#038
“What are you doing, Kang Raon?”
I was just pointlessly draining my mental energy on unhelpful negative thoughts.
“Think about something else, something else.”
Since my head wouldn’t completely clear, I wanted to shake off the negative thoughts with at least some harmless random musings. What should I think about?
“I’m hungry…”
Being cold and tired, I thought of warm soup. As soon as I thought about food, I became ravenously hungry. Another bad point about the reality patch was that even without labor or combat, stamina depleted as time passed, and regardless of the stamina bar’s condition, I still got hungry.
Thanks to the tea I’d gotten from the priest, my stamina bar was more than half full and there was no worry of collapsing, but the hunger remained. It would have been nice if I could have gotten dinner from Carlisle. Since part of the lake was still alive, it wasn’t like the village produced absolutely no real food, so at least Carlisle Lightinger would definitely be making and eating real food.
“What would the dinner menu have been?”
In the game, I’d had a dinner date event at Carlisle’s house. From appetizers to dessert, various dishes with names I’d never heard before had come out one after another. I remember thinking how nice it would be to taste them in reality while looking at the carefully crafted illustrations of each dish.
‘Finally became reality, but I can’t even dream of such things…’
Carlisle’s events were particularly ones where the development team had clearly put in effort—the background music, the atmosphere, and even the dialogue were among the most romantic. The content rating was quite high too. Date events usually ended with kisses, but the date at Carlisle’s house typically ended with going to bed.
‘Why are my thoughts flowing in this direction…’
I didn’t want to do something foolish like blushing in the darkness, so I shook my head. Forget the character from the game already. Think about the current Carlisle Lightinger. What good is a fancy shell? He’s become someone who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if pricked with a needle. Despite being such a person, I should be happy just to be able to tag along on the expedition.
“But what about Eira’s potions? I’ll need to use a few myself, but I need to sell the rest… Both Eira and I need money to do anything…”
I had even boasted that I wouldn’t be a burden during the expedition. Just as I was sighing with hunched shoulders.
“I’ll buy those.”
Aaaaaahhh!
At the voice that suddenly came from beside me, I was horrified and stumbled backward. The fact that I didn’t roll on the ground or scream disgracefully was thanks to the Tranquility Potion. My heart pounded as if it would burst through my ribs. I had no idea when or where they had appeared, but a person (was it really a person?) was walking right next to me, closely attached to my side.
“Huh.”
The moment I confirmed their face, my soul briefly left my body.
‘E-egg ghost?’
Only eyes! There was no nose or mouth! For a moment I thought my heart had stopped. I really must have stopped breathing for a while.
As I froze solid, the other party also stopped walking and faced me. Since I was just staring without saying anything, the egg ghost spoke first. (No, since they had no mouth, I just heard the sound.)
“Hello.”
Only when my fleeing soul barely returned did I realize that the other party was wearing a smooth mask. Their height was similar to mine and their loose clothing fluttered, giving quite a thin impression. Surely what was inside wasn’t a skeleton? That would be… dizzying in its own way. The possibility wasn’t entirely absent. They wore gloves on their hands too, so there wasn’t a single place where their real body was revealed.
“Who… are you?”
With my heart still pounding, I barely squeezed out my voice.
“Someone who buys and sells things.”
They said “someone,” definitely. It probably wasn’t a lie. I desperately clung to that single word the other party had uttered. And at the same time, having barely calmed down, I realized their identity. They were also one of the game’s main NPCs in their own way. This was the first time actually meeting them though.
‘Secret Merchant.’
A merchant who only appeared on special days in special places. Though their role was quite minor to be called main, they still played a significant part by dealing in rare items essential for quests. The conditions for their appearance varied each time. There were times when I’d get hints and seek them out, or discover them by chance while passing by, but there had never been an instance where the merchant approached the player suddenly like this. Was this also part of the reality patch?
‘Wow… I really thought my heart stopped.’
I was so startled that even my life bar decreased a little. If it hadn’t been for the Tranquility Potion, I might have really died from cardiac arrest. Only after realizing that the other party wasn’t a ghost or monster, but an NPC I knew, did my pulse gradually stabilize.
