CHAPTER 54: A FAIR TRADE (54)

"HUUUUFFF! ALMOST THERE, MIN!" Ahrie grunted, veins popping as he shoved the back of the carriage.

"I–I CAN’T—MY LEGS ARE GIVING UP!" Min wheezed, knees trembling like overcooked noodles.

"PUUUUSH!" Ahrie barked, summoning every ounce of strength left in his soul.

"1–2–PUUUSH!"

"1–2–PUUUSH!"

Their chant echoed across the empty road as the carriage crawled forward inch by inch.

After what felt like forever, they stopped, both gasping for air, arms dead and faces pale.

A soft giggle came from inside the carriage.

Ahrie and Min turned their heads in sync.

Charlotte froze mid-laugh.

Without a word, they yanked her out.

"W-wait—!" she squealed.

"You’ll push with us," Min said, voice trembling with vengeance.

"Eh? But I’m a—"

"Shhhhh! No excuse!" Ahrie cut her off, pointing dramatically toward Glimmerfen. "PUUUUSH!"

And so, the three of them—and their miserable excuse of a horse—formed a pathetic convoy.

Ahrie and Min pushed from the back, Charlotte pulled from the front, and the horse barely did anything besides breathing loudly.

Two hours later...

They finally reached Glimmerfen.

The carriage creaked to a stop.

The three of them collapsed flat on the dirt, gasping like dying fish.

For a long moment, none of them spoke.

Then Ahrie muttered between breaths, "Next time... we sell the horse."

The horse, standing proudly in front of them, snorted through its nose—

as if to say, "Try me, bitch."

After they caught their breath, the three got back on their feet.

They dragged the two monsters they’d hauled out of the domain and headed to a local trader to sell them.

Ahrie and Min entered the small, cluttered shop while Charlotte split off, saying she had "business to attend to."

The bell over the door jingled.

"Hello, welcome to The Coinjurer! Watch your money disappear—magically!" the trader said with a salesman’s grin.

"What are you looking for?"

"We’re here to sell," Min muttered.

"Ohh? What’ve you got?"

Ahrie and Min went back outside, unloaded the two dead monsters from the carriage, and dragged them into the shop.

The trader stared, rubbing his temples. "I see... first time I’ve seen monsters like this."

"First time, eh?" Ahrie grinned, already scheming to raise the price.

"Well, you know..." The trader scratched his chin. "Since this is new to us, we don’t really know if it’s got any usable materials. It’s risky to buy something we can’t appraise.

So... how about fifty bronze coins each?"

He extended a hand for a deal.

"I dunno about that..." Ahrie said slowly, pretending to think. "Fifty bronze coins for a Boss Monster that nearly wiped out everyone in that shitty domain?"

He scoffed. "Nah. Let’s go, Min. We’ll find someone who actually knows value."

"Yeah, let’s go."

They started dragging the corpses back out the door.

The trader panicked. "W–Wait!"

Ahrie and Min exchanged a glance—and matching grins. "Mwehehe."

"Tch... fine! How about... one hundred fifty for each?" the trader said, grinding his teeth.

Ahrie and Min stopped and turned, looking disgusted.

"One hundred fifty bronze coins for a Domain Boss Monster?" Ahrie muttered. "Are you for real?"

"Ugh—how much do you want for it then?" the trader asked, clicking his tongue.

Min raised a thumb.

Ahrie placed a hand on the trader’s shoulder.

"Look, man... since it’s our first boss monster kill, I’ll give you a good deal."

He leaned in. "One silver coin for the two of them."

"Come on, that’s way too expensive!"

"Eh? You broke or somethin’?" Min asked, smirking.

"Fine, fine—how about eight hundred bronze coins? That’s our lowest," Ahrie muttered.

The trader’s eyes widened. That was lower than the nine hundred he was willing to go.

He immediately extended his hand. "Deal."

He paid up, still smiling.

"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen!"

"Sure, sure..." Ahrie and Min waved as they left the shop—grinning ear to ear.

They went back to their carriage.

Ahrie reached for the door, about to hop in—then froze.

They both remembered.

Right... their horse couldn’t pull the damn thing with them inside.

"Ugh... should we replace this dipshit?" Ahrie muttered.

"Neiiigh!" The horse let out an offended cry.

"Shut da fuck up and pull the carriage, spoiled brat," Min grumbled.

The horse stomped its hoof, snorted, and turned its head away dramatically.

Ahrie sighed. "Bro’s got attitude now."

They decided to walk instead, exploring the town a bit while the horse sulked.

The trader was examining the monster he bought from Ahrie, moving it as delicately as possible.

Thunk.

The door opened.

"Yo broo, did you call for me?"

A monster-material Extractor walked in, wiping his hands.

"Heyy—look what I got!" the trader boasted proudly.

"Ohh, is that the new monster from the dungeon earlier?"

"Yeeeep, yeeeep." The trader puffed his chest.

"For real?"

"Only cost me less than a silver for these two bosses."

"What a bargain," the extractor said, impressed.

He cracked his knuckles. "Aight, I’ll start dismantling it—"

Cling!

The door chimed again. Another group of seekers walked in.

"Hello! Welcome to The Coinjurer—watch your money disappear, magically!" the trader greeted with his usual grin.

"Are you accepting monsters?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

They unloaded their haul onto the floor—

the same exact monsters Ahrie and Min had sold earlier.

The extractor froze. The trader blinked.

"Where... where did you find these?" the trader asked.

"Right near the gate," one seeker said casually.

The trader and extractor looked at each other.

"You got scammed," the extractor muttered.

After a while, Ahrie and Min finished shopping.

Their carriage was half full of stuff—

and their horse, once again, couldn’t pull the damn thing.

So they started pushing.

"HUUUUFFF! HUUUUUFFF!"

As they dragged the carriage down the street,

a scream echoed from somewhere nearby.

Both of them froze.

Then their eyes met.

"...That voice sounds familiar," Min muttered.

They rushed toward the sound—

down a narrow alleyway crowded with other seekers craning their necks.

The scream grew louder.

Closer.

Recognizable.

Ahrie’s grin widened. "No way."

Min smirked. "Ohhh, it’s them."

The two slipped past the crowd,

ready to hand out a well-deserved punch or two.

They turned the corner—

dead end.

"Eh? I could’ve sworn that was their voice..." Ahrie muttered, scanning the alley.

"Xavier, Zophia, and Alira, right?" Min replied, catching his breath.

Ahrie nodded slowly.

"Yea... those three dumbasses. I’d recognize that scream anywhere."

The alley stayed quiet—too quiet.

Ahrie’s eyes darted around. Crates. Trash. Shadows. Nothing.

Then— clink.

A small bottle rolled out from the shadows and tumbled to their feet.