Michael had another purpose at the trade center.
It was related to his evolution points. Michael placed the highest priority on anything that could help him with them.
He didn’t believe there were only a few limited ways to increase his evolution points. There had to be other methods beyond simply waiting for them to refresh daily or absorbing spirit crystals.
Michael’s theory about his evolution points was that they were generated from the overflow of soul energy absorbed by his talent from him and his undead. This gave him a potential direction to explore.
If he could find items that could recover or enhance soul energy, would his evolution points also increase?
Whatever the case, it had to be more cost-effective than relying on spirit crystals. Not only did it need to be cheaper, but it also had to be efficient enough to make the investment worthwhile.
Soon, Michael arrived at the trade center, where a slight surprise awaited him. The person he encountered wasn’t the man he had seen an hour ago but the scarred man from yesterday.
Michael couldn’t deny that the man intimidated him a little.
“Good afternoon,” Michael greeted as he approached.
“Good afternoon. What do you want?” the scarred man replied curtly. There was no recognition in his tone or demeanor, which made the atmosphere feel even more strained as he got straight to business.
“I’m here to sell monster corpses and buy some items as well. The corpses are… quite a lot,” Michael explained.
“Mhmm, I see,” the man muttered with a slight look of interest before asking, “What type of monster?”
“Goblins,” Michael replied, watching as the faint interest in the scarred man’s eyes instantly vanished.
But then Michael added, “I have about 300 corpses here.”
“You what?”
For the first time since they’d met, a different expression appeared on the man’s face.
Michael felt a flicker of satisfaction. Finally, he had cracked the stoic demeanor of the scarred man. It made him feel like his near-genocide of goblins in their world was worth it—not just for the income, but for this reaction as well.
However, he quickly shook his head.
Why do I care about changing this guy’s expression?
Michael didn’t have time to reflect further, as the scarred man recovered from his shock and finally spoke.
“Did you hunt them yourself?” the scarred man asked. For some reason, Michael noticed that his tone seemed… less cold.
“Yes. I went to the goblin world corrupted crack today and, uh… kind of wiped them out,” Michael replied hesitantly.
As he spoke, a sudden thought crossed his mind.
‘Maybe I was a bit too murderous.’
‘Hmmm.’
‘No, they were just EXP and money. Killing them isn’t a sin,’ Michael told himself firmly. ‘Yeah, I’m not the problem here.’
Oddly enough, the scarred man seemed to follow a similar train of thought.
He even let out a short laugh, startling Michael.
“Haha, that’s great. This is how our Federation’s youths should be—domineering!”
Michael got the distinct impression that if he had been standing closer, the man might have given him a pat on the shoulder. Thankfully, after making his statement, the scarred man switched back to business mode.
This time, though, he seemed a bit kinder.
“Follow me. We need to check the quality of the corpses and determine the price.”
“Yes.”
Though Michael found the scarred man’s accommodating behavior a bit unfamiliar, he quickly adapted.
They walked side by side, bypassing any doors this time, until they reached a staircase leading to a well-lit underground space. The area was surprisingly spacious.
Or rather, the Supers Association branch itself was massive. If this was just a branch, Michael couldn’t help but wonder how enormous the headquarters would be.
Under the scarred man’s supervision, Michael began summoning the goblin corpses he and his undead had killed. The process took some time, especially since he had to transfer the corpses from the Land of Origin to the real world via his Mark of Origin, a process involving multiple steps.
By the time the scarred man finished appraising the corpses, nearly two hours had passed.
The results, however, left Michael thrilled.
“$100,000?”
Michael felt overwhelmed with emotion. A hundred thousand dollars. The past him wouldn’t have imagined earning this much in a day. Even the current him hadn’t expected goblins to fetch such a sum.
This was thanks to Michael’s deliberate strategy of delivering intact corpses. The large quantity he sold—each goblin corpse averaging at least $300—had added up quickly.
Had they been significantly stronger, like at the peak of their potential, the amount might have been a little higher. Most of the goblins didn’t even surpass level 4.
“I can see you killed these monsters with some sort of spear-like weapon,” the scarred man said. “But even the one-hit kills show your inexperience. Since you’ve got money now, I suggest buying a Spear Technique Manual and a decent weapon to go with it. Of course, this is just advice.”
“Thank you,” Michael replied earnestly, surprised at how much the man could deduce just by examining the corpses.
As he suspected, this scarred man was most likely an expert.
As for the suggestion, Michael decided to give it a try. Training with a manual seemed far better than fumbling around without guidance. He might even unlock the {Spearmanship} skill.
The scarred man wasn’t finished yet.
“Also, while it’s good to push yourself, you need to control your emotions. If not, you risk losing yourself to the madness of killing—or worse, turning demonic. Look at yourself now. Don’t you feel better?”
Michael paused, stunned. Though the man hadn’t said it outright, he was likely referring to the ‘murderous intent’ that Old Man Liu had mentioned earlier.
He focused inwardly, just as the scarred man suggested, and noticed something.
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His thoughts felt… calmer. Clearer. It was hard to describe, but his mind felt more peaceful than it had hours ago.
“Is it because my murderous intent is subsiding?” Michael wondered.
Still, he thanked the scarred man.
For some reason, two people had gone out of their way to help him today, and Michael was genuinely grateful.
What he didn’t realize was that their goodwill stemmed from him, too.