The rain hadn't stopped for three days.
A cold drizzle dripped from rusted rooftops, turning the slum alleys into shallow streams that stank of rot and oil. The junkyard—known only as "The Heap" by the locals—was a sprawling graveyard of obsolete tech, twisted metal, and shattered dreams. It was the place where the city's trash went to die... and where the desperate went to survive.
Jin was one of them.
Soaked to the bone and shivering inside his tattered coat, Jin dug through the debris with numb fingers. His hands were nicked with fresh cuts, dirt caked under his nails, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Hunger clawed at his belly like a feral beast, and his last meal had been two moldy biscuits he found behind a vendor stall yesterday.
A single salvageable circuit board could mean food. A rare power cell? Rent for the week. If he didn't find something today, he'd be sleeping in the gutter with the rats.
The sky above rumbled, clouds dark as charcoal. Thunder echoed through the heaps of junk, vibrating the old scaffolding like a death rattle. Jin ignored it. Storms were common this time of year in Sector D of the Lower Ring. Electricity and water shortages weren't.
He pulled aside a half-buried drone shell, and something beneath caught his eye.
Not rust. Not steel. Something glowing.
Jin's breath caught.
There, nestled under the warped remains of a dataframe, was a crystal-like sphere—no larger than an apple—pulsing softly with inner light. Unlike anything he'd seen before. Its surface shifted between colors: deep violet, luminous gold, then a cold, lifeless silver. And just as he reached out, the air around it vibrated.
[System Detected: Initialization in progress...]
The words didn't appear in his vision. They echoed in his mind.
He snatched his hand back.
"What the hell?"
The orb lifted into the air on its own. Jin stumbled back, slipping in the mud. The rain parted briefly, as if the world was holding its breath. The orb spun faster, then shot into his chest like a bullet.
There was no pain—only light.
Jin gasped as invisible heat coursed through his veins. The world blurred. A chime rang in his ears.
[TRADE SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVATED]Welcome, Trader.You are now linked to the Infinite Market.
⚙ Inventory: 0 Items💰 Trade Points: 0🌐 Markets Unlocked: 1 (Junk Realm)🎁 Beginner's Crate: Available🔒 Hidden Potential: Locked
🚨 Quest Issued: Complete Your First Trade Within 24 Hours.Reward: Market ExpansionFailure: System Termination & Memory Erasure
Jin blinked. The panel hovered in midair, a translucent interface like the ones used in high-tier AR systems—except this one didn't come from a visor or implant. It followed his gaze, shifted when he moved, and pulsed with warmth like it was alive.
"System...? Infinite Market?" he whispered, heart racing.
He reached toward the interface—and it responded. A small inventory tab expanded to show… nothing.
Empty.
Still, the Beginner's Crate blinked at the corner. He tapped it mentally.
🎁 You've opened your first crate!Contents:– [Basic Trade Token x3]– [Rust-Polished Gear x1]– [Worn Leather Pouch x1]
System Tip: You can trade anything the system recognizes. Trade wisely.
The pouch materialized in front of him and dropped into his lap. Real. Tangible. He touched it. Soft leather, slightly damp. Inside, three smooth, coin-shaped tokens and an odd gear with strange etchings.
"This… isn't just some dream," Jin muttered. "It's real."
He scrambled to his feet and looked around. Rain was falling again, heavier now. But all he could hear was the chime of the system in his mind.
[Nearby Trade Market Detected – "The Junk Realm" (Tier 0). Connecting…]
Buyers located...Analyzing inventory...Demand Match Found!
Buyer: "Scavenger Drone Mk.I"Request: [Rust-Polished Gear]Offer: [Nano-Ration Pack x1] + 5 Trade Points
His eyes widened. A nano-ration pack?
Those were premium emergency meals—calorie dense, shelf-stable, used by Enforcer squads in the Upper Rings. Worth at least 40 credits on the black market.
And he was being offered one in exchange for a junk gear?
With trembling fingers, Jin tapped [Trade Confirm].
The pouch glowed, and the gear vanished. Moments later, a sealed ration pouch appeared in its place—still warm.
He opened it and wolfed it down without hesitation. Real food. Protein, carbs, electrolytes. For the first time in weeks, his body felt alive.
First Trade Completed.🌐 Market Access Expanded.🎖 New Market Unlocked: [Scavenger's Alley – Tier 1]🔓 Function Unlocked: "System Shop"
Jin staggered back and laughed. Actually laughed.
He didn't know what this system was or how it worked—but for the first time since he could remember, he had power. Not just to eat. Not just to survive.
To grow.
He turned back toward the scrapyard and narrowed his eyes at the endless mountains of rusted junk. Somewhere in there… was his future.
[System Notice: Daily Trade Quota – 10 Trades Remaining]
[Hidden Quest Chain Activated: The Merchant's Path]
"Begin with scraps. End with stars."
To Be Continued…
📌 Author's Note:
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— [RealmVendor]