As if on cue, transparent name tags and price tags appeared above the items laid out in front of him, glowing with light-blue system notifications.
[Health Potion (Uncommon): 3 Silver Coins]
[Mana Potion (Uncommon): 2 Silver Coins]
[Rat Fang Knives (Common): 70 Copper Coins]
[Spiked Rat Gauntlets (Common): 50 Copper Coins]
More heads turned now. Several players stopped mid-step as they read the floating labels, eyes widening with surprise.
But the initial wave of interest quickly met hesitation.
"That's… that's kinda expensive."
"Three silver for a potion? I barely have two!"
"Who the hell spends silver this early?"
Most of the players in the courtyard were just scraping together copper pieces from beginner quests and monster drops.
Spending so much on consumables or early-game weapons? Most saw it as a waste.
But that wouldn't last forever.
Riley watched their hesitation with an amused glint in his eyes. Let them scoff. Let them complain. He knew better. And soon, they would too.
Right now, most of them still thought of this world as a simple game.
Just another immersive fantasy simulator where death was temporary and money didn't matter.
They hadn't yet tasted desperation. They hadn't yet experienced what it meant to lose everything—or to fall behind in a system that punished weakness mercilessly.
But they would. Soon, some of these same people would be throwing gold, at vendors just for a chance to get the same consumables they called useless.
And when that day came, Riley would already be miles ahead.
"It's still cheaper than those useless NPC's though…"
"Yeah, one even charged me 7 Silver coins for a mana potion!"
"Mine was ten…"
The new wave of comments from the players who already tried getting potions managed to convince a good number of them, and they began to approach Riley.
Riley simply sighed, leaning back slightly. He rested his weight on his palms, allowing the murmurs wash over him.
Then, someone shouted.
"You there!"
The voice was loud, commanding, and instantly drew the attention of the nearby players. Conversations stopped. Heads turned.
A path opened through the small crowd, and Riley's gaze sharpened.
A tall young man strolled confidently toward him, his stride casual but brimming with arrogance.
He had short, smooth brown hair that looked like it had been freshly cut and styled. His jawline was sharp, his nose straight, and his smirk—that insufferably smug smirk—looked like it had been carved into his face at birth.
Flanking him were five other players.
All of them were dressed in gear far better than the village's default equipment, which alone attracted attention.
They carried themselves like a pack of predators, moving in step with their leader, every one of them wearing the same smirk.
The surrounding players began to mutter among themselves again, but this time the tone was different.
"Isn't that…?"
"Yeah, that's him. Taves."
"The second son of the Yeves Family…"
"Dude's a Beta player. I heard his brother's one of the top ten already."
"I heard he cleared a dungeon solo in the second day of testing."
"He's definitely trouble… but then, I heard their sister is smoking hot…"
"Keep your voice down you idiot…"
Riley's eyes locked onto Taves, and a slow, deliberate smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
'There you are.' He thought, his eyes flashing coldly. 'I've been waiting for you to appear… Taves.'
Just like he had expected, the arrogant young man approached him, staring down at him with a scowl.
"How may I help you?" Riley asked, looking up at the group with a nonchalant expression.
Though he was trying to keep things casual at first, his mind was boiling with fury, especially as he stared at the face of Taves.
There was no way he could ever forget that face, as it was the same face which made his life hell in his past life.
Taves clicked his tongue, running a hand through his hair.
"How can you help us… let's see." He muttered, mockingly placing a hand on his chin.
"You're a trader, how about giving us some potions." He said, flashing another arrogant smirk at Riley.
Riley nodded, pointing a finger at one of the options.
"You can see the price tag on it, pay up, and it's yours." He said, his lips curling into a slight smile.
Taves hissed, staring at him for a few seconds before breaking into laughter.
"Haha… you hear that guys? He said… to pay up! Hahaha!" He said, laughing like Riley just said the funniest thing in the world.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and an annoyed frown formed on his face.
"Do you know who you're talking to? You're just a rookie, know your place, and just hand them over." He said, stretching a hand at Riley.
Smack!
But to his surprise, Riley smacked his hands away, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"I can't, if you're not buying anything, then don't disturb me." He said, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.
Of course he knew who Taves was, he hadn't been living under a rock these whole time.
He was from the Yeves family, which owned a huge construction company in the real world.
His elder brother and younger sister, Yano and Yira Yeves were top players of the game currently.
Though he didn't know the specific details of their talent, he knew they both had S-Rank talents.
That, along with their family wealth, helped them climbed to power very quickly in the game.
Taves on the other hand, was less talented compared to his siblings.
Though he was also chosen as a Beta-player, he only managed to awaken a C-Rank talent.
Because of this, he wasn't as powerful as his siblings, and while they were busy trying to open up the first city, he was still down in the novice village, wasting his time bullying the new players.
In a few hours from now, most of the Beta players would also come back to the novice village, trying to take advantage of the new players to gain benefits.
They were mostly players who met a brick-wall in their advancement due to their low talents, or those who just wanted to bully new players for fun.
It was one of the hobbies of a good number of Beta-players, and in his past life, he had also been a victim of it.