“More people wanted the item than I expected. I carefully selected the three who offered the best terms.”
“Three? You narrowed it down and there are still three?”
“Yes. It seems the upper guilds and the Royal Palace have recently developed a demand for abilities that can tame beasts. Your timing was excellent. They started competing with one another.”
The bald Rupes smacked his lips as he spoke.
It did not seem like a lie.
Still.
“Is the Royal Palace among the buyers?”
“Yes. To be honest, even I was surprised.”
I frowned automatically at his answer.
“The Royal Palace......”
I wanted to say I would rather exclude them,
but I closed my mouth when I saw Jerik gesture.
“What about the other two?”
“The guild offering the highest price is the Drake Guild in Area 4. And the other is our Merchant Guild.”
“The Merchant Guild?”
“......Yes. Apparently, our higher-ups are interested as well.”
“Why?”
“A low-level employee like me would not know.”
Rupes looked awkward as he said it,
but their internal affairs were none of our business anyway.
“Let us hear the terms.”
“Ahem. First, the Royal Palace offered a flat 1,000 gold.”
“1,000 gold!?”
My body twitched,
and even Jerik nearly rose from his seat at the outrageous offer.
‘At that price, couldn’t you buy a yellow Ability Stone? No, maybe even a blue one?’
It was enough to leave me stunned.
‘I’ve heard popular Ability Stones can sell for ten times their standard price, but this one?’
Even I,
despite hating the Royal Palace,
found myself biting my lip and considering it.
But that was not the end.
“However, I believe our Merchant Guild’s terms are even more reasonable.”
“The Merchant Guild?”
“Yes. We have prepared a wallet-type Spatial Pouch with a capacity of 3m3, along with 500 gold in cash.”
“Oh?”
A 1m3 Spatial Pouch normally cost around 100 gold.
Considering how Spatial Pouches became exponentially more expensive as their capacity increased,
the Merchant Guild’s offer was better than the Royal Palace’s.
‘Wasn’t a 2m3 one around 300 gold? And 3m3 would be plenty of space too.’
I would get a substantial amount of cash on top of it.
“Then what about the Drake Guild?”
“Those people only offered a single Spatial Pouch. They say it has a capacity of 10m3, but honestly, that is excessive. Why would an adventurer need a Spatial Pouch that huge? It is not as though you are a merchant leading a caravan.”
Rupes clearly seemed to think the Merchant Guild’s offer was the most sensible.
Honestly,
it seemed that way to me too.
The problem was that my circumstances were a little unusual.
‘For me, the bigger the better, though?’
Until now,
I had not been able to do it for safety reasons.
But once I had a Spatial Pouch,
I planned to synthesize every piece of junk I could get my hands on.
Not only combinations that removed penalties,
but there had definitely been cases where items were upgraded outright, even if the probability was low.
‘I need to synthesize a huge amount and figure out the rules.’
If things worked the way I suspected,
it could practically become a money-printing machine.
And.
“The Drake Guild is Mr. Gix’s guild, right?”
“Yes, that is right. You have been getting strangely entangled with him lately.”
The prospective buyer was someone I had already met.
‘Maybe he could tell me why Special Taming has suddenly become so inflated in price?’
That thought crossed my mind too.
Jerik,
however,
seemed to be thinking something different.
“Char, a moment.”
“Yes? Ah. Yes.”
“This is probably only the Royal Palace’s opening offer. If we look into supplying it directly to the Royal Palace, you may be able to receive much better terms. After all, the Royal Palace......”
“Has the most money?”
“......Correct.”
Jerik’s whisper made perfect sense.
But if at all possible,
I did not want to do anything that benefited the Royal Palace.
And.
“Would the Royal Palace even have a Spatial Pouch around 10m3?”
“......If we searched, perhaps? It is the Royal Palace.”
“So you’re saying they might not?”
“......Yes. At that size, it is practically a small warehouse. As far as I know, the larger the capacity, the more difficult they are to make and the more resources they require. There is not much reason to make one that large in the first place.”
“Then let’s go with the Drake Guild.”
“......You have decided?”
“Yes. I need the largest Spatial Pouch possible.”
And I did not particularly want to help the Royal Palace either.
I left that last part unsaid,
but from the way Jerik smirked,
he seemed to understand.
“......Fine. I can talk to Gix and negotiate a little extra on top.”
“......Thank you as always, Master.”
“For what?”
Jerik only smiled as though embarrassed,
but I could not help being moved once again.
“Even if you sell it elsewhere, the brokerage fee is ten percent. If you go to the Drake Guild, that means at least 100 gold......”
