Mike was now inside the Skill Book Shop, a huge store that sold dungeon drops and techniques from the Origin World. The hall was lined with rows and rows of shelves, each one containing glowing books that were protected in cases.
Since each skill book was obtained directly from the Origin World or from monster drops here, they were costly, sometimes even more valuable than equipment. Since combat classes always required sophisticated techniques, the cost only increased for knights.
Mike was now looking though the Knight section.
[Knight Skills]
— Slash Techniques
— Shield Arts
— Movement Skills
— Aura Techniques
— Weapon Styles
Each book had a floating crystal display showing its price.
Some were cheap:
— Basic Shield Guard... 50,000 credits
— Dash Step... 80,000 credits
Some were mid-tier:
— Heavy Slash... 250,000 credits
— Iron Wall Guard... 400,000 credits
Some were absurdly expensive:
— Knight Aura—Beginner... 1.8 million
— Flowing Strike Style... 2.2 million
Mike clicked his tongue.
"...These things really are pricey."
But in the end, Mike still bought Crimson Knight Sword Art—Rare Rank.
It was a sword technique with five sub-skills, containing three offensive moves, one defensive move, and one movement technique, so it was easily worth the cost...
Even if that cost was 3 million credits.
Mike felt poor all over again.
After paying, he winced but still bought another item:
Red Flame Sword—Rare Rank (Rank 1 weapon)
It cost only 200k credits, since it was still a basic Rank 1 weapon despite its quality.
And finally, he bought a Knight Set—Rank 1, Common quality, a full-body armor set that matched well with his new weapon.
He checked his balance... and sighed.
He was rich for only ten minutes.
Mike shook his head and muttered, "Now... Let’s go back, give the bunny to Misty, and then I’ll return to Origin World."
Booking a taxi, he reached home in another ten minutes.
As he entered, he called out softly, "Mom, where’s Misty?"
"She’s sleeping," his mother replied while tidying the table.
Mike nodded and took out the pet cube. The moment he placed it on the floor, the little palm-sized pink bunny looked around, blinking sleepily.
"Give it to Misty when she wakes up," he said, handing it to his mother as he went upstairs to his room.
Amelia raised a brow, opened the pet cage, and her eyes widened immediately at the sight of the sleeping pink bunny.
"So cute, Misty will surely love this" she said seeing the beautiful creature inside the cage.
She picked up some of the bundled sweetgrass and placed it inside the cage.
The tiny scented bunny’s nose twitched the moment the scent hit her.Seeing the sweetgrass, she immediately hopped forward and began nibbling it adorably, her fluffy fur puffing up with every excited bite.
Amelia smiled softly, watching the tiny creature eat with such enthusiasm.
Misty is going to scream the whole house down when she sees this... she thought already imagining it.
Then—
A faint, sweet fragrance drifted out of the cage.
Amelia blinked, sniffed once, and then her eyes widened.
"...This scent—this is a Scented Bunny. A rare-rank beast."
She crouched closer, sniffing again to be sure. The scent was unmistakable—light, floral, and calming.
Her brows furrowed.
"Aren’t these extremely expensive? They cost around 500k credits..." she muttered."I thought it was just a normal bunny. Where did Mike get this much money from?"
She stood up, still frowning, and began walking toward the stairs to Mike’s room.
"Did he find something good in Origin World?" she wondered aloud as the bunny continued nibbling happily behind her—its body glowing faintly as it released more sweet fragrance.
By the time Amelia reached the staircase, she was more curious... and more worried... than before.
But when she opened Mike’s door, she froze.
Mike was on bed closed eyes.
He was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, body still—but the small green indicator light on the Origin World dive device on the table was glowing softly.
Meaning he wasn’t asleep at all...
He was currently diving into Origin World.
Aryan had installed that indicator for him—so that no one would panic thinking Mike passed out again whenever he logged in. And right now, the green light clearly showed he was actively connected.
Amelia let out a slow breath.
So he’s diving... I will ask later.
Still, she stepped inside quietly and closed her eyes, activating her aura sense.
As a Rank 2 Knight, Amelia had awakened her aura long ago—allowing her to sense killing intent, foreign mana, curses, and corruption.A faint silvery haze spread from her body like mist, sweeping over Mike’s still form.
"...No corrupted aura. No charm magic. No dark influence. Nothing harmful."
She nodded, relief washing over her.
"Good... he isn’t touching anything shady."She murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Knowing the darker side of the supernatural world—how temptations, cursed items, and demonic offers tried to sway weak-willed Awakened—Amelia had briefly panicked.Mike’s potential was F-rank... she was worried someone might try to trick him into dangerous deals.
But sensing him now, she felt guilty for doubting him.
"I’m just overthinking," she muttered, sighing softly.
With one last look at him, she quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door gently.
Meanwhile, in Origin World—
Mike stood atop a massive black dune, grinning at the horizon.
Ahead of him stood huge city walls.Though... they were broken.
Meaning the place he had discovered wasn’t a city—but ruins.
And judging by the complete silence, the lack of any monsters roaming nearby, and the untouched sand covering the entrance...
He was definitely the first person to ever find it.
"My luck seems to be shinning on me," Mike grinned looking at the ruins.
Still, he stayed cautious.
Not all ruins were just treasure troves—some had hidden monsters, traps, or ancient guardians.
He activated his senses, scanning the area carefully around the ruins; before entering it, he circled the whole ruins.
Nothing; there was no sign indicating someone was here or any sign of activity.
Returning back at the front entrance, he slowly approached the massive gate. It was broken in the middle, creating a gap big enough for him to squeeze in.
Entering inside, he found most buildings buried in black sand; most had only their rooftops visible.
"It will be difficult to find anything when it’s all covered in sand," he mumbled, troubled.