Making friends for the first time

Seeing Klaus's enthusiastic smile, Nia and Asha were taken aback. They couldn't understand why he was so happy. The stones were indeed valuable, but his level of excitement left them surprised.

"I only have 500 of these stones, and as I mentioned, I already have someone lined up to buy them. So I can only sell you 300 along with the other high-grade stones. I hope you two sisters won't take offense," Klaus said.

"Not at all, Selling 300 to us is more than generous. We wouldn't want to take everything," Nia replied with a smile.

"These are all medium-grade white zombie stones, and according to the market value, each is worth 5,000 gold coins. However, since we are cutting into someone else's market, we'll be buying each for 7,000 gold coins. I hope Brother Klaus doesn't mind," Nia said gently.

Klaus's eyes widened upon hearing that. He knew the stones were valuable, but he never imagined they could be that expensive. And what did they mean by asking if he wouldn't mind? Big Daddy Klaus needed money, so even if they inflated the prices to a million coins, he wouldn't hesitate to accept. He could settle the debt later, but for now, he needed the cash.

"Well, I'll thicken my skin and accept your generosity," Klaus said, a bit bashful but clearly pleased.

"Great! As promised, we'll multiply the total sales by 20. So for the white zombie stones, everything will come to 42 million," Nia said and Klaus nearly fell on his butt.

"As for the high-grade stones, we can offer you 30,000 gold coins for the Tier 3 ones, which include the medium grade, and 100,000 gold coins for the Tier 4. And yes, the 20 times multiplier still applies here as well," Nia said. As Klaus tried to compose himself, another shockingly good offer came his way, making his eyes go even wider.

"So, the total comes to 47 million gold coins. I hope Brother Klaus is okay with this arrangement," Nia said, clearly enjoying Klaus's stunned reaction as she summed up the numbers.

"Are you kidding me? This is more than enough," Klaus said, his face a mix of satisfaction and disbelief. He was astounded by their generosity and wondered who these people were and how they could afford this much. He was out out of words.

"Good, I'm glad to see you're pleased with the transaction. Can I have your number so I can transfer the money into your account?" Nia asked. Just as Klaus was basking in his happiness, her question made his smile freeze.

"Is everything alright?" Nia noticed his smile vanish and felt a pang of worry. Had she said something wrong?

"Well, how should I put this? I don't have a phone, nor do I have a bank account," Klaus admitted, feeling embarrassed. It was expected to exchange numbers and complete transactions at this point, but Big Daddy Klaus didn't even have a phone.

Nia sighed in relief when she heard his response. For a moment, she thought she had made a mistake or something, but now a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Well, that's inconvenient," she said with a smile. "So, how should we finalize our transaction?"

"That's actually quite simple," Klaus said, turning to Anna. "You can transfer the funds to Fairy Anna here. She and I are practically best friends," Klaus said, winking at Anna, who looked stunned.

"When did we become friends?" Anna wondered a little out loud. In truth, Klaus could have chosen anyone, but he was closer to Anna. Since she owed him a favor and was the daughter of the richest man in Ross City, he knew she wouldn't take advantage of him. Besides, 47 million was like a single drop in a mighty ocean for her family.

"It breaks my heart to hear that, Fairy Anna. I thought of us as friends, and it saddens me that you didn't see it the same way," Klaus said with a dramatic, hurtful look. Anna quickly realized her remark was overheard by others.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Anna said, flustered. "I just didn't realize you still considered me a friend after we parted ways. Big Sister Nia, I'll accept his money if you don't mind." She stepped forward and stopped in front of Nia.

Nia and Asha exchanged uneasy glances. They felt a sense of urgency seeing Klaus and Anna so close. They were there to recruit Klaus before any family noticed him, but from the looks of things, they might already be too late. Anna had clearly earned Klaus's trust, and she might have informed her family about him.

"Sister Nia, you don't have to worry. My family doesn't know anything about him, and even I don't know much," Anna whispered, catching the shift in their mood. Hearing her words, Nia and Asha sighed in relief. Anna also sighed seeing they easily believed her.

Nia quickly took Anna's number and transferred the money into her account. Klaus, standing to the side, smiled as he saw the funds land in Anna's account. He had finally received the money needed to move his mother to the city and start a new, more relaxed life together.

"So, how will you be receiving your money?" Anna asked, looking at Klaus.

