038 Weapons Selection - Part 1 - Mark’s POV

  There were three lines.

  Master Reina stood in front of the weapons rack, arms crossed, her usual sharp smile in pce. The racks behind her were still gleaming under the lights—rows of swords, spears, staves, and other deadly things lined up like this was some kind of RPG shop menu.

  “Each weapon is tagged with a number,” Master Reina announced, her voice cutting through the chatter. “I sent you all an email this morning—there’s an app attached that gives you detailed specs on each weapon. Ore composition, cryptid parts, dungeon tech enhancements—basic stuff. Check it.”

  I gnced down at my smartwatch. Sure enough, a new notification was sitting there from Master Reina. I tapped it open, and an app I’d never seen before booted up. A sleek, bck interface appeared, and the list of weapons loaded instantly, each one cataloged with stats, descriptions, and compatibility markers.

  I scrolled through it absently.

  Hellfire Bde – Infused with pyrokinetic residue. Moderate handling, high cutting power. Weak against water-type ESP.Bone Cw Gauntlets – Crafted from Css A cryptid remains. Enhanced with reaction-based feedback. High compatibility for sensory-type ESP.Stormpiercer Lance – Conductive material for electrical ESP. Excellent penetration. Requires advanced handling.

  Huh. Seemed overkill for a training session, but then again, this was Master Reina.

  “Certain ores, cryptid parts, and specific dungeon tech work best with different ESP affinities,” Master Reina continued. “Take your time. I don’t expect you to find a perfect match today—but I do expect you to start understanding your natural fit.”

  She swept her gaze over us, her reddish-brown eyes gleaming.

  “Each person in line gets five minutes to inspect the weapons. If you need more time, get back in line. That way, everyone gets a fair chance for some window shopping.”

  Clint raised his hand. “Wouldn’t this technically be more like bckboard shopping?”

  A piece of chalk flew through the air and nailed Clint right in the forehead.

  “Ow—what the hell!”

  “Be quiet,” Master Reina said coolly, already turning away from him.

  The room went dead silent after that.

  Clint rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath. “Jeez… it was just a joke.”

  “Keep talking and you’ll be shopping for a coffin next,” Master Reina said without looking back.

  I almost smiled. Almost.

  Greg was at the front of the line, practically bouncing on his heels as he scrolled through the app on his watch. Karl stood behind him, arms crossed, gring at the back of Greg’s head like he was already calcuting how to murder him. Behind Karl was Elena, looking as impassive as ever, her gaze locked on the weapons rack.

  Mirai was farther back in the line, chatting quietly with Anna. She smiled at something Anna said, her eyes lighting up for a second.

  I clicked my tongue and looked away.

  Karl’s turn came up. He walked up to the rack, eyes narrowed. He barely gnced at the app, reaching out and picking up a curved, single-edged sword with a dark red tint to the bde. The moment his hand closed around the hilt, faint red lines fred along the metal.

  Pyrokinetic enhancement. Naturally.

  Karl gave the sword a casual swing, and the bde fred with heat. A sharp whoosh of superheated air followed, raising the temperature in the room by at least a few degrees.

  “Show-off,” Greg muttered.

  Karl ignored him, returning the sword to the rack before walking away without a word.

  Greg stepped up next. He hummed to himself, scrolling through the app while his eyes flicked rapidly between the descriptions and the actual weapons. Finally, his gaze nded on a pair of short, metallic cws mounted on a dark leather frame.

  Bone Cw Gauntlets—the ones with the cryptid remains. High sensory feedback. Dangerous.

  Greg picked them up, and the cws flexed like they were alive. He slipped them onto his hands and made a sshing motion. The cws moved with eerie smoothness, almost too natural.

  Greg grinned wide. “I like these.”

  “They’ll like you back,” Master Reina said, tone light but edged with something deeper.

  Greg flexed his fingers again, then set the gauntlets down and strolled back toward the line.

  “Mark,” Master Reina said. “You’re up.”

  I walked toward the rack, scrolling through the app as I approached. My eyes flicked over the list of weapons. Swords, spears, daggers, whips—enhanced for ESP, reinforced with dungeon tech.

  But none of them stood out.

  My hand hovered over a short sword with silver engraving. An all-rounder type. Banced handling, moderate cutting power, minimal ESP enhancement. But when I reached for it, I felt nothing.

  No pull. No sense of connection.

  My hand drifted to a pair of weighted gauntlets reinforced with Css B cryptid bone. The stats were decent, but… still nothing.

