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Chapter 128: Noah, the shrewd Merchant

Chapter 128: Noah, the shrewd Merchant

Noah wasted no time.

After securing his stall in the massive bazar, he scanned the market, identifying key trends.

He first identified the high-demand items in the market. The rare herbs, enchanted materials, and relics that were put up for sale.

He also noted the undervalued goods, an overlooked stash of ’worthless’ stones that he instantly recognized as unrefined mana crystals.

Noah may have never played as a Merchant throughout his time playing Warstar, but still, over 10 years of experience playing one game insinuated that he knew the game like the back of his hand.

Experience was again playing a big factor in his process.

And then he also identified the market influencers, the powerful NPC merchants who control the economy with their influence.

To Noah, everyone of these things that he identified was a pawn in his chessboard that he intended to use to conquer the market.

Once his observation and analysis phase were over, he quickly entered the implementation phase of his plan.

Noah started by spending.

Afterall, to make money, you need money.

Instead of buying high-priced goods, Noah invested his capital into cheap, overlooked materials. Then, he started spreading rumors, subtly manipulating the market to drive demand sky-high.

Within minutes, merchants were already scrambling to acquire the items he already stockpiled, and Noah sold them for triple their original value.

DING!

[You have made a profit!]

[Current Gold: 2,500]

Noah grinned. ’I’m just starting!’

And then, the catalyst that Noah needed to push his strategy into the next phase was triggered as an event.

A grand auction was announced, featuring legendary items and secret treasures.

The moment Noah heard of it, he knew this was his opportunity to shake the market and profit from it.

He didn’t have enough gold to bid on the rarest items outright, but he doesn’t need to. In business, sometimes, its not all about money too.

Sometimes, all that was needed was the quick wit to outsmart your rivals.

Afterall, like Jose Mourinho said, if we’re competing in a race and I have a Mini Cooper while you have a Ferrari, to win, I can’t play fair.

To win, I’ll have to burst your tire or fill your fuel tank with sugar.

Noah took a tip or two from the ways of the legendary football coach.

His strategy to make profit? He artificially inflated the price of worthless items, raising their value in the process due to his bold bidding, tricking rival bidders into wasting their funds.

Then, when they’ve burned through their reserves, he swoops in and buys valuable items at a fraction of their worth.

It was risky strategy, but it was working.

To Noah, that’s all that mattered.

As the auction progressed, one particular item caught his eye; a mysterious locked chest.

The crowd dismissed it as worthless, but Noah’s instincts honed through over a decade of playing the game told him otherwise.

By now, he already had a sixth sense for treasure in the game.

He won the bid, cracked open the lock only to reveal a hidden stash of ancient Warstar coins that are highly valuable to certain collectors.

DING!

[You have made a profit!]

[Current Gold: 6,700]

Noah licked his lips. ’On point!’

His progress was staggering.

And just as he was closing in on his goal, the Golden Merchant appears again, his face darkened with fury.

He shook in rage.

"You dare manipulate my market? You have done well... too well even. I cannot allow this to go unchallenged!"

’This...!’ Noah’s face darkened.

From that point, everything went south.

The market itself turned against Noah. Prices started fluctuating wildly, merchants refused to trade with him, and a faction of rival traders attempted to scam, rob, and outmaneuver him.

Problems came from everywhere. His start-up business seemed about to crumble from the pressure, but Noah was unfazed.

’This is just like everything else in Warstar, a battle’.

’And when you’re attacked, you retaliate’.

Noah retaliated.

He pitted rival merchants against each other, spreading targeted rumors to crash their investments.

Not just that, he exploited a secret loophole in market regulations, forcing NPC traders to accept his terms.

And his last card was a big risk. He used all his remaining capital to monopolize a critical resource, forcing competitors to buy from him at inflated prices. In essence, this was a gamble.

Noah only tried it because he learned from one of the best in Benjamin.

From Benjamin, he learned that if you wanted to win big, you have to grow the balls to bet big.

And that was what he did.

And it paid dividends.

With a final, ruthless move, Noah made a single trade that pushed him past the 10,000 Gold mark.

DING!

[You have made profit!]

[Current Gold: 10,800]

A familiar golden notification quickly flashed, shining before his eyes.

[Congratulations! You have completed the Merchant’s Wrath Test!]

[You have received rewards:]

*+15 Skill Points.

*New Passive Skill: Master of Commerce.

>Master of Commerce: All future trades, negotiations, and business dealings favor you. Prices of goods decrease, and your ability to identify market trends is heightened<

The Golden Merchant grinned, nodding in respect.

"Congratulations, Master of Commerce".

"You have bested the market, challenger".

"Fortune favors the cunning. Spend wisely".

As the bazaar faded away, Noah smirked.

"Damn, I never knew playing a Merchant could be this fun".

"Might have to start a business after all this".

Originally, after completing the Puzzle of the Ancients quest, Noah was mentally tired but after the different type of thrill that playing as a Merchant gave him and the dopamine it induced in his brain, Noah felt refreshed again.

His original thought was to continue tomorrow, but now...

He paused, the thought of continuing lingering in his head, then. "Why not?"

Noah did not hesitate; he jumped to the next quest in his agenda.

[Quest 5: The Song of War]

This quest was one of the weakest that Noah took on yet.

It took him less than 5 minutes to complete, after which he set his eyes on another target again, emboldened by the speed of completing the Song of War.

[Quest 12: The Jester’s Masquerade]