Why are all your skill bars full of weird moves?

Maple Leaf City, East District Market in the Upper District.

Gauss walked up the bluestone steps, his gaze sweeping over both sides.

Two-story buildings made of a mix of stone and wood are arranged in a staggered and orderly manner on both sides of the street.

The entire ground floor was opened up and transformed into various equipment shops, with adventurers and mercenaries strolling through the streets in twos and threes.

At the shop entrance, shouts of bargaining mixed with rude curses echoed back and forth in the narrow street, making the early summer heat even more scorching.

"Hey, friend from afar, stop right there!"

Gauss looked down at the sound and saw a long mouth covered in black hair and eyes narrowed into crescents.

This is a dog-headed man.

"Want to buy equipment?" The kobold rubbed his hands together, his fluffy tail swishing behind him. "Old Nick's shop has everything you could possibly want!"

"What good stuff do you have?"

"Come and see, you'll understand once you see it." Nick pulled Gauss toward the shop next to them.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, the musty smell of rust and leather filled Gauss's nostrils.

Nixon began, pointing to a set of silver half-body heavy armor hanging on the wall, and began to speak eloquently.

"This is a treasure personally appraised by Archmage Marco using alchemy. Wearing it, you'll be the most resilient and prestigious adventurer on the entire continent of Vivana!"

With a slight thought, Gauss caused a transparent panel to unfold in front of him.

【Masterfully Forged Knight's Heavy Armor (Blue): No additional attributes.】

Gauss shook his head helplessly.

When "expert" and "appraisal" appear on equipment, it can be sold for a price higher than its actual quality—a familiar tactic.

"Friend," Nick grinned, holding up three rough fingers, "only three hundred gold coins."

Gauss frowned, somewhat incredulous.

"three hundred?"

Nick quickly looked around, leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Actually, even a fool is fine, just consider it as making friends."

Gauss felt that Nick was insulting him, but he couldn't find any concrete evidence.

"You're quite humorous." Gauss pointed to his leather armor. "I'm just a ranger; this heavy armor is useless to me."

"A ranger?" Nick's enthusiasm vanished instantly, his lips twitched, and even his tail stopped wagging.

He pointed to the deepest corner of the shop.

"There's a wooden box over there; you can choose any bow you like."

Gauss was not disappointed by his boss's change of attitude.

As I walked to the corner, I felt that Nick actually fit the stereotype of being solely driven by profit.

Gauss crouched down, pushed aside the tattered shield, and revealed a large, dusty wooden box.

There were more than a dozen longbows and shortbows lying haphazardly inside.

The Eye of Destiny scanned through them one by one.

White goods, white goods, all worthless inferior goods.

Sure enough, finding a bargain doesn't happen often.

Being able to buy two pieces of equipment with attribute bonuses for 20 copper coins probably means I've used up all my luck recently.

Gauss got up, ready to go to the next house.

As he turned his head, the faint light from the "fluorite" caught his attention at the bottom of the shelf, where a short bow covered in dust and cobwebs stood out.

Whispers of the Forgotten

【Type: Short Bow (Green/Excellent)】

[Special Effect: Never Wears Out]

[Special Skill: Elemental Arrow Lv1, Function: After use, the arrow will absorb magical or natural elements, and will be fired with the corresponding attribute effect.]

[Advanced Requirements: Defeat 50 monsters (0/50)]

Note: When love no longer calls your name, then shoot it through—the great Augustus.

Gauss's chest heaved with excitement.

He had seen countless weapons before, but never one that possessed upgrades, special effects, and special skills all at the same time.

Especially since it never wears out, according to the law of conservation of energy, does that mean that the higher one's strength, the greater the bow's pull, and the greater the damage?

Gauss reached out and parted the spider web, taking the bow in his hand.

The bow arm feels slightly cool to the touch, and the material is similar to wood but not quite. There is a natural crack at the tip of the bow. The size is no different from the standard short bow, with a total length of 1m, a grip width of about 2.5cm, and a weight of 1.8 catties.

