A deal is a deal
"Two," Minwoo declared, tossing the warped practice sword aside with a frustrated thud. "So, old man. A deal's a deal. Now, about that real weapon?"
The shopkeeper was now visibly fuming, his face a mask of disbelief and grudging respect. He broke them… those were meant for training, not… that. "You… you insolent brat. You have a strange strength about you." He hesitated, his gaze sweeping across his remaining stock with a newfound apprehension. "Alright. You won your ridiculous wager. Follow me." He turned and stomped towards the back of the shop, a low grumble escaping his lips.
Intrigued despite his abrasive exterior, Minwoo followed the shopkeeper into the dimly lit back room. The air here was thick with the smell of oil and unworked metal, and a strange, almost metallic sweetness he couldn't identify. Various tools and half-finished projects lay scattered across workbenches. The shopkeeper moved with a newfound reluctance, his eyes scanning the wrapped items in the shadowed corner as if making a difficult decision. He stopped before a shadowed corner, where a few wrapped items leaned against the wall. He reached down and carefully lifted the katana wrapped in faded cloth.
"This… this was a piece I was working on, a different kind of steel," the shopkeeper said, his voice softer now, a hint of something akin to resignation. He turned and offered it to Minwoo. "Take it. You won it. Just… try not to break this one. It's… unique."
Minwoo picked up the katana. The moment his fingers closed around the worn leather hilt, a faint tremor ran through the blade. A subtle warmth emanated from the steel, a quiet vibration that resonated deep within him. It felt… right.
A stark, blue-white text box flashed into Minwoo's vision, momentarily obscuring the sooty surroundings:
[MOONLIGHT SWORD (Rank: Unknown)]
[Type: One-Handed Sword]
[Sharpness: Significantly Increased]
[Energy Interaction: Reacts to external energy]
[Ki Potential: Sealed. Awakening Requirements Unknown.]
[Note: Unfinished Work.]
The text lingered for a heartbeat before fading, leaving the faint blue energy along the blade seeming to pulse in its wake. A subtle, almost imperceptible resistance emanated from the hilt as Minwoo's own inner energy instinctively reached out to the blade.
He met the shopkeeper's gaze, a rare hint of something genuine in his own. "This one… this one is different." Moonlight Sword… unfinished.
The shopkeeper, still wary, watched in astonishment as the ancient blade seemed to hum in the young man's grip, a faint, ethereal glow momentarily dancing along its edge. The disbelief on his face slowly morphed into a bewildered curiosity. He nodded slowly as Minwoo offered a fair price for the blade.
"You said so," Minwoo replied, his expression neutral, keeping the system's note to himself. "Why is it unfinished?" He held the Moonlight Sword, a sense of its potential thrumming beneath his fingers
The old man sighed, a weariness settling over him. "It required a specific ore… from the East Mountain. Something strong, something that could truly channel the energies it held. But… around that time… there were sightings. Monsters. The mountain became too dangerous. I couldn't risk the journey for just one piece."
Monsters… East Mountain… even before the sky cracked. I remember the fear, the unease that settled over the city before the first Gate. A grim understanding settled upon Minwoo. The Tower's influence had been spreading even then.
"If… if I were to find this ore," Minwoo asked, his voice gaining a new intensity, "the strong ore you needed… would you be able to finish it then? To unlock its full potential?"
A flicker of surprise, then a spark of something akin to his old passion, lit up the shopkeeper's eyes. "If you could find it? The ore I sought for so long? Then yes, boy. Then I could finish it. I could forge it into something truly special."
As the shopkeeper finished speaking and handed over the dagger, a blue-white text box flashed in Minwoo's vision:
[Item Acquired: Hunter's Steel Dagger (Rank: C)]
[Description: A reliable dagger forged from tempered steel, its blade retains a keen edge, promising a clean cut.]
A tangible weight appeared in Minwoo's inventory, a mental notification confirming the acquisition. He focused his awareness, and a spectral image of a sleek, practical-looking dagger with a dark steel blade that seemed sharply honed appeared briefly in his mind's eye.
Immediately after the item acquisition faded, another blue-white text box appeared:
[Urgent Mission: Shadowheart Ore Acquired]
[Objective: Retrieve 'Shadowheart Ore' (East Mountain).]
[Reward: Moonlight Sword - Completion.]
[Failure: Moonlight Sword - Incomplete.]
Minwoo blinked, the sudden weapon details and the following mission solidifying his next objective. He nodded to the shopkeeper, a silent understanding passing between them. He had a capable weapon now, and a clear goal.
As he turned towards the exit, a fleeting thought crossed his mind – status. Almost instinctively, a translucent screen flickered into his vision for a moment, displaying simple information:
[Name: Minwoo]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 12]
[Vitality: 9]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Sense: 11]
He dismissed it with a mental nudge, a familiar interface that had become a quiet constant in his life since the Tower's emergence. He also felt a subtle, internal sense of an energy within him, a warmth that sometimes responded to his focus.
"Thank you for the information," Minwoo said to the shopkeeper, a sense of purpose now driving him. He turned and headed towards the entrance of the sooty shop, the mental weight of the Hunter's Steel Dagger in his inventory and the urgent mission propelling him forward, the silent hum of the system a constant companion.