The pawnshop was located in a back alley of the Jongno district, squeezed between a noodle stall and a laundromat. The sign above the door simply read: [CASH FAST].
Ren pushed the door open. A bell chimed.
The interior smelled of stale cigarettes and regret. Glass cases were filled with pawned wedding rings, scratched guitars, and low-grade hunter gear that looked like it had been stripped off a corpse.
Behind the counter sat Old Man Choi.
In Ren's previous life, Choi became the 'King of the Underground Market.' A man who would eventually sell nuclear warheads to Guild Masters. But right now, in 2024? He was just a greedy old man with cataracts and a gambling addiction.
"We're closed for lunch," Choi grumbled, not looking up from his newspaper.
"I'm not here to buy," Ren said, walking up to the counter. "I'm here for a loan."
He slammed the grey Etherium stone onto the glass counter. Thud.
Choi squinted at it. He poked it with a yellow fingernail.
"A rock?" Choi looked at Ren like he was an idiot. "Get out."
"It's not a rock," Ren lied smoothly. His heartbeat remained steady. "It's a raw, uncut sapphire encased in sedimentary limestone. My grandfather left it to me. I haven't had time to get it cut."
Ren leaned in, lowering his voice.
"I need $10,000. Cash. Right now."
Choi laughed. It was a dry, rasping sound. "Ten grand? For a paperweight? Kid, I wasn't born yesterday. If that was a sapphire, you'd be at a jeweler, not a pawnshop."
"I can't go to a jeweler," Ren whispered, feigning desperation. "I... I owe money to the Red Dragon clan. If I show my face in a legit store, they'll track the transaction. I need off-the-books cash."
Choi's eyes lit up. He didn't care about the rock. He cared about the desperation. He smelled a victim.
"High risk," Choi muttered, pretending to inspect the rock with a loupe. He saw nothing, of course. It was just a rock. But the kid's story... it sounded pathetic enough to be true.
"Standard rate is 10% interest," Choi said. "For you? 50%. Per day."
"That's robbery," Ren said, exactly as a desperate man should.
"Take it or leave it."
Ren gritted his teeth. "Fine. 50%. But I'm redeeming it in 24 hours. If I don't come back... keep the rock. It's worth fifty grand easily."
Choi smirked. He opened the register and counted out a stack of greasy bills. In his mind, he was already planning to sell the kid's info to the debt collectors if he didn't show up.
Ren took the money.
[Current Assets: $10,050]
"Pleasure doing business," Ren said.
He walked out of the shop. As soon as the door closed, his desperate expression vanished, replaced by a cold smirk.
He didn't owe the Red Dragon clan anything. And that rock wasn't a sapphire. It was worth millions. He just needed Choi to hold onto it for a few days so he wouldn't have to carry it around.
Ren flagged down a taxi.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"The nearest wholesale flower market," Ren said. "And drive fast."
Twenty minutes later, Ren stood in a greenhouse filled with the scent of lilies and roses.
The florist, a kind middle-aged woman, looked confused.
"You want... the ferns?"
"Yes," Ren pointed to a row of potted plants in the back. They had dark green leaves with faint blue veins. "The Blue-Leafed Ferns. How many do you have?"
"About five hundred. Nobody buys them. They're hard to keep alive and they smell like vinegar if you touch them."
Ren pulled out the stack of cash.
[Item: Blue-Leafed Fern]
[Current Market Price: $5 per pot]
[Effect: When exposed to Mana, the oil in the leaves becomes a potent neurotoxin antidote.]
[Future Value (2 Hours): Priceless]
"I'll take them all," Ren said. "Every single one. And I need to rent your delivery truck for the afternoon."
The florist looked at the cash, then at Ren.
"Honey, are you starting a garden?"
"Something like that," Ren said, tossing a bundle of bills onto the counter. "I'm doing some landscaping."