In the city of Harmonia, Alex and Dim Dim entered a high-class bar located near the city center.
Upon their entry, the young man and the little bun perched on top of his head attracted the curious gazes of most of the patrons, who found them novel.
Unperturbed by the attention, Alex sat on a seat in front of the counter, facing the bartender.
"Master, give me the usual," Alex said. "On the rocks."
Dim Dim jumped off Alex’s head, landed perfectly on the counter, and raised its little stubby hand.
"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim stated. "Rock!"
The Bartender eyed the young man and the little bun with an appraising gaze before nodding his head.
He then brought out two glasses and placed them on top of the counter. He then took two blocks of ice, the size of an adult’s fist, and used a sharp knife to cut their sides, transforming them into a diamond shape.
With a skill honed for years, he placed the two diamonds on the two glasses and made them spin, reflecting the lights above their head.
While this was happening, the bartender took out two bottles and poured their contents into the glasses.
The ice kept spinning even though the liquid was poured right on top of them.
The amazing part was that the liquid didn’t spill from the glass, creating an interesting visual that couldn’t be replicated so easily.
For the finishing touch, he placed a straw on each glass, and the diamond ice cube finally stopped spinning, settling in place.
Alex nodded in satisfaction and drank his orange juice, while Dim Dim happily drank its milk.
As the two were enjoying the refreshing drink, a sharp-eyed man with a scar on his right cheek sat beside Alex.
"The tavern’s ale tastes like horse piss," the man said in a volume that only Alex could hear.
"Then you’ve been drinking it right," Alex replied.
The man smiled faintly and placed his hand on the counter.
When he removed it, a black card with the letters VIP engraved in gold letters appeared on the counter.
If one were to look closely, the words El Hazzard could be seen on the bottom left corner of the card. But it would only appear when enough light shone on the card’s surface.
"This card will also be your account in El Hazzard," the man explained. "As per our agreement, I have deposited a hundred thousand gold coins inside of it in exchange for a million academy points. Please check the amount to confirm this transaction."
Alex placed his hand over the card and extended his senses, similar to how you check items inside a storage ring.
After seeing that there were ten platinum coins inside of it, equivalent to a hundred thousand gold coins, he gave the man a nod of approval.
"So, the transaction is finished?" Alex inquired.
Alex had already transferred the one million academy points at the agreed location where they would process his VIP Card two days ago. This text is hosted at novel★fire.net
In truth, he got lucky. After all, it was nearly impossible to get a VIP Card from the Underworld Organization, El Hazzard, a few months after enrolling at Frieden Academy.
Usually, a student could only meet the conditions for becoming a VIP member after reaching Second or Third Year.
One requirement was to exchange a million academy points for a hundred thousand gold coins in one of their branches.
Only the presidents of the Crest Clubs of the Academy could amass that amount of academy points and afford to sell them in the black market.
Students of the Academy who were desperate for academy points would purchase it from the merchants of El Hazzard, so they could purchase exclusive items that could only be acquired from the academy’s Exchange Center.
Simply put, one of their most profitable business involved selling academy points, so they naturally welcomed the idea of making Alex one of their VIP members with open arms.
"Before I forget, there will be a ’Big Sale’ tonight," the man stated. "Should I prepare a room?"
"Yes," Alex replied. "What time?"
"When the Chariot charges at the battlefield," the man replied before taking his leave.
Alex then picked up the card and stored it immediately inside his storage ring.
He then finished up his orange juice and placed two silver coins on top of the counter to pay for his and Dim Dim’s drinks.
The organization, El Hazzard was also known as the biggest underworld gang in the Kingdom of Avalon.
The roster of their services included information gathering, item procurement, commissions, and gambling, just to name a few.
This organization was so large and influential that even the Knights, as well as the Law Enforcers of the Kingdom, didn’t dare to clash with them indiscriminately.
In the end, the King of Avalon and the President of El Hazzard had agreed to a non-aggression pact, setting up certain conditions that both should fulfill at the bare minimum.
Because of this, no major incidents had happened in the kingdom of Avalon. With their agreement, the President of El Hazzard himself dealt with his members who went out of line.
If something major did happen, El Hazzard was usually not the one at fault, but other organizations who wished to challenge the status quo.
The VIP Card Alex got from the man was proof that he was now one of the VIP Members of El Hazzard, which would allow him access to special establishments under their umbrella.
’It looks like I don’t have time to return to the academy,’ Alex thought.
It was currently five in the afternoon, and there were only two hours before seven o’clock, the time when the special auction of El Hazzard would take place.
The Auction would be held at the Velvet Auction House, which was the biggest auction house in the city.
The president of El Hazzard had a special relationship with the auction house’s owner, so they collaborated on many business dealings, including special auctions where items from El Hazzard were going to be sold.
Since he had no other place to go, Alex headed straight to the auction house.
As soon as he presented his VIP Card at the counter, he was immediately led to a VIP Room.
The Auction of El Hazzard was quite special because there was a guaranteed chance that a Unique or even a Legendary Items would appear every time they announced that an auction would take place.
Alex wanted to get these items if possible, which was the reason he exchanged his academy points to get a hundred thousand gold coins. With this fund, he planned to bid for the items that would catch his fancy.