The Devil’s Cage

Kieran was prepared to sell both his [Tekken-II] rocket launchers.

He did not have the required skills to use them and could not maximize their power unless he fired blindly like he had at Zarukhar’s base. In any other case, the sniper rifle would be much more effective.

Plus, considering the weight of the [Tekken-II], even with his minor attribute enhancement, if he carried both the sniper rifle and one of the rocket launchers, he would not be able to walk as fast. With his current strength and agility, he could not do it. After countless battles, he had finally recognized the importance of agility during a fight.

The most important reason for selling them though, was ammunition price on the market. A standard rocket that could fit every model of rocket launcher was selling for 500 points in the [Shop].

When he looked at the price, he hesitated.

At the same time, he had made his decision. He could not afford such a price for a reload.

He might not want to admit it, but his [S] rating had not provided him with a very rich reward.

After all, the rockets that he had fired at Zarukhar’s base had both been worth around three [S] ratings.

“Is it because of the newbie dungeon?”

Kieran checked his notifications once again. It was written there clearly. “Final Newbie Dungeon Player Loot is as follows”.

It made him wonder even more.

His attention was diverted when he looked at the trades going on in the [Forum].

A rarity [Damaged], attack [Common] handgun cost around 90 to 110 points among the players. The price varied because there was a side offer that included two fully-loaded magazines.

A rarity [Damaged], attack [Common] assault rifle cost around 300 points, not including any magazines.

A [U-II]-like grenade cost around 300 points.

All trades in the [Forum] were mostly like that.

While he browsed, he would sometimes come across a handgun with a [Precise Shooting Lvl 1] attribute, sold at 1000 points. Before he could inspect it any further though, the gun would quickly get sold.

It seemed like players were more keen on buying weapons with [Attributes].

That boosted his confidence about his upcoming plan.

After all, the [Tekken-II]s that he was planning on selling both had attributes.

Because of the weight restriction, he had chosen the best weapons in Zarukhar’s base.

[Name: Tekken -II]

[Type: Rocket Launcher]

[Rarity: Minted]

[Attack: Powerful]

[Rounds: 1]

[Attributes: Burn Damage Lvl 1]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: Firearm Weapon (Heavy Firearm) (Basic)]

[Remarks: It can penetrate armor etc. Provided that you have the right kind of explosive, that is.]

….

Maybe it was because they were made from the same factory, but both the [Tekken-II] rocket launchers had the same attributes.

Their value would be really high.

“The [Forum] trade consists mostly of high attack firearms. Swords and daggers are quite rare. Until now, I’ve only seen regular daggers, swords and knifes, nothing special. The equipment is also standard protective gear and bulletproof vests. Nothing much there, either.”

Kieran looked at the variety of items on the list while he thought to himself.

He came up with a general idea.

The early game players must have entered the game with big firearms.

Of course, there was the possibility that later game players had been excluded as well.

After all, there had been three hundred survivors during the beta test, and that had been about a year ago.

Even if the survivors had entered the dungeon with minimum quota, until the time Kieran had started, they would have already cleared at least four dungeons.

If they were more dedicated players, then that number would be even higher.

A player who had been through eight dungeons would definitely not choose the standard equipment on the list.

They’d go for the more powerful weapons.

While Kieran was browsing through the [Shop], he noticed something. Although stronger weapons were nowhere to be found, all types of magazines were sold.

Kieran looked at the special rounds that were available, and realized that there had to be more higher-end weapons than those.

It was the end-game players that Kieran wanted to trade with.

Not only because they had more money, but because they also had a better understanding of the game.

Kieran would gladly give them a discount in exchange for some information about the game itself.

That was provided that he could find such a player in the first place.

With that thought in mind, Kieran quickly made his move.

“Player entering the Forum Trade for the first time. Would you like to choose a nickname?” the mechanical voice asked.

“Yes!” Kieran replied as he nodded.

He randomly chose the nickname “2567”.

It did not hold any meaning, it was just a random number.

It had been the same when he’d worked for the blacksmith.

“Nickname “2567” accepted! Please place the items that you wish to trade on the trading platform and set a price!”

When the mechanical voice faded away, a square platform appeared in front of Kieran.

He placed one of the [Tekken-II]s on the platform. Instantly, the rocket launcher became datafied. Kieran was not surprised. He was inside a game after all.

