The last item Zen picked up was a small silver statue of two fish twisting gracefully around a support pillar.
"One... just one last time," Zen muttered, pushing himself to the very edge of consciousness.
Once again, he repeated the ritual: extraction, redirection, and assimilation. The ten minutes that passed felt like a torturous week to Zen. Cold sweat now drenched his entire body.
Drdrdr…
The fish statue vibrated softly for a moment before falling silent.
CRACK!
The Mana Crystal in his hand suddenly fractured, then crumbled into transparent dust that no longer glowed. Its energy was completely depleted.
"Ah... finally, it's over." Zen collapsed onto the cold floor. His mental energy was at absolute zero. The world felt like it was spinning, but a sense of satisfaction crept through his mind.
After resting for a while to catch his breath, Zen stood up. He knew the rules of the business world all too well: luxury packaging was the key to jacking up the retail price. He couldn't possibly sell these magical artifacts in a common plastic bag.
After hiding the three magical items in a safe spot, Zen left his room and headed toward the minimarket across the street to buy premium packaging boxes.
Inside the minimarket, Zen chose maroon and gold gift boxes that looked elegant. He didn't forget to buy silk ribbons and blank greeting cards to add an exclusive touch.
He paid at the cashier—a total of 250,000 rupiah for five sets of packaging.
"This has to work," Zen muttered as he stood on the sidewalk of the main road.
He began calculating the capital he had spent so far. Three hundred thousand for social media ads for two days, three hundred thousand for shopping at the flea market, and now two hundred and fifty thousand for the packaging. The total was 850,000 rupiah—nearly 30% of his monthly salary. If this business failed, he would have to survive on nothing but instant noodles until next month.
As Zen was crossing the street, his mind still slightly dazed from exhaustion, suddenly...
CIIIIITTTT!
A luxury black car screeched to a halt, stopping just inches away from Zen's body. The screech of tires against the asphalt triggered a piercing noise that rang in his ears. Zen's reflexes, which had drastically improved, allowed him to leap aside just in time.
The car window rolled down. A beautiful woman with a sour expression poked her head out. Her eyes scanned Zen from top to bottom with a look of pure disdain.
"Oi! Watch where you're going! You trying to die?" she shouted snappishly.
Zen, whose energy was completely drained, only stared at the woman blankly for two seconds. He was too exhausted to argue or even apologize. Without saying a single word, Zen turned around and continued his walk toward the alleyway of his boarding house.
Viona, the woman in the car, widened her eyes, feeling ignored. "Cih... youth these days. No manners at all!"
Beside her, Mala, her assistant, looked at Viona with pity. "Miss, just ignore him. Your energy is far too valuable to waste on someone like that."
"You're right, Mala. Looking at his clothes, he's probably just some unemployed person from around here," Viona muttered, clicking her tongue. She restarted the car engine and glanced at the map on her tablet. "The location should be right around here, right?"
"Yes, Miss. The map indicates it's inside that alley. We can park in front of this minimarket," Mala pointed. The red dot on the GPS was indeed very close to their current position.
Viona, whose mood was already sour, quickly parked her car. She wanted to finish this business quickly and prove that the supplier on the BlackMagicReal site was nothing more than a fraud.
Viona and Mala then crossed the street and entered the narrow alley Zen had just walked into.
The alley was muddy with a foul smell of poor drainage. Viona walked with extreme caution, trying to protect her high heels from getting splashed by the gutter water.
"Miss, are you sure the person is in here?" Mala asked while carrying a small briefcase. She knew Viona lived in an elite housing complex in the north—a world away from this slum-like environment.
"The maps show the point right here. Let's just see how far Taufik's lie goes," Viona replied coldly. She glanced at the rows of identical boarding house doors.
Viona began to doubt. How was it possible for "magical items" to be sold in a place this messy? She had already prepared herself to cut Taufik's salary the moment she got back to the office.
They finally arrived in front of the boarding house where Zen lived. The red dot on the navigation stopped exactly in front of them.
"Mala, ask that person over there. See if there's anyone named Zen," Viona ordered while waiting in a slightly cleaner corridor.
Mala asked a tenant who was washing his motorcycle. The man then pointed toward the third door from the end.
Viona and Mala walked toward the door. With rising skepticism, Viona stood tall in front of the wooden door, its paint already beginning to peel.
Tok! Tok! Tok!
Mala knocked on the door firmly. They waited for the "owner" to show himself.