6 A Brand New World

The first thing that hit me is the sudden shift from the calm hum of the ring to the loud chatter of the crowd.

*So we really teleported…*

"So, what do you think?" Riley asks after grabbing my shoulder.

"Well, this is very… normal looking I guess?"

It's a disappointment if I am being honest. I was expecting something out of a fantasy novel but it's just like the shopping mall down the street, expect it looks more rickety.

"So what is this place?" I ask my friend who smiles and signals me to follow him.

"To begin with, we're not on Earth, but in what some may call a pocket dimension. This specific one is the biggest shopping dimensions I know of, so try to not get lost."

My jaw drops at the casual reveal, interdimensional travel isn't really something I expected. There are shops as far as the eyes can see: The building looks like it's hundreds of stories high and I swear that I see faint clouds between the highest walkways! The shops are all selling things I have never seen before that ranges from some weird engraved sticks to animals made of fire, and I even spot bars serving swirling drinks that produces a pink smoke.

Riley takes me out of my stupor, "Hey, what did I tell you about not getting lost? Follow me; you'll have all the time to be amazed later."

I nod and closely follow my friend who pushes through the crowd of weird creatures. Some look like humans but with small red horns on their forehead, there's a blue sentient cloud with shiny gems floating in it. I even spot a giant slug with a long white beard… The list could go on forever. It's almost like each person I see is a new species.

We finally arrive in front of a large wooden ring containing a thin, almost transparent film. I am about to ask Riley what this is all about but he grabs my arm and walks through the ring.

I understood the purpose of the rings once I look over a nearby railing: We are way above the clouds, and looking up reveals that the building is still going on.

*He said this is a shopping dimension, so I guess the entire dimension is a shopping mall.*

"Well, it looks like we arrived… Welcome to the 500th floor of the Dimensional Bazaar!" my friend says while spreading his arms.

"500th? Just how high does this go?"

"Well, let's just say there are a lot of zeroes left until you reach the top… But don't worry about it, you should never need to go that far up." he quickly replies.

I nod, "So what are we doing there?"

"Well, you need some things now that you are part of the Hidden World, and this floor should have everything you need since this is where most of Earth shops are concentrated."

*Why does he feels the need to say all the shops are from Earth? Don't tell me…*

"What?! Are those creatures aliens too?! Don't you think that was something you should tell me?!" I shout.

"They are not really aliens… But I'll explain later, so please follow me."

We enter what looks like an electronics shop and Riley waves at the man at the counter, a balding middle-aged man wearing a blue button up shirt who looks bored out of his mind.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Riley asks, causing the man to fall out of its daze and smile.

"It's nice to see you boy! What can I do for you?"

My friend pushes me forward, "This is John, a friend of mine. I wondered if you could give him a Starter Kit, and a Premium Edition."

The man raises an eyebrow and observes me with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before nodding. He jumps out of his chair, revealing that he barely reaches my waist, and disappear into the dark back room.

"So the clerk is a dwarf?" I ask my friend, who answers with a silent nod.

"Aren't they supposed to have long beards?"

Riley sighs, "I know this is all new for you but you should stop basing your knowledge on stories since they are just that, stories. Some of them might contain real information, but they are more lucky guesses than anything else."

The dwarf comes out of the backroom at this moment and drops two cardboard boxes on the counter.

"Here you go lad, your Starter Kit." he grabs a box and opens it, revealing a standard looking Smartphone.

"This is an Interdimensional Phone: It can access the regular internet as well as the HiddenNet." I raise my eyebrow at the unknown word while the dwarf starts the phone up and continues to explain.

"The HiddenNet is just the internet for the Hidden World, and there's nothing much to say otherwise. You also don't need to worry about reception and recharging with this phone since it uses the latest in mana converting technology."

He then opens the other box containing a small piece of flesh colored plastic.

"This is a universal translator, it allows you to normally converse with the known species, and it also works on Earth languages too. Just put it in your ear and you're good to go."

I nod and do as instructed, I hear static for two seconds but the noise quickly disappears and I can no longer feel the device in my ear. The dwarf then hands me the phone that I shove in my other pocket.

The vendor then turns towards Riley, "And I assume you're the one paying? It's 5,000 Credits for the lot."

"Keep it off the books, as usual, got it?" he says before handing a debit card to the vendor who nods and types on a keyboard next to him.

"Everything's in order, please come again." the dwarf says before waddling to his chair after giving the card back to Riley.

We leave the shop and I am about to ask the million of questions racing through my mind... but my stomach suddenly rumbles.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. Want to grab a bite?" Riley asks while pointing towards a MacDonald's.

I'm not even surprised anymore.

I nod and we enter the restaurant, to my disappointment the menu isn't very different from what we have on Earth so we place our order on some machine that spits out a small white card. Riley grabs the card and places it in a slot in the middle of the table we chose, causing our meal to suddenly appear out of thin air.

"I really need to get used to the casual use of teleportation." I mumble between two bites.

We eat in silence and Riley takes out his phone, idly tapping on the device while I finish my meal.

He ate so quickly… Did he teleport the food into his stomach?!

