5 5 thank god for infinite money glitches!

The mercenary guild occupied a sturdy, two-story building on a bustling street lined with shops and taverns.

While not as opulent as the noble district, it exuded an air of professionalism and respectability. Mercenaries, clad in practical leathers and chainmail, mingled with merchants and tradesmen, discussing contracts and exchanging news over tankards of ale.

Pushing open the heavy oak door, I stepped into a spacious hall filled with the murmur of conversations and the clatter of weaponry coming from the training ground.

A large notice board displayed various job postings, ranging from guarding caravans to hunting down bandits.

Mercenaries of all stripes lounged around, some sharpening their blades, others playing cards or sharing stories of their exploits.

Approaching the counter, I saw the woman behind it, a stern-faced individual with a keen eye and a no-nonsense demeanor.

Before approaching her, I thought I should do a little advertisement. "I'm seeking swordsmen willing to share their expertise," I announced, my voice carrying clearly across the hall.

"For each impressive technique I learn to a maximum of 10 per spar, I'll offer one gold coin. For anything new I learn, ten silver, which is limited to 10 gold per spar. As well as for any improvement to my existing skills, one silver each with the same limit per spar."

A ripple of interest spread through the guild as mercenaries turned their attention towards me.

The prospect of earning a decent sum for simply demonstrating their skills was clearly intriguing.

"Think you can handle what we have to offer, fancy pants?" a woman with a mischievous grin and a rapier strapped to her hip challenged.

"I'm here to learn," I replied with a confident smile. "And I'm willing to pay for the privilege."

"She nodded. Alright, then post your mission. I'm sure plenty will take it." She walked away, and I went back to the woman with the stern face at the counter.

"I already have it written up." She said, She reached her hand out and I pulled a pouch with 150 gold in it.

She opened it up, whistled, and asked, "You sure you gonna learn that much?"

I nodded with a grin.

"Well it's your money."

She grabbed a wheel with numbers attached in which pulling it would give a ticket to be in line starting with 1, 2, 3 and so on.

She placed the ticket puller next to where she would place my poster for the job.

Quickly people started pulling tickets.

Sensing it was time to 'get learned' as the memers say, I smiled a wide, unnerving smile as I approached the stage of the training pit.

And so began my training within the mercenary guild, a whirlwind of clanging steel, grunts of exertion, and the satisfying clink of coins being handed out by the desk clerk .

I faced a motley crew of seasoned fighters, each with their own unique approach to combat.

There was the grizzled veteran with bear ears and nose, obviously a bear beastfolk, who favored brute strength and relentless aggression, then I fought a nimble cat beastfolk who danced around me with lightning-fast strikes.

She gave in the towel after the swift movements left her tired.

then the stoic swordsman who relied on precision, not striking until he was sure he would hit but dodging and guarding with parries to try to create an opening.

The 1000-hour amulet was a godsend, allowing me to absorb their techniques at an astonishing rate.

With each spar, my swordsmanship evolved from diverse styles and combat philosophies.

However, as my skills grew, I began to notice the limitations of each individual style.

The brute force approach left me open to counterattacks, the nimble catgirls tyle lacked the power to truly threaten a heavily armored opponent, the stoic swordsman's precision could be disrupted by unpredictable movements.

It was then that I had a revelation.

Instead of simply copying their techniques, I needed to synthesize them, to combine their strengths and discard their weaknesses.

I began to experiment, blending the brute's aggression with the elf's agility, the swordsman's precision with the trickster's unpredictability.

The results were startling. I moved with a fluidity and power that surprised even the most seasoned mercenaries.

My strikes were both precise and unexpected, my defenses impenetrable yet adaptable. I no longer used just a collection of borrowed techniques, I was forging my own unique style, a swordsmanship that couldn't be categorized at all.

By the end of the day, I had spent a small fortune, but it didn't matter, I would get it all back if I died.

I had gained a deeper understanding of combat, and of the flow of movement, too. had everything I needed to survive in this world, to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

I was eager to put my newfound skills to the test.

6:29 PM​

I would be proven wrong.

6:30 PM

​

So very wrong.

A shockwave of cold coming from the slums, much closer this time created a blizzard in an instant.

The mercenaries Immediately bolted in the other direction.

The hardier adventurers made it to the edge of my vision, but the catgirl who I was just sparring with was an ice statue just 10 feet from the building.

I looked around me and a bunch of people were dead and frozen.

A massive white leonine creature rose from the center of the slums.

It's eyes are a blank mask of rage.

