Chapter 41: Sword Drawing Technique (1/2)

Jake walked down the lonely street.

He kept staring at the nearby shops trying to find what he needed.

'It is getting late,' he thought to himself.

The teens were expected to return to the guesthouse before midnight, and currently, the day was edging towards the night.

Jake's eyes glinted as he spotted a particular shop that displayed books that contained techniques on its advertising stand. It also displayed different kinds of weapons on its stand.

”This might be my last stop,” Jake sighed as walked towards the shop.

Throughout the evening, he had tried different shops but was not satisfied with what they had.

Entering the shop, he took a look at the books on the stands.

Nodding his head, he thought, 'Sure enough they are fake.'

Jake had suspected the books on the stand to be fake. The real books should be kept by the owner of the shop. The fakes on the stand were to show the customers what they sold.

They could not leave something as valuable as a cultivation technique out in the open.

Jake's thought process was interrupted by a welcoming voice, ”Greetings customer.”

Jake saw a man with neatly shaven beards, dressed in a very clean-looking suit. The man, with a lanky stature like Jake, walked up to Jake and smiled at him.

From his behavior, Jake could discern that he at least worked in the shop.

However, he needed confirmation, ”Are you the owner of this shop?”

The man humbly smiled, ”If you are referring to the one, who owns, manages, and finances the shop, that I am.”

Listening, Jake's first thought, 'Why the long answer?'

Jake adjusted his strange expression as he said, ”What is your name?”

”Thy name is Rhys Wood. You can address me as Mr.Woods.”

Jake's face twitched as he questioned, ”Can I call you just Rhys?”

”No, I go by Mr.Woods”

”Then, can I call you just Woods?” Jake eyed Mr.Woods suspiciously, wondering what was wrong with the strange man.

”No, I prefer Mr.Woods,” the man said firmly.

Jake was about to retort when he realized time was not on his side. He took a deep breath and asked, ”Hmmm, Mr.Woods, Where are the real items that you sell?”

Mr.Woods smiled deeply at the question. He had realized that he just got a ”real” customer, as most that come to his shop don't even realize the difference between real or fake.

In truth, he had arranged fake techniques, in the guise of it being a sample, to sieve out the potentially good customers.

Mr.Woods eyed Jake from head to toe, checking him out, before nodding his head, as he thought of something, 'A good seedling.'

”I have only a few, but I promise they will be worth it,” affirmed Mr.Woods.

Knowing he was at the right place, Jake got to business, ”I am looking for a suitable technique.”

Mr.Woods excused himself as he went into a room in the shop.

The next time he appeared, it was with a large golden chest that seemed too heavy for mortals to lift. Even Jake felt that he couldn't lift it, which made him wonder how the seemingly friendly Mr.Woods effortlessly carried it.

Nonetheless, Jake didn't ask him. If anything, he was here for a technique, just that, and only that. He didn't want to get mixed into another problem…..again.

*Thud!*

Mr.Woods dropped the heavy chest on the floor which made a rather loud sound.

He wrinkled his brows asked, ”You are a young one about to begin his journey, right?”

”Yes,” affirmed Jake.

Mr.Woods broadly grinned in excitement, ”As expected, I have been getting some of your peers lately. Tell me, what are you?”

Jake choked on the air he was inhaling.

He cried in his mind, 'Of all the questions, why this one?!'

Instinctively, he stood on guard as he faced Mr.Wood, slowly asking, ”What do you mean?”

Mr.Woods looked at him strangely, ”What is your type?...your fighting style?....your ideal weapons?”

Mr.Woods kept talking like he was addressing the biggest fool in the world.

The way he acted almost made Jake believe that the question didn't have any hidden meaning. However, that did not mean Jake could put his guard down; there were still a lot of mysteries surrounding Mr.Woods.

Jake questioned, ”Why do you ask?”

”The answers will help you find your ideal technique. A suitable technique brings out your absolute best. Think of it as an amplifier or multiplier,” Mr.Woods revealed his rich experience.

Upon hearing that, Jake told him what he wanted, ”I prefer a sword. My fighting style is versatile, but I tend to think before acting.”

”Oh, an intellectual type, I see. What type of sword do you use?” hummed Mr.Woods.

”I go with either a thin longsword or a broad sword, as long as it's not a broadsword,” quipped Jake.

The amount of time he has spent in this world was long enough for him to have already decided on his choice of weapon.

Back in his foster parents' kingdom, before his rebirth, Jake had opted not to use a weapon. He preferred fighting with his hand, as he believed true perfection could be observed in hand-to-hand combats.

However, Jake had to drop that notion. He wasn't foolish enough to think he would survive in this world without a weapon. Before his rebirth, he had a huge advantage over average humans, so it was safe for him to be adventurous. However, any mistake made in this world, no matter how little it is, would lead to death!