I Reincarnated as a Shinai

The bracelet made of various gemstones was only a luxurious material without any arcane enhancements. However, it is still a valuable item considering the price they could earn if they sold this to the right person. 

On the other hand, the pouch contains various coins and most of them have a different design from what was commonly seen in this kingdom. It seems to have come from a foreign country…

Anyway, he couldn't properly compare them since they were full of dirt. He noted to himself to tell Stella later to clean these coins…

After confirming all of the items, Reiji decided to go back to his spot and wait for Stella to wake up. 

'Just one more Common-Rank Arcana and I'll be promoted…' 

Reiji already missed doing missions. Not because he likes to work but because he couldn't earn more Skill Points!

He was now left with 15 SP and there's barely anything he could do with this amount!

Sigh~

Reiji wanted to purchase more skills so he could be more independent in the future… 

Anyway, he thought of his next plans and considered whether he should still stay in this place for a while…

Stella already learned almost all of the necessary knowledge in kendo and she was also doing well in her live combat…

"Hmm…" Reiji was in deep thought as he looked at the young girl who was still sleeping. 

"I guess sticking with her for a while should be fine…" 

He mused for a moment after realizing how he got so many arcana in just a month of being together with her…

"A month after I became a Rare-Rank must be enough…"

He can feel that his promotion is getting near so he wanted to lay out his plans in the coming days.

Once he later found his last offering, he would still stay for Stella for a while before he continues his journey…

***

The news about Orga's death stunned many old Hunters who were aware of his exploits in his younger days.

Because of this, the Hunter Association prohibited the hunters from entering any of the caves that can be found within the forest…

The Hunter Association had explored more than 10 caves that were found near the mountains in the forest… However, there were still about 20 caves that they have failed to explore due to their harsh conditions and the danger that follows by being near them.

Although it was tempting to explore them to find some treasures, it would be too dangerous for the Hunters especially now that a three-star Hunter had perished inside one of these caves. 

Fighting inside a narrow cave isn't what they are best at…

On the other hand, the Red Storm Rangers had earned a massive reward after capturing two Crypt Crawlers from that cave!

One of the bodies was sent to the Hunter Association to study what truly happened to these Spiderfolks while the other was sent to the viscount. 

Apparently, its value didn't drop even if its ability to create webs were still questionable. It seems that the viscount can find ways as long as he has them. 

They shared the reward money with Stella which allowed her to fill her empty savings. She didn't have any plans to spend the money yet and even offered to give it to Reiji…

After all, it might be used to purchase an ownerless Arcana in the future.

"That's yours… Just keep it for now…" Reiji said after thinking that there might not be a need to purchase an arcana for his rank-up quest. 

Stella's luck in many things might be the only thing he needed to get that last Arcana.

"Alright, Master…" 

"Oh… By the way, we can go back to Iris now… A week has already passed."

"Ah! That's right! Her mother should have returned by now"

Stella exclaimed after being reminded by her master. 

She quickly took the vial that she wanted to be appraised and placed it in her bag. She was about to start her daily sword practice but now that her master urged her to visit Iris, she didn't hesitate to postpone her training and went straight to her new friend. 

It has been a while since they've met…

Stella arrived outside the Apothecary and saw its sign, Gentle Leaves, from the outside… The design was quite relaxing with leaves and flowers on its side… 

As she was about to enter, the door suddenly opened and several Hunters went out. They have gloomy faces and seem to be in an irate mood. 

She moved aside to let them passed before she gently opened the door and entered the apothecary…

The chimes of bells rang again as she was greeted by Iris…

"Stella… It's been a while…"

"Yeah, I was quite busy in my training…"

"You're really admirable… I heard that you went on a very dangerous mission… Even a three-star Hunter has died…"

"Yes… I was lucky I survived that time… That's why I needed to get even stronger."

"That's the spirit! So, what potions do you need this time?"

"Oh… Not this time, I brought this."

Stella said as she took out the Arcane Potion from the last time…

Iris's eyes lit up after seeing the familiar purple potion…

"Oh! Good timing… Wait here! I'll call my mother now!"

She quickly went inside of the room behind her as she called for her mother… She's the apothecarist that Stella always sees when she first arrived in this village.

It didn't take long before Iris and her mother arrived at the counter. The old lady immediately noticed the deep purple color of the potion that Stella brought with her.

"Mother, she's Stella… The swordmaster that you've heard a lot around the village…"

"Oh~"

"H-hello…"

Stella awkwardly greeted her as she waited for the appraisal to happen. 

She's more excited to know what kind of Arcane Potion is this.

"I identified that this is an Arcane Potion based on the 2 basic tests we're using… However, I can't tell what kind of abilities it would give to the user…" Iris said after seeing that her mother was only looking at the potion.

"Mhmm… Alright… Give me a moment."

Iris' mother didn't say much as she placed her hands on the vial. 

"Appraise Arcane Item"

She muttered those words softly to trigger the skill that her common-rank Arcana possess. The lady went silent for a moment as she received the information about the potion…

"This… Where did you get this potion?"

"Eh? Uhmm… I just got this from a reward… Is there a problem?"

"Ah… No, no… I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking about the origin of this kind of item."

Iris' mother immediately said after calming down. It seems that she was really surprised by the information regarding this potion. 

"It's fine. But yes, I hope that only you guys would know that I have this with me. Ehem… So, what is this Arcane Potion?"

Stella became restless as she waited for her to tell its effects. 

"Mhmm… Very well, this is a Levitate potion. I heard that a similar skill has appeared in a Unique-Rank Arcana, so you can consider this potion very valuable…" She said while smiling at Stella.

"A Unique-Rank Arcana's skill?"

"That's right… Although it wasn't as good as General Maximilian's Fly magic, it is understandable since his Arcana is an Epic Rank…"

"Fly Magic?" Stella was confused again upon hearing the skill. 

"Oh… Are you not aware of his ability? He's paraded as the Great Hero who stopped the orcs from the south… He's a celebrity."

"Y-yeah… I wasn't interested in his skills before…"

"Mother, you're talking about things that happened many many years ago. Even I don't know about his Epic Rank Arcana…"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"That's right… Anyway, I'm sure that Stella wants to know more about this Levitate potion and its price. Right, Stella?"

"Yes… That's right." Stella nodded as she looked at Iris' mother.

"Alright… This Levitate allows you to float from the ground for ten minutes once consumed… It's quite simple, but to control your levitation to move in any direction you want, you have to use your Mental Strength instead of your Spiritual Energy…"

"Mental Strength?" 

"Hmm… How should I explain this?" The old lady thought for a moment before getting an idea. "You can call it your 'will'."

Stella went silent as her master said something to her…

"I see… I think I understand now. Thank you so much… Right, if I sell this potion, how much would it cost?"

The mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

"Since this is not a common potion… It can be sold for 6 gold coins each…"

"That much?!" Although she earned a lot of gold recently, she was still aware of the value of gold coins. 

"That's right… Even in the nearest big cities, you can hardly find one of these. After all, only high-rank apothecarists are capable of making them…" The lady explained as she touched the vial of potion.

"Really? Even you can't make it?"

"Well, although I can be considered as a high-rank, I only specialized in three-types of advanced-level potions… Unlike those known apothecarists in the city who mastered ten or twenty advanced-level potions… I can't be compared."

"Mother, you're already amazing… You don't have complete and expensive tools like them but you still mastered three advanced-level potions… Right, you don't even have a master to teach you! I think that you're still the best, mother!"

Iris said as she lifts the mood of her mother.