NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77: Dragon Shop
A blinding light engulfed their vision, almost blinding them…
It was a golden light and to Drahon, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.
It was like taking a glimpse at the edges of the sun, striking and beautiful.
They now stood facing the Dragon shop, the sign at the top gleaming with a bright radiance.
They exchanged glances, touching their bodies too, really feeling them. To be sure they were still alive.
The feeling they felt was strangely different, like they were in some video game.
Like they had been reincarnated. For some reason, Drahon felt that might be the case.
Nevertheless, they walked to the door leading to the building and it opened itself!
The players weren't surprised by that though.
I mean, fighting off against large Skeletons or a Cerberus monster was much more terrifying than seeing a door open itself.
Not taking precautions, they walked into it, Drahon looking around, surprised with what he was seeing…
Bam!
The door shut itself.
Drahon glanced at it and was unperturbed. It was the same as it opening itself. It ought to close.
Chandeliers lined the ceiling, making the place seem very sophisticated.
The players expected to see tables everywhere and chairs beside but they saw none of that. In fact, this place wasn't a restaurant…
What had he been thinking?
This was a shop, a place where they bought things so chairs and tables wouldn't be here.
But then, further ahead…
A wide, crescent-shaped counter stood at the far end of the hall, carved from obsidian stone veined with faintly glowing silver. Though no one stood behind it, the surface hummed with dormant magic, and soft light shimmered above it… like it was waiting to be awakened.
Awakened?
Strange symbols hovered faintly in the air above, shifting as if reacting to their presence. It felt less like a place to order food… and more like a relic… of something.
"What's that?" Drahon asked, walking over to it in slow steps.
"Seems it's the place that activates this place?" Devon replied.
Drahon squinted his eyes, observing…
But there was nothing to observe…
It was simply waiting for them to come closer.
Ayvira remained silent and only she seemed to have the strength to walk closer to it.
The players didn't stop as she walked faster to it.
A glowing orb floated in the air, glowing faintly, so tiny and having a sliver almost white color that had seemed invisible at first to them from afar.
Drahon now walked nearer and so did Devon who stared at the glowing orb with interest.
Golden words in runes now radiated in the air:
[Touch the tiny glowing orb to activate the Dragon shop]
Ayvira didn't even look at the others for consent or whatever. She just touched it…
An almost blinding light that made them close their eyes now flashed across the place…
It only took three seconds before they opened their eyes again.
Now, beside the counter was a man.
Broad-shouldered and towering, the man's presence was as heavy as the scent of spice in the air.
A single, polished horn curved from the right side of his forehead, catching the light with a faint gleam. A thick, well-groomed moustache framed his upper lip, giving him an oddly dignified air despite the rotund swell of his belly. His black suit clung neatly to his frame, its fabric crisp and spotless, a stark contrast to the playful twinkle in his dark, knowing eyes.
The players exchanged glances at this point.
Who was this?
But it wasn't exactly his appearance that startled the players the most. What did startle them the most was that the man had horns.
It seemed unbelievable…
But then, it only made Drahon wonder… since arriving in the Dragon world he had already seen two other players that had horns like him and now this man with the fat belly facing them had horns too?
The man now spoke, raising his face up high, like one of those rich men that Drahon watched in movies back at the orphanage.
"Welcome to the Dragon shop," the man said, his voice carrying a bit of Italian accent, yet his use of the words was so eloquent.
The players didn't say anything, they just stared at the man, very much intrigued at this point.
What still went on in Drahon's mind was how the man could have horns…
He was doing a lot of speculations in his mind at this point.
"The Dragon shop," the man began. "Is an ancient shop in the Dragon world which players have to find a card to gain entrance. Anyone that comes here just has three days here before they are sent back to the Real world realm…"
Drahon squinted his eyes, almost shutting them even.
The last sentences of the man echoed in his mind so vibrantly.
Sent back to the real world realm?
No wonder he felt something was off when they were to see some card that led to a portal. A portal to where exactly?
And now this moustache man with horns and a large belly might have just answered his questions.
Perhaps this was…
Why was he using 'perhaps!'
This is certainly the simulation realm. The rune guide had explained that everything in the simulation realm was not real.
Maybe he had taken that too seriously. Even though this realm might seem like a simulation, the monsters here are very much real… very… very real!
They were the ones that killed very much 'real!'
"Here you get to buy anything you want, that is on the menu that is, and you get shelter. All for three days. After that, you are sent back into the dangerous world of the real world realm."
'Oh so the world is grim? I never knew… how smart and informative your words are.'
Drahon thought in disdain. With all the near-death experiences they had and this man with a moustache, a fat belly and horns was saying 'after that you are sent back into the dangerous world of the Dragon Game.'
"Only after encountering great things in the real world realm will you find the card, or rather ticket that leads to this place."
Drahon almost smiled. To him, he didn't think they deserved to be here if he was to go by what this man was saying.
Accomplish great feats?
The only memorable thing he thought they did was survive against the Demon dragon monsters and the Draconic goblins and their boss monsters.
Then they faced off against the Draconic goblins' guard, slept in the tower and the next morning after exploring, they found the card (ticket), which led them here.
"I know your main aim for coming to the Dragon shop is to eat but that isn't exactly what it is all about. You have to pay for your food by the way so it isn't like you get them for free…"
Drahon now realized that he was hearing the words:
'Pay'
For the second time.
They didn't have money, how were they going to pay?
And Drahon hadn't heard that they had to spend money in the Dragon game to get something. What was the currency and how were they to do it?
The man with the moustache and the horns continued:
"In the Dragon Shop you also get to purchase weapons and history books?..."
History books?
This was really getting intriguing now.
Drahon, Devon and Ayvira and Drahon realized that they might be having the same thoughts as he was.
"Before you continue, can we please get the menu of the food you guys have and the way we can pay? I'm starving already," Ayvira said.
Drahon and Devon ate, a bit not impressed by her not being patient.
From the looks of things, Devon was trying to uncover lots of mysteries of the Dragon world just as he was.
"What?" Ayvira asked, shrugging. "Our main aim for coming to the Dragon Shop is to eat and we had exhausted a lot while facing a lot against the Draconic rats, so why so keen on hearing info dumps?"
Drahon glanced at the man with the horns and the moustache, a tweensy bit embarrassed that Ayvira had to say that in front of him.
But then, the man was unperturbed. Seemingly like he wasn't hearing their conversation at all and that made Drahon suspect that something was definitely wrong with him.
You know, his coming was even something to be scared of. They just closed their eyes because of a blinding light and boom!, he was standing right in front of them, explaining stuff.
And from the way he was talking, he seemed like an NPC. Like some robotic character just saying rehearsed stuff.
But then, he couldn't be so sure. In fact, he could never be sure of things in the Dragon Game. Like when he first suspected the barbarian back at level one was an NPC and went on to discover that it was more than that — a mystery he hadn't cracked till this very day.
Devon smiled. "Well, she's right, we're pretty hungry. Perhaps we can hear all this info when we are done."
Drahon forced a smile and looked at the man with the horns, the fat belly and the moustache.
"We want the food menu…"