'Noise of hammers slamming'
"So this is the blacksmith district, this is the first time I've come here." -Said Mark curiously.
"This place is great you know? Here there are some of the best blacksmiths that even Hephaestus approves of. Oh here it is the laboratory I was looking for." -Said Tiona while knocking on the door of the laboratory.
"Hey, Tsubaki! Open the door." -Said Tiona while knocking loudly.
"Tiona, how many times have I told you not to cause this mess?" -Told the woman who had opened the door.
The woman had a Tiona-like complexion, long black hair, red eyes, and wore a patch over her left eye. She had a well-endowed chest that she held in a sarashi and wore a red hakama and sandals.
'Oh? Although she is a blacksmith, her strength is not a joke. '- Mark thought with interest. From the size of the aura, it could estimate that she was around level 5.
"So why here? I thought your weapon was already fixed. " -Tsubaki asked.
"Today I did not come for myself, but for him. He needs new equipment. " -Tiona told her.
"Nice to meet you, Mark Tormeto." -Said Mark as he reached out his hand.
"I'm Tsubaki Collbrande, so you are the boy who is said to have killed that infant dragon. Well, come in." -She told him returning the squeeze.
Once inside, Mark could see the shop full of weapons and armor and behind the counter, there was a door from which tremendous heat came out.
"So Mark what do you need?" - She asked him smiling.
"I'll need a one-handed sword, as that's the one I've always used. For the armor, I need it to protect the limbs and chest, but not restrain my movements. " -Explained Mark.
"I understand, well now undress." - Tsubaki told him.
Looking at her strangely, Tiona intervened.
"Tsubaki you have to explain that it is to take the measurements, otherwise he might misunderstand." -Said Tiona shaking her head.
"Oh... right, well I wouldn't mind if he misunderstood, but you have to be stronger if you want to woo me, hahaha." -Tsubaki laughed cheerfully.
"Let's finish this thing quickly, where I can take off my clothes." -Said Mark, as his patience ran out. It seemed to him that he was dealing with another Tiona.
"There is a dressing room there, you need to stay in your underwear."
Nodding to her words, Mark headed for the dressing room, where he took off his clothes, remaining only in his underwear.
"Nice physique boy, but it looks like someone wanted to spoil it." - Tsubaki said as she pointed to his shoulder.
In fact, Mark's body had become more defined, his muscles were moderate in size, but you could see the strength they hid inside. In this world, the concept of muscles didn't have much value, let's take Finn as a reference. Despite having a small body with few visible muscles, with a simple punch, he could destroy a boulder, due to the existence of the status.
Mark in addition to increasing his stats, continued to train his body to get used to the changes better, for this he had a defined physique, but it was ruined by a large scar on his shoulder. Obviously, the scar comes from the wound that the dragon had done to him, if he wanted to, he could remove it using potions, but he had decided to keep it as a reminder to never underestimate an enemy.
As Mark reflected on those things, Tsubaki had started to get to work, touching every part of Mark's body, while watching him intently. Usually, Mark would be annoyed if someone touched his body, but he could see in Tsubaki's eyes, only the attention to every detail of his body without other sentiments.
After a half-hour of checking, Tsubaki walked away with her eyes closed, reflecting on something, and then writing on paper.
"I got an idea, come in a couple of days and you will find them ready." - Tsubaki said confidently.
Having finished, they returned to the main room, where Tiona was waiting.
"Did you finish?"
"It's all right, a couple of days and it's ready. But I was wondering if by chance you were sick. " - Tsubaki said worriedly.
"What do you mean?" -Mark asked confused.
"Well usually when I measure guys they always have a reaction, but you've always been..." -She said as she looked at Mark's lower area, making Tiona blush.
"...I don't even want to answer." -Said without words Mark, as he left the shop, followed by Tiona.
"See you in a couple of days!" - Tsubaki greeted them.
After they walked away for a bit, Tiona talked to him.
"Mark don't worry, there are many potions, you will be able to find some that can heal you." - She said reassuringly.
"Do you realize it was a joke, right?" - Mark told her, while he put his hand on his face.
"Oh! Su-sure, Do you think I didn't understand it? ha ha ha. " -Said Tiona, as she turned her gaze.
