Ugly Merchant

The announcement left the people of all nations shocked, they literally forgot everything about the exchange rate. The folks who were scared by just hearing the word monster, now are eager to hunt them, Some for the money other for the power.

Jasper didn't pay much attention for the moment, His intelligence would bring him the latest news, he continued to train his character everyday and teach Breeze everything about merchants.

Eighteen days after starting training, Ivar Knocked on Jasper's room. "Wait a second." Jasper answered, turning off the game. "Come in!"

The wooden door creaked open, and Ivar stepped inside with uncharacteristic hesitation. His usual confident stride was replaced by shuffling steps, and his calloused hands fidgeted with the leather cord of his belt.

"What's wrong, Ivar?" Jasper studied his face, noting the tension in his jaw and the way his eyes avoided direct contact. "You're not acting like yourself today."

Ivar's hand moved to rub the back of his neck, a nervous habit Jasper had rarely seen. The gesture sent a chill of premonition down Jasper's spine. "To be honest, Master," Ivar began, his voice barely above a whisper, "I want to try that monster's core. I feel like I'll be able to surpass its side effects."

… (Silence)

"Are you that nuts, Ivar?" Jasper's voice cracked with a mixture of disbelief and genuine fear. "Don't you know what will happen to Mina if something happens to you? She was about to lose her mind when I joked about selling you."

A ghost of Ivar's old grin flickered across his features. "So you were joking about that, Master? You took it so far that even I believed you."

"Ahem," Jasper cleared his throat, heat rising to his cheeks. "I misspoke. I was serious, sooooo serious." He waved his hand dismissively, "Anyway, don't you feel pity for Mina?"

"She's the reason I'm doing this." The words came out heavy, weighted with shame and determination.

"Hmm? How so?"

Ivar's fists clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening. "Getting beaten in front of my wife made me feel really miserable. I tried to forget, but I really can't. I can't live with that weakness anymore."

Jasper stared at his ArmBrace for ten silent seconds, "Don't be hasty Ivar, there is something fishy about the announcement. Let's wait and see."

At the end of the training days, Jasper's character got its stats boosted:

Strength: 7.5

Vitality: 8

Agility: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 0 + 0.25

Ace:

You showed me how resilient you are, young man. Prepare yourself for the final test now!

The screen started flashing, and then Jasper found himself fighting against the old mercenary.

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 700/700

[Attack]

[Guard]

[Items]

[Flee]

VS

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 1040/1040

"I was about to congratulate myself for getting my HP and SP increased, but this old geezer outmatched me. Also, [Item] and [Flee] seemed unclickable."

Round 1

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 800/800 | SP: 700/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 1040/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper dashes forward, swinging his sword at Ace!

[Block] – Ace blocks, reducing the damage.

Damage dealt: 30 (Reduced from 70)

Ace HP: 1040 → 1010/1040

(SP -10 → 690/700)

"He has more HP, and now he's blocking?"

Ace's Turn:

After blocking the attack, Ace counters with a swift thrust at Jasper's shoulder!

Damage dealt: 85

Jasper HP: 800 → 715/800

"...How to know a losing game from the first round."

Round 2

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 715/800 | SP: 690/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 1010/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper lunges, aiming for Ace's side!

[Deflects] – Negating the attack completely!

Damage dealt: Big Zero! (This ArmBrace really knows how to annoy me.)

Ace HP: 1010/1040

(SP -10 → 680/700)

Ace's Turn:

Ace delivers a spinning kick!

Damage dealt: 88

Jasper HP: 715 → 627/800

Round 3

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 627/800 | SP: 680/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 1010/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper feints left, then slashes upward!

Damage dealt: 68

Ace HP: 1010 → 942/1040

(SP -10 → 670/700)

Jasper grinned, panting slightly. "Haaa! You see that feint? That's enough for me to boast about."

Ace's Turn:

Ace retaliates with a heavy punch!

Damage dealt: 82

Jasper HP: 627 → 545/800

"F—er! Who Brings a Fist to a Sword Fight? Sh! it even deals more damage than my sword."

Round 4

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 545/800 | SP: 670/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 942/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper strikes low, aiming for Ace's legs!

Damage dealt: 75

Ace HP: 942 → 867/1040

(SP -10 → 660/700)

"I know I'm going to lose this, but I'll make you walk using a cane for the rest of your life."

Ace's Turn:

Ace smirks and lands a precise thrust at the same shoulder he hit before!

Damage dealt: 90

Jasper HP: 545 → 455/800

"Tsk, how petty can you be to target only one spot?"

Round 5

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 455/800 | SP: 660/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 867/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper goes for a reckless overhead slash!

[Dodge attempt] – Ace sidesteps effortlessly, but Jasper suddenly flips mid-air, adjusting his strike!

Damage dealt: 78

Ace HP: 867 → 789/1040

(SP -10 → 650/700)

"Hahahaha! What sidestep and what 'effortlessly' are you talking about? Your time is over, old geezer!"

Ace's Turn:

Ace swings a powerful roundhouse kick!

[Dodge] – Jasper barely rolls under it!

(SP -15 → 635/700)

"See? That's how you dodge."

Round 6

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 455/800 | SP: 635/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 789/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper lands a swift and powerful strike!

Damage dealt: 80

Ace HP: 789 → 709/1040

(SP -10 → 625/700)

"This is a good strike. I think my training paid off!"

Ace's Turn:

Ace delivers a devastating strike, targeting Jasper's shoulder again!

CRITICAL Damage dealt: 135!

Jasper HP: 455 → 320/800

Jasper held his shoulder as if he felt the damage IRL.

