Lucas still couldn't make up his mind. Which guild should he join?
Now that his options had narrowed down to just two—the Grand Age Guild and the Tower Demolition Squad Guild—he decided to cancel his appointments with the other small and medium-sized guilds. There was no point in wasting time when he already had two of the top offers in front of him.
That decision suddenly freed up a day and a half of his schedule, and he found himself a little unsure what to do with that time.
Should he go out to grind some monsters and level up?
Nope. First, he had to deal with his nearly empty wallet.
He had a little over 10,000 yuan left, and after a few recent dinners with people trying to recruit him, even that amount had shrunk further.
So, Lucas gathered all the miscellaneous monster loot he had collected from recent battles in the Secret Realm. He bundled it up and went to sell it all in bulk. The haul wasn't bad, but not amazing either—just a bit over 3,000 yuan.
While materials from monsters above Level 20 were more valuable than lower-level ones, the difference wasn't huge.
But luckily, he had something better—a hidden gem from his last dungeon boss fight: a Level 40 rare-quality purple staff, known as the Necromantic Skeleton Staff.
Lucas brought the weapon to a store near Kyoto University to get it appraised and see how much he could get for it.
After a detailed check, the shopkeeper offered him 280,000 yuan.
Lucas frowned. That felt a bit low. He had done his research—Level 40 rare purple weapons usually sold for at least 300,000 yuan.
Clearly, this boss was trying to shortchange him.
Lucas tried negotiating, asking the shopkeeper to raise the price. But no matter how many times he pushed, the man wouldn't budge.
In the end, Lucas shook his head and walked out of the shop. He didn't want to waste more time going store to store, though, so instead he took a different approach.
He posted the staff for sale on the Kyoto University campus forum, along with a screenshot of the weapon's stats.
The response was instant. A bidding war broke out, with sophomore and junior students jumping in eagerly.
Eventually, one bidder came out on top: a wealthy junior mage girl, who offered 350,000 yuan without a second thought.
She was clearly well-off—and even more than the staff, it seemed she was interested in Lucas himself. She asked him out for a meal.
Lucas politely declined. He could see right through her intentions.
Although he always joked about finding a rich woman to "sponsor" him, in reality, that was just self-deprecating humor.
Now that someone was actually showing interest, with that kind of gaze, Lucas got nervous and quickly escaped.
"Not bad… I've finally got some money again."
Looking at the fresh 350,000 yuan in his account, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. Time to treat himself.
---
He returned to a weapons shop and bought two Level 20 purple-quality daggers, spending nearly all his newfound wealth.
From 350,000 yuan, he was now down to about 60,000–70,000 yuan.
But that didn't bother him at all.
"Money is just a tool," Lucas thought. "The important thing is improving my strength."
And that was exactly what he intended to do.
He looked at the Pale Blade in his hand—a unique weapon he had grown quite attached to. Its cold glow shimmered slightly in the light.
It was already upgraded to five stars, and if he fed it these two new purple daggers, it might evolve into something far greater—an epic-grade weapon.
Lucas's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Alright," he muttered, "let's see your transformation."
He took a deep breath and began the process.
> Ding! A weapon eligible for devouring has been detected. Would you like to activate the Pale Blade's 'Infinite Evolution' ability? Please confirm: Yes/No.
Yes. Confirmed.
Without hesitation, Lucas hit "Yes."
The first of the two daggers dissolved into shimmering white light and was absorbed into the Pale Blade. The blade's body shimmered—but its stats didn't change.
However, a small new line appeared in its name: (1/2).
Lucas grinned. "Good. One more to go and we'll complete the evolution."
He eagerly prepared to feed it the second dagger.
But just as he was about to click the button again, a different system message popped up.
> Special Warning: After this devouring, the Pale Blade will evolve to epic level. Its minimum wielding requirement will increase to Level 60. You are currently Level 25. Please proceed with caution!
"WHAT?!"
Lucas froze, his finger hovering over the confirmation button. He instantly pulled it back and broke into a cold sweat.
"Seriously?! I won't even be able to equip it?!"
That was way too risky.
Thank god for the warning. If he hadn't read that carefully, he would've wasted his best weapon and ended up empty-handed.
He had always assumed the Pale Blade was unique—that it didn't follow normal game rules for gear levels. But apparently, even special soul-bound weapons had their limits.
Thinking back, it made sense. The best weapons under Level 60 were still purple grade. Epic equipment was for higher-level players.
"Whew... That was close."
Lucas sighed and carefully put the Pale Blade back into his inventory. He didn't dare let it eat the second dagger.
He only had about 60,000 yuan left—barely enough to afford even a high-quality blue weapon. If he lost his current blade, his strength would plummet.
And having an epic weapon that he couldn't use would just make it sit in his inventory, collecting dust—just like the Ring of the Phoenix, which he also couldn't equip yet.
"Thanks, system," Lucas muttered. "You may act dead most of the time, but you really came through for me just now."
He gave the system an imaginary thumbs up. At least it warned him before he did something stupid.
"Well, I guess I just have to wait until I hit Level 60."
He stowed the second purple dagger safely in his inventory. It was still useful—just not right now. He had no regrets about buying it.
"Alright then," Lucas said aloud. "Time to grind. Dungeons, monsters, here I come!"
He had no money again and still needed stronger armor. His current set was a mishmash of blue gear, and he was even missing two accessories.
He needed a full set—fast.
"Maybe once I join a guild, they'll hook me up with some better gear?" he wondered aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
---
While Lucas was strategizing his next move, Jade Walker, president of the Tower Demolition Squad Guild, was busy with her own recruitment efforts.
This time, she had her eyes on another top freshman—Amelia Su.
Amelia had been extremely popular lately. Almost every major guild in the country was trying to recruit her. Offers poured in. Promises were made. Resources dangled.
She was an incredible talent—no one could deny it.
Amelia, however, had found the attention overwhelming. Every day was another wave of offers and negotiations, and she hadn't made a decision yet.
But now, it was Jade's turn to meet her.
The Tower Demolition Squad had already sent multiple invitations, and Amelia finally agreed to sit down with them.
What would come of that meeting?
No one knew for sure.
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