Junyeok's eyes slowly swept across the cramped interior of the shop, moving past piles of dull blades and cracked artifacts that looked like they would crumble if touched. Dust hung faintly in the air, and the wooden shelves creaked under the weight of forgotten items.
Then—
He stopped.
There they were.
A pair of rusty daggers, casually tossed into a corner as if they were nothing more than scrap metal.
Junyeok walked over and picked them up, weighing them in his hands. The surface was rough, the edges chipped and worn down by time.
"So this is where you were hiding," he muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
As he turned toward the counter, something else caught his eye.
A small flask.
It was filled with a viscous black liquid, thick and slow-moving, clinging unnaturally to the glass. Just looking at it made his skin crawl, as if the substance itself rejected being observed.
Junyeok's eyes narrowed.
"…I didn't expect to find this here," he said quietly.
"What a lucky day."
He picked up the flask and walked to the counter, placing both the daggers and the bottle down with a soft clink.
Then he looked up.
"Do you have E-rank Orange Salamander cores?" Junyeok asked calmly.
The old man's eyes flickered for a brief moment before he nodded.
"Yes, sir. I do," he replied smoothly. "But they won't be cheap. Eighty thousand won each."
His lips curled into what looked like a polite smile—but the greed in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Junyeok noticed it immediately.
So you decided to play dirty after all, old man, Junyeok thought, a smirk forming in his mind.
I was going to let this slide… but you really brought this on yourself.
"I'll take two," Junyeok said aloud without hesitation.
The old man turned around and retrieved the cores from a locked drawer.
They were round, marble-like objects—each about twice the size of a normal marble. Thin cracks ran across their surface, glowing faintly from within as gentle heat radiated outward, like restrained embers waiting to erupt.
As the old man placed them on the counter, his smile grew wider.
What a fool, he thought smugly.
He walked straight into my trap.
Junyeok calmly added, "I'll also take these daggers—and this flask."
The old man quickly calculated, his fingers tapping the counter.
"Forty thousand won for the daggers," he said.
"Twenty-five thousand for the flask."
"And the Salamander cores… one hundred sixty thousand won."
He looked up, satisfaction clear on his face.
"That'll be two hundred twenty-five thousand won in total."
Junyeok didn't react.
He simply reached into his pocket and paid the full amount.
As the money exchanged hands, his thoughts moved elsewhere.
I still have some funds left from the stocks I sold, Junyeok thought calmly.
But I'll need more soon. Looks like I'll have to sell the rest.
Then his gaze sharpened slightly.
But first… I'll teach you a lesson.
A devilish smile flickered across his face—brief, subtle, and gone before anyone could clearly see it.
Nyxara floated nearby, arms crossed, staring at the items with a conflicted expression.
I really don't understand why he bought such useless-looking things, she thought, a bead of sweat forming near her temple.
But one thing's for sure…
Her eyes shifted toward Junyeok's faint smile.
He's definitely plotting something.
And someone is about to be in serious trouble.
"Can I try these daggers here?" Junyeok asked casually.
The old man blinked, clearly confused. "Huh? Sure… they're yours now. Just don't damage the shop."
Junyeok nodded lightly. "Don't worry about the shop."
It'll be something else I damage, he thought.
He slipped the flask filled with viscous black liquid into his pocket, then crouched down.
He carefully laid one dagger flat on the wooden floor, then placed the two Orange Salamander cores on top of the blade, arranging them precisely.
Finally, he placed the second dagger on top, sandwiching the cores between the two blades.
Nyxara hovered closer, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"…What are you doing with those things?" she asked.
Junyeok didn't look up. "Just wait and see."
The old man stared at the strange setup, unease creeping onto his face. "W-What exactly are you—"
Before he could finish, Junyeok stepped back.
Then he clenched his fist.
Muscles tightened, veins standing out as he gathered all his strength into a single point. His eyes sharpened, focused solely on the daggers and the unstable cores trapped between them.
The old man's face drained of color.
"Hey! What are you doing?! My floor will be destroyed—those cores will explode—!"
Too late.
Junyeok punched downward.
The impact landed squarely on the top dagger.
A sharp crack echoed through the shop, followed by a violent surge of mana. The Salamander cores reacted instantly, their internal heat spiraling out of control.
A blinding light erupted, flooding the entire shop in white.
"Junyeok! What's happening?!" Nyxara shouted, shielding her eyes.
"I-I can't see anything!" the old man screamed, stumbling backward.
The air roared as heat and mana twisted together, then—
Silence.
The light faded just as suddenly as it had appeared.
Dust drifted slowly to the floor.
When their vision cleared, the shop was still intact. The floor wasn't shattered. The shelves hadn't collapsed. Nothing had exploded.
The old man froze, his mouth hanging open.
At the center of the room, the two daggers lay embedded together—no longer rusty, no longer dull.
The blades gleamed with a deep crimson sheen, faint flames dancing along engraved patterns that hadn't existed before. Heat radiated from them in steady waves, powerful yet perfectly controlled.
The Salamander cores were gone. Completely absorbed.
Nyxara stared in stunned silence. "…They changed."
Junyeok reached down and pulled the daggers free with ease. The metal hummed softly in his hands, as if responding to his touch.
"So this is how you awaken them," Junyeok said quietly, a satisfied smile forming.
The old man's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto a nearby stool, his face pale with shock.
"T-That's impossible…" he muttered. "Those were just scraps… worthless junk…"
Junyeok glanced at him, eyes cold.
"No," he said calmly. "They were treasures."
He turned the daggers slightly, flames reflecting in his eyes.
"You just didn't deserve to know their worth."
This is Hell's Fire, Junyeok thought, excitement surging through him as a satisfied smile spread across his face.
The old man remained frozen in shock for a moment longer. Then, forcing himself to recover, he cleared his throat and spoke, his voice strained.
"S‑Sir… I believe I may have quoted the wrong price for those daggers earlier. On second thought, they should be worth much more than that." His eyes darted nervously, greed and fear mixing on his face as he attempted to scam him again.
Junyeok slowly turned around.
The moment their eyes met, the old man's breath caught.
Junyeok's expression had changed completely—his smile gone, replaced by a chilling, almost demonic glare.
"Didn't you say they were mine now?" Junyeok said quietly. "Or are you trying to trick me again?"
"N‑No, sir—! It's not like th—"
"Then you'd better remember that," Junyeok interrupted coldly.
Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and walked toward the exit, Nyxara following beside him. A faint smile of satisfaction returned to his face as the shop bell rang behind them.
The old man's legs finally gave out. He collapsed to his knees, trembling, cold sweat soaking through his clothes as fear overwhelmed him.
Nyxara glanced back once, then looked at Junyeok's profile.
What a devil… she thought, a worried smile tugging at her lips as she shook her head lightly.