by Way Woo
He looked to the corner of his eye and winked at no one.
[Hero Shop: Beta]
As soon as he winked, the screen containing the online shop of this world unfolded before him, and his smile stretched even wider.
There and then, he decided that as long as this store existed, he did not envy or want for anything else in this world.
Jake also observed other adventurers and deduced that it seemed that no one else could use the mall, because at the start of this adventure, he noticed that all the adventurers except him were holding weapons for their class.
Jake didn’t have a hard time figuring out from there that he was the only awakened person to shop here.
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“Time to cash in.”
During the first battle with the goblins, Jake gained 2100 points.
That meant – he defeated seven goblins.
Roughly a hundred adventurers against an estimated five hundred goblins meant that every adventurer had to kill five goblins. Easy enough to calculate – Jake went over the adventurer’s average by all of two goblins, all while holding a rock.
He had to smile at how his nearly-crippling addiction to shopping pushed him to make that possible.
And now – here Jake begins to hear angelic choirs chanting again – it's time to buy package items using his freshly-earned points.
He placed the event package in the shopping cart. As soon as he tried to make a payment with the points he gained, a notice popped up.
[Please sign up for membership. Payments from guest members are also possible, but members accumulate loyalty points per purchase.]
And they also have loyalty points. Forget everything, I’m going for it. Signing up now!
He did, and opened up another notice.
The data entered was easy enough.
“Okay, put in the name 'Jake Smithson’, put in ‘Bargain Hunter’ as my Class,” he told himself, noticing the difference of the Hero Shop from a typical online shopping center.
More specifically, only his name and class were needed to sign up.
Well of course, you were taken from your world and dropped into Role Playing Game land, of course you wouldn’t need an address! Jake thought.
The “Sign Up” button seemed to glow as his finger hovered over it.
He didn’t even need to think; he just pressed it.
Episode 4
***
As soon as Jake Smithson, shopping addict extraordinaire and Bargain Hunter in this brave new world clicked on the button to officially sign up for the Hero Shop, another dialog box appeared with a question.
[Do you want to receive push notifications for new offers and events?]
Now this is interesting, Jake thought, nodding in approval. Push notifications? It's like a mobile phone app. They even give you notifications.
Do I want to receive notifications? OF COURSE! Getting news about events and new products is essential for someone who lives to buy stuff, like me!
Without a moment’s hesitation, he clicked his assent to receive push notifications, speed-read through the Hero Shop’s Terms of Service, filled in the requisite information, and finished up his membership in the Hero Shop.
That was when he received a very pleasant surprise.
[Welcome to the Hero Shop, Jake Smithson! For being our very first member, please receive this bonus of 1000 points as a gesture of our thanks.]
What a nice present. Let’s go look around the Shop for a way to spend it!
As soon as he received his gift and finished up his membership, Jake jumped right into his shopping cart and made to pay for the package he bought, and saw that there was only one payment method.
[You currently have 3100 points in stock.]
[Would you like to pay 1900 points for this item?]
Yes… YES!
The moment he paid 1900 points, something appeared in the corner of his eye.
[Package purchased successfully. Please check your inventory.]
A smile graced his face when he saw the item sitting in his formerly blank inventory.
***
While the group of adventurers summoned in Brino were no different from the average person you’d meet on the street, it was evident that shortly after their first battle that they were under some sort of mental effect.
One of the group leaders – who, before ending up here with plate armor and a big honking sword, was a human resources officer dabbling in psychology in her free time – noticed this.
The adventurers seemed to acclimate themselves to this setting sooner than they would have – the shock of being transplanted to a new world wore off quicker than she first expected.
Of course, she didn’t notice it at the time due to swinging around a gigantic slab of iron called a sword at those goblins on one end and making sure her own group weren’t tripping on their own weapons on the other.
Right after the battle, the adventurers were weaning off their adrenaline high by looking into whatever information they gained – first and foremost among them was the fact that when they slew a certain number of enemies, they clearly felt an increase of strength.
Even those with cursory experience with role-playing games and were relegated to defending themselves against a five-hundred strong goblin scouting party had their share of strength increases as well.
All in all, nearly all of the adventurers in Brino experienced what the role-playing game savvy called a level up.
The former psychologist could see the ease in which many adventurers realize the nature of their new circumstances, and the feeling of power upon gaining a level cast aside the despair wrought by their situation.
It was what she called a power fantasy, and it was many adventurers’ way to cope with this gigantic and sudden change in their lives: if they realized that neither escape nor struggle was pointless, they decided to either fight their way out for survival or fight their way into power.
Right now, she didn’t know which was which.
She saw a warrior standing alone and taking glances at the female adventurers with covetous eyes. The female knight could sense that this warrior thought about how might makes right, and that with enough strength he could gain power over others, specifically other female adventurers.
