"Store category?"
A new window appeared before Zeke's puzzled eyes.
―Store Usage List―
1. Buy/Sell Items
2. Item Disassembly/Repair (Locked)
3. Item Enhancement (Locked)
Zig looked at the list of store categories and began to ponder the system's stagnation again.
―Tutorial Mission―
[Use the shop to purchase items. (No time limit)]
"You want me to buy an item?"
Zig put his curiosity aside for the time being and clicked on the purchase button according to the tutorial mission.
[Displays a list of items available for purchase by lower level managers.]
As soon as the message appeared, the screen changed and the pictures of the items were spread out in a list, with the names and brief introductions displayed next to them.
Zik looked through the list of items.
"Low-level potions, medium-level potions, full recovery potions, stamina boost potions, abnormal status recovery potions… … ."
There were dozens of potions of a type I had never seen before.
Zeke opened his mouth wide at the sight of the different types of potions.
"Oh my god. These are all strengthening potions that come from ancient ruins. They're rare and hard to obtain."
Recovery potions were mass-produced and popularized a hundred years ago when the alchemist Jabir ibn Hassan released a patent for refining troll blood.
However, strengthening potions, unlike recovery potions, not only required precious materials, but each alchemist's secret recipe was also important, so the highest grade strengthening potions were expensive to obtain.
However, today's strengthening potions are inferior to their ancient counterparts.
Zig smiled broadly as he looked at the ancient strengthening potions that were difficult to buy even with money.
"Deep Breath of the Flame Giant? There was a time when the breath of the Flame Giant was auctioned for almost a hundred gold."
Zeke pressed the Fire Giant's Deep Breath potion.
-Potion Information-
A potion that produces the hottest breath among the breaths of the fire giants that breathe unquenchable flames. (20 points)
Zick checked the price posted next to the information.
"20 points for one potion."
Points could be used to acquire other skills or open up systems, so they had to be chosen carefully.
The list of shop items allowed to junior managers included only regular potions, strengthening potions, minor scrolls containing simple magic, and minor runestones.
All of the low-grade items listed in the shop window were things that could only be found at ancient ruins, so there was nothing that was not valuable.
Zig tried purchasing the 'Wings of the Sky', which could be purchased with a small number of points.
It was described as increasing agility.
[The item you purchased will be moved to your inventory.] [5 points will be deducted.] [You have completed the tutorial mission.] [A low-level scroll will be randomly awarded as a reward.]
"Lower-level scroll? It wasn't just about giving points as a reward."
Zig opened the inventory window.
Potions and scrolls appeared in the empty spaces.
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I took the potion out of my inventory and found myself holding a bottle of clear blue liquid in my hand.
I took out the scroll and checked the information, and it contained the 'Shield' magic.
It seemed like I could make a huge profit if I bought items from the store and put them up for auction.
If you go to the island nation of Dorta Republic, there is an auction market that specializes in ancient relics. It is a place frequented by the magicians of Nirvana and the magicians of the Magic Tower, so you can sell ancient items at good prices.
"Once you start hunting monsters and collect a lot of Karma Points, you can buy things that you can sell for a high price and put them up for auction."
I thought it might be useful when I left the Draker family and created my own force.
This time, Zik pressed the sell button instead of the buy button.
[Please place the item you wish to sell in the inventory window.]
He placed the claymore he was holding into his inventory window.
But then a warning message popped up.
[This item cannot be sold.]
"Oh. Why not?"
After thinking about it, Zeke put one of the ancient items spread out on the training grounds into his inventory.
[Would you like to sell 'A Dagger Useful for Camping'? / Selling price 4 points]
Only ancient items could be sold in the shop. Since all the items available for purchase were ancient items, it seemed that only ancient items could be sold.
"But the selling point is too low. If I sell this at the auction house, I'll get at least 100 gold."
The sales side has poor cost-effectiveness.
Selling was something he didn't think he'd use, so Zig looked at the rest. Disassembly was a function that allowed him to extract the raw materials of ancient items by paying a certain number of points, while Repair was a function that literally restored damaged items.
Both were inefficient per point.
The item's disassembly, repair, and strengthening items were locked, so they could not be used yet.
Zig nodded after carefully looking over the list of items for purchase and sale.
"I have a rough idea of how to use it. As you move up the ranks from lower level manager, the list of items you can buy will also expand."
Zeke decided to hunt monsters and earn karma points as quickly as possible.
After organizing his new acquisitions, he moved the artifacts to a secure storage facility.
Zig, who thought he should take the opportunity to deposit it in the vault of the Northern Bank run by the small people, ended the day with that.
* * *
He went straight to see Professor Payne the next day.
Then he took out the compressed magic stone he had brought in front of him.
Payne was really surprised to see Zigg bring the compression magic stone.
"Hey, how did you get this?"
"It's hard to give you specifics. When will the drive system be completed? Please do so as soon as possible."
At those words, Payne looked at Zeke and said.
"The driving calculations have already been completed."
Zeke was rather surprised by those words.
"Huh? Already?"
"It's not that difficult of a structure to design, as long as you have a high-pressure magic stone."
Zeke realized that Payne's skills were no ordinary skill.
'That would be quite useful.'
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I thought he was a talent too good to be stuck as an academy instructor.
Anyway, when he heard that the drivetrain was complete, Zig jumped up from his seat.
"Professor, let's go."
"Huh? Where are you talking about?"
"Where are you going? To make a brazier."
* * *
Once the compressed magic stone and the drive mechanism were ready, the process of making the magic furnace proceeded at a rapid pace.
When Zeke called the workers and set up a furnace on one side of the forge, Gelion looked incredulous.