“......Fuck.”
If only Rupes had not immediately ruined the mood.
***
“Wow.”
The Drake Guild building in Area 4 was truly extravagant.
It was a large, splendid five-story building,
and on the rooftop stood an impressive dragon-like statue with no forelegs.
“Is that statue all gold?”
Jerik snorted at my question.
“It is normally a statue, but it is probably also a guardian sentry. Most likely an Artifact.”
“What?”
“Try sensing its Mana carefully.”
“Even if you say that......”
There was no way someone at my level could sense the Mana of a statue(?) sitting atop a five-story building.
Just as I let out a hollow laugh,
“What brings you here?”
someone who appeared to be a member of the Drake Guild approached us.
Not long afterward,
we found ourselves face-to-face with Gix again.
“Were you the seller, Senior Jerik?”
“More precisely, this brat is. I heard you have met him before.”
“Oh, have we?”
I bowed from behind Jerik.
Gix smiled and rose from his seat.
The same striking muscles as before.
And even more striking than those,
the tiny dragon tattoo writhing beside his eye.
“You still look like a Novice. You obtained an orange Ability Stone?”
“......I got lucky.”
“Hmm. Luck is a skill of its own. Senior Jerik must have taught you well.”
“I only taught him the basics. He seems to be growing just fine on his own, so I want to help him a little more.”
“Haha. Looks like you still cannot stop meddling in other people’s business.”
“Do people change that easily?”
“I suppose not. So, does this mean you are accepting our deal?”
“Hmm. I am considering it favorably. I think it would be settled if you added just a little more.”
“A little more? A ten-square-meter Spatial Pouch is an item with no proper market price.”
“That is because there is no real reason to make one. There is no demand either. Is that not right?”
“......Demand depends on the person, does it not?”
“You did not make it yourself. You probably obtained it in the Labyrinth. Am I wrong?”
“......Hah. So this is why I had a bad feeling when I saw you, Senior. Fine. What more do you want?”
“The Merchant Guild wants a brokerage fee. Cover that 100 gold fee and add another 50 gold. That much is the price of one meal for you, is it not?”
“Who in the world eats a meal that extravagant? Not even the king would do that.”
“The king might.”
“Ah. Well. Yes. That man probably would.”
The two snorted at the same time,
as though sharing some private understanding.
It felt awkward to interrupt.
“Well, fine. For the sake of your reputation, Senior, I will add another 150 gold. Ah. On one condition. We confirm that the Special Taming Ability Stone truly has no penalty first.”
“I will guarantee that much. Check it as thoroughly as you like.”
“Yes. Of course.”
As soon as a Mage from the Drake Guild appraised the Ability Stone,
the deal was concluded without further fuss.
While the mood was still good,
I carefully asked,
“May I ask why you need this Ability Stone?”
“Hmm....... It does not seem like something you particularly need to know.”
“I am curious too.”
With Jerik’s assistance,
Gix sighed as though he had no choice and began speaking.
“We have information that a ‘Thunder Dragon Egg’ will appear at the upcoming Labyrinth Auction.”
“What!?”
“Dragonkind can never be tamed through ordinary methods, so an Ability is ultimately necessary. If we can force it into submission somehow, it would make the finest possible mount.”
I could not help being shocked.
‘The Labyrinth Auction. I’ve heard of it.’
An auction held once a year,
rotating between the ten Labyrinth Cities—
in other words, the ten kingdoms.
I had heard that all kinds of rare treasures were sold there,
but until now,
I had thought it had nothing to do with me.
Apparently,
it was even more extraordinary than I had imagined.
“A Thunder Dragon means...... a dragon?”
“No. It is not a true dragon. People call it a dragon, but in reality, it is an upper-tier drake with an attribute. Still, it has a certain degree of intelligence, so it is considered part of dragonkind......”
Ah.
“Among attribute drakes, Thunder Dragons are one of the very fastest species. If one could be made into a mount, it could circle the continent within a single day. That is why everyone is going crazy over it right now.”
“Hah. If that is the case, we might have been able to sell this for even more.”
“Come on. It is still orange. Only High-grade. The price has risen this much because of the current event. Otherwise......”
“Yes, yes. I was only saying it. In any case, thank you for the clean deal.”
“......Likewise. It was good seeing you again, Senior. Novice. You too.”
Tsk.
‘He doesn’t even remember my name?’
I felt a little disappointed.
But that stopped mattering the moment he handed me an antique-patterned belt.
