The Marketplace    

Rain went to the lower floors where the marketplace was located, just as Dean had told him.

In a daze from the whole conversation, he didn't notice the other players with him inside the elevator. It was rather full, and Rain didn't have the energy to wonder just how many players were in this city alone.

Dean had said that there were numerous Player Associations scattered around the world, but there were only a few players who survived to this day compared to the overall population.

Players around the globe numbered in the thousands, but only a few had made it to becoming Lords; most were reduced to being mere players.

There was silence inside the elevator. Rain could feel it — a nervous tension that came perilously close to fear.

Was everyone here a newbie too?

He shifted his gaze to the people around him, and that was when he noticed . . . most of them were weird.

There was one player dressed in a mascot costume of a bloated white rabbit. Another had long black hair and dark bags under his eyes, looking so skeletal he seemed on the brink of death. Then there was an extremely handsome man with light blue hair, wearing a school uniform.

Wait . . . he goes to the same school as me! Rain thought, unable to help shifting his attention to his own attire — just a shirt and pajamas.

In his haste to get here, he had forgotten to change his clothes and even skipped breakfast.

At the mention of breakfast, Rain's stomach rumbled loudly in the confined space of the elevator. The embarrassment echoed to his core.

Every eye shifted to him, and Rain shrunk under their scrutinizing gaze.

The person in the mascot costume giggled, and Rain was amazed to realize she was a girl. She was short, but didn't have a childish tone and definitely didn't sound mature either.

Rain guessed she was around the same age as him.

"Bro, did you just wake up and decided to come in here?" asked the man who looked like a skeleton.

Rain hid his embarrassment behind a laugh. "I did. I was so worried about my territory and troops that I just rushed in here."

The skeletal man smiled, looking even creepier when he did. "Can't blame you. I'm the same. Are you a newbie too?"

Rain nodded.

"Same here. I just started not a week ago. By the way, the name's Bones."

How fitting, Rain thought, shaking hands with Bones. "My name is Rain."

The elevator door opened, and everyone got off.

"Nice to meet you, Rain. As much as I want to stay and chat, I have a territory to save." Bones chuckled and waved at Rain goodbye.

Rain went on his way too. As he stepped out of the elevator, he halted in his tracks, surprised to find the marketplace resembling a bustling bazaar. There were countless stalls and a lot of people moving to and fro.

"Hey, move it, kid!"

Rain was pushed to the side by a bulky man.

Rain lowered his head and apologized, but the man only glared at him before continuing on his way.

Rain then rubbed his shoulder where the man had just brushed past him. It hurt a bit, but his attention swiftly shifted to the stalls, and his past troubles evaporated as he looked around.

There were all sorts of items displayed in the stalls, sold by the players. Mostly items and weapons, which Rain couldn't afford due to their astronomical prices.

There were also beast parts used in cooking and crafting. Rain had heard about beast meat being used in delicacies; the rich loved to think they would live longer if they consumed it regularly. There was no basis for that.

Some were selling tokens. Others were selling live troops, and Rain was amazed to see that some of the sellers were races from the Spirit Realm, like an elf!

Whoa! Rain's eyes shone with delight at the sight of the beautiful elf. Her aura was different from the rest, as if she were shining and glowing. Her golden hair flowed like it was stirred by an invisible wind, and her eyes twinkled like stars.

The other players were looking at her as well while the elf beamed. Her smile lighting up the whole place.

"Miss, what's your name?!"

"Are you staying here permanently, or are you going back to the Spirit Realm?"

"You must be new here on earth. I can tour you around the area if you want."

The elf held her cheeks in a bashful way. "I don't know, my Lord said that I can't leave this place unless all these items are sold," she purred and winked.

The audience went wild, and everyone clamored to buy stuff from her.

Rain wanted to buy something from her as well. It was like he was charmed by that beautiful smile.

Unfortunately, reality grounded him — he had no money.

Sighing, Rain proceeded onward before he drooled at the players flashing their money. He was only a seventeen-year-old boy who relied on his parents' allowance.

He had some money saved up, but spending thousands of dollars for a single piece of equipment was too much.

He only had $1000 at most with him, and he had even advanced his allowance for the next month.

"Looks like I have to eat canned food for the rest of the month," Rain lamented.

Rain glanced over at the elf once more and wondered if he could bring his troops to this world in the future.

Though inhabitants from the Spirit Realm had limited access to Earth and had to be monitored at all times, Rain bet his troops would love it here. He could already imagine them: those rowdy chicks running around while Troop #1 would kick and peck at them to behave.

Rain chuckled. Troop #1 was definitely like a mother hen.

He could just dress them up like humans so they would remain inconspicuous.

Rain wondered how much Soul Elixirs it would cost to extract them, though. He bet it would cost astronomical. Then he would have to extract them back to the Spirit Realm, which would cost another Soul Elixirs.

"Hey, kid."