original

Marvel: Konoha's Merchant

Tác giả: Calm_Storm

Chương 1: Multiverse Trading System

Queens, New York City.

As soon as the school bell rang at Midtown High School, signaling the end of classes, one student quickly gathered his belongings and hurried toward the door with his backpack.

Just as he reached the classroom door, he heard a familiar shout.

"Hey, Jake, you promised we would play video games today!"

Jake turned around and saw his friend Carl slowly approaching.

"Uh, Carl, I said next time, which means the day after tomorrow," Jake explained. He poked his head back after stepping out and added, "See you tomorrow, Carl."

"Seriously? Does his 'next time' mean tomorrow or some other day?" Carl grumbled. This wasn't the first time Jake had said the same thing, but they still hadn't defeated the game's boss monster. It required two people to clear the stage, but since Jake had been ditching him lately, it seemed like he would have to go solo.

Another classmate passing by Carl laughed and joked, "If you keep reminding Jake every day, maybe he'll actually keep that promise next year."

"I swear he's changed ever since he started learning how to use guns. He's more attached to his gun than to me, his best friend," Carl complained. He packed up his things and prepared for his 89th solo mission, vowing that if he didn't beat the game by his 100th try, regardless of Jake's reasons, he would force him to play and beat the game.

****

As Jake made his way out of the school, he couldn't help but remember the night he transmigrated to the Marvel Universe.

Initially, he experienced a range of emotions, including surprise, fear, excitement, and terror. But eventually, he forced himself to accept the fact he had truly transmigrated into this dangerous universe.

It was now the year 2000, and he had been in this world for three years.

As for how he knew it was the Marvel world, it was because two years ago, he used the inheritance left to him by his parents to earn a lot of money. He even had stocks in Stark Industries.

Inheriting property in America was a complicated matter, but thankfully Jake's parents had prepared well before their tragic accident. They hired a lawyer and spent a significant amount of money to ensure a smooth inheritance process for Jake.

The most valuable part of the Walker family inheritance was thirty-four percent ownership of a private hospital. The rest included nearly one million dollars in assets, including three houses and two private cars.

If it weren't for the inheritance tax and the cost of hiring a full set of legal services, the Walker family would have had over five million dollars in savings.

However, these losses didn't matter much to Jake, who took advantage of the 2000 development wave and invested over 600,000 dollars in the stock market. Although there were fluctuations at first, he eventually made a substantial amount of money. The high-tech companies in the Marvel world were somewhat different from those Jake knew of in his original world, thanks to the influence of special individuals who lived here. Aside from these individuals, the direction of scientific and technological development in the Marvel world was generally the same.

Using his knowledge and foresight, Jake made a significant amount of money in the stock market by investing in gold, high-tech companies, oil, and other stocks.

In the year 2000, tens of millions of dollars in the United States could provide a lifetime of financial freedom, with luxurious villas, full-time butlers, luxury cars, and the ability to enjoy gourmet food daily.

With his financial foresight and the 34% stake in a private hospital, Jake could maintain this kind of lifestyle until his death.

But although he dreamed of living a carefree life, he couldn't afford to let his guard down in this world, especially considering he was living in the US, where even hiding underground carried a risk of accidental death due to some random fight.

As for the main reason he was working hard, it was due to the system he awakened after he transmigrated. Not wanting to experience death again, Jake did everything in his power to guarantee his safety in this world. But he was still a regular human after all. Seeing all kinds of supernatural abilities the residents of this world had, he yearned to have one as well.

As a result of the transmigration, Jake's soul integrated with the original owner, causing him to have a fast mind and a good memory. He could quickly learn some knowledge that was previously difficult for him.

For example, Jake was currently the top student in the twelfth grade at Midtown High School. With his grades and financial resources, he could choose any prestigious university.

However, Jake still dedicated a lot of time to practicing marksmanship at a shooting range in the suburbs. For an ordinary person like him, weapons were the fastest way to improve his self-protection ability.

After leaving the high school, Jake rode his motorcycle to the firearms training range. Although he had a driver's license, he liked the feeling of riding the motorcycle, especially considering he wasn't leaving the city.

When Jake arrived at the shooting range, someone was already waiting for him at the door.

