The Second Life of Adam Cosmos

Adam was thinking of a way to establish a positive connection with the trio and the best and simplest method he could think of is a proposal of a seemingly fair trade.

He had just demonstrated his capabilities and proven his credentials to them- thanks in part to the perfect timing of the draugr's entrance.

It is the ideal time to bring up the subject of trading.

One quick look at the trio and he can tell that they are poorly equipped and most likely have little or no supplies with them at all.

He couldn’t tempt them with the high-level gears immediately as that only makes them suspect him, but potions is something that everyone is in dire need of.

Even now, the potions he’s selling in the auction house are selling like cold water in the desert.

If powerful guilds are in dire need of potions, then it goes without saying that an independent team with be even more in need of it.

The only complication is that Dexter is openly antagonistic towards him- and it didn’t take Adam long to figure out why.

So Adam figured trying to be nice and establish a common ground with the soon-to-be "silent kid" in school is a solid start.

Upon realizing he encountered a man who will become a monster in the future, he decided to do something about it. While he’s not a hero who would go out of his way to help others resolve their issues, he will try and do something if it would not compromise his own plans. Especially if the means to do so isn’t that much of a trouble for him.

Besides, doing so would mean he’ll be saving Rebecca from a tragic end.

But what do you do when you encounter a future murderer? Especially when he’s just a young man not even in his 20s yet.

Adam’s answer is compassion and friendship. But first, familiarity must be established.

Since he is technically a man in his late 30s in the body of his 23 year old self, he has the experience of a middle-aged man. He can see why Dexter suddenly acted antagonistically towards him.

‘Those rumors are probably true.’ Adam concluded.

From what Adam can tell, Dexter is a hopeless suitor who lacks social skills- perhaps he hasn’t even formally asked Rebecca out.

He also appears to be a few years younger than Rebecca so there’s a fair to good chance that she is not into him.

And based on the fact that Dexter’s actions are mostly ignored by Rebecca, obviously he is not being taken seriously.

Either he’s being taken advantage of, friendzoned, or just plain being taken for granted. Either way, he doesn’t stand a chance.

A young man with poor social skills: check.

A crush on a woman who most likely will never like him back: check.

Said young man developing insecurity: check.

With the benefit of knowing the future, Adam knows that if left alone in this unhealthy social setting, Dexter would eventually turn into a darker path.

Of course, not every teens rejected by their crush would end up becoming bad. But with the benefit of regression, Adam knows Dexter would be a 'silent kid'-type.

“Do you have anything to trade with?” asked Adam courteously.

“Prove it first.” challenged Dexter. “Prove that you have potions to give.”

“Sure.” Adam readily agreed. “Give me just a sec…”

He then proceeded to dig into his bag and brought a few flasks of potions- and several types of it.

What the trio were expecting are the standard health, stamina, and mana potion. But Adam brought out all sorts of potions, and poisons, both the remaining potions he got from the hidden room and the ones he crafted during his time at the Cavern; health, mana, stamina, and fatigue recovery potions, strength boosting mixtures, haste and invisibility potions, fire grenades, acidic flasks, and among others. Adam showed them potions he hasn't even put up for sale yet.

All for the sake of overwhelming the trio with his resources.

Ding!

He gestured for the trio to approach and gave them permission to inspect it.

Adam gave a health and stamina potion as well as a strength booster to Rebecca, the warrior.

He gave a mana potion to Jessica, a cleric.

And for Dexter, whom he knows is a Toxin Herbalist, he gave a couple of poison flasks.

“Have a look.” he innocently smiled at the trio. “I hope this is to your liking. Then you can check the other potions I made.”

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Hook. Line. Sinker.

They were so drawn by the potions they didn’t realize the samples given to them was tailored specifically for their class.

“With these potions, we can grind for longer period!” exclaimed Rebecca.

“Look at the effect of this potion.” said Jess in amazement. “This small flask can restore more than my mana pool!”

“These are poison compounds?” said Dex in disbelief. “How did you make these?”

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

First, he awed them by his amazing firepower.

Second, he introduced himself as the top ranker to establish his credentials.

Third, he provided them potions that are hard to come by at this stage in the game.

Before they noticed it, they have fallen completely in his grasp.

‘Is this what a con man feels?’ thought Adam. ‘Wait, no. I’m not conning them. I really do want to give them potions.’

“Oh, and if you’ll help me loot all the armors and weapons, then I’ll give you a few potions as a bonus!” said Adam in his best impression of a friendly car salesman. “You can put them all in this bag.”

Then he clarified, "I just want these special knights. You can get the ones from the draugrs- I don't want them."

To their surprise, Adam gave them each a bag of holding to chuck all the equipment into.

“You have three of these?” asked Jess in shock. “My boyfriend’s guild is bragging because they found a single bag of holding. And it looks like yours has more capacity!”

“Yeah, I just got lucky, that’s all.” shrugged Adam as if it’s nothing. “Anyways, just chuck in every item you find on this bag and give it back to me afterwards.”

Rebecca became mildly suspicious at this.

“You’re just gonna give this to us?” she asked. “What if we run away with it?”

