"Thirty units of Spiritual Fire Ganoderma."
The clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a small, ornate ring.
Sam's heart pounded in his chest. Fighting a sudden, irrational urge to snatch the incredibly valuable item and run, he maintained his composure and asked, "A storage ring?"
The clerk gave a faint, knowing smile; this reaction was entirely natural to him. "Sir, since this is your first time purchasing raw runic materials, you might not know, but it is our policy to provide these sensitive goods inside a complimentary storage ring. Please, take it."
Swallowing his pride, Sam accepted the ring with a polite smile, deciding to clear up his confusion. "How did you know this was my first time buying?"
"Raw runic materials cannot be exposed to the open air for too long without losing their potency. I've worked here long enough to recognize a first-time buyer's surprise when we hand them a ring instead of a bag."
Embarrassed, Sam nodded. He tapped his wristband, bringing up a holographic panel to access his linked bank account and transfer the funds.
[3,000 U.C. successfully deducted from SBN account.]
'In this world, the government is incredibly lenient toward students,' Sam mused, recalling his inherited memories.
'There are numerous scholarships available alongside a standard monthly allowance of 1,000 U.C. The minimum requirement for the allowance is simply reaching the tenth grade, but a student can apply for the heavier scholarships as long as they prove eligible.'
"Thank you for your help," Sam said.
"It's my pleasure, sir."
Stepping away from the counter, he murmured to himself, 'No wonder this Association wins the heart of every young boy! Free storage rings!'
He had acquired his basic raw materials, but the purchase had just wiped out a massive chunk of his savings. Steeling his resolve, he moved to another counter and purchased a low-grade physical conveyor, as his bank balance simply wouldn't permit a high-grade model.
The only functional difference between the various grades was the volume of physical materials they could teleport at once; the maximum teleportation distance remained exactly the same across all models.
'20,000 U.C. spent on a VR Chip. 3,000 U.C. spent on raw runic materials. 5,000 U.C. spent on a low-grade conveyor.'
'28,000 U.C., gone in a flash.'
Sam felt a sharp pang in his chest. A year's worth of painstakingly hoarded savings had vanished before he even had a chance to enjoy looking at it.
'Sigh. I guess this is just the reality of being a runic producer.'
Leaving the Runic Merchant Association behind, he hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Gyan Bharati Hostel. He was left with exactly 2,000 U.C., and he set a firm mental goal to preserve it. Having at least a minimum safety net in his account gave him peace of mind.
Staring out the window at the pedestrians walking along the footpaths, his thoughts inadvertently drifted back to his past life. How many people ever got the opportunity to transmigrate? Had the news of his death shattered his parents? Would they be alright without him?
Unconsciously, Sam's eyes grew hot with unshed tears. Taking a deep, shuddering breath to clear the mist from his vision, he slumped back against the seat.
'I have to focus on the future. I can't look back.'
"Sir, we've arrived," the driver announced.
"Thanks." Handing over the fare, Sam stepped out and hurried into the hostel.
This time, a heavy padlock was hanging on the teacher's office door. Shrugging his shoulders, Sam headed straight to his dorm room and locked the door securely behind him.
His fingers instinctively brushed over his wristband, and the glowing panel popped out.
[Phone]
[Status]
[VR Network]
With a throbbing heart, he tapped on the VR icon. A brilliant ray of light shot out from the band, sweeping over his entire room and engulfing his vision in a matter of seconds.
When the light faded, he found himself standing in the middle of a bustling, rhythmic marketplace. Countless figures with blurred, anonymous faces moved seamlessly from one glowing market stall to another.
'How magical,' Sam thought in awe. 'No wonder everyone praises this.'
He vividly remembered how obsessed the previous owner had been with obtaining a VR chip. It had been the boy's sole motivation for saving all that money.
"It truly lives up to its name."
It fascinated him; it felt exactly like stepping into a high-budget sci-fi world. He took a step forward to explore, but a system notification suddenly chimed in his ears.
[User is being scanned...]
[Processing...]
[Done. Your User ID is: sk7858.]
The glowing text hovered for an instant before vanishing from his sight.
'Is this just recording my biometric data and assigning an ID to track my transactions?' Sam wondered. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, allowing himself to fully immerse in the virtual environment.
As he stopped at the very first material stall, the listed market prices nearly gave him a nightmare.
One Round Invigoration Rune: 100 U.C.
One Round Golden Rune: 100 U.C.
One Round Nourishing Rune: 50 U.C.
One Round Supplying Rune: 50 U.C.
His primary goal was to manufacture the One Round Invigoration Rune. Because he possessed the special 'Merge' ability, he wasn't too worried about overhead costs or failures. But for regular runic producers? They had to be grinding themselves to the bone just to turn a meager profit.
The math was brutal. One 'unit' of his raw material contained 10 pieces, meaning his 30 units gave him 300 individual pieces of Spiritual Fire Ganoderma.
To produce a single One Round Invigoration Rune, a producer needed 6 pieces of Ganoderma. Those 6 pieces alone cost 60 U.C. on the market. Once you factored in labor, transportation, and a high failure rate during crafting, the profit margins were razor-thin.
'What a fiercely competitive market!'
Sam offered a silent prayer to Buddha for his future competitors, and with a thought, he disconnected. His vision blurred, and he was instantly returned to his quiet dorm room.
Rubbing his palms together, he hissed through his teeth. "Time to get serious."
First, he cleared away all the miscellaneous items littering his study table, arranging several small, empty boxes in a neat row. Retrieving the physical conveyor from his storage ring, he placed it carefully in the center of the desk.
Taking a deep breath, he extracted exactly 6 pieces of Spiritual Fire Ganoderma. Closing his eyes, he focused inward and urged his newly discovered rune energy to flow into his hands.
Magically, he felt a gentle, sweeping breeze swirl over his palms. The weight in his hands vanished, the Ganoderma disappearing completely.
In the very next moment, his consciousness was pulled into the dark, boundless space of his special ability: Merge.