[ A New Item Has Been Unlocked in the Shop ]


    [A New Skill Has Been Unlocked in the Shop ]


    William stood there for a moment, uncertain how to process the new development. It was unexpected, enigmatic, and he had no idea where it might lead. He pondered whether the system had indeed added something new, as the notification suggested. But why now?


    He hadn''t leveled up or done anything remarkable. All he had done was nce at the swo—!!!


    William''s eyes widened as he focused on the sword, thinking, ''Could this be the reason?''


    His reaction didn''t escape the notice of the two men beside him, who exchanged bewildered nces, each forming their own conjectures. One thought, ''Has the price of the sword, or perhaps the sword itself, driven him mad?''


    The other spected, ''Does he have such an intense fixation on the sword that he can''t take his eyes away from it?''


    Both men concocted their theories,pletely oblivious to the true dilemma guing William. Delmar was fixated on the sword''s exorbitant cost, while Adam was captivated by the weapon''s remarkable attributes. However, one of them was distinctly more concerned than the other.


    Adam''s anxiety deepened as he considered, ''Could he want the sword for himself…?''


    Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Delmar inquired, "Boss… is something wrong?"


    "Huh?" William responded, still lost in thought, before turning his attention to Delmar. "I thought… this…" His voice trailed off, his mind still preupied.


    ''The boss seems genuinely troubled by the price'' Delmar thought to himself.


    ''The boss must really want the sword'' Adam mused.


    The two men continued to misinterpret the situation, one fixated on the price, the other on the sword''s allure. But only one of them was genuinely worried.


    Adam, his gaze fixed on the sword in William''s hand, thought with increasing concern, ''He might be so enamored with the sword that I think he wants it for himself.''


    Delmar, unable to withstand the suspense any longer, asked again, "Boss… are you alright?"


    Hearing his words, William looked at him nkly. "Yeah… I…" He paused, then continued a momentter, "I thought… this is…"


    Delmar''s concern grew. "Boss… seriously, are you okay?"


    William paused again, then regained hisposure and responded more clearly, "Yeah, I''m fine. What were you saying?"


    "My mind was on a different ce a while ago so I didn''t listen."


    Still oblivious to the true nature of the situation, both men voiced their assumptions.


    "Boss, is the price of the sword really bothering you that much?" Delmar asked.


    "Boss, do you really want the sword that much?" Adam queried.


    William gave them both a perplexed look, confused by their questions. Before he could respond, the two men turned to each other with puzzled expressions, speaking simultaneously.


    "He''s worried by the price."


    "He wants the sword."


    They stopped, ring at each other in frustration, then spoke in unison once again.


    "He hate the sword."


    "He''s likes the sword."


    Delmar shook his head. "No, he''s troubled by the price."


    Adam countered, "No, I think he wants the sword itself."


    Delmar insisted, "No, no, Mon ami, he''s dismayed by the outrageous price."


    Adam retorted, "No, no, he''s so taken with the sword that he wants it for himself."


    Delmar, now irritated, snapped, "No, no, no! Do you really believe the boss is so selfish that he''d want that piece of metal to this extent?"


    Adam, equally frustrated, shot back, "No, no, no! I don''t think he''s selfish, but he might want that PIECE OF METAL because it''s one of the finest swords ever made!"


    William watched the duo, realizing their argument was spiraling into absurdity. Meanwhile, wdia, standing beside him with her imposing stature, observed the scene with keen interest, curious to see who would throw the first punch.


    Though William found the exchange mildly entertaining, he didn''t want to squander any more time. He decided to step in before things escted.


    "Alright, alright, calm down, both of you. You''re blowing this way out of proportion," William interjected.


    "But boss, he''s the one making baseless assumptions," Adam protested.


    "No, boss, he''s the one drawing ridiculous conclusions," Delmar argued.


    "You''re both jumping to the wrong conclusions," William said loudly, capturing their attention.


    "So, you''re not concerned about the high price?" Delmar asked.


    "And you don''t want the sword?" Adam inquired.


    William shook his head and sighed, looking at Delmar first. "I''m not bothered by the cost because I didn''t have to pay for it." Then he turned to Adam. "And I don''t want the sword because it''s yours, and I don''t take what I''ve already given to someone."


    Both men exchanged bewildered nces before asking the same question, "Then why were you acting like that?"


    "I… Ah." William hesitated before quickly fabricating an exnation. "I was merely admiring the craftsmanship. It felt like that I might have seen a simr sword somewhere else."


    Adam and Delmar''s eyes widened in disbelief. "What! But that sword was crafted 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. Finding something simr is virtually impossible."


    "Yeah, I thought so too," William said, maintaining his fa?ade.


    "Then how?" they asked in unison.


    "I don''t know. Maybe it was something else. Who knows?" William shrugged.


    "Yeah, it must have been," Delmar agreed, and the trio shared a smallugh.


    Unwittingly, William had deftly steered the conversation away from the awkward moment. "So, regarding the price… Did you receive any notifications or messages from the auction house? They said they''d contact me."


    Delmar shook his head slowly. "No, boss. Nothing yet. But I think they''re waiting for the media frenzy to die down before sending you the invitation."


    William''s expression darkened at the mention of the media. "Are those dogs still hounding us?" he asked, his toneced with irritation.


    Delmar sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. It''s like they don''tprehend the meaning of ''We don''t want an interview'' or ''Shut the f*ck up and let us ''Game in peace.''"


    William nodded in agreement. "Game in peace?"


    Delmar shrugged. "You''re not the only one who enjoys gaming."


    William smiled before addressing both men. "So, is there anything else I should know about?"


    "Nah… but the weather is nice today," Delmar replied.


    "Are you still using that app?" William asked, eyeing him suspiciously.


    "No, no, I''ve learned my lesson. I''m not going back to that… again," Delmar said, avoiding William''s deadpan stare.


    Suddenly, an idea popped into William''s head. "Why not just create one?"


    "Create what?" Delmar asked.


    "A weather app."


    Delmar looked at him with a half-crazed grin. "Do you even realize how much it takes to build one?"


    "I don''t, but you do. So, just buy everything you need," William replied.


    "Haha, just buy everything… Do you know how much—" Delmar stoppedughing and went silent for a moment before saying, "A great idea that is."


    "I know," William said confidently.


    "Alright, I''ll create one then," Delmar said as he slowly walked out, murmuring about the differentponents he would need.


    "Make sure it''s urate," William called after him, to which Delmar responded with a thumbs-up. William then turned to Adam, who smirked and said, "Ready for a world of pain?"


    "Do I have to answer that?" William replied with a resigned expression.