{Author's note: Hello there, certain reader who is reading this story, just wanted to say thank you for reading till this point and hope you will continue to do so in the future. I am finally getting started with volume two, Alteration, today and I hope you'll be able to enjoy it to the fullest.}
***
It is a new day today, and a good one too. Why? You may ask, well, it's because today we're getting the equipment ready for our trip or journey to the Dune Dungeon.
Sigh. It is eight-twenty-nine AM right now. I thought to myself while waiting for the clock to hit eight-thirty so I could barge into Sean's room.
Beep
The time hit eight-thirty and I slammed open Sean's room with a 'BAM' noise, only for the door not to reach all the way back. Immediately, I got into the room to see Sean behind it while holding his bleeding nose.
He glared at me with a ferocious look… "Ahaha… Sorry, my friend…" I gave him an awkward apology…
He frowned as he asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to break down my door first thing in the morning…"
"Well… meh, it doesn't matter. Come on wipe your nose and let's get going." I urged him to move his hands faster. "After all, we'll get our gadgets for the Dune Dungeon today."
"Yeah. We would've gone faster if you didn't break my nose… shit." He grunted from the pain he had been inflicted to.
***
We got downstairs and into the kitchen. Ate a bland breakfast and got ready to depart from the house. Luke was with us too.
"Okay listen," Luke started to talk, "Stuff like camping equipment, tents, bags, and even swords are expensive in today's age, I have an amount of money but I don't think I can cover the expenses for all three of us…" he trailed off.
I replied, "Don't worry, I've tried to work while I was in school from time to time, so I guess I actually have some money too."
"Yeah, don't worry about me." Sean picked up the sentence too.
"I see, so we are set already."
***
We went to the city mall, the place I first visited in this world with Layla, Sean, and Luke—aside from the coffee bar, that doesn't count.
"I still get amazed at this place even though I've been here for the past three or four months," I muttered, and Luke seemed to hear me as he began talking.
"I know right? Even though I've always been living here, I still manage to get surprised at stuff from time to time. Like how did they make this or that, or like 'Wow that's a pretty smart thing, I would never think about doing it this way' and stuff like that."
Luke kept going on and on, he was a pretty talkative person, and he's also popular at school, so it's obvious he is good at socializing with everyone.
"Yeah, well, we're here." he finished, in front of him was a store that gave off the vibe of a forest. It was colored green and brown, the walls had some bears, trees, and birds drawn here and there.
Hmmm… I hummed subconsciously while feeling nostalgia for my other world.
"Okay, so what do we need to get are: tents, backpacks, stoves…" Luke started to count the things he had written down on his phone's notes.
Across the mall, an empty shop in the corner caught my eye. "Luke, buy my stuff for me right now, I'll be back soon!" I said as I dashed towards the shop.
I evaded people one by one and finally, another shop was in front of me.
I looked up at the name on top of the automatic doors. "Sacrificing Steel", what a weird name. That is probably the reason this shop is empty.
I entered and was suddenly overcome with this gloomy-filled vibe, the shop was mainly gray-colored, dirty from place to place, and it was really hot. I noticed that there was steel everywhere. Swords, actually.
This place, is it a blacksmith's? I asked myself.
"Welcome, y'ng boy." I saw a man, probably beyond his mid-fifties, accent visible on his tone.
"Ya here for a sword?" he asked.
"Ah, no, not really. But I wouldn't mind looking into them a little." I smiled a little.
"Now that I think about it, didn't I have my sword with me when I came into this world…?" I muttered to myself, only to end up blank-minded.
"What would a boy yer age know about swords…" he sighed disappointedly.
I looked back at him and voiced out, "Oh don't worry old man. In this world, besides blacksmiths, I don't think there's anyone who knows better about swords and the likes." I smiled confidently.
"Heh?" He scoffed. "Okay then make yer pick, if ye choose the best one, I'll halve the price."
Hehe…hehehehehehehe… A maniacal laugh barely contained almost slipped out of me.
"Fine, old man…" I trailed off as I started moving through the shop while looking at one shelf after another. After five minutes, I came to realize something.
'This old man… is too good at making swords. I can see many unfinished products, but his finished ones don't have any flaws at all. Thin, sharp, strong. I glared at the old man while thinking that.
I received a smirk as his reply. As if he knew what I was thinking.
Let's see… Which one would be compatible with mana usage?
I started to circulate the pent-up mana inside my body.
Mana travels through the body just like blood does through veins and arteria, and so I can feel every inch of my body where mana exists.
The mana pool of a person depends on how well the person in question can refine it and make mana condensable inside his body.
Move it up to my brain and make it colorless.
The grey mana particles started to cover the whole surface of my body and instantly a gust of killing intent flew out of my figure and into the whole store.
That's how killing intent is made, the more u practice it and experience you have, the stronger its pressure will be when released.
As per my expectations, every sword flew out of their shelves, shattering noises overcoming the whole store, the old man on his butt eyeing me as if I was a monster.
Every sword was on the ground, besides one. A dark-colored blade with a purple crack on it, its hilt, is also black with two amethyst-colored deltoid shapes connecting from top to bottom.
The only katana, sword, blade standing on the shelves as if it was the king of them all… I grabbed its hilt carefully as if it would crumble with the slightest touch.
It was… perfect.
I looked behind, "I'll be taking this one, old man." I grinned and gave him a wink.