The Hidden Cost [Bonus chapter]

A cold sweat slowly want down Alister's face. 15,000 Union Credits? That was a small fortune, especially for a new awakened like him.

He had managed to scrape together a 27,000 from selling the loot he'd gotten from the dungeon raid, plus the left over the headmaster gave him he had somewhere around 51,000.

But he would soon have to go visit Miyu and pay all sorts of bills, not to consider the fact he might not be going to the dungeon for a while because of the system's new quest.

So he couldn't just part away with such a larg sum like that.

"Uh, that's…"

He stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

"A little more than I was expecting."

Sarah's smile faded slightly, a look of understanding appearing in her eyes. Dealing with new awakeneds often meant encountering financial limitations.

"Well,"

She said, her voice softer now,

"We do offer a payment plan option, with a small down payment and interest accrued over a set period. Would you be interested in hearing about that?"

Alister's heart pounded. A payment plan was tempting, but the thought of debt hanging over his head was unappealing. He took a look at the sleek gloves and the unassuming pouch, their allure was undeniable.

They might be the key to maintaining his secret and slightly amplifying his connection with Cinder.

"Maybe not a full payment plan,"

He replied, his voice gaining a touch of confidence.

"But is there any way I can… negotiate the price?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow, a mischievous look lingering in her eyes.

"Negotiate? Now that's something you don't hear every day. But tell you what."

She leaned in conspiratorially, her voice dropping to a low murmur.

"These items are quite rare, and I wouldn't want them to sit gathering dust on the shelf. How about this? If you can answer a trivia question about reptilian summons correctly, I'll give you a 10% discount."

Alister's eyes widened. A 10% discount would be a significant saving, bringing the price down to a more manageable level.

'Really... I thought the price was set by the Union, oh well, if she's giving me a discount I might as well take it.'

He had a decent understanding of dragons thanks to the books he read back at the academy, and a trivia question couldn't be that hard, could it?

"Alright," he agreed, a excited glint flashing in his eyes. "Hit me."

Sarah tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Here's the question: What is the legendary weakness of most reptilian creatures, aside from their underbelly?"

Alister's mind whirred. He didn't remember a specific weakness, but there were things he knew from common knowledge. Most reptiles were cold-blooded, relying on external sources for warmth. Perhaps that was it?

"Extreme cold?" he replied, hesitantly unsure.

"Bingo! That's right! Seems you do know your stuff after all. Alright, 10% off it is. That brings the total down to 13,500 Union Credits."

Alister felt relived. Although it was still a larg amount he was now more willing.

"Perfect," he said, a grateful smile spreading across his face. "I'll take them."

Sarah expertly wrapped the gloves and the pouch in a sleek black box, her smile returning full force.

"Excellent choice! These will definitely enhance your connection with your reptilian companion."

She paused, a look of curiosity appearing in her eyes.

"Speaking of, what kind of reptile do you summon?"

Alister hesitated. He couldn't exactly reveal Cinder was a Drake, or the fact he had already summoned yet.

"Well I haven't exactly summoned a reptile yet, just taking a shot in the dark."

Sarah chuckled knowingly. "Ah, well we all begin somewhere. Well, congratulations on your new equipment, and best of luck with your summoning journey!"

Alister flashed Sarah a grateful smile, his heart lighter with the discount, "Thanks." Alister replied. He tapped his Union Card against the sensor on the counter, the sound of a Ding!! Indicated his credits transferring. With a final wave goodbye, he turned and headed deeper into the Union Office.

As he left Sarah's smile suddenly turned snister. Causing a chill to run down his spine, 'Whats up with her.' and then her smile faded to a cheerful one once more, futher making him more uneasy.

He wasn't entirely comfortable with the way Sarah's smile lingered a little too long after their interaction, but he brushed it off as a shopkeeper's satisfaction with a good sale.

His next destination was within the same massive Union building – the Summoner's Association. Here, awakened individuals could register their summons, hone their skills, and participate in various challenges to test their abilities.

As he made his way trough the bustling corridors, with all sort of sounds filled his ears. Booming laughter mingled with excited chatter and the occasional roar of a summoned creatures.

He weaved his way through the throngs of people, their attire reflecting the diverse range of summoning specialties.

'Most if them look like scouting summons.'

Alister thought that depending on the size of a summoned monster, their roles could vary, just like the way awakeners had tanks and damage dealers. Summoned monsters could also take on such roles on the battlefield.

Suddenly, whispers reached Alister's ears. He caught sounds of small conversation that caused him to be a bit surprised.

"Did you hear? That guy over there… he's theone who cleared the A-rank dungeon?"

"Yeah, apparently he has an SSS-rank talent!"

"An SSS-rank? Isn't that also called god rank? That's unheard of!"

"Yeah, I heard he was a genius from one of the five major academics."

"Some say he was super talented but became a summoner."

"Shame."

"Then wait! How did he clear an A rank Dungeon if he's a summoner?"

"Some say he's probably got some kind of god rank summon already!"

"Then wait why is he doing here?"

"We'll find out soon enough, I bet. He's probably heading towards the summoning practice area right now."

Alister looked around a little, not enough to make things too obvious, 'This must be the uproar that Union officer was talking about.'

'Now that I think about it, I never got his name.'

'Well it doesn't matter, I'm actually pretty suprised one of the major guilds haven't attempted to scout me yet.'

He smiled slightly, thinking futher, 'That will probably all change after I get Cinder registered.'