"Are you really going to make me a magic brazier?"
"You promised. But there is a condition. You must make me a sword. Not an ordinary sword, but your masterpiece."
Zeke was anxious that perhaps the young Gelion's skills were lacking and the Sun Sword Gram would not come out.
That's why I said it with some emphasis, but Gellion, who couldn't know what Zig was thinking, was shedding tears.
"Your Majesty! You are my lifelong benefactor!"
Gelion was more touched than when Zeke saved his life in his previous life.
The furnace installation took only a few days.
Payne participated enthusiastically in the work. He held the design drawings on site and gave precise construction instructions to the workers.
Thanks to this, the magic furnace was able to achieve much higher efficiency than what Gelion had designed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The furnace began to operate as Payne activated the magical drive.
Gelion shed tears of joy as he watched the blue flames coming out of the brazier.
"Ah! I really hope I can finish this furnace before I die!"
Payne was also satisfied with the finished brazier.
"With this level of efficiency, it could probably easily last 100 years."
"Thank you, Professor! Thank you!"
After Professor Payne finished checking the furnace, he returned to the academy first for his lecture.
Zig spoke secretly to the two men, Gellion and him.
"Gellion. I have a favor to ask of you. Can you keep a secret?"
Gelion pounded his chest with his fist in excitement.
"It is a request from my benefactor, so it is natural! I, Gelion, will take your secret with me to the grave."
Since I knew from my past life how hard-core Gelion was, I actually had no worries about the secret getting out.
He took out the fang of Bahamut that he had brought in a box and put it in front of Gelion.
"Me, Your Majesty. What is this?"
"The dragon's strongest fang. Have you ever seen it?"
Gelion was startled by Zeke's words.
"Hey, dragon fang?"
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Gellion had never seen a dragon's tooth so intact.
Not only that, but any blacksmith on the continent would have been similar.
Zig calmed down the surprised Gelion and continued speaking.
"Make me a sword with this."
When Gelion heard those words, his whole body trembled.
"Are you saying that you will entrust something precious to me?"
"Why, aren't you confident?"
Then Gelion suddenly stood up from his seat.
He shouted, blowing out his breath.
"How could that be! I, Gelion, will risk my life to make your sword!"
"No, you don't have to risk your life. That would be burdensome."
I feel this every time, but this diehard blacksmith didn't know moderation.
Gelion looked excitedly at the Bahamut fang that Zeke had brought him, seeing what he was going to do.
"Haa… … This color, this feeling."
He took a deep breath, wiping his fangs with his palm.
Seeing such a Gelion, Zig shook his head.
'In my previous life, I had a somewhat masterful air. Well, it doesn't matter as long as I'm good at making swords.'
Zeke slowly got up from his seat.
"Then please. Make me a sword that fits me perfectly."
Then Gelion got up and approached Zeke.
"Your Majesty, may I ask you one favor?"
Zeke nodded as he watched Gelion suddenly speak in a serious voice.
"Something."
"May I look into your eyes for a moment?"
Zeke's eyebrows twitched at those words.
It was because Gelion's words from his previous life came to mind.
'Gellion, can you really read people's souls and create swords that match their mood?'
'I don't know about reading souls, but when I make a really important sword, I look into the eyes of the person who will use it.'
'Eyes? Does it have any special meaning?'
'It's hard to explain in words, but when you look into the eyes, you feel something. Is it the user's emotions, or maybe their will? It's hard to express it exactly.'
The young craftsman in front of him was looking at Zig with eyes that were not much different from when he was a future master, or perhaps even more passionate.
He nodded.
"If you want, then do so."
Gelion carefully looked into Zeke's eyes.
After staring at it for a while, Gelion carefully closed his eyes.
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And then, as expected, he stayed like that for a while before quietly opening his eyes.
"Thank you for your impertinent request, Your Majesty."
He immediately placed Bahamut's fang into the magic furnace.
Then, without saying a word, he looked into the fangs and flames inside the brazier.
Seeing such a Gelion, Zig quietly left the forge so as not to disturb him.
'I guess I worried for nothing.'
Zeke headed back to the academy, anticipating what kind of sword would be made.
* * *
When Zeke returned to the Academy and came up to the Platinum Floor, there was someone sitting in the reception room.
"Elder?"
To my surprise, Duke Draker was sprawled out on the sofa, pulling out a bunch of expensive liquor and pouring it into his mouth.
He shouted at Zeke with a red, drunken face.
"Hey, where have you been and why are you only coming back now!"
"What is going on here? No, how did you get into the Platinum Floor, which is off-limits to outsiders in the first place?"
Then the Duke opened his mouth wide and roared.
"Poohahaha! You idiot, do you know who I am to say such things! There is no place Draker has made that I cannot enter!"
Zeke, who knew his true identity, understood what that meant, but pretended not to know and responded.
"You seem to have had a lot to drink. Please go back and rest."
Then Duke jumped up and shouted at Zeke.
"You little punk! I left a message, why didn't you come back?"
"I still don't feel like trying again."
"You arrogant bastard! If I just lined up all the guys who insist on learning something from me, it would take a whole lap of the central training ground, you idiot!"
"Then why don't you take those people and teach them? Why do you keep coming to people who say they don't like you?"
Duke ground his teeth inwardly at Zeke's words.
He jumped up and said to Zeke.
"Okay. Let me introduce myself formally."
Phew!
At the same time, intoxication slowly began to seep out of Duke's body like fog.
His face, which had turned bright red, instantly returned to normal.
He said, looking down at Zeke with a serious expression.
"My name is Duke Draker. I was once a Black Knight of Draker."