Chapter 30. Inside the Center of the Awakened.

As I crossed the threshold and entered the Center, I could feel the dense flow of mana. Perhaps it was due to the large number of awakened individuals gathered in this place. The magic that lingered in the air sometimes produced sparks of flame, mimicking the northern lights.

Notably, there were guards stationed throughout the building. They were clad in shimmering armor, as if they had stepped out of books or fantasy games. Not all the awakened within the building wore such armor; most of them were dressed in plain attire, myself included. Although I now possessed armor from "Temir," I didn't put it on for my visit to the Center.

I was also surprised to see a map of Kazakhstan displayed on a massive wall in the middle of the building. It bore luminous markings, likely indicating active portals to dungeons. Below it, there was a panel functioning as an information desk, displaying details about recently conquered dungeons. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that it only showed dungeons of rank A and higher.

After scrutinizing the map and the information below, my attention was drawn to small booths where crowds of awakened individuals chatted animatedly among themselves. Approaching one of them, I noticed a sign that read "Exchange Point." It seemed that this entire crowd of awakened had gathered solely for exchanging the trophies they had acquired in dungeons.

Following that, I observed large crowds of people bustling from one side to another, queuing up near windows, creating long lines. Some were bartering, some were selling, and others were arguing. All the rooms seemed to teem with life, even though the most astonishing thing was that the Center didn't appear as spacious from the outside.

Further on, I spotted something resembling a weapon shop from RPG games, except there was a neatly dressed salesman in place of a blacksmith, moving between awakened individuals with a smile. I couldn't contain my excitement and curiosity, so I headed straight for this "store."

Upon entering, I saw a vast array of weapons, most of which were meticulously polished and sharpened, signifying their readiness for battle. Getting closer to the weapons, I noticed the price tags, which surprised me because they were quite steep. For example, the goblin daggers I had acquired were there, but they cost $200 or more each, despite their abundance in the dungeons. At that moment, I felt regret for not collecting all the weapons I had come across down there.

"In fact, these weapons are in your inventory," Ever interjected.

"How do you mean they're in my inventory? I only collected a few types of weapons down there," I thought to myself.

"Yes, you only gathered a few pieces of weaponry, but while I was collecting materials, I also came across many weapons. That's why I had to put all those weapons into your inventory," she explained.

I almost exclaimed my gratitude to her out loud. Fortunately, I managed to contain myself and mentally thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Ever! You're the best!" After that, I approached the cashier.

"Hello, do you buy weapons from dungeons?" I asked the cashier.

By the way, the cashier was a girl who appeared to be around 17 or 18 years old, dressed more fittingly for a blacksmith. She had short, light hair, and the ends of her hair shimmered with a rich, reddish hue. She could be described as a charming young woman.

"Hello, we buy weapons at the exchange point, so you should sell your weapons there," she replied politely.

"Well, there's quite a substantial quantity of weapons. Could you at least take a look?" I asked, maintaining a polite tone.

"Alright, let's go to the room," she said, heading towards the door behind the counter.

Upon entering the room, the first thing that caught my eye was an anvil, which seemed well-worn. Then I noticed something resembling a whetstone, which European blacksmiths used in the past. Only after that did I see a sturdy table right in front of me. The girl I was following walked up to the table and gestured for me to place my weapons there.

I complied and started laying out the goblin daggers first, followed by the swords and other items I had found. The highlight of it all was the Goblin King's bloodied sword and shield. I left myself with the axe, as it was easy to wield. When she saw the goblin daggers initially, her expression displayed some form of disdain or even contempt. However, as I retrieved the rest of the weapons, such as the cleaver and the bloodied dagger, her facial expression changed.

"Do you have something to show, but are you sure you want to sell all of this?" she asked, adding, "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Altynai," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

Extending my hand in response, I said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Temir," I pronounced, shaking her hand.

"Then let's get down to business," she said.

"Yes, of course," I replied.

"Here's this dagger," she said, showing me the bloodied dagger. "It has a special feature, vampirism. Depending on the damage you deal, it restores your health. However, one of its other abilities seems to be sealed. Are you sure you want to sell it to us?" she asked at the end.

After her words, I remembered that I hadn't checked that dagger yet, and because I had decided to put everything on display, I pulled it out as well. Perhaps I should keep it for myself and study it; maybe Ever could help unlock its second ability.

"That was my mistake. I accidentally put it out here. But you can go ahead and check everything else; I'm ready to sell it all at a good price," I said confidently.

Unfortunately, when you're sure of something, doubts creep in later, and regret takes over. My hastily spoken words turned out to be a major, or rather incredibly significant, letdown for me.

She meticulously examined all the weapons for nearly an hour, evaluating them with great care. It appeared that she possessed the skill of appraisal, as she could immediately discern the properties of the bloodied dagger. By her movements and the notes she took, it was clear that she had been doing this for a long time. However, her outward appearance didn't align with the behavior of an experienced blacksmith or appraiser.

Finally, after finishing with all the weapons, she turned to me.

"From what I understand, this is the Goblin King's sword, and this is his shield, right?" she asked, hinting at a smile.

"Yes, that's right," I replied with a slightly uncertain tone.

"Since this is a paired set of weapons from a dungeon boss, they will be worth a 'good' amount of money. But in addition to being quite powerful, they also have a unique property: suppression. Weak monsters below B rank will take double damage, and their owner will gain double experience from them," she said, now unable to contain her smile.

"So, this is farming equipment, isn't it?" I asked, realizing my blunder. I wanted to retract my words, but that was not an option. Once you give your word, you have to keep it. So, gritting my teeth, I listened to her response.

"That's right. Are you sure you want to sell it?" she said with a broad smile.

After her words, I felt as if I'd been robbed, leaving me with just my underwear, and that was only because they felt sorry for me. Internally, I felt that this was only the beginning of my humiliation, as the rest of the weapons were still in front of me.

"In addition, there's this other weapon," she said, showing various types of weapons with a smile. There were a total of six pieces of weapons, such as a dagger similar to the bloodied one, a cleaver, a sword, and more. "All of these weapons will also fetch a good price because they have unique properties that add at least one more digit to their value," she added.

"I see," I said through clenched teeth, trying to suppress the urge to run away with all my weapons. But after taking a deep breath, I continued, "So, how much will I get in total?"

"That's a different question. First, I can transfer the money to you right now for all the other weapons. It will be about ten thousand dollars. If you'd like, I can transfer it to your card," she said with a modest smile, pulling out her phone.

Hearing her words, I couldn't believe it. All the other weapons, which I hadn't even wanted to take, would cost me about ten thousand dollars. Unbelievable. Thank you, great Ever. You're taking care of me in this world. I thought I wouldn't be able to earn anything in the dungeons, as all the loot goes to her, but she had calculated it and collected all this weaponry for me. With a smile on my face, I turned to Altynai.

"And how much will the rest cost?" I asked her with a broad and hopeful smile on my face.

"I'll start by enhancing the other items, and then I'll put them up for an internal auction. I think we can earn at least two hundred thousand dollars from them," she said with an even bigger smile than mine, as if trying to show how much richer she would become thanks to me.

"Oh, what percentage will you take?" I asked, weakening my smile with a slightly nervous tone. I realized that she wanted to make a substantial profit from me.

"Of course, forty percent. After all, I'll make them saleable," she said, not reducing her smile.

"Wait," I said, realizing the main detail and then asked, "Are you a blacksmith?" as if not believing what I had just said.

"Is there a problem?" she replied with a threatening tone, completely removing her smile and seemingly lowering the room's temperature.