Chapter 94

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Chapter 94 (94/227)

Chapter 94: Connections Are Also Skills (2)

Upon arriving at a nearby City, Ail swiftly moved to sell off the items he’d accumulated so far.

First, he submitted his antiques to an appraisal office, then visited a shop where he sold off cheap equipment items and miscellaneous junk that didn’t need to go through the auction house.

Even though they were low-tier, mixing in some usable gear with the junk got him a decent amount of cash since he had amassed quite a lot.

Next stop: the auction house.

He registered the better-quality gear he’d set aside at reasonable prices. While each auction house has different limits on how many items you can list, setting prices too high could leave listings unsold, wasting valuable slots.

“Now, the question is what to do with these…” Ail muttered, eyeing the pile of thorium ingots stacked in his inventory.

With such a large quantity, it wasn’t something he could just dump casually despite their value. He checked the price trend data provided by the auction system.

Though prices had dropped slightly from their recent peak a few weeks ago, they were still showing a slow upward trend.

Should he sell now or store them for better timing? After careful consideration…

“The price manipulation doesn’t seem artificial yet… but I’ll wait and see.”

Analyzing past fluctuations, there was no sign of organized hoarding or price manipulation. Any price changes seemed due to individual speculators rather than coordinated efforts.

Ail had a theory about the initial price spike being connected to the world quest involving the altar Mute had occupied as part of the cult. The timing matched perfectly with the end of the last world quest chapter.

If his hypothesis was correct, this world quest was just beginning, meaning demand might increase further.

While not certain, Ail decided to hold onto the ingots.

“I’ll wait it out for now.” Exiting the auction house, he stored all his thorium ingots in the warehouse.

Considering the risk of prices dropping, he knew thorium’s consistent demand made it a relatively safe investment.

“Maybe I’ll buy more later… but this feels like a good stopping point.”

Satisfied with his decision, Ail left the warehouse manager grumbling under the weight of the ingots and headed to his appointment.

“Ail-sama! Over here!”

“You were waiting? I finished earlier than expected, selling off everything I had.”

“Just liquidated my stockpile – turns out I’m flush with funds now. Guess I don’t need to transfer money from outside anymore.”

Rodan spoke with satisfaction. Though Armenia’s market was smaller compared to Warode’s, as a high-ranking player in one of the top three games, he’d undoubtedly made a fortune back then.

For rankers who needed to invest heavily in-game, transferring real-world funds was standard practice. However, for someone like Ail who needed to budget his living expenses carefully, this was impossible.

That said, Ail’s current funds were also looking healthy thanks to his sales. With upcoming auction proceeds, he could even consider withdrawing some gold for real-world use.

But after some thought, Ail shook his head. It was too early to convert in-game gold to real money, especially with conversion fees eating into profits.

“Where to next?”

“I’m heading to Lockporter. Need to visit a major city… not too far from here. You’re returning to Quinnze Blonde, right?”

“Yeah, important quest.”

“Wasn’t that where we first noticed your presence? Not picking up another passenger, are you?”

“Perhaps,” Ail chuckled in response to Rodan’s teasing.

Indeed, his first major appearance had been at Quinnze Blonde, and he was returning there again. Though the antique appraisal wasn’t complete yet.

They’d already exchanged friend requests during their carriage ride, and after final pleasantries, parted ways.

“Well, see you around. Don’t forget our next sparring session.”

“Heh, won’t forget.”

* * *

“Boring… what am I supposed to make with this crap?”

A disheveled man lounged in his chair, chin resting on his hand, staring blankly at the screen displaying exciting Warode battle footage – which somehow failed to capture his interest.

Creak.

Tired of the video, he leaned his chair back dramatically.

With his scruffy beard, messy hair, and rumpled clothes, he looked like any other unemployed 30-something.

Yet, he sat in a state-of-the-art studio filled with expensive equipment – Bloodytick Studio, a name instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with VR gaming.

As the gaming industry exploded, even supporting roles gained public attention. Among video editors, Dexter stood out as the undisputed world champion, operating his one-man studio under the Bloodytick name.

His reputation was such that even kindergarten play could become a thrilling blockbuster short film with his touch. Unlike regular video editing, creating compelling Warode footage required deep game knowledge, skill concealment for top players, and discretion regarding quests and guild information.

And of course, without innate editing talent, all these qualities would be meaningless. No one came close to Dexter’s mastery.

Naturally, this attracted countless requests. With Warode dominating the VR gaming scene, star power became crucial alongside skill.

In-game popularity wasn’t solely based on ability. Just look at the six stunningly attractive leaders of the Rokuto dai guilds, whose immense popularity relied on more than just strength.

As marketing through videos grew increasingly important, so did demand for skilled editors.

Rankers avoided exposing their full capabilities, but still uploaded videos for various reasons.

However, among the hundreds of submissions Dexter received daily, only a handful met his standards.

Using subpar material to create satisfying content was impossible. Thus, he often rejected even high-paying projects from wealthy “high-rankers” mimicking true elites or repetitive PVP clips from overexposed named players.

Trapped in creative stagnation, Dexter craved something fresh.

Ring!

His phone buzzed violently on the table.

Annoyed, Dexter slowly turned his chair and picked it up.

“I said contact me by text only…” His tone changed abruptly upon seeing the number.

“W-what?!”

The grogginess vanished instantly. Blinking repeatedly, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Could it really be HER?

Hastily answering the call…

“It’s been a while, Dexter.”

“Are you serious?! What’s going on?” Dexter exclaimed, his usual nonchalant demeanor replaced with obvious excitement and confusion.

Before anyone would have guessed, the man who remained unimpressed by even Warode’s top rankers was now flustered.

“Wait, what should I call you now? Your old nickname…”

“Lisa,” she smiled warmly.

“And I have a favor to ask… would you mind helping?”