The Hunter's Paradise Bazaar was just a stone's throw from two of the most important buildings in town: the town hall and the Catholic church. At that moment, though, nobody gathered in the square had any civil or religious thoughts in mind.
The square was around 300 square meters in area. It was here that guilds, freelance crafters, and resellers hawked their wares. Prices were much lower than in the Terra Corp store, and in many cases, the cost/quality ratio was considerably better.
Of course, this required you to forego a lot of the convenience of the Terra Corp store. At that place, you could at least be sure the items on the shelves were brand new, and everything was conveniently organized. The same thing couldn't be said of the sprawling stands at the bazaar… stands which often displayed damaged items and outright junk.
It was in this location, surrounded by these numerous merchants, that Alexander began wandering around and looking for his future weapon. He wasn't alone, of course, but was swarmed on every side with Hunter customers who were also looking for excellent deals and for things that Terra Corp didn't offer.
After a bit of asking around, Alexandre was able to find a cluster of stalls catering to Boxers. Since this was one of the least popular classes, it seemed that it was beneficial for all of them to hustle together.
But even though these stalls claimed to have so much to offer Boxers, most of their wares were pathetic. Alexandre moved from merchant to merchant, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the mediocre and even damaged goods that he found. He wondered if these were legitimate businessmen, or simply corpse pickers who stole the broken equipment of dead Hunters.
Finally, Alexandre found a stand which seemed to offer some interesting items. He approached and decided to probe the merchant to see what sort of response he got. "Hello there! I'm looking for my first Boxer weapon for under $15,000."
The seller gave a broad, toothy grin. "I've seen you looking all around, sir! I'm sorry that you've wasted your time with the other sellers who offer all manner of junk. I'm afraid that I might not be what you're looking for, however. I only sell high-quality items which I've forged myself from the best materials. My prices may be higher than my competitors, but they're fully warranted."
Alexandre smiled. "I'm only joking. I wanted to see what kind of businessman I was dealing with. My budget's indeed a little higher than 15K… but I was telling the truth that I'm looking for a Boxer weapon. An offensive weapon that doesn't bother trying to protect the user's body."
The seller seemed immediately intrigued. "A weapon for an offensive Boxer, hmm? Quite rare these days. Most people who become Boxers have simply chosen the wrong class or else their guild forces them to be a tank. Offensive boxers are something of an endangered species these days."
The man stepped out of the stall and raised the hem of his shirt to reveal a horrific wound: The left half of his torso was carved away and the remainder was a mass of knotted scars. His left leg was a prosthetic. "I used to be an offensive Boxer too," said the man. "One of the best students, back in 2033! Here I am now."
Alexandre was quite impressed, but he felt embarrassed to have not realized immediately the man was a Hunter. "I'm sorry. I didn't see a Pip-Boy. I didn't realize a Hunter would be…"
"In a place like this, fallen so low? I get it, don't worry." The man laughed. "I was wounded in France during what was supposed to be nothing more than a routine mission. Intelligence said that there was a single nest of Tier-E Zombies, just some Walkers. Intelligence was wrong. Our eight-Hunter team was massacred. I was lucky to get out alive." He shrugged. "In the end, it was a blessing. I've moved on and now make a living as a Hunter Crafter. It pays the bills and I'm not putting my life on the line every day."
Alexandre was very interested. "So you're a Freelancer crafter? I didn't realize that could be feasible for just one person. As far as I knew, only large guilds or companies could afford the capital to make crafting profitable."
The seller replied, "Absolutely! At Level 20, Hunters can choose a 'support specialization.' Most of them choose First Aid, but crafting is also an option. It makes sense that everyone who goes into combat would want First Aid, of course. But I assure you that it's well worth it from a monetary standpoint to specialize in a form of crafting instead!"
Alexandre had read a little bit in the academy database about specializations, but had only barely scratched the surface. What this merchant was saying made a lot of sense—money and logistics were the heart of a war well-waged, after all. A Hunter who was able to make extra money by crafting and selling would be at a significant advantage. A Hunter with significant financial resources had access to many more potions, armor, and weapons than his peers, and these benefits would just keep compounding.
Alexandre finally replied, "You make a good point. Now how about I help you achieve some more of that wealth by buying a cursed weapon from you?"
The salesman smiled broadly and presented two black metal gauntlets.