The more they stared, the more they felt that the strange creature was somehow responding to their scrutiny despite never moving an inch.

As such, it was no wonder they all remained standing there warily, unknowingly sharing the same absurd question across multiple worlds.

Unfortunately, before anyone could actually begin investigating the mysterious creature, the projection shifted once again.

A countdown appeared that translated to:

Seventy-two hours.

Then, beneath it, came familiar words, which many of them never thought they would see again.

[CHALLENGER STORE ID: H-9241964]

[CALCULATING PARTICIPANTS...]

[ALLOCATING MAXIMUM QUANTITIES...]

[CALCULATED PURCHASE LIMIT: 30/30]

"!"

The display lingered for a moment as if to allow everyone to digest the notice, but soon enough, the block of text briefly obscuring the products, vanished.

And the moment it did, several observant individuals from such unrelated factions immediately froze.

Then gasped.

Then outright screamed.

"Patriarch!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Highness—"

"There are only eighty-five items!"

The horrified voices echoed across their respective areas in different tongues. However, it was really the next observation that was important.

"But the purchase limit—!"

"!!!"

Those words, long absent from their lives, were enough to instantly and painfully remind them of the past.

Yet ironically enough, the same words also managed to awaken joy, and another emotion they had almost forgotten existed.

Suddenly, everyone remembered how it used to be.

And just like that, their hearts burned with competitiveness that even the doors of the usually enclosed carriage flung open from the inside.

"!!!"

That alone was truly a bewildering sight.

Then again, it was understandable because events like this only ever meant one thing.

War.

A war for survival.

The kind where hesitation guaranteed failure.

The kind where people purchased first and regretted things later.

The kind where entire fortunes disappeared because someone spent too much time reading and attempting to decipher descriptions that likely wouldn’t make sense anyway.

Such a moment had happened long ago, practically a part of nearly everyone’s dark past, when they had all once been fooled by the idea of having enough time, enough product, and not nearly enough equally determined competitors.

Needless to say, they had learned from those rookie mistakes.

Several old monsters immediately felt their hearts stop.

Others felt their scalps go numb.

A few nearly suffered spiritual deviations from sheer panic.

Because eighty-five items were not a lot.

Not when the numbers clearly meant that, contrary to what they had long since imagined, there were still others.

And said others seemed to be participating today.

Such information made their hearts throb for a different reason, but such warm, fuzzy feelings that would likely earn tears even from the strong weren’t the issue at the moment.

The main focus should be the listing with a glaring purchase limit of thirty.

That combination could only mean one thing.

Someone.

Somewhere.

Was about to miss out on five units.

"WE HAVE TO BUY IT!"

The first roar exploded through the crowd.

"DON’T JUST STAND THERE! PUSH MY ARM! NOW!" Screamed a much older patriarch.

"PURCHASE FIRST!"

"BUT WHAT EVEN IS IT?!"

"WHO CARES?!"

That answer was met with immediate agreement.

What it was could be figured out later.

The important thing was obtaining it before somebody else did.

"BUY!"

"BUY!"

"BUUUUUUUUY!"

And just like that, after ages of silence...

Someone’s first market day officially descended into absolute chaos, culminating in a record-breaking shop clearance.

__

It was moments after the final purchase had gone through, and to say they were all exhausted from anxiety and excitement couldn’t have been more accurate.

"Sister, how come the Queen didn’t just buy out those that could fit?" the youngest disciple, who only existed miraculously, asked curiously. Having witnessed the event for the first time, she was still trying to process everything she’d seen.

"It’s actually tricky. We would’ve lost out if Her Majesty had done that," replied one of the older disciples.

"Huh? But wouldn’t that guarantee we get all thirty items?"

"Not quite. In fact, it’d be almost impossible to guarantee."

"!"

The youngest disciple looked thoroughly perplexed, so the senior continued her explanation.

"Buying from there is actually a lot like a swordfight."

"A swordfight...?"

"You’re looking at me like I’ve gone crazy, but that’s only because you didn’t see what it was like before."

"...There was a time when people had to use abilities just to make it in time." The senior shook her head. "Imagine competing against Her Majesty to press the button. Would you win?"

As the youngest among a group of extremely old disciples, even entertaining such a thought felt disrespectful.

"Of course not!"

"But would you believe me if I said that the people trying to buy alongside our Queen used to be beings who could match her speed?"

The youngest disciple gasped and immediately covered her mouth before anyone else could hear.

"Yes. We don’t know who Her Majesty is competing against today in particular, but there’s no way we can afford to underestimate them."

Woah...!

"See, setting aside the fact that we’d lose out on variety if we concentrated all our allocation on a few items, the bigger issue would’ve been purchase invalidation." The senior raised a finger as though lecturing a class.

"If we submitted a number that conflicted with someone else’s quantity request, both transactions would be rejected."

"And sure, it would mean a chance to reset, but one thing we learned over the years was that if the purchase limit is like that, it usually means there are at least three parties going for the same list."

"At least three?"

"Yes, meaning that if two parties were to contend on one item, then a conflict would simply leave the third party free to benefit from the opening."

She paused before raising a brow,

"We can’t have that, can we?"

"Ah!" The younger disciple’s eyes widened. "...So you’re saying it’s smarter to buy smaller quantities and stay within the limit to make sure the purchase goes through?"

"Correct!"

The senior nodded proudly.

"Our Queen usually purchases one of each item initially because it’s the fastest way to secure something while minimizing the chances of rejection. That way, we rarely miss out on variety."

In fact, there was once a time when not a single disciple would dare breathe while their leader concentrated, using her abilities to hammer at the projected buttons faster than even their enhanced eyes could follow.

It was a battle none of the disciples wished to experience firsthand.

But it certainly served as a very effective reminder of the frightening yet comforting power gap that still existed between them and their Queen.

"Wow! As expected of Her Majesty!" the youngest exclaimed. "And are the items usually good to have everyone this worked up?"

"Well..." The senior tilted her head. "Most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

"There are occasions when we have absolutely no idea what something is for. It can take a while before we figure out whether it’s useful or not." She laughed. "But generally speaking, only important items get sold there."

Then she puffed out her chest slightly.

"Even we used to sell things there, you know. And when we did, we always chose items we wouldn’t be embarrassed to put our names on."

"Really? Then why don’t we sell anything anymore?"

"Now that’s a very long story." The senior stood and stretched before grinning. "And while I’d love to tell it, if I do, we’ll miss our chance to inspect the goods."

"Huh?"

The senior pointed toward the growing crowd of gathered sisters.

"Look around."

Practically everyone was already getting up.

"I don’t know about you," the senior declared with sparkling eyes, "but I definitely want to see what the Queen just bought!"