章節 25: Making money II

"How about you stop staring and let's go inside," Clarissa interrupted Allen, who took a second to look at the gargantuan building before him.

"Oh right, let's go," he agreed, following closely behind as they headed into the building. Inside, many people could be seen traveling up and about, showcasing the bustling atmosphere of selling and buying. Among them were those who bought monster meat, a delicacy people had come to enjoy.

Clarissa, ignoring all the ongoing activity, quickly headed for the elevator, the guarded one to be specific. This particular elevator could only be used by VIPs, and with Clarissa's status, it wasn't that surprising.

"He's with me," Clarissa declared, seeing the guards about to make a move on Allen. With Clarissa's clearance, they quickly stepped back, dropping their initial rising tension.

Allen, following quietly, could only glare at the guards, who couldn't do anything but watch. After all, they couldn't mess up things in the face of a figure like Clarissa, the Lightning Princess. There were plenty of cases where people would be left almost electrocuted to death if they offended the Lightning Princess. So, swallowing their pride, they could only let the pretty face go in.

Without saying a word to one another, the elevator finally arrived at the 25th floor, where the number of people was sparser compared to the crowded first floor.

"Welcome, Ms. Clarissa. Right this way," a woman wearing a decent professional dress directed them. Clarissa had already booked an appointment for a private transaction, which she viewed as appropriate and convenient for Allen. After all, even her teammates didn't know that Allen had killed the monsters they saw.

Following closely behind, they soon arrived in a secluded room of unimaginable size. It spanned through tens of meters, but thinking of the operations done in them, he saw it as reasonable.

"Ms. Clarissa, let's start with the transaction," a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit suggested, standing closely, with multiple other workers standing behind him wearing gloves and other monster dismantling instruments.

Without responding, Clarissa tapped on her storage watch, setting the coordinates of where she wanted the monster body parts to appear, which was a couple of meters in front of her.

In a flash of blinding light, the monster corpses appeared, stacked upon one another. "Hey Clarissa, do you think they can separate a particular monster corpse? I need it to complete my mission," Allen quickly explained what he needed to her.

"Oh, now I see why you were trying to get yourself killed. Haven't you read about how they only emerge at night? They literally have the word 'Bat' in their name," she scolded Allen, sighing heavily as her voice became loud enough for the monster dismantling crew to hear.

Allen, unwilling to speak, could only watch as she ordered the crew to take out ten Batsnake fangs, which meant twenty fangs in total. Though this reduced the value of the Batsnake, it still remained quite valuable. After all, their blood can be used to make poison lethal even against monsters, a favorite of multiple assassins. The poison, nicknamed Curare, was highly sought after.

With minutes going by uneventfully, being offered wine and various other snacks, the sorting was finally done. "Ms. Clarissa and..."

"It's Allen," he clarified.

"And Mr. Allen, please follow me," the staff instructed, leading them towards the office of the department manager, or better yet, the floor manager. Each floor had its own manager due to the need for proper and direct intervention.

"Please, sit down," the black-haired man directed, his voice distinct and thick, before he was handed a piece of file by his assistant containing information about the ensuing transaction.

"It's nice doing business with you again, Ms. Clarissa. And if I may ask, who is your friend here?" He questioned, his gaze traveling towards the unusually good-looking boy sitting opposite to him. Instinctively, almost subconsciously, he quickly made a promise to never let his daughter come in contact with the boy before him.

"This is Allen Barthon. He is a friend of mine," Clarissa answered, introducing Allen.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Allen," he greeted, extending his hand for a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you too," Allen replied before separating hands.

"Since you are a friend of Ms. Clarissa, it would be in our best interest to add you to the VIP list, in case you want to make any transactions in the future," he said, handing Allen a black card with golden edges and a sword driving right through the middle.

"Thanks for the offer. I will gladly accept it," Allen thanked, putting the card into his pocket.

"Now, let's get back to the main topic. I can tell Ms. Clarissa is getting impatient," he said, glancing at Clarissa who didn't reply.

