The Strange Shopkeeper (2)

I felt like my surroundings were distorted by an invisible wave from a mysterious power coming out from the man.

'Is this a dream or a hallucination?'

The voice of the middle-aged man stopped the situation from escalating any further.

"This is the Layton's Branch Alleyway if you want to settle mercenary disputes. You can do it somewhere outside."

The tight grip on my neck loosened, and I dropped to the floor with a pale face.

"Cough! Cough! Cough. Ugh..."

Lucas stared at the boy with a troubled expression before turning his head to the dark alleyway.

"I don't know him. Maybe just a government agent."

He was talking to someone, but there was no phone or microphone device. It was a strange behavior reminiscent of a mentally ill person.

He continued to leave without any more words except for silence.

"..."

Vince stared at his dark silhouette slowly, disappearing, engulfed by the darkness.

When Lucas was no longer there, the middle-aged man looked down at Vince with an intrigued expression.

"You know him? That's surprising."

He had brown hair, a worn black shirt, and military pants.

"I never thought that crazy mercenary would have an acquaintance."

"..."

"It seems you don't want to talk about it. Well, that's fine."

"Come in. A customer shouldn't wait outside."

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"The gunshop is open 7/24 in the evening. You came at the right time, kid."

The shopkeeper went to the counter and sat with a languid expression.

The shop's collection was full of armaments of guns and exotic weapons like swords and spears.

'Is this guy an antique collector?'

I looked around the shop and spotted something shiny with a silvery color.

It was a silver pistol with an intricate design of vines and runes.

The size of the gun was a bit larger than an ordinary pistol but not too unordinary. It was a size similar to a Deagle.

I moved my hand to the glass case, and the gun glowed even more strongly.

When the shopkeeper saw this, his jaw dropped with a shocked expression.

"How is this possible? Many revenants have tried to use it but failed." He spoke in a whisper while contemplating.

"What do you mean?"

Vince glanced at the shopkeeper with confusion and joked.

"Do you know what this is? Why is it glowing? Did you put a lightbulb in it or something?"

"Are you a Clocktower Student?"

"Huh? What's that? I am a student from the University of Science."

"Then..."

The shopkeeper closed his eyes with a grin.

'Wow, I found a talented candidate. Using a spirit essence weapon at a young age? I might get a commission reward after this.'

Vince stepped back with a wary expression.

"Hey. What are you scheming?"

'Is he planning on abducting me?'

When Vince was about to slowly step out without being too noticeable, the shopkeeper approached the glass case and unlocked it.

"Here, try using it."

Surprisingly, the pistol was dimming when Vince walked away from it.

The shopkeeper approached Vince and handed the glowing rune pistol to him. The weapon felt light as a feather that astounded me.

"This is a weapon built and modified using Hyperion Steel. This beauty is supposed to weigh more than a ton. But you're holding it without a sweat."

"Wait, more than a ton?!"

Vince tilted his head and held the pistol.

'It's not that heavy. This shopkeeper must be joking. I mean, how could a pistol weigh that much?'

The shopkeeper continued speaking while ignoring his reaction.

"Hyperion Weapons are rare and have their consciousness with unique abilities."

[ Notice Warning! ]

[ Gungnir has forcefully registered as your spirit essence weapon! ]

"???"

"Hey?! What's going on?!"

Gungnir started to melt inside my skin before disappearing into blue light fragments.

Vince quickly moved his hands to inspect his body with a perplexed expression.

"Congratulations! It won't be long until those guys find out about you. Also, the weapon costs 2 million kryptons. Don't worry, though. It will be a great deal for you."

"What?! Hey, can you please explain to me what's going on?"

"Try calling your weapons' name."

"..."

'Is this guy trying to troll me? Paying 2 million kryptons? That's like the cost of two archduke Harry's mansions.'

Vince glared at the shopkeeper with an angry expression.

"Just do it, and you'll find your answer."

"Gungnir."

A blue light emerged in my right hand, and Gungnir materialized with a beautiful glow.

It blinked with a silvery blue light showing it was happy to find its rightful owner.

I was even more perplexed by this situation. What in the world is going on? I turned my head to the shopkeeper and asked him questions.

"What is happening? Is it a supernatural power or something?"

"Hahaha. You'll know soon."

"So, how am I supposed to use this?"

"Hm... I've got a practice shooter range here. You can test it out."

'I can finally get rid of that useless tool.'

The shopkeeper smiled with a delighted face.

Vince narrowed his eyes and stared at Gungnir, not understanding what a Hyperion weapon was supposed to be.

