*Evan POV*

A grin spread across my face, and I couldn't help but ask, "What type of guns do you have?" I was barely able to contain my excitement.

" Only two defferent types off ‘em, a flentlock and a boomstik," Arnold replied.

My hopes were instantly crushed. I had been hoping for the musket that the guards were carrying, but the guns Arnold was selling were the worst types in the game. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

"How much for them?" I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Ten selver for the flentlock and fefty for the boomstik," Arnold replied.

I looked at him in disbelief, my hands slamming down on the counter of their own accord.

“I know it's a lot bet it's viry hard to mak'em and I'm not teh negoteachtor taype,”

THATS FLIPPEN DIRT CHEAP!!!!!

A Flintlock is a few gold's worth pistol! It sucks ass but that's not the point of it! and the boomstick is a sawed off shotgun that can only be found in small temples deep underground in the Jungle! It’s not that good but It’s a hell of a powerful gun with the right type of ammo!

A couple of silver coins is dirt cheap for these!

Okay. I need to calm down, can’t make him think I’m excited otherwise he’s going to raise the prices, I just know it.

I should act uninterested in the guns for now to throw him off my tail. Negotiation is a battle of the mind, tongue and coin. And I can’t afford to lose.

Since I only got like 2 gold coins.

"Okay, so what's the best bow you've got?" I asked Arnold.

"The Platinum bow. A thing of beauty. Ten gold coins, no room for bargaining," Arnold replied.

I couldn't remember exactly how much the Platinum bow was worth, but I knew that ten gold coins were too expensive. It was a damn good bow, though. If I couldn't get the Platinum bow, then let’s go for a tier below that.

"What about a gold bow?"

"Eight gold coens,"

"How about a Tungsten bow?"

"Two gold coens,"

"A Silver bow?"

"One gold coen,"

“Wait, Why are the gold and platinum bow so expensive?”

Hold on, shouldn't I be asking why the bows cost more than the guns?

“Only fer reyalty rookie. Can't de anyting about it, sorry.”

“It's fine, but why do the bows cost more than the guns?”

A look of suspicion crossed his face as he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Teh guns thake less matterials.”

… That's the reason? Wait how did you make guns anyway? Most guns are Un-craftable in terraria, please don’t tell me I need to learn actual smiting if I want to make a gun here.

“I remember you said something about magic weapons too?”

“Gemstone Staff percicely. Very expensive. Evan the chiepest is abeve a gold coen.”

"Hmm," I murmured, as I placed my hand on my chin. My gamer mind was active again as I began to consider my options.

I had a total of two gold coins and thirty-nine silver. The flintlock pistol was a waste of space and money, and the cost of ammo would add up quickly. The gemstone staff was out of the question since it was way too expensive. The boomstick was nice for now, but it didn't provide enough firepower.

I paused again as I realized that I was thinking of this as a game. But this wasn't Terraria, just something similar to it. I needed to think outside the box.

I didn't really need a melee weapon. As long as I could kill my targets from far away, I should be good. My main tactic should be to keep my enemies away from me and kill them from afar. But there was always the chance that they could get close to me, no matter how careful I was. I had learned that after fighting the zombies the night before.

Hmm... What should I do?

After considering my options, I had made my decision.

"Okay, I want two boomsticks and a silver bow," I said confidently.

Equipping the two boomsticks would provide me with ample firepower in case any enemy got too close for comfort. Meanwhile, the silver bow would allow me to take out targets from far away. I couldn't rely on my wooden bow since it was unreliable and couldn't shoot far. The silver bow, on the other hand, could shoot twice as far and twice as fast.

Arnold was taken aback by my request, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Rooke, ya sure ya can afferd thet?”

“Oh ho, I am very sure.”

After making my decision, I placed two gold coins on the counter. As I did, I noticed a giant smile spread across Arnold's face.

“Hehaha! Okey then pleze wait a moment!”

As I noticed Arnold's excitement, I began to worry. Had I lost the negotiation war?

Suddenly, he rushed to the back door and disappeared. A few moments later, he returned, carrying everything I had asked for: two sawed-off shotguns and a silver bow. He also had a small pouch with him, which caught my attention.

Boomstick:

Damage: 14

Critical chance: 4%

Knockback: strong

Use time: very slow

Tooltip: consumes 1 musket ball to fire 4 bullets in a spread.

