The Cost of Quick Gains      

If players badly needed EP, then the most logical solution seemed to be establishing a new territory in the Barren Wasteland to harvest the double EP, right?

Wrong.

The amount of resources and time required to build another territory in the Barren Wasteland was enormous. Transporting resources in and out of the wasteland would consume a lot of Soul Elixirs.

Moreover, EP would still decrease over time the more you developed your territory, making it simply unsustainable.

Even if you built a new territory in a new land, the EP yield would remain low because it didn't change the fact that it wasn't your troops' first time performing tasks such as developing territories and defending it.

However, Rain had heard that they could get EP from conquering lands, fending off beasts, and successfully defending their territory from invaders.

Despite these options, the most practical solution was to buy EP from willing players, mostly newbies, reducing hassle and saving time.

"Give way!"

Rain's thoughts were abruptly disturbed by the loud voices.

As the crowd parted, Rain saw an imposing figure emerge: a man in his forties in an expensive white suit, tobacco smoke blurring his weathered face. The man exuded an air of authority and confidence, making everyone around him step back in deference.

"T-that's . . ."

"Magnus of the Iron Kingdom!"

"Iron Kingdom . . ." Rain muttered, his eyes shining as he realized what he had just heard. That meant the man was a player and at least already at the Expert or Master Lord level!

This was the first player Rain had met with such a high Lord title.

"I heard that you're selling EP in exchange for Soul Elixirs, kid. Are you a newbie?" Magnus asked, puffing smoke.

Rain was taken aback for a moment, not realizing that Magnus was talking to him. When no one else responded, Rain shifted his eyes and saw that he was the focus of everyone's attention. "Who? Me?"

Magnus raised an eyebrow, and Rain snapped to attention and answered, "Y-yes, sir!"

"How much do you want for it?" Magnus asked, his tone firm and commanding.

In his haste to reply, Rain didn't think much about his answer. "I-I have 5000 EP with me, sir!"

Rounds of murmurs circulated through the crowd.

"5000?!"

"No surprise if he's a newbie."

"Newbies have plenty of EP but lack Soul Elixirs."

"Everyone knows that the big shots are hunting newbies to trade for their EP."

Rain could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, their whispers filling the air. The tension was palpable as Magnus took a long drag from his cigarette, his sharp eyes never leaving Rain.

"Well, well," Magnus finally said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Looks like I found myself a jackpot."

Rain's heart pounded in his chest. He had never imagined that his surplus of EP would attract such attention, especially from someone as prominent as Magnus Ironclad. This was his chance to make a significant trade, but he had to play it carefully.

Magnus smiled for the first time, but Rain still felt his knees shaking.

Magnus took a drag and puffed the smoke. "I'll trade you 100 mL of Soul Elixirs for it. Do we have a deal?"

"Whoa, as expected of Magnus."

"100 mL isn't much to him, unlike to us regular folks."

"I guess that kid's EP is taken then."

"Nothing to see here anymore."

Rain's eyes widened. That was an incredibly generous offer, far better than anything he had heard before. He knew he had to seize this opportunity. "D-deal!"

Magnus nodded, his gaze fixed on Rain. "Good. Now, let's make the trade, kid."

Rain didn't fully grasp what happened next, but the last thing he remembered was that he was down to 100 EP and had gained 104 mL of Soul Elixirs!

The crowd had dissipated, losing interest in Rain while Magnus moved around the shop. Some players even went ahead, trying to curry favor with the man.

Rain blinked and shook his head to snap himself out of his daze. "W-what just happened?"

"You just made a deal with Magnus," a familiar voice said.

Rain turned and saw the familiar face of a man. "Ah, you're that handsome dude."

Len's brows furrowed as he frowned. "You might think that deal is a good thing, but you're greatly mistaken. Giving him 5000 EP will greatly cripple your territory and troops in the long run."

"I didn't give it to him. I traded it for Soul Elixirs," Rain replied, trying to defend his decision.

Len sneered. "Soul Elixirs are easy to come by once you evolve your troops to the first stage, and equip them with weapons and armors, but those EP will become scarce. Don't you know that the next evolution will cost between 10,000 and 50,000 EP? And that's just for one troop."

Rain paused, realization dawning on him. "I . . . I didn't think of that since I needed the Soul Elixirs right now."

Len scoffed. "That's how newbies think. That's why most of you will never get past the Novice Lord title."

Len then walked away while Rain stared at his back with mixed expression. 

"Though he is arrogant and indifferent . . . he's really a good man inside," Rain thought, his optimism kicking in. "He even warned me and gave me advice, though in a roundabout way."

His smile then widened. "Like I thought. He's really a nice guy and is concerned for his fellow players!"

Feeling ecstatic now that he had 100 mL of Soul Elixirs, Rain felt like he could buy anything!

Now that he thought about it, in his hands was the equivalent of one million dollars if he converted it to real money!

This was the most money Rain had ever held, and instead of buying his favorite food or spending it on useless things like new computers, shoes, or gadgets, he bought more armor and weapons for his troops.

Nothing made him happier than buying things for his "children."

After another round of shopping and getting everything he needed, Rain went back home, satisfied. That day, he went straight to the Spirit Realm, though he had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.

Rain shrugged it off. If he couldn't recall what it was, then it was probably nothing important.

=======

Meanwhile, back in Fate Academy, the whole room was silent yet again when the teacher checked attendance.

"Rain Weathers is absent again?"

That was three days in a row!