Trading street.
The game space trading street. A place where players can buy or sell their items or skills.Here exists a lot of products that the one can't just count in numbers, from weapons to items that don't actually make any sense.
This whole place work in the mechanism of why buy something expensive from the game store while we have it here for a cheaper price.
Player here can meet their favorite weapons that will carry for a long time or an item that will save their lives, but everything comes with a price, especially for ignorant people.
Some big and popular store owners here have scanners for adaptation. Right, they can scan the player adaptation to pick the best list for them to choose from and this is approved by the game space.
So the player can feel safe in their shopping because the game space got their backs... Akashi can call bu*****t on that right now.
This emotionless game will never do something pointless like that, or even less to help ignorant fools.
" All this scanning the adaptation thing is a conspiracy" Akashi said while having a cup of coffee inside of a cafe for 2 coins.
And how does Akashi know about this in a place where all his abilities are disabled? Well, the arrow EX-Rank isn't just for decoration.
Even if it isn't his specialty, the arrow can scan items when Akashi is close enough and determine their price from the energy existed in the coins and the evaluations.
"But... How long do I have to look for to find something good here" Akashi said with a helpless expression.
This is the third day Akashi is searching in this market about a good combat skill or ability that helps in his fighting without stands.
But all his effort was awarded with failure because of three simple reasons.
Good things here are expensive like hell from their actual price, which makes Akashi refuse to buy them.
Akashi also didn't find something that he likes or suits his fighting style because even if he wants something to help to fight without a stand, it's the best if it also becomes stronger while fighting with stands.
The third reason is everything good here is already occupied by organizations and guilds all around the game.
All new good skills that arrive from the player's missions awards or from their chest and being sold here are directly being snatched by the guilds eyeliners around the market.
Akashi saw some players walking normally in the street while scanning the goods. Everything normal, but if someone looks deeply and Patiently he will notice that these players have been walking in this street for a whole day checking on the goods.
And some times they sneak papers during their talks with the stores and stalls owners.
"They are gathering these resources for their fresh recruits or they plan to form some sort of contribution shop" Akashi whispered while watching these players from the store mirror's reflection or when they aren't looking.
Akashi isn't dumb to look at these people directly. Who knows if they have higher stats or some passive skills that can enchant instincts. Because as a matter of fact, some passive skills work in this street as long as they don't hurt other players around them.
"It seems I have to look for that old man again... I really don't want to go there" Akashi said with a serious expression.
Akashi from the moment he met with that old man he felt he have a skill or a talent similar to him that allows him to see through people.
But compare to Akashi that he only has his talent for about half a month, that old man definitely more powerful than him.
Akashi thought before raising from his chair and walking towards the old man store.
Akashi indeed has a last choice, and that is to use his S-class evaluation, one of rarest currency in the game.
By using that, Akashi can get any store owner to sell him anything because all those A-class evaluations don't matter in front of the S-class for its rareness.
S-class evaluation can only be got by missions that make them precious, but for Akashi that is just losing money and a stupid act.
First of all, the store owners will try to check Akashi adaptation and the arrow will stop them.
This will make them think that Akashi has a rare item that can block their scanners, but this isn't the end.
If Akashi showed the S-class evaluation, the store owner will put Akashi as one of the big family members that are experiencing the game alone, but that just for now.
They will investigate Akashi and find that he doesn't belong to any big force.
Here comes the part they will understand that Akashi is a new talented player and will tell their cooperation guilds to recruit Akashi.
Akashi definitely will never join another guild or organization because they maybe have a connection with his old family which will put him in danger and expose that he is still alive, which will make him lose the surprise advantage.
But even if Akashi refuses, his rare item and S-class evaluation will bring a lot of trouble from the greedy people or those organizations with the mentality of... If you don't join us you'll never join anything else.
"Well, even if they have it, what can that change... They could attack the game for killing their player" Akashi smiled before he stopped at the old man store door.
"..." Without an expression, Akashi walked inside the store.
Keeping the usual smile is completely meaningless against this old man and could put Akashi at a disadvantage.
So keeping a straight expressionless face is the best choice for the moment.
The store still like always with its weapons all over the place and the old man sitting at the counter.
"Welcome" The old man this time was checking some sort of crystal before he raised his head and look at Akashi.
"Good evening, young man" the old man said while checking the crystal.
"It been a while" Akashi said before walking towards the old man.
"Are you looking for weapons this time?" the old man started to hit the crystal with a dagger while asking Akashi.
"Not this time... I'm here for information" Akashi said while the old man put the dagger and the crystal away.
"You still don't get the meaning of an item shop do you?" the old man smiled.
"... Do you have them or not" Akashi said with changing his expression.
"It depends on what you're asking and what can you give me?" the old man said while Akashi nodded.
"Buying an item that isn't popular for you counts?" Akashi said because he remembered an item he saw from the last time in this store.
"Which is?" the old man said.
"The one in the store back at the left" Akashi said while the old man got surprised.
