Chapter 9: Hidden advancement conditions

Chapter 9: Hidden advancement conditions



After parting ways with Foreskin, Mike wandered aimlessly through the Trade Secret Realm, his ears bombarded with shouts from all sides.

"Team up for the 59th floor of the Tower of Truth exploration! Veteran Battle Lords leading the way, hurry up!"

"Abyssal Planes level mission, cleanse a space corrupted by a demon god, generous reward!"

"Reward for information on the demon cult increased by 30%! Bounty for high-ranking demon god followers doubled!"

The items in the Trade Secret Realm Pass were way out of Mike's league; he was just there for the spectacle. The mainstream items traded here started at millions of gold coins!

Mike had just over 100,000 gold coins in his pocket, not even enough to buy scraps.

After roaming for a solid hour, Mike finally stopped and stood in a corner of the trading market. Piecing together snippets of conversations he'd overheard, he began to grasp the current situation.

"Because of my triple-S rank in clearing the hidden instance, the Defense Headquarters has triggered a level two alert?" Mike was astonished, not expecting his actions to cause such a stir.

A level two alert meant the consumption of resources beyond measure. The Defense Headquarters, manned by three supreme beings, was akin to a massive federal organization. Mike also learned that the Defense Headquarters had always had a plan for nurturing the 'fourth supreme being'. They were waiting for a seedling who could clear a triple-S rank newbie instance, the birth of a new supreme being for humanity.

Thus, as soon as news of Mike's achievement broke, the formidable war machine of the Defense Headquarters sprang into action, gears turning at full speed. The pre-established contingency plan was executed methodically.

Increasing educational resources, summoning all Battle Lords to stand guard, eradicating Earth's demon cult followers... All these measures were taken with one goal in mind-to provide a healthy growth environment for Thor.

"The Defense Headquarters hasn't made a big show of searching for my identity. There might be moves behind the scenes, but they're being very restrained on the surface."

Mike nodded to himself, understanding the rationale behind their actions. If they directly sought out 'Thor', exposing Mike's identity while he was still in a very vulnerable stage, it would bring endless trouble. The demon gods would never sit idly by as humanity raised another supreme being.

The three supreme beings had already brought humanity and the Abyssal Plane to a stalemate, even allowing humanity to organize small-scale counterattacks. Once Thor also ascends to a supreme being, it would spell doom for the Abyssal Plane!

The only choice, when Thor fully matures, is to nip him in the bud.

The Defense Headquarters' response is to erase all potential threats as much as possible. As for Thor's own growth, given his triple-S rank clearance of the newbie instance, there's nothing to worry about!

"Upgradable equipment that's both expensive and a mixed bag," Foreskin said earnestly.

At [Mystic Market], they pride themselves on fairness. Those who can enter the Trade Secret Realm are either rich or noble. Even a temporary pass costs a million bucks a pop! How could an ordinary Joe afford that?

Therefore, Foreskin preferred doing business that builds over time rather than making a quick buck.

Curious like a newbie, Mike asked, "Since the conditions for upgrading equipment are hidden, isn't there any way to find them out?"

"There is a way," Foreskin explained patiently. "Master-level blacksmiths can pay a price to reveal the current conditions for advancement."

"But a master-level blacksmith charges a fortune, way over ten million! And once the equipment advances, the conditions change again. You can't possibly hire a master

blacksmith to appraise it every single time, right?"

Foreskin's points made sense.

Upgradable equipment had two main features: 1. Hidden advancement conditions; 2. Refreshed conditions after each advancement.

Essentially, upgradable equipment was like a money pit, requiring massive resources to develop. It was a high-stakes gamble, often resulting in a total loss.

However, these features were practically irrelevant in front of Mike. He could see right through the advancement conditions with just a glance! Even the maximum number of times an item could be upgraded and its future upgrade path couldn't escape Mike's eyesight.

Remembering something, Foreskin added, "Oh, and there's another way to identify advancement conditions. There's an S-grade talent called [Sharp Eye] that can identify the conditions of equipment advancement with a 50% success rate, limited to three times a day."

Foreskin didn't elaborate much on S-grade talents, as it involved confidential information. If Mike wanted to know more, it would cost extra.

Mike just chuckled after hearing this. The gap between S-grade and SSS-grade talents was

simply too vast!

After hearing all this, Mike still stuck to his original interest. "Let's take a look at the upgradable equipment anyway. Maybe I'll find something that catches my eye." "Here's the list," Foreskin said, handing it over. "All these items can be upgraded at least

three times!"