Chương 41: FIRST CUSTOMER

Why would a repair shop be here? Is it a recent awakener? It better be legit… thought the Captain.

"Y-Yeah, Captain. You need to repair your sword, right? That's why I spotted it," the staff user said quickly, clearly trying to justify himself. From behind, a few whispers followed.

"He's at it again…" The captain gave the man an annoyed look.

"Yeah, good job… Now move. Let's check it out."

"Yes, Captain," the teammates replied in unison. Only one person didn't respond, the man in the mask. He remained silent. —------- Jimin sat behind the small foldable table. He had already put on the mask he brought with him; a simple, dark one that concealed most of his face. It wasn't anything fancy, but it did its job. Still no customers… He glanced at the jar with cash inside, then at the crude signboards hanging above. He thought about his strategy. I won't repair a weapon more than once.

If a weapon really needs it, I'll just say it's very taxing on me and charge extra. Should make me stand out less… Hope everything goes according to the plan.

"Hey." A sudden call snapped Jimin out of his thoughts. His gaze lifted. The Captain stood in front of the stall, his worn longsword already in his hand. Up close, the dents and scratches on the blade were even more obvious.

"Can you really repair this sword in a minute?" the Captain asked. His tone was cautious but not hostile. Jimin reached out and took a closer look. His eyes traced the blade's edge, the chipped areas near the middle and a few dents. Then, he straightened slightly. He changed his voice and put on a faint salesman tone. The kind he'd heard from street vendors and late-night commercials.

"Of course, Sir," he said.

"But I can only increase its durability by ten."

"Yeah, I got that from your signboard." Before Jimin could say anything else, a snicker came from the side.

"Hey, what kind of handwriting is that?" the staff user said, barely holding back laughter.

"Looks like a bunch of cockroaches break-danced over it, while covered in ink… Hahaha." Jimin let out a small cough, turning his head away for a second. What the heck. The captain's expression hardened instantly. He turned and glared at the staff user. The man fumbled, "I-I mean… It's very… creative!" The captain didn't dignify that with a response. He turned back to Jimin.

"But the price is rather cheap for this kind of service," the captain continued calmly.

"Aren't you a bit… suspicious?" Jimin stayed still.

"Are you, by chance, a recent awakener?" the captain added.

"Don't mind me asking. I'm just checking for legitimacy."

"Yes, Sir," Jimin replied without hesitation.

"I only awakened recently. I'm just trying to earn some money with my skill." The Captain studied him for a moment. Low-tier Repair… huh. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The man's expression softened slightly. I feel bad for the kid. Well, it's useful for me. Luck is with me today, I guess.

"As I figured," the Captain said with a small laugh.

"Well, welcome to the world of Rifters."

"Thank you, Sir." Seems like a good person, Jimin thought.

"But don't get too happy just yet," the Captain continued.

"There's a reason there aren't many repair shops around here." Jimin's fingers curled slightly under the table.

"How do you plan to prove that your repair works exactly as you claim?" Jimin's mind raced. Shit… I didn't think that through. It's not like I can appraise it now…

"I-I mean," he said carefully, "there are changes in the appearance of the equipment after repair."

"You're right," the captain nodded.

"But there are skills that only make objects look flashier. So how can I know it's legit?" Jimin couldn't answer immediately. The silence stretched.

"As expected," the captain said.

"You're new at this after all." Jimin lowered his gaze slightly, playing the part.

"Repairmen usually use a quality checker talisman," the captain continued.

"It's cheap and two-time use. You use it on equipment to check its quality. If it glows green, it's in good shape. But if it's in bad shape, it glows red. The greener, the better the quality. You use it once before the repair and once after. If it glows greener, it's been repaired. Then the talisman vaporizes. You get it?"

"Oh!" Jimin said, eyes widening just enough.

"I didn't know that, Sir. Thanks for the info…"

"That's not all. There's a sort of syndicate of them. They only operate in cities, while charging way higher prices," he continued, "Tch… Greedy bastards. Nobody actually sticks around here for long. I guess you won't as well." He couldn't answer that. I am here just for today. So, he tried to divert the topic.