"Let's start from the top. Firstly, we have the dark orc, selling at a market price of 150,000 star credits. But due to the condition of its charred body, the price has been reduced to 115,000 star credits." He glanced away from the report, gazing at the two to make sure they accepted the price, and seeing that they didn't have a problem with it, he continued.

"We have 67 Batsnake selling at 1,120 star credits each, bringing us to a total of 75,040 star credits. We have 41 Venomspine scorpions selling at a price of 945 star credits, but about ten have been burnt. Those ten are now 520 star credits, and after some adding, it brings us to a total of 34,495 star credits. We have 22 Gorgon serpents, 15 BlackJack trolls, 13 Flightmares, 11 Red hounds, 8 insulated ants, and 5 Shackperks. In total, this brings us to a total of 275,980 star credits," he finished, dropping the paper in his hands.

With him finished with the recap, he quickly transferred the money to Allen on Clarissa's direction before they headed out. Clarissa quickly departed without a word, seeming to be in a hurry for something.

"Haa~ and I was going to ask her to have a drink with me," Allen lamented her untimely departure, grumbling internally before his phone vibrated, diverting his attention.

"It's Eisha," he muttered inwardly, quickly replying to her worried text before boarding a ride to a nearby miscellaneous tech store, vouching to change his phone. A smile etched on his face as he glanced at his account.

"The job of a monster hunter is quite dangerous but equally rewarding," he thought, unable to wipe the smile on his face away.

However, just then, he felt a sense of danger overwhelm him, but it was too late, unable to comprehend the reason for the danger.

Boom! At that moment, something heavy collided with the vehicle he was in, throwing it off its wheels as it was flung into the air, crashing into a nearby building before crashing to the floor.

Allen, disoriented by the sudden attack, was confused, his vision blurry before quickly gaining clarity, busting the side door as he crawled out.

Unable to explain what was currently going on, he looked around only to see people screaming and running for their lives.

Glancing in the opposite direction, he could see what could be defined as a massacre. Monsters were killing and chasing any human they could find before crushing and devouring them, their mouths littered with broken bones and torn flesh.

"Dark trolls, dungeon break?" Allen thought, his body shaking under the gruesome sight before him. Just then, he remembered the driver who drove him, who constantly glanced at a picture of his family in his hands.

Without delay, he hurriedly broke the driver's side door, grabbing the hand he saw extended. However, to his shock, he only pulled half of his body, his gut spilling out as a result.

Seeing this, Allen's face went grim, his stomach churning as he felt something rush out from his throat. Unable to resist, he could only double down on his knees, vomiting his stomach contents.

Clearly shaken by the occurrence before him, his face went grim. "Damn it! Monsters, it's always monsters, damned creatures," he muttered silently. Even though he never had a personal connection to the man, he still felt bad. After all, he was a fellow human.

He couldn't watch as his fellow humans were turned into snacks, food for some wretched creatures. In a fit of rage, he summoned his sword, now burning with intense mana.

With blinding speed, he moved across a great distance, instantly appearing at the back of the towering dark troll. Taking a large leap, he descended atop its head, his sword instantly penetrating into its brain matter, blood spilling out. However, if dark trolls were known for anything, it was for their almost unbeatable regeneration.

Thinking he had defeated the troll, Allen was suddenly caught off guard as it moved its gigantic hands, slapping him into the hard concrete, creating a small crater under the force.

"Shit," Allen muttered, feeling unbearable pain before it gradually began to fade away. Glancing at where he was hit, he saw red scales. Without a second thought, he realized it was some sort of instinctive usage of his skill.

However, he didn't have time to think. The troll he had injured, now fully regenerated, roared with fury, its red eyes spotting Allen before it ran towards him, its speed betraying its unusual size.

Allen, surprised by the burst of speed, could only react to the incoming deadly punch aimed at his head by placing his sword in a defensive manner. But could he really defend against the attack of a B-rank monster?