Seojun continued to examine the sword he had just retrieved, the crystal embedded in its center catching the light and reflecting a spectrum of colors. He thought about the implications of his earlier actions and the potential of creating an altar.


    ''Making an altar allows me to ess my other items in the inventory,'' Seojun mused, ''that''s not a bad oue.''


    Seojun continued to examine the sword he had just retrieved suddenly he heard a voice.


    "That''s a beautiful sword."


    Instinctively, Seojun concealed the sword and looked up, finding a child sitting across the table from him. The kid''s presence was sudden and unexpected. Seojun, curious and cautious, slowly returned the sword to his inventory. Almost immediately, the child vanished.


    "Wow, what is that? You''re piercing the air?"


    The child''s voice now came from his side. Seojun turned to see the kid staring intently at the half-visible sword, hovering in mid-air beside him.


    Seojun furrowed his brow and continued to study the sword. Seojun put the sword away and looked at the child. "Who are you?" he asked.


    The child vanished instantly, and a momentter, she reappeared sitting across from him. She had a shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes.


    ''Why am i seeing a younger version of myself but a girl?''


    She hugged a blue plushie shaped like a shark tightly to her chest, her gaze fixed on Seojun with a mix of curiosity and innocence.


    powered-by-MvLeMpYr


    Before Seojun could ask another question, the girl suddenly appeared at his side, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.


    "What''s your name, brother?" she asked.


    Seojun frowned slightly and replied, "Seojun. Han Seojun."


    The girl extended her hand with a bright smile and introduced herself, "I''m Jana hye Just call me Jana Brother. It''s nice meeting you."


    Seojun epted Hana''s hand and shook it gently. Her innocent curiosity was disarming.


    "Did youe from the future? Are you my future self?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonder.


    Seojun''s usualposure softened in the face of her cuteness. He couldn''t help but smile. "Maybe?"


    Hana''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? Then can I have that sword?"


    Seojun chuckled softly, his guard lowered by her infectious enthusiasm. Seojun shook his head gently. "The sword is too big for you, Jana."


    Jana''s eyes fell to the small sword she was holding. "Daddy found this and enhanced for me, but I want something bigger."


    Seojun examined the small sword. It was clearly a fragment, something that seemed iplete but still finely crafted. "Can I borrow?" he asked.


    Jana nodded eagerly, handing over the small sword. As soon as Seojun took it, his appraisal skill activated.


    [Appraisal Activated.]


    Item: Fragmented de


    - Description: A small but intricately crafted sword fragment. This piece appears to be a part of arger, more powerful weapon. It holds sentimental value and has been skillfully made by a master craftsman.


    - Status: Fragmented


    - Potential: Enhanced whenbined with other pieces or restored to its original form. May possess hidden attributes or enhancements.


    Note: Investigate further to determine its full potential and any possible upgrades or restoration requirements.


    [Would you like to proceed with further analysis or restoration?]


    Seojun muttered  "Analyse"


    - Fragment Analysis: The fragment is part of arger weapon. Restoring it requires essing the original item in your inventory.


    - Warning: Using fragments can be dangerous. Confirm if you want to restore this fragment to its original state.


    Seojun looked at Jana, who was watching him with sparkling eyes. "Using fragments can be dangerous. Do you want me to restore it to its original state?"


    Jana''s eyes lit up. "Can you really do that, brother? Wow! Do it! I don''t like the feeling of this small sword anyway."


    Seojun smiled and ruffled Jana''s hair affectionately. "Sure thing,"


    As Jana giggled and appreciated the gesture, Seojun essed the original sword from his inventory. Following the system''s instructions, he began the restoration process. The fragment slowly merged with the original sword, growing and reshaping into its full form.


    As the restoration processpleted, the fragment transformed into arger sword, its full form gleaming in the light.


    Jana''s eyes widened in awe. "Wow! How did you do that, brother?!"


    She reached out eagerly, but Seojun raised the sword out of her grasp. "You should use the small sword form for now. A weapon bigger than you can be dangerous."


    Jana looked up at him with innocent curiosity. "If I listen, will you y with me?"


    Seojun smiled warmly. "Yeah."


    "Deal!" Jana eximed, her face lighting up with excitement.


    Seojun concentrated, channeling his mana to shrink the sword back to its smaller size. He knew the sword''s size was influenced by the amount of mana used. Once it was the size of a dagger, he handed it to Jana.


    Jana held the small sword carefully. "Wow! It feels amazing! It''s not like earlier, when something felt off."


    Seojun nodded. "You can feel the difference?"


    Jana beamed and nodded. "Yes, it feels just right now!"


    Seojun felt a sense of satisfaction, pleased that Jana was happy with the transformed sword. He looked forward to the yful moments they would share.


    Seojun watched as Jana, with impressive dexterity, expertly twirled and flipped the small sword. He was still in awe.


    "How old are you, Jana?" he asked, curiosity piqued.


    "I''m turning 5 next month," Jana replied with a bright smile. "Thank you so much for this, brother. I told Daddy that it''s dangerous to use iplete artifacts, but he didn''t listen."


    Jana carefully ced the sword into a leather sheath and then got down from her chair, pulling it closer before sitting back down.


    Seojun thought, ''Is this really how a nearly 5-year-old acts?''


    "Hehee, you can''t believe I''m just 5 years old, brother?" Jana said, noticing his astonishment. "Don''t worry, everyone gets that."


    "What do you mean?" Seojun asked, puzzled.


    Jana''s eyes sparkled with a hint of pride. "Oh, I''m a bit of a prodigy. Daddy says so too. I''ve been practicing a lot, so people often can''t believe how skilled I am for my age."


    Jana swung her feet yfully as she sat in the chair, clearly enjoying the attention. Seojun watched her with a thoughtful expression, realizing that her mature behavior for her age might be due to her prodigious talent and experiences.