Mana Stone Fortune and Gravity's Crush
The moment Eugene placed the red mana stone on the counter at Hanseong Mana Stone Exchange in the Graveyard of the Dead, the employee's face stiffened. She'd been smiling professionally just seconds ago. But as soon as her eyes landed on the stone, the corners of her mouth froze.
"…I'll verify it for you in a moment."
The female employee carefully picked up the mana stone with her gloved hand. Her fingertips trembled noticeably with caution. Eugene swallowed dryly for no reason. This reaction isn't normal. Was it fake? Or maybe lower grade than expected?
The employee placed the mana stone on a black tray and raised her voice toward the back room.
"Manager! We've got a high-grade item."
A middle-aged man sitting in the back slowly lifted his head. At first, his gaze was indifferent. But the instant it touched the red crystal on the tray, his expression changed completely. He rose from his seat without a word.
"Don't touch it. Leave it as is."
That single short command shifted the entire atmosphere in the shop. Even the burly man sitting nearby straightened up in his seat. The middle-aged appraiser donned fresh gloves, picked up the mana stone, and headed straight to the appraisal room inside.
"We'll proceed with a detailed appraisal. Please wait a moment."
"Ah… sure."
Eugene nodded blankly. Moments later, the now much more deferential employee gestured toward the sofa.
"Sir, please have a seat here and wait. What would you like to drink?"
"…Water."
Eugene sat on the sofa. It was plush, but he felt zero comfort. His heart raced between tension and excitement. He'd never been treated like a guest in a place like this in his entire life. Everything felt awkward and ill-fitting, like wearing clothes two sizes too small.
But he couldn't back out now. The reason he'd come here today was crystal clear. He had to sell the mana stones from killing Barcas and the goblin horde at full value. Only then could he cover Sua's hospital bills.
I wonder how much it'll fetch.
He couldn't let his guard down yet. They might try to haggle down the price with excuses like fees or grade adjustments. The world worked that way. It wasn't time to celebrate until the money actually hit his account.
How long had he waited like that? The appraisal room door opened, and the manager emerged holding a tablet.
"Sir."
Eugene shot to his feet.
"We've confirmed it. This mana stone is genuine A-grade. Excellent purity and condition—top-tier among recent A-grades."
Eugene unconsciously clenched his fist. His nails dug into his palm, but he felt no pain.
"Standard buy price is 100 million won, but given the quality, we can apply a premium."
"Premium?"
"Yes. With internal approval, up to 150 million won."
Eugene stared at him in a daze. 100 million—150 million. Money he'd never even glimpse in a normal lifetime was being tossed around so casually right in front of him. This was more than enough. Overflowing, even.
"…I'll sell."
"Excellent. We'll verify your ID and process the purchase immediately."
The sale proceeds from the mana stone exchange far exceeded expectations. Killing Barcas had yielded an A-grade mana stone, after all.
Mana stones are graded by their color. Barcas's stone, glowing red, was obviously no ordinary drop. How stunned he'd been holding it at first. An A-grade from a mere Goblin Den? It defied all logic.
Of course, he learned later that Barcas wasn't just any monster—it was an irregular. Regardless, it appraised as A-grade and sold for a fortune at market rate.
He turned his phone screen on and off several times, but the number in his account didn't budge.
152,000,000 won
Exactly eight zeros. It didn't feel real. Like it was his account, yet peeking at someone else's stolen funds.
At the hospital, Eugene gazed at Sua lying in her bed.
"…Sua."
He murmured her name softly as he entered the room. No response today, either. Eugene approached the bedside and gently clasped his sister's hand. Cold and light, as always. But today, his mindset was different.
Now I can do it. At least the pathetic days of abandoning treatment for lack of money were over.
He checked his phone account again.
152,000,000 won
Not a dream. Enough to cover hospital bills and overdue rent. No more sleepless nights flipping his phone face-down to avoid debt texts.
It should have been pure joy, but seeing Sua's face, Eugene bit his lip. The most important thing hadn't changed at all. He had money now. But Sua still hadn't opened her eyes.
"…Haa."