  “You’re not going to find a perfect match on stats alone,” Master Reina said, her voice low enough for just me to hear.

  I frowned. “Then how am I supposed to—”

  “Instinct,” she said. “You’ll know when it’s the right one.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Unless you’re afraid of that.”

  I exhaled sharply. My hand dropped from the gauntlets.

  Instinct. Right. Like I had that.

  Anna raised her hand.

  “Master Reina,” she said, “can we… ask for a custom weapon?”

  Reina sighed, already looking like she regretted giving us the chance to speak. “Yes, but it’s not that simple.” She pced a hand on her hip. “If you want a custom weapon, you’ll need to submit a proposal report detailing exactly what you want—materials, enhancement compatibility, ESP integration. You’ll also need convincing points on why this weapon would benefit you more than a standard issue one.”

  Anna’s hand lowered slowly.

  “In other words,” Reina added, “if you’re not serious about it, don’t waste my time.”

  Anna slumped back in her chair, while scrolling on her smartphone.

  Finally, it was my turn again.

  I walked toward the weapon rack, scrolling through the app on my smartwatch.

  Sharp. Something sharp.

  I wanted something that could give a boost to external ESP casting. The problem was… nothing on the rack really stood out to me. I already had the butterfly knife Mom gave me—lightweight, banced, easy to conceal. But it cked power or the range I wanted.

  And that was the problem. My ESP was focused on stealth, subtlety. Infiltration and deception, not overwhelming strength.

  Still… it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit more range. A bit more impact.

  I scanned the weapons again. Daggers. Swords. Spears. Most of them enhanced for elemental ESP—fire, electricity, ice. Not really my style. I could feel my gaze drifting toward the back of the rack—toward the corner where the more unconventional weapons were stored.

  And then I saw it.

  It was resting at the far end of the rack, hanging from a reinforced mount like even the storage frame didn’t trust it.

  A boomerang.

  It was sleek—bck metal with silver etching running along the curve. Compact. Lightweight. The edges were sharpened, and I could see faint ESP channels engraved into the surface.

  My first thought had been a gun—but, of course, there was nothing like that here. Then I’d considered a bow—but I didn’t have any training for it. And honestly, bows were too bulky to carry around.

  But this…

  It was easy to carry. Had range. Could double as a melee weapon if necessary. And it was fast.

  I reached out and grabbed it.

  The metal felt cool against my palm. The weight was good—heavier than I expected, but not unmanageable. I turned it over in my hand, feeling the bance. Perfectly even.

  “Interesting choice.”

  Master Reina’s voice came from behind me.

  I gnced back at her. “Yeah?”

  She smiled faintly. “Not many people pick that one. It’s hard to master.”

  I flipped the boomerang in my hand. “I’m not really looking for easy.”

  Her smile widened. “Good answer.”

  I turned the boomerang over again. My ESP wasn’t meant for direct combat—but if I could channel it into something fast and sharp…

  Yeah. This could work.

  I stepped away from the rack, the boomerang resting easily in my hand.

  Behind me, the line moved forward.

  Tom raised his hand.

  “Master Reina,” he said, tilting his head, “why aren’t there any guns?”

  Reina raised an eyebrow. “You want a gun?”

  Tom shrugged. “I mean… it’d be useful, right? Fast, powerful, easy to aim.”

  Reina sighed and crossed her arms. “Guns are designed to kill people.”

  Tom blinked. “…Okay?”

  “They don’t work on most cryptids,” Reina continued. “Sure, low-tier ones might go down with enough bullets, but tougher cryptids have magical resistances, regeneration, and protective barriers. A gunshot might stagger them—but it won’t kill them.”

  My mom was probably the only exception to that rule.

  Tom frowned. “So… what does work?”

  Reina gestured toward the weapon rack. “Artifacts.”

  She started pacing in front of us like she was preparing for a lecture.

  “Every weapon you see here is an artifact—crafted from dungeon ores, cryptid parts, and specialized dungeon tech. Unlike human-made weapons, artifacts are infused with otherworldly properties that bypass natural resistances. And they have one key advantage—ESP channeling.”

  Greg raised his hand zily. “So what grade are we talking about here?”

  “Good question.” Reina stopped walking. “Artifacts are divided into five categories based on quality and craftsmanship: Fine, Exceptional, Superior, Masterpiece, and Perfect.”

  I heard Greg mutter, “Sounds like a gacha ranking.”

  Reina ignored him. “All of the artifacts presented to you today are Superior grade.”

