Satisfied with his new gains, Luck's next stop was the alchemy shop. To Luck, potions and herbs were invaluable to any awakener. A boost in speed, regeneration, or any other aspect, for that matter, could very well decide the fate of a fight. It was one of the main reasons humans could fight toe to toe with beasts who relied on their instincts to increase their strength, unlike humans, who had to go through trial and error to this day to come up with an effective way of strengthening themselves. Even then, it was not a surefire method because of the uniqueness of every humanoid creature.
(No wonder they're more Titans than Saints) Luck thought to himself. Either way, potions were invaluable.
The Alchemy district was not too far away, so Luck got there in a matter of minutes.
Unlike the other two districts, though, Luck didn't choose one at random.
*Ding*
"Hello, Mrs. Hunt. I must say you look especially divine this morning."
A woman scoffed with amusement at Luck's polite greeting as she stared at him.
"Bold words for a brat. I wonder what my husband would say if he heard that his friend's son is trying to flirt with me?""
Luck almost choked on his spit, but quickly covered it up with a chuckle, "That's new."
Luck wasn't lying, though. Tara and Terra's mother was among the village's top beauties. Some even believed her to be at the very top.
(Under my mum, of course.) thought snidely.
Anyway, Mrs Hunt was a gorgeous woman of decent height with a figure that could make men in droves, spill rivers of blood from nosebleeds.
Her auburn hair perfectly complemented her olive skin and her especially vivid green eyes.
It was not far from the truth that Mrs. Hunt was one of the major driving forces behind the men of the village's desire to become strong.
Mr. Hunt remained unaware of that fact. If not, Clearwater Village might not still exist.
His parents weren't the only Saints in the village after all.
"What would you like to buy?" she said sweetly. The sweetness made Luck almost forget his purpose and insist she make him her slave.
It was sort of known that Mrs. Hunt had a mental coercion of sorts over those in proximity to her.
It was one of the reasons for her success in business, apart from her 'exceptional marketing skills.'
"I need five lesser health, speed, mana, and strength potions
Mrs. Hunt smiled. "Certainly, that will be five silver coins."
Luck smiled a sweet smile of his own. " Mrs. Hunt, have I told you that you look divine today?"
Her smile widened. "I hope you know flattery won't lower my prices. And yes, you told me today."
Luck deflated. He slowly put his hands in his pockets as he set down the payment with obvious reluctance written across his face."
Instantly, several bottles of different colors appeared on the counter.
Luck hurriedly stored them in his shadow as if fearing she would increase the price again.
He turned around and walked towards the door without saying a word.
"Come again," she said benignly, almost making Luck trip as he stopped to glare at her.
(Yeah, right!) He thought caustically as he stepped out the door.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the shop. It seemed he really did not like those of the same ilk as himself. They were calculative and logical. Like him.
Regardless, Luck felt content with his gains today. He made his way back home, where he planned to branch out towards Harry's and the others' houses to gather them up, as they were soon leaving.
To his surprise, though, all of them were already there, including his brother.
His surprise mostly focused on Luke, whom he had left earlier at the bank.
"You're already done shopping?"
Luke nodded with a smile, "Made a ton of cash from selling the beast carcasses. That also meant I got some sweet deals on a bunch of Rare items. Unfortunately," Luke's smile slowly faded as his eyes flashed with regret. "I'm totally broke."
Luke smirked, hearing those words. Unlike his brother, his luck seemed to be even more potent, considering he had managed to secure three Unique sets and still had money on him.
Luck then turned to the other three. "Why're you guys here?"
The three glared back at him with enough intensity to burn a hole through him.
Terra's lips curled up into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It seems that our parents really took a liking to the suggestions that your folks so eagerly gave."
"Now we have to cancel our rides there because of you guys," Harry added, clearly disgruntled.
Annoyance was evident in Tara as well. "So much for riding in style. In fact, I'd count us lucky if we made it there in one piece.
Luke smiled apologetically at them because, in truth, they were actually responsible for this mess. They were the ones who had agreed to the bet after all, not them.
Luck, on the other hand, was more thick-skinned and simply scoffed. 'Do you have gear, at least?"
The trio's lips twitched, but they still nodded in affirmation.
"Our parents would naturally give us starting gear," Harry said in a matter-of-fact tone, causing Luck and Luke to glance at each other.
"'Lucky.'"
The others were visibly confused, but Luck didn't bother to explain. "Go home and rest. We leave at first light."