Hiss

Michael took a deep breath to steady his nerves after confirming his suspicions. He had examined the properties of the weapons carried by adventurers along the way. There were many runic weapons, some even featuring multiple types of runes. Different runes granted the weapons various properties.

Michael then glanced at the shelf below, where papers were placed, as he couldn’t see what was written on them. He had to use his skill again to find out.

Item: Consumable Magic Scroll

Type: Common

Type: Fireball Spell

Property: Allows the user to cast a one-time fireball spell upon pouring mana into the scroll

‘Oh, so these are magic scrolls. Magic scrolls, but not runic scrolls. The symbols engraved on these papers are merely the incantations using mana. Huh.’

Michael’s thoughts drifted back to the library, where he had read about a few Crafty-Type or Support-Type classes that a person could gain if they possessed the mana sense skill before awakening, as not every being had the mana skill initially.

‘If a person has a mana sense skill, then they are definitely given the chance to choose a class related to mana, and the most common class is obviously a Mage Class. But that doesn’t mean a person without that skill can’t become a mage. There are some complications.

‘Ugh. It’s complicated thinking about all of this. I already have the mana sense skill, so there’s no point in dwelling on that. A Mana Scribe is a class where a person can write down the incantations of spells with magical ink on paper, which can later be used as a magic scroll. And that’s the extent of that class, but they can later upgrade by learning different skills related to other classes if possible.’

‘On the other hand, the Rune Scriber is a much more complex class. They can inscribe symbols. And yes, that’s all that was mentioned in the book. What a bummer. I wonder if this city has any shops that sell these kinds of books related to classes.’

Michael sighed, giving up on his wishful thinking. He knew that knowledge about these things wasn’t available in the stores on the streets. This type of information was strictly kept confidential within the Mage Academies. There were many academies in this world where knowledge related to different classes was taught.

There were even academies for Knights who use both magic and weapons to fight, but they are more reliant on their physical abilities than on magic, as they didn’t have strong elemental blessings. This was another way to use magic. One could learn the skill after awakening, but they would have a limited number of class choices.

‘Let’s go check out the prices. If they’re cheap, I’ll buy a few scrolls of different types and try to get my hands on a runic weapon too, if possible. I hope the money I have is enough to get everything I want, and I don’t have much time to roam around, so I need to hurry and get back before evening.’

With a resolute look on his face, Michael pushed open the wooden door and entered the shop. As he stepped inside, a bell rang, probably to alert the owner of a guest’s arrival.

Michael looked around; there were more shelves inside, each holding different types of small vials containing liquids of various colors. Michael examined the details of the liquid. "Ah yes. The potions. Only an alchemist can make potions, if I’m right. Basic Healing Potion. Hmm. I wonder if I should buy one, only if they are cheap." Michael scanned the area, only to see a man in his twenties approaching him with a polite and professional smile.

"Esteemed guest. How may I assist you?"

He was an ordinary-looking man, with a slender build and short green hair, standing a bit taller than Michael at over five feet. He wore professional attire, similar to that of a waiter in a five-star hotel. Michael was no fool and could instantly recognize his insincere smile.

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"Every merchant or businessman has this kind of creepy fake smile when they are ready to fleece a customer."

Michael chuckled to himself and asked, "What’s your name?"

"Sir, my name is Cielric, but you can call me Ciel for short. I’m the attendant in this store and will assist you with all your purchases," Ciel replied politely, maintaining his smile the entire time.

"But I only asked for your name, not your entire biography," Michael thought but refrained from voicing it. Instead, he spoke again, "You mentioned you’re the attendant. So, who’s the owner of this shop?"

"Master Erlond owns this shop, but he is not available right now," Ciel replied.

Michael nodded upon hearing the name Erlond. The shop was also named Erlond, so he wondered if he was the owner or if it was just a random name chosen by the proprietor. He pointed toward the item he was most interested in. "I see. Anyway, tell me about that dagger first."

Ciel hurriedly glanced in the direction Michael was pointing. "Sir, it’s a common class runic dagger, primarily used by assassin-type class holders or those skilled in close combat. There are runes engraved on both sides of the blade, which enhance its ability to pierce targets more easily."

Michael nodded once more. The details matched what he had read using his appraisal skill, but what he wanted to know wasn’t the weapon's properties. "Stop calling me sir. My name is Mike, and what’s the price of this dagger?" Michael asked, using a fake name as he didn’t want to reveal his real identity and disliked being called sir repeatedly.

"Gladly, Sir Mike. The dagger costs 10 gold coins," Ciel replied with a professional demeanor.

"WTF. Ten gold coins? Isn’t that a bit too expensive? I thought it would be a few gold coins at most, and I only have 18 coins. I wonder if I can buy everything with the money I’ll have left after this dagger. Buying this dagger is a must. I need to study the runes up close, no matter what."

Michael fell into a long silence after hearing the price of the dagger, which would take more than half of his current funds. However, he didn’t want to miss the chance to acquire a runic weapon. Ciel observed the quiet boy and guessed that this little kid didn’t have much money.

He was already irritated by the look on his face. He had never had a customer in this shop who was a kid with enough money to buy even a single item. All he wanted was to chase away this kid for wasting his precious time, but he had been strictly warned by the Master not to disrespect any customer. Not wanting to lose his job, he behaved as best as he could. Just as he was about to speak, Michael spoke again.

‘I’ll take it. And tell me about the scrolls. What kinds of scrolls do you have, and what’s the cost for each?’

Ciel was surprised to hear that Mike wanted to buy the dagger. ‘Does he really have money?’ he thought to himself. ‘That’s a fine choice, Sir Mike. As for the scrolls, we only have magic scrolls engraved with simple spells. Our shop doesn’t carry runic scrolls, as they are much harder to make and more costly.’

He continued, ‘All the magic scrolls we have are common types containing Fire Ball, Ice Bullet, Wind Slash, and Earth Shield spells. Each scroll costs 1 gold coin and 20 coppers.’

Michael calculated his budget. He wanted to buy all the spells, which would leave him with only two and a half gold coins. He wasn’t even sure about the cost of the paper and ink for now, but he was going to gamble it all on luck.

‘Give me one scroll of each type along with that dagger.’

‘Right away,’ Ciel hurriedly went to gather his items while he pretended to take out the coins from his pouch, but he actually opened his inventory to retrieve the coins.

The purchase went smoothly, and he exited the shop. As soon as he stepped outside, he placed everything in his inventory, and all the items vanished from the pouch, which returned to its empty state once again.

‘I hope I can get paper and ink with the remaining amount I have left now.’

Michael didn’t ask Ciel about these items, as he didn’t want him to think that a kid was trying to learn how to produce magic scrolls. Caution was the best option in this world, especially for a reincarnated person like him who didn’t want to die again so quickly.

He hurried away from the shop and continued his exploration. He even came across pubs, inns, and various restaurants. But the most eye-catching building was the Adventurer Hall. It was a tall structure, reminiscent of a clock tower he had seen in London. However, instead of a clock, this building featured a gigantic sword, likely made of stone. Many adventurers were roaming around that area.

After half an hour of exploration, he entered another shop that sold the same items as Erlond’s. He didn’t find the runic scrolls, but he didn’t need them as he already had the dagger for now. He purchased a pen, paper, and ink used for writing scrolls, which cost him all of his savings.

‘I am poor now. I don’t know when I can recover from this miserable life. I wasn’t rich even in my previous life.’

It was almost evening, so Michael rushed back. He arrived at the alleyway and carefully removed the trash to reveal the hole. He hid it as before and ran back at full speed, not wanting to be late. He knew it was going to be an exciting and long night for him.