I was ready.
Today was the day we would enter the C-rank dungeon that I had to clear alone. A strange excitement was running through my veins. I could feel it clearly now — I had become stronger.
Before leaving, I checked more information about my Shadow Teleport skill.
The system window appeared.
Shadow Teleport
Cooldown: 2 minutes
Ability: Teleport between shadows.
I read it carefully.
So, this skill requires almost two minutes to cool down. With this ability, I can move between shadows instantly. But if there is no shadow, then this skill becomes useless.
I smiled slightly.
Shadows exist everywhere.
Even in light, there is always a shadow.
That means this skill is far more dangerous than it looks.
Before heading toward the dungeon, I decided to visit the Hunters Market.
The market was crowded and noisy.
Hunters were moving everywhere.
Some were selling weapons.
Some were selling potions.
Some were bargaining loudly.
The entire place was filled with energy and chaos.
As I walked through the market, I noticed a strange man staring at me from a distance. His eyes were fixed on me in a strange way.
Before I could react, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"So it's you, Austin. What are you doing here?"
I turned around.
Jack and Wang Lin were standing behind me.
"Oh, hello. I was just wandering around. I wanted to see how this market looks," I replied.
Jack smiled.
"Me and Wang Lin are here to buy some new weapons. Would you like to come with us?"
"Yes, why not? I also want to explore the market."
We walked together and entered a large weapon shop.
The moment we stepped inside, I was stunned.
Special weapons were displayed everywhere.
Swords, daggers, spears, axes — all shining under golden lights. Each weapon looked deadly and beautiful.
I slowly started scanning weapons with my eyes.
An old man approached us.
"What are you looking for, sir?" he asked politely.
"Daggers," Wang Lin replied calmly.
"We have some special daggers, sir. Please follow me."
He led us into a private room.
The room was filled with daggers placed on glass shelves.
"Sir, which rank daggers do you want?" the old man asked.
"A or B rank," Wang Lin answered.
The old man smiled.
"Sir, we have two special B-rank daggers and one A-rank dagger. Here they are."
He carefully placed them on the table.
All daggers were shining and emitting a powerful aura.
"How much?" Wang Lin asked in a commanding tone.
"Sir, each B-rank dagger costs 7 million, and the A-rank dagger costs 15 million."
My jaw dropped.
Seven million.
Fifteen million.
If I didn't have my system, I don't know how many years it would take for me to buy even a B-rank weapon.
Quietly, I activated my system and scanned the daggers.
The stats appeared.
And what I saw shocked me.
These daggers were not A or B rank.
Their stats were far below.
My eyes narrowed.
"Wang Lin," I said slowly.
"Is there any problem, Austin?" he asked.
"Yes," I said loudly.
"He is trying to fool us. These daggers are not A or B rank weapons."
Everyone in the shop turned toward us.
The old man's expression changed.
"Young boy, you are too young to judge such things," he said coldly.
"You cannot understand the power of these daggers."
"You are a scammer," I replied firmly. "You are trying to sell fake weapons."
People started murmuring.
Crowd began gathering.
Suddenly, an elder from the selling pavilion arrived.
"Sir, please don't create a scene. You are damaging our reputation."
"We are not," Jack said calmly. "If you are selling fake weapons."
The old man smirked.
"Can you prove it?"
"Yes," I replied.
I took out my dagger from my inventory and handed it to him.
Wang Lin and Jack were surprised to see my daggers. The last time we met, I was using Zoro's sword, and now I was holding daggers emitting a strange aura. Still, they chose to remain silent.
"Tell me the rank of this weapon."
The old man examined it and laughed.
"C-rank... maybe lower."
The elder raised his eyebrows.
He understood something was wrong.
"So you are saying it's a low-rank weapon?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Jack, strike this dagger with that B-rank dagger."
Without hesitation, Jack attacked.
Clang!
In an instant, the so-called B-rank dagger shattered into pieces.
The entire room fell silent.
The elder's face darkened.
The old man panicked.
"You used tricks!" he shouted.
Wang Lin lost his temper.
He picked up the second dagger.
"I am a top B-rank expert," he said coldly.
"I will release my full power with this dagger. If it cannot withstand it, then you are a fraud."
He paused.
"No… I will use your A-rank dagger."
He grabbed it.
Dark assassin aura gathered around him.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
The old man smiled.
"I knew you were using tricks. It won't work on A-rank—"
CRACK!
A loud shattering sound echoed.
The A-rank dagger broke into pieces.
Crowd exploded.
"Scammers!"
"Give our money back!"
"Frauds!"
Wang Lin grabbed the old man by his neck.
"You tried to fool me."
"Young man, please calm down," the elder said slowly.
"We apologize for this mistake."
"We will compensate you."
Wang Lin threw the old man aside.
The elder took us into the inner shop.
"For compensation, you may take any one item from here."
He looked at me seriously.
I started scanning items.
Nothing looked impressive.
Then I saw a small stone lying on a shelf.
No one was paying attention to it.
But my system reacted.
High-grade crafting stone detected.
Can create top-tier A-rank dagger.
"Wang Lin, choose this stone," I said.
Jack frowned.
"Are you sure? It looks like a rusty stone."
Wang Lin pointed toward it.
"Give us that stone."
We took the stone and went to a crafting shop.
A huge crowd followed us.
The weapon crafter, Dany, saw the elder and crowd and understood the situation.
He started opening the stone.
After one hour, dark aura started leaking from it.
Dany's eyes widened.
"This is a high-rank stone!"
People were shocked.
Wang Lin smiled.
"Well done, Austin."
The elder offered 20 million for the stone.
We refused.
He offered 50 million.
We refused again.
Dany stepped forward.
"I want to work on this stone. I will not charge anything."
He was a top-tier craftsman.
Seeing his dedication, we agreed.
"We will return in one week," I said.
He nodded excitedly.
"Where are you going now?" Jack asked.
"To clear my remaining dungeons."
"Zoro told us," Jack said.
Suddenly—
Wang Lin threw a dagger toward a rooftop.
A hidden assassin was hit instantly.
We continued walking without looking back.
A man appeared on the road.
"So here you are," he said.
"Hey Lucas, How are you?" Jack smiled and asked.
"I'm fine," Lucas replied.
"Austin, we are already late. Move quickly."
"Bye, guys. We will meet next week."
Lucas asked about the incident.
I explained everything.
Soon, we were standing in front of a dark bluish dungeon gate.
The air around it was heavy.
Lucas looked at me.
"I hope you are ready."
We stepped forward and entered the dungeon.
— End of Chapter 7 —
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