Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

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The Universal Currency Exchange Trading System proved to be an indispensable tool in Kieran's past. Although it had many limitations, it was a practical system that provided quality of life benefits. For example, if one was inside a leveling area without the means to reach an Auction House, the items on hand could be registered on the Exchange System's personalized Auction House.

However, although it was a separate entity, the auction was subject to the same fees that the Merchant Association's Auction House imposed.

When the public digested the information, the response threw many cities into an uproar.

"There it goes! There goes the illustrious pay-to-win option. It wouldn't be a true MMORPG without it. God, I just love the internet. Want me to open my wallet? Sureee, but there better be a damn good option," one of the players currently inside the Merchant Association exclaimed.

Kieran looked in their direction with a faint smile because he wasn't wrong on a certain level. However, this pay-to-win feature wasn't designed to accommodate some external money-making entity. Instead, the pay-to-win option was restricted to the gaming community.

While the Universal Currency Exchange Trading System allowed players to buy Copper, Silver, and Gold, it could only come from other players that registered it on the platform. Players couldn't buy gold exclusively from organizations of Zenith Online as there was no stock, nor did denizens of the world have access to this system given to players.

Hence, unless players created a circulation of in-game currency, the supply and demand could either be nonexistent or thrive. Moreover, in those situations, the price of currency would fluctuate greatly.

'As of right now, it's impossible for even the strongest guilds to have a firm financial footing inside Zenith Online. Not only is it too new, but gold farming is unoptimized,' Kieran thought.

Although monsters dropped a decent amount of Copper and higher rarity ones dropped Silver, repairing one's gear cost a significant amount of money; hence, why Kieran decided against repairing his earlier gear. Once a player signed up as a gold farmer who focused on slaying monsters and harvesting anything valuable, their equipment would need repairing often.

And, unless effective Forgers were cultivated, this would have to be done through outsourced organizations at a high cost. Thus, the profit-loss margin was tiny at best right now.

But, Kieran wasn't met with the problem of low funds. In his grasp rested almost 10,100 Gold. And, since there was no set price for any currency right now, Kieran was in the perfect position to manipulate the market's inception.

However, manipulating the market's inception would require items of incredible allure. Otherwise, it would become a pointless endeavor with the public losing interest almost instantly.

'Trying to target guilds right now wouldn't be my best course of action because they are too far from establishing headquarters and gaining the credentials to officiate their existence. Instead, I somehow need to catch the attention of wealthy people who attempted to start Gradeless Teams. The problem with that is… how the hell am I supposed to remember all those names since they were essentially unknown by the time large guilds swallowed them up?!'

Kieran rested against a counter in the corner while thinking about the items in his possession. In terms of value, only the Medallion of Growth, the shield Ezgal dropped, the Scarlet Steel Greatsword in need of repair, and the two Rare Grade Treasure Chest in his possession were worth mentioning.

But, Kieran knew it was foolish to sell Treasure Chest because not only were they difficult to obtain, but they could reward an assortment of items, including those that could only be obtained through special means. Of course, the likelihood of that happening was extremely slim to the point it was almost nonexistent.

Nevertheless, to test the waters, Kieran placed 100 Gold inside the UCETS at a unit price of $1,200 ED. After going through a global crisis, the world decided to unite the global economy under one currency known as the Earthly Dollar, or ED for short.

Because of this global consolidation, the view of country wealth changed. It shifted from relying upon natural resources, rich lands, and ideal territories to one single fact: how much ED has the country generated, reserved, and trades, as well as how much of that is circulating throughout their infrastructure at all times.

Once Kieran finished that, he looked to exit the Merchant Association with the atmosphere in a somewhat riled state, mainly because several people were still browsing through the Universal Currency Exchange Trading System information.

"Damn! Is this the same Aatrox that started the stream? Holy crap, he appears everywhere! But, the greater question is, what the heck did this guy do that he has amassed 100 Gold in the few days the game has been online? The guy robbed a virtual bank?"

"So, you're on the same page as me, and you think he is some type of criminal too? I think it's criminal to register 1 Gold for over $1,000!" another bystander commented.

While almost out of the door, Kieran heard his name and smirked lightly. His current appearance wouldn't be associated with what he previously showed on stream. Now, he appeared like a lion in human form.

Kieran didn't linger for too long before moving towards Aeredale City's more residential area, the meeting place that he told the others about. Not too far from the meeting destination, Kieran happened to see Aspaira passing by briskly with many items in her hands.

'Does she not know about the inventory or something? Why is she personally carrying a bundle of things?' Kieran wondered. Because of his curiosity, he called out to Aspaira, which caused her to freeze.

