Chapter 18
“Shop categories?”
A new window appeared before Zeke’s puzzled eyes.
―Shop Usage List―
- Item Purchase / Sale
- Item Disassembly / Repair (Locked)
- Item Enhancement (Locked)
Zeke began reconsidering the system’s nature while looking at the shop category list.
―Tutorial Mission―
[Purchase an item from the shop. (No time limit)]
“Purchase an item?”
Setting aside his curiosity, Zeke clicked on item purchase following the tutorial mission.
[Displaying items available for purchase by Junior Administrator.]
As the message appeared, the screen changed to show a list of item images with names and brief descriptions.
Zeke examined the item list.
“Lesser Potion, Intermediate Potion, Full Recovery Potion, Health Enhancement Potion, Status Recovery Potion…”
Dozens of unfamiliar types of potions were displayed.
Zeke’s jaw dropped at seeing the potion varieties.
“Good heavens. These are all enhancement potions from ancient ruins. They’re so rare and hard to obtain.”
Recovery potions became mass-produced and popularized when the alchemist Jabir ibn Hassan publicly released his patent for refining troll blood a hundred years ago.
However, enhancement potions required rare ingredients and each alchemist’s secret methods, making high-grade enhancement potions extremely expensive.
Yet modern enhancement potions were inferior to ancient ones.
Zeke smiled broadly seeing these ancient enhancement potions that were difficult to buy even with money.
“Deep Breath of the Fire Giant? The Breath of the Fire Giant once sold for almost 100 gold at auction.”
Zeke clicked on the Deep Breath of the Fire Giant potion.
―Potion Information―
A potion containing the hottest breath among the eternal flame-breathing Fire Giant’s breaths. (20 points)
Zeke checked the price next to the information.
“20 points for one potion.”
Since points could be used to acquire other skills or unlock systems, careful selection was necessary.
The shop item list permitted to Junior Administrators included regular potions, enhancement potions, basic magic in lesser scrolls, and lesser runestones.
Though marked as lesser grade in the shop window, all items were rare finds typically discovered only in ancient ruins.
Zeke tried purchasing ‘Wings of the Sky’ which could be bought with few points.
It had a description stating it increases agility.
[Purchased item moves to inventory.]
[5 points deducted.]
[Tutorial mission completed.]
[Random lesser scroll awarded as reward.]
‘A lesser scroll? So the reward isn’t just points.’
Zeke opened the inventory window.
The potion and scroll appeared in previously empty slots.
When he took out the potion from inventory, a bottle containing clear sky-blue liquid materialized in his hand.
Checking the scroll’s information revealed it contained the ‘Shield’spell.
It seemed possible to make huge profits by buying shop items and putting them up for auction.
The island nation Republic of Dorta had an auction market specializing in such ancient artifacts, frequented by Nirvana mages and Magic Tower mages who would pay good prices.
“Once I start hunting monsters and gather lots of karma points, I could buy items that sell well and put them up for auction.”
This could be useful when building his own faction after leaving House Draker.
Zeke clicked on the sale section.
[Please place item to sell in inventory window.]
He placed his claymore in the inventory window.
However, a warning message appeared.
[This item cannot be sold.]
“Huh? Why not?”
After pondering, Zeke tried putting one of the ancient items laid out on the training ground floor into his inventory.
[Sell ‘Camping Utility Dagger’? / Sale price 4 points]
Only ancient items could be sold at the shop. Just as all purchasable items were ancient items, it seemed only ancient items could be sold.
“But the sale points are too low. This would fetch at least 100 gold at auction.”
The sales aspect wasn’t cost-effective.
Thinking he wouldn’t be using the sale feature, Zeke examined the rest. Disassembly was a function to extract raw materials from ancient items for certain points, while repair was exactly what it seemed – restoring damaged items.
Both had poor point efficiency.
The disassembly, repair, and enhancement options for items were still locked and couldn’t be used.
Zeke nodded after carefully reviewing the list of items available for purchase and sale.
“I’m getting a sense of how to use this. When my rank increases above junior administrator, the list of items I can buy will probably expand too.”
Zeke decided he needed to earn Karma Points through monster hunting as quickly as possible.
After organizing his new acquisitions, he moved the artifacts to the secure storage.
Zeke finished his day planning to eventually deposit them in the northern bank vault run by the little folk.
* * *
The next day, he went straight to Professor Feinan.
He took out the high compressed mana stone he had brought and placed it before him.
Feinan was shocked to see that Zeke had actually obtained a compressed mana stone.
“H-how did you get this?”
“I can’t explain the details. When will the operating formula be ready? Please complete it as soon as possible.”
Feinan replied to Zeke’s question:
“I’ve already finished calculating the operating formula.”
This time it was Zeke who was surprised.
“What? Already?”
“Once you have the high-compression mana stone, the design isn’t that complicated.”
Zeke realized Feinan’s skills were extraordinary.
“This could be quite useful.”
He thought it was a waste for such talent to be confined as an academy instructor.
Anyway, hearing the operating formula was complete, Zeke jumped up from his seat.
“Professor. Let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“Where else? To make the forge.”
* * *
Once the compressed mana stone and operating formula were ready, creating the magic forge proceeded smoothly.
When Zeke called workers to install the forge in one corner of the smithy, Gelion’s expression showed disbelief.
“Are, are you really making it for me? A magic forge?”
“I promised, didn’t I? But there’s one condition. You have to make my sword. Not just any sword, but a masterpiece.”
