The man with the dark face was at a loss for words after what Gusion said. He stood there in silence for a long time before finally leaving. Clearly, he was short on money and knew that Gusion wouldn't budge on the price.
Gusion didn't mind. He was well aware of the true value of a specialization scroll—it far exceeded that of any maxed-out purple equipment. The returns it brought were lasting and comprehensive.
The Tier 2 Explorer market was bustling, and before long, many people stopped at Gusion's stall, mainly because the two items he displayed were both heavyweights.
Both the specialization scroll and the legendary bloodline were extremely attractive to Tier 2 Explorers.
"Sixty thousand End Coins, I'll take it," called out a tall, blond man. He had his eyes set on the Other Shore Bloodline on Gusion's stall. He was developing as a tank, so he highly valued the survivability that bloodline offered.
"Beetle, you must be dreaming. That's a 380-point legendary bloodline—you want to buy it for just sixty thousand?" scoffed another explorer in the crowd who recognized the man.
Legendary items usually sold for anywhere between thirty to a hundred thousand Endcoins; a maxed-out main weapon could fetch the high end if it found the right buyer. As for the Other Shore Bloodline on Gusion's stall, while it wasn't maxed, it was a powerful bloodline that could follow an explorer permanently, making it even more valuable than most main weapons—surpassing the usual price of legendary items.
That's why, even in the Tier 2 trading market with so many explorers, none could actually afford it.
"Ninety thousand. I'll take it!" A voice rang out from outside, causing a stir in the crowd.
Explorers at the periphery saw a woman approaching. She wore light armor as white as frost and snow, and beneath the icy armor, her graceful figure was both alluring and exuded the strength and resolve of a warrior.
Her white hair cascaded like a waterfall, swaying lightly as she walked. Every strand seemed to carry the chill of winter. Her eyes swept over the crowd, and the slight tilt at the corners of her eyes revealed an undeniable authority that made some explorers instinctively make way for her.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell her icy armor and sword at her waist were both legendary gear. Even among Tier 2 Explorers, she was unmistakably a top-tier powerhouse.
"That's Snow Wind, leader of the Blizzard Adventurer Team. She seems even stronger than before. Maybe she'll top the arena this time!"
"Tsk, with someone like her here, guess we don't stand a chance."
"Heard their team just cleared a world recently—no wonder she's loaded."
As the restless crowd parted, Snow Wind strode up to the stall. Gusion, who had been meditating with his head down, finally looked up, realizing the real buyers were starting to appear.
"Not enough," Gusion said calmly, meeting Snow Wind's gaze. This was a bloodline item, and one of the most versatile and useful ones in the early stages. Its side effects weren't unsolvable in the End Space, so he would never sell it for less than a hundred thousand.
"This bloodline has a cannibalistic urge. Its side effect isn't small. My offer is already generous," Snow Wind replied.
"It can be resisted, and there are plenty of ways to deal with the side effect in End Space. The stat boost and rapid regeneration the Other Shore grants are unmatched by other legendary bloodlines. Minimum is one hundred twenty thousand," Gusion stated, naming his expected price.
Snow Wind frowned slightly. Honestly, she disliked the side effect of the Other Shore Bloodline, but their main tank needed a particularly tough bloodline to help tackle the next world.
Gusion was right—the stat boost and regeneration were more important than the side effect.
"Big Sis Wind, maybe we should pass. This costs too much. The team still needs to strengthen others. We can't spend it all on me," said the honest-looking young man behind Snow Wind—the team's main tank, young but gifted.
"If you don't want to die in the next world, shut up. I need you to take hits for everyone," Snow Wind said coldly, silencing the youth.
"Our team's funds are limited. Would you accept a trade?" Snow Wind asked Gusion.
Gusion nodded. "Depends on what you're offering. Let's see."
Snow Wind took out a fruit and a stone from her storage space and handed them to Gusion for inspection.
At first, Gusion didn't care—until he saw the details and was shocked.
[Lucky Fruit]
Origin: Native World #113213
Quality: Legendary
Item Type: Special Consumable
Requirement: Luck stat not above 10
Usage: Eat
Details: A divine fruit from the Tree of Fate. The first time you eat a Lucky Fruit, you gain +1 permanent Luck.
Score: 400+
Evaluation: Cherish this chance to change your fate.
[]
Gusion now suspected that End Space's evaluations might differ for each person, which confused him. If this message was intended for him, what did it mean? Was his luck that bad?
But he set the evaluation aside and felt tempted by the fruit.
The Luck stat was the only stat that couldn't be improved by free attribute points. It was extremely hard to raise—according to what he'd asked in End Space, only very rare items or special opportunities could increase Luck.
