Eleanor woke up in the morning to the sound of a church bell ringing nearby. The steady echo traveled through the streets and reached her bedroom window, pulling her out of sleep. She lay still for a moment, listening to the sound fade before finally sitting up.
It was strange, really. Even after everything that had happened—the monster outbreak, the system appearing, the collapse of the old order—religious places were still operating. None of this chaos had ever been mentioned in their teachings, yet people still gathered, still believed, and still rang bells as if the world hadn't nearly ended.
Eleanor pushed the thought aside and got out of bed.
Her breakfast was simple but filling. She cooked sausages, fried eggs, and bacon, then added a piece of chocolate to finish the meal. It wasn't fancy, but it gave her enough energy for the long day ahead.
By exactly 8:30 in the morning, Eleanor was ready to leave. She locked the house behind her and headed toward the front yard, where her mini van was parked. After getting in, she started the engine and began her trip toward the eastern side of the capital.
The mini van itself was nothing special at first glance. It was white, with a few markings added to make it stand out from the many similar vehicles on the road. Eleanor had bought it just a few days after arriving in the capital district. The price had been high—ten thousand coins—from a survivor who had once relied on it for transport.
What made the van unique was the inside.
Unlike a normal vehicle, the interior had been carefully redesigned. Eleanor planned it herself, intending to use it as a temporary living space when needed. The capital district was massive, nearly the size of ten regular hexagonal districts combined, and having a mobile shelter made long trips far more manageable.
When entering through the sliding door on the side, the first thing one would see was a small desk. Across from it was a table, fixed firmly to the floor. The back section of the van was used as storage and could double as a temporary sleeping area. The front remained simple, with only the driver's seat and an empty passenger seat beside it.
Before leaving, Eleanor made sure everything at home was secured. She locked the doors and activated an expensive artifact she had installed earlier. The artifact created a protective barrier around both the inside and outside of the house, preventing forced entry. She had purchased it during one of the earlier gatherings for another ten thousand coins. At the time, it had been a painful expense, but after several profitable trades, she had more than made up for it.
With everything secured, she drove out of the block.
The streets were busy. Players and civilians moved around, each focused on their own goals—finding work, trading, or simply surviving another day. Fortunately, the roads were clear. No debris blocked the way, and the routes had been kept clean to allow vehicles to pass through smoothly. Most of the vehicles Eleanor saw belonged to the new government anyway.
Along the way, ruined buildings appeared on both sides of the road. Some had been repaired, others torn down completely. The materials were reused for new construction or to reinforce important areas. Nothing was left to waste if it could still be useful.
To travel from the west side of the district to the east, Eleanor used the newly cleared highroads. These routes saved her several hours. Taking the older, normal roads would have taken much longer. The gathering site wasn't too far from the inner circle and was located right at the border between the inner and outer districts.
The drive took about two hours.
Thankfully, Eleanor still had enough fuel to make the trip. Even better, the gathering site was located at a gas station—the same one where she planned to refuel.
"Good thing I didn't run out of gas," Eleanor muttered as she parked the mini van near the back corner of the station's parking lot. "I really need to start storing fuel at home."
The gathering itself was being held inside the gas station's main store. The building was large and open, easily able to hold at least a hundred people without feeling crowded. Most of the shelves and furniture had been removed, clearing space for trading and movement.
Eleanor checked the time.
"It's only 11:00 AM," she said quietly. "Not many people yet."
It wasn't peak trading time. That would come later in the afternoon.
"I'll probably have to wait until around 3:00 PM before my items sell properly."
With that in mind, Eleanor stepped inside the building, ready to wait, observe, and prepare for business.
...
Eleanor's items mostly consisted of weapons, consumables, equipment, and a few carefully selected artifacts. In total, there were only ten items displayed on her trading panel, but each one had been chosen with precision rather than quantity. Their effects were noticeable and appealing, especially to low-level players who wanted a quick way to access the benefits of the system without risking their lives too often.
