Chapter 29

In the end, Harry picked out a Highland Dirk that was more dagger than sword. The blade itself was twelve inches long and made from durable steel, shaped like an elongated triangle (the tip of which was slightly rounded like a spike and very sharp), and serrated along one edge. The blade was set into a hilt made from what looked like a section of antler from a stag. Unlike most of the longer swords, the hilt of the dirk fit perfectly in Harry's diminutive hand and he had enough practice handling an eight inch dagger that the additional four inches wouldn't hinder him. All in all, it was the perfect learner's blade for Harry and once he was competent enough he could move up to something with a bit more length (though he wouldn't).

When Harry had tried to pay for the short sword, Agil told him to close out his Menu and to consider the blade a belated Christmas gift. Harry had jumped and stared at the older man with wide green eyes filled with confusion and wonder over that little declaration; he'd never been given any presents for Christmas before and had no idea what was expected of him in return. Kirito had further muddied the waters when he'd given Harry a jar of honey that he'd won on a side quest. After much internal debate, Harry had given Agil a couple of high quality Furgrin pelts (which could be made into protective clothing) and Kirito received a large clump of sweet Winter Berries (a hard to find but not quite rare treat in the game) that the nine year old had gained from that last battle with the Carrion Crows in return.

Harry had worn a small smile for the rest of the day; the young gamer thrilled over the fact that he'd been able to give his friends (emphasis on the plural) Christmas gifts for the first time ever.

Having direction in his life once more, even if it was under the guidance of an adult, helped Harry regain a measure of equilibrium though he still hadn't recovered his happy-go-lucky persona that had been the one of his trademarks as Tracker James. He enjoyed working for Agil and he secretly loved the fact that the man constantly taught him as they worked; he helped him to further improve his grasp of Japanese, taught him a smattering of Italian and Spanish, quizzed him on math basics so he'd not forget too much (the other subjects harder to cover without textbooks), and built on his in-game knowledge of the various weapons, armor, and materials that passed through the shop.

Harry in turn helped organize the shop (and avoided any weapon larger than a dirk), cleaned up the upstairs apartment they shared (even though Agil insisted he didn't have to), and after the first two weeks ran errands and deliveries for Agil. During a couple of evenings a week and on weekends, Kirito would pop round to take Harry out to the fields to help him get used to handling his new weapon. When he could, Agil would tag along for those lessons and encourage Harry to test out his other Skills (to make certain he didn't lose any Skill Points through disuse).

After witnessing first hand how winded Harry was after the first couple of lessons, Agil and Kirito helped Harry create an exercise regime that would strengthen his in-game body. They doubted the exercises would have any effect on his physical body but those exercises did seem to have an effect on his in-game stamina (the exercises actually strengthening his soul while the sword lessons and other Skills exercised his magic).

The only reason they'd even gone that route was for the psychological benefit since they hadn't really believed the exercises would have any impact on his game Avatar. That they had affected his performance was a bit of a shock. Once they got over their shock, they chalked the effects up to the same glitch that made Items behave more realistically around the nine year old.

By mid-February, Harry had regained much of his confidence with the help of Agil and Kirito. He'd also learned that he still retained the ability to use all of his in-game Skills despite the odd delays that plagued each Skill the first time he'd use each of the various abilities after the glitch. The knowledge that he could still use those Skills had been the biggest factor in regaining his confidence. The only hurdle that remained in his way was reaching level thirty-one (something he had stubbornly refused to do); Harry was terrified of reaching the next level.

His memory of the pain that he'd felt after what had happened when he reached level thirty had not faded in the least. He still suffered through nightmares about that day on a regular basis (and he still believed that the glitch had been triggered by his reaching level thirty instead of a mere coincidence of timing).

Harry would finally bite the bullet and level up at the end of February, after Agil had sat him down and told him that he'd never grow any stronger if he let his fears hold him back. The man had then immediately threatened to haul him up to the fourth floor (which had been cleared by the second week of January) and lock him into the nearest Dungeon until he reached the next level. Collecting the last needed Experience Points had been a rather easy if stressful experience for Harry but he had not been alone this time (Agil had stayed by his side the entire time).

When it was over and nothing had happened beyond the normal level increases (though his gold HP bar hadn't appeared to change), he had a far easier time continuing to grow as a Player. He still feared each rise in level though and would make certain he was some where he felt relatively safe before making the kill that would bump him up; so as not to be trapped in the middle of nowhere all alone again should he get stuck in another glitch. Agil or Kirito often tagged along for those battles in order to lend him moral support until he felt more confident.

During the time it took him to recover, Harry's unrecognized magic continued to scan and replicate each piece of gaming code it encountered; transmuting game based attacks into magic based attacks that mimicked the game attacks perfectly. It even began integrating itself into the Menu each time Harry used the various menu features. By the middle of March, Harry would be unconsciously using his magic to interact with every aspect of the game and the more he used his magic, the more magic his soul created in order to keep up with the demand and the faster it began producing that magic.

His magic was also starting to affect other aspects of the game but the changes were so small that no one really noticed them (traces of his magic staying with those Items he carried in his Inventory or handled on a regular basis even long after he sold or traded them off). At the same time, the young wizard's magic was undergoing changes of its own as the computer code it absorbed and replicated altered the way Harry's magic functioned on a primitive level.

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