Parasites, Magic And Revenge

As they approached the trainers and blacksmiths who were talking amongst themselves, Raven noticed three trainers and one blacksmith. While their equipment didn’t look too fancy, he could tell at a glance that they were strong. However, their power couldn’t even compare to the energy that emanated from Lord Edward, not by a long shot. The conversation of the four people slowly halted as they noticed Raven and Miles approaching, and they greeted Miles with a bow: "Welcome, young master." Miles greeted them in return, and then, with a sudden seriousness, said, "This is my best friend, even my adopted brother. If I see you bullying him or putting him through anything beyond normal training, I’ll report it to my father immediately." The four murmured and bowed their heads, saying, "Understood, young master."

Meanwhile, the blacksmith had lit his cigarette and began forging. Raven, though not particularly interested in blacksmithing, suddenly started watching because it was clear this man was a master. Miles walked up beside Raven and put his arm around his shoulder. Since there was a height difference, Raven was a bit shorter—after all, he hadn’t been well-nourished. While Raven stood at around 178 cm, Miles was 184 cm. Suddenly, Raven got excited and asked loudly, "What level is the weapon you're making?" The blacksmith paused, glanced back, and then resumed hammering. Miles fell silent, and then the blacksmith's voice echoed: "An Advanced-level weapon—Shadow Dagger of the Blood Bat." For some reason, Raven’s heart started racing. This was above the basic level, and though he didn’t know what a Blood Bat was, it sounded cool and intimidating.

"How much does it cost?" Raven asked. The blacksmith smirked and responded without delay: "12,000 credits. Do you have that kind of money, kid?" Miles knew that Edric, the blacksmith, wasn’t mocking them, despite his grin. Still, Miles couldn’t bear to see his friend embarrassed and quickly said, "We’ll take it." Raven was stunned by what Miles had said. He had never seen that much money in his life, let alone spent it. But Miles was determined. He pulled the cash from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Let me know when it's ready, old man," he said. Edric laughed even more and replied, "I’m not that old yet." As they walked away, Raven and Miles arrived at the weapon wall. There were many weapons, all either basic or advanced level. It was easy to tell the difference in appearance between the basic and advanced ones.

Raven couldn’t help but wonder what the higher levels were like if there was already such a noticeable difference between the lowest two. The basic weapons were more colorless, with simple sword and dagger designs—most had leather hilts and iron blades. While some looked sturdier and more well-made, it was still clear that they were basic level. In contrast, the advanced-level weapons had their own color schemes, and their hilts were made from various unique metals. Breaking the silence, Raven asked, "Are we allowed to use the advanced ones?" Miles examined the weapons a bit longer before replying, "Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t be able to. They’re probably much heavier due to the metals they’re made of, and for beginners, it’s either impossible to lift or too difficult to control. What matters more than the power of a weapon is how well you can control it." Raven, who had never used a weapon before, found this logic sound. Yet, still curious, he reached for an advanced-level dagger. It had a strange, sharp, snake-like point that was incredibly sharp.

As soon as he lifted it off its stand, Raven realized how heavy it was for a dagger. It had to be at least 10 kilograms. It wasn’t too heavy for him to lift, but if he tried to use it in combat, he wouldn’t be able to wield it quickly, which is a dagger’s primary strength. So, he placed it back and thought to himself: if he couldn’t lift this, the Shadow Dagger of the Blood Bat that Edric was making would likely be the same weight. That meant he wouldn’t be able to use it either. Therefore, he resolved to get stronger before the dagger was finished.