The Final Desperation

"Look, it's the Butcher. He's setting up shop again," exclaimed the bystanders as Genji filled a stall with piles of loot.

Butcher—that was the nickname these spectators had given him when they last saw the mountain of scarlet cards he had opened. Initially, they assumed he was selling the loot of a whole team, but they quickly realized he was a lone wolf. It wasn't hard to guess, as they couldn't find anyone who knew him.

However, this realization only added to his fearsome reputation. Many people even memorized his distinguishing features, adding him to their list of individuals to avoid. Their missions were already dangerous enough, so they preferred not to associate with such a deranged killer.

Of course, this was only outside of EverRealm, where danger lurked behind every corner. Inside EverRealm, they welcomed his abundant and powerful loot.

If they needed a new item, there was a good chance they would find their replacement with Genji. After all, he had simply killed too much and had a plethora of loot. This time was no different.

"Where is he even getting these items? Aren't bosses supposed to be impossible to kill without a large party? Why do they seem more like cabbages at a farmer's market here?"

"Maybe he's just unloading some equipment from higher worlds. You never know."

"That makes sense. Equipment obsoletion makes everything seem more shocking than usual."

Genji ignored the chatter around him and focused on messaging a certain curse user. A few minutes later, Fiona, the woman who was forced to accept Geni's absurd ransom, walked into view.

An uneasy feeling lurked in her heart when she realized that she had to interact with this psycho again. But no matter what her feelings were, this meeting was unavoidable. It might have been delayed by a month, but she had to accept it. That was the contract she signed to save herself.

"Unlucky me. I just have to run into this freak when all I wanted was to earn more money."

She waited for the crowd to thin before she approached the stall with a heavy heart.

"Here. This is the best I can do right now," she said, initiating a trade.

Genji glimpsed through the items and accepted the trade with a simple, "7.7 million left."

"I know. I'll be heading to the battlefield next world so I should be able to clear the debt then."

"Suit yourself. At worst, I'll just sell this inheritance again."

"Again?" Fiona picked up on this peculiar remark, falling into thought before a sudden realization hit her. "You're the original seller!"

"One and only."

Everything was starting to make sense for Fiona now: why this psycho knew about her inheritance, why he could set such a precise ransom, and why he was so adept at countering her skills. Since he was the one who sold it to her, he must have killed the user of this inheritance.

This was a chilling realization since Fiona knew better than anyone else the powers of this inheritance. The initial user had developed this power to unprecedented levels, so it was haunting to think someone so skilled would fall like this.

Fiona would know, considering she was following in the exact footsteps of her predecessor.

"Doesn't that mean he can kill me even after I fully develop my powers?"

It was a despairing thought, but Fiona didn't want to dwell on it further. Right now, all she wanted was to pay off this debt and disassociate herself from this deranged killer.

"Okay, cool, I gotta go," she blurted out, scurrying away without a second look back.

"Am I really that scary?" he asked himself, rubbing his chin. "Nah, that can't be the case. I must have overdone it last time. There's no way someone like me, who is loved by children, is scary."

But what Genji failed to consider was that only one child looked forward to meeting him, while her bodyguard shared the same feelings as Fiona.

Genji sold the last of his items and headed back. On his way, he spotted a red horse gesturing wildly to a street vendor. Looking closer, Genji realized it was Bruce, who struggled to convey his wishes.

It had been a few days since their return, and Bruce had achieved initial mastery over his abilities. That was why blood tentacles were swaying beside Bruce, acting as temporary limbs.

"What's going on here?" Genji asked, approaching the confused vendor.

Bruce looked over and gave him an exasperated look before waving the tentacles rapidly to convey the story. The vendor watched with twitching eyes as the tentacles gestured vividly, occasionally pointing at him and forming incomprehensible movements. Moments later, they stopped, and Bruce gave Genji a hopeful stare.

"You realize not everyone is as proficient in motion reading as I am, right? Next time, use simpler motions like pointing to show what you want."

A thoughtful look appeared in Bruce's eyes before he nodded in understanding. 'Ah... I see. I need to simplify my communication more. My mistake.'

"Did you actually understand all that?" the vendor asked, half believing it was a prank made to mess with him.

"Yeah. He wanted you to cook something using his ingredients. Can you do that?"

"I don't see why not. As long as you can pay, I don't mind."

Hearing his words, Bruce jovially handed over the leather pouch he'd been carrying. The vendor unraveled it and found a chunk of lean meat packed harder than iron. After examining it, he concluded it was some kind of gator meat, harvested from an unknown species.

From the firmness he felt beneath his fingers, the vendor knew it was powerful, far beyond his hunting capabilities.

"It's tough, but I should be able to whip something up. Any preference?"

Bruce shook his head and stood aside, eagerly eyeing the preparation. The vendor thought for some time before settling on stewing it. Cooking it long and slow would ensure the muscle fibers unraveled nicely, giving the eater the best experience. As for complementary ingredients, let's go with flavorful ones to dilute the gamey taste.

"It seems like that's resolved. I'll leave you to it," Genji said, continuing on his way. Bruce creased his eyes with delight and waved one tentacle at Genji.

