The clear autumn weather that had continued for the past few days remained unchanged today as bright sunlight poured down to the ground through the autumn coolness.

It was the prediction and hope of those in the Imperial Capital that today’s good weather would extend until tomorrow, creating the perfect day for the finals.

While the residents and tourists in the Imperial Capital enthusiastically discussed this year’s fighting tournament, Rei made his way through the city while wearing the hood of his Dragon Robe.

Rei looked around, relieved that, thanks to his hood, no one knew who he was.

He had been out on the streets many times before, but compared to those times, there were far more people about.

That was only natural. Last time Rei had gone into the city, fighting tournament matches were still going on and most of the residents and tourist in the Imperial Capital had gone to the stadium.

Because the finals were tomorrow, there were no matches today, that was why so many people had gathered here, excited to talk about past matches in addition to tomorrow’s finals.

「Yesterday’s semi-finals were so exciting. In particular, the match between Water Dragon and Crimson was so flashy, it was definitely worth watching.」

「If you’re talking about excitement, it has to be Noiz-sama. I never thought he could cover the blade of his sword with magic. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.」

「But wasn’t that the power of the magic sword?」

「Hmm, I don’t know. That might be true, but don’t you think it’s amazing just to be able to attack like that?」

「If you think about it, his opponent was pitiful.」

「Crimson and Immovable. Both of them are definitely stronger than I expected, so I wonder what kind of match it will be tomorrow.」

「Maybe the arena will be destroyed?」

「……I can’t deny that it would be a little scary.」

「Hey, don’t fall for that joke. That arena is a relic of an ancient magic civilisation, isn’t it? It won’t be destroyed so easily.」

「But, Crimson defeated an A rank opponent and Immovable is an S rank, right? There’s no doubt they are dangerous in various ways.」

「I’m thinking of selling sandwiches at tomorrow’s finals……do you think they will sell well?」

「Hmm, there’s only one match. I think drinks will sell better.」

While listening in to the conversations that various people were having, Rei proceeded towards the back alley he had been to before……and eventually, a familiar door came into view.

It was the store that sold magic items, where he had been shown a quiver that used magic power to create an endless number of arrows.

The effect itself was very good, and although it had the drawbacks of consuming a large amount of magic power and restricting the usage of the arrows to the person who created them, it was still a magic item that Rei definitely wanted.

(That said, it’s true that arrows aren’t that easy for me to use. As I said that time, if possible, a spear type magic item would be good.)

As Rei thought to himself, he opened the door to the store.

The first thing he saw was the huge number of miscellaneous tiems.

However, while most of them looked like magic items at first glance, they were all just replicas, just about as useful as paper mache.

「Mm? Who is it?」

Rei heard a voice coming from the back of the store as he turned to look over.

There, he saw the old man who owned the magic item store that he had talked with before.

「Oh? Right, right. You’ve finally come back. You didn’t show your face in the store since that time, so I had thought you wouldn’t come back again.」

At first, the old man looked at Rei suspiciously, but after remembering who it was, he greeted Rei with a happy voice that didn’t match his expression.

「I’ve been busy with various things.」

「Ah, no matter how troublesome it might be for me to go out, I do know how the tournament is going. You’ve made it to the finals, haven’t you? And tomorrow’s opponent will be the Noiz the Immovable.」

「Correct. So, remember the magic item you should me before? It doesn’t have to be for throwing……but did you manage to find something that can make spears with magic power?」

Rei asked with a glimmer of hope……but the old man responded with a shake of his head.

「Unfortunately, the alchemist who created the magic item is no longer around.」

He seemed quite sure in his tone that the alchemist was no longer around, were they no longer in the Imperial Capital……or were they no longer in this world?

Rei was a little curious about which one it was, but in any case, if the person who made the magic item was no longer around, there was nothing that could be done about it.

「Really.」

Although Rei mumbled regretfully, he didn’t seem that depressed.

The reason was that he had come here expecting a failure.

Besides, it wasn’t like there weren’t other magic items that could be used besides that quiver. Thinking like that, Rei looked back up, but for some reason, he saw the store owner with a sly smile on his lips.

「……What happened? Did something interesting occur?」

Rei spoke in a somewhat annoyed tone after being shown a smile when he was disappointed.

However, the smile stayed on the store owner’s face as he replied to Rei.

「Give me a minute. I have something to show you.」

Saying that, the owner went to the back of the store.

Seeing him leave, Rei looked around the store with some irritation.

The only reason he hadn’t left right after store owner went away was because he was wondering what it could be.

Rei’s doubts were resolved when the owner returned after a minute.

In his hands was a cylindrical object about 5cm in height. It was hollow inside and had a small clasp attached to the outside so it could be attached to the waist.

It was the first time Rei had seen it, but he couldn’t help but tilt his head at the somewhat familiar object.

The store owner seemed amused by Rei’s confused expression. He just watched with a smile on his face.

(What? I’m sure I recognise it from somewhere……no, I can only consider the magic items that I’ve seen from this store.)

As the thought about it, Rei finally realised what he was looking at.

A cylindrical object about 5cm tall. He had been fooled by it’s small size, but if it had been taller……or more accurately, longer……

「Is this the magic item you showed me last time I came?」

The store owner smiled after seeing Rei finally realise and threw it over to Rei.

「-!」

Rei caught it right away, but he didn’t understand why the magic item that used magic power to create arrows had been cut down to a length of 5cm.

