Two days later;
Long after the apartment had gone quiet as usual after past midnight, Lin Fang sat awake in his room with his spine straight and legs folded.
Besides, Black slept peacefully on the bed, curling its body like a ball.
Meanwhile, Lin Fang's eyes were fixated on the familiar, faint-blue interface floating before him.
Or, more specifically, the store earrings, which are displaying the number 90,000.
Someone had purchased four variants of Direwolf Eggs in one go, and the money had just landed an hour ago, forcing him to wake up in the middle of the night.
It's been an hour, but it has been quite difficult for him to relax.
He leaned back with his fingers steepled at his lips. "Four eggs… that's not normal."
Most of the hunters could only form one contracted monster in their lifetime.
And if one bought four different types, it either means someone wanted to give them as gifts to their family or had the capability to handle four of them.
"But why four of them. Does that fellow want to become a Direwolf Monster tamer or something, filling his army of familiars with Direwolves?" he scoffed, but then a thought suddenly crept in like a fog, impossible to ignore.
"Reselling. What if the person is not buying for himself but is reselling?"
Lin Fang's business instincts tingled at once. He was the one who priced them low. His plan had been simple: first, increase his sales numbers and build a reputation before selling them at the right price.
The last few days indeed went smoothly; someone is buying the eggs. However, he didn't pay attention before.
But when one purchased all available ones at once, suspicion crept into Lin Fang's mind.
What if… the same person was buying multiple eggs at the low prices he had set and reselling them for profit? That's when he went back to the website and checked on the records.
His lips curled up as he leaned forward to the screen, "ID: 17A4598B2. I didn't care before, but it looks like it was the same guy, after all. This guy is buying things from me and reselling them. If that were the case, I need to test his limits to check where he would stop buying, where it is no longer suitable for resale."
While he was fine being treated as some wholesale seller that this middleman is using, the thought of being someone else's golden goose left a strange taste in his mouth.
But then again, he cannot afford to think about who buys what.
"I should never touch the money I earn through the store earnings for personal reasons..."
Without hesitation, he went back to the Character Interface, scrolled down, and clicked on Exchange.
[Exchange Store Earnings]
Ding!
[90,000 credits have been exchanged for 900 Coins]
"900 coins. The dungeons pose quite a risk. Earlier, if I had been too late to act, we would have been dead. Can't let it happen again..."
Opening Summoner's Shop, Lin Fang scrolled past the Direwolf Egg this time and clicked on the next item.
[Growth Pill – 500 Coins]
"Okay, time to level up, Black."
Ding!
[Growth Pill added to inventory. 500 coins have been deducted.]
"Black, my dear munchkin… wakey… wakey…" He poked the direwolf pup a few times until it slowly opened its eyes, waddling up to him.
"Hey there, little guy," Lin Fang smiled. "Sorry for waking you."
*Woof*
Black barked once and scrambled up into his lap, its fluffy face nuzzling against Lin Fang's shirt with affection.
But this time, Lin Fang gently picked him up and set him down on the floor.
"Hold still for a second."
He opened Black's mouth and slipped the shimmering golden pill inside.
The moment it touched the tongue, Black's body shivered, light bursting around it, filling the entire room like a bulb. Lin Fang shielded his eyes instinctively.
When the glow faded, the little direwolf grew. No, it didn't just grow… it grew huge.
Black was no longer the chubby pup he had cuddled with. Now, it stood nearly his waist height, standing on two legs.
*Ding!
[Black has been leveled up to 10]
[Black reached Normal Tier]
[Black received a new skill set]
"Black?" Lin Fang blinked in surprise.
*Yawn*
However, the Direwolf wasn't very receptive to his call. It yawned while its eyes dropped to closure, while Lin Fang received another notification on the screen.
Ding!
[Side Quest 2: Raise a monster to Level 10 – Completed!]
[Reward: 100 Coins]
And just as the Direwolf was about to fall to the floor, light flared again.
When it dimmed this time, the direwolf had returned to its pup form, eyes closed, rolling in delight once again, letting out a cheerful "Woof"
Lin Fang gawked at the scene. "What the!"
He quickly inspected Black's profile.
Black
Species: Luminous Direwolf
Level: 10
Status: Suppressed to Level 1
New Skill Unlocked:
[Mimic Pup Form] – Conceals actual level and strength by reverting to pup appearance.
[Radiant Veil] – Automatically generates a defensive light shield.
Lin Fang broke into a laugh, his head thrown back. "Black, you trickster!"
He scooped the direwolf pup into his arms, pressing his cheek against its soft fur and rubbing it gently. "I love this ability. Absolutely love it."
Black let out a happy squeal in return, its small head rubbing against Lin Fang's palm as it nuzzled closer, eyes closed, smiling like a satisfied cat.
For a long moment, Lin Fang didn't say anything. He just held it, enjoying the cuddling.
But after a while, he eventually pulled open his coin balance with a half-smile. With 100 coins received from the side quest, he now had 500 coins, just enough for either buying 5 Direwolf eggs or x11 Lottery Draw.
His instincts are screaming at him not to do it. It's a wise option to pick the Direwolf eggs as they generate sure revenue. On the other hand, the x11 Draw might not give him a satisfactory result.
He wanted to go for the safe route that he had already decided to follow in this life, but the appearance of an instant dungeon made him wonder whether he should prioritize his life or business opportunities. Having two monsters and developing them would ensure security.
After much deliberation, Lin Fang chose not to purchase the Direwolf egg. Instead, he clicked on the lottery wheel.
Staring at the wheel, he took a long, steady breath. "I have 78 Lightning Pterosaur shards. I might be able to get it in one try, but right now, I would be more calm to have no coins in my hands rather than having those 500 coins. Let's leave this to fate… if I get atleast 100 coins, I will buy that one direwolf egg and put it up for sale at a higher price. If I don't, then I'll take a break and then use my money from the bank and buy an egg later."
Click.
The wheel lit up and started spinning. It spun and spun.
And then…
Ding!
*Lightning Pterosaur Shard x2*
*Coin x12*
*Lightning Pterosaur Shard x1*
*Lightning Pterosaur Shard x3*
*Coin x5*
*Blank*
*Coins x7*
*Lightning Pterosaur Shard x16*
*Coin x44*
*Blank*
*Lightning Pterosaur Shard x4*
*Ding! You have obtained: 26x Lightning Pterosaur Shards, 68 Coins
Lin Fang's eyes widened in surprise. "Twenty-six shards?!"
Monster: Lightning Pterosaur (Wind + Lightning Affinity)
Rarity: Epic
Assimilation Requirement: 100 shards
Progress: 104/ 100
He clenched his fist, joy bubbling in his chest. "I won the gamble this time… I did the right thing. Haha…"
"Assimilate"
*Ding!