Ugly Merchant

Jasper began speaking with nearly every NPC in the royal capital. Most encounters proved fruitless; some gave him the cold shoulder, others rambled nonsense, But occasionally, gems of information emerged from unexpected sources.

A little girl:

Mister, I once told my father that I wanted to read some books, but books are expensive. So he told me that there's a store in the northern part of the city belonging to the merchant Kasper. If one becomes a good customer there, they can get a pass to the second floor, where there are a lot of books with great knowledge to read.

"This little girl is more useful than my informants!"

Random guy:

Gaining a skill brings along a lot of benefits, you can gain those skills by being mentored. Skills also can be obtained on your own, but you have to get the right item in your inventory but in this case it will take a longer time to achieve. For example: the skill smithery can be obtained faster if you find a mentor. The skills level up by experience, but experience differs—if you kill a monster you get experience, but that kind of experience strengthens combat-related skills.

"Brother, everyone I know is random but you. You saved me from a long search to know such a thing." Jasper said, genuinely grateful for this information.

But it was the bard who truly captured his attention. Perched on an ornate wooden crate beside the tavern's entrance.

Bard:

Crossing the roads and all the towns,

Hiding deep in shapeless nouns.

Hearing news, eyeing crowns—

Queens? Or just decaying gowns?

Princes? Or just painted clowns?

Tossing scholars with bright nouns,

Following nobles until breakdowns.

Merchants haunt the roads and towns,

Leaving poor to gasping drowns.

Studying cores with focus and frowns,

Scholar knows—yet no renowns.

They are all but pieces of the journey's showdowns.

A smirk appeared on Jasper's face,

"You didn't just hit the nail—you struck the core with a perfect score. Now lead me to the scholar or, find yourself drowning far from the shore. I'm the merchant you abhor; meeting me, your luck is no more." Jasper started laughing—an eerie, excited sound—as he realized he had found a clue. Then he stopped abruptly, knowing nothing would change if he kept rambling nonsense.

The search began in earnest. Building after building, checking if he could find the targeted scholar. Some structures housed nothing but empty rooms; others contained NPCs who offered only mundane chatter about weather and trade routes.

As he walked, he spotted a figure he hadn't encountered before. Wrapped in a tattered black cloak that seemed to resemble Jasper's appearance out of the game. So, he approached and spoke to it.

A Hooded Figure:

"Psst!! Do you want to buy some opium? … No? Hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I have a lot of herbs for all uses—some even have unknown effects, yet the royal alchemist keeps buying all my stock. A lot of things can only be found in the black market or private auctions. However, I can sell you a few herbs, but let me tell you, once I give you the list of items, you have to buy something. Yes / No?"

Jasper pressed Yes, then the hooded figure started talking again.

A Hooded Figure:

"Why didn't you tell me you had no money at first? Tsk—I wasted my time with a beggar. My luck is so bad today…"

"What's wrong with this f—er? All I did was press Yes, and he started insulting me. What's wrong with this game, ArmBrace?"

He told you that once the item list opens, you have to buy something. However, you don't have enough gold for the items he sells, which is why he got angry. And there's nothing wrong with this game, dear user. The one who created it made it intentionally tricky and nerve wracking for a purpose. Do you remember when you got cheated by that merchant, Erling?

"Don't make me recall it… but in the end, I profited from it."

Exactly! Even if you get swindled in the game, it's a lesson for you—and it might even benefit you later. But this time, I'll overstep my boundaries and tell you that you luckily escaped a huge scam. The game will get trickier the more you play. It was designed to help the user.

"If I already got scammed, how can this be of any help?"

A lesson so you don't get scammed again.

"..."

Jasper kept on strolling, he found some scholars but they provided him with nothing but crap, but he persistently continued his search.

He kept wandering through the bustling scholar's quarter, stopping at every robed figure he passed. Most offered little more than dusty theories and rambling lectures - "Have you considered the possibility of taming monsters?" one muttered while another insisted that a rare type of slime could be used as a means of disguise.

Eventually, he found a scholar who gave him a quest!

Penniless sage:

Ah, young lad! You seem like someone of means—or at least, more means than I. You see, I'm a humble scholar, but these days, even parchment costs more than my supper. I've a mind to record the wonders of the world, but... well. Would you fetch me a blank book? Nothing fancy—just something to write in, I'm not someone who asks much, but If you bring me a luxurious book, I'll be more than grateful.

"Is this scholar giving me a quest or robbing me? On top of that he asks for a luxurious book… wait a second… Does the reward scale with the book's quality?"

Curious, he headed to the nearest store—only to recoil at the prices. The cheapest blank book cost 20 gold, while the finest leather-bound tome reached a staggering 50 gold. A quick inventory check confirmed his fears: a measly handful of silver coins.

With a long sigh, he made his way to the mercenary guild, scanning the quest board for quick coin:

Help Misty find her cat. – 2CCollect 5 Rosemary. – 5BProtect Baron Chad's youngest son while he is training outside the city. – 2gCollect 20 Comodo Claws and fangs. – 6S…

"Hmm… Protecting a noble brat for 2 gold isn't bad. I can gather monster materials along the way and sell them. This way I'll get two sources of Income."

