Chapter 8- Old man

" Good thing I got away from those two" Ace sighed as he scouted the market. People hardly sold bullets so it wasn't easy to find a store selling them. Suddenly he noticed a tiny store which had no one around it. This was mainly due to the fact that the store looked rugged compared to the nice looking stores in the market. He saw packs of bullets being displayed on the store.

" Oh let's try there then" Ace thought as he headed towards the store. He saw an old man who appeared to be blind behind the store. " My lucky day indeed. I'm sorry old man but the goddess of luck has delivered you into my hands today" he couldn't help but smile as he had that thought. He stared at the old man like a predator stared at it's prey.

" Welcome young man. You have fine eyes for noticing my store" the old man suddenly spoke with a smile as Ace approached the store. Ace was shocked. Though the old man was blind he had noticed him and could even tell he was young. " Well there are many weird spawn essences out there so such things weren't too shocking" Ace remarked inwardly and didn't ponder the matter too much.

" How much for a pack of high black tier bullets which matches my rifle" he said as he pointed the rifle.

"Hmmm. A pack goes for 4,000 rimes" the old man spoke calmly. "What the heck. This is robbery in broad daylight. If I wasn't planning on robbing this store, this price would have definitely triggered me to do just that." Ace was fuming from anger.

Rimes were a continental currency adapted to Feina. In comparison 10,000 rimes can allow one to buy a normal sized car. From this angle one could see how much the old man was asking for, for just a single pack even if dark metal was expensive.

" A single pack only contains 8 bullets. This is just robbery. The last time I bought a pack it was only 1000 Rimes." Ace added completely displeased by the actions of the old man.

" Well times have changed and mine are high quality. Trust me, they are unrivalled. I made them myself. They cannot be compared to others of the same tier."

"Unrivalled my ass. I have heard of the top class dark metalsmiths in the country and I never saw 'Old Crook' on the list. " he added still enraged.

Dark metalsmiths were exceptional and important people in the world. They were extremely rich and not simple people at all. Even agencies around the world like the Dark Fang don't take them lightly. Now this old man is claiming to be on par .... heck above them. He doesn't know the difference between the earth and the heavens.

" How about this? You try my bullets out and if they are good, you come back and pay for them" the old man spoke with an innocent smile.

Ace felt like he wasn't hearing well. He was being given free bullets. Any 'normal person' per Ace's category wouldn't return. Heck he was even leaving the city today.

" Sure thing old man. You are truly wise. I accept your deal" Ace spoke with a smile as he tried to hold back a laugh. ' You're the biggest fool in the world ' Ace roared inwardly.

He took the pack and was about to leave quickly before the old man changed his mind.

" I might also have something that would interest you" the old man added with a sly smile. Ace paused to see what he had that could ' interest ' him.

The old man took out a black box. It looked mysterious and instantly piqued the interest of Ace who wanted to know what was in it.

The old man opened the box to reveal a dark silver tier dagger which gave off an ominous aura. " This is the devil plague one of my prided items. After refining, it was fused with a poison based spawn essence. After any slight cut on most creatures provided they were weak as compared to it or on par, the poison would spread and paralyse them. In due time their death would be assured. This dagger would be perfect for a long range fighter like you. " the old man ended still with a sly smile on his face.

Dark metal could be fused with spawn essence. The first wielder of the item would form a bond with it and allow him to directly control whichever ability the item would possess. The bond usually cannot be broken through simple terms. It usually requires assistance from dark metalsmiths. This is one of the reasons why dark metalsmiths were very powerful figures in the world.

" Interesting dagger old man. I'll buy it. How much for it" Ace spoke as he fidgeted. Most of the items sold by the old man were over the roof. He prayed this was within his limits.

" 250,000 Rimes" the old man gave a simple answer which to Ace was like several stabs to the chest. " How the fuck is it so expensive" Ace blurted out in anger. " Remember it has been fused with spawn essence. " the old man calmly muttered.

Ace was conflicted. The dagger truly piqued his interest but he couldn't afford it.

"C'mon old man, can I get a discount" the price would definitely empty his father's bank account.

" Please be kind to your dear son here. You wouldn't intentionally step on the toe of your dear son, would you? I only have 100,000 Rimes on me. Please have mercy on me" Ace spoke with a very meek tone. Anyone who saw him would mistake him for a father who had his child kidnapped and was begging for funds to pay the ransom money. He looked pitiful enough to convince anyone but not this old man.

" I won't accept" the old man calmly refused which frustrated Ace even further.

" I have another dagger though. It would be suitable enough for you " the old man added and took out another box. He opened it to reveal a normal silver tier dagger though it's aura was weaker as compared to the devil's plague. The dagger also gave off an ominous feeling of power. " This is the Banshee's Screech. With every slash made, limbs would be severed easily. So would you take it. If you prefer, you can buy it for now, return with some money and exchange it for the devil's plague. As long as the Screech is in good condition. Although the Banshee's Screech hasn't been fused with spawn essence, I assure you it's quite powerful." the old man then stared at Shiro with expectancy in his eyes. " This sneezy bastard" Ace remarked inwardly.