“This fits you really well,” the old man said, gazing at the oversized clothes he had picked out for Michael from a nearby store with a look of satisfaction.
Michael could only roll his eyes discreetly at the old man’s attitude.
The clothes were of high quality—Michael figured they must have cost quite a bit—but the problem was that they were too big.
Not so oversized that they looked like hand-me-downs from an older relative, but just enough to feel like they’d been passed down from an older brother.
Still, Michael felt touched by the old man’s gesture.
After trying the clothes on, he had intended to ask how much they had cost so he could pay the old man back later. However, the old man had looked ready to flare up at the mere suggestion.
Apparently, asking about the price was considered insulting, and the old man had firmly insisted that Michael accept the clothes as a gift rather than “talk nonsense.”
Michael recalled his aunt saying that older people often had peculiar temperaments, but this was the first time he had encountered such an instance himself. He reasoned that perhaps older people—whether they were ordinary humans or cultivators—tended to be well-off and prone to such behavior.
Regardless, Michael made a mental note to remember this favor.
He also reminded himself that unless he wanted to wander the streets naked in broad daylight, he should make better preparations before entering another crack.
Not everyone in charge of a crack would be as kind as this old man.
“Thank you, sir. But before I leave, may I ask what I should call you?” Michael asked. He was genuinely curious about the old man and felt it would be improper not to at least know the name of someone who had helped him.
“Just call me Old Man Liu. Now get going and return to the Association so you can submit your corpses for sale. And remember, if you want to collect the other corpses from the crack, your transportation better be here within an hour. After that, those corpses will start to rot, and you won’t get much for them.”
Michael was momentarily stunned by the old man’s words.
Coincidentally, Old Man Liu had answered a question that had been on Michael’s mind: How did non-Awakeners transport their corpses from cracks?
Sure, they could bring their own storage bags, but unless they functioned like his unique storage space, Michael doubted the bags could hold much—especially not enough monster corpses for a large team.
Of course, it was also possible that most people didn’t take entire monster corpses, instead opting to harvest only valuable parts.
He remembered the list attached to the email the Association had sent him about Goblin World. It didn’t just specify goblin corpses; it also included items like their blood and other materials.
Perhaps that was what most people gathered.
If so, it made sense that a team’s storage bags would suffice for a crack visit.
But what if someone wanted to bring more?
The old man’s earlier comment provided the answer: visitors to cracks could bring their own transportation.
When Old Man Liu mentioned this, Michael couldn’t help but think of trucks.
“No wonder there’s a garage attached to the pharmacy,” he muttered to himself. “I thought that was a weird design.”
Michael figured this was likely another hidden function of the pharmacy.
Considering it already had doors to another dimension and even a bathroom, it wasn’t far-fetched to assume it could also provide a cover for transporting harvested monster parts for sale.
Michael had only recently become a part of the supernatural world. Before that, he had been a struggling youth, so it was natural for him to be unaware of these logistics.
Perhaps wealthier and more influential people, like Leovanni—who had even suggested he buy corpses from the Association—would know much more about this society.
Michael hadn’t forgotten about the existence of places that bred monsters either. He figured that, just like him, most average people were probably oblivious to such things.
Only the rich and powerful would have access to that kind of information.
Even in the supernatural world, there were differences.
“There’s no need for that, Old Man Liu. I already have them all packed,” Michael said.
“Okay, that’s good. Then get going! You’ve been interrupting my business for too long!”
Michael wanted to retort that there probably wasn’t any business happening at the pharmacy. He’d been here for so long and hadn’t seen a single customer. But he was wise enough to keep that thought to himself.
“Alright, Old Man Liu. Take care. See you later,” Michael said with a wave.
“See you later too,” the old man replied gruffly.
Just like that, Michael finally left the pharmacy, the crack, and Old Man Liu behind. He hailed a taxi and headed back to the Association.
Once there, he made his way directly to the trade center.
It was finally time to earn some money!
After this, he planned to visit the receptionist to apply for more crack entries.
With that gargoyle blocking his way in the Land of Origins, he had no choice but to focus on making himself stronger in the real world while accumulating evolution points.
Leveling up through battles alone would be too slow, but Michael figured that with enough evolution points, it wouldn’t take long to create an undead strong enough to deal with the gargoyle.
It would need to be either a higher-rank undead or a Level 21, three-star rare rank one to stand a chance without taking a severe beating.
As for going home, Michael had reconsidered after hearing Old Man Liu’s comment about his “murderous intent.” It didn’t seem like something ordinary people would react well to, so he decided to delay his return.
He’d messaged Aunt Mia about it, and to his surprise, she’d immediately called him.
Wasn’t this woman supposed to be busy at work?
After he’d vaguely “explained” that he had some business to take care of, Aunt Mia hadn’t flared up as he’d expected. Instead, she simply told him to take care of himself several times.
Michael could hear the subtle sadness in her voice, which made him feel a little guilty but also somewhat relieved.
Unfortunately, this meant he wouldn’t be able to enjoy her cooking today.
Apparently, his cousin was in for a good meal instead.
empire
Michael knew that girl would never let his share go to ‘waste’—especially when it involved beast meat.