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Extra Rising
Chapter 6: Suspicious Shop (2)

Chapter 6: Suspicious Shop (2)

"Let's go. Faster we finish, faster we can go eat." I spoke to Egil and turned to leave in the direction I remembered from the map.

"O-oh…" Egil also quickly follows behind. Probably remembering about food. From what I recalled, he's a glutton type of man.

How did he become so big for 16 years old otherwise? I looked at Egil from the side. His appearance stood out even in these busy streets.

His height was already nearing 190cm and with his bodybuilding physique made many peers became intimidated of him even though his personality is quite easy to get along with, which caused a lot of trouble when he first transfer here more than a year ago.

How many troubles we got into fights just for some misunderstanding?

"Hmm? What?"

"Nah, just imagine if you got bigger than this in the future, people will start to think you're an orc or something."

"Wh- " Egil froze on the spot from my word. Maybe because she's not looking forward, but a woman that been walking behind us bumped her head to Egil's back. At first, she want to argue but one look from Egil, she apologized hurriedly and ran away.

"Told ya." I spoke to him while shaking my shake at such a sight.

"Fuckkk…."

We trudged along the pathway at a steady pace while chatting about some silly stuff. The distance of the shop we're going is not that far from the North station, but it's still the distance that can make normal people sweating a bit but because Egil has an exceptional physical ability and I'm still using enhance on my body, our pace are much faster than walking normally.

Along the way, I stopped near a café for a bit to check on the path again meanwhile Egil adjust his brown hair with the help of reflection in glassed window. I don't understand why he even wants to adjust his hair since he had short hair that doesn't change much, however he tries.

'Maybe just teenager thing' I also used to worry a lot about my appearance when I'm teenager.

The moment he finished adjusting his hair, Egil spoke up to me. "Wanna come to my place after this?"

"Your place?"

"Yep, guess what?" when I asked him, he shot back with another question with a smug look on his face.

"What?" Seeing his smug look annoyed me a bit, but I just asked back, showing I don't want to guess.

"Che…." Egil made a disappointed sound to my reply but quickly switch to an excited smile on his face like he used to it. "Remember that new game we talk about? I just bought it!"

My eyebrows shot up in a poor attempt to mask my lack of enthusiasm.

"Woah…that's it?" I feigned a surprise look on my face, which was clearly not impressed.

"Yeah…Why monotone? Aren't you been wanting to play this game too?" Egil also loses his excited smile, replacing with a confused expression.

Well, I do want to try experiencing the cultures of this world but, "My bad, I want to but I'm gonna be busy these days. You know, for future thing."

There're a lot of things that I need to do from now on before I can relax.

Egil just look at me suspiciously when I answered that and spoke. "Hmm…you don't really get a girlfriend, aren't you?"

At such a question, I sigh and just shrug as I respond.

"I hope I had one. I don't need to be spent my free time with some orc to be otherwise,"

Egil tilted his head while seeming to think about something and nod in a convincing manner.

"…That's a good point. Fine then, I know it's busy period around this time but come drop by sometime. We need to show the world our mighty combo! Besides, Elea also wants to meet you."

"Elea?" I raised my eyebrow when that name came out of Egil's mouth. And with good reason, too. Elea is Egil's younger sister.

She's a year younger than Egil and I. Similarly, she and I could also be considered a childhood friend but unlike Egil, we don't have a close relationship now.

Elea and Vincent don't share many conversations together after their reunion and from what I could see, it even looks like she's been actively avoiding him whenever they happen to meet.

Whether it's at the school, mall or even her own house, there's never been an instant where she's not actively avoiding me.

As thoughts of Elea flooded my mind, a wave of longing washed over me, mingling with confusion. It's didn't take long for me to understand this was caused by memory of Vincent.

Because they were imprinted on my brain all at once, I had not felt much before but if I focus on some part specially, my feeling got sway by memories evoking such feeling as now.

I'm not perfect, just a human. If I observe something that can make me feel sad, I also become saddened. In this scenario, it is also from my point of view.

Her avoidance had left an ache in my chest, a longing for the easy camaraderie we once shared, now replaced by a distant, unspoken tension.

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Elea is a cute girl, after all.

She exudes a cheerful and sociable aura that makes her very approachable and easy to get along to everyone, akin of school idol type of girl that sometimes portrayed in manga and anime.

But somehow she's only been avoiding me. Of course that will make me down.

"I don't think she wants to meet me, though." I spoke to Egil with a wry smile.

Egil looked at me for a moment and blink his eyes two, three times and finally he just sigh.

Sigh…

"Nah, she's just embarrass. Trust me." Egil tried to reassured me but I doubt that was true.

Elea has been avoiding me ever since the reunion, which was over a year ago. There's no way after all this times, she's just feeling embarrassed.

Unless there's something else I don't know, even with Vincent's memory.

I shook my head and decide not to think about it too much and continue walking.

"Sigh…that girl's also at fault." I could hear Egil muttering in a low voice behind but I decide to ignore it for now.

Maybe he thought I can't hear him, but unfortunately I'm still in Enhanced state so it's crystal clear to me.

'I should just a talk with her later. I don't want an unfinished problem when I just start living this life.'

While talking of various mundane things, we passed the populated area and enter a somewhat rundown alley that seem isolated of people.

As we ventured deeper into the alley, the chatter between us subdued, replaced by an unspoken tension.

