Unboarding the truck, Damien looked at the driver, bowed, and said,
"Thanks for the lift."
"Take care of yourself, kid," the man replied, and drove off.
Taking a deep breath, Damien muttered,
"Phew… finally, I'm here."
He had arrived in Lumora—a city known for its bustling, low-cost weapon market. It was a haven for newly awakened individuals from humble backgrounds, where decent gear could be found without draining a fortune.
He scanned the surroundings, taking in every detail of the city.
Lumora's marketplace was lively and slightly crowded, packed with a range of stores—from shiny branded weapon outlets to humble blacksmith stalls.
Knowing his current condition all too well, Damien headed first to a public restroom to freshen up.
---
Now cleaned up and looking less like a street vagrant, he sighed.
"Okay. No longer looking like a brutally bullied kid any more."
He knew where to sell mana cores. But without a hunter license, he wouldn't get fair market value. The black market was an option—but he immediately shook his head.
"Why sell to the black market when I already know potential buyers?"
"I remember some small blacksmith shops that'd definitely be interested."
In the competitive world of forging mana-enhanced weapons, big stores hoarded all the limited mana cores from licensed hunters… leaving nothing for small shops.
He knew exactly where to go for the best deal.
---
Standing before an old shop with a faded sign, he pushed the creaky door open.
Despite its worn-down exterior, the inside was clean and well-maintained. His eyes skimmed across racks of swords, spears, daggers, battle axes, and more. But his attention shifted to the man behind the counter.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a deep tan, short buzzed hair, and a neat, medium-sized mustache. His black-brown eyes studied Damien with a calm, assessing gaze.
He didn't look like it, but he is a big enthusiast of forging mana core weapon. He has already spent a fortune to get mana core from anywhere.
The blacksmith gave a polite nod. "You don't look like someone who's ever held a weapon. What can I do for you, kid?"
His eyes twitched.
'You should've seen me in the dungeon,' Damien thought, mildly offended.
Without a word, he pulled out the sack of mana cores and placed it on the counter.
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow and examined the contents, then glanced up at Damien, who was wearing a faint smile.
"You don't look like a hunter. Where'd you get these?"
"That's not important. Do you want them or not?" Damien replied, a playful edge to his tone.
The blacksmith hesitated, sighed, then said,
"Alright. What're you looking for in exchange?"
"Just a couple of good weapons."
The blacksmith frowned. "You can take whatever fits the market value of these cores."
Damien gritting his teeth.
'I doubt this will even cover the cost of a proper sword,' he thought.
He called out mentally, 'System, what should I do? One good weapon or several cheaper ones?'
A system window popped up—unseen by the blacksmith.
> [Poor-quality weapons can be compensated for through awakening. They won't match the strength of a premium weapon, but quantity can offer flexibility.]
Damien nodded to himself.
'You're right. My jacket, gloves, and shoes helped way more than some of the knives. And I didn't even use some of them.'
He hesitated again.
'But I also shouldn't buy things I can't equip during battle at once… but this will not cover a full chest plate or helmet anyway.'
His thoughts were interrupted by the blacksmith.
"Done thinking?"
Damien looked up. "Do you have anything wearable I can afford with this?"
The blacksmith gave a short nod. "It'll cover a bracer."
"…And one weapon too?" Damien asked hopefully.
The man frowned. "No, kid. Not even close."
"Oh come on, sir. It can easily cover for one or two low grade weapon?"
"No," the blacksmith replied flatly.
"Not even one." He asked weakly little nervous and embarrassed from the bargain.
Shopkeeper sighed.
He stood, walked over to a rack of spears, and pulled down most dull looking one. It had a simple wooden shaft and a longer-than-usual metal spearhead with sharp edges and slight curves.
"You can take this one. It's only been gathering dust."
A faint grin touched Damien's lips.
The blacksmith then fetched a metallic arm bracer—sleek, simple, and sturdy. He handed both over.
In return, Damien offered the full sack of 46 mana cores, 11 of which were higher quality.
"Thanks, sir."
"Come again," the blacksmith replied with a slight nod.
---
"Phew… that was harder than I expected," Damien muttered outside. "Still, can't believe he agreed. Guess he really needed those cores."
Stage-1 monster cores weren't worth much. They are virtually free if you found an hidden stage 1 dungeon since it can be cleared by mundane person. But technology and security so advance lin city no dungeon get pass unnoticed by Hunter Association. They never let unlicensed person to enter any dungeon.
When it came to market all are bought by big weapon brands.
Basically, big brands brought low grade mana cores just to extract it's remaining mana and use them as mana storage like crystals in their weapons.
Low-grade mana cores have poor mana channelling capacity as well as a very short range, Giving weapons very very weak enhancement.
It might've looked like Damien got a sweet deal getting two piece of metal with cheap cores, but not. With magi-tech advancement, metal was no longer expensive. Efficient mining and refining tech had made even enchanted gear cheaper than ever.
He glanced at the long spear in his hand, the tip capped with a soft rubber sheath, its shaft reaching above his head.
"I bought it, but how am I going to sneak this into the academy unnoticed?"
"I can't put it in my inventory until it awakens…"
He paused.
"…Can I hide it with [Stealth]?"
> [Anything touching your body before activating [Stealth] will remain invisible, as long as it maintains contact.]
"Whoa… That's amazing."
His eyes lit up. "I seriously underestimated Stealth ability of his jacket…"
---
As he strolled through the city, Damien noticed a group of academy students nearby. They weren't from his batch or division, actually he didn't know, but the academy-issued watches made them easy to identify.
They were deep in conversation, serious expressions on their faces.
There were no instructors since they don't want students to feel awkward, actually they could easily locate them with Their watch. They are also not allowed to cross a certain range, Their watch indicate them and the instructor when they are about to cross.
He considered approaching near them but decided against it.
"Can't be late for lunch. I'm starving."
He glanced down the long road leading out of the city and frowned.
"This is going to be a long, exhausting walk…"
"Maybe I'll get lucky again and hitch a ride."
---
Unfortunately, no ride came. After walking for over an hour under the blazing sun, he finally neared the academy.
Walking under the shed of trees.
Only a few hundred meters from the main gate, he heard something—a vehicle approaching from Lumora.
He quickly hid behind a tree.
It was an academy bus, bringing students back from the city.
He increased paced so he could times his entrance.
[stealth] duration is only for 10 min which is a lot but not to cover a distance of few hundred metres. And also he don't want to grandly introduce his arrival with [sprint].
So he was bound to appear out of nowhere in the academy, with no answer for his presence.
So atleast he can do is to make other think he could be with the arrived student.
---
From a distance, hidden behind trees, he watched the main gate.
But something was off. This time, the entrance was heavily guarded.
His heart sank.
'Why… Why is it so guarded today?!'
A cold realization gripped him.
His face paled. His body froze.
Sweat dripped down his temple.
"…Did they find out I snuck out?"