The young woman crossed her arms tightly across her chest, irritation written clearly across her face. This entire alley felt beneath her. The buildings were old and weathered, the street narrow and poorly lit—nothing like the grand, polished avenues and luxurious shops she was accustomed to.
Still, she followed her fiancé inside. Once something sparked his curiosity, changing his mind was nearly impossible. It was like trying to redirect a rushing river with bare hands.
A soft chime rang out as the door opened. Warm lantern light washed over them, carrying the faint, comforting scent of aged wood, machine oil, and polished metal. It smelled like an honest workshop, the kind where craftsmen spent long hours shaping things with patient, skilled hands.
Weapons lined the walls in orderly rows—swords, spears, daggers, sabers. Some looked decent enough. Most didn't. Nothing immediately stood out as special.
Near a side table stood a strikingly handsome young man with flawless posture. He looked almost too perfect, like a statue brought to life. Behind the counter, Kiara lifted her head from where she'd been resting on her folded arms. Her expression remained calm and professional as she studied the new arrivals.
"Big Sister," Zion said evenly. "Customers."
Kiara straightened up and took them both in. Her gaze landed first on the young man, and for a brief moment, even she was caught off guard.
*Damn… he's really good-looking.*
His features were refined in a way that felt almost unfair, but what held her attention more was the quiet confidence that lay beneath the elegance. The woman beside him, by contrast, radiated wealth and entitlement. Her clothes, her posture, even the way she scanned the shop screamed that she rarely ever heard the word "no."
*These two smell like money.*
The thought came naturally. Not because Kiara cared about noble status, but because Nexus desperately needed customers—and wealthy ones were usually the most valuable.
Kiara offered a warm, practiced smile. "Welcome to Nexus. What are you looking for tonight?"
The young man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he began walking slowly along the displays, his eyes scanning each weapon with genuine curiosity. His companion followed close behind, her displeasure growing with every step.
She stopped in front of a spear and sneered. "Trash."
She moved to a sword. "Trash."
A dagger caught her eye next. "Trash."
Finally, she let out a loud scoff. "Who would even buy this garbage?"
Her sharp criticism echoed through the quiet shop.
Kiara remained behind the counter, her expression unchanged. In truth, she mostly agreed with the assessment—these old weapons weren't anything special. But there was a clear difference between honest criticism and pure contempt.
Nearby, the young man paused beside a longsword, studying its balance with quiet interest. He clearly saw its flaws, yet he never once mocked the piece.
A wise person could point out weaknesses without insulting the effort that went into it.
Eventually, the young woman turned back to her fiancé. "This entire shop is worthless, dear. Let's go. Even a crow knows better than to waste time pecking at stones."
The young man chuckled softly. "A crow looks for food. A treasure hunter looks for what others overlook." He smiled faintly. "If everyone only searched in fertile fields, gold would still be buried beneath the mountains."
His fiancée rolled her eyes. "You always have an answer for everything."
Instead of leaving, he turned toward the counter. "Do you have anything else? Something not on display?"
Kiara met his eyes steadily. "These weapons came with the shop from the previous owner. They're not what we actually sell here."
She paused just long enough to let the anticipation build.
"We offer something unique. I'm confident you won't find anything like it anywhere else in the Empire. Would you like to see it?"
A spark of real interest lit up in the young man's eyes. "Really?"
"Show me."
His companion folded her arms, clearly skeptical.
Kiara reached beneath the counter and placed a polished wooden case in front of them. She opened the lid with a soft click.
Inside lay a sleek silver pistol, its lines clean and purposeful. Several brass 9mm bullets rested neatly beside it.
The atmosphere in the shop changed instantly.
The young man's casual curiosity vanished, replaced by sharp fascination. His fiancée frowned, staring at the strange object. No blade. No bow. No Ether core. Nothing about it resembled any weapon she had ever seen.
