[Hello, it’s been a while, my friend... Did you finally miss me?]
The red eye spoke through the phone in an excited tone.
I rolled my eyes as I replied,"No."
[Seems you still enjoy being pessimistic... Since you called me, I assume you have a request, my dear client.]The red eye’s voice echoed in my ear through the earpiece.
I walked over and sat down on a comfortable chair near the glass window overlooking the gardens. At the same time, I took out an Essence Stone from my ring and began absorbing its essence."And you still like to act clever... Anyway, I need a specific item."
The red eye chuckled lightly before replying,[So, what does the great Caius need?]
I rolled my eyes again.
I thought for a moment before answering,"I need something that protects me from falling into a dream created by a Rank 5 creature."
[Hmm... There are Relics with the effect you want, but they’re expensive. And since they must be Rank 5 or higher, they’ll cost more than 55 million.]
Clatter...
The Essence Stone slipped from my hand and hit the floor.
"55 million..."What kind of cursed number is that... Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear anything.
I bent down and picked up the Essence Stone again."No... I don’t mean Relics. I want something for one-time use only."Consumable items were always much cheaper.
[Why didn’t you say that from the beginning, my friend... In that case, it’ll cost you at least 10 million.]
10 million...What nonsense is this idiot spouting... Maybe I didn’t hear him right.
Let’s make sure.
"How much did you say again?"
[I said 10 million.] His voice sounded amused as he spoke the number.
Clatter...
The Essence Stone fell from my hand once more.
I clenched my teeth, holding back from shouting into the phone."Are you kidding me... How does a consumable item cost 10 million?"
I heard the red eye’s cheerful laughter, which only fueled my irritation.[Seems you’re still poor, my friend... But unfortunately, that’s not my fault. This type of magic item is extremely rare—rarer even than Relics—so it’s very expensive.]
I sighed and leaned my head back against the chair.
So, in the end, I’d have to handle everything myself... Well, I expected that anyway. When had life ever been kind to me?
"Just provide me with something that keeps me awake inside the dream."Looks like I’ll have to carve my own path.
[That’s easier, and I don’t think breaking the dream will be difficult for you. But you should know—once you break the dream, you might find yourself facing the creature that created it instead of waking up immediately.]
"I know. Just tell me how much that will cost."
He wasn’t in front of me, but for some reason, I could feel him smiling in amusement.[Alright... It’ll cost around 700,000 or more. I’ll need some time to see what I can secure and give you an exact price.]
700,000...A lot, but I can manage it.
I looked at the Essence Stone lying on the floor...Looks like I’ll need to sell some of you, my dear friends.
I sighed sadly."Just do it as fast as possible."
[Haha... Very well, my dear friend. I’ll call you in a few days with the details.]
He was about to say more, but I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call without another word.
I looked through the glass at the sun slowly rising.
"It’s hard being poor."
....
A few days passed since I called the red eye.
During that time, I skipped almost all classes and focused solely on consuming Essence Stones.
So, by the time the red eye contacted me again, I had already consumed 290 stones and felt the barrier separating me from the next rank beginning to crack.
He told me that obtaining the item I wanted would cost 780,000, including his service fee.
And so, here I was, standing in front of a gloomy merchant, placing Essence Stones on the table one by one.
"148... 149... 150."
I hesitated before placing the final stone in front of him.
The merchant sighed."Finally. I thought you’d take the whole day."
I ignored his words and instead looked at the Essence Stones, my heart feeling heavy.
I promise you, this sacrifice won’t be in vain.
In the next moment, the merchant took all the stones and pointed to a small scanner."Place your phone there so I can transfer the money."
I did as he said, and with a chime, I received my points.
780,000 points in exchange for 150 medium-grade Essence Stones.
I left the shop, my mood sinking to rock bottom.If only the game mentioned stock markets and company conditions...
I could’ve invested and easily made a fortune.
Or some hidden treasures—you know, the protagonist walking through a random forest, tripping over a tree root, falling into a deep cave, and finding a treasure worth million... The lives of the children of the heavens.
I sighed."I need something to improve my mood."And I knew exactly what.
Of course... food.
So I headed to a high-end restaurant.
After satisfying myself with food and forgetting some of the bitterness I felt from selling my Essence Stones, I returned to my room and continued consuming them.
I abandoned morning training and even sleep, focusing solely on breaking through my rank.
I sat on the floor of my living room, my shirt discarded and soaked in sweat, while a glowing stone rested in my hand and pure essence flowed into my body.
My breathing grew slightly rough as I felt an invisible wall shatter.
Then it happened.
As the last bit of essence flowed out of the stone, my body began to change.
Intense pain spread everywhere, but I endured it calmly.
It lasted for several minutes before the pain vanished as if it had never existed.
All that remained was the new power surging through my body.
My lips curved into a satisfied smile.
"Finally... I’ve reached the Advanced rank."