Jace slipped the gloves on and pushed qi through them to test their limits.
At once a dozen razor thin threads shot out, their tips sticking to the wall.
With a flick of his fingers, the threads tightened and sliced a roll of tissues on the desk cleanly in half.
Qi flowed along the threads, allowing him to control their movement freely.
After a few minutes he understood the basics. No real learning curve at all.
He dragged a fruit knife across the gloves. Not a single scratch.
Both offense and defense were excellent.
Anything the Grey Hat produced was guaranteed quality.
When he packed them away, Jace noticed the gemstone's exchange value had not been fully consumed.
He could still redeem something else.
That gem was worth that much
Most likely because it was guarded by that blind girl.
Higher difficulty meant higher reward.
The remaining value was too little for anything impressive, and the Grey Hat never loaned credit.
If he did not claim something within twenty four hours, the system counted it as forfeited.
A proper scam.
Usually at this point Jace simply let the hat generate a random desired item from his thoughts.
This time it produced a sword manual.
Or more accurately, a comic.
The artwork was exquisite. A girl dancing under moonlight, her white hair flowing with her sword.
Jace froze for a moment.
This is a record of the fight from tonight.
It had only been a short while, and he still remembered the chilling sword intent she unleashed.
What the comic depicted was identical.
This would allow him to study her weaknesses from a distance.
Next time they met, things would go much smoother.
While examining the comic, Jace gradually stopped analyzing the techniques and focused on the girl herself.
During the fight he was not foolish enough to pay attention to her looks or body.
But now, from a third person perspective, the three no Sword Girl really did look quite good.
If only this was a full comic series.
He flipped through it again and again, completely absorbed.
The art reminded him of the first time he ever read manga.
The three of them nearly fought over sharing a single volume.
But there was one major difference.
The girl in the drawings was real.
He had met her.
Wait. Can I use the Grey Hat to produce a complete comic
If the Grey Hat could exchange for a sword manual stored in comic form, then it should be able to produce an actual comic book as well.
Great idea. Any time I have leftover value, I will spend it on manga.
Since I am creating it, I can make it anything I want.
In a few days I will redeem a volume titled The Three No Sword Girl Gets Easily Overwhelmed by Grey Hat.
That will heal my pride.
Thinking of her, Jace figured the real Gray must have been discovered by now.
His impersonation and teasing of the Stormveil family's young lady probably could not stay hidden.
He could not help laughing at the thought of the friendless girl discovering his message.
What kind of reaction would someone as gullible as you have
He crossed his legs, hummed a tune, and kept reading the comic.
Bang.
The door slammed open.
Jace looked up to see Maxwell storming in.
Damn. So you are alive.
Jace returned to his comic.
Obviously. What could possibly happen to me
Maxwell dropped onto the bed.
I saw people online saying Grey Hat almost died tonight. I rushed back to check on you. Meanwhile you are here reading manga.
Jace closed the book and stood with a grin.
You really underestimate me. Those three Stormveil swordsmen. If I were allowed to kill, they would not last a single round.
Sure sure. You are amazing. Eighteen years old and level fifty eight Thief. Rare in the world. Unlike me, a pathetic level fifty three martial artist.
After the sarcasm, Maxwell got to the point.
Seriously now, how strong were those Stormveil swordsmen
Jace shrugged.
Their breathing technique and combat skills are better than common ones. They level up faster.
Maxwell frowned.
Then why were you struggling
Jace paused, flipped open the comic, and pointed at the moonlit snow spirit girl.
Because of her.
He briefly recounted the night, focusing heavily on Lyria.
He praised her swordsmanship endlessly.
Maxwell exhaled deeply.
As expected of a sword clan. Someone who can rival a monster like you is no joke.
They both estimated Lyria's level somewhere between fifty five and sixty.
For a blind swordswoman to reach that realm was astonishing.
Had she not been kept hidden by the clan, she might already be famous across Solaria.
And someone who fought her evenly, like Jace, was also absurdly powerful.
If they went all out, Jace guessed the odds were sixty forty in his favor.
Maxwell, relieved that his friend was unharmed, stood and headed for the door.
Wait.
He walked halfway out, then stepped back and pointed at the comic.
So, where exactly did you get that thing
The Grey Hat.
Tsk tsk.
So you risked your life stealing a gemstone, just to exchange it for a comic of a beautiful girl
Jace understood the implication and scowled.
Shut it. This is a sword manual for analyzing her techniques.
Then why did you draw her so pretty This is obviously what you wanted to see.
Mind your own business.
I do not need your commentary.
And you plan to study her
If you learn how to beat the Sword Girl, will she get a defeat illustration next time
The more Maxwell thought about it, the weirder it became.
Come to think of it. Was her appearance at the café really a coincidence Because that timing was too suspicious.
Jace replied,
I disguised myself and tested the idea already.
He chose to bring it up first, or else the other two would tease him about it endlessly.
And indeed, the story of the prodigy swordswoman being the three no Sword Girl amused Maxwell to no end.
Heh. She has the looks, the pedigree, and she is easy to fool.
How about considering marrying into the Stormveil family
Jace shoved him out of the room and slammed the door.
From his own room Maxwell called out,
Jokes aside, lay low for a while. Just watch over the café.
Jace nodded.
I planned to. Let the three no Sword Girl handle her own life. I am not getting involved again.
His actions tonight had disgraced the Stormveil family.
The internet was filled with discussions about Grey Hat defeating the sword clan.
He needed to stay quiet.
Shame though. The Sword Girl was fun. Probably will not see her again.
He actually enjoyed teasing her while disguised as Gray.
There were not many people in the world innocent enough to say something like good friend fee.
That regret lasted exactly eight hours.
The next day, after military training, during his first martial arts class at Jiangfeng Martial University, he walked toward the sparring hall.
And saw a head of snow white hair standing at the doorway.
The Sword Girl.
It was as shocking as seeing Maxwell in a dress in the middle of the night.