Lukas hoisted his loot onto his shoulder, the rope straining as it supported twelve sacks of steel ingots and flour, six on one side, and six on the other.
He felt the weight but wasn't particularly bothered. His strength stat was up to the task, so he carried it with ease, looking like a chipmunk with too many berries in its cheeks.
He'd fought through the dungeon for the sixth time, carrying the loot from the previous five runs with him, and even with the added weight, still killing the skeletons with ease.
In addition to the other loot, he'd also gotten an additional 10,000 gold coins, +100 Constitution, and +200 Strength.
For the first time in a long time, he could confidently say he wasn't broke. In fact, some would say he was rich.
The moment his loot was secured, he was enveloped in a now familiar flash of light and found himself standing outside the dungeon entrance.
He pulled up his stats, smiling at what he saw.
[Lukas]
[Race: Human]
[Rank: E-rank Awakener]
[Class: Thief, Hexblade]
[Exp: 59.41%]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 1066]
[Agility: 1267]
[Constitution: 1556]
[Mana: 2064]
[Skills: Pickpocket, Lockpick, Cursed Blade, Hex Shield]
He dismissed the blue box, wondering if he should go for one last run before turning away. He'd already gotten more than enough.
He made his way to the small opening in the walls, the eyes of the guards widening at the sight of him.
"Hi." He greeted them with a grin.
They said nothing, quickly regaining their composure. They'd probably seen stranger things than this.
He gave them a small wave as he slipped through the opening, the task made hard by the amount of sacks he was carrying.
After a few seconds of grunting and wrangling, he stumbled out the other side. Even those walking by stared at him in surprise.
"Lukas!"
He heard his name and looked up just in time to see Melody wrap him in a tight hug. She was dressed in one of her new attires, which had been done in her usual style.
A light blue blouse, black corset, and a black skirt. She also had her sword strapped to her back. "You're done. Finally!"
"Melody?" His voice was muffled by her hair over his mouth. "What are you doing here?"
She pulled back to look up at him, a wide grin on her face. "I grew bored of looking around, so I came to wait for you."
He returned her grin. "Thank you. That's so sweet. But what if I'd already left before you came? What if you got lost?"
"That won't happen. No matter where you are, I'll find you." She said it with so much conviction that he had no other choice than to believe her.
She finally noticed the sacks he was carrying, studying it with interest. "What's this? Your loot? Got anything good?"
"These are just steel ingots and flour. There should be a commercial pavilion where we can sell them off. Maybe keep a bag of flour for personal use." His voice dropped to an excited whisper. "But I got some nice cash too."
"How much?" She asked in the same excited whisper.
"12,000 gold coins."
She gasped, hands coming up to cover her mouth, her eyes widened.
"And when we sell our loot, we'll have even more money." He added.
She squealed, giving him another tight hug.
He grinned, before the grin faltered as he struggled to breathe. "Melody, you're crushing me." He managed to choke out.
"Oh, sorry!" Melody pulled away, a sheepish grin on her face. She reached for the bags at his side. "Let me help you with these."
"Don't worry about it." He gently turned her hand away with a smile. "I've got it."
Together, they made their way down the street, turning heads for both their attractiveness and the sight of Lukas carrying the twelve sacks.
Fortunately, the dungeon hadn't been too far from a commercial pavilion, so they arrived at their destination quickly. The place was a bit rowdy as there were a lot of Awakeners trading in their loot.
This was a usual occurrence because this part of the city was clustered with E-rank dungeons, making this pavilion the premier location for E-rank Awakeners.
Lukas made his way to one of the booths with a shorter line, people clearing out of the way at the sight of the sacks he was carrying.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before it was his turn. He slammed the sacks onto the table, the clerk's eyes widening at the sight.
"Hi." Lukas greeted the man with a smile. "I'm here to sell three hundred steel ingots and five sacks of flour."
An excited smile quickly replaced the surprise on the man's face. "Pretty productive day, I presume?" He performed some calculations before looking up at Lukas. "We're prepared to offer ten gold coins per ingot, and three hundred for each sack of flour."
Before Lukas could even answer, Melody butted in. "Over my dead body." She hissed. "Those steel ingots are worth thirty coins any time of day. And the flour? Even the village idiot knows those go for five hundred coins per sack."
The clerk looked surprised for a moment before his face turned blank. "I can understand where you're coming from, ma'am, but I'll assume those prices are from another city. Here in Havenhart, we've got Awakeners bringing in more steel and flour from the dungeons than we know what to do with."
"We're basically swimming in them. If not for the fact that we're a major exporter of those resources, they'll practically be free. You know the principles of supply and demand, don't you? I can't offer more than ten coins for the steel ingots. But for the flour, I can give you three hundred and ten coins per sack."
Melody laughed incredulously. "Don't try to fool me with your demand and supply bullshit. I know you guys make a shit ton of money exporting these things, and now you're trying to buy it dirt cheap from us."
"I'll give you a bit of grace since I know you guys also have to make a bit of profit, but this is my final offer. Twenty coins for each steel ingot, with three hundred and fifty coins for each sack of flour. Take it or leave it."
As the clerk opened his mouth to speak, she cut in. "If you reject this offer, I'll take it to the next guy and I know he'll take the deal because we both know it's a damn good deal."
The clerk closed his mouth, an expression of contemplation on his face before he stretched his hand, a smile appearing. "Deal."
Melody returned the smile, shaking his hand firmly. "Deal."
Lukas stared at them, jaw hanging open. He hadn't even known that haggling was even on the table.
Melody turned to him, a huge smile on her face. "How'd I do?"
He had only one answer to that.
"Perfectly."