Chapter 25: 10 Million Gold Silence

Exitra knew exactly what kind of guy this was.

It was a shady tactic, plain and simple.

The architect guild this guy was trying to connect him to probably had a reputation just as bad.

There was nothing good to gain from getting involved with people like that.

— [Ugh, I seriously want to punch him in the gut. Just one hit isn’t enough. Gotta use Six Emperor Fist for this one.]

— [Toot toot! I’m mad! Toot toot toot!!!]

— [But really, what can we even do in this situation right now… ㅠㅠ]

‘The problem is, this guy doesn’t really have a clear strategy…’

There were no known weaknesses.

Threats were an option.

But a half-baked threat could easily backfire.

If he started spreading strange rumors, rebuilding the fallen family would become nearly impossible.

Exitra needed to tread carefully here.

‘Why’s he dragging this out? It’s not like he has a choice.’

Mosquito sneered inwardly at Exitra.

Normally, acting like this toward a noble could easily get someone executed.

But a fallen noble? No need to worry much there.

Right now, merchants held more power than disgraced nobility.

‘A fallen family with a young heir—this is gonna be easy.’

He hummed under his breath.

How should he sell the Giant Black Mountain Goat’s corpse?

There was no part of the goat that needed to be thrown away.

Its blood could be refined into a tonic.

Its hide could be used for armor.

Its horns were durable enough to be crafted into weapons or protective gear.

Even its organs could be a delicacy depending on how they were cooked. Nothing was waste.

‘Heh, how much should I charge? If I really push it, maybe 5 million? No—6 million gold sounds right.’

“Alright! Your choice. I honestly don’t care if you back out now.”

Mosquito looked smug, thinking he held the upper hand.

— [Boring…]

— [What a jerk…]

— [Ugh, I hate saying this since I’m a senior in high school, but… what a jerk.]

‘Doesn’t he have any weaknesses? If I can just find one, I can make this work…’

Exitra thought hard.

But figuring out someone’s weakness was no easy task.

‘There has to be something…’

As he was deep in thought—

Ding~

[To help you deal with that weasel-faced bastard, a skill has been transmitted.]

[Skill ‘Weakness Perception’ has been acquired.]

A new skill appeared.

Apparently, even Chronos hated Mosquito enough to intervene.

‘Wait, let’s check it quickly.’

Exitra opened the skill window without hesitation.

[Weakness Perception] [Active]

[Description: Reveals the target’s weakness.]

It was surprisingly simple.

And that was a good thing.

Easy to understand.

‘If I use it on a monster, I’d probably get info on its vital points. But what happens when I use it on a person?’

He hadn’t tested it yet.

But now was as good a time as any.

There was nothing to lose.

And Chronos wouldn’t have sent such a skill at this timing without a reason.

It had to help in this situation.

‘Let’s do it.’

Exitra looked straight at Hans, who was still grinning smugly.

‘Weakness Perception.’

[You have used the skill ‘Weakness Perception.’]

[Target’s weaknesses have been identified.]

[Name: Mosquito]
[Weaknesses: Poor interpersonal relationships has a complex about his weasel-like face worried about recent hair loss embezzled funds from the Merchant Guild (keeps the ledger with the records on him at all times)]

Exitra quickly skimmed through the weaknesses.

The rest didn’t matter.

What did matter was the last one—embezzled funds.

‘This might be useful.’

Apparently, Mosquito kept the ledger on him at all times.

He likely didn’t trust anyone else.

So rather than hiding it somewhere, he kept it close, where he felt safest.

‘Now, how do I steal it?’

Exitra quickly formed a plan.

Thanks to his multitasking skill, he could sort through multiple thoughts simultaneously without issue.

It didn’t take long before a solid plan came together.

‘Yeah, that’ll work.’

Once he had the plan, Exitra moved immediately.

First, he summoned Silph.

He threw open the closed drawing room window and whipped up a gust of wind.

Crash!

“Agh! What the—where did this wind come from?!”

Mosquito flinched, his face full of confusion.

The wind targeted only his face, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.

‘Next…’

While Silph distracted him, Exitra summoned the wood spirit, Wood.

Using its branch-like tendrils, he silently pulled the ledger out from Mosquito’s inner pocket.

Mosquito, blinded by the wind, didn’t notice the theft.

‘Got it.’

Exitra had secured the prize.

The ledger wasn’t too thick.

But even a brief glance revealed it was packed with details.

He dismissed Silph.

***

As the wind died down, Mosquito stood there with a bewildered look on his face.

“Huff… What the hell was that?! Suddenly there’s this huge gust of wind!”

He exploded in anger.

Understandable—his hair was a mess and his neatly pressed clothes had been completely ruffled.

Exitra, however, remained calm.

“Sometimes strange winds blow through the territory.”

“Winds?”

“Yes.”

“That strong? And only hitting me?”

Mosquito looked dumbfounded.

After all, the wind had only disheveled him—Exitra remained perfectly untouched.

Anyone could tell that wind had selectively avoided Exitra.

“Sometimes the wind really does blow with that kind of precision here.”

“Huh… what a curious phenomenon…”

“Nature is always full of mysteries.”

“Well, I’ll be…”

— [LOL]

— [Look at that guy’s confused face, LOL]

— [A wind that targets one man only, LOL. That was insane.]

“I see…”

He had suspicions, but no proof.

He couldn’t accuse anyone without evidence.

Mosquito just straightened his wind-blown hair the best he could.

