The Mysterious Old Man

Rain looked over at the one who called him and found an old man with goatee, sitting cross-legged on the ground, his items sprawled over a blanket.

"Are you a newbie?"

Rain nodded.

The old man grinned. "Then it's best if you buy from me. My prices are for newbies. Not all stalls accommodate folks like you, so take advantage of my offer."

Rain was intrigued when the old man mentioned newbie prices, so he went to take a look.

His smile, however, disappeared when he saw the items on the floor. On top of the tattered blanket were old, worn swords, shields, and some flowers and herbs that Rain didn't recognize.

"Old man, the common sword I have is better than this," Rain commented.

The old man laughed. "Cut me some slack, kid. I'm just a regular player. How about some herbs that heal minor wounds? Only $500 each. I also accept Soul Elixirs. That would be, uh . . . 100 mL of Soul Elixirs."

"Wait, isn't the conversion rate 1 mL of Soul Elixirs equal to $1000?" Rain asked, recalling his shock when he first learned that fact.

Soul Elixirs were the currency in the Spirit Realm, and it took a huge amount of them to accomplish anything in that realm. Because of this, players rarely wanted to part with them, making them incredibly expensive on Earth.

Rain had heard that Soul Elixirs were proven to prolong human life. There was also the knowledge that they could cure any disease, making them a more valuable commodity than money at this point.

However, the amount of Soul Elixirs required to heal and prolong life was immense, often measured in liters, and humans had to consume them over an extended period.

That's why only the rich could afford it.

"Is that right?" The old man laughed. "Then how about this? I'll give you these tokens for only 10 mL of Soul Elixirs each. You need troops, right?"

"Aren't they just goblin tokens?" Rain asked skeptically. Everyone knew that goblins were notorious for being weak and often disobedient, so no one wanted them as troops. "No one wants those tokens."

If you defeated beasts or races in the Spirit Realm, these [Tokens] would emerge, allowing you to summon them as troops.

But goblins were known for their low intelligence and tendency to cause trouble rather than follow orders.

The old man's eyes twinkled with amusement. "True, goblins aren't the most reliable, but they're still better than nothing. If you're just starting out, a few goblins might be enough to defend your territory until you can get something better."

Rain hesitated, looking down at the tokens. They gleamed dully on the tattered blanket, each one representing a potential goblin soldier. He knew he didn't have many options, but spending his precious Soul Elixirs on goblins felt like a gamble.

He glanced around the bustling market. Other players were bartering, trading, and buying, all with more confidence and resources than he had.

The elf he had admired earlier was still surrounded by eager buyers, her items selling quickly. He felt a pang of envy.

If only he had more Soul Elixirs and money. "Sorry, but I only have 1 mL of Soul Elixirs with me, and I don't think I want goblins as troops. They're simply not worth it."

The old man's smile vanished, replaced by a look of disappointment. "Aren't you a newbie? How come you're so hard to scam?" he muttered under his breath.

Rain stared at him, dead in the eyes. "I'll be going now."

"Ah, wait! Wait! WAIT!" The old man pleaded. "Look, my daughter is in the hospital right now, and I just wanted to pay her hospital bills. Being a regular player with no troops of my own is hard on an old man like me surviving in the Spirit Realm."

Rain took a deep breath. He felt sad and pity for the old man, but . . . "Sorry, I also have it hard in the game. As much as I want to help, I'm only a newbie."

Rain then handed the old man $100. "Here. Just keep it. It's for your daughter's hospital bills."

The old man paused, something flickered in his eyes. He sighed, his lips puckering out. "You're no fun," he muttered to himself. "So, there's still a human with a compassionate heart."

"Huh, what was that?"

The old man stared at Rain's innocent face, and couldn't help but think . . . Or this kid might just be naïve. A dangerous thing to have in the Spirit Realm.

Nevertheless, his scam didn't work and instead backfired on him as he was moved by the kid's character. "I don't want your charity, so I'll give you this."

Rain accepted the token that the old man handed him. "This isn't a goblin token, right?"

"What's with you and your aversion to goblins? Do you know goblins are one of the most annoying things to deal with? Those pesky things breed like there's no tomorrow and cause great damage when they move in packs."

"They're weak," Rain said, tilting his head with a flower sprouting over it.

". . . Go away before I decide to eat you," the old man deadpanned.

Rain only raised an eyebrow. Eat him? "Thank you for this, old man. See you around."

The old man clicked his tongue as Rain went on his way. "Are newbies so hard to fool nowadays? Unlike before."

Newbies used to be so excited and impulsive, buying everything in the marketplace. But ever since that [Forum] was established, scamming business hadn't been doing great lately.

The old man fanned himself with the $100 bill before he chewed on it. "Ah, I miss the old times."

From the shadows emerged a creature with dark skin and a horn adorning her head. "My Lord . . . it's time for you to return to the Spirit Realm."

"Oh, it's you? Is it that time already?" The old man barely raised his head to see who it was.

"Are you still scamming humans, my lord?"

The old man grinned. "An old guy's got to have some hobby or I'll get bored. And you don't like it when I get bored."

"The young mistress is calling for you."

"Geh." The old man's face faltered.

"Should I tell her about your little escapade?"

The old man sighed. "Got it, got it. I'll go back right now," he surrendered.

And just like that, the old man and the woman with the horn disappeared as if they were never there.