Jack reappeared in his workshop, where Marie was waiting with the music box in hand.
“Hi, Jack,” she said brightly.
“Hey, Marie. Thanks for protecting the vases.”
“You’re most welcome!”
Since she and Rob had officially started dating, Marie had been treating Jack more kindly. He wasn’t sure whether it was because they were closer friends or because she was trying to score points with Rob, but he didn’t care which it was. She was earnest, and it was nice to see someone going out of their way to be nice to him.
“How’d the auction go?” she asked.
Jack let out a breath. “Not great.”
“What happened?”
“Hard to say. There was barely any bidding for the TP vases.”
“That’s weird. How much did you get for them?”
“Ten sets went for 10K.”
Marie froze. “Wait—what? That’s a massive drop!”
“Yep.”
“Come on. Let’s figure out what’s going on.”
She grabbed his arm and led him toward the patio. Jack followed without resistance.
Out on the patio, Rob and Horace were deep in conversation with Amari.
“Hey,” Amari said to Jack as he pulled him into a quick hug. “I logged in as soon as I saw you were coming back to base.”
Seeing his beaming smile, Jack raised an eyebrow. “You look happy.”
“The channel is booming, man!” Amari’s voice was practically vibrating. “I’ve been churning out videos nonstop, and the numbers are insane.”
“Awesome!” Jack said, forcing a smile.
“I just finished editing the Breach videos an hour ago. They look fantastic!” Amari said. “I’ve scheduled them to release over the next few days. The good news is, all the editing’s done. Now I just need to sit back, reply to comments, and watch the cash roll in.”
“Don’t forget my share,” Horace said from the side.
“I never do,” Amari replied, then shot him a knowing look. “And stop making fake profiles to hype yourself up on my channel.”
Horace’s face flushed. “W-what are y-you talking about?”
“You think I wouldn’t notice? HoraceNr1Fan? Really?”
Marie perked up instantly. “What? What? What did Horace do this time?”
“Our tank here created a fake account to reply to people saying nice things about him. But he always says something even nicer about himself.”
The group burst out laughing.
“Stop it,” Horace muttered through clenched teeth, cheeks reddened.
Amari turned to Jack. “So how was the auction?”
Jack opened his mouth, but Marie jumped in before he could say anything. “He sold 10 sets of TP vases for only 10K.”
“What?!” Amari said.
“I know,” Jack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
The first auction had brought in 300K. The second, 250K. But today he’d come home with 70. The drop between the first and second made sense and could be explained by the NPCs’ intervention. They had bid, jacking up the prices. In retrospect, that had been a bonus to celebrate the first time those items were being auctioned in Eternia.
But now, for all the major guilds to bow out at once and for their profits to drop to the double digits? Something was off. It had to be.
“Hang on. Let me check something,” Amari said.
He waved his hands, pulling up a browser overlay within the game interface.
While Amari did his thing, Jack enjoyed the show unfolding before him.
“Hey, Horace, have you ever heard the story of Narcissus?” Marie asked.
“Haha. Hilarious, Marie.”
“I think I finally found an easy way to defeat you on the battlefield. All we have to do is bring a mirror, and bam! You’ll be out of the picture.”
Horace cast a hopeful look toward Jack and Rob, silently begging for backup, but they both looked away. By dating Rob, Marie had secured his support. And with Jack being Rob’s cousin, she had locked in his neutrality. Horace was on his own.
And to worsen it, he held back on his teasing and insulting now, out of respect for Rob. Marie, however, was under no such restriction. She went full tilt.
Horace had his hands tied and could do nothing but take the beating, like an actual tank. And Marie, like a grenadier, kept bombarding him. It was a little sad to watch. Sad, but funny, too.
After a few minutes, Amari rejoined them, his expression grim.
“Okay, I figured it out. And... yeah. You’re not going to like this.”
He flicked a link into the group chat.
