THE MERCHANT'S SECRET: My Unexpted Isekai Life

Chapter 2

Elven Land, Magixah Kingdom

I woke up with a sudden jolt, gasping for air. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The air was hot and humid, and faint dry sand filled my nose. Slowly, I took in the sight before me—a sprawling abandoned land dotted with dry wildflowers, small dried trees lining the horizon, and a faint dark mist hanging in the distance.

What the heck? But I ignored ominous feelings. This... this was it. I was in another world. But why a deserted land? I'm expecting some otherworldly forest or a busy medieval village and almost naked elven women.

Ignoring the slight pain in my neck from the fall, I stood up. Suddenly, my body felt lighter, almost as if I was more in tune with the surrounding environment. I could feel the magic coursing through the air, an invisible force that seemed to hum in the very fabric of this place. I reached for my backpack instinctively, the familiar weight comforting me. Thanks to the gods, the guardian was true to his word.

It was real. I was summoned, right? But as far as I remember from reading isekai sort of novels in my spare time working at the grocery, a summoned hero was mostly summoned in a palace with a high priest or a magician using a high-end magic circle. I couldn't help but wonder why I ended up in a deserted landscape. Yet, I couldn't help but laugh quietly, the excitement bubbling up inside me; without a summoner, I could live my life however I wanted. "Holly hell! I'm lucky; maybe the summoner of this world made a mistake, and I ended up here instead. "What luck," I grumbled to myself. I looked at the sky and made a happy dance. "Thank you, Guardian, sir!"

But do I have a status screen?

Sure enough, it would be damn cool if I had a status screen. I mean, isn't that like the number one cheat system in every isekai ever? A panel with glowing letters telling you how badass you are—or, in my case, how average. But hey, a guy can dream. I looked around just to make sure no one was watching. I cleared my throat, flexed my fingers like some kind of anime protagonist and thrust my hand forward with a shout that could rival Superman.

"STATUS SCREEN!" Nothing. I blinked. Waited.

Still nothing. '...What the hell?" I muttered. Okay, maybe I was doing it wrong.

"INFORMATION PANEL!" Still no spark, no light, not even a sparkle.

"Goddammit..." Was I not chosen? Was I some side character in someone else's isekai? I scowled, then glanced toward the sky, as if expecting divine intervention. Maybe I needed the magic word.

"GUARDIAN SCREEN!"

Suddenly, before I could even exhale, lit up before my eyes. A square, transparent blue screen materialised in mid-air, floating like a hologram. It had the faint shimmer of starlight and pulsed softly, almost like it had a heartbeat.

Oh. My. Gods. It worked.

I leaned closer, heart thumping.

GUARDIAN SCREEN

Location: (Magixah Realm, Magical Level: Low)

NAME: Dirk Robinson Jr.

RACE: Unknown

LEVEL: ???

POWER: ???

VITALITY: 10

HP: 10

MAGIC: 10

"...Wait, what? Is the magical level of this world low?"

Ignoring it, I focused on my stat. I blinked again and rubbed my eyes, but the question marks were still there. Why the hell was my race unknown? What kind of mystery meat nonsense was this? I knew I was human when I came here—or at least I was. Unknown hmmmp? At least I'm not slime. But what was up with the triple question marks?

Level: ???, Power: ???. Did this thing not work properly? Or was I so weak it couldn't even quantify me? "Seriously?" I whispered. "Ten HP? Ten Magic? That's it?"

A piece of my soul crumbled right then and there. I've seen worse builds in games, sure, but this felt like a scam. Like I pulled the worst gacha roll in history.

I sighed and let the screen hang there. I leaned back, arms crossed, staring at the faintly glowing letters. For a moment, disappointment settled heavy in my gut. This world might be new... might even be magical... but I wasn't ready for it. Not with these stats. Not with this pathetic excuse of a cheat screen. But—well. I was still alive. I had my limbs, my brains, and a damn good noodle-selling business. Maybe that was enough for now. "Okay," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "New world, new life. No regrets. No turning back. I'm going to be rich, no matter what this screen says."

I started tapping around the interface, swiping through tabs like a confused grandpa using a tablet. After a few minutes, I found something called "QUESTS."

I tapped it.

New Quest: Collect 3 vials of scorpion blood.

Reward: +1 Level

Warning: Venomous.

"... Excuse me?" I tapped it again, just to be sure. It didn't change. "Scorpions?! That's what you want me to fight?! Scorpions are literal nightmares with armour and poison! What kind of dumbass quest is this?!" I scowled, then collapsed against my bag with a groan. "Yeah... no. Hard pass." I closed the screen with a huff and stared up at the sky again, muttering to myself.

"Looks like the Guardian's got jokes. Well, guess what? I'm not dying from some radioactive desert spider. Not today." No scorpions. Not now. Not ever.

Shaking my head, I threw a glance around the dry meadow and smiled as I closed the GUARDIAN SCREEN. "Let's see what this world has to offer." With that, I set off, eager to embrace whatever awaited me, knowing that no matter the challenges, I was ready for them. And with my gifts, I mean my cheat skill... nothing would stop me, but what the hell was that?

Holy crap!

A few metres away was a swarm of massive dark scorpions.

"What the fuck is that?" I grumbled to myself. "A scorpion as big as a dog? You have to be kidding me! Hell no! There is no way I'm going to harvest blood from those monsters."

Of course, I panicked as two enormous, ugly-looking scorpions noticed me and slowly moved closer, their tails raised. I took a step back, my breath shallow. I need to get out of here. I turned, scanning the horizon, and spotted a rocky hill in the distance. It was the only landmark in this endless wasteland.

To hell with the quest.

Without thinking, I ran like my life depended on it. The scorpions hissed and clicked, chasing after me with vigour. My rubber shoes pounded against the cracked earth, dust rising with each step. My legs burnt, but I pushed forward. What the hell is happening? Am I going to die here? But I can't just give up. This was my second chance in life. I need to survive.

Fuck! I'm going to die here.

After what felt like forever, I reached the base of the hill and scrambled up the rocks. The scorpions halted at the bottom, their beady eyes watching. He exhaled in relief. At least they don't climb this part of the hill.

I sat down, catching my breath.

As I tried to make sense of it all, a shadow passed over me. I looked up and froze as if I was watching a 3D video, or was I seeing something?

A figure stood at the top of the hill, cloaked in black, their face hidden beneath a hood. The wind howled around them, and a deep, echoing voice spoke:

"Where is the hero?" The man with the white and golden tunic asked past me, like he was talking to someone else.

Ha! This might be a summoning gone wrong, but to make sure, I asked. "Hey, sir, where is this place?" I carelessly enquired, my voice unsteady.

The figure didn't answer. Instead, they raised a hand—and the ground beneath me glowed with strange, golden symbols.

Before I could react, my body felt weightless, and my vision blurred.

And just like that, everything went dark.