Chapter 29 29: The Merchant (3)

"So what exactly do you want young boy?" The merchant asked with a harmless smile as he sat on the chair behind his stall, his eyes looking like a predator observing it's prey.

Meanwhile Corey looking at the stall, looked at the merchant with slight suspicion and confusion.

If not because of his Record ability not working, he would definitely not believe that the man in front of him was the merchant because the stall looked like the type of stall a ten year old kid would make for a lemonade stand with a signboard on top saying 'LEMONADE' but instead, for the merchant, it was, 'THE MERCHANT'.

Although Corey knew that the man in front of him was very likely the merchant, there was something he was curious about as he looked at the stall which had nothing but the merchant and the stall itself.

"Where are the goods you sell?"

Corey asked and the merchant chuckled.

"That's always the first question you lot ask.

"I have so many goods on me that if I were to bring them out, it would fill five of your auditoriums."

Corey raised an eyebrow and looked at the auditorium that was not far from their location. It was a giant building that could take at least five thousand students and he was meant to believe the merchant had so many goods that it would fill five?

Corey definitely did not believe that nonsense.

And the merchant seeing that, smiled.

He was definitely lying since there was no way he would have that much goods on him but whether he was lying or not, it would subconscious make the person want to stay and test whether he was truly saying the truth.

A trick he learnt since he knew most humans were generally a curious race.

"I don't care if you're lying or not. I need some things. Most importantly information." Corey said causing the merchant to be satisfied in his heart.

"A down to business type of guy. Me likey."

The merchant said causing Corey to take a step back and look at the merchant cautiously.

"I don't swing that way. Don't 'likey' me." Corey said causing the merchant to smile a charming smile at him giving Corey goosebumps.

'Is he gay?'

Removing that thought from his head, he decided to ask the questions that had been on his mind for quite some time now.

"I have some questions regarding the status window." Corey said and the merchant nodded his head.

"How does somebody become Tier 1. What are Tiers?"

The merchant hearing the question smiled. He stretched out his hand and opened his palm.

"Five bronze coins."

Corey raised an eyebrow in surprise hearing that.

He expected it to be more expensive. He had quite a lot of bronze coins and silver coins on him so he reached into his bag, removed five bronze coins and gave it to the merchant.

The bronze coins disappeared from the merchant's hands causing Corey to have an expression of curiosity.

The merchant eyes shined seeing that, so he spoke.

"I can tell you how I did that. You just have to pay."

Corey looked at the merchant with a suspicious look.

"How much?" He asked.

"Ten bronze coins." The merchant said with a harmless smile and Corey frowned.

He felt that something was wrong but since the money was not too much in his opinion, he paid for it causing the merchant to smile a smile of happiness.

"Wonderful. Your payment has been received." The merchant said then cleared his throat.

"Somebody becomes Tier one after they reach level 100. Tier basically means evolution. You get a class in tier 1 and you become a higher level being after reaching tier 1. This continues as you advance to higher tiers."

The merchant said and Corey became slightly stunned hearing that.

One had to reach level 100 to become tier 1?

He was just level 40!

He was not even close to tier 1 at all!

Corey groaned then thought of the soul stones in his bag.

'Should I just absorb them to become closer to tier 1?'

Corey thought then looked at the merchant.

He had a feeling that something was wrong with the merchant or to be more precise, he felt that something was wrong with the information the merchant gave him and that he was forgetting something important but he shoved the feeling to the back of his mind when the merchant continued speaking.

"As for how I made the coins to disappear. I just placed them in my inventory." The merchant said causing Corey to be confused.

"Inventory?" Corey asked and the merchant smiled.

"Fifteen bronze coins. "He said, then outstretched his hand while looking at Corey with a harmless smile.

Corey looked at him silently for a few seconds before he reached into his bag and brought out fifteen bronze coins and gave it to the merchant.

"Your payment has been received." The merchant said with a smile and Corey just looked indifferently at him.

"An inventory is a separate space where one can keep their items." The merchant said with a smile and Corey looked at him with a dead look.

"How can I get an inventory?" He asked slowly and calmly but the merchant still with his smile replied.

"That's ten silver coins and so that you won't waste your time.

The price to get an inventory is one gold coin but I'll give you a discount and you can give me the soul stone of that awakened dark revenant you just killed.

A fair price I must say."

Corey looked at the merchant with a dead gaze for quite some time before he spoke in an extremely calm but dangerous tone.

"I want a contract."

"Huh?"

The merchant who had a smile looked at Corey with a dazed look.

He thought he heard wrong

No he must have heard wrong

Not just anybody knew about the system contract in this academy.

Except…

Meanwhile Corey looked at the merchant and spoke calmly.

"I want a contract."

The merchant looked at him, his smile totally gone and a look of hostility appeared in his eyes.

"Who told you?" He asked dangerously.

Corey just tilted his head while having a questioning expression in response.

"I said. Who the fuck told you about the contract?!

Is it that money loving bastard in a suit?!!"

The merchant gritted his teeth in anger while looking at Corey, but Corey unperturbed spoke calmly once again.

"I want a contract. If you don't give me. Trust me I will run around and tell everybody in this academy that you're a rip off and a cheat. That if they ever want to do business with you. They must get a contract. I will also tell them to spread the word to every single person."

Corey threatened and the merchant looked at him with hatred.

"You wouldn't dare." He threatened, trying to scare Corey into changing his mind but Corey without a word turned around and started walking away.