Letting out a short sigh, Eugene left the room and headed straight to the billing office. His footsteps echoed unusually light down the hall. The crushing weight that had always borne down on him here was gone today.
At the billing window, the familiar nurse looked up. Just days ago, she'd been awkwardly pressing for unpaid fees.
"Oh… guardian. What brings you here?"
"To pay Yoo Sua's hospital bills."
Eugene's matter-of-fact reply widened the nurse's eyes. She tapped the keyboard a few times, then cautiously checked the screen.
"Current unpaid amount is… about 15 million won…."
"I'll pay it all."
The nurse's hands froze. "…Pardon?"
"Everything overdue. And if possible, prepay future admission fees too."
The nurse's expression shifted visibly—shock and bewilderment at where this huge sum came from flashing across her face.
"Y-yes, possible. We can do additional deposits as a guarantee."
"Please do that."
Eugene handed over his card without hesitation. As it slotted into the terminal, his heart pounded fiercely. This one payment felt like snapping the chains of reality that had bound him.
Moments later, the payment complete message appeared. The nurse's voice, handing over the receipt, was far more polite.
"Payment complete. With the deposit, you won't need to worry about discharge notices for a while."
Won't need to worry. Those words sank deep into Eugene's chest. Just days ago, he'd faced eviction threats. Days of grueling odd jobs, skimping on sleep, haunted by reminder texts—all flashed by like a montage.
The world changed this fast for a wad of cash.
"…Thank you."
Murmuring lowly, Eugene left the office. He stopped in the middle of the hall and looked down at the receipt in his hand.
The immediate fires were out now. At least he wouldn't lose Sua to money woes. But this wasn't the end. His ultimate goal was separate.
To wake Sua, he had to get stronger himself. Grow fast and take Sua into a dungeon.
Eugene slowly clenched his fist tight.
F-rank gate. Graveyard of the Dead. An entry-level dungeon shunned by newbie Awakeners. Low danger, but its eerie vibe made it far less popular than the Goblin Den.
He'd have preferred the Goblin Den, but the recent irregular incident had it shut down tight. Even the inept Awakener Association wouldn't reopen it right away.
Eugene stared at the rippling blue vortex at the gate entrance. Like the Goblin Den, it was Association-managed, so entry was free.
Skeletons, huh.
Not tricky foes. Slow, predictable patterns. Perfect sandbags to test his new power.
Eugene slowly raised his right hand. An invisible, eerie sensation swirled above his palm. Gravity (S)—reward from slaying the ghost lord Barcas.
Problem was, he'd never used it in real combat. Testing at home risked collapsing not just walls, but the whole building. No way he'd blow his hard-earned cash on repairs.
Only option: clash with it inside the gate.
This time, no shadows. My power alone.
Shadows made it too easy—like running auto-farm. Eugene took a short breath and stepped through the gate.
Damp earth and fishy chill assaulted his nose. Vision cleared to a gray-misted graveyard. Wind whispered between tilted tombstones.
Then—crack.
Bone joints twisting. Eugene whipped his head around. Behind a tombstone, a skeleton creaked to its feet. Rusty sword in hand, blue flames flickering in empty sockets.
"…Ugly bastard."
It spotted him and lumbered forward slowly. Eugene didn't dodge. He extended his hand deliberately.
Grab.
Visualizing fiercely in his mind, the air warped unnaturally.
Crunch!
Invisible crushing pressure slammed the skeleton. It froze mid-air like solidified, then smashed into the dirt with a deathly wail.
Boom!
The grave soil cratered. Ribs and spine pulverized to dust instantly.
Eugene's eyes widened in shock. "…Huh?"
Way stronger than expected. He clenched his fingers slightly, and the remaining bones shattered completely. Blue glow winked out pathetically.
Silence fell over the graveyard as Eugene blankly stared at his hand.
"This is S-grade power."
Not mere pressure. It mangled space itself. On a person? Bones wouldn't be the end of it.
Then, from all directions—crack, crack.
Dozens of skeletons rose sequentially from misty graves behind tilted stones.
Perfect.
Eugene exhaled shortly and extended his hand toward the approaching horde again.