Chapter 88 | Buying Weapons For The Girls
The man’s eyes narrowed. For a long moment, the two of them stared at each other, the air between them thickened as the man glared at him.
Then the man exhaled slowly, and some of the pressure receded.
"Fine. Three weapons. Bring me the treasure."
Dexter frowned slightly. He had expected more resistance. But the man accepted so easily.
"Are you lying to me?" Dexter asked. "I am fairly certain no one has three type three weapons just lying around. If this is some kind of trick..."
The man flipped his hand.
Two more weapons appeared out of nowhere, materializing in midair and dropping to the cloth mat with soft thuds. One was fiery red like flames and the other gleamed with a silver so bright it seemed to glow.
Together with the original black blade, three type three weapons now lay on the mat in front of the ultra rank hero.
Dexter was stunned.
He had been toying with the man. He had pushed for three weapons specifically because he thought the demand was unreasonable enough that the man would refuse, and refusal would have been a clean exit.
He had not expected the man to agree. He had certainly not expected the man to produce the weapons on the spot, as though pulling out three type three relics was as casual as pulling out pocket change.
But the weapons were there and also real enough.
Dexter made a decision.
"All right," he said.
He flipped his hand, and a small orb appeared in his palm.
It was perhaps the size of a walnut, but it was different and looked really nice.
The surface shimmered with colors that seemed to exist outside the normal spectrum, shifting and flowing in patterns.
A grade 3 heavenly material.
The man’s eyes locked onto the orb with an intense hunger and his pupils shrank.
"A storage relic..."
His breathing became noticeably heavier.
So that was why...
No wonder he couldn’t smell the treasure on him. The young man has a Quantum Ring.
Dexter smiled faintly.
"Now you know why you couldn’t smell it on me."
The man’s gaze darkened for a brief moment.
For the first time...
Killing intent flickered deep within his eyes.
If he eliminated Dexter now...
Both the treasure and the storage relic would become his.
However—
Dexter simply stood there smiling.
Come on.
Try to take it.
See what happens.
The man stared at Dexter for a long, tense moment. He burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"I nearly forgot myself."
"As an Ultra-ranked hero..."
"...breaking my word over greed would be truly disgraceful."
He accepted the Grade-3 Heaven and Earth Treasure before pushing the three relics toward Dexter.
"The deal is complete."
Dexter stored the three weapons inside his storage relic before smiling politely.
"Thank you. Thank you for the treasures."
The man waved a dismissive hand. "Thank you as well. It has been a long time since I encountered someone interesting in this place."
Dexter chuckled. "I will take that as a compliment."
"You should," the man said, closing his eyes again and returning to his meditative posture. "Now leave. You have what you came for, and I have what I came for. We are done."
Dexter nodded and left without hesitation.
Next was the food section. Dexter filled a basket with essentials: rice, flour, cooking oil, spices, fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, and butter. He added dried fruit, honey, bread, and a few things he thought the girls might enjoy. By the time he finished shopping, the basket was overflowing.
He set everything down on a bench near the edge of the marketplace and took a moment to rest. Bags and bundles surrounded him in a small mountain of purchases. Pulling out his phone, he checked his remaining balance.
There was not much left but he still had enough to manage for a few days, but nothing more.
For a moment, he considered buying a vehicle. Nothing expensive, just something in the five to ten thousand dollar range to make getting around easier for him and the girls. It would save time and spare them from relying on public transport.
But the money from the dungeon kills was not here yet.
The payment for the beasts he had killed in the examination dungeon would arrive eventually. Thirty-one Armored Bears, including a Seventh-Tier boss. The money alone would be substantial.
He could wait.
Dexter abandoned the idea of buying a vehicle for now and started the walk home, carrying as many bags as he could manage.
The change from the marketplace district to his neighborhood was gradual. The streets narrowed, the buildings became shorter and older, and the smooth pavement gave way to cracked concrete and uneven patches.
It was rough around the edges, but not dangerous.
This was a working-class neighborhood. Quiet and lived-in. Far removed from the gleaming streets surrounding the Hero Association, yet comfortable in its own way.
A few stray dogs wandered the sidewalks, sniffing lampposts and ignoring passersby.
Dexter walked past a repair shop where a mechanic worked beneath the hood of a sedan, a convenience store with a faded sign, and a laundromat with steam-covered windows.
Then he passed a bakery.
It was a small shop wedged between a pawn shop and a closed pharmacy. The display window was modest, holding a few cakes beneath glass domes and a chalkboard listing the day’s specials.
But the smell drifting from the open door was irresistible.
Warm butter, vanilla, caramelized sugar, and toasted nuts filled the air.
Dexter stopped.
The girls would definitely like sweets.
Standing on the sidewalk with his arms full of shopping bags, Dexter made up his mind.
He shifted the bags to one arm, pushed open the door with his shoulder, and stepped inside.
The warmth hit him immediately.
Soft golden light filled the bakery, reflecting off cream-colored walls and polished wooden shelves stocked with preserves, specialty flour, and bundles of dried herbs that looked more suited to an apothecary than a bakery.
But it was the display case that captured his attention.
It stretched across the entire counter, filled with pastries unlike anything Dexter had ever seen.
The bottom shelf held Cloud Biscuits, pale pastries hovering just above their trays and glowing faintly.
Baked with refined cloud wheat flour. Levitation effect lasts approximately three minutes after removal from packaging.
Beside them sat Starfruit Tarts with deep violet crusts and fillings that swirled with gold and silver like miniature galaxies.