Special x Sale - Never Question Women’s Clothes

Alex stares at the ten small stashes of items laid out on hastily arranged tables. To his absolute horror, there are hundreds of items cluttering the displays.

SHIT, is this a friggin flea market or what? He curses inwardly. I expected maybe five to ten items in total. Looks like these assholes are trying to scam me.

With a sigh, Alex readies himself. If I didn't have the system, I'd probably be stuck using Gyo like Gon does and playing this the hard way… Fine. Let's get to work and check for items the system acknowledges.

He moves to the first table, Menchi trailing behind him, her expression shifting from confusion to outright annoyance as she glances at the so-called "merchandise."

"What the hell did you call these idiots for?" she snaps. "All I see is junk! Look—rusted armor pieces, random bits of jewelry that are probably cheap fakes, and a bunch of other random crap I can't even identify. A rusted axe, Alex? This is all trash!"

Menchi's exasperation only deepens Alex's growing sense of dread.

The merchant behind the table, an older man with a haughty demeanor, sneers. "YOU! Young… 'woman.' I dare you to repeat that again, and I'll sue you for slander! Judging by your looks, your only job is pleasing men—and that won't pay for the compensation I'll demand. These are expensive antiques, treasures worth far more than what some skimpy little playgirl like you could ever dream of affording!" He scoffs, turning to Alex. "Hunter Kerber, I'd advise you to leave your 'girls' behind if you want to conduct proper business. We men should separate business and pleasure, you know. I keep my wife and side chicks far away from my dealings—they only bring trouble!"

"..." Alex is dumbfounded, left momentarily speechless. Finally, he manages, "I'd be careful, you know. This may be a young woman, but—"

Before he can finish, Menchi's aura explodes, wild and oppressive. The air around her crackles with intensity, and the arrogant merchant begins trembling uncontrollably before collapsing to the floor.

Menchi forces a smile, but the murderous edge in her voice is unmistakable. "You were joking… right?"

The man's arrogance evaporates in an instant. "YES, YES! I WAS JOKING! I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" he cries, desperately pleading for his life.

"I'll let this slide… just this once," Menchi says coldly before turning her back on him and heading to the next merchant.

The second merchant, clearly having witnessed the spectacle, greets her with a nervous but welcoming grin. "Welcome, young lady! Please, take a look. If anything catches your eye, I'll give you a huge discount!"

"..." Alex stares at the scene in disbelief. Should I just threaten these people too to get better deals? Guess that wouldn't work for me—Menchi's just that scary.

His thoughts quickly take a turn. Though, on the other hand… what's her deal? If she wants respect, maybe she should seriously stop dressing like a whore. I'm constantly staring at her ass and tits myself. Even after all this time, I can't stop. Alex shakes his head to refocus, moving on to check out the merchant's goods.

Unfortunately, the system doesn't recognize a single item from the merchant's wares, confirming that it's all useless.

The second merchant's collection isn't much better. He offers unique-looking hats and boots, some of which may hold historical or collector's value. However, for Alex, it's all meaningless—only items the system recognizes are worth anything to him.

By the time he moves on to the fifth merchant, Alex's patience is wearing thin. But here, he finally spots something of interest.

The fifth merchant's table is full of clothes—shirts, robes, and various accessories. Alex's frustration mounts as he mutters under his breath, Why the fuck would he bring clothes to me? I asked for weapons, armor, and rare tools. A shirt doesn't qualify.

Still, deciding to keep his temper in check, Alex inspects the items anyway. To his surprise, two of the shirts are actually recognized by the system!

[Elegant Shirt] and [Noble Shirt] appear before Alex. The [Elegant Shirt] looks like it was made for royalty, its intricate design highly decorative and ornate. The [Noble Shirt], while similar, is far simpler and more subdued, resembling an everyday shirt for someone wealthy.

[Elegant Shirt]

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality: Light Green

Type: Shirt

Durability: 10/10

Effect: Decreases Stamina consumption by 5%

Note: A fake Shirt, supposed to mimic a famous and expensive brand, from decades ago. Created by an incredibly skilled artisan that poured his soul and efforts into it. This accidental creation lead to an unexpected outcome.

[Noble Shirt]

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality: Deep Green

Type: Shirt

Durability: 20/20

Effect: Increases AURA regeneration by 5%

Note: A shirt created by a true genius designer. This work was influenced by his incredible passion, talent and drive to succeed and has a permanent Aura surrounding it. Just wearing it increases your Aura regeneration. The design itself, with its unique and simplistic appearance, is ahead of its time but not yet recognized by the design world, however.

Hmmm… this equipment slot is interesting, Alex thinks as he inspects the shirts. I'm not wearing a shirt recognized by the system yet. Looks like I can wear a shirt even under my armor. The problem is that these items usually only grant minor effects. But the [Noble Shirt]? That's a must-buy. It has a special Nen-related effect, and these kinds of items will be nearly impossible to find back in the Realm since Nen is unique to the Hunter x Hunter world. I need to buy the [Noble Shirt] at all costs… and the [Elegant Shirt], if it's cheap enough, I guess.

