Their conversation felt more natural than before. The distance between staff and explorer had faded, replaced by sothing closer to familiarity.
Elena leaned forward slightly, curious.
"So... what surprise do you have for today?"
Arthur waved a hand casually.
"Nothing special. Just the usual. Though I picked up sothing extra. Not sure if it’s worth anything."
He began placing the loot on the counter.
Monster cores, broken fragnts, and various materials gathered during the battle. Compared to his previous haul, the amount was smaller. The spoils had been shared among many explorers, so he couldn’t keep much for himself.
Even so, it was still valuable.
Elena examined each item carefully, her fingers moving with practiced precision as she calculated their worth. Many of the cores were damaged, cracked from being used to stop the vine monster’s advance.
"These lost a lot of value," she said gently, "but they’re still usable."
Arthur nodded. "As long as they sell."
She smiled and continued her work, recording numbers and calculating the total yen he would receive.
Then Arthur reached into his storage pouch again.
"One more thing."
He placed a strange object onto the counter.
A dark core.
Unlike ordinary monster cores, this one was uneven and distorted. Its surface looked rough, almost like hardened flesh rather than crystal. Thin veins of black and deep crimson pulsed faintly inside, and a weak mist of tainted mana leaked from it like slow breathing.
The mont it appeared, the air around the counter grew heavy.
Anyone sensitive to mana felt it instantly.
Repulsive.
Unstable.
Wrong.
Elena’s smile vanished.
Her expression turned serious as she stared at the core.
"Where did you get this?"
Even nearby explorers glanced over, their faces tightening from the uncomfortable sensation it gave off.
Arthur shrugged casually.
"Found it lying around. Thought it looked strange."
She gave him a long, searching look, clearly unconvinced. But she did not press further.
Instead, she carefully picked up the core using a special cloth and quickly sealed it inside a reinforced container beneath the counter.
"That... might be more valuable than you think," she said quietly.
Arthur raised a brow. "Really?"
She nodded.
"It’s rare. Possibly for research or experintation. The stronghold pays well for unusual materials like this."
Her tone lowered slightly.
"And it’s dangerous to leave it exposed."
Arthur chuckled softly. "Good thing I brought it here then."
She sighed.
"You really don’t treat dangerous things seriously, do you?"
He smiled.
"I do. I just don’t panic."
Elena shook her head, though a faint smile returned to her lips. She resud calculating the total value of his items.
"This will take so ti to evaluate," she said. "If the core is approved for research, you’ll receive compensation later."
Arthur nodded.
"That’s fine."
She tried to keep her expression calm, but inside she was restless.
She didn’t know what the true value of the core would turn out to be. No one could tell yet. Its energy was strange, dense, and far too pure for sothing that should have co from a D rank zone. It was a gamble. A dangerous one.
Still, she could not let it pass.
Rare opportunities didn’t knock twice, especially in a place like this.
So for now, she settled on what she could determine.
"For the rest of your loot," she said carefully, "the damaged D rank parts... we can offer fifteen yen."
Her voice carried the calm authority of soone used to trade, but her eyes watched him closely, asuring his reaction.
Even damaged monster parts still had value. Materials could be refined, broken cores could still be studied, and fragnts were often more useful than people realized. She had calculated the amount carefully, neither cheating him nor being overly generous.
Arthur blinked.
Fifteen yen.
He had expected less.
Much less.
A quiet wave of relief passed through him, though he didn’t show it openly. His face remained composed, but inside he felt a weight lift from his chest.
"That’s... fine," he said simply.
She nodded, then handed him a small pouch filled with the exact amount she had calculated. The coins clinked softly as they shifted inside.
Arthur took it without complaint. No hesitation. No suspicion.
He trusted the numbers more than words.
"We’ll contact you once the core has been fully assessed," she added. "Its value may take ti to determine."
Arthur gave a small nod. That was expected. Sothing like that couldn’t be priced overnight.
With that, he said his goodbyes.
This was the kind of connection he had hoped to build when he first entered the Exchange. A relationship based on mutual benefit.
He wasn’t worried she would cheat him.
So far, she had shown no sign of deception. Her eyes were steady, her calculations fair, and her interest genuine. That was enough.
Still, Arthur didn’t dwell on it.
His attention had already shifted.
He weighed the pouch in his hand as he walked away, feeling the reassuring heaviness of the coins. The small sound they made stirred a different kind of excitent within him.
Money ant options.
And options ant strength.
Then his thoughts drifted to his dagger.
The mory of its worn edge, the unstable heat it struggled to contain, the strain it showed every ti he forced his fire through it.. all of it surfaced clearly in his mind.
Would this amount be enough to replace it?
He still had ten yen left from before. With this new paynt, he might actually afford sothing worthwhile.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
There was no need to overthink.
His steps changed direction.
Instead of heading toward the route that led back to his dorm, he moved toward the weapons stalls. The path was familiar. The sll of tal, oil, and burning coal filled the air as rchants called out their wares and buyers argued over prices.
He soon recognized the stall where he had bought his previous dagger.
The rchant spotted him almost imdiately.
"Ah, welco back!" the man said with a wide smile, the kind that ca naturally to soone who lived by trade. "How has the weapon served you?"
Arthur didn’t waste ti with pleasantries.
"Good, but I need a new dagger," he said. "One that conducts fire better. And won’t break down over ti."
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