The class went on for the next hour, with Instructor Raymond telling us the places to avoid, the creatures to avoid, and the tactical protocols for survival during our time there.
To be honest, I was feeling quite nervous. No, scared would be the proper word.
The world Beyond the Veil was the reason the difficulty of the game Seraphim of Doom was so insane. Back then, I died several hundred times playing as Leon, and he was really overpowered, as I even bought all the highest-tier items from the in-game store with real money.
Now that I've been transmigrated into the game, would I even be able to survive a week in there?
'I need a lot of Karma points. Even five hundred is not enough. I need more!'
I sighed as I walked down the path leading to the academy's private Trading Center.
With the Lunar Eclipse fast approaching, there were a few important things I needed to purchase right now. If I didn't get them immediately, they would certainly be out of stock later as every other cadet would be clearing the shelves to prepare for their six-month mission.
It took me over ten minutes to get to the trading centers from the campus. Unlike the other buildings in the academy which were all tall and imposing, the buildings in the trading centers were all low and squat structures.
Walking briskly, I headed towards a particular store which had a small signage on the top with the words 'Vials and Potions.'
Upon stepping in, I was greeted by the sickly-sweet scent of fermented herbs and powerful, stabilizing alcohols, and the sight of wall-to-wall shelving packed with hundreds of shimmering glass containers, each holding liquids in unnatural shades of sapphire, crimson, gold, and vibrant emerald.
In the dusty space behind the counter, a grumpy-looking old man stood, his spectacles perched on the end of his nose as he meticulously weighed out a pinch of sparkling red dust onto a tarnished brass scale.
I walked past him to the shelves. Since I already had a mental list of things I needed to buy, I wasted no time browsing and went straight to the section marked 'Mana Elixirs.'
These were potions that could temporarily refill mana in emergencies and at times when a Dominant was far from their natural element. For this reason, these elixirs were absolutely vital.
The only problem now was…
'What the hell is with this prices?'
I understand that these were meant to be sold to nobles but…
'Ten gold coins for just one elixir?'
This was robbery!
'How much gold coins do I have right now?'
I was about to check how much gold coins I had left from the stack Aika stole a while ago, when I suddenly heard her voice in my head:
'Coins? Don't tell me you intend to pay for this overpriced stuff?'~~
'Huh?'~ I arched a brow in confusion. 'How else am i supposed to get them if I don't pay?'~
Aika immediately replied without any hesitation: 'Steal them, of course.'~~
What?!
I exhaled exasperatedly. 'Hey. I don't know about you but my moral compass is still functional. I'm not a thief. So I cannot steal.'~
Aika sighed, then her voice grew irritated. 'Do you think I like stealing?'~~
'You don't?'~
'Weren't you the one complaining not too long ago about how you needed karma points?'~~
'What do you… wait… that's right!'~
Stealing would give me negative karma points.
'Yes. So grow some man balls and pick those up already.'~~ Aika snapped.
I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. I could feel my heart begin to beat faster, and though no one was watching me, it felt as if everyone in the world was watching me.
'I can't believe I'm doing something like this.'
I looked back to the row of Mana elixirs, then made up my mind to steal ten. If I was going to steal, I might as well steal enough.
But there was no way I was going to carry them in my pockets and risk getting caught.
So…
I looked around one last time and when I made sure no one was really watching me, I looked to the side then said mentally, 'Gamer Privileges.'
A notification popped up in my vision.
[Activating Gamer Privileges…]
I then commanded, 'Open inventory.'
A large blue, screen-like portal instantly appeared at my side.
[Place the items you would love to store in the Inventory.]
I then immediately began grabbing the vials which had the gold liquid and began quietly tossing them into the inventory portal. By the time I had tossed in ten, the portal disappeared and a notification popped up.
[Mana Elixir: x10]
I nodded, then let out a shaky breath. Then almost immediately, another notification popped up, causing my jaw to drop.
[You have acquired 250 Karma points.]
[Available Karma points: 720]
'What?'
I couldn't believe it. That was a lot of karma points.
I quickly did the math, then figured that I received 25 negative karma points for stealing, and since I stole 10 mana elixirs, that gave me 250 karma points.
My lips widened into a very large grin, and I quickly threw away what little conscience I had left.
'I need to steal again!'
I immediately turned away and began walking towards another section labeled 'Boosters.'
Boosters were elixirs that replenished stamina, boosted endurance, agility, and strength. What I needed were boosters for stamina, and so, I stopped in front of vials that had liquids that were sapphire-blue.
Then just like before, I repeated the process of tossing them into my inventory. Though, I took only five stamina boosters, as there were not a lot of them, and taking any more would have made the theft obvious.
When I was done, a notification popped up.
[You have acquired 125 Karma points.]
[Available Karma points: 845]
I smiled, but I was not satisfied.
I needed it to be at least a thousand. Fortunately, there was one more elixir that I really needed, and that was the Health elixir. And so, I headed to another section.
The health elixirs were crimson in color. Luckily for me, there were a lot, and so, just like before, I looked around, and when no one was looking, I tossed in ten of them into my inventory.
[You have acquired 250 Karma points.]
[Available Karma points: 1,095]
'What a good harvest.' I grinned sheepishly and stretched, shaking the tension from my nerves. Then I turned to leave. But just then, Aika's voice echoed.
'Don't tell me you intend to leave without at least buying something. Do you want to look suspicious?'~~
I halted midstep.
That's right!
I turned back to the health elixirs and grabbed one. Since I had about forty-nine gold coins left in the stack Aika stole, spending ten shouldn't be so bad.
I walked up to the grumpy old man in the counter and put on my best smile, then dropped the coin on the table while also waving the health elixir. The grumpy man adjusted his glasses and almost immediately, a notification popped up that caused my blood to run cold.
[The Character Shaggs is scanning you with the search ability of the merchant class.]
I swallowed, and I could feel sweat run down my face.
Then…
[The Character Shaggs is done with his search and has determined that you have not stolen anything.]
I heaved a sigh of relief.
Luckily, my inventory is a Non-Diegetic space that is only visible to me, the Gamer. And so, anything I put in it becomes non-existent in this world, undetectable by others, unless I bring it out again.
"Thank you. Have a great day." The grumpy man, Shaggs, spoke as he returned to meticulously working on the brass scale.
I gave a polite, curt nod, then walked out of the store.
When I was a few meters away, I paused. I turned back to face the store and put my hands together, then bowed and said with mock solemnity, "Thank you for all the Negative Karma points your loss has given to me."