But the moment that thought surfaced, Bai Xuan quickly suppressed it.
Setting aside whether he could perfectly control his strength every time to avoid killing the crawler outright, the mana cost for healing that dying crawler just now was 13 points.
A single intact back shell of a Black-Armored Crawler only sold for four to six silver coins.
Using that much mana to trade for a mere four silver coins of profit was not a good deal no matter how he calculated it.
Mana had to be conserved during combat; it couldn't be squandered so casually.
Unless there came a day when his mana was inexhaustible, or the value of the shells themselves increased significantly.
Bai Xuan shook his head slightly, pushing the thought aside. He raised his short spear and decisively ended the crawler’s final moments of agony.
He then set about stripping its repaired shell and retrieved the Magic Core from within.
Once all the spoils were gathered, Bai Xuan did a quick count.
Between the Shadow Rats, Multi-Headed Snakes, and Black-Armored Crawlers, he had over forty Magic Cores in total, about fourteen or fifteen of which were Lv. 3.
As for the intact back shells of the Black-Armored Crawlers, he had collected twenty-one.
A few had slight nicks on the edges, but they generally met the commission requirements and were enough to fulfill the task.
The only trouble was that these shells, when piled together, took up a significant amount of space.
They reached over half a man’s height, filling a massive, heavy sack.
Bai Xuan tried to stuff the sack into his Space Ring, but the internal space was limited to begin with, already holding quite a few miscellaneous items and tools.
The remaining space could barely fit the bulging sack, leaving the ring completely packed.
He couldn't help but think that without this Space Ring, it would have been a nightmare to transport so many large, heavy shells out of the dungeon alone while dealing with monster harassment and the greedy gazes of other adventurers.
No wonder the commission for Black-Armored Crawler shells remained on the guild board for so long; they likely didn't receive many materials daily.
From this perspective, collecting materials from Black-Armored Crawlers wasn't much easier than collecting the glands of Fluorescent Worms back then.
A portion of that purchase price was likely compensation for the physical labor of hauling them back.
Besides that, his experience had grown to 61%.
At this rate, relying solely on killing these low-level monsters, it would probably take another three or four days to successfully reach Lv. 4.
His Pleasure had accumulated to 191 points, only 9 points away from a ten-pull.
However, Bai Xuan was in no hurry. Today’s exertion was significant, and he felt a considerable amount of time had passed. The most important thing now was to return and recuperate.
With his mind made up, Bai Xuan began his journey back.
He encountered a few stray Shadow Rats along the way and dealt with them easily. His Pleasure slowly climbed to 201 points, exactly enough for a ten-pull.
He quickened his pace, planning to settle in back at the inn before dealing with the draws.
As he neared the dungeon exit, Bai Xuan found a secluded corner to pull the sack full of shells out of his Space Ring and sling it onto his back.
The edges of the shells pressed through the coarse burlap, making his back ache. The weight was truly substantial.
Bai Xuan adjusted his posture slightly to better bear the load on his back before walking toward the exit of the rift.
Stepping out of the rift, the evening light cast a warm yellow glow over the chaotic buildings of the market.
The daytime bustle was gradually settling down. The air was filled with the scent of cooking smoke and food, mixed with the clatter of vendors closing their stalls.
Many adventurers, having finished their day of exploration, walked toward the taverns in small groups, their faces wearing the relaxation that follows exhaustion.
Bai Xuan walking down the road with a bulging, massive sack on his back drew many eyes.
A person holding a staff and wearing a caster’s robe, yet acting like a bottom-tier porter carrying such a massive and heavy bag of supplies.
This strange combination was not common. In fact, most had never seen it before.
Several passing warriors glanced at him and couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their faces filled with undisguised confusion.
Bai Xuan ignored them, heading straight toward the Adventurer’s Guild.
The guild hall in the evening was emptier and messier than it had been in the morning.
Several adventurer teams sat at long tables, drinking and arguing. The scent of alcohol in the air was much stronger than it had been at dawn.
Only a few people remained at the noticeboard. Behind the reception counter was the same young clerk from this morning, head down as he organized papers.
Bai Xuan walked to the counter and gently set the heavy sack on the surface, making a soft thud.
The young clerk looked up and was clearly startled when he saw Bai Xuan.
He didn't seem to immediately connect this figure carrying a massive sack with the neat and efficient caster from the morning.
Once he realized who it was, his gaze shifted between the bulging sack and the staff in Bai Xuan’s hand, his expression gradually morphing into a mix of surprise and bewilderment.
“This many?” he blurted out instinctively before realizing it was unprofessional.
He quickly cleared his throat and added, “I mean... are you here to submit commission materials?”
“Check them. Black-Armored Crawler shells.”
Bai Xuan’s tone was flat.
The young clerk leaned over to look at the dark brown edges of the shells peeking out from the sack’s opening. When he straightened up, the shock hadn't entirely faded from his eyes.
He quickly came up with an explanation in his mind: this person must be turning in the task on behalf of an entire team.
How could a Paper Rank adventurer possibly collect so many materials alone?
“Submitting materials requires an appraisal first.” The young clerk pointed to a window on the side of the hall with a small wooden sign that read 【Appraisal and Valuation】.
“After the appraiser inspects them, they will take the materials that meet the requirements and issue you an acceptance receipt. Bring that receipt back to me, and I will settle your reward.”
Bai Xuan nodded slightly. Just as he was about to turn toward the appraisal window, he remembered the pile of Magic Cores still in his Space Ring.
He turned back to the young clerk. “The guild also buys other materials, right? Like Magic Cores.”
“We do,” the young clerk answered fluently. “The process is similar to submitting commission materials; they need to be appraised and valued first.”
“However, if there isn't a corresponding commission, the buyback price for Magic Cores will be lower than the commission price.”
He paused and added helpfully, “If you’re not in a hurry to sell, you could wait a bit. There might be a suitable new commission posted later.”
Bai Xuan thanked him and walked over to the noticeboard, quickly scanning all the posted commissions.
There were indeed several tasks for purchasing specific monster parts.
But none required the Magic Cores of Shadow Rats or Multi-Headed Snakes. Market demand for such low-level cores was naturally small.
He didn't hesitate any longer. He shouldered the sack once more and walked straight toward the appraisal window.
Rate on N.U.
