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> [Item: Gold-Grade Mithril Staff of Misfortune]
Spirit +420
Reduces mana cost for sustained skills by 30%
Level Requirement: 15
Ethan grinned as he held the weapon in his hands. It was a perfect fit for his build.
His two main skills, Sand Vortex and Vine Entanglement, were both control-based and required continuous mana drain.
This staff's passive effect directly cut his mana use by nearly a third. For a Spirit-heavy caster like him, that was a massive upgrade.
The price was 1.1 million credits—completely within budget. Ethan bought it on the spot without hesitation.
He could already tell this staff would be with him for a long time.
While at it, he also picked up that 300,000-credit gold-ranked material he saw earlier—the Blade of the Great Sword Mantis.
---
When everything was settled and purchased, Ethan walked out of Darunhua with a satisfied expression and one million credits still left in his account.
Meanwhile, inside the trading center…
Old Liu—the same shopping guide who had helped Ethan—watched him leave with a grin that could outshine the sun.
As soon as Ethan was gone, Old Liu left his station and rushed to his terminal. There was work to do.
He started digging into any available records on the "Great Sword Mantis."
It had to be new.
After all, Ravenshade City hadn't reported any new dungeons lately, or it would have appeared in the official system alerts.
With his current access level, Old Liu couldn't get much. His authority was too low. No monster reports, no dungeon entries—nothing.
Just as he was scratching his head, the manager of Darunhua appeared behind him.
"Liu, where'd you vanish to? Weren't you glued to that station the past few days?" the manager said, half-joking.
He wasn't angry. Everyone knew Old Liu wasn't a professional, and his road to promotion was tough. The manager appreciated his hard work.
Old Liu, thinking fast, came up with a plan.
If his own authority wasn't enough, maybe the manager could help.
So he shared a brief summary of what happened—carefully omitting Ethan's name.
After all, Ethan's appearance had been a stroke of luck. If the manager decided to steal his VIP client, Old Liu would be finished.
But the manager was no fool. He pieced things together from the vague clues and narrowed it down right away.
"You mean the young guy who came in just now?" the manager asked, raising an eyebrow.
Old Liu froze.
Busted.
The manager held up the sales log from the last transaction. "He just changed classes a few days ago, and he's already buying level 15 gold gear?"
He's going to be someone important in Ravenshade City. Mark my words.
Then the manager looked him dead in the eye.
"Liu, let me give you some advice: This world belongs to professionals. Don't disrespect him. Don't let him walk away unhappy."
Old Liu had expected competition—maybe even punishment. Instead, he got... a warning?
He was still processing when the manager turned to the nearby secretary.
"Effective immediately, Old Liu is now Lobby Manager—one step below me. Increase his authority level to match mine. Let the new recruits learn what real client service looks like."
Old Liu stood there, completely stunned.
He was promoted. Just like that.
Just a few minutes ago, he thought the manager might take his hard-earned client. Now, he was getting a raise, higher clearance, and recognition for his hustle.
Tears welled in his eyes. Of all the decisions he had made in life, the best one was seeing the potential in Ethan.
Strangely enough, all Ethan had ever done was politely let Old Liu serve him like any other customer. But the chain of events that followed… had already changed Liu's life.
---
Wiping his eyes, Liu returned to his desk and resumed his search for the Great Sword Mantis.
Now that his permission level had been upgraded, he finally uncovered some information.
It wasn't much—just a phone number tied to the original material submission. No dungeon name, no beast description, just contact data.
Still, it was something.
And Liu was determined to help Ethan.
Even though it made him nervous, he picked up the phone and dialed.
---
Back with Ethan…
He had just stepped out of Darunhua when a familiar voice called out.
"Yo! Going somewhere? I'll give you a ride!"
It was the bearded master driver he had met once before.
This wasn't a coincidence.
The bearded man had just returned from a long trip. After spending time on the road, he liked to drive through the city, pick up passengers, hear their stories, or yell at reckless drivers to blow off steam.
If someone complained? He'd pull over and offer to settle it the old-fashioned way.
Today, by sheer chance, he had passed by Darunhua's entrance—just in time to see Ethan walking out.
He saw the shopping guide bowing and smiling as he waved Ethan out.
It reminded him of that day he gave a ride to both Ethan and Lily Winters—and how differently Lily was treated.
From her elegance to her courage, Lily had impressed the master deeply. She had the kind of presence you don't forget.
Ethan, on the other hand, hadn't stood out much.
Still, there was something odd about how Lily treated him. That slight reaction Ethan had when Lily stepped off the bus—that glance, that tension.
The bearded driver noticed it all from the rearview mirror.
So now, he figured it wouldn't hurt to get some answers.
If Lily was as promising as he suspected, maybe he could recommend her to Ravenshade University. That way, he wouldn't have to be assigned risky dungeon scouting work.
He stopped the car and waved.
"I'll give you a ride."
Ethan saw him… and then pretended not to. He raised his hand to hail a cab.
The bearded master:
…
Speechless.
And to make things worse, while sitting in the car, his phone rang—and he didn't even feel like answering it.
Ethan, curious, asked, "Why not answer?"
Little did he know, it was Old Liu calling the person who had submitted the Sword Mantis material.
But that's a story for another time.
---