. Somehow,” Lizbeth remarked.
“Well, I’ll take your word for it then.” She was a Faulkner, after all — the descendant of the legendary Artificer lineage.
“That’s more like it.” Eleanor appeared satisfied by the answer.
“By the way, what’s the name of the magic tool?” Victor inquired. Without a name, it would be listed on the virtual shop with a placeholder name, which sounded stupid.
As if waiting for Victor to ask that question, Eleanor leaned in with excitement, fists clenched. “Hoho! I’ve thought of the perfect name: ‘Spectral Aegis Amulet.’ How’s that sound?”
“How strange of you to have a good knack for names.” Lizbeth giggled, her face showing that she wasn’t expecting that coming from her.
“It’s a fitting name, I guess. Let’s go with that,” Victor agreed, nodding in approval.
“Right? If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to work—”
“Wait. Here, take these.” Victor materialized ten novice-grade mana crystals from his interspatial ring and handed them to her.
“Whoa! That’s a heck lot of mana crystals! I haven’t even started working on the amulets yet.”
“Consider it as your salary paid in advance,” Victor said with a tentative smile. “Eleanor, you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Even if you’re at the second-stage Initiate Attunement, taking enough rest is important to maintain your health.” The last thing he needed was for his skilled Artificer to die from exhaustion like he once did.
“Kind of contradictory to push work on me and then tell me to rest, isn’t it?” With one hand on her hip, Eleanor gave Victor the stink eye.
On the side, even Lizbeth was giggling at the exchange. This sassy fairy…
Victor cleared his throat and stated, “Be serious.”
“Aye! I’ll go freshen up in the bathhouse and then take a break.” She laughed heartily. “What about you, Miss Fairy? Care to join me?”
“No!” Lizbeth quickly ducked behind Victor, visibly startled.
Eleanor let out a disappointed “Aww…” before leaving the room with heavy steps.
***
The opening of the server the next day was working smoothly. The gaming capsules for the first batch of the one hundred new players had been sent days prior to the update, so there was no delay in them entering the game. As soon as the time on the System clock struck six, ten new players joined the game.
This particular batch of players was more special than others because it was the convergence of several interesting individuals, not just the two people who had gotten free passes from him. Although, Victor was still pondering about—
“Master, someone just bought all five novice-grade mana crystals from the virtual shop in one go!"
“Say what?” Victor jerked his head backward, almost unable to believe it.
It wasn’t even a minute that the server was open, and already someone had snapped up all of the mana crystals available on that day. It was important to mention that Victor had not even announced about the availability of mana crystals on the virtual shop to the players. Thus, the buyer must have checked it immediately upon logging in.
Victor asked curiously, “Who’s the perpetrator?”
“It’s Storm — one of your favorite players,” answered the fairy.
Victor slapped his forehead. He forgot to limit the purchase to just one per player. But it made sense; this guy, Storm, had lower-than-average mana aptitude among the players, so he was probably feeling left behind. A desperate man would do whatever it took to reverse his situation.
“Whatever. Let it slide this time. Go and deliver the mana crystals to him,” Victor conceded with a sigh, turning his attention to the holographic screen displaying the new players.
***
“Where’s Storm?” William — aka Prominence — asked as he strolled along with his three gaming buddies.
“I don’t know,” Mike responded with a shrug. “Haven’t spotted him since I logged in. Wasn’t he chatting with you guys just a bit ago?”
“He was rambling about the possibility of forming two parties or more for the dungeon clearing, moaning about how he’s still halfway away from being a first-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte… After that, it was all a blur since I wasn’t paying attention. Then, I met up with Zero and SuperNova, and suddenly, poof, he’s vanished.”
“Oh, I think I saw him…” SuperNova piped up. “He zipped past like a comet with this wild, manic look while fiddling with the screen of his Shadowlink Mark. No idea what got him so hyped.”
“We’re supposed to be checking the blacksmith workshop and then shepherding the newbies today as usual. For him to skip out on them, the first one especially… Maybe he wants to take a crap?” Even Zero’s logical remark hinted at an urgent need to duel with the porcelain beast — or stone, in this case.
William chuckled in response. He recalled getting diarrhea when he led the foraging group; recklessly sampling something untested was a stupid idea rather than daring. Honestly, when it came to the strangest kind of thing, this game was so realistic at implementing it.
Increasingly, more players were rising to the ranks of veterans, those who had promoted to Initiate Attunement or not alike, leaving the mundane jobs to the newcomers. While their group no longer handled the manual labor teams, they still had a duty to guide those fresh from the incubation pods. It wasn’t just about leadership; it was also a chance to spot potential talents for recruitment to their group.
***
Slipping into the sleek gaming capsule and donning the helmet, Sean’s heart raced with excitement. He closed his eyes, feeling the capsule seal with a gentle hiss. After yesterday’s update announcement, he had been anticipating this moment of finally entering the game.
I wonder… does this game truly exist? Despite the footage he had seen online, a part of him still wrestled with the reality of a full-immersion VR. Could it truly exist in the way it was described?
Then, a momentary disorientation washed over him, followed by a beam of light piercing the darkness through his closed eyelids. He felt enveloped by a peculiar sensation, as if passing through an unseen barrier.
Opening his eyes, Sean found himself in a dim, cool chamber, just stepping out of an incubation pod. As he looked around, a strong jolt struck him like holding a zapping wire.
“So, it’s real! The game… it actually exists!” He was awestruck, feeling the cool, stony floor beneath his feet. The environment was stunning — it was like inside a magic structure or something. The air that he breathed, the beat of his heart, they all felt real. “Seeing is believing.” This proverb resonated well with his current situation.
But as he stepped forward, his wonder was abruptly interrupted. A shadowy figure lunged at him, slamming him against the wall face-first with startling speed. The game had only just begun, yet something, or someone, was already waiting for him…
