Godlike Player in a Game-Like World

Raydon hurriedly descended the long staircase and made his way through the dark passageway until he finally reached the item market. Returning to the bustling, noisy scene gave him the impression that he had been away for quite some time. Without a doubt, this was his favorite location in this world to spend time.

Without wasting any time, Raydon headed straight for Fang's item shop. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a space filled with shelves and furniture that was already familiar to him.

''You finally made the decision to come, huh? Haha. I was looking forward to seeing you again. ''

When Raydon walked in, he was expecting to see the same salesman he had seen on previous visits, but instead, he was greeted by a charismatic-looking man with white hair and a white beard, the same man Raydon had seen on his first visit.

Of course, this person was Fang. As soon as Raydon entered the item market, Fang, who had been patiently awaiting his arrival for a while, realized this and immediately left whatever he was doing and rushed here.

'Why was this old man waiting for me? ' Raydon was taken aback by Fang's upbeat demeanor. For what possible reason would a person of his stature and influence be anticipating his presence?

After some thought, Raydon recalled the message Dan had forwarded to him.

'Trade Organization, huh? So this was the person who sent me the message and wanted to talk to me. But why? '

While internally processing, he walked up to the counter and said.

''Some unexpected things happened, so I'm a little late,'' Raydon said with a troubled expression.

After giving some thought to inquiring as to who Fang was and why he was waiting for him, Raydon ultimately decided to play it cool. It was unclear what Fang was expecting from him, but the blue-grade dimensional storage expansion orb he had sent him was genuine. That's why he had so many doubts about him.

'Could it be because of my family? Is he attempting to get in touch with them through me because he wants something from them? ' Raydon speculated.

''I'm sorry to hear that, but I guess whatever the issue was has been taken care of now that you're here. Of course, you are the apprentice of a high-rank item holder, and as a genius, you shouldn't encounter any problems you can't solve. '' Fang said again, laughing heartily.

He began speaking directly about the high-rank, demonstrating that he did not wish to prolong the conversation.

'Apprentice of a high-rank item holder? ' Raydon didn't mind being called a genius because he knew it was true; he was simply confused by his description of himself as the apprentice of a high-ranking item holder.

This time, Raydon was unable to conceal the surprise on his face, which was seen by Fang and caused him to immediately continue speaking.

''Don't get me wrong, I didn't tail you or conduct a secret investigation.  But given recent events, it would be foolish to fail to realize that. I am aware that the last time you visited this shop, the items you sold belonged to that blood organization member who died and whose territory was completely destroyed. '' Fang started out by explaining how he discovered that he has a high rank behind him because he was worried about Raydon's misinterpretation.

'So they find out I killed that item holder. This is understandable, but what does it have to do with a high rank? '

Raydon was trying to make sense of it all with Fang's explanation and quickly figured out all the misunderstanding.

'Wait… ''Completely destroyed territory,'' he said. So he thought the damage was done by a high rank, and he deduced that I had a connection with that high-rank item holder, huh? If that's the case, it also explains why Dan and the others have been so overdramatic in their treatment of me. '

After Raydon killed Herman, he hadn't given much thought to the harm the corrosive, sticky slime had done to the environment. In fact, it had also removed any possible traces of him having been there, even if he didn't care too much about that. But he didn't think it would cause such a big misunderstanding.

"It doesn't matter to me, and I don't think my mentor cares either. By the way, he did get your message, but he sent me instead of coming himself because he was unable to. '' Raydon started following along, as he didn't even stop to consider clearing up the misunderstanding.

Because of this circumstance, which he was previously unaware of, he was able to acquire a very valuable blue-grade item, and now that he is aware of everything, he has realized that he can use this misunderstanding to acquire more than that.

''It's all good. Obviously, someone with his level of authority cannot always devote time to others.

''If you let me know when he is available, I would love to visit him in person one day. Additionally, you were the one I needed to speak with. '' When he heard his response, Fang exclaimed with joy. Now, he could approach Raydon without causing conflict and request his assistance.

''Let's go to my study first, where we can converse more comfortably. '' Fang said and invited Raydon to the second floor.

'This old man can't be having nasty thoughts, can he? ' When he realized that what he really wanted was himself rather than his family or the imaginary high rank behind him, he got goosebumps.

He could not help but suspect there was something suspicious about Fang's initial kindness and special attention, but he continued to follow him.

When Raydon went upstairs, he exited into a corridor, and after passing through a wooden door at the end of the corridor, he entered a study that was still quite spacious, albeit smaller than the downstairs.

Fang gestured for him to sit in one of the two opposite chairs, and after he did so, his normally upbeat expression changed to one of seriousness as he began to speak.

''I'm sure you're aware of the upcoming rift event, right? ''