38 Transaction

How?!

His thoughts were frozen, and Park was in complete disbelief about the prompt that had just appeared.

How was this possible?!

Wasn't this skill only usable on objects?!

Wait…

Had it ever mentioned this limitation?

Of course not.

It had been his assumption all along, one he now realized to be colossally wrong.

As the realization began to sink in, adrenaline began to wildly enter his bloodstream, which in turn caused his heart rate to skyrocket.

An already nigh omnipotent skill had suddenly become even more powerful, something he simply could not believe.

Talent evaluation was one of his rare weaknesses, and it had suddenly been addressed, and not by his efforts, but by sheer luck.

While still reeling from the shock, the panel updated itself, causing Ji-ho's attention to shift back towards it.

[Elisen Glynwraek (283) — Female Elf]

<Title> : Mage

<Status> : Slave

<Empire> : None

<Strength> : 25

<Endurance> : 15

<Vitality> : 200

<Dexterity> : 100

<Intelligence> : 100

<Magic> : 500

<Spirit> : 150

<Luck> : 50

<Special Abilities> : [Unauthorized access. Requires <Arcadia's System> database]

<Affinities> : Elementary Magic

It essentially showed the same information as Arcadia's system except for the special abilities, which made sense since his skill didn't share any information with it.

However, there was also a new category, which was pretty straight forward as well.

Moreover, the elf's stats were unbelievable, even when compared to Mundeok's. Her vitality, dexterity, intelligence and spirit were all well above average, but what really interested him was her absurdly high magic proficiency, which, coupled with her title and affinity, made her a must-have candidate.

The engineer's attention remained on the blue panel for a couple more seconds, still astonished he could even see this.

As his blood violently coursed through his body, he wanted to victoriously scream and jump, but now was not the time.

Although radically changing the course of his future in Arcadia, the task in front of him remained unchanged.

It was time to use this new tool to further advance his plans.

Meanwhile, Marco had decided to remain silent while observing Ji-ho's reaction.

He had so far detected a lot of enthusiasm for his most prized elf, but not so much for the others. One thing worrying him as well was the fact that he hadn't yet paid attention to the two other groups.

Park was quick to notice his counterpart's dwindling interest, causing him to quickly act.

"How much for her?"

His voice had a hint of excitement, but sounded otherwise calm. His interest was obvious, meaning it was Marco's turn to engage.

"Well, she's my most prized possession and one that, when she arrived, was incredibly hard to get under control. On top of being an extreme beauty, she's also an extraordinary mage whose magical abilities can frighten even the most seasoned of warriors"

Of course, this information was already known by Park, but what he wanted to know was if the trader knew about its terrifying extent. It was also clear that the old man was trying to probe the engineer's budget.

"How interesting… What about her origins? Does she have a special lineage, or was she already a slave when you acquired her? If so, what about her previous treatment? Was it as good as it is here?"

The questions were sharp and were Ji-ho's way of knocking down whatever price Marco had in mind. Of course, he'd acquire her regardless of the costs, but haggling a bit was certainly something he found fair, especially in such a place.

And, as he had thought, he saw the trader become a bit uncomfortable.

"Her origins are unknown, and she was indeed a slave before I acquired her. However, her treatment was fantastic, and she was never assaulted in any way, which I find to be a miracle considering her physique"

Marco was resolute, and even though Ji-ho had probably gained a slight reduction, he was certain it wouldn't be anything massive.

"Fine. Your price?"

Park was unyielding in his defense to state any amount. He knew that doing so could only result in his defeat, as it would either insult the trader for being offensively low, or screw him out of a fair amount.

Marco was a seasoned veteran, but seeing his potential client deflect once more finally made him sigh. He had tried, but now was the time for the real negotiation.

"Considering what we've already mentioned and her current state, 150 gold coins is the price I'm willing to let her go for"

The engineer, who had obviously prepared himself for a high number, still nearly choked when he heard it.

This represented 30% of his budget, meaning he'd be very limited should he want other people.

Luckily, his expression had remained unwavering, meaning Marco still had no idea about what he either found too high or too low.

"Hmmm…"

After thinking a bit more, Ji-ho suddenly had an idea and decided to buy some time while analyzing every other member of the elven group.

Sadly, no one other than her was worth buying, making him shift his focus to the center group consisting of dwarves, which was an all-male cast.

One, two, three, four…

They had all so far been unimpressive, until Park finally arrived at the last one, where the prompt that appeared read as follows :

[Thildran Brewthane (93) — Male Dwarf]

<Title> : Master smith

<Status> : Slave

<Empire> : None

<Strength> : 30

<Endurance> : 70

<Vitality> : 40

<Dexterity> : 400

<Intelligence> : 50

<Magic> : 100

<Spirit> : 50

<Luck> : 200

<Special Abilities> : [Unauthorized access. Requires <Arcadia's System> database]

<Affinities> : Alloy Creation

Another jackpot!

He once again felt a dose of adrenaline course through his body, but he still wasn't done.

The engineer then shifted his attention to the final group, which was humans. Sadly, it ended in disappointment as nobody stood out, effectively ending his extensive probing campaign.

The trader had of course realized what was happening and decided to let it run its course. After all, he was happy that Ji-ho was finally paying attention to his other 'products'.

"What if I purchase these two together? Do you think you can offer me a slight discount?"

Ji-ho pointed to the dwarf in question while almost sounding bored, which surprised the old man. This dwarf? Really?

To put his reaction into context, it was because the dwarf appeared fairly old and past his prime, which was why Ji-ho had been internally so happy.

Unless his skills had been thoroughly tested or were known, trying to make it seem like he was unloading a burden from Marco was a smart maneuver.

He had also successfully hidden his emotions so far, which was why undertaking this gamble was worth it.

"Are you certain? These other dwarves are in much better shape, and are frankly more skillful in their crafts"

Bingo.

This was Park's victory lap. All he had to do was bundle these two together, and pull the rug from under his feet.

"I'm sure of it. I'm mostly looking for his experience and since he's looking like the oldest of the bunch, I thought it'd do you a favor as well"

Ji-ho sounded sincere, which caused Marco to appear somewhat conflicted. The latter had effectively given up on selling that particular dwarf, but he also couldn't give him away for free.

After reflecting for a minute, the old man sighed and finally announced his verdict.

"In that case, I'd sell the two of them for 160 gold coins. How about it?"

The engineer's response was near instantaneous.

"Deal!"