  A few students exchanged surprised looks.

  “Superior?” Karl’s voice came from the back. “Aren’t those… expensive?”

  “Very.” Reina smiled faintly. “Even Superior-grade artifacts are out of reach for the average ESPer. That’s why you better make use of this opportunity. Weapons of this caliber don’t come cheap.”

  Karl’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s the catch?”

  “No catch,” Reina said smoothly. “You’ve earned this through the Academy’s sponsorship. But…” Her smile sharpened. “If you break it, you pay for it.”

  A low murmur ran through the css.

  “Anyway,” Reina said, cpping her hands. “You have until Friday to decide on a weapon. Test it. Train with it. See if it suits you. If you change your mind, you can swap it out—once. After Friday, your choice is locked in.”

  I gnced down at the boomerang in my hand.

  It felt good. Banced. But was this really what I wanted?

  Maybe I should try a few other weapons before settling. Or maybe… I’d stick with it.

  I’d think about it.

  Greg was already eyeing the next spot in line, his gaze drifting toward a different pair of gauntlets lined with glowing silver veins. Mirai stood nearby, looking thoughtful as she held a slim rapier. Anna was holding… a war fan?

  I turned the boomerang over in my hand.

  Yeah… I’d think about it.

  Hannah raised her hand. “Master Reina?”

  Reina arched an eyebrow. “Yes?”

  “What exactly are the artifacts for?” Hannah asked. “Are we… sparring with them?”

  A few students perked up at that. Karl’s eyes gleamed dangerously. Greg’s mouth curled into a sharp grin. Mirai looked serious. Elena seemed she didn’t mind.

  Reina’s response was a sharp, amused ugh.

  “Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head. “You lot ck the restraint to even think about sparring with real weapons.”

  Greg snorted. “Wow. No faith in us?”

  “None whatsoever,” Reina said ftly. “The st thing I need is to write an incident report because some overconfident first-year got their arm sliced off in a ‘friendly match.’”

  Karl clicked his tongue. “So what are they for, then?”

  Reina’s smile sharpened.

  “By Friday,” she said, “you’ll be using them for your own dungeon hunts.”

  The cssroom fell dead silent.

  “…Dungeon hunts?” Hannah echoed.

  “Yes.” Reina leaned back against the bckboard, arms crossed. “Real hunts. Real cryptids. Real consequences. It’s not like the st dungeon where I was babysitting you. This time, it will be for real.”

  Someone cursed under their breath.

  “We’ve been training you for this since day one,” Reina continued. “ESP combat. Strategy. Tactical awareness. All of that was preparation for this.”

  “It’s been barely over a week!” Mirai’s eyes widened. “Moreover… aren’t dungeon hunts second-year curriculum?”

  Reina’s gaze sharpened. “Under normal circumstances, yes. But this year isn’t normal. Professor Merrick signed off on it himself.”

  The css rippled with uneasy whispers.

  “Why?” Karl asked, his tone sharp.

  Reina’s smile turned thin. “Cryptid activity has been increasing. Dungeons are forming faster than expected. We need more active ESPers—and we need them fast.”

  “It wasn’t like we’d graduate fast, because we accelerate the curriculum, right? After all, in paper, our curriculum are supposed to st for… four years…” slowly lost Clint’s voice as Reina gave him the stare down.

  My grip tightened around the boomerang.

  Mirai’s hand rose. “Are we… ready for this?”

  Reina shrugged. “Some of you are. Some of you aren’t. That’s what this week is for. Test your weapon. Get familiar with it. Figure out how it works with your ESP.”

  Karl’s gaze darkened. “And if we aren’t ready?”

  “Then you die,” Reina said lightly. “Or worse.”

  The room stiffened.

  “I’m kidding,” Reina added after a pause. “Mostly.”

  “Master Reina,” Mirai said softly. “What kind of dungeon?”

  Reina’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  “You’ll find out Friday.”

  That didn’t make me feel any better.

  Karl’s gaze flicked toward the weapon rack. He wasn’t the only one. Tension hung in the room, sharp and heavy.

  “Any other questions?” Reina’s tone was light, but her eyes were cold.

  No one raised their hand.

  “Good.” Reina pushed off the bckboard. “Then get to work. You’ve got a lot to prepare for.”

  Greg was already grinning. Mirai’s hand tightened on her rapier. Karl’s expression was unreadable.

  I turned the boomerang over in my hand again. The faint thrum beneath my fingers hadn’t faded.

  A dungeon hunt.

  This was going to get ugly.