Due to the aftermath of the EX-rank quest, all the characters in this game world had been replaced and there were likely many changes to the dynamic elements linked to them.
One such example was this masked gentleman who was akin to an event boss or field boss.
It remained a mystery how he ended up drifting to Dungeon Island, but at least he wasn’t the type to cause trouble everywhere he went.
All he did was perform magic shows and occasionally throw a hidden piece to the audience so there seemed no need to take any special action.
The academy probably knew about him and seemed to have decided he wasn’t a threat as they hadn’t dispatched anyone to subdue him.
However, the fact that this event boss had entered Dungeon Island meant that other field bosses might also appear. This was enough for me to raise my vigilance.
I thought it would be wise to ask Shin Byeong-cheol later to keep an eye on some of their movements.
After the magic show, as Seo Ye-in and I continued to walk around and explore,
We arrived at our first destination.
<Long Eared Magical Tool Shop>
I showed Seo Ye-in the coupons I had received the night before.
“Your butler said you and I should get equipped with something from this place.”
“Mhmm ……”
She nodded her head when I mentioned getting equipped but just like Ahn Jeong-mi had observed, she didn’t seem particularly interested.
“Let’s go in and take a look around. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something you like.”
She nodded her head again when I talked about getting equipment but she still showed little enthusiasm.
When Seo Ye-in and I entered the store, a friendly middle-aged lady greeted us warmly.
The woman seemed more like the owner than just a clerk working here.
And against expectations, her ears were not pointed at all.
“Welcome—oh my, are you first-year students?”
“Hello.”
“What cute visitors we have here.”
She shifted her gaze between us and smiled contentedly. She seemed to be under some great misunderstanding.
I felt it was too bothersome to correct her, so I just let it slide for the time being.
Although she was friendly, it didn’t seem like she was expecting much from us.
The magical tools were all priced high, so realistically, what were the chances a first-year could afford them, and even if they did buy them, how much quality could they expect?
It seemed wise to make it clear that we had the means to purchase to facilitate smoother communication.
So I pulled out two coupons labeled [Coupon – Long Eared Magical Tool Shop (B)] and continued.
“We’d like to use these.”
“……!”
The shop owner’s eyes widened.
B-rank coupons were typically used by third-year students, yet here were two first-years with not one, but two of them.
Words like sales, performance, and results likely flashed through her mind.
She was already friendly to begin with but her demeanor became even more accommodating as she guided us to a specific section.
“The B-rank corner is this way. Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”
“We’d just like to look around for now.”
“Take your time, and feel free to ask if you have any questions.”
Keywords associated with elves and long ears could include archery, wood magic, and nature.
Most of the items in this magic tool shop fell into that category.
They didn’t quite match my preference for aggressive magic or Seo Ye-in’s inclination towards magic engineering equipment.
Nevertheless, there were items that were universally useful regardless of class.
“Let’s focus on accessories.”
“Mhmm.”
Now that I narrowed down our focus, I simply observed for the time being.
Choosing for oneself is always ideal.
“……”
However, it seemed that Seo Ye-in found this task rather difficult.
She passed by most items and, though she checked the options on a few out of curiosity, she quickly lost interest and put them down.
Eventually, I decided to make a suggestion.
“Do you want to go with what I choose?”
It seemed better for me to show her one or two items and follow her reactions from there.
Seo Ye-in faced me and then slowly nodded her head up and down.
As soon as we entered the store, I had already identified all the items with decent performance.
Among them, I showed Seo Ye-in one that I thought she would like.
[Vision Collection Glasses]
▷ Collects the vision of random targets within a certain range.
“How about this?”
“Good.”
She agreed immediately.
…Without even looking at the item properly.
As a test, I showed her the second item I had picked out:
[Concussion Earrings]
▷ Long-range attacks have a certain probability of causing “concussion” status ailment to the enemy.
“And this?”
“Good.”
[Knockback Bracelet]
▷ Long-range attacks have a certain probability of pushing the enemy back.
“And this too?”
“Good.”
She even said “good” to items she had just lost interest in and put down.
I was beginning to get a sense of it.
Anything I choose myself seems to be good enough.
Anything I pick would mean a successful mission.
She would naturally grow fond of the item, which is exactly what An Jeon-mi intended.
But just giving anything wouldn’t sit right with me.
If I’m to give something, it should be the best possible item.
Just then, the shop owner approached us with a kind smile on her face.
Like a ghost, she seemed to have caught the fact that we only took a quick look around.
“Found anything you like?”
I had already mentally made a list and ranked the items with reasonably good options.
But I feigned disinterest and answered with an ambiguous attitude.
“I’m not sure. They seem usable, maybe…”
“Don’t be like that; choose something. You’re using two coupons, so I’ll give you one freebie.”
She even offered to throw in a C-rank accessory as a bonus.
Instead of responding to her offer, I asked another question.
“Could I take a look at the storage room in the back?”
This magical tools shop has a storage room that holds only the unsellable, problematic stock, aside from the items displayed at the counter.
“Who told you about that?”
“Some seniors mentioned that there’s a lot to see there.”
“Kids these days.”
The shop owner guessed the source of our information and let out an awkward laugh.
It was just a casual visit but it turned into a fortunate find.
Her dilemma was brief.
Although she was hesitant to let customers into the storage area, we were special guests who had brought not one, but two B-rank coupons.
