Dokkaebi Herald subtracted some of my coins for not completing the escape sub-scenario, but it was a minimal amount in order to satisfy the scenario's punishment. I was surprised that he didn't try to siphon every last drop of my resources in order to cripple me and strengthen his negotiating power. Aside from his hesitance and caution, he was surprisingly reasonable. I still had decent capital to work with.
"Ah Lawd, he gonna spend his money!!"
I tend to say goofy things to myself, Constellations or not.
[Some Constellations are wondering where this eccentric nature came from.]
(Okay, let's look at our finances.)
[4200 coins.]
I had a decent amount of coins. If one coin was equivalent to a dollar, then I had nearly four times the amount of savings than the average American.
(Rip your poor financial choices.)
Only the necessities. There's going to be a lot of bullshit that will try to entice me-
===
[Buy it now! A starter pack for your Incarnation for 2,500 coins!]
[A today-only-special! A 300% growth package, grow faster than others!]
[Did you accidentally pick an Incarnation with a bad attribute? Worry not! The 'Random Attribute Box' can randomly change their attribute for another!* Limited time only!]
[*Multiple purchases of the *Random Attribute Box' may need to be purchased for the customer's personal satisfaction; the Dokkaebi Bureau is not liable or responsible for the results or personal satisfaction of the customer's purchase. The customer understands that at the moment of purchase, the designated product is a non-refundable, one-time use item.]
===
Damn. There were a lot of digital products geared towards Constellations.
(The entire Star Stream System is geared toward the wants of the Constellations, and the Dokkaebi Bag is no different.)
The Main Scenarios are what the name suggests - a main event. Not unlike the events we have on Earth, the Main Scenarios attract the attention of the numerous, scattered beings across the universe. From the lowly to the prestigious, it didn't matter because these beings use the Star Stream for their personal satisfaction, and they have what the Dokkaebi Bureau wants.
(Where sentient beings gather-)
[4200 coins.]
(-so does the money.)
And currency makes the world - or in this case, the entire universe - go 'round.
"Let's see what we can get."
I began to use the search function and looked up [Paleolithic Knives.] I didn't get a lot of results, so I had to rethink my search term.
(Ah!)
After some ruminating, I found out what I was missing.
[Old Stone Age Knife]
I typed that query and entered it into the search bar, fetching results of varying worth. I parsed through the options, trying to compare the quality of the products with the price points of each other. Trying to find the best bang for my buck, I think I found my match.
===
[Item Information]
[Name: Obsidian Knife]
[Rating: B+]
[Description: An ancient knife that is tens of thousands of years old. It belonged to a forgotten tribe of people, and it was used as a tool, hunting weapon, and as a final resort in tribal skirmishes. A slab of sharpened, sturdy obsidian with a new twine handle.]
Price: 600 Coins
Stock: 1
===
(It must've come from a museum.)
In Star Stream, older items have more power and value and there were many such items scattered across the globe. Created before the modern age, shrouded in mystery and ripe history; those characteristics would give these ancient objects their power.
Because the scenarios were staged around capital cities of importance, these historical items would be left out of the scenarios.
That was unacceptable to the Dokkaebi. It would be ignoring potential capital for your investments.
(So they sent out Dokkaebi to many museums that weren't part of the scenarios and had them "acquire" the items. After that, the Star Stream evaluated and priced the items.)
Due to that, this product offer was before me. What was its history in the modern age? Who found and took care of it? How many young children saw this knife on a field trip, locked behind a glass case? I guess it didn't matter anymore. It was going to be mine now.
I added the item to my cart.
(Right now, the Dokkaebi Bag, this digital market, would be at its most robust at the beginning of the scenario. It's like a well-known company releasing a new gacha game. It's the hype that sells, then it's maintained with customer loyalty.)
(The Bureau are making pay-days today.)
It's a little irksome - actually, it's rage inducing - that there are millions of beings profiteering from human suffering right now.
(Although... that's no different from normal life, actually.)
It doesn't matter... not yet. I wasn't in a position to fight back against those people, not right now. Such a fight is the long term goal, but the short term? That was my immediate survival.
(I need another decent weapon.)
I gripped my wooden bokken. It was a decent weapon for killing humans, but once everyone else grew stronger from coins, they'd have inhuman strength. I'm not even factoring in monsters.
(I'll need to buy another item. Something good and from the scenario system.)
There were swords and other weapons that were in the thousands. I looked at my remaining coins.
[3600 coins]
It would wipe out my entire savings. I needed a budget in order to control myself. An item of 1000 coins, that's how far I'll go.
(But none of them are like that.)
Swords and sword techniques were in the high thousands, one such technique was on sale, but it was still 4K coins.
(What did I learn from real life?)
An expensive item doesn't equal a premium item. It's all perception and manipulation. The value of an item doesn't have to be inherent; it can be manipulated by the seller and perceived by the consumer. If successful, the price is set, and the monetary "value" is given.
That is how corporations have taken advantage of consumers for decades. We've transitioned from astute customers to mindless consumers, going after one "luxurious" item after another. The expensive products in the Dokkaebi Bag aren't unconditionally good.
(It's all bullshit,) I growled in my head.
The value of something is what we make of it. So, what if I chose to make something for myself, instead of allowing someone else to sell a finished product to me?
(I will not be the consuming man, I will cut out the middle man, I will become my own manufacturer.)
There was a maximum of five searches per day for the Dokkaebi Bag, and I already used two to find my knife. I flicked to the "materials" section in the shop and began typing.
(I need a search term. Anything.)
I looked down at my bokken. Why did I like it so much as a weapon?
(Non-lethal most of the time, but if need be, can be deadly if it strikes a critical point. The wood was easy to manipulate at first, but became durable once it set in.)
