The dark-faced man was choked by Kurosaki Rei's words. He stood there in silence for quite a while before finally leaving. Clearly, his pockets weren't deep enough, and he knew Kurosaki Rei wouldn't budge.
Kurosaki Rei didn't care. He knew the true value of a mastery scroll like this—far beyond any full-score purple equipment. The benefits it provided were long-term and comprehensive.
The Tier-2 explorer market was fairly lively. Before long, many people stopped in front of Kurosaki Rei's stall, mainly because the two items he was selling were simply too heavyweight.
Whether it was the mastery scroll or the Legendary bloodline, both were extremely attractive to Tier-2 explorers.
"Sixty thousand Terminus Coins. I'll take it."
A tall blond man called out, his eyes fixed on the Beyond Shore Demon bloodline. He was an explorer developing toward the tank path and liked the bloodline's survivability.
"Beetle, are you dreaming? That's a 380-point Legendary bloodline. You think you can buy it for sixty thousand?"
Someone in the crowd who knew him snorted.
Legendary items usually sold for anywhere between thirty thousand and one hundred thousand Terminus Coins. A full-score main weapon, if it matched the buyer's needs, could sell at the very top of that range.
But the Beyond Shore Demon bloodline on Kurosaki Rei's stall, while not full-score, was a powerful bloodline that permanently accompanied the explorer. Its value exceeded that of a main weapon and surpassed the standard price range of most Legendary items.
That was why, even in the Tier-2 trading market, despite so many people looking, no one could actually afford it.
"Ninety thousand. I want it!"
A voice rang out from outside, instantly stirring the crowd.
As the explorers on the outer edge looked over, they saw a woman approaching. She wore frost-white light armor, and beneath the ice-forged plates, her graceful figure was faintly visible—soft feminine curves blended with a warrior's strength and resolve.
Her white hair cascaded like a waterfall, swaying gently as she walked, each strand carrying the chill of winter. Her eyes swept over the crowd, the slight upward tilt at their corners conveying unquestionable authority. Many explorers subconsciously stepped aside.
Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that her icy armor was Legendary, as was the sword at her waist. Even among Tier-2 explorers, she was undoubtedly a top-tier powerhouse.
"It's Snowwind, the leader of the Frostwind Adventurer Group. She seems even stronger now. I wonder if she'll take first place in the arena this time."
"Tsk, someone like her shows up—guess we're out of the running."
"I heard they just cleared a world recently. No wonder they're loaded."
As the restless crowd parted and Snowwind arrived at the stall, Kurosaki Rei—who had been meditating with his head lowered—finally opened his eyes. He knew a real buyer had appeared.
"Not enough."
Kurosaki Rei met Snowwind's gaze and spoke calmly. This was a bloodline item—one of the best all-around bloodlines for the early stages. Its side effects weren't unsolvable in the space. There was no way he'd sell it for under a hundred thousand.
"This bloodline comes with cannibalistic urges. The side effects aren't small. My offer is already quite high," Snowwind said.
"Whether it's controllable aside, the space has plenty of ways to deal with side effects. The attribute boosts and ultra-fast regeneration from the Beyond Shore Demon bloodline aren't something other Legendary bloodlines can match. At least one hundred and twenty thousand."
Kurosaki Rei stated his bottom line.
Snowwind frowned slightly. To be honest, she found that side effect distasteful as well. But her team's main tank desperately needed an exceptionally durable bloodline to prepare for their next world.
And what Kurosaki Rei said was true. Compared to the attribute boosts and ultra-fast regeneration, that side effect seemed almost negligible.
"Boss, maybe forget it. This thing's too expensive. The rest of the team still needs strengthening—we can't spend everything on me."
The honest-looking youth behind Snowwind spoke up. He was the Frostwind Adventurer Group's main tank—young, but very talented.
"If you don't want to die in the next world, shut up. I need you to soak damage for everyone."
Snowwind replied coldly. The youth immediately fell silent.
"Our team's liquid funds are limited. Would you accept a trade instead of pure currency?"
Snowwind looked at Kurosaki Rei.
Kurosaki Rei nodded. "Let me see what you've got first."
Snowwind took out a fruit and a stone from her storage space and handed them over for inspection.
Kurosaki Rei was initially indifferent—but after checking the details, he was shocked.
Luck Fruit
Origin: Native World No. 113213
Quality: Legendary
Item Type: Special Consumable
Requirement: Luck attribute no higher than 10
Usage: Consume
Details:
A divine fruit grown on the Tree of Fate. The first time a Luck Fruit is consumed, it permanently increases the Luck attribute by +1.
Score: 400+
Evaluation: Cherish this chance to change your fate.
Kurosaki Rei suddenly understood that the Terminus Space's evaluations might differ depending on who was reading them. Otherwise, he was confused—if this was aimed at him, what was it supposed to mean?
He didn't think his luck was particularly bad. What did it mean by "changing his fate"?
Putting the evaluation aside, he found himself tempted by the fruit.
Luck was the only attribute that couldn't be increased using free attribute points. Raising it was extremely difficult. According to what he'd learned from the space, only extremely special items or rare opportunities could increase Luck.
This fruit did exactly that—though only by one point.
Kurosaki Rei wasn't sure what its market value should be.
Even though it was a full-score Legendary item, he felt that for early-stage explorers, its practicality was far inferior to a powerful bloodline. The returns from Luck were a very long-term investment.
