Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Chapter 86: Orion's Proposal

Kyle stared at the glowing comm on his wrist, wondering why Orion could be calling him.

'It has to be something important. He wouldn't call me for nothing.'

With that thought, Kyle concluded, clicking on the answer button.

"Hey, Orion. What's up?"

"Meet me in the cafeteria," Orion's voice came through almost immediately, straight to the point.

"What for?"

"It's important." Orion's tone didn't leave much room for negotiation. Kyle could picture his friend's usual impatient, almost annoyed look.

Kyle scratched the back of his head, debating for a second. He wasn't exactly in the mood for a late-night meeting, but Orion wouldn't lie when he said something was important.

Eventually, he decided to comply with Orion's request, it wasn't like he had any other thing to do that night.

"Fine, I'll meet you there. Just give me a minute."

"Good. I'll be waiting," Orion replied, and then the line went dead.

Kyle groaned, sitting up from his bed and stretching his stiff muscles.

Read exclusive adventures at m_v-l'-NovelBin.net

He grabbed his jacket and threw it over his shoulders. Directing his gaze to Void who had begun the bus cultivation session, Kyle stepped out of the room, making his way toward the cafeteria.

The night air was cool, and the academy grounds were quiet, save for the occasional footsteps of students hurrying back to their dorms.

As Kyle walked through the doors to the cafeteria, his eyes immediately landed on Orion.

He was sitting at a table in the far corner, his hands calmly placed on the table as he contemplated something.

The usual buzz of the cafeteria had dulled with only a few students scattered about.

Orion didn't look up until Kyle approached the table, setting his katana case down beside him before taking a seat.

"Orion."

Orion adjusted his glasses, finally locking eyes with Kyle. "Kyle."

"What's this about?" Kyle leaned back, crossing his arms as he waited for his friend to explain.

Orion wasted no time. He straightened his posture and said:

"I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on. I'm listening."

Orion's lips quirked into a slight smirk, but his expression quickly returned to its usual seriousness.

"Give me your katana... The one you got today as a prize."

"No! Why would I even do that?" Kyle screamed before toning down his voice to sound more mature,

"If that's why you called me; you've succeeded in wasting our time. I'll be taking my leave."

Kyle made a motion to stand up from his seat before Orion's calm voice interrupted him.

"You didn't ask me what I'll be needing your katana for, neither did you ask if I could compensate you for it."

Kyle suddenly remembered he hadn't asked about any of this. Who cared about what Orion might be planning to cook with his katana, as long as it ended up benefiting him?

"Right," Kyle muttered, loud enough to his hearing as he took his seat once again, this time with a hint of embarrassment.

"Nice," Orion said with a wide smile, adjusting his glasses once again. "I'll continue, shall I?"

Kyle nodded his head, now anticipating what Orion had to say.

"I have two plans that involve you, but I'll begin with the first. As you already know, there exist seven main weapon tiers: Basic, Rare, Intermediate, Advanced, Epic, Legendary, Mythic and Ancient."

Kyle nodded his head in agreement. He had used his time in the academy property, frequenting the library and gaining various insights into this world.

"The katana you won is classified as Intermediate, a solid upgrade from anything you've previously wielded.

I need to get my hands on such a weapon tier and tinker with it a bit to understand the in's and outs. Plus I would try my best to improve it in any way I can... When it's back to you it should be more strong than before."

Kyle frowned, tapping a finger on the table as he processed Orion's words.

He valued the katana, not just for its quality but for what it represented.

And now, Orion was suggesting taking it apart for some experiment. The thought unsettled him.

"And what exactly would you do to it?" Kyle finally asked, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

"I wouldn't want to end up with a pile of scraps."

He focused on the potential improvements as that was the part that affected him.

Orion adjusted his glasses, his typical sign of confidence.

"Enhance it. Refine the mana channels within the blade, optimize its structure to better resonate with your element, and maybe even embed a rune or two.

I can make it stronger, faster, deadlier. Trust me, I've been researching weapons crafting in my spare time, and I know how to push this katana beyond its current limits. The results will be worth it."

Kyle sat back in his chair, thinking it over. On the one hand, he could fully admit that Orion's intelligence was unmatched, and if anyone could enhance the weapon, it would be him.

But on the other hand, Kyle wasn't blind to the risks. Orion's experiments, while often successful as he claimed, were still experiments.

There was always the possibility it could fail, and if it did, Kyle would be left without his katana—a tool he knew he could rely on in the foreseeable future.

'It could get stronger, much stronger if it works,' Kyle pondered, staring at the polished surface of the table.

'But if it doesn't, I lose one of my best assets. Is it worth the risk?'

Kyle bit his lip, the pros and cons weighing heavily in his mind. He wasn't one to believe people easily, but Orion wasn't just anyone.

He was one of his earliest friends in this world and they had known each other for long, if there was one thing Kyle knew, it was that Orion wouldn't make an empty promise.

If Orion said he could enhance the katana, then there was a good chance he would succeed.

"Alright," Kyle finally said, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"I'll trust you with it. But don't mess this up, Orion. I need that katana."

A wide grin spread across Orion's7 face, though he quickly masked it with his usual composure.

"Good choice, Kyle. I'll ensure that you don't regret it."

Kyle nodded, though the lingering nagging doubt at the back of his mind had refused to fade out entirely.

He had made his decision, but that didn't mean he wasn't nervous about what could go wrong or if he had made the right choice.

'There's no use mulling over it much longer,' Kyle thought. 'The deed has been done and it must be worth it.'

Orion interrupted his trail of thoughts. Leaning forward with a slightly more serious expression, he continued:

"Now, let's move on to the second proposal."

He paused, looking Kyle straight in the eye.

"It slipped my mind to offer my congratulations to you."

Kyle raised his eyebrows, wondering what he was blabbing about.

"Congratulations on losing?" he let his thoughts slip out by mistake.

"Of course not," Orion said with a light chuckle. "Congratulations on getting richer. I imagine you must be sitting on quite a sum now."

Kyle narrowed his eyes, sensing where this was going.