Zero woke up again, alone this time.
A quiet breeze strolled in through his window, curtains fluttering in the wind.
It was just daybreak.
'Syste-'
■ [ Secret Quest Completed ]
■ [ Secret Quest Completed ]
➤ Hidden Quest: *Free the Slaves*
↳ Rewards:
▸ +50% Passive Cultivation
▸ +75 System Credits
▸ Oathlink Mastery III Permanently Unlocked
▸ + 1 Talent Point
➤ Hidden Quest: *Survive an Unwinnable Battle*
↳ Rewards:
▸ +100% Passive Cultivation
▸ +150 System Credits
▸ System Shop: Advanced Tier Unlocked
▸ +1 Talent Point
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"What the hell…"
Zero blinked, eyes locked on the glowing screen.
"You did well," the system said softly. "I'm just glad you're alive."
Zero narrowed his eyes. "You're starting to sound... kind of human."
"Is that a problem?"
He hesitated. Then shook his head. "I guess not."
He exhaled, sitting up slightly. "Alright… show me the shop."
[ System Shop ]
[Utility & Survival]
[Equipment & Essence Stones]NEW
[Items & Runes]NEW
[Techniques & Manuals]NEW
"Oh. That's a lot"
"Hmmm. Let's start with Techniques and Manuals"
[Techniques & Manuals]
Basic Tier
Foundational skill boosts. Improves with use.
Dagger Mastery I – [10 SC]
Increases proficiency with daggers. Boosts attack speed and precision with bladed weapons.
Sword Mastery I – [10 SC]
Boosts control and strike accuracy with one-handed and longswords.
Axe Mastery I – [10 SC]
Enhances handling of single or double-bladed axes. Increases raw damage output.
Spear Mastery I – [10 SC]
Increases range, thrust speed, and precision. Enables sweeping spear techniques.
Chain Weapon Mastery I – [10 SC] (based on Oathlink's influence)
Unarmed Combat I – [10 SC] (basic martial arts foundation)
...More available
Intermediate Tier
Unlocks active techniques and movement-based skills. Requires matching weapon mastery.
Four-Fold Slash(Requires Dagger or Sword Mastery I) – [25 SC]
Unleashes four rapid slashes in succession. High mobility and bleed potential.
Thrusting Slash(Requires Spear Mastery I) – [25 SC]
A precise thrust followed by a spinning retreat. Counters and disengages.
Ground Impact(Requires Axe Mastery I) – [30 SC]
Slams weapon into the ground, sending a short shockwave forward. Can stagger enemies.Flow Step(Req: Unarmed Combat I or Dagger Mastery I) – [20 SC]
A light-speed dash technique for repositioning mid-combat.
...More available
Advanced Tier
High-level techniques that evolve with use. Rare and dangerous.
Spiral Fang Slash(Sword/Dagger) – [50 SC]
A piercing strike that spins violently at the moment of impact. Can breach defenses.
Chain Requiem(Chain Weapon only) – [60 SC]
A multi-target whip-and-pull attack. Chains strike from unpredictable angles.
Iron Pulse Step(Any weapon) – [55 SC]
Uses condensed Astral energy to burst forward with enough force to break guard. Leaves aftershock behind.
Phantom Loop(Unarmed or Chain) – [65 SC]
Momentarily leaves behind a flickering afterimage. Great for feints and counter attacks.
Heaven Splitter(Axe/Spear) – [60 SC]
A two-stage overhead strike that sends a vertical shockwave into the air and then down onto the field. Massive range.
____________________________________________________________________
Zero whistled. "SC is Server Credits, right?"
"* You're right. These are your currently available 'Techniques & Manuals.' *"
He scrolled through the list, eyes darting between options.
"Hard to make a choice. Wait… don't I already have Chain Mastery? And it's Rank III. What happens if I buy Chain Mastery I?"
[Chain Mastery I]
[Purchased]
[Error: No effect. Existing or higher-level variant already detected.]
Zero blinked.
"…Ahh, makes sens—HEY WAIT. IT STILL TOOK MY CREDITS!"
'SYSTEM?!'
"* ^-^ *"
"…"
"I want a refund."
