A hundred thousand gold coins delivered to his door—naturally, Jansen wasn't going to turn it down.
That sum was enough for his aunt to buy a high-grade, master chef's secret recipe—an unexpected bonus for him.
"Alright, it's settled."
He nodded in agreement.
Since they couldn't transfer funds in the wilderness, both sides signed a contract scroll, with Fiona promising to personally pay him once they returned to the city.
Jansen had no worries she might default—the amount was nothing more than pocket change to a young lady of her standing, and the Wagner family's reputation was not something they would tarnish over such a trifle.
With Jansen's addition, the party finally reached the required eight members.
A faint smile touched Fiona's lips as she immediately urged everyone toward the Hidden Realm's entrance.
Under her and Baxter's lead, the group trekked for barely five minutes before arriving at an open space in the middle of a desolate wilderness.
Jagged boulders and thorny brambles surrounded the area, and the wind howled through the cracks, carrying with it a faintly oppressive chill.
From behind Baxter, a short, thin mage stepped forward, chanting in a low voice.
At once, the air rippled like water, and the illusion peeled away—revealing a two-meter-tall violet vortex.
Its core spun like the depths of an abyss, radiating an ancient and dangerous magic.
Clearly, this was the Hidden Realm's teleportation gate, concealed with an Illusion Veil to keep outsiders from discovering it.
"Check your weapons—prepare to move in!"
Baxter barked a low command, gripping the massive greatsword strapped to his back with both hands. Crimson lines like burning veins ran along the blade, radiating a faint wave of heat—at least Bronze-tier, and most likely imbued with a flame enchantment.
The other party members also drew their weapons, cold steel and surging magic crossing and flashing under the sunlight.
When Baxter turned and saw Jansen still standing empty-handed, his brows furrowed.
"Brother, don't tell me you don't have a decent weapon? Inside a Hidden Realm, anything can happen."
Jansen gave a small nod, raising his wrist.
In the next instant, a deep, shadowy radiance gathered in his palm—and a greatsword silently emerged.
It was a weapon heavier and more imposing than Baxter's own. The blade was pitch-black as midnight, its surface covered in layered, scale-like patterns, like the armor of a great dragon. The edge reflected no light; instead, under the sun, it seemed to swallow it whole, as though it were a fragment of endless shadow.
This was the spoils he had obtained earlier from an intermediate treasure map—
[Black Dragon Scale Greatsword] (Gold-tier)
Level Requirement: 10
Class Requirement: Dragon Tamer / Dragonblood Warrior
Strength Requirement: 120
Strength +65
Endurance +30
Trait — Dragonblood Armoring: Enhances in sync with the wielder's dragon transformation, greatly increasing the strength and defense of transformed body parts.
The value of a Gold-tier weapon went without saying—each one was worth over thirty million gold coins.
And this Black Dragon Scale Greatsword could fetch at least fifty million. More than just a brute-force weapon, its dual bonus to Strength and Endurance made it a dream artifact for any warrior.
The only real drawback was its brutally strict requirements.
The class restriction was one thing—but the 120 Strength requirement alone was enough to leave the vast majority of warriors in the dust. Most wouldn't reach that number until around Level 30.
For Jansen, however, such conditions weren't an obstacle at all.
It was as if this sword had been tailor-made for a Dragon Tamer. Paired with his [Dragon Claw] skill, it could unleash power far beyond that of an ordinary Gold-tier weapon.
Under the sunlight, the black greatsword stood silent and oppressive, drawing the gaze of everyone present whether they meant to look or not.
As a warrior, Baxter was all the more sensitive to the fact that this weapon might be more dangerous than the Bronze-tier blade in his own hands.
He couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.
"That sword of yours… doesn't look ordinary. Could it be Silver-tier?"
Jansen gave him a faint glance and said nothing.
Knowing he'd overstepped, Baxter gave a dry laugh and let the matter drop. A stranger met in passing would never so easily reveal his trump cards.
Zelda, who had been less than fond of Jansen from the start, spoke up coldly.
"Whether or not you tell us your weapon's rank and stats doesn't matter. But at the very least, we need to know your level and class. If we're working together in a Hidden Realm, party coordination matters. If we don't even know your role, how are we supposed to set the battle formation?"
Fiona nodded in agreement, her tone calm but carrying an unspoken authority.
"Indeed. The Hidden Realm can be unpredictable. The more we understand each other, the better."
She paused, then took the lead with her own introduction.
"Level 13 Holy Light Mage. Hidden Class—capable of both offense and healing."