The reason I didn’t recognize them at first glance was because their appearance had changed. The Secret Merchant (usually called “Bisang” for short) had different outfits each time, but the common point was that they always hid their face. Sometimes it was a mask and sunglasses combination with a deeply pulled hood, other times they wrapped bandages around or wore an upside-down box. This faceless mask was a first. Was it a new fashion?
“Why suddenly…”
This was actually a precious being I should be happy to see, but my reaction was lukewarm due to being overly startled.
“Potion. I’ll buy it.”
Their voice echoed strangely, making it impossible to distinguish if they were male or female. Moreover, their speech pattern was typically AI. Although the game’s NPCs and even customer service staff were all artificial intelligence, they all implemented speech patterns that were as natural as possible, but this one was like an early version AI as-is.
But what mattered was the content of their words. I mulled over Bisang’s proposal and finally showed a proper reaction.
“…You’ll buy Eira’s potions?”
Bisang nodded.
“Melbrain Potion. I’ll buy 5.”
“…But how did you know about that?”
“Secret Merchants know everything.”
“……”
Was this a setting where they eavesdropped from outside the window when Eira and I were talking about potions? Or did they just know because they were an official part of the system? Either possibility existed.
‘Well, if that’s how it is, then that’s how it is.’
There were more than one or two ridiculous situations, so I gave up on logic. Anyway, it seemed like a problem I’d been racking my brain over would solve itself, which was fortunate for me.
“How much will you buy them for?”
Recalling Eira’s advice, I prepared to negotiate. Had she said not to sell for less than 500,000 Rual each?
“400,000 Rual each. No haggling.”
“500,000 Rual.”
“No haggling.”
“…480,000 Rual.”
“If you don’t want to deal, I’m leaving.”
Bisang really turned around. As they walked away, their body began to disappear as if melting into the darkness. So that’s how they had appeared. And they call themselves a person after doing that? Does that make sense?
But what’s important right now isn’t that.
“Hey, wait!”
I panicked and grabbed Bisang.
“Okay, okay. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Even without confessing, you’d probably know, but I have no talent for haggling. Honestly, offering to buy potions that have nowhere to be sold at this price level made me think this strange merchant was actually incredibly conscientious. Since I’m the weaker party, if they were a villain, they’d actually lowball me more or reduce the price every time I complained.
“Deal. I’ll sell. 400,000 Rual each.”
Curved eyes suddenly appeared on the merchant’s mask. Was this a digital mask?
“……”
Well, that’s not what’s important. I tried to open my inventory to make the transaction. But thinking about it, I didn’t have Eira’s potions. They hadn’t even been made yet, so it was natural.
“But I don’t have the potions yet. Eira is making them right now…”
“I know. When they’re all made, I’ll come find them myself. Here’s 2 million Rual.”
Bisang held out a heavy money pouch.
Paying the fee upfront without even receiving the goods?
I was bewildered.
They’d just acted like a seasoned merchant, but now they were acting foolishly in a way that was perfect for being scammed. What would they do if I took the money and ran without giving the goods? Is this really a decent merchant?
In reality, this would be a situation where I’d be the one finding it suspicious, but anyway, since I knew Bisang wasn’t a scammer, I obediently accepted the money. They’d probably come find me when all the potions were made.
The heavy feeling of the pouch was nice. With this, a list of things to buy spread out before my eyes. How long had it been since I felt like a rich person? I could clearly picture Eira’s jaw dropping in surprise. Her favorability going up was a sure thing.
“Well, see you later.”
I was about to part ways with a pleased smile, feeling full without eating. But.
“Wait.”
This time Bisang grabbed my sleeve.
“…Why?”
When I asked, Bisang took out something like a tablet and showed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Look and see if there’s anything you want to buy. I have many good items.”
“Ah…”
The tablet was a catalog, so to speak. I understood why they’d given me money in advance. They wanted to sell goods, but since I was broke, they’d advanced me funds.
‘Clever bastard…’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
