The five-percent probability on the System tag? With twelve scales, that meant twelve chances of embedding a [Curse Resistance] skill on any type of equipment!

  She quickly did the math in her head.

  The chance of creating at least one piece of equipment with [Curse Resistance] was around 46%. Those were fantastic odds.

  Jessica bit down on her lips to stop herself from smiling.

  If she could swindle the price low enough, she could use the money she saved to rent one of the B-rank forges in the district for weeks. And craft the perfect shield any guild would drool over.

  She would sell the gear to a private auction that would be coming up soon. Desperate guilds would fork in millions. She would escape this glass booth once and for all.

  By then, the complaints of one newbie would be squashed in an instant.

  “You know,” she said. “It says singed here.”

  She tapped the scale with her fingernail.

  “That’s a problem. It means the material’s integrity is degraded. And Celestial-class loot has a chance of [Curse Contagion] during crafting. You probably never heard of it. It’s what makes it so hard to craft gear with these things. Most crafters,” she lied, “won’t even touch them.”

  The man’s expression didn’t change.

  So, he had a poker face. But she was sure he was getting anxious on the inside. Crossing and uncrossing her legs under the desk, she let it simmer for a few seconds.

  Then, she leaned forward with a sympathetic smile.

  “Look, because you seem like a good guy, I’ll be honest with you. I know someone who specializes in purification for loot like this. They could salvage them. I’ll give you... ninety a scale. That’s more than triple what I’d pay for a normal Gloom Viper.”

  Still no answer.

  He was probably drowning in despair now. Whatever method he used to get these scales must’ve cost him a fortune.

  She tapped her keyboard to show the numbers on the screen.

  “That’s my best offer. And I’m afraid you won’t get any better than this with the other brokers in the district.” Jessica sat unnaturally still, her heart thumping in her ears. “So, do we have a deal?”

  *

  Shane ignored the broker and looked at the scales on the desk.

  After returning to the game five years later, obviously he didn’t remember exact price ranges for monster loot. The game let the guilds take care of it, so he never was that well-versed in them, either.

  But, thanks to real life experiences, he knew the patterns of a scammer.

  [Curse Contagions]? He’d never even heard of them. Her pressuring him to sign the deal right then were obvious red flags.

  She reminded him of a mechanic in Old Detroit that tried to tell him that his car’s entire engine block was “outdated” and needed replacing.

  So, without another word, he slowly stood up after collecting his scales. He didn’t haggle with scammers.

  Jessica’s head flinched backward.

  “Wait, wait!” The broker waved her hand to stop him from leaving. “Okay. Ninety was just... a starting point. You know how it is.”

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  Shane didn’t stop walking until his hand was on the door handle.

  “One-fifty!” She blurted out. “One-fifty a scale. That’s my final offer.”

  He rolled his eyes before opening the door and stepping out.

  The entire floor was a maze of identical booths, laid out in long rows under a low ceiling. The door cut off the broker’s words and a peaceful silence finally embraced Shane.

  All the other glass booths were cramped like the one he left, barely large enough for a small desk, two chairs, and a safe.

  The brokers inside eyed him like spiders in identical webs. Now which spider he’d choose this time...

  Barely two steps later, the broker left the safety of her booth, running into the hallway after him.

  “Two hundred! Sir! Two hundred a scale! That’s a fantastic price for singed materials!”

  Shit. Her voice echoed off the low ceilings. Why was she making a scene? Had she lost her mind?

  The guard seemed alarmed at the commotion, looking awake for the first time, but didn’t move from his station near the elevator.

  Well, the broker was the one yelling, not Shane.

  But the guard would soon walk over if things continued to escalate and it wouldn’t matter that Shane wasn’t the one causing a ruckus. Any more than this, he would get kicked out of the building.

  All the other brokers also looked up.

  They were a diverse mix: women in high-neck blouses and styled wigs, white men in sleek suits with open collars, and mustached men in knit vests all became alert. Brokers never overpaid.

  And they saw one shouting offers at a no-name freelancer down the hall.

  Shane wrinkled his nose. Damn it.

  He ignored her and tried to continue walking. Another broker stepped out of his booth and got in his way.

  “Hunter! If she’s offering two hundred, I’ll start at three!”

  A woman yelled from behind the broker, also blocking Shane’s path.

  “Four hundred! Bring them here!”

  Then the woman and the man started bickering at each other, as if Shane was about to choose either of them. Even Jessica, from behind Shane, joined the shouting match.

  These leeches never knew when to shut it.

  He’d been hoping it wouldn’t come to this. Risking his [Mana Hypersensitivity] quirk from acting up, Shane used [Blink] to move a floor above the commotion.

  His gaze cut to Jessica one last time. Her eyes went wide as if she instinctually realized Shane was about to use a skill.

  “Wait!”

  She nearly tripped, stumbling in her haste to close the gap.

  The world tore, then reassembled. Shane reappeared at the far end of a hall a floor above. He was already pressing the back of his hand to his nose, stopping the blood before it could spill onto his new coat.

  Shane looked around. He’d never heard much of the third floor.

  Unlike the floors below, it seemed abandoned. Compared to the harsh lighting from the second floor—probably to make gems and polished materials sparkle better, with the side effect of making people’s skin pale and sickly—this place was half buried in darkness.

  Still, he favored the dusty silence over the commotion he just escaped.

  He saw a quiet booth right next to the corner he was standing. It looked like an old information desk that was renovated as a broker’s office.

  So this was also a trading floor.

  Brokers found safety in numbers. Just being able to see each other in those glass booths was what kept burglars away. But here, Shane didn’t even see a single guard stationed nearby.

  The broker inside looked like a tired, young girl.

  She hid her mousy brown hair under her hoodie. Behind the glasses, the eyes looked sharp but weary, as if she hadn’t slept well.

  Shane could already see why she’d ended up on this floor all by herself.

  It was almost human nature to isolate the youngest and weakest so the others can profit more.

  He decided to give her a chance. As long as she was honest and competent, Shane didn’t care if she was an outcast or not.

  Feeling the flow of blood had stopped, Shane wiped his hand on a handkerchief before buzzing for entry.

  But the door didn’t open immediately. Shane glanced inside the glass, and he could see the girl was flustered, her hands waving in the air as if they didn’t know what to do.

  Finally, a mechanical click sounded, and the lock on the glass door opened. He pushed the door and stepped inside.

  The broker brushed her bangs away and was already tapping on her tablet before he’d closed the door. Was she trying to look busy or was she actually preparing the price lists for Shane?

  The girl spoke in a slightly shaky voice.

  “Heard some commotion out there. Sounded like Jessica was trying to buy something off of you?”

  Shane sighed. He dumped the scales on the desk.

  “Just appraise them. I don’t have time for games.”

  The girl glanced up at him, then dropped her gaze to the scales. Her eyes went wide. At least Shane didn't have to argue with her to look past the surface appearance of the loot.

  “Gods…” She whistled. “Jessica was trying to rob you blind. These are auction items. You should just wait till auction season, it’s not that far away—”

  “I need the cash now.”

  Selling the scales to a broker would be a bit of a loss, but he didn’t care, since he’d soon be getting better loot anyway.

  “Right. Well, I can’t give you auction price, but… I can offer this much.” She showed the number on her tablet. “For D-rank Celestial-class monster loot, that’s the standard market rate, minus my 5% fee.”

  Shane took the tablet and his lips curled upwards at the number.

  Fuck those scammers.

  It was just as he’d expected, or, to be precise, more than he’d expected.

  They were worth over twenty times what Jessica had last offered.