Fighting Alexander in front of so many people was risky, and Dante understood that. If he were to win, then everyone would want to know how he -who has a scouting Blessing- could have defeated the one man with a pure combat Blessing.
What's more, the government might try to reevaluate his Blessing, which will turn into a huge headache. Dante was certain that the government isn't using harsher methods simply because they think Saint Maria is protecting him, and so the last thing he wants is to poke the hornet's nest.
After letting it run through his mind for a while, Dante knew that he had to step down now. So, he lifted his hands and shook his head in dejection. "Well, this is it for me. That was a lucky grab, and it probably used all of my luck."
Alexander could tell at a glance that Dante wasn't afraid of fighting him, and so did every single Blessed here who was worth their salt. That move from earlier wasn't a stroke of luck at all, but a genuine reaction at the level of someone who is used to fighting. Everyone had also heard of what Dante did to the bandits, so no one here believed his bluff.
But this was the unspoken role of the Blessed: never stick your nose in someone else's Blessing. Such acts always end up with someone under the dirt and one on the wall slaving away. To a Blessed, their power is their trade secret, which they must protect at all costs.
"Really?" Alexander sighed, "Fine, we'll play later. I really did want to taste that fist of yours again." He rubbed his cheek. When Dante knocked him out, he was wearing a reinforced helmet that allowed him to headbutt an ox and be fine, yet Dante somehow put him to sleep.
As the fight came to an abrupt end, the other students all complained. They wanted to see Alexander beat Dante to a pulp, but sadly, they didn't get their wish. Many were here for blood, but there were a few who wanted to witness what Dante's Blessing is.
The government was the most disappointed of them all as they had once again failed to learn more about Dante's Blessing. Dante couldn't be happier as he saw the agents' souls disappear from behind the dojo's door.
Alexander already told Dante why the government is so hellbent on learning about every single Blessed alive, and the reason was far more reasonable than he expected. The government cannot keep the three Saints in check as it is now. They simply lack power, and the last thing they want is another Saint to emerge and upset the balance.
The government wants the next Saint to be on their side, and they will do everything they can to find, nurture, and train the promising blessed. Alexander knew this because they had approached him before thanks to his Blessing, but to their luck, he was already aligned with Saint Maria.
Alexander also informed Dante that it might be best for him, if he has a unique and powerful Blessing, to align himself with the government. As much as he respected Saint Maria, Alexander wasn't delusional and knew that she would not let another Saint emerge in her ranks, as they might overthrow her.
Right after the training sessions ended, Alexander invited Dante to go out with him, and the reason was something even Dante was interested in. Weapons! The romance of every man. Big swords, sharp blades, roaring guns, and heavy plates of shiny steel.
Weapons are the bread and butter of all the Blessed. Without decent weapons and armor, only death awaited those foolish enough to step onto the battlefield like that. Today, Alexander wanted to bind a new item to his soul, and it was a large tower shield.
The shop looked inconspicuous from the outside, but the moment Dante and Alexander stepped into the dark hallway and eventually into the large warehouse, they were met with a small but impressive selection of weapons of all kinds.
The shield Alexander wanted was massive, almost as tall as Dante was, and scutum in shape but made entirely of layered steel and reinforced graphene alloy. It weighed enough that Dante could barely lift it with both hands, yet to Alexander, it was barely a bother. It was quite amazing to see Alexander wearing the heaviest of full-plate armor, carrying the heavy shield in one hand, and swinging a Zweihander with his other hand and still moving like a nimble cat.
Dante almost felt jealous watching him. His curse allows him to see souls. That's cool and all… but couldn't it give him a better ability?
This was also the first time Dante had seen the inside of a weapon shop, so while Alexander was busy trying his new shield, he went around looking at different weapons and their prices. Everything was stupidly expensive, and it cost even more to integrate them into his soul as Magic Items.
Just a mundane sword cost almost five thousand sparks, which felt like extortion, and it was. Weapons and ammunition are in high demand, and so there is always a shortage. It made a lot of sense, as human civilization had collapsed, and mining now is harder than ever before. The merchants he met after being kidnapped by the bandits were coming to SAF from a small mining settlement up north, bringing with them both ore and food.
So since half the merchants died and they had to abandon their shipments to escape death with the knights, the city was now suffering from a temporary shortage of materials. At the time, Dante didn't even try to wrap his head around how important those merchants were, but now, he could almost cry about it.
^Those damned bandits! I should've just killed them… Now I'm not getting a weapon because of them!^ Dante was seething internally.
"How much does it usually cost?" Dante asked the bearded man with the wide shoulders who manned the counter and got a grumpy growl followed by an exhausted voice. "Two thousand. The price has more than doubled."
The bearded man clearly wasn't making any sales lately, so Dante started thinking that he might be able to haggle him down. Make a deal, leveraging the dwindling sales. But before he could open his mouth, the warehouse's door was kicked open, and a familiar old man rushed in.
"Is Dante still here?" He was the old merchant who was with Dante in the cage, and he almost started crying when he saw Dante staring at him from the other side of the warehouse. The bearded man shouted in rage. "Don't kick my door! No, wait. Did you just say, Dante? This is the nut-ball who massacred the bandits?"
"Yes! Yes! That's him, Heitor." The old Merchant rushed in, grabbed Dante's hand, and looked at his face. "I've been trying to find you for a long time." Dante quickly pulled his hand and took a step back.
"Looking for me?" As Dante gasped, the old merchant nodded. "Yes, I had my men keep an eye out for you, and one just told me he spotted you coming into Heitor's shop." He threw a glance at the weapons around. "Are you here to buy a weapon?"
Before Dante could reply, Heiter growled in the back. "I'm not giving anything for free. You'll pay market value, the same price the government taxes me for." All weapons shops were heavily regulated and monitored by the government to make sure nothing was slipping outside the walls to the outlaws and criminals. That also allowed them to keep a tab on what weapons every Blessed has.
The only way for a Blessed to get a decent secret weapon was to receive one in a dungeon and never declare it. All guns were digitally locked to their owner, and the regular weapons were documented whenever a blessed tried to bind them to their soul.
"I'll pay for it!" The old merchant smiled. "Dante, my boy. Pick anything you want. Think of it as a thank you for what you did for us that day."
"Dante!" Alexander, who was listening from the corner and inspecting his shield, spoke with a smile. "Instead of a weapon, get armor. Something light and durable that would help you survive for longer. I've got plenty of weapons to lend you." He stood and approached. "Also, if you're coming to the dungeon expedition, then the church would give you a free weapon and even let you bind it."
"An armor, you say?" Heiter scratched his chin and then threw a glance toward Dante. "It's been a while since I made anything light, so I've got a lot of carbon alloy and aluminum composite."
The old merchant also smiled. "Dante! Want an armor set? Heiter can make you a decent one that'll fit you perfectly!" Dante had to think about it for a while, but eventually had to agree. Even though he was immortal, the last thing he wanted was to get mauled again, and a suit of durable armor would help him a lot, probably more than a weapon would.
Of course, all weapons and armor here were just Mundane with not a single Touched one among them, meaning that Dante would probably have to get better equipment when he ranks up. But since he isn't paying anyway, could he push his luck and get the old merchant to pay for weapons and armor?
After thinking about it for just a few seconds, Dante quickly changed his mind. The old merchant was struggling now after the incident, and he probably won't recover any time soon. This gesture probably held more meaning than just gratitude for sacrificing himself to the maws of wolves to save them. This merchant probably sees it as an investment in a rising Blessed, one that could pay out later and pull him out of the mud.
Dante wasn't even sure that he would join the dungeon expedition yet, but what else could he do? He had no choice but to risk it all and try to rank up. The quicker he gets stronger, the safer he'll be. In the future, this merchant could prove more than useful, and so Dante decided to think like the old merchant and look at the future.
Dante smiled. "Well, make sure you put your heart in it. If I die, it'll all be for nothing." He threw a glance at the old merchant. "Can you procure higher-rank weapons?"
The old merchant blinked a few times, then looked down with a darkened face. "Sadly… such goods are out of what I can afford…" And Dante immediately tapped him on the shoulder. "Once I come back from the dungeon as a Touched, I'll be counting on you to help me find some."
The merchant's eyes glittered like jewels as he nodded with an excited grin. "Yes! Yes! Of course! You just make sure to return alive to us!" He immediately threw a sharp glare at Heitor. "Can we count on you for the armor?"
"Leave it to me. But I'll have to take his measurements now if we want it to be done before the expedition date." He smiled from ear to ear and smacked his desk hard enough to make it jump. "Kid, I'll give you my best, so don't go dying and waste my efforts!"
Heitor got to work almost immediately and dragged Dante to the back rooms to measure him, all while Alexander and the old merchant sat in the shop and waited with the clerks.