Chapter 15 - Because You Are Not Qualified

Chapter 15: Because You Are Not Qualified

The first person to contact Su Mu was a survivor named Tuocun. Judging by the name, he was likely from Sakura Land, not someone prominent on the first kill list—just an ordinary hideout master with a stroke of luck.

[Tuocun: Hello, Mr. Su Mu. I found a place with flowing water and discovered Golden Fragment Grass.]

[Tuocun: I wanted to discuss a trade with you.]

Su Mu wasn’t surprised by the location of the Golden Fragment Grass. Despite the wasteland-like conditions of this world, traces of life still persisted.

[Su Mu: If you’ve found Golden Fragment Grass, just trade it directly.]

[Su Mu: Do you have any other questions?]

Tuocun’s response came quickly.

[Tuocun: Mr. Su Mu, Golden Fragment Grass is very rare.]

[Tuocun: Since you need it so much, you must understand its value.]

[Tuocun: I’m a reasonable person. If you are willing to offer two units of bones—]

[System Notification: You have been blacklisted by the shopkeeper Su Mu. You can no longer communicate with him, and his items will be frozen for you.]

“What?!” Tuocun exclaimed aloud, standing beside the murky river where he had discovered the grass. He stared at the notification, dumbfounded.

Su Mu needed Golden Fragment Grass for trade, so why had he blacklisted Tuocun so decisively, cutting off the conversation mid-message? Tuocun couldn’t comprehend it.

Meanwhile, Su Mu, unfazed, casually muttered, “Dealing with me? That’s wishful thinking.”

If he truly needed the grass, he could easily travel to the gathering site marked on his map. The inconvenience was minimal. Trading was merely a time-saver, nothing more. With two billion survivors in this apocalyptic world, there was always someone willing to deal.

At that moment, Tuocun’s plight was creating a stir on the World Forum.

[Tuocun: Why? Even after I got the Golden Fragment Grass, Su Mu still refused to trade with me!]

[Tuocun: I now suspect Su Mu never intended to trade in the first place!]

Tuocun shared his chat log, hoping for sympathy. Instead, he got an overwhelming wave of ridicule.

[User 1: You’re not qualified, simple as that.]

[User 2: Typical Sakura Land greed—luck finds them, but they lack the brains to capitalize on it.]

[User 3: Su Mu controls the trade. You thought you could haggle? Foolish.]

[User 3: Thanks, Tuocun. Now we know not to waste Su Mu’s time.”]

Some were even grateful for Tuocun’s misstep.

[User 4: Tuocun’s mistake has saved countless others. Cheers for that.”]

[User 1: It’s almost entertaining watching someone test Su Mu’s patience.”]

Tuocun, on the other hand, was in despair.

[Tuocun: Stop mocking me! I’ve been blacklisted by Su Mu! I can’t trade anymore!]

[Tuocun: I can’t even handle a skeleton dog right now. What am I supposed to do?]

The responses were ruthless.

[User 1: There’s no saving you. Just accept your fate.”]

[User 5: Maybe try contacting Lord Taro from Sakura Land. He might help one of his own.”]

[User 6: Haha! Let’s see if Lord Taro can save you from Su Mu’s blacklist.”]

[User 7: I’ll bet a stone that Su Mu the Great will also blacklist Taro soon”]

[User 5: That shouldn’t be necessary. Taro of Sakura Land is quite famous now. Wouldn’t Su Mu be afraid of offending people by blacklisting him?”]

As the forum buzzed with comments, Su Mu was oblivious to the drama. Shortly after blacklisting Tuocun, he successfully traded with another survivor from the Dragon Kingdom who had Golden Fragment Grass. This individual made no attempts at haggling and simply expressed hopes for future cooperation.

Su Mu, uninterested in pleasantries, examined the newly acquired item. Its appearance was unique—its leaves resembled small golden pebbles strung together.

[Item: Golden Fragment Grass]

[Description: After absorbing metallic energy, this grass becomes sharp enough to cut flesh. It has a peculiar effect on certain equipment.]

“Perfect,” Su Mu murmured. “Time to upgrade the Anti-Evil Crossbow.”

The trade reinforced his belief in patience. Collecting five Golden Fragment Grass pieces wouldn’t take long. He then turned his attention to the flood of friend requests piling up in his inbox. Among the names, one stood out: Taro.

Without hesitation, Su Mu deleted Taro along with the rest, muttering, “One less headache.”