Last night, Alex had finally settled into his new dorm. For the first time since arriving at the academy, he had gotten a proper moment of relaxation.
But now, his focus was elsewhere. In two days, the wilderness training would begin. He was mostly prepared, but there were still a few things that needed checking.
Stretching out on his bed, he exhaled slowly. "Time to see what's new."
With no distractions, he willed the system shop to open.
A sleek, translucent interface materialized before his eyes, its dark-blue design displaying various options. As expected, the shop had leveled up, unlocking new items. He hadn't had the chance to browse through them properly—until now.
With time on his side, he scanned through the updated list.
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[System Shop]
[Shop Coins: 190]
[Magic] [Physical] [Skills] [Potions]
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Alex's eyes flickered over the new additions in the system shop. Among them, a newly unlocked section labeled Potions caught his attention. He had noticed it earlier in passing but hadn't had the time to explore it properly. Now, with no immediate distractions, he intended to do just that.
However, before diving into the potions, he chose to check the Skills tab first. In the long run, skills were far more valuable. If any new abilities had been unlocked, they would take priority.
With a thought, he selected the Skills option. The screen shifted, displaying a list of abilities—both the ones he had not yet purchased and the newly available ones.
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[Skills]
F-rank skills: 50 SC
- Cook
- Meditate
E-rank skills: 200 SC
- Bow Novice
- Spear Novice
D-rank skills: 1500 SC
- Intermediate Combat Expert
- Intermediate Weapon Expert
- Monster Cook
- Monster Insight
- Resonance
- Sixth Sense
- Taunt
- Tracking Mark
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Alex's gaze flickered over the newly available D-rank skills, scanning the list with growing curiosity. The first two immediately stood out—upgraded versions of the Beginner-level skills he already possessed. He didn't even need to check their descriptions; they were simply stronger variants of what he had.
"These are must-have skills." he murmured, acknowledging their usefulness. However, instead of purchasing them immediately, he decided to review the rest of the options first. His shop coins were already running low, and every purchase had to be made carefully.
Aurora hovered nearby, watching as he navigated through the system shop. She couldn't see the interface herself, but Alex had gotten into the habit of explaining it to her.
The skill names gave him a rough idea of their function, but reading the descriptions would help him prioritize.
His eyes landed on a skill called Monster Cook. Curious, he selected it. A window popped up, detailing its benefits—it enhanced cooking techniques for preparing monster meat, neutralized toxins, and even improved the taste of otherwise inedible creatures.
However, below the description, an unexpected message appeared:
[Requirement: Must purchase F-rank skill 'Cook' first.]
The purchase option was greyed out. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That's a first."
A realization clicked in his mind. "Oh, I see. Some skills require the basic version before unlocking their advanced forms." It made sense. You couldn't just jump straight to Monster Chef when you didn't even know how to make a basic omelet.
Aurora peeked at him. "It's like trying to solve advanced magic formulas without understanding the basics."
Nodding, Alex scrolled through a few other skills, checking their requirements. Unlike Monster Cook, most were immediately available for purchase—if he had enough shop coins, that is.
Alex finalized his skill selection, mentally noting down the ones he would prioritize once he had more shop coins. With that done, he shifted his focus to the Potions section, curious to see what the system shop had in store.
He scrolled through the list carefully, analyzing the available options. The selection wasn't extensive, but it covered the essentials—health recovery, mana restoration, stamina boosters, antidotes, and a few utility potions like night vision and minor resistance enhancers.
"So, nothing too crazy." Alex murmured.
As he continued reading the descriptions, an interesting feature caught his eye—the potion stock refreshed every month, but any previously purchased ones would remain available. Additionally, there was an option to manually refresh the list by spending shop coins.
"That's handy," he mused. "If I don't like the selection, I can reroll for something better." Then he chuckled, 'Gacha mechanics in the system shop? Sounds like a scam.'
He kept browsing, noting the costs of each potion. Some were cheap enough to stock up on, while others—even at this low tier—demanded a significant number of coins.
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[Potions]
Healing & Recovery Potions
- Basic Healing Potion: 1000 SC
- Minor Rejuvenation Potion: 750 SC
- Numbweed Extract: 800 SC
Mana & Stamina Potions
- Basic Mana Potion: 1200 SC
- Basic Stamina Potion: 500 SC
- Basic Energy Potion: 850 SC
Temporary Buff Potions
- Lesser Strength Elixir: 1500 SC
- Lesser Endurance Brew: 1500 SC
- Night Vision Potion: 300 SC
Miscellaneous Potions
- Dewdrop Essence: 1000 SC
- Lesser Flameguard Brew: 500 SC
- Insect Repelling Solution: 200 SC
- Cooling Tonic: 450 SC
- Warmth Draught: 400 SC
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Looking at the prices of potions, he frowned. That felt steep. Comparing it to market prices, he recalled that a decent healing potion could be purchased for around 30,000 relies. While he wasn't sure how the system's version compared in effectiveness, the price difference raised some suspicion. He continued scrolling through the list, checking a few other potions. The pattern remained the same—everything seemed overpriced compared to what he could get outside.
"System, are you trying to scam me?" he muttered dryly.
Doing some quick calculations in his head. From what he had observed, the system exchange rate was far from generous. Selling a D-rank monster core through the shop only gave him 200 SC, whereas selling the same core at the Adventurer's Guild would net him a solid 15,000 relies.
"So if I sold monster cores to the shop, I'd need to trade in five D-rank ones just to afford a single potion." he mused. "Meanwhile, in the market, I could buy three potions with the money from selling them instead."
Aurora floated beside him, tilting her head. "That exchange rate is awful… but maybe the system's potions have something special?"
Heeding her advice, Alex decided to check the potion's description. A quick glance at the interface confirmed its effect—instantaneous healing upon consumption. Unlike standard healing potions, which required time for the body to absorb and process their effects, system potions worked immediately, as if the wounds had never existed in the first place. The difference was night and day.
"This could be useful in emergencies," he muttered, weighing its value.
Without further hesitation, he attempted to purchase one to test its effectiveness. However, a small problem arose—he had no monster cores left. He had already refined and absorbed their mana, leaving him without anything to sell.
But that didn't mean he was out of options.
His gaze shifted to his storage ring. Within it lay several mana stones—an alternative form of currency. In Eldoria, mana stones were the lifeblood of the economy, serving as the primary energy source, much like coal, oil, or electricity had once been on Earth. Their versatility made them invaluable; they could be used as fuel, exchanged for money, or even spent directly as currency.
"I should be able to use these instead." he mused, going back to the home page of the system shop.