Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World-Chapter 22: The Wealthy Girl Named Mia! Weaponizing Emotional Trauma for a Discount
"Looks like no one is buying it." Caelus stared at the trading hub with a deadpan look on his face.
It had been an hour, and people still had not bought the dagger.
"Oh well, I will just leave it here. If people buy it, then they buy it. Hopefully, they won’t buy it while I am in the middle of combat."
"For now, I should just put down a request."
He had opened the trade hub for a completely different reason in the first place, but it had somehow ended up with him making roughly 2700 Origin Credits all at once.
But the initial reason he opened it was to put down a request for the Weapon Manifestation skill card.
With it, the mana cost would be lessened significantly.
Swiftly, he made the arrangements, and soon his request was put up in the global trading hub among thousands of other similar requests.
Now he just hoped someone would see it and sell him that skill.
Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t just go online and purchase it directly, but he didn’t have a Loader Chip with him at the moment. If he didn’t get the skill before the Domain opened, he would try to acquire a chip the next day and buy it online then.
Just then, someone sent him a direct message request.
[System: Player ’Mia’ has sent you a direct message request.]
[System: Would you like to accept?]
Before accepting, Caelus checked the content of the attached message.
[Mia: I am selling. Are you interested?]
Seeing this, Caelus clicked accept immediately.
[Caelus: Selling what? I will have you know, I am not interested in buying humans, and human trafficking is not a good thing.]
[Mia: ...]
[Mia: Weapon Manifestation. 200 Origin Credits.]
"200?" Caelus was taken aback.
Weapon Manifestation was literally available everywhere on the market as it was a very common skill. In the real-world market, it cost 50 Origin Credits at best.
[Caelus: Miss, did I offend you in some way? Why are you trying to rip me off? You know the internet is free right? Well, not really, it costs 5 Origin Credits per month, but still, you get the point, right? From what I can see, it is only 50 Origin Credits online. I, Caelus, stand for no injustice. How dark is this world? To think I almost got scammed today.]
[Mia: ...]
[Mia: Weapon Manifestation. 50 Origin Credits.]
Somewhere far away, in a quiet, luxurious-looking mansion that seemed rather overexaggerated in its grandeur, a girl with an extremely beautiful face, flowing black hair, and striking violet eyes stared at the system screen with a look of pure confusion.
"Isn’t 50 Origin Credits a bit too little for a skill?" Mia tilted her head.
200 had seemed like a normal, cheap price for her, and she had generously offered the Weapon Manifestation skill card she had lying around for that exact price. But this interaction made her realize the true cheap price was actually 50 and not 200!
This was truly eye-opening for someone like her, who was rich beyond what words could even describe.
[Caelus: 50? Is that all I get for all the trauma you have induced on me? You tried to scam me, and this is how you show your sincerity? I will have you know that I stand for no injustice. I will just wait for someone else, There are plenty of fishes in the sea after all.]
[Mia: Weapon Manifestation. 40 Origin Credits.]
[Caelus: Deal! Show me your Domain Pay QR code. I will wire you the money.]
Soon, a digital QR code appeared in the chat. Caelus swiftly scanned it using his system interface of the domain and transferred the 40 Origin Credits.
Immediately, the Weapon Manifestation skill card appeared inside his inventory, just as promised.
[Caelus: A pleasure doing business with you. If you have any cool and amazing skills, feel free to DM me. I will probably buy them.]
[Mia: Okay...]
Caelus didn’t mind the other party’s dry response. He swiftly summoned the skill card from his inventory.
The skill card itself was grey in color with a metallic light shining across its smooth surface. It looked exactly like a premium playing card, with a single star engraved across its four corners. In the center sat a combined logo of a spear, a sword, and a bow. Right below it, the text read: Weapon Manifestation.
Caelus pressed his thumb on the logo. It immediately dissolved into a metallic silver light and shot directly into Caelus’s chest.
[System: Skill Acquired.]
[Skill: Weapon Manifestation (Common, 1-Star) - Consume 8 Mana to unleash a wave of weapon energy.]
"Perfect," Caelus smiled.
This was great. Now, with this skill actively reducing the cost due to the talent-skill synergy, he didn’t need to worry about his mana running out too quickly after a long, continuous run inside the Domain.
Then, Caelus decided to message the girl from before.
[Caelus: By the way, do you have any mana amplification skills or a healing skill?]
The reply came almost instantly.
[Mia: No. But if you can wait, then I can get you some.]
[Caelus: Of course I can wait. Please do not forget to give me a discount like before as well!]
[Mia: ...]
With that settled, Caelus closed the system interface.
If he learned a mana amplification and healing skill right now, it would without a doubt cost him 25 mana for each casting due to his affinity. Hopefully, he would find a healing talent soon, along with an amplification talent to offset the heavy costs.
"Should I also purchase a better mana training technique?" Caelus appeared thoughtful.
In this world, grinding inside the Domain wasn’t the only way to increase a player’s combat score. There were Mana Training Arts. They utilized ambient mana to passively strengthen one’s physical body. The greater the tier of the technique, the better the effects. Of course, that was under the strict assumption that you had a good mana affinity.
For Caelus, to even see a noticeable difference, he would need a Mythical-tier Mana Training Art at the 1-Star grade.
And with that depressing realization, Caelus decided not to search for one just yet.
Because a Mythical-tier Mana Training Art might as well cost millions of Origin Credits, if not more.
Just then, Albert burst back into the dorm room.
"Big news, Brother Caelus!" Albert rushed in and immediately spoke with intense urgency.
"Following the urgent announcement from the Origin Network, there are some massive changes being made to the school, the Special Classes, and also the upcoming college entrance exams!"