Walking with embarrassment, as soon as they reached the base, Tiona immediately entered. Meanwhile, Mark headed for the walls where he usually trained. Since he couldn't fight yet and both the magic and 'golem heart' were out of the question, he decided to feel the aura.
"So there is no advice or trick?" - Mark asked for confirmation.
[Exactly, it all depends on your skills, if you can master it.] -Explained the Guide.
Nodding to his words, Mark controlled his arms, from which the aura came out. He had tried to see himself in the mirror, but it seemed to have no effect, so he couldn't get a general picture of his aura.
"Then let's try." - Sitting up, he first concentrated on analyzing the aura coming out of the arms.
It was hard to describe in words, it seemed like an ethereal flame surrounding the body. It moved in a disorderly but calm way, swaying with his own breath. He tried to touch the aura with his hand, but as if it didn't exist, the hand went through it quietly without causing any change.
He also tried to see how it changed based on feelings. He thought of memories that caused him anger, such as the memory of the fragment breaking, making the aura red and completely chaotic, then he thought of happier memories, such as his family and the time on Earth, which changed the color of the aura to green and became calmer.
He did various tests and each of them changed the behavior of the aura and its color, but he still couldn't do anything with it. He could only see it, without being able to control it, it was just like a shadow.
"No success." -Said Mark, as he lay down on the floor of the walls while checking the now dark sky.
"It seems I didn't get any results today." - Mark said disappointed.
[It is normal host, if you had been able to do this on the first try, I would doubt my knowledge.]
"Heavy words, well it's better to come back. Today nobody should be watching me at night, so I can finally absorb the fragment." -Mark said to himself as he got up and headed for the vila.
(A few minutes after.)
Walking quietly through the streets, he arrived at the gates of the villa, but when he met the other person's eyes, he smacked his lips.
"Tch" (x2)
Not wanting to waste time with Bete, he passed him when he heard him speak.
"Don't get over your head just because you've leveled up, you're still weak." - He said disdainfully.
Not even turning around, Mark continued walking when he heard him raise his voice.
"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!"
"Bete, how about playing a game." -Mark told him as he turned around smiling.
"...Eh?" - Taken aback by Mark's words, he didn't know how to react.
"The game is simple, I close my eyes and you get out of my fucking sight." -Mark said cheerfully.
"...It's amazing, how you always manage to infuriate me." -Said Bete, with veins sticking out of her head.
"I find it even more surprising that you get angry so easily, is your fuse of anger so small?" - Mark said mockingly, as he pointed to the lower area of Bete.
"Y-YOU!" - Now Bete's anger was over when Finn's voice was heard.
"What are you two doing?" - Finn said he had just arrived with Loki.
"Nothing special, I was just joking with Bete, wasn't I?" -Said Mark, while smiling at him.
"Tch, I'm going to the tavern." -Bete said irritably, as he left.
"Haaa, Mark try not to tease him too much, you know he gets angry easily." - Finn said.
"I'll do my best, but where do you come from?" -Mark asked him, as he entered with them.
"We went to the guild to let them know that both yours and Aiz's level increased. You can't understand how many questions they asked us, about the fact that it is impossible for a person who has unlocked the status less than two months to level up. " - Finn said wearily.
"It looks like you're going to be popular tomorrow, Mark." -Loki told him.
"Not that I care that much." - Mark said calmly.
"Mark, in ten days I'm going to do a new exploration to go to the 59th floor, do you feel like doing it?" -Finn asked seriously.
Hearing his words, Mark had to think carefully. Exploring the dungeon would allow him to learn new things and could detect other fragments, but there was the problem with his magic. Riveria told him that he could not use a spell for a week, but even after that time, his magic would still be limited for at least a month.
"Yes, I feel ready." -Confirmed Mark. He saw the situation as a possibility for not always relying on magic.
"Perfect." -After receiving confirmation from Mak, Finn and Loki greeted him.
After parting from them, he had a quick dinner, as it was late, and went straight to his room. When he saw that no one was there, he got on the bed and positioned the fragment near his head as he did the last time.
[In a couple of minutes it will be midnight and I will start the operation] -Said the Guide.
Nodding, he waited with his eyes closed, and when the time hit midnight, the shard began to glow. At that point, he felt something inside him stretch towards the fragment, no longer solid, before absorbing it.
'Could that be the aura?' - Mark thought as he fell asleep.