Adam smiled at her, but with an eyebrows slightly raised.

“And run where? Have you found an exit yet?” Adam countered. “And even if you do try to run, you won’t get very far.”

A logical response with a silver lining in the form of a threat. It was enough to dispel any suspicion not just from Rebecca, but from the other two.

After that, the three helped him loot the equipment of the defeated knights.

In less than an hour, all items worth looting are properly organized in Adam's bag.

In truth, Adam really is tired from fighting all the knights for nearly 3 days straight. Having someone help him pick up the loot is a godsend.

And if he can sway these three to his side in the process of doing so, all the better.

As all the loot has been collected, Adam gave them a few bottles of potions as he promised.

He gave 3 mana potions, 3 health potions, and a poison flask as a "bonus" for Dexter.

Adam claimed he was impressed by Dexter appreciating the poison and recognizing its true value- despite the fact that said value is right in the description. But the trio are like kids given their favorite candies at a Halloween party so they didn't notice anything odd with it.

"I can give more if you have something to trade." Adam reminded the trio of his original proposal.

At this point, the trio exchanged glances. They don't have much to offer, but they still have the Necromancer's Hearts and Voynich pages that they were planning to put up for auction.

They know the items are somehow valuable, but just don't know exactly how much so they're not sure if it's worth trading it for a few more bottles of potions.

"Um... about that-" Rebecca began to say hesitantly.

But Adam interpreted her hesitant differently.

"Oh, perhaps it's not potions you want?" inquired Adam. "I do have other stuff I can trade- all sort of equipment."

Ding!

Seeing their facial expressions, Adam knew he hit the jackpot. And just like he did with the potions, he showed them weapons tailor-made for the trio.

Automatic Crossbow (Uncommon)

Type: Crossbow

Damage: 50

Weight: 12

Durability: 50/50

Requirements: 12 Strength

Description: A crossbow designed to shoot bolts in succession.

Superior Greatsword (Common)

Type: Greatsword

Damage: 110

Weight: 9

Durability: 50/50

Requirements: 20 STR, 12 DEX

Description: A high-quality greatsword created by an experienced blacksmith.

Sanctified Cleric's Staff (Uncommon)

Type: Staff

Damage: 15 Physical, 30 Divine

Weight: 8

Durability: 30/30

Requirements: Cleric

Description: A medium used by clerics and white mages to cast holy-based spells. Amplifies the effect of Holy spells cast by the user’s level of Clarity. Adds 100 MP, +10 MP Regen.

Now that he showed them his goods, he took a step back.

"Depending on the item you can trade, I can either give you one of these or all of these." said Adam with a neutral expression.

Adam doesn't know what items they can trade but he's willing to accept it and give them the greatsword at the very least. Even if he wants to establish a connection with them, it doesn't mean he'll hand out free stuff with nothing in return.

But if they happen to have something of value, only then will he give them the cleric's staff.

The staff is clearly the most expensive of the three weapons he showed them and is undoubtedly the one that can boost their power the most- especially while raiding the crypt.

As for the Automatic Crossbow, he's waiting for an angle to give it to Dexter without making it seem suspicious- all in the name of befriending him.

Adam couldn't help but reflect on the irony of enticing the future "silent kid" with an automatic weapon and poison grenades to try and get him to a better path.

Needless to say, the bait has been bitten by the trio and won't let go.

"Can I try and swing it a few times?"

"Is it okay if I try casting spells with it?"

"Bro, do you mind if I try shooting with it?"

Adam allowed them. Even he finds their expression mildly amusing. He's like the uncle entertaining a bunch of kids with his guns- real, live guns.

The trio held a quick meeting in hushed tones- completely forgetting that they can be heard by Adam.

"Hey sis, I don't know if what we have is enough for all three but we need this staff." said Jess. "This alone will help us explore this crypt."

"Agreed." acknowledged Rebecca. "That staff is the most expensive one. But I hope we can also get this greatsword though."

"Hey Bex," interjected Dexter. "Remember when I let you guys get all the sales from the loots? I kind of want this crossbow... so..."

The trio had a back and forth on how to proceed with the trade and which weapon to pick- with Dexter being mostly ignored by the sisters.

After a few minutes, they turned to Adam.

"So... Adam, here is what we've found in our exploration." Rebecca began to say. "While we don't know the exact value, we know it's an item of some importance."

Upon saying it, she then pulled all the items they found: a couple of Necromancer's Heart and some page of the Voynich Pages.

"We're interested in the staff, and possibly the greatsword." Rebecca continued. "But if you don't think this is enough for both then we're happy with just the staff."

Rebecca took a deep breath. Adam's answer would determine how their grinding in the immediate future would shape up to be.

That is how good the staff is.

"So, Adam, what do you think?"

Now, it's Adam's turn to be surprised.

GULP.

What the trio is offering in exchange for a measly 3 uncommon weapons are 4 Necromancer's Hearts and 3 Voynich Pages!

In Adam's first life, just a single one of these would be equivalent to at least a dozen weapons of higher ranks!

'If they knew the value of these items, they would have never even showed this to a stranger.' thought Adam, 'Especially a guy who can one-shot them all.'