「Why is it like this?」

「Hmm. I’ve been doing a lot of research on you since and you said you’re good at throwing spears, right?」

Rei nodded silently in confirmation to the store owner’s question.

He was good at throwing spears, that had been what he had told the store owner when he had first come here.

「So, while I was collecting information on you, I found out that your physical strength is quite good.」

「That’s correct.」

「So, then. It’s true that throwing spears are quite powerful. The range is also far. However, on the other hand, it requires a big motion when throwing.」

「Well, that’s true.」

When throwing spears, you had to hold the spear shaft and make a wide motion before throwing it. Naturally, it was a big action.

However, in Rei’s case, due to his extraordinary physical strength, he was able to complete the motions at a much faster rate.

Even so, the necessary swinging motion meant that there would always be some loss in time.

「So, this is it.」

「……This?」

Naturally, the store owner was looking at the magic item he had thrown to Rei earlier.

「Hmm. It’s true that the alchemist who created the magic item is no longer around. When I found out, I wondered what had happened, but……luckily, I have an acquaintance who is skilled at adjusting and modifying magic items. After consulting with them, it became what it is now.」

「……This?」

Rei repeated his response from a few seconds ago.

However, the store owner spoke to Rei with a face filled with confidence.

「It would be better for you to see it with your own eyes than for me to explain it to you. You should try pouring magic power into it.」

「……」

While looking at the store owner suspiciously, Rei poured his magic power into the end of what used to be a quiver.

At that moment, he felt the weight in his hands increase. Looking down, he didn’t see an arrow……but an arrowhead.

「What do I do with this?」

「Hmph. You’re the master aren’t you? You can throw the arrowhead like this, right?」

The old man motioned with his wrist while speaking.

(I see, it’s something like a shuriken.)

As Rei nodded in understanding, the store owner spoke up with a little annoyance.

「Here, just try it……ah.」

The reason for his disappointment was clear. The arrowhead, which had been in Rei’s hand, disappeared like mist.

「……Isn’t it disappearing a lot faster than before?」

The arrows previously lasted 30 seconds after creation before disappearing. The arrowheads clearly didn’t last as long.

Hearing Rei’s words, the store owner let out a small sigh.

「Hmm. It’s something like a side effect of modifying the magic item. However, it’s basically a weapon that you create and throw immediately at your opponent. Considering that, I don’t think it’s such a big drawback……」

「Well, it might be good for ordinary use.」

Saying that, Rei used more magic power to create an arrowhead.

「Here, aim for the wooden post over there.」

Was it okay to use that as a target, even if it is a post? Rei thought about it for a moment, but quickly accepted what the store owner said as he threw the arrowhead with a flick of his wrist.

At the same time, the sound of an arrowhead piercing into the post echoed out.

「I see. It’s certainly lighter than a spear and is the size of my fingers. I can throw it with just a flick of the wrist.」

Rei was surprised to find out it was easier to use than he had expected, but his eyes soon turned to the wooden post.

A few seconds later, the arrowhead disappeared like mist and Rei turned to face the store owner.

「It’s much easier to use than I expected」

「It does seem so, it does seem so indeed. Just as I expected.」

The store owner smiled, as if expecting it, but Rei cut him off and continued speaking.

「However, it’s not without its drawbacks. The low power is fine if I consider it as a deterrent or a surprise attack. However, the arrowheads disappear too quickly. If they lasted at least 10 minutes, it would be able to slow any opponent’s movements after penetrating into their body.」

「……Sir, you’re thinking of something quite nasty.」

The store owner’s forehead grew sweaty after hearing Rei’s words.

Aiming for continuous impact as the arrowhead remained lodged in the body was an unexpected use case to the store owner.

He was just a merchant who specialised in magic items, when it came to using them, he could only think of general use cases.

「I guess there’s a difference between those who use it and those who sell it. In addition……」

「In addition?」

Rei was about to say something before stopping and the store owner urged him to continue.

However, Rei just shook his head.

(There’s no way I can tell him the memories I have from manga and novels I read while I was in Japan.)

「Well, anyway. Looking at it overall, there’s no doubt it’s a usable magic item.」

「……As a result of the modification, the magic power consumption has increased even further from when it was a quiver.」

「That’s not a problem for me. I’m confident in my magic power. Also, I’m glad I can hook it to my belt and hide it under my robe. It’s a little troublesome to adjust the position of the Mithril Knife, but I’ll get used to it eventually.」

Being able to hide it under his robe meant that other people wouldn’t be able to see it. In other words, it was perfect for surprise attacks.

However, the Mithril Knife was similar in the sense that it was under his robes, but unlike the Mithril Knife, which there was only one of, he would never run out of arrowheads as long as he had magic power.

「This will be my trump card in tomorrow’s match……isn’t something that easy to say, but I might be able to catch Noiz off guard for just a moment……I hope.」

「Sir, I’m getting less and less confident.」

Rei shrugged his shoulders as if it were only natural at the store owner’s words, who seemed somewhat taken aback.

「My opponent is Noiz, the Immovable, an S rank adventurer. If I can catch someone like him by surprise, even for a moment, I’ll be doing well.」

「I’m sure that’s true. ……So, I don’t know if it’s worth asking now, but you are going to buy this magic item, Nebula’s Eye, right?」

「Nebula’s Eye? Is that the name of this magic item? ……Oh right, I’ll definitely buy this. What’s the price?」

When Rei asked about the price, the store owner offered it for about 80% of the money Rei had left from betting on himself in the tournament.

However, Rei just paid the price easily before leaving the store to get used to throwing the arrowheads.

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