No matter how many times he got hit, no matter how much damage he took, it was always a comfort the moment after taking damage to not see his organs spilling out, or blood gushing, or his suit being ripped. Lucian looked the small imp that hit him straight in the eyes, those cold eyes. Lucian didn't feel much while looking into them, which made it that much easier to try to end the little demon's life. Lucian pulled his arms back and went in for a cross slash on the imp, it might be expecting a dual stab, as he had already done that to it, but this, this was a slightly better cut above his other fighting technique. Lucian smirked as he cracked that joke in his head, then proceeded to attack, hearing that they needed to kill them quickly.
Indeed. Unfortunately for Caleb and Lucian, the Imps that they had already been fighting had been used to regenerate the big Imp, meaning they would have to move in to attack new Imps to get some fighting done, Caleb moving in with his wrench and for some reason not using his new mystical ability...
The attack hit pretty well as it was well executed, but perhaps may have hit better if done from close range rather than from moving in. Still, damage was damage. Unfortunately Caleb was now in CQC distance with the Imp, but at least he had done some damage in the process.
Lucian attempted a new Skill with the knives he possessed that weren't really meant for combat, as despite what people believed kitchen knives weren't actually the best of weapons and could actually break when used in combat in the manners that both Lucian and Selina were doing.
Lucian Cross Slash: 99 (Fumble)
Unfortunately for Lucian, he let off a very sloppy attack, one that was easily parried by the Imp he moved closer to. His knives were already probably quite worn from all of the stabs he had been doing, but the moment the Imp used its own claws to parry the blades, it unfortunately hit a part near its handle. The claws won out as the wooden handles both cracked a bit and the blades simply fell off, meaning now Lucian was in CQC distance without a weapon to defend himself with.
The little Imps now proceeded with their counterattacks. Fortunately they all missed the Gamers they were on, meaning Lucian, Ryuu, and Caleb would avoid taking more damage for now. It seemed like they were possibly getting better at handling combat with these creatures, all of the Gamers were.
In the meantime, a much more intense duel was being fought atop the raised part of the roof. The Big Imp was taking rather powerful swipes at Rei, trying to first knock Rei back with one attack. This attack, fortunately, missed. So instead it went for a fury of two swipes at Rei instead, which somewhat surprised Rei. Enough so that both attacks hit dead on, Rei gritting his teeth from the pain of the now slightly stronger attacks. Twelve damage was dealt with each swipe, which to Rei normally wouldn't seem like much, but Rei knew that the longer this fight continued that amount would add up, so for that thought he considered it like much.
"Why didn't he regenerate?"Rei wondered as he decided to stick with CQC for now while his Strength spell was still active. The idea then hit him. The Big Imp's MP bar didn't go down when it was using that ability to regenerate and strengthen itself. Rei recalled the fact that his own no MP Cost Actives had cool downs, so he wondered if that was the case here as well. To this, Rei felt a sense of relief wash over him. It meant that they had a small chance to finish the battle before it could use that power again.
Each strike of Rei's first three hit combo managed to hit dead on, the white haired Gamer throwing out all the stops here. Even if each hit did only 16 Damage, it was still something to be happy about as it was chipping away at his health. Rei didn't stop there though, throwing out another slew of punches now.
The first one was a full on center hit, while the second one seemed to luckily deal the full pack of damage. Rei wasn't stopping there though, throwing a third swing, even though he knew it was wildly inaccurate. Somehow or another, it was a full on Critical Strike. With that strike, the Imp let out a final snarl of pain before falling backwards, vanishing in a large plume of red smoke, Rei standing victorious.
With the main boss defeated, the rest of the Imps tried to escape. Luckily with their newly sudden panic, the Gamers would be able to quickly dispatch two of them at least before the last managed to escape. Once the boss battle was finally over, a window appeared before the four newbie Gamers.
Earned 6 EXP
It was possibly for the completion of the fight. Which was nice. It put the Gamers all at a very nice 45 EXP total for each of them. With the horns from the previous fight, the horns from the first fight, and the horns from this fight there were now 12 Imp horns, including the one Ryuu picked up, someone else having picked up the ones from their first grinding (ill let you decide who) to split among the four Gamers. Rei mentioned that they should sell them to get more money at something called the 'Abyss Auction'.
Rei, in the meantime, was picking up some items that were up on the roof, ones that the boss probably dropped. Whatever they were, the other Gamers wouldn't get to see them since Rei was most certainly putting them into his Inventory. Suddenly, as he put one thing in there, the other Gamer's inventories would appear before them, the amount of Yen at the bottom having grown by 5,000 Yen. It was most likely a party money split thing, which was nice as it meant the other Gamers were now 5,000 Yen richer.