AmariNinja: “Check this link. Click here.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Jack tapped it. A forum post opened in his interface:
Who Else Wants a Teleport That Isn’t Locked Behind a Cash Wall?
#travel #teleportation #worldnavigation #junglequests #economy
Posted by: IronIre
Alright folks, brace yourselves—this might be the best utility item since mounts dropped in New Earth.
Introducing: The Homely Seed Tree.
It’s simple. You plant the tree anywhere you want. Anyone who eats its fruit is instantly teleported back to the tree’s location.
Want one? You’ll need to complete a jungle quest near one of our fortresses. Since it’s in our zone, there’s a 1,000g access fee per player. That includes safe passage, a guide, and full walkthrough.
This price holds for the first week. After that it goes up to 5k per player.
DM to reserve. Slots are limited.
Comments
WayfarerKai: Finally, a teleport option for the rest of us.
GoldSinkHater: Sold.
LeafRunner: A tree-based teleport? Treemendous!
MapLess: 1k for a permanent anchor point is a steal.
IronIre (replying): Prices won’t stay this low. Early birds only.
VaultBreaker: The top guilds just lost their travel monopoly.
PortMage: Props. This changes the whole meta.
CoinCount: IronIre just leveled up in my heart.
Jack stared at the post. His hands clenched into fists. “I can’t believe it. He killed our golden goose. Just like that.”
“Why would he blow up the teleport market like this?” Marie asked, stunned.
Amari clicked his tongue. “He must’ve figured out we were the ones selling the vases. Despite his temper, when the guy wants to be smart...”
“He saw us at the auction house,” Jack said slowly, piecing it together. “Then we disappeared. That alone would’ve tipped him off.”
“But he also saw us go into the VIP room. He could have thought we had taken a back exit or something,” Marie countered.
“The cemetery…” Rob said. “IronFoot must have sent him the footage. We used teleportation then, if he reviewed it…”
Amari nodded. “He put it all together. And instead of keeping the quest to himself, he flipped the whole thing.” He ticked off on his fingers. “Entry fees. Earning the goodwill of the player base plus favors from other guilds. Wiping out our income stream. All in one move.” He let his hand fall. “It’s brilliant.”
Jack’s jaw tightened. He felt the tendons in his hands strain as his fingers curled tighter. “I can’t believe he’d go that far just to sabotage us.”
“At least you made the most of it while it lasted,” Amari said. “Did you make enough for your dad?”
Jack’s hands slowly unclenched. He drew in a breath, then nodded. “Yeah. We made 620k gold. It’s more than enough.”
Amari’s expression softened into a genuine smile. “That’s what matters most. And hey, my channel’s doing better than ever. We’re all good for the next few months.”
Rob’s voice came quiet, thoughtful. “What does that mean?”
Jack knew what he was thinking. Rob had quit his job just a week ago, all to help raise money for Jack’s dad. And now, thanks to one item, Jack already knew how to craft, they’d performed a small miracle. He had to be wondering if he’d quit his job too soon.
“It means we can enjoy our time in the game,” Marie said, latching onto Rob’s arm.
“Oh yeah. Don’t forget the desert village,” Amari added. “And the Breach videos haven’t even dropped yet. Things are looking really good.”
Horace chimed in. “When the good times roll in this line of work, you ride the wave hard. Because when things go south—and they will—you’d better have something stashed.”
Amari nodded, eyes briefly meeting Jack’s. “We three are a case in point. We didn’t want to worry you guys, but we were nearly broke. We really needed this win.”
Marie nodded. “Yeah. If this showed anything, it’s that the Slayer hasn’t let go of his grudge. We need to keep growing stronger, or we won’t stand a chance when he comes.”
“And even if we can’t stop him,” Rob added, “at least we’ll have made the most of the time we had—while these accounts still work.”
It was a grim thought, and from the look on Amari’s face, Jack knew he was thinking the same.
Jack studied the trio. Relief lingered on their faces, but it sat beside something tougher: experience. They’d reset their accounts because of the Slayer. He’d known they were burning through savings, but not how close they’d been to empty.
