The administrator examined each slime core with practiced efficiency, holding them up to the light one by one before dropping them into a collection jar.

"Twenty-three cores," he said, his tone flat. "Standard payment is thirty silver for completion. Eight additional cores beyond quota... here's your forty coppers bonus."

He counted out the coins and slid them across the counter.

Kyle scooped them up immediately, his face lighting up.

"Yes! We're rich!"

"We're not rich."

Kyle didn't care. He turned and threw his arms around me in a crushing hug, lifting me slightly off the ground.

"I can't breathe, idiot."

"Sorry!" He released me immediately, still grinning like a maniac.

I straightened my jacket, glaring at him, then stretched out my hand.

Kyle blinked. "What?"

"My share."

"Oh! Right!" He divided the coins carefully, counting them out into two piles.

"Fifteen silver and twenty coppers for you. Fifteen silver and twenty coppers for me."

I pocketed the coins, feeling the weight settle in my jacket.

Finally. I have some actual money.

Not much. But enough.

Food costs about twenty coppers per meal. So this is... maybe a week's worth if I'm careful.

And I need a new sword.

The practice sword I'd been using was functional, but barely.

I can change its properties with edits. But...

No.

My MC is still too low. Every edit drains me, and if I rely on it too much in a fight, I'll burn out before the battle even ends.

I need actual equipment.

Kyle was already bouncing on his heels, his excitement uncontainable. "I need new gear! My jacket's got that acid burn now. Let's go to the equipment shop!"

"Now?"

"Yeah! We've got money! Let's spend it before we do something stupid and lose it!"

That's... surprisingly reasonable logic. For Kyle.

"Fine. Let's go."

And we walked out of the mission hall.

The Academy Equipment Shop was located near the eastern edge of campus, a large stone building with reinforced doors and tall windows that let in plenty of natural light.

We pushed through the doors, and the smell hit immediately, leather, oil, metal, and something faintly smoky. The scent of a well-maintained armory.

The interior was spacious, organized into distinct sections.

Weapon racks lined the left wall containing swords, spears, axes, daggers, bows, all neatly arranged by type and quality.

Armor stands filled the right side, displaying leather jerkins, chainmail, bracers, and helmets. The back wall held shelves stocked with supplies, potions, whetstones, repair kits, enchanted trinkets.

Students browsed throughout, some inspecting weapons with the careful eye of someone who knew what they were looking for, others just gawking at the more expensive displays.

Behind the counter near the back, a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard and scarred hands sorted through invoices. He wore a blacksmith's apron over his Academy staff uniform, and his arms were corded with muscle from years of working a forge.

Kyle's eyes went wide, taking it all in. "This place is awesome."

I walked toward the weapon racks, scanning the options.

Practice Swords – 5 silver

Steel Shortsword (Standard) – 18 silver

Steel Longsword (Standard) – 25 silver

Steel Longsword (Reinforced) – 35 silver

Enchanted Blade (Basic Sharpness) – 60 silver

Eighteen silver for a standard shortsword. Twenty-five for a longsword.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

Kyle appeared beside me, holding up a reinforced leather jerkin. "What do you think? It's only twelve silver. And it's got padding!"

"It's fine."

"You don't sound excited."

"Because I can't afford a sword."

Kyle blinked, then looked at the price tags. "Oh. Yeah. That sucks."

"Yeah."

He put the jerkin back, frowning. "What if we pool our money? Buy one good sword and share it?"

"That's stupid."

"It's collaborative!"

I turned away from the longswords and moved toward the cheaper section, daggers, utility knives, basic equipment.

Steel Dagger (Standard) – 8 silver

Throwing Knives (Set of 3) – 6 silver

Combat Knife (Reinforced) – 12 silver

A dagger. Not ideal, but workable.

And I'd still have seven silver left over.

I picked up one of the steel daggers, testing the weight. Balanced. Sharp. Simple.

This could work.

Kyle wandered over, now holding a whetstone and a canteen. "You getting a dagger?"

"Thinking about it."

"That's kinda cool, actually. Daggers are fast. Sneaky."

"They're also short-range."

"But sneaky."

I set the dagger back down, still undecided.

The shopkeeper's voice called out from behind the counter. "You two gonna buy something, or just browse all day?"

Kyle grinned sheepishly. "Uh, buying! Definitely buying!"

I glanced back at the weapon racks one more time.

I need something. But what?

Then I saw it.

Tucked in the corner, partially hidden behind a rack of spears, a sword. Not flashy. Not expensive-looking. Just... plain.

But something about it caught my eye.

I walked over and pulled it free.

It was a longsword. Slightly worn, with faint scratches along the blade. The hilt was wrapped in simple leather, and the crossguard was unadorned.

But the balance—

I gave it a test swing.

Perfect.

The weight distribution was flawless. The blade moved exactly where I wanted it to, with no resistance, no drag.

I checked the tag.

Steel Longsword (Used) – 14 silver

Turned it over in my hands.

Yeah. It is.

I walked up to the counter, setting the sword down. "I'll take this."

The shopkeeper glanced at it, then at me.

"You sure? It's been used hard. Edges won't last long. You can get a de—"

"You wanna sell or not?" I interjected.

I know what I am doing.

He shrugged.

"Fourteen silver."

I counted out the coins and slid them across.

He took them, then pulled out a leather sheath from under the counter and handed it over. "Comes with this. Free of charge."

"Thanks."

Kyle bounced up beside me, dumping his own purchases onto the counter, the whetstone, canteen, and a small repair kit. "I'll take these!"

The shopkeeper rang him up, and we stepped away, both of us now slightly less broke but significantly better equipped.

Kyle strapped his new canteen to his belt, grinning. "This was a good day."

"Yeah."

"We should do more missions."

"Maybe."

I buckled the sheath to my belt, feeling the weight of the sword settle comfortably at my side.

Better.

We headed for the exit.

Kyle tugged my arm. "Come on! Let's test these out at the training grounds!"

"Yeah. Sure."

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