Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 15

I emerged from the Subspace and began searching for the supplies I would need to replenish.
“Thank goodness they’re not too expensive, are they…?”
Most items were things that could be easily obtained in the Tower.
The problem was that acquiring them on foot would be difficult.
The majority required reaching specific floors, and having only just conquered floor eleven myself, procuring them directly seemed out of reach.
I calculated the approximate cost based on market rates provided by merchants.
“Three… billion?”
Individually, each item hadn’t seemed particularly expensive, but gathered together, the total was staggering.
I’d been delighted to earn ten billion, and now I was staring at an expenditure three times that amount.
Since I hadn’t even factored in the cost of Magic Stone production and Drone manufacturing, I let out a deep sigh.
“If this is how it is, I really have no choice but to rely on monster byproducts?”
If I couldn’t secure decent money from processing the monster byproducts…
Then leaving the city dormant for a while seemed inevitable.
Naia wouldn’t like it, but without funds, what else could I do?
“For now, with this ten billion, I’ll buy Drones, the materials needed for production, and Magic Stones.”
I was about to head out when I hesitated.
“Hmm… though it might look suspicious, wouldn’t it?”
Officially, I was a Player who’d only recently Awakened—barely two weeks ago.
Yet suddenly I’d appear to be bulk-purchasing unusual minerals and Magic Stones.
“Anyone would find it suspicious…”
They couldn’t immediately point to Naia as the culprit.
But once suspicion started, it was only a matter of time before the trail led back to me.
Of course, Lucid operated on a principle of confidentiality as standard.
Since the site merely brokered transactions between both sides without even requiring real-name registration, the risk of being traced there was minimal.
But my current situation was different altogether.
As I puzzled over whether there was a better approach, a face came to mind.
“Baek Jin-seong… come to think of it, I have that guy, don’t I?”

* * *

After spending the better part of a day arranging my expenditures, I made my way back to Naia.
Arriving at the Core Center, I found it stacked with enormous quantities of byproducts loaded onto carts.
“Transporting all of this one by one through inventory would be impossible…”
Each item type was stored at ninety-nine pieces per slot, but the default inventory space was fundamentally limited.
“Well, there’s no helping it. Naia, could you move these up to the mountainside entrance?”
That’s what made the Subspace so convenient.
You could withdraw from it whenever you wanted.
If I moved things only to the entrance, I could then discreetly load them into my inventory in stages to transport them without drawing attention.
In any case, after confirming the byproducts were loaded and stacked at the entrance, I spoke to Naia.
“Start producing Drones for now. Hold off on Seize Runners until we get additional resources, and focus on other items first. That’s possible, isn’t it?”

『Yes, a simple matter.』

As a temporary measure, I handed over Magic Stones to Naia from my inventory.
Thirty of the lowest grade and forty of the lower grade.
Combined with the existing reserves, this was enough power to run the factory for roughly three days without concern.
At the same time, I sent Baek Jin-seong a message containing only the meeting location and purpose.
When I arrived at the destination the next day, Baek Jin-seong greeted me with enthusiasm.
“You’re here, sir!”
“Yes. I have something to ask of you for the first time.”
“Yes! I won’t let you down! You want me to procure items for you, correct?”
I nodded and handed over the complete list of goods.
“And one more thing—is your broadcast on right now?”
“My broadcast… yes, it’s on.”
“Really? Then everything we’re saying is being transmitted right now?”
“Yes.”
I spoke directly to the screen.
“Monster byproducts for sale. Here’s the inventory.”

* * *

I handed over only about a third of the byproducts to Baek Jin-seong and returned to my room.
“If I’m out there, it’ll just cause unnecessary commotion.”
People would gather not to purchase goods, but to see me—something that isn’t for sale.
I had no desire to become a spectacle, and besides, my presence would clearly disrupt the sales, so I’d decided to stay back.
Instead, I watched the proceedings unfold through Baek Jin-seong’s broadcast.
Baek Jin-seong presented the first item.

『These are Lava Hound’s Claws. We have ninety-nine in this bundle, priced at five thousand Gold. Is anyone interested?』

Lava Hounds.
Monsters from the forty-something floors—canine creatures with tough hides and flame properties.
Their claws were hard and sharp, making them popular materials for equipment crafting.

– How does Naia even have Lava Hound claws?
– We all know she’s still a ten-tier user.
– Is she serious? With ninety-nine pieces, she obviously didn’t hunt them herself.

When Baek Jin-seong displayed the Lava Hound’s Claws, the audience erupted in astonishment.
The claws gleamed like black quartz, their darkness lustrous and perfect.

– What? What is this? The quality is insane.
– I’d believe it if you told me they were just butchered fresh.
– No way. I have to buy those.

