Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 43: Armament
Adam blinked at the screen.
"A... game?"
He was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected the Mission Hall to use such a blatant gimmick. Still, Adam was familiar with this kind of setup, and a small smile crept onto his face as he examined the interface.
The wheel was divided into ten segments, each a different color, every one marked with a question mark. From the center, an arrow stretched upward, fixed in place. Beneath the wheel sat a single button with one word displayed clearly:
Spin
"There’s no harm in trying," Adam muttered as he pressed the button.
The wheel began to spin, fast. Colors blurred together as it rotated wildly. Thirteen seconds passed before it finally slowed, clicking segment by segment until the arrow settled on the red section.
A notification immediately popped up.
[Congratulations, you have won!]
[Please wait a moment. Your reward is being prepared.]
"....."
Adam waited in silence.
A processing screen appeared, complete with a dancing panda perched cheerfully above the word Processing. The animation was absurdly amusing given the setting.
Then it ended.
A new notification filled the screen.
[Here is your reward: Type-2, Tier-1 Armament — Battle Ready]
Adam felt the air leave his lungs.
"I actually got an armament."
His excitement surged instantly.
Armaments were tools used by elite martial artists. Since a martial artist could only synchronize with one conduit at a time, something had to compensate for other aspects of combat, most notably defense. Armaments filled that gap.
Unlike conduits, armaments didn’t bind to the core-being. They carried their own independent power, which allowed multiple armaments to be used simultaneously.
Of course, they had a glaring flaw: once a martial artist grew too powerful, armaments would inevitably fall behind, becoming obsolete. Conduits, on the other hand, always scaled with the user.
Even so—
Armaments were still incredibly valuable.
And a Type-2, Tier-1 armament was nothing short of exceptional.
Adam grinned and pressed the Claim button.
The screen shifted to a new page, displaying the image of the armament Battle Ready. Beneath it was the original price:
$2,400,000
A bold red slash crossed it out.
Beside it glared a massive 90% DISCOUNT, revealing the new price:
$240,000
Adam hesitated, just for a moment.
This feels like daylight robbery...
But temptation didn’t win.
He calmly entered his card details and confirmed the purchase.
A message appeared shortly after:
[Your package will arrive in 2 business days.]
Adam leaned back slightly and chuckled.
"It would’ve been rude not to accept an offer like that."
Then a thought surfaced.
The longer I stay here, the more it feels like the old guy was holding out on me...
He was referring to the manager of Sector 516.
Is our sector really that poor?
Adam didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he glanced back at the tablet.
"The package will arrive before the expedition," he murmured.
"So... what do I do until then?"
Adam felt restless.
Sleep wasn’t an option, not after that nightmare. And with three full days left before the expedition to Siren’s Swamp, the idle time weighed heavily on him.
He flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"Why didn’t they have a reservation for a closer day..." he muttered.
He’d already chosen the earliest available slot. Yet somehow, it still felt unbearably far away.
And worse.
"I can’t even visit Mom from here."
Normally, when that tight, pent-up feeling built up inside him, Adam would go to his mother’s memorial. Just being there always grounded him. Cleared his head.
But distance made that impossible.
Adam sat up abruptly.
"Let me just take a night stroll," he said to himself.
"That’ll be more exciting than rotting in here."
He threw on a hoodie to ward off the chill and slipped into a pair of joggers before leaving the hotel room.
The night outside was alive.
Neon lights bathed the streets in color, signs flashing and pulsing as businesses thrived well past midnight.
This was a sector bordering the mid-tier regions, commerce here never truly slept.
Adam walked without a destination.
A few women tried to get his attention as he passed, calls and laughter drifting after him, but he ignored them without slowing.
After a while, he felt he’d walked enough.
Then he stopped.
A sign glowed ahead of him, letters blazing in neon purple.
ARCADE
Adam tilted his head slightly, then shrugged.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The arcade was packed.
Despite the late hour, the place buzzed with activity, people clustered around machines, lights flashing, music blaring, laughter and moans overlapping in a constant hum.
Games had always been a means of escape, and in times like these it was no surprise business was booming.
Adam headed straight for the counter. He already knew what he wanted to play.
After presenting his martial license and purchasing a three-hour gaming card for $2,100 at the attendant’s suggestion, he moved deeper into the arcade.
He passed rows of fighting games, racing simulators, and monster-shooting booths. The last one tempted him for a brief moment, but only briefly.
Those were for mundane and non-martial artists.
Adam had no intention of wasting time on those.
He stopped in front of a scanner mounted beside a reinforced door. Sliding his card across it, he heard a soft hiss as the door unlocked and slid open.
A few nearby gamers glanced his way, curious, but quickly lost interest. This wasn’t unusual.
Adam stepped through.
The door shut behind him, sealing off the noise of the main arcade.
Inside was a completely different world.
Before him stood dozens of sleek gaming pods, each one large enough to fully encase a person. Dim lights lined the walls, and the air itself felt heavier and charged.
There was a reason Adam had been required to show his martial license before purchasing a ticket.
This game...was only for martial artists.
****
╭───────────╮
〖Name: Adam〗
〖Rank: None〗
〖Cultivation Talent: G〗
〖Special Talent: Equip ❖ Connect〗
〖SLOT〗
↳ SOUL (2): Rapid E ❖ Poison F
↳ BODY (5): Empty
╰───────────╯
Star Power: 14+