If i fought that I would die.

If i ran I would die.

If I stayed still I would die.

I ran forward knowing I would die, but I had to fight it, even just to measure my strength.

I was nothing.

I didn't even get close to its front paw I was planning to slash without freezing.

It got colder as I approached anyway.

I didn't stand a fucking chance in hell.

I felt the tug back to an hour ago, I snatched it and dragged it back to 9AM.

I opened my eyes.

I decided I needed to see Kasimir again.

He wouldn't screw me on information I bought from him, I knew in my heart somehow.

I retraced my steps back to the magic shop where I'd met Kasimir.

The alleyway was still there, the dingy storefront unchanged.

Following the instructions he'd given me, I clapped four times, spoke his name, and clapped twice more.

The world shimmered for a moment, then I found myself standing once more within the expansive, ever-shifting bazaar.

Kasimir materialized before me, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Back so soon, Tereda Chouju?" he chuckled. "Have you come to spend more of your...acquired wealth?"

"Information," I stated, cutting to the chase. "I need to know about the source of that freezing magic, the creature that appeared in the slums."

Kasimir's smile faded, "I know this, but-" he made the universal gesture for give me money.

I obliged and handed him a gold coin.

He nodded, "Ah, the Great Spirit of Fire, Puck," Kasimir said, "A powerful being, once bound by a contract of friendship, now consumed by grief and rage."

"A spirit?" I questioned, surprised. "But the power- it felt like absolute hatred and despair. Something the books in the library stated was almost impossible for a spirit to feel."

"Grief can twist even the purest of hearts," Kasimir explained. "Without his contractor to anchor him, Puck's despair has manifested as a destructive force, an icy blizzard that threatens to engulf the world."

"Is there a way to prevent Puck from reaching this state?" I asked, leaning closer.

He nodded, and then waved a hand for more money.

I handed him another of my restored gold.

Kasimir's gaze flicked to the swirling crystal orb. "The contract is bound to a specific individual. Ensuring their safety might keep the contract intact."

"Do you know who this contractor is?" I pressed.

He frowned, shaking his head. "The specifics are unknown, but scrying orbs can reveal hidden connections, unveil threads of fate." His shaking head stopped as he smirked.

I studied the collection of glowing orbs. "Could one identify Puck's contractor?"

A sly smile curved Kasimir's lips. "It's possible. However, such insights come at a price."

I reached for my coin pouch, and placed one holy coin down on the table. "I'm willing to pay."

He nodded, and smirked.

He held up 4 fingers.

I placed 3 more Holy coins, the platinum ringing out loudly on the table

A great big smile adorned Kasimir's face.

He got up and moved towards the rack of countless orbs.

He grabbed one and brought it to me.

"Think of anything you want to know about something or someone on this current plane. Ask a question about that, and you'll gain said knowledge from the orb." He finished with a customer service smile that gave me bad vibes.

I ignored that and asked the question internally, wording it just so. "Where is the current contractor of Puck, the great spirit of fire, what is his or her name, and why is she or he there?"

Now there can't be a loophole.

Information flooded my brain.

A thief girl in over her head, stealing something she has no idea can get her killed as fast as lightning.

A girl with white hair and elf ears chasing from behind and failing to catch up.

A white cat, which was somehow the great spirit of fire, floating next to her lazily as she sprinted towards the thief.

She must retrieve her emblem or she will be disqualified as a possible ruler.

The vision ended.

I nodded, and went to use it again but Kasimir hissed. "Re-uses of the orb cost an additional platinum based coin."

I nodded again, slowly this time, my body tense with anti-creep energy.

I placed the coin down, and I asked one last question to the orb.

"What will kill Emilia within the next 12 hours and why?"

Another vision, A woman, absolutely insane and hungering to see the blood coming out of people's entrails.

Her black hair and beauty are a stark contrast to her cruelness and insanity.

She was told to get the emblem by someone.

I can't see who.

She kills Emelia, not to get the amulet, she already had taken it from the corpse of the thief girl.

She just wanted to see the blood of her guts.

The vision freezes as every molecule in her body is frozen.

I gasped "Well, that was fucked up."

Kasimir smiled happily, and spoke "want to spend anything else?"

My grin turns ruthless. "Any good stuff for cultivators?"

He waved his hand as shelves covered in herbs and books, "Anything good would be out of your price range, but these will suffice for now. For anything better- I'm sure you can get more money."

"Got any good hand to hand techniques for cultivators? Sword styles too?"

His smile reached ear to ear. "Indeed."