Force of Nature

Mike's eyes scanned the equipment list, with notes appearing next to each item name.

[Shadow Slave, upgradable 3 times, reaches level 60 (A-grade quality) when fully upgraded!]

[Soul Wailer, upgradable 6 times, reaches level 80 (S-grade quality) when fully upgraded!]

[...]

While checking the notes, Mike didn't forget to compare the prices of these items.

[Shadow Slave] 300,000 gold coins, [Soul Wailer] 150,000 gold coins...

From a potential standpoint, the latter was clearly stronger, yet it was only half the price of the former. The reason was that [Shadow Slave] had a solid base panel and was suitable for dark mages, while [Soul Wailer] leaned towards the soul class, a less popular choice.

Of course, they had one thing in common—Mike couldn't afford either of them.

Mike only had 100,000 gold coins in his pocket, which was worth over a hundred million dollars, yet he couldn't afford a single upgradable staff!

As Mike browsed through the staffs, Foreskin suddenly exclaimed, "The head honchos at Mystic Market just sent out a notice—all lower-tier equipment starts at 20% off!"

"Really? That sounds too good to be true," Mike said, skeptical that this might be some kind of sales gimmick.

"Bro, you must to thank Thor," Foreskin said with a sigh. "These discounts are cast wide to provide resources for the new generation. Thor is definitely one of them and will enjoy these benefits too!"

Clearly, Mystic Market wouldn't drop prices without a reason; the Defense Headquarters must be involved somehow.

The Soul Wailer, originally priced at 150,000, would be 120,000 with the discount. Mike figured he could scrape together enough to afford it.

"More news just in!" Foreskin's eyes bulged, almost screaming in disbelief, "Mage-class equipment is selling at 50% off, but only to mages under level 30, and each mage can only enjoy this discount once!"

Half off!

"It's madness! Complete madness!" Foreskin shook his head, baffled by the crazy world. "One guy, Thor, and he's causing all this stir!"

"By your words, I should really be thanking this Thor guy—he's saving me a ton of money," Mike said, unable to suppress a laugh.

At half off, Mike could consider any equipment priced under 200,000 gold coins!

That's like handing Mike a cool 100,000 gold coins—1 billion dollars!

"We really owe 'Thor' big time," Mike agreed.

Foreskin, who hadn't seen such a scene before, mused, "According to the previous job transfer announcement, Thor is a mage class, which is why we're seeing these crazy half-off deals!"

"If I ever meet Thor, I owe him a dinner," Mike chimed in earnestly.

And he wasn't kidding—Mike was metaphorically 'feeding' Thor every day with his gratitude.

With the half-off discount, Mike suddenly had a lot more options!

Eventually, from hundreds of pieces of equipment, Mike picked out a staff made from thunderstruck wood: [Force of Nature].

The attributes of the Force of Nature looked pretty standard.

However, it was a rare dual-element staff, [Lightning] and [Wood], enhancing magic skills of both types significantly and also featured upgradable properties. It was listed at a high price of 180,000 gold coins.

"180,000, after the discount, 90,000 gold coins."

Mike expertly haggled with the seller,

"Come on, give me a break, it's not made of gold."

"This is worth more than gold!"

"..."

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of back-and-forth, Foreskin couldn't hold out and gave Mike another break.

"After the discount, 80,000 gold coins, and I'll throw in 60 Tower of Truth returners, 5 level-10 gold scrolls, and 12 level-15 combat golems!"

"Deal!"

Mike was pleased with the price.

Even without counting the freebies, just the leftover 10,000 gold coins were worth millions—enough to buy a ton of hot dogs, right?

After they verbally agreed, Foreskin immediately messaged Mystic Market to have the goods delivered.

An 80,000 gold coin deal wasn't something he closed every day!

Most importantly, the upgradable equipment Mike bought was from a less popular, slow-selling category. Most people wouldn't waste their money on such equipment.