"You don't have to worry. I'll contact you when I need it. I just need to get a phone. This should give me another reason to call you, don't you think?" Klaus said with a smile. The blush on Anna's cheeks was endearing.

"Big Sister Nia, here are the zombie stones," Klaus said, handing the stones to Nia.

"Here is my card. When you get a phone, you can contact me and sell more zombie stones if you have any," Nia said with a slight blush as she handed her card to Klaus. 

Asha giggled behind Nia, clearly delighted by how flustered her sister had become over such a small gesture. "Brother Klaus, here's my card too. You can call me anytime you want," Asha said, handing her card to Klaus. Her expression was playful, with a hint of mischief. She clearly doesn't have that many reservations like her sister Nia.

"Brother Klaus, I'm Mark. Here's my card. You can call me when you get a phone," Mark said, stepping forward and giving Klaus his card.

"Hi, I'm Kay. Here's my card as well. If you ever come to Hamid City, you can ask for me," Kay added, passing his card to Klaus.

"I'm Kilian, and this is my sister, Lily. We're from Felin City. Whenever you're there, you can reach out to us. We'll be happy to show you around," Kilian said, handing over his card along with Lily's.

"Big Brother Klaus, I'm Daniel, and this is my friend Danny. We're from Guan City, members of the Large Hammer Mercenary group. If you ever find yourself in Guan City, feel free to contact us," Daniel said, presenting his card along with Danny's.

Just when Klaus thought it was all, all the young men and women who had been with Anna stepped forward. They all handed in their contact details clearly wanting to have him as a friend.

Klaus was blown away. In his life, the number of times he has interacted with people was when they looked down on him when doing his janitorial work. Now, handing over their card as a sign of friendship is some of the genius in the Northern Union. He was clearly surprised by their gesture.

"Thanks, everyone. I'll reach out right after I get a phone," Klaus said, storing the contact cards carefully.

Nia smiled warmly. "We're glad to have earned so much from you today, Klaus. Now that we've wrapped things up, we should all be heading home. It's been quite a day."

"Yes, it's getting late," Asha added. "I'm looking forward to some rest."

Kilian and Lily nodded in agreement. "We're heading back to Felin City soon. It's been a pleasure meeting you."

Kay looked at Mark and then said, "We should be going as well. Hamid City is quite a distance away."

Daniel and Danny exchanged glances. "We'll be returning to Guan City," Daniel said. "It's a long journey for us too."

Klaus hesitated, feeling a bit awkward. "Actually, I'm planning to continue my hunt for a bit longer."

Nia looked surprised. "You're not heading home yet? It's getting dark, and the forest can be dangerous at night."

Klaus shrugged slightly. "I still have some energy left. Besides, I want to take advantage of the remaining daylight. More monsters to kill and level up too" he smiled slightly.

Anna, just smile looking at Klaus. It's clear the soon-to-be white-haired young man has no plans to go home anytime soon. "If you're sure, then I wish you luck. Just be careful out there."

The group nodded, the with a final round of goodbyes, they all prepared to head their separate ways. Klaus watched them leave, feeling both excited and nervous. This time, he has made friends, however, the danger he keeps sensing keeps getting stronger by the second.

"20,000 more points to advance to the next level and ascend," Klaus muttered as he checked his progress bar.

"A few more monsters should do it," he decided, setting off toward the forest's first entrance. The forest was vast, and the zombies he had encountered so far had come from just one area. He hoped to find more zombies in the other parts of the forest. The zombies give more EXP points than the monsters.

Hours passed and Klaus kept hunting monster after monster while keeping track of his progress bar, "Just 1,000 more points and I'll break through to the Ascended stage. However, this unknown danger is daunting."

"Tsk, what's there to be scared of? Whatever danger comes, I'll face it head-on," Klaus said with determination. 

Moments later, a Tier 3 monster emerged from the shadows. With a swift diagonal slash of his sword, Klaus killed it instantly.

As the monster fell, a deep rumble echoed through the heavens. Klaus felt a chill as his hair stood on end. At that exact moment, his level-up message appeared.

[You have leveled up. Current Level: Level 12 Awakened. You have received 200 Stat Points.]

But then, another message flashed across his vision:

[Get Ready for your Tribulation. The Lightning descends in 5 Minutes.]

Klaus's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he shouted.