He accepted the quest—and immediately, a warning flashed before him::

Fight 10 monsters alongside the young noble. WARNING: If the Baron's son dies, you will be BANNED from all cities, and your game will become insanely difficult!!!!!!

"You've got to be kidding me! If I can't enter cities, how am I supposed to find the perfect way to consume the monsters' cores properly?!"

Grumbling, he set off—only for another character to materialize behind him, following him wherever he went. feeling the heavy burden behind him, he went to hunt. As soon as the screen started flashing, his heart started racing.

Jasper – Lv. 0 —————————————————— Young noble – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 700/700 ———————————— HP: 400/400

[Attack]

[Guard]

[Items]

[Flee]

VS

Slime – Lv. 1

HP: 130/130

"Wow, this young noble is really weak, but fortunately this slime is even weaker.

Round 1:

Jasper – Lv. 0 —————————————————— Young noble – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 700/700 ———————————— HP: 400/400

Slime – Lv. 1

HP: 130/130

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper slashes at the slime with his sword!

Damage dealt: 112

Slime HP: 130 → 18/130

(SP -10 → 690/700)

"What?! I nearly killed it in one slash. I think Ace swordsmanship is doing its job well."

Young noble's Turn:

[Attack] – Finishing the slime with a slash!

Damage dealt: 25

Slime HP: 18 → 0/130

"One-sided fight, easy!"

Battle Result:

Jasper wins!

HP Remaining: 800/800SP Remaining: 690/700EXP Gained: 30Loot: Slimy Gel x1

"If all fights go this smoothly, I'll finish it in no time."

However…

(The second fight)

.

.

.

Round 1:

Jasper – Lv. 0 —————————————————— Young noble – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 690/700 ———————————— HP: 400/400

Horned Rabbit – Lv. 1

HP: 210/210

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper slashes the Horned Rabbit!

Damage dealt: 105

Horned Rabbit HP: 210 → 105/210

(SP -10 → 680/700)

"Half of the HP with with one slash, I'm feeling my"

Horned Rabbit's Turn:

The H. Rabbit, with a quick and powerful dash, pierced the young nobles' leg.

Critical Damage dealt: 250!

Y.N HP: 400 → 150/400

The young noble in a state of fear.

"Piece of sh!!!! leaving him alone, come and fight someone of your caliber." Jasper said, holding his heart.

Young noble's Turn: (Fear)

[Attack] – Miss!

Head slap! "My tiring life…"

Round 2:

Jasper – Lv. 0 —————————————————— Young noble – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 680/700 ———————————— HP: 150/400

Horned Rabbit – Lv. 1

HP: 105/210

"Do I use potion to heal this stupid noble or should I hit the rabbit? If I use a potion and this rabbit critically hits him again, It will be a waste."

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – With fury, Jasper critically struck the Horned Rabbit killing it.

Damage dealt: 170!

Horned Rabbit HP: 105 → 0/210

(SP -10 → 670/700)

"You deserve an even stronger hit, you stupid rabbit."

Battle Result:

Jasper wins!

HP Remaining: 800/800SP Remaining: 670/700EXP Gained: 50Loot: Rabbit Horn x1, Meat x1

After the fight, Jasper grudgingly used two low-quality potions to heal the young noble, watching the precious liquid drain away on someone who couldn't even dodge a rabbit. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair as he strategized. "If this keeps up, I'll either run out of potions or patience—probably both."

Then it hit him: a solution, albeit a tedious one. From then on, he adjusted his tactics. Against weak slimes, he struck hard and fast, letting the noble contribute without risk. But when stronger monsters appeared—like the pair of wolves that ambushed them later—he switched to [Guard], bracing to absorb the blows himself while the noble whittled away at their health with pitifully weak attacks. The battles dragged on, turning what should've been a quick job into an entire day's slog. But in the end, there was a silver lining: his skill Ace Swordsmanship's [Block] and [Deflect] rates each climbed by 0.5% thanks to him using [Guard] for an entire day, and thanks to his skill leveling up from zero to one, another 0.5% stacked on top. Small rewards for an ordeal that nearly cost him his sanity—but at least the brat survived.

The next day, Jasper threw himself into hunting, cutting down monster after monster until his bag bulged with enough materials to fetch 50 gold. Without hesitation, he sold the haul, purchased the finest book he could afford, and returned to the scholar.

Penniless sage:

Ah! You've returned, and with such a fine tome! To think I would own such a fine book in my lifetime...

[The scholar's hands tremble as he traces the gold-leaf edges. After a moment, he composes himself and meets your eyes with sudden gravity.]

This knowledge... My alchemist friend and I discovered something... unnatural about monster cores. The cores you collect, they're not what they seem.

Use this wisely, Young lad. I hope you have a safe and fruitful journey.

[Quest Complete! Reward: 50 EXP + Ancient Research scroll]

[Reputation with Scholars' Guild +10]

[Scroll Added to Inventory: 'Core Purification Techniques']

New Quest: The Corruption Within, Reach level 5 following the Core Purification Techniques.