“So, what will you do? Will you sell it?”

“Ah~ Selling is fine, but not at that price.”

“Hmph. In that case, I’m afraid we’ll have to call this deal off.”

Mosquito looked Exitra straight in the eye.

He deliberately put on an attitude like he had no regrets—to maintain control of the negotiation.

But there was something he didn’t know.

The initiative had already shifted to Exitra.

“Are you sure you want to keep that attitude with me?”

Exitra’s tone had changed.

He had completely seized on the man’s weakness.

And besides, the guy wasn’t just a merchant—he was corrupt.

There was no longer any need to treat him with courtesy.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Wow~ You’ve really been skimming off the top, huh? Oh? Is this emergency aid meant for the Triane Territory? Impressive. And this… you even pocketed royal subsidies? Incredible.”

Mosquito’s expression changed.

At first, he couldn’t understand what Exitra was talking about, but then the realization hit him.

Frantically, he searched his clothes.

What should’ve been tucked safely inside his coat was missing.

“Gasp! D-Don’t tell me…”

“Looking for this?”

Exitra pulled out an account book.

“You’ve really been playing a dangerous game, huh?”

“Man, you really lived up to your name—sucking people dry like a mosquito. Actually, no, at this point you’re more of a parasite.”

“That’s…”

“What do you think would happen if I took this to the Merchant Guild? I’m curious.”

Mosquito’s face went pale.

If that were to happen, not only would he be expelled from the guild, but he’d never be able to work in the industry again.

“H-How did you even get that…?”

“Who knows? Maybe a sudden gust of wind gifted it to me?”

“No way… That wind…”

***

Siiiick—

Exitra curled up one side of his mouth in a smile.

‘Sharp guy.’

“That’s why I don’t like clever merchants.”

“You—!”

“Hey now, you shouldn’t be speaking to me like that. Not when this is in my hands.”

“Y-You…!”

His face flushed red and then turned pale.

— [LOL]

— [No way, he actually said that?]

— [Here comes the soda I ordered!]

— [Look at that bastard squirm kekekekeke]

As Mosquito’s expression crumbled, the viewers in chat were clearly loving it.

After all the crap they’d endured from him, it was still infuriating just thinking about it.

Now he was finally the one getting wrecked.

— [Too bad I don’t have any popcorn.]

— [Bartender! Soju over here, please!!]

— [Close the store! I’m renting out this show tonight! Kyaa~!]

“Now then, shall we continue with our transaction?”

“Ugh…”

“So, how much are you offering for the body of the Giant Black Mountain Goat and the orc?”

Exitra was calm and confident.

Mosquito, meanwhile, glanced nervously at Exitra as he opened his mouth.

“H-How about 2 million gold?”

He still hadn’t come to his senses.

He must’ve thought Exitra didn’t know the actual market price for the Giant Black Mountain Goat’s body.

But this was a terrible move.

He had just thrown away any chance of mercy.

‘If that’s how you want to play it… I’ve got moves of my own.’

“Two million, huh…? Sure.”

Exitra accepted without hesitation, and Mosquito’s face lit up.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then—”

“Then how much are you willing to pay for this account book?”

His smile immediately disappeared again.

“I’ll sell you the orc and goat corpses for 2 million. And in return, how much will you pay me for this ledger?”

“That’s not fair!”

“It’s right here. So—how much?”

Mosquito gritted his teeth.

‘How the hell did he get that? Damn it…’

If this ledger were reported to the guild, his life would be over.

He had even embezzled emergency relief supplies from the kingdom. If that got exposed, he might rot in prison for the rest of his life.

***

Smirk.

A sly grin spread across Exitra’s face.

The tables had turned.

The balance of power had shifted completely to Exitra.

The hierarchy had flipped.

‘That’s what you get for picking a fight with me.’

“So? I could let you buy it for just 10 million gold.”

“Ten million?! Th-That’s outrageous!”

“Outrageous? This is a ledger that holds your entire life in its pages. Are you telling me your life’s not even worth 10 million gold? That’s pretty cheap.”

— [Look at his face! He’s dying inside.]

— [Bartender! Shut the place down! I’m gonna drink till morning! Kyaaa~]

— [That’s so satisfying!]

— [Quick, someone clip this! That guy’s scammed so many streamers.]

The viewers were clearly having a blast.

“Ugh…”

“Well? Are you buying it or not? I’m not a fan of stalling. And even if you don’t buy it… don’t you think there are plenty of others who would?”

Heh—

Mosquito was smart and quick-witted—there was no way he didn’t understand what Exitra meant.

Exitra didn’t need to sell it to Mosquito.

He could take it to the guild.

Or he could sell it to Mosquito’s competitors.

Plenty of people would pay for this kind of dirt.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“…Damn it. I’ll buy it.”

“Oh, just a heads up. Since you hesitated once, the price went up. It’s 15 million now. You’re okay with that, right?”

Crack!

“Careful now. Don’t grind your teeth too hard—you don’t want dentures at your age, do you?”

— [He’s pure evil LOL but I love him for it~]

— [Should we get him some implants? Special offer for today—FREE! Kekeke]

Exitra smiled.

To others, it might’ve looked like a friendly grin.

But to Mosquito, it was anything but.

To him, Exitra’s smile looked utterly, monstrously wicked.

They say you can’t spit on a smiling face—but at this point, even hurling phlegm felt possible.

“You are going to buy it, right?”