Ryuji Kuroda stood in the middle of the Adventurer's Guild hall staring at empty air with a grin that made nearby adventurers slightly uncomfortable.
To everyone else, he looked like a large man who had just remembered a very funny joke.
To Ryuji, however, something far more interesting floated in front of his face.
---
[System Notice]
New Function Unlocking…
---
The message pulsed softly before dissolving into glowing particles.
Then another window appeared.
---
[System Update Complete]
Marketplace Function Expanded
New Category Unlocked: Combat Equipment
---
Ryuji blinked.
Then he slowly cracked a smile.
"Oh hell yes."
He rubbed his hands together like a man who had just discovered a vending machine that sold cheat codes.
Behind the counter, Mira watched him.
"…Why are you smiling like that?"
Ryuji glanced at her.
"Personal reasons."
"That expression usually means someone's about to lose money."
"Not today."
He turned and walked toward an empty corner of the guild hall.
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"Strange man."
---
Ryuji leaned against a wooden pillar and mentally opened the system interface.
The familiar menu appeared.
---
STATUS
INVENTORY
SKILLS
QUESTS
MARKETPLACE
---
The last option glowed faintly.
Ryuji selected it.
The interface expanded instantly.
A sleek marketplace screen appeared with dozens of categories arranged neatly like an online store.
Ryuji whistled.
"Damn."
He scrolled through the options.
---
Consumables
Tools
Information
Utility Items
---
But now, at the top of the list—
---
Combat Equipment
---
Ryuji tapped it immediately.
A new list appeared.
Weapons.
Armor.
Accessories.
Enhancements.
Each item had a small image and description.
And a price.
Ryuji grinned.
"Well well."
He leaned closer like a kid browsing a toy catalog.
"Let's see what kind of toys we got."
---
The first item caught his attention.
---
Reinforced Knuckle Wraps
Durable cloth wraps reinforced with light enchantment.
+5% unarmed damage
Reduces knuckle injury
Price: 20 Coppers
---
Ryuji flexed his fingers.
"Now that's speaking my language."
Ever since arriving in this world, his biggest concern had been simple.
Punching monsters with bare hands hurt.
A lot.
Even with leveling.
So something that helped him punch things harder without breaking his fingers?
Perfect.
He tapped the purchase option.
A soft shimmer appeared in his hand.
A pair of black cloth wraps materialized.
Ryuji blinked.
"Still not used to that."
He wrapped them around his hands.
The material was tough but flexible.
Almost like modern sports wraps.
He clenched his fists.
The fabric tightened slightly, adjusting automatically.
"Oh yeah."
He shadowboxed the air once.
Then twice.
The wraps held firm.
"Much better."
He grinned.
"Alright monsters."
"Your faces are officially in danger."
---
Next item.
---
Beginner Stamina Potion
Restores minor stamina.
Recommended for low-level adventurers.
Price: 10 Coppers
---
Ryuji nodded.
"Not bad."
He remembered how tired he had gotten fighting snakes earlier.
Stamina mattered.
He bought two.
Two small blue bottles appeared in his inventory.
"Nice."
---
Then something else caught his eye.
---
Monster Tracking Compass
A basic enchanted compass.
Detects nearby hostile creatures within short range.
Price: 25 Coppers
---
Ryuji leaned back.
"Huh."
That actually sounded useful.
"Let's see what you do."
He purchased it.
The item appeared in his palm.
A small brass compass.
The needle spun slowly.
Then suddenly jerked slightly.
Pointing toward the guild doors.
Ryuji frowned.
"…Wait."
He turned slightly.
The needle shifted.
He turned again.
The needle followed.
"…Oh that's cool."
He glanced around the guild hall.
A few adventurers nearby had monster tags attached to their belts.
Probably trophies.
The compass needle twitched toward them.
Ryuji chuckled.
"Okay that's useful."
He pocketed the compass.
---
After buying a few things, Ryuji leaned against the pillar again.
"Man."
"This system is broken."
He loved it.
