Night time in a small city is rarely as dangerous and in a big city, most people prefer to keep to themselves, and the police aren't as overworked so they can respond to incident reports quicker, but just because it safer doesn't mean it's completely safe as I'm about to find out. Walking home soaked in dirty water, caked in bit of rice, tomato, onion, and guac, smelling to high hell with a broken expression on my face, a tattered apron with the local south west food chain logo faded on the breast pocket. Unknown to me 2 dark figures were watching from a distance, sizing me up a perfect mark. Sore from the walk I stopped to massage my feet unknowingly giving the 2 dark figures watching the advantage. Resting for a moment I didn't even notice them start to approach me until they were right behind me and I felt the barrel of gun pressed against my back as the second dark figure revealed himself to be another young man pale skin, and yellow eyes, he had open sores of his face and arms giving him away as a junky easily.

"Wallet, shoes, now!" the yellow eyed man said his partner digging the gun barrel into my back.

Thankful I was soaked in water as I probably just pissed myself, I started digging into my pocket for my wallet only to notice I left it at the restaurant I tried to take out my phone to give them that. Bad idea, my phone case was shaped ironically enough as a gun. A gift from my mom…. oh, mom if only you knew you just got me killed. The yellow eyed man in front of me jumps back and I hear more than feel the bullet enter my back, the two ran off as I fell to my knees feeling my back for a hole, I brought my hands out in front of me to notice the blood caking them. I was done for. Pretty sure. I still didn't really feel any pain just a warmth spreading out over my back and stomach, I didn't know if I was in shock or if this is what it felt like to die. I grabbed my phone but I didn't know who to call. I settled for 911 even as I started getting dizzy "I think he shot me in the kidney…. the bastard I needed that." I told the lady on the phone not really knowing why I felt the need to joke with the 911 dispatcher. I told the lady where I was. On the bridge literally 100 feet from my house. And I heard a cop car. Coming near me at this point I was getting really sleepy. As an officer in a dark blue uniform walked up to me, I started to fall asleep he did not take kindly to that as I got a stern talking to and he rubbed his knuckles into my sternum to wake me up. Apparently, ambulance was still 10 minutes away so I called my mom. Cause I only had one person in my life that would actually care if I died and wasn't going to die without telling her goodbye.

I told the officer such, and he seemed to have tears in his eyes which I though was weird until I blinked a couple times and saw his face clearer, he was actually the old school resource officer and a close family friend…. huh. wish they sent someone else he's already seen me high, drunk, and angry; he didn't deserve to have to see me dying too. He called my mom for me since he still had her number from the olden days and put the phone near my ear. I can't really tell you what I said to her because for the life of me I don't remember… all I really remember is halfway through big thick inky blackness started to encroach on my vision. And I stopped being able to hear anything but high pitch ringing. The pan that I had started to feel for a few second already started to disappear and as I heard the distant sound of the ambulance that finally arrived on scene, I knew it was too late. Not that I blamed them. Or at least I don't know. After a couple minutes of drifting in the darkness I was gone.

And then I woke up here, looking around I see an empty convenience store not to dissimilar to the store my mom used to manage. A couple of broken shelves laying on the floor. The ground is covered in muddy foot prints, the few shelves that aren't broken are covered in dust, I look to the counter where the computers and cash register are set up, and see a man in a nice black suit, his skin is a pale white and his eyes are black he smiles at me with a row of sharp teeth that are oddly inviting instead of scary.

"Welcome Mr. Marsh or do you prefer morgan?" The eldritch being speaks, I don't know why but it feels like every word coming from this being mouth has weight and importance, I shake my head clear and answer.

"Marsh works fine. Only my mom called me morgan." I reach out my hand trying to be friendly something inside me telling me that I need to establish to this being that I'm not afraid of him. Whether its paranoia or instinct either way his sharp smile grows wider, and part of me starts to feel incredibly giddy, like when you're walking in the middle of a road not paying attention and a car barely misses you. the kind of feeling that lets you know you're alive but you almost just died. A rush of adrenaline with no real purpose as the threat has already passed.

"Excellent, excellent your just what I need. I pulled you off the highway to the afterlife specifically because I believed you would be a perfect franchisee so to speak." The black eyes creature says his tone full of mirth. But a bit a condescension as well. Letting me know this being either thought he was better than me. Or more likely knew so.

