“Here,” Alice tapped a few panels, and 50 gold coins appeared in her hand, which she gave to Alex, “Use them well,” she smiled.
“Thanks,” Alex sighed, accepting the coins.
Alice had seen through him instantly.
Alex didn’t have the funds for the [Fate Gift Boxes], but she didn’t hesitate to step in.
As someone who often handled her father’s business dealings, Alice was no stranger to wealth.
Every gold coin she used was her own, earned through careful decision-making and hard work.
For her, offering the money wasn’t a burden, it was something she wanted to do.
Alex gave her a small nod of appreciation before turning his attention back to Kars.
The excitement in the crowd was reaching a fever pitch, but Alex remained calm, his focus razor-sharp.
Alex approached Kars as he was right in front of him since the start, not having budged from his spot.
The demon merchant’s sharp eyes flicked toward him, recognizing the determined look on his face.
Alex didn’t stop until he was directly in front of the merchant, barely an arm’s length away.
The chaos around them seemed to fade as Alex extended both hands toward Kars, holding the coins firmly.
The gold reflected in Kars’ monocle, his devilish smile growing wider.
Without breaking eye contact, Alex dropped the fifty coins onto the counter of Kars’ carriage.
The coins clinked together, their sound cutting through the noise of the frenzied crowd.
“Enjoy your choices, sir,” Kars said with a low bow, his voice smooth and dripping with charm.
He gestured toward the back of the carriage with a flourish. “Right this way.”
Alex didn’t hesitate.
He climbed into the carriage, leaving Alice and Aurelia behind to watch the unfolding chaos from the plaza.
As he disappeared into the shadowy interior, Kars couldn’t help but chuckle, his grin never faltering.
The crowd surged once more, their eyes burning with envy.
From the outside, the carriage looked like a small traveling cart.
But once inside, Alex found himself in a cavernous interior, lined with rows upon rows of [Fate Gift Boxes].
Shelves stretched endlessly into the darkened space, each neatly organized with boxes categorized by color.
However, everyone knew at this point that the colors meant nothing.
The contents of the boxes were entirely random, at least for most players.
For Alex, things were different.
Just like last time, the moment he stepped inside, his [Cursed Eyes of the King] activated.
His pupils glowed faintly as panels of information appeared in front of each box.
Most bore the grim inscription [Nothing], but that was something everyone knew as well: there was a risk to the gift boxes.
But if you got lucky, like the guy did with the [Spear of Hellfire], you could secure yourself a ton of money or a future in the game.
Alex moved deliberately, his eyes scanning every row, looking for something specific.
A small handful of boxes shimmered with [Item Inside].
These were the ones most players would gamble for.
But Alex wasn’t interested in ordinary loot.
He ignored those boxes entirely, focusing instead on the rarest treasures hidden in plain sight.
It didn’t take long.
There, tucked between rows of decoy boxes, five stood out, glowing with a distinct panel: [Legendary Item Inside].
‘Five this time,’ Alex noted.
The last time Kars had appeared, there were only three, meaning that he hadn’t lied in the increase of items.
He also noticed that the number of [Item Inside] boxes had increased from around 100 to 150.
A roughly 10% chance to get an item per box for the average player, not bad odds, but nothing compared to what Alex could see.
He strode toward the first [Legendary Item Inside] box and plucked it from the shelf.
Oh, and by the way, the reason why he could take his sweet time even though there were others waiting is because in this space, time moved a lot slower than in the real world.
That’s why players probably stayed inside the interior to check the boxes for five to ten minutes if not more, but in the real world, only a second passed.
Alex calmly tucked the first box into his inventory, then moved toward the second.
‘I’ll mark the location of the others,’ he thought, memorizing the positions of the remaining [Legendary] boxes.
He planned to let Alice and Aurelia know so they could secure them if luck and precision aligned.
He reached out for the second box like last time, ready to gain amazing items.
But the moment his fingers brushed its surface, a crimson portal suddenly materialized beside him, swirling ominously.
A large, clawed hand shot out from the portal, grabbing Alex’s arm in a vice-like grip.
“Huh?” Alex muttered, caught off guard.
Before he could react, the portal expanded, and from it stepped Kars in his true form.
His human disguise was gone, replaced by a towering figure with crimson skin, curved horns, and a devilish tail.
His body radiated an oppressive, demonic aura.
“Cheater~~” Kars chuckled, his voice a sinister singsong.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled Alex across the room like a ragdoll.
Alex slammed into a wall, dislodging dozens of boxes, which clattered noisily to the ground. Continue reading at empire
Alex grunted, shaking off the daze as he pushed himself up.
“What the hell…” he muttered, his eyes narrowing.
Kars stepped forward, his hulking frame casting a long shadow.
“I don’t mind if you see through my little game,” the demon said, his voice dripping with malice, “But you can’t be serious, can you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alex shrugged.
“I remember the face of every single one of my customers,” Kars grinned, “You took two legendary boxes last time, and two this time too, do you think I’m stupid?”
“…” Alex smirked. “Greed’s part of the game, isn’t it?”
Kars’ eyes gleamed, and a wicked grin spread across his face. “True,” he admitted. “But rules are rules.”
“What rules-” Before Alex could retort, Kars lunged, his claws swiping through the air with terrifying speed.
Alex barely managed to dodge, the claws slicing through a shelf instead, shattering several boxes.
‘Holy shit, he’s fast,’ Alex thought, summoning a [Blood Blade] in one hand after biting his hand.
He knew he couldn’t win against a level 1000 demon, but even then, he still wanted to secure at least one box.
The demon merchant laughed, the sound echoing ominously in the cavernous space.
“You can’t defeat me, mortal. I’ve dealt with far stronger than you.”
“We’ll see,” Alex said, his voice steady.
He dashed forward, slashing with the [Blood Blade], but Kars parried with a flick of his claw, sending sparks flying.
Alex spun around and aimed a second strike, but Kars countered effortlessly, his tail whipping around to knock Alex off balance.
“I’m not even attacking you,” Kars yawned.
Alex stumbled but quickly regained his footing as he grabbed his [Demonized Whispers of Shadows].
He had lost [Bleeding Strike], but it still had two unique skills, didn’t it?
Fwish!
Alex activated [Shadow Veil], vanishing into the shadows.
“Oh, playing hide and seek now?” Kars taunted, his voice echoing. “You can’t escape my domain.”
With a snap of his fingers, the exit of the carriage closed off, locking Alex inside.
“Even if we spent days here, it would only be a few minutes outside.”
Alex didn’t respond.
Hidden in the shadows, he circled around the demon, watching for an opening.
Kars remained still, his sharp eyes scanning the room.
Then, with a sudden motion, he raised his hand, summoning a burst of crimson energy that shattered nearby shelves, sending debris flying.
“After every person that passes, the space resets except for the taken boxes, so any destruction will be nullified,” he took the time to explain too.
Alex reappeared behind him, aiming for a critical strike, but Kars spun around with inhuman speed, catching the blade with his bare hand.
“Nice try,” Kars growled, his grip tightening around the [Blood Blade] until it shattered.
Alex leaped back, cursing under his breath.
“You’re bold, I’ll give you that. But you’re not ready for this fight,” Kars grinned, “Now,” Kars said, his tone cold, “time to teach you some respect.”
“Oh shit.”
Kars was getting serious, meaning that he wasn’t playing around anymore.
To him, watching Alex and humans struggle was like playing with a child, yet now, he was ready to end him.
And Alex could see it: he had a few [Soul Attacks].