The bustling cityscape faded behind us, swallowed by the gloomy, isolated path with the lack of sunlight entering the area and moss growing on the wall, making the air feel damp.

A sense of foreboding loomed, making each step forward a cautious move into the unknown.

Though this city had the lowest crime rate in the world, crime still happens sometimes, unfortunately.

And with the addition of various superpowers that exist in this world, the crimes were often worse than on Earth.

'Fortunately, this area is already in his jurisdiction. There's no way any criminal can mess around here.' Egil's vigilance can only be seen as a waste of energy in this situation.

"With this size, even bike can't fit in," Egil commented when we arrived at the last turn.

Which is another alley with just enough size for two people to squeeze in, but with someone of Egil size, we had to walk in a straight line; me leading and Egil behind.

It's a bit uncomfortable walking on such a narrow path, but fortunately, a few steps into this alley is enough to arrive at our destination.

Just as we arrived at our destination, I felt that my arcane had become quite low; so I decide to end the enhance spell on my body.

I felt my body became a bit heavier without Enhance; not in literal sense, but it just my body doesn't have the same strength as before.

While I still adjusting to this disorient feeling, Egil spoke to me with a perplexed look on his face.

"Is this it?"

'Well, it can't be helped' I can understand his feeling since I will feel the same if I don't know of this shop prior.

Looking at the only shop in this area, I compared it to what I had seen in the game. An old and rundown shop with dust covering everywhere that looks like it's been abandoned for years.

"Yeah, look at mirror," I point my finger to the dusty window with the shop name was written on it. The paint was already fading, which made it difficult to read, and the layer of dust covering it does not offer any help.

"Hmm? Ah…Bon. Looks like it's correct. Let's enter then… wait, they're open, right?" Egil squint his eyes at the mirror I pointed and saw the letters written in capital; BON.

"Yep, I checked it. But before that, let me remind you."

"Hmm? What? Does vampire living in there?" Egil asked me with shining eyes, but unfortunately there's no such thing as that. Besides, there's no vampire on Amara anymore.

"Not that, but whatever happen don't be surprised too much,"

?

Egil seems confused, but I don't want to explain much. Better leaves it as a surprise.

"Well, just remember that. Okay?"

With such warning, we enter the shop. The door smoothly opened despite looking like it can break down with just a slight push. Doorbell also ringing welcoming us as customers.

As soon as we enter, Egil marvelled at how different the inside of the shop from outside.

The inside was neat and clean, with an ambiance of elegance. The shop's interior enveloped us in a cozy scent of aged wood and old books.

Each creak of the floorboards echoed softly, while the flickering light of antique lamps cast dancing shadows on the walls, giving the space an air of mystery and intrigue.

Various antique items decorating the shelves with each one looking unique on its own. I'm just looked around in nostalgia at the sight I had seen countless time before in game.

"Hm… it's surprisingly good inside?"

"Welcome customer," Just when Egil commented, suddenly an age voice was heard right behind us.

"Woah!" We turn around almost simultaneously but Egil with surprise while I'm already composed myself since I expected it.

Looking back, there's an old man in a burgundy Italian suit standing near the door we just entered through. His figure held an air of enigmatic charm.

The old man is smiling with a gentle smile, but his narrow eyes and that perfectly styled imperial moustache made him look like a suspicious old man that secretly became final boss or something similar in a story.

Egil just stared at the old man with half open mouth.

The old man's sudden appearance from the shadows left Egil in a state of astonishment.

His presence was both unexpected and uncanny, as though he belonged to this secretive world within the shop's walls.

And though I'm already composed myself, my surprise came knocking back when I look at him.

Not because of his out-of-place appearance or the fact that he just appeared suddenly like a ghost; I expected those. What I don't expect is…

'I still can't tell whether he's actually opened his eyes or not even from this close!?' How could it be possible!?

This is what I'm looking forward to when I get the idea of coming here. This place is actually a hidden shop in the game that design to help player when we want to sell items that are difficult for market.

And sometime player can find useful or hidden item along the antique that been displayed. Of course I came here for such an item too, but that's not the biggest objective here! I want to my answer!

This old man's eyes had been one of seven wonders inside the game Divine Rising. Even when developers was asked in an interview, they just answer with some vague bullshit like "Yeah we also don't what inside that old man's eyes, actually."

"May I help you?" Maybe because we were staring at him for some time, the old man decide to ask us first. His question jolted us back from our shock.

"Excuse me…but you are?" Egil quickly asked after he composed himself. His tone exuded vigilance.

"Ah, that was rude of me. My name is Bon, the owner of this store." With his right hand on his chest, Bon introduces himself with a slight bow. Umu, very eleganto.

"O-oh…" Egil replied

I also nodded in the affirmative. I don't think he will tell me even if I ask, so I decide to forget it and try again later. That's might make a good mini game.

"Can we look around first?" I asked Uncle Bon. Since I know him for a long time now (inside game), I decide to call him uncle inside my head.

'I'm going to use this store more often in the future, too.'

"Why, of course? Feel free to explore the product of this humble store." His humble words don't align with the suspicion his expression evokes.

After he said that, Bon walked towards what must be a counter table and stand there.

"Well, damn! That old guy popped outta thin air! You saw that, right?" Egil close in to me and whispered in low voice.

"I can't say I expected anything less… peculiar," I replied, my tone measured.

"Are you sure this shop good, Vin?" Egil asked, glancing at Bon.

I scratched my cheek and said, "Well… He's just unique,"