"Skeleton Staff... appraisal fee, 220 gold. Hmm. And this? An Artifact? The Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit?" The Appraiserâs voice caught. His expression shifted from bored detachment to genuine astonishment as he ran his fingers over the cloak.
"Young man, well done," he said after a pause. "To get your hands on such a fine item. Youâre quite promising."
Marcus blinked. âDid he just... give me a compliment?â The famously grumpy appraiser wasnât known for his praise. That alone told Marcus the cloak was something special.
The old man continued to examine each piece Marcus handed over, muttering as he went. "Not bad, not bad. These are all excellent Golden Equipment pieces."
He read off the results as he worked: "Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit, 2,560 gold coins. Cabaroâs Greataxe, 580 gold coins. Cabaroâs Boots, 610 gold coins."
Then he stopped suddenly. His eyes widened, and his face stiffened as if heâd just seen a ghost.
"What... is this?" he whispered, staring at the glowing shard in Marcusâs hand.
Marcus tilted his head. "Uh, everything okay? Whatâd I do?"
The Appraiser looked up, utterly serious. "Is this... the Violet Shard? Could this truly be the legendary Violet Shard?" He exhaled slowly, almost reverently. "Remarkable. To think someone your age would unearth a treasure like this."
âLegendary treasure,â Marcus repeated in his mind, excitement buzzing in his veins. âNow weâre talking.â
"Is it really that big a deal? What does it actually do?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"This is no ordinary trinket," the old man said, his voice growing distant, like he was speaking from another time. "Back in my day..."
He trailed off, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Marcus leaned forward. "Hey, Old man? what happened back in the day?"
The old man blinked as though waking from a trance. "Ah, forgive me. I got carried away. Of course, I can tell you... but the identification fee will be fifty thousand gold coins."
Marcusâs jaw nearly hit the floor. âFifty thousand? Thatâs straight-up robbery!â He groaned inwardly. So much for being rich.
The old Appraiser was a tough negotiator.
"Old man, can you give me a discount? Why is it so expensive?"
"Fifty thousand gold coins is already a bargain for you," the Appraiser said, adjusting his spectacles as he peered over the counter. "If it were anyone else, Iâd charge at least eighty thousand."
Marcus wasnât sure if the old man was bluffing, but the fact that he was even talking to him was progress. The last time Marcus had come here, the Appraiser hadnât spared him a proper conversation.
"Itâs too much," Marcus said finally. "Iâll hold off on the Violet Shard for now. Sir, could you take a look at this piece of gear instead?"
"Whatâs this? More gear? Let me see." The old manâs eyes widened as he examined the item, and his voice shot up in surprise. "A Divine Item! A Divine Item has appeared! Stonehaven, is this yours?"
âWho elseâs would it be, you old coot? Iâm the one standing here holding it out to you.â
"Yeah, itâs mine," Marcus said, keeping his voice level with effort. "Went through hell to get it. Can you appraise it or not?"
"Nonsense, of course I can," the Appraiser snapped. "Itâs only a Low-Tier Divine Item. Itâll cost you three thousand gold coins to appraise."
âOnly three thousand?â Marcus sighed and opened his coin pouch. He had 6,782 gold coins left. Not much, considering he still needed to buy potions. The Level 30 gear would have to wait until he actually reached Level 30.
"Sir, I need you to appraise the Skeleton Staff, the Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit, and the Adamant Shield. I donât have enough gold for the rest."
He placed the gold on the counter.
"There you go," the Appraiser said, sweeping the coins into a drawer. "All done. Not bad at all."
A faint glow pulsed from the old manâs hands, and the three items shimmered, revealing their true forms. Marcus leaned forward, eyes gleaming, and quickly gathered them up as their stats appeared before him.
---
Adamant Shield: Low-Tier Divine Item.
Requirements: 100 Strength, Level 30 Knight.
Forged by a master craftsman using Adamant Relics and Darkcloud Dragonsteel.
Defense: 500
Block Success Rate: 35%
Bonus Attributes: Strength +50, Constitution +50, Elemental Resistance +50%
Attached Skills:
Adamant Aegis: Active, Area-of-Effect (AoE). Increases the Defense of the user and all teammates by 300, reduces magic damage taken by 30%, and boosts Health regeneration speed by 10. Duration: 5 minutes.
