I Refused To Be Reincarnated

As Vikram began to display kindness, even going so far as to give Julius gifts, Adam struggled with his lingering animosity. How could he continue to harbor resentment if Vikram kept acting so generously?

"Speaking about money." Asha started, echoing Adam's thoughts about their bag venture, "Your handbag design is making a killing among the female population. Here is your share of the earnings."

Asha dropped a heavy pouch on the table. The pleasant sound of coins clinking resonated in Adam's ears, making him smile.

He knew Asha would see the bag's market potential. After all, she had harassed Arun about commercial venture ideas daily during their travel.

"Your share of this month's profit comes to nine gold coins." As he waited, impatient to know how much he earned, Asha answered his question by giving the number.

"The profits are a bit low as our customer base is still growing as we recently launched. We mainly sold them to noble women, but we plan to diversify our product ranges in the future." She explained with enthusiasm.

She was really excited by this venture and already planned to advertise the bags throughout the Agnivana Kingdom before eventually selling them abroad.

As Adam's eyes sparkled with greed at the mention of nine gold coins, Julius, on the other hand, looked at Asha with a dumbfounded expression.

"Did you mean nine silver coins?" He asked the girl in a trembling voice. How could selling such useless bags turn out to be so profitable? If there was no mistake, why did he spend a whole month working for a measly salary of eight silver per week?

Asha giggled at Julius' shock and opened the pouch to show him nine glistening gold coins.

At this moment, he couldn't help but turn to the greedy ghost in shock. Everything finally clicked in his mind as the pieces that composed Adam's plan fell into place.

"Put my money away." Adam salivated at such wealth. He had planned to ask the couple for a loan to pay the enrollment fees. However, without revenue, he doubted his friends would accept. That's when he thought about selling easy-to-make items from Earth.

After pondering for a few days, he chose the handbag as they already had the materials required for its confection, thanks to the serpent's skin.

That's why he gifted a prototype to Asha. He was sure she would understand the fashion since she liked to visit shops so much and come to love its practicality. After all, if women on Earth used them, there must be a reason.

However, the situation deviated slightly from his prediction. He didn't expect the two nobles to pay for their fees entirely as a reward. 'I'll repay them by helping with their studies,' he thought, his eyes burning with impatience at the prospect of learning more about alchemy and magic.

Simultaneously, Julius attached the gold-filled pouch to his belt before meticulously inspecting the gladius. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't happy to receive such an elegant and powerful-looking weapon.

Witnessing his interest in his gift, Vikram grabbed Julius' shoulder and said, "Identification."

As mana gathered and travelled from Vikram's palm to the boy's eyes, rows of text floating in the air appeared before the boy's eyes, astonishing him.

As he read the letters, Julius quickly understood that Vikram was helping him understand the sword's properties by showing him its description.

Julius' Gladius:

Rank: T1 Growth-type Legendary weapon

Description: Crafted from a serpent fang and Marco's enigmatic beast core, this gladius exudes lethal elegance. Marco's unique beast core, a rare fusion of a dan tian, an energy center from the body's cultivation, and a traditional beast core, imbued the weapon with unparalleled potential.

This fusion transformed it into a Growth-type item, unlocking the latent ability to absorb both mana and qi, the dual life forces of the universe. Through this integration, the gladius became not just a weapon but a living entity, evolving and growing alongside its wielder.

Abilities:

Fang's Venom: Upon striking a target, the gladius releases a potent venom from the serpent fang, causing gradual weakening and debilitating effects over time.

Qi Absorption: The gladius has the ability to absorb ambient qi from the surroundings, enhancing the wielder's own qi reserves and replenishing energy during combat.

Cultivator's Resonance: By attuning to the wielder's cultivation, the gladius resonates with their qi, amplifying their martial prowess and enabling deeper connections with their cultivation techniques.

Mana Infusion: The gladius can draw upon ambient mana from the environment, empowering the wielder's attacks with arcane energy, allowing for the unleashing of powerful magical strikes.

As Julius' eyes widened in utter shock at the weapon's description, Vikram removed his hand from his shoulder and asked with sparkling eyes and undisguised pride. "So, What do you think about my masterpiece?"

Before adding, "I don't know where your group found this peculiar beast core, but it yielded amazing results. If you find more, you have to bring them to me!"

Recovering thanks to Vikram's words, Julius unsheathed and swung his gladius to get a feel of the weapon before answering.

The sword whistled as it cut through the air in an elegant arc, leaving in its wake grey and blue streams of energy.

Enchanted by the feeling, Julius gave a few more swings before feeling satisfied with his test.

"Thank you, Mr. Vikram. I love this sword!" His smile reached his ears, and his eyes resembled crescents as he thanked Vikram. He finally had his own tailored made weapon. And what a weapon it was!

It even reached the legendary rank. Even his big brother didn't dare boast about having a legendary weapon.

Upon thinking to this point, Julius couldn't help but feel that what Vikram made them go through was worth it.

As the group spent time discussing and bonding together after this trial, Adam, who had no idea about how powerful Julius' sword was, couldn't help but think in amusement, 'Why a gladius? Between the name and the weapon, he looks more and more like a Roman...'