The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: The E-Rank Sellers

The Awakener Equipment Shop was considerably busier than usual.

Several Awakeners were moving between the counters, carrying bags filled with monster materials while employees inspected their equipment and processed their transactions. The sound of conversations and the occasional announcement filled the large interior, but Ares and Ji Won were standing in a quieter section toward the back of the building.

They had requested a private meeting with someone who was capable of handling a large transaction.

The reason was simple.

They had a considerable amount of materials to sell.

And none of them were ordinary.

A shop employee had been assigned to meet them first.

The man appeared to be in his early forties and wore a neat gray suit with an identification badge attached to his chest. He sat across from Ares and Ji Won, holding a tablet while reviewing the information they had provided when requesting the meeting.

"So, Mr. Han and Mr. Yoon, I understand that you’re here because you have a substantial quantity of monster materials that you’d like to sell."

Ji Won nodded politely.

"That’s correct."

"Could you give me a general idea of what we’re dealing with?"

"We have several types of magic stones."

The employee began entering the information into his tablet.

"How many?"

Ji Won hesitated briefly.

"Quite a lot."

The employee looked up.

"Approximately?"

Ji Won glanced toward Ares before answering.

"More than fifty."

The man’s fingers stopped moving.

"More than fifty?"

"Yes."

He looked at the two of them again.

"May I ask what ranks the two of you are?"

"E-Rank."

The employee stared at them.

For several seconds, he seemed to be waiting for one of them to laugh.

Neither did.

Finally, he gave an awkward smile.

"Mr. Han, Mr. Yoon, I apologize, but if this is some kind of joke, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t joke about something like this."

Ji Won frowned slightly.

"Ah no, we’re being serious."

"I’m sure you are, but an E-Rank pair possessing more than fifty high-quality magic stones is extremely difficult to believe."

He placed his tablet on the table.

"If we’re talking about ordinary E-Rank or D-Rank monsters, then perhaps such a quantity could be accumulated over a considerable period of time. However, if you’re telling me that these are A- and B-Rank cores, then I’m afraid I need to verify that claim before we continue."

Ares had remained silent until then.

He reached into his spatial storage.

The employee’s eyes immediately followed his hand.

A faint distortion appeared beside Ares.

A moment later, Ares placed a small magical crystal on the table.

It wasn’t large.

In fact, compared with the monster cores normally traded inside the shop, it was relatively small.

But the moment it appeared, the employee’s expression changed.

The crystal was almost perfectly transparent, yet deep within its structure, countless layers of light seemed to move independently of one another. A faint golden-white radiance pulsed from its center, while tiny patterns resembling stars appeared and disappeared beneath the surface.

The magical pressure contained within it was subtle.

Yet unmistakable.

The employee’s breathing stopped.

He slowly leaned closer.

"What..."

His voice became quieter.

He didn’t touch it.

He simply stared.

"This isn’t an ordinary magical crystal."

Ares said nothing.

The employee’s expression became increasingly serious as he examined the crystal from different angles.

The mana density was extraordinary.

Even without using an appraisal device, he could tell that the crystal contained an amount of refined magical energy that far exceeded anything normally brought into the shop.

"Where did you obtain this?"

"Inside a dungeon."

The employee looked at Ares.

"What kind of dungeon?"

Ares smiled faintly.

"That’s something we’d prefer to keep private."

The employee immediately nodded.

"Of course."

He swallowed.

"That’s understandable."

He looked at the crystal again.

Then toward the bags beside Ji Won.

Then back at Ares.

His previous skepticism had completely disappeared.

Instead, there was something close to panic in his expression.

"I apologize."

He bowed his head.

"I sincerely apologize for doubting you."

Ji Won quickly waved his hand.

"It’s fine."

"No, I should have taken your request more seriously."

The employee gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ahahaha, I honestly didn’t expect two E-Rank Awakeners to bring something like this into the shop."

He stood.

"I need to speak with my superior."

Ji Won looked at him.

"Your superior?"

"Yes."

The employee picked up his tablet.

"A transaction involving materials of this quality is far beyond what I’m authorized to handle."

He bowed once more.

"Please wait here."

He turned toward the door.

Then stopped.

He looked back at the crystal one last time.

"I’ll be right back."

The door closed behind him.

Ares leaned back in his chair.

Ji Won released a quiet breath.

"That went better than I expected."