"Young man, I don't think you're the type of man who will take that type of item... To be honest, even if that item is C-Rank it's pretty much useless in battle" the old man said in puzzlement.
"You can say I made a promise for someone" Akashi said while thinking of the arrow in his hand.
"... It's your choice" the old man moved to the store back and brought the item.
"This will be one C-class and 1000 coins because it is pretty much useless that 1000 coins are for the information you're going to ask " the old man said before Akashi gave him the money and took the item.
"Now this's over... What did you want to ask?" the old man said.
"I want to know the place of a skill store that doesn't have affiliations with any guild or forces" Akashi said while the old man narrowed his eyes.
"Did also fall for the market conspiracy or... It something else?" the old man smiled.
"you can say that the market conspiracy got me good... Do you know a place" Akashi said.
"Yeah, it's an old friend of mine" the old man nodded while giving Akashi a paper with the store location.
"Maybe I'll come again for some weapons and bombs... Goodbye old man" Akashi said before leaving the store
"Good luck, young man" the old man said before he picked up his crystal again.
Akashi that left the store walked towards the main area where all the light pillars exist.
Putting his hand on a light pillar, Akashi chose to teleport from this section into the one in the paper.
The scene flashed before Akashi's eyes until he found himself in another street that wasn't that much different from the old one.
"It should be close from here" Akashi said before moving towards the store.After a while, Akashi couldn't help but notice that the players in this street are mostly warriors or people with melee weapons.
Ignoring the people, Akashi walked for some time before he stopped next to a shop in an alleyway.
"... Nothing suspicion at all" Akashi watched the old shop that almost getting decayed by the time before saying.
"Maybe this only from the outside" Akashi said before he enters the shop.
"..." Akashi watched the dust and spider webs filling the place.
"I take that back... But how spiders are able to live in the game space?" Akashi said before moving towards the counter.
"Do this store have an owner or should I talk to the spiders" Akashi said while knocking on the counter.
*Knock* *Knock*
Akashi knocked with his hand on the counter, but there was no response.
"..." Akashi waited for a while before knocking again, and by knocking, I mean he punched the counter.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* KNOCK*
"WHAT THE F**K IS YOUR PROBLEME!!??" Akashi kept punching the counter before he heard a woman's voice from the store back.
A beautiful woman appeared from the door back. The woman was wearing traditional Chinese clothes while looking at Akashi with anger.
"Wow, I thought I'll meet a giant spider" Akashi said with a frown because he smelled a thick liquor smell from the woman.
"Get out of my store. I have nothing to sell you " the woman said directly, but Akashi didn't move.
"Sorry but that a no... after all I'll lose money for that old man if I did" Akashi said while checking the store.
"Old man? Was it a creepy guy that always play with his little toys" the woman asked while leaning at the counter.
"Not quite sure about the creepy part but yeah" Akashi said while removing some beer bottles and picking a book with the name of Knife techniques.
"Ugh... Why I have to pick his problems?...*sigh*... Pick what you like and leave quickly" the woman said before losing all her strength and falling on the counter.
"Did you thought about anything" the woman narrowed her eyes and said.
"Yeah... I thought you're old like this store" Akashi said while checking the books on the ground without paying attention to the angry woman.
"... Flying Heavenly Sword Style" Akashi whispered the book title while the woman looked at him.
"Don't waste your time kid that book is very expensive for a new player like you" the woman said but Akashi didn't care about her which made her angry.
Akashi thought before putting the book down.
Akashi said before he kept looking through the store.
"Aren't you over yet?" the woman got annoyed because Akashi has checked most of the store items without picking anything.
Akashi didn't care about the woman because he didn't find anything suitable in this store.
"Those are items that some unlucky player got from their chests... I used to collect a lot of stuff so I bought them. Don't waste my time, kid" the woman said before Akashi took two books for the box, and held the knife and sword basic book in his hand.
"Even if they are useless, they can be a reference for me... I want these three" Akashi said before the woman waved her hand.
"...*Sigh*... Your choice. Put 3000 coins and leave already" the woman said before moving away from the counter.
"... What an annoying old woman" Akashi said while putting the money and leaving the shop.
"I HEARD THAT!!!" Akashi didn't care about the angry scream behind him while he rushed back to his room.
After a journey, Akashi reached his room while he put the items he brought in front of him.Reaching for one of the torn books, Akashi deleted it using the game before reaching for the other one.
That book and the knife and sword book were basically a cover, so that woman doesn't feel anything suspicious.
Akashi reached for his space and took the scroll he got from the last mission and used it on the book.
[Do the player wish to spend one A-class evaluation and 8000 coins to repair this item?] Akashi heard the voice of the game before he chose yes.
Akashi thought while watching the scroll turn into light.
A bright light flashed in front of Akashi before he saw the book back to normal, like time was reversed.
Akashi watched the book that became complete, but still looks old with a smile on his face, especially when he heard the game said it's now a skill book.
"That old man maybe is creepy, but he sure knows some good places" Akashi smiled while he touched the book title in his hand.
The book title says... Full Contact Karate.