Chapter 345 344: Purchase



Looking through the shop, I grinned as I stumbled upon one rather intriguing little item.

Something that would clean my pockets out entirely, but something that seemed well worth the price.

Besides that, with me running and using my magics so much, my stats have gone up and my daily quests have been getting completed as well; some of them, anyways.

I didn't level up, but I was able to increase my Agility, Dexterity, and Constitution a few points each.

Agility went from 62 to 65, Dexterity went from 62 to 65, and Constitution went from 64 to 65, rounding them all out.

Now, that in and of itself was exciting; I think that those increases made a good difference in my speed from yesterday to today.

I did travel a little further today, which is also why I was excited at the purchase that I was thinking of making.

My current guess on how stats truly worked was that they were exponential in their effects.

The increase in strength from STR 5 -> 10 might be an increase in 10 pounds for a deadlift, while an increase from STR 55 -> 60 might be something like 25 pounds.

After all, those initial stages were akin to being a child, then the 20's were akin to being a normal human adult; anything past that is reaching the territory of the freaks of nature like strongmen or the like.

Past 75?

I would assume that the strength possessed there would be insane, since I was already capable of lifting a good chunk of weight with ease at STR 61.

So why was this new understanding of mine important?

Simple; the purchase I wanted to make was on an item, and it's description was rather... tame.

Something that most would gloss over for the more flashy spells or materials inside the shop, but something that I believed would be an incredible purchase.

[Anklet of the Zephyr (1,250 Shop Points) : Increases AGI by (10%) and DEX by (5%)]

Now, of course before I made such a large purchase - almost my entire Shop Points reserve - I wanted to clarify a few things with my System, as was my right.

[As is my job, you mean? And yes, I can guess your questions. This is an increase that is 'permanent' whenever you wear it. Unless the item is destroyed, it will work. No, you cannot replicate the enchantment, since it is a System Made Item (SMI going forwards). And finally, yes it will continue to scale with your increases in stats. So if you increase your AGI from 65 to 70, the Anklet will give you 7 more AGI instead of 6.5 AGI. Anything else?]

Nodding my head, I stared at the anklet for a few more moments before asking 'Will these... SMI's let me know if they are temporary effects?'

[Yes. Here, look at this; it's a... consumable SMI.]

[Pouch of the Zephyr (250 Shop Points) : Increases AGI by 5% [5/5 Uses , Effects last 60 seconds]]

Reading the description a few more times, I frowned as I asked 'Why did the Anklet have it's stat increases in parenthesis? Can it be upgraded?'

[Good, you're sharp enough to catch that; almost thought the 62 INT was for show... Yes, you can upgrade SMI's with either Shop Points, Shop Points and Materials, or just Materials. If you go for just Materials, you need to do the upgrading yourself; I believe that your Jackalkin mate Anput would serve as a reliable Forger in the future. As for using Shop Points, the system - me - calculates the upgrade chance depending on a bunch of factors; Value of the item, your level, item effects... Quite a long list I would need to go through. Again, not that great at math, so I'll be sticking to the first decimal.]

Chuckling, I grinned wryly as I leaned back inside my cozy ice cube and muttered "Me too system, me too..."

Staring at the Anklet for a few moments, I took a deep breath before selecting the item and agreeing to the purchase, tanking my wallet from 1523 Shop Points to 273.

A small flash of light appeared above my hands, and when it receded I saw the Anklet resting on my palms.

Made from a silvery green metal, the Anklet of the Zephyr radiated a low level of Wind Mana, much like other enchanted items did.

Out of curiosity, I brought it closer to my face and tried to examine the runes etched into its sides, only to frown as I realized...

I could see the runes, but the second I tried to recall what they looked like, I forgot them.

Even as I tried to scribble it down into the ice, I couldn't manage to recreate them at all; I knew I failed because when I looked down at the scribbles, I could retain them inside my memory.

"So this is what Leone's been dealing with huh..? Damn, that's irritating."

Shaking my head, I unclasped the Anklet and slipped it over my foot, pursing my lips slightly as I stared at the metal that rested against my skin.

Never wore an anklet before, so this is... odd.

As I sat there staring at it, I glanced to the side as I heard the System say [Here]

[Achievement unlocked : First Time Buyer

First Time Buyer : You've bought from the System Shop for the first time! Congratulations, and do return! As a reward for utilizing the System Shop, here is a refund of 10% of your used Shop Points!

Reward : 125 Shop Points]

With that, my wallet went from 273 to 398, before another prompt showed up behind the first.

[Achievement unlocked : Thoughtful Buyer

Thoughtful Buyer : Purchased an item after much deliberation and contemplation. 

Reward : 100 Shop Points]

Scratch that, 498 was my new balance.

Chuckling to myself once more, I leaned my head against the wall of my ice cube before reaching for my jerky, giving myself another tasteless dinner.

Overall, I was happy with my purchase; as long as it never broke, I had a permanent increase to my agility and dexterity, which were rather helpful stats for me all the time.

Especially because I would prefer to strike fast and retreat even quicker, leaving little room to take a hit in retaliation.

I had seen a few other items that provided similar buffs but to my other stats, so maybe when I returned to Jahi I could get myself some more fun little items~!

Of course, the first step was to get back to Jahi...

I could do it; I just needed to believe in myself some more!