Row, after row, after row, opulent display shelves filled the staging area around Carl.

“Oh, wow …”

The richness and diversity were overwhelming, despite all the items being basic. There were literally thousands of them, spanning the entire spectrum.

Dozens of swords, from tiny to massive, as well as Axes, spears, polearms, daggers, hammers, maces, bows, crossbows, slings, projectiles, and hundreds of exotic weapons, most of which Carl had never seen. Countless armors and apparel in all the shapes and sizes, sporting various patterns. Shields, belts, backpacks and bags.

Looking to another aisle, Carl saw staves, wands, mage robes and hats, very ordinary diadems and crowns, jewelry and accessories. Then, there were all the tools one could find in a pre-industrial supermarket of a fantastical setting, like picks, hatchets, saws, chisels, nets, traps, various paltry apparatus and appliance for forging, tailoring, sculpting, mechanical engineering, carpentry, alchemy, in addition to unique arcane gadgets and gizmos.

There was also a whole separate aisle for consumables. Colorful potions, flasks, dry foods, herbs, first aid kits, grenades, smoke bombs, magical stones and crystals, scrolls, arrays, and many, many more.

It looked a little like a national museum of history and folklore, and this was only the starting gear. Cybercore really knew how to hype things up. One could only wonder how many items of higher value were there in the game. If the AI could iterate and procedurally generate, then … millions?

“Hard to believe all this is inferior and common quality …”

Equipment in Immortal Frontier was divided into eight fundamental denominations:

Rank 1 – Inferior

Rank 2 – Common

Rank 3 – Good

Rank 4 – Great

Rank 5 – Fine

Rank 6 – Superior

Rank 7 – Masterwork

Rank 8 – Supreme

Anything higher than that would be the stuff of legends. It was also stated, that there would be a qualitative leap down the middle, between great rank and fine rank. The first four ranks referred to the level of precision, while the following four to the magical artistry involved. This probably meant, that in order to craft fine and better items, one would either need to work in tandem with magicians, or be a magician crafter themselves.

As it was, Carl, like every other newcomer, was given 1 gold coin to spend on his beginner inventory. 1 gold coin, called a Gold Crown, equated 100 Silver Sterlings, which amounted to 10 000 Copper Pennies. This was quite a lot of money, but all the items in the system shop were permanently bound to the player so they couldn't resell them, not to mention everything that wasn't a consumable would deteriorate and fall apart if not repaired – if it was even worth it to repair such junk.

And funds were going to be scarce. It was an RCE after all, with a real-life marketplace for the ingame currency officially overseen by Cybercore and all the revenue agencies in the world, to prevent money laundering and tax evasion.

It was regulated under the international law, charging all buyers a 10% consumption tax. Initially, the band of thieves wanted to double-tax the players by imposing another 10% on all withdrawals, claiming that this was still low compared to income tax, but Cybercore valiantly stood with its customers, waging an arduous and costly legal battle that dragged on for years, eventually forcing the international committee to put down arms.

Since Cybercore pressured them into choosing one or the other, they went for a 10% tax on all purchases. Seemingly there was no difference between the two, but in practice? It was colossal.

First of all, this meant more revenue. If one wanted to buy 100 $ worth of ingame currency, they'd have to transfer 111.11 $, 11.11 $ of which was tax, compared to the 10 $ of tax from withdrawing 100 $. Although this might influence the prices and lead to their subtle readjustment to compensate for this, foiling the committee's plans, it also might not – there was not telling how things would develop.

But more importantly, this would flip the distribution of the taxed subjects – meaning that countries with more buyers would receive more revenue. This solution was far more preferable for booming countries with a large investment capital, and they, understandably, held more authority and leverage.

Furthermore, it would mostly mean taxing those who were inclined to spend, and letting the frugal grinders withdraw their modest winnings for free. In the end, if a large firm or investment fund staked their capital on Immortal Frontier and recovered their financial contribution with interest – good for them.

That turn of events garnered the tech giant a reverent support from all the little men, and Cybercore also used it as an opportunity to fabricate the dream of unrestrained freedom and fortune.

“Please, allow me to make some recommendations,” the AI swiftly came to Carl's aid, but he wasn't in a hurry. The visual sensations were worthy of savoring for a while.

“Not yet, I'll call you if I need help.”

The single measly gold coin he had to make do with was said to be the average monthly salary of a typical native in Immortal Frontier. On one hand, it was a lot, but on the other – it really wasn't. It would barely suffice for an ordinary weapon and subpar armor. Anyone who wanted to become a crafter or a gatherer would have to forsake armaments altogether and go directly for their necessary trade tools.

And the materials were not great, either. All the items were made out of stuff that was in abundance, like regular wood, natural cloth, alloys of iron, copper, tin, zinc and other common metals. It was stated, that there was going to be plenty of invented, magical materials in the game, with far superior characteristics. Logically, the most basic products were going to be cheap and easy to manufacture, but at the cost of low durability and mediocre enchantments.

There was also going to be no traditional leveling and equipment level requirement in the game, which originated as a convenient simplification for rudimentary systems, but the times had long changed. Instead, a player's might would depend on their cultivation level, acquired proficiencies, skills, and – most notably – enchanted gear.

