"It's my first time..." Sofia whispered slowly, her face very close to Samuele's.
"For me, too. There is nothing to worry about. We will take our time. We have all afternoon." Samuele spoke comforting words to her.
"It's too big. I don't think it can fit me." She said with an embarrassed look, lowering her gaze to the object she was talking about.
"You have to try, first of all. Why don't you take it in your hand?"
"Even if I take it with two, it's too huge. I wouldn't be able to handle it." Sofia grabbed with both hands the broadsword that was resting horizontally on two bars coming out of the wall. She had to make an effort to lift it up and hold it in a fighting pose. At first it seemed doable to her, but the more seconds passed, her face grew redder and redder, wrinkled in an expression of extreme effort.
"All right, leave it alone before you get a hernia." Samuele took it out of his hands and rested it where it had previously been. "Claymores are not for you, we've confirmed that."
"How about using daggers instead?" Sofia asked.
"From too big to too small. No, I'd say stick to the classic: a light, practical sword."
"Yes, I agree."
The two boys turned around the Adventurers' store for a while. It had lots of items, from melee weapons of all sizes and power to magic tomes. These enable those who possess them to use a certain magic, whether they are warriors or wizards.
The special feature of tomes, in fact, is that one does not need to possess mana to use them, since they already contain within them the amount of mana pre-prepared for such use. The cons of these tomes, precisely because they have a fairly limited amount of mana, is that they are disposable.
There are tomes of various types, which may contain more or less mana and which, therefore, can be used multiple times. Needless to say, the price of tomes increases as the number of uses and the magic itself it contains increases. For this very reason, many people recommend using them only in emergencies.
Samuele and Sofia, however, did not stand there and admire all the tomes that the store possessed. There were many. An average Adventurers' store would not have had such a large supply. The store they were in at the time was one of the most important in all of Italy, considering also that it was located in the historic center of the capital and, moreover, near the Italian headquarters of the Adventurers' Association. It was not just any Adventurer's store.
"Tomes at the moment don't interest us. Let's focus on weapons." Samuele spoke, receiving a nod from Sofia.
Arriving at the section of the store where the swords were displayed, they stopped and looked at them. Under each of them were tags that contained a description and the price of said swords.
Sofia, among the many, looked at a very normal-looking sword. And it was, indeed. It had a common handle without any engraving and a sharp blade such as might have been given by the Association. His eyes looked at the tag and he opened his eyes slightly wide.
"Sword of good workmanship, manufactured from materials taken from a level 40 portal. Light and handy like few others, it is capable of cutting even steel. Price: €1,999.90."
"Pretty expensive." Stunned Samuele whistled. "Can you afford it?"
"It's my maximum budget for today's purchases, so yes. But I didn't expect to spend it all on the sword alone."
"As long as you're sure about your choice, then it's fine."
"You, on the other hand? Found a suitable sword for you?"
Samuele's eyes went to one particular sword. Unlike the one Sofia had chosen, this one stood out a bit more. Starting from the handle, this one bore silver decorations that went around it. What caught her attention, however, was the blade. The two sharp parts were different from each other. One was slightly serrated. The other was sharpened normally.
He lowered his eyes to the tag. "Sword of excellent workmanship, manufactured from materials taken from level 40 and 50 portals. The toothed part of the blade can easily cut through more massive creatures. Price: €2,779.90."
"Can you afford that instead?" Sofia asked with a downturned mouth after seeing the price.
"My budget is three thousand euros."
"Really? You don't have any expenses to spare?"
"I live with my parents. I contribute to the expenses, but the rest of the money then I save."
"How lucky..." Mumbled Sofia, drawing Samuele's attention.
"Did you say something?"
"No. Let's go pay."
Arriving at the checkout, they saw no one. They looked around for someone working at the store, but nothing. Now that they thought about it, for a store famous throughout Italy, there was hardly anyone there besides the two of them. They guessed it was simply the late hour.
"Here I am!" A man exclaimed, emerging from over their heads. Sofia let out a startled cry and unconsciously clung to Samuele, with the latter simply opening his eyes wide at the man's appearance.
"Sorry I'm late. I was busy doing other things." The man apologized with a huge smile. He had an English accent and appeared to be in his early fifties. He wore gaudy, flashy glasses that did not make his eyes visible. On the top of his head he wore a brightly colored fisherman's hat. On each finger he had sparkling rings one different from the other. Not to forget his big smile, which gave a glimpse of a gold tooth at the bottom. The rest of his attire was quite normal if you didn't count the dark fur cloak wrapped around him.
Sofia thought his fashion sense was a little off.
"We would like to buy these weapons." Said Samuele with an uncertain look, watching the man for several seconds.
"Of course! Please don't be shy! Let me see... Ohh! You've picked yourselves some pretty good swords, young men! And yours, boy... Oh! Oh! You really have good taste in weapons."
"Thank you..."
"Anything else you want to buy? As you can see, we have a wide range of items! Have you had a good look around the store? You don't want to regret not buying a few more things when it's too late, do you?" He chuckled in an almost ghoulish way, which brought up an icy feeling in the backs of the two.
"I-I'm out of money. Y-you, Samu? You said you had some of your budget left, right?" Said Sofia, looking nervously at Samuele. The latter understood from that look that she was telling him, "This guy is scary. Make him happy."