And their advice wasn’t just talk. They knew what scraping by looked like.
Jack looked away, thoughts drifting.
His dad’s treatment was covered, but recovery wouldn’t be quick. There’d be hospital visits, medication, and someone would need to help him through it. Jack’s mom worked nights, had for as long as he could remember. She couldn’t care for his dad alone, and a nurse was out of their budget.
And even beyond the treatment—what came next?
His parents weren’t getting younger; the cancer scare had made that painfully clear. As their only child, he’d need to step up.
Maybe it was time to start pulling more weight and prepare for the future. And for that, he needed to keep making good money.
But at least now, for the first time in weeks, Jack could play without feeling like there was a rope around his neck.
“Well then,” Jack said. “I guess that means it’s time to get our ducks in a row and head for the desert.”
“Amen!” Amari said. “Jack’s right! We’ve got all the money we need now, and we can go in our new adventure. Get your affairs in order, people. We leave for the desert on Monday. Take the weekend off. Rest. Jack, that means you too.”
“Me? But I’ve got a capsule now,” Jack said. “I can keep going.”
Amari shook his head. “Capsule or not, your body still needs real rest. You’ve been crafting non-stop."
"When’s the last time you saw your parents?” Rob asked.
Jack looked away. “Yeah…”
“Holly might also appreciate a visit,” Marie added.
Jack snapped. “Marie!”
The others burst out laughing.
“What?” she said, grinning. “If you like her, you can’t keep it all inside the game. Go see her in person!”
“Yeah, Jack,” Rob chimed in. “She shows up in-game almost every day to see you. And you don’t go to see her? That’s unfair, bro.”
He expected the usual teasing, but instead, everyone nodded in agreement.
Wait, when had they all decided he liked Holly? Or that he’d even thought about dating her?
Jack opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. Amari was right—he was tired. Too tired to explain what he didn’t even understand himself. What was going on with him and Holly?
“Tsk. Fine. Whatever. Monday it is.”
“Alright, guys. See you then,” Amari said, and logged off.
One by one, the team disappeared. Jack lingered for a moment, then pulled up the system menu and hit Log Out.
The hiss of the capsule opening was the first thing he heard.
Cool air rushed against his skin as the lid lifted. He blinked against the dim light of his room, trying to sit up—but a wave of dizziness surged through him, and he had to brace himself against the capsule’s frame.
His limbs felt like they weren’t entirely his.
“What... is this?” he murmured. His voice was dry and thin, cracking from disuse. The edges of his vision wavered, darkening with a soft, creeping gray.
He closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths.
Then the nausea hit.
Clutching his middle, he staggered out of the capsule. His feet felt like jelly beneath him, but he forced himself forward, one unsteady step at a time, down the hall to the bathroom.
He collapsed to his knees just in time, head over the toilet—but no matter how hard his body heaved, nothing came up.
The sound must have drawn attention. “Jack? Son, is that you? Oh, baby, what’s wrong? She said, grabbing a towel and running it under cold water.
“I just… need a second,” he managed, voice hoarse.
She pressed the damp towel to his forehead, and the coolness hit like a shock—then a relief.
A few moments later, his father appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a frown.
“Jack is back? Oh… Is he OK, Maria?”
“He’s not feeling well,” his mother said, gently wiping his brow.
“Sorry,” Jack croaked. “I must’ve stayed in the capsule longer than I should have.”
“I tried telling you, baby. You don’t need to push yourself so hard. Come on. You’ve gone a whole week without real food. Come downstairs. I’ll make you some hot tea.”
Under their steady guidance, Jack rose and shuffled down to the kitchen. With each step, a little more of the real world settled back into place—solid ground, real air, familiar voices.
Amari had been right. He hadn’t realized how far he’d pushed himself.
And now, surrounded by the quiet warmth of home, he could finally admit it: he needed the break.