Rei stayed up there though, using his 'Heal' Skill to heal the rest of his HP back up to full, which took about eight seconds. After that, Rei hopped down from the perch he was on, stretching a bit. "That was a boss battle. The more you fight a single type of monster, the higher the chance one of those has of appearing. Don't fight that type of monster for 24 hours and the chance of encountering that monster type's Boss Monster goes down. Its why you don't want to fight too many monsters at a time until you are confident you can beat it and right now... it would kill all of you since you probably don't possess any other special Skills, are rather low leveled, and are highly unequipped for fighting something like that".
While Rei's rather blunt way of putting it may have seemed rather cold, it was the truth. There was no way even if all four of them were together that they could stand a chance against something like that. Rei proceeded to take out a notebook from his inventory, wrote something down on a sheet of paper, and then passed it to Selina.
"The Stats of that monster, plus some insight on its ability. Just in case. Also there's a code on the bottom. If you all use that when registering on the Abyss Auction's site, you'll get 25% off on your first purchase if you write who referred you. Split those dropped horns among yourselves, sell them on the auction site, and use that discount and you could get yourselves a decent weapon, which would at least be a start". With that, Rei raised his hand up. "Anyway, I am going home now. I have stuff to take care of... if you need to contact me, just PM me". Apparently, according to that remark, their ability had a Private Message function as well. That would make it alot easier to contact one another if that is what Rei meant.
After using ID Escape to break the Pseudospace, Rei left the roof now, leaving the Gamers to their own devices. Sure he may have seemed cold and blunt, and unusually talkative (as Rei wasn't one to talk nearly this much, but figured it was necessary since he was giving newbies some advice), but at least he was helpful in a sense.
Now the Gamers had the option to continue grinding on their own, start experimenting with their new Skills (which creating an Empty ID would best be suited for), or go home and see to this 'Abyss Auction' thing.
Big Imp
Species: Demon
Sub Species: Big Imp
A type of Imp that is able to command other Imps. It comes along after numerous Imps are slain, often summoning other Imps to fight alongside with it. Can also bolster its own strength or regenerate by sacrificing the Imps it summons. Its about six feet tall and is obviously much stronger, faster, and possibly even smarter than a regular Imp.
Immune to the defense negating affects of Critical Strike
Imp Summon: Can summon about 3 - 6 Imps. Consumes 10 MP.
Imp Sacrifice: Seems to be able to sacrifice two imps at once to either regenerate HP or bolster its Strength, thus increasing its physical attack. May also be able to do this to restore MP. This most likely has a cooldown of at least 5 Seconds. Is most likely a 10 Second Cooldown.
Abyss Auction Code: 'Gin'. Enter this in the 'promotional code' box when you register on the Abyss Auction's site and write in the name of who referred you. You'll get a 25% discount on your first purchase as long as it only contains items of E Rank or lower.
"Well, that was something." Lucian took the broken pieces of his knife, and put them back into his inventory, he would throw them out later when he got home. The events of training almost seemed like a blur, but the reality stuck out in his mind, that was dangerous. He heard Rei give his shpeel, then he left. There was much more that Lucian wished to discuss with the guy, but it would have to wait for another time, and maybe after Lucian had a useful skill or two.
He opened up his stat window and talked to the others while tapping away and applying his latest level up, "So, I think I am done fighting for the day, My kitchen knives broke, and with the experienced gamer no longer here to step in if things go sour, I'd rather just grind my skills safely at home." He finished apply his level up, increasing his agility, wisdom and spirit, and his knowledge and acrobatics. "But we should split the drops evenly across the board, unless someone disagrees, so, three horns each?" Taking his share, Lucian began to leave, "I'll be grinding some imps again tomorrow if anyone cares to join," After I am better equipped for the job that is, he thought to himself as he left, waving a hand goodbye.
He left the school with no problem, with how little he was noticed while walking into and out of the place, it seems like he never even needed to be escorted through. Well, next time he would hope the training wouldn't be here anyway, that way he wouldn't need to be dragged around by Selina. Seriously, that girl. Lucian's groaned as he thought of her, she drove him mad, but not in the right way, and he couldn't quiet tell her off in the 'correct' way. Maybe this was due to his lack of charisma stat? He mused as he journeyed home. Why couldn't she be more like Rei, he was able to order them around, instruct them, and make suggestions, without seeming like someone who always got their way. Not only that, but he was strong, and capable, and his eyes were prett- Lucian came to a standstill. Blinked twice, rubbed his eyes and continued walking, I need to stop thinking about people for a while, my mind is going to strange places...
After arriving back at home, he placed his broken knives on his counter, then moved his computer mouse, awakening it from sleep mode. "So lets check out this abyss auction thing then...weapons always first, then armour..." He typed away, looking forward to what he could find.