Mystic Market was stuck with a bunch of equipment that couldn't be converted into liquid assets, which was a real pain!

This deal was a win-win for both parties.

While waiting for his equipment to arrive, Mike decided to pick Foreskin's brain about some Trade Secret Realm stuff. As long as it wasn't top secret, Foreskin was like an open book.

"So, you mentioned before that Mystic Market isn't just for buying, you can consign stuff too?" Mike asked, feigning casual interest.

"Absolutely, fair to all ages, and no fees whatsoever!" Foreskin boasted, "Even if you go anonymous, we don't charge a dime!"

"Now that's a unicorn—no fees at all," Mike squinted slightly, sensing that Mystic Market must have some heavy hitters backing it, maybe even a whiff of [Defense Headquarters]! Otherwise, where would those hefty discounts come from?

With that thought, Mike opened his mouth again, "I have a friend..."

"Cough, cough."

Foreskin couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.

Just say it's you, man. What's with this 'I have a friend' every day?

What, is your special talent [Making Friends Out of Thin Air]?

"He's got something he wants to consign anonymously."

Foreskin nodded, easy peasy.

"What's the item, and what's the asking price?"

"A rock."

Mike pulled out a stone from his backpack, a key item for unlocking a hidden level in the newbie instance!

With the help of [Eye of Truth], a note floated above the stone:

[This is just an ordinary rock. What, you want to sell it for a fortune? Who's gonna pay big bucks for a lousy rock?]

"Can this rock be sold?" Mike asked, holding up the stone.

Seeing the rock, Foreskin was also a bit taken aback.

"It can be sold, but... does it have any special features?"

Mike: "It has the special feature of being sold for a lot."

Foreskin: ...

"What method of sale do you want to use?"

"Anonymous auction, highest bidder within the time limit gets it."

"Alright, what should we set the starting bid at? 5,000 gold coins?"

Five thousand gold coins—that was the limit of Foreskin's imagination.

An ordinary rock fetching 5,000 gold coins would be a story to tell for a lifetime!

It's like selling a rock for the price of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!

Mike pondered, "Let's set the starting bid at 1 million gold coins."

To the average Joe, it's just a plain rock. Even under the scrutiny of [Eye of Truth], it's nothing special. 

But Mike knew better; this was the trigger item for the hidden level in the newbie instance, a testament to the human race's first successful completion of the newbie stage! That's the added value on this rock.

As for whether anyone would be willing to shell out such a hefty sum for a commemorative stone, Mike wasn't sure. But hey, consigning items was free, so if it didn't sell, no skin off his back. And if it did sell? Mike would be laughing all the way to the bank!

"Alright, I'll set that up for you. One month time limit, okay?" Foreskin confirmed some details and finally placed the stone in the [Mystic Market] auction house.

Finally, Mike's long-awaited [Force of Nature] arrived.

"We need to create a trade contract under the witness of a secret realm sprite, ensuring that the buyer of this staff is a mage under level 30, and it's their first time enjoying a 50% discount at Mystic Market..." After signing several contracts, Foreskin summoned a secret realm sprite, and the deal was sealed.

The slightly cumbersome procedure ensured that each transaction was as fair and just as possible. Once everything was settled, [Force of Nature] was officially handed over to Mike.

"Have a great life, and if you need anything, feel free to connect with me anytime!" Foreskin watched as Mike left the Trade Secret Realm.

A merchant familiar with him called out, "Foreskin, where did you find that guy willing to spend big bucks on upgradable equipment?"

Upgradable equipment was a nightmare for all merchants—expensive and hard to sell.

"Who knows," Foreskin shrugged, explaining, "Suppose he can identify the conditions for upgrading?"

"Suppose my future son-in-law turns out to be Thor?"

"Stop dreaming! Such good fortune doesn't just fall into your lap!"

"Foreskin, you made a killing today, how about buying everyone a round?"