Mason's POV:
I am nothing but a useless piece of flesh in this world. It hurts to say it, but it's the bitter truth. My parents treated me terribly, showering all their love and attention on my twin sister, who was blessed with talent, beauty and charm. She was destined to marry a wealthy nobleman, while I was left to rot in my own misery. I should have never gotten married, but I foolishly thought that it would change things for me. Little did I know that my life would take a turn for the worse.
When the doctor diagnosed me as impotent, my whole world came crashing down. I was ridiculed, mocked, and humiliated by my so-called friends and family. Even my own wife couldn't bear to look at me anymore. One fateful night, she left me for our neighbor, leaving me alone to face the cruel world. I couldn't concentrate on my work, constantly tormented by their hateful stares and cruel words. It felt like I was drowning in a sea of despair, and I couldn't find a way out.
Alcohol became my only escape from reality. The more they laughed at me, the more I drank, drowning out their cruel laughter with the sound of my own misery. I spent all my money on alcohol, losing everything I had in the process. My own parents disowned me, telling me that they never wanted a son like me. I tried to find work, but my bad reputation had spread far and wide, and no one was willing to give me a chance. I became a beggar, surviving on alcohol and scraps of food.
All my life, I have dreamed of being smart, handsome, and loved by my parents. I have longed to lead a loving family, to have a good job, and to have friends who would support me through thick and thin. But those dreams seem so far away now, unattainable and impossible to reach. All I have left is my addiction to alcohol, a constant reminder of my failures and shortcomings.
But now, this young master comes into my life, promising me money and alcohol in return for being his slave. It feels like a ray of hope, a glimmer of light in the darkness of my existence. I feel wanted and needed, like I have a purpose once again. Yet deep down, I know that it's only a matter of time before he too abandons me, leaving me alone with my demons once again.
—--------------End of Mason's POV—--------------
After recovering from his daze, Bowen decided to postpone the slave contract process for later. First, he needed to find a way for his new slave to live with him. Who knows if the slave would get beaten up and die in the meantime before the system activates.
"Uvum... where do you live now?" asked Bowen.
" Massoon home…evywhershre..live all plasch.," replied Mason
"Ah! Does that mean you live on the streets with no roof?" Bowen inquired.
"Heeheeh... " gave a confirmation with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.
Bowen ordered Mason to follow him to Sweet Treats shop to talk about his living arrangements with old Lady Gia. When they reached the shop, Bowen noticed a pink atmosphere inside, and there he was, Luther, the ice magician, flirting with Lydia despite Bowen's efforts to keep them apart.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?" said Bowen, glaring at Luther as he entered the shop, opening the door abruptly.
"Haha! Bowen, you're back? How was your day?" Luther asked quickly, seemingly unperturbed by Bowen's disapproval.
"It was good so far but got worse just now," replied Bowen without hiding his disgust.
"Umm... Bowen, didn't you tell me you would be back only by evening?" Lydia asked, feeling embarrassed. She had gone to great lengths to ensure that Bowen wouldn't see Luther talking with her, not understanding why Bowen didn't like Luther and always tried to prevent them from meeting.
"Sis, you have changed," Bowen said with a sad expression.
Lydia loved Bowen the most, but now Luther seemed to have taken his place as her first priority. Bowen couldn't help but feel a bit resentful and protective of his innocent sister's heart. He wished Luther would disappear from her life.
"Ah! What a coincidence! I was searching for you. In fact, I came just for you, Bowen," Luther said shamelessly, trying to change the topic.
"And what did you want me for? Didn't I already tell you that I don't want your repayment?" Bowen said with dissatisfaction.
"Come on, why do you hate me so much? You've helped me a lot, let me at least do something for you," Luther tried to convince Bowen.
"Fine, what are you going to repay me with?"
"I thought I could let you choose some weapons of your choice," Luther suggested.
"Weapons?" Bowen asked, surprised.