Round 7

Jasper – Lv. 0

HP: 320/800 | SP: 625/700

Ace – Lv. 0

HP: 709/1040

Jasper's Turn:

[Attack] – Jasper grits his teeth and swings weakly!

Damage dealt: 65

Ace HP: 709 → 644/1040

(SP -10 → 615/700)

"I think my character's shoulder grows weak from hitting it in the same spot. I have to confess, this geezer is really something."

Ace's Turn:

Ace lands a ruthless strike, breaking Jasper's wooden sword and dealing CRIT DAMAGE!

Crit Damage dealt: 170!

Jasper HP: 320 → 150/800

Battle Result:

Defeat!

"Huh? The fight hasn't finished yet—I still have HP!"

HP Remaining: 150/800SP Remaining: 615/700EXP Gained: 350Special Skill acquired: [Ace Swordsmanship]

Jasper's eyes grew wider upon seeing the word "special" again. He'd completely forgotten about the fight. Last time, when he'd acquired Trashy Swordsmanship, the system hadn't labeled it as special—that distinction had only applied to the special loot (the Parchment). But now, it was happening with a skill. He wanted to inspect it further, but Ace began speaking, cutting him off.

Ace:

Hahaha! You're still far too weak to beat me.

("Humph! Escapes the fight, then starts laughing—how petty can he be?")

Still, you're a really capable young lad. Keep practicing my skill, and you'll achieve good results.

("Hihihi, I think I'll miss this old geezer. He's not that bad after all.")

Jasper checked the skill list, seeing the new skill radiantly shining. He pressed on it.

[Read]

[Use]

Following the same path he used last time, he chose [Read].

Ace Swordsmanship: A swordsmanship created by a genius mercenary, polished by his years of experience fighting against humans and monsters. Your attacks will show stronger damage results the more you practice it. There is a 1% chance of blocking some of the damage dealt (% will increase as the skill level goes up) and a 0.5% chance of deflecting the opponent's attack (% will increase as the skill level goes up).

"Wooo, it's great to have a proper swordsmanship skill. Now, will it show up like that parchment if I choose [Use]?"

[Use]

As soon as he pressed, the ArmBrace's glow intensified, and the screen transformed into an organized list of training schedules:

Sword training.10Km running.Muscle training.Reflex training.Flexibility training.

"Isn't that the same as the training I saw in the game—?"

His words died in his throat as a hologram materialized before him. A faceless knight, perfect in its proportions, began demonstrating each technique with fluid precision. As each training type glowed in sequence, the knight's movements followed in accordance.

"Wow, what would I get if I won against that old geezer?"

As soon as the knight vanished after finishing the demonstration, a voice emitted from the ArmBrace.

You won't get anything, dear user. This isn't like some 'Congratulations! You achieved an impossible mission and acquired an SSS Ultra-X-Whatever Skill!' scenario. It's impossible to win against Ace by any means—but even if you did, you'd still get the same skill. So don't dive too deep into your fantasy.

"Can't you say hi as a first thing, my dear ArmBrace?"

Hello again, dear user! As a reward for learning proper swordsmanship, your newbie phase has ended…

"What?! The world's in chaos, and you're telling me the newbie phase is over? How am I supposed to figure out monster cores' thing if every death is punishable?" Jasper interrupted.

Let me finish speaking, dear user…

"Sorry… wait a second. Since when do you answer my questions?"

Since you graduated from the newbie phase, I'll now answer some of your questions—but only the ones I feel like answering. And guess what?

"What?"

I am devoid of feelings.

Jasper's eyes narrowed to slits. "Is this some kind of Armor Kin's joke?"

Are you mocking us armors?

"Of course—not! Dear ArmBrace! You're the most humorous ArmBrace I've ever seen."

I don't like your tone, dear user. Also, you've never seen anything like me, so stop shamelessly lying.

"Hihihi."

I'll let it pass this time… for the good days we've shared. Anyway, I'll explain a few things for you. First, the Special Practice Mode is unlocked—there, you can fight against a virtual Ace. Second, consuming a monster's heart (core) is too risky. There's a formula that needs to be followed; you need some herbs to combine with the heart. Ask a good herbalist to research about it (which is not recommendable if you don't trust them), or you can find the formula in the game if you keep searching. Third, the power you'll gain isn't that big of a deal as announced. It will slightly help you enhance your body, but if you consume a lot of it in the proper way, that's when you'll see the difference. Still, there's a lot of hidden information that needs to be known before consuming it.

"Huh? How do you know about the announcement? And what is this formula?"

… (Silence)

"She ignored me again… The information she told me is quite helpful, to be honest."

Jasper told the others about what he knew, giving them quite the shock. He also told Ivar about the training regime that he needed to follow.

As he was speaking to them, someone from the trading guild brought the answer of Marchioness Isabella. So Jasper, Breeze, and Ivar prepared themselves and, without wasting a minute, took their path toward the Marquis' mansion. While the kingdoms were in shambles, recruiting people to hunt the monsters, the three of them kept on their way. It was the safest trip ever. The roads were full of people coming and going, but that was only during the early days of their trip. In later days, the movement diminished greatly.

They slowed their pace every day for Ivar's 10 km running routine, and when they were taking a rest, Ivar started swinging the sword that Jasper bought for him. Breeze also didn't neglect his training, but he didn't train as intensely as Ivar—he had to protect Jasper even if there was no threat.

Their meeting with the Marchioness was a bit late because she had a lot of guests every day.

After the audience, they rested in an inn for the night and continued their way back in the morning—but something unexpected happened.

Bandits blocked their way!