Jason called over his lead blacksmith, Calvin Young.
He was a plain-looking man with a focused, no-nonsense demeanor. Though Calvin bowed respectfully, his tone carried a hint of impatience.
Clearly, Calvin wasn't thrilled to be called away from his forge just to "have a look."
"If there's nothing else, Lord, I'll return to forging," Calvin said curtly, already turning toward the door.
To him, even a short trip like this felt like wasted time—time better spent crafting leather or shaping steel.
"Hold on, Calvin."
Jason didn't take offense at Calvin's bluntness. In fact, he appreciated it. Looking at Calvin's puzzled expression, Jason continued:
"I'm giving you access to our premium-grade materials. Go find Derek and custom-make a set of leather armor for each of the Spartan warriors."
Calvin's eyes lit up immediately.
In that moment, the few minutes he'd spent away from the workshop suddenly felt well worth it. With top-tier materials and his expert-level skill, he could finally push his craft to the next level.
"Thank you, Lord!" he said, now fully energized. Calvin gave Jason a deep salute, eyes full of reverence and anticipation.
"Nothing else," Jason waved him off with a smile. "Just make sure the armor's done before they head out to battle this afternoon."
"I'll get it done. You can count on me!" Calvin slapped his chest proudly, then sprinted toward the warehouse.
Jason nodded in satisfaction.
He loved workaholics like Derek and Calvin. People who didn't need KPIs or corporate PBCs to stay motivated. People who treated the grind like it was a blessing.
Sinking into a worn but comfy sofa handcrafted by his household staff, Jason pulled up the trading platform and opened his personal store interface.
He'd initially planned to list the surplus ordinary equipment that had piled up in his warehouse, but then he had a better idea.
He would use his one-time-per-day World Channel announcement to stir up some noise—and maybe irritate a few of the blocked freeloaders while he was at it.
[Announcement]
Fifty sets of common-grade equipment will be available at the Universal Store in 30 minutes!
Includes leather armor, longbows, spears, swords, shields, and more!
Fair prices. Solid quality. Limited quantity. Don't miss it!
The World Channel exploded within seconds.
"The boss is back!"
"Please, Lord Jason, notice me!"
"He's really launching gear already? Unreal."
"Rip to Lord Murphy. That poor guy's store just opened and it's already doomed."
Lord Murphy had placed third in the initial standings and had lucked into a blacksmith early on.
"Guys, calm down. Has Universal Store even put anything on the shelf yet?"
"Even if the gear's decent, Jason's known to be stingy. Don't expect deals."
"Honestly, unless he undercuts Chaos Mall prices, I'll stick with Murphy's stuff…"
"Murphy's store is dropping prices by half in 30 minutes! Let's go support him!"
"That's what a real lord does! Respect!"
Jason scoffed as he watched.
"Trying to ride my hype and undercut me in a price war?"
He smirked coldly.
"Let me show you what despair really looks like."
Exactly thirty minutes later, Jason dropped 50 sets of gear onto the shelves.
The priciest item was ordinary-grade leather armor—ten sets priced at 30 soul crystals each, a third cheaper than Chaos Mall.
Everything else—swords, bows, shields—was priced even lower, with many under 20 soul crystals, and some as low as ten.
Barter prices were slightly higher but still fair.
And Jason had a hidden advantage: he expanded his accepted trade materials to include animal skins, tendons, teeth, and claws—effectively drying up the raw material supply chain for Murphy's workshop.
He also introduced a customization option, noting that excellent-grade equipment was available through commission.
Murphy was done for.
To Jason, the common-grade equipment was already becoming obsolete.
He was simply clearing space for the excellent gear Calvin would soon produce.
No regrets, no losses.
The 50 sets sold out instantly.
Universal Store's transaction volume crossed the four-digit mark for the first time.
Jason took a casual glance at Murphy's shop.
Only half of his 30+ homemade weapons—each priced at 5 soul crystals—had sold.
Soon after, Murphy's listings vanished from the trending section.
The World Channel lit up once again.
"Did you see the gear stats? Universal Store's gear is on par with Chaos Mall!"
"I missed it… went to check Murphy's junk and came back to find everything gone!"
"Same here. I feel like I missed a jackpot."
"There's no comparison. Murphy's weapons are garbage."
"Yo, I snagged a set of leather armor. Saved 10 soul crystals! Score!"
"Wait—Blue Mountain Workshop is a perfect-grade building?! That explains everything!"
"No wonder Jason's so confident!"
"Please, Lord of the Universe, restock soon—I'll save every soul crystal for your gear!"
Murphy's entire strategy collapsed under the pressure.
His shop dropped out of the top 10 completely.
Jason checked his warehouse—60 more sets of gear ready to go, plus new materials pouring in by the minute.
Without hesitation, he spent 10 soul crystals and dropped another World Channel announcement:
[Announcement]
Before nightfall, the Universal Store will release over 200 more sets of equipment—still cheaper than Chaos Mall!
"Over 200?! Tonight?!"
"Jason's built different, I swear."
"I'm camping his store—I'll grab something this time no matter what!"
"Lord of the Universe, can we trade privately? I'll pay extra!"
"Meanwhile, Murphy must be crying in a corner somewhere."
"I've been blacklisted… nooooooo! Just because I flamed him once?! Jason's too petty!"
Jason skimmed the chatter and ignored the private trade requests.
This wasn't about profit. It was about branding.
Universal Store wasn't here to fight over copper scraps—it was here to dominate the market and establish a premium identity.
He cleared 999+ friend requests and blocked Murphy permanently.
Then he left the platform and stepped outside his castle.
Waiting in formation, Derek stood at the head of his fourteen Spartan warriors.
Each was fully clad in gleaming crimson armor.
Radiating strength.
Brimming with warlust.
And Jason—arms folded, pride swelling—nodded in approval.
War was coming.
And he was ready.