‘Who is this?’
‘Did he notice I used {Detect} on him?’
Michael’s heart pounded in shock, but he forced himself to remain calm as he continued toward the Trade Centre.
He couldn’t be sure if the scarred man had sensed his use of {Detect}, but one thing was clear: this man was no ordinary individual.
It wasn’t just a matter of being twenty levels stronger. Even a Rank Two Cultivator shouldn’t evoke such an overwhelming reaction from him.
Michael hadn’t yet encountered a Rank Two Cultivator face-to-face, but he doubted they could instill this level of unease.
Another realization struck him—{Detect}’s limitations seemed to extend to Cultivators as well.
‘Okay, okay, maybe I’m getting too cocky. Twenty levels above me is still twenty levels above me.’
As Michael reached the counter and opened his mouth to speak, the scarred man beat him to it.
“It’s quite rude to spy on others, young lad,” the man said calmly, his piercing gaze fixed on Michael. “I don’t mind, but others with a shorter temper might’ve taught you a lesson by now.”
Michael’s heart jolted again.
‘So he did sense it!’
Michael’s emotions were anything but calm.
He had suspected the man might’ve noticed, but hearing it confirmed sent chills down his spine.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Michael said sincerely, bowing slightly. He didn’t feel wronged or insulted by the reprimand—it was indeed rude to spy on others.
This interaction also raised questions. Just how strong was this man?
{Detect} didn’t rely on any form of energy, so it shouldn’t have been easy to notice.
‘Truly, even without the same potential as Awakeners, Cultivators are strong beings,’ Michael thought, silently chastising himself.
He recalled using {Detect} on nearly everyone he encountered this evening, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
Had he used it on someone with malicious intent who noticed him, he could’ve landed himself in serious trouble.
Awakeners might possess great potential, but without actual strength, potential alone meant little. At level 5, Michael was still far too weak.
“It’s okay, just be careful,” the man said, waving dismissively. Then, in a businesslike tone, he added, “So, what do you want?”
Michael felt relief at the man’s indifference and quickly complied, eager to move on.
“I’d like a monster corpse, please, and I have something to sell as well,” Michael said, reaching into his storage space and producing a spirit crystal.
After purchasing items from the Supers Association store and giving his aunt $5000, Michael had less than $5000 left in his account.
If he bought a monster corpse at $3000 as Leovanni suggested, he could only afford one.
Had he not given his aunt the money, he could have bought at least two.
Still, Michael didn’t regret helping Aunt Mia.
After all, there was no guarantee that the money spent on an extra corpse would yield an undead.
His {Undead Revival}, at {Intermediate Mastery}, only provided a 50% success rate, with up to three attempts per corpse.
Even then, success wasn’t assured.
Perhaps this reasoning was a way to justify his decision, but it wasn’t entirely false.
“Oh? You’re an Awakener? No wonder, only your type spies like thieves,” the middle-aged man said expressionlessly.
‘Actually holding a grudge, huh?’ Michael thought, his eyelid twitching.
He chose not to respond.
The man’s words revealed a lack of respect for Awakeners, unlike the admiration they often received on the forum.
This suggested two possibilities: either he despised them, or he was incredibly powerful.
Either way, Michael decided it wasn’t his concern.
“Unranked Spirit Crystal?” The man examined the crystal briefly before adding, “This one’s a bit stronger than usual. I’ll offer you $17,500 for it. What do you think?”
“Yes, please!” Michael replied instantly.
He was surprised by the man’s ability to discern the crystal’s energy level so easily. It had come from a Level 7 slime, making it superior to lower-level crystals in the same rank.
Michael had singled it out on a hunch, hoping to get a higher price—and his gamble paid off.
“Okay. Should I transfer the money to your account, or do you want to use it now to buy monster corpses?” the man asked as he placed the crystal into a box from beneath the counter.
“I’ll use it all,” Michael replied without hesitation. Buying one corpse wasn’t going to be enough…. except it was special.
Despite parting with the money again, Michael felt satisfied with the straightforward transaction and the unexpected profit.
“Alright. Go through that entrance,” the man said, pointing to an open doorway beside the shop.
Michael had noticed the entrance earlier but assumed it led somewhere unrelated to the Trade Centre.
However, being within the Supers Association, Michael wasn’t too concerned and followed the man’s instructions.
Apparently, the Trade Centre had an exit leading to the corridor the doorway entrance led into, as Michael found himself following the scarred man after stepping through the doorway and walking forward a bit.
After closing the Trade Centre door, the man said nothing and simply led Michael further down the corridor.
Michael wondered why the man wasn’t concerned about leaving the Trade Centre unattended, considering the goods like potions stored there.
Soon, he dismissed the thought.
Anyone brazen enough to steal within the Association’s territory deserved some respect.
The corridor had several doors leading to unknown areas, likely storage rooms for other items.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a door exuding a cold chill, reminiscent of a cold storage facility.
The scarred man pressed his thumb against the doorknob, unlocking it.
Inside was indeed a cold room with smaller compartments branching off.
Breaking the silence since leaving the Trade Centre, the scarred man finally spoke.
“Woodstone City only has three dimensional cracks—two Level 1 cracks and one Level 2 crack—so we only stock Level 1 and Level 2 monster corpses. Which do you want?”
“What Level 1 monsters do you have?” Michael asked.
Thanks to the Supers Association forum and his search this evening, Michael was a little knowledgeable about Dimensional cracks now.
He recalled that Level 1 dimensional cracks only produced monsters at most equivalent to a peak Rank 1 Cultivator, while Level 2 cracks produced monsters up to peak Rank 2. Given his limited funds, Michael opted for the more affordable Level 1 corpses.
“For Level 1, we have forest wolves at $4000 each and goblins at $1000 each.”
“Why are goblins so cheap?”
“Goblins are weak, trash monsters with little value,” the scarred man replied bluntly.
“…”
Michael refrained from commenting, already growing accustomed to the man’s bluntness.
“Can I choose the bodies myself?” Michael asked, hoping to select corpses with higher star ratings, which meant higher level limits.
Fortunately, the scarred man nodded in agreement.
“What monster do you want to start with?”
“Let’s start with the forest wolves.”