But curiosity suddenly hit him.
He returned to the marketplace search bar.
"…Alright."
"Let's test something."
He typed:
Sword
The system showed dozens of results.
Iron swords.
Steel swords.
Enchanted swords.
Prices ranged wildly.
Ryuji snorted.
"Yeah not my style."
He erased the word.
Then he typed something else.
Something that made him grin.
Shotgun
The marketplace froze.
For half a second.
Then a message appeared.
---
Item unavailable in current world tier.
---
Ryuji blinked.
"…Excuse me?"
He stared at the message.
Then leaned back and crossed his arms.
"That's racist."
Nearby adventurers glanced over.
One whispered to another.
"Is he arguing with himself?"
"Probably drunk."
---
Ryuji tried again.
Rocket Launcher
---
Item unavailable in current world tier.
---
He snorted.
"Yeah yeah."
"Party poopers."
Still, the message gave him interesting information.
World tier restrictions.
Meaning—
Those items existed somewhere in the system.
Just not accessible yet.
Ryuji's grin slowly returned.
"Oh ho."
"So there's bigger toys later."
That was extremely good news.
---
He continued browsing.
Another item caught his attention.
---
Impact Gloves
Basic enchanted gloves.
Enhances punching force slightly.
Price: 80 Coppers
---
Ryuji winced.
"Pricey."
He currently didn't have enough.
Still.
He bookmarked it mentally.
"Later."
---
Just as he was about to close the menu—
Another notification popped up.
---
[Marketplace Usage Logged]
---
Ryuji tilted his head.
"…Huh?"
Another window appeared.
---
[Achievement Progress Recorded]
---
Ryuji chuckled.
"Oh we got achievements too?"
Now things were getting addictive.
---
At that moment, a loud voice interrupted his thoughts.
"HEY!"
Ryuji looked up.
One of the adventurers from earlier approached.
A tall guy with messy blond hair and a big sword strapped to his back.
He looked mildly annoyed.
"You're the guy who beat those Black Viper punks."
Ryuji shrugged.
"Yeah."
The guy crossed his arms.
"You caused a lot of noise."
"Good."
"You new here?"
"Yep."
The adventurer smirked.
"You don't look like a mage."
"Because I'm not."
"So what are you?"
Ryuji raised his fists.
"Professional face rearranger."
The man laughed.
"Alright."
"I like you."
He offered a hand.
"Name's Darek."
Ryuji shook it.
"Ryuji."
Darek glanced at his wrapped fists.
"You really fight unarmed?"
"Yep."
"You're either brave or stupid."
"Little of both."
Darek grinned.
"Fair enough."
---
At the guild counter, Mira watched the interaction carefully.
Her eyes drifted down to the guild records.
She flipped through a page.
Ryuji Kuroda
F-Rank Adventurer
Level recorded earlier: 1
Now?
She looked up.
He moved differently already.
More confident.
More relaxed.
"…Strange."
She tapped her pen thoughtfully.
---
Meanwhile Ryuji reopened the marketplace.
He wanted to experiment more.
He searched:
Training equipment
Several options appeared.
One stood out.
---
Weighted Wrist Bands
Light training weights.
Increase strength growth slightly during combat.
Price: 30 Coppers
---
Ryuji smiled.
"Oh that's clever."
He bought them.
Two small metal bands appeared.
He strapped them around his wrists.
They were heavier than expected.
But not too heavy.
Perfect for training.
"Nice."
---
He checked his status.
---
Level: 5
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 20
---
"Not bad."
But he wanted more.
Always more.
Ryuji cracked his neck.
"Alright system."
"What else you got?"
---
Suddenly—
A new notification appeared.
Different.
Golden.
---
[Achievement Unlocked]
Smart Shopper
Successfully purchase and equip multiple marketplace items.
---
Ryuji blinked.
"Oh?"
Another message appeared immediately after.
---
Reward Incoming…
---
Ryuji's grin returned.
"Well now."
"This is getting interesting & exciting."