The merchant eyes widened seeing that and he quickly shouted.

"Young boy! No wait young handsome man!. Come back! We can negotiate some things."

Corey stopped then turned back and said only two words.

"My contract?"

The merchant seeing his unwavering express gritted his teeth while simultaneously cursing The Founder a zillion times, finally complied.

"Fine! We'll sign a system contract."

Saying that, he stretched out his right hand and a translucent screen hovered over his hand.

He grumbled and muttered a few things Corey could not hear for a few seconds before he looked at Corey and asked a question.

"You? What's your name?"

Corey looked at him suspiciously and the merchant seeing that was frustrated.

"I need to put down your name in the contract for fucks sake."

Corey shrugged hearing that and spoke. "Name's Corey."

The merchant grunted, turned around and muttered.

"Sounds like an ingredient."

As soon as Corey heard that, his eyes became cold and he spoke with an extremely cold and dangerous tone.

"It seems you want everybody to know you're a fraud?"

The merchant hearing that had a panicked expression and he quickly apologized.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, calm down. It's a joke. Just a joke."

The merchant said and Corey looked at the merchant coldly but didn't say anything or do anything in response.

The merchant seeing that, released a breath of relief and continued working on the contract.

A few minutes later, the merchant looked at Corey and spoke with reluctance.

"Come, read the contents, then prick your finger or whatever and let a drop of your blood come out."

Corey raised an eyebrow then walked towards the merchant and read the contents on the translucent screen.

A few minutes later, he moved away from the translucent screen then closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them back while looking straight at the merchant.

"There are a few things I want to change."

The merchant looked at him with more hostility for a few seconds before speaking with restrained anger.

"Like what?"

"Change:

'I, The Merchant, would be fair and not cheat when trading with The Customer, Corey.' to, 'I, The Merchant, would never lie and cheat when trading with The Customer, Corey.'

Add:

'I, The Merchant, is obligated to give a refund to The Customer, Corey, anytime if cheated by I, The Merchant.'

Add:

'I, The Merchant, would never harm or steal from The Customer, Corey, in any way or form as long as The Customer, Corey, does not harm I, The Merchant.'

Add:

'I, The Merchant, would never sell defected goods and products to The Customer, Corey.'

Add:

'I, The Merchant would never ban The Customer, Corey, from my business unless The Customer, Corey, harms I' The Merchant, in any way or form.'

That's all."

Corey had a small smile after speaking and the merchant looked like he had seen a ghost hearing Corey's words.

Corey's proposed terms were like a sword stabbing into the merchant's heart and soul.

The proposed terms removed any way for him to scam Corey or even cheat him in the future.

And for the merchant, scamming and cheating was his way of life!!

This was absolutely unacceptable to the merchant!!

The merchant looked at Corey with so much hostility that if looks could kill, Corey would be dead a gazillion times which frightened Corey slightly because he knew that the man was higher than a Tier 1.

Just as Corey thought the merchant would shout, curse and probably attack him in anger. The merchant calmed down and spoke with an extremely calm tone.

"You're absolutely worse than that greedy money loving bastard."

Corey knew who he was talking about but he didn't care. He wanted information and he wanted correct and complete information, not to be lied at and scammed.

"Doesn't matter to me. Agree to those new additions then I would not go around telling people that you're a scam." Corey said and the merchant's lips twitched.

"I'm not a scam. I-" He tried to defend himself but Corey not giving two shits about what he thought of himself cut him off, not bothering to listen to his words.

"I don't care. Just agree to the additions I gave and let us trade."

The merchant's lips twitched once again, then he agreed to the new additions set by Corey since they were not actually bad. They just restricted him from scamming Corey until he finds a loophole in the new additions.

Finding nothing that would ruin his business in the contract, he brought out a needle from his inventory and pricked his finger, drawing out his blood.

Corey seeing that used Smile Reaper to prick his finger, drawing out his blood.

After Corey did that, a translucent screen appeared in front of him asking him if he accepts the contents of the contract. Corey said he accepts and the merchant said he also accepts.

The blood from both of them glowed in a white light then disappeared. After it disappeared, Corey could feel some sort of connection with the merchant.

The merchant having an unhappy expression looked at Corey and asked.

"So what do you want to know?"

And Corey's eyes began to shine.

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[A/N: This is the normal chapter for March 1 and with this, I no longer have any chapter I'm owing you guys.

It was not easy and it took longer than I expected but I did it.

At first I wanted this chapter to be the last chapter where Corey plans on getting information from the merchant but I don't know, I just kept on writing and by the time I knew it, the chapter was already long enough.

Next chapter is the last 'The Merchant' chapter which would explain a few things which would normally be info dump but I don't plan on making it an info dump like most do.

I'll try to make it funny (Hopefully I can).

Also I plan on starting the plot of volume 1 after the last 'The Merchant' Chapter.

You can vote now by the way. So PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

We're just FIVE power stones away from one bonus chapter.

KEEP THOSE POWER STONES COMING PEOPLE AND I WILL PROVIDE THE BONUS CHAPTERS

Also thank you to all the people that transferred from 'Single Wish' or are just joining and reading this book.

I'm truly grateful and happy seeing the collections rise to 25 in just one day. I was worried it would take me time to reach up to that number or even close to 20.

So thank you so much everybody, even for just reading my book. I really appreciate it.

Have a great day/night.