Samuele sighed. He looked at the seller's sly but creepy smile and spoke. "I have three hundred euros left. What do you recommend?"
"Excellent choice, boy! Better to spend your money and live than not spend it at all and die, right? Money is useless once you are dead." He praised the boy's choice and looked around thoughtfully. Then his gaze brightened. "Oh, here! A magic tome might come in handy!"
She took from the nearby shelf a magic tome and showed it to him. "This is the 'Tome of Transparency.' It allows you to become transparent and pass through solid objects for a short period of time."
"How short?"
"Approximately one minute. I have others similar to these that have a longer duration, but for your budget this is the most I can give you."
Samuele thought about it. Going through walls was not bad. In a dangerous situation or a trap, it would certainly have helped to be intangible. He wanted to see what other choices he had, though.
"Do you have anything else?"
"You're a tough customer, huh? I like that! Let's see-oh, yes! We have the 'Volume of Divine Providence.' When used, it allows you to turn a critical situation into one to your advantage. 'May luck assist you' is no longer just a wish in this case." He chuckled again in a low voice, making that sound creepy.
'Making a critical situation a situation in my favor ... is not bad at all.' There was something strange about it, though. Such a magical tome, which has no time limit, costs a lot.
"And it only costs three hundred euros?"
"No. It costs two thousand euros, but we accept monthly installments of three hundred euros and at zero interest. One of the very few tomes we put on installment offer. And they go fast, I guarantee it. You don't know how many times groups of Adventurers have saved their hides because of this tome."
The seller saw Samuele's still thoughtful look, more inclined not to buy it. "Oh, come on! If even this tome doesn't appeal to you, what do you want? In fact, let's do this. Share your profile with me. Based on that, I might know what suits you best."
Samuele and Sofia were surprised. "Can we share our status screen with you?" The girl asked.
"Of course! I'm a former Adventurer myself, after all! But, after an accident that almost cost me my life, I retired and came to Italy." He explained, taking off his glasses and showing his eyes, one completely black and the other completely white, which seemed to have no pupils. At the sight, the two boys were surprised, almost upset. The salesman put his glasses back on. "I am now a seller of items for Adventurers. So, will you show me your screen, boy?"
After a moment's hesitation, he agreed. The man was disturbing him, but he didn't seem like a bad person at all. Crazy? Probably. Evil? No. He would have seen his Gift, but that didn't nerve him at all. He just hoped he would keep quiet about the matter. As far as Sofia was concerned, he could trust her. She was his friend and surely if he asked him to keep the secret she would.
[WARNING!]
YOUR SCREEN WILL BE VISIBLE TO ALL OTHER AWAKENED PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY.
The man's eyes went wide, even before he saw his Gift. Samuele thought something had drawn him to the profile screen, but he did not understand what until he focused on one thing in particular. 'Class, perhaps?" he thought. He was not just a magician, after all. He was the light mage. An advanced class. It surely must have seemed strange to him that a level 20 Adventurer had already achieved class advancement.
Sofia's eyes also widened wide once she saw the Gift. The vendor, on the other hand, gave an even bigger smile that almost reached her ears.
"I know what's right for you, boy!" He ran away from the cash register and into a door that perhaps gave access to the warehouse. He returned after a couple of minutes with a tome in his hand. It was different from the others. Crumpled, ruined, deteriorated by time. Nevertheless, it was bright white.
"This is 'The Ancient Book of Divine Resources.' No matter what situation you are in, whether at death's door or in front of the most powerful monster ever, God will save you. I can only tell you this. It is a unique tome in the world; no one has ever used it."
"If no one has ever used it, how do you know what it does?" Samuele asked with a frown.
"Because God told me so! That day, the day I risked my life, I saw it. When I woke up, I found myself with this Tome in my hand."
"Was it the Tome that saved you? That's why you know?"
"Oh, no. The Tome was entrusted to me by God."
"I see..." Samuele nodded, not believing anything she told him. "And you are also selling this in monthly installments of three hundred euros?"
" I give this tome to you as a gift."
"What?" Samuele's eyes went wide.
"Do you believe in fate, boy?"
"Fate, you say? That thing written in the stones that tells us who we are and our future? No. I just believe in the choices we each make that shape the future. Fate is just something to blame when we make the wrong choices."
"Choices are part of fate. Each of us is destined for something, greater or lesser. I am only now realizing my fate after all these years. To think that if I had not made the choice to come to Italy, this would never have happened. What else would fate have led me to if I had made a different choice? Would I have met you anyway?"
"Was it your fate to meet me and give me this tome?"
"I am convinced it was. God entrusted it to me so I could give it to you. None of us knows fate, but the choices we make inevitably lead us to it Oh! It's almost closing time. Take the tome, Samuele Rua."
"What if I don't take it? Would fate continue just the same?"
The man remained silent at that answer. Then he smiled. "Doing nothing is also a choice, don't you think?"
Samuele looked at him for a few seconds, then at the white tome. He slowly reached out his hands toward it and grasped it. After that, the book dematerialized from his hands.
[YOU GOT "TOME: ANCIENT DIVINE RESOURCE BOOK!"]
"Well! I thank you for choosing us and wish you both a good day!"
END OF CHAPTER.
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The question returns: chance or fate? No answer is given to us mere mortals.
Did you enjoy the chapter? If yes, please leave a power stone, review and comment. Yes, I said it backwards today.
See you tomorrow, same time. Bye!