This Lucky Fruit could do it—though only by one point. Gusion had no idea how to value such a thing.
Even though it was a maxed legendary item, he felt that for early explorers, its practicality was far less than a powerful bloodline. The benefits from Luck were long-term.
After examining the fruit, Gusion looked at the black stone.
[Lucky Forging Stone]
Origin: Native World #113213
Quality: Legendary
Item Type: Special
Durability: 3/3
Usage: Place in equipment enhancer with gear
Details: A forging stone from the Sanctuary. Use it with gear in the End Space enhancement hall. Gear not of higher quality than the stone is guaranteed to succeed at enhancement up to +8.
At +8 or higher, failure reduces the stone's durability by 1. When durability hits zero, the stone shatters.
[Note: Gear enhanced by this stone cannot be traded for 15 Endspace days. Same applies to gear enhanced by "Lucky Enhancement."]
Score: 350
Evaluation: Be confident—you don't need this.
[]
Gusion frowned at the End Space's evaluation. Was it being sarcastic? He hadn't been to the enhancement hall yet—he'd heard it was expensive, and based on past gaming experience, gear enhancement was a money pit.
But with a stone that guaranteed stability, he felt he could give it a try.
Plus, as long as the stone wasn't used up, he could resell it after use—essentially getting a free +8 enhancement.
"Both are good items…" Gusion hesitated. Neither the Luck fruit nor the enhancement stone were urgent needs for him—and for most explorers at this stage.
Unless your Luck stat was extremely high, you'd still die if you were meant to. For lower-tier explorers, raw physical stats were far more practical.
But he was afraid he'd regret missing this once-in-a-lifetime chance to increase Luck.
"Big Sis Wind, aren't you going to eat it?" the youth behind Snow Wind blurted out. That fruit had taken them great effort to obtain.
"My Luck is already high enough. I don't need it right now. Better to trade it for team power," Snow Wind said calmly, turning to Gusion. "Two legendary items for your one legendary bloodline—is that enough?"
Gusion fell silent, still weighing the value. Economically, it seemed fair, but did he really need the Luck stat?
Seeing his hesitation, Snow Wind frowned. She was decisive and hated delays. She pulled out another item from her storage—a useless thing she'd had for a while. "I'll throw in this little thing too, but you have to include those two Demon scrolls in the deal."
Gusion glanced at it. It was a key.
[Master Key]
Origin: End Space
Quality: Purple
Item Type: Special
Requirement: None
Usage: Insert in lock
Details: A basic master key from End Space. Can open any mechanical lock up to two grades above its own.
Score: 200+
Evaluation: It can open most doors and take you where you want to go.
[]
"A key?" Gusion was momentarily confused as to its usefulness.
"Judging by your wares, you're no weakling. Don't you know the value of this? Sometimes, it can save your life," Snow Wind said. She'd obtained the key in her first tier, and it had brought her plenty of loot in missions. But as her strength increased, it had become less useful.
Now, with her team expanding, she valued overall team strength more, so she was willing to trade this away.
Gusion considered her words. In mission worlds, even starting out imprisoned wasn't rare. A high-level master key could be invaluable for opening locked super chests.
Either way, it was a max-score purple item—not worthless. Gusion sensed that if he kept haggling, Snow Wind would walk.
"Deal," he said, rising to his feet. The Demon scrolls were meant as a bonus anyway—they were nearly impossible to sell on their own.
"Pleasure doing business," Snow Wind said, shaking his hand. "Let's hope we don't meet in a mission world."
Some explorers nearby heard this and exchanged meaningful glances. Many Tier 2 explorers knew the Blizzard Adventurer Team—they were notoriously ruthless in mission worlds, rarely giving others a chance to survive.
Gusion understood her meaning and smiled, "Let's hope so."
After the deal, the crowd at Gusion's stall thinned out, most having just come to see the legendary bloodline.
He waited another five hours. Growing bored and preparing to pack up and consign the specialization scroll, a strange woman appeared at his stall.
She was petite, her entire body wrapped in black bandages, even her face and hair concealed. Gusion only guessed she was a woman by her figure.
"How much for the scroll?" Despite her eerie appearance, her voice was sweet.
"Forty thousand," Gusion replied casually, thinking if she didn't haggle too hard, he'd consider it.
To his surprise, the strange woman didn't bargain at all. She simply nodded. "Alright. Let's trade."
During the trade, Gusion saw her nickname: "Black Lily."
"You don't seem like you really need a specialization scroll. If you get more in the future, sell them to me," Black Lily said after the trade. Her voice was sweet but emotionless, almost mechanical, which was unsettling.