In her past life, a younger Paige Summers had been obsessed with anime.

Of course, she was mostly drawn to action series, which featured a wide variety of weapons.

While the weapons in these shows were often fantastical and wildly imaginative, they were also full of innovative spirit.

Inspired, Paige Summers had secretly researched transforming weapons for quite some time behind her grandfather’s back, even managing to create a finished prototype. The weapon’s base form was a greatsword that, through a simple process of extending and folding its parts, could become a cross-shaped boomerang!

Her idea was nothing short of novel, but when her grandfather found out, he berated her harshly. He called it an "unorthodox contraption" and said she had strayed from the proper path!

The reason was simple: transforming weapons achieved their functionality by sacrificing the structural integrity of some parts. This went completely against the Summers Family’s ancestral tenet for Artifact Making, which was rooted in the principles of "Sturdiness" and "Sharpness."

To keep from disappointing her grandfather, she had no choice but to give up on the idea.

Who would have thought that after coming to this world, she would find someone with a similar idea.

Of course, this person wasn’t an Artifact Maker like her, so their concept of such a weapon was purely idealistic. To put it simply, the order form stated that the client needed a weapon that could be used for both close-quarters combat and long-range attacks!

Seeing the client’s request, Paige Summers inevitably thought of the greatsword her grandfather had destroyed, and she felt a wave of wistfulness. At the same time, the desire to remake her transforming weapon was rekindled.

She immediately called for Rachel Forrest. "Get me in touch with the person from this order form. Tell him I want to discuss this weapon with him in person."

The call was made, and the man arrived even faster than she had anticipated.

In less than an hour, he was standing before her.

"Hello, I’m Zephyr Mercer," the man said with a faint smile. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Paige Summers."

Paige Summers looked up, sizing up the man before her. He was young, likely only in his early twenties. Standing at least six-foot-one, he had sharp eyes and thick brows, carrying himself with a commanding presence. Though not particularly brawny, Paige could faintly sense that his lean frame possessed immense explosive power.

But what struck her as odd was that she couldn’t sense the energy signature of a Superpower User coming from him.

She tilted her head. "You’re not a Superpower User."

A flicker of light crossed Zephyr Mercer’s eyes as his smile slowly faded. "And why is that? Is Summers Armaments only open to Superpower Users?"

Detecting the edge in his tone, Paige Summers actually smiled. "Of course not. In fact, most Superpower Users rely on their superpowers. For someone without them, a weapon is far more likely to be a true partner."

Hearing this, Zephyr Mercer’s eyes suddenly lit up, his expression growing more earnest. "In that case, what do you think of the weapon I described in my order?"

Paige Summers nodded. "That’s why I asked you to come. I have some ideas, but I’m not sure if they’ll be a good fit for you."

A transforming weapon isn’t just complex to craft; it also places high demands on its wielder. A boomerang, in particular, is incredibly difficult to master. If Zephyr Mercer couldn’t use it properly, he’d be better off with two separate weapons, one for close combat and one for ranged attacks.

Paige’s impression of Zephyr Mercer was quite good. While he seemed a little proud, it wasn’t overbearing. Instead, it came across as strong self-confidence.

He also seemed to be projecting a bit of goodwill toward her, so she didn’t hold anything back and directly explained her fully-developed concept for the transforming weapon. She even sketched a few simple diagrams on the spot to illustrate exactly how it would function.

The more Zephyr Mercer listened, the more excited he became, until he finally slapped the table and shot to his feet.

"That’s exactly what I want!"

Paige Summers raised an eyebrow. "You need to think this through. When it transforms from a sword into a boomerang, the weight doesn’t change. You’ll need commensurate strength to use it effectively at a distance. Besides, the boomerang technique itself is difficult to master... If you use it improperly during a hunt, you could even injure yourself or your teammates."

At this, Zephyr Mercer gave a proud smile.

"I’m a Mercer, after all!"

"The Mercer Family..." Paige Summers blinked, thinking, ’What does that have to do with anything? Is the Mercer Family supposed to be special?’

Seeing her utter confusion, Zephyr Mercer’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You’ve never heard of the Mercer Family?"

"I haven’t."

"..."

It wasn’t surprising that Paige Summers didn’t know. Although she had been in Central City for a while, she hadn’t had much contact with other Hunting Parties. Besides, with one crisis after another popping up around her, she hardly had the spare energy to keep up with local news.

In truth, the Mercer Family was an Ancient Martial Clan.

They had originally lived in seclusion, only emerging after the apocalypse began.

Because of their immense martial prowess and outstanding individual combat skills, they had frequently dispatched their members to assist The Government and the military in completing incredibly difficult missions. As a result, they were now an illustrious name in the First District!