A few hours later, the vendor finished cooking but realized he forgot to discuss payment. He had been so focused on making the dish that this slipped his mind. 

Bruce noticed his awkwardness and whipped out his allowance card. The vendor stared in bafflement as a tentacle tapped the payment scanner before Bruce took the pot aside to enjoy.

"What a smart horse," he muttered to himself, still stunned by the course of events. Moments later, he noticed the payment was higher than expected, totaling 1,000 coins, about a week's income.

"That horse is definitely not normal." The vendor stopped thinking about this and returned to his usual preparations.

Half an hour later, Bruce brought the pot back and let out a satisfied burp. This guy lives up to his reputation. It was worth spending so much time trying to communicate with him. 

"You can leave that on one of the counters," the vendor said, his hands covered in flour dough so he couldn't personally take it. "I'll clean it after I'm done."

Bruce looked around for a few moments before finally leaving the pot in the sink and soaking it with water. Then he gave the vendor a short nod before walking off, continuing his food journey.

 

---

 

When Genji returned to his room, he greeted Cake, who had just returned from her mission.

"By the way, I have the money from the auction. Let me transfer it over now that you're here," she said after a bit of conversation.

[You have received 9.87 million coins.]

"That's more than I expected."

"What do you mean 'expected'? You straight-up used a hunger marketing tactic and you weren't expecting people to overspend on it?"

"That's true, but I didn't think Celine would be able to find so many wealthy people. It seems like she has some decent connections."

"Don't even get me started on that. Those people went crazy over your stuff. It's only some consumables, but they were bidding like their lives depended on it. Shouldn't they be spending that money buying skills or items? Why are they so bent on getting those items? With that kind of money, they can buy enough healing items for the next year."

"You don't understand. The main attraction isn't the healing effect, but the complementary ones. You might not know much about this, but the more potions you drink, the less effective they become."

"Tolerance. I've heard stories about how they work with real-world drugs, but aren't healing items strong enough to ignore that?"

"To a certain extent, yes, but that's only for a normal human. We are far from normal since our increased stats give us a stronger resistance. The stronger we are, the more our body rejects outside influences. It's one of our defensive mechanisms and why Obseletion applies to all items instead of just equipment."

"That makes sense. How about a massage?"

"Sure."

An hour later, Genji got up feeling fully rested and ready for more training. On the other hand, Cake busied herself tending to the swarm of customers. Since the auction, many new names had been added to her friends list, all hoping to get exclusive news of when more potions were in stock. 

Many of these names were well-known, having made a reputation as leaders of large parties. Their financial abilities were strong, allowing them to casually bid hundreds of thousands for a single consumable.

Of course, this was what they could spare instead of their limits. Once the price exceeded a certain point, they wouldn't foolishly continue since they had to equip the entire party for the next world. 

Since Genji had only put up a few items for auction, many of these people left the event empty-handed and full of wistfulness. However, this wasn't enough to dissuade one person from asking Cake to accept her friend request. The others thought this was a good idea and followed, flooding her page with more connections than ever.

"When will the next restock be?" They all asked.

Flustered by the fanfare, Cake could only meekly respond with, "I don't know. I'm only the sales representative because the creator felt it was too tedious to manage everything."

"Then keep us updated when that does happen. We'll make sure to prepare enough to buy one next time." That was basically how the conversation went.

Since they all added her as friends, they knew she had just returned from a world. A few parties weren't in EverRealm right now, but those that were immediately sent people to congratulate her survival and restock.

They did this to show their goodwill and to become more familiar with each other. That way, she wouldn't "forget" them when the potions restocked.

"It'll be one or two more days," she informed them.

"Can you give us the exact time frame?"

"No. The creator hasn't said anything, but it shouldn't be longer than that."

Hearing this answer, they all hurried back to inform their party leaders. They missed these items last time, so they were that much more determined to obtain them this time. After all, every one of these potions could allow them to fight without worries and display powers beyond their norms.

"Should I be surprised anymore?" Cake asked herself as the crowded storage room instantly emptied of customers. "Oh well. I'll just do my job and let them worry about the money."

Then she got up and went to settle her after-world matters.

 

---

 

Genji walked through the field of untrodden snow and admired the scenery once again. Currently, he was in the mental space, trying to communicate with his elusive legacies. It had been a few hours, but he wasn't impatient. They would show themselves when they were ready. Until then, he would continue his stroll and relax his mind.

"It always surprises me how pristine this place is. It's untainted by any pollution or outside factors, so everything is natural. Don't you think it's beautiful as well?" He asked aloud, turning to face the distant gazes.

In his sight, two twins stood motionless. Swirls of dark blue energy cycled around their curious, beady eyes, entering and exiting at random frequencies. Sometimes a lot would enter, other times, nothing would exit. It was a seemingly chaotic process, but there was a hidden sense of order to it.

Behind them, a birch forest rustled in the crisp air, concealing a human silhouette. The corner of its head peaked out from behind a large tree, revealing a single white eye.

Compared to the last time Genji saw them, these spirits had undergone noticeable changes. For one, the twins had grown bigger, appearing more like 7-year-olds than 5-year-olds from the last encounter.

