"Take two things... and the next item. If you want it, you'll have to pay me. I need money to rent this lab room and get a few other supplies."
"Of course, I'll give you a one percent discount,"
Bam said again with lifeless, fish-like eyes.
When Hector heard that, he instantly raised his eyebrows and cursed in his mind.
"You're kidding me? One percent?... Screw this... I'm not interested."
But just a few seconds later, his vertical pupils suddenly widened as he glanced at the objects on the experiment table.
There were five items in total.
Each one was a piece of gear imbued with mana. If purchased from the Big Clan, each would cost no less than 1,000 gold coins, and even then, their quality would be inferior to the ones currently in use at Big Clan.
After all, the Big Clan only sold worn-out, second-rate goods to the lower-class humans.
But what stood before him now was equipment far beyond anything the Big Clan had to offer.
"I'll take this armor... What kind of effects does it have?"
Hector's eyes lingered on the armor lying on the table. It was a silver set, lacking any decorative engravings, and looked rather aged.
As he picked it up, he made a startled comment—he had completely underestimated its weight.
"It's unexpectedly light and flexible... I thought it was silver, but... Could it be rubber?"
…
"You have very sharp eyes..." Bam lifted the corners of his lips in a bright smile, but it faded quickly as he continued.
"And... this is a high-grade item I'm reluctant to part with... but think of it as an investment."
He added, "This armor is crafted from pure silver, yet it's enhanced with mana and metal, resulting in what you see now..."
Bam blinked slowly, his eyelids weighed down by exhaustion, as he glanced at his gear with a trace of regret.
"Its ability is straightforward... just like its name."
"It protects you… It can endure a single blow from an Adept-level enemy—just one hit. If it's from a Novice-level attacker, it'll perform much better..."
"Still, it comes with a drawback."
Bam looked at Hector and cautioned,
"It can't withstand sustained attacks for more than two minutes… The mana within doesn't replenish quickly enough."
Hector stroked his chin, studying the armor for a while.
"Got it!... I'll take it."
Then, his gaze drifted to something peculiar.
"What's this?"
In front of him was a box filled with rusty metal coins, each marked by an odd circle at the center.
...
Bam saw his reaction and sighed.
"Nothing... just some gadgets I made out of boredom and ... gloom."
"That coin is a knockoff of a smoke bomb."
"Huh?" Hector said, puzzled.
"A knockoff?"
Bam nodded with a bright expression, though his eyes held a trace of desperation as he gazed at his creation.
"The smoke from these coins spreads far too widely because the mana within them is overly amplified..."
"So... shouldn't that make you proud?" Hector asked.
"They're still smoke bombs, after all."
Bam slowly blinked his thin eyelids and replied,
"Yeah... but the smoke is gray."
"I expected it to be black, but..." He exhaled sharply. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's one of my failures—I should've tossed them out..."
Bam exhaled again, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly into the distance.
"I think so too," Hector said, shaking his head.
Though his words echoed agreement, his thoughts were entirely different from what Bam assumed.
Bam's perfectionism left no room for imperfection.
"I'll take them!"
...
And so, their quiet meeting came to a close without conflict.
Yet, Hector's fleeting sense of contentment didn't last long.
Kevin was already waiting in the hallway as he returned to his quarters.
Most likely, it was because of the tracking coin Kevin had slipped to him earlier—clearly, it had been activated.
In truth, Hector just wanted to finish the day with some well-earned sleep after his stressful session with Bam.
But things rarely went that smoothly.
"Why did you drag me here... I'm broke," Hector muttered, glancing around with awkward eyes.
Kevin had brought him to a lavish, top-tier restaurant.
Naturally, this venue also belonged to the Academy—one of the most exquisite places within the vast castle.
The restaurant blended traditional charm with modern luxury, the kind of aesthetic Hector had only seen in Hollywood films.
"Don't worry... I'll cover it," Kevin replied dryly, settling into a gold-trimmed chair.
"Waiter! Bring me the menu."
A few minutes passed.
"This is incredibly delicious..." Hector murmured, chewing the noodles on his plate.
The gourmet meal surpassed anything he had ever tasted at the castle's canteen.
After a few moments, Kevin finally broke the silence.
"I hope this helped you feel better... I caught a bit of strain in your voice earlier."
"Huh? Uh... uh... uhh..." Hector hurriedly swallowed the last bites, rubbing his chest to ease the passage.
Then, he awkwardly waved his hand in denial.
"N-No... no... no..."
"T-That can't be true... I-I'm perfectly fine..."
But then he caught himself acting strangely and pressed his fingers slowly against his eyes in frustration.
"Damn..."
Kevin just smirked as he listened, then pointed toward his right ear.
"My hearing is sharper than an ordinary human's," he explained.
"Since my vision is almost useless, I rely mostly on sound—except during moments I find crucial."
…
"Ignoring these small details, let's get to the main topic."
His right eye slowly opened wide, revealing a gleaming orb of gold and silver that sent a chill down Hector's spine.
Hector spoke softly, but firmly.
"Don't open your eyes like that all of a sudden. It's kind of unsettling."
"I see..." Kevin nodded, and from beside him, a cane slowly materialized and landed on the dining table.
He added, "First, it's yours... as per our deal."
When Hector laid eyes on the cane, his expression visibly shifted.
Happiness was clear in his face.
It was the King's item that Kevin had claimed after defeating him in the first challenge.
From afar back then, Hector had dismissed it as a simple gold-plated cane, but now his view had completely changed.
Intricately engraved with ancient runes, the handle was shaped like an Asian dragon, showing signs of age and craftsmanship.
The base was capped with silver metal.
The cane measured about 1.5 meters, similar in length to a short sword, though it did not serve as one.
Its obvious function was for elderly men or refined gentlemen.
Yet, beyond these obvious details, what truly attracted Hector was its hidden power.
"An artifact capable of evolving and transferring air and the user's mana into lightning mana..."