The World Will End!

What are Relics?

To put it bluntly, Relics were basically old items recognized by the System.

But not any old item would become a Relic, the object must have been used by some powerful or important figures of the past! Whether used by kings, queens, knights or renegades… be it swords, rings, armors or even a pen could become a Relic!

[Last time, it took more than a year for people to discover the Relics.] Nikolas remembered that the rumors started to appear when he was already under Yuemura's tutelage. [In fact, who would grab an old ring or a rusty weapon when monsters were killing people on the streets?]

But there was still a question lingering in his mind: did people only discover Relics a year later, or was it the system that released this feature just a year after the start of the apocalypse? Or could it have been some kind of secret leaked by someone else?

Nikolas wasn't sure, but he didn't think the system was the one responsible. Years later, Relics would even cause war among Heavens and huge factions. Once the Excalibur showed itself around Europe, thousands of people fought and perished to grab it.

But that was a story for another time.

"If you find anything interesting, just buy it. I have enough money." Nikolas said to his brother.

"Sure!" Erick smiled, he knew his brother got a lot of money by selling his game account.

It was hard to tell what could become a Relic or not in such a dusty place. To be a little more sure, he would have to know the history surrounding each object, which could still end up being just a copy of the original. Perhaps there were some hidden gems lying around, but the rusty item might really just be a useless object.

[I will certainly waste some money here...] Nikolas scratched his head thoughtfully.

Although it would be much easier to find a Relic after the apocalypse had started, that's only if his guess was correct and it wasn't the system's fault. Moreover, Balfur's store was just in the middle of downtown and it didn't take a genius to know that it would be overrun with zombies. It would be too risky to go back there, at least for a while, and not to mention the risk of the place being looted when they got back.

[It's better not to risk it, money will become useless anyway.] With those thoughts in mind, Nikolas shrugged and focused on the shelves in front of him.

There were all kinds of weapons here: katanas, tantos, greatswords, bastard swords, one handed ones, shields, spears and halberds. Moreover, there was even a rusty steel armor hanging on the wall.

[Should I buy everything just to be sure?]

As Nikolas pondered and Erick looked around, Balfur returned.

The old man returned with two huge packs on his back, it was a miracle that he could carry such weight by himself. His weak and small legs trembled.

Nikolas quickly grabbed the packs and helped him.

"Thanks young man! Have you guys found anything interesting in my humble store?" Balfur smiled kindly.

They nodded.

"I want to buy every single weapon and that armor, is that possible?" Nikolas asked with a big smile.

"And I found this ring and this necklace, how much is it?" Erick added, while showing the items in his hand.

"That is indeed possible, but it ain't cheap!" Balfur added.

"How much?" Nikolas asked.

"Around 10 thousand dollars…" Balfur said tiredly as he thought it would be too expensive for the boys.

"Ten thousand!" Erick exclaimed, surprised.

The old man sighed at his reaction and thought his assumption was true. The items were indeed expensive, but as an experienced collector he knew they were worth that much. Unfortunately, this was the common reaction when he mentioned the price.

Nowadays not many people would be willing to spend so much on old items and so, Balfur hasn't had a client in months!

"Well, many of those items aren't even from Brazil and their historical value is…" He tried to justify the prices, but before he could get far Nikolas cut him off.

"We will take good care of it!"

"I know it is not cheap but - Wait, what?" The man was startled, did they really mean it? Weren't they too young to have so much money?

Erick, who was unsure of how much his brother had, looked at him weirdly.

"We are big fans of history and medieval times are our favorites! I particularly love the Japanese Sengoku era, when the samurai were at their peak! All those battles and the shoguns fighting for power fascinate me." Nikolas didn't lie, perhaps because of Yuemura's influence, but he loved old-time Japanese culture.

"Me too! That's why we're learning swordsmanship in a dojo!" Seeing the excitement in his brother's voice and the fact that he identified the same fire burning in Balfur's eyes, Erick added.

"That reminds me of my youth..." Balfur smiled to himself in surprise. It looked like he had found someone with the same passion as him. "Samurai are indeed amazing, but I still prefer medieval knights!"

**********

Ten thousand dollars would have been spent in a few minutes if not for the heated discussion that followed Balfur's statement. The group spent hours discussing who would win in the real fight, a samurai or a knight.

Without reaching any conclusion, they said goodbye to their 'new' friend. After paying and collecting the goods, the Drachen brothers felt rich and at the same time so poor, the day had barely started and they had already spent half of their budget.

In the next few hours, they went through the supermarkets and bought anything they felt that they should. Another six thousand dollars was spent in food, water and other resources that they would need.

It was fortunate that they had their father's pickup truck to carry everything. But the space was barely enough, and so Nikolas also ordered some things to be delivered to his house.

The sun was almost setting when they got back home. Emilia, their mother, was in the kitchen preparing the dinner. The delicious aroma of spaghetti bolognese filled the house, immediately making Nikolas and his brother salivate.

[Oh! I missed her dishes so much!] From the first day he came back, besides the fact that his family was alive, Nikolas could say that the second thing he liked the most was being able to eat his mother's dishes. Unfortunately for him, he was on a diet. [I wonder, what mastery level will she have in the Cooking Skill?]

With that in mind, he grabbed one of the many bags from the back of the car and headed into the house. Their father was seated at the couch watching TV and as soon as he noticed his sons, he got up to help them.

"What's up with all this stuff?" Reginald asked curiously.

"I'm repaying everything father and mother had done to me. I've sold my gaming account and bought food with it." He smiled, trying to look as sincere as possible. That was the only plausible lie he had come with.

Emilia, now at the kitchen door, was trying to hold back her tears, she had a very soft heart. Reginald, on the other hand, was not so easy to fool and he calmly looked at all that food and water in that bag.

Nikolas used that opportunity as they were distracted to get another bag at the car but as soon as he entered with it, Reginald sharp eyes looked at him and noticed the weird content.

"So, why did you buy all those survival kits?"

"For precaution!" He answered quickly, that was an unexpected question.

[Stupid Nikolas! That's a bullshit lie!] Even he would not believe it.

His father got silent for a while and at that moment Erick entered the room again. Now bringing some of the weapons they bought in Balfur's store. What a bad timing!

Reginald frowned, that could only mean one thing: he was getting angry!

"And... medieval weapons?" He asked as he caressed his temples with the left hand.

The man was about to explode!

At that sight, Erick backed off like a scared rabbit.

"That's because the world will end!" Erick justified out of reflex!