She wanted to accommodate us as much as possible.
And perhaps she thought that this might even be an opportunity to clear out some of the problematic stock.
“This time I’ll show you, but you can’t go around blabbing about it like your seniors, okay?”
“Thank you.”
The shop owner led us to the storage room.
The layout was organized by rank, just as in the main shop area.
However, the items weren’t attractively displayed; they were just stored well enough that one could barely make out what was there, which significantly diminished the desire to buy.
“……”
Seo Ye-in showed as little interest as she had previously.
I too picked up various items with a nonchalant attitude before quickly putting them back down.
However, my eyes were rapidly scanning dozens of items.
These really didn’t sell.
Among them, a few items caught my eye.
In the current situation, it would be best to take them.
But I just entered the storage room and didn’t want to seem too eager by immediately stating what I wanted, so I spent some time rummaging around to play it cool.
Then I asked the store owner.
“You said you’d include a freebie if I used both coupons, right?”
“Of course, I’ll give you something good.”
“So, including the service, can I take three items from here?”
The idea was that instead of exchanging the two coupons for two B-rank items from the display and one C-rank bonus item,
Why not sell me three B-rank items from this storage room?
“……”
The unexpected proposal momentarily flustered the owner, but she soon seemed to be quickly doing the math.
“Isn’t three B-rank items a loss?” was her initial concern, but business isn’t just about calculating based on ranks.
While the displayed popular items are expensive, they will eventually sell and make a profit.
On the other hand, items here just gather dust day by day and there’s no guarantee that they will ever sell, even after years.
Then, giving away three dead stock items instead of two display items wasn’t a loss.
Even if it means a bit more of a discount.
After she finished her calculations, she returned to a friendly demeanor and asked me.
“Which ones are you thinking of taking?”
“This one, and this one, and…”
I pointed to the items I had marked earlier.
A large chunk of wood cut to the size of an armful.
[Processed Fairy Wood (B)]
A thick tree branch with a refreshing green color and palm-sized leaves.
[Branch of the World Tree (B)]
A glass bottle that looked like a pretty craft that was filled with translucent gas.
[Blessing of the Fairy Queen (B)]
The items I had chosen seemed quite unexpected to the store owner as she asked,
“It’s strange. Nobody has been looking for these. What do you plan to do with them?”
“I’m trying to make something with my friends and seniors.”
“They’re for crafting then.”
The store owner finally nodded her head in understanding.
If it’s for crafting, it made sense to try out materials that aren’t commonly used.
Though the ranks were somewhat high for just experimenting, that wasn’t her concern as the seller.
After paying with two coupons, I took ownership of the three items chosen from the storage room.
The lady bid us farewell at the door with a parting greeting.
“Thank you; please come again.”
***
We moved to a relatively quiet area a little away from the bustling streets.
A resting area lined with simple tables.
It was the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the evening air but it was currently deserted.
We found a table and sat across from each other.
I plucked the leaves from the [Branch of the World Tree].
As I did, the vibrant green life force that the branch had held seemed to fall away with the leaves.
Then, Seo Ye-in took them and carefully attached them to the [Processed Fairy Wood].
“Here.”
“Mhmm.”
“Here.”
“Mhmm.”
“Stick them on carefully.”
“Carefully.”
As I detached and Seo Ye-in attached, the fairy wood gradually became densely covered with green leaves, while the branch became increasingly bare.
And the moment the last leaf was removed, the mysterious energy that the branch had contained also vanished.
Now, it was just a piece of slightly better-quality wood.
The value of this B-grade item had plummeted but I didn’t care.
I slowly sprinkled the [Blessing of the Fairy Queen] over the leaf-covered fairy wood.
As the leaves absorbed life force, they unfurled silently and bloomed like flower buds coming to life.
But the fairy wood that had been there was nowhere to be seen and was replaced instead by a jewel box that seemed to be crafted from grass and trees.
[Fairy Queen’s Jewel Box (B+)]
A random box made by combining life-type materials.
It was a B+ rank item which meant it was half a rank higher than anything obtained from the Black Market.
Of course, if that were all there was to it, I would not have risked my luck on a random box even with a B+ rating.
This one has known drop information.
What could come out of it and the approximate chances of each drop were known.
Based on that, there would be no loss unless you were extremely unlucky like Go Hyeon-woo.
And if Seo Ye-in opens it…
The outcome could be even more unpredictable.
Still, since I wanted to maximize our chances just in case, I cautiously started a conversation with Seo Ye-in.
“You know that card you got earlier—”
“……”
Before I even finished speaking, Seo Ye-in pulled out the [Lucky Trump Card] she had just received from the masked gentleman.
Her eyes questioned whether this was the right place to use it.
When I nodded my head,
Flash!
The trump card emitted a bright light and was absorbed by the jewel box.
The probability of a high-quality item appearing increased and the likelihood of a dud decreased.
Seo Ye-in shifted her gaze between me and the jewel box, then tilted her head slightly and asked,
“Open it?”
“Please, go ahead.”
I gently pushed the jewel box forward and Seo Ye-in slowly pulled it toward herself.
After looking down at it for a moment, she opened the jewel box and,
Boom–!
Clouds burst forth like an explosion and engulfed the entire area.
********
TN: A “Boom!” From the accumulated luck is crazy.
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