Tamira’s

Zay'in could easily tell there was something about the dagger from how Vincel was looking at it and then spacing out.

"It's not even the best dagger here" she mumbled.

The curved design of the blade looked appealing and the markings etched into it were interesting but there were more eye-catching and impressive daggers around. Some were powered by much more interesting cores.

Vincel heard her and she was probably right but to him, especially after he had gripped the Grim wolf horn dagger, there was only one choice.

Vincel felt like the dagger was a trophy.

Like it was a mark of the first kill he ever made since his arrival.

He could still remember the feeling of freedom he had as he dashed towards the Wolf to pick it up and slam it against the tree trunk.

'Mmm, memories.'

It seemed like a strange coincidence that he would find a Grim wolf horn dagger here and he still couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity he had with the growl he could hear from it.

Zay'in left to settle the payment and barely ten minutes after they entered the store, they were walking out.

Zay'in exhaled.

"Well-- I guess that's that. Such a short trip."

"You sound disappointed" Vincel noted.

"It's nothing," Zay'in said disappointedly.

They walked in silence but the moment they were inside the Elevator and it began its descent downward, Zay'in broke the silence.

"It's just- There's a reason I saved Weapon's shopping for last.

I expected at least an hour of agonizing indecision where you would need my input to make an informed decision." she said.

"Oh," Vincel said quietly.

'Not sure what I'm supposed to say to that'

Zay'in sighed.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have made your decision on your own. I just hoped it would take longer and you'd need more-help.

I excel at helping people pick out what weapon would work best for them."

Vincel shrugged.

"So what weapon would you have suggested?"

Zay'in looked to the side at him and sighed.

"I would have advised you to select a dagger. Either a dagger or a sword. The way you fight, I don't think you'll do well with a weapon with more reach than that. You also won't do well with a heavy weapon."

"Oh, so it all worked out then,"

Zay'in shook her head.

"That only settles the type of weapon. There were still more choices on what Dagger or Sword exactly would be perfect.

But you seemed so attached to the Grim Wolf horn dagger though. At first sight too. I wonder why."

Vincel could feel her looking at him as their Elevator stopped and opened to allow them out.

He touched his Satchel as though he could feel the dagger inside it.

"I killed a Grim wolf inside the Forest Gate. This dagger reminds me of it."

They were walking towards the exit of the Emporium now. They were getting looks and had Vincel been paying attention, he would have noticed that Zay'in was not the only one passersby were looking at now.

"Your first kill?" Zay'in asked.

"Yeah"

"Mmm"

They walked out of the Emporium exit and Vincel finally remembered he had something to ask Zay'in.

"What about Armor?"

"What about it?" Zay'in asked with a small confused smile.

"Shouldn't I have it?"

Zay'in put a contemplative finger to her lips as she eyed Vincel for a few seconds.

"Do you plan to get hit by attacks or do you plan to dodge them?" she asked.

"I plan to dodge them, I guess" Vincel answered.

"Then you don't need Armor. At your current inexperienced level, it's only going to hinder your movement"

As Zay'in spoke, she walked toward where she had parked the car.

"Okay then," Vincel said. "When do I go back inside a Gate?" he asked.

'I have enchanted clothing, a Satchel to stow all of my gains, and a dagger to cut through beasts with, I might as well start getting more Arcane shards.'

Vincel could still remember the warning he had received from the system after he leveled up;

[Laziness will be Punished with Stagnation]

'Warning or not though, I'm itching to get back into a Gate. I can't wait to unlock the Spell Archives... I wonder what Spells I'll find there.'

Zay'in placed a hand against the car and unlocked it before she answered Vincel.

"Soon.

The best way to get stronger is through constant practice and battle. You'll get a lot of that inside a Gate, so of course, you should go into one again."

"Oh," Vincel said as he got into the car.

Zay'in got in as well and continued talking.

"When we get back to the Estate, I'll train you. Help you get better with the dagger. Mostly give you the basics."

She placed her hand on the console, the car started up and drove out of the Emporium parking lot before pulling into the sparsely populated street.

They drove for a minute and then Zay'in looked to the side at him.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

Vincel's hand went to his stomach.

'Now that you mention it...'

"I could eat"

Zay'in nodded with a smile.

"Good. I know a great place."

Zay'in drove them to a graceful-looking Restaurant. The sign read 'Tamira's' in cursive and Vincel had a feeling, that had it been nighttime, the restaurant lights would be on and given it an even more exotic look.

Vincel followed Zay'in through the transparent doors and he was almost surprised when a disembodied feminine voice welcomed them;

"Welcome to 'Tamira's' where Elegance meets the rambunctious appetite of gallant Adventurers."

As it was midday, Vincel had not expected to find many people there so he was astonished by the number of customers already seated, either chatting with one another or stuffing their faces with the meal they had been served.

Waiters moved all about to tend to various needs and take orders.

"Busy," Vincel said.

"Tamira's caters mostly to Adventurers. It's like a Hub. The Adventurers come in, have a hearty meal, and then leave to combat a Gate."

The atmosphere of the restaurant was like a mix of the fancy atmosphere of a five-star restaurant with the atmosphere of a rowdy pub. It was a mix that shouldn't work but somehow did.

Every table seemed so separate from the others and despite the many conversations going around, they never looked like they were trying to overwhelm one another.

As they walked past, Vincel heard the occasional chatter.

"I hear an Active Gate just appeared at the Boggs district"

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go for it!"

"Sit down! Let's eat first. Clearing Active Gates is a lot of work. We need our strength."

"They've been popping up more and more lately," said a man in armor with a worried expression.

The rest of his party did not share in his worry though.

"Haha, let them pop up. In some districts, you even get paid to clear Active Gates. The more they pop up, the richer we will be!" a pretty but aggressive lady said as she chugged down a goblet of wine.

"Hear, hear!" the rest of his party roared while stamping the table.

Zay'in's voice pulled Vincel out of his eavesdropping.

"Table for two"

They were led to a table and the moment they sat down, the chatter around the restaurant died down to barely a whisper. They became so easy to tune out.

It was almost like their table became completely separated from the rest of the restaurant.

"What's an Active Gate?" Vincel asked as Zay'in picked up the menu on her side.

Zay'in didn't stop looking through her menu even as she answered Vincel's question.

"An Active Gate holds the risk of an invasion. There is a chance the creatures inside will spill out and kill all that is in their path unless they are put down."

Vincel's eyes got a bit wide.

"Why? I mean why do they spill out and not why are they out down?"

Zay'in shrugged.

"Because their dimension is unstable and is heading towards eventual collapse. When it does collapse, the creatures inside have no choice but to escape from it.

When they flood out of their Gates, they do what comes naturally to them,

They kill."