An awkward silence hung over the square. People shifted nervously, glancing at each other, unsure if they should be the first to test the mysterious merchant. Lex stood in the middle of the crowd, his blurred appearance adding to the unease. His calm demeanor clashed with the chaos and panic swirling around him.
Finally, a young man stepped forward, a grin on his face. He had the look of someone who spent more time playing video games than worrying about real life. His excitement was clear, despite the tension all around.
"I'll take a sword," he said confidently, his voice cutting through the quiet.
Lex nodded, his blurred figure flickering slightly as he held out his hand. "Ten coins."
The young man hesitated only for a second before transferring the coins. As the last coin was sent, a sword appeared in Lex's hand—out of nowhere. The blade was plain, no decoration, just metal and a hilt. It was a basic weapon, but that wasn't what drew gasps from the crowd. They had never seen something materialize like that before.
The young man took the sword, with some difficulty. He did not expect it to be so heavy. His excitement faltered a bit as he inspected it. But before he could say anything, a voice rang out from the crowd.
"That's it? A plain sword? I think we can find a better weapon ourselves!" someone shouted, the crowd murmuring in agreement.
Lex didn't miss a beat. "Oh, you can try," he said coolly. "But from now on, only star-rated items—items with a status—can harm creatures in the Game. Anything else is just decoration."
The crowd shifted, uncertain. A woman stepped forward, her face set in a determined scowl. She dug through her purse and pulled out a small knife, holding it up for all to see.
"This is ridiculous," she said, her voice loud. "Are you seriously buying into this bullshit? I'll show you! You said that you cannot harm a creature of the Game with weapons without a star, right? Since I am a 'Player,' this includes me too, right?"
"Obviously," Lex answered without hesitation.
She lifted the knife and went to make a small cut on her hand, but as the blade touched her skin, nothing happened.
Frowning, she pressed harder, but still nothing. Her frustration grew, and she slashed at her palm with more force, but the blade wouldn't even leave a scratch.
The crowd was silent, eyes wide as they watched her fail repeatedly. Others began pulling out small items—pocket knives, sharp objects—testing them on their own skin. No one could hurt themselves. Only punches and physical hits from others seemed to land.
"Impossible..." someone whispered, eyes wide in disbelief.
Lex shrugged casually, barely moved by the growing confusion in the crowd. "Fair, isn't it?" he said, his voice carrying easily through the crowd. "Some worlds have tech that's light-years ahead of yours. The Game can't have them steamrolling everyone with their fancy toys. This... levels the playing field."
His eyes scanned the group, watching as they processed what he was saying. "But don't get comfortable," he continued. "You're not invincible. You can still get hurt—just not by anything that isn't star-rated. Consider it a bit of protection, but don't mistake it for safety."
The tension was broken by the young man who had bought the sword. A maniacal grin spread across his face as he tested the blade on his arm. A small cut appeared, blood trickling down.
"I can hurt myself with the blade!" he said, his voice almost gleeful.
The crowd gasped. Fear and confusion gave way to a new wave of panic. After a few seconds, people rushed toward Lex, desperate to get weapons. Although they still couldn't understand exactly what was happening, it was better to be prepared.
Coins exchanged hands rapidly, and Lex kept up with the demand, smiling calmly as he handed out the most basic weapons.
Each sale was a scam. Lex knew that if he were an actual merchant, the Game would've imposed strict rules, at least in the tutorial, limiting how much he could charge—likely half of what he was asking.
But those rules didn't apply to him. He wasn't bound by the Game's restrictions because, after all, he wasn't a real merchant to begin with. The crowd didn't need to know that. In their panic and fear, they were eager to buy, and Lex took full advantage.
Until now, everything has been carefully directed in this direction. Lex wouldn't have given any information if it didn't profit him.
He had done this before in past loops—pretending to be a merchant—but he usually only charged one coin more than others. This time, however, he was squeezing every last bit out of them without any shame.
As the last transaction wrapped up, a loud chime echoed through the air. A system window appeared in front of everyone:
[QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST ATTACK WAVE FOR 5 DAYS. REWARD: 25 COINS.]
[COUNTDOWN WILL START AT MIDNIGHT.]
There was no further explanation. The word "survive" hung in the air like a threat. People looked around wildly, unsure of what to expect or where the attack would come from.
Lex didn't waste time. He pocketed one last customer and immediately started walking toward a narrow alley. The crowd watched him go, some shouting, desperate to buy more items.
"Wait! I still need a weapon!"
Lex turned, his face darkening slightly. "Don't follow me. If you do, it'll be the last mistake you make." His voice was sharp, carrying enough weight to send chills down their spines.
People froze, unwilling to test his threat.
Satisfied, Lex turned back and slipped into the alley. He moved quickly, navigating the twists and turns with ease, until he reached a hidden stash tucked away in a dark corner. He crouched down, pulling out a bag of food he had hidden earlier. It wasn't much, just enough to keep him going for precisely 5 days.
With the bag slung over his shoulder, he headed toward a nearby bar. It was an old place, abandoned long before the Game started, located underground in a dark alley. The kind of place you wouldn't find unless you knew exactly where to look.
Lex pushed open the door and stepped inside, locking it firmly behind him. The bar was dingy and smelled of dust and neglect. The tables were covered in a layer of grime, and the shelves behind the counter were empty, the bottles long gone.
He headed toward the back, past the counter, into what had once been the staff area. Flicking on a light, Lex looked around. The room was small and cluttered with old furniture and equipment.
But what caught his eye were the shelves filled with suspicious-looking discs and perverted items like stolen panties or even used condoms.
"If I remember correctly, this place was a hideout for a creep who filmed people fucking." The thought once made his skin crawl. But that didn't matter now. He had long since become numb to such things.
He walked over to an old computer, dusting off the keyboard. Surprisingly, there was still electricity. The screen turned on, revealing feeds from various security cameras placed around the city. For some reason, the bar's previous owner had hacked into the city's surveillance system.
The mask he wore had slowly begun to dissipate like mist, revealing his sharp, cold face. It was expected—temporary items never lasted long.
Sitting down in front of the screens, he stared at the flickering images of the city.
It was his first time scamming so many people of their money, so he needed to be careful of butterfly effects. This place was perfect for surveillance. He wouldn't even need to fight what was coming. That was not worth it; he would rather just hide and watch.
Although there were some Easter eggs scattered throughout the world that could grant blessings, Lex didn't care. He didn't need them.
Sitting back in his chair, he glanced at the floating red screen in front of him.
A small smirk crossed his face as he looked at his balance. It was the most money he'd ever had this early. "Not bad," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair as he sat up straighter, feeling a little more at ease.
"Let's see what we have here," he said, eyes narrowing as he scrolled through the camera feeds on the screen.