A/N: Power outage struck again, but I managed to complete this chapter. I’ll need to get some petrol later.
*****
Lilian’s earlier count of the black ape corpses had been slightly off, but not by much.
The accurate total came to 346, a number slightly higher than what he had brought back from the goblin world.
However, there was a distinct difference between level 1 and level 2 cracks that worked in their favor.
Level 1 cracks, like the goblin world, regenerated monsters much faster compared to higher-level cracks such as the Ape Region.
Michael had learned from the Super Association receptionist that cracks like the goblin world could be visited three to four times a day, depending on the day, with monsters respawning fairly quickly.
In contrast, level 2 cracks like the Ape Region rarely allowed for more than two entries per day.
These cracks took significantly longer to regenerate, and the Association ensured they recovered to a sufficient degree to sustain exploration—but not enough to risk a crack break.
The old supervisor handled the sale of the corpses, while Mira took charge of the negotiations.
As Michael watched the two women haggle, he couldn’t help but sweat.
He hadn’t realized how much room there was for negotiation—and Mira’s skill left him impressed.
Initially, the old supervisor had offered $3,800 per corpse, a flat rate regardless of condition or strength. But Mira disagreed, arguing that the excellent condition of the corpses should factor into the price.
After several minutes of back-and-forth, they eventually agreed on $4,350 per corpse. It would have been $4,400, but the old woman had refused to budge on Mira’s exact demand.
Regardless, Michael was more than satisfied with the result.
The total profit from the sale was finalized at a staggering $1,500,000+.
Michael couldn’t remember ever seeing such an amount in either of his past life.
As per their agreement, he gave Mira and Lilian their 20% share, which came out to a bit over $300,000. Each of them pocketed approximately $150,000, a sum that left them ecstatic.
Michael, however, now had over a million dollars in his account.
While he knew the money wouldn’t last long—most of it would soon be spent on strengthening himself—it didn’t dampen his excitement.
Staring at the many zeros in his account, Michael couldn’t help but grin.
The future held terrifying possibilities, and he couldn’t wait to make them his reality.
With his experience from the goblin world, Michael had been careful about managing his phone’s battery.
He kept it turned off most of the time and only powered it on when necessary, mainly to check the time spent in the level 2 crack.
Even then, it was mostly Mira who used her phone to check for the team, following the same battery-saving method.
Thanks to this, Michael was able to transfer money to Mira for her to divide between herself and Lilian.
Fortunately, Aunt Mia had forced him to increase his bank limit after he turned 18.
In this world, there was no such thing as a student bank account. Sixteen-year-olds could have fully functioning accounts, albeit with lower limits.
Despite the large sum of money now in his possession, Michael found out that what he wanted couldn’t be purchased at the level 2 crack facility.
Perhaps this was what the old supervisor meant when she said their resources weren’t as advanced as those of the Supers Association.
Though a bit disappointed, Michael wasn’t too concerned. He simply needed to take a cab to the Supers Association to make his purchase.
Besides, he had to head there anyway for his second appointment with a team to enter another crack at 4:30 PM.
It was close to 4:00 PM now, so after saying goodbye to Mira and Lilian—though Mira insisted he give them his contact information first—Michael left the level 2 crack facility and hailed a taxi to the Supers Association.
Upon arriving, Michael immediately made his way to the Trade Center, where he spotted Brian.
Seeing the familiar face, Michael felt a wave of relief. He wasn’t sure he’d get the best out of his trade if someone else had been handling it.
“Good evening, Teacher Brian,” Michael greeted as he approached.
As always, Brian gave only a curt nod in reply.
“What do you need, boy?” Brian asked, his tone direct as usual.
Familiar with Brian’s no-nonsense demeanor, Michael quickly responded, “I want to buy some more source liquid.”
The moment Michael made his request, he noticed Brian’s expression twist slightly, as if an unpleasant thought had crossed his mind.
Michael wasn’t wrong—Brian was recalling the hassle of fetching the liquid for him the previous day.