Alex raises an eyebrow at the merchant and asks bluntly, "Why the fuck did you bring clothes? I was requesting something else, you know?"

The merchant looks nervous, his posture shrinking as he stammers, "I guess… I thought 'items' meant clothes as well? Not what you wanted? Sorry for that… If you must, you don't need to pay me the 1 million. To be honest, I was desperate to sell my wares, and your offer sounded like a win to me. 1 million even if I sell nothing? Since this only takes one day of my time, I figured I'd give it a shot. Please just… keep your girl away from me… I'm sorry!"

"... Don't worry about her," Alex replies, waving off the comment. "Well, I actually like these clothes, even though they aren't what I was looking for. I guess I'm so focused on fighting and acquiring powerful items, I didn't bother much about clothes. Can't become a Floor Master looking like a beggar, right? How much for these shirts? Might as well throw you a bone. You look like you're on your last legs, my friend."

The merchant sighs deeply, looking defeated. "I guess I'm a bad merchant if it's that obvious. But these shirts are genuine designer pieces from decades ago! Rare collector's items, created by the fam—"

"STOP!" Alex cuts him off, narrowing his eyes. "I know you're bullshitting me. The Hunter Association told you explicitly I don't want fakes, didn't they?"

The merchant freezes, his confidence crumbling. "I… you… how…?" He stutters before admitting, "I… okay, maybe they aren't entirely original. Why do you even want them then?"

"They might be fake," Alex replies with a smirk, "but they look cool to me. Their uniqueness fits my future image as a Floor Master. And honestly, I just wanted to throw you some money. I've already passed four merchants, and I'm trying to spend something here."

The merchant looks relieved but still hesitant. "Just take them… but pay me the 1 million, okay? That way, I'll survive the month at least."

Alex chuckles. "You know what? I like your honesty. 1 million Jenny—for each shirt."

He pulls out two bundles of cash from his bag and tosses them onto the table. The merchant scrambles to catch them, his face lighting up with gratitude. Alex carefully bags the shirts, immediately storing them in his bag.

As he walks away, he fights hard to suppress a grin, thinking, NO WAY. I got them both for free! What a win! Thank god they're fakes! The fact that these fakes were created by geniuses is far more important than those shitty original designs! I think I'll keep the [Noble Shirt] for myself and maybe ask Rishi or Tereza if they want the other. Rishi could really use the [Elegant Shirt]. His Stamina is trash since he can't gain any PHY. It might help make up for that weakness. Plus, the look totally suits his style—elegant and pretentious, like him.

The remaining merchants glance at Alex with newfound interest, realizing that he's actually willing to spend money and isn't just wasting their time.

The sixth and seventh merchants eagerly present their wares, both offering a variety of weapons. Alex examines the goods with rising horror as none of them are recognized by the system. He sifts through countless swords, axes, and daggers, tossing them back onto the tables with disgust.

"YOU SUCK!" he exclaims, glaring at the merchants as frustration boils over. 

These are all shit! Fuck you! I want something good, and I'm willing to spend all I got!

The merchants exchange insulted looks but ultimately sigh in resignation, too intimidated to argue.

Menchi looks at Alex in confusion, her hands on her hips. "What's wrong? Nothing catching your interest? You're pretty hard to please, I gotta say. Also, those shirts you bought were awful! What do you even want with them? I don't get you at all. And these swords—honestly, they look decent enough to me."

Alex sighs and shakes his head. "No… this is all shit, Menchi. I'll explain it to you later. Nothing of value here, not for me. Anyway, I'm moving on. Three more merchants to go."

With that, Alex briskly walks toward the next two merchants, carefully inspecting their wares. However, it doesn't take long for him to realize it's yet another complete bust. Nothing. Not a single thing of value, he thinks bitterly. His patience is wearing thin as his gaze shifts to the final merchant—the one who greeted him at the start.

Only one guy left. The guy who welcomed me. Alex narrows his eyes. What arrogance, taking the last position on purpose… acting as if he knew I wouldn't spend my money beforehand.

Slowly, Alex turns and makes his way toward the final merchant, recalling his weird name: Bruno Dianata. The man exudes smug confidence, the corners of his mouth curling into a subtle, knowing smile. This is the merchant who organized the event, the man who made sure everything was set up "just for him."

Without holding back, Alex aggressively confronts him: "So… did you invite all these scammers just to piss me off? Was this your plan? To make me upset and then get me to overspend when I finally take a look at your wares? Because I've got to tell you, I'm so pissed right now, I don't even know if I should bother looking."

Bruno raises his hands, maintaining an air of calm. "Why… I never! Hunter Kerber, please, you are misunderstanding me entirely," he says smoothly, his voice as slick as oil. "Also, for your information, some of the items you so quickly dismissed are, in fact, original and fairly priced. I find myself questioning your criteria for choosing items." He pauses, giving Alex a confident smirk. "Anyway, please—take a look. I'm certain you'll regret it if you don't."

"Then let's see what you've got," Alex snaps, his tone sharp. "Or if this has all been a giant waste of my time!"

Bruno's smile widens as he reaches for a piece of cloth covering his wares. With a theatrical flourish, he playfully lifts the cloak, revealing what lies beneath.

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