Nico's mind feverishly tried to process the current situation he found himself in. While he intuitively had a sense, that the drunken man had no intention to harm him, he didn't know if that would change soon.
There was also the presence of the members of the Stanburg Family trying to hunt him down on the opposite side of the door. To Nico, it was as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Eventually, he sighed and humoured the mysterious elder.
'He just wants to have a chat… that should be fine, right? Besides, something interesting might happen. There's nothing really I could lose if I entertained him, except maybe a few brain cells…' the boy mused to himself.
Nico locked eyes with the inebriated individual, who showed a crooked grin in return.
Sitting back down on the chair he had risen from originally, the man took another sip, belched, and smacked his lips contentedly.
"So, what brings you here, young man?" he asked, studying Nico from the corner of his eye.
From the youth's age, he discerned the boy opposite him was somewhere in his mid-teens.
Based on the fact he wasn't emitting any noticeable mana fluctuations, the grime-covered individual surmised Nico had yet to embark on the path of the divine.
A subtle smirk graced the corner of his lips, hidden beneath the mass of filthy hair that covered the bottom half of his face. He scratched at it absently, listening to the youth's next words.
"Well, I had originally planned to head to the Merchant Association to purchase some items… that was before I ran into 'them'." Nico nodded his head toward the door.
A loud thump echoed from the egress as if synchronising with his words, rattling its wooden exterior.
The elder appeared to bristle before he waved his hand. A sudden pressure that chilled Nico to the bone escaped the man's limb.
The sudden noise abruptly cut off.
Silence then filled the room, before Argus broke it with a deep rumble that came from its small chest.
Taking a sip from the jug, the hooded man turned towards Nico and slurred his words, "You were saying?"
The brown-haired boy's right eye twitched.
The contrast between the man's current demeanor and what he had just shown was too much. If he hadn't seen it firsthand, he would have never believed it.
Heck, even now he thought his mind was just playing a nasty trick on him.
A wave of fear flashed through his maroon pupils once he realised the level of power the drunk man had exhibited.
He quickly wrestled that emotion under control. A nervous chuckle inadvertently escaped his mouth.
The smirk hidden beneath the elder's beard widened.
Clearing his throat, Nico composed himself. "I wanted to purchase a suitable weapon and armour for the Awakening Ceremony coming up…"
He witnessed the intoxicated man stroke his dirty beard in what seemed to be an imitation of a sagely or knowledgeable manner. His right eye twitched again.
"Well, why didn't you say sooner?!" The hooded man leaned forward, swaying unsteadily as the jug in his hands threatened to fall.
Contrary to Nico's expectations, the pitcher did not break. Instead, it seemed as if the man had it glued to his hand.
'Why are powerful people always so peculiar?!'
Nico lamented to himself, at a loss on how to interact with the mysterious individual.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand…" Nico showed a puzzled expression.
"I'm saying, I have…hic… a ton of things I can show you!" the elder's voice raised. He swung his hands in an exaggerated manner, and Nico feared the wine would spill all over the place.
It seemed the action wasn't so exaggerated, as in the next second, a dazzling array of weapons appeared on the table.
Nico examined the items with a hint of curiosity. Right from the offset, he could tell the weapons were extremely high quality and made with an abundance of care - the metal shone brightly, with no imperfections.
Whilst the boy scanned through the cheapest items he could offer; the older man raised his head slightly and stared at the youth. Circular golden symbols shone within his pupils.
In the next second, he hastily covered his eyes, crimson drops of liquid leaking through his fingers.
The elder shifted his head and sneezed, discreetly wiping the blood away. Nico raised his head at the unexpected noise but promptly returned to inspecting each item carefully.
There were a variety of swords and spears on display. He gave the latter more attention.
As Nico's gaze roamed through the table, the hooded individual took a quick sip, wiped the remaining dribble from his chin with his sleeve, and searched for a specific item in his dimensional space.
A glint appeared in his eyes under the hood.
"If I may, what is your end goal, youngster?"
Nico glanced at the man, surprised by the sudden question. A subtle frown knit his face.
"I want to become the best warrior possible."
The elderly figure stroked his beard and chugged down some liquid quickly before he shifted his gaze and bore into Nico's eyes.
As the boy's breath hitched, the mysterious man intoned in a low voice:
"What is your true end goal?"
Shrouded by the hood, the elder's demeanour appeared to turn slightly sinister. The light in the room seemed to dim strangely.
