The Trader

Levi was still a few meters away from the entrance to the village where he could see two guards standing.

'this must be where the Nevadar region begins…'

"Inventory"

He was still a little bit skeptical about the reward he had just received

⟨⟨Inventory⟩⟩

<10 gold>

Touching it, 10 gold coins materialized in his palm.

He stood there frozen in disbelief, his eyes turned into gleaming suns, tinged with the golden hue of endless desires."

"It-its real gold," he stammered in disbelief.

'in the past, me and father could go a whole month on this but now I got it practically for free' he thought to himself.

"Of course, it's real gold, what are you, new?" He heard a croaked manly voice say.

He lifted his eyes to see a scruffy figure approaching in the darkness of the night, wearing a patched cloak that hung loosely on his frame with an air of shifty charm.

By the time he stood only a few feet away from Levi, he lifted the hood to reveal a slender face with a sharp cheekbone and narrow jawlines, wearing a toothy grin that seemed rehearsed. He had a long shabby beard with a pale complexion and was only as tall as Levi's shoulders.

"No, of course not," Levi replied with hostility.

Unwilling to reveal too much about himself to other players, Levi kept a cautious stance.

"Calm down valiant hero, I bear no ill intentions. The name's Paddin, I simply wanted to know if this warrior needed any assistance" he said as he stretched out his hands gesturing for a handshake.

'He called me a warrior which means he is an NPC, that also means it's possible he was placed here for a reason… or it could simply just be a trick'

"I'm Levi" he replied, cautiously accepting Paddin's handshake.

"What form of assistance are you offering?" Levi questioned

"The kind that this brave warrior would need" he replied with a weird grin

Paddin reached into his bag and handed Levi a small grey box.

"What is this?" Levi asked.

"It is called the 'Alchemist box' It's one of a kind item and you my friend would be lucky to have it" Paddin replied

'This is definitely a scam, even if I wanted to believe him that weird grin wouldn't let me. He's probably trying to sell me a useless item' Levi reasoned

As soon as Levi's hand came in contact with it, information about the box was displayed before him. It was the player appraisal function.

____

{Alchemist box}

Grade:– Epic

Info:– Used in creating chimeras, by combining the properties of two beast

––––

Once Levi saw the grade his eyes widened with disbelief

In Aetheria, items were graded by rarity– Legendary, Mythical, Epic, high grade, mid-grade, and low-grade.

It was an Epic class, this couldn't possibly be for free. This kind of item was special, maybe not one of a kind, but special nevertheless.

"You see just how special it is?, and it's yours for just 10 gold coins" Paddin offered

There it was, the catch. But all of a sudden it all made sense in Levi's head, he had just received 10 gold coins and now he was supposed to buy an item with that money. But he wasn't ready to let go of his newfound riches just yet

"Just 10 gold coins? Who do you think is going to give you that amount?" Levi asked with a hostile tone.

"Warrior Levi I'd like for you to trust me, you definitely won't regret it…. It's only a small amount compared to the riches that awaited you" Paddin replied with a grin that looked even more sinister

'How does one trust a face like that' Levi thought to himself.

This box was meant for tamers, and Levi didn't plan on becoming one but if an NPC was selling him this there probably was a reason.

"I trust you Paddin but I can't give you 10 gold coins, but I could give you 5" Levi replied.

"I'll take it," Paddin swiftly agreed.

Levi felt a mix of satisfaction and doubt, wondering if he could have bargained better but nevertheless, he had successfully haggled down the price so he felt satisfied with the result.

'Father always said I was bad at handling customers, if only he could see me now' he mused as he wiped a fake tear from his eye.

He handed Paddin the money and placed the box inside his inventory.

"Thank you my friend," Paddin said as he placed the money in one of his pockets beneath his cloak.

"If you don't mind me asking where did you get such a companion" he asked, staring at Blue.

"He is my sprite, is there any issue?"Levi asked defensively.

"No none at all, I was just surprised as to how you got it so early on into–" he suddenly paused as if he had bitten his tongue.

"Forgive me my friend but I must continue my journey," Paddin said as he began walking in the direction Levi had just come from.

Levi watched him disappear into the night

[That man looked awfully suspicious]

"Blue, you don't judge people by their looks. Paddin is a very well-mannered and trustworthy man"

Levi stood there for a while confused about their final interaction, before remembering that Darcy was probably waiting for him by now. He began rushing towards the village.

