Chapter 8

    The New Gun

    Pun was lazily rolling around on the thick carpet, thinking about his journey into the forest tomorrow. He had everything necessary, even the outfits, except... he hadn’t actually received his custom outfit yet. Promptly, he contacted the tailor.

    /Contacting Temple of Illusion

    /Hello, Mr. Pun. How may I assist you today?/

    Was this sweet voice really belonging to someone ranked 30th on the formidable person list? He found the ranking quite baffling.

    /I’m sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if my outfit is ready? I plan to leave early tomorrow morning./

    /Oh... your outfit is ready. I was actually about to contact you about it. But you’re leaving tomorrow? Aren’t you aware of the event happening tomorrow? You might want to participate; the prizes are very enticing./

    /No, I’d rather start my journey early. How should I collect the outfit?/

    /I’ll deliver it to you. May I know where you’re staying so I can ensure it gets to you correctly?/

    /I’m at the Asia Hotel. You can have the staff bring it up to my room./

    /Wow... that famous hotel? The lodging costs there are quite high. But I guess you’re quite wealthy, huh? *giggle* I’m sure you’ll love the outfit. I’ll send it to the hotel right away./

    /Thank you./

    After ending the call, Pun rolled around a few more times, then remembered the numerous unopened boxes he had. He decided to open them all.

    “Search for Lucky Boxes.”

    /Found a total of 108 items./

    Stunned again, he almost forgot he had a total of 115 boxes. After selling and opening some, he was left with 108. He decided to start with the ones he had fewer of, resulting in:

    1. Scorching Star Box (1) – Received a rare-level Blood Staff.

    2. ??? Boxes (9) –

    Received Formless staff level 6

    Received Death Blade, Rare

    Received Shapeless Bow, level 7

    Received World-Ending Spellbook, RareRareRare

    Received Protective Sweater, level 8

    Received Carved Spirit Wool Carpet, Level 7

    Received Drawn Wagon, Level 8

    Received Three-Eyed Ring, level 8

    Received Amulet Cloth, RareRareRare

    Pun could only look on with pity. Why did he only get swords, scepters, and bows... Where were the guns? He looked at the open storage compartment and issued a new command:

    "Guns or items related to guns."

    /Discovered a total of 5 types/

    1. Shape-shifting Paper

    2. Weapon Upgrade Stone (specific to weapons)

    3. Cannon (5)

    4. Laser Pistol

    5. Formless Improvised Explosive Device

    Interested, Pun wondered if these were the extras Uncle Rat mentioned. He picked up the shape-shifting paper, puzzled about its relation to firearms – maybe it’s for cleaning guns?

    /Attributes:/

    Shape-shifting Paper

    Attribute: Can transform any obtained weapon into the gun you desire.

    Special Skill: Can actually shoot bullets once transformed.

    Smiling, Pun was relieved about finding a suitable weapon. He then examined the Blood Staff’s attributes.

    /Attributes:/

    Blood Staff – Rare Item

    Attribute: Can absorb enemies’ blood to charge for the staff and unleash the Blood Annihilation Skill (AoE), turning victims into pools of blood.

    Pun found the features interesting and brought the transparent paper close to the staff.

    "It would be great if this paper could transform the staff into a gun."

    **/...Processing... Please specify the gun model you wish to transform into a formless matter./

    **/Winchester .458 Magnum./**

    Pun had to decide between .357 and .458 but eventually chose the latter, thinking it better suited for big hunting.

    **/...Processing... Failed to merge... Blood Staff evolves... into .458 Staff.../**

    "Huh, a .458 Staff?"

    Pun exclaimed in surprise at the fusion of a gun with a staff. Soon, the fusion light dimmed, leaving behind a red-hued .458 gun. After contemplating, Pun reviewed its attributes.

    **/Attributes/**

    .458 Staff: Can only be loaded with blood bullets made from blood. The power of the blood bullets depends on the size of the prey; bigger prey results in stronger bullets. Can shoot magical skills.

    - Special Skill: Magic Bullet Fusion (combines all of the player's magic into a bullet).

    Pun was wide-eyed for 5 seconds before he started squirming around for another 30 seconds.

    "Ha ha ha, finally got a .458 of this wonderful caliber," he said before running around the room for the tenth time when a knock came at the door. Pun could only grin sheepishly, hoping the person outside didn’t hear him.

    "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but there’s a package from the Weaving Goddess shop for you, Mr. Woodsman. Could you please sign here?"

    Pun walked to the door, signed for the package, and then the employee handed over a box that was just the right size to carry.

    "That was quick. The shop just told me they would send it. The delivery service these days is really fast, isn’t it?"

    "Actually, it would be considered slow, sir. Because each shop has a delivery device. If it weren't for the security check of materials we had to conduct first, we could have delivered it 5 minutes ago."

    Pun nodded in understanding and placed the box on the carpet.

    "Let me see what the most expensive outfit in the game looks like, shall we?"

    He opened the box excitedly. As soon as he lifted the lid, a blue light shot towards him, accompanied Pun by a voice,

    "Player Jompran has received the hunter clothes set: jungle outfit, sleeping clothes, winter clothes, animal fur coat, raincoat, 3 pairs of dragon leather boots - rare, 5 pairs of sheepskin boots, 2 pairs of stingray leather boots - rare, 3 pairs of dragon gloves - rare, 3 pairs of stingray leather gloves - rare."

