Jin-woo logged in at 7:15 AM the next morning. He completed his usual grinding routine in Rotwood Forest. At 11:30 AM, he took a break to eat instant noodles.
While eating, Jin-woo opened the ERO forums on his laptop. He browsed the "Services & Trading" section. Most posts were people selling equipment, buying materials, or looking for dungeon groups.
One post caught his attention. The title said: "Shadow Merchants recruiting. Payment in gold. Discretion required. DM Vex#4721"
The post had been made three hours ago. It had 23 comments below it.
Jin-woo read the comments.
PlayerOne: "These guys are shady but pay well. Did a job for them last month."
SwordKnight88: "They do black market stuff. Be careful."
MageGirl: "Got paid 40 gold for one job, legit payment. They're sketchy but they don't scam."
TankMaster: "Shadow Merchants run the smuggling routes in ERO. High risk, high reward."
DarkBlade: "Vex is fair. If you do the job right, you get paid. If you mess up, you're on your own."
Jin-woo calculated quickly in his head. 40 gold would convert to $400 USD. That was four days of grinding in a single job.
He opened the game messenger and typed Vex#4721 into the search. A profile appeared. The account was level 67. The class was Rogue. No other information was visible.
Jin-woo sent a message: "Saw your forum post. Interested in work."
He waited. After two minutes, a response came.
Vex: "Level?"
Jin: "18"
Vex: "Low but usable. Test job: transport package from Rotwood to Havencrest. 5 gold."
Jin: "What's in the package?"
Vex: "Don't ask questions. Yes or no?"
Jin-woo looked at the message. 5 gold was $500. The distance from Rotwood to Havencrest was about two hours of walking. That was $500 for two hours of work, compared to $10-12 for the same time spent grinding.
But the comment on the forum said "black market stuff." Jin-woo did not know what that meant in the game. Smuggling. Illegal items. Things that could get him in trouble.
He looked at his bank account on his phone. $131.88. The loan payment was due in five days. He needed $555 more.
Jin-woo typed his response.
Jin: "Yes"
Vex: "Meet me in Rotwood village. East side near the crafting area. 10 minutes."
Jin-woo logged back into the game. He was standing in Rotwood Forest. He walked back to the village. It took him six minutes.
He went to the east side of the village near the crafting area. A player character stood near the wall. The name above the character said "Vex." The character was level 67. The class was Rogue.
Vex wore dark leather armor. The armor was black with red stitching. A hood covered most of the face. Two daggers hung from the belt. The character's title said "Shadow Merchant."
Jin-woo walked up to Vex.
"You're the level 18?" Vex said.
"Yes," Jin-woo said.
Vex opened a trade window. A sealed wooden box appeared in the trade window. The item name was "Sealed Package." The description said: "Quest Item. Cannot be opened. Cannot be dropped unless player dies."
"Deliver this to the contact in Havencrest warehouse district," Vex said. "His name is Marcus. He'll be waiting near the west warehouse at midnight game time."
"What's in the box?" Jin-woo asked.
"I said don't ask questions," Vex said. "The job is simple. Take box from point A to point B. Don't get killed. If you die, the box drops and the job fails."
"What if I get attacked?" Jin-woo asked.
"Run," Vex said. "The box is more important than your pride. If another player tries to kill you for it, run. Don't fight. You're level 18. You'll lose."
"Okay," Jin-woo said.
"Game time is 6:47 PM now," Vex said. "Midnight is in five hours thirteen minutes. Get there before midnight. Marcus will wait for fifteen minutes. After that, he leaves and the job fails."
Jin-woo accepted the trade. The sealed box appeared in his inventory. A quest notification appeared.
Quest: Discreet Delivery
Deliver the sealed package to Marcus in Havencrest warehouse district before midnight.
Reward: 5 gold
Failure: If you die, quest fails. If you miss the deadline, quest fails.
"Don't open the box. Don't tell anyone what you're doing. Do the job clean," Vex said.
Vex's character walked away and disappeared around a corner.
Jin-woo checked the game clock. 6:51 PM. He had five hours and nine minutes to reach Havencrest.
The walk from Rotwood to Havencrest took two hours. That left three hours of buffer time. Jin-woo could pay 10 silver for a teleport stone and arrive instantly, but that would cut into his profits.
Jin-woo decided to walk. He needed to save every copper possible.
He left Rotwood village and started walking south on the forest path. The path was the same route he had walked three weeks ago when he first came to this zone.
Jin-woo walked for one hour and fifty-three minutes. He passed other players traveling in both directions. None of them paid attention to him. The sealed box in his inventory was invisible to other players unless they killed him and it dropped.
At 8:44 PM game time, Jin-woo reached the outskirts of Havencrest City. He entered through the south gate. The guards did not stop him.
He walked through the residential district and the market district. At 9:02 PM, he reached the warehouse district on the west side of the city.
The warehouse district was different from the rest of Havencrest. The buildings were older and poorly maintained. Wooden crates were stacked in the streets. Few players were in this area. The lighting was darker.
Jin-woo walked along the main street of the warehouse district. He checked the game clock. 9:15 PM. He had two hours and forty-five minutes before midnight.
He found the west warehouse. It was a large building with faded red paint. The door was closed. No players were visible nearby.
Jin-woo waited. He stood near a stack of crates across the street from the warehouse. Other players occasionally walked past but no one stopped.
At 11:47 PM game time, a player character appeared from around the corner. The name above the character said "Marcus." The character was level 45. The class was Warrior.
Marcus wore heavy plate armor. A large two-handed sword hung on his back. The character's face had a scar across the left cheek. The character's title said "Enforcer."
Marcus looked around the area. His eyes stopped on Jin-woo.
"You the courier?" Marcus said.
"Yes," Jin-woo said.
"Show me the package," Marcus said.
Jin-woo opened his inventory and highlighted the sealed box. Marcus nodded.
"Good. Trade it over," Marcus said.
Jin-woo opened a trade window with Marcus. He put the sealed box in the trade window. Marcus accepted the trade. The box disappeared from Jin-woo's inventory.
A notification appeared.
Quest Complete: Discreet Delivery
Reward: 5 gold
5 gold appeared in Jin-woo's inventory. His total gold increased to 5 gold and 23 silver.
"That was easy," Jin-woo said.
Marcus examined the sealed box in his inventory. He closed the inventory screen.
"Clean work," Marcus said. "You followed instructions. Didn't ask stupid questions. Got here early."
"Will there be more jobs?" Jin-woo asked.
"You'll get harder jobs if you prove reliable," Marcus said. "Vex will contact you when he has something."
Marcus walked away. His character disappeared into the shadows between two warehouse buildings.
Jin-woo stood alone in the warehouse district. The quest was complete. He had earned 5 gold in about three hours of total time, including the walk. That was $500 for three hours.
His bank account would increase to $631.88 when he converted the gold. He would be $55.12 short of the loan payment.
But Marcus had said there would be more jobs. Harder jobs probably meant more gold. If Jin-woo got another job before the loan deadline, he could make up the difference.