Infinite Mana In The Oasis

"You are alright, Eren. I'll try to give you a fair deal. Hahaha."

Malcolm finished his tea and made the cup disappear. He then got up from his chair and started observing the stuff Eren had unloaded in the middle of the shop in a huge pile. He started picking things up and looking at them closely. It didn't take too long for him to come up with a number.

Eren thought of something and added on.

"Sir Malcolm, I also had something I wanted to get your opinion on. I'll sell it to you if it's worthless to me."

Malcolm nodded seriously at Eren. Eren took another sip from his honey and ginger flavored tea before taking out the dead ranker's ger set. It consisted of one Beskar sword and one Brightsteel sword, one runic crossbow, one heavy armor with the runic print of a bear, runic boots, and pants and gauntlets made of some Rank 1 beast's hide.

This was a complete set Eren had found on the dead ranker. He had worn the wearable gear while the rest of the stuff had been found in his storage.

Eren took out all of the dead man's gear and carefully studied Malcolm's expressions. He didn't want to ask or show this stuff to anybody. A shady man like Malcolm who knew about business ethics even when he was doing shady things was his best bet.

Up till now, Malcolm hadn't asked Eren the source of his sudden fortune. He hadn't tried to intrude on his personal information or his fortuitous encounters to claim them as his own. Eren could understand why Miranda could trust this bald businessman. He had done with enough shady clients.

Malcolm observed the gear set with a stoic face before replying.

"A complete Rank 1 gear set of the Bear's Creed. Did you find a dead Hexer lying somewhere?"

Eren simply nodded, causing Malcolm to laugh loudly. The shopkeeper calmed down quickly after like it was not a big deal. He scratched his bald head lightly before asking him.

"Are you thinking of using it?"

Eren pursed his lips before replying.

"I... I'm not sure. I mean I tried using it. But the runes on the gears don't react to my mana. So it's like wearing heavy gear with no usable properties."

Malcolm shook his head in denial and smiled lightly before speaking up.

"That's because the gear belongs to the dead ranker, lad. The Hexers use different forms of magic. Their gears are very special and stay unused by most normal rankers because of the binding even after their deaths."

Eren pondered a bit before shrugging his shoulders once again.

"If it has no use to me, I guess I'll just sell it."

Malcome caressed his head with another palm and rubbed it over the head as if massaging it before looking at Eren with keen interest.

"You know, Eren. On a normal day, I would have told you to sell it. But seeing that you are genuinely interested in using the gear, I can offer you a counter deal. I could alter the hex runes for you so that you can use them.

It'll cost a lot, mind you. But the cost would be cheaper than buying the whole thing that's already rare."

Eren's eyes lit up when Malcolm offered him a way to use the gear. However, a doubt surfaced in his mind.

"Sir Malcolm, you are not a Hexer, are you?"

Malcolm chuckled before answering him.

"You won't find Hexers opening shops and settling down, boy. But I know a bit about them because of my links to the black markets.

Let me tell you one thing. The gear set works most efficiently when it is used by a Hexer. Normal rankers won't be able to tap into their true potential with their normal way of using magic. The gear would still be better than most ordinary sets that are out there."

Malcolm started walking around the gear with his hands behind his back while staring keenly at the gear. He pondered for a moment before adding further.

"Also, the gear is supposed to be worn by a defense specialist. Your mana signature tells me you are on the path to becoming a battlemage.

Hmm. You are thinking of using the Hex gears as a way to take advantage of the variation your class is focused on."

Eren was taken aback a bit when he realized Malcolm had read him like an open book. The latter saw the expressions on his patron's face and laughed before responding.

"Hahaha. Boy, did you think you were some unique battlemage who conceived of using special gears as a way to balance your class? You thought the battlemages who were before you were all idiots?"

Eren didn't know what to say. He had learned about this way of handling his class through his state of epiphany. Nobody had told him about anything. So he didn't think about how other battlemages managed to realize their true potential.

"I entered Gilaahan just yesterday, sir Malcolm. I just didn't know any better. Please tell me all that you know about battlemages.

Even though I've decided to stick with artifact smithing, I'd like to know about the other ways that are available for battlemages."

Eren bowed to Malcolm after he said that. This was the respect Malcolm had earned just by being a senior ranker than him. Malcolm nodded before responding immediately.

"Alright. Alright. Although I only know the basics, I guess it should be of interest to you. Maybe I judged you too quickly based on your behavior since you walked into the shop. You are just a newbie it seems.

Anyway. There are a lot of ways a battlemage can use to be the "jack of all trades".

Job-bound potions that boost specific attributes in a specific way temporarily. Array scrolls that can modify the output of your spells after you cast them. Some battlemages even use spirit beast spells to give themselves the variation they need.

Then there are runic tattoos, body-altering spells, and then some alternate magic shit. You can even combine any of those methods in various combinations to create a unique blend of battlemage."