One viewer rushed forward.
A forty-tier player in his own right, he made the journey to Peronta himself and was captured on camera purchasing the items.
Normally, it was rare for higher-tier players to move backward through Neutral Zones.
The reason was the Ability Penalty.
Every time you crossed a Neutral Zone, you incurred a ten-percent Ability Penalty.
Of course, such penalties were temporary and vanished once you returned to your original zone, but the real issue was that high-tier players typically carried expensive equipment.
Unscrupulous players would exploit those moments of vulnerability, targeting them—which discouraged the practice entirely.

There was another reason high-tier players avoided lower Neutral Zones.
Floors outside your appropriate tier could not be subject to Repeat Conquest.
There was little point showing your face when you couldn’t meaningfully carry weaker players through content or exert your influence.

『Huh?』

The viewer-player who’d received the items looked surprised.
He rubbed his eyes and examined what he’d been handed once more.

『Is something wrong?』
『Jin-seong—I mean, Mr. Jin-seong. Do you have more of these?』
『Well, yes, we do.』
『I’ll take them all.』

The viewer-player’s sudden action sparked curiosity among the audience.

– What’s gotten into him?
– Is there something special about them?
– Wait, is he actually setting up there?
– That does it. I’m heading over.
– I’m… I’m going too.

Even I, watching the broadcast, found it fascinating.
I opened a Subspace gate, grabbed my inventory full of items, and examined them carefully.
Was there anything particularly special about them?

【Lava Hound’s Claw】
– Grade: C
– Grants a burn effect to struck targets at a certain probability.

I had no choice but to pull out my phone and search the community for concrete information.
That was when I could spot the difference.
“Wait—the burn effect ability wasn’t supposed to exist on these?”
It was a difference from the material items I’d acquired from the material box until now.
“What’s the difference? Is it because these are byproducts I processed and obtained myself?”
I didn’t think it was simply that kind of issue.
Because if that were the case—
then the materials coming from South America, where Eclipse currently based themselves, should also have come with these special options attached.
Just to be sure, I switched on MyTube to check.
I played a Lava Hound hunting video.
And shortly after, I understood the reason.
“The appearance is subtly different, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t figure out the reason why, though.
The creatures I’d seen beyond the hologram yesterday had been bulkier and their hides far more vibrant.
In any case, whether that was the cause or not—
Baek Jin-seong’s broadcast for selling byproducts drew a constant stream of eager viewers.
Peronta filled with spectators in an instant.
Baek Jin-seong scratched his head in utter bewilderment as he spoke.

『Don’t you have any more Lava Hound claws?』
『Sell some to me too. Even a small quantity is fine.』
『Just let me see them, please.』
『Well, I’m showing you right now…』

When Baek Jin-seong placed one as a sample on the display counter, people’s eyes lit up the moment they confirmed it.
One viewer gasped loudly in astonishment.

『Two… double—that is, ninety-nine of them bundled—I’ll buy for 10,000 Gold!』
『You… don’t cut in line! I want one bundle too!』
『I’m sorry, but the claws I have today end with this last set.』

Baek Jin-seong watched the Gold accumulating in the lower section of his inventory and was startled.
There were still other items left, yet an enormous amount of money had already piled up.
Forty… hundred million?

『Next, this one.』

The chat from viewers was heated.
Without knowing why, an exceptionally unusual hide had been put up for display this time as well.

– Wow, it’s hide this time?
– This hide is a jackpot too.
– Is that person buying again? Do they have that much money?

『This is Lava Hound’s Hide. I’m planning to sell this in bundles of ten. The price is the same as before.』

The moment Baek Jin-seong displayed the item, a bidding war erupted.

『I’ll buy for 5,000 Gold!』
『What are you talking about—I’m offering 10,000 Gold! Sell to me!!』

Without even looking closely, whether it was the aftereffect of the claws or not, the items sold out in a thriving market.
Baek Jin-seong, having successfully sold even the Lava Hound’s Bone Fragments, found himself scratching his cheek as he watched the viewers whose expressions mingled hope and despair.

“Well, yes—I’m planning to sell the same items again tomorrow, so if you’re interested, please do come back.”

I watched Baek Jin-seong’s sales broadcast through to the end, and I had to admit I was quite shocked.
In truth, if I’d sold all the byproducts at the projected total, the math came out to roughly twenty billion Gold—nothing more.
But as these unexpected abilities came to light, it seemed I could easily pocket double that amount or more.
At this rate, using the sales revenue to cover the city’s reconstruction costs and still have tens of billions left over seemed entirely feasible.
“They say there’s always a way forward…”
I was letting my mind wander pleasantly through the prospect of padding out my resources generously with the surplus when it happened.
Ding—
A notification chimed, and a message materialized before my eyes.

[Special Assembly activates.]
[Congratulations—the Drone you created has undergone an Awakening.]

“What?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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