"20,000 U.C."
Sam's eyes sparkled. It was more than enough cash for him to buy a VR chip.
"Now the only thing left is gathering the raw materials," he muttered to himself.
Without overthinking it, he stood up, unlocked his door, and stepped out into the hallway. But as he walked, a frown slowly crept onto his face.
'How am I going to convince the teacher to let me leave the grounds after the massive mess the previous owner caused?'
'Let fate decide,' he concluded.
Steeling his resolve, he marched up to the door of the teacher's office. He took a deep breath, as if preparing for a massive battlefield, and knocked gently—like a thief terrified of waking the homeowner.
"Who is it?" a harsh voice barked from inside. The booming tone made Sam want to turn around and flee, but he bravely stood his ground.
"Sir, it's Sam..."
Creak! The door swung open. Sam found himself face-to-face with the teacher, whose eyes seemed to spit fire despite the tight, polite smile forced onto his lips.
"State your reason."
For a moment, Sam felt like he was being roasted over an open volcano. He swallowed hard, his loose clothes suddenly feeling damp with cold sweat.
Gulp. Stupefied, fragmented words stumbled out of his mouth. "Sir... the market. I need to go outside."
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? What did you just say, especially after throwing away all of your hard work?"
Knowing he had to brave hell to reach heaven, Sam cleared his throat and spoke firmly.
"I am truly sorry, sir. My recent actions were incredibly disappointing, and I deeply regret them. But please, I need permission to leave the hostel. I have a highly important task to take care of."
The teacher stared at him blankly.
'Did I hear that right?' the man thought. 'Has this brat actually realized his mistakes and decided to correct them?'
The teacher let out a heavy sigh and relaxed his shoulders. "Fine. But do not repeat your previous blunders."
"I won't. I will take care of everything and focus on preparing for the exam," Sam promised.
Now it was the teacher's turn to stare blankly at Sam.
"The supplementary exam is fine, but..." The teacher's eyes narrowed, scanning the boy as if trying to extract the raw truth from his soul. "Where exactly have you been all these days?"
Sam's heart quivered, but he decided to offer a partial truth. "Sir, I got lost..."
He explained the situation, deliberately leaving out the part about being intentionally abandoned by his so-called friends, knowing that would only overcomplicate things. Instead, he gave a rough summary, revealing that he had been lost out in the Eastern Plateau region.
The teacher's face contorted in absolute rage. He stepped into the hallway and growled at a pale, bony student who happened to be walking by. "You! Bring me every single student who went out with Sam that day. Now!"
The tall, bony boy halted in his tracks, terrified. "Y-yes, sir!"
The teacher turned back to Sam, glaring. "Why didn't you tell me this the moment you arrived?"
"Sir, you didn't exactly give me a chance to speak," Sam replied meekly.
The teacher rolled his eyes in sheer exasperation. "Okay, okay. Get out of my sight. You are cleared to leave the premises."
"Thank you, sir."
Bowing respectfully, Sam hurried away before the man could change his mind, offering a silent prayer for the absolute storm of trouble about to rain down on his former 'friends.'
Stepping out into the fresh air, Sam took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Now I have a proper starting point. Time to truly begin my journey in this world."
Hailing the nearest rickshaw, he directed the driver toward his destination: the Runic Merchant Association.
In this era, anything related to runes was strictly governed by the Runic Association Headquarters, with countless branches scattered throughout human civilization.
What surprised Sam the most from his inherited memories was how deeply the Association had woven itself into society; it spread like a massive cobweb, making it impossible for any runic professional to bypass them.
It housed multiple massive divisions, including the Runic Merchant Association, the Runic Profession Association, and the Runic Education Association.
The Runic Merchant Association was merely one of these branches, yet it held immense power, acting as the primary supplier for the technological behemoth, BlueBlack. Sam sighed, realizing just how deeply their roots were embedded into the daily lives of everyone on the planet.
His current purpose aligned perfectly with their monopoly. He needed a VR chip, and soon enough, he found himself standing before the grand entrance of the local Runic Merchant Association.
"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" a polite voice greeted him as he walked inside.
The interior of the branch buzzed with intense activity, catching him completely off guard. From the outside, the building had seemed quiet and highly exclusive, but the massive lobby was packed with people.
The crowd was manageable, but almost everyone present radiated the distinct, dangerous aura of a runic warrior.
'So, these are real runic warriors!' Sam thought, observing them in awe.
Shaking away his distraction, he offered a polite smile to the front desk attendant. "Sorry to trouble you, but I'm looking to purchase a VR chip."
"Please proceed to Counter No. 5, sir. They will have exactly what you need," she replied smoothly.
Sam blinked, temporarily overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the operation, before quickly regaining his senses. "Ah, thank you."
He made his way across the bustling lobby, spotting the large glowing sign for Counter No. 5. Taking his place at the back of a rather long queue, he let his eyes wander, absorbing the rich, high-tech architectural details of the hall.
'No wonder the Runic Association is the foundation of this world,' he mused inwardly. 'Everything originates with the Association, and everything ends with them.'
Sam let out a quiet sigh. 'I need to be much more vigilant. I won't always be lucky enough to run into kindhearted people like Alok.'
"Sir? Your request?"
Sam snapped back to reality, realizing it was finally his turn at the counter. "Ah. I need one VR chip, please."
The staff member smoothly retrieved a small, sleek chip that looked similar to an old-world SD card, only impossibly thinner. "Here you go, sir."
"Thanks."
He paid the 20,000 U.C. in cash, stepped away from the line, and found a quiet corner. Without delay, he slid the VR chip into the designated slot on his BlueBlack wristband. The device buzzed against his skin, and a holographic panel sprang to life.
[VR Chip Identified.]
[Would you like to grant access?]
'Of course I do! That's why I just dropped twenty grand,' he thought, tapping [Yes].
With another sharp buzz, the interface refreshed. A brand-new icon appeared right next to his status screen: [VR].
A satisfied smile graced his face. He had cleared his first major hurdle. He could now access the primary functions of the global VR network, tapping into the limitless resources of the Runic Association from anywhere.
Calming his racing heart, he dismissed the holographic screen and joined the line for a different counter. His next goal was equally crucial: buying the right raw materials for his Merge ability.
This unique skill was going to be the absolute cornerstone of his survival. Everything depended on it if he wanted to soar to the top without hitting the insurmountable wall that usually crushed poor students: a lack of funds.
"Sir, what do you need?" the next clerk asked.