Nico paled. It felt like the mysterious individual could see right through him, as if.. his soul was laid bare for all to see.
He gritted his teeth, and uttered softly, while the pang of indescribable emotion, spread through his chest:
"Freedom."
Nico gazed back, willing his back and shoulders to be ramrod straight.
A boisterous guffaw echoed from the grime-covered figure. The boy's brows knit together in confusion.
"Bold. As expected of the 'heir'." The old man mumbled to himself.
The volume of his words was too low for Nico to hear. The boy just shook his head and attributed it to the ramblings of an intoxicated fool.
"Would you like a weapon that would aid you in your quest towards freedom? A weapon… different from the others on display."
Nico's eyes narrowed. What was the drunkard up to?
As Nico contemplated his next move, an item suddenly appeared in the hooded man's grasp.
The boy's eyes involuntarily lit up. Flames of passion and awe ignited in their depths.
The item entranced him at first sight.
A sleek obsidian shaft with what seemed to be several crimson, runic engravings etched onto the wood. A chain ran along the length of the weapon from the bottom all the way to the head.
Beneath the golden spearhead which had three razor-sharp points like a trident, a cross guard embedded with a ruby gem sparkled, catching Nico's immediate attention.
The engraving of a black skull combined with the radiance of the gem to form a sinister-looking blade.
Nico shuddered slightly. Almost immediately after, however, a sense of excitement took hold of his figure.
A sly grin stretched across the mysterious figure's lips, taking stock of the youth's reaction. He showed a toothy grin, fully highlighting his collapsing denticles.
Just as Nico's excitement peaked, a certain thought caused his blood to freeze. He glanced at the older man intensely, his voice turning grim.
"What's the catch?"
"Oho…" a surprised expression appeared on the drunk man's face. He blinked.
"Looks like your parents…hic…raised you well!"
Nico watched the inebriated fool raise his pitcher in a toast to his parents.
Abruptly, the hooded figure leaned forward again, matching the intensity of his stare.
"Why, it's nothing much…" another grin, this one much more ominous. "All I ask is that you carry out a small favour for me in the future. In return, I will gift you this beauty of a weapon, and an additional item to complement it."
Nico tried to hide the skepticism in his gaze.
"What's the favour?" he asked hesitantly.
"All in good time, all in good time…" the elderly figure waved his hands, the gnarled skin beneath the sleeve of the robe catching some light. "You will find out when you're meant to. After all, we must remain within the bounds of the natural providence."
'Could he be anymore vague?' Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Unfortunately, he couldn't hide the twitching of his lips.
He then massaged his eyebrows and sighed, "You realise you're asking me to trust a random stranger - who quite frankly appears highly suspicious - and accept a favour from them? Who knows what you might make me do? Why should I listen to what you say?"
The drunk man belched and leaned back in his chair. "Simple. Because of this…" he replied unhurriedly, snapping his fingers. At his action, a golden book emerged on the table.
Carved onto its surface was a luminous sun with a sole eye engraved in the centre that peeked back at Nico.
"That right there is a Legendary Grade Spell. If you accept my terms, you will gain access to its contents after you form a core."
A stunned expression materialised on Nico's face. The words "Legendary Grade" rang through his mind repeatedly.
'What… how? Why? Huh?!!!'
Nico's mind turned into a mess. After blankly staring at the book for a few moments in a daze, he bit his bottom lip and sent a dubious glance towards the inebriated man.
If he obtained a Legendary Grade Spell right now, he would receive a massive advantage over his peers. One couldn't wantonly purchase such a thing on the market. Only by having high-level connections could they even encounter something of its nature.
That was why, the offer really, really tempted Nico. Inwardly, the same desperation that kept him going, weighed heavily on his chest, coaxing his mind.
Eventually, he blew out his cheeks and firmed his choice.
He locked eyes with the hooded male and intoned solemnly.
"I accept."
Nico just hoped this decision would not come back to bite him in the future.
As the boy accepted the items with a giddy sense of glee, the 'intoxicated' man raised his head, his gaze easily piercing through the ceiling.
Reflected in his eyes, shrouded by the shadows of the hood, countless white strings trembled in unison producing a strange sound.
A bizarre and peculiar sound.
Many could not understand its significance; however, the older man knew.
He shifted, as his lips curled up by themselves.
That sound…
…was the cry of an approaching end.