The next morning, I found myself standing in front of a weapon shop.
"…Woah."
My eyes widened the moment I stepped inside.
Swords lined the walls—long blades, short blades, curved, straight, some glowing faintly with mana, others carved with intricate runes. Spears, daggers, axes… weapons I'd only seen on TV or in guild reports were right in front of me.
They're amazing…
"That sword…" I muttered, staring at a beautifully crafted longsword hanging behind a glass case. Its blade shimmered faintly, elegant and deadly.
Beautiful—and definitely expensive.
"Hello, sir," a voice said politely. "How may I help you?"
I turned to see a shop attendant smiling professionally. "Ah—hi. I'm looking for a weapon… for myself."
"What kind of weapon are you looking for?" he asked.
I froze. "…Uh."
I scratched my head and muttered under my breath, "Replica… you know my power. What kind of weapon would be best for me?"
Replica replied calmly, "That depends entirely on you. A weapon is only as good as the one who wields it. Choose something you can use."
"…That wasn't helpful at all," I whispered.
Then I looked back up. "Can you show me some swords?"
The attendant nodded. "This way, please."
I followed him to a section filled with swords of different grades. The moment I saw the price tags, my soul almost left my body.
"…These are really expensive."
The attendant coughed awkwardly. "High-quality weapons tend to be—"
"I'll take the cheapest one," I said immediately.
"…Sir?"
"The cheapest. That one."
I pointed at a plain-looking short sword. No glow. No runes. Just steel.
The attendant blinked, then nodded. "Very well."
After buying some basic gear and a few potions, I stepped out of the shop, my wallet much lighter but my heart strangely full.
"Let's go," I muttered.
As I walked, I asked, "Replica, can you measure the rank of a gate?"
"There is no special need for me," Replica replied. "Anyone can roughly determine a gate's rank."
"Huh? Really?"
"Usually, the size and mana density indicate the rank. However," Replica continued, "there have been incidents where C-rank gates escalated into B or even A-rank."
"…That's dangerous."
"Yes."
I stopped when I saw it.
An D-rank gate.
"…That one," I said. "That's an D-rank gate, right?"
"Correct."
I pulled my hoodie up and stepped closer. "Let's go. Copy it."
Standing in front of the gate, I activated the skill.
[Gate Copying: Activated][Copy Complete — Rank: D]
"…It upgraded?" I blinked. "So copying raises it one rank?"
"Yes."
"Good," I said. "Let's go."
Just as I turned—
"Hey! Kid!"
A man shouted from behind me.
I froze.
"You know civilians aren't allowed near gates, right?"
I turned slowly. "But I'm a hunter."
The man eyed my gear. "Huh? What's your rank?"
"…E-rank."
For a second, he stared.
Then—
"Hahahaha!"
He laughed loudly. "An E-rank? Even the lowest gate here is D-rank! What can you do?"
People nearby glanced over.
"Go home," he said dismissively.
Replica's voice echoed in my mind. "Control yourself. Ignore it. Focus on getting stronger."
I clenched my fists… then exhaled.
"…Okay."
I walked away.
Will I really be able to do this? I thought.
"You were E-rank when you awakened," Replica said. "You've trained consistently. You are at least close to D-rank now."
"…Alright."
I found a quiet, abandoned area.
"This place is perfect," I muttered. "No one comes here."
I raised my hand.
"System. Gate—paste."
[Gate Pasted]
The space twisted.
A glowing gate formed in front of me.
"…Wow," I whispered. "So this is what gates look like up close."
I stepped inside.
Cracked stone floors. Dim light. Strange glowing stones embedded in the walls.
"These shining stones are ruin stones, right?" I murmured. "And what we get from monsters are mana stones…"
I tightened my grip on the sword.
"Let's hunt."
A shrill sound echoed.
A small green figure emerged.
"…A goblin," I said. "The weakest creation."
It lunged.
"—!"
Pain exploded across my arm.
"Gah!"
I stumbled back.
"…Weakest?" I muttered bitterly.
I attacked again. Missed. Got hit. Again.
Over and over.
Finally—
Slash.
The goblin collapsed.
"…One down," I panted. "Huff… huff… I'm already tired."
I drank a potion.
Then—
Two goblins appeared.
"…Two at once?" I grinned nervously. "Come at me."
One attacked. I dodged.
The other swung—
"—!"
Barely dodged.
"That was close…"
My heart pounded.
What is this feeling…?
It felt like heat rushing through my veins.
Like—
I can kill anything.
I moved.
Fast.
Clean.
Slash. Slash.
Both goblins fell.
A familiar sound echoed.
[Level Up]
"…Haha," I laughed softly.
"This is fun."
And for the first time—
I smiled inside a dungeon.