Maelis's Influence
As Maelis was questioning herself if she was a special class holder. She decided not to waste time and go inside the store and sell the core Aiden had obtained from the boss monster.
Aiden also didn't have any other questions to ask Maelis, so he decided to end the questioning there. He would probably learn more about her as they continued spending time together.
As Aiden was going to enter the shop, Maelis finally realized that he wasn't right beside her. Her mind was so distracted by that last answer of his that she stopped keeping track of him.
She got distracted because if Aiden was a special class holder, anyone would try to recruit him no matter what it took. Special classes have a big advantage over all other awakeners, they each have a special stat that they can upgrade which is not the case for normal class holders.
Those special stats were not the ones you would find normally in normal video games. For example, Luck could be one of the stats from a special class. Any type of stat can be given to special class holders, but the ones given to them are always based on their personality.
However, Maelis needed to push those thoughts aside as they were going to enter Core Expert. She wanted to make a good impression on Aiden by helping him have the best price on his core and later on when buying the rest of his equipment.
Maybe Aiden would feel indebted to her because of the effort she put into helping him.
As they entered the shop, Aiden was shocked by the beauty of the shop. It was equipped with technology he had never seen before. Every single client had someone who advised them on what they were looking for. It truly deserved to be one of the best stores in the Underground Otherworld Shop based on a quick look around.
"Hello, young sir! What can I do for you today?" A dwarf asked, welcoming him inside the shop.
The dwarf noticed Aiden wasn't actually alone and started to introduce himself to the other person who was with the young man, but he stopped himself when he saw who she was.
'Why is she here? Is he someone worth paying attention to? Is he strong?' the dwarf thought, looking at Aiden to see what he had missed when he had first seen him.
But after looking at Aiden for a few seconds, he didn't notice anything unusual. In his eyes, Aiden even looked weak, so why would someone of her caliber be coming with him into this shop?
He acted as if he didn't notice who she was and continued doing this job normally because the eyes she gave him clearly weren't friendly and gave him the chills. He didn't want to take his chances. Who knew what she could do to him if she wished it?
"Hmm... I'm here to sell this," Aiden said as he showed the core of the boss monster, confused as to why the dwarf was looking at him with such attention.
"Oh a core from a Cyclops, that's not so rare, where did you get it young man?"
"I got it from the first trial."
"Then, you should be pretty talented to kill a boss monster on your first trial, good job," the dwarf said, not believing even a second what Aiden had just said, he thought Maelis had given it to him as some sort of gift.
No one would be stupid enough to believe that Aiden was the one who had killed the boss monster, after all.
"How much is it?" Aiden asked right away. He only wanted the money for this core, and that was it.
"I can give at most 200 Credits for it."
"Sure, that sounds good. Right?" Aiden asked as he turned around to look at Maelis, asking for her opinion.
"That seems a bit low of a price, don't you think, mister?" Maelis said her friendly attitude from earlier had disappeared.
He didn't understand why she was acting so different from earlier. It was almost as if she would kill the seller if he didn't give her what she wanted. However, Aiden seemed to notice that even when she was emitting her pressure, he couldn't even feel it. It looked like she had enough control over it to direct it onto someone.
'Is she really someone on the seventh trial? Are they all this strong? I really am nothing compared to others,' he thought.
The lies told by Maelis completely demolished the rankings and strength Aiden had given awakeners based on the trial they were at. He now thought of himself as trash when comparing himself to Maelis, thinking everyone would be as strong as her when reaching that trial.
The dwarf being under pressure from Maelis, couldn't even breathe. He surrendered immediately and gave the price of 1000 Credits instantly without even bargaining.
After the dwarf agreed to give more Credit to Aiden, Maelis released her pressure, and he could finally breathe again.
Aiden was still thinking, not noticing the scene in front of him.
'Who is she? For her to be able to even influence sellers from one of the best shops in the Underground Otherworld Shop(UOS),' Aiden thought, now starting to doubt the identity she had given him and the answers she told him earlier.
'Is she trustworthy, or would she betray like all the others when she learns I have no class?' thought Aiden, thinking about the reaction of his teammates in the first trial when they learned he didn't have a class.
"There, 1000 Credits," the dwarf said as he handed them to Aiden.
Cough! Cough!
The dwarf coughed to get the attention of Aiden, who was completely lost in his thoughts. Not caring about anything that was surrounding him.
"1000?! wasn't it 200 Credits? Why are you giving me so much?" Aiden asked, confused by the amount he was being given. He thought that if Maelis put some pressure on the seller, he would up the price to a maximum of 300 Credits, but he was actually giving him 5 times the original price.
"Not much reason behind it. If you want to know why I gave you so much, ask her; now, scram, I won't give you more," the dwarf said, gritting his teeth while pointing toward the door, indicating them to leave.
Something was weird, and he knew it was related to the identity of Maelis, but he didn't know who she was exactly. Thinking about it, he didn't care who she was. That is...until she kept giving those benefits everywhere they went. Maybe he would be able to get a good dagger with her help.