"Huh...?" The Alchemist's mouth hung open, a dumbfounded sound escaping it.
But it wasn't just the Alchemist—the other spectators who had gathered to watch Rei punch the Golem's testing machine wore the same expression.
The only ones who looked like this was exactly what they'd expected were Maruka and Nicky.
Seto even tilted his head, seemingly unable to fathom why everyone else was so shocked.
The one who broke the silence was Rei—the very person responsible for it.
"So? You said earlier that all the rods in the back need to stand up for the grand prize. That's what just happened, so I get the potion, right?"
"Huh? ...Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! This is some kind of mistake! There's no way it could happen this easily!"
The Alchemist shouted, his earlier composure shattered.
He simply couldn't accept the reality unfolding before his eyes.
By his calculations, no one should have been able to demonstrate enough punching power to earn the potion.
The truth was, the Golem's measuring device had been rigged. While the first few rods were manageable enough, each subsequent rod required exponentially more force to raise.
He had calibrated it specifically so that even a heavily muscled man swinging with everything he had could never raise the final rod.
Yet the moment Rei struck, the rods shot up one after another—until even the very last one stood upright.
This, despite the device being tampered with to make that absolutely impossible.
"Be that as it may... look. The rods are all standing."
Glancing in the direction Rei indicated, there was no denying it—every single rod stood upright.
It was an undeniable fact.
The Alchemist couldn't pretend he didn't see what was right in front of him... but he still couldn't bring himself to hand over the potion. He racked his brain for a way out.
He had spent several gold coins purchasing that potion. Letting it go for a mere five copper coins would be a devastating loss—especially considering the Golem itself had cost a fair amount to build.
He had to somehow convince Rei to give up on the prize.
"Ah... ahh... I'm sorry, Young Master. It seems I made a slight error in the Golem's calibration. If it's not too much trouble, could I readjust it and have you try once more?"
The Alchemist's mistake wasn't claiming a calibration error—his real blunder was asking Rei to try again.
If he had simply brushed it off as a calibration failure, Rei might have gone along with it. It wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Well, if you say so... but the same excuse won't work twice."
With that, Rei gestured for the Alchemist to make his adjustments.
The truth was, Rei's punch hadn't been a serious strike. Not even close.
Even if the recalibration made the challenge harder, he was confident that simply putting a bit more force behind his next blow would be more than enough.
And given Rei's actual abilities, that was no exaggeration.
Sure enough, Maruka and Nicky—both of whom knew Rei's true strength—and Seto, who knew it even better, showed not the slightest concern at the Alchemist's promise to recalibrate.
They looked as if to say, "Do your worst."
Seeing their reactions... and feeling the audience's exasperated, icy stares boring into him, the Alchemist realized he was trapped.
If he recalibrated and Rei produced the same result, no one else would ever attempt the challenge afterward. Even the Alchemist could understand that much.
And so, the decision he finally reached was—
"Ghh... take it. The prize is yours."
He handed over the potion.
In the end, this was undoubtedly the wisest course of action. Had he begrudged the prize and refused to pay up, he might have pocketed a small profit on the spot—but the damage to his reputation as an alchemist would have been catastrophic.
Naturally. Who would want to commission work from someone who invented flimsy excuses to avoid honoring a prize? Who would want to use a Magic Item or Golem crafted by such a person?
Anyone with an ounce of common sense would steer clear of an alchemist like that.
In that sense, the man who had tried to make easy prey of Rei had narrowly avoided the worst-case scenario.
Even so, there was no denying that the onlookers' opinion of him had taken a hit.
"Sorry about this. Appreciate it."
Taking the potion, Rei judged that lingering would be unwise. He gathered Maruka and the others and immediately left the scene.
What the Alchemist would do next was anyone's guess. He might pretend the whole incident never happened and search for fresh challengers... but after witnessing that exchange, no one was likely to step up.
(The top prize was supposed to be this potion, but... there's no chance this was actually made by that alchemist, right?)
Rei couldn't honestly say he trusted a potion crafted by someone like that.
Still, there was a world of difference between having a potion on hand in an emergency and not having one.
Rather than use it on himself or someone close to him, he decided to save it for interrogating bandits.
If it turned out to be nothing more than a low-quality fake, then it wasn't worth wasting on anyone important anyway.
If it was genuinely high-grade, he could use it to heal a bandit's injuries after one round of interrogation—then start fresh and question them again.
Fortunately, as long as he was investigating the bandit disappearances, there would be plenty of opportunities to interrogate captives going forward.
...Using a high-quality potion for interrogation purposes was, admittedly, the lowest of the low. But given that he couldn't trust it, there was really no other option.
"Now then... where to next?"
Slipping the potion into his Misty Ring, Rei posed the question.
The spectacle hadn't been particularly entertaining. The potion was the sole takeaway—and ultimately, that was all it was.
