Grey followed Rex down a narrow, filthy alleyway, the stench of decay clinging to the air.
It was a place most would find revolting, but to Grey, who had lived in far worse conditions, it was barely a nuisance.
Rex glanced back, noticing Grey's calm demeanor, and couldn't help but ask,
"You don't seem like a bratty young master."
"What do you mean?" Grey asked, his voice cold.
"Aren't you a noble? Shouldn't this filth disgust you?" Rex questioned, a hint of surprise in his tone.
"It does," Grey said, his pace steady.
"But your face says otherwise," Rex remarked, his curiosity piqued.
Grey ignored him, his mind focused elsewhere. "How far is this place?"
As if in response, Rex turned left, then right, finally stopping in front of a rickety door.
"We're here."
Grey nodded, though a sliver of skepticism crept into his thoughts.
'Could such a rundown shack really be worth anything?'
Noticing Grey's hesitation, Rex grinned and kicked the door open with a flourish.
Grey flinched slightly at the sudden sound.
But the moment he step inside, his skepticism evaporated.
The interior was a veritable treasure trove—an unexpected contrast to the dilapidated exterior.
Weapons of every kind lined the walls: swords, bows, spears—all masterpieces in their own right.
Skill books, artifacts, and other rare items were scattered about, each more valuable than the last.
Grey's eyes widened, though his expression remained unreadable.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Rex announced with exaggerated pride, clearly enjoying the reaction.
Before Grey could take a step inside, a spear shot across the room, narrowly missing Rex's head.
It embedded itself in the wall with a solid thunk, leaving Rex frozen mid-step.
"Oi! What have I told you about not bringing strangers into my shop without warning?" a sharp voice demanded.
Grey's attention shifted to an elderly woman emerging from behind the counter.
She looked frail, but the way she carried herself suggested otherwise.
Her eyes narrowed at Rex, who quickly ducked as another spear flew his way, this time hitting the floor right where his foot had been moments before.
"Come on, Granny, I've got a customer for you!" Rex pleaded, trying to dodge yet another projectile.
As if on cue, a floating spear appeared out of nowhere and whacked Rex on the head with its blunt end. He yelped in pain.
"You bastard! Who are you calling Granny?" the woman shouted, her voice laced with fury.
"Wait—stop—augh! Ouch! Stop!" Rex yelped, trying to shield himself from the blows. "I brought you a customer, and this is how you treat me? Augh!"
Rex pleaded, tears streaming down his face, as the spear continued to beat him mercilessly for a full minute before it finally relented.
The woman huffed, crossing her arms. "Last time you brought a 'customer,' I had to chase off half the guards in the district!"
Rex grinned sheepishly, rubbing the spots where the spears had hit him. "That was a misunderstanding. I had no idea he was on the run."
Grey observed Rex's pitiful display with a hint of disdain before addressing the old woman.
He reached into his robe and took out a small vial of glowing liquid—a healing potion.
"I want to sell this," Grey said, voice calm, almost detached.
The woman's eyes lit up the moment she saw the vial. Her fingers twitched, reaching out—but then froze midair. Suspicion hardened her features.
"Where'd you steal this from?" she asked, voice low, sharp.
"Someone gave it to me," Grey replied, unfazed.
She held his gaze for a long beat, reading him like a ledger. Then she gave a short nod, lips twitching with a hint of greed. "This is good stuff. Real good. I'll give you four hundred gold."
"Six hundred," Grey said without hesitation.
Her brow arched. "Listen, kid, that's generous. I'm not even asking questions. But since Rex vouched for you, I'll be kind—five hundred. That's me being nice."
"Six hundred," he repeated.
A crease formed between her brows. Her tone sharpened. "Five hundred. Final offer."
Grey was silent for a moment, weighing the coin, her tone, the subtle shift in the room's air.
"Five hundred," he said at last, "and a tier-one potion."
She snorted. "A tier-one... Hah. Fine. Deal."
They shook on it. She swept the vial away with reverent hands, already halfway through counting the coins when Grey spoke again.
"I also want to buy some weapons."
The woman paused, eyes lifting. This time, she studied him with something between curiosity and calculation.
"Hmm. What type of weapon do you need? Here you can find anything you like."
"...Is that so?"
"Then I'll take a short bow, a long bow, four daggers, three swords—one short, one long, and one standard—a great sword, a spear, a dimensional ring, and If you have a big shield, I'll take that too."
"..."
The old woman was momentarily stunned. Rex, who had just recovered, groaned, "Are you preparing for war or something?"
