Merchant of The Universe

Ethan barely had time to process what was happening before the system responded.

[Compatible Item Found.]

[Item: Binding Sigil (Grade C)]

[A disposable talisman that stabilizes unstable magical cores.]

[Price: 5 Astral Coins or equivalent trade.]

A small wooden box slid forward on the shelf behind him. Ethan turned, hesitantly picking it up and placing it on the counter.

The massive blue-skinned warrior stared at it, then back at Ethan. His burning orange eyes narrowed.

"This… will contain the beast core?" he asked, voice deep and skeptical.

Ethan hesitated. Will it? He wasn't exactly an expert on magical artifacts. But the system had not been wrong so far.

"It should," Ethan said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "It's designed to stabilize unstable cores. That's what you needed, right?"

The warrior grunted, crossing his thick arms.

"Hmm. How much?"

Ethan glanced at the system notification. Five Astral Coins.

For a moment, panic set in. What if he doesn't have Astral Coins? But then he remembered the shop's rules—currency is automatically converted.

He took a deep breath. "Five Astral Coins or equivalent trade."

The warrior considered this, then reached into his pouch, pulling out a handful of small, dark-red gems. He let them drop onto the counter with a heavy clink.

The system instantly reacted.

[Fireborne Shards detected.]

[Material of moderate rarity, commonly used in forging enchanted weapons.]

[Value: 6 Astral Coins.]

[Exchange accepted.]

The talisman lifted off the counter and floated toward the warrior. At the same time, one of the Fireborne Shards vanished—converted into Astral Coins.

The warrior caught the talisman and examined it closely, turning it in his massive fingers. After a moment, he nodded.

"Good trade," he said gruffly, tucking it into his pouch. Then, he picked up the remaining Fireborne Shards and turned toward the door.

Before leaving, he paused and looked back at Ethan.

"You're new to this," he observed.

Ethan tensed. "Is it that obvious?"

The warrior let out a low chuckle. "A little. But you didn't try to cheat me, and you had what I needed. That's what matters."

With that, he stepped through the door.

For a brief moment, Ethan glimpsed the world outside—a battlefield under a blood-red sky, scattered with the remains of monstrous creatures. Then, the door swung shut behind him.

A silence settled over the shop.

Ethan let out a slow breath, then collapsed into the nearest chair.

Two customers. Two sales.

And he still had no idea what he was doing.

But one thing was certain—this wasn't just some ordinary shop.

This was a gateway to the multiverse.

And he was now its merchant.