Gauss wanted to test the bow's strength by drawing the string, but this is a major taboo for professional archers.

"Boss, how much is this bow?"

Nick turned his head, glanced at what Gauss was holding, and then waved his hand impatiently.

"Here you go, take it."

Gauss looked slightly surprised.

Are you sure?

Nick walked up to Gauss and pointed to the wooden sign behind the counter.

This shop only sells high-quality goods, not junk.

"Ghost goods like this, which take up space and nobody wants, are not considered sold just because they're given away for free." Nick raised his chin, his tone revealing the stubbornness and pride of a businessman. "Old Nick would never violate the operating principles of his shop."

Gauss smiled.

It's not that I'm laughing at Nick for being stupid, but rather that while he may be cunning, he's actually quite principled.

Gauss liked this kind of person very much. However, he never liked taking advantage of others, but he would never refuse something given to him for free.

"How about this, you recommend a few sets of leather armor, I like black."

Rangers are a ranged class, so they don't need to fight head-on; a set of leather armor is enough.

Soon, Gauss stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass mirror.

This black leather armor is tailored to fit snugly, with reinforced hardened leather at the shoulders and chest, and multiple buckles at the waist for hanging potions and shortbows.

The overall design is very similar to Geralt's Witcher outfit from my memory.

Gauss paid a fee of 2 silver and 50 copper.

He fastened the shortbow to his waist, tied the quiver behind his back, and then looked at Nick, who was wiping the counter.

"Boss." Gauss walked to the counter, his tone very sincere, "Take my advice, after you sell the heavy armor on your wall, take the money and leave Maple Leaf City as soon as possible."

Nick opened his mouth, somewhat confused.

"What nonsense are you talking about! I'm going to open a branch store after the heavy armor is sold!"

Gauss said all he had to say; if others didn't listen, he wouldn't force them.

Pushing open the wooden door, the noisy clamor once again flooded my ears.

Gauss walked straight to the west side of the city wall, where the members of the "Silver Thorn" adventure team, whom he had arranged to meet, were waiting.

An adventure team typically consists of about four people, which helps to share the costs of food, lodging, and loot.

Gauss's squad was originally full, but a barbarian orc went home to get married, which freed up a spot.

Gauss happened to know some of the soldiers in the team, which gave him the opportunity to infiltrate the ranks.

"Hey! My good brother, what took you so long to get here?"

A kobold-headed man wearing light silver armor with exposed black short hair opened his arms, trying to give Gauss a hug.

His name is Balk. He's a nice guy, but his mouth and behavior are a bit strange.

For example, he likes to pick fleas off himself and eat them, or he makes lewd jokes.

"I went to the East District to buy something, which took up a little time. Sorry."

"Balk, is this the substitute you found?"

The voice belonged to a human woman dressed in a purple robe and holding a peach wood staff.

Her name is Ula, and she is a mage.

"Oh dear, Sister Ula, don't say that!" The cat-eared girl jumped between the two.

She wore a pure white priest's robe and a silver moon pendant around her neck, which was her sacred emblem—the moon goddess Serene.

At that moment, her sleeves were rolled up high, and she was holding a half-eaten roasted chicken leg in her hand.

"Gauss looks clean and tidy, much more pleasing to the eye than that smelly barbarian."

Mia swallowed the meat in her mouth, winked playfully at Gauss with her left eye, and then rubbed her greasy little hands on her white robe.

"My name is Mia, and I'm the team's... little cat, responsible for healing wounded players and sneaking food."

"Hehe, bro." Balk moved closer to Gauss and lowered his voice, "Ura attended a proper magic academy, was the team's main damage dealer, and has a slightly eccentric personality, but don't take it to heart."

"If you don't like it, you can stare at her long, thin legs; that will definitely calm you down a lot."

"I don't mind," Gauss smiled. "Let's go."