An ordinary-looking stone, or perhaps a plant, or maybe an insect.
To someone without expertise, things they would pass by without a second glance might in fact be the raw form of a gemstone,
or a precious medicinal herb, or even a natural memento.
To walk past something without knowing its value could result in a severe loss once you realized what you missed.
The true worth of objects, in this way, is only recognized by those with the expertise to see it.
That’s why Dahav ignored the rows of dazzling Equipment and came all the way down to the ‘consumables’ section.
＊Found it.”
Dahav grinned broadly and reached out his hand, not for anything else but—
[Sabrina’s Special Insect Repellent Spray]
- Grade: Rare
- Category: Top-tier
- Usable Level: Level 1 and above
- Number of Uses: 3
- This insect repellent spray was produced after Alexandra, the first lord of Shinega, racked her brains to drive away the persistent insects and requested Sabrina, the master of the Alchemist Tower, to make it.
- By blending the scent of self-evolved Oseongcho (a self-evolving plant that avoids insect predation) and Dokryeoncho (a toxic herb with insecticidal properties), both of which developed to escape predatory insects, this spray is extremely effective at repelling insects. (Reduces the number of Insect Monster encounters without Insect Poison resistance by 45%)
As its name suggests, it was a plastic insect-repellent spray can, with a nozzle that would disperse the contents like powder.
Neither the name nor the appearance seemed special, but with a broader view to the future, this ‘Sabrina’s Premium Insect Repellent Spray’ was the most valuable among all the Shinaga military supplies.
In some ways, this was only natural.
“Even the best Equipment gets replaced when you level up,”
In comparison, this spray could be used on any Insect Monster without Insect Poison resistance, regardless of your level.
Of course, since not all Monsters were insects, most ordinary beginners had no choice but to focus on Equipment.
However, while Dahav might have been a bit disappointed about Equipment, he wasn’t desperate.
He was overflowing with capital, and now that he’d decided to challenge himself as a professional player, he was set on making aggressive investments.
“No matter how good they are, it’s hard for Shinaga military supplies to compete with Unique Items.”
The reputation of Shinaga’s military supplies as ‘unique-class’ only held when compared to lower grades.
Once you moved up to intermediate levels, Unique Items were noticeably superior.
“And besides, right now, this spray is something you can’t even buy with money.”
Since the Amorphophallus hunting method had not yet been revealed, people were unaware of the Pending Task Quest rewards, and naturally, no one knew the true identity or effects of the spray.
There was no one making insect repellent spray with the expensive Oseongcho and Dokryeoncho herbs, which cost 1 gold, or 100,000 won, per root.
But the ‘Premium Insect Repellent Spray’ was an essential item for the plan Dahav had in mind.
[Are you sure you want to select the ‘Premium Insect Repellent Spray’?]
Others might have hesitated or refused in fear, but Dahav nodded without hesitation.
[‘Premium Insect Repellent Spray’ will be awarded as a reward.]
[With your item selection complete, you will be moved outside the Item Warehouse.]
Shazam, watching Dahav holding the spray, let out an admiring sigh.
“As expected, you picked that one. You see the true essence of things. That spray is an outstanding item only available from our Shinaga’s military supply stockpile.”
“Haha, of course! This is the best, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Since it’s made using the recipe personally devised by Lady Sabrina, the master of the Alchemist Tower, its effects are bound to be amazing.”
Shazam laughed heartily, and Dahav chimed in after him.
“Can I really accept such a precious item just for defeating a few insects?”
“Now, now, don’t say such modest things. For someone of your caliber, you more than qualify—more than enough, in fact! Which reminds me, would you be willing to take on another request? I promise you, the pay won’t be lacking.”
Dahav answered solemnly, as if he had been waiting for this.
“For a request from you, Lord Shazam, of course I will.”
“Though I’m grateful to hear it, this next commission is rather tricky.”
But Dahav already knew the contents of the Quest.
“Is it perhaps an order to investigate the cause, or something like that?”
Shazam nodded with a look of slight surprise.
“You truly have sharp insight! Just as you guessed. The Lord wishes for Root Removal. But tell me, who else could I possibly trust with this task but you? I know it’s shameless to ask, but if you accept, I’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded.”
Ding—!
- Investigation of the Cause
- Rank: E~C (Varies depending on circumstances)
- Quest Details: Shinaga , once known as a tourist city with pristine scenery and fresh air, has recently seen an explosive increase in the number of Titan Arum, turning it into a breeding ground for Amorphophallus. The city has become overwhelmed by the stench of Titan Arum. The lord, Alexandra, wants to find the root cause and eliminate it. No one, not even Shazam or anyone else in Shinaga, has been able to discover the cause. At a loss, they’re requesting help from a capable adventurer like you.
- Clear Reward: EXP 20,000, Shazam Affinity +20, Shinaga Reputation +20, possibility to obtain Follow-up Quest ‘Subjugation Force Organization’ or ‘Root Removal’
Looking at the message window, Dahav couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from twitching.
“Alright, I’ve buttoned up the very first step perfectly. I’ve managed to snag such a sweet Quest.”
Depending on your knowledge, Intelligence Quests like this could become much easier—or harder.
If you didn’t know anything, this would become a difficult, 0-rank investigation, but with ample information, it became relatively easier.
That’s why the rank varied from 6 to 0.
