Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Shameless One

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“What do you need? I have everything here—the Mysterious Merchant.”

At this moment, out in the wilds of the second floor—

“Hey, have you heard about that recent rumor?” a man asked his companion.

“There are rumors in this game? Akihiko Kayaba is really something else. Does he really have no intention of letting us leave?” The other man was clearly not in high spirits.

“What are you talking about? This time it’s not bad news. Someone who used to be in the raiding party is now focusing on a side profession, and if you run into him while leveling, you might get some really good stuff from him. I heard someone got a B-grade weapon at their level. That’s the kind of loot only front-line players can get!” The speaker grew more excited as he spoke; after all, a good piece of equipment could save your life in a critical moment.

“Hm? Is it some kind of lottery? Don’t bother, it’s bound to be a scam.” Scams like that were common in the real world, and he hadn’t expected to see the same thing here.

“That’s not it. The big guy who led us last time told me they actually met this person once. Even the worst item they got was worth as much as those in the shops, so you definitely won’t lose out.” He hadn’t believed it at first, but after his teammate had shown him his own weapon, he was convinced.

The two of them were sitting in a forest, having already cleared out the wild monsters in the area. They took the opportunity to rest and chat. But unexpectedly, monsters respawned once again.

“Squeak—squeak—!” A strange noise made both men immediately grab their weapons.

“Could it be a rare monster?” Wild bosses normally spawned in predictable places. This area hadn’t seen a large number of monster deaths, and it wasn’t exactly a hidden spot either, so it shouldn’t have any bosses. Knowing the respawn times, they had started to relax, but they still remained cautious enough to block the monster’s sneak attack.

Special monsters were essentially enhanced versions of regular wild creatures, strengthened in certain aspects but still relatively manageable. In the eyes of many, they were walking treasure troves—the drop rates weren’t as good as bosses, but they still yielded solid loot.

After they dealt with the monster, a sound came from the bushes to their right.

“Ant, how many potions do you have left?”

“Not many. After all, we took down that special monster with just the two of us.” He replied instinctively to his teammate. If more than two monsters appeared at once, they’d be in serious trouble.

“Get your teleport crystal ready—we may need to return at any moment!” For safety’s sake, he made the call decisively.

Rustling came from the bushes as someone in a cloak appeared before them.

“Hey there, anything you need help with?” The newcomer seemed to want to appear friendly, making no move to draw a weapon. Seeing it was another player, the two men let their guard down.

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“Oh, it’s just another player. That scared me for a second.”

“Yeah, for real.”

Seeing how relaxed they were, the newcomer decided to teach them a lesson.

“Indeed, I was just passing through.” With that, the stranger took off their cloak.

Both men froze, staring blankly at the person in front of them.

“So beautiful…” Ant muttered involuntarily, too stunned to notice the several “hash marks” of frustration appearing on the stranger’s forehead.

“Want something to drink?” With that, the stranger produced a large jug and set out three cups, taking a sip first and motioning for them to try as well.

“It should be safe, right?” Teler nodded to Ant after seeing the stranger drink first. The two of them picked up their cups and took a sip.

Crash! Crash! With the sound of glass breaking, both men collapsed to the ground.

“No! It’s a paralysis poison!” In terror, the two stared at the person who had given them the juice.

“Idiots. Now you know, right?” The stranger said coldly. “Never trust people out in the wild, even in a situation like this. The other person could have taken an antidote beforehand or kept a detox crystal hidden, just to trick you.” Then, gritting their teeth, they muttered under their breath, “Who told you to call me a woman?”

Hearing Lancer’s words, the two men, though still exasperated, felt their fear abate somewhat. At least, it seemed this person wasn’t one of those sadists who hunted players for fun.

“Alright, lesson’s over. Take this.” Lancer placed two pills at their mouths.

“Just eat it.” Having already swallowed “poison,” they resigned themselves and gulped down the pills. Sure enough, the paralysis faded from their bodies.

“Remember, don’t eat random stuff from strangers in non-safe zones. That’s lesson one. Now, let’s get started—” Lancer put the cloak back on.

The pair knew he meant well, but they couldn’t shake the feeling that something about him was off.

By now, Lancer had changed into “merchant gear.”

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“What do you need? I have everything.” Lancer pressed his left hand to his chest, holding the cloak aside with his right to reveal countless miniature models of weapons.

At that moment, she recalled the odd look on her mentor’s face. “So this is why—they’re just too strange.” No one had shops yet, but you could set up a stall. Still, it was unheard of for someone to go deep into a dangerous leveling zone to do so, and the look was reminiscent of those oddball cosplayers that often appeared in Shibuya.

But soon, the two men exchanged a look of surprise.

“Go on, make your choice. According to the rules, each of you can pick just one.” Lancer then ignored them. The items he made were more than he could use himself, and throwing them out would be a waste; giving them away felt too generous. So he decided to sell them to other players at cost, for the greater good. Of course, to maintain the dignity of a merchant, he still intended to make a small profit—after all, if the price was too low, people might get suspicious. Not that he ever told anyone this reasoning.

“Alright, money for goods.” Even with the cloak on, the sly merchant’s grin was unmistakable. But the lure of good gear was too much. In the end, the two men reluctantly completed the gold transaction.

“Thanks for your business~,” Lancer said. “Now, tell me what you need. These weapons don’t have names yet, so just tell me the type and I’ll bring them out for you to choose from.” After a moment’s thought, the pair replied, “A one-handed sword and a two-handed sword.” From the earlier fight, it was clear both used one-handed swords, but since they asked, Lancer shrugged, “Alright, but please pay the difference.” Since they’d already handed over the coins, it hardly mattered to them.

After the transaction, more than thirty various longswords appeared on the ground—one-handed, two-handed, even some exotic blades like katanas.

“Go ahead and choose. I forged these weapons myself, so only I can see the stats. Unless you buy them, the properties won’t be revealed, so don’t bother using Identify. Just pick whichever you like.” With that, Lancer left them to it. The items weren’t yet traded, so they could be touched but not taken.

“We’ve decided.” The two pointed to their chosen weapons.

Lancer released his ownership, making them available for anyone to pick up, and motioned for them to take them. Without waiting to see their reaction, he vanished from the scene.

After Lancer left—

“This one-handed sword is actually a B-grade weapon!”

“This is amazing! With these weapons, we’re definitely going to level up much faster!”

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