Chapter 51: Beast Supplier Stage Two
Now that Terrence observed Winter, he couldn’t help but think that she was surprisingly enthusiastic when it came to beasts.
’Probably a beast maniac? Or a power maniac? I guess what term would even fit her description?’
Winter reached for her cardholder, then tapped a few commands through her sleek digital watch. After confirming the authorization, she handed a glossy black card over to Terrence.
"Name your price."
Terrence stared at the card, a small, subtle smile forming on his face. There was a faint sense of sentimentality he felt whenever he saw these black cards.
Reaching out to take it, he couldn’t help but recall Clara, who had been his very first client. If not for Clara, he wouldn’t even look or live like a normal human right now.
Well, it wasn’t that he doubted he could eventually find a client back then, but her approaching him had definitely hastened everything for him.
"Thirty million. You won’t regret paying that price."
Winter froze mid-motion, instantly pulling back her black card just as Terrence was about to grab it.
Her eyes turned sharp with intense doubt, her teeth clenching as if she were about to hiss directly at him. Hostility was visibly raising in her posture, though without any real killing intent.
Glaring straight into his eyes, Winter snapped, "Aren’t you completely overpricing? Are you trying to scam me right now?"
Terrence simply shook his head calmly.
Of course she would react like that. Normal beasts—even high-tier A-Rank beasts—would usually only range in price from one million to five million credits. Demanding thirty million credits was an absurd, seemingly ridiculous price.
"Do you have an Inspecting Frame with you?" Terrence asked smoothly.
"Yes, why?"
"Check his rank yourself, and you will be surprised."
Staying silent, though still carrying a heavy hint of doubt, she pulled out a specialized monocle and placed it over her right eye.
The transparent screen of the monocle blinked with soft light for a few seconds as she adjusted her gaze directly toward the red-skinned vampire standing beside them.
Her eyebrows furrowed tightly the very second she saw the official rank data pop up. Then, slowly, her eyes widened in complete shock, her jaw dropping before a wide smile spread across her face.
She felt her chest beat violently fast, rapid adrenaline pumping straight through her body.
"What the hell is this? This is a glitch, right?!"
Terrence shook his head with a grin. "Of course not. I would be dead by now if I somehow tampered with the official inspection system. That’s just reality."
"S-Rank... you are actually selling me an S-Rank beast! Why do you have S-Rank?"
"Chill down. No need to be that surprised."
"What do you mean ’not surprised’?! As if this isn’t the most normal reaction ever!"
Terrence shrugged, letting out a soft chuckle.
He casually reached forward, snatched the black card from her trembling fingers, and slid it safely inside his jacket pocket.
A hint of quiet amusement escaped through his lips, curling upward as he once again observed Winter’s overwhelmed facial expression.
’It is a good thing that she isn’t feeling so blue about her former beast’s death anymore. At least there’s that.’
"Are you sure? Just thirty million credits? No take backs?" she asked frantically.
"Of course. I am an honest merchant."
"Deal!"
Winter tapped rapidly on her digital watch once again. A few moments later, a glowing credit transfer symbol flashed across her screen, indicating that the massive fund transfer was fully complete.
"You can just keep that physical card. I will get a replacement card next time," she said, her eyes fixed entirely on her new beast. "So, no take backs, right?"
She suddenly noticed that Terrence had become completely frozen in his position, his eyes staring blankly into the empty air before him.
"Hey..."
She waved her hand directly before his unblinking eyes, but he didn’t react at all.
Pondering the situation with her head tilted, she reached out for his shoulder and shook him gently.
"Hey... How do I make sure that I am officially the owner of this beast now?"
"Huh?" Terrence blinked rapidly, dazed for a second as he finally returned to reality. "Yeah... You can just form your soul contract now. I already completely disconnected my contract with him."
"Are you sure about that?"
She noticed how strangely out of focus his tone sounded. However, she didn’t pry into it any further and simply turned her full attention back to the vampire beast.
Taking a deep, shaky breath with a radiant smile, she began initiating the soul contract ritual.
Meanwhile, Terrence was still inwardly dazed and overwhelmed by what he had just seen floating in his vision.
The System had just notified him of the mission completion, and a reward far greater than what was initially promised had just been dumped straight into his inventory.
[Congratulations! You have completed a mission!]
[Reward Issued: SS-Rank Sky Dragon!]
[Listed Beast SS-Rank Sky Dragon is ready to protect the host.]
[Your Beast Supplier Authority is growing... 10%!]
[Congratulations! You have reached Beast Supplier Stage 2.]
[You have unlocked Gacha Shop!]
[You have triggered a Major Mission!]
[Daily Mission triggered!]
’Shit, shit, shit...’ Terrence felt his whole head growing hot with intense heat. ’I feel like my mind is about to explode. What the hell are all these rewards?!’
Yes, he had received the SS-Rank Sky Dragon, which he had fully expected from the prompt. Although he didn’t have any detailed knowledge about Sky Dragons or dragons in general, he instinctively felt that they were insanely powerful creatures based purely on their absurd rank.
However, a Gacha Shop? What even was that supposed to be?
His eyes darted over to glance at Winter, who was still fully immersed in completing the soul contract with the vampire.
’Good. I have just enough time to figure this out.’
[Opening Gacha Shop...]
[Description: You can obtain various development rewards categorized under Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers. You can use these specialized items to aid you in expanding your own official Beast Shop.]
[Major Mission!]
[Build your own operational Beast Shop within 60 days. Failure to complete this objective will result in immediate system erasure. Confiscation of all listed beasts. Possibility of permanent death.]