Berserker: A LitRPG Urban Fantasy Adventure (Apocosmos Book 1) by Dimitrios Gkirgkiris (phonics readers .txt) 📕

had access to crafters within their clans or organizations, so they didn’t really need to buy them online. And lastly, they were more expensive than lower grades, which meant that lower-level people also shied away from them.

But they were only expensive because of the cost of steel, and steel was only expensive due to the inflation in the Apocosmos economy. For someone like me, who was completely fresh to this world, it still made absolute sense to source this material from the Cosmos where the prices were relatively low. At fucking last, maybe there was one advantage to being a complete newbie in this world.

Immediately, I started researching how to use Cosmos materials for crafting Apocosmos items and I struggled to find much information on it. Initially I thought that was due to how good of an idea it was. Well, it turned out that it was a good idea alright, but there was a reason why not many people bothered sourcing from the Cosmos. It wasn’t as simple as I initially thought. Sourcing steel, or any other kind of material for that matter, from the Cosmos meant that it needed to go through a procedure that looked very similar to customs. Traveler, the DEM-owned browser for the Apocosmos network, or internet, or whatever they called it, informed me that a registered merchant needed to clear my imports.

The procedure was described as fast, with most of the paperwork being readied before I even got in touch with the merchant. I downloaded the forms I needed on my device and went through them as thoroughly as possible. The information I needed to provide looked fairly standard and I guessed that they mostly served to create a merchant profile of me rather than making sure I didn’t import anything dangerous. I sincerely doubted I could import anything from the Cosmos that would be considered dangerous in the Apocosmos.

Once I had all my forms filled—briefly considering how bureaucracy and data collection was a beloved hobby regardless of worlds—I tried to locate the merchant that would need to process my application. I went through the different categories, noting there were different agents for animals, vehicles, materials, weapons, and so many more categories.

I tapped on materials and searched for steel. There were quite a few merchants available so instead of wasting more time researching each one, I decided to trust the good old reviewing system that was prevalent on this platform as well. The top agent that was available at that moment had an average score of 4.8 out of 5, from a total of over two hundred thousand reviews—well above some of the others on the list. His name was TJ and looking at his information I noticed that he was based in the States, but his city was not provided. I guessed that meant that it didn’t really matter where he or I resided, so I tapped on the Contact Me button and a message appeared, informing me that the agent I had selected would reach out as soon as possible.

Not more than a couple of minutes later, I received what looked like a video call from the merchant. I accepted the call and the person on the other end was wearing the widest smile I had ever seen. His green eyes were stared at me unblinkingly and it was kind of discomforting.

“Can you hear me okay?” I asked.

“I can hear you mighty fine, young man” he said in the most colorful salesperson voice I had ever heard.

“Great,” I said awkwardly when he didn’t say anything else. “Thank you for contacting me.”

“Always a pleasure to serve new people in the market,” he replied and flashed his wide smile again. “My name’s TJ and I will help you in every way that I can.”

I just couldn’t get the feel of this person. The words he was using were pleasant and accommodating, but the way he talked reminded me of so many other old-school salespeople.

“So,” I started. “I want to take steel from this… from the Cosmos, and use it to craft Apocosmos items. I have all the paperwork ready and would like to employ you to clear the materials for use in the Apocosmos.” Louie, annoyed by my talking, moved to the bathroom so he could sleep in peace.

“That is superb that you have prepared everything, sir,” said the man on the other end of the call.

“So, how soon can we do it?” I asked. “And is it going to be like a recurring thing or do I just message you with just the quantities in the future?”

“What a great question that is,” he said as if he actually believed it was a great question indeed. “You see, the line of work I’m in is very similar to one of those gnome-made engines. They work fine and deliver great results as long they’re kept sufficiently lubricated.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, though I had a suspicion this wouldn’t be as easy as I thought.

“What I can do for you is in direct relation to what you can do for the engine, kind sir.”

“You mean, I have to lubricate the machine?”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” the man said, and for a moment I thought I even saw a glimmer on his snow-white, polished teeth. “You’ve got a knack for word-smithing.”

“I guess I do,” I said and prepared myself for the inevitable. “And how much would such a lubri… actually, I don’t want to use that metaphor anymore. How much do you need?”

“We can either work on an annual agreement for,” he paused for a moment, as if he was considering it, “say one point two million dollars, or a flat fee of two hundred thousand per import, regardless of quantity.”

“That’s absurd,” I blurted out.

“There’s no reason to get upset, my good man,” he said completely calmly. “I am no dwarf, so my offer is not set in stone. I am sure we can reach a figure that would please the both of us.”

“I