But what if you had information about the future—a cheat key of sorts?
It goes without saying.
The grade—no, it’s easier than eating rice cakes lying down.
The cause was already neatly organized in Dahav’s mind.
There was absolutely no reason to refuse this kind of bonus stage.
In fact, Dahav even felt grateful to Shazam.
“Don’t say it’s shameless, Lord Shazam. I’ll definitely find the cause, so you just relax and take a good rest. Hahaha!”
***
To hunt efficiently and comfortably, three main things were required.
Items, level, and skills.
Of these, the most fluid was, of course, items.
It was only natural.
Level goes without saying, and skill runes, once equipped, are bound to your character, making them impossible to trade or sell.
On the other hand, unless an item is a special case with a non-tradeable option, you can always resell it for currency when you’re in a pinch or don’t need it anymore.
For this reason, and due to the influence of the number of users, item trading within ASA was extremely active.
“It’s almost a problem how active it is.”
Up to level 10, there was a relatively ample supply of items, but from level 15, the supply suddenly dropped.
The reason was simple.
No one pours money into a game before they’ve decided whether they’re really enjoying it.
Usually, you play for a while, decide if you like it, and only then make investments.
And in ASA, that timing was around level 15.
As mentioned, since items can be resold after use, players showed a rather aggressive investment tendency.
“What’s more, in ASA, new users are increasing day by day instead of decreasing, so there’s no need to worry about cashing out…
Because of this, obtaining a Unique Item itself had become as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
In fact, even though Dahav had plenty of gold, he still couldn’t purchase any Equipment.
“I’ve been refreshing the listings for an hour already. Even after camping at the Brokerage, I’ve only managed to find two intermediate Unique pieces.”
If he hadn’t had the 23 gold for the instant purchase price of the Red Tribe Orc Warrior’s Bracer and 27 gold for the Brave Troll’s Leather Armor—50 gold in total—they would have been sold in the blink of an eye if he’d left for the exchange.
As boredom dragged on, fatigue set in and he began to consider compromising.
“Maybe I should just arm myself with Rare for now…”
But he quickly shook his head.
“No, at the very least, my weapon has to be Unique.”
It was clear—the biggest difference was felt with weapons.
As they say, offense is the best defense; the higher your damage, the less time you spend tanking hits. It was essential to secure the best possible weapon to bridge that gap.
“Please, just let one decent weapon show up…”
At this point, he was mindlessly spamming the refresh button.
Then, suddenly, a single dagger, its name highlighted in bright pink, appeared at the top of the list.
His heart started pounding as he finally saw a sign.
He hurriedly scanned the dagger’s price and information, but quickly deflated.
“What? It’s a fake listing.”
Fake listing.
That’s when someone sets a ridiculously short auction time—ten minutes, for example—and an absurd starting bid to either manipulate the item’s market value or simply show off their item.
This dagger had a starting bid of 150 gold—about 15 million won.
No matter how rare Unique Items were, no one wanted to spend over ten million won on a low-level weapon.
He was about to move on, but—
‘Wait a second, this dagger…’
He hastily tapped the dagger with his finger and checked the information.
[Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger]
- Grade: Unique (Unopened)
- Category: Intermediate
- Usable Level: Level 15 and above
- If more time had passed, Kasaka, whose incomplete reverse scale this dagger was forged from, would have certainly become a dragon and ascended.
- This dagger is imbued with Kasaka’s resentment at failing to achieve ascension due to an unexpected mistake, as well as his emptiness and yearning.
- Attack Power: 100~150
- Stat Options: Strength +10 / Agility +20
- Special Options
- Dragon’s Fang: Randomly inflicts Bleed, Paralysis, Slow, Burn, Freeze, or Poison on hit (15% chance).
- ???: Condition unknown (must unlock the Equipment to discover)
- Note: If the hidden condition is met, a powerful latent force will awaken.
“Jackpot!”
After checking the name and abilities of the weapon, Dahav couldn’t help but exclaim.
And with good reason—Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger (the item that made Immortal Emperor Nazarik, later called a treasure of the Legendary grade) was an item whose value would skyrocket thanks to the honorific it would one day receive.
Of course, to unlock that level of power, he’d have to release the second special option, but that wasn’t a problem.
‘The conditions for unlocking Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger are definitely…’
He could recall them precisely; they weren’t that difficult.
‘I have to buy this, no matter what.’
Kasaka was a Monster who could only be summoned during the open beta event—no longer available for hunting.
Moreover, until 2040, only one listing of this Half-Dragon Dagger had ever existed, making it essentially a ‘unique’ item. If he didn’t buy it now, he might never see it again.
‘How much do I need to bid to guarantee I get it?’
Pausing for a moment, he rifled through his memory and recalled numerous videos.
Since Immortal Emperor Nazarik was so popular and well-known, there were many documentaries and retrospectives about his exploits on A-Tube.
‘I remember—Nazarik bid for Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger at the current minimum, 150 gold, about 15 million won, and won.’
Given that today might be the very day Nazarik obtained the Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger, he’d have to bid more than that to be certain.
‘But I can’t afford to waste too much money.’
For now, it wasn’t impossible to spend tens of millions in a single day, but at this rate, if he overspent, he’d eventually hit a wall.
‘If I bid with just under 110 seconds left…’
Dahav swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the window, waiting for the countdown to run out.