"So tired..."

I flopped onto the bed, rubbing my slightly aching toes. Rui Feng and I had sparred until dinnertime. His physical abilities were terrifying—I was gasping for breath while he acted like nothing happened. At first, I held the advantage, but as time passed, he seized control. I grew increasingly passive because my Anomaly Power drained spiritual energy heavily. If a fight dragged on, my energy absorption couldn't keep up with usage... I’d need to work on that.

After washing off the sweat, I stepped out of the bathroom to find Sinan Ying waiting. I immediately tensed up. Last time was that embarrassing underwear incident—what would it be this time? Sinan Ying looked fidgety. Could it be some ultra-advanced game?

"Xiao Ye..." she began.

"...What?" I shifted into a defensive stance.

"Actually..." she paused. "We’re heading to the Winteredge Mountains tomorrow."

"Not falling for your trick—huh? The Winteredge Mountains?" My tension melted away. "Just that? Rui Feng already told me today."

She blinked her big eyes in surprise. "So... you knew?"

"After this mission, you’ll be leaving, right? I wanted to join you. How about taking me along to the Winteredge Mountains tomorrow?" Since learning real combat was the fastest way to grow stronger, I’d been itching for training. To survive on Spirit Star, strength was essential. Plus, with the Sinan Family around, my chances of rescue in mortal danger would be high. This was a golden opportunity! Yet...

"No way! It’s too dangerous!" she flatly refused.

"I actually guessed you’d ask to come along—that’s why I came! The Winteredge Mountains’ outskirts are manageable, but the central zone is packed with dangerous spirit beasts. Some hide expertly—even the Sinan Family can’t spot them all!"

"But... when I first arrived, you boldly sent me to fight Rui Feng, didn’t you?"

"Because that wasn’t life-threatening!"

Not life-threatening... True, Rui Feng likely wouldn’t kill me, but broken limbs were probable.

"Don’t worry. I know my limits. Honestly, I want to train and get stronger. Since it’s a team trip, one more person means extra strength. And if I’m in trouble, I’ll get quick backup."

"But..."

After thirty minutes of back-and-forth, Sinan Ying finally relented. "But I have conditions! Right now, you come with me to the warehouse to pick gear. No arguments!"

---

Like many novels, Spirit Star had diverse weapons and equipment, graded by quality and type. They featured spiritual energy arrays and miniature components. Users activated them by injecting spiritual energy (Anomaly users directly channeled it; non-Anomaly users relied on spirit stones or similar sources). Ordinary gear offered basic enhancements like weight reduction—a sword was just a normal blade without energy, but with spiritual energy, it became sharper and more agile. High-grade gear added special effects like elemental bonuses or illusions.

Equipment followed a strict grading system: Mundane Gear—no arrays or components; Spirit Gear—with arrays and devices; Treasure Gear—far stronger, crafted by masters, symbols of status; Sacred Gear—legendary artifacts; and Divine Gear—mythical, theoretical items. Spirit Gear split into lower, middle, and higher grades. Most lower-grade Spirit Gear was factory-made, barely pricier than Mundane Gear. Some middle-grade pieces were assembly-line produced. Higher-grade or better gear required master artisans. Most Sacred Gear emerged from natural phenomena—nature as creator. Only legendary artisans could craft lower-grade Sacred Gear. Divine Gear? They existed only to spice up fairy tales.

Sinan Ying led me to the inn’s underground weapon vault... A vault underground? This inn was practically a fortress.

Spirit stone lamps illuminated the dark space, revealing a vast chamber. Racks of equipment overwhelmed me. "Plenty here, but almost all lower-grade Spirit Gear. The best are a few middle-grade pieces—no idea where they’re hidden... Well, I’ll make do."

Though Sinan Ying seemed unimpressed, I eagerly dove into the metal piles. Swords, spears, staffs, guns, heavy armor, chainmail, leather armor, cloaks, helmets... Awesome! This was every guy’s dream! Back in my overly dramatic teenage phase, I’d craved this stuff. Never thought I’d use the real thing! Web novel logic said dark vaults, old libraries, and street stalls hid OP gear. I searched for something to make me overpowered overnight~~

Covered in dust, I gave up. Finding game-breaking loot roadside was just a fantasy. I reluctantly picked practical weapons. Wandering aimlessly, I realized I hadn’t even chosen a weapon type. How could I decide?

"Huh? What’s this?"

I pulled a strange black blade from a bottom shelf. It was completely straight, katana-length but as wide as an ancient Chinese sword—like a straightened yanling dao. Where blade met hilt wasn’t a guard but a machine-gun-like structure with a metal box. Though shortened, I recognized it as a magazine. The grip had a trigger. A leather pouch beside it held bullets.

Could this be a Final Fantasy VIII gunblade? Such a show-off weapon found by me? Heaven hadn’t abandoned me!

"Hey, lucky pick. This is one of the vault’s few middle-grade Spirit Gear pieces," Sinan Ying said from behind.

"This is an Energy Blade. Its function is—"

"It shoots bullets, right!"

"Impossible!" She rolled her eyes. "Bullets charge it. Load spirit-charged bullets into the magazine, then—" she inserted a bullet, aimed at a lower-grade Spirit Gear piece, and swung hard! "—pull the trigger!"

The Energy Blade roared, glowing brightly as it accelerated down, splitting the target in two! A *click* sounded as an empty shell ejected.

Sinan Ying turned, flicking the slightly smoking blade. "See? Powerful, but timing the trigger is tricky. Limited by bullets too—hard to master..."

"No need to explain. I’ll take it!" I grabbed the blade happily. As a former chuunibyou kid, it hit all my buttons. The craftsmanship dwarfed Earth’s models!

Sinan Ying puffed her cheeks, annoyed I’d ignored her. "Weapon chosen. Now armor—you can’t neglect defense."

I picked quickly: leather armor worn under my trench coat, invisible but tight across the chest. Sinan Ying watched with admiration and envy.

"Xiao Ye, still wearing that hooded trench coat... such a waste!"

"What choice? Showing my face draws too much attention."

"Xiao Ye, what do you eat to get so big? I’m jealous..."

"Uh, normal food... same as everyone."

"But I drink liters of milk daily and still..."

"You’re not small at all."

Sinan Ying was standard medium size—just fitting one hand, beautifully shaped. I almost wanted to touch...

"Actually, big sizes aren’t ideal. They throw off combat balance and cause daily hassle..." I meant it.

"...Xiao Ye, you big meanie!!!! May you keep growing until your chest crushes you, baka!!!!" Sinan Ying ran out in tears.