“Ding!”
With a thought from Renn, the handgun in his hand appeared securely inside the Gunner’s equipment slot.
“It really can be equipped.”
A look of delight appeared on Renn’s face.
“My attack attributes have increased. That means after equipping this handgun, I can use less aura to fire more powerful aura bullets.”
“But more importantly, this proves that I can find equipment in this world that suits my Character panels.”
“As long as an item contains Nen and fits the requirements of the class, I can equip it.”
The test had produced a clear result.
Equipment could indeed be placed into the equipment slots and increase a character’s attributes, though it wouldn’t alter the appearance of the conjured weapon in Renn’s hands.
Renn went to find Bruce.
He was the same boy who had shown Renn and Machi around when they were looking at houses—the grandson of the old man at the registration office.
Bruce’s parents had died when he was very young, but compared to most children in Meteor City, he was already far more fortunate.
“Bruce, do you know where the largest marketplace in Meteor City is?”
“Are you looking to buy something, Mr. Renn?”
“Yes.”
Bruce shook his head.
“Meteor City doesn’t really have any large trading centers. Each residential district is controlled by a separate faction, and there’s basically no interaction between different districts.”
“Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you go to the Elders’ territory. But getting into their territory isn’t easy. Even the leader of the Shark Gang isn’t qualified to enter.”
“And the things sold there are extremely expensive.”
Renn fell silent.
As long as he lived in Meteor City, the Elders were an obstacle he couldn’t simply ignore.
Most of Meteor City’s resources were controlled by them.
And if Renn wanted to leave Meteor City through legitimate means in the future, he would almost certainly need to go through the Elders as well.
Of course, he could also leave through unofficial means.
The only problem would be his identity.
That could be dealt with after he got outside.
“I understand. Thanks.”
Renn returned home.
“Since I won’t be able to obtain more equipment anytime soon, I should spend some time thoroughly studying my abilities.”
“That way, I won’t be caught off guard during a fight.”
“For the second one, I’ll try the Slayer.”
Renn selected the Slayer panel.
The next moment, a sword appeared in his hand.
Renn swung it a few times.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable.
He could understand why.
His Firearms skill had already reached the mastery level, while his Swordsmanship skill was still only at the fundamentals level.
The difference was obvious.
“According to the rules of my Nen ability, at my current level I can choose two skills.”
Renn looked toward the skill tree.
Just like with the Gunner, all purely physical techniques were absent.
Those didn’t fall within the scope of Nen.
“First—Ghost Slash!”
“Second—Silver Light Falling Blade!”
Renn left the residential district and headed to an abandoned garbage heap.
There wasn’t a single person around.
No fresh garbage had been dumped there in years, so even by Meteor City’s standards, it had become worthless trash.
“Activate—Slayer!”
Renn tightened his grip on the sword.
“Ghost Slash!”
A crimson glow appeared along the blade.
Renn slashed downward with all his strength.
“Boom!”
Renn’s eyes lit up.
“That’s pretty powerful.”
“Now let’s try Silver Light Falling Blade!”
Renn leaped into the air and drove his sword downward.
“Boom!”
A shockwave erupted outward from the point where his sword struck, spreading in every direction.
“The Slayer’s skills are good, especially against opponents who specialize in close combat.”
“But I’m still weaker using the Slayer than I am using the Gunner.”
“That’s probably because my Swordsmanship skill isn’t anywhere near as developed as my Firearms skill.”
Renn’s eyes flickered thoughtfully.
“I didn’t expect my proficiency in these underlying skills to have such a major impact on how well I can use each Character panel.”
“Right now, I only have three skills at the mastery level.”
“Nen.”
“Firearms.”
“And Combat.”
“That means there are only two Character panels I should focus on for now.”
“The first is the Gunner.”
“The second is the Fighter.”
Renn began browsing through the Fighter’s skill tree.
Very few skills remained.
That was because most of the Fighter’s original skills were purely physical techniques, and his Nen ability didn’t recognize those as Nen-based abilities.
“First—Iron Physique.”
“Second—Clone.”
Renn quickly familiarized himself with the Fighter panel.
Sure enough, compared to the Slayer, the Fighter felt much more natural to use.
He could bring out considerably more of its strength.
“Once I raise my Swordsmanship skill to the mastery level, I should be able to use the Slayer just as effectively.”
Near evening, Renn returned home.
“Renn, you’re back. Where did you go?”
Machi stood at the entrance, a hint of worry in her eyes.
“To a garbage heap.”
“To collect resources?”
“No. I was testing some of my abilities. There wasn’t enough room to use them properly here.”
Renn continued, “By the way, how did your training go today? Run into any problems?”
Machi listed several things she had been struggling with, and Renn answered each question one by one.
There was no denying that Machi’s talent was exceptional.
It was no wonder she had managed to reach the level she did in the original story despite receiving almost no proper guidance.
“Renn, once I finish learning Nen, what are we going to do next?”