Chapter 39: Steep Price

“Skeleton Staff… appraisal fee, 220 gold. Hmm. And this? An Artifact? The Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit?” The Appraiser’s voice caught. His expression shifted from bored detachment to genuine astonishment as he ran his fingers over the cloak.

“Young man, well done,” he said after a pause. “To get your hands on such a fine item. You’re quite promising.”

Marcus blinked. ’Did he just… give me a compliment?’ The famously grumpy appraiser wasn’t known for his praise. That alone told Marcus the cloak was something special.

The old man continued to examine each piece Marcus handed over, muttering as he went. “Not bad, not bad. These are all excellent Golden Equipment pieces.”

He read off the results as he worked: “Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit, 2,560 gold coins. Cabaro’s Greataxe, 580 gold coins. Cabaro’s Boots, 610 gold coins.”

Then he stopped suddenly. His eyes widened, and his face stiffened as if he’d just seen a ghost.

“What… is this?” he whispered, staring at the glowing shard in Marcus’s hand.

Marcus tilted his head. “Uh, everything okay? What’d I do?”

The Appraiser looked up, utterly serious. “Is this… the Violet Shard? Could this truly be the legendary Violet Shard?” He exhaled slowly, almost reverently. “Remarkable. To think someone your age would unearth a treasure like this.”

’Legendary treasure,’ Marcus repeated in his mind, excitement buzzing in his veins. ’Now we’re talking.’

“Is it really that big a deal? What does it actually do?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

“This is no ordinary trinket,” the old man said, his voice growing distant, like he was speaking from another time. “Back in my day…”

He trailed off, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Marcus leaned forward. “Hey, Old man? what happened back in the day?”

The old man blinked as though waking from a trance. “Ah, forgive me. I got carried away. Of course, I can tell you… but the identification fee will be fifty thousand gold coins.”

Marcus’s jaw nearly hit the floor. ’Fifty thousand? That’s straight-up robbery!’ He groaned inwardly. So much for being rich.

The old Appraiser was a tough negotiator.

“Old man, can you give me a discount? Why is it so expensive?”

“Fifty thousand gold coins is already a bargain for you,” the Appraiser said, adjusting his spectacles as he peered over the counter. “If it were anyone else, I’d charge at least eighty thousand.”

Marcus wasn’t sure if the old man was bluffing, but the fact that he was even talking to him was progress. The last time Marcus had come here, the Appraiser hadn’t spared him a proper conversation.

“It’s too much,” Marcus said finally. “I’ll hold off on the Violet Shard for now. Sir, could you take a look at this piece of gear instead?”

“What’s this? More gear? Let me see.” The old man’s eyes widened as he examined the item, and his voice shot up in surprise. “A Divine Item! A Divine Item has appeared! Stonehaven, is this yours?”

’Who else’s would it be, you old coot? I’m the one standing here holding it out to you.’

“Yeah, it’s mine,” Marcus said, keeping his voice level with effort. “Went through hell to get it. Can you appraise it or not?”

“Nonsense, of course I can,” the Appraiser snapped. “It’s only a Low-Tier Divine Item. It’ll cost you three thousand gold coins to appraise.”

’Only three thousand?’ Marcus sighed and opened his coin pouch. He had 6,782 gold coins left. Not much, considering he still needed to buy potions. The Level 30 gear would have to wait until he actually reached Level 30.

“Sir, I need you to appraise the Skeleton Staff, the Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit, and the Adamant Shield. I don’t have enough gold for the rest.”

He placed the gold on the counter.

“There you go,” the Appraiser said, sweeping the coins into a drawer. “All done. Not bad at all.”

A faint glow pulsed from the old man’s hands, and the three items shimmered, revealing their true forms. Marcus leaned forward, eyes gleaming, and quickly gathered them up as their stats appeared before him.

—

Adamant Shield: Low-Tier Divine Item.

Requirements: 100 Strength, Level 30 Knight.

Forged by a master craftsman using Adamant Relics and Darkcloud Dragonsteel.

Defense: 500

Block Success Rate: 35%

Bonus Attributes: Strength +50, Constitution +50, Elemental Resistance +50%

Attached Skills:

Adamant Aegis: Active, Area-of-Effect (AoE). Increases the Defense of the user and all teammates by 300, reduces magic damage taken by 30%, and boosts Health regeneration speed by 10. Duration: 5 minutes.

