As the elevator descended to the final underground floor and the golden doors slowly slid apart, Kyle felt as though he had stepped into an entirely different world.

For a brief moment, he simply stood there.

The place didn’t resemble a weapon store.

It felt more like a sanctuary built for warriors.

Soft white lights flowed across the ceiling in clean geometric patterns, reflecting against polished black marble floors that gleamed like still water.

The air carried a faint metallic scent mixed with something colder and refined, the kind of atmosphere expensive places always seemed to possess.

And then there were the weapons.

Rows upon rows of them.

Beautiful and at the same time, terrifying.

Perfectly preserved beneath carefully angled lighting that made every edge glimmer sharply.

Kyle’s breath unconsciously slowed as his eyes wandered across the massive hall.

He wasn’t much into weapons but this...this could leave anyone in awe.

To the left, countless daggers and short blades rested upon sleek horizontal racks, each separated with exact spacing as though every single weapon had its own pride and identity.

Some blades were pitch black, swallowing the light around them, while others shimmered with silver patterns running along their edges like flowing rivers.

The center section radiated sheer weight and brutality.

Massive hammers stood upright like monuments. Heavy axes with engraved cores rested upon reinforced displays. Flails with segmented metallic chains hung motionlessly, yet even from afar they carried an intimidating presence.

Yet strangely enough, none of them looked crude.

Every curve, every edge, every marking carved into their surfaces made them feel engineered rather than forged. Refined killing machines designed by people who understood both elegance and destruction.

Then came the swords.

And for the first time since entering, Kyle genuinely felt like a child again.

The entire right side of the hall looked like something pulled straight out of a fantasy film.

Long silver blades rested beneath crystal displays. Jet-black swords with crimson engravings emitted faint ominous pressure. Curved one-handed weapons sat beside towering greatswords large enough to split monsters apart.

Some looked noble.

Some looked monstrous.

Some looked like weapons that should only exist in legends.

Kyle slowly walked forward without even realizing it, his gaze instinctively jumping from one display to another.

He wasn’t even someone deeply obsessed with weapons.

But standing here, surrounded by masterpieces crafted for battle, he finally understood why warriors grew attached to their gear.

These weren’t just tools.

Each one felt like it carried a story waiting to be wielded.

Beside him, Amanda glanced at Kyle’s barely concealed excitement and smiled faintly to herself.

At least now she knew dragging him out instead of letting him sleep had been completely worth it.

As they approached the counter, the two men waiting behind it straightened almost instinctively.

Both wore immaculate formal attire and carried the composed professionalism expected from employees serving high-profile clients.

"How may we assist you today?" asked the man on the left, a middle-aged gentleman with a balding head and thin-framed glasses. His voice was smooth and elegant, polished through years of customer interaction.

Amanda answered calmly,

"I have an appointment with Miss Tear."

Hearing the name, Kyle finally realized that the person Amanda had been talking about this entire time was this Tear.

The one responsible for helping him choose his equipment.

However, the moment Amanda mentioned her name, the two employees exchanged uneasy glances.

It was subtle but impossible to miss.

It was almost as if Amanda had asked for something they either weren’t authorized to fulfill... or desperately wished to avoid dealing with.

Amanda let out a faint sigh, clearly having expected this reaction already.

Without another word, she pulled out her phone.

"Ma’am—"

"I know. No taking pictures," Amanda interrupted immediately, raising her left hand while her right remained occupied dialing a number.

Then, after placing the phone against her ear, she added flatly,

"I need to make this call so neither of you ends up losing your jobs."

The tension in the men’s expressions visibly eased.

Kyle, meanwhile, stood there completely confused.

Still, he chose not to interrupt.

He’d just ask Amanda about it later.

While she continued making the call, Kyle slowly wandered a few steps away and resumed admiring the displays around him, his eyes constantly getting drawn toward newer and more absurd-looking weapons every few seconds. Unfortunately, there weren’t any ranged weapons.

Suddenly, much to Kyle’s surprise, the glass panel behind the two employees silently slid apart.

A woman stepped out from the concealed section beyond it.

Kyle’s eyes instinctively settled on her.

Straight black hair rested neatly at shoulder length, framing a sharp face partially hidden behind round glasses. Her dark crimson eyes carried an intimidating clarity to them, cold and observant, as though they could dissect a person within seconds.

Unlike the employees outside, her presence alone felt authoritative.

She wore formal attire consisting of a fitted white shirt tucked beneath a black pencil skirt, that gave her quite a crisp appearance. Combined with her composed posture and piercing gaze, she gave off the overwhelming impression of someone accustomed to being obeyed.

Amanda slowly lowered the phone from her ear the moment the woman appeared.

The woman’s arms were crossed tightly beneath her chest, and her eyes narrowed even further as they landed on Amanda.

"You really are an annoyingly persistent brat," she remarked flatly.

Every word was clearly directed at Amanda.

Instead of being intimidated, Amanda instantly grinned.

Then, to Kyle’s utter disbelief, she suddenly vaulted over the counter.

Actually vaulted over it.

"Tear! It’s been forever!"

Before anyone could react, Amanda wrapped her arms around the woman in a hug.

The two employees nearly panicked and instinctively moved forward to separate them, only for the woman to lazily raise a hand, stopping them in place.

"Nosy brat..." Tear muttered while rolling her eyes. "The absolute worst kind."

Yet despite the complaint, Kyle could easily tell there wasn’t any real irritation behind her words.

If anything, she seemed oddly used to Amanda’s behavior.

Then Tear’s gaze shifted.

Her crimson eyes landed directly on Kyle.

And instantly, the faint amusement disappeared from his face.

Tear slowly pulled herself away from Amanda before stepping toward Kyle.

The balding employee instantly pressed a button beneath the counter, causing the glass partition in front of them to slide apart smoothly from the center.

Tear didn’t pause for even a second.

Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor as she walked straight toward Kyle with an oppressive sense of purpose.

Kyle instinctively glanced toward Amanda, only to find her suddenly looking far less confident than before.

Then Tear stopped directly in front of him.

Looking him up and down through her round glasses, she spoke in a calm, razor-sharp voice.

"I sincerely hope you’re at least special-grade." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Because this brat made me postpone an important meeting just to see you."

Amanda visibly panicked at those words.

Meanwhile, Kyle could only give a helpless, wry smile.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he admitted,

"Actually... I’m still a trainee."

"..."

Silence.

Absolute silence swallowed the entire floor.

Even the atmosphere seemed to freeze.

The two employees behind the counter looked moments away from smashing their foreheads against the desk.

After all, the woman standing before Kyle wasn’t some ordinary equipment specialist.

Tear was someone who personally designed gear for the named teams of the Central Authority itself.

Elite squads.

Monsters among Nightwalkers.

And Amanda had dragged her out of an important meeting... for a trainee.

Naturally, there was only one reaction that could follow.

Tear stared at Kyle blankly for two full seconds before her expression flattened completely.

Then, without hesitation, she pointed toward the door behind him.

"You need to leave."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please leave a review.