"And what franchise am I supposed to be representing? Also, I'm a dead human. How exactly am I supposed to run a store, especially one that exists in the crossroads between life and death?" I may be taking this whole thing way to well, or I may still be in shock from getting shot I'm not really sure.

As if reading my thoughts, the eldritch being in front of me speaks "Ah sorry that's the geas given to all humans in this part of the multiverse. Don't worry it won't harm you or emotionally repress you like so many of you silly humans worry about. And I suppose the answer to your question is a rather long and boring so I'll just give you the highlights. Basically, the franchise you will be representing Is the abyss auction franchise. Now if that sounds familiar to you it's probably because we show up in much of the system stories or fanfiction in your world. Free advertising to our future customer base." He said with what I'm sure is some kind of magic making his sharp teeth shine.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I expected from his appearance. Always wanted to be a gamer when I died, unfortunately I just ended up getting a job. What a lame after life.

"So, your saying gamers exist."

"That's right" the creature answers calmly

"And when I died you brought me to the gamer multiverse."

"Two for two!" he smiled.

"To work at a shop." I ask with the mother of all dead pans.

"3 for three johnny show him what he's earned!" the creature calls out like some eldritch game show host…. or a regular game show host considering they're all eldritch abominations. Anyone who's meet Howie Mandel in person cannot tell me I'm wrong.

In a flash a tiny transparent see through box shows up in front of my face.

Shop system initializing.

10%
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93%
System initialized.

Welcome to the shop system where the more you earn the more powerful you become

Perk added Shop keep

Inside the shop you are God no one can hurt you or anyone else without your say so. If you want to kick someone out with a though even omnipotent being will be sent flying out of your shop.

Perk added Geas

A salesman must never be caught off guard, now no matter what happens it will never shock you. anyone in the shop will accept things they would usually vehemently deny even if an item or concept breaks their own logic.

As I look at the screen before me, I can't help but feel a bit of elation at finally achieving a dream I've had for a while. I've always wanted some type of superpower, and the second I heard of it, from fanfic no less the gamer was my preferred power of choice. Of course, it looks like xp and quests will all be shop and purchase related rather than story driven but I honestly could care less. One thing to ask though.

"So can I raise my stats by training or is raising stats locked to stat points gained from level ups?" I ask.

its fair question gamer systems are notoriously diverse and some of them are more of a hinderance than a benefit to certain playstyles. Those who worship the grind would find a dnd type system where it's impossible to raise stats or learn new abilities without leveling up stifling and those who are admittedly lazy would find a cultivation system where you could be level 100 and if you didn't work hard, you could be stomped by a level 12 gamer who did. Not that its likely for a lazy gamer with a cultivation system to even reach level 100. And then there are the nerfed systems in the middle with cultivation being the focus but no bells and whistles like stat points, inventory, perks or even levels. Barely a gamer at that point. those systems suck. I'm drawn out of my mental tangent by the abyssal being giving a light cough.

"Sorry monologuing for the reader to know why I asked that question."

"No breaking the fourth wall. Were already meta enough as it is." He says not even the slightest bit caught off guard by my joke.

or maybe I really am in a fanfiction.

Nope dismissing that right out the gate, not because its improbable but because I simply don't want to think of it.

"Anyways you'd be a pretty pathetic abyssal if you couldn't use the products, you sell so you can learn pretty much anything that exists in the multiverse and some minor reality manipulation takes place that makes it so anything you sell to a customer they can use. Let's say ruby rose buys a tome on fire magic. Magic is fucked up in the rwby verse but shed be able to use any fire magic from the tome she bought from you without any issue. Except maybe the dragon gods attempting to eat her but that's not really your problem." He gave a sharp smile. I could tell he truly believed that, from what I've read from fanfics abyssal are the pinacol of sleazy salesmen. They're where the term deal with the devil came from. It's not that they purposely set you up for failure. No that would be bad for business, but they don't really take a personal interest in their customers either, and that usually ends up in a scenario like he described, or to quote an example from our world. The Salem witch trials. They started because an abyssal being I really hope that I don't become like them over time.

"Well anyways that's it for the tutorial time for you to go and make the abyssal plane some money. oh, and rent for the shop is 500 essence a month, if you don't have the essence you pay with your soul! Bye bye!"

With a quick swipe of his hand, I was engulfed in a black flame and found myself standing back in the center of the store.

My store.

Wait what was that about paying with my soul!