Ares nodded.

"At least he believed us after seeing the crystal."

Ji Won looked toward him.

"After this, we’ll head to the Awakener Assessment Center, right?"

"Right."

Ares glanced at him.

"You should get yourself reassessed."

Ji Won nodded.

"Yes. If what you said about the Crimson Oath Ring is correct, there’s a possibility that my rank could jump all the way to A-Rank."

He looked down at his hands.

"If that happens, I’ll be able to transfer my father’s room to a much better one."

His expression softened.

"The hospital has better rooms for higher-ranking Awakeners and their families, and if I can afford the associated expenses, my father could receive much better care."

Ares remained silent for a moment.

Then he looked at Ji Won.

’He really cares so much about his father. What a nice kid.’

Ji Won continued thinking aloud.

"If I become an A-Rank Awakener, I’ll also have access to better treatment options and more opportunities to earn money."

Ares nodded.

"Then you should definitely get reassessed."

"I will, thank you."

They continued talking quietly while waiting.

Several minutes passed.

Then—

Footsteps suddenly echoed through the hallway.

Fast footsteps.

Very fast.

Ji Won looked toward the door.

"What?"

The sound became louder.

Then the door suddenly opened.

The same employee practically slid into the room, stopping himself just before reaching the table.

Behind him stood another man.

This man was clearly different from the ordinary employees of the shop.

He wore an elegant deep navy formal suit beneath a long, perfectly tailored coat. Subtle silver lines ran along the edges of the fabric, while dark blue accents decorated the collar and cuffs without making the outfit look excessive. A small silver emblem of the Awakener Equipment Shop was attached near his chest, and even the way he carried himself made it obvious that he held a senior position.

The employee quickly stepped aside.

"Sir, these are the clients I mentioned."

The man calmly entered the room.

His eyes moved toward Ares.

Then Ji Won.

Then the crystal resting on the table.

He paused for the briefest moment.

His expression remained professional, but his eyes immediately revealed that he understood the significance of what he was seeing.

He turned toward the two.

"You two must be Mr. Han Ji Won and Mr. Yoon Tae Ho."

Ji Won immediately stood and gave a polite bow.

"Yes. My name is Han Ji Won. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Ares stood as well and bowed politely.

"Yoon Tae Ho. Nice to meet you."

The man returned their greeting with a respectful bow.

"My name is Lee Seong-min."

He straightened.

"I’m the senior manager responsible for high-value transactions at this branch of the Awakener Equipment Shop."

He glanced toward the employee.

"Before anything else, I would like to apologize for the way you were treated when you first arrived."

The employee immediately lowered his head.

"I’m sorry, sir."

Seong-min sighed lightly.

"I understand why you were skeptical, but our customers should not have to prove that they’re telling the truth before receiving proper service."

He turned toward Ares and Ji Won.

"Please accept my apology."

Ji Won shook his head.

"It’s alright. We understand that what we’re carrying is unusual."

Seong-min smiled awkwardly.

"That is certainly one way of describing it."

A faint bead of sweat appeared near his temple as he glanced toward the crystal.

"I must admit, I was not expecting an E-Rank pair to arrive with materials of this quality."

Ares remained calm.

"We understand."

-----

Seong-min gestured toward the seating area.

"Please, sit."

The three returned to their seats.

Seong-min sat opposite them while the employee remained nearby with the tablet.

He looked toward Ji Won.

"I have several questions before we begin, if you don’t mind."

"Go ahead."

"Where did you obtain these materials?"

"Inside a dungeon."

"Was it an A-Rank dungeon?"

"Something like that."

Seong-min stared at him for a moment.

He clearly realized that they weren’t going to provide the exact location or circumstances.

Rather than pressing them, he simply nodded.

"I understand. I won’t ask for information that you’re unwilling to disclose."

He opened the report.

"Then let’s discuss the materials themselves."

He looked toward the first container.

"You mentioned that you have several types of fire- and lava-aspected monster cores."

"That’s correct."

Seong-min’s expression immediately became more interested.

"That’s rather fortunate."

He leaned slightly forward.

"High-quality fire- and lava-aspected magic stones are considerably rarer than ordinary monster cores in South Korea. Most high-ranking dungeons do not possess environments capable of producing large populations of such creatures, and A-Rank volcanic or lava-type dungeons are particularly uncommon."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I must admit, I’m quite interested in seeing what you’ve brought."