Adamant Shield Wall: Active, AoE. The shield rapidly expands tenfold, forming a luminous barrier that surrounds the user within a two-meter radius. While protected by the Shield Wall, players take 70% less damage. Duration: 1 minute. Cooldown: 3 uses per day.
---
This was the power of a Divine Item. Even a low-tier one was insane. The raw stats were good, but those two skills? They were game-breaking. With a tank like him wielding this, heâd be a damn fortress.
âDamn it, whyâs it gotta be Level 30?â Marcus groaned internally, his jaw tight with frustration
---
Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit: Artifact.
Requirements: Level 20.
This cloak once belonged to a phantom under the command of the original Demon Lord. After centuries adrift, it reached the Black Rock Spire, where it absorbed pure Negative dark energy and transformed into its current form.
Defense: 50
Evasion: 200
Movement Speed: +3
Attack Speed: +2
Dark Resistance: 50%
Bonus Attributes: Agility +50, 10% Physical Attack Immunity. Has a 10% chance to release the cloakâs Negative dark energy, freezing the opponent and slowing their movement.
Attached Skills:
Phantom: Active, Single-Target. Mana Cost: 300. Allows the user to move while invisible. Movement speed is halved. Duration: 1 minute. Invisibility ends upon attacking or taking damage. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Wraith: Active, Single-Target. Mana Cost: 300. Increases movement speed by 50%. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
âThe stats are absolutely bonkers.â
The Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit was absurdly powerful. If used right, it could rival, maybe even surpass, a Divine Item. Marcus had been grumbling about the meager rewards from Merchant Reginaldâs quest, but now, he couldnât complain. Not after this.
---
Skeleton Staff: Golden Equipment.
Requirements: Level 20 Sorcerer-class.
A single-handed weapon that has absorbed a vast amount of dark energy, giving it formidable destructive power.
Magic Attack: 120
Magic Regeneration Speed: +2
Bonus Attributes: Attack Speed +2, Health Regeneration Speed +1, Magic Regeneration Speed +1. Attacks deal an additional 10 Fire damage and 20 Poison damage. Has a 5% chance to trigger the Intermediate skill, Sea of Fire.
---
The stats werenât bad at all; roughly on par with his Skeleton Blade. Since Lily was playing a Sorcerer, he decided to keep the staff for her.
He wondered how Lily, in all her beauty, would look wearing a full Skeleton Set. If she ended up looking like one of those bone-white Skeleton Fighters, that would be... awkward, to say the least.
After the appraisal, Marcus stored everything neatly in his Storage Vault. There was no point in buying any Level 25 or 30 gear yet. He was still the only Level 20 player around, so there wasnât much of a market for high-level items. Flashing them now would only attract unwanted attention.
âWhat to do now?â he wondered, feeling suddenly restless.
---
"Hey, what level are you now? Still rotting in the Newbie Village? Need your big brother to carry you?" he typed out to Amber, mostly just to kill time.
"Iâm good. In the middle of a quest. Canât talk. Bye."
The reply was instant, frosty, and left no room for argument.
Marcus stared at the message. "....."
âMy own sister. Ice cold.â He was the number one ranked player on the entire server. Thousands of people would kill for a power-leveling session with him, and his own sister couldnât spare two seconds for a conversation?
âFine. Just wait till you see how strong Iâve become. Donât come crying to me for help later.â He grumbled to himself, sulking a little.
---
"Lily, what level are you? Still in Newbie Village?" he typed again. At least Lily always responded.
"Hehe..."
That was it. Just a laugh.
"Whatâs so funny?" he typed back, suspicious.
"Iâm partied up with your sister," she replied, the giggles practically audible through the text.
Marcus winced. âOh, fantastic. Just perfect. Now Lily knows I got shot down.â
"Well, hurry up and level! Iâll power-run both of you," he said, trying to salvage a shred of dignity.
"Weâre wrapping up this quest chain, then weâll be right out," Lily answered in a cheerful tone.
"Weâre busy, Marcus. Stop spamming us," Amber cut in, her text blunt and merciless.
Marcus sighed. âWonderful... My own sister just told me off in front of Lily.â
He couldnât even go back to the Newbie Village now. If only he could just show Amber his raw power; that would definitely make her change her tone. But for now, he felt like a hero with no battlefield.
âForget it. Iâll just keep leveling up,â he decided, pushing his irritation aside.