The sun beamed down from above, casting light across the novice village square.
His monkey mask hid his expression, but behind it, he remained composed, almost methodical, as he laid out each item on solid ground, not bothering to place anything underneath.
“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got here,” he muttered to himself, double-checking the items before neatly arranging them for display.
[x2 Poison Ring – 5 silver coins]
[Bear Dagger – 2 silver coins]
[x2 Fox Ears (cosmetic only) – 30 copper coins]
[Crown of the Goblin King – 15 silver coins]
[Bear King’s Chest Armor – 10 silver coins]
The assortment wasn’t legendary, but it was enough to attract attention.
Alex had also set aside the boar meat, knowing he could use it later if necessary, and kept the [Wild Boar Trophy] in his inventory.
It was worthless to players, but he knew an NPC who might pay handsomely for it.
As soon as Alex sat down, it didn’t take long for the crowd to notice him.
“Hey, isn’t that Shopkeeper?” one of the players whispered, pointing toward Alex.
“Oh yeah! I heard he sold some pretty good items yesterday!” another player chimed in, his voice rising with excitement.
A few others began to gather around, murmuring among themselves.
“Let’s go check it out!” someone called out, and suddenly, a small crowd began to form around Alex.
“I heard he’s dangerous too,” a more cautious player remarked, “Someone tried to steal from him yesterday, and… well, it didn’t end well.”
Alex remained silent, his eyes scanning the crowd behind the mask as the buzz of conversation grew.
He had somehow earned himself a reputation as a mysterious shopkeeper with incredible power.
To him, it was amusing. The players began to examine the items laid before them, some crouching to read the descriptions.
“Holy crap, this armor looks strong!” one of the players exclaimed, pointing at the Bear King’s Chest Armor.
“And that Crown of the Goblin King… damn, I need that,” another muttered.
Within fifteen minutes, everything Alex had laid out was sold.
Even the cosmetic Fox Ears had disappeared, snatched up by eager players wanting to show off their style.
Ding!
[Gained 37 silver coins and 60 copper coins!]
“Wow, you’re popular!” Alice said with a grin, looking particularly adorable with the pair of Fox Ears she’d kept on from earlier.
The ears twitched slightly as she spoke, making her look even more playful.
“Just average,” Alex replied with a nonchalant shrug, “Let’s go.”
As they stood up, Alex’s mind was already focused on his next objective—the village chief.
His plan, the one he’d been quietly working toward, was simple: he wanted to kill the chief before anyone else had a chance to trigger the questline and claim the rewards.
The chief was strong, sitting at level 20, but Alex was confident.
They began to walk toward the village outskirts, Alex grabbing both his backpacks, one slung over each shoulder.
The day was warm, and the novice village hummed with the activity of new players leveling up and trying to survive.
But before they could get far, a sudden commotion erupted behind them.
“Holy shit, is that the Overlord Guild?”
“Why are there so many of them?”
Alex turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he saw the approaching group.
It wasn’t just a handful of guild members; there were dozens—at least 100 players in total—marching into the village square, their armor gleaming and weapons ready.
“Move out of the way, fools!” one of the guild members barked, swinging his sword and cutting down a nearby player to make an example out of them.
The square began to empty as players scrambled to get out of the way, many retreating to the edges to watch from a safe distance.
Alice looked confused, “What’s going on? Why are they here?”
But Alex already knew, and he stood still, waiting.
At the front of the group was a tall, imposing figure with a staff in hand.
His robes were embroidered with the emblem of the Overlord Guild—a skull with empty eye sockets.
“Hello there, merchant,” Daniel, the leader of the guild, sneered as he approached, “I heard you shot one of my guild members yesterday. Is that true?”
Alex smiled beneath his mask.
“If you’re talking about the thief, then sure, I did. Very easy to kill, by the way. If that’s all your guild can do, I don’t have much to worry about.”
Daniel’s face twisted with fury at the insult. His grip tightened on his staff, “You’re going to regret that.”
Daniel was always someone with an immense EGO, and in Alex’s past life, he had become an extremely powerful mage thanks to his talents, hard work, and of course, money.
Alex was surprised to see him so early, but he couldn’t have known that the thief was a member of his guild, and even if he knew, he would have still shot anyway.
Without warning, Daniel barked an order to his guild members, “Kill him! All of you!”
Dozens of players rushed forward, swords drawn and spells ready to cast, but Alex didn’t move.
His fingers twitched as he lifted his staff.
“Fire Storm,” he whispered.
Fwoosh!
A swirling vortex of flames erupted from his staff, and in an instant, the storm of fire engulfed the advancing players. They didn’t stand a chance—blue flashes marked each of their deaths as their health bars instantly drained to zero.
In mere seconds, over a 83 players had been reduced to nothing, their bodies disappearing as the fire storm burned them alive.
“What… what the hell?!” Daniel stammered, stepping back, the flames reflecting in his wide eyes.
Only a few of his members had survived, those who had been standing farther back.
“What are you doing?!” Daniel roared at his remaining men, “It’s one versus a hundred! He’s on cooldown!”
“S-Sir! Y-Yes, sir!” the remaining members stuttered, terrified but obedient.
They rushed forward, casting spells and swinging their weapons at Alex.
But Alex was ready.
With swift, calculated movements, he began to cast more spells, launching fireballs and rocks toward his attackers.
Some fell before they even got close, and the ones who attempted to fight him in close range were immediately hit by his golden staff, dealing good damage.
‘Since when can a mage do that?!’ they all thought.
With one final swing of his staff, Alex dispatched the last of the guild members.
They fell to the ground, lifeless, leaving only Daniel standing in the square, his fury boiling over.
The two stood in silence, facing each other—a standoff.
“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” Daniel sneered, “But I have the best fireball in Universal Descent. You’re dead.”
With a flick of his wrist, Daniel cast a massive fireball, hurling it toward Alex with deadly precision.
But Alex didn’t flinch.
He raised his staff, and with a calm, measured motion, he launched his own fireball in response.
The two projectiles met in mid-air—but Alex’s was stronger.
It tore through Daniel’s spell, continuing on its path and slamming into the guild leader.
-1430!
Daniel’s body crumpled as the fireball consumed him, his health dropping to zero in an instant.
As his form faded away, he could just make out the sight of Alex, standing tall, lifting his mask to reveal a massive grin.
“See you in an hour, idiot,” Alex muttered as Daniel’s body disappeared.