Ji Won opened the first container.

Seong-min looked inside.

His expression brightened.

"Lava Tiger."

He carefully examined one of the magic stones.

"A-Rank."

He turned it slightly beneath the light.

"The elemental concentration is excellent, and the magci stone is in remarkably good condition."

He looked toward Ji Won.

"How many?"

"Eighteen."

Seong-min nodded.

"Under ordinary circumstances, an A-Rank magic stone of this quality would already command a significant price. However, Lava Tigers are particularly valuable because their magic stones contain highly concentrated fire-aspected mana, and their rarity further increases their market value."

He looked toward the employee.

"What is the current purchasing rate?"

The employee checked the tablet.

"Approximately ₩5,000,000 per magic stone"

Seong-min nodded.

"Then eighteen magic stones would be ₩5,000,000 × 18, giving us ₩90,000,000."

He entered the figure into the report.

"Next."

Ji Won opened another container.

Seong-min examined the contents.

"Magma Hounds."

He picked up one of the B-Rank magic stones.

"B-Rank, but unusually pure."

He looked toward Ji Won.

"Twenty-one?"

"Yes."

Seong-min nodded.

"These are not as rare as Lava Tigers, but B-Rank fire-aspected magic stones remain valuable because of their elemental properties and usefulness in magical equipment."

He looked toward the employee.

"At ₩1,200,000 each?"

"Yes."

Seong-min entered the calculation.

"₩1,200,000 × 21 equals ₩25,200,000."

He moved to the next container.

The moment he saw the contents, his expression became noticeably brighter.

"Flame Bears."

He examined one of the magic stones carefully.

"Another A-Rank species."

He smiled faintly.

"These are quite rare. Their magic stones are particularly useful for fire-based equipment because of their stable elemental composition."

He looked at Ji Won.

"Twenty-four?"

"Yes."

Seong-min nodded.

"At ₩4,500,000 per magic stones, ₩4,500,000 × 24 gives us ₩108,000,000."

The employee entered the amount.

Seong-min moved to the next container.

"Magma Scorpions."

He examined the magic stones.

"Seventeen B-Rank magic stones."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"These are slightly less valuable than the Magma Hounds, but their concentrated fire-aspected mana still makes them desirable for certain forms of equipment and magical processing."

He checked the current rate.

"₩900,000 per magic stones."

He entered the calculation.

"₩900,000 × 17 equals ₩15,300,000."

Finally, Ji Won opened the last container.

Seong-min’s eyes immediately settled on the magic stones inside.

"Inferno Rhinos."

He picked one up carefully.

"A-Rank."

He examined it for several seconds.

"Excellent mana density."

His expression became more impressed.

"These are particularly valuable because Inferno Rhino magic stones possess a very dense mixture of fire and earth-aspected mana, which makes them useful for both offensive equipment and high-durability magical materials."

He looked toward Ji Won.

"Twenty magic stones?"

"Yes."

Seong-min nodded.

"At ₩4,000,000 per magic stones, ₩4,000,000 × 20 gives us ₩80,000,000."

He leaned back and looked at the figures displayed on the tablet.

"Let me calculate the total."

His fingers moved across the screen.

"Lava Tigers: ₩90,000,000."

"Magma Hounds: ₩25,200,000."

"Flame Bears: ₩108,000,000."

"Magma Scorpions: ₩15,300,000."

"Inferno Rhinos: ₩80,000,000."

He added the figures carefully.

"₩90,000,000 + ₩25,200,000 + ₩108,000,000 + ₩15,300,000 + ₩80,000,000."

He looked up.

"The combined value of the five groups is ₩318,500,000."

Ji Won stared at the number eyes widened.

"₩318,500,000..."

Seong-min nodded.

"Correct."

He looked toward the two of them.

"And that is only the magic stones."

Ji Won’s expression changed slightly.

"We have the monster materials as well."

Seong-min’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Then the final value will be considerably higher."

He glanced toward the remaining containers.

He returned his attention to the transaction.

"Then, if you’re ready, we can continue."

Ji Won nodded.

"Of course."

Seong-min looked toward the remaining materials.

"Since the magic stones alone are already worth ₩318,500,000, I expect the monster materials to add a substantial amount to the final transaction."

Ares remained silent.

For now, however, the first part of their sale had already established something important.

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