The only piece of information on that matter was that the efficiency of equipment utilization would heavily depend on one's cultivation, also hinting at the first three realms of it – the mortal realm at grade 0, the evolved realm at grade 1, and the ascended realm at grade 2. Apparently, each step would elevate the body and senses to a whole new league, granting superb physical prowess and grasp of magic.

Now, Carl discovered another crucial aspect – the wearables didn't automatically adjust to fit the user …

“Well, this'll be interesting.”

Carl hated shopping for clothes. Wasn't this feature going to be too much of a hassle for casual players? Would they at least be able to refit any good piece of equipment they find at a reasonable price?

Done browsing the pitifully weak armors, which stood no chance at stopping his own empowered attacks, providing little more than a nuisance, Carl went over to the weapon racks, and then towards the shelves with what appealed to him the most – knives, daggers, and fist-load weapons.

“System, I want to see all the knives with a hand guard or finger ring, filter out everything else.”

Immediately, his wish manifested.

Carl scowled with discontent.

“Why are these so expensive?”

Naturally, none of the blades possessed magical traits. While the average dagger of common quality would cost a few Sterlings, the top of the list was dominated by ones with a much steeper price tag – above 20 Sterlings, and up to 30. What Carl soon noticed, however, was that they were made of better materials and boasted higher durability, while maintaining slim tapers.

“Oh well, it can't be helped.”

Biting his lip, he spent 50 silver to purchase two beautiful knives with curved, double-edged Damascus blades about 20 cm long – a slightly arched knuckle dagger and a claw-like battle karambit, just as he planned before.

Although he heard that improperly forged Damascus steel could shatter upon heavy impact, this was a game – he could only hope the realism didn't go this far, and that all items were of uniform quality, absent hidden flaws. Normally, Damascus steel would help the blade maintain its edge and make it hard yet flexible, which should translate into vastly improved lifespan.

“My – oh – my … this is going to be so brutal!”

Carl held his new weapons tightly, one in reverse grip, the other in hammer grip, and traced some movements in the air, eagerly anticipating a fight with multiple monstrosities, a wide grin adorning his noble avatar's face.

“Good. Show me light armors of suitable size!”

All he needed was just some superficial protection. This should drastically reduce the cuts and bruises, and he couldn't afford to impair his mobility with anything heavy. For one, he had abysmal agility, and two, that would affect running speed. Sure, Cybercore promised the facilitation of unrealistic storage, like spatial containers – but not for the poor. As such, while large teams could hire pack mules, be it animals, NPCs, vehicles, or other players, most would still have to carry everything on their own backs.

Soon, he found something that suited him – a tight leather armor, that allowed a wide range of motion and didn't get too much in the way. More importantly, it only cost 30 silver, and he still needed to buy a backpack, a belt with a couple sheathes, and some provisions.

Walking through the consumables section, Carl checked out what was probably going to be of paramount importance – health and mana potions.

“Oof, that's … nasty!”

The prices were … unfavorable.

[Inferior Health Tonic] (consumable, cost: 10 Silver Sterlings)

Medical concoction. Effects: increases health regeneration by 3/s for 15 seconds, closing wounds and stopping bleeding. Only works on damaged tissue.

[Inferior Mana Potion] (consumable, cost: 10 Silver Sterlings)

Arcane concoction. Effects: increases mana regeneration by 5/s for 20 seconds, mitigating mental overtaxation and restoring focus. Subject to environmental effects.

“So what, the only way to make money is to not get hit? How are the players supposed to make a living? How am I supposed earn my keep?”

Cybercore warned that the world they created was going to be harsh and unforgiving, but this was a little too much.

Sighing exasperatedly and shaking his head, Carl bought a few bandages and tourniquets, some rations, a flask of water, and a decent backpack, hoping that he could kill monsters fast enough to turn a profit.

“What time zone would you like to play in?” the AI prompted.

“Will I be able to change the time zone during tutorial?”

“In the tutorial, as in the full version of the game, you will experience the time zone of to the location you dwell in. If you then wish to change your time zone, you will have to travel to the appropriate latitude of Celestia, the planet housing the Immortal Frontier. Please note, that long distance travel will be very time-consuming if you don't possess the necessary funds to use teleportation terminals. I strongly suggest you choose wisely, as different locations will have different language speaking groups and cultures.

“Yeah, I wouldn't want to end up in East Asia …”

Although the world-wide standard of proficiency in English language had become very high at this point, especially among gamers, there were still places that refused to budge, and overpopulated countries like China and India were some of them. But more importantly – their immediate vicinity was going to turn into a slaughterhouse once all those people rushed in …

Carl was used to competing on the European and western arenas, and he would definitely have an easier time finding a place for himself there. He thus chose the Central European server, located in Switzerland.

“It's 3 o'clock?!”

Shocked by how quickly time flew by, Carl regretted that he might not be able to play just yet.

He sighed deeply.

“I guess I'm not going to school today.”

“System, show me the Immortal Frontier!”