Quick Silver bow:

Damage: 9

Critical chance: 4%

Knockback: none

Use time: above Average

Quick: +10% speed

The pouch contained 50 musket balls and 50 wooden arrows.

“Teh pouch is a gift fer yer fine paternage!”

“Nice, Thanks Arnold! But I still need more ammo.”

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Arnold made a sly face, suggesting that he had something up his sleeve.

“U'll have ta buy more then.”

Well business is business in the end.

“Give me musket balls for 10 silver.” I didn't need more arrows since I can make them on my own for the cheap price of wood and stone.

“Alreght!”

Arnold disappeared through the door and returned with a large pouch containing 500 musket balls. It was definitely enough for now, although in an expert World, 550 bullets could be used up quickly.

"Thanks, Arnold. I'll see you again some other time," I said, bidding him farewell.

"See ya later, rookie! Don't die!" Arnold replied with a chuckle as I waved goodbye.

I looked at my remaining 29 silver and realized that I really needed more money fast. I could always resort to killing monsters for a quick buck, but if this was real life, I would’ve had to find a job.

Wait hold on, I do have a job! I’m an adventurer! and I have access to several guild quests that are posted on the board. If I do them then I should be able to get a quick buck.

You know what? I’m going to do one or two of them right now.

I’m doing this cause I feel insecure having less than 50 silver coins and it would help with any kind of emergency.

Obviously, I’ll only do the adventurer quest, if I can complete them in few hours.

I made my way to the first floor, I noticed a busy line of people occupying Liza. She was giving them a cold stare and only answering their questions when necessary. I didn't bother with them and headed straight for the mission board.

Scanning the available missions, I saw options like finding a lost amulet, guard duty, and guarding a caravan. But then something caught my eye: monster hunting.

Monster hunting: I'm the owner of "hare's leg" and we're running out of slime gel. We need it as fuel. We will pay 10 copper for every slime gel we get.

Deadline: 5 days. (4 days left)

Please bring the paper to front desk to accept the quest.

The monster hunting mission seemed like an easy one, and the timing couldn't be better. It was currently around 7 or 8 am, which meant that slimes would beout right about now. Killing a single slime alone could earn me one silver coin, but selling its gel to any NPC would only fetch a single copper, which was ten times less but I don’t have any NPC’s right now and this is 10 times its original sell value. It wasn't enough to make me accept it since I also need gel for torches.

I searched a bit more and noticed that there was also a request for gathering herbs, which could potentially be profitable as well.

Herb gathering: I’m the Lucy, the alchemist in town and always need extra Ingredients for potion crafting. I will pay 1 silver for any alchemical ingredient you may give me from the included list below.

-Daybloom.

-Red Mushroom.

-Glowing mushroom.

-Blinkroot.

-Waterleaf.

-Shiverthorn.

-Deathweed.

I will pay extra for seeds of the respective ingredients as well.

Deadline: There is no deadline.

Warning: PLEASE DO NOT RIP THIS QUEST PAPER OFF THE QUEST BOARD. ANYONE CAN DO THIS QUEST IF THEY KNOW HOW TO HARVEST ALCHEMICAL INGREDIENTS.

I liked the idea of the herb gathering quest. While some of the ingredients could be found in other biomes, I knew I could easily locate daybloom and red mushrooms growing in the wild. Potions were a lifesaver which was why I needed those ingredients, but I could give away the seeds to earn some extra money. With that, I was confident that I could earn back the two gold coins I had spent.

I still took the slimes hunting quest because I could sell left over gels, and patiently stood in line with the other adventurers. It seemed like I needed Liza's permission before I could embark on these quests. Liza noticed me and hurried over, smiling brightly. I could hear gasps from behind me, probably from people who didn't expect Liza to look like such an angel.

"I want to accept this mission!" I said, showing her the paper.

Liza looked at the paper before turning serious and looking at me.

"Are you sure, Evan? Most beginners die to the slimes. They are a formidable foe for rookies," she warned.

Oh, I know. One almost killed me too.

"I've fought them before, and trust me when I say that I can handle them!" I said confidently, giving Liza a big smile to ease her worries.

She sighed, resigned to my decision.

"Well, I can't change your mind, and Lark has already certified you, so I might as well help you. If you're going for the slimes, try leaving through the East gate. It's much flatter than the other gates and has been known to have the most slimes," she advised.

"Thanks, Liza! That was very helpful," I replied, walking away.

