Chapter 19: Offer

"Did I die?"

Sam gasped, panting heavily while beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. His eyes unconsciously wandered to the back of his palm, where there was nothing.

Calming his nerves, his fingers brushed over the wristband.

Strength: 15

Agility: 12

Physique: 20

Spirit: 50

Endurance: 25/25 [Physique + 10% Spirit]

Rune Energy: 50/50 [Spirit]

Rune Abilities:

Special Abilities: Merge [Merge point: 0]

Inherent Abilities: Origin Fire [G-]

His body fidgeted excitedly, and he stared with wide-open eyes.

'So much...'

As he was lost in thought, someone knocked on his door.

Knock!

"Sam! Lunchtime!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he noticed that time had passed in a moment, and now it was 1 o'clock. Putting away all the messy thoughts, he got up and looked at the mirror before unlocking the door.

"Let's go."

"Hmm."

Humming, Sam took the key and unlocked the door.

"What's for lunch today?"

Rahul groaned.

"Don't ask. The warden messed up everything."

Sam nodded his head as he still remembered.

Some months ago, the in-charge of the mess had changed. The new in-charge had been decent, providing somewhat edible food, but the issue arose when they refused to give any commission to the higher authorities. From there, problems escalated as the warden forced every student to report that the food was not up to standard. In the end, a week ago, the previous in-charge returned, and the new one had to pack up and leave. The food quality was manageable for a few days, but now it had reached a point where it was questionable whether it should even be eaten!

"Anyway, we only have to endure two more months."

"Hmm."

Sam nodded, and they continued moving toward the mess area.

.....

Gulp! Gulp!

Satisfying his satiety after drinking water, Sam put down his Milton bottle and hiccuped.

'Just two months! Everything will be better.'

Giving himself false hope, Sam lay down on the bed.

'Now, time to stock up on one-round invigorating rune pills.'

His fingers unconsciously brushed over the wristband as he selected the VR option.

Buzz!

Instantly, his surroundings changed, and he found himself in the flea market. Numerous stalls were arranged in rows, leaving only narrow spaces for customers to pass through.

Rubbing his palms together, he stood before a stall, selected 50 rune pills, and entered the encrypted code.

"Hello, sir!"

The sudden appearance of the stall owner gave him a jump scare.

Calming his nerves, he smiled.

"Hello."

"I have an offer for you."

Sam stared intently at the blurry figure for a moment before replying.

"I'm all ears."

"I won't charge any tax on your products."

"Continue!"

"My only request is that you pin five additional one-round invigorating rune pill to every bundle as a discount."

Pondering the idea, Sam sneered.

"Wouldn't that delay the sale of my items?"

"That's why I won't charge any tax."

Sam scrutinized the stall owner, looking him up and down.

Everything seemed profitable, but who knew when those ten bundles would sell? If they didn't sell, his rune pills would just sit there, unsold.

A thought clicked in his mind.

"Is there a reason you're doing this?"

Sam clearly noticed the embarrassment on the stall owner's face, even though it was hidden.

"It's for the upcoming competition! In this competition, the highest-selling stall owner will be given the privilege to move to the second floor. But my only wish is to at least rank within the top thousand and earn the privilege to expand my stall."

He understood everything now.

'Can't I open my own stall?'

As the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it immediately and took a deep breath.

'I'm broke and don't have unique items.'

Understanding his circumstances better than anyone, he decided not to delve deeper and rejected the offer.

"Sorry, sir! I'm selling at 95 U.C. because I need to sell every day, and even a single day's backlog will affect me badly. But if you really want this deal, prepare a favorable document ensuring that all my goods sell within 24 hours, then I won't have any issues."

A faint smile spread across the stall owner's face.

"We'll meet tomorrow at this time."

"No problem."

Sam's eyelids trembled, and the ceiling appeared before his sight.

'I'll wait for tomorrow.'

Getting up from the bed, he checked the time—it was 2:30.

'I have one and a half hours to prepare for the training institute.'

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he sat down in a meditative pose with his eyes closed.

'Now, time to hone my rune energy.'

Buzz!

Feeling the cold seeping into his palms, he continued to release the rune energy, imagining the invisible force flowing out of his pores and storing itself in his palms. Slowly yet steadily, he relaxed his hand, feeling the sides of his palm grow cold.

After simulating all his previous exercises, he returned to the earlier attempt of encapsulating his fist in rune energy.

Taking a deep breath for a fresh start, he felt the cold energy gathering at the center of his palm, flowing from every direction and pooling lifelessly in the middle. Clenching his fist tightly, he infused his will into the rune energy, guiding it toward its desired position.

As enlightenment struck, he understood what was happening. If the input was considered valid, then the output should also be valid—but the real issue was understanding how the entire process worked.

He needed to grasp the mechanics behind it!

All these thoughts ran through his mind while the rune energy continued seeping into his palm. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, hanging precariously, ready to fall at any moment