"20,000 U.C."
Sam's eyes sparkled because this was enough for him to get a VR chip.
"Now the only thing left is raw materials."
Without giving it much thought, he stood up and unlocked the door before exiting his room.
But soon, his face frowned.
"How should I convince the teacher to let me go outside after the mess caused by the previous owner?"
"Let time decide."
Hardening his heart, he stood before the teacher's room gate.
Taking a deep breath as if he were preparing for a big war, he gently knocked on the door, like a robber fearing to get on the owner's nerves after being caught.
"Who!"
A voice reverberated, making his entire existence want to let bygones be bygones, but he stood bravely against the musty time.
"Sir, Sam..."
Creak!
The door faltered, and now he stood before the teacher, whose eyes were spitting fire but still holding a gentle smile.
"Reason?"
For a moment, Sam felt like he was burning alive in lava and screaming for help. His loose clothes were soaked in sweat, making him shiver.
Gulp!
Stupefied, fragments of words escaped his mouth, "Sir, Market... I want to go outside."
The teacher's eyebrow raised.
"I didn't hear. What did you say after messing up all your efforts?"
Now, imagining heaven but knowing he had to pass through hell, he cleared his thoughts and chose bravely.
"Sorry, sir. My previous actions were indeed disappointing and led me to a place where I hate myself. But please, sir, let me go outside. I have an important task."
The teacher stared blankly.
'What did he hear?'
'Could it be that he realized his mistakes and wants to correct them?'
Shrugging his shoulders, the teacher sighed.
"Okay, but don't repeat any blunders..."
"As for those, I'll take care of them and prepare for the exam."
This time, Sam stared blankly at the teacher.
'Prepare for the exam?'
"But sir, I'm only eligible for the supplementary exam..."
The teacher interrupted.
"Supplementary exam is good, but..."
The teacher stared at Sam, as if his eyes were scanning all the truth out of Sam.
"Where were you all these days?"
His heart quivered, but he decided not to leave out any details.
"Sir, I was lost..." and he explained everything, though he didn't emphasize being intentionally left behind by his friends, as that would make the issue more problematic. Instead, he took a crude approach and just revealed that he was lost in the Plateau region.
The teacher's face contorted in rage, and he growled.
"Bring all those students who went with him."
One pale, tall, and bony boy who was moving in the hall halted his footsteps.
"Yes, sir."
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Sir, you didn't give me a chance to speak."
The teacher rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Okay, okay. You can go out."
"Thank you, sir."
After bowing, Sam hurriedly departed before the teacher could change his mind, while praying for the windfall about to rain on the students.
Getting a breath of fresh air, Sam muttered to himself,
"Now I have a proper starting point to begin my journey in this world."
Getting on the nearest rickshaw, he moved toward his destination—Runic Merchant Association.
In this world, anything related to runes was handled by the Runic Association Headquarters. Its branches were scattered all over human civilization. But the most surprising thing for him was that the Runic Association had spread like a cobweb, making it impossible for any runic professional to ignore. It had many divisions, such as the Runic Merchant Association, the Runic Profession Association, and the Runic Education Association.
The Runic Merchant Association was simply one of the branches of the Runic Association, but it also acted as a supplier for products of the Behemoth company: BlueBlack.
Sam sighed, realizing how deeply their roots were embedded beyond any measure.
His purpose was no different—he came here to purchase a VR chip, and now he was standing before the Runic Merchant Association.
"Hello, sir. How may I help you?"
The interior of the Runic Merchant Association branch buzzed with activity, catching him off guard. From the outside, everything seemed quiet, so he expected the same, but to his surprise, it wasn't. The space was crowded, though still within a manageable range, and most of the people looked like runic warriors.
"So, these are runic warriors!"
Chewing over his thoughts, he simply gave a faint smile to the attendant.
"Sorry for troubling you. I need a VR chip."
"Counter No. 5, sir. You'll find what you need there."
Sam's mind buzzed, but quickly regaining his senses, he uttered,
"Ahh! Okay."
Raising his footsteps, he moved toward Counter No. 5, which was labeled on the front of the table.
"Maybe I was standing there too long, that's why..."
Standing in the long queue, his eyes wandered, appreciating all the details.
"That's why the Runic Association is the foundation of this world."
"Everything originates from the Runic Association and ends with human life."
Sam sighed.
"Maybe I should be much more attentive in this world. Not every time will I meet a kindhearted person."
"Sir, your request?"
Sam's mind returned to reality, and he stated his requirement.
"One VR chip."
The staff took out a chip that almost looked like an SD card but was much thinner.
"Here you go, sir."
"Thanks."
Paying the full amount in cash, he stepped aside and moved toward another counter.
Without delay, he silently inserted the VR chip into his wristband, and his hand buzzed as a panel resurfaced.
"VR Chip identified."
"Want to access?"
"Of course! That's the reason I spent 20,000 U.C." He clicked on "Yes."
With a buzz, the panel suddenly changed, and a new function was added alongside his status: VR.
A faint smile caressed his face. He had passed the biggest hurdle, and now he could access all the primary functions of VR alongside all branches of the Runic Association.
Calming his throbbing heart, he closed the wristband and once again stood before another counter. But his goal this time was to buy raw materials for merging.
This special ability—merge—held a quite important role and everything would be depended on it if he wanted to soar without an insurmountable wall blocking his way—like money.
"Sir, what do you need?"