She turned to another and saw a swordsman smiling as he gazed at his reflection off his blade, and this was someone she felt was looking forward to the next battle.
One of her fellow group leaders – this one also had a full set of armor as hers, but was polished to a near-mirror sheen – was speaking to his group as if they were subordinates and he was the boss, inspiring them with his speech. She didn’t need her degree to know that this one had aspirations to greatness – to wield power over others, to rule…
“…Enough of that for now,” she whispered as she turned to her group and bid them sit down and take a rest.
While they did so, she continued to think. The adventurers also adjusted – placed in a different world with a different society and different rules, they quickly learned the way of this world.
The words of the person who guided her to becoming a psychologist rang clearly in her mind: “you don’t really know who you are until all hell breaks loose.”
She supposed that protecting a city from a monster horde was pretty close to the mark on that, and the result of that was fairly predictable, too.
They wanted power.
Combat.
Ambition.
Now that they were in another world, they – either consciously or unconsciously – decided to make the best of their situation here.
It was at this point where three people emerged from the town’s main hall and made their way towards the adventurers.
***
“My name is Sir Johann, and I have come to assist those who wield arms in the defense of this town,” the one in resplendent silver armor announced, taking a step forward as the whole group of adventurers eyed the n
ew trio warily.
“I am the sorcerer Raudonas the Red, and those who would use the arcane arts would do well with my counsel,” the one in a purple robe and carrying an elaborate staff then said in a voice disguised by what looked like a facial covering or mask.
“If you’re looking for the one to help you get better at helping out others in many different ways,” the one with a satchel and hammer said, “fall in line. Call me Jack.”
Three people with unusual outfits appeared in Brino just as the first attack was repelled – the gathered adventurers could hear the strangers using a very old dialect, but they understood the words and sentences clearly.
Someone had to spare a thought towards how strange this phenomenon was, but given the trio’s rather… flamboyant entrance, the adventurers had gained a quick immunity to surprises like this, and just waited for them to speak further.
“We have come to help develop skills and show how to spend stats for each class," Sir Johann continued, “has everyone here done so already?”
As a few hands were raised and the three new arrivals went towards them, adventurers began grouping themselves around these people as they heard what each of them were saying.
It took all of ten minutes for Brino to figure out why they were there: to guide new adventurers into playing the game as best as possible.
The contingent of active video gamers among the adventurers thus explained to those who had yet to understand how distributing stats were the key to maximize one’s competence in his or her class, and should be done carefully, lest one fail to live up to their class’ potential due to carelessness.
“Sir Johann, my name is Lady Aera, and I am a Knight. Which stats should I raise?” the former psychologist asked as she stepped forward, first unto the breach.
Once her questions were answered, everyone else followed suit.
"Good morning, Raudonas –“
“It’s Miss Raudonas,” the purple-robed magic user said, pulling down the hood to reveal the face of a young woman with flowing red hair.
“Miss Raudonas, I am a wizard, and my status screen says I’m a ‘fire class’ wizard. What do I do? from here?”
“It means you’re not going anywhere learning water spells. Maybe some for steam or molten rock, but most of your spells will be fire. Lots of it. Allow me to show you how to make a go of it easier, since I heard you were tired easily during the battle…”
It took minutes before people gathered around these and asked questions about their classes, and everyone who had their questions answered regrouped and began talking to their respective group leaders.
“Mr. Jack, I am classed as a chemist…”
“Great. It means you’re good at handling potions and medicine. Keep it up and consult with Miss Raudonas over there when you think you’re good enough to be an alchemist.”
A lot of similar dialogue happened throughout the hour, as the adventurers did not know very much about Nohas, and the three more experienced adventurers appearing and sharing their knowledge seemed like an oasis in a barren desert.
Nearly everyone was drawn to the three characters assisting them… except one, who had already found his oasis early on, just before he started figuring out how to pound goblin heads with nearby rocks.
***
"Even the packaging is an art form," Jake said, clutching the box in his hand and giving it a very appraising stare before he would open it.
Some things never change.
When Jake bought his first thing online, this was the exact same thing he did.
So, what if there were characters helping them out? Let them get help. I have all the help I need at the touch of my fingertips – and I can have any kind of help I want, for the right price… but enough about that.
Jake cut his soon-to-be rant short and made his move, scratching a corner off the tape on the package, and very carefully easing the tape off.
“Now this is what the feeling of a job well done is like,” he said as soon as the last line of tape on the package box was eased off, as if it hadn’t been there. The package was opened with a deft touch of one who had opened many packages like it before.
Right now, he was near the outskirts of Brino, close to the city wall, holding onto the package he was about to open like a newborn baby, feeling a bit secretive, self-conscious, and paranoid about his purchase.
