Outside the clinic, Betty smirked and turned to Louis.
"So, what should we do now, S-Ranked Adventurer?" she teased.
"I don't know. I'm just following you," Louis replied with a shrug.
Betty grinned. "Alright, let's get you some equipment first. Come with me."
"Okay," Louis responded, trailing behind her.
They soon arrived at an old shop with cracked walls, dust-covered windows, and an overall neglected look. Louis glanced around. There was no one inside.
Betty nudged him. "Go ahead, take a look around. Let me know what you want—I'll buy it for you. Think of it as a reward for joining my party," she said with a mischievous smile. "Hehe."
Louis frowned as he examined the shelves. "All the items here are cracked or broken… Are you sure this is a shop and not a junkyard?"
A deep, gruff voice interrupted him.
"Who dares disrespect my shop?! You, kid, mind your manners!"
An old man with a long white beard stepped out from a side room, glaring at Louis.
Louis stiffened. "I… I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sorry, sir."
The old man huffed, then sighed. "Alright, I'll forgive you this time. But if you're looking for good equipment, you won't find much here. This shop used to be one of the best for weapons and gear back in the day. But over time, as bigger stores opened in town, customers stopped coming. I eventually stopped making weapons altogether."
He crossed his arms. "Still, if you really need one, I can forge something for you."
Louis hesitated before asking, "Sir, why don't you start another business?"
The old man let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! If I wanted to, I would've done it long ago. But I have my reasons. This shop was a gift from my wife. She supported me through the hardest times, and I won't abandon it."
Louis lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry for prying into your personal matters."
"Me too," Betty added.
The old man chuckled. "You're an interesting one, kid. The name's Groudy Willsmith. Nice to meet you."
Louis straightened up. "I'm Louis Corbin, sir."
Groudy nodded. "Alright then, do you have a specific weapon in mind?"
Louis thought for a moment. "I used to train with double daggers. If you can make something similar, that'd be great."
Betty raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you trained before."
"Any particular design or pattern you want?" Groudy asked.
Louis rubbed his chin. "I don't have anything in mind, so I'll leave it up to you."
Groudy studied Louis's hands, then pointed. "Kid, give me your hand."
Louis hesitated before offering his right hand.
"Not this one, the other."
Louis switched hands, confused. Groudy inspected his palm closely. "Hmm… This winged mark is interesting. Should I engrave it onto your daggers?"
Louis shrugged. "Do as you please."
Groudy nodded. "Alright, they'll be ready in five or six days. Until then, you can borrow this."
He handed Louis a pair of used daggers. They weren't in the best condition, but they were better than nothing.
"This should do for now. Good luck, kid."
Louis took the daggers, and he and Betty left the shop.
Betty smirked. "Hehe, thank me later."
"Thanks," Louis muttered.
Betty stretched her arms. "Alright, let's go hunt some beasts and test your S-Rank abilities. By the way, what class did you choose?"
Louis whispered, "Don't say my rank out loud! Hah… I chose the Assassin class."
Betty's eyes widened. "What?! Why would you choose the Assassin class?"
Louis scratched his head. "Uhh… I thought it looked cool."
Betty groaned. "You really are dumb. Assassins don't hunt beasts. They work in the shadows, taking on assassination jobs for money."
Louis froze. "W-What?! Nooo! What am I supposed to do now?!"
Betty sighed. "Too late now. You'll just have to go with it. Come on, let's go."
As they walked toward the city gates, Betty glanced at him. "So, what abilities did you get? Mine are Arrow Vision and Long Sight."
(Arrow Vision allows the user to see through the path of an arrow they shoot, while Long Sight increases the user's visual range.)
(Awakened adventurers can see their abilities displayed in front of them at will, but no one else can see another person's abilities.)
Louis furrowed his brows as he focused, expecting his abilities to appear before him. But instead…
[???]
His heart skipped a beat.
"What the…?"
Betty noticed his confusion. "What's wrong?"
Louis gulped. "M-My abilities… they don't show up. It just shows question marks. I don't know what they are."
Betty stopped in her tracks, eyes widening. "Wait… what?!"
Louis stared at the glowing ??? in front of him, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.
Something was wrong.
To be continued...