* Awfully kind of you to leave me a clue as big as this. I can't quite figure out if your head is gigantic or your ego is. No matter. * Even if Arun would've tried to voice his thoughts his words would have came out as lethal poison instead. As hurt as his body and soul was his anger which now slowly turned to hate fueled him.

 

Arun gave Paradox the note. He was formed with a tiger's marrow and had an acute affinity for the hunt. The smell of its prey would be enough.

 

It helped that Paradox was almost a living being instead of a normal puppet. A few sniff's trough his metal nostrils and his instincts awakened with the scent. It looked up to Arun as it was ready.

 

* Time to give pursuit... or so I'd like to say. * Arun examined his state. He wanted revenge but if he pursued it hastily he would die for naught. His ki was recovering at a slugs pace and his body was not in a good shape either. He couldn't go after the thug... not like this. * I need a weapon * he concluded.

 

But he had nothing of the sort and no way to get one in a short amount of time. That's when he remembered his gift. A smile widened as he glanced upon his storage ring.

 

***

 

The trash mound. Where all the garbage from the main city ends up, and also the reason why the slums are associated with a bin by the arrogant rich folk. But one man's garbage is another one's treasure, or, in Arun's case, weapon material. It's not uncommon for rare materials to make their way here, and it is also why many desperate people were searching in these parts.

 

Even in a large wasteland such as this Arun spotted a couple people. Clothes ragged, only bone and skin, these people have likely not ate for days. Arun shed tear while thinking of the relatively sheltered life his grandmother and grandfather sacrificed themselves to give him. He might have not felt full but he didn't know hunger either.

 

That tear only helped his hatred grow. His grandfather knew a quiet and peaceful death but his granny... she didn't deserve this.

 

He had to hurry up. An hour already passed since he discovered it. He didn't think the thug would run anywhere but he wasn't prone to taking the risk either. There were many materials here, normal ones used in every day life, but he needed more powerful ones in order to defeat a high-human stage. And even from those rare materials only a select few could be used to make his weapon. It would have taken him weeks had he not made his trusty companion.

 

Arun was betting on one of the theories he read about materials. It stated that every material had its own sort of memory. For example a stone that sat on top of a snowy mountain would have ingrained the memory of snow and cold in it, thus making it compatible with them. An equipment made of said stone, in addition to possibly gaining related attributes, would react to similar areas if it was made with the intention.

 

How would this help him? Well, it so happened that the steel from which Paradox was made sat in a storage with other precious materials close to two decades, ever since the steel was fabricated. Their memory was likely ingrained. Thus, Paradox might be attracted to said materials. It was a bit of a long stretch but it was his best shot under the circumstances.

 

The little steel tiger maneuvered trough the mounds with ease. It seemed as it was onto something. Paradoxes movement came to a sudden halt on top of a particular tall hill. After a good moment of sniffing, it started digging. Arun, who was not quite as nimble as his companion, had some difficulty climbing. He made it up just in time to see Paradox pull a spherical device from the rabble.

 

Arun came in closer in order to examine the find. It's black exterior was absorbing all light making it seem like he was staring at a ball of darkness. Hypnotized by the mysterious item Arun attempted to pick it up, but was interrupted by Paradox just before his hands touched its surface. Arun was confused by this action, until he took a closer look at the object that was. The area surrounding it was displaying abnormal behavior: one side was freezing while the other one was melting.

 

Arun smirked. " So that's it! You've made me rich Paradox! An generator, a working one at that! " generators like this, granted, much larger ones, were used to power up entire cities. He could not even begin to imagine how something like this would end up here. Especially because it was still working and... new? He never seen this design before. It probably used extreme heat and cold to create energy.

 

* A shame that I have to scrap it. So, I know that's black iron covering it but I wonder what's inside. * with that said he activated his storage ring. He was surprised when he first received it but even more surprised when he found a low grade mobile furnace inside it, along with some currency foreign to him.

 

" This... my goal is in sight with this. " Once he placed the furnace Paradox picked up the generator and threw it inside. He was lucky that it was the size of an football ball, else it wouldn't have fitted inside small furnace. Now he began separating the components. Little by little the black iron seeped away until the insides of the generator were revealed. Arun almost lost control of the process when he recognized them.

 

Fir crystals and hielore. These were not the sort materials that money could not buy. Not reasonable amounts, anyway. Truly cream of the crop.

 

* A pity I cannot use them right now... there's no way a low grade furnace is enough for these. The black iron on the other hand... Ah, I know just the weapon. * "Paradox, be so kind to bring me a durable yet somewhat flexible piece of wood. As fast as you can. "

 

It did not take long for the order to be fulfilled, Paradox brought Arun something that he recognized as ki reinforced Elmwood, a material used in constriction thanks to its properties and also perfect for what he had in mind.

 

With the materials gathered, Arun concentrated all of his remaining ki into making the weapon. After all, it was not like that measly amount would help him in a real fight, there was no need to hold back.

 

Unlike when he crafted Paradox, this process was straightforward. He just had to shape the weapon. But the craft... it wasn't perfectly balanced anymore. It wasn't necessarily the ingredients but... the mental state was far from serene, and it only worsened in time. His rage, his hatred, his confusion on why would anyone do something this, his grief, his broken heart, unbeknownst to Arun they all passed on to the spear. From an once pure soul a monster was created.