"Indeed. How about we browse some clothing shops for a bit?"
"Hold on a moment! My lady, I think there are plenty of things far more interesting than clothes."
"Such as?"
"For instance... right, how about a weapon shop!?"
Nicky, who had no desire to go clothes shopping with Maruka, blurted out the suggestion without thinking.
Whether Maruka would accept the proposal, however, was another matter entirely.
"A weapon shop? Whatever would you do at a place like that?"
To Maruka, the appeal of browsing weapons was lost entirely.
Nicky was well aware of that. He immediately turned to Rei for support.
"What about you, Brother Rei? Since we're in Egginis, there might even be Magic Swords, you know?"
"Magic Swords, huh... If there are any, that would be interesting. That said, I don't really use longswords."
Rei's weapons were a scythe and a spear—both long-reaching arms.
He could use a longsword if pressed, but he had spent his entire fighting career with polearms. They were what felt natural.
Realizing that Rei showed no real interest in Magic Swords, Nicky sensed things heading south and quickly pivoted.
"Apparently they carry Magic Spears and things like that too. Brother Rei, wouldn't those be more up your alley?"
"Magic Spears, huh. When you put it that way, I am interested."
But in truth, Rei was only mildly curious. He had no intention of buying one.
The Twilight Spear he already wielded was, by any reasonable standard, a top-tier Magic Spear—no, it was something beyond even that.
A spear that outperformed the Twilight Spear and possessed a Special Ability Rei actually wanted would be another story entirely... but a Magic Spear more powerful than his Twilight Spear wouldn't be found so easily.
He certainly didn't expect a weapon shop on some random street to carry one.
And if it did, the price would be astronomical.
After all, Rei's own Twilight Spear would command an outrageous sum if put up for sale. It was crafted from materials obtainable only in the Frontier city of Gilm, and its base weapon—the Deep Green Spear—was itself a formidable spear capable of entangling a struck opponent in thorns.
By any reasonable estimate, such a weapon would not come at a casual price.
(If anything, I'd rather restock on disposable spears.)
For Rei, cheap, throwable spears were far more desirable than a mediocre Magic Spear.
With an expensive weapon, there was always the chance he might hesitate—however slightly, perhaps even unconsciously—before hurling it at an enemy.
That was why he preferred disposables.
Not that he had explained any of this to Nicky, so the man's enthusiasm was understandable.
"Anyway, what do you say? I think it'd be worth at least checking out."
Rei nodded, and Maruka, though clearly reluctant, agreed to visit the weapon shop.
"This is it. First time for me too, but everyone I heard from had nothing but good things to say."
The shop Nicky indicated was about a twenty-minute walk from their previous location.
Twenty minutes on foot? Rei initially wondered. But come to think of it, Egginis was a sizable city—though not as vast as Gilm, it covered considerable ground.
Given that, it wasn't unusual for shops to be spaced this far apart.
...The fact that Maruka hadn't complained was almost certainly because she'd ridden Seto the entire way.
Rei had been an Adventurer for years. Walking through mountains and forests was second nature, so a twenty-minute stroll through city streets was nothing.
"This place? The exterior doesn't look much different from any ordinary shop."
That was Rei's first impression upon seeing the store.
Judging by its appearance, it certainly didn't look like a shop that dealt in exceptional weapons.
"Yeah, this is it. Has to be. The name matches what I was told too."
At Nicky's words, Rei examined the shop once more.
Its appearance was thoroughly unremarkable—there was no hint of anything special about it.
(A reseller, not a blacksmith's shop. Well, that's normal enough. Not particularly unusual.)
Weapon shops broadly fell into two categories: those where a Blacksmith sold their own wares directly, and those that purchased weapons from various Blacksmiths to resell.
That was an oversimplification, of course—the lines blurred when examined closely—but the distinction held well enough.
Neither type was inherently better. Blacksmith-run shops could take custom orders and handle fine adjustments, while resellers boasted a wider variety, sourcing from multiple smiths.
"Let's go in and have a look. We won't know what they carry until we actually see it."
"The reputation is solid. Please look forward to it."
"Nicky... You've never even set foot in the shop yourself, yet you certainly talk a big game. If we go inside and find nothing of note, a punishment will be in order."
"Eep... I-I assure you, my lady. I heard this from someone well-connected."
A chill ran down Nicky's spine at the word "punishment," but he stated his claim with conviction.
Watching the exchange, Maruka dismounted from Seto.
This was no special structure like the Wild Match arena—Seto couldn't possibly fit through the door.
Seto understood this as well and obediently moved a short distance away...
"Wait, my lady!"
The instant Maruka reached for the door, Nicky seized her hand and yanked her back.
At the same moment, the weapon shop's door burst open from the inside—and a man came flying out.