Capítulo 11: Strange Old Man
With his newly acquired funds, Jack got up and exited the now empty association building. He used the system to scan the bag and found that it contained twenty-four silver coins and eleven gold coins.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that they barely deserved to be called coins. They were loosely cut and had no image on either side. Regardless, Jack made his way to the town square in the city's center in search of a place to spend the little wealth he had.
After around five minutes of walking, he could see numerous small tents and stands scattered across what looked like a large medieval rock garden. Jack hurriedly entered the sea of people perusing the many wares presented.
He soon discovered that all similar products and services were bunched together. Apparel and accessories were to the north, trinkets and magical items were to the east, beasts and any beast related items were to the west, and weapons were to the south.
Thanks to Zariff, his weapon was already very good for a lv. 1 and Jack knew he wouldn't be lv. 1 for long, so he didn't bother with the many weapon stands. The east was where his attention went.
Jack took a lap around the many shops while fiddling with the stat gem in his hand. While on his second lap, a hoarse voice called out to him, "Boy, need me to embed that gem into something?"
Looking back Jack saw an older man with tattered facial hair at a small stand. Thanks to his years of experience playing the game, Jack did well to spot most of the fake items and scams during his first lap.
The old man didn't have too many items available, but they were all decent quality. He started to walk over when a young merchant in extravagant clothes from the neighboring canopy yelled, "Don't listen to that old coot! Something that simple, I can do free of charge with any purchase. Come, I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
Jack was about to smile when he got a good look at what the young merchant offered. Most of the items were mediocre and some were fakes in front of Jack's well-trained eyes and the achievement system's detailed scans. But he perused anyways, acting interested in the few decent items available. "How much for this pendant?" asked Jack.
Before the young merchant could answer, the old man chimed in, "If that's the kind of stuff you're looking for, then you shouldn't browse my wares."
This caught Jack's attention and got him to respond before the young merchant could offer a rebuttal. "Oh? And why's that? From what I see, your selection is very small. Everything you have is very adequate, but nothing too over the top that's worth my time."
"Then why not come over and get a closer look, that way you can inspect my more valuable wares without other's competition," said the old man with a grin full of dark, unruly teeth.
Hearing that Jack knew the old man was an adept salesman, but that also meant he might have some items not typically found on the market. Immediately, Jack put down the pendant in his hand and marched to the old man.
"Sir, please! I've got much more in the back, I'll cut you a deal," begged the young merchant, obviously inexperienced and not confidant enough to stand his ground against the old man's offer. It was the lack of confidence that caused Jack to leave the young man's beautiful canopy for the run-down wooden stall with a worn-out curtain hiding the stock in the back.
"What do you got for me?" asked Jack.
"The name's Zarris, and yours?" the old man introduced himself.
"The name's Jack. I'm sure you've already seen through my level with your appraisal abilities, so why target me?" stated Jack.
Zarris chuckled, "You may be lv. 1, but of the thousands of people I've worked with you're the first to have a strange class. Hero, wasn't it?"
"Looks like you're better than I thought," said Jack. "Then you should also have some wares that are, shall we 'unusual?'"
"You've come to the right place." Zarris disregarded everything he had on display and entered the back, leaving the curtain open behind him.
Jack took the hint and entered as well before closing the curtain. It was obvious to Zarris that Jack was a new adventurer, but his gut told him that Jack was far more unique. He had made it this far by following his gut feelings, for that reason he decided to befriend Jack.
Not many would notice, but Zarris could tell that Jack was carefully perusing and actively avoiding the typically attractive sales prices on display. Such a customer was unique and worth extra effort.
"So Zarris, what's so special back here?" asked Jack with a slight smile.
"As you can see, I don't boast the largest selection; in fact, I have one of the smallest collections in all town square. But I make up for it all with quality and rarity," Zarris' crooked grin became warmer. "Forget that stat gem, I'll take care of that easily. Tell me what you're really after."
Jack tossed the stat gem to Zarris and sighed. He told the truth in hopes that Zarris would other some special benefits. "Fine. I'm a newly summoned hero who got in an argument with the king and joined the Adventurers Association instead. Currently, I'm desperate to level up faster than humanly possible, got anything that can help?"
Zarris' weary eyes showed a glimmer of light after hearing Jack's brief request. "In that case, it will be hard to find such a thing even if you search the entire town square. Lucky for you, my small collection can usually offer something fitting of strange requests. Check this out." Zarris opened one of the leather chests on the floor and threw a small, emerald green pearl.
Jack snatched it out of the air eagerly. He knew exactly what this was before even the system could notify him. Some of the earlier achievements in the game had level caps, forcing Jack to reset his level and grind it back to the top. If it weren't for these emerald-like spheres, Jack would've wasted a lot of time aimlessly farming EXP back then. "A weathered jade?"
"You're not like any lv. 1 I've ever met," Zarris' intuition on befriending Jack was confirmed correct the moment Jack named the item. Most experienced adventurers might have only heard about such an item, let alone instantly recognize it. "Consider that a gift from me to you, hero."
