After warning Zhang Ziyun’s group and exiting the alleyway, Sungshik fell into thought.

“So that’s why they looked even more devastated overall.”

The non-Superhumans here certainly looked more worn out and exhausted than in the time before his regression. At first, he thought it was because this gate break was slightly different from the one he remembered, but more than that, it seemed like Tsufeng City in particular was in an especially dire situation.

The majority of the people here were suffering from extreme exploitation.

“It’s excessive.”

Even exploitation should have its limits. At the very least, a ruler’s basic virtue was to leave enough breathing room so that the subjugated could survive.

But here, the plundering was so severe that people were struggling just to survive.

This was clearly an unwise approach. Rather than squeezing everything out in the short term, it would be more advantageous for the ruling class to extract less and maintain the exploitation over a longer period.

“They don’t seem to have any intention of maintaining this system for long.”

It was just as Heaven-Splitter had said. The ruler of this place, Kurhin, appeared to have chosen to rapidly gather coins in a short span rather than maintain the current regime over the long term. As if he desperately needed a large amount of coins immediately.

“Hmm…”

Sungshik felt a sense of incongruity. He was sure there must be a reason. And he suspected that the reason was the “special item” that came to mind during his earlier conversation with Zhang Ziyun.

So Sungshik decided to check out the “Coin General Store” first. Originally, he had planned to explore the city more thoroughly and figure out how things were running here before visiting Kurhin. But if the “Coin General Store” was selling a special item, the situation changed.

“Kurhin likely can’t leave this place either… If a special item is being sold, it’s better to check that first.”

It was a rational decision.

Special items might not be available starting tomorrow. And since there were usually purchase limits, if someone else bought it, Sungshik might lose his chance entirely.

Having set his destination, Sungshik made his way toward the “Coin General Store.”

—Welcome to the ‘Coin General Store.’ I am administrator TPR-C32123. Please call me anytime if you need assistance.

With a blunt voice, a fairy the size of an adult’s forearm welcomed Sungshik.

“Just the same.”

Even before his regression, upon entering the “Coin General Store,” this same type of fairy would guide him. These fairies were essentially the administrators of the “Coin General Store.”

“I’d like to see the full list of what’s currently for sale here.”

At Sungshik’s words, the fairy showed him all the items he could currently purchase without a word. Watching the fairy respond mechanically to his request, Sungshik muttered inwardly:

“Still the same.”

The fairies before him were beings almost devoid of emotion. As a joke, Superhumans often said they might be artificial intelligence or holograms.

In truth, the “Coin General Store” was not an ordinary space. Upon entering, one passed through a portal and arrived in a hidden space provided by the World Tree.

A space that was an illusion, yet not an illusion. Because of that, even if multiple people entered the “Coin General Store” simultaneously, each would arrive in their own separate space.

—The item types available for viewing currently range up to the ‘Rare’ grade.

While Sungshik was momentarily lost in thought, the fairy displayed all items available in the Common to Rare grade tiers.

“Oh ho.”

It was better than expected. First of all, there was a significant variety of food items, the most essential supplies. This level of stock placed this particular “Coin General Store” among the larger-scale ones.

“But there’s nothing special.”

That was as far as it went. There were no special items in sight. Just as he had expected. He hadn’t believed a special item would be sold in a mere Grade 1 tier.

“I’d like to look at higher-grade items.”

—Would you like to access Grade 2 items?

“Yes.”

—You are currently at Grade 1. To view higher-grade items, you must upgrade your grade. To upgrade from Grade 1 to Grade 2, 3 million coins are required. Would you like to upgrade your grade?

The fairy’s rigid voice rang in his ears. Sungshik wasn’t surprised by the mention of coins being required for a grade upgrade. It was the same as before his regression. Even the amount of coins needed for the upgrade was exactly the same.

“It’s definitely the same structure.”

He realized that the structure was completely identical to before his regression. In order to view the next grade of items, Sungshik was about to pay the coins required for the upgrade.

“Ah, wait a moment. How many grade tiers exist in this ‘Coin General Store’?”

—Our ‘Coin General Store’ offers items up to Grade 3.

“Oh ho.”

