“This is boring…” Kofuku, one of the members of the [Hatred Sect], dressed like a jester, sighed.
“Shut the fuck up,” Kyofu groaned, his purple tongue swaying left and right.
“Always so aggresive,” Gekido, the gentleman, shrugged, “Yet both your names are so similar…”
“Never compare me to that ugly shit ever again,” Kyofu retorted, launching his tongue at Gekido.
“Attacking teammates isn’t right either,” Dominic gritted his teeth, grabbing the tongue with his bare hands even though it was disgusting.
“Just make sure to keep it away from me,” Yokubo, the girl, backed away.
All the commanders of the [Hatred Sect] were present.
All of them, except for [Lord X].
“He should be coming soon, don’t worry,” Dominic informed the others, “He just has some important matters to discuss with some [Grand Mage].”
“Oh?” Kyofu titled his head, “We have connections to a [Grand Mage]?”
“No, none of them would join us no matter what, they’re too prideful, and they’re already inside some sort of order anyway.”
As Alex expected, all the commanders were present to select participants to sacrifice.
They had lost two out of the three remaining items needed by the hands of a single guy.
They couldn’t afford to delay it any further.
Sacrificing others meant extraction their power and souls to feed it to the dormant [Hatred Demon] to calm it.
They were currently sitting at the top of the academy, their vision allowing them to see anything, anywhere.
The [Hatred Eyes] also allowed them to search for potential sacrifices and mark them for later.
“He said he would be here when there’s less than an hour to the event to scout for people to take,” Dominic continued, “So just wait.”
…
The Golden Star Festival’s countdown ticked relentlessly.
[Golden Star Festival: 1:00:37 hours left.]
Alex made his way to the plaza to get ready for the [Wandering Merchant].
In fact, he even placed himself in front of the exact spot the noble-looking carriage Kars was riding would appear on.
He was this confident the [Fate Gift Boxes] would go too quickly for anyone to realize what was happening.
Even if you tried to contact your friends to get on the game and buy their two [Fate Gift Boxes], it would be too late by the time they came.
In addition to that, some guilds would be ready to send hundreds of their players to grab some by giving them the money they needed.
And in exchange, each one of these players had to give them one out of the two boxes they acquired, only keeping one.
But it was worth it to those players, since they didn’t even pay to begin with.
You still needed a massive amount of luck to get a good item from these boxes after all, so wasting money on that was a risk.
And as only 1,000 were available, and only 500 players could get them, the competition would be brutal.
Not for him though!
Standing beside Alex were Alice and Aurelia, their expressions contrasting sharply.
Alice leaned against bow, calm and observant, while Aurelia played with her daggers, brimming with energy.
“Why are we here? I wanna go fight other people!” Aurelia whined, her twin daggers glinting as she twirled them in her hands.
“Wait,” Alex said firmly, his eyes unwavering. His tone left no room for argument.
Aurelia pouted but obeyed, her restlessness evident. Alice chuckled softly.
The countdown hit the one-hour mark, and then it happened.
A low hum echoed through the air, drawing every gaze toward its source.
In an instant, a swirling crimson portal burst open in the plaza, its energy crackling and pulsing.
From the portal emerged a grand, noble-looking carriage, its gold and crimson design shining under the festival lights.
The intricate carvings and polished surface spoke of unmatched luxury, a symbol of power and mystery.
Atop the carriage sat a sharply dressed man, his monocle glinting, and his perfectly styled mustache adding to his refined aura.
The crowd erupted in chaos, everyone shouting, scrambling, and ready to act.
The moment they saw him, Alex, Alice, Aurelia, as well as all of those nearby, instantly recognized him.
“THE WANDERING MERCHANT!”
“IT’S KARS!”
“MOVE! I NEED THOSE BOXES!”
As the carriage stopped, Kars stood, his devilish grin spreading.
He waved theatrically before stepping down and opening the sliding door of his shop.
“Players! Welcome to my shop. It’s nice to see you all again,” he said smoothly. “I bring 1,000 [Fate Gift Boxes] for your enjoyment!”
The crowd surged forward, players shoving and shouting as they vied for a position.
“Today’s boxes contain even more powerful items than last time, and they are more numerous in numbers,” Kars continued, his voice carrying over the noise. “But remember, luck will decide your fortune, as will your wallets.”
Kars’ status window appeared briefly to the crowd:
[Name: Kars Spikeford]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 100]
“He leveled up, huh, he was level 50 before.”
“I mean, I wonder why nobody’s trying to steal from him…”
“Didn’t those who try die?”
People were speculating, but just like always, Alex saw the real stats.
[Name: Kars Demonford]
[Race: Demon]
[Level: 1000]
[Tier 8]
‘Should I have prepared to fight him?’ Alex wondered for a moment before shaking his head. ‘Maybe later.’
Kars’ voice snapped him back to reality. “Each [Fate Gift Box] now costs 25 gold coins!”
Despite the exorbitant price, the crowd’s excitement didn’t waver.
“Mr. Kars!” a player near Alex shouted, hurling a pouch of 50 gold coins. Kars caught it effortlessly.
“Thank you for your patronage,” Kars said with a slight bow.
He tapped the back of his carriage, and the door opened, allowing the player to step inside.
But not everyone wanted to play fair.
Several players tried sneaking past Kars to enter the carriage.
Just as they reached the threshold, a shimmering barrier appeared, stopping them cold.
A moment later, a powerful spell struck, reducing the would-be thieves to ash.
“Don’t try to cheat me,” Kars said with a laugh. “You WILL die.”
The crowd froze, their excitement tempered by fear. Explore more at empire
“I guess that’s how he stops them from stealing…”
“Damn.”
Less than a second after he entered, the first customer exited the carriage, holding two luxurious purple boxes.
The player wasted no time, throwing both onto the ground.
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box], but unfortunately, you didn’t get anything.]
And then…
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box] and received a Divine+ Item: Spear of Hellfire!]
“Holy shit!” the player yelled, holding up the flaming spear. “This thing’s worth 500 gold coins at least!”
Of course, opening your [Fate Gift Box] in front of many people was stupid usually, even though many people in fact made videos on the internet of unboxing of these boxes.
The crowd roared.
“GET HIM!”
“STEAL THE SPEAR!”
Dozens of players rushed toward him, their greed driving them.
But before they could reach him, another spell activated, wiping them out in one fell swoop.
“Please do not attack my customers,” Kars said with a sinister smile. “You may leave now, sir.”
The lucky player disconnected immediately, securing his treasure.
The scene only fueled the frenzy.
Players began throwing coins at Kars, shouting and fighting for his attention.
Some even resorted to killing one another to clear a path.
“Calm down, calm down,” Kars said lightly, though his enjoyment was clear: he loved to see humans fight in such a way.
Alex watched with an amused grin. “Alright, my turn,” he said, stepping forward.
Alice and Aurelia followed close behind, their eyes sharp as the chaos unfolded.
The time for waiting was over.
Alex was ready to claim his share of fate.