"Call me Jack. Normally I'm against gifts, but I'm desperate for immediate leveling. In return, how about I become an official patron?" offered Jack.
Zarris' wild grin expanded into roaring laughter. His gamble won him the lottery. It wouldn't bring him too much immediate return since Jack was only lv. 1 but having a summoned hero as a patron was well worth the weathered jade for advertisement alone. Not to mention the items that he could buy off Jack in the future. He calmed his laughter and said, "Wonderful! Then I shall also offer you a patron's discount. What else do you need, now that we've settled that?"
After a moment of thought, Jack opened up to Zarris. "Let me tell you about my unique circumstances. I'm different than offer heroes. Not only do I have a separate class, but I also have my own subclass as well. To explain it simply, I can gain almost any skill, but I must meet random and unusual demands to be able to slowly master them. I'm not a fan of general wares, I like what used to known as adaptive items. Do you know anything about those?"
"Adaptive items…" Zarris was a little startled by Jack's mention of such unique items that were uncommon centuries ago. In modern times, such things were only found in legends and possibly in ancient ruins yet to be discovered. "Sadly, in modern times such things rarely exist. Might I ask how a lv. 1 like yourself even knows about them?"
"Let's just say that before I was summoned to this era, I was already familiar with ancient Kartonia. If you ever find anything from that era, I'll be the first to buy it, got it?" said Jack with a wry smile.
"Of course! With your knowledge, you may know of some things that an old man like me may not understand. You'll be the first person I'll contact whenever I get anything of true value. Can we link contact crystals?" Zarris was ecstatic. He had hit a gold mine in his newfound partnership.
"Contact crystals?"
"You don't know of them?" said Zarris, slightly stunned as he pulled out what looked like two hexagonal diamonds as big as his palm. "These are contact crystals. They let us communicate with anyone we've linked within a certain distance. These are low tier like everyone else's. Those in the middle tier are only affordable to large guilds or factions. But these are plenty strong, as long as you don't go beyond the surrounding towns or villages, we'll be able to contact each other. Here, take one."
"Thank you," said Jack. He didn't question the usual cost because he was certain that it was above his current budget. These kind offerings from Zarris struck a chord in Jack's heart, cementing the importance of their relationship. "Is there anything else you'd recommend I get before I leave town?"
Zarris kept smiling and answered, "I think there's one more thing only you would be interested in."
Capítulo 12: Ancient Soul Piercings
"I think there's one more thing only you would be interested in." Zarris uncovered his sleeve and activated the hidden, ornate storage band on his right arm. An item appeared in his hands. It was deceptively small and seemed insignificant, but Jack's gaming veteran eyes were green with envy and greed. Seeing this reaction, Zarris chuckled and lobbed it to Jack, "Here, tell me what you know."
"You don't know what this is?" Jack didn't hide his true emotions; he already knew that Zarris wouldn't scam him and that his relationship with a merchant like Zarris was crucial for his growth.
"Not a clue. I've asked dozens of merchants and craftsmen but all they can tell me is that it's probably linked to ancient times. They all offered a great deal for it, but I refuse to sell anything without knowing its purpose," said the old man in deceptively tattered clothing.
Jack tried to calm his nerves before he explained the item. "It's not an adaptive item, but it isn't any less valuable. This type of item can be soul bound, in other words, it can only be used by a single person who must bind and link it with their soul. Without the know-how to perform the activation ritual, it's completely useless."
Zarris' was somewhat saddened when Jack said it wasn't an adaptive item, but a smile too big for his face immediately formed after he heard it was an item that could be soul bound. Items like those were nearly impossible to acquire, let alone forge and equip. He said, "I found it while visiting a ruin over a decade ago. After holding on to it for so long and rejecting so many offers, I can finally be at ease. Now go on, tell me what it does."
Jack took a minute to read the system's item description to ensure he fully understood the item's capabilities. He then gave a summary to the patiently waiting Zarris. "This is a type of soul-piercing; the item's been named "Privacy Screen".
By piercing it anywhere on your body and performing the right ritual to link it to your soul, you will be able to conceal any information or general presence on demand. If you were to link it and then stand in front of someone, they'll still see you. It just conceals your aura and prevents anyone from easily seeing through your level, class, and other general info."
"Hmm…" Zarris didn't know what to say. It was something incredibly rare and specially crafted during ancient times, but it had a very specific use and wouldn't be generally attractive to a lot of buyers.
"Let me make you a deal," said Jack, effectively grabbing Zarris' attention. "Let me have this. It's possible to find other buyers but they won't know how to activate it and link it to their soul. Besides, this is perfect for a newbie like me that doesn't want everyone to know that I'm a summoned hero. What's it gonna take to walk away with this?"
Squinting his eyes and stroking his unkempt beard, Zarris pondered the offered carefully. It didn't take long for him to say, "Very well, you take it. As payment, you'll let me watch you activate it so I can learn this for myself. That kind of knowledge nowadays is priceless."
Jack laughed lightly, "Good, cause I was going to need your help to do so anyway. I'm too low leveled to perform the ritual, so I'll have to teach you either way. You're over lv. 20, right?"