As Sungshik expected, it was a fairly large-scale “Coin General Store.” Usually, most general stores sold items ranging from Common (Grade 1) to Rare grade. Occasionally, there were stores that sold Hero-grade (Grade 2) items.

The next level, Grade 3, sold Relic-grade items, but it was extremely rare to find a “Coin General Store” that sold up to Grade 3. And needless to say, Grade 4 stores that sold Legendary-grade items were even rarer.

“According to rumors, there are even Grade 5 stores that sell Myth-grade items…”

But since he had never met anyone who had actually seen such a Grade 5 store, there was no way to confirm its existence.

“Then upgrade me to Grade 3 all at once.”

—The cost to upgrade to Grade 2 is 3 million coins. The cost to upgrade to Grade 3 is 50 million coins. The total comes to 53 million coins. Would you like to proceed with the upgrade?

“Yes.”

From the Relic grade onward, the upgrade costs rose exponentially. However, considering the price of Relic-grade items, it wasn’t that expensive. After all, items of Relic grade usually started at several billion coins.

Moreover, Sungshik had plenty of coins. He currently possessed a staggering 2.4 billion coins. He would also continue earning countless more, with multiple avenues available for doing so.

Also, once the upgrade was made, he would be able to purchase items of that grade in every “Coin General Store,” not just this one. For that reason, he did not hesitate to pay and upgraded to Grade 3.

—Upgrade to Grade 3 has been completed. We hope you enjoy your shopping experience.

Listening with one ear to the lifeless fairy’s lip service, Sungshik checked the Grade 2 and Grade 3 listings.

“[Relic] Kisses’ Knuckles are even being sold here.”

There were several decent items. But none held much merit for Sungshik personally.

“No sign of any special items…”

Usually, special items were not listed on the regular display shelves. That meant there might be a special shop exclusive to this “Coin General Store.”

“Is there a special shop here, by any chance?”

—To receive an answer to that question, a ‘qualification check’ is required. Verifying qualification now.
—…Verification complete.
—In response to your question: yes, this ‘Coin General Store’ does have a ‘Special Shop.’

Sungshik’s eyes sparkled at the fairy’s words. Just as he expected. There were rare instances where special items were sold through a Special Shop. In such cases, the items were extremely rare and carried high price tags.

And not just anyone could access the Special Shop. One had to meet the qualification requirements to view it.

Purchase grade. Possession of enough coins to unlock the Special Shop. And even Superhuman grade status.

Sungshik met all of those criteria and was qualified to access and open the Special Shop.

“I’ll open the Special Shop.”

—To open the Special Shop, 100 million coins are required. Would you like to proceed with the opening?

“What?”

In this moment, even Sungshik was surprised. One hundred million coins? What, was that someone’s child’s name?

He had heard that upgrading to Grade 4, the Legendary grade, in a Coin General Store required 100 million coins. But he had never heard of a Special Shop requiring that much to open.

Besides, the upgrade applied across all Coin General Stores, like a license. But the Special Shop, as far as he knew, could only be used in the store where it was opened.

“Wait, what if this is a trap and I’m just throwing 100 million coins away for nothing?”

Suddenly struck by the thought, Sungshik asked the fairy. According to the fairy, there was still stock remaining of the special item. It added that the opening fee was charged in accordance with the value of that item.

Trusting that explanation, Sungshik proceeded with opening the Special Shop.

—Special Shop opening complete. To access the Special Shop, please silently recite that you wish to use the Special Shop.

Following the fairy’s instruction, Sungshik recited to himself that he wished to use the Special Shop. Immediately, the space changed. The display shelves stacked with hundreds of items disappeared, and only a single item, about the size of a tennis ball, was left in view.

To be precise, there were three empty slots where items once were, and only one item remained.

“Did someone already buy the other three?”

With that thought in mind, Sungshik examined the one remaining item. The moment he saw it, his eyes widened.

“This is…”

‘[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket’
Grade: Myth
Description: Upgrades an ‘SSS Rank’ trait to an ‘EX Rank’ trait.
Option: Usable only once.

