While Phylia fiddled with a sword, Himo stared at the weapons on display. Why are they so… plain?

[Why is that a problem? Considering the location, they are decent.]

Himo grabbed a dagger. It was devoid of ornaments, presenting only a leather handle and a short, sharp blade. He rolled his eyes. System, you don’t get it. If someone offers a free weapon from their armory, you must take the best one! And what are the best weapons? The interesting ones! Nodding repeatedly to his own words, he put back the dagger.

[Was that why the user took the scythe?]

Obviously!

Lectured the system, he resumed the search. He inspected axes, spears, whips; anything he could get his hands on. He took thirty minutes to find something to his liking: a greatsword.

A long hilt leaned on the wall, supporting the blade that pierced the floor. The entire weapon was made of blue raverium, with the addition of black leather that covered its hilt. With a height three times Himo’s, the greatsword weighed enough to stop even strong students from trying it out. As a result, cobwebs webs made their way to its backside, albeit they were few thanks to occasional cleanings.

Himo’s eyes brightened. He grabbed the hilt and—”Argh! Heavy!”—nearly fell on his back. He stabilized quickly. Holding it on his shoulder, he walked up to a dummy and slashed it. The strike split the dummy effortlessly, but its momentum forced Himo a few steps forward.

While his strength allowed him to lift the greatsword, its weight shifted his center of gravity. Once he threw a strike, stopping it was not easy.

System, what is the status of this weapon?

[(High-grade Earth Weapon) No-Name Greatsword]

[An exceptionally tough, massive greatsword. It’s sharp and heavy, but contact with a dead creature’s blood will gift it a temporary brittleness.]

So, it has a debuff… is it upgradable?

[It can be reforged by a somewhat skilled blacksmith, but there aren’t ways to “upgrade” it like the scythe.]

Blacksmith… Himo’s mind wandered. If I could forge my weapons, who knows what cool weapons I would make!

[Weird, unpractical weapons, most likely.]

Himo looked at the split dummy—it joined itself like goo-like magnets—and nodded. I’ll take this sword! He giggled as he made his way to the exit. "Phylia, let's go!" While she put a hammer back to its place, he pushed the button beside the door.

“Have you found a good one?” The receptionist, smiling, walked inside. But she froze at the sight of the massive weapon on Himo’s shoulder. It nearly grazed at the ceiling. “Th-that… Isn’t that weapon a bit too big for you?”

Himo tensed up. Another kind receptionist? This is bad! His mind sprung into action. He formulated a plan and readied to convey it through speech. “You’re correct. It’s too big at the moment, but I have a plan. Following that plan, my strength will increase drastically!”

How’s it? Himo grinned inwardly. This speech uses the basic strategy on how to convince someone: first, admit they are right; second, claim to have a solution; third, reassure them it’ll be beneficial!

The receptionist stared at the weapon for a few seconds. “Are you really sure about it? Once you use your coupon, you won’t be able to change anymore!”

[Seems like the speech has failed.]

The child held back a frown. “It’s fine,” he said, “I already know that. I believe in my plan’s success, and I believe in this weapon’s prowess!” He gave her the coupon.

Phylia raised her fists. "Master can do it."

Oh! Himo's eyes lit up. Nice follow-up! I'll have to reward her later.

Her eyes fidgeted between the coupon and the weapon. “Can you tell me about your plan? Maybe I can give some tips…”

“I’m sorry, but, as this is about my cultivation, I prefer not saying it.”

After a sigh, the receptionist took the coupon. “Alright. I’ll take care of the payment.” She stepped closer and poked the greatsword. A “puff” sounded and a purple mist left the weapon. “I’ve removed the safety lock. You can put it in your ring now.”

“Thank you. Goodbye!” Walking out of the room, Himo rotated his shoulder. Only then did he notice that the weight left his muscles sore.

The receptionist waved at them from the counter. “Good luck with your plan!”

Himo and Phylia waved back. Crossing the portal, Himo sighed. Kind receptionists are… really troubling!

-----

Once he left the armory, the feeling of being spied returned. Annoying… He glared left and right, then turned toward a random portal with a grin on his face. I just need to run!

“Phylia!” He grabbed her hand and cast an invisible platform under his feet. “Run!”

“Eh?” Phylia blinked as they turned into a blurry line that darted in a portal.

“What?!” The teachers jumped out of their hiding place and chased after them. Once on the other side, they saw the two children entering into yet another portal.

Himo kept spamming [Hopper] to enter the portals without caring of where he was. The teachers followed him. Rooms swapped between intersections of portals, halls, markets, and rooms full of students, but despite his efforts, he failed to outrun them. He stopped after a few dozen portals.

The teachers hid behind two pillars as the child stared in surprise at the newfound place.

They were inside an entrance room that looked upon a land of green. A cobblestone road born from their room ventured to the green land. Mansions of various shapes gazed at the road from their gates, showing off their vibrant colors. All hugged by a dome of glass that faced the outside world.

Himo stepped on the tickling grass. “Is this what the headmaster spoke about when he said that better ranks can give better dwellings?”

“Indeed.” 

“Eh?”

“Though, I doubt he expected you’d get here.” Laughing, a buoyant old man popped up from the grass.