"So what do you want to know? I'll answer as best as I can," he says once I finished.

"First of all, what are those Credits you used and how do I earn them?"

I don't want to rely on Riley for everything, especially since I plan to go back in that dimension without him.

"Credits are the standardized currency for interdimensional trade and the conversion is automatically done when you use a regular debit card, so don't worry about that. Although you have to keep in mind that one Credit is worth two dollars."

"… What? Did you just casually drop ten thousand dollars in that shop?!"

My friend nods, "I have a family of Enforcers, remember? So we're quite well off…"

Damn, Riley never struck me as a rich kid.

To be fair, he's good at hiding things since I also never suspected that he's a Werewolf.

"All right, then you said the creatures we saw weren't aliens, but they aren't from Earth, right?"

He scratches his head," It's a bit more complicated than that… There are those that come from other planets, those are aliens. But some of them could from Earth, just not our own."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not the best person to ask since my knowledge is only surface level… But they come from different universes."

I am completely stunned.

"From what I understand all the infinite universes are forming a gigantic sphere, and most of the shopping dimensions are located at the center of this sphere. This allows them to exist in a weird constantly fluctuating state that allows beings from universes with completely different rules to temporarily coexist."

Riley stops me by raising his finger before I could open my mouth," And that's all I know. If you want to know more you can look it up on the HiddenNet."

I am not prepared to digest all of that, but I am taken out of my stupor by an alarm coming from Riley's phone.

"… Crap, I have to go." He says while looking at his phone. "You can use the Map on your Interdimensional Phone to find the way back home, so be careful and have fun!" he shouts while transforming before disappearing into his own shadow.

Okay, so that just happened.

I am stunned by the events that transpired in front of me. But it looks like I am the only one shocked by that since the other customers just go about their business like this is a normal occurrence.

There's no point in lingering here any longer, so let's go browse the shops before going back home.

I leave the restaurant and pull out my phone, frowning when I realize that I have no reception. I am about to curse the dwarf but I notice that I pulled out my regular phone.

*My idiocy sometimes amazes me.*

But seeing my regular phone makes me think about a certain app that allows me to travel through time.

What would happen if I used the Rewinder here?

The idea won't leave my mind no matter how I try to make it disappear, and I was almost ready to give it a go when I remember what Riley said about the shopping dimension. If this place exists in a constant fluctuation then there's no telling what the Rewinder will do.

It's too dangerous to try it out; at least until I understand why and how the Rewinder works. I don't want to accidentally destroy this dimension…

I put my phone back into my pocket and pull out my other one then select the Map. The loading screen barely lasts a second, and the device shows where I am and even displays the current dimension on the top left corner of the screen.

My first destination is a bookstore because I want to learn more about magic. And maybe even learn a spell or two since their destructive power is overwhelming compared to regular firearms.

I follow the phone's direction and eventually arrive at a small bookstore, so I push the door open and cause a small bell to ring. The shopkeeper, an older woman with long drooping ears and short blond hair welcomes me with a warm smile.

"Welcome! What can I do for you?"

"I would like to learn the basics of magic so do you have anything that could help me?"

She nods and pulls out thick books from under her counter.

"I recommend the new edition of the 'Basics of Mana Manipulation', the 'Encyclopedia of Basic Spells', and 'A Primer on Enchanting: Second Edition'. This should cover all the basics and teach you everything you need to know."

"Can I see?"

The elf nods so I grab the 'Basics of Mana Manipulation' and flip through the book's pages. It looks like it's really detailed, with a lot of formulas and diagrams I can't understand. But this is exciting; all of this knowledge will surely help me survive.

"I'll take them all."

The shopkeeper smiles before putting the hefty books in a canvas bag and clapped her hands together.

"Thank you, now it'll be 750 Credits."

I gulp when I hear the price since this isn't a small amount of money.

But this is something to expect since those are nice looking books. And it isn't really putting a dent in my account anyway since I have quite a lot of leftover money from my gambling days, but spending that much money still hurts.

She takes my card and waves it in front of a glowing sphere before handing it back and smiles again.

"Thank you for your purchase, please come again!"

I leave the shop with my books and enter my next destination on the Map: A weapon store.

The store is just a few minutes away, so I quickly arrive and enter the large shop.

The view when I enter is breathtaking: Rows of swords, clothes, staves, and gems along with various tools I couldn't identify greeted me.

I look around and finally find one clerk behind a counter that is hanging what looks like an old and gnarly branch with a round blue gem embedded in its top. He looks to be really focused, so I wait until he finishes before coughing.

The vendor, a wolf-headed man with graying fur wearing a thick brown padded vest turns around and smiles, "Sorry young man, I didn't see you there, I was busy hanging our new staves… What can I help you with?"

"I looked around but I couldn't find the firearms section, so do you have some in stock?"

The vendor seems to be surprised by my request and scratches his head.

"I think we have some, but it's not really something that's in high demand… let me look at our inventory." he pulls out a small wand and waves it around before pressing it on his forehead.

The wolfman closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before turning the wand in his hands a couple of times. He opens his eyes after a few minutes and put the wand in his back pocket before answering.

