Episode 111: Downtown (2)
As a result of the EX-class quest, all the characters in the world of this game have been replaced, and there will have been many changes to the dynamic elements related to them.
One of them is the event boss, or field boss, like the masked gentleman.
It’s still a mystery how it ended up on Dungeon Island, but at least it doesn’t seem to be causing any trouble.
Even if you say that, all you do is perform a magic show like that and occasionally throw a hidden piece to the audience, so there’s no need to take any special measures.
The bachelor’s side must have known about it, but judging from the fact that they left it alone without punishing it, it seems like they judged it not to be a dangerous factor.
However, the fact that the event boss entered the dungeon island meant that there was a possibility that other field bosses would enter, so it was enough to raise awareness.
It would be a good idea to ask Shin Byeong-cheol later to find out some trends.
After the magic show, I continued walking around and looking at calligraphers and other things.
Arrived at our first destination.
I showed the calligrapher the voucher I received last night.
“The butler said to get one each for you and me over there.”
“huh…….”
He nods when I tell him that I’ll fit him with equipment, but like Ahn Jung-mi said, he doesn’t seem very interested.
As we entered the store with the calligrapher, a kind-looking middle-aged woman greeted us.
“Let’s go in and take a look. Maybe. If we look around, we’ll find something we like.”
He nods when I tell him that I’ll fit him with equipment, but like Ahn Jung-mi said, he doesn’t seem very interested.
As we entered the store with the calligrapher, a kind-looking middle-aged woman greeted us.
The atmosphere is closer to that of a boss than a clerk.
And the ears aren’t pointy at all.
“Welcome—oh my, first-years?”
“hello.”
“The cute guests have arrived.”
And they look at us one after another and smile happily, but I think they are having some big misunderstanding.
I don’t want to bother correcting it, so I’ll just move on for now.
Although the lady welcomed us kindly as guests, she didn’t seem to have any particular expectations.
The unit price of magic tools is all expensive, so how likely is it that a first-year student would buy them, and if they did, how good would they be?
In order to have smooth communication later, it is better to start by revealing that you have purchasing power.
So he took out two [Exchange Tickets – Gwijaengi Magic Tool Shop (B)] and continued speaking.
“I’m going to use this.”
“… … !”
The manager’s eyes widened.
B-rank exchange tickets are only used occasionally by third-year students, but the freshmen brought two of them.
Didn’t the words sales, performance, and achievement immediately come to mind?
He was already friendly, but he became even more friendly as he guided us to one area.
“The B-rank corner is this way. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“I’d like to take a look around first.”
“Okay, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Keywords that are closely related to elves and nobles include archery, earth magic, and nature.
Most of the items in this magic tool shop are of that type.
It doesn’t fit well with my tendency to pursue aggressive magic and the calligrapher’s tendency to wear equipment focused on magic engineering.
However, it is an item that is useful regardless of class.
“Let’s focus on accessories.”
“huh.”
I just narrowed the scope like this and watched quietly for the time being.
Because it’s ideal to choose what you want.
“… … .”
But it must have still been a difficult request for a calligrapher.
Most people just pass it by, and some check out the options out of curiosity, but quickly lose interest and put it down.
Eventually, I continued watching and made a suggestion.
“Do you want to go with the one I choose?
I think it would be better for me to show one or two of them and follow the reactions afterwards.
The calligrapher faced me and slowly shook his head up and down.
As soon as I entered the store, I already knew all the items with decent performance.
Among them, he showed me one that the calligrapher would like and asked.
[Vision collection glasses]
▷Collects the sight of random targets within a certain range.
“How about this?”
“good.”
I agree right away.
… … without even looking properly.
I showed you the item number two that I had chosen for testing.
[Concussion Earrings]
▷Long-range attacks have a certain probability of inflicting the enemy with the ‘Concussion’ status effect.
“What is this?”
“good.”
[Knockback Bracelet]
▷Ranged attacks have a certain probability of pushing enemies back.
“This too?”
“good.”
Even items that you had just lost interest in and put down are said to be good.
I’m starting to get the feeling.
‘It’s all good if I just choose.’
Mission success, no matter what you give.
Naturally, you will develop an attachment to it, so it will work out just as Ahn Jung-mi intended.
But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with giving just anything.
If you give it, it will be the best item possible.
At that moment, the owner approached us with a friendly smile.
It was like a ghost catching the fact that we had only just taken a quick look around.
“Do you like anything?”
I’ve already made a list in my head of items that have somewhat usable options and even ranked them.
But I pretended not to like it and answered in an ambiguous manner.
“I don’t know. It seems useful, but… … .”
“Don’t be like that, choose. Since you’re using two vouchers, I’ll give you a lot of service.”
They also added a C-rank accessory as a service.
Instead of answering that suggestion, I asked another question.
“Excuse me, can I take a look around the warehouse in the back?”
In addition to the products displayed on the shelves, this magic tool store also has a warehouse filled with bad inventory that just won’t sell.
“Who told you that story?”
“My seniors said there was a lot to see there too.”
“Kids too.”
The boss let out an awkward laugh, saying he could guess where it came from.
I just made a rough outline, but I got caught up in it.
The boss’s worries were short.