'It wasn't in the game series. Maybe a DLC? If that is true, then there will be variables in my plans. Also, why do I feel familiar with this weapon?'

Two million kryptons was a sham, but it was worth it if I could use this strange power.

'It isn't abnormal to find supernatural things in this world. Reincarnation? Mutant Zombies? Superhuman Abilities?'

'The main story was bound to have its secrets since this was another world. But it was still a shocking revelation to me.'

'Yeah, I've got things even stranger than that.'

Vince stared at the system with a fishy look.

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"Huh? You said I didn't need a magazine for this. So why is it not working?"

Vince continued to click the trigger, but nothing seemed to come out.

"Your essence is still in a hiatus, as it would seem."

"Essence? You mean something like an innate power from a martial arts novel or magic from a fantasy world?"

Vince asked with excitement and dazzling eyes, waiting for an answer from the shopkeeper.

At this point, he probably thinks he is inside a fantasy sci-fi world. The shopkeeper shook his head with a sigh.

"Well, little squirt, you'll know in the future. For now, use a Hyperion battery to load Gungnir. I'll give it to you for free."

"There's no catch?"

Vince stared at the shopkeeper with a doubtful look.

"I keep my word, kid."

He took one ammunition contained with a Hyperion energy emitting pleasant energy. The shopkeeper threw it toward Vince, and Vince received it.

I opened the magazine and realized the ammunition was empty.

I replaced it carefully with the new ammunition and heard a tapping sound after tucking it inside.

I pointed the gun toward the target practice dummy and pulled the trigger.

Gungnir glowed with starlight energy from the mystic runes, further amplifying the firepower of the shot.

BANG! BOOM!

I felt my body flying backward before I crashed into the wall causing mayhem to the wooden crates.

The blast from Gungnir razed the ground with a vaporizing beam consuming all the ammunition that contained essence energy.

CRUMBLE!

The sounds of broken crates magnified a sharp pain in my hands.

"Cough! Cough! Ugh. That hurts!"

Dust settled in with Vince's broken hands.

"Kid, are you alright?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the firepower in shock.

'The firepower it released was many times more destructive than an ordinary Hyperion weapon?'

He got close to Vince and carefully observed the gun.

'This isn't just a Hyperion weapon...'

He observed the patterns of the glowing runes.

'I thought the elven race created this thing? I guess I was wrong.'

'Maybe the dwarves?'

"Hey... I need an ambulance right now."

The shopkeeper reverted to his senses after hearing Vince's hoarse voice.

"That's not needed."

"Pardon?"

He brought his hand to Vince, and a pale blue light sprinkled down Vince's body, who was baffled by the situation.

Surprisingly, the injuries to the skin and bones recovered at a fast pace.

"???"

Vince stared at the miracle with a speechless expression.

"I don't know anymore."

"I also had the same reaction as you did."

The shopkeeper laughed, and both of them got up before discussing some things.

"So, you're saying I just need to wait for those clocktower guys to give me an invitation?"

"That's right. I can't say anything more than that. Otherwise, it would break the rules."

"Fine, can I buy another ammunition for this? It's all used up."

"You have guts. If somebody else were in your shoes, they wouldn't have bothered to use it again."

"I don't think so. The firepower of this weapon is worth the pain."

Vince glanced at the pulverized ground with narrowed eyes.

"The repairs?"

"You sure know your thing. Are you a responsible man hiding inside an adolescent's body? Hahahaha."

"Tsk. Keep laughing."

Vince expressing a bitter face brought his credit card and gave it to the shopkeeper.

His eyes shook with surprise and thought of his niece.

'Vince Schneider?'

'So, this is the lady's crush? I thought he was all looks. But he has good potential.'

'Although he seems expressionless at times. He does have a good character.' Most people his age would've been unreliable and dull.

But his still lacking. I should groom him up a bit.

Vince felt his body cold all of a sudden with a terrified expression. He looked around with a wary face.

He glanced at the shopkeeper with a skeptical face. But no bloodlust was present in his eyes, so he shrugged.

'I must be feeling tired.'

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"I'll be coming back here every week."

"Sure thing. Don't forget this."

The shopkeeper handed a business card with contact information.

[ Mercedes Organization ]

Fergus Layton

Executive Gun Dealer

mobile: +132-924-02-1789

email: mergus@southward.sc

website-telephone: +132-924-02-1788

"Give this telephone number a call to request a VIP card. It'll be issued here by next month."

"Thanks for your help, Sir. Fergus."

I waved my hand and left with a black case containing a submachine gun and sufficient ammunition.

I needed to arrange all of these guns in safe houses. It'll be able to help survivors in the long run once the main story starts.