Chapter 39 - Hustle and Bustle

[Arrival Day. One day until the Earth's Grand Opening Ceremony]

The market bustled with new vendors, each vying for a prime spot in this uncharted new world. Today, Earth opened its doors to the rest of the game worlds—dubbed expansion day by the visitors and arrival day by the humans. Beings from far and wide traversed the galaxy to catch a glimpse of the newly accessible Earth. While some were merely tourists, others came for the upcoming tournament or to witness the enigmatic humans in person. A few, however, had grander plans – setting their sights on Earth as their new base of operations, seeking fresh challenges to satisfy their insatiable thirst for combat.

With thirty-two expansions under its belt, The Evolution Games experienced inevitable power creep. So now Earth had become a realm of boundless possibilities, and the top players were rumoured to be practically god-like, requiring unimaginable adversaries to pose any challenge. Fortunately, humans had a good imagination, as the options for new enemies were endless.

Trev wandered through the labyrinthine rows of stalls, his eyes scanning for anything that might aid him in this ever-evolving world. Amidst the sea of merchandise, he came across a stall called 'Luna's Light Luggage.' Numerous bags adorned the display, some of them exorbitantly priced, but one particular backpack caught his attention. Intrigued, he opened the bag to peer inside, only to find an impossible darkness. Even facing the bag towards the light, it remained impossibly black, much like the portals on the dropship's that released creatures upon this world.

"It's a void storage bag," a melodious female voice announced. "Using Earth measurements, it offers approximately one cubic metre of space. Anything stored within this void is weightless and impervious to decay."

A very tall statuesque, blue-skinned beauty with elegant horns and verdant hair approached Trev. Her humanoid form sported a tail and gracefully curved legs, reminiscent of a nimble horse.

"Apologies, I didn't see you there," Trev stammered nervously.

"I find that hard to believe," she chuckled. "I am Luna, and this is my stall. Today marks my grand opening!"

"How much for this bag?" asked Trev curiously.

"One gold," replied Luna.

Intrigued, Trev couldn't help but be captivated by the bag's potential. Yet, its price was beyond his means, and he reluctantly decided to put it back.

"Well I don't have that kind of money, and I am one of the richer humans. You likely won't sell anything for a while at that price," sighed Trev.

Luna looked at him closely.

"Unfortunately, you aren't lying," she sighed loudly.

Luna was only level thirty and looked to be relatively young. She had likely been playing for a few years at most, and this was probably her first attempt at being a vendor.

"Sorry," Trev shrugged, feeling a tinge of sympathy for her plight.

"As this is my smallest bag, I can make a concession. What would you offer?" Luna asked.

"I have twenty silver, so maybe ten?" suggested Trev.

"Ten… Silver…" stuttered Luna, who went to her register and sat down, slumping in her chair dramatically.

"I assume that's low then?" asked Trev, unaware of the market price for almost anything.

"The cost price is around that," she sighed.

Trev sensed her dilemma and offered a compromise.

"How about fifteen? That way, you'll at least make a slight profit."

Depression filled Luna's face as she realised her predicament. She could hold out and sell at her original price, but it would likely take six months for the market to catch up. Or, she could sell now and slowly increase her prices, whilst still making a profit.

"Fine. fifteen silver," she said glumly.

Trev handed her fifteen silver and Luna chucked it into her register, giving him a receipt.

"Thank you!," smiled Trev, excited to try out his new bag.

"Nice doing business with you," replied Luna in the most monotone voice possible.

Trev had woken up early as he had heard the hustle and bustle of the new market even from his room. The sun was only just rising, and he had left Elena in bed, still asleep. He was excited to check it out, so he got up and went for a browse, but now that he had spent most of their money, he figured he should leave before he is tempted with anything else. Trev took his new backpack back to the room, attempting to sneak back in. Unfortunately for him, Elena was the type to sleep with one eye open.

"Where have you been," she yawned, obviously waking up from the door's click.

All she had was a sheet covering her as she sat up, which was almost as alluring as if she was just naked in front of him. Although last night they had gone all the way to home base, he was still awkward around her naked body.

"Shopping. The market is filled with new vendors, and I got this void backpack at a decent price," he explained.

"Void backpack?" Asked Elena, tilting her head quizzically.

"Yes! Look!" boasted Trev.

He opened the top and reached in, his arm disappearing as he ventured deeper. The bag seemed to defy the laws of physics, accommodating his entire arm and more, yet remaining impossibly compact on the outside. This would obviously be impossible with a normal backpack, but only once his shoulder began to enter the bag, did he touch the bottom. As he felt around, the bag did feel about the size Luna had said, possibly even bigger. It was a perfect cubed space, and the edges of the bag felt hard and cold, like it was made from metal.

Suddenly, whilst feeling around, he felt something slide past his hand. Trev withdrew his arm like a flash, his face changing from glee to horror.

"What's with that look," teased Elena, her breasts bouncing as she laughed. "Snake in your bag?"

"No, something brushed my hand, it was hard and metal, but I just wasn't expecting it," said Trev defensively.

Elena giggled at him.

Trev reached into the bag once more, feeling around until he found the item that had brushed his hand. As he pulled it out, he realised what it was, it was an ability ring. Once out of the bag, he observed the ring which was a glowing metal that he had not seen before. It had a white hue that emitted a slight bit of light. In the centre was a blue stone that also glowed, but was rough to the touch. He scanned the ring to determine its ability:

[Ring - Ability - Moonfall]

[Rare - Energy - Light]

[Only Works when the moon is out]

[Sends a small beam of concentrated light from the direction of the moon to where the ability is aimed]

[Requires Level 20]

[Protection rating: 0]

[Damage rating: 120]

"Wow, this is powerful," commented Trev.

"Indeed," replied Elena, who must have scanned it too.

"I should return it to its owner," said Trev.

"Do we have to? That would be amazing later on," asked Elena.

"Yes, sorry, I can't help my good nature," smiled Trev.

He put the bag down and looked at Elena, who was smiling back at him.

"Well, I like your good nature."

Trev nodded before leaving the room to return to Luna, his heart full of an unfamiliar feeling.