Since it’s a warehouse, we’re a bit reluctant to let customers in, but we have customers who brought in two B-rank coupons.
You’ll want to match it as much as possible.
If you’re lucky, you might be able to dispose of some of the bad inventory.
“I’m just showing you this once. You can’t go around bragging like your seniors, right?”
“thank you.”
The boss guided us into the warehouse.
The point was that the areas were divided by rank.
However, the items were not displayed in a way that was pleasing to the eye, and were stored in a way that made it difficult to tell what was there, which greatly reduced my desire to buy.
“… … .”
The calligrapher, as before, was not very interested.
I too would pick up this item and that item and put it down with a nonchalant attitude.
But with his eyes he was quickly scanning dozens of items.
‘It didn’t sell as expected.’
And among them, some items caught my eye.
In the current situation, it would be best to take them.
I thought it would be strange if I just told them what I wanted after only entering the warehouse, so I waited a little longer and looked through it.
Then I asked the manager.
“You said you would give me a service if I used both vouchers.”
“Then, I’ll give you something good?”
“Then, including the service, can I take three from here?”
Instead of two B-rank items on the counter and one C-rank bonus, you can exchange two vouchers for one C-rank item.
What I’m saying is, how about selling the B-rank sets in this warehouse?
“… … .”
The CEO was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected proposal, but soon seemed to be doing some quick math.
The question of ‘Isn’t three B-classes a loss?’ comes to mind, but business isn’t something you can calculate based on rank alone.
Popular items on display are expensive, but if you wait, they will eventually sell and make a profit.
On the other hand, there is no guarantee that items that just collect dust day after day will be sold or not, even if it takes several years.
In that case, it is not a loss to give away three bad stock items rather than two display items.
Even if you discount it a little more.
He asks me again, in a friendly manner, if I have finished counting.
“What are you trying to take?”
“This and this… … .”
I pointed to the items I had marked in advance, one by one.
A large piece of wood cut into pieces the size of an armful.
[Processed Fairy Tree (B)]
A thick tree branch with palm-sized leaves and a refreshing green color.
[Branches of the World Tree (B)]
A pretty, craft-like glass bottle containing a translucent gas.
[Fairy Queen’s Blessing (B)]
The owner asked me if the items I had chosen were quite unexpected.
“That’s strange. No one was looking for this. What are you going to do with it?”
“I want to try making something with my friends and seniors.”
“It’s used in production.”
Only then did the CEO become convinced.
If it’s for production purposes, you can try using materials that aren’t commonly used.
The rank is a bit high to waste on trying, but that’s not something the seller should worry about.
You pay two vouchers and take ownership of a set of items you selected from the warehouse.
The lady greeted us as she escorted us to the door.
“Thank you, come again.”
* * *
We moved a little away from the downtown area to a relatively quiet place.
A lounge area lined with folding tables.
It’s a great place to sit and get some fresh air in the evening, but there’s no one there right now.
Grab a table and sit across from each other,
I took a leaf off [a branch of the World Tree].
Some of the fresh green color that the tree branches had taken on is falling off along with the leaves.
And the calligrapher took it and attached it to the [processed fairy tree].
“ruler.”
“huh.”
“here.”
“huh.”
“Try to stick it on properly.”
“Step by step.”
As I kept taking them off and the calligrapher kept adding them, the fairy tree became covered with green leaves without any gaps, while the side branches, on the other hand, became more and more bare.
And the moment the last leaf was removed, the mysterious aura the branch had been holding disappeared as well.
Now it’s just some good quality wood.
The value of the B-grade item had dropped in an instant, but I was still undaunted.
[Fairy Queen’s Blessing] was slowly sprinkled on the fairy tree covered with leaves.
As the leaves gradually became more alive, they unfolded like buds blooming, as if they were alive.
However, the fairy tree that had been there had disappeared without a trace, and instead, a jewel box that seemed to have been made by weaving together grass and wood was left there.
[Fairy Queen’s Jewel Box (B+)]
A random box made by combining materials related to the noble.
It’s half a level higher than what you got in the Black Room at B+ rank.
Of course, if that was all, I wouldn’t have tried my luck with the random box, even if it was a B+.
‘This drop information is not known.’
What comes out, and roughly what probability does each drop have.
If you calculate it based on that, unless you are really unlucky like Ko Hyun-woo, you will not suffer any loss.
‘And if a calligrapher opens this… … .’
I don’t know what will happen even more.
Still, I want to increase the probability as much as possible just in case.
I opened my mouth cautiously, looking at the calligrapher.
“There’s that card you just got.”
“… … .”
Before the last words were said, the calligrapher took out the [Lucky Trump Card] that she had just received from the gentleman.
And then he asks with his eyes if it’s okay to write here.
When I nodded,
– Flash!
The trump card glowed brightly and was absorbed into the jewel box.
The probability of high-grade items appearing has increased, and the probability of blank items appearing has decreased.
The calligrapher looked back and forth between me and the jewelry box, tilting her head slightly to the side as she asked.
“Open it?”
“Please take care of me.”
I slowly pushed the jewelry box away, and the calligrapher slowly pulled it towards her.
And then, after looking down for a moment, the moment I opened the jewelry box,
– Phew!
The clouds erupted like an explosion, covering the entire area.
