Chapter 45: The Shabby Shop 2

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Shabby Shop 2

...It was strange, almost overwhelming, like every blade and spear on the walls were quietly calling out to him, daring him to pick them up.

Most of it looked low-grade at a glance. They were cheap work, with nothing special about them.

But something primal in him didn’t care. Some part of him just wanted to grab all of it and go tear the world apart.

His fist squeezed and he actually felt himself pull towards a spear.

"HEY!"

Victor snapped out if it, blinking up at the sales man.

"Over here, " The salesman waved him toward the counter, already crouching to pull something out from underneath it.

He set a small necklace down on the counter between them, a simple pendant hanging off a thin chain. There was absolutely nothing flashy about it at all.

"This," the man said, voice dropping into something more reverent, "can heal any injury. Any wound. Even poison."

Victor stared down at it, skeptical at first. Then it happened.

That in-game familiar interface flickered to life in front of him.

[Pendant of the Weeping Saint]

[Grade: Uncommon]

[Effect: Heals wounds and neutralizes poison up to Grade C severity]

[Charges: 2/3 remaining]

Victor was not expecting this.

It would seem that I can still use the Dungeon Conquest appraiser feature outside the game.

This was incredible news for Victor.

He viewed the description closely.

Two out of three. Which meant someone had already used one.

Victor glanced up. "So this can save my life. Whenever I need it?"

"Of course!" The man beamed. "Twelve hour cooldown between uses, that’s it. Use it, rest it, use it again. It’s practically a second life strapped around your neck."

Victor said nothing about the number already sitting silently in his vision.

It said Two charges. Not three, and definitely not unlimited.

Which meant either the salesman didn’t know what he was selling, or he knew exactly what he was selling and had already burned one charge himself before deciding it was smarter to flip it for profit than keep it.

Not that Victor expected honesty from a man running a Dark Guild storefront out of a back alley.

"How much?"

The man’s smile widened. "A hundred thousand gil."

"A hundred thousand?" Victor stared at him.

The man held his smile, patient, like he’d been waiting for exactly that reaction.

And that was when it clicked.

Victor remembered when he was standing outside the guild, and he pulled his bag open to count his cash in plain daylight.

This asshoke must have been watching me while I count my money. So that’s why he approached me. You fucker!

A slow, crooked smile crossed Victor’s face. "Too much. How about ten thousand?"

"Ten thousand?" The man actually looked offended. "Friend, listen. This thing is worth five hundred thousand easy, I’m not lying to you. But you’re my first customer. And today’s even my very first day open. Call it a grand opening discount... you know, just for you."

"I appreciate it. But I really can’t afford this." Victor turned toward the door.

"Wait..."

Victor kept walking.

"Fifty! Fifty thousand!" the man blurted, scrambling around the counter. "Listen, I can prove it works right now. Cut your wrist, I’ll heal it in front of you, you’ll see with your own eyes..."

Victor stopped, already understanding the trap behind the offer.

If he let the man cut him, and used the pendant to heal it, he’d have burned a charge right there before any money changed hands.

Then, if Victor still refused to pay, what was stopping the man from claiming to the police that he’d already used the goods and owed him regardless?

Victor was not so foolish as to hand a Dark Guild salesman that kind of leverage.

"Twenty thousand," Victor said instead.

The man’s jaw tightened. "Twenty-five."

"Twenty-three. That’s as high as I go."

A long pause. Then, grudgingly, "...Deal."

Victor reached for his bag, already unzipping it, then stopped halfway.

He zipped it back shut.

The salesman blinked. "You’re not paying?"

"How about instead of gil," Victor said, "I pay with information."

One eyebrow rose in attention. However, the man coughed dismissively. "We don’t do that... Urh... kind of business here."

"Sure you do." Victor leaned against the counter, unhurried. "Tell you what. I’ll give you something small first, free of charge, just so you know the value of what I’m offering. Then you decide."

The man studied him for a long moment. "...How valuable are we talking?"

"There’s a Viscount in this city with a sick daughter," Victor said. "B-Rank Ranker. She awakened through the artificial process. Her body’s been deteriorating ever since, and he’s been quietly searching for a cure."