The Trait Enhancement Ticket—it had appeared. And this wasn’t just any Trait Enhancement Ticket. This one allowed a trait to be upgraded to the rare [EX Rank] level.

“I have to buy this.”

The moment he saw it, Sungshik’s instincts screamed. He had to buy it. No matter the price, he absolutely had to purchase this! With that in mind, he shouted:

“Purchase the ‘[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket’!”

—Insufficient coins.

“…Huh?”

It was a voice that completely doused Sungshik, who had been full of anticipation, with cold water.

“I have over 2.2 billion coins right now, and it’s not enough?”

With that thought, he realized it.

“Ah, this is a Myth-grade item.”

Even Legendary-grade items sold on the community market easily went for over ten billion coins. So a Myth-grade item went without saying.

“How much is this, then?”

When he checked the price, Sungshik was once again astonished.

“Ten billion coins?”

It was an amount that could be considered expensive, but for a Myth-grade item, it was a rather modest (?) sum. As he tilted his head at the inconsistency, the fairy’s voice reached his ears.

—Currently, the item sold in the Special Shop is priced at only 1% of its original price.

Indeed. The ten billion coin price represented just 1% of the original price of the “[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket.”

“Then that means it originally cost one trillion coins? Pfft.”

A dry laugh slipped from his lips at the unfathomable number. One trillion coins—it was a ridiculous figure.

Even a Superhuman like Sungshik would have to hunt 7- to 8-star monsters every single day for years just to maybe reach that amount. In reality, such high-tier monsters weren’t common, and it wasn’t possible to go out hunting every day either.

“Realistically, it’d take well over ten years.”

And that’s under the assumption that he spent all his time hunting 7- to 8-star monsters just to earn coins.

When he thought of it that way, it was an absurdly high price. But at the same time, it also felt like a justifiable one.

“It’s an item that lets you obtain an ‘EX Rank’ trait, after all.”

With that in mind, it wasn’t even that expensive. Through the “Akashic Record,” Sungshik had come to understand part of the origin of traits.

Fragments of Divinity. The “[EX Rank]” trait contained divine power. In other words, to gain an “[EX Rank]” trait and reach master level meant acquiring a fragment of divinity—it was the same idea.

To obtain the root of such a tremendous power in just over ten years? When thought of that way, the price wasn’t incomprehensible. Of course, it was conditional—one would need to already possess an “SSS Rank” trait.

Then suddenly, he began to wonder if the three empty slots had also held “Trait Enhancement Tickets.”

“Were the other Special Items that were sold over there also Trait Enhancement Tickets?”

—Yes, that is correct. They were an ‘S Rank’ Trait Enhancement Ticket, an ‘SS Rank’ Trait Enhancement Ticket, and an ‘SSS Rank’ Trait Enhancement Ticket, respectively.

At those words, Sungshik nodded.

“That bastard Kurhin is the most likely one to have bought those.”

Sungshik was certain of his assumption. Who else but Kurhin could have paid that much to enter the Special Shop and met the qualification requirements?

“Then his current trait must be at least SSS Rank.”

Even with just an A Rank trait, one could ascend to SSS Rank with those tickets. And now, Kurhin was squeezing the non-Superhumans and lower-level Superhumans dry in order to obtain this “[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket.”

“Hmph, what should I do?”

Sungshik was caught in conflict. Right now, he didn’t have enough coins to purchase the “[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket.”

He could either punish Kurhin first and find a way to gather the coins afterward, or he could secure the coins now and then purchase the “[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket.”

After a brief moment of thought, Sungshik made a decision.

It was better to seize the opportunity when it presented itself. If he waited, tried to punish Kurhin and then gathered coins, the “[EX Rank] Trait Enhancement Ticket” might vanish in the meantime. He had heard the Special Shop could close without warning.

Perhaps Kurhin knew that too, and that’s why he was so desperate to collect coins.

“I was planning to use it after I became a bit stronger… but I’ll have to use it now.”

With that thought, Sungshik took out an item from his inventory.

A ticket that glowed with golden light. It was the “Golden Goblin Ticket.”

It was an additional reward obtained from the Sanctuary of Puyan—and a means by which Sungshik could earn a large sum of coins.