A sword that cuts...
The next day, I decided to explore the market a little. I need to move to the next town tomorrow so I decided to get myself a nice sword before that.
"Excuse me, can you show me some good swords."
"Ah, why not, dear customer. We have the best swords here at Pearlton. Hmm, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
"Yes, I'm sure we did, Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper."
It was the same shopkeeper that told me about the inn yesterday. Though he was really annoying, he didn't try to fool me or something so I guessed he wasn't that bad.
"Wait... Y-you... The beggar... How?"
His face turned blue in shock as if he had seen a ghost. Well, the person he treated as a beggar yesterday returned to his shop as some sort of a noble, so it was only natural. I don't really blame him.
"Look, I need some information about where to buy a good sword. Of course not like your fake Elysian sword."
"Y-yes. There's a Blacksmith shop near the Townhall. They have the best item there."
And this time again, he was really honest. He didn't really try to sell me his fake Elysium sword. Maybe it was because he simply didn't want to deal with a person who was probably a noble.
'You should just be honest with your customers too and stop selling your fake swords'
I thanked him and made my way towards the shop. I finally arrived at the Blacksmiths shop after asking for directions again and again. But this time, all the people answered me almost immediately.
'Hah...Life is so unfair'
"Hello sir, how can I help you?" The salesperson asked. He looked like a young man in his 20s so I assumed he should be an assistant and not the real owner.
"I'm looking for a sword." I replied as I scanned their surroundings. They had many swords hung around the shop but all of them looked quite fancy. I didn't know if they could cut well.
"Please tell me your requirements."
"Hmm... A sword... that can cut?"
He stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"Every sword can cut, sir."
"J-just show me something good."
"Yes sir! Looks like it's your first time buying. "
Instead of bringing any sword to me, he called me inside to the storage room. Several swords were showcased there along with their names and grades.
And cost as well.
I slowly scanned through the listed weapons.
Sword of light
B grade
(150 gold)
I gulped involuntarily.
'I thought gold was a luxury here. So what was wrong with these prices!?'
I looked around and saw that this sword was actually the cheapest.
"D-do you not have anything cheaper? "
"What is your budget, sir? "
".... 2 golds? "
His expression soon changed as someone who met something really annoying and wasted his time.
"Hah.. You should have told me your budget earlier. Che.. Kids these days. Tries to act like rich adults all the time."
'Wow. People do change easily'.
He pointed me to a room and as I went inside I saw hundreds of swords lying haphazardly on the ground.
I checked around for a while and couldn't really choose as every sword felt much, much better to me after using Rowan's training sword for four years.
Just when I was about to pick a random sword, my eyes landed on a thin sharp sword near the corner.
It looked like a bright silver jian with a dark brown handle. And near it, lying on the ground was the dark brown scabbard, the same colour as the handle but had long flower petals embroidered on its surface.
I picked it up and as I saw the description, I couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
[The Sword that cuts]
Grade E
Type: Weapon
Skills: Mana-Assault(2-Star)
'A sword that cuts, eh? What are the chances!'
I proceeded to check the skill description as I couldn't get what the hell Mana Assault was. The floating messages in front of my eyes changed.
Skill descriptions: When mana is poured in this weapon, it becomes stronger and sharper. The more precise you are, the more lethal this sword is.
My training with Rowan made me realise that humans and demigods were no where near the elves when it came to the preciseness of mana manipulation. So this sword is nothing but garbage to them.
But for me, it was different. I, who nearly mastered Beginner's Elven Mana Manipulation, this sword was nothing less than a...
'Jackpot'
The sword cost me 2 golds and 20 silvers. But I thought that it was well spent. I tried returning to the market to thank Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper.
I also came to the conclusion that the Blacksmith shop was a big deal here. For normal adventurers, they buy the swords from normal merchants like Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper.
They're generally in silvers but the quality is also not that good.
Returning near the borders, I saw quite a commotion this time.
The people here formed a small crowd and some were holding swords in their hands. Some were shaking in fear and some were packing their belongings.
Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper was also present there among the group of fighters.
"Is something wrong? "
Hiiiiekkk!!
He screamed at my sudden appearance. Well, not everyone can sense my presence at this level of mana manipulation. But it was also because he looked really terrified by the situation.
"Oh... Hah! You scared me. Mister Beg... I- I mean Sir"
"What happened?"
