Chapter 14: Village Below the Mist II
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He felt the quiet hum of the system pulsing through him, felt the energy around his ring responding like ripples in a still pond. The question seemed simple, yet his mind flooded with possibilities. There were options now. Real ones. After all the years of suffering, of being stepped on, ignored, beaten. Now he could choose.
He thought first of the mana gun. His previous crafted weapon. It was sleek. Powerful. A weapon of terrifying precision. But expensive. It used rare materials and drained a mana core with every three shots. The reload process was not quick either. It would make a loud noise. Bright flashes. Too much attention.
Not ideal for a poor person like him. Not for everyday use. Not yet.
The mana gun is strong and useful, yes. But it was not meant for every fight. It was a weapon to pull out when there were no other options. A last resort. A tool of surprise or desperation. Not a weapon you wore at your side. Not something you carried through markets and fields without drawing eyes.
He needed something different.
Something that could be shown in public without making people flinch. Something that felt natural in a Seventeen years old boy’s hand. Not a weapon that screamed unknown danger, but one that whispered warning. Something reliable. Simple. Personal.
He let his breath slow. Let the noise in his thoughts fall away.
He pictured it in his mind. Not heavy. Not fancy. A single edge. A good grip. Something he could wield and train with. Something he could sharpen himself. Something that would never run out of ammunition. Maybe... A blade.
"A blade," he said aloud.
The system stirred. And the world around him began to shift. The glow of the forge table cast pale light across the temple stones.
John sat cross legged in front of it, arms resting on his knees, eyes focused on the screen hovering silently above the surface. It was shaped like a window made of starlight and breath, soft at the edges, but every word within it was sharp. Precise.