D.I.O

Chapter 61

In one leap, the running swordsman jumped four meters high, bounced off a nearby storefront sign or light post, and shot forward like an arrow. It was as if he were jumping amongst the clouds; it was unbelievable that he’d developed such agility in just a month. However, despite constantly bouncing everywhere, the man was still able to hear another person’s comment, which just proved how skilled and comfortable the man was with the technique.

“Yeah, all of that attests to constant training.”

Even if users already had special skills, they wouldn’t practice them often, as they already had a certain proficiency. In fact, they’d consider the effort a waste of time and energy. Yet, why did people train these skills nonetheless? It was because they wanted to improve their control and utilization of these abilities. While it was possible for a player to improve their skills through closed-door training, their development would be superior and more effective if they trained in real scenarios.

“Well, it’s also possible that he’s just trying to show off.”

That could be the reason as well. When Merlin looked around, he could see that everyone wore different clothing, using their appearance to display their individuality, style, and specialization. And even though it probably wasn’t necessary to have a summoned being walk beside the user, they were there nonetheless, going hand-in-hand with the people being followed by their spirits. Many of these individuals had likely brought out their summoned being or spirit to show off. However, since constantly recalling and activating a summoned being or spirits could improve their call-time, this could also be beneficial, so Merlin couldn’t fault the users.

“I like the diversity and flare either way.”

Of course, some users looked normal and didn’t garner much attention as they walked down the thoroughfare. No, to be specific, there were many people like this. They were just harder to notice because they weren’t as flashy as other players.

“… Hmm?”

As Merlin looked around, he found something peculiar. On the side of the street, he saw a man who looked to be in his forties selling his wares. The user’s nametag above his head read ‘Aidelin,’ with an additional title of [Mid-level Blacksmith] in brown lettering right below his name. There was also a customized tag, which stated the following:

/Selling 7th tier weapons. Various types! Cheap!/

As Merlin continued looking in the man’s direction, Aidelin noticed his gaze and spoke.

“Hmm? Did you want to purchase something?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I was just surprised. There’s a weapon shop in the village, so I was wondering if there was any meaning in selling like this.”

The weapon shop only carried top-notch equipment that was also available in abundant quantities. Of course, the weapon shop only sold weapons up to the 7th tier, so items that were 6th tier and higher weren’t sold. Lower-tiered weapons weren’t automatically generated because they lacked use, so there was no point in selling them on the street. These low-tiered weapons would undoubtedly be low quality. Therefore, it was impractical to gather large amounts of low-quality weapons for sale. Aidelin answered without hesitation.

“The weapon shop’s goods are quite expensive.”

“Huh, really?”

Seeing Merlin widen his eyes in surprise, Aidelin couldn’t help but look exasperated.

“Wait, have you not been to the weapon shop? Are you a spring chicken?”

“N-no. I’ve been to the shop, but….”

Merlin thought, ‘I guess the prices at the weapon shop were considered high,’

as he examined the user’s wares. Aidelin wasn’t selling that many items, and there seemed to be approximately twenty different types of weapons. Also, regardless of their actual size, all the weapons appeared only five centimeters tall. This even applied to massive weapons like the long spear, which should be one and a half or two meters in length. All of these size reductions were to allow players to see multiple weapons at once.

“Wow, is this a system function as well?”

“It’s one of the items that's sold at the Exchange Center. Those who only carry one item may not need it, but it’s necessary for vendors who sell multiple goods. Furthermore, I’m selling fairly large weapons, so if I didn’t use this special item, I wouldn’t have enough space.”

This was true. Even if it wasn’t a larger weapon, the stall that Aidelin operated was only two meters wide and one meter long, so it was impossible to fit numerous weapons unless Aidelin utilized the minimizing item. Merlin found this fascinating.

“Can I take a look at this short sword here?”

“Sure.”

Aidelin picked up the short sword that was displayed in his stall. Immediately after being taken off the display, the five-centimeter-long short sword, which seemed like something a figurine would hold, expanded to 25 centimeters long.

“Wow, that’s so cool.”

“You can even appraise the sword while it’s minimized. Miniaturization makes everything a lot simpler.”

/You have acquired a display item! If you take the item without tendering payment, it will disperse and disappear. If you damage the item, you will be required to pay compensation./

Merlin didn’t pay attention to Aidelin’s explanation or the text box that popped up as he viewed the short sword. From his examination, the short sword seemed to be well-made and of high quality, and Merlin could feel a slight artistic qi on the blade’s leading edge. Then, Merlin did an appraisal.

