Lukas stared at the sword, and he had to admit that he was entranced.
The bastard sword looked beautiful, the blade made out of a smokey grey steel, making it ripple from the light around them.
The blade was 110cm long and tapered down to a pale colored cross guard, a leather bound 30cm grip, with an equally pale pommel to complete the hilt.
Melody slowly lifted it from its rack, and presented it to Lukas.
Lukas reached out and gripped the hilt, feeling it sit comfortably in his hand. He lifted it easily, his strength stat making it feel weightless in his hands.
He gripped it with both hands and swung, the sword feeling comfortable in his hands, like an old friend.
The surface of the steel rippled as it swung through the air. The sword was a hybrid between an arming sword and a long sword, which meant he could use it either one-handed or two-handed.
"I was right," Melody said, voice low. "This is it."
"Yes." Lukas grinned, not taking his eyes off the sword.
The store assistant that had been trailing behind them immediately stepped forward. "Would you like us to wrap that for you, sir?"
"No need." Lukas replied. "Just get me the scabbard and a strap, and we'd pay for it."
"Very well." The assistant smiled. "This way."
They followed the man to a private corner of the store, where they could sit and wait as he left to retrieve the scabbard and straps. He'd also left them with the bill.
"Three hundred gold coins." Lukas whistled.
"A fair price for a sword of this quality." Melody nodded. "But still I'm surprised though. How is an ordinary steel sword more expensive than a money pouch?"
"It's actually quite simple." Lukas answered. "Ordinary weapons are mostly bought by new Awakeners as most veterans prefer to use [Items]. Most combat [Items] are very expensive, making the price for normal weapons look reasonable. A sword at 300 coins is actually a steal when the same sword but enchanted costs upwards of 1000 coins."
"But with money pouches, it's different. Every adult uses a money pouch, and every year, there will always be new adults. And others would also keep wearing out their old pouches."
"Inevitably, there will always be new customers. The demand is high and the supply is high, making them a common product. If they ever try to raise the price, all they would get would be a boycott as people revert to using chests instead. So, it's in their best interest to keep money pouches cheap and accessible."
The assistant finally returned, handing them the scabbard and straps. Lukas paid for everything, then Melody helped him with the straps and a minute later, he had also strapped his new sword to his back, just like her.
Lukas was itching to immediately try [Cursed Blade] but he restrained himself. This was not the right time nor location for that.
He and Melody left the store, heading to their next destination. They dropped by a tailor's shop specializing in female wear, where they placed an order for clothes.
After the tailors took Melody's measurements, which Lukas committed to memory, they left the store, a hundred coins poorer.
All they had left was the hundred gold coins in Melody's possession. But this was not the end of their journey today. It was time to head to the most important destination.
"To the hunting grounds!" Melody cheered.
They made their way on foot to the city gate, Lukas thanking his lucky stars that he loved near it. Even though it was a Tier 4 city, Havenhart was very large, so walking from the inner city to the gate would have been a big hassle.
They joined the stream of Awakeners who were also on their way outside, the guards stationed at the gate collecting a fee from each one of them.
Lukas had no idea how much it cost to leave the city as he'd never done that before. He only hoped he could afford it.
Before long, it was their turn. As they stepped forward, one of the guards joked. "Are you guys entertainers or what? Awakeners have no business looking this good, you know."
"That was exactly what I said to my parents, but they went ahead and gave birth to me with this face anyways." Lukas joked back.
The man chuckled, before turning to the business at hand. "Exiting the city? That's thirty gold coins per person."
On one hand, it was cheap. And with the number of Awakeners that left the city daily, it was a lucrative income stream for the city.
On the other hand, Lukas was so broke that even a thirty gold fee for him and his wife would leave him almost penniless.
"And how much is it to enter the city?" He couldn't help but ask.
"That one's free. The city loves people entering. But exiting? That one you've got to pay for."
"That's good." Lukas nodded, fishing into his money pouch. At least, he wouldn't have to worry about not having enough money to enter the city again.
"Is that not the rat?" A familiar voice reached their ears. "Struggling to pay the gate fee? I always knew you were wretched, but this is another level of poverty that I'll never be able to witness if I didn't meet you here."
Lukas looked up to see Kylo striding confidently towards them. He was flanked by three armored C-rank Awakeners, and judging by the fact that they were entering the city, that meant Kylo's family had paid for them to help Kylo with his leveling.
Lukas turned to the guard, handing him sixty gold coins.
"I didn't know you guys had a zoo here," he said. "If I didn't come, I wouldn't have been able to see a donkey yapping shit."
Kylo's expression hardened, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of the sword at his side. He stopped a few feet away from Lukas.
"I see that you still haven't learnt your lesson. As an upstanding member of society, I guess the duty falls to me to remind you of your place."
Lukas took a step closer, his hands balling into fists. "I don't need you to tell me my place, Kylo. I already know it's the place where I grind your face into the ground with my boot."
Kylo's sword was halfway out of its scabbard when the guard caught his arm.
"No fighting at the gate, youngblood." The man said, voice hard. "Take your fighting somewhere else."
Kylo glared at the man for a few seconds, before stepping back. "Don't let me see you again, Lukas," he hissed. "Or you'll regret it."
Lukas said nothing, watching him leave. And at that moment, a familiar chime rang in his ears.
Ding!
[Quest: Life Would Be Boring Without A Little Face Slapping]
[Defeat Kylo Rivers in single combat, grind his face into the ground, and show him his place.]
[Reward: +100 Gacha points]
[Penalty: Extreme physical pain for 8 hours]
Lukas smiled at the quest. He gets to beat Kylo's annoying face to a pulp and would even be rewarded along with it? This was what life was supposed to be about.
He and Melody finally walked out of the city gates, heading towards one of the more quieter zones. The Bamboo Forest.
It was a large forest filled with only bamboo trees. Here, the monsters were kept at E-rank, and not a lot of people ventured to this area.
When they finally arrived at a large clearing, they stopped, staring at each other.
It was time to try out [Cursed Blade] and kill monsters.