Ren approached the pile of swords.


    ''Swords are easy to wield, right? At least they''re not complicated or are they? Ahh... Why am I not a weapons expert?'' Ignorant with weapons in general, he wanted an easy pick for the upcoming trial.


    ''Something that can improve my strength but at the same time, it should be easy to learn... Yeah, this looks good.'' Maybe it was because of its menacing appearance, but Ren picked a red, double-edged sword.


    “Aargh!” With a low shout, he dropped the sword. His face paled, and he sweated profusely. Reeling in shock, he took a few steps back.


    “What happened? Are you okay?” Lena whispered.


    “Yes, but what was that? It felt like something was attempting to conquer my mind.” Ren shuddered while remembering the backlash. It reminded him of dusks, especially when Azen took control over his body.


    Lena’s face turned grave. She touched a few swords and muttered.


    “All these weapons have spirits? Ugh… We’ll have to look elsewhere… This smith has surpassed my expectations.”


    “Weapons with spirits?” Ren asked. His eyes twinkled with curiosity.


    “Yes. They’re incredibly powerful but… to low-level practitioners, they are extremely dangerous. Only seasoned mages and warriors can handle these weapons without suffering from backlashes." Lena struggled to remove her gaze from the weapons. In the end, she sighed.


    "Ha... I should’ve considered this earlier… Let’s go. None of these weapons can help you.” Lena forced a smile.


    Ren expression soured. His inability to absorb energy always returned to haunt him. He glanced around the pile and noticed a large glove.


    Its location caught his attention. It was placed next to a pile of sabers and knives.


    A spark of inspiration lit his creativity ablaze. His amber eyes gleamed as he thought of an idea for his perfect weapon.


    ‘Is there an item that can help me lift heavy items? This place has powerful weapons so there should be at least one item, right? A glove would be perfect…’


    Ren approached the glove and picked it. Bracing for a mental attack, he waited.


    5 seconds passed… 10 seconds passed…


    The awaited attack did not come. Pleasantly surprised, he studied the white glove.


    ‘Is this a normal glove? It can''t be... right?’


    Its large size was its only standout feature. He inserted his right palm in the glove and compared the difference in size.


    ''It''s too big... Right, how could they have a glove for humans? I''m an idiot.'' He depreciatingly chuckled when a sudden change caught him off-guard.


    The glove shrank, enveloping his palm perfectly. Ren gaped. He pulled the glove to no avail. It stuck harder than a bad habit. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the glove vanished.


    He touched his right palm but he couldn’t feel the glove. Instead, he felt the smooth texture of the skin and whites of his palm.


    ‘It’s gone? HOW!?’ He screamed internally. He caressed his palm in disbelief.


    Lena noticed Ren’s antics and approached him.


    “What are you doing? Let’s go!” She angrily whispered.


    “…Sis Lena, I might have messed up. I tried a large glove but it suddenly shrank and disappeared.” His face turned ugly. He didn’t know if he had accidentally destroyed an important item.


    “Are you serious?” Lena frowned.


    “Yes. It was a large white glove. After I wore it, it shrunk and disappeared.” He presented his palm.


    Lena pondered for a while. In the end, she shrugged and replied.


    “It must be another spirit weapon. It might have rejected you, and returned to its original set?” Before Ren could speak, she grabbed his hand.


    "Even if you lost it, it doesn’t matter. We’re allowed to take one weapon. Either way, we have to leave. I’m more afraid of disturbing the blacksmith.” She dragged Ren out of the hut.


    <hr>


    After this peculiar experience, they visited another shop. The shopkeeper didn’t hide his hostility and kicked them out. The other shops and smiths refused to let them in. The silent hatred saddened Ren to the extent that he decided to avoid a weapon.


    He discerned that a weapon wasn''t worth the effort and struggle. He’d have to spend immense effort to learn the weapon. That would distract his original intent of optimizing his qi usage. Moreover, he didn''t wish to see Lena suffer through the crowd''s hatred.


    Nevertheless, he felt awry over the rejections. He wondered if the title of Honored Guest was worth anything. He even considered trading it for an ordinary weapon. Fortunately, the demi-humans couldn''t read his mind. Otherwise, they would eagerly accept the trade before turning Ren into human stew.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Thus, they returned to Kana’s cottage with no noticeable gains. Little did they know of the storm that awaited them.


    <hr>


    “Will he even use it? How long must I wait?” A masked cat-woman asked. She continuously tapped her foot while her frustration grew.


    “Calm down, Agony. It iss a Forbidden SSkill. Remember our goal… grab the target and retreat. Leave the resst to me and do not kill without my permission.” A giant snake commanded.


    The cat-woman didn’t reply. She coolly flicked her silver hair and folded her arms.


    “It iss time!”


    A portal opened ahead of them. The masked cat-woman and the snake entered the portal.


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