What was a valuable wood in the Star Stream? I racked my brain until I finally found that morsel of information.
(Rowan wood from Norse mythology.)
I typed that into the search and fetched results.
===
[Item Information]
[Name: Rowan wood branch]
[Rating: A]
[Description: A long, straight branch grown from a Rowan tree, also known as the "wayfarer's tree" or "traveller's tree." It is a dense, rosy red wood, perfect for carving and crafting. It has deep roots in many cultures, each attributing special traits to the Rowan tree and its wood. Whether it has mystical properties is dependent on the craftsmanship.]
Price: 1000 Coins
Stock: 2019
===
(I only know that the Rowan tree has importance to Sif, Thor's wife. They do carry magical properties and were used to carve Nordic runes. Hmm...)
It's worth it. I bought it. For my fourth search, I looked up "woodworking oil" and found a bottle for 400 coins.
[2000 coins have been consumed]
The Obsidian Knife, the Rowan branch, and the woodworking oil appeared before me in a flash of light, resting perfectly on the Metro Park picnic table. I checked my finances.
[2200 coins]
In total, I spent 2000 coins on three items. Perhaps it was too much at the beginning of the scenarios, but I knew what I wanted - a decent weapon. I had the resolve to make it myself.
[Some Constellations are interested in your purchases.]
[You have earned 200 coins from the Constellations!]
I sat back down and examined the knife. It was a little chipped around some edges, but it had sharper sides. It would be perfect for shaving off excess wood. The Rowan wood branch was well grown and felt sturdy, and I checked the cut ends of it - it was a beautiful, rosy reddish color. The woodworking oil bottle was a decent size, big as a Reign energy drink. It was a good amount for this branch.
(Let's get to work.)
I held the knife, flipping it around in my hand, gripping it in different ways, and swinging it around in the air. I was familiarizing myself in order to trust and not be afraid of it. That's what every person should do with their tools and weapons.
I began carving, shaving off the bark of the Rowan wood. I needed to make this as straight as possible, especially at the ends where I'd place my hands or hit people.
(I should taper the tip and turn it into a point. Maybe one day, I can install a metal cap at the end, turn it similar to a spear.)
I worked on it for an hour or two.
[A few Constellations are bored.]
I received a few messages here and there, but I didn't engage with them. I was focused on myself.
[Constellation "The Nine Artistic Inspirations" like your scenario.]
[Constellation "The Nine Artistic Inspirations" has sponsored 200 coins.]
[Constellation "The Nine Artistic Inspirations" admire your carving skills.]
I looked up and felt a little shocked. For some reason, those messages felt the most genuine.
"Th-thank you."
(I haven't said that in a hot minute.)
I mainly yelled obscenities, violent threats, and spoke mechanically about my plans in order to get what I want. That was the most genuine thing I've said in a long while.
[Constellation "The Nine Artistic Inspirations" find you cute.]
(What?!!)
I felt heat rushing up my neck, and this time, it wasn't rage. I decided to ignore that message and kept on working. I did this for hours until the sun began to rise.
(I can't believe all of this began at 3 AM.)
I turned to the Eastern horizon, holding my new Rowan Bokken. The carving and shaping was a little slapdash, and I haven't applied the woodworking oil that would toughen it up, but it was serviceable for now. Plus, my original bokken would still serve.
(Perhaps I can dual-wield?)
I'd have to practice that.
"Wow."
For a brief moment, the sky was clear, and it was a beautiful, scintillating blue... then, for some reason, it began to morph into another color. Crimson red.
"No..."
[Many Constellations feel elated at this progression.]
[The land in the scenario area is being deeply polluted.]
[Some Constellations feel remorse for the ruined environment.]
Soon, dark waves of coarse material began to spread like a thick blanket of disease, infecting the heavens until it was nothing but a dingy black-grey. It was like watching an approaching storm from the seas take over your shores.
I stood there for what felt like minutes, but it must've been nearly an hour since I saw the rising sun. Instead of a gentle yellow orb reminiscent of an egg yolk, I saw something else instead: a blazing, violent-looking red dot, so distant and manic-looking, it reminded me of a bloodshot eye.
(What... what did they do to the sun?)
There could be only one answer. It's ash. It has to be. I've seen this before. The California wildfires once sent smog into upper Washington, choking the cities and trapping the inhabitants inside.
(It's... happening again.)
[A hidden scenario has arrived!]
===
[Hidden Scenario - Survive the Darkwood]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: S-
Clear Conditions: For five days, survive the monsters of the Darkwood. On the end of the fifth day, you will find a way out. There will be five waves of monsters for each day.
Time Limit: 5 Days
Compensation: 10,000 coins
Failure: Death
===
(Oh god. It's an S-rated difficulty scenario?)
My palms grew sweaty. Could I even survive that? I looked at my food supply. Could I survive off of that for five days?
(I guess it doesn't matter. I will survive.)
I gripped my bokken in resolution. Conviction coursed through me as I-
"Um... excuse me. Could you tell me what's happening?"
I swung around to look at the direction of the voice.
(How the hell did someone sneak up on me?!?)
[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" is admonishing your unawareness.]
[Constellation "Anti-Confederacy" says someone should be alert at all times.]
At the end of this picnic area, a few dozen feet away was a man. He looked haggard, dirty, but most of all, confused. There was a quizzical look on his face.
"What...?"
(How is this possible?)
"Who are you?" I said with gritted teeth.
Red alarms began blaring in my head as I shored up my defenses. My body grew tense. I was getting ready for a fight now. I thought I was a lost child all alone in these woods, there was another person in this scenario with me. From the looks of the person... a homeless guy.
I gripped my bokken even harder.