With that, the shopkeeper led Silva to a staircase leading to a basement behind the counter.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a steel door.

  The shopkeeper took a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and said, "Go ahead in. I can't guarantee there's anything that meets your needs, though."

  The way the shopkeeper addressed him had changed from "rookie" during their initial encounter to "you."

  (It seems I've earned some recognition... Maybe it started when I mentioned the difference between forged and cast weapons. Craftsmen tend to be friendly to customers who appreciate their work.)

  The room Silva was led into was quite spacious.

  "The shelves on the right hold swords, followed by spears, axes, and bows. They're genuine masterpieces. These weapons choose their owners, and those owners must be quite skilled," the shopkeeper explained, leading Silva to the shelf on the far left.

  "These are what I want to show you," he said.

  Silva turned his attention to the items on the shelf. The first thing he saw was a tonfa, followed by a three-section staff, nunchaku, and even a javelin. There were also chakrams and special batons.

  (What is all this...? Why are there so many unusual items here...?)

  "What do you think?" asked the shopkeeper.

  Silva shook his head in response to his question. "They're too unique..."

  "I figured... You don't know how to use them either?"

  Silva shook his head. "I could use them, but I've never trained with them," he said, picking up the tonfa.

  Whoosh!

  The tonfa spun sharply, cutting through the air.

  "Wow, you can't handle that?" the shopkeeper asked with an intrigued expression.

  Silva put the tonfa back in its place and replied, "No, I know the basics, but it's not versatile, and more importantly, it's not suitable for fighting multiple opponents. It wouldn't be practical in a real fight."

  The shopkeeper, hearing Silva's answer, asked suspiciously, "You're not just a regular rookie, are you? I've never had a customer like you. I thought you were just a novice at first, but everything you say is anything but ordinary..."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Oh, come on, shopkeeper. I'm just a beginner. I only know more than most because my father took me around to various places," Silva replied with a wry smile.

  "Is that so... Well, whatever. So, what'll you do?" The shopkeeper, though seemingly unconvinced, urged Silva to choose a weapon.

  "Hmm..." Silva responded vaguely as he continued deeper into the room.

  (I could use them, but it might not be wise to stand out by using something too unusual...)

  Each weapon has its advantages. However, taking advantage of those requires practice. Moreover, weapons with unique shapes tend to attract attention. Since Silva was being pursued, he didn't want to draw too much attention.

  "Oh!"

  In this world, there wasn't much point in concealing weapons. After all, you could walk down the main street carrying a sword or spear.

  After much consideration, Silva chose the chakram as a throwing weapon. It was a circular ring with a diameter of about five centimeters, with a bladed edge. Think of a CD with a sharp edge around it for a mental image.

  He had three reasons for choosing this:

  It's circular, making it easy to throw. Its fully bladed edge gives it higher lethality compared to a regular throwing knife. It could also be effectively used as a concealed weapon.

  Silva gathered twenty of these and said, "Shopkeeper, I'll take these and a sword."

  The shopkeeper looked a bit surprised. "Didn't you not like the swords?"

  "No, I just want to take on a quest tomorrow."

  "I see. Well, if you're in a hurry, there's no helping it. I'll pick out a one-handed sword for you."

  "Thank you."

...

  As the morning sun rose in the east, Silva Schneizel squinted against the bright light.

  With a sword strapped to his back and leather pouches containing chakrams hanging from his hips, he walked eastward along the highway.

  "That was a close call..." he muttered to himself, recalling the events of the previous day.

  After purchasing new weapons, Silva had also stocked up on five potions and five antidotes at a magic item shop. He bought a simple tent, a map of the Western Continent, and a backpack to carry all his supplies.

  He considered buying armor, but the ready made options he tried on didn't fit well and restricted his movements. Given his limited time, he decided to delay that purchase for another day.

  Having equipped himself for now, Silva realized something while eating dinner at the Sea Sound inn, he forgot to receive the quest item.

  With that, Silva quickly finished his dinner, paid the bill, and thanked to the proprietress before rushing to the guild reception counter.

  "Here is the quest item. Please take care of it, Mr. Schneizel!" a woman wearing glasses said, handing Silva a letter wrapped in oiled paper.

  "It's sealed with wax. If the seal is broken, regardless of whether you've looked inside or not, you'll incur a penalty fee, so please be careful," she added.

  After checking the notice board at the guild entrance, Silva had headed to the delivery counter on the first basement floor. When he submitted his card, the receptionist promptly handed over the quest item.

  That night, after staying at an inn on the main street and reading the guidebook more thoroughly, Silva prepared himself for the road ahead.

  "Yaaaawn..." Silva yawned as he walked along the highway the next morning.

  There was no one else on the road to Melferen this early except for him. As he walked, he began reviewing his expenses, pondering what would be the most optimal use of the money he had left.