"Heh, Thomas would do." The man chuckled. "Haven't heard from old Lenny in years, how is that old bastard holding up?"
"Uhhh, he grumbles a lot."
"Yeah, that's Lenny alright." Thomas responded with a somewhat disappointed expression. "Okay, let's get down to business, I've got no time to play around."
Thomas looked at Alex with a stern look.
"Let me tell you one thing. Make sure not to mention, under any circumstances, Lenny's name. He was exiled for a reason, and if not for the code, he'd lose his life. He made a powerful enemy, and that guy sure knows how to hold a grudge."
Alex did know a bit about why Lenny was like that, hiding in a hole despite seemingly having connections to an industry that could threaten even governments, but judging by what Thomas said, there was still a bit more to it. But ultimately, it was not Alex's place to meddle. He still needed to ensure his own safety before sticking his nose into other's business.
"Alright. Got it." Alex nodded.
"Good. On the account of what I owe Lenny, and him being my... friend back in the day, I'll get you access, but don't make me regret it."
Thomas made it sound like he'd get into trouble if Alex slips up. It made one wonder just what was going on.
"Back in the day? Wh-"
Thomas immediately cut him off.
"Yes, back in the day. My line of work sometimes prohibits one from choosing his current friends. Now let me give you another piece of advice. Stop asking so many damn questions if you don't want to get offed in an alley, understood?"
"Yeah."
"Great. The location might surprise you, but otherwise, life would be boring, wouldn't it?" Thomas grinned as he gave Alex a piece of paper with directions and a card similar to one he got at the first black market location he visited. This one was a bit different in design, with some letters and numbers engraved on it.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You'll see. Now get out. Don't bother thanking me, just make sure to remember what I told you."
As Alex left the office, Thomas slumped in his chair with a conflicted expression on his face.
"I hope you didn't bring me too much trouble this time, brother."
***
Alex got out and walked for several minutes before getting himself a cab and driving to the address. To his surprise, the taxi brought him back to the trade center. At first, he thought he got a fake address, but then, realization dawned on him.
"Isn't it too bold? This place is literally two blocks down from the Bureau headquarters."
Following the directions, he soon was able to find the store that turned out to be a front. After requesting a 'VIP room for a sensitive deal' the store owner asked him to present an identification, which was the card Thomas gave him.
This time, however, Alex did not forget to buy himself a cloak and a mask, which made him look just like any average person there.
The main area of the black market here was a lot bigger than in the small mining town of Mountain's Rest. It took Alex quite some time to check out all the stalls that sold skill shards, but unfortunately, he didn't find any 3-Star skills here. After asking around a bit, Alex learned that even if there were any 3-Star skills here, they'd go to an auction rather than be sold at a stall. In fact, all of the variant skills with positive effects, even the 1-Star ones, would also end up there. Of course, getting access to such an event was not easy. Plus, his wealth of a hundred thousand would probably not hold up against the regulars there.
Disappointed by such an outcome, Alex decided to shift his focus. Since he had no option of getting a 3-Star skill, he could look around to find either a strong 2-Star skill, or alternatively, a bunch of sustained 1-Star buff skills. After all, at this point, he'd be able to have multiple of them on for quite a way longer time than anyone could expect.
This time, his search gave him quite a bit of results. First, he found a 2-Star inferior skill named [Precognition]. It was a passive skill commonly bought by anyone with no regard to their specialization. The skill itself allowed one to predict danger a few seconds in advance., so there was no need to explain its usefulness. Of course, it was a bit more expensive than an average 2-Star skill. The next one was called [Lesser Heal]. It was able to recover small injuries almost immediately. The serious injuries required for one to cast this skill multiple times to heal, but if combined with [Rejuvenating Flame], Alex could ensure his survival as long as it wasn't a fatal blow.
He also bought a 1-Star superior skill named [Earth Guard]. It granted one the ability to transfer the power behind the attacks into the ground below the caster. Unfortunately, this one was a variant one, and one couldn't move while it was active. On the other hand, it was pretty cheap.
Next were the [Beastial Strength], a 1-Star skill that boosted strength, and [Quicken], a 2-Star inferior skill that boosted one's speed.
Alex already had a reliable long-range skill with [Ice Razor] so instead of buying another one, he decided to buy two melee range skills. [Iron Claw] was a 1-Star superior skill that transformed your arm into a metal-coated claw. It didn't directly increase your strength stat, but your gripping strength was several times higher when it was active. He already had an idea of how he could use it. The second one was [Flash Strike], a 1-Star superior skill that allowed you to execute an attack at an increased speed. Coupled with his dagger's active ability and the [Beastial Strength], Alex believed that it was possible for him to break the defenses of anyone under 2-Stars rank since almost no one would be able to stack this many skills together like him.
At this point, Alex had spent more than half of his wealth. Thankfully, most of the sellers were fine with vitality crystals as payment. He deliberated on whether he should save some, but if he died in a 2-Star dungeon, he wouldn't be around to enjoy any of the money he had, so he decided to only leave a few thousand for expenses and spend the rest. He bought the [Thick Skin] skill that was similar to [Resistance] but was passive and defended one to a lesser degree but also required no mana.
He checked around for 2-Star magic crystals, but unfortunately, found none. There were some vitality crystals of 2-Star rank, but when one raised their rank, the mana waves one emitted also changed, and he didn't want to expose himself to the Kunze's guys. If it was a magic one, it was still worth it since he then could exhibit the full power of [Ice Razor], but the vitality ones, while making him stronger wouldn't bring as much benefit. His skill roster was already defense-heavy.
Alex also checked around for equipment, but it was either too expensive for him or was basically a sidegrade rather than an upgrade to his current gear. He ended up buying an inner armor suit called [Sorcerous Etherweave]. It had a protective effect and slightly boosted one's magic stat.
Alex sold the rest of the vitality crystals he had and decided that it was time to leave. With his purchase history, he looked like someone who was buying for an entire party rather than one person. Of course, such a thing had attracted some attention.
"Look, it's the guy we saw in Mountain's Rest."
"That kid? Yeah, I can sense the mark."
"Looks like he got assigned the shoprunners duty. I tailed him around and he bought skills enough to equip a small party."
"You suggest we go after him? I believe I told you last time, job comes first. We already have a target for today."
"Alright, I can do it alone. It will just take several minutes. Follow him until he's in a relatively quiet location and off him. He wouldn't be assigned such work if he was someone important. And we can earn quite a bit."
"Fine, go follow him. But if there is no opportunity within half an hour, come back. The auction ends in about forty-five minutes and we can't let our target slip by."
"Don't worry, it's quick money."
"Quick or not, the target item is worth millions. I don't want to lose this one for just ten or twenty thousand."
"Nah, this guy bought 2-Star skills as well. It is closer to a hundred grand."
"Then he'll have friends."
"They would be here, with him, don't you think so?"
"Hmmm, right. Do this quick, I'll check in with the boys responsible for the ambush. Go straight there after you are done."
"Don't worry bro, I'll be there."