8 Demonic Wolf Heart

In the Land of Ashes, almost every city-state had its network of "underground streets." Larmore Tower City-State was no exception, and though its underground streets were not particularly extensive, the intricate power struggles that played out there were no less intense than those in larger cities.

One of the stores on the Underground Street was the "[Black Obsidian Store]." Inside a dimly lit stone building along the corridor, a series of not-so-bright wall lamps, six in total, illuminated the room, casting light on the scene within.

A man known as "Old Man Comb," whose slightly grey hair was concealed beneath a worn-out brown cowboy hat, was engrossed in examining a second-order core soul crystal material stored in an iron box.

After a considerable amount of time, he carefully repacked the second-order core material back into the small iron box, expressing his approval. "This is a very good second-order material," he commented.

Old Man Comb then extended a generous offer, saying, "20 magic gold."

Tucker, who was seated across from the long wooden table, remained unperturbed by the initial price. He responded, "Perhaps you should take a closer look."

Old Man Comb leaned back and replied with a smile, "Haha, Tucker, we've conducted many transactions. You're well aware that this is the going rate for second-order core materials."

In response, Tucker reached out and took the small iron box into his hand, preparing to leave. Observing this, Old Man Comb grew visibly irritated. "Hell!" he exclaimed, "Fine, I'll examine it again."

Tucker pushed the small iron box back toward him without changing his expression.

"25 magic gold," Old Man Comb proposed after reevaluating the material.

Tucker countered with, "30 magic gold."

Old Man Comb argued, "If I accept that, I'll be bleeding money."

Tucker nonchalantly replied, "Then don't accept it."

Old Man Comb eventually provided a new bottom-line price: "26 magic gold."

Tucker countered, "31 magic gold."

Old Man Comb was left momentarily speechless by Tucker's persistence, but eventually relented with, "28 magic gold."

Old Man Comb reasoned, "Even though the sequence power in this soul crystal material has the potential to transform into 'elite creatures,' it hasn't transformed yet. I can't fathom how you acquired such top-tier second-order material. Not even I would dare to face those dangerous second-order extraordinary creatures."

With a sly glint in his eye, Old Man Comb continued, "Furthermore, I have some exceptional items. Are you interested?"

Tucker had come to the underground mall for materials, but the prospect of "exceptional items" made him pause.

"Show me what you have," he responded. With his extraordinary and precise dynamic vision, Tucker's ability to evaluate items far surpassed that of other extraordinary beings.

Tucker's discovery of the second-order stone snake ghost crystal being on the brink of transforming into an elite biological sequence was a stroke of luck. Old Man Comb acknowledged this and remarked, "You're fortunate, Tucker. Most people never come across such a find." Following this, Old Man Comb turned away, opened the iron door, and vanished into the dark corridor behind it.

Tucker sat in quiet contemplation, organizing his thoughts. He needed three key materials to advance from a trainee wizard to a "first-order wizard": soul essence, source energy, and life material.

During his last adventure, Tucker had acquired the first-order soul material he needed, known as the "Wailing Banshee Soul Crystal." Source energy materials were relatively affordable, and Tucker had purchased a top-tier "source pool crystal" early on for 12 magic gold, which would significantly expand his source pool. The size of a wizard's source pool greatly influenced the number of times they could cast spells, thus impacting their survival.

What Tucker lacked was a piece of "life material." Even as a wizard's spells grew in power, the resilience provided by life materials remained essential, especially in the early stages.

Old Man Comb soon returned, holding a parchment scroll with extraordinary properties. Tucker, with his precision vision, could discern these properties by examining the vein patterns on the parchment.

"This is a genuine elite-level magic wolf heart," Old Man Comb cautioned.

Tucker's interest was piqued. Elite materials were essential for extraordinary beings to advance, and the most common were "ordinary grade" materials from various extraordinary creatures.

One level above were "elite grade" materials, which were produced by the best of their kind or born from powerful species like the Protoss, Beamon, Titans, and dragons. Beyond elite materials were "leader-level" and even "lord-level" materials, though such materials were typically deadly for normal individuals to acquire.

The parchment scroll containing elite-level material had an impact on Tucker, and he felt its influence, bloodthirsty violence and fanatical will to kill, intruding into his mind. However, he had mastered the connection between himself and the magic wolf's demonic heart and remained unaffected by its negative aspects.

Finally, Tucker put down the parchment scroll and praised, "This is indeed elite material, a very powerful elite material."

Old Man Comb grinned and replied, "Of course!"

Tucker, with a sly tone, asked, "So when I prepare the promotion potion and take it, it won't be a simple matter of life and death, will it?"

Old Man Comb's smile froze briefly, but he quickly covered it up, saying, "Haha, of course not."

Tucker didn't let Old Man Comb's words sway him. "You are a powerful wizard who can produce a lot of expensive materials," Old Man Comb said, trying to boost Tucker's confidence.

Tucker, however, remained unswayed. "The will of the demon wolf has penetrated the life material. The reason for sealing is to seal the will of the demon wolf, not to seal the material. To be precise, this is a contaminated elite material."

Old Man Comb's small deceptions didn't go unnoticed by Tucker, who revealed Old Man Comb's true intentions, making the latter slightly agitated. But Tucker recognized the value of this elite material, even if it was tainted.

"12 magic gold," Tucker offered, determined to obtain the life material he had been searching for.

Tucker knew that although the material was contaminated, he could block the will of the elite demon wolf due to his abilities.

While general first-level promotion materials typically ranged from 8 to 12 magic gold, elite materials usually sold for 15 to 20 magic gold. Tucker was willing to pay an amount closer to that of ordinary materials.

Old Man Combs, however, raised his voice in protest. "12 magic gold, why don't you go and grab it?" he exclaimed.

Tucker remained unruffled, explaining, "The will of the demon wolf and the beating heart tend to merge. As time goes by, this contaminated material gradually becomes scrapped. If you insist on not selling it, there's no need for me to take the risk."

After a brief hesitation, Old Combs eventually agreed. "12 magic gold, 12 magic gold, deal."

Tucker knew that three adventurers before him had already turned down this elite material, and Old Man Combs expressed his frustration at their reluctance. "Are all the extraordinary people today cowards? They don't dare to risk their lives."

Selling the material to Tucker at a fair price was a relief for Old Man Combs, as it allowed him to rid himself of this troublesome item.

After the transaction, Old Man Combs decided to share a valuable piece of information with Tucker, free of charge. "You should be careful if you want to advance to the first level. There's a mysterious organization hunting wizards, and first-order wizards are their primary targets."

Tucker, in a casual tone, responded, "I already know, and... we've already crossed paths."

Old Man Combs was taken aback. "That person... left without making any trouble?"