MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 96: The Price of a Drop of Dragon Blood

"Stonehaven, the Appraisal skill is absolutely out of the question. We can discuss other possibilities, find another way."

The moment Marcus turned to leave, the Appraiser darted forward, catching his arm before he could take another step. Inside, the man was fuming, the urge to punch Marcus so sharp he nearly lost control, but he plastered on a bright, strained smile, refusing to let a single flicker of his irritation show.

’Discuss what?’ Marcus couldn’t imagine what other "possibilities" the man thought existed. If Appraisal was off the table, there was nothing to negotiate. He wondered if the Appraiser had lost his mind, or had always been this dense. As the only Grandmaster Appraiser on the entire Dreamland Continent, teaching one measly skill should’ve been effortless. Refusing just made him look completely insincere; especially when he still had the nerve to ask for the Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s blood.

"Oh, I see," Marcus said, pretending to think it over. "If Appraisal is a no-go, let me consider. Maybe there is another arrangement we could make."

A spark of hope lit in the Appraiser’s eyes. He stared at Marcus with desperate expectation, but the more Marcus spoke, the faster that hope died, freezing into something cold and bleak.

"The Holy Water from the Spring of Life would do nicely," Marcus mused. "A drop for a drop; that seems fair. Or that cleric artifact you mentioned earlier, the Staff of the Divine Spirit. If its stats are decent, we could swap. Honestly, even the Five-Clawed Divine Dragon from Dragon’s Peak Citadel would work, though I suppose a Five-Clawed is worth more than my Sky Dragon’s blood. In that case, having it accompany me for, say, ten days or a fortnight should cover it. Or maybe you’ve got another Super Divine Beast tucked away... or a spare Super Divine Artifact..."

Since the Appraiser insisted on another method, Marcus figured he’d offer a generous menu to choose from. He felt rather pleased with his own reasonableness.

"Absolutely not!" the Appraiser roared, finally snapping. "Stonehaven, you insolent little—" His neck corded, his face flushed crimson. Anger nearly choked him as he fought the urge to slam Marcus through the nearest wall.

"Not possible? Fine. Forget it, then," Marcus said coolly. "I’m offering the blood of a Divine Beast; a Super Divine Beast, my Dark Violet Sky Dragon, for one of your skills. I’m already taking a loss here, and you’re unwilling? You do know what I’m holding, right?"

Marcus scoffed inwardly. The old man needed a favor from him, yet he was acting like he held all the cards. ’Stubborn old fool,’ Marcus thought. ’Does he not get how easy he has it? Otherwise, he can march into the Demon Territories himself, sit down with the Demon Lord, and politely ask for a drop of Sky Dragon blood. Or better yet, try invading, drag the dragon out by the horns, and take what he wants.’

Of course, Marcus only thought that because he was certain his Dark Violet Sky Dragon was one of a kind. He seriously doubted another existed, even deep in the Demon lands.

"Fine... Fine, you wretched boy, you..."

"Take it easy, Old Man. Bad for your health. I’ll drop by another time." Marcus took several steps back, just in case the old man’s frustration boiled over into a forced duel.

"You’re ruthless, kid. I concede. Alright, the trade is on." The Appraiser finally broke. He couldn’t let the Sky Dragon’s blood slip away; not when it meant a chance to forge a top-tier Divine Artifact.

A crisp chime sounded in Marcus’s mind.

"Ding! Stonehaven, the Appraiser wishes to teach you the skill: Appraisal. Do you accept? If accepted, you must provide the Appraiser with one drop of Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s blood once your pet reaches Level 30. Until that time, the Dark Violet Sky Dragon remains your bound property and cannot be transferred, sold, or discarded."

"Accept."

Another notification followed immediately.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Stonehaven for receiving guidance from the Appraiser and learning the Advanced skill: Appraisal. Reputation increased by 100. Auxiliary profession ’Appraiser’ obtained."

Marcus brightened. Finally, the skill was his. He pulled up the interface at once.

Appraisal (Advanced Skill)

Level: Basic (0/10000)

Cost: 100% Mana

Success Rate: Golden Equipment (60%), Artifacts (10%), Mythic Artifacts (5%), Divine Artifacts (0%)

Limit: 5 uses per day

Basic? Marcus stared, stunned. The old man had scammed him. He was even trickier than he looked.

"Stonehaven, what level is your Dark Violet Sky Dragon?" the Appraiser demanded, not giving Marcus a chance to complain.

Marcus cooled his irritation. He still had one last card to play. If the old man wanted information, he’d pay for it. Marcus was determined to squeeze him dry today.

"The Sky Dragon’s egg is still in my inventory," Marcus said. "Hasn’t hatched. Won’t hatch for another thirty years."

"Thirty years?" The Appraiser froze, staring with naked disbelief. He’d never heard of any dragon egg taking that long.

"Here. See for yourself."

Marcus produced the pet egg. The Appraiser took one look at its attributes and fell silent, his expression turning stormy.

"Stone, you insolent brat, are you playing games with me? Why did you not say so earlier?" His voice trembled with anger again, his glare sharp enough to cut. Still, he called Marcus "Stone", which at least suggested the relationship had improved slightly.

"It was like this when I got it," Marcus said, his tone all innocence. "If I could’ve hatched it, I would have done it ages ago and had it grinding mobs with me. I’m frustrated too. Besides, you never asked." He arranged his features into a picture of pure, wronged sincerity. "Old Man, relax. Once it hatches, I’ll power-level it to thirty straight away. You’ll get your blood then. Two drops, even three; no problem at all."

He thumped his chest confidently. Seeing the Appraiser’s anger ease a fraction, Marcus pressed his advantage.

"Old man, you’re powerful, capable and honestly impressive. You must know a way to speed up the hatching. Earlier hatch, earlier blood. Everyone wins."

"You’re a sharp negotiator, kid. Spare me the flattery."

’Damn,’ Marcus sighed internally. ’No traction there.’

"Ouch!"

Before he could react, the Appraiser tapped him lightly on the forehead with a faintly glowing, violet-hued sorcerer’s staff. It wasn’t hard, but it clearly let the old man vent a bit of spleen.

"Alright, you little brat. Hand over the egg. Let’s see what can be done."

Marcus grinned and passed it over immediately. His forehead still stung, but the thrill running through him drowned it out. Today was going even better than he’d hoped.

"The egg absorbed energy from the Elven Gate," the Appraiser murmured after a long examination. "The Five-Element Divine Power of the elves. That’s one of the most potent natural forces in the world. It’s caused a mutation. Fixing this won’t be simple, but I’ll do what I can."

He looked at the egg with poorly concealed envy. A Divine Beast. A true Divine Beast. Fewer than twenty people on the entire Dreamland Continent owned one, and this greedy, opportunistic kid had landed one by sheer dumb luck. No justice in the world, he thought.

He couldn’t yet say what kind of mutation the Elven power would trigger. The dark bloodline might remain, or it might not. What would a mutated Super Divine Beast become?

The Appraiser found himself filled with a prickling curiosity and anticipation. He almost stopped caring whether the mutated dragon’s blood would even be useful to him in the end.