An idea flashed through his mind—one that could allow him to wear expensive duplicated armor while gaining exp without having to explain where he got it.

Simply put, he could always duplicate powerful weapons and protective gear, provided it is limited in size and volume, but to freely use it, he must find a way to somehow explain to others how he got such equipment.

But what if he didn't need to?

"hmm?"

As Axis was thinking about something, Harold noticed someone familiar entering the bar.

It was a middle-aged, haggard man wearing a factory suit. Tiredness was evident on his face.

He walked with heavy footsteps and sat by the counter and said to Harold:

"I'd like to increase the reward."

He said this with a deep voice as he sat by the stool and slowly took out his credit chip.

Axis just noticed the man...He secretly listened in.

"Another 50."

Harold nodded and simply said, "Alright."

But Axis was disappointed as the man said no more. He planned to ask Harold later for more.

He then suddenly heard some sniffling.

Axis slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

Then Axis saw Harold sent him a message.

[Harold: It was the father who commissioned his daughter to be rescued; he just increased the reward by another 50 credits.]

'Its him?'

Axis couldn't stop his curiosity as he slightly turned to the side. He saw the man dazed, with a lost look in his eyes, while he kept wiping away his tears.

He immediately stopped looking and regretted taking a peek.

'This city... Enough to make a grown man cry.

He once again sighed deeply. He grabbed his drink and finished the glass in one go as he felt the cold and slightly bittersweet taste wash down his throat.

"Refreshing~"

He brought down the glass as it made a thud sound, he paid Harold, and left the bar.

[Harold: Don't do it... too risky]

Outside, Axis headed to his car and saw Harold's message. He rolled his eyes at seeing his message.

"I fucking won't."

He replied. 'Seriously, Did he think I was some goody-two shoes guy? If the price was higher, maybe, but a hundred credits for a chance of being placed on bounty by NOPs? No way in hell'

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

He got into his car and drove off.

A small map appeared in the corner of his eyes as he headed somewhere. Yesterday, because he was in bed, mostly asleep the whole time because of the anesthesia, he wasted a chance to duplicate something, and unfortunately, the ability doesn't stack.

And looking at the cybernet wasn't enough, so...

After driving for a while, he came to a large fancy black building... He saw some ripperbots guarding the entrance and a large hologram reaching up to the heavens with advertisements and the word [Militech Civ].

It was one of the two physical shops of Militech gears that is available to civilians.

He was about to park in one of the spaces designated for customers, but when he saw the fancy cars lined up, Axis got embarrassed, slowly reversed, and parked a bit far from the building.

He looked up and saw the tall building, which was more than a hundred stories tall. It was entirely owned by Militech, with the ground floor used only for shopping.

His brother used to take him to these places, not to buy things. In the first place, they didn't have enough money, but to tell him what we could achieve and afford if they worked hard.

He entered the building and was immediately confronted with what seemed like a museum but for equipment. Or like a fancy car show.

Holograms of the items being sold were displayed all over the place with their descriptions and prices. As well as a sample of the items.

And like tourists, people crowded each hologram.

[Using a new polyester synthetic titanium, which is very light but without ignoring its tenacity, these thrusters]

Axis slowly explored the place while listening to what each hologram did.

He still wasn't sure what to get. 'Hehe, It's like I'm shopping, except I'll walk out of here with new gear without paying anything, Ax thought.

Just as he was headed to the weapons section, he noticed a small commotion.

"Is that..?"

"Hunters... And no ordinary ones as well."

[Oh, I recognized their logo."

"The Embers...."

Axis narrowed his eyes and looked to where some people were looking. Three men and one woman walked to the weapons section with confidence in their steps.

One of them was quite large; it was obvious that he replaced most of his body with cyberware.

They had a different air about them, one that was different from the tough guys he was usually familiar with.

He saw a log of fire and a sword on one of his backs.

'Hunters....'

Militechs, one of the suppliers of NOP that keeps the 'peace' of the city, also sells weapons to ordinary civilians.

Quite ironic.

But it wasn't because Militechs is happy to see bottom feeders cause chaos among themselves or that they give little care for these kinds of people in the city, nor were they in it for profits...

Well, maybe they are... But it wasn't just because of those...

The world has already been conquered by monsters. And naturally, humanity wants to take it back.

And so were born hunters—some liked to call them ravagers, collectors, and even salvagers.

They are people who dive deep outside to hunt variants or find any relics left by the old civilization.

Quite heroic and adventurous jobs, but the truth was, anybody with a gun could venture out of the city.

Neodurn actually encourages the citizens to go out and fight with variants to get humanity back on top of the food chain. There is even a large reward for every variant you kill and bring.

Although he had never been outside, his brother had been during one of his missions.

To be able to stand out and make a name for themselves, these guys, Embers, were top-notch in the industry.

"Why are we here? Most of the stuff out in the open is garbage anyway."

Axis vaguely heard one of them say,

And he agreed. In fact, most of the weapons they sell are basically different versions of the same thing.

The best weapons are probably traded under the table or for those with lofty identities.

[Blade of Aquases: Made of Andruim Booted with Compressed Energy Reactor Capable of Slicing Steel]

It wasn't only hot weapons that were sold, but cold weapons as well.

In an age where people could upgrade themselves to withstand bullets and move fast, cold weapons have surged in demand.

Especially when venturing outside, where bullets will be limited,

SW32 Cruiser: Charged-up sniper rifle, capable of penetrating thick armor from a kilometer's distance with minimal pushback. Used by NOP during special operations, made with

Axis listened on as he saw a sniper with intricate details and a mecha look being displayed. It didn't look too buff or thin. It can even be retracted to decrease its size.

Underneath, there is a hologram of the price.

[1200 credits.]

Axis put his hand on his chin and pondered whether he should duplicate it. By size, it should be doable.

'Should I duplicate this one, or should I just find something in the gang's warehouse?'