"I didn't know other people could see you," Levi said

[Yes, they can but only you can hear me. You don't have to worry, I learned that Sprites are very common with players so you'll blend right in]

"If they are that common that means players use them often, for what exactly?"

[sprites provide temporary buffs for their user]

"Then it was a good idea to take the form of a sprite" Levi replied

[It feels good to be appreciated, but just so you know, I can only make good decisions]

"So much for humility" Levi murmured as he walked past the two guards and into the village

A message appeared before him

"Wow, the village is flooded with players"

Many players were walking in and out of shops, mostly in groups but a few solo.

[That's because the Nevadar region is the Newbie region, it's surrounded by spawn points. It's also known as the trade county so most players come here to stock up on equipment and receive special quests]

'Now, how do I find Darcy… I hope she didn't get tired of waiting and leave'

He scanned the crowd for Darcy, eventually spotting her rushing towards him. By the time she got to him, she was completely out of breath.

She had a green skimpy-looking armor on, with a bow and arrow.

"Sorry…took… so long" Darcy gasped visibly out of breath

As Levi stared at her he could tell something was different but he couldn't really tell what. She looked the same, except for Her elf-like ears and white hair which definitely weren't the issue, there was something else…

It didn't take long before his eyes fell on her chest

'They are huge!!…..'

"We had a little confusion while sharing the loot" she continued

Darcy must have caught his stare because her face turned red as she instinctively lifted her hand to her chest.

He saw how defensive she became so he awkwardly shifted his gaze. Levi wasn't the type of guy to notice things like this but he was certain her breasts were not this big when he visited the hospital. As he started looking around he noticed that it was the same for all the other female players.

'maybe it's a normal thing' he concluded

"It-it's not what you think–" Darcy stuttered as she attempted an explanation.

"It's none of my business" Levi interrupted with a soft tone.

"How did your quest go?" He asked

"It went well, we hunted some golems in the mystic forest" she replied, gradually regaining her composure

"So what do we do now?" Levi asked

"Firstly we need to get you geared up," she replied enthusiastically

"Okay then, where can I buy some good equipment"

"Instead I have a better idea, just come with me," Darcy said and began walking through the busy street

"I'm really happy you decided to join Aetheria" she added with a face beaming with excitement.

They walked for a while before she noticed blue floating beside Levi

"Levi, how did you get a sprite so soon… I didn't even know they still sell those"

'are sprites really that rare?... Blue assured me I wouldn't stand out' Levi thought

"I bought it from a trader outside the village," he replied, thinking on his feet.

"A trader? A real one? Are you sure it wasn't a player disguised as an NPC" she asked with concern

"Of course it was a real trader, why wouldn't It be?" Levi asked

"There have just been rumors of Anti-players doing that, they'll wait outside the village and sell dud equipment to new players," Darcy replied

"But the trick is so obvious I don't believe people actually fall for something as stupid as that, especially someone as smart as you" she continued

'Huh?! What does she mean trick… it couldn't have been… everything checked out with Paddin' His stomach flipped as his mind opened to the possibility that Paddin could be a con man

[I believe she overestimates your intelligence]

Darcy noticed the displeased look on his face and felt It was something she had said that offended him.

"I didn't mean you made a mistake buying a Sprite, it's okay for new players but it just wouldn't be as effective when you level up since you can't level up your Sprite" Darcy added.

This only made Levi feel even worse. A nod accompanied by a forced smile was all he could stomach.

"Okay here we are" Darcy revealed

Darcy had led Levi to a single-story wooden building."It's a stash house," she explained. "Players can pay to store their items here, freeing up inventory space for more essential gear."

"I had saved my best low-level gear for when I finally convinced you to come," Darcy was visibly shaking with excitement as she spoke.

"You don't have to do that for me, I still have enough money left to buy equipment" Levi replied.

"you are not allowed to refuse, besides 10 gold coins wouldn't even get you a proper sword… Just wait right here, I won't take long" she said, darting into the shop.

'10 gold coins can't get you a proper sword?!' Levi was stunned by her words

[I think this would be the best time to examine that box]

"You think?!" Levi replied sarcastically.

He took the Alchemist box out of his inventory and began examining it

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