“Wow…! Wooooow!”
As soon as we stepped inside the building, Lumina let out an even louder gasp than when we first arrived at the Hunter Market.
The items here were far more luxurious than anything we had seen on our way up to this point.
“Amazing… Everything's either glowing blue or crimson,” Lumina said, looking around.
I saw the same thing she did.
A faint glow surrounded the items displayed on pristine white stands.
That glow meant they were Magic-grade or Rare-grade items.
In Latesai, the basic item grades in the early game were: Normal, Magic, Rare, and Unique.
The higher the grade, the greater the item level and base stats, along with more special effects.
Unique-grade items had unusual traits and didn’t always follow the same rules.
Activating my Craftsman ability, I inspected the stats of a few items displayed on the first floor.
[Crystal Orb of the Deep Sea]
<Level 28>
An orb imbued with visions of the deep sea.
Attack: +156
Magic Attack: +773~864
Magic Cast Speed: +15%
Max MP: +400
[Sharp Trident of Thunderstrike]
<Level 42>
A trident that holds the power of lightning. Strangely, its user doesn’t get electrocuted.
Attack: +1,6281,975
Defense: +354
Attack Range: +2
Crit Damage Boost: +10%
Lightning Damage: +200300
Shock Status Effect Chance: +20%
I want it.
In the game, I’d barely glanced at shop items, but now they looked irresistibly tempting.
With that trident, I could clear places like the Seawater Caverns or the Path of Crimson Flame without breaking a sweat.
Though that’s just because those are low-level dungeons.
“Gasp!”
I turned toward the loud noise and saw Lumina standing in front of a display, hands covering her mouth.
When I stepped closer, I saw she was staring at the price tag below the trident.
[₩1,080,000,000]
Just like the game.
In the game, Rare-grade weapons for levels 41–45 went for around that price too.
“Y-Yein… I-I don’t think we belong in a place like this…”
Lumina’s voice trembled.
“Why not? Eventually, we’ll be using stuff like this too.”
I answered calmly.
“R-Really??”
“Yup.”
“…”
She looked like she didn’t believe a word of it.
“Besides, the stuff on the first floor—this is basically the face of Crystal Hunter Mall. Of course it’s expensive.”
“Still… Seeing something priced over a billion won just sitting there—it’s shocking.”
Lumina shrank back, eyes darting around nervously.
I took her up to the third floor.
The third floor was filled with smaller vendors.
Most of the displayed items weren’t glowing at all—they were Normal-grade, with the occasional blue glow indicating Magic-grade gear.
Item levels ranged from as high as 30 to as low as 5.
Prices weren’t outrageous either—most items cost a few hundred thousand won at most, with cheaper ones going for as little as twenty thousand.
“Whoa. This dagger is only a hundred thousand won?”
Lumina looked far more at ease as she browsed the nearby displays.
“Huh?”
She suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“What is it?”
“Uh, look at that…”
She pointed toward a sign.
[We Buy Equipment and Materials]
Ah, I see.
Lumina clearly didn’t expect to find a resale shop inside what looked like a luxury department store.
“Most of the shops on the third floor sell stuff they’ve bought from hunters—not from Crystal Hunter directly. Think of it like outside vendors being brought indoors. You won’t get scammed, but there’s less room to negotiate, and the prices are usually a little higher.”
“Oh, I get it now.”
She nodded.
“But… how do you know all this, Yein?”
“I’ve picked up a few things.”
Of course, it was all from playing the game.
I walked past a few corners, checking the store signs as I went.
Found it.
I stopped in front of a small shop tucked away in the corner.
[Ailes De Platine]
(Wings of Platinum)
“‘Wings of Platinum’? This is the place you wanted to visit?” Lumina asked.
I nodded and stepped into the open-fronted store.
“Welcome.”
A middle-aged man greeted us, dressed in a neat suit with a carefully trimmed beard.
“Hunter trainees, I presume? Are you here to browse?”
“I’m here to sell a weapon,” I said, pulling the Red-Iron Dagger from my backpack.
“Understood. Allow me to take a look.”
He brought the dagger behind the counter and took out a small, gold-rimmed magnifier without a handle.
He held it up to his eye and examined the dagger closely.
“Hmm… Low-level dagger. Judging by the color, the materials are Flame Stone and Magic Iron… Hooh. Hm.”
He made an unreadable sound—somewhere between a hum and a gasp—and studied the dagger for a while longer.
“Thank you for waiting.”
He looked up at me from the dagger.
“Where did you get this weapon?”
“From the Path of Crimson Flame.”
“?”
Lumina looked puzzled, but I ignored her on purpose.
“Did it come from a monster?”
“Yes. It’s a demon-world relic. Dropped when I killed a Flame Men.”
“I see…”
He scanned Lumina and me with a shrewd glance before speaking again.
“I’d like to buy this dagger for two hundred thousand won.”
Lumina’s eyes widened.
“Two hundred thousand?” I asked calmly.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“It’s Normal-grade, and the materials used are the lowest tier. Normally, we’d offer seventy thousand. However, its sharpness and durability are clearly beyond others in its class. With this weapon, even a hunter under level 10 could hold their own against monsters from low-tier dungeons.”
“Wow… No wonder it performed so well…” Lumina murmured in awe.
“That’s why I’d like to offer you three times the standard rate. What do you say?”
He looked me in the eye.
“Yes, I’ll sell it.”
I replied, then swung my backpack around and turned it upside down.
Several Red-Iron Daggers spilled across the counter.
“No way…”
The man stared at me, bewildered, shifting his gaze between me and the pile of daggers.
“There are twelve in total,” I said.
“…Understood. I’ll buy them all.”
After a brief pause, he gave his answer.
Moments later, I had 2.4 million won in my account—no, technically, Nam Yein’s account.
Lumina also made about 200,000 won by selling her Flame Stones, Magic Iron, and other materials.
“This is my business card,” the man said, handing me a card.
Ailes De Platine
Manager: Lee Donghyuk
XXX-XXXX-XXXX
I received it politely with both hands.
“If you don’t mind, I hope you’ll visit us again.”
“Yes.”
Of course I would.
That was the whole reason I came to this out-of-the-way shop to begin with—to form a connection.
As we left, the man gave us a respectful bow.
All the way out of Crystal Hunter Mall, Lumina had a huge grin on her face.
“He was so kind. I think he paid more for the materials than the school shop would have.”
That’s because Gwangcheon’s shop is a scam, I thought to myself.
Even in the game, the materials dealer at Gwangcheon undercut prices way more than any other academy shop.
Sure, it was set up by the frontlines or whatever, but the balance gap between starting in other academies and this one was ridiculous.
“Lumina, I’d like to buy a few materials before we go back. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I want to look around and see what the outside shops have too.”
She answered with a smile.
We wandered around, checking out the shops lined along the street and the vendor stalls near the storefronts.
Before I buy materials, I should get an inventory first.
In the game, the more expensive the bag you bought, the larger your inventory space.
But now, I didn’t need an expensive bag.
Thanks to my Craftsman ability, I could carry items in icon form, so space wasn’t an issue.
The reason I wanted to buy a bag was to hide the existence of my ability.
I’d be carrying a ton of materials going forward—if my bag looked too ordinary, it might raise suspicions.
After browsing around, I found the cheapest inventory bag, the one with the smallest storage capacity, for 500,000 won and bought it.
Then I spent 1.5 million won buying a wide variety of low-grade materials.
The Shellfire Tortoise’s back shell sold for about 100,000 won, so I gave Lumina the promised 50,000—half its value. That left me with 450,000 won.
I should save this as emergency funds.
I remembered how Nam Yein’s account had been completely empty and chuckled bitterly to myself.
“Hey Lumina, since we’re already out, want to grab lunch before we head back?”
“Ah, s-sure! Let’s eat!”
For some reason, her voice sounded way too fired up again.
She must be really hungry.
Well, it was lunchtime.
That evening.
A girl stepped into Wings of Platinum, the shop within the Hunter Mall.
She looked like she was in her late teens, and her outfit was shabby and grimy.
Stained arm guards, worn-out overalls, and a frayed newsboy cap on her head.
Her silver-gray hair was braided and tied into a bun at the back of her head.
“Uncle Donghyuk.”
“Oh, Miss El, welcome.”
Lee Donghyuk stepped out from behind the counter with a gentle smile and gave her a respectful bow.
“I made some new ones. I’m confident this time.”
The girl said this as she began pulling items from her inventory and laid them out on the counter. A faint blue glow filled the shop.
Axes, leather armor, shurikens—she placed various weapons and gear on the counter and floor, then folded her arms and looked at Donghyuk.
Without a word, Donghyuk pulled out the same golden magnifier and began inspecting them one by one. His smile from before had vanished.
“…Not bad.”
“Not bad?” The girl frowned.
“Yes. I think these would be well-suited for hunters around level 20.”
“Level 20… That’s it?”
Disappointment spread across her face.
“I worked so hard on these, and that’s the best they can do?”
“Don’t be discouraged. You’re not even a certified hunter—just a trainee. At your age, the fact that you can craft gear like this is remarkable.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Her voice was firm, “What matters is that they don’t meet my standards.”
Donghyuk gave a wry smile.
That was exactly the kind of answer he’d expected from her.
“Sigh… Anyway, I’ll leave these with you for now.”
“Understood.”
As Donghyuk sorted through the items, the girl glanced around the shop with her lips slightly pursed.
“Hmm?”
Her eyes landed on a shelf behind the counter.
“Uncle, what’s this?”
“You noticed it right away, as expected.”
Donghyuk approached her with a smile.
The girl held up a crimson dagger.
“It was brought in today by some students. They said they got it from the Path of Crimson Flame.”
“‘Got it’ meaning it’s a demon-world relic?”
“That’s what they claimed, at least.”
“…”
The girl lifted the dagger higher, narrowing her eyes as she inspected it closely.
Her eyes widened the longer she looked.
“…Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“This isn’t a demon-world relic. It’s Normal-grade and made from cheap materials, but without a doubt, this was crafted by a hunter.”
“Yes. That’s what I thought as well.”
She lowered the dagger and spun to face him.
“Do you know which academy those kids were from?”
“Unfortunately, they weren’t in uniform.”
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue and bit her lip.
“I gave them my business card and paid more than usual. I imagine they’ll return here next time.”
“Then when they do, make sure you don’t let them go. Contact me immediately.”
“Of course, Miss El.”
Donghyuk gave a slight bow.
I don’t know who they are… but I can’t let anyone who brings in something like this slip away.
The girl licked her lips.
Because in Crystal… anything that shines must be mine.
(End of Chapter)