"Zero Rune Energy!"
Sam gasped. For any runic producer, completely draining their rune energy was incredibly dangerous. It was standard practice to keep a buffer of at least one or two points in reserve; exhausting it entirely could lead to severe, unpleasant physical repercussions.
Allowing his body to rest for a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair until the cold sweat dried and his face regained some color. Once his breathing steadied, he carefully placed the nine small boxes into the physical conveyor on his desk and set a secure, unique keyword to lock them.
"Time to get to work."
He tapped his wristband. The VR interface expanded, and his vision shifted, dropping him right back into the bustling aisles of the virtual flea market.
Without overthinking it, he rented one of the vacant digital stalls. He carefully followed the setup process he had memorized from online tutorials. First, he selected the item category: One Round Invigoration Rune Pill. Next, he set his competitive price at 95 U.C. per pill and input the quantity as nine.
Initially, he had been confused about the logistics of virtual selling. How could a buyer receive physical goods without either party being defrauded? But the online tutorials had clarified the genius of the Runic Association's system.
Once a buyer selected his goods and transferred the funds, the VR network would securely generate and display his unique conveyor keyword on the buyer's screen. That keyword acted as an access token, initiating the cross-teleportation of the physical pills directly from Sam's desk to the buyer's location.
'Don't make me wait too long,' Sam thought.
His pricing was highly competitive, and Invigoration Pills were a foundational staple for F-Rank warriors. They were items that would never stop trading.
Satisfied with his storefront, he disconnected. The virtual market vanished, replaced by the familiar walls of his dorm room.
Suddenly, a heavy wave of exhaustion crashed over him.
"I haven't had a good night's rest in days," he muttered, his eyelids drooping. He dragged himself over to his narrow, single-sized bed and collapsed. Within seconds, his consciousness drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
…
Knock! Knock!
"Who's knocking at this hour?" Sam grumbled, groggily rising from his bed.
Clink! He unlocked the door and pulled it open, standing there blankly. "Sir..."
The hostel teacher stood in the hallway, his expression unreadable. "How was your rest?"
"Goo... Good, sir."
The teacher nodded slowly. "I've submitted an application to the government on your behalf regarding your missed exams. At this moment, it is better for you to keep your head down and be careful."
"Thank you, sir," Sam said, a faint smile brimming on his face in genuine appreciation.
"Okay. If you encounter any problems, contact me." With a stern gaze, the teacher gave a short snort and turned on his heel, heading back down the hall.
Sam closed the door, securely hooked the lock, and lay back down on his bed.
Somehow, he hadn't even properly started his life in this new world, yet he already felt incredibly tired. He had accumulated hundreds of pieces of Spiritual Fire Ganoderma, and he still needed to manually produce all of those One Round Invigoration Rune Pills.
Just thinking about the sheer repetition made a wave of weakness wash over his body.
'Am I really cut out for this?' Sam asked himself. He was struggling to find the motivation to work so tirelessly. Couldn't he just live a simple, carefree life in this world, just like he had in his previous one?
'Aaah! Maybe I really just belong in my old world.'
Yawning, his exhausted thoughts drifted in a much more dangerous, complacent direction. 'Maybe I should just stop. Sell the raw materials, keep the cash, and live quietly.'
Needing to clear the thick fog from his mind, he grabbed a towel and headed to the communal showers.
…
Cascades of freezing water flowed through his hair, down his forehead, over his nose and lips, before finally splashing onto the tiled floor.
Standing directly under the continuous, heavy stream of the showerhead, he deliberately held his breath. His lungs quickly began to burn, begging him to gasp for air.
Stubbornly, he stood perfectly still. The veins popped out on his reddening face, but he refused to yield to the suffocating pressure.
His eyes, framed by the cascading water that threatened to blind him, held a sharp, penetrating stare.
Suddenly, he yanked his head back from the stream and gasped violently for air.
He slumped against the wet tiled wall, his chest heaving as he dragged oxygen back into his burning lungs.
"That..." he wheezed, "...that is exactly what I'll face if I don't take advantage of my edge in this world. I'll suffocate."
Sam blinked the water from his eyes, a profound clarity resurfacing in his azure gaze. Giving up meant drowning in mediocrity and danger.
After washing up and wrapping himself in a towel, he returned to his room and quickly got dressed. Feeling entirely refreshed, he stared at his reflection in a cheap, 20 U.C. wall mirror.
The face staring back at him was calm—the face of someone who had just experienced a mental breaking point and successfully conquered it.
"Tonight, my goal is to refine every last piece of raw material into Invigoration Pills."
Taking a deep breath, he sat down at his study table.
Buzz!
[92.15 U.C. has been credited to your SBM account ending in 8928.]
[92.15 U.C. has been credited to your SBM account ending in 8928.]
[Item Batch Sold Out!]
Sam stared blankly at the glowing holographic panel, digesting the notifications.
"All sold! All nine pills sold while I was asleep!"
Happiness crashed over him. Just moments earlier, he had been doubting his life choices and goals, but now the path forward was brilliantly clear. His goal was simple: make enough money that he would never have to look at a price tag again.
Calming his excitement, he mentally reviewed the math. The pills sold for 95 U.C. each, and the VR market took a 2.85 U.C. stall fee per transaction, netting him 92.15 U.C. per pill.
That was 829.35 U.C. in total revenue. Subtracting the 540 U.C. it cost to buy the 54 pieces of raw Ganoderma...
His total net profit was exactly 289.35 U.C.
If a momentarily tired body and just five minutes of effort could earn him nearly 300 U.C. in pure profit, then he absolutely wouldn't mind repeating the cycle until his hands fell off.
Without any further delay or hesitation, he reached into his storage ring. He took out exactly 54 pieces of Spiritual Fire Ganoderma, stacking the fragrant materials carefully in his palms.
Urging his rune energy forward, a cool breeze flowed over his hands. In the next instant, he found himself back in the dark, boundless void of the one thing that was going to change his future forever: his Merge ability.