"Move it, Boy!"
"You are in the way, F**k*r!"
"Sorry!" James threw a half-hearted apology over his shoulder as he walked briskly to the nearest alley.
Someone was bound to berate him eventually. He was standing blank-faced in the middle of a busy road.
The blue-eyed boy was staring at this cute girl, no he was not ogling the girl thank you very much, when suddenly his appraisal skill took effect.
Name : Shofia Milles
Age : 16
A blue transparent screen similar to that he saw in his room appeared over the girl's head. To say that he was confused was an understatement of the year, he was shocked to the core.
His level 1 appraisal skill could only gather that much. But The skill description said that the higher the level, the more detailed information he could get. He expected that the skill could only be activated inside the dungeon but the fact that the skill enable him to inspect his surrounding was big news.
He shook himself as he imagined what he could see when he maxed out the skill. That was a hell of a way to gather information just by staring randomly at an object. He could put the skill to good use. Of course, if he wasn't caught staring at something for far too long to be considered normal.
The skill reminded him of another prize of his dungeon riding. Consider the prize as a spirit booster so that he would come again to the dungeon. But what is it to the dungeon that needed someone to constantly raid them? It makes no sense whatsoever.
It is said that the dungeon is some kind of training ground for heroes. The peculiar thing was that training ground that gave reward to everyone using them was unheard of. Not that he had any experience with dungeons to judge.
He patted at his jeans pocket. The coin was nestled comfortably in his front pocket. He was afraid that the coin might disappear the moment he stepped out of his apartment.
He continued his entourage to the local bank. He had a gold coin to convert into dollars and a room to be furnished.
the local commonwealth bank was a three-story building near a museum. It was an old building with a classic design. Why the bank didn't choose the newer design was a mystery.
He walked to bored-looking security personnel who seemed to nod on and off.
"Excuse me, Sir! I would like to convert an old gold coin into American dollars could you help me?"
"Sorry boy. I can't but the teller inside might help you with that." The guard nodded his head to a teller.
"Of course, silly me. Thanks by the way." James excused himself. The guard grunted as a reply
The eighteen years old boy walked nervously to a teller and waited silently. The teller was a man in his mid-forties with a large mustache and a bald head.
"Yes?" The teller sounded bored out of his mind and borderline annoyed. It was nearing lunchtime and someone predictably needed his assistance at this moment was an unwelcomed intrusion.
"Excuse me, I would like to convert a gold coin into American dollars." James successfully stilled the stammer in his voice.
The teller peered over his round-rimmed glasses, "That can be done, provided that you are the legitimate owner of the said gold. "
"Legitimate owner?" James said nervously.
"Paper, documentation, anything to prove that you get the gold coin through legal means." The teller, Richard G., if James read the name tag correctly, said tightly. His left hand slowly reached for something under his desk. Probably a security button.
James started panicking. The dungeon didn't provide him with papers to support his claim. He better made a run for himself before the teller called security personnel or worse, cops.
As he took a step back, he felt a bulge appeared inside his trouser pocket. He dug his hand into the pocket and pulled out a thick envelope.
"Is this ... "
He squared his shoulder and placed the envelope and the gold coin on the desk. He lick his lips nervously as Richard opened the envelope and read the paper or whatever it is.
"Your ID please." The teller said after several times reading the letter.
James slid his ID card across the desk. Richard checked, double-checked, and triple-checked whether the picture matched the person. He nodded curtly after making sure that either the ID or the letter was authentic.
"It seems that everything is in order. Please wait a moment, our staff will be checking the gold rate." Richard then went with James' coins and documents to a room on the second floor.
James walked to a waiting chair in front of the teller's desk. The room was empty bar the security and CS staff. It was almost lunchtime so it was understandable. It was not long before James was dozing off on his chair.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ryan." A gentle tap on his shoulder woke him up from his slumber.
"Huh, whazzit?" James stuttered incorrigibly.
A beautiful woman in her mid-twenties was standing on his left side. A bright smile adorned her face.
"We have finished checking the gold rate. Please, proceed to the teller." The woman, Tamara, said.
"Ye-yeah sure, thanks." The boy blushed as he was caught staring at the wrong place. He stood abruptly and walked to the teller.
"Our team has finished checking the gold rate. It is confirmed that your gold coin is a 24-karat gold coin. Congratulation." Richard said with a smile.
"Thank you, I guess." James offered a smile but it came out as a grimace.
"After a series of thorough measurements, your gold weighed about 25 grams pure gold. The current selling rate is US$ 1.874/oz so your gold is word US$ 1649. Minus tax and service fees you'll get US$ 1550. Would you like the money in cash or do you want it to be deposited in your account?"
James was shocked that the tiny gold coin really worth that much. And one gold coin for one go? He'll be rich in no time. Sure, the tax and fees were incredible but fifteen hundred bucks were quite a sum of money.
"Please deposit the money in my account. I think it is easier and far quicker." James stated.
"One moment, please." Richard busied himself behind the computer. "The money has been deposited in your account and you can withdraw your money through the ATM associated with our bank. Is there anything I could help you with?"
"No, I guess. Thanks."
"Then the door is right there, good day," Richard said with a bright smile. Quite a contrast from just an hour before.
James nodded his head toward the security personnel on duty. The eighteen years old boy walked briskly toward the nearest ATM to check his account balance. Fortunately, it was empty so he quickly dove behind the glass door.
He was mildly surprised when he checked the number displayed on the screen. His account balance grew ten folds after the money was deposited. He was filthy rich.
Now that he got the money, he wanted to gear himself up for the next adventure that was due in 4 hours. He had a shop to raid.
With that in mind, James withdrew US$ 500 and put the money into his wallet. He wouldn't dive into the dungeon unprepared.