Shadows and Silver

As Reed exited the cave and slowly made his way through the dense forest back to the village, the evening sun cast long shadows. He walked back, his inventory stocked full with monster cores and items ready to be sold.

Arriving at the village, Reed made his way to Bron's shop. There, he planned to sell the weapons and items first before going to Tina's tavern.

Upon entering the store, the bell overhead chimed, and Bron looked up from his counter, his rugged face breaking into a wide grin.

"Reed! Back already? How did the battle go, did you slay the monster?" Bron questioned, wiping his hands on a thick leather apron.

Reed strolled up to the counter and stared at Bron. "It went well, Bron. Better than expected," Reed said with a smile.

Bron raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "So, got anything you'd like to trade?"

Reed began to pull out the various weapons and items from his inventory, laying them on the counter one by one: classic long swords, shields with unique designs, and a bow with a unique red pattern.

The bow was quite flashy compared to the other items.

Bron let out a low whistle as he examined the loot. "Damn, it seems you've been busy. So, how much are you looking to get for all of this?"

Reed leaned forward, his eyes meeting Bron's. "You tell me, what's all this worth to you?"

Bron rubbed his chin thoughtfully, picking up a sword and testing its balance. "Well, some of these pieces are pretty standard, but there are a few here that I kinda like myself, so how about 4 silvers."

"Just four?" Reed muttered unsatisfied. Very soon he would be leaving the tutorial village and reaching the main capital to search for clues, and so he needed as much money as possible to fuel his expenses.

"Why don't you make it six instead? Most of the durability on these weapons is pretty high, you know," Reed proposed.

"Six silvers? That's way too high, Reed, and you know that. Most of the weapons here are all 'common'," Bron exclaimed.

"Ugh, make it five then," Reed said in dissatisfaction.

"Deal," Bron said, slapping a hand on the counter. "I'll buy them all."

Reed sighed. "Good. Now, there's one more thing." He pulled out his dagger and placed it on the counter.

Bron's eyes widened in surprise as he picked up the dagger. "The Gods, Reed, what happened to the edge? Its blade is all chipped and dull. It's like you went on a slaughter or something."

Reed's expression darkened slightly as he turned to meet Bron's gaze. "That's because I did," he muttered.

Bron was under the impression that Reed was going to just kill a single goblin, not an entire horde. And not to mention, all the weapons he brought didn't look like the ones used by goblins.

It didn't matter to Bron, because he made it a rule not to pry into the details.

Bron shook his head, letting out a low chuckle. "Well, it's seen better days, that's for sure. I'll get it back to its prime. Just give me some time."

Reed nodded, feeling a wave of relief. "Thanks, Bron. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, Reed. You've been quite the interesting customer to have. Now, why don't you take a break? You look like you've been through quite a tough battle," Bron said with a grin.

"Yeah, but not just yet, I still have something to take care of," Reed said.

Before Reed could leave the shop, there was one last thing he needed to confirm: duality. Reed placed the goblin assassin's dagger on the counter, asking Bron about its worth in coins.

Bron inspected the dagger and was shocked. A dagger with two unique traits was unheard of, even among rare type weapons.

"Reed, where did you get this?" Bron asked with a serious glint in his eyes.

"I told you, didn't I? It was the goblins I killed. Their leader, he was the one holding it. But that's not why I'm still here. What I really want to know is how much would you buy it for if I were to sell it to you."

"Something as valuable as this would be priced at nothing less than 40 silver coins."

Reed, surprised, couldn't help but smirk. He could tell it was quite special, given the fact the goblin assassin could confidently stab it in the throat and not feel anything.

But he still wanted to know its true value from the mouth of a genuine craftsman: a blacksmith.

"Hmm, why am I not surprised. Okay, I'll be going now," Reed muttered. Grabbing the blades from the counter, he made his way to the entrance door.

"Reed, wait, aren't you going to sell it?" Bron asked with a slight hint of desperation in his tone.

Reed turned, gazing slightly at Bron. "Not a chance," he muttered with a grin.

With that, their business concluded, Reed left the shop, feeling lighter, then made his way to Tina's tavern a few steps away.

Upon getting there and entering through the front door, Reed was greeted with the same old laughter, but this time it wasn't directed at him. The players were just having a good time.

Reed, wearing his brown robe, simply walked past the tables, glancing at the other players who were just chatting. Reed couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Some of their gazes met his own, but they quickly looked away. These were the same people who mocked him when he came in here half-naked.

And now some seemed a bit afraid of him. Upon reaching the counter, he met Tina.

"Hello again, Mr. Reed. What can I get you today?"

"The usual," Reed said, then opened his inventory and dropped all the goblin monster cores as well as the assassin's on the counter.

That familiar thud on the counter made everyone in the tavern turn and look at the man dressed in the brown robe and noticed it was Reed.

Whispers circulated as Reed traded with Tina. "Crap, it's that guy again. How the hell did he always manage to bring that many monster cores?" They pondered that question up until now.

But instead of complaining, some of them decided to wait when he was finished, go up to him and recruit him to join their party.

And so it was only a matter of time before their impending confrontation.