Some time later, the group finally arrived at their destination.
In front of them loomed a colossal building, with at least ten floors that seemed to challenge the sky itself. The structure, built from a mix of gray stone and gleaming metal, gave the impression of an ancient fortress reborn into a modern era—solid, imposing, and undeniably majestic. Carved columns and towering statues of guardians, each as tall as buildings, flanked the entrance, adding an air of mystery, as though the place hid secrets long forgotten.
A simple but effective sign stood above the entrance: "North Capital Shop." No fancy words. Just those, clear and direct, as if the place, no matter how elegant, was meant only for those who truly knew what they were looking for.
"This is where we got our gear," Ivan said, nodding with a look of near reverence as he stared at the building.
Nathan raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this where everyone got their gear?
"Wow, it's huge!" Jeremy exclaimed, stepping inside without a second thought.
"Welcome." A woman's voice startled him, snapping him out of his wide-eyed wonder.
The shop was a paradise: gleaming armors, swords pulsing with magical energy, potions in every shape and color, and mysterious objects that filled every corner. A chaotic, mesmerizing mix of power and wonder.
"My name is Selena. Are you looking for something specific, or just browsing?" the woman asked with a professional tone.
Nathan threw a glance at the group, a silent "Let me handle this." So Ivan and Jeremy stepped aside.
"Good morning, Miss Selena," Nathan replied with a certain elegance. "We're looking for a few items for our friend here. He's a…" He suddenly paused, as if something had just dawned on him.
"Hey, Jeremy," he said in a lower voice, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You never actually told us your Rank or your class!"
"Oh, right…" Jeremy replied with an embarrassed smile. "I'm Rank D, but I'm super close to Rank C. And… I'm a necromancer… sort of."
"Oh, so you're just Rank D…" Ivan and Nathan visibly relaxed, relief washing over their faces. But that relief vanished in an instant, replaced by wide eyes, when Jeremy added that he was almost at Rank C.
Leveling up was never easy, yet he seemed one step ahead of them. Was a natural Awakening really that powerful?
"You what?!" Ivan blurted out, then quickly realized how loud he was and cleared his throat in embarrassment. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What do you mean, a necromancer?"
Classes tied to death weren't exactly popular. Not illegal, but definitely looked upon with suspicion.
"It's a long story," Jeremy replied with a half-smile, lowering his gaze.
Selena's voice interrupted them. "Is everything alright, boys?"
"Yes," Ivan and Nathan answered quickly. "We wanted to check out some Rank D equipment, magic class…"
"Oh, I see," Selena replied, her tone shifting slightly. "If I may ask, could I know more about his class? It's just to help select the right gear."
The trio exchanged an awkward glance. They didn't want to say it, but it seemed necessary. Regular equipment wouldn't suit a necromancer.
"He's a necromancer," Nathan finally said.
Selena's eyes widened. Her face immediately grew more serious, and her tone turned colder, almost as if she no longer wanted to help. And truthfully, she wasn't.
"Over there," she said curtly, pointing to a busy area in the center of the shop. "There's a holographic panel. You can look up whatever you want."
And with that, Selena walked away without another word.
People around them turned to stare with curiosity, as if they had just witnessed something extraordinary. How could someone as kind as Selena brush them off so easily?
But the trio paid no attention to the curious glances and made their way toward the holographic panel.
"Sorry," Jeremy suddenly said, breaking the silence. "If there was this holographic panel with all the listed items, why did we even need her help?"
"It was easier," Nathan replied. "She could've told us the most useful items for us without wasting time searching."
Without further discussion, the three approached the panel, ready to explore the options.
It was crowded, but that didn't stop them from getting close to one of the free screens.
In front of them stretched a vast array of items, stacked one after another, ready to be analyzed by potential buyers. Health potions, mana potions, stat boosters... there was everything!
Jeremy was surprised. If he had access to all that stuff before, his hunts would've been so much easier. Not that he really needed it, but still...
Then, something caught his eye.
Potential-boosting potions!
They were right there, on sale. Each one cost a fortune, but they existed.
But Jeremy wasn't very interested in them. Why? Simple—these potions could only raise potential up to High. Nothing above that. Not to mention the High Potential Potions themselves cost a fortune and were in limited supply.
"Guys," Jeremy said, turning to Nathan and Ivan. "What's your potential?"
"Well," Nathan answered, lowering his gaze, "we're both low potential..." His voice was filled with embarrassment. Admitting to being that weak was never easy. They had nothing—no power, no wealth, no strong background to rely on.
That would've been Jeremy's fate too, if not for everything he'd gone through.
Looking at the prices of the Medium Potential potions, Jeremy couldn't help but sigh... He had no real sense of how much credits were worth here, but judging by the cost, they definitely weren't cheap...
A single potion cost...
"How many credits do you two have?" Jeremy asked, scratching his chin.
"Uh… if we put all our savings together..." Nathan replied hesitantly. An awkward silence fell between them. "Then… we should have about 3,000 credits."
Jeremy's eyes widened when he heard that. He knew they couldn't have much, but that was really low... especially considering that a single potion of that type cost a whopping... 1 million credits.
And that was just for Medium Potential. A potion for High Potential cost 500 million, and even then, there was no guarantee you could buy it with credits alone. After all, creating one of those potions required a Rank S Core.
Credits were the main currency of this continent, and the easiest way to earn them was by killing monsters and harvesting their Cores.
Rank F, E, and D Cores weren't worth much—just a few thousand credits at most.
Rank C Cores could range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, depending on the monster's level and potential.
And don't even mention the higher Ranks. The prices were staggering.
Jeremy didn't have many Cores. He had used a lot to power up Leo'sol's skill. He only had 2 Rank C HP Cores, 10 Rank D MP Cores, and had picked up 3 Rank E Cores from the orcs earlier.
Why so few, despite having killed more than a hundred monsters?
Simply because... he had forgotten.