“Thank you… truly, thank you. These were the belongings of my late husband that I lost when those wicked duchy men invaded. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you found them…”
“As long as Madam Hans is satisfied, that’s all that matters. This time, please take good care of your husband’s belongings so I don’t have to come back again.”
After completing the tenth and final urgent quest, Lost Item Search, Dahav stepped out of Hans General Store, and the long-awaited message window appeared.
[Sky Highlands Reputation has surpassed 200.]
[‘Quest: Proof of Qualification – Sincerity’ has been fully completed. Report to Mendelson to receive your quest reward.]
“Ha, it’s finally over.”
The NPCs in ASA were not only found in fixed locations.
“To think they’d be wandering around this freely… it made searching quite troublesome.”
In a world without smartphones or communication devices, going to each person individually to complete requests was rather taxing.
‘But still, if it raises my Reputation, I can’t complain about this much effort.’
What usually took about two months of Reputation grinding was finished in less than half a day.
“Now then, shall we go claim the reward for all that hard work?”
Though calling it ‘hard work’ was almost embarrassing, considering how quickly it was done.
Hans General Store was located in the western part of the Sky Highlands, where the commercial districts gathered.
Meanwhile, Mendelson’s location was at the far eastern edge, where the residential areas were clustered.
Since Mayu’s Hidden Shop could only be opened in the western commercial district, going straight to Mendelson was quite inefficient.
‘That’s why I exchanged a good amount of cash into Gold beforehand.’
In fact, the place where Mayu could open her Hidden Shop was right across the street from Hans General Store.
Recalling Aiollos’s videos in his mind, Dahav pushed open the store door at the crossing.
“Welcome!”
Despite the cheerful greeting, the shop counter was cluttered with goods, and dust bunnies rolled around on the floor, which clearly hadn’t been cleaned.
It was so disorderly that it was hard to believe it was a proper shop, but there was no reason to despair.
‘The real stuff will be hidden in the back anyway.’
While nodding, Dahav looked toward the back of the shop, and Mayu, the shop owner, kindly approached.
“Hehe, the items here don’t look like much, right? I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but I doubt this room holds anything that will satisfy you.”
Normally, most would take her words at face value and leave the shop.
However, Dahav had information from the future stored in his mind.
He took the Cypress Bracelet from his inventory, put it on his wrist, and waved his arm.
“Well, you wouldn’t know unless you look inside.”
Mayu looked momentarily stunned, then smirked.
“And your qualification?”
“Check it out yourself.”
As Mayu stared at Dahav intently, she quickly bowed her waist at a 90-degree angle.
“I apologize for not recognizing Dahav, the Noble of the Sky Highlands, immediately. Please allow me to escort you to the back.”
Mayu led the way toward the inner part of the shop.
There were no secret phrases or keywords required; the shop simply opened, and everything proceeded swiftly.
Creak—
They succeeded in entering the inner part of the Hidden Shop, which was not far from the entrance.
Ding—!
[Qualification confirmed. Mayu’s Hidden Shop has been opened!]
Inside, the shop was a completely different dimension from the outside.
It wasn’t about neatness—the items displayed were clearly high-class, even to an untrained eye.
‘Oh, seeing it with my own eyes, it’s even more impressive.’
Though Aiollos’s videos were popular and often imitated, actually seeing it firsthand left Dahav in awe.
“Except for nonexistent collection pieces, everything here exists. Because there are so many items, if you have trouble finding anything, just tell me anytime. I’ll find it and bring it to you.”
Items weren’t simply valuable because they were rare.
Just like diamonds vary immensely in price depending on shape and color, some items were expensive merely because they were rare and flashy.
If one lacked the ability to distinguish truly good items from merely adorned ones, it would be necessary to pay a hefty price to learn piece by piece—but Dahav had no such need.
“Moonlit Herb, Sunbright Herb, Balance Grass, ten of each, and…”
As Dahav named the items, Mayu immediately moved, and before long, a mountain of medicinal herbs was piled in front of the counter.
“Impressive. Your insight matches your good heart.”
“I usually don’t hear that, but today I’m getting told it a lot.”
“Who else would say such things besides me?”
“Even Mendelson said the same.”
Mayu’s brow briefly furrowed, but her experience as a merchant quickly smoothed out her expression as she smiled.
“Um… that’ll be 100 Gold.”
Dahav placed the 100 Gold boldly on the counter instead of bargaining.
At about ten million won per chapter, it was an exorbitant price for doping.
And since these were not finished products but raw materials, factoring in future crafting costs, one could consider it a significant investment.