Most of the items provided temporary boosts to physical or magical stats—strength, agility, stamina, or mana regeneration. They were not powerful enough to break the balance of the system, but they offered just enough advantage to make survival easier. For beginners or cautious players, these items were worth every coin.
Among them, one artifact stood out.
It was rarely activated, meant only for emergencies, but its effect was invaluable. The artifact was shaped like a small orb encased in a delicate necklace, glowing faintly with a soft blue hue. When triggered, it formed a short-lived protective barrier around the wearer, capable of absorbing a sudden fatal blow or mitigating severe damage. Eleanor kept it among her stock not because she needed the money desperately, but because she knew someone out there would eventually need it more than she did.
By 5:00 PM, Eleanor had sold all ten items.
The total profit came to twelve thousand coins—two thousand more than her original expectation of ten thousand. The extra amount was a pleasant surprise, though she didn't show it on her face.
She immediately used half of the gathered coins to purchase another batch of items. These were meant for a different gathering location and were worth approximately seven thousand five hundred coins.
With her saved reserve of twenty thousand coins combined with the remaining profit, Eleanor now possessed a total of twenty-seven thousand coins.
For most players, this amount was unimaginable.
A rich player—someone who hunted monsters nonstop for an entire month—might barely gather this much if luck favored them. For others, it could take half a year of constant danger, injury, and exhaustion. Yet Eleanor accumulated it steadily, quietly, her wealth existing only as glowing numbers on a system screen rather than piles of physical currency.
If the coins were tangible, she might have drowned in them by now.
After completing her trades, Eleanor didn't leave the gathering immediately. At exactly 6:00 PM, the main event of the day was scheduled to begin—the weekly sharing and trading of information.
The gathering moderator strictly forbade any exchange of information before this time. It was a rule enforced to preserve the excitement, fairness, and participation of the entire trading community. Breaking it could result in expulsion or blacklisting, something no trader wanted.
To pass the remaining hour, Eleanor sat quietly in a corner and read a book. Time passed faster than she expected.
She was seated far from the center of the room, where a small stage had been set up for announcements and presentations. As the clock struck six, the gathering moderator stepped onto the stage and cleared her throat.
"We are gathered here today," the woman announced, her voice carrying clearly across the room, "to trade and share information about current events and important matters at hand."
The moderator appeared to be around thirty years old. She had a well-built figure that easily caught attention, charming both men and women alike. Her orange hair was tied neatly into a small bun, and faint freckles dotted her cheeks, adding to her distinct appearance.
"At last," the moderator continued with a confident smile, "let us begin our weekly information sharing and trading!"
Applause and chatter filled the air.
As she stood there, Eleanor stared at her—not with admiration or desire like many others in the room, but with intent observation. Her gaze was sharp, analytical, as if she were examining something beneath the surface.
For a brief moment, the moderator's lake-colored eyes met Eleanor's.
The surrounding noise seemed to fade as their gazes locked. It lasted only a second, but it felt longer. The moderator quickly turned her head away and continued addressing the crowd. Eleanor lowered her eyes and released a quiet sigh.
Whatever that moment meant, she didn't dwell on it.
Soon after, Eleanor stood up and joined a nearby group of traders who were already exchanging whispers and notes.
The information session was divided into two parts: one hour dedicated solely to sharing intelligence, and another hour for bargaining and trading that information. Rumors of monster dens, dungeon appearances, government movements, and black-market activity circulated quickly.
Eleanor didn't stay long.
After about thirty minutes of listening, she slipped outside the building. The cool evening air greeted her, along with the sight of an almost full moon hanging in the sky. A visible crack stretched across the heavens, glowing faintly as if the sky itself had fractured—an unnatural scar against the backdrop of stars and distant planets.
She stared at it for a moment, her expression unreadable, before letting out another sigh.
"Another day of successful trading."