The salesman went very still.

That wasn’t public information. Nobles didn’t advertise when their children got artificial awakenings, not when natural awakening was the thing worth bragging about and artificial was simply saying, ’my child lacked talent so I bought it.’

Nobles were a real sensitive bunch.

"Give me a second," the man said, already backing toward a door behind the counter. "Don’t go anywhere."

He disappeared into the back. Victor waited, drumming his fingers against the counter, eyes drifting back to the weapons lining the walls.

He still felt that same pull again. It was faint but insistent, like they were calling his name. He took a slow breath and forced his attention elsewhere.

This persistent Barbarian instinct for battle was something he’d have to address later.

The man came rushing back out, eyes wide. "How in the hell do you know that? That’s exactly what he’s been..." He caught himself, composing his face back into something more businesslike. "Deal. What do you have for me? I’ll trade you the pendant for it."

"No," Victor said. "What I just told you was the payment."

The man’s eye twitched, ’Did this little sucker just swindle me?’

In all his years as a professional con-artist... cough... salesman, he had always had the upper hand. The reason was because of his Awakened ability: Business Prey.

With this, he could easily identify a person he could maximize profit from. It was also the reason he rose fast in the dark guild, even working as a new branch manager in the shadows of the Central Rankers Guild.

But to think that he would meet such a difficult person.

From the beginning of the negotiations, it did not feel like he was the hunter, but rather, the prey.

The worse part was that he could not refute Victor’s words. Because by the guild’s rules, this was indeed valuable information.

Victor saw that he got the salesman where he wanted him.

That’s enough messing with him for now. I’ll let him go this time.

"You know what, I’ll let the first information go as a bonus. Take it as my gift to you, on your opening day."

The man’s eyes narrowed, intrigued despite himself.

"Now listen closely. In four days, a Blue Gate will open." Victor kept his voice level. "Inside, there are three stones embedded in the boss’s chest. Look for the Green one. If the Viscount gets his hands on that stone, his daughter’s illness will go away."

"...And how exactly does an E-Ranker know when a Gate’s going to open four days from now?"

Victor allowed himself a small, practiced smile. "Call it a gift... yes. It’s my Awakened ability. The moment I awakened, I had a... vision." He said awkwardly, looking away from the man’s eyes, so that he was not caught in his lie.

Damn it. I said too much. I have to be very careful. After all, I am talking with a member of the Dark guild. If not, I’ll just become a mark their books.

At least I did not say too much. The Viscount will still eventually get the stone, but that should have been in an auction months from now.

The man’s eyes went wide. "A Seer. You’re a Seer." His voice dropped, almost reverent. "Those are incredibly rare... and valuable."

’One that is just discovering himself. I must keep him close.’ He thought to himself.

Victor didn’t correct him. Let him believe whatever he wanted.

If being a Seer got him better deals and fewer questions, he’d happily wear the label.

"Anything else you’ve got? I’ll pay well for more."

"Not right now," Victor said. "But if something comes up, I know where to find you."

The man nodded, apparently satisfied, and extended a hand. "Name’s Rook."

Victor shook it. "Victor."

He thought of lying about his name. But this was the Dark guild, and Rook had already seen his face. Getting his identity would be easy.

Besides, if he played his card right, he might even get the Dark guild to do certain things for him.

A grin appeared on his face, "So Rook, I shared two informations. How about showing me some good will too."

Rook suddenly felt his breathing seize.

A moment later Victor stepped back out onto the street, pendant tucked safely into his bag, twenty-three thousand gil still sitting untouched in his account, and of course, the biggest catch of the day, the double edged axe at his waist.

"What a good day it is." Victor brimmed.

Just then, someone brushed past his shoulder on the way in, face half hidden under a hood, coat pulled tight despite the mild weather.

Victor’s nose twitched. Something about this scent was familiar, though he couldn’t place it fast enough before the figure had already slipped through the shop door and out of sight.

He paused for a second, frowning slightly.

"Where have I...?" He shook his head, letting it go.

Now that he had money, there was something he always wanted to do.

Something any hot blooded young man would do once they acquired cash...