Grey shot him a glance before turning back to the woman. "…I don't need any high-rank artifacts. Just give me something that I can kill monsters with, and a dimensional ring to store my weapons."
Thirty-five minutes later, everything Grey requested was laid out on the table.
He meticulously examined each item, satisfied with their quality.
With these, he was confident in his ability to reach the academy and handle any challenges along the way.
Grey picked up the dimensional ring, intrigued by its utility.
With it, he could store food, supplies, and other essentials without worrying about weight.
Of course, he couldn't store living beings, but corpses were another matter.
However, a frown crossed his face as a thought struck him. "How do I use it?"
"Pour some mana into it," the woman instructed.
"..."
Grey's frown deepened as he set the ring back down on the table. "Do you have something that works without mana?"
The woman's eyes narrowed as she studied him, realization dawning on her. "Ah. So that's why I didn't sense any mana from you. You're a manales—"
She trailed off, correcting herself quickly. "Ahem, anyway. Artifacts that don't require mana are mid or high-ranked. You won't find something like that in a shabby shop like this."
Grey nodded, unfazed. "Then I'll just take this." He picked up a normal sword from the pile.
The woman clenched her fists, clearly frustrated. "Are you kidding me? You're not going to buy all these items after making this old woman go through so much trouble?"
"What's the point of buying them if I can't carry them?" Grey replied calmly.
The woman gritted her teeth, and two flying spears began to beat Rex again, who had been sitting quietly at the table.
"Hey! Why are you hitting me? Augh, what did I do wrong?"
"You brought this bastard here!" she snapped.
After a moment, the woman sighed and looked at Grey. She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally speaking.
"…I have a storage rune. You can use it to store things. It draws mana from nature, so you should be able to use it."
Grey was genuinely surprised, and even Rex's eyes widened in disbelief. Runes were rare and expensive, usually found in high-ranked dungeons and used only once. Without hesitation, Grey asked, "How much?"
"580 gold and I'll only sell it if you buy all the other items as well," the old woman said, pointing to the pile of weapons and artifacts Grey had chosen. "That brings your total to 640 gold."
Grey hesitated, his brow furrowing as he carefully counted his remaining money—only 630 gold left.
It wasn't much, considering everything he needed.
He explained his situation to the woman behind the counter, who clicked her tongue in mild annoyance before removing a few items from his selection.
After a few rounds of haggling and changing some item, they settled on a deal.
The woman even gave him a worn leather bag to carry his purchases until he could activate the rune.
No thanks were spoken.
Grey simply nodded as he picked up the bag.
The woman's eye twitched, and, unable to bear his ungrateful attitude, she shoved both men outside and slammed the door shut with a resounding bang.
Outside, Grey adjusted the strap of the sack over his shoulder. Rex rubbed his head.
"Damn… she scammed you. That potion was worth at least seven hundred."
Grey stopped mid-step.
Slowly, he turned his head, just enough for Rex to see the faint curve of a smile—quiet, restrained, almost polite.
But something in it sent a chill down Rex's spine.
"…Why didn't you say that while we were inside?"
His voice was soft—calm, even—but it carried an edge, like silk hiding a blade.
Rex blinked. "Because she would've killed me," he muttered, rubbing the sore spot on his scalp. "You saw what she did just for opening the door."
Grey's eyes lingered on him a second longer, then he gave a slow, understanding nod.
"…It's fine."
In the end, Grey spent 600 gold coins. Left with 30 gold coins, he handed half of them to Rex, who was walking beside him.
As they prepared to part ways, Rex hesitated and asked, "Are you sure it's okay to give me half the money? It'll be difficult for you to get to the nearby city." This was something Grey had mentioned earlier to him.
Grey glanced at Rex, whose face was swollen from all the beatings, yet he still worried about others.
For a brief moment, a flash of pity crossed Grey's eyes as he responded,
"It's fine. Keep it. I can always stea— I mean, earn more."
Rex, catching the slip, popped his head up and asked, "You just said steal, right?"
Grey averted his gaze, walking ahead without a word.
Rex, still suspicious, called after him, "You!...No way!!... You!!! you were walking through alley after alley before I tried to attack you... Did you plan that just so you could steal my money?"
Grey increased his pace, his steps quickening as if he were trying to run away from the conversation—and from Rex's piercing questions.
"You're imagining things," he said, his tone even more evasive.
Rex watched him hurry off, the doubt lingering in his mind as he continued his own path.