Special Quest completed: Forced a concession from the system.

Rewards: 1000 quest points, 100 credits, Mental state elevator potion (Rare alchemical product of various natural treasures known to increase concentration and connection to higher levels of consciousness.)

So it was like a very strong dose of alcohol, Rafe concluded. There was also a warning about lethargy and headaches and lack of productivity after the potion wore off when he used his status display skill.

The system notification had not ended there though.

You have collected more influence for your quest system's upgrade. Continue to have more lucky encounters to blaze a new path for the multiverse.

+2 luck.

Defying the system was some kind of lucky encounter? Of course it wasn't. Whatever the system was up to, Rafe wanted no part in it. Too bad he seemed to be at the centre of it. The system was watching him. It was watching him more closely than it should have been.

Rafe had no doubt his presence had somehow impacted the tutorial on Earth. But then again, Liam had told him the system liked people who introduced new things. Like his ubiquitous skill cracks. If being favoured by the system meant being stuck in situations like these though, then he didn't like it that much. With a sigh, he spoke to the little merchant beside him.

"So, when can we start? I'm super pumped and all, but I'd still like to know how long I have to sit around doing nothing."

He wasn't going to be doing nothing of course. He had concept visions to trigger, and a treasure to make sure he got the most out of his visions. Before going through the visions, Rafe would have preferred to have his insights primed and ready. A few weeks working on metals to get the first seeds planted wouldn't have gone amiss.

"Hmm?" the little gnome, as Rafe had been informed, spoke distractedly. "That's good then. We can start right now."

"Huh?"

That made no sense to Rafe. First off, they only had the ore for one metal in this place. Rafe had ordered davrite, one of his favorite metals from back on Aeon. The merchant surely didn't mean to short change him, did he? They'd just agreed, and Rafe did not trust him enough to work without getting some assurances.

"This is a sufficient place to build a foundry, is it not?" Hestus asked.

Rafe snapped out of his paranoid thoughts and looked around. So that's what the dwarf had meant. Rafe had been taught by a sword god. Maybe smithing wasn't his main thing, but Rafe was sure his god had been competent. And Rafe had also had the pleasure to learn the basics from a few competent master smiths in Davorn, the Dwarven territory he'd passed through on his sword journey.

Rafe stretched his body a bit.

"I don't think the wood I've seen in this dungeon would cut it though."

"Ahhh," the gnome said with a nod. "Good, good. I've worked with a few blacksmiths in my time, and they all had exacting conditions on little things such as this. You must be the real deal."

"...thanks?" Rafe said.

Was he being tested right now? He was doing his best to ignore the two girls who had insisted on following them. Helare had insisted, to be exact. It seemed like Filoria was forced to go along wherever the other girl wanted to.

He decided to distract himself by looking around the piece of land he'd been given. It was at the opposite end of camp from where they'd first entered, and it was pretty isolated.

"Won't it be dangerous for him staying out here by himself?" Filoria asked.

It was a logical question. Rafe hadn't noticed it, but if he had been a real crafter, wouldn't he have been a rather weak combatant. Not that he knew how crafters generally operated post system. All he had for reference was Aeon, which according to Noid had been a pretty back water world.

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"I don't think that will be a problem," the merchant stared at Filoria meaningfully.

Somehow, Rafe read the man's intentions well enough. Filoria had felt Rafe's aura, and felt the battle intent, the blood, the threat there in. But she had been able to resist it. She seemed to have reverted to underestimating him. Maybe her aura senses weren't strong enough? The way the gnome shook his head subtly in disappointment and looked away convinced Rafe of his conclusions. The gnome was wary of him. One to keep an eye on.

"Anyway," the gnome said, "you can check here for a type of wood you'd be comfortable using," the gnome swiped at something in the air and a screen appeared in front of Rafe, shocking him quite a bit.

"Did you mean Filoria will guard him?" Helare finally snapped out of her pout. "I saw you looking at her suggestively, Hestus, what did that mean?"

"Huh?" The gnome whipped around to her. "No, it was nothing."

"Filoria is my body guard," Helare declared. "I can assign him a guard if he needs one."