His answer is obvious.

"Very well." Adam began to say. "In exchange for these items, I'm happy to give you the Staff and the Greatsword."

The sister's expression lit like a Christmas tree. They were hoping for this outcome as the improved weapon, plus the potions, would help them explore the crypt for more loot to sell.

"Deal!" the sisters shouted in unison.

It is only Dexter that was left out of this joyous aura. Not getting the crossbow is a letdown for him.

Of course, Adam didn't miss this. In fact, he was hoping for this outcome.

He needs to let Dexter feel disappointment, and possibly the sense of betrayal, before he comes in.

Stick, and carrot.

The sisters went to a corner to further test their newly gained weapons, completely forgetting about Dexter.

"Um... Adam, sir" Dexter said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice, "I only have a few herbs to trade with, but can I have the crossbow?"

"Hmmmm..."

Adam pretended to check the herbs. In truth, the herbs do hold some value- just not in their low quantity.

"These herbs are all poisonous," Adam asked Dexter, deliberately not answering his question. "Are you aware of that?"

"Yes, sir," Dexter responded, his antagonistic tone has long since evaporated. "I'm a Toxin Herbalist, you see."

"I see. So your class is focused on poisons." nodded Adam. "That's why you knew of the value of the herbs. Can you tell the value of non-poisonous herbs?"

"Yes, sir," obediently responded Dexter. "I can."

'So he picked Identity as one of his skills. Good.' thought Adam.

"Okay!" clapped Adam, with a smile on his face. "Very good!"

"But first, let me answer your question: the herbs you have aren't enough value for the crossbow."

"I see." Dexter's voice could barely be heard.

It was hard to believe he didn't care about the game before, but now a real sense of disappointment in his voice is heard; only someone who takes the game seriously would have such a defeated tone.

'Now that the stick was delivered, time for the carrot.'

"But I believe we can come to an agreement." continued Adam. "Are you interested?"

"What kind of agreement?" Dexter asked, but still feeling defeated.

"You said you can identify herbs, right?"

"Yes, I can."

"I happen to be in need of someone who can identify herbs. Perhaps, collect them for me," said Adam. "If you can provide me a certain volume of herbs on this list, then I can consider that sufficient payment. What do you say?"

Energy returned to Dexter's voice.

"Really? How many do you need?"

Adam provided him a list of ingredients and a fair quota to aim for; not too low but not too high either.

Then, he concluded:

"...that is the quantity I'll need for herbs. But if you can find anything else of some Alchemical value, I'm happy to trade with them for more poison mixtures and grenades. Of course, what I will give you will depend on what you'll end up trading with."

"Here, use this bag." Adam gave him one of the bags of holding he had. "Consider this a gesture of good faith."

He gave Dexter the Automatic Crossbow- along with over a hundred bolts.

Technically, the deal is strictly for the crossbow only, but doing so would make him feel like an asshole so he gave Dexter enough ammo to practice and/or use in combat.

Ding!

Ding! Ding!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Yes brother! I'll do it!" exclaimed Dexter puffing his chest. "You can trust me!"

"Okay then, Dexter. Deal."

They shook hands.

'With this, it should be easy to sway him to my side in future interactions.'

He deliberately gave a quest of sorts for Dexter to give him a sense of purpose and the bag as a reminder of that task.

In this way, his attention will not just be on Rebecca.

Since he does have the relevant skill set, he really is qualified to collect herbs for Adam; it is unlikely that the cleric Jessica and warrior Rebecca would know anything about herbs.

After their deal, Dexter excused himself and started familiarizing himself with the handling of the weapon.

As to how Adam knew this could all be made possible just by using an Automatic Crossbow as bait?

Well, he was at Dexter's age once too. He gets what the kid is feeling: automatic crossbows are awesome.

In addition to the trading of weapons, he gave them a decent supply of potions. He reasoned that he thought the items they traded were very valuable and that it felt only fair if he added some more value to what he was trading with them. And it's something that the trio only too happily agreed with.

The amount of potions he gave the trio (individually) is enough to make any guild be envious if they found out about it.

But perhaps, the greatest gain from the trade, other than the weapons, is the bag of holding that Adam 'lent' to Dexter as a tool to collect alchemical materials and herbs.

After the deals were concluded, he bid them farewell with the excuse that he needed to unwind in real life after intense and consecutive fights- which is actually 100% true.

Meanwhile, the trio decided to continue exploring the crypt and grind. Prior to logging out, Adam noticed that Dexter was standing with some distance away from the sisters.

'Hopefully, he learns something from this,' Adam sincerely thought. 'It won't get any easier, kid. But with luck, you'll get stronger.'

The trio told him they'd leave a trail for him to follow should he feel like joining them- for which Adam thanked them. It didn't occur to him to do so.

And with that, the trio picked one of the three doors and began their real raid- this time against non-sleeping zombies.

As for Adam, he wants to unwind for a few hours. He had just accomplished several things in quick succession and was mentally fatigued.

He wants to get some good old-fashioned sleep. Adam logged out and took a nap for a few hours.

Then, before logging back in, he decided to go out and visit someone: Selene.