Getting scammed?

As Roy said, August is heading to the Association task center, navigating through the bustling road lined with vendors selling their gathered or hunted goods. Aurora who was coiled around his neck, observing the passing crowd.

"Hey, young man," a man with slitted eyes called out to August. Near him, some flashy-looking weapons and items were laid out on a carpet.

"Check out this weapon," the seller beckoned, bringing out a double-edged sword with a crystal imbued in the handle. Seeing the weapon, August grew curious.

Hehe, a new fish caught in the net early morning; today must be a lucky day, the seller chuckled to himself. "This is a weapon created using a rank 3 beast core," he boasted, smiling like a fox.

"And do you see this logo?" The seller pointed to a symbol on the hilt of the weapon. "This is the mark of a master rune Smith, making this weapon priceless."

"But for you, I can offer it at a discount, only 10,000C. What do you say? Are you interested?" The seller's eyes narrowed even further after stating the price of the weapon.

Does he take me for an idiot? It's just a rank one beast core weapon, August thought to himself as he used inspect on the weapon, seeing through the seller's scam.

[Steel sword]

Rank: 1

Grade: Basic

Enhancements: Sharp edge ]

Only one enhancement, and it's only a basic one? He must be thinking of scamming me, August thought, smiling inwardly as he decided to play along. "Hmm, it's too expensive. Can you lower the price?" he asked, feigning interest. "Let me take a closer look at the weapon."

"Sure, sir, but handle it with care," the seller cautioned as he handed the weapon and its sheath to August.

"Hmm," August murmured, adopting the demeanor of an expert as he began examining every detail of the weapon.

"This weapon is made solely of steel, without any mana-infused metal, and the core doesn't emit mana from a higher-ranked beast. Furthermore, there's only a basic-rank rune," August confidently asserted, bullshitting about his knowledge of the weapon. He then glanced at the seller, whose face started to sweat even in the cold weather.

"Do you honestly expect to sell this subpar item at such a high price?" August's cold gaze bore into the seller, intensifying the man's panic.

I thought today was going well, but encountering an expert appraiser was unexpected. I need to find a way out of this; time to put on a show. "Expert, please forgive me for trying to deceive you. I have two little daughters at home who haven't eaten in two days because of their poor father," the seller pleaded, holding August's hand and feigning tears.

This guy is quite the schemer, even concocting a story on the spot. August couldn't help but marvel at the seller's acting skills, which made it seem like he genuinely had starving daughters at home.

"Enough of the act, or I'll let my pet take care of you," August warned, as Aurora hissed menacingly at the seller, silencing him. August proceeded to inspect the items. "Let me choose something, or I'll expose your scam to everyone."

"O-Okay, but please don't tell anyone," the seller pleaded, feeling as though he had been duped. He watched anxiously as August sifted through his items, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes.

August meticulously inspected every item, but none caught his interest until his hands brushed against a black stick covered in dust. Removing the dust, he used inspect on the weapon.

[Shadowstrike Blade]

Rank: 2

Grade: Superior

Enhancements: Shadow Cut, Phantom Aura ]

It's a blade? I thought it was more like a staff that would lengthen when infused with mana. But it's a blade with rank 2 and superior grade, and two enhancements? Does he not realize the value of this? Glancing at the seller, August dismissed the notion that this scammer would let something like this languish in his collection.

"Hup," August grunted as he attempted to draw the blade from its scabbard, but it remained stubbornly stuck.

It must have seized up from sitting for so long, August surmised. He infused his hands with mana to enhance their strength, but to his surprise, the sword slid smoothly out of its scabbard without any effort.

The seller's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets. How could it be? I thought it was my grandfather's walking stick. Damn my luck; today is turning out to be a disaster. I need to get home quickly before I encounter more misfortune.

So it was a weapon with a mana lock, like a storage pouch. The sword was straight and black, with a single edge approximately 60cm long, its gleaming edge catching the sunlight as August held it aloft.

"I'll take this one," August declared as he sheathed the blade in front of the seller, whose face betrayed a hint of frustration before he quickly masked it with a fake smile, concealing his irritation.

"I can't?" August questioned the seller, while Aurora hissed more insistently.

"Just take it and please spare me," the seller pleaded, shaking his head and hastily packing his items into his storage pouch.

"See you around," August said with a sly smile as he began to walk away, heading towards the task center.

As August departed, the seller's thoughts raced. 'I should avoid encountering him,' he thought, quickening his pace and heading in a different direction to avoid any further confrontation with August.

After some time, August arrived at the task center. It resembled the association branch but was smaller, and most visitors were either awakened individuals or beast tamers.

Approaching the counter, he requested a cold resistance charm. While he could have purchased one from the roadside vendors for a cheaper price, he knew they might be defective, and he couldn't risk venturing into the wild with faulty equipment.

A worker led him to the storage area where he selected a charm and a handgun with five magazines, totaling 500C. The charm cost 100C, the gun 300C, and the magazines 100C. With only 20C remaining from his savings and what his mother gave him, August realized the need to earn money through beast hunting.

Money can truly change people, he mused, his initial eagerness to gain combat experience now tempered by financial concerns.

After acquiring the weapons, he installed a map on his smartwatch from the task center.

"Hmm, so this is the map around here," he observed. The map displayed areas marked in green, blue, yellow, orange, and red, indicating their levels of danger.

"I should avoid areas from yellow to red," he decided, unwilling to confront powerful beasts without sufficient strength.

"Let's head to this green area," he resolved, selecting a wooded region as his destination.