“Is it a lot?” Brian asked suddenly, startling Michael, who had begun to worry that his purchase of high-quality source liquids might not go through.
“Yes,” Michael answered cautiously.
“Great. Follow me, then,” Brian said abruptly, leaving no room for Michael to refuse.
If anything, it seemed as though Brian had already decided that even if Michael didn’t need much, his response would have been the same.
Once again, Michael was led to the familiar corridor lined with doors.
This time, however, he wasn’t taken to a cold room or basement but to a storage room filled with potion bottles and boxes.
It didn’t take long for Michael to understand what was happening.
Despite Brian’s cold demeanor, it seemed he was kinder than he appeared.
It wasn’t Brian’s responsibility to cater to Michael’s requests, nor did Michael have the power or authority to demand such things. Yet, knowing the specialty of Michael’s abilities, Brian had gone out of his way to assist him again.
Brian said little as usual and led Michael to a particular section of the storage room.
“This is where we keep our stock of source liquid. Pick what you need. I’ll tally it up, and we’ll settle at the counter.”
“Thank—”
“Be quick. I don’t have much time.”
“Yes, sir!”
Michael immediately got to work. He specifically requested access to the section with source liquids effective for rank 2 cultivators. Here, he occasionally spotted three-star quality bottles.
Excited, he began selecting his future evolution points, all while Brian stood by, observing and calculating the total as Michael added each bottle to his selection.
It was just as Michael suspected—Brian was operating in line with his unspoken assumptions.
This was because Brian had started to form a good impression of him and had speculated a few things about Michael based on what he had seen these past few days.
After about 20 minutes, Michael had picked as much source liquid as his money allowed.
When they returned to the trade center counter, he settled his bill of $1,200,000, acquiring 170 three-star common-rank source liquids.
Michael was thrilled with the purchase.
These 170 source liquids would provide him with 170 evolution points.
Combined with his previous points, he would soon have over 200 evolution points.
The thought filled him with excitement.
With this many points, he could not only complete his rank advancement quest but even exceed its requirements.
Perhaps, at the end of it all, he might even have enough to evolve Lucky again…
The future seemed full of possibilities.
However, Michael couldn’t help but worry about the future. Source liquid was vital to his progress, but with the large purchase he had just made, it wasn’t feasible to return to the Trade Center for more any time soon.
Bothering Brian too much might also come to bite him in the ass in the future too.
Still, he consoled himself. With over 200 evolution points at his disposal, it was more than enough to significantly boost his strength for now.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the right moment to use the source liquids—he still had appointments to attend.
After thanking Brian, who responded in his usual curt manner, Michael headed to meet the Association receptionist he was familiar with.
As he approached her counter, he noticed she was surrounded by a group of middle-aged men.
Michael didn’t initially intend to eavesdrop on their conversation, but after hearing a few words, he realized something.
This group of middle-aged men were his teammates for the upcoming crack expedition.
******
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
Evolution Points: 38
Evolvable:
Lucky – Undead Redthorn Wolf Lv. 18 (Insufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Prince – Undead Verdant Wolf Lv. 17 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Undead Forest Wolf Lv. 6 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Hobgoblin Goblin Lv. 5 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
…
…
.
*****
[Name: Michael Norman]
[Class: Necromancer Apprentice[MAX]]
[Level: 10[MAX]]
[EXP: 2000/2000[MAX]]
[Strength: 7.6]
[Agility: 13.6]
[Constitution: 9.2]
[Intelligence: 46.3]
[Attribute Points: 19]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect, Basic Shot, Share Senses]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot{18/20}]
[Gift: Mark Of Origin]
*****
[Advancement Quest: Have 10 Rank 1 Undead – Progress: 2/10]
*****
Necromancer Class Advancement Route
Unranked: Necromancer Apprentice (Level 1 – 10)
Rank 1: Adept Necromancer (Level 11 – 25)
Rank 2: ???
Rank 3: ???
??
??
***