Outside the starter village, Miguel stood silently, his gaze fixed on the empty spot where the five players from Luo Tian Guild had been moments ago. The battlefield was quiet now, save for six shimmering orbs of white light floating gently in the air—the spoils of war. Five came from the bodies of Luo Tian Shark and his companions; the last one belonged to the giant wild chicken Miguel had slain earlier.
Without hesitation, he strode over and scooped up everything. System chimes rang out in quick succession:
Ding! You have obtained [Gold Coins] x2!
Ding! You have obtained [Gold Coins] x1!
…
Ding! You have obtained [Great Machete] x1!
All five drops from Luo Tian Shark's group totaled six gold coins. The oversized chicken had left behind the weapon—a crude yet gleaming machete.
"Six gold coins, huh? Not much, but it's better than nothing," Miguel muttered under his breath. He understood the early game economy well enough. Right now, few players truly grasped how valuable Godmaking Online would become. One gold coin barely fetched 100 Flame Nation credits. Six coins meant roughly six hundred credits—not exactly a fortune, but for Miguel, it was money he desperately needed.
His lips curved in a bitter smile. Six hundred credits… enough to cover my rent. But food? Guess I'm still a starving 'Main God-tier' powerhouse this month.
In his past life, at this exact point in time, he'd been working late shifts as a fast-food server at a KFC knock-off, scrubbing tables and taking abuse from customers. That miserable cycle of working for scraps wasn't going to repeat itself. He'd already decided—this time around, he wasn't bending his back for anyone. But that also meant no paycheck coming in, no guaranteed rent money, and no safety net if he failed to make ends meet through the game.
He shook his head and refocused, eyes landing on the machete now sitting in his inventory. Pulling it out, he inspected the crude yet menacing blade.
[Great Machete]
Tier: None
Requirements: None
Base Stats: +10 Strength
Additional Attribute: +3 Strength
Description: A plain-looking weapon, but highly effective in the early stages. Drops from wild chickens outside the starter village.
Miguel gripped the weapon in his left hand, nostalgia flickering in his eyes. I'd forgotten… back in the newbie zones, this thing's practically a treasure.
A grin tugged at his lips. A typical level-up barely added +1 attack power, even with the extra attribute points. This weapon alone was the equivalent of four entire levels for a rookie. In other words, it was a goldmine waiting to be sold. A thousand credits minimum, easy. Now he just needed a buyer.
He glanced around the field, already plotting. Every player here had dropped ten grand or more on a basic gaming pod just to log into Godmaking Online. These weren't penny-pinchers—they were whales compared to his broke self. Selling this would be child's play.
As if fate wanted to speed things up, Thunderblade approached from across the field, eyes fixed on the machete gleaming in Miguel's hand. The guy had clearly read the early-game guides: wild chickens dropped a "hidden gem" weapon rarely seen in the starting zone.
Thunderblade might've awakened a legendary-grade Sword Dao talent, but right now, he had nothing better than a dull starter blade. Given the choice, he'd wield even a sledgehammer if it sped up his grind.
"Hey, Stellar," Thunderblade called out casually, masking his eagerness. "That machete… you selling it?"
Miguel's eyes lit up. Well, that was quick. "Depends," he said, lips quirking. "How much are you offering?"
Thunderblade thought for a moment before making his bid. "Three thousand Flame credits."
Miguel blinked in surprise. In his mind, the weapon's worth barely hit a thousand. Thunderblade had just tripled that without batting an eye.
"Not good enough for you?" Thunderblade raised a brow at Miguel's stunned expression, misunderstanding the silence.
Not good enough? Hell, this was daylight robbery in reverse. Miguel was about to accept when Thunderblade doubled down. "Look, Stellar, this thing's good, sure, but three thousand is already way above its real market value. I'm offering it because I want to make friends. Five thousand credits. That's my final offer. If you're still not happy, I'll just walk away."
Miguel nearly choked. A second ago, he was expecting eight hundred. Now it was five thousand. Five thousand credits—more than his monthly wage from the crappiest job of his past life!
He snapped out of it fast, grinning from ear to ear. "Deal. More than fair. Thunderblade, from today, you've got a friend in me."
Thunderblade smiled, amused at how easily this transaction secured goodwill. Five thousand credits was pocket change to him, maybe one fancy breakfast at best. But investing that into a potential top-tier player like Miguel? A bargain.
System notification:
Ding! Your friend [Stellar Mist] has gifted you [Great Machete].
Thunderblade raised a brow. "That fast? You're not worried I'll just take the weapon and stiff you on the payment?"
Miguel threw his head back with a laugh. "Nah, I trust you. And if you did try to cheat me…" His grin turned sharp, eyes glinting with mischief. "…I'd hunt you down until you begged to pay up."
Thunderblade shivered involuntarily. After watching Miguel casually one-shot five members of Luo Tian Guild earlier, he had zero doubt the man could—and would—make good on that promise.
They exchanged account details, and moments later Miguel's phone vibrated in real life:
"Your account ending in 6292 has received a deposit of 5000.00 credits. Balance: 5717.67 [Huaxia Bank]."
The first real money he'd ever earned from Godmaking Online had just landed. A clean, legal five thousand credits straight to his account. Miguel let out a satisfied chuckle, clapping Thunderblade on the shoulder.
"Thunderblade, you're a stand-up guy. If you ever get into trouble, you can count on me. If it's within my power, I'll have your back."
The other player smiled faintly, sensing the weight behind Miguel's words. In this game, favors from someone this strong were worth far more than any beginner's weapon.
They chatted briefly before Miguel waved goodbye, heading off toward his next opportunity, the gleam of determination and quiet hunger in his eyes. The second life he'd been given was already paying off—and this was only the beginning.