Adamant Shield Wall: Active, AoE. The shield rapidly expands tenfold, forming a luminous barrier that surrounds the user within a two-meter radius. While protected by the Shield Wall, players take 70% less damage. Duration: 1 minute. Cooldown: 3 uses per day.

—

This was the power of a Divine Item. Even a low-tier one was insane. The raw stats were good, but those two skills? They were game-breaking. With a tank like him wielding this, he’d be a damn fortress.

’Damn it, why’s it gotta be Level 30?’ Marcus groaned internally, his jaw tight with frustration

—

Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit: Artifact.

Requirements: Level 20.

This cloak once belonged to a phantom under the command of the original Demon Lord. After centuries adrift, it reached the Black Rock Spire, where it absorbed pure Negative dark energy and transformed into its current form.

Defense: 50

Evasion: 200

Movement Speed: +3

Attack Speed: +2

Dark Resistance: 50%

Bonus Attributes: Agility +50, 10% Physical Attack Immunity. Has a 10% chance to release the cloak’s Negative dark energy, freezing the opponent and slowing their movement.

Attached Skills:

Phantom: Active, Single-Target. Mana Cost: 300. Allows the user to move while invisible. Movement speed is halved. Duration: 1 minute. Invisibility ends upon attacking or taking damage. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

Wraith: Active, Single-Target. Mana Cost: 300. Increases movement speed by 50%. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.

’The stats are absolutely bonkers.’

The Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit was absurdly powerful. If used right, it could rival, maybe even surpass, a Divine Item. Marcus had been grumbling about the meager rewards from Merchant Reginald’s quest, but now, he couldn’t complain. Not after this.

—

Skeleton Staff: Golden Equipment.

Requirements: Level 20 Sorcerer-class.

A single-handed weapon that has absorbed a vast amount of dark energy, giving it formidable destructive power.

Magic Attack: 120

Magic Regeneration Speed: +2

Bonus Attributes: Attack Speed +2, Health Regeneration Speed +1, Magic Regeneration Speed +1. Attacks deal an additional 10 Fire damage and 20 Poison damage. Has a 5% chance to trigger the Intermediate skill, Sea of Fire.

—

The stats weren’t bad at all; roughly on par with his Skeleton Blade. Since Lily was playing a Sorcerer, he decided to keep the staff for her.

He wondered how Lily, in all her beauty, would look wearing a full Skeleton Set. If she ended up looking like one of those bone-white Skeleton Fighters, that would be… awkward, to say the least.

After the appraisal, Marcus stored everything neatly in his Storage Vault. There was no point in buying any Level 25 or 30 gear yet. He was still the only Level 20 player around, so there wasn’t much of a market for high-level items. Flashing them now would only attract unwanted attention.

’What to do now?’ he wondered, feeling suddenly restless.

—

“Hey, what level are you now? Still rotting in the Newbie Village? Need your big brother to carry you?” he typed out to Amber, mostly just to kill time.

“I’m good. In the middle of a quest. Can’t talk. Bye.”

The reply was instant, frosty, and left no room for argument.

Marcus stared at the message. “…..”

’My own sister. Ice cold.’ He was the number one ranked player on the entire server. Thousands of people would kill for a power-leveling session with him, and his own sister couldn’t spare two seconds for a conversation?

’Fine. Just wait till you see how strong I’ve become. Don’t come crying to me for help later.’ He grumbled to himself, sulking a little.

—

“Lily, what level are you? Still in Newbie Village?” he typed again. At least Lily always responded.

“Hehe…”

That was it. Just a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he typed back, suspicious.

“I’m partied up with your sister,” she replied, the giggles practically audible through the text.

Marcus winced. ’Oh, fantastic. Just perfect. Now Lily knows I got shot down.’

“Well, hurry up and level! I’ll power-run both of you,” he said, trying to salvage a shred of dignity.

“We’re wrapping up this quest chain, then we’ll be right out,” Lily answered in a cheerful tone.

“We’re busy, Marcus. Stop spamming us,” Amber cut in, her text blunt and merciless.

Marcus sighed. ’Wonderful… My own sister just told me off in front of Lily.’

He couldn’t even go back to the Newbie Village now. If only he could just show Amber his raw power; that would definitely make her change her tone. But for now, he felt like a hero with no battlefield.

’Forget it. I’ll just keep leveling up,’ he decided, pushing his irritation aside.

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