"Haha! Well, you see, even though I am a D-ranker, I don't have much savings. I earn my living by putting my life on the line to complete guild requests, so most of my earnings go towards cultivation and treatment. All I have is some weapons in my space ring. Some of them were acquired in dungeons, and some were used by me and my colleagues before. But you don't have to worry; they are all in good usable condition. How about you take a look?" Luther said with a helpless smile.
Bowen already had the Grace family sword and the divine weapon Bone Blade. He didn't feel the need to have anything else at the moment. But having more is not usually bad.
"Okay, show me what you've got," he said.
Luther became happy, finally convincing Bowen. He was glad to have a chance to leave a good impression.
With a shake - "CLING CLING" - weapons started falling one by one from Luther's ring. There were six weapons, two armors, and one shield that fell to the ground. They looked dashing, fashionable, and glamorous—quite different from the dull and uncharismatic Bone Blade given by the system and the elegant, sharp Grace family sword.
Bowen didn't care much about their looks; what he wanted was something useful and durable. He asked Luther to explain the attributes and rank of each weapon, surprising Luther with his maturity.
Luther started to explain the weapon attributes one by one.
1. EXTREMELY SHARP BLADE - (COMMON) - No attributes, but sharp enough to cut through a bar of iron in a single stroke.
2. THORN WHISPER - (COMMON) - Fast arrow and strong bow. No attributes. Can travel at 2 km/sec.
3. WOODEN WAND OF SEA - (COMMON) - Has water attribute. Easy to use for beginner water magicians. Provides easy water mana detection but has high mana consumption.
4. SWORD OF SUNRISE - (UNCOMMON) - Has light attribute. Can blind the opponent for 3 seconds with a 10-minute cooldown after 3 uses.
5. MANA GAUNTLETS - (UNCOMMON) - Covers fists with mana for extra attack and defense. The mana cover lasts as long as the user's mana is depleted. Cannot use elemental mana.
6. STAR FLARE - (RARE) - A star-shaped throwing weapon made of mana iron that can conduct elemental mana of any type (except dark element). Returns to the owner once thrown and is blood-bound.
As for the two armors:
1. STONE LIZARD ARMOR - (UNCOMMON) - Made of hide from a stone lizard, provides defense against E-rank beasts and both physical and elemental magic attacks. Fits the wearer.
2. IRON CLAD - (UNCOMMON) - Made of feathers from a steel sparrow, absorbs magic mana attacks up to D- rank and provides defense against fire and lightning magic (D-) rank. Does not provide defense against physical attacks. Fits the wearer.
And the shield:
1. SHIELD OF MIGHT - (RARE) - A strong shield that provides defense against physical attacks (D-rank) and all elemental magic (except dark elemental) up to D- rank.
Bowen, without thinking too much, chose one weapon and one armor from the pile.
Bowen selected the Rare rank Star Flare. Although it wasn't suitable for him, he knew someone who would be perfect to wield it. Besides acquiring a rare rank weapon wasn't an easy task. He considered himself fortunate to have obtained the higher-ranked Grace family sword.
Next, he chose the Stone Lizard Armor. Despite the Iron Clad providing higher rank defense, it left Bowen vulnerable to physical attacks. Moreover, the Iron Clad only provided defense against two elements. His Shield of Aegis skill was more effective in providing elemental defense.
"I want these two," Bowen stated, looking at Luther.
Initially, Luther intended to let Bowen choose only one from the pile. However, he also wanted to bribe Bowen to spend some quality time with Lydia.
"Of course, you can take two. You're Miss Lydia's sweet brother after all," Luther said with a smile, dropping a hint.
Bowen acted as if he didn't hear those words and turned around, walking away without even saying thanks.
"Bowen, stop! At least thank Mr. Ranker for his kindness," Lydia insisted, determined to correct her little brother's behavior and teach him how to respect others. Bowen wanted to argue, but just then...
" Wowwow! Beuutifullh!" Bowen saw drunken Mason, who was standing outside the shop, run towards the weapon pile on the ground.