"Hey Jake, you're still punctual," greeted his coach, who made a lot of money training him and was eager to welcome him. If it were someone else, they might not have received the same treatment.

"What do you want to shoot today, live targets?" the coach asked.

Nodding his head, Jake replied, "The same guns as usual, Jimmy."

Jimmy smiled and replied, "No problem, Jake. To be honest, with your current skills, you could participate in some competitions. Even if you don't win the championship, you could still make it to the top ten."

Jimmy's remarks were not mere flattery. Jake's accuracy with fixed targets was exceptional. Having only practiced for a year, he had surpassed 90% of the people at the shooting range. His recent practice with live targets had helped him improve rapidly, causing Jimmy to call him a natural shooter.

Jake smiled and accepted Jimmy's compliment. He knew that he had reached a proficient level in using different kinds of firearms to shoot targets, but he had no experience killing people. Participating in competitions was good, but he might not be able to survive in a real-life situation.

Nevertheless, being fully armed could increase his chances of survival. Although many of these items, such as bulletproof vests, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and some restricted firearms, couldn't be purchased, Jake had enough money to acquire them through less conventional means.

Afterward, Jake picked up his gun and began his training for the day. Whenever he entered training mode, his focus would be extremely concentrated.

Bang bang bang.

Time quickly passed, and Jake stopped shooting, taking a deep breath.

Jimmy approached while clapping. "Jake, it seems you've improved again today. Your performance is much better than yesterday."

"Eating healthy food and sleeping early helps me maintain a good state of mind, Jimmy," Jake replied, taking the water Jimmy offered him.

After resting for a while, Jake looked around and saw no one nearby. He asked Jimmy, "How's the information I asked you to find out?"

Jimmy looked around cautiously and whispered, "Jake, those are all prohibited weapons, and you live in the city, right? If you need safety, I can introduce you to some bodyguards."

"Oh, come on, Jimmy. I have a house in the suburbs, and I only wanted to collect some stuff out of personal interest. You don't think I'm going to war, do you? If I had that kind of time, I might as well earn some money instead."

Jake's last sentence reminded Jimmy of other ways to earn money.

Sighing, Jimmy took a note from his pocket, discreetly handing it to Jake before he whispered, "Go to this place and say you're a friend of Jimmy Black."

Thanking Jimmy, Jake didn't stay for long before leaving for the address mentioned in the note.

On the way to his motorcycle, Jake took one last look at his system panel.

[Multiverse Trading System]

[Status]

[Inventory]

[The available Trading worlds: Marvel]

[The remaining time for the next refresh: 5 days 7 hours and 24 minutes]

***

Jake drove to the location Jimmy had given him, which was a bit out of the way but still within New York City, not far from the suburbs.

Jake got out of the motorcycle and entered the weapon shop without knocking. It was a standard establishment with legal firearms on display for sale in the United States. Jake took a look around and realized that if these were the only weapons available, he didn't need information from Jimmy.

"Boss?" Jake called out.

In response, a disheveled, middle-aged man slowly stood up from behind the cash register. His beard was untidy, and his messy hair almost blended in with it.

"If you're old enough to buy a weapon, feel free to browse," the weapon shop owner said, assuming Jake was a young man interested in purchasing a firearm discreetly and with limited funds.

Without hesitation, Jake walked up to the cash register and pulled out a list from his pocket. Placing it on the counter, he handed it to the owner. The weapon shop owner glanced at the list and frowned. Not only were there a large number of items, but many of them were prohibited.

"I was referred by Jimmy," Jake explained.

In a sour mood, the shop owner responded, "Why didn't he refer you to Stark Industries?"

"Stark Industries won't break the law for such a small amount of money. You can name your price."

Jake indicated that he was willing to pay a high price for the items on the list, even though they would be more expensive. At least this weapon shop owner didn't seem dangerous. If Jimmy had introduced him to the Mafia, Jake would have preferred to purchase weapons through legal channels.

When it came to buying weapons, Jake's connections were completely useless. Among all the people he knew, only Jimmy was willing to help him find a way to purchase firearms for money. Others would advise Jake to go to the police or hire bodyguards.

