Chương 50: FIRST GEAR ACQUISITION (1)

After walking for five minutes, Jimin finally reached the 'Golden Scale Hall of Commerce'. The building was huge and grand; its polished exterior reflected the evening city lights like a mirror of gold and glass. Elegant lantern-shaped bulbs glowed along the entrance walls, giving the entire building an atmosphere like a luxury hotel. It was owned by the prestigious Lee family and was renowned for its vast collection of gear, artifacts, and various items. And it was open to all.

Though the prices were standard and fixed, it was known for fair deals and high customer trust. Which meant that he was unlikely to get scammed here. Exactly why he chose this place. The entrance alone was nearly ten feet high, also wide enough to prevent crowding. Jimin slowed slightly as he entered. Two guards stood calmly at either side, dressed not in flashy armor but clean black uniforms embedded with subtle golden patterns. Their presence alone radiated competence.

Jimin got in after passing through the detectors and being cleared by the security. Then, he suddenly stopped.

"… Woah." The interior opened into an enormous hall illuminated by soft golden lighting. Gear was displayed everywhere; neatly arranged on open desks, mounted on shelves, or sealed behind reinforced glass displays. Each item looked carefully curated, positioned with deliberate spacing like artwork in a museum. A small counter in the corner appeared to be selling basic potions. It wasn't like Jimin hadn't seen this much equipment in one place before. In fact, he had seen far more at the Federation Headquarters.

But this felt different. There was no chaos here. Everything felt organized and premium. Jimin exhaled quietly. Yeah… this place screams wealth. He had already researched the hall before coming. Each floor specialized in a rank tier. Floor 1 to Floor 5 covered gear and artifacts from E-rank to A-rank. The underground floor handled medicinal, alchemical, and production materials; along with worn-out gear sold at reduced prices. Floor 6 contained rare consumables, talismans, and elixirs.

And last but not the least, floor-7 was only for VIP members; selling S-rank gear and artifacts. Jimin stood on the first floor at the moment, the E-rank section. It was slightly crowded. A few salesmen roamed casually while security guards observed from corners. Surveillance cameras rotated silently overhead. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Security is tight indeed. Jimin slipped his hands into his pockets and began browsing.

Each piece of equipment had a small holographic screen, displaying details, durability, and price. His checklist was simple. Basic survivability. A leather armor and pair of boots and gloves should be enough for defense for tomorrow. After all, I fought goblins without any… And they were E-rank monsters. He took a deep breath and shook his head slightly. We are visiting just a F-rank Rift. It's gonna be a breeze. He examined multiple sets carefully, comparing stats, durability, and price.

Eventually, he shortlisted a few options. He noted that a good quality leather armor, gloves and boots from this floor would cost him a total of 3. 2 million won. Gear is so damn expensive… No wonder low-rank rifters struggle so much. I have almost ten million right now. But still… 3. 2 million won for these is too much… I'll just check underground. But before that… He turned toward the potion counter. The salesman noticed him immediately and smiled warmly.

"Welcome! Looking for potions?" Jimin nodded.

"What kind do you have?"

"You'll find low-grade healing, mana, and stamina potions here," the man said cheerfully.

"For anything higher than that… You would need to visit the 6th floor." A newbie huh, the salesman thought instantly.

"I see. How much do these cost?"

"Mana potions are 250, 000 won. Healing and stamina potions are 300, 000 won each." Jimin blinked slowly. Damn… these are expensive as well. I got the reserves… But these are must haves for emergencies. And the way I keep running into trouble… He took a deep breath. I'll buy a few just in case.

"I'll take two mana potions and one each of the others."

"Alright." The salesman tapped his tablet.

"That will be 1. 1 million won."

"1 million," said Jimin in a sly manner, hinting at a bargain.

"The prices are fixed. No bargaining." It was worth a try, thought Jimin. Jimin paid the full amount. Then, the salesman handed him a small box and said, "Thank you for your purchase. And for the best output, consume with a 3 hour gap. If you drink multiple vials in a short time, the effects will diminish with each vial.""" Okay. Thanks." Jimin hesitated slightly, then leaned forward and whispered, "By the way… is there any potion for recovering psychic energy?"

The salesman leaned forward too and whispered back, "We don't sell coffee here." Jimin's face went completely blank. The salesman chuckled.

"Sorry, it was a joke." Jimin let out an awkward laugh.

"Good one."

"I haven't heard of potions like that," the salesman added.

"But you might find gear related to it on the second floor."

"Okay. Thanks for the info." Jimin picked up the box and immediately headed toward the stairs leading underground. — The underground floor felt like entering a different world. Lighting became cooler and more practical. Two distinct sections existed. One had no shelves, only counters. Each counter was selling different items, with each having multiple long lines of customers. Clerks worked rapidly behind reinforced desks while numbers flashed overhead. But Jimin wasn't here for that.

His attention moved toward the second section. It was selling low quality and worn out gear. It also had its fair share of crowds. Jimin started checking out the gear here without wasting any time. The details and durability of each piece of gear were displayed on its respective screen. Jimin's eyes sharpened. Now, this is my territory. He began inspecting items one by one. Each piece displayed durability and stats, but he still appraised several manually. The details turned out to be accurate.

He ignored the low quality ones. And selected the ones of better quality, which just had low durability. At first, he focused on the basic E-rank gear he needed. After a while, he finally selected the ones he wanted. They were the exact gear he found on the first floor but just had low durability. —------------------------------------ Name: Rugged Leather Vest Category: Light armor Type: Leather Rank: E Description: A simple vest of layered beast hides. Has low defensive capabilities but is light in weight.

Stats: VIT +1, END +2 Defense: 26 Effect: None Durability: 62/100 —------------------------------------ —- —------------------------------------ Name: Prowler's Gloves Category: Guard Type: Gloves Rank: E Description: Supple leather gloves that protect the hands while keeping fingers free for nimble tasks.

Stats: STR +1 Defense: 5 Effect: None Durability: 56/100 —------------------------------------ —- —------------------------------------ Name: Swift Boots Category: Accessories Type: Boots Rank: E Description: Light metal boots for slightly faster movement. Stats: AGI +2 Defense: 6 Effect: None Durability: 52/100 —------------------------------------ These cost a total of 2. 4 million won. That's 800, 000 less than upstairs. These will be as good as new after I repair them… Should I buy more to sell them later?

A grin formed on Jimin's face. Now, we are talking…