The young man's hand hovered above it. "This matches the symbol on your sign outside." He looked at Kiara. "What is it called?"
Kiara lifted the weapon with practiced ease. "It is called a pistol."
She rotated it slightly beneath the lantern light. "This is the barrel." Her finger shifted. "This is the trigger." Another movement. "And this chamber holds the bullet."
She looked at both of them. "It's a ranged weapon. Once loaded, it can accurately strike targets up to ten meters away."
"Ten meters?" The young man's eyebrows rose with genuine surprise.
His fiancée scoffed. "Distance means nothing. A pebble can fly far if thrown hard enough. That doesn't make it dangerous."
Kiara nodded. "True." Then she smiled. "But whether a pebble is dangerous depends entirely on where it lands."
The young woman's eyes narrowed. She couldn't easily argue with that.
The young man accepted the pistol when Kiara offered it. He turned it over carefully in his hands, examining every detail with growing fascination. "I want it."
"You can't be serious," his fiancée protested.
"It's unique."
"Look at its weird shape—and it isn't even graded," she argued. "And those tiny metal things… bullets, is it? They look completely useless."
The young man laughed softly. "Even if it's only for display, imagine everyone's faces when they see something no one else owns."
His fiancée sighed in defeat. "Fine." She waved her hand dismissively. "Buy your toy."
He carefully returned the pistol to its case before looking at Kiara. "I'll take the pistol and all the bullets. What's the price?"
"Five gold coins for the pistol," Kiara replied pleasantly. "Six bullets cost one hundred and twenty silver. The total comes to six gold and twenty silver."
A quiet thrill stirred inside her.
*First customer.*
*First sale.*
The warmth had barely begun to bloom when the young woman's face darkened.
"Six gold coins?!" she snapped, stepping forward. "Are you trying to swindle us?"
Ether flared around her hand as she slammed it toward the counter in anger.
Before it could strike, Zion moved. His hand caught her wrist effortlessly. The Ether dispersed like smoke in the wind.
"Customers are not permitted to damage store property," he said, his voice calm and perfectly even. Then he released her.
The young woman instinctively stepped back, shock flashing across her face. She was a three-star warrior, yet this man had stopped her as easily as catching a falling leaf.
*Who is he?*
Kiara's polite smile never wavered. "If the price doesn't suit you, you're free to leave. However, rarity has value. And this weapon doesn't exist anywhere else in the Empire."
She paused. "It can kill an ordinary person instantly… and even injure a one-star fighter."
The young man's attention sharpened. "It can harm a one-star warrior?"
"Yes," Kiara nodded. "If the target follows a physically weaker path—such as a mage or an archer—even a two-star practitioner could suffer serious injury if struck in a vital area."
His fiancée still looked doubtful, but Zion's presence kept her silent.
After a long moment, the young man placed seven gold coins on the counter with a soft clink. "I'll buy it." He paused. "However…"
He lifted the folding fan in his hand. "This fan is Copper Grade." He held it upright. "Strike it. If your claim is true, it should leave a mark. If not…" A faint smile appeared. "We'll renegotiate."
Kiara glanced at the fan, then at the pistol. Without another word, she loaded a bullet.
*Click.*
The metallic sound echoed softly through the shop.
She raised the pistol. The barrel aligned perfectly with the center of the fan.
The young woman instinctively stiffened.
The young man's eyes narrowed.
Zion remained motionless.
Kiara squeezed the trigger.
**BANG!**
The gunshot exploded through the shop like trapped thunder. The young woman gasped and jerked backward. The sharp scent of smoke and burnt powder filled the air.
The young man's hand trembled slightly as he slowly lowered the fan. A perfectly round hole pierced the exact center. The bullet had punched cleanly through to the other side.
Silence settled heavily over the shop.
The young man's usual composure cracked, replaced by open astonishment. His fiancée stared in disbelief.
Kiara calmly lowered the pistol. A small, confident smile touched her lips.
"Well?"