It was an exaggerated sum. No matter how rare the species, there's no way that price makes sense. Zack still wasn't used to this monetary system, but ten gold coins would be enough to buy a second-hand car and get it fixed up, based on what he had observed.

Seeing Zack's expression, Harris smiled bitterly, "I know it might seem exaggerated, but this species is very rare, and it doesn't exist in our country. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, I wouldn't have been able to acquire it."

"Furthermore, even though it's a bit pricey, that means the number of people who own one will be almost zero. You'll have an advantage over the rest of the doctors," the owner began.

(Zack thought to himself, "It's hard to think about being better than other doctors when you're the only doctor in town"), but he didn't say anything as he watched Harris try to convince him to spend an exorbitant sum on something he didn't need. It reminded him of infomercials.

"While others are busy looking for herbs, you can use that time to study medicine, attend to patients, and level up. Don't consider it in the short term; you have to look beyond. Maybe this is your ticket to Tier 2. Since this is our first meeting, I'm willing to give you a discount and drop it to nine gold coins and fifty silver coins," Harris continued.

To be honest, if Zack were a real doctor, he might be interested. Unfortunately, he was a magician, and it was obvious that this creature wouldn't help him improve his class. Still, he couldn't help but wonder how that frog could detect medicinal herbs. It's clear that the effect of the plants would be different in animals than in humans. It's very curious that the plants this toad feeds on have beneficial effects on humans.

Harris mistook Zack's expression of interest in the purchase and increased his efforts to show the advantages.

"I'm sorry, Harris, but I'm not interested enough in this toad to spend ten gold coins. You'll have to sell it to someone else," Zack said. Five minutes later, just as the price had dropped to five gold coins, and seeing that the owner was still talking, Zack decided to interrupt. It didn't seem like he would finish talking anytime soon, and he had to get back home. It was already late.

No matter how much he reduced the price, it wasn't something he was interested in or could afford.

(If only it were that easy), hearing this, the owner's shoulders slumped. He had indeed obtained this toad by chance, but it wasn't cheap. A few months ago, a friend of his brought him the toad, hoping to sell it. Seeing a business opportunity, he decided to buy it for two gold coins. The idea was good; an exotic animal always has interested buyers, no matter the species. It's a pity that, no matter how hard he tried, Nadia wasn't interested.

Harris couldn't sell the toad, even though he tried to promote it for some time. The town is just too small. Apart from its residents, who don't have such a sum of money, the rest of the people here are those who came for the dungeon. There's simply no market to sell it.

At first, he thought he might try to sell it to some well-off mercenaries who had the idea of venturing into the deep forest in search of exotic herbs.

The forests near the city are not too dangerous, but the deeper you go, the more resources you'll find, each rarer than the last. And alongside those resources, there will be animals and beasts that have made that place their home.

How could he have known that none of the mercenaries would be interested in exploring the unknown depths of the forest in search of treasures, and instead, they would all cluster around the dungeon?

With the exception of a few mercenaries who needed money urgently or didn't feel well-prepared, none of them even came close to the forest's outskirts.

In retrospect, it makes sense.

Entering the dungeon is a sure business while entering the forest is a gamble. If you're unlucky, you might provoke a beast or dangerous animal that you didn't know was there.

Dungeon monsters are documented, all plants have been identified, and there are maps of all its floors. There are no extra risks. If you're careful, there's no problem leaving without major injuries.

Except for a few locals like lumberjacks or fishermen from the village, maybe he's the one who knows its interior best.

"Hmm? Hey, Harris, what's over there?"

When he was thinking of an excuse to leave, Zack heard a noise coming from one of the side rooms.

The shop owner turned to look in the direction Zack was pointing and then made an indifferent gesture.

"That place? Come, I'll show you."

The owner indicated for him to follow. When they reached the door, he took one of the keys hanging from his waist and used it to unlock the door, which was a bit rusty but he managed to open it with some effort.

The room wasn't much different from the lobby where the animals were kept. There were also many cages and some creatures in them.

"I thought the ones at the entrance were all the animals you had. I didn't expect you to have more," Zack said, curious, wanting to see the new species. Unlike the other room, the animals here were quiet. There were no growls or exaggerated movements.

"Nah, the animals I have here are not for sale for various reasons," explained Harris. "Some of these animals are injured or sick, and it's not suitable to present them to customers. They need time to heal. If I present animals in bad condition, my credibility will go down."

He realized he was right; some of the species in these cages seemed less active than the ones for sale. A small group had body parts bandaged and were resting to recover.

"How did it get injured? I thought you had them in cages," Zack asked.

Upon hearing this, Harris looked at him with a hint of disdain. "Animals can't be in cages all the time, especially wild animals. They need activity and exercise. Otherwise, if I left them in their cages all day, they would become more and more violent, and it's possible that some might even break out of there. That's not good for the business."

What he said made sense. Animals can't be locked up all the time; they need exercise and fresh air. It's not uncommon in Zack's world to hear about animals that developed depression and were lethargic all day due to improper upbringing by their owners.

Most of the creatures here were a repetition of what was in the other room. There was nothing new. Just as he was about to leave and thank Harris for his time, Zack felt a palpitation.

His gaze focused on one of the cages covered with a sheet. It was a small cage that went completely unnoticed among the larger ones with animals in them, and no sounds came from it. If not for the feeling he had just perceived, he would believe it was empty.

Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't be mistaken.

When he uncovered the sheet covering the cage, he saw the animal inside. It had nothing to do with the animals in the store. Unlike the predators around it, the animal in front of him was small and clearly frightened. If it weren't for its well-groomed fur, Zack would have thought it was an abandoned animal.

The owner, seeing what he was doing and realizing that he had seen it, explained, "That animal is part of the group from before the store's remodeling. Due to its size and timid nature, none of the adventurers are interested in acquiring it, and the city's residents no longer come here. I've tried to sell it in many ways, but I've never succeeded."

Isaac looked at the small dog huddled in a corner of its cage, almost trembling. After staring at it for a while, he opened his mouth and asked: 

"How much is it?"