Chapter 6: 06 String of fate. 

On a sunny day, as the crisp and warm spring wind brushed past Jin’s skin, he watched the old building that seemed worn out, but stood imposingly in the corner of the street, made him ponder.

Ryan and Marina, basking in the nostalgic feeling, parted their lips in joy as they made their way toward the door. Ryan pushed the door inside, ringing a clattering bell to inform the person inside.

“Uncle Joseph, we are here!”. Marina, who held Jin’s hand, called out to the inside of the store, which looked empty with no soul in sight.

Jin’s eyes filled with curiosity as he scanned the interior of the building. On each side of the walls, there were many cabinet fillets with various weapons lined in a row, perfectly organized so as not to confuse the customer.

On the front, there is a small counter and a chair behind it stood beside the hollowed wall, which is covered by only a black curtain that covered only half of it.

“Who is it?”.

A raspy and hoarse voice echoed inside the small room, alerting Jin to turn to the sources. He tensed his mind only to see the curtain on the wall flutter open, revealing a short, bulky man emerging wearing a dirty brown leather apron filled with black dirt.

Seeing the man again, Jin was surprised to see another race besides humans: Dwarves. They were a race that usually stayed in the country north from Eira Kingdom, where civilization was more advanced by a leap because of their brilliant smithing techniques and inventions.

Jin watched the man closer and realized that he had solid muscles, even bulkier than his father. The man’s face was covered half by an overgrown brown beard that seemed trimmed well around the edge, the same as his hair that was covered by a black bandana.

However, what surprised him was the man’s height, which only reached his father’s abdomen, proof that he was the race he had in mind.

“Keh, It’s you, Lord Kid!”.

“Ahaha, please; Uncle Joseph just called me like usual.” Ryan could only smile wryly, hearing Joseph call him by adding embarrassing nicknames.

“Uncle Joseph, it’s been a while”. Marina, overcome with joy, waved her hand. It’s rare to see her mother who could act like her younger self in front of people.

“Oh, you’re also here. little girl! Hm, is he the third one?”. Joseph tilted his neck, staring at Jin’s figure.

Joseph shrank his eyes to see the boy’s face clearly, which was different from the faces of the other two kids, Ryan and Marina had. The two gave the impression of softness for the oldest, fiery for the second, and the third. The boy was giving a bit more calm nature, clearly picturing his intellect and maturity. ‘Hoo, this is interesting’.

“Brat, who is your name?”.

Jin, who was being mentioned, stepped forward and began to place his hand on his left chest and bow his head slightly.

“Hello, My name is Jin Midnight. Pleased to meet you, sir… No, Grandpa Joseph!”.

All sound disappeared. Jin, who could feel his heartbeat speed up from the awkward mood that shrouded the place, reluctantly lifted his gaze only to see Joseph crack a laugh that shook his eardrums.

“Bwahaha, Grandpa. Hahaha, You are one amusing brat”.

Jin, who thought he had made a mistake, glanced at his father and mother, who gave him a silent nod and gentle smile, seeing him give his respect to a person they also admired.

“Ahaha, huff! So, what is your business here, Kid?”.

Joseph turned to Ryan, who began to approach his side and explain the reason they had come here. Jin, who felt bored, tugged at the hem of her mother’s red dress, giving him her attention.

“Mother, can I take a look?”.

Marina felt conflicted, but upon seeing the emerald eyes that seemed pleading before her eyes, she bit her lips and whispered.

“…Sure, but don’t touch anything, okay. It’s dangerous!”.

“Okay, Thank you, Mother”.

After gaining his mother’s permission, Jin separated himself and began to observe the room meticulously, from each part of the weapon that lay on display. ‘Hmm, so there is also an item here’.

Inside the wooden cabinet, protected by glass, Jin could see a row of neatly arranged accessories, such as a necklace, ring, bracelet and even an ear piercing. All of them were adorned with a variety of colorful jewels that shone, reflecting the light that filtered through the windows.

As he dived in his curiosity, Jin checked the other side of the walls, only to find himself standing stiffened, seeing the familiar weapon on display.

‘A Katana!?’. The black Katana was placed on its stand while the blade was still sheathed in its sheath.

Jin, who was absorbed in looking at the figure of the weapon that reminded him of his old birthplace, didn’t notice a figure of Joseph and his parents, who were busy talking, had come to his side.

