Old John’s reaction told Alexander everything he needed to know.
The shop owner had barely blinked at the hundred-thousand-dollar guitar case, but these silver coins had his full attention.
“The other six are well-preserved medieval Central European pieces,” Old John said, examining them closely.
“I can offer a thousand dollars each for those. But this one…” His gaze lingered on the Flowing Hair Liberty Dollar.
“How much are you asking for it?”
Alexander rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment.
Then he slowly held up five fingers.
He quoted five hundred thousand, but in reality, his psychological expectation was three hundred thousand dollars.
As long as it was higher than that price, he would consider selling.
“Deal,” Old John said without hesitation.
“Five million dollars. How would you like the payment?”
Alexander nearly choked.
“Five… million?”
The old collector looked genuinely pleased, as if he’d just secured a rare bargain.
Alexander realized the coin was worth even more than he’d quoted, but a deal was a deal.
“Transfer it to my account, please.”
When he left the antique shop, Alexander felt like he was walking in a dream.
In under an hour, he had gone from barely scraping by to sitting on more than five million dollars.
He stared at the balance on his phone screen and pinched his thigh just to be sure.
It was real.
Back in his apartment, the rush of excitement slowly settled into focused determination.
Curious about the coin’s true value, he did a quick search.
The Flowing Hair Liberty Dollar was one of the rarest early U.S.
silver coins, with only a handful known to exist.
A recent auction had seen one go for over six million.
Old John had gotten a solid private-sale price, and Alexander had come out very well himself.
With serious money in hand, the next step was obvious.
Alexander opened his phone and placed an order for a healthy, live Belgian Blue bull, spending well over ten thousand dollars.
If sacrificing a couple of steaks had noticeably boosted his strength, an entire bull should take him to another level.
That kind of power would let him safely explore whatever lay beyond the Space-Time Gate.
The delivery arrived early the next morning from a nearby private farm.
The Belgian Blue bull stood imposingly in the cleared space behind his apartment building.
Its muscular frame was even more exaggerated than photos suggested, broad, powerful, and radiating raw strength.
It dwarfed ordinary cattle.
Alexander placed a hand on the bull’s flank.
“First time sacrificing something living. Here goes nothing.”
“Sacrifice.”
A brilliant light flared from his palm.
The bull dissolved smoothly and painlessly, flesh, bone, and essence vanishing in moments.
Then suddenly a torrent of energy surged into Alexander’s body.
Power flooded his muscles, bones, and veins.
Minutes later, the transformation stabilized.
He opened his eyes and flexed.
His clothes felt tight, his pants now noticeably short.
He had grown from just over 1.8 meters to over 1.9 meters, with a physique to match.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror after stripping off his shirt, he barely recognized himself.
Chiseled jaw, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, and dense, well-defined muscle covering his frame.
The softness around his midsection had vanished, replaced by clear abdominal definition.
He looked like someone who had trained intensely for years.
The sheer presence he now projected felt… potent.
By sacrificing this Belgian Blue bull, besides obtaining a powerful physique, he had also awakened a special ability.
[Berserk]
Alexander focused.
His blood ignited.
His heartbeat thundered like war drums.
His skin flushed red, muscles swelled dramatically, and his height shot up toward two meters.
Strength and durability multiplied two- to threefold.
But the cost was immediate: rational thought clouded under rising aggression, and stamina drained at an alarming rate.
After testing it briefly, he released the state.
The backlash left him panting, muscles sore, with a half-hour window of weakness ahead.
“Powerful, but risky,” he muttered.
“Best saved for when it really counts.”
Still, the surge of confidence was undeniable.
With this new body and his three golden abilities, Alexander felt truly ready.