"I get it now. Thank you, Sir. But how do I get the talismans now?"

"Well," the captain said, glancing around, "you can buy some around here. We buy it here, in case we need to check our equipment's condition inside the Rift." He clicked his tongue.

"But you don't have to think about that for now. It's your lucky day. As I'm in a hurry." He turned abruptly.

"Hey," he said sharply, facing the staff user.

"Give me your staff."

"W-Why my staff?" the man protested. The captain glared at him.

"Okay… Captain," the staff user muttered, his eyes watering slightly as he handed it over. The captain then turned and raised the staff toward the masked man.

"You can at least help with this, can't you?" he said sternly. The masked man took the staff without a word. Several seconds passed. Then, in a low, static voice, he spoke.

"The durability is seventy-two." Jimin's breath hitched for a split second. Damn… that's an Appraiser. The captain nodded.

"You heard him. Now start the repair." He handed the staff to Jimin.

"R-Right at it," Jimin said. He stood up, picked up the jar, and stepped behind the curtain, pulling it closed. The moment he was out of sight, his expression sharpened. He placed the staff on the table and activated Appraisal. —--------------------------------- Durability: 72/100 —--------------------------------- It's really seventy-two… So the masked guy wasn't bluffing. I have a lot of questions. But for now… He activated 'Repair'. After a few seconds, it was repaired. A notification appeared.

—--------------------------------- Durability: 82/100 (+10) —--------------------------------- Jimin then waited for twenty seconds more. And then, he finally stepped out.

"It's done, Sir." He handed the staff back to the captain, who then passed it to the masked man. Another small pause.

"Its durability is eighty-two now," the masked man said.

"It's legit."

"Alright," the captain nodded.

"That proves it." He placed his breastplate on the table.

"Now repair these." Jimin's chest loosened. Finally-"Okay," he said simply. The captain turned back to his party.

"You guys need repairs too?"

"Yes…" they replied almost immediately.

"Then get on with it fast." Damn… so many orders on the first job. Jimin worked carefully, one piece at a time.

"I'll just surf the market while you're at it," the masked man said suddenly.

"Yeah, go on," the captain replied dismissively. The masked man walked off without another word. —----- The batch included both D-rank and E-rank equipment. Jimin appraised each item before repairing it. Training Appraisal at the same time. By now, he was able to check the durability of D-rank items.. He eventually finished.

"It's done, Sir."

"Alright," the captain said.

"Everyone, check your equipment." They started checking their equipment. The captain inspected his sword, running a thumb along the blade. There were fewer dents and the edge was cleaner.

"Good job."

"Thank you, Sir." Jimin hesitated, then spoke.

"If you don't mind… May I ask a question?"

"Hm… Shoot."

"Why was that appraiser wearing a mask? And why is he with your party? It's just that I'm new to all this… forgive my rudeness." The captain exhaled.

"Hah… I can't tell you everything in detail. Just know that he's a Masked Appraiser. We're helping him grind." A Masked Appraiser?

"What's a masked appraiser, Sir?"

"I said I won't go into details," the captain replied.

"It's complicated stuff."

"Uh… Okay, Sir." No clue. I'll just ask at the Federation later. The grind part made sense, at least. He remembered what he learned in his class. Rifters can form and join a party through their systems. If one member killed a monster, every member would gain some XP and Skill XP. So, that appraiser is riding this party's bus, while they carry him. But his thoughts were cut short, when the captain said,"So, how much is it in total?"

"With a ten percent discount for eight items," Jimin calculated quickly, "it's two hundred sixteen thousand won."

"Alright." The captain paid in cash.

"It's time for us to leave. Thanks for your service."

"You're welcome, Sir." The party walked away. Jimin slumped back into his chair and exhaled deeply.

"Ahh..." Finally, they left. That was a lot of 'Sir's. But he didn't rest. He stored the jar into his inventory, stood up, and immediately headed toward the market. Time to buy some quality checker talismans.