"Of course! I'm actually lv. 31 despite the old looks," declared Zarris proudly.
Jack wasn't too surprised. Considering the fact that the old man had survived in ancient ruins which were probably filled with booby traps, Zarris would need at least this level of strength and an insane amount of luck. "Perfect, then let me explain the process."
Jack instructed Zarris to draw a large hexagram on the floor and surround it with a ring of characters used during ancient Kartonia that Jack easily understood thanks to "A Hero's Tale." They made sure to use some magical beast blood that Zarris had on hand as the medium; this would increase the possibility of success to almost 100%.
Jack sat down in the center and Zarris stood at the side and followed Jack's command to direct some of his mana into the hexagram, causing it to dimly glow.
"Now you must recite these words exactly. Repeat after me, 'Ice!'" said Jack, as he pierced his left ear with the earring, and he began to dimly glow like the hexagram.
"Ice!" Zarris grew excited and spoke loudly.
"Bank!" continued Jack.
"Bank!" Zarris followed along.
"Mice!"
"Mice!"
"Elf!"
"Elf!"
"Now repeat!" said Jack.
Zarris instantly memorized the few words and continued reciting, "Ice… Bank… Mice… Elf…"
"Louder!" Jack and the hexagram showed an even brighter glow.
The old Zarris showed more enthusiasm at the sight of this. "Ice! Bank! Mice! Elf!"
"Faster!"
"Ice, Bank, Mice, Elf!" Zarris subconsciously released even more mana into the hexagram as he shouted.
"Once more!"
"ICE BANK MICE ELF!" yelled Zarris at the top of his lungs, loud enough for all neighboring shops to hear.
"HA HA HA!!" Suddenly the light flashed brightly and disappeared, leaving a dull, used up hexagram and a hysterical young hero rolling on the floor in laughter. Zarris was confused until he heard Jack say, "Wow Zarris, I didn't know you were into that. Do you spank yourself daily or weekly?"
Zarris' face began to glow an even brighter red then the formerly lit hexagram and yelled, "You! You made me say such drivel! I ought to—"
"The link was successful." That quick line got Zarris to shut up but couldn't help the old man hide his moment of shame. "The ritual doesn't need you to recite anything. Just dump enough mana into the pentagram and make sure to pierce it after it has begun to glow. I'm grateful for your help; I don't have anywhere near enough mana to pull this off on my own."
With a few long, deep breaths, Zarris temporarily curbed his frustration. "So that's it huh? It's simple enough, I just wish I understood those symbols. Either way, I can now replicate it when needed. It's a good thing I have a few more soul piercings to sell now."
"You have more?" Jack stopped laughing and immediately felt like he got shortchanged. But he quickly dispersed such thoughts and had to give credit to Zarris for his sales tactics. "Can I see them? I might be interested in cutting another deal and can at least let you know what each piercing can do specifically."
Without hesitation, Zarris threw three more rings to Jack and wore a smile on his face after getting the upper hand in the end. Jack inspected each ring carefully. He noticed that all four piercings were crafted by the same person and he was blown away by something.
The craftsman carried a title, not like a grandmaster but a title given through achievements from "A Hero's Tale." Such a discovery led Jack to believe that the characters everyone played as in "A Hero's Tale" actually lived in ancient Kartonia and affected it personally. Before his mind ran away with that theory, Jack grounded himself and threw two of the piercings back to Zarris.
"What did you find?" asked Zarris, seeing Jack make a startled face.
"The piercing in your left hand is called 'Life Tree's Leaf' and it will passively increase total mana capacity and regeneration by 5%. Your right hand is holding 'Life Tree's Seed' and is part of the same set as 'Life Tree's Leaf.' It will passively increase total health capacity and regeneration by 5%," answered Jack.
"And the one in your hand?" asked Zarris with a lifted eyebrow.
"I'd rather not say, and I will make whatever deal I need to in order to leave here with it," said Jack.
Zarris was surprised that Jack was so determined to leave with the other when he knew how great the other two were. He was ecstatic to have found a set of soul piercings, but he wondered what could be better than those?
"I can tell you this, I'm the only one who can use this one to its fullest potential. For other adventurers, this little thing in my hand is useless compared to that set," stated Jack.
It was a difficult decision for Zarris, especially now that he knew how to activate them. He mulled it over in his head and tried to imagine what would have equivalent value to an ancient soul-piercing. After a few moments, Zarris nodded and said, "Very well, the last one is yours. But now you owe me a favor. No matter the request you must not refuse when the time comes. Got it?"
Jack was a little apprehensive, but he agreed. "For a friend, anything."
They both smiled, each excited for their new treasures. After they quickly performed another activation ritual and made a promise to meet up next month, Jack left the stand. He quickly left town square and hurried home. When Rydel was nowhere to be found in their room, Jack sighed and stroked the stud piercing that now sat above the "Privacy Screen." Excitement filled his body as he thought of the piercing's name, "Hidden Agenda."
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TheSilverQuill
TheSilverQuill
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