It was a 7th tier weapon. Merlin already felt that 8th tier weapons were well made and that 7th tier weapons were expertly crafted, almost masterpieces. Since there was a [Production] test in the Testing Room, Merlin expected some users to go down that route, but he never expected players to have already reached this level of craftsmanship.

It was a 7th-tier weapon. Merlin already felt that 8th-tier weapons were well made and that 7th-tier weapons were expertly crafted, almost masterpieces. Since there was a [Production] test in the Testing Room, Merlin expected some users to go down that route, but he never expected players to have already reached this level of craftsmanship.

“Wow, your work is outstanding.”

“It’s something that I’ve been doing all my life, so I should be skilled. Alas, I’m still not able to produce 6th-tier weapons yet.”

While looking over the short sword, Merlin was surprised to hear Aidelin say, ‘all my life.’ Were there people in modern society who still produced such old weaponry? However, Merlin soon recalled what he heard from Lancelot in the [Joint Warfare] waiting room; an invitation to DIO was given to those who had special abilities or specialized knowledge and skills. Merlin felt that Aidelin fit the bill, with his specialization in blacksmithing medieval weaponry.

“How much for this short sword?”

“Two silver.”

“I guess that would be 10,000 won in real-life money.”

If it were a cash item, the short sword would be on the expensive side, but when Merlin considered its usefulness, he could tell that the price was reasonable. It wasn’t certain whether Aidelin felt that his weapons were a tad expensive compared to other blacksmiths or if he thought that Merlin might not be able to pay, but regardless, Aidelin spoke.

“Do you even have that much money?”

Of course, Merlin had more than enough. However, he chose to look somewhat embarrassed.

“… Can you just… give it to me?”

“What? This guy… I’m only selling it at such a low price because we’re in a game. If this were real-life, that kind of short sword would be much more-”

“In exchange, I’ll give you a present.”

After offering this response, Merlin smiled. In his left hand, which he had used to take something out of his inventory, Merlin held a fistful of some fine, sparkling powder.

Whoosh.

The fine powder scattered into the air and then whirled around as if being pulled inward towards an invisible axis. Like water in a whirlpool, the powder started twirling around the iron short sword. This was the process of Enchantment.

“Huh? Hey, wait-”

Before Aidelin could continue, Merlin’s right hand started to glow. Actually, what lit up was the Emerald that was affixed to the back of his hand, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that the powder in the air was reacting to his magic power. The Enchantment process was proceeding, and the Enchantment was taking effect.

“Angel Wings.”

As Merlin chanted, both sides of the short sword’s blade blurred momentarily, as if the space around it had been affected by some outside source. Merlin had instilled a levitation and air-movement spell on the blade.

Whoosh!

The flying blade flew around 100 kilometers per hour, but no more. It wasn’t quick enough to use as an attack, as its relatively slow speed could be avoided. Yet, the blade flew like a sparrow in the sky, and despite the Enchantment’s drawbacks, this new property would definitely not lower the sword’s value.

“Are you… an Enchanter?”

“Yes. If you give me this sword, I’ll enchant one item for you. Of course, I can’t enchant a remarkable property, but any skill I imbue will vastly improve the item’s usefulness. Furthermore, if I enchant something that’s 7th tier, it might actually rise to a 6th-tier item.”

Since 6th-tier items weren’t sold in the weapon shop at the moment, any new item of this tier would fetch a relatively high price. Of course, items constantly dropped from monsters, and Merlin wasn’t the only Enchanters, so the price wouldn’t be astronomical. Still, there was no doubt that it would be worth a significant amount.

“Hmm, I guess I won’t really be losing anything in this trade. Fine.”

“What do you want me to enchant?”

“This.”

Aidelin took out a finely crafted bracelet. However, the material that the bracelet was made from was more shocking.

“Huh? Mithril?”

“Yeah. Can you cast a spell that makes this item contain the fire property?”

For Merlin, this wasn’t a difficult request.

“Fine. However, the magic power needed to maintain that fire property is your responsibility.”

“Of course. I’m not going to chain you down just for that measly short sword.”

With this, Merlin threw a handful of powder into the air. The powder was from the Kalib King Clam’s shell, which Merlin had finely grounded and imbued with magic power. In essence, Merlin had created and prepared magic powder.

Whoosh.

Based on the type of spell, Merlin visualized how and where to place the Enchantment on the bracelet. This type of image-making required considerable talent in creativity and spatial awareness.