"... Actually..." Looking much more tense than his usual self, Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper continued, "The other side of the bridge was occupied by some goblins and since this place is closest to the forest, we... we have to stop them or our business will go down"
"Is this common?" I enquired. Considering it's a bordertown, they may have monster outbreaks now and then.
Or so I thought.
"No...No, it's not. Looks like someone attacked their camp nearby making the remaining survivors agitated to come out and attack the town."
'Oooh... Looks like I'm the culprit here.'
The other day I decided to kill some goblins as I was too bored travelling all day in the forest.
But I only attacked a few goblins from the camp and when I found out that I have to travel to the opposite side again to clear it, I just decided to skip it.
Well, looks like I learnt a lesson for today. I'm fortunate that there's no serious injury till now, otherwise I'd be the only one to blame.
"Do you know how to fight, Mr. Shopkeeper?"
"N-no"
"Then why didn't you run? I believe you had enough time to do that."
"...If I run my shop will be destroyed. I have a young son waiting for me at home. He says he will be a knight in the future so there is no way I can support him without my shop."
"..."
'I don't know how many lives would have been destroyed just for my tiny mistake.'
Something I did just because I was bored would have affected so many futures. And the funny thing was that I might have never realised what happened here.
"It's okay. I think your son's going to be a great knight. And ah... Please don't scam your customers again."
The goblins had already crossed the bridge but the shaking civilians tried to held on. I believe they all had similar circumstances as Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper here.
I took out 'The sword that cuts' from my ring and poured some mana into it. I tried to be really precise and spread the mana slowly along the edges. The sword also emitted a dim silver light in addition to the ethereal light of mana.
'I knew I made the right choice. This sword is really good.'
{Mana Assault}
There were 18 goblins present along with their leader which was, of course, a Goblin Shaman.
I poured mana to my legs and ran towards them. The next second, my jian cut through the air several times as I swung it and six headless goblins started falling down.
[You have killed a Goblin Lvl. 12]
[You have killed a Goblin Lvl. 12]
....
....
My strategy of instilling fear in the minds of the Goblins still didn't change. An overwhelming start will lead to a easier victory.
And this time, there's nothing better than slaying the Shaman to overwhelm others.
The Shaman casted a spell and vines started to grow from the ground. But this time, I was stronger. Much stronger than before.
My jian cut the vines perfectly before they could even grow complete. I ran creating a distance from other goblins, towards the Shaman.
I thrust my jian deep into the Shaman's chest before it could even raise its staff. At the same time, two goblins who were chasing me jumped at me from behind.
[You have killed a 'Goblin Shaman' Lvl. 14]
Unlike my training sword, this thin but sharp double edged jian was quite easy to withdraw. I swung my jian in a circle without looking back and two more heads were flying in the sky.
The remaining goblins started to panic and took a few step back. Some tried to run back into the forest and others dropped their weapon in despair.
And, of course I couldn't leave them be again.
'Let's finish this in a minute.'
I gripped my jian and poured some more mana into it, enough to clear the remaining with ease.
The silver glowing sword amidst the ethereal light in the hands of a gray haired frightening yet beautiful wielder with blood scattered in this face and clothes looked quite majestic in the eyes of the spectators around.
[You have killed a 'Goblin' Lvl. 11]
[You have killed a 'Goblin' Lvl. 12]
...
...
[You have cleared a 'Goblin Camp']
All the surrounding people had their mouths wide opened. Of course, it was natural, since it was their first time seeing someone who was not a knight, killing more than a dozen goblins in less than a minute.
My grand clothes no longer looked grand as it was completely covered in blood. Of course the blood didn't belong to me.
"...Sir?"
I knew they'd have many questions. But I didn't think they'd be brave enough to come forward and ask.
"Yes, Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper"
But to my surprise, instead of asking anything, he just showed me his sincerity.
"Thank you for saving our lives"
The other people behind him also bowed their heads to express their gratitude.
"No need to thank me. It was my duty. "
'As I was the reason behind it'
I swallowed those last words and thought of returning after cleaning my sword.
But at that time, Mr. Elysium Shopkeeper, who kept mumbling 'your duty?' in a low voice, made an expression of great shock.
"Ah! Ah! You... You are the courtier of King Johnathan de Graham Serendipity III. I see. That...that explains everything now."
'...Who?'