Noggenfogger agreed. After all, the boss could run, but the net cafe couldn't. He instructed his two attendants to follow Wayne to prevent any "surprises."
Wayne returned to his room and shut the door. One Goblin immediately blocked the entrance while the other went to guard the back of the building.
Ignoring them, Wayne drew all the curtains from the inside, opened the cellar trapdoor, and climbed down.
"Hey, wake up."
As soon as Wayne spoke, the vending machine's screen lit up.
He waved the banknote in front of the screen. "A Goblin wants to buy goggles and gave me this. Can this complete the task?"
Two lines of text appeared on the screen:
[Task completion is possible.]
[Banknote Verifier Mode activated.]
The slot for inserting bills began to flash slowly.
Even before crossing over to this world, Wayne hadn't used physical cash for a long time. Now, in a moment that felt oddly retro, he smoothed out the Stormwind redemption voucher and fed it into the slot.
The note spun inside the machine before being spat back out.
[Genuine.]
Those two words on the screen allowed Wayne to relax completely.
Goodbye to you, then. I'll be starting Harry Potter in a moment!
He immediately climbed out of the cellar and headed back to the net cafe.
At this moment, Wayne and Noggenfogger shared the same thought: both wanted to finalize the deal before the other could regret it.
Thus, one picked up the goggles while the other grabbed the banknote, completing the exchange cleanly and efficiently.
Though called "goggles," it was actually a partial helmet. Noggenfogger repeatedly instructed his attendants to wrap the device carefully in soft cloth and place it in a backpack. Wayne, meanwhile, tucked the banknote into his waist pouch.
The two waved at each other without further words. Noggenfogger left the net cafe without looking back. Outside the inn across the street, he had the stable master, Emma, lead out their mounts—Kodo beasts that weren't massive by regular standards but looked like small mountains compared to Goblins.
Noggenfogger climbed up and sat in the high-backed saddle in the middle. With his two attendants flanking him, they gradually rode off toward Stormwind, accompanied by Noggenfogger's shrill voice shouting, "Careful! Don't break my treasure!"
As the clock tower in the center of town struck 5:00 PM, Wayne watched Noggenfogger's satisfied silhouette recede. He thought of a famous quote from a streamer he used to watch: "You think I'm on the first floor, but I'm actually on the fifth."
He sat back in his seat with a sigh of relief, only to find Raymond and the other three staring at him.
The four of them were thinking: this twenty-year-old young man had not only just become Goldshire's only Knight, but he might also have just become the richest man in town.
Feeling a bit self-conscious under their gaze, Wayne said, "You guys keep playing. Raymond, watch the shop for a bit. I'll be right back." He then headed back to his room.
He dove back into the cellar and woke the vending machine again.
[Management Task 3: 500 Gold Surplus]
[Task Completed]
[Reward: Immersive Plot Unlocked: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"]
There were no flashes or special effects, only the emotionless text floating on the screen.
Just as Wayne was about to leave, more characters popped up:
[Management Task 4: Expand Net Cafe to 10 Stations]
[Reward: Unlock New Strategic Battle Game]
A strategic battle game?
Wayne first thought of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games like StarCraft or Red Alert. However, those styles were sci-fi and didn't fit the tone of the World of Warcraft. Age of Empires was a closer match.
Then, he suddenly slapped his thigh in realization. Could it be Warcraft III?!
If that were the case, watching characters inside the world of Warcraft play Warcraft would be an incredible meta-experience.
However, regardless of his guesses, the vending machine gave no further response.
Wayne looked at the new management task and calculated his funds. He currently had 716 gold coins. After selling one pair of VR goggles today, he had 5 goggles, 5 ergonomic chairs, and 6 screens remaining.
But the task clearly specified "10 complete sets."
He opened the shopping list, intending to buy more equipment, when he noticed a new option called [Theater Mode]. It cost 200 gold. Upon closer inspection, it contained two long-lost yet familiar items—a refrigerator and a warming cabinet!
Inside the fridge was the very thing he had a bottle of during almost every raid in his past life: Cola! Inside the warmer was the standard movie-watching snack: popcorn!
Ice-cold Coke and popcorn—cinemas all over the world couldn't do without these two things.
However, the price wasn't cheap. One bottle of cold Coke plus a bag of popcorn cost 1 gold.
Wayne instinctively felt the refreshing sensation of cold Coke hitting his mouth and throat. He quickly stuffed two banknotes into the machine and pressed [Purchase]. A flash of light followed, and two human-sized cabinets appeared beside him, filled with bottled Coke and bagged popcorn.
He reached out to pull the fridge door, but found it wouldn't budge.
Just as he was about to ask the machine what was going on, the heartless text appeared again:
[Pay Up MOTHAFUCKA.]
What? Even the boss has to pay?!
With no other choice, he fished out a gold coin and dropped it into the coin slot. Now, the fridge door opened easily.
He grabbed a bottle of Coke, the icy coldness immediately transferring to his fingers. He twisted the cap and took a deep drink. That long-lost refreshing sensation filled his entire body once again.
He took out a bag of popcorn and tasted it. Though not freshly made, the sweetness, warmth, and crunch were all perfect, carrying a scent of caramel cream.
Wayne looked at the Coke and popcorn worth 201 gold in his hands, then at the fridge and warmer. He decided to do the same as last time: wait until dark when no one was around to move them into the net cafe.
"I've got good news! The net cafe has new content!" Wayne announced happily upon returning to the shop, seeing the four of them had just finished a hunt.
The four were still immersed in the shock of the 500-gold transaction and didn't immediately react to his words.
Recalling the plot of Harry Potter, Wayne introduced it: "The new content is perfect for spellcasters. It will take you to a new world—a world full of magic! Just like the dragons and behemoths you've never seen in Monster Hunter, that world has many, many spells you've never seen before!"
Raymond, Zaldimar, and Jyssetta were immediately interested.
Monster Hunter was indeed fun, but for these magic-based classes, even a bowgun could only roughly simulate the feeling of ranged casting; it was far from the experience of real spellcasting.
Despite this, the shocking experience of fighting monsters had kept them hopelessly addicted. Now, being told the net cafe had new content—especially a magic world more suited to them—how could they not be excited?
Raymond, in particular, had a very active inner monologue: Teacher must be happy because he made money today, so he's bringing out his secret magic training methods to share with us!
But... I wonder if the magic world teacher mentioned has demon spells suitable for Warlocks...
Who cares! Even if there aren't demon spells, isn't becoming an all-around mage like Teacher my goal? I must record everything! I must study hard!
Although Lyria was a warrior, she was also excited. After the impact of Monster Hunter, anyone would want to see what new surprises Wayne's net cafe could produce.
Seeing everyone's positive reaction, Wayne sat down and put on his goggles, exiting Monster Hunter G with them.
Sure enough, everyone found a new option on the selection interface—the first movie of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.