"Bye then!" I waved one last time, and she waved back with a smile on her face.

Since the library was conveniently located next to the Adventurer guild, I decided to stop by there before heading to the East gate. It was still early in the morning, so I figured I could afford to take a little break.

Upon entering, I noticed an old lady sitting behind a counter to my left. In front of me were bookshelves filled to the brim with books. The old lady wore small glasses, in contrast to my large goggles, and had gray hair and wrinkles on her face.

"I don't generally see young boys coming here. Hello, and how can I help you, son?" she asked in a fragile voice that made me feel guilty for speaking.

"I want to know more about this kingdom," I replied.

Upon hearing my request, she slowly nodded, licked her lips, and pointed with trembling fingers.

"Over there, in that corner. You will find what you need, boy," she said.

"Thank you very much," I said, feeling more guilt for making the grandma work as I quickly headed to the corner to read the book.

The library was filled with natural light, and the sunrays illuminated the reading table, creating a picturesque scene. I approached the bookshelf and searched for books about the geography of this kingdom, as well as any nearby kingdoms.

As I rummaged through the books, I finally stumbled upon one titled "Geography of the Human Kingdom." I reached out to grab it, but just as my fingers touched the cover, a prompt appeared.

*Do you want to learn "Geography of the human kingdom"?*

… Is this because I'm the hero of skill? Uhh sure?

*You have learned "Geography of the human kingdom". Your map has been updated.*

I quickly checked out my map and it now showed pretty much everything inside the Kingdom. It showed me where all the restaurants were and where all the housing areas, inn's and slums were.

There was also a castle in the north section of the kingdom, I saw that from far away when I was coming here, but you can't see it inside th kingdom because of the large number of houses that blocks your view.

I closed the map and looked for some more books.

Found a book called “Hunting Techniques”

Learn.

*Skill obtained: Peek*

Peek: Will always show Life bar of every entity in sight lines.

Nice.

"Mana Controlling Magic"

Learn that as well.

*Skill unlocked: Magic skill imbuement*

Magic skill imbuement (lvl:1): Use either a magic weapon or a magic skill to imbue that power on to a skill.

Cost: 10% more mana of the skill used

Cooldown: n/a

… I absolutely want to try that out later.

What else… Let's see.

There were books mainly about crafting things, alchemy and things like that. I might as well read any one of those.

Oh, a cooking guide, That should be helpful.

Learn.

*You can now craft more different types of Foods*

…

Hold the flippen phone. I didn’t really think I’d be able to learn that but it seems I can upgrade my crafting system too? But still, why is that possible?

Well dam. I mean I’ll take it but it’s really weird.

The sun was still high up, but I just decided to leave for now, best make some money first.

But before I could leave, the old woman called out to me and held out her trembling hand.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A fee of 10 silver for every visit," she said with a crafty face.

I was taken aback. "But you didn't say that before."

"If I did, you would've left. Right?" the old woman replied with a sly smile.

I couldn't believe it. This woman was too sneaky for her own good. I wanted to take back all the concern I had for her earlier.

"Fine, here you go," I said, reluctantly handing over the silver coins.

I had already learned a lot from the library, but there were still many books left unread. I made a mental note to come back after earning some more coins and read every single book in the library. It was still early in the day, so I didn't want to waste any more time.

The old woman looked surprised when I handed her the money. "Won't you stay here longer?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, I've found the things I needed to know. My business here is done."

"But there are other books you can read," she insisted.

"I have other things to do right now," I replied, determined to leave.

As I was about to head out, I asked about the upstairs section of the library.

"More advanced books, but the fee is higher," the old woman replied.

"Okay, thank you. Bye," I said before leaving and making my way towards the east gate.

*3rd person POV*

A group of suspicious-looking individuals entered the library a few minutes after Evan had left. One of them had a scar on his left eye and amber-colored eyes.

"Where is the silver-haired boy?" he demanded.

"He left some time ago. He seemed to be in a hurry," the old woman replied calmly.

"God damn it, woman! Why didn't you stop him?" the scarred man yelled, punching through a bookcase.

The old woman didn't even flinch at the violent outburst and looked at the man with cold eyes.

"That will be 10 gold coins, boy. And he left because of some business," she said sternly.

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, and the group quickly left in search of Evan.

"All these youngsters have no respect for their elders. But that demi-human was nice. I hope he survives these cultists," the old woman muttered before coughing loudly.