[Crouching Tiger Slope (Easy)]

[Beast-Taming Whistle (for low-intelligence beasts)]: when blown, it may attract or briefly soothe ordinary beasts below Lv.3.

[Shadow Dust]: when scattered, it creates a small area of visual interference that lasts several seconds.

[Mana Ring (Fine)]: when worn, it provides an additional bonus of approximately 10% to maximum mana (spirit). Slightly accelerates natural mana recovery.

[A dozen (12 bottles) of Small Mana Recovery Potion]: a standard formula. Each bottle restores a small amount of mana over 60 seconds (approximately 15% of a Lv.5 mage's total mana). More effective when used outside combat.

There were about ten items of all sorts. Their values varied considerably: some seemed more like curiosities or research supplies, while others were quite practical.

Su Ran's gaze finally settled on the last two.

[Mana Ring (Fine)]: an extra 10% to maximum mana!

For him, with his spirit attribute as high as 16 points, having just changed classes to mage and urgently needing to expand his mana bar, it was immensely appealing.

Moreover, its effect was tied to the spirit attribute. He met, or even exceeded, the requirement and could make full use of it. It would directly improve his sustained spellcasting ability and survivability.

[A dozen Small Mana Recovery Potions]: twelve bottles of standard recovery potions! They were a solid guarantee of staying power.

Whether fighting through a dungeon for a long time or dealing with a sudden battle, mana potions were even more indispensable than healing potions.

With these, he could feel much more confident.

Using two tokens whose summons were rather low-level for him—Lv.2 skeletons were already of limited use in battles at his current level—

[Skeleton Summoning Tokens] that were more valuable for research or as special trump cards—to trade for these two practical items that could directly and significantly improve his immediate combat power and staying power.

Su Ran quickly weighed the options. The tokens were rare because of their summoning and undead properties, but the actual combat value of Lv.2 skeletons did indeed decline as his level rose.

The other man was right. At this point, they were more valuable for research. The ring and potions, however, offered a real, immediate boost to combat power.

He was very satisfied with the exchange list and the other man's offer.

"I want this," Su Ran said, pointing at the description of the [Mana Ring (Fine)], then pointing at the [dozen Small Mana Recovery Potions]. "And this."

The middle-aged man looked at his choices, a knowing smile appearing on his face. "You know your stuff. The ring is certified as fine quality by the Artisan Association, and its effect is stable.

"The potions are standard goods from a workshop on the outskirts of the Temple of Life. Their quality is guaranteed."

He closed the notebook. "Two tokens for the ring and twelve bottles of potion. Deal?"

"Deal."

Su Ran answered without hesitation.

He checked the ring illustration and potion description the man had provided once more, then took the second intact [Skeleton Summoning Token] from his personal space and handed it over along with the one he already had out.

The middle-aged man carefully examined both tokens, paying particular attention to sensing the newer one. Once he had confirmed that everything was in order, his smile grew a little more genuine.

He, too, took a plain wooden box and a small leather pouch from inside his clothes.

Inside the opened wooden box was a dark silver ring of simple design, set with a small piece of translucent, pale-blue crystal. The [Mana Ring].

Inside the leather pouch were twelve transparent glass bottles, each as thick as a little finger and sealed with a cork. Sky-blue liquid rippled inside them. The [Small Mana Recovery Potions].

Su Ran accepted them and first picked up the ring, putting it on his right index finger. The ring automatically adjusted to fit, and a cool, gentle stream of energy immediately spread from his finger, resonating with his spirit.

He could clearly feel that the capacity of his mana pool had increased noticeably, by about a tenth!

That feeling of fullness made the flow of mana, which had become more active after his class change, run even more smoothly.

He also checked the potions one by one, confirming that their seals were intact and their energy fluctuations pure.

"A pleasure doing business."

The middle-aged man put the two tokens away and nodded to Su Ran. "Young man, you're on the right path, and your goods aren't bad either. If you have anything good in the future,

"or need anything else, you can come find me here again. Just call me Old Tobacco Pipe."

Su Ran nodded as well. Without saying anything more, he carefully put the potions away, turned, and left the dim back alley.

As he emerged from the alley, the comparatively bright sunlight of the inner ring fell on him. Su Ran rubbed the slightly cool ring on his index finger, feeling the more abundant mana inside him.

He had exchanged two special items whose potential remained to be developed but whose immediate combat power was limited for equipment and essential supplies that could immediately improve his core combat power.

It was a good deal.

A familiar vibration from his personal terminal interrupted Su Ran's thoughts. He glanced at it and saw a message from Shield Guard.

He opened it, and a passage of text brimming with obvious excitement immediately popped up on the screen, along with a blurry image that seemed to be a forum screenshot or a promotional picture. It depicted a magnificent, multicolored tiger.

"Scholar! Look at this! [Crouching Tiger Slope (Easy)]! A newly opened resource dungeon!

"It reliably produces Lv.2 tiger meat, tiger pelts, and tiger bones! The forums say that with a bit of luck, those materials alone will sell for at least 20 to 30 silver coins per run!

"And that doesn't even include the dungeon's wooden treasure chest rewards!"

"What do you say? Are you coming? Brother Spearman and I are both ready! All we're missing is you, our tactical core! Same rules as always: you command, and we charge!"

The text was followed by several emojis expressing excitement and anticipation.

Su Ran looked at the message, his gaze lingering for a moment on the estimated earnings of "20 to 30 silver coins."

For ordinary Lv.2 awakened ones, it was indeed a rather tempting income, far exceeding what they could earn farming the Skeleton Graveyard.

A resource dungeon, as the name suggested, was one where the monsters themselves were an important source of resources. The rewards for killing them were consistent and relatively valuable, making such dungeons an important way for low-level professionals to accumulate capital.

Although he had just spent all his savings, he had obtained a useful ring and potions through the trade, increasing his combat power and easing the urgency of his need for money.

Still, a stable source of income remained necessary, especially since he needed to keep buying spell models, materials, and other supplies.

And besides... [Crouching Tiger Slope (Easy)].

It sounded as though the monsters were mainly physical types, and they might have some resistance to magic. But with his current [Energy Missile] and his existing tactical system—

using Light Spell to interfere, Lesser Healing Spell for support, and even a Berserk scroll to strengthen his teammates if necessary—clearing it with Shield Guard and the others shouldn't be too difficult, and the risk was manageable.

"Sure. Same time, same place," Su Ran replied.

The response came almost instantly: "Great! First thing tomorrow morning! See you there!"

After ending the conversation, Su Ran put away his personal terminal, but a faint feeling of reflection stirred in his heart.

Shield Guard and the others were still Lv.2. Their levels had barely changed since their last trip to the Skeleton Graveyard.

Perhaps they were close to Lv.3, but they definitely hadn't broken through.