Zeke was anxious that young Gelion’s skills might not be sufficient to create the Sun Sword Gram.
While he emphasized this point for that reason, Gelion, unaware of Zeke’s concerns, became teary-eyed.
“My lord! You are my life’s benefactor!”
Gelion was even more moved than when Zeke had saved his life in his previous life.
The forge installation didn’t take many days.
Feinan participated enthusiastically in the work. He gave precise construction instructions to the workers while referring to the design drawings on site.
Thanks to this, the magic forge could achieve much higher efficiency than Gelion had designed.
Whoosh!
When Feinan activated the magic operating formula, the forge began working.
Gelion shed tears of joy watching the blue flames emerge from the forge.
“Ah! To think I would complete this forge before my death!”
Feinan was also satisfied with the completed forge.
“With this level of efficiency, it should easily last 100 years.”
“Thank you, Professor! Thank you so much!”
Professor Feinan returned to the academy for his lectures after checking the forge.
Left alone with Gelion, Zeke spoke to him secretly.
“Gelion. I have a favor to ask – can you keep a secret?”
Gelion excitedly pounded his chest with his fist.
“Of course, my benefactor! I, Gelion will take your secret to my grave!”
Having seen how single-minded Gelion was in his previous life, Zeke wasn’t actually worried about the secret getting out.
He took out Bahamut’s fang that he had brought in a box and showed it to Gelion.
“My lord, this is?”
“It’s a dragon’s strongest fang. Have you seen one before?”
Gelion was startled at Zeke’s words.
“A-a dragon’s fang?”
Gelion had never seen a dragon’s tooth preserved so perfectly.
In fact, no blacksmith on the continent would have seen anything like it.
Zeke calmed the surprised Gelion and continued speaking.
“Make my sword with this.”
Gelion’s whole body trembled at those words.
“You would entrust something this precious to me?”
“Why, aren’t you confident?”
At that, Gelion jumped up from his seat.
He snorted and shouted,
“How could I not be?! This Gelion will stake his life on making your sword, my lord!”
“No, no need to stake your life. That kind of thing makes me uncomfortable.”
Every time he felt it, this single-minded blacksmith didn’t know the meaning of moderation.
After confirming what he needed to do, Gelion excitedly examined the Bahamut’s fang that Zeke had brought.
“Ah… this color, this texture.”
He stroked the fang with his palm while breathing heavily.
Watching Gelion, Zeke shook his head.
‘In his previous life, he at least had the air of a master craftsman. Well, as long as he makes good swords, that’s all that matters.’
Zeke slowly got up from his seat.
“Then I’ll leave it to you. Make me a sword that perfectly suits me.”
At that moment, Gelion stood up and approached Zeke.
“My lord. May I make one request?”
Seeing Gelion speaking in a suddenly serious voice, Zeke nodded.
“What is it?”
“May I look into your eyes for a moment?”
At those words, Zeke’s eyebrows twitched.
It was because he remembered Gelion’s words from his previous life.
‘Gelion, do you really read people’s souls and make swords to match them?’
‘I don’t know about reading souls, but when making a truly important sword, I look into the eyes of the person who will use it.’
‘The eyes? Is there a special meaning?’
‘It’s hard to explain in words, but when I look into the eyes, I feel something. The user’s emotions, perhaps, or will? It’s difficult to express precisely.’
The young craftsman before him was looking at Zeke with eyes no different from when he was a future master, or perhaps with even more passionate eyes.
He nodded.
“Do as you wish.”
Gelion carefully looked into Zeke’s eyes.
After staring for a long while, Gelion carefully closed his eyes.
He remained in that state for quite some time before quietly opening his eyes.
“Thank you for indulging my rude request, my lord.”
He immediately put the Bahamut’s fang into the magic furnace.
Then he silently stared at the fang and flames in the furnace.
Watching Gelion, Zeke quietly left the forge so as not to disturb him.
“I guess I worried for nothing.”
Looking forward to what kind of sword would be made, Zeke headed back to the academy.
* * *
When Zeke returned to the academy and came up to the Platinum Floor, someone was sitting in the reception room.
“Elder?”
Surprisingly, Duke Draker was sprawled on the sofa, pouring expensive liquor into his mouth.
With a flushed drunk face, he shouted at Zeke.
“You brat! Where have you been until now?!”
“What brings you here? No, how did you even get into the Platinum Floor where outsiders are prohibited?”
At that, Duke opened his mouth wide and laughed loudly.
“Haha! You brat, who do you think I am to say such things?! There’s nowhere made by Draker that I can’t enter!”
Zeke, who knew his identity, understood what that meant, but pretended not to know and replied.
“You seem very drunk. You should go home and rest.”
Then Duke suddenly sat up and shouted at Zeke.
“You young punk! I left you a message, why didn’t you come back?!”
“Because I still don’t feel like challenging again.”
“Such an insolent brat! If I lined up all the people begging to learn something from me, they’d wrap around the Central Training Ground, you punk!”
“Then go teach those people, why do you keep coming to someone who doesn’t want it?”
At Zeke’s words, Duke ground his teeth internally.
He jumped up and said to Zeke.
“Fine. Let me introduce myself properly.”
Whoosh!
At the same time, the drunkenness seeped out of Duke’s body like mist.
His flushed red face returned to normal in an instant.
With a serious expression, he looked down at Zeke and said.
“My name is Duke Draker. I was once a Black Knight of Draker.”
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