"No," Rafe cut in, not willing to be discussed like he didn't exist once again. "That is not necessary. Hestus, what the hell is this?!"

The gnome turned back to Rafe, adjusted his glasses, then proceeded to stare at Rafe like he was the most fascinating creature at the zoo.

"Ahhh, how did you say you got into this dungeon again?" the goblin asked.

Rafe frowned, wondering what that had to do with anything. "I didn't. But it was a portal accident that yanked me from my world."

The goblin nodded. "Ahh, your world. In the tutorial sector as well, no doubt. Why didn't you tell me this, princess Helare?"

The princess was staring at Rafe when he turned to her. She quickly looked away, but he had seen her confused frown. He wondered what that was about. He wouldn't touch it if he could help it.

"Ahh? What? Right, I didn't think it was relevant," she told the gnome.

"Well," said the gnome slowly. "It is. It's a very relevant data point. These kinds of occurrences will let us be sure what is happening to your dungeon."

"But this isn't a new occurrence, is it? We already know the damn system has our Deufont sending out portals to other worlds."

"There is a difference between sending out portals and fully becoming a tutorial zone dungeon. You will lose this dungeon when your world is promoted. Is that what you want?"

The princess looked away from them, her confident look turning more anxious. Then she shook her head.

"It isn't like he'll care anyway. It is only an F grade dungeon."

The him and not caring again.

Rafe shook his head at the thought. He'd rather not know more about these girls, these people, to be honest.

"I guess the system had just appeared on your world when you fell into the portal?" the gnome asked. "Well, no matter. That is the merchant system. It enables people with merchant professions to trade with the system itself and with other people as well."

Indeed, the new screen was reminiscent of an online shopping website. On the left were picture representations and descriptions, and in the middle were standard prices, in credits, and on the right were prices as well. But attached to those were names of apparently traders and or trading companies.

Only the ones on the right also had names attached to them and the prices were generally lower. And they had other currencies, from what Rafe could see.

-Black willow wood (The wood of the willow trees is soft, quick to catch fire, and it burns brighter than most)

-Standard price- 3.5 credits par log.

-Shane conglomerate.(2 credits/ davrite ore: 1 piece for 4 logs.)

-Bisby company.(1.5 credits/ 3 central domain standard gold coins.)

-Gold loggers (1.5 credits/ 4 Dao

The gnome snorted at Rafe's open mouthed gawking.

"Hardly anything to get too excited about. This isn't even everything the trading system can do. Right, girls?"

They didn't reply, but that was enough information in itself. They had reluctant agreement written all over their faces. Or at least Helare did.

"They hate everything to do with the system, but the trading system is a bit special. Of course, there is the ways too. And the multiversal web, but that is information for another day."

Rafe's eyes had grown wider as Hestus spoke, not because he was that impressed, but because he had just realised another advantage to staying in this camp. He could get more information on the system. He already had the free inspiration visions from the system, and the books he was promised about metals to improve his metallurgy skill. Now he was going to do a bit of research too.

He had also picked up more information on the planet he was stuck on. Apparently this planet was pretty new to the multiverse as well. They were in what was called the tutorial sector, same as his Earth. But there was something about a promotion. That sounded like something he should find out about.

"Hey, how can I access the trading system?" he asked. "And what all can I get from it? I've got a few credits to burn."

The gnome seemed taken aback by his statement, exchanging looks with Helare. The princess looked suspicious now. Filoria looked downright hostile.

"How did you get credits though? You said you were transported here once the system reached your world?" Filoria asked.

Rafe did not allow himself an external reaction, but internally he knew he'd messed up. How was he supposed to know credits weren't common? Weren't they the standard currency of the multiverse?

"How? How indeed? Um, the tutorial system, I guess," Rafe replied.

"The tutorial system shouldn't give out credits directly. It exchanges tutorial points for credits. And you should have access to a curated shop if you have the tutorial system," the merchant said.

Rafe put his hands up. "I don't know how else to answer you."

"Hmm, how many credits do you have then?"

Rafe wasn't walking into it this time, he promised himself. "100."

He heard Helare hiss some kind of expletive.

"Well, um, that is more than half the population of this planet received - put together, by the way - after the tutorial system was withdrawn

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