    Pun was startled upon hearing that. He ordered just one outfit, didn’t he?

    "Contact Weaving Goddess."

    "Hello? How may I help you, Mr. Pun? Is there something wrong with the items?"

    "No, I was just wondering why there are so many outfits. Didn’t I order just one?"

    "Oh! Because there were extra materials, Me and my friends decided to make several outfits for you. But, Mr. Pun, don't forget to bind a contract with the clothes to have the right to randomize."

    "How do I bind a contract?"

    "Just drop some blood onto the item you wish to bind. Once done, that item can no longer be randomized. It’s like taking a chance, you see."

    Pun nodded in understanding...before hesitating at the mention of blood. Right, he could just ask Mai.

    "Mai, where can I buy blood? Does the hospital have any?"

    "Eh... You can buy blood at any Pharmacy."

    "Thanks."

    Pun sat looking at his belongings before storing them in his inventory slots. Looking at his inventory, he pondered over the limited space. He then checked the auction prices.

    Items                    Starting Price  Current Bid

    1. Legendary Weapon Box  500 orbs     1100 orbs

    2. Legendary Clothing Box 500 orbs       990 orbs

    3. Legendary Pet Box     500 orbs       780 orbs

    Time remaining before the auction ends: 3 days

    Pun figured out a way to find a bag.

    "Mass Communication Channel"

    "Voice or text?"

    "Text."

    A blue window popped up with countless messages.

    "Hello!"

    "Hi!"

    "Hello there..."

    "Does anyone have a bag with about 5,000 slots?"

    "Expensive! Those bags are expensive!"

    "Crazy... He's asking for the price... Yet you say expensive... Sheesh."

    "...You looking for one?... I kinda have one, a backpack. Just got it."

    "Hey... I have one too... 6,000 slots, young man. Not too pricey. Zip it to 'So Handsome'."

    "What? 'So Handsome', I'm selling stuff here... Mine has 8,000 slots, zip it to 'Candy Kid'."

    "Alright... I'll take both."

    "...Crazy or what? You can only use one. I'll just tell you my price, 10 orbs. It's not too pricey."

    "Crazy woman, 10 orbs is way too expensive. Kid, think about it, 8,000 slots for 10 orbs. Mine's just 5 and a half orbs, and it's only 2,000 slots difference."

    "You're the one making too much profit. A backpack can only be owned in one piece per person, and having 8,000 slots is already a lot, I'm offering it at the cheapest."

    "Hmm... Can only carry one at a time, right? Does that include accessories too? I have a necklace that has slots."

    "Wow... Accessories with storage slots are super expensive. They're not counted along with the backpack, dear. By the way, what's your name? We've been talking for so long."

    "Of course, Ms. Talkative. If he wasn't serious, he wouldn't be announcing his need in this channel. Wouldn't it be better to search in the market?"

    "Hehe... You can call me Pun."

    "Don't know though, are the prices really different? It shouldn't be that much more expensive, right?"

    "Oops, your name is Pun? So, whose bag do you choose?"

    "Mr. Pun, don't fall for those two's tricks. Their prices are ridiculously high."

    "What are you talking about? This is the standard price."

    "Yeah? You want to start something? Bring it on then, I've warned you."

    "Hehe... That price was from four days ago. The game's currency has inflated a lot since then. You know it. As for you, probably not. From 1,000 beads for 5 baht, now you get 50 baht, and it looks like the price is going to increase even more."

    "..."

    "..."

    "Why though? Why did the currency inflate?"

    "How could it not inflate when someone, God knows who, auctioned off three legendary items simultaneously and didn't even accept real money, only in-game currency? All the money got sucked out. After the auction day, the currency will probably be tight. So if you're not in a hurry, maybe hold off on buying. Seems like you're not short on money."

    "Sorry, dear Pun. I didn't mean to deceive, but that was the real price from before."

    What a predicament, feeling so guilty. That meant he should probably sell them one by one. To ease the guilt, he might really need to splurge.

    "It's okay, Sweet Candy... But, do you have a bag with more slots? I'm willing to buy a bag for 100 orbs, the one with the most slots wins."

    Well, that was all he could do. With another 200 orbs left, no worries.

    "Scream... Really? Wait a moment... Initially, ten thousand slots."

    "Ten thousand five..."

    "Twenty thousand..."

    "Thirty thousand..."

    "0.0..."

    "Sigh... Who has a thirty thousand slots bag... That's RareRareRare it's almost legendary."

    "Yes, that bag only exists with the Dragon Guardians Guild's leader, the strongest guild with no less than ten million members."

    "..."

    "Or is there another one, right, Mr. Generous?"

    "Damn, Sweet Candy... That bag was a drop from a boss event three months ago. How could the Dragon Guardians Guild's leader have killed it? Where would there be another boss to drop one?"

    "Yes... I am the guild leader."

    "...May I ask if you're interested in this bag, Mr. Pun?"

    At that moment, Pun was stunned. He was speaking to the leader of the number one guild and undoubtedly the number one player in the game...