After the fruit, Kurosaki Rei turned his attention to the other item—the black stone.
Lucky Forging Stone
Origin: Native World No. 113213
Quality: Legendary
Item Type: Special
Durability: 3/3
Usage:
Place together with equipment inside the Enhancement Device.
Details:
A forging stone from a sacred land. When used in the Terminus Space's Equipment Enhancement Hall together with equipment, it guarantees 100% success for enhancements up to +8, as long as the equipment's quality does not exceed that of the stone.
For enhancements above +8, if enhancement fails, the Lucky Forging Stone loses 1 durability. When durability reaches zero, the stone breaks.
Note:
Equipment enhanced using a Lucky Forging Stone cannot be traded for 15 natural space days.
Likewise, equipment enhanced through lucky enhancement cannot be traded for 15 natural space days.
Score: 350
Evaluation: Be confident—you don't need this thing.
Seeing the space's evaluation of the stone, Kurosaki Rei frowned. Why did it feel like the Terminus Space was being sarcastic?
He hadn't visited the Equipment Enhancement Hall yet. He'd heard it was a massive money sink, and having played similar games in his previous life, he instinctively avoided enhancement systems.
But with something that guaranteed stability like this, it might actually be worth trying.
And acquiring it was practically risk-free. If it didn't break after use, he could resell it later—essentially getting a free guaranteed +8 enhancement.
"These are good items…"
Kurosaki Rei hesitated. The truth was, neither Luck nor enhancement assistance was an urgent need for him. The same was probably true for many explorers at this stage.
Unless Luck reached very high levels, death would still come when it was due. For low-tier explorers, a few extra physical attributes were far more practical.
Yet he also feared missing this rare opportunity to increase Luck and regretting it later.
"Boss, don't! Aren't you going to use it yourself?"
The youth behind Snowwind couldn't help speaking again. They'd worked incredibly hard to obtain that fruit.
"My Luck is already high enough for now. I don't need it. Better to convert it into team combat power."
Snowwind replied calmly, then looked back at Kurosaki Rei. "So? Two Legendary items for one of yours. That's enough, isn't it?"
Kurosaki Rei fell silent. He was still weighing whether it was worth it. Economically, it seemed sufficient—but he wasn't sure how much he truly needed Luck.
Seeing Kurosaki Rei still hesitating, Snowwind frowned slightly. She was decisive by nature and disliked dragging things out. So she took out one more item she'd kept for a long time—a piece of "junk."
"And I'll add this. You also include those two Blood Demon Art scrolls in the deal."
Kurosaki Rei looked at what she was holding.
It was… a key.
Universal Key
Origin: Terminus Space
Quality: Purple
Item Type: Special
Requirement: None
Usage:
Insert into a lock.
Details:
A low-tier universal key produced by the Terminus Space. Can open any mechanical lock up to two major quality tiers higher than itself.
Score: 200+
Evaluation: It can open most doors—and take you where you want to go.
"A key?"
Kurosaki Rei froze. For a moment, he didn't see its value.
"Judging from your stall, you're not weak. You really don't understand how valuable this is? Sometimes, it can save your life."
Snowwind said. She'd obtained this key from a chest back in Tier-1 and had gained significant benefits from it in mission worlds. As her strength increased, however, she'd had fewer chances to use it recently.
The Frostwind Adventurer Group was in a growth phase now and prioritized overall combat strength. This key was the only personal item she could afford to trade away.
Kurosaki Rei pondered her words and felt she was right. In mission worlds, even starting in prison wasn't unheard of. A high-grade universal key could do a lot.
For example, it might even open certain locked super treasure chests.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a full-score purple item with significant inherent value. Kurosaki Rei felt that if he kept pushing for more, the other side might walk away.
"Deal."
Kurosaki Rei stood up and nodded. He'd planned to bundle the Blood Demon Arts anyway—they were practically unsellable on their own.
"Pleasure doing business."
Snowwind shook hands with Kurosaki Rei. "Hopefully, we won't meet in a mission world."
Some of the surrounding explorers found her words meaningful. Many Tier-2 explorers knew of the Frostwind Adventurer Group—a team notorious for their霸道 conduct in mission worlds, often leaving no room for other explorers to survive.
Kurosaki Rei roughly understood her implication. He smiled faintly. "Let's hope so."
After the transaction, far fewer people lingered at Kurosaki Rei's stall. Most had been there for the Legendary bloodline.
Five hours passed. Kurosaki Rei was already bored and preparing to pack up and consign the mastery scroll instead, when—just before closing—a strange woman appeared.
She was petite, her entire body wrapped in black bandages, even her face covered tightly. Not a strand of hair was visible. Kurosaki Rei could only tell she was female from her figure.
"How much for the scroll?"
Her appearance was eerie, yet her voice was sweet.
"Forty thousand."
Kurosaki Rei answered casually, thinking that if her counteroffer wasn't too aggressive, he might consider it.
To his surprise, the strange woman didn't bargain at all. She simply nodded.
"Alright. Let's trade."
During the transaction, Kurosaki Rei saw her nickname.
Black Lily.
"You don't really seem like someone who needs a mastery scroll. If you get more in the future, sell them to me again."
Black Lily said after the trade. Her voice was sweet, but completely flat, devoid of emotional fluctuation—eerily so.
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