If he was surprised by anything, it was by the game’s realism.

A form and a pen appeared on the platform.

Kieran picked up the pen and wrote down a price for the [Tekken-II]

10,000 Points, 5 Skill Points.

The [Shop] buying price for the rocket launcher was 3000 points and 1 skill point. Kieran’s price was far from that, but if he’d believed the [Shop] buying price, he would have been an idiot.

Every player knew the game [Shop] buying prices were always half the original prices, sometimes even lower.

He would need a high enough price to attract the end-game players.

He was not afraid that the expensive price would scare away other buyers.

Players who really wanted the rocket launcher would private message him.

Kieran placed the filled-in form on the platform again. It was datafied together with the [Tekken-II] before it disappeared.

Inside the player’s [Forum], a new thread had been created.

Kieran logged out of the game.

He knew that it would take time to achieve the ideal price.

It would not be too long or too short a time, but it would be enough for him take care of his own business in real life.

…..

When he came out of the bathroom, the fast food had already been soaked in hot water and was ready to be eaten.

Kieran didn’t mind the taste.

He’d had to eat that kind of fast food every day for the past three years. His tongue had become immune to it.

As long as it could fill his stomach, that was enough for him.

His financial status did not allow him to waste anything.

A box of fast food cost 3 Union Coins, which for Kieran was already expensive, despite the discount.

As an underage orphan, he had a free welfare home to stay in and any daily supplies he bought were heavily discounted.

Especially food, which he bought at almost half the price.

Although Kieran wanted to keep getting free stuff, he knew that was not possible.

As a matter of fact, welfare came with a price.

Kieran would have to enlist at the Union Government Army Force for eighteen months when he turned of age.

He did not mind that. If it had not been for that policy, he would have died long ago.

He finished his last mouthful of his soup, leaving no leftovers.

Although it was bad, he would never waste any food.

After he cleaned up and threw away the trash, he lied down on his bed and put on the VR helmet again.

….

The scene before his eyes changed in an instant.

Before he realized it, he was already back in the huge empty storage room. There was still nothing around, other than the four walls and lots of rusted iron.

Kieran moved towards the LED screen and opened up the [Forum]. He entered the thread where he was selling the [Tekken-II] and checked the comments.

Notifications started beeping rapidly one after the other.

His mailbox kept blinking, but he was in no hurry to reply. He turned his attention towards the comments from the other players.

….

1: OMG! A Rocket Launcher!

2: Seller has to be crazy!

3: The commenter above me is stupid.

4: I offer 2,000 points, pls PM me!

5: He’s trying to scam u! I offer 2,500 Points!

6: I am a guild officer from Steam City. Give me the [Tekken-II], and I will let you join the guild!

7: Iron Chariots say the commenter above is fake!

8: Without the related skill, no player can manage such firepower!

9: Sorry to ask, but what’s a skill point?

10: The commenter above me is a noob!

…..

Almost two hundred meaningless comments flooded the thread.

There were some though that were worth looking at.

At the end of the comment section, someone nicknamed “Lawless” was offering 5,000 Points and 2 skill points to purchase the [Tekken-II].

It was the highest price that Kieran had come across.

“A new player? Or is it an end-game player?”

He would guess the latter.

If he had been a new player, he would not have had the money to purchase that kind of arsenal. If he’d achieved an [S] rating as well, his reward would only have been 3000 points. Unless he had gotten a higher rating. Still, the reward points would not have spiked that high. He would have earned 5,000 to 6,000 points at the most, and given the circumstances, only a handful of players would be willing to fork out 5,000 points to buy the [Tekken-II]. Maybe not even that many.

Kieran would not have spent almost all his rewards on just one weapon and one without ammunition at that. Ammunition was sold separately.

After going through all the comments, Kieran opened his mailbox, where the players had PM’ed him.

However, just like the comment section, most of it was worthless, rude messages, including friend requests and people asking for real life pictures.

Kieran deleted the messages right away, keeping only those that looked potentially useful.

Once again, he saw the nickname “Lawless” appear inside his filtered mailbox.

This time, he was offering an even higher price for the rocket launcher.

6,000 Points and 2 skill points.

It surprised Kieran, who thought he had already set the price sky high.