"Eh? Who?" Aspaira looked around cluelessly. Although she saw Kieran, she wasn't sure if this partially unfamiliar face was the one who called out to her. After all, other players couldn't see fellow in-game names unless the player was in public mode.

Naturally, because of the team's current circumstances regarding the Shadow Cartel and Sunset Triad's potential retaliation, Aspaira kept her game identity secure.

"Right here," Kieran said, causing Aspaira's jaw to drop in exasperation. The icon atop Kieran's head appeared differently because he was on Aspaira's friend list. Once she realized this fact, Aspaira could hold back her incredulity.

"A-... Aatrox?" Aspaira muttered cautiously. Part of her felt her eyes were playing tricks on her. 'Do I need my prescription in-game as well? What the heck…"

"Yeah, are you meeting with us? Or are you going to the Alchemist Circle? Either way, why are you carrying so many things?"

"Ah! I've been running back and forth to the Merchant Association to purchase inferior herbs, but my inventory's full. They should really do something about the super limited space they've given us," Aspaira complained.

"We'll have to solve that ourselves. But, if that's the case, I suggest you visit the banks owned by the Merchant Association and rent storage," Kieran suggested. This was the alternative to getting their hands on a storage chest.

"No, no, no, it's so expensive. I don't have the money for that. I'll just do this for the time being," Aspaira immediately shook her head. Before Kieran could think to offer, she added: "Also, don't even think about offering more money. You've helped enough. If I succeed in becoming an Alchemist, I'll be able to help myself and the others."

'Oh?' Kieran's eyebrows rose faintly. 'She's thinking about helping the others? Meaning she thinks of us as a team already? Hmm, if that's the case.'

"I understand. I'll wish you luck, and if you succeed, your future may be brighter than you know."

After saying this, Kieran waved goodbye and entered one of the nearby inns. Compared to the inn he visited in Gena Village, this one was no different from some 4-star hotels in real life.

Eventually, Kieran saw the others gathered in a remote corner of the inn and sat with them. Like Aspaira, the team's initial response to Kieran's change was stupefaction, but he didn't mind.

"So, how goes the progress of increasing your World Fame?" Kieran asked.

"Wait… will no one mention the elephant in the room? Why do you look like that?" Altair exclaimed while slapping his hands on the table. Because he had officially become an Assassin, he was dressed in concealing clothing with a lot of loose fabric, allowing for hidden weapons to be concealed easily.

"Class change," Kieran succinctly answered. "So?"

"Citizen," Alice answered calmly while staring at Kieran in silence. She sensed something dangerous about him but couldn't put her finger on it for some reason.

"Pretty much almost maxed out Citizen. I'm at 240 World Fame," Altair shrugged.

"Ditto. As I told you," Bastion answered.

Going around the table, Cyr, Cygnus, Sithik, and Sera virtually gave the same answer, and that was having recently reached Citizen.

"That'll do for now. But we need to keep in mind that we've offended two third-class powers. We'll need to be cautious since we aren't certain where they'll centralize. It could be here, or it could be another kingdom or empire altogether."

"Mmn, I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow tailed us. So I think it'd be safe to say they'll follow us here given how vengeful they are," Bastion shrugged.

"Familiar with them?" Kieran asked. From how Bastion mentioned their behavior, it felt as if he was somehow acquainted with these two organizations in some shape or form.

"Let's say they tried to recruit me as their main tank, but I declined. They're essentially trash; why would I bother uplifting a struggling organization? What am I, a savior?" Bastion scoffed.

This comment somehow made Keiran feel slightly embarrassed. Is that not what he did for the Golden Brigade in the past?! He truly felt targeted, but he also understood that Bastion was speaking generally.

"I've potentially come across a way for us to level quickly if you all are interested. However, we won't be able to complete it immediately. I have personal matters to attend to," Kieran answered while leaning forward.

"A dungeon?" Cyr interjected.

"It's possible. For now, if I'm not mistaken, it should turn out much better than the dungeon floating around in the rumors."

"Cool. I've wanted to try out these new class skills. How long before we move?" Altair asked.

"At the latest, the day after tomorrow. Earliest would be tomorrow," Kieran said after leaving some room just in case the appointment ran longer than anticipated.

"Fine by me. I have a little quest to complete before then anyway."

Following Altair's answer, the rest readily agreed with the timeline while mentioning a few other important topics—the main one being to fill in the two missing team slots.

Once Kieran finished dealing with the others, Kieran immediately logged out of Zenith Online after booking a room with the inn.