“Use it well. It is an Artifact I obtained in the fiftieth floors. I removed what was stored inside, of course, but the Spatial Pouch alone makes it quite valuable. It also has defensive functions.”
“Thank you.”
It really was an incredible item.
[Kyle’s Belt (Highest-grade)]
-Defense +20
-A belt-type Spatial Pouch. Capacity: 10m3. Can absorb most impacts, and minor damage repairs itself.
A Highest-grade Artifact.
It seemed to serve as both a large-capacity Spatial Pouch and a piece of defensive equipment.
‘It can even repair itself.’
The area protected was small, as expected of a belt,
but the defensive power was more than sufficient.
With an unexpected effect added on top,
I was more than satisfied.
Still.
‘Additional Information Check.’
HUMMM.
I used my Trait out of habit.
[Collect the Kyle Series to reveal a hidden effect.]
‘Gasp!?’
The additional information surprised me too.
‘There are set items?’
“What do you think? Pretty good, right?”
“Yes. It’s really good.”
But I could not let that fact show on my face.
“Thank you, Mr. Gix.”
I merely thanked him once more to calm my excitement.
“Your disciple has good manners, Senior.”
“I told you, he is not my disciple......”
And with that, the deal ended with everyone satisfied.
***
One day later.
“It seems the Ability Stone from the rumors was sold to the Drake Guild.”
Deep within the Royal Palace, in the innermost part of Labyrinth City Bartus, a man dressed as a knight bowed his head.
CREEEAK.
“The Drake Guild? Ah. The Dragon Slayer. That bastard’s guild?”
A man whose face was hidden in shadow turned his chair.
The knight lowered his head even further,
as though afraid of seeing his face.
“Yes.”
“Hah. People must be praising him too much as some rising star lately. He dares interfere in a Royal Palace transaction?”
“But we cannot touch him. As you said, he is a rising prospect receiving a great deal of attention. Even if only for the sake of competing against the other kingdoms......”
“I know.”
“......My apologies. I spoke out of turn.”
“Tsk. I still do not like it.”
“It was only an orange Ability Stone. Forget about it.”
“The Grade of the Ability Stone is not the real issue. The user is. More precisely, the combination of Abilities. Are you still underestimating that possibility?”
“......M-My apologies.”
“Tsk. Find out where that Ability Stone came from. Determine whether it was an Elite Monster or a Boss Monster, then commit forces and secure more Ability Stones. I will be the one to obtain the Thunder Dragon.”
“Sir, about that......”
“What are you doing? Why are you still here?”
“......The Ability Stone came from Floor 2.”
“Floor 12? Lower than I expected. In that case, it should be even easier to......”
“‘Floor 2.’”
“......What are you talking about?”
The man behind the desk tilted his head.
The knight continued.
“The Labyrinth Records Office confirmed it. It was an item brought back by a Novice who completed a Floor 2 Quest.”
“......You are not joking, are you?”
“Of course not. How could I dare......”
“Hah......”
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then.
“If it came from the Novice Bracket, no one can repeat it anyway. Even the person involved will not receive the same Quest again.”
“......Yes.”
“Hm. Beginner’s luck, perhaps. I got my hopes up over nothing.”
“......There is one somewhat unusual detail.”
“Hm?”
“That Novice also brought back a Ruler’s Majesty Ability Stone from his first trip into the Labyrinth.”
“......Is the bastard simply blessed with luck?”
“What makes it stranger is that he was classified as a washout.”
“A washout? He was a Summoner?”
“Yes. He had only one Ability Slot, and his Trait was useless, so he was discarded from the beginning.”
“One Ability Slot? And a useless Trait on top of that?”
“Yes.”
“......Hahaha. Can something like that even happen? To a Summoner? Both at once?”
“It was unusual enough that we left it on record.”
“More.”
“After being discarded, he apparently lived like a beggar for a time, then worked at a general store, trained in martial arts at a martial arts hall in Area 9, and entered the Labyrinth afterward.”
“Are you certain?”
“The Merchant Guild investigated it.”
“Hmm? The Merchant Guild. Those vulgar bastards must have smelled money. What else?”
“......There is no further information. His speed clearing Floors 1 and 2 is not particularly fast even among Summoners, so the Merchant Guild concluded that it was most likely beginner’s luck.”
TAP. TAP.
The man tapped his desk.
After a brief silence,
he spoke.
“Once can be coincidence. Twice can be coincidence. But if something like this happens again, report it. There may be some ability we overlooked.”
“Yes. Understood.”
And with that, the conversation deep within the Royal Palace came to an end.