"We do have some, let me grab them for you," he says before disappearing into the back room, only to emerge back with six polished wooden boxes.

"That all we have, our clients usually rely on magic so the demand for guns is low." He declares in an apologetic tone as he opens the first box, revealing a beautifully engraved flintlock pistol.

I couldn't help but smile, "I see you weren't kidding when you said it wasn't in high demand, don't you have anything that's more recent?"

The vendor giggles, "We do, but this piece is beautiful, don't you think? It's even enchanted to increase the speed of the bullet."

This is worthless, even with the enchantment.

"I agree, it's quite nice to look at. But I was looking for something that was more useful in actual combat."

The wolfman nods and opens another box, this time revealing a Remington 1858 with a lot of intricate engravings on the barrel and on the welded cylinder. The cylinder also only has a single empty chamber since the others are filled with some sort of purple crystal.

"This piece is quite interesting: It's a unique artifact that's able to concentrate a massive amount of mana in the free chamber, allowing a bullet made of pure mana to be fired without gunpowder and at speeds exceeding modern handguns."

I grab the weapon and look at it carefully, the idea of using mana as a bullet is interesting since it would make the weapon less noisy, and the craftsmanship is beautiful. The temptation to buy it to hang on my wall is strong, but I see the price tag and put the weapon back in its box.

"It's nice but like I said before I want something that's actually usable in combat, don't you have anything else?"

The vendor nods again and shows me the content of the other boxes, it's quite a disappointment since the most modern weapon available is an ordinary 1911 and the rest are just antiques with minor enchantments.

"I'm afraid that's all the firearms we have in stock, do you need anything else?" the wolf-headed clerk asks.

"Yes, I'm looking to buy some armor."

The vendor grabs his wand, "And what type of protection do you want? We have damage protection, environmental protection, and mental protection-"

"I'm looking for something that could cover all kinds of damage, and could be easily concealable."

The shopkeeper plays with his wand for a few minutes before disappearing again, this time holding just a few items in his hands.

He drops them on the counter before grabbing a simple silver ring decorated with a single red gem.

"This is one of our newest products: It's a mental protection ring able to block the direct gaze of a Beholder for five minutes before breaking."

I have no idea what a Beholder is, but it must be pretty strong if blocking its attack for five minutes is something worthy of praise.

The next item is a thick chain bracelet made of dark metal.

"This is one of our best sellers." the vendor boast, "It produces a personal barrier that can block most basic attacks, and it provides a decent protection against elemental attacks. I really recommend this product. In fact, I'm wearing one myself."

"And how does it fare against bullets?" I ask since it would be ideal if I could replace my cumbersome plates with this bracelet.

The vendor scratches his cheeks, "I'm not an expert, but I think it would be enough against most calibers. Of course, you have to use moderation since the shield isn't unbreakable, so don't expect to survive sustained heavy machine gun fire or Strategic-Class spells."

*It's more than enough for me… And I have no idea what a Strategic-Class spell is.*

"And our last item is this jacket." he shows me a thin black hooded jacket. "Don't let its looks fool you: It can easily make you immune to the harshest climates. It's also tear resistant so you don't have to worry about its durability, and it even has an auto-cleaning feature."

All of those things are interesting, they are pricey but I won't be cheap if it involves my survival.

I nod, "Thank you, then I'll take the ring, the jacket, and the bracelet."

"All right, then it'll be 8,000 Credits."

I wince a little when I hear the price.

"Hey, listen…" the wolfman leans on the counter."You're the only guy that wanted to buy firearms in the last 15 years, and they are just taking up space. So I can give you a discount… what do you say about 150 Credits a piece?"

"I don't need any of them, so I'm not interested unless you make it worth my time."

The clerk clicks his tongue and sigh, "All right, I'm okay with anything so what's your offer?"

"Let's say 50 Credits?"

"I'm giving them for free at this point… but all right. So which ones do you want?"

"I'll take the flintlock and the Remington."

They looked so nice, how could I resist?

"Got it, then that'll be 8,100 Credits."

I pay the shopkeeper with my card and he hands me a large plastic bag containing all my items.

"Thank you for your patronage! We have some changing rooms in the left corner if you want to put on your items."

I nod and enter the changing room to put on the bracelet and the ring before swapping my hoodie for the jacket. I feel a slight breeze when I close the zipper.

*This feels so nice… It was worth every penny. Now it's time to go home.*

Typing my address in the phone guides me back to the gate Riley and I used to enter the Bazaar so I brace myself and enter the metallic ring that transports me back to the windowless room.

*Now how do I get out of there?*

My friend didn't mention that part of the process so I look around for some sort of door or button but find nothing.

Desperation is taking hold of me as I bang on the metallic walls, achieving nothing but hurting my hands.

"What do I do…?" I say to the empty room. I fumble in my pockets and a keyhole appears in the air as soon as my finger touches the key Riley gave me earlier.

My shoulders relax when I see the floating construct and I smile.

*So touch the key to get out, got it…*

I insert the key into the keyhole and get transported back into the dark storage room that I quickly leave.