Chapter 106: Chapter106-Early Preparations

The next morning, John, with his bags packed, decisively left the Dark Forest Bar.

Despite Henry Stark's attempts to persuade him to stay, John didn't look back once.

It was a total rip-off!

During his training, each of his attributes had increased by roughly 200 points.

This meant he had to spend at least 1.35 million to improve a single attribute point.

With the god-tier skill, Blood Absorption, gaining attribute points had been almost too easy for John, which is why he felt thoroughly swindled.

Of course, the enhancement in John's strength over this period couldn't merely be quantified by panel data.

For instance, the Godslayer Blade technique he learned from Shadowcloud, as well as the experience and knowledge gained from Victor and others.

If these were to be priced, 100,000 merit points would definitely fall short.

John understood these principles well enough.

However, the drastic shift from being a millionaire to penniless was too much to accept in the moment.

Just a few days ago, he was a billionaire! Before he could even enjoy the lifestyle of a billionaire, he found himself on the brink of bankruptcy – who could accept that?

Thus, upon realizing he would have to pay for everything himself, John decisively chose to leave.

But instead of heading straight home, he took a taxi to Stellarburg's core district.

He needed to make some purchases at the All Season Trade Association exchange before entering the Red Moon Secret Realm.

The "secret realm invitation" vanishes after use and cannot be reused.

Moreover, once an invitee enters the secret realm and then forcibly exits, they cannot re-enter.

This means John has only one opportunity to enter the Red Moon Secret Realm and claim the completion reward.

The "Red Moon Secret Realm" caters to lv15 through lv25.

Should John break through to lv20 within the realm, he would need a Breakthrough Stone to continue leveling up.

Thus, to maximize his benefits, John decided to first visit the All Season Trade Association's exchange to purchase the necessary Breakthrough Stones and items.

The taxi sped along swiftly, and it wasn't long before John arrived outside the exchange.

After paying the fare, he strode into the bustling hall of the exchange.

Greeting John was the same receptionist as before, with her elegantly slim figure and attractive features, seemingly named Anne.

Her memorable pair of sleek, black silk-clad legs were as striking as ever.

Anne's badge and attire were somewhat different this time; it appeared she had been promoted, now serving as the lobby manager.

John wasn't surprised by her rapid ascent.

A woman like Anne knew how to seize opportunities and leverage her strengths effectively.

Upon noticing John, Anne quickly approached him with evident excitement, her demeanor exceedingly respectful.

"Good day, Mr. John. How may I assist you today?"

Anne naturally recognized John.

His status was no longer that of Stellarburg's failed awakener.

Today, John was a hero praised and reported by the Federal Daily himself, a prodigy who had slain the Dusk Archbishop.

Nowadays, everyone in Stellarburg was well acquainted with John's appearance and story; there was hardly anyone who didn't recognize him.

Furthermore, before returning to the capital, Albertus and Baron had specifically visited the exchange to instruct the Deputy Chairman of the All Season Trade Association.

They emphasized that if John were to visit the exchange, he must be accorded the highest and finest treatment, with no room for negligence.

...

[Intermediate Skill]: Mana Rampage

[Price]: 11.2 million

[Amount Due]: 9.333 million

...

These skills were carefully selected by John and promised to significantly enhance his abilities.

"Roar of Thunder" is a high-damage output skill that concentrates ferocious lightning to inflict massive damage on enemies.

"Undead Brand," an undead-based skill, allows marking an enemy for remote detonation at any time.

"Mana Rampage" significantly increases his magical damage over a short period.

These three skills not only boost John's power significantly but also enrich his skill set, leaving him quite satisfied.

He mentally tallied the costs, then let out a long sigh of relief.

Thankfully, his finances were sufficient.

A bronze-tier Breakthrough Stone would cost around 11 million, slightly exceeding his budget, but it was within an acceptable range.

A collection of transcendent-tier items cost John 3.1 million.

These essentials for any magus could prove vital in dungeons or academy assessments.

While not always necessary, they must be available.

The three scrolls together cost John over 24 million.

In total, after a 20% discount, John spent over 38 million federal coins.

Without the discount, his funds would have indeed fallen short.

After settling the bill, John was left with less than 5 million, becoming penniless once again.

It's undeniable that being a magus is incredibly costly, John mused internally.

Suddenly, it seemed John remembered something; his storage ring emitted a flash of light.

In his hand appeared a delicately beautiful ruby ring - Lucas's storage ring.

It was an advanced storage ring of considerable value, containing all of Lucas's belongings.

Initially, John had no intention of selling these items, as they included numerous rare equipment and items that he might need in the future.

For instance, the longsword Lucas initially used was a perfect quality gold-tier weapon, exceedingly rare.

However, John already possessed the Bloodthirsty Blade, so the longsword had remained unused in the storage ring.

He planned to keep the sword as a backup weapon and to use the items and equipment himself.

After some consideration, John decided to sell these possessions.

Their levels were too high for him to use in the short term, so it made more sense to convert them into money.

Items from top families in the capital are generally sensitive, but as long as there's profit to be made, the All Season Trade Association welcomes all.

Backed by House Fairfax, they aren't afraid of other top powers.

John selected a few items he could use and handed the storage ring to Anne, asking her to summon an appraiser.

Anne respectfully took the storage ring and made a phone call.

Soon after, the bald, bespectacled appraiser entered the room, pushing open the door.

He worked efficiently, quickly assessing all the items.