Chapter 144: Choices

"Mr. David, Mr. Furness, please wait a moment!" Supervisor Hobson said to David and Furness with enthusiasm.

As he spoke, Supervisor Hobson began operating the optical computer in front of him. After a series of inputs, David felt his identity bracelet vibrate, signaling a new, important notification.

David opened his identity bracelet and saw that his Sniper Armorer status had been approved; he now had the authorization to possess a specialized sniper rifle reserved for Sniper Armorers.

Of course, since his existing security clearance was already Level E, his social privileges remained unchanged. From now on, he would be entitled to the corresponding treatment of an Armorer anywhere he went, especially in certain dangerous zones accessible only to Armorers.

"Mr. David, would you be interested in joining the Armorer Association?" Supervisor Hobson asked with a smile.

"Thank you, but I haven't considered that yet," David replied with a polite refusal.

Had he not become a disciple of the transcendent Galen, joining the Armorer Association might have been the best choice. However, now that he was aware of the four major factions and had already chosen one, he would not seek deep involvement with the others.

"Mr. David, the Armorer Association possesses the richest resources for armorers, the largest internal trading network, and a vast array of resources and missions. It is suitable for the growth of an armorer at any stage!" Supervisor Hobson continued his pitch.

He had seen David’s assessment results and assumed David was the genius armorer the association desperately needed, but his efforts were destined to be in vain.

"Supervisor Hobson, David is my teacher's newly accepted disciple!" Furness finally could not help but interject.

This remark made Supervisor Hobson shut his mouth immediately. He certainly didn't have the audacity to poach a disciple of a transcendent.

"Mr. David, I will take you to the equipment repository. Please follow me!" Supervisor Hobson said with a forced smile.

The equipment repository was on the thirtieth floor of the Armorer Association. Sitting in the high-speed elevator, David watched the row of floor numbers; the highest reached ninety levels, and he couldn't help but marvel at the unique nature of Na'an City.

When the elevator doors opened, David saw a large hall entirely constructed of special alloys, signifying its importance. Inside the hall, several people were sitting around metal tables, browsing through projected equipment lists.

Supervisor Hobson led them to an unoccupied metal table and scanned his identity bracelet across it, causing a projection to appear.

"Mr. David, please use your identity bracelet to activate your viewing permissions," he said to David.

David scanned his bracelet across the projection, and a page quickly appeared.

It displayed all the equipment David Kerr was eligible to purchase, divided into two categories: exoskeleton armor and specialized sniper rifles.

David didn't look at the exoskeleton armor; he switched directly to the specialized sniper rifle page. There were only five rifles in total on the entire page, four of which were priced between five million and eight million credits.

In truth, specialized sniper rifles made extensive use of grade metals. Although they did not consume as much as heavy grade weapons, the grade metals required for sniper rifles had to be specially formulated.

The requirement for a specialized sniper rifle was not sharpness, but endurance—the ability to withstand the repeated firing of Level 1 or Level 2 grade bullets. Under such immense impact, the rifle still needed to maintain its operational lifespan.

Furthermore, all components of a specialized sniper rifle had to be resistant to deformation. Especially after firing grade ammunition, it had to remain free of mechanical wear or inaccuracies caused by the intense recoil.

One must understand that even a minor defect in a specialized sniper rifle's components could lead to a massive discrepancy in accuracy, which could be a fatal matter on the battlefield.

Consequently, the price of specialized sniper rifles had always been relatively high. Of course, thanks to the Armorer Association's discounts, most sniper armorers could own their own rifle after passing the assessment. Even if a sniper armorer lacked sufficient credits, given how highly sought after they were, there would be no shortage of merchants willing to invest in them.

"Huh, is the price tag on this sniper rifle a mistake?" David asked, pointing at a crimson, menacing-looking sniper rifle with a puzzled expression.

The price listed for that rifle was eighty million credits—a figure so high it startled David.

"Mr. David, please make your own choice!" Supervisor Hobson’s mouth twitched as he spoke.

The 'Godolphin’s Wrath' sniper rifle—that price was what the transcendent Daryl had paid for it many years ago. It was a special collector's item; if it were put on the open market at that price, it would be snapped up instantly.

"David, choose it. If you don't have enough credits, I'll help you borrow some!" Furness gave David a gentle nudge and whispered.

"Is it that good?" David turned to ask.

"It is absolutely top-tier. At this price, it’s a bargain!" Furness glanced at Supervisor Hobson and cut their conversation short, offering no further explanation.

According to regulations, when an armorer chooses their first piece of equipment, they are not allowed to consult with others; the choice must be made entirely by the armorer themselves. This is because only the armorer has the right to make decisions critical to their own life; suggestions from others would only bias their judgment.

This rule had been established after many years of practical experience.

Being an armorer is an extremely dangerous profession. While they possess powerful offensive and defensive capabilities, enjoy higher social status than ordinary people, and hold various privileges, they live in constant companionship with danger. Their most reliable allies are their weapons and equipment.

"I choose this 'Godolphin’s Wrath'!" David trusted that Furness wouldn't deceive him, and he didn't believe the Armorer Association would try to swindle him with an item not worth its value.

"Very well. Please choose a piece of exoskeleton armor!" Supervisor Hobson felt a tightening in his chest. He wasn't sure if selling 'Godolphin’s Wrath' was the right move; he had a bad premonition.

But rules were rules, and all the equipment here was available for David to choose. He just hadn't expected David to be a sniper armorer. He hadn't been able to carry out the instructions given by the transcendent Mervyn because, since David had successfully passed the sniper armorer assessment, the only weapons he was authorized to buy were specialized sniper rifles.

David began to browse the exoskeleton armors. There was a wide variety, but after looking them over, he found them all quite ordinary—inferior even to the military's 'Land Lion' exoskeleton.

In reality, this was the standard of equipment the Armorer Association provided for new armorers who had just passed their assessment. These were mass-produced goods, possessing no major flaws, but also lacking any significant advantages.

David ultimately selected a space-type exoskeleton. It was specially designed for vacuum environments, featuring an ultra-long-duration life-support system and special components for combat in space.

This exoskeleton was quite cheap, costing only one million credits. The reason was that its performance in atmospheric environments was extremely poor; it couldn't balance excellence in both environments and was optimized solely for space.

However, this served as a good supplement to David’s current loadout. He was not currently lacking in general-purpose exoskeleton armor.

"Fine, I'll take this space-type exoskeleton," David said, pointing at it for Supervisor Hobson.

"Please proceed with the payment. The total is twenty million and fifty thousand credits!" When Supervisor Hobson stated the price, his mouth twitched several times. Even if the transcendent Daryl had paid the original price for 'Godolphin’s Wrath,' he was effectively losing sixty million credits on the transaction.

Of course, with the transcendent Daryl's wealth, these credits wouldn't break him, but sixty million was still no small sum.

David operated his identity bracelet. He had transferred forty million from his small private stash to his bracelet just yesterday. Now that his status and position were vastly different from before—especially after learning of the influence the transcendent Galen held on Rock Star—he no longer had to worry about such trivial matters.

"Supervisor Hobson, twenty million and fifty thousand credits have been transferred. Please verify," David said after completing the transfer.

His intuition was sharp; he sensed that Supervisor Hobson felt he had suffered a great loss, so he quickened his actions, wanting to end the transaction as soon as possible.

Supervisor Hobson checked the account, then operated the projection in front of him. Soon, two intelligent robots emerged from the interior, each carrying a large case.