But his unique system wouldn't allow others to accompany him; only he could travel between worlds, at least for now.

The weapon shop owner sternly warned Jake, "Selling these items is a crime, and if the police find out, I'll be in trouble."

Immediately, Jake slammed thirty thousand dollars on the table, making a loud thud."This is a deposit, boss. If the deal can be agreed upon, the final payment will also be in cash." The weapon shop owner became interested after seeing the money, so Jake continued, "Besides, you should know Jimmy. He has no reason to harm you, right? This is not just a transaction. I will come to you again in the future."

The current $30,000 was still very valuable, and what Jake wanted were weapons only for his use. He had both pistols and rifles, as well as more bullets, grenades, and explosives, but the total price would not exceed $150,000.

This was a significant deal, and the weapon shop owner thought for a while, repeatedly looking at Jake's expression, but he didn't see anything. Moreover, he couldn't fully understand Jake's background in such a short time.

"I can make this deal. These items will be ready in five days. You should leave me an address."

After a moment of consideration, the weapon shop owner decided to accept the deal. Jimmy's introduction was one reason; he was reliable and hadn't caused any problems. The other reason was that Jake seemed too young and didn't dress or drive expensive vehicles.

Jake took a pen and paper from the cash register and wrote down an address and phone number. "This is my phone number and address. It's best to call me before coming."

It was another residence left by Jake's parents, only four streets away with a large garage, but Jake rarely went there.

After the weapon shop owner received Jake's contact information, he accepted the $30,000 and thought it would be enough to last for three months.

Once the deal was finalized, Jake left on his motorcycle.

When he returned home, Jake planned to study some medical knowledge on his own. His excellent memory was the reason why he ranked first at Midtown High School. Therefore, Jake didn't want to waste his time on boring video games, especially those from the year 2000, which he found to be very dull in terms of both graphics and storyline.

Jake's self-study of medical knowledge was not only because of the 34% hospital shares but also because it would help him in his travels across different universes. Weapons could only give him a sense of security when facing humanoid creatures, but medical knowledge could ensure his survival in case of emergencies.

He knew how to bandage, suture wounds, apply medicine, and diagnose illnesses. His family ran a hospital, and his deceased parents left many books on the subject. Jake even tested some operations on a dummy, with a 100% success rate, but he didn't know how many real people he could save.

But despite his efforts, he couldn't focus; he was just too excited. After receiving the weapons, he could try to use his system.

He might face danger, but Jake was prepared. There were few ways for him to gain supernatural powers as an ordinary person, and the system that brought him here was the most suitable method."I'll be using the trading system in five days. Should I practice more beforehand? I'm skilled with firearms, but I've only watched videos on weapons like rocket launchers."

Jake was feeling excited today, but he only studied for two hours before giving up on self-study. After taking a shower, he poured himself a glass of red wine. As long as the police didn't come knocking, he wouldn't be considered a criminal.

"First, let's wait and see what kind of world I would get this time so I could prepare the appropriate items."

A transparent panel appeared in front of Jake. Only he could see the system's panel, which he had tested many times in front of his classmates.

The information on the panel was not extensive, and the functions were straightforward.

The system can collect information on a world, and then Jake must personally conduct business in that world. Only when he obtained the trading demands of any native of that world could the Multiverse Trading System deploy a trading marker in that world. After that, Jake could freely enter and exit that world for trading using the system.

In other words, the first trade was the most dangerous. After the first successful trade, Jake could quickly return to the Marvel world through the system or slowly build his influence in the trading world.

The system also came with fifty space slots, each of which could only hold one type of item. One hundred kilograms of an item would show as one unit in the space slot, and a slot could hold up to 999 units. If Jake traded the most basic flour, the fifty space slots could hold up to 4,995 tons of flour, which was a considerable amount.

Although there were risks and opportunities, as long as he succeeded, the opportunities would far outweigh the risks. Jake felt confident in taking a gamble, as he had thoroughly considered his options. The life of an ordinary millionaire was not what he desired.

Jake also yearned for supernatural powers. He didn't want to spend his entire life on Earth. With the help of the system, he could explore different universes and witness unimaginable things. And if he were to die in the process, at least he wouldn't have any regrets.

****

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