Risa followed wherever Ethan went. The two of them left the item shop and walked toward the equipment store.

It wasn't close—Ethan had to walk about ten minutes to get there.

Along the way, Ethan kept glancing at Risa, quietly observing her behavior.

The girl kept looking at the bracelet and ring she was wearing.

They were beautifully shaped, and their color matched the red tattoo on her body. Ethan was glad Risa liked them.

After all, it was a small gift for her—something that might help her later.

The walk didn't feel long since Ethan and Risa kept talking on the way.

Ahead of them stood the equipment shop, marked by a sign shaped like a shield with two crossed swords.

Unlike the item shop, this one was crowded with visitors that afternoon.

Ethan wasn't sure what they were all doing there, but from the chatter he overheard, most of them seemed to be asking for equipment repairs.

Actually, repairing equipment could be done manually with crafting skills.

All it required was the crafting skill, which could be bought from the item shop, and the right materials.

However, everyone knew the success rate of crafting repairs was low.

If a player's crafting level wasn't as high as their weapon or armor level, the chance of success would drop sharply.

It would cost time, energy, and money. Once used, the materials couldn't be reused, meaning they'd have to start over with new ones.

That's why, if players had extra gold, they preferred to repair their gear at the equipment shop, where success was guaranteed.

"Maybe we should come back another time. I'll be fine," said Risa.

She grabbed Ethan's hand nervously, frightened by the crowd. But Ethan smiled, gently patting her head, and told her everything would be fine.

As long as they didn't bother anyone, no one would dare to mess with them. Hearing that made Risa relax a little.

They went inside after the line had shortened a bit. Ethan occasionally looked around, watching players come in groups or alone, inspecting the weapons and armor displayed on the walls.

Are they going to buy something? Or just looking around?

Some of the players looked uncomfortable when Risa stared at them too intensely, but Ethan didn't notice and stayed focused on the line.

After waiting twenty minutes, Ethan finally reached the counter. The shopkeeper—a young woman—smiled politely at him.

"Welcome. How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a magic staff for a mage," said Ethan.

"We have plenty," she replied.

Her slender hand moved as she swiped through the weapon list panel.

When she selected the mage category, more than thirty types of magic staffs appeared, each with different names and qualities.

"Are you looking for something specific?"

"Yes. Rare rank, custom Crystal Spirit."

"A rare magic staff that allows custom Crystal Spirit input. I see," said the woman.

She set the filter, narrowing it down to seven rare-ranked staffs that could be enhanced with Crystal Spirits to boost their attributes.

Every weapon had its own base element. Ethan checked the seven staffs and noticed two of them had the fire element symbol—a red flame icon.

"There are two fire-element staffs," Ethan said, pointing at them. The woman summoned both items onto the counter, and Risa's eyes widened in awe.

"Which one do you want?" Ethan asked.

Risa looked at the two staffs for quite a while before choosing the Scorching Flames Magic Staff.

Ethan nodded in approval. Both options were good choices for someone like her.

"I'll take this one. Please embed this Crystal Spirit into it," Ethan said.

He brought out a Rare Crystal Spirit: Flames Rage for the staff. The shopkeeper smiled, taking both items, and said she would merge them right there.

She didn't go to the back room—instead, she demonstrated her crafting skill in front of Ethan. The Flames Rage Crystal Spirit fused with the Scorching Flames Staff, glowing brightly as its attributes improved.

[Item: Scorching Flames Magic Staff]

[Rank: Rare (Crystal Spirit Rare Embedded)]

[Base Attribute: 15% Magic Damage (+10% Magic Damage) || +10% Magic Pierce (+10% Magic Pierce) || +250 Max Health]

Ethan was impressed. The woman handed him the finished staff, and the total came to 100,000 gold.

Transaction complete. Ethan had spent about 175,000 gold in total to buy Risa's new gear. After verifying the payment, the staff officially became Risa's property.

Risa smiled, holding the staff tightly in both hands as she stepped out of the shop. Ethan followed behind her.

"So? Do you like it?" Ethan asked.

"I love it. It's just like I dreamed," said Risa softly, "Thank you so much, Ethan. I promise I'll repay your kindness someday."

Her eyes were full of emotion, her cheeks glowing red with embarrassment.

"There's no need for that. What matters is that you can protect yourself. Hissy will go with you—that's her job," said Ethan.

Hissy slithered out from Ethan's sleeve and curled up on Risa's shoulder. Risa smiled and gently stroked the venomfang snake's head, which seemed to enjoy her touch.

"So here you are."

Leon's voice came from the village square. He approached them after searching for Ethan for a while.

He had only realized Ethan was at the equipment shop after checking his digital map.

"Didn't you think of using the map earlier?" Ethan asked.

"I just used it now. I was panicking—I thought you two went exploring without me," Leon replied.

Leon's attention shifted to Risa, who was now wearing the new accessories and holding her magic staff.

"Whoa, did Ethan buy all that for you?" Leon asked, amazed.

"Yes. He said it was to help my power," Risa answered.

"To make you stronger," Ethan added.

"Yes, to make me stronger."

Leon nodded several times. Now he saw Risa more like a real MMORPG player, even though her cursor was still red.

But with her staff and accessory buffs, Leon was sure her power had grown a lot.

"How about we test it?" Leon suggested.

Risa turned toward him. She, too, was curious about the spells the village elder had once taught her—it had been years since she last used them.

Ethan agreed. Now that Risa had all her gear, it would be a good idea to see her abilities in action.

That way, Ethan could assess her power and decide her role in the team.

"Sure. Let's test it right away against—"

"Mr. EthanArk," someone called from behind, cutting him off.

Ethan turned around. Risa and Leon did the same. Five people approached, all wearing black uniforms. They weren't Licia's group.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked coldly.

"We're from Narrow Fate. We came to ask you about the murder incident in front of the tavern."

I knew it. Sooner or later, they'd come for me.

"Can't this wait? They challenged me to a fight. They died because of their own mistake. Why am I the one being blamed?" Ethan asked.

"Our party leader ordered it. We can't refuse."

Ethan glanced around. Many players were watching him, their eyes sharp and threatening.

If I start a fight here, I could put Risa and Leon in danger.

"Leon. Hissy. Protect Risa and go back to the inn," Ethan said calmly.

"I'll be back soon," he added, smiling to reassure them.

Leon cleared his throat and nodded. "Got it."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.