Their height had increased slightly, and their figures had become more developed. They had become more humanoid, having lost some of their baby fat and gaining muscle growth. Their eyes also held a stronger gleam of intelligence, displaying a better awareness of their surroundings. A faint smile hung on their lips as they observed Genji, still intrigued by his existence.

As for the silhouette, its body had gotten darker, and its eyes had become brighter. It still displayed a shy demeanor, but its hiding abilities had improved. Genji would be hard-pressed to pinpoint its exact position if it stopped moving and closed its eyes.

A few moments later, the silhouette extended its head fully, giving Genji a soft wave before transforming into a streak of darkness that hopped between the shadows of the overarching trees.

The twins also waved at him in greeting before fading from sight in an unidentifiable way. The next moment, Genji found himself back in the training room, staring down Bruce and his storm of blood.

"It's a start. At least they're willing to interact with me now instead of kicking me out right away."

Interact? Stare? What are you talking about, master? Bruce looked over with interest, curious about Genji's words. To Bruce, Genji had only entered a meditative state for a few minutes before waking up and speaking to himself. How could he not be curious?

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal." Bruce shrugged his blood tentacles and returned to his training.

Genji also stood up and began practicing with his cutting intent. By now, he had become familiar enough to imbue his normal attacks with an invisible layer of cutting intent.

It was weaker compared to his strongest attacks and couldn't be projected into the distance, but its consumption was sustainable. As long as he became more accustomed to it, this would become a passive skill that accompanied every strike rather than an active ability.

The difference was that passive skills could be maintained indefinitely while active skills had a high cost or a cooldown duration.

Hours later, Genji teleported back to his room with a sore body and a weary mind. He gave Cake a call and then threw himself into bed, his eyes drooping with sleepiness. The next thing he knew, Cake was giving him a blissful massage, and he fell asleep before she finished.

The next morning, Genji woke up and lightly stretched his body, feeling more refreshed than before.

"It's time I get started on those potions," he said, walking into his lab. After preparing the routine items, he began analyzing 7156's blood and made adjustments to his ingredients list.

Once he had a basic understanding of its properties, he conducted some light tests on certain reactions between materials before starting the main concoction. Hours later, 7156 received a message and entered the lab.

"Here you go. This should keep you alive if your body ever loses balance."

7156 took the large bottle and nodded in appreciation before carefully storing it away. "How much?"

"For now, let's hold off on the payment."

"What do you mean?" 7156 hated owing favors, so this answer was unacceptable to him. Genji was reliable, but this wasn't about him. 7156 wasn't certain that he would survive, so he would rather settle his debts now.

"You're heading to the battlefield, right?"

"What about it?"

"The battlefield has something I want more than coins. If you can get me those, then I'll let you pay after you return."

"It depends." 7156 frowned, disliking the feeling of being ordered around.

"Don't worry. It's nothing troublesome. In fact, you're quite familiar with them."

"Which is?"

"Knowledge books. I want knowledge books. The contribution shop has an unlimited amount of knowledge books at a cheap price. If you agree to redeem a bunch for me, I'll let you pay with them at half of market price."

It was a tempting deal, as it would save 7156 millions of coins and a powerful item. However, there was one thing he couldn't understand. "What's in it for you?"

"I just told you, books. To be specific, I'm betting on you. After three worlds, you should be pretty strong, so it shouldn't be a problem to earn some contribution points. When that happens, I want to tap into a portion of them."

"If I die?"

"That's why it's a gamble. If you survive, I get a bunch of books. If not, I'll just consider myself unlucky. You're the one dying, so it's not me who has the most to lose. At worst, I flush a few million down the drain. Big deal."

7156's eyebrows twitched when he heard how casually Genji was treating this. 'A few million? Isn't he too nonchalant about it? Just how much is he earning?'

"Don't look at me like that. Those potions I'm selling you at a friend's price go for a lot elsewhere. Some large parties are even willing to pay 30% more for it."

At this explanation, even 7156 was tempted to resell his potions. However, he quickly dismissed these thoughts. He barely had enough for himself, let alone selling to others. Plus, he had a feeling he would lose his discount if he tried something so dishonest behind his friend's back.

"Fine," 7156 accepted, knowing the extra money would go a long way in increasing his chances.

"Happy doing business with you."

7156 nodded and selected his consumables of choice. Genji packed the specified quantities and handed over the box.

"Before I forget, let me warn you. If you do use this potion, make sure you prepare lots of tokens. Healing costs are a pain and you don't want to relinquish it. Otherwise, you might have to hide for the rest of your life as a hideous monster."

The potion Genji made was based on the one he hastily mixed after the fight against the princes. Yes, the same one that turned his body into a pile of tentacles. And that was under rushed conditions, not the controlled lab he used today.

With access to proper equipment, the effects would only be amplified, forcing the consumer's body to mutate until they could survive. It wasn't ideal, but it fulfilled the requirements.

7156's eyebrows twitched again when he heard this side effect, but he quickly accepted it. It was enough as long as he could survive. He could deal with the other problems as they came.

*Sigh* 'What did I get myself into?'