“Are you interested in that thing, brat?”.

The hoarse voice that suddenly entered his ear made Jin flinch in surprise. He turned to the side and saw not only Joseph but also his father and mother curious about him.

“Yes, I never thought to see this weapon in this place”.

“Well, duh, this type of weapon is not too liked by the people around here. They prefer longswords or even broadswords for even greater strength!”.

“Can you make this Weapon from scratch, Grandpa Joseph?”.

“Well, yeah. Even though I look like this, I used to be taught in the East Island on how to make it”.

“Hee, that was amazing”.

The two Jin and Joseph were absorbed in their talk, making the two parents reluctant to interfere. However, both of them were glad to see Jin could open up to Joseph easily.

“Can I look inside?”.

Marina’s face soon turned pale as she heard Jin’s request. She looks upon her husband but shows no definite reaction. She opened her mouth to speak.

“Wait, Jin! That was…”.

“I don’t mind. Go ahead, brat!”.

After getting permission from Joseph, Jin gripped the Katana between the tsuba and its sheath, preventing the blade from sliding away from his grasp. The weight that transferred to his hands brought a sense of nostalgia for his previous world, where he used to train in Kenjutsu-Dojo.

Jin carefully placed the sheathed blade in front of him, being careful of its weight, which was still too much for his five-year-old physique. With that, he placed the tip of the sheath on the floor and carefully held the hilt in his right hand.

“Aah! Be careful, Jin!”. From behind, Marina’s distressed voice echoed within the room, making Ryan smile apologetically toward Joseph, who sighed in resignation, seeing her ridiculous, overprotective nature.

With a ‘clink,’ Jin separated the hilt and the sheath. Slowly, the sharp gleams from the silver blade reflected in his pupils. It was perfectly crafted, with the curves and the ‘Hamon’ line along the blade dancing like a wave, a testament to a different part of the process of hardening that gives the blade a unique strength and flexibility.

Satisfied with what he had seen, Jin slid back the black, letting out a satisfying click before exhaling in relief. ‘That was a good blade. I’m pretty sure of it’.

Despite having no knowledge about the process of making a blade, Jin was sure that the Katana in his hands was forged into an absolute masterpiece.

‘Should I choose this instead of choosing the longsword that Father had requested to be made earlier to Grandpa Joseph?’. Even though Jin was focused his sight observing the various weapons, he could still catch the adults talking about giving Jin a personal weapon as his birthday weapon.

‘But man, what kind of parents give their son a weapon as a birthday gift’. While Jin was joking in his head, his vision suddenly dimmed, and a strange alphabet began to dance around his sight before it was arranged into words that opened his eyes wide.

[String of Fate active]

Would you choose a Longsword as a main weapon or a Katana?

1. Longsword

2. Katana

‘What, String of Fate?’. Within his darkened vision, Jin could feel that the time had stretched away, moving in slow motion. The choices that suddenly appeared before his eyes were enough to give him another headache.

‘This is bad. I didn’t think the skill would present itself in a format like this without any warning. This is my mistake; I should have been checking my own abilities first!’. Jin could only sigh in resignation, knowing his own mistakes.

‘Hm, this…!? I couldn’t move my body’. Not only did it darken his vision, leaving only a bit of fleeting images before him, but Jin also couldn’t have his freedom in this convinced space.

‘What should I do? Do I stick to the Kenjutsu style I learned in my previous world, or start a new one and learn sword technique from my father?’. When Jin thought of the word Longsword, the word before him shone in a golden light; this rule also applied to the Katana when Jin thought about it. ‘This is truly trouble!’.

Whatever choice he makes, the words keep showing its golden light, which makes him suffer from a decision crisis. His mind keeps telling him to make a new start with Ryan and learn the Longsword style.

However, somewhere inside his heart, there is a faint whisper that keeps telling him to keep sticking to his old school, and, if he could, create his own Kenjutsu style in this world even though he might be walking a path of rugged mountain steep.

After mulling it over for a minute, Jin, who was soaked in sweat and racking his brain hard, finally decided what path he would choose.

‘Okay, I will choose you’. As soon as Jin picked it, the word shone in platinum color, and the world returned to how it was supposed to be.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep