"If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me your ability type and rank? I'd be grateful."
Weapons for civilians and Awakeners are different, and Body Enhancement Awakeners are categorized starting from C-Rank.
"Body Enhancement, D-Rank."
The beautiful employee gave a pretty smile at my response.
"Yes. Thank you for letting me know. I'll guide you now."
I followed behind the employee.
My eyes were drawn, almost against my will, to the curvaceous figure visible over her uniform, her swaying, plump hips, and the black stockings hugging her shapely legs peeking out from under her skirt.
'Am I really that pent up...? This is weird.'
It wasn't strange to be drawn to a beauty, but my lust was surging abnormally.
I desperately reined in the part of me trying to stiffen.
The thought of some embarrassing scene playing out while trailing after her was horrifying.
The beautiful employee led me into a large room displaying all sorts of weapons.
"This is where we display weapons that Awakeners frequently use."
"If there's a specific weapon you'd like, I can help you find it."
"I'll just browse for now."
"Of course. Please take your time."
Given Master's financial situation, focusing on Armsteel and Bluelock brands would be the most efficient spending.
I decided to focus on those two weapon manufacturers, just as Suni suggested.
I hadn't planned to buy just one weapon from the start.
With the handy Inventory skill, I intended to make full use of it.
I slowly browsed the weapons.
There was a certain fun in looking over the variety.
Most of them looked big and heavy.
That was unavoidable.
It was a limitation, since mana couldn't be channeled externally.
D-Rank monsters were impervious to bullets.
They required at least the firepower of heavy weaponry.
Body Enhancers, unable to release mana, had to rely on their raw physical strength to swing these heavy implements for impact.
There were plenty of blunt weapons, along with spears and axes.
There were ranged options like guns and bows, but they didn't interest me much.
Weapons where mana stones were embedded in bullets or arrows ended up costing more than they were worth.
The upkeep wasn't cheap.
Then, one weapon caught my eye.
It was a massive sword that looked like a huge rectangular iron plate with a thick round bar jammed into it.
A greatsword blending luxurious engravings with black and gray in perfect harmony.
That enormous, beautiful greatsword was seriously... cool.
I never thought I'd see a weapon like this outside of games, in real life.
"This greatsword is popular enough to rank third in Hunter purchases."
Master, the reviews for this weapon are quite poor. It only has one star.
The price tag was at least three times that of the others.
'What do the reviews say...'
I'll display the reviews as messages.💬 Reviews— AnonymousHouse feels empty? Buy one and hang it on the wall.— AnonymousSymbol for newbie Awakeners. Absolutely do not buy.— AnonymousMan's romance! Any real man has to pick this sword.— AnonymousCrazy manufacturer must've hired bots. Delete this if you don't want Awakeners coming after you with knives.— AnonymousNewbie Hunters: the moment you take this on a hunt, you'll know hell. Absolutely! Do not buy.⭐ Top Comment— AnonymousBig Fucking Sword!⭐ Top Comment— AnonymousBig Fucking Sword!⭐ Top Comment— AnonymousBig Fucking Sword!
Below that, it devolved into mad spam.
The manufacturer must have racked up a lot of grudges.
Master, it's a weapon made by Manz. Once purchased, returns are impossible unless there's a serious defect.
"It's also number one for the most used-market listings among Awakener weapons."
A woman's voice chimed in, echoing Suni—different from the employee's.
"It's just heavy with no real practicality. Over 300kg, so unless you're dragging around a cart for it, better not buy."
I turned my gaze. Two women were standing there.
Now I got what they meant by the area brightening up around a beauty.
One was a neat bob-cut woman in a black suit, plain-faced with no makeup.
The other was a striking beauty with an intellectual updo, horn-rimmed glasses, and a suit tinged faintly blue.
Her deep navy hair and purple-flecked eyes were unusual but alluring.
'Not dyed...? An Awakener?'
I knew Awakeners' hair or eye colors could change based on their abilities.
Looked foreign at first, but her East Asian features suggested mixed heritage.
'A celebrity?'
She was pretty enough to make me think that.
Honestly, first time seeing a beauty like this in the flesh.
Awakeners moonlighted in entertainment.
And there were plenty of celebs I didn't know.
No interest in it, and it'd been ages since I last watched TV.
Maybe embarrassed by my staring, she spoke first.
"I'm Hanna Bluelight, CEO of Hero Friends."
She extended her hand in greeting.
No way she was over her early twenties, yet a company CEO.
Either an insane babyface or trust-fund kid.
Her Korean was flawless—almost thought she was Korean.
But the name said otherwise.
'Hero Friends?'
Never heard of it.
The name sounded kinda childish; if it was big, I'd have known.
I'd picked up on famous Hunter-world companies and guilds just from hanging around.
Reading my expression, the beauty named Hanna said casually,
"It's a new company, only about two years old. Not super established, but I thought we were getting kinda famous lately. Guess we gotta step it up."
More famous than I'd figured.
Made sense—I'd been glued to games lately, ignoring everything else.
I shook her hand.
If it'd been some shady dude, zero interest, but this was a rare beauty worth the grip.
"Was that rude?"
I could guess her intent now that she'd outed herself as a Hero company CEO, but she was too gorgeous to snap at.
A snicker escaped me at how unlike my usual self I was around her.
"Nah, it's fine."
Was this really me?
I didn't hate women or anything, but I'd never been one to chase aggressively.
More herbivore guy than predator.
Pent-up frustration pulling me in? Or some awakening side effect? No way to tell.
"You buying that greatsword?"
Hanna asked.
Her words drew my eyes back to the massive displayed blade.
Still dug it.
"Hmm..."
I'd always liked big weapons in games.
Hauled around giant greatswords and tower shields, mowing down monsters.
And here one was, right in front of me.
Perfectly my style.
"Yeah. I like it."
"You'll regret it."
Her warning gave me pause.
She seemed way more clued-in on weapons than me.
"Any flaws with it?"
Liking it was one thing, but a major defect would make it just a figurine collectible.
I needed a real weapon, not a display piece.
Hanna pushed up her black horn-rimmed glasses.
"No flaws. Looks tough as hell, doesn't it? Just one big downside: it's pointlessly heavy. For the same weight, go blunt weapon—way more efficient."
I stroked my chin, pondering.
The blade looked at least 10cm thick—definitely heavy just from sight.
"Even strength-focused Enhancers have trouble with it."
"Mind if I pick it up?"
I asked the employee.
"Of course, go ahead."
I gripped the hilt.
The handle alone was thicker than a normal sword's, with a hefty feel.
'Without pumping Body Strengthening, I'd struggle to even lift this.'
The edge on one side was visibly blunt—not sharp at all.
The designer clearly knew that when you smash with something like this, a keen edge meant nothing.
It was less a sword and more an elongated club.
Practicality-wise, yeah, kinda trash.
But screw practicality—it stroked the male ego just right.
I hefted it one-handed and swung lightly.
There was weight to it, but no issue wielding.
"Wow! That's incredible! One-handed... Your strength is beyond my imagination."
"Never seen a customer handle it that easily."
Gasps of admiration spilled from Hanna and the employee.
Yeah, no wonder Awakeners struggled.
"How's the durability?"
"You can see for yourself. Purely on durability, it's top-tier among existing weapons. That's its one saving grace. Make something this brutish, and it's gotta be tough."
True—no need for a razor edge when it was just thick, heavy, and huge.
Looked solid as hell.