"* Word, 'Refund' not found *"
"..."
Zero sighed, "I promise I'll get you back. Let's look at the items & runes"
[Items & Runes]
– Consumables –
Healing Salve
Restores minor physical damage. Quick to apply, stops bleeding.
Energy Vial
Restores a small portion of Astral energy instantly. Useful mid-fight.
Stamina Tonic
Temporarily reduces exhaustion and boosts endurance.
Antidote Flask
Cures common poisons and toxins.
– Runes –
All runes are single-use.
Rune of Flame
Imbues weapon attacks with fire for a few strikes.
Rune of Swiftness
Grants a short burst of extreme movement speed.
Rune of Shielding
Creates a brief barrier that absorbs limited damage.
Rune of Silence
Suppresses all sound from footsteps, breathing, and movement.
Rune of Binding
Slows or immobilizes a target briefly on a successful hit.
"Oh? Some useful stuff," Zero muttered, resting his chin on his palm.
He leaned forward a little, "And what about equipment and… whatever?"
– Equipment –
• Swords
• Spears
• Greataxes
• Daggers
• Scythes
→ [View More]
– Essence Stones –
Low Tier Beast Essence Stones
• Razorhide Boar
• Duskmire Serpent
• Splitclaw Vulture
→ [View More]
Mid Tier Beast Essence Stones
• Frostgore Wolf
• Steelhide Ram
• Crimson Plague Rat
→ [View More]
High Tier Beast Essence Stones
• Voidstrider Lynx
• Flamecrest Basilisk
→ [View More]
Greater Tier Beast Essence Stones
• Bloodmist Hydra
→ [View More]
Extreme Tier Beast Essence Stones
• Hellborne Leviathan
→ [View More]
Calamitous Tier Essence Stones
• [Unavailable]
"Extreme and Calamitous," Zero muttered. "System, what rank would I need to be to fight those?"
[At least Peak Nebula Crown to survive their presence.]
Silence followed. Then—
"…Oh."
A single word.
He coughed. "Anyways. What can I do with these Essence Stones?"
[Certain Essence Stones can be embedded into weapons. Depending on the beast, they can grant passive or active effects.]
Zero nodded. "Great."
He opened the shop menu and began spending.
[Dagger Mastery I – Purchased]
[Weapon: Dagger – Purchased]
[Essence Stone: Frostgore Wolf – Purchased]
He looked at the items laid out on the bed. His credits were basically gone. But it was worth it.
[Frostgore Wolf Essence Stone]
Effect: Grants a high chance to inflict Lethargy on successful attacks.
Lethargy: Slows target movement and action speed by 5% per hit, stacking up to 50%.
Type: Passive
[Umbra & Noctis — Twin Daggers]
Two pitch-black daggers with an ethereal violet-blue glow that shimmers like mist clinging to steel. Forged from shadowsteel and bound by twin cores, they feel almost weightless in hand.
Rarity: Rare
Passive – Piercer:
When striking from stealth or first contact, critical hit chance increases by 20%.
Attacks made from behind bypass 10% of enemy defense.
" System, is there any way to buy higher Dagger and Chain Mastery? Or do I just have to work on it on my own. "
[Oathlink, as your main and soul-bound weapon, cannot have Mastery purchased. However, any other weapon can have Mastery brought up to the level directly below your current Chain Mastery.]
Zero smiled slightly, rubbing his hands together.
"Then buy Dagger Mastery II."
[Insufficient System Credits.]
His hands stopped. His smile froze.
"…I didn't spend that many credits."
[Status: Zero]
Adventurer Rank: Silver | Mission Points: 240 / 250
Cultivation Tier: True Comet Soul – 6%
Challenge Timer: 23 Hours Remaining
Chain Mastery IIIDagger Mastery I
Passive Cultivation Stored: +150.8%
Talent Level: Above Average | Talent Points: 2
System Credits: 1
Zero stared blankly.
"I almost couldn't afford everything…"
Suddenly, he sat upright.
"WAIT. MY CHALLENGE. TWENTY-THREE HOURS?!"
Panic crept in fast.
"What's the reward for completing it again?"
[Reward: +2 Talent Points | 25 System Credits | Rare Item]