Zeris arrived at the dinner table shortly, and his parents were already there, feeding Ava. This tense atmosphere was something he'd never encountered, even when he was on a dangerous mission it didn't feel like this.

Zeris sat down and started eating without saying another word. The food was surprisingly delicious, he'd thought that this world's delicacy would be further behind but in this case, it doesn't seem so.

While Zeris was enjoying the food he felt a sudden tug on his arm. His little sister, Ava, was grabbing his sleeve. "Big Brutha, feed me also!" Zeris could only comply, as he'd never dealt with a situation like this before.

Even when he took Lucas in, it was never like this. Not knowing what to say, Zeris went on to grab food and feed it to her. 'Hm, this isn't so bad…'

Throughout the session, his parents didn't talk much; only speaking up when Ava start to fool around with her food. This peacefulness was nice yet unfamiliar to Zeris. He, who had been killing his entire life have never thought of living such a life…

"Alice, you should go put Ava to sleep, it's not good letting her stay up." Ava struggled for a bit till she eventually gave up and let her be carried away. Now that Ava is gone the talk between them will soon start.

Even though Zeris knew it was coming, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Right now, all he could do is pretend to be Zeris.

Alice came back shortly after setting Ava back on her bed and went back to her same spot. Zeris finished his meal and waited patiently for any incoming questions from the two. 'They're probably wondering why my face is so bruised…'

"I heard that you're trying to get into Lastia Academy." The question that broke the silence was one that Zeris never anticipated.

"W-what? I mean yes that's right I'm going tryout for the academy," Zeris quickly made up the lie, trying to avoid suspicion. He thought that it would ease the tension a bit but he was wrong.

He'd just realized that his parents were holding back their tears the whole time. By now, Ron was already covering his eyes while Alice had already started to wipe her tears.

"Zeris… You don't have to do this for us! We're truly fine with our current situation… so please don't get hurt anymore!" His mother couldn't hold back anymore and blurted out loud while sobbing.

They thought that Zeris was trying to get into a prestigious academy to improve their condition, despite his talent being so low, but little do they know, their weak and untalented son was no more.

"Zeris, listen to your mother. I really don't want to see you like this… Do you know how much pain we go through whenever we see you all beat up?" Ron tried to scold him, but Zeris knew he was currently trying to fight off his tears as well.

Seeing the two like this had left Zeris dumbfounded. He couldn't find the right words to say so he decided to stay quiet. For some weird reason, Zeris could feel his anger boiling up inside him.

"I'm sorry, you must've had a rough day, you should go rest. Remember, your family is always here, don't do things you don't want to. We'll always help you, just please ask us…"

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Hearing this, Zeris clenched his fist and walked back to his room. He could still hear his father consoling his mother who was still sobbing loudly. Not once in Zeris's life had he been this useless.

'This feeling, I hate it, I don't want to be like this! Why do I feel like this even though they're not even my real parents!'

A few minutes later, Zeris drift into a deep sleep, and tears could be seen rolling down his face. To Zeris who had always wanted to find his parents, this wasn't the most comfortable first meeting to him.

…

"Alice, pass me the coffee please." Ron is currently in the living room looking through files for Zeris's registration.

"Have you found a good one for him yet?" Alice asked curiously since this would determine Zeris's future.

"A good option would be the Nashes Academy, there aren't many royal families holding the place. If Zeris goes there he probably wouldn't be bullied and can develop faster." His father was currently trying to find the most suited academy for Zeris, of course, he's looking for the more average ones.

"Oh! Zeris come here you should come to take a look at this academy!" Zeris had already woken up and was already at the door.

"Later please, I've something to do, I'll be back later." Zeris declined instantly and left without saying much. In order to enter a magic academy, one would need a crest, which Zeris doesn't have, so he didn't care much about it. Right now, his priority was to prepare for the trip.

He first went to the city and began to map it as he explores the place. There were many people selling goods in the middle of the street, including food.

Currently, Zeris wanted to find a good place to buy equipment. Even though his plan was a bit reckless, it doesn't mean that he'll dive in without any precaution. A building came into view as he continues to walk down the street, but for some reason, there were more people outside than inside.

He soon realized why there were so many people outside the building. The heat radiating from it makes were even customers had a hard time breathing. 'A forge!' Zeris thought excitedly, he'd finally found the place to get the item he wanted the most!

Without thinking much, Zeris went straight into the workshop. There were many weapons on displayed swords, spears, mace, bow, and finally, the one he wanted most, daggers!

Ever since Zeris became an assassin, he'd always used the dagger since it was quick to equip and efficient when it comes to finishing off opponents. He quickly went to the daggers section and to his surprise, there wasn't much at all.

A few good metal daggers can be seen with sharp edges coupled with a comfortable handle. That was only to other customers though, but to Zeris he could see that the dagger had already started to rust and isn't fit for combat.

"Hey, brat get a move already. Just go grab a sword and leave." The old man dissed Zeris away when he caught him staring intensely at the daggers. He knew that no one would buy the dagger therefore he'd put up all the ones that are used for skinning hide up for display.

"I prefer daggers, so I'll buy one and if you can please let me see the best one you currently have." Zeris refused to buy anything else by the daggers. Not only was this his favorite weapon, but also the one he knew most about.

"Humph! Let's see what a brat like you can understand." The old man went to the storage room and soon came back with a dagger that was wrapped all over with cloths. "You can inspect it but do not take the cloth. Also, if you leave this dagger, I'll give you a high-grade sword."

Zeris ran his finger through the curve of the dagger, feeling its texture and sharpness through the cloth. If this was anyone else, they would've thought the dagger was a dull and useless one, but to Zeris it was a precious treasure.

'Sorry old man, trying to trick me with such a treasure was your biggest mistake. Haha…" Zeris couldn't help but laugh inside at the thought of leaving this treasure for the sword.

"I'll take this dagger please, name your price." This left the old man dumbfounded at how confident he was. 'Seems like he didn't get tempted by the bait…'

"Haha, young one I never said it was for sale. I only said you can inspect it." The old man's shamelessness was something Zeris had never seen in any businessman. He'd thought that the old man would double or triple its price but not this at all. 'F**k what's the point of having a store if you're not gonna sell!'

"Hehe, don't worry even though you can't buy this one, I have another that I'll give to you as a gift." The old man read his thoughts instantly and brought up a solution. The next one he brought out was two blood-red daggers. "Here try it out."

Zeris couldn't help but feel suspicious, just a moment ago he wanted to kick him out, now he's giving him a gift. Zeris couldn't think much and reached out for the daggers. He was already behind his peers, so he would need everything he can to get back in the race.

Zeris grabbed the twin daggers with full force, expecting them to be heavy but it was actually incredibly light. He slashed around with the dagger a bit till he was satisfied. He has a feeling that the dagger was becoming more comfortable as he holds them, but he couldn't figure it out.

"There are runes engraved on the daggers, with that it should make the dagger lighter and more comfortable as you use it more." The old man answered the question lingering in his mind.

"Runes…" Zeris didn't notice till now but there was two crystal-like stone on the shaft of the dagger.

"Alright, now that you've accepted the daggers, let's get on to the conditions!" The old man couldn't help but smile smugly.

'Sh*t I've been played!'