Although the large quantity would require considerable effort, there was no other way since these materials weren’t currently obtainable.
Besides, Dahav, who knew the future and had planned accordingly, would never make an unprofitable move.
“These herbs will be worth enough when turned into doping.”
At the moment, the amount might seem excessive to carry around.
But Dahav had a secret weapon that made even that manageable.
‘Besides, some doping made from these herbs must be used throughout one’s lifetime.’
This investment would prevent unnecessary waste by avoiding repeated trips back to Sky Ridge during hunts or quests—it was a future-oriented investment.
Mayu counted the Gold and gave a sly smile.
“Thank you. Please come again next time.”
Just as Dahav finished payment and was about to leave the shop—
[For the first time in Mayu’s Shop, you have spent over 100 Gold. As a privilege, you may now use Mayu’s Premium Shop.]
“Premium Shop?!”
It was information that hadn’t existed before.
To be precise, it was unknown information.
It was impossible for the news to have spread since spending over 100 Gold, especially the first time, was a decisive condition.
Though slightly taken aback, the situation was not bad.
‘Actually, this is an opportunity.’
Though it involved an unexpected large expense, Dahav wasn’t going to waste the chance without checking it out.
‘Just in case, I even exchanged as much as 300 Gold.’
Turning his head to hide his excitement, Mayu smiled.
“You’re the first to spend over 100 Gold in my shop. As a privilege, there are premium items waiting that I’ve never shown even to the Sky Highlands residents. Would you like to see?”
“Let’s not be hasty about purchasing.”
“That’s good. The opportunity to gain special benefits has come. Please wait here for a moment.”
Mayu finished her words and disappeared into another door nearby.
Trying to keep calm, Dahav’s heart raced uncontrollably.
‘This is insane. Not just a Hidden Shop, but a Premium Shop? This is crazy!’
Just as his heart pounded like it would burst, Mayu returned through the door.
Creak—
“This is a cape here. Take a look…”
Mayu’s words faded into the background because Dahav didn’t need to hear them.
He already knew the value of the cape at a glance.
‘Watactics Cape!’
With numerous users and various Raid Monsters, the game had many unique items.
However, not all unique items were drool-worthy.
But the cape in front of him was undoubtedly one to drool over.
“This was Ikazuchi’s cape.”
Ikazuchi, a legendary assassin-class player ranked 24th with the Shiranui title, had treasured this cape.
At the same time, Aiollos’s discord with Ikazuchi was understandable now.
This cape was the reason behind the large sum that came after selling an item exceeding 100 Gold.
Looking back, since Aiollos maintained a certain supply, his income must have been steady as well, so there was no reason for sudden profit-sharing conflicts during peaceful times.
It was all because of this cape.
Dahav nodded and took the cape from Mayu, whispering to himself.
***
After finishing his shopping at Mayu’s Shop, Dahav headed to a pharmacy where he could borrow hot water and such.
He spread the medicinal herbs he had purchased across the table inside the pharmacy and gazed at them carefully.
Each and every one was a rare herb, and the explanations were no less than exceptional.
[Moonlit Herb]
- Grade: Rare
- Classification: Highest Grade
- Usable Level: None
- Emits a mysterious lunar aura that promotes the growth of surrounding plants.
[Sunbright Herb]
- Grade: Rare
- Classification: Highest Grade
- Usable Level: None
- Holds the warm energy of the sun, promoting the growth of surrounding animals.
[Balance Grass]
- Grade: Unique
- Classification: Low Grade
- Usable Level: None
- A grass that enables balanced and harmonious blending.
Besides these, there were many other diverse and precious materials.
All the herbs could be used as-is.
Balance Grass especially was known for its harmony effect, so adding it to well-made potions would improve their efficacy.
Although these were worth their price even if sold in this state at Mayu’s Shop, of course, they were not bought for resale.
“The real powerful doping comes from mixing these three.”
Though the ingredients seemed unrelated, when combined properly, they produced astonishing potions.
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as tossing them in and instantly creating potions.
“If it were that easy, no players would bother buying potions.”
The ingredients had to be combined in the right formula and proportions.
Especially since rare materials like these were rarely attempted in the market, there were no samples to reference.
Some daring players who aimed to become merchants had tried but mostly suffered losses and concluded it wasn’t worth it.
Simply put, starting without knowledge was a recipe for ruin in potion crafting.
Conversely, success meant monopolizing the market and making great profits.
But Dahav had no reason to fail now.
With a confident smile, Dahav reached out toward the medicinal ingredients spread on the table.
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