He was just about to open it when he noticed that the presentation of the package he was holding resembled that of the online shopping center he frequented the most.
Jake’s moment of suspicion passed quickly, as there was a package to open and stuff to use!
He could almost hear the angelic chorus when he parted the cardboard panels… and finally, he opened the package to see a tome within.
It looked rather imposing, what with its sheer size taking up most of the box (after the bubble wrap, of course), its deep purple leather cover and symbols embossed on the front in a shiny bronze.
By his estimate, this tome was about as thick as three college textbooks combined – but it didn’t weigh as much.
“This book would look really nice on my coffee table,” Jake said aloud, turning the book around to see if it was fit for display.
Well of course, Jake, having what is known as a shopping addiction, does not purchase books because he wants to read them – he just buys them because they were discounted.
For anyone else who buys something because they need it, this might seem strange, but shopping addicts are like hunters. They do it because the very act of buying gives them a thrill. Even money is not a primary concern. The things they could buy with money, though – is a different matter altogether.
"Now, let's open this baby up and see what’s inside,” Jake said, and opened up the book… only for a screen to come up in front of his eyes as soon as he did.
[Would you like to read the Opus of Hidden Knowledge? When you read this book, your strength, agility, and intelligence will increase by three.]
“Of course,” Jake said. “I bought it, so I’ll read it.”
It came naturally to him to make a decision like that on impulse, and as soon as he decided to read the book, he didn’t just read words – he saw ideas, concepts, ways to move, to speak, to think, all flashing before his eyes with breakneck speed, like watching a film sped up ten, no, twenty times – while he was feeling the very essence of the book passing into him.
The disappearance of the Opus weighed less on Jake’s mind, because the increase in stats from the book caused a tangible change in him – he FELT himself becoming stronger.
Alas, unlike most adventurers, who tend to optimize their stat points to play to their strengths, reading the book made all of Jake’s stats rise up evenly.
Jake didn’t realize it at first, but that was when he started towards becoming a “badly-built character”, or so whatever those video game players who micromanage everything and take everything too seriously tend to say.
He was taking deep breaths and just finished enjoying his new upgraded stats when he decided to look at his status.
“Status window,” he intoned, and saw that yes, the book really did make him stronger instantly.
[Name: Jake]
Level: 1
Class: Bargain Hunter
Basic Stats:
Power: 13
Dexterity: 13
Intelligence: 13
Class Active Skill: Shopping (Hero Shop currently in beta service)
As soon as he closed the status window, Jake started to think as he made his return from the outskirts of town to the town square proper.
Based on what he heard during the aftermath of the battle, adventurers gain three stat points when they level up.
That means, when I read the Opus of Hidden Knowledge, I gained three levels? That’s awesome.
He saw a group of adventurers talking, and a lot of them were talking excitedly about the three adventurers appearing.
"Good job with the goblins, Liam," one o
f the mages in the group said. "All of us had gained one or two levels due to the goblin battle. How about you?"
"Three," the cloaked young man with the sword said. "All those goblins proved to be simple enough to defeat."
"Great," the group’s medic said, and Jake's interest was piqued when he saw that Liam -- the young man in the sword and cloak -- also gained three levels in the goblin fight like he did.
Jake was about to jump into the conversation when something appeared in his list of notifications, and at that point his priorities shifted completely.
Other than that, his interest had since gone onto something bigger and grander than wondering whether Liam was a hardcore gamer before ending up here in Nohas.
Or whether people noticed Jake’s changes – even Jake himself.
In fact, Jake didn’t care.
There was only the present concern in the corner of his eye, the sole thing that he deemed important.
And as he looked at it, people began to give him a wide berth due to how wide his smile had become.
***
It was a simple enough banner, but on it were three words that immediately captured Jake’s attention.
[Limited Time Sale: For the next 48 hours, our “Opus of Defense”, a book teaching the basics of defending oneself and avoiding injury is on sale! From its list price of 4500 points, it is now available for only 3000 points, a massive 33% off! Don’t wait or hesitate, as this offer is only available for the next 48 hours! Act now!]
Wonderful, Jake thought, the combined pleasures of getting to a rare or limited item and receiving an item at an exorbitant discount immediately rousing his instincts as a bargain hunter and shopping addict.
Back home, as soon as Jake had the capacity to purchase items on a limited-time sale, he never missed any of those sales.
Just ask the old apartment he had, which was by now packed with plastic cases holding all the limited-time sale purchases he made over the years.
And now, even in this world, that offer is presented before him.
How could he refuse it?
“All right,” he said, “still have 1100 left over from the goblins and the bonus I got signing up for the shop. Now how do I get more points within 48 hours?”
