My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 36: The Firearms Dealer

Chapter 36: The Firearms Dealer

Liam walked slowly beside Lydia across the fourth floor of the Ace of Spades Guild’s shopping center, taking in the massive display cases filled with weapons.

There were swords of every size.

Spears with gleaming blades.

Massive shields.

Bows crafted from materials he had never seen before.

And occupying an entire section of the floor, an enormous collection of firearms.

Lydia looked just as fascinated.

"I never imagined there would be so many."

Liam nodded.

"Neither did I."

Instructor James walked a few steps ahead of them.

"After seeing your wife’s abilities, I think I already know what you need."

Liam looked at him.

"You do?"

James gestured toward the sword displays.

"You don’t strike me as someone who’ll need to fight in close combat."

Then he pointed toward a row of rifles.

"You should be supporting Lydia from a distance."

He kept walking as he spoke.

"You need a firearm. And, obviously, you’re also going to need some protective gear."

Liam scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

"To be honest... I tried using the handgun they loaned me for the E-Rank dungeon."

James raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"My aim isn’t exactly great."

Lydia let out a quiet giggle.

"That’s because you were so nervous. It was the first time you’d ever held a gun."

Liam sighed.

"I guess that didn’t help."

James smiled.

"Don’t worry. Accuracy can be trained."

Liam looked up.

"Really?"

"We have a shooting range at the guild headquarters."

He paused briefly before adding,

"Evan runs the training sessions."

Lydia smiled mischievously.

"I hope he’s a better instructor than he is a flirt."

The three of them laughed.

James nodded.

"He’s actually quite competent as an instructor."

Liam smiled.

"Then I’d like to learn."

James motioned with his head.

"Perfect. Follow me."

◇◆◇

They spent several minutes walking past the various stores on the fourth floor.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a shop with a large sign featuring the silhouette of a bullet piercing through a target.

James opened the door.

"This is the place."

The moment Liam stepped inside, he caught the unmistakable scent of gun oil.

The walls were completely covered with neatly displayed firearms.

Handguns.

Revolvers.

Submachine guns.

Shotguns.

Precision rifles.

Machine guns.

There was even a massive rocket launcher displayed on a reinforced metal stand.

Small specification plaques sat beneath each weapon.

Shelves along the walls were stacked with boxes of ammunition.

Liam’s eyes widened.

"This looks like a museum."

"More like... The paradise of a certain salesman."

At the back of the shop, behind the counter, a man was carefully polishing a large metal case that appeared to contain an exceptionally large weapon.

He wore a white apron.

Underneath it was a black T-shirt stretched so tightly across his body that it barely contained his massive muscles.

His arms looked like tree trunks.

Even his military pants were straining around his legs.

But the most eye-catching feature...

Was his mustache.

It was so perfectly groomed and curled upward that it looked as though it had come straight out of an old photograph.

Lydia immediately looked away.

Her shoulders began trembling.

Liam glanced sideways at her.

She was making an incredible effort not to laugh.

A second later, a message appeared before Liam’s eyes.

[Lydia: Honey, I’ll wait outside. I can’t stop myself from laughing at that salesman, and I don’t want to offend him.]

Liam looked at her discreetly.

Lydia had her lips pressed tightly together, desperately trying to maintain a serious expression.

He gave a subtle nod.

"Alright."

She took a deep breath.

"I..."

She forced herself to sound completely serious.

"...I’m going to look around the other stores."

James simply nodded without giving it much thought.

"As you wish."

The moment Lydia stepped through the door, Liam caught a glimpse of her covering her mouth with both hands before the automatic door slid shut behind her.

’Poor thing...’

◇◆◇

James walked up to the counter.

"Scotty."

The man looked up, and an enormous smile appeared beneath that remarkable mustache.

"James!"

He carefully set the polishing cloth down on the counter.

"What brings you here?"

James pointed toward Liam.

"I’d like to introduce you to a new hunter who needs some advice."

Scotty carefully looked Liam up and down before smiling.

"It’s painfully obvious you’re new to all this."

He extended an enormous hand.

"Relax. They brought you to the right man."

Liam shook his hand.

He had expected it to be rough and covered with calluses.

Instead...

’Huh?’

It was surprisingly soft.

Scotty burst into laughter after seeing the expression on Liam’s face.

"Everyone’s surprised. I use way too much hand cream."

James slowly shook his head.

"That’s still a strange habit."

"Firearms require delicate hands."

Scotty replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Liam simply smiled.

◇◆◇

"Alright."

Scotty crossed his arms.

"So, what are you looking to buy?"

Liam looked around the walls once more.

"Honestly... I’d like to see a little bit of everything."

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up.

"Now that’s the right attitude!"

For nearly an hour, they toured the entire shop.

Scotty genuinely seemed to enjoy every explanation.

He showed them enormous anti-materiel rifles.

"This beauty can punch through the hide of certain monsters."

Then a shotgun.

"Perfect for close-range fights."

Next came a rocket launcher.

"Ridiculously expensive... but absolutely gorgeous."

Liam could barely believe all of this was actually for sale.

Further along, they stopped in front of several handgun displays.

Some were lightweight.

Others were heavy.

There were even custom models with silver and gold finishes.

Finally, Scotty pulled out a compact black submachine gun.

He placed it on the counter.

"This one’s lightweight and easy to control. Great recoil management. Perfect for someone who’s just starting out."

Then he set a semi-automatic pistol beside it.

"And you can never go wrong with a reliable sidearm."

Liam picked them both up.

The weight felt surprisingly comfortable in his hands.

James nodded with satisfaction.

"I think those are excellent choices."

Liam felt the same way.

"I like them."

◇◆◇

Then came the ammunition.

Scotty opened several drawers.

"Standard rounds, armor-piercing, hollow points, incendiary, explosive, fragmentation, anti-armor..."

Liam’s eyes widened.

"There are really that many?"

"And plenty more."

Scotty replied proudly.

"Every monster calls for a different solution."

In the end, Liam bought several boxes.

Standard ammunition for training.

Some armor-piercing rounds.

And a couple of boxes of explosive ammunition "for emergencies," as Scotty had repeatedly insisted.

Once the purchase was complete, the salesman carefully packed the firearms and ammunition into a sturdy black carrying case.

He closed it and slid it across the counter toward Liam.

"You made some excellent choices."

Liam picked up the case and immediately noticed it was much heavier than he’d expected.

"I hope I learn how to use them."

Scotty smiled.

"You will."

He gave Liam a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I hope to see you again when you need more ammo."

Liam smiled back.

"I’m sure you will."

◇◆◇

Once they were outside the shop, James checked the display on his own guild card.

"After those purchases... you’ve still got three hundred Tokens left."

Liam smiled.

"Not bad."

"We still need to buy protective gear."

James nodded before pointing toward the exit of the building.

"But something else is more important right now."

Liam adjusted the carrying case under his arm.

"The training?"

"Exactly."

James started walking.

"Buy your equipment, then we’ll head to headquarters. It’s time for you to see the shooting range."