As Selina made a strike against another imp, she saw that she got another critical. HOLY SHIT! I'M GETTING REALLY LUCKY TODAY!!! She noticed the windows that popped up as she killed the imp. She saw that she got an increase in her Luck and she also got another increase in her melee weaponry skill. SWEET! I have a five in Melee Weaponry now, which should help me out a ton! Lastly, she looked at the "Improvised Weaponry Proficiency" skill. Wow... I'm just getting a bunch of awesome skills! I'm SUPER lucky!!!She celebrated to herself a little bit, but knew that she needed to get back on track as she saw more imps to destroy. When Selina thought it came time for her to strike again so that the imps couldn't be sacrificed, the boss imp didn't regenerate. Rei also seemed to notice this, which made her think twice about just how predictable enemy monsters were. Maybe I'm being paranoid about how strong these monsters are, but... I suppose it doesn't hurt to be cautious. As she went to strike another imp, she heard a cry from the boss monster. Selina smirked as she moved to dispatch one of the last imps.
Luckily, with the help of the other Gamers, she was able to dispatch the last few imps with ease. Immediately they dispatched the last of the imps, Selina got a window telling her that she got 6 EXP. ONLY 6 EXP? FOR DEFEATING ALL THOSE IMPS AND REI DEFEATING A BOSS MONSTER? Selina sighed. Oh well. At this point, I'll take what I can get. Selina then pulled up her stat window. Since she didn't distribute her points earlier, she decided that it would be a good idea to it. Selina distributed a point to Strength, Spirit, and Vitality. Then, she pressed 'Accept' and moved onto her talents. As she looked at the points, she decided that it would be in her best interests to put her points into Knowledge and Focus. As she pressed 'Accept', Rei moved over toward the group.
Rei explained the concept behind boss battles and Selina listened intently because it was crucial that they didn't increase their chances for bosses. Well, not for right now anyway. As Rei went on, he eventually handed a piece of paper to Selina. She looked at Rei and nodded in thanks. This should be working to our advantage in the future. I'll have to go and think about this a bit later. She also checked out the code for the 'Abyss Auction', which she thought was odd. Selina thought they seemed to be doing fine with their improvised weapons. Selina was also somewhat upset because she just got the 'Improvised Weapon Proficiency' skill, so she felt that if she uses other weapons, it'd be quite useless.I guess I'll have to grind that skill on my own when I get stronger. As Selina heard what Lucian was doing, she rolled her eyes. "Alright. Even split it is. Also, I'll be there tomorrow. I'd like to try and find some serious weaknesses with the imps." Selina took three of the horns and headed back to her house.
As she was walking back, she thought about what she could do with one of the skills she acquired while trying to create a pseudospace. 'Mana Gather'... Such an odd skill. What could I do with it?As she walked, she suddenly remembered that Rei had some kind of attack that he used against the boss monster. Maybe I do something like that. Gather mana in my hands and create an extra strength barrier or something... Hmm...Selina got all the way back to her house before she even considered what the endless possibilities that 'Mana Gather' allowed her access to. Selina pulled up the skills window and touched the skill, 'Mana Gather'. It gave her a brief description, which she read very intently. She smirked as she found what she was looking for. 'To Level: Experiment With Mana Gather' So there are other uses than mana restoration and the possibility of having an attack like Rei's... Would it be possible to move the mana around instead of just gathering it into my hand. For now, I suppose I can only manipulate it through my hand. So... I'll start with the idea like Rei's attack. At one point, once I confirm that I can do something like that, then I'll move on to strengthening weapons or possibly making spells. And if I can't do it within the next few days, then I'll consult Rei. He seems to know more than a few things about magic. Selina wanted to create an empty psuedospace and start seeing if she could create a spell somewhat like Rei's attack.
Ryuu took two more pieces of imp horns and placed them into his inventory. He heeded Rei's words and called it quits for today. As Ryuu walked back home, he thought about what happened today. They had learned a lot, but without Rei... things would have gotten sour really quickly. Thankfully, that's not how it ended today. Still, Ryuu couldn't take everything that lightly. There was a difference between being optimistic and foolishness. He remembered the numerous times that he missed hitting the imps. That sort of stuff could spell the end for anyone. It would probably be a good idea to learn some proper self defense, and how to fight properly. Perhaps he should visit a dojo or something like that sometime soon? He was always interested in lessons when he was younger... it was just that he didn't have the money to pay for any lessons since his parents sent just enough money for basic necessities. Ryuu kept that in the back of his mind as he continued on his way home.
Ryuu opened the door to his home and said "Tadaima." Only to be greeted by the familiar welcome of a ticking clock and the dark hallway of an empty house. Ryuu took off his shoes and flicked on the lights. He walked to his room and loaded his computer. It was time to check out this auction site that Rei mentioned. A rusty piece of pipe wouldn't cut it anymore. Ryuu needed something more appropriate. After all, the group had only fought imps so far. Who knew what other monsters and creatures existed in these pseudo spaces. Thus, Ryuu waited for his computer to load in his silent room, accompanied by the faint sound of his computer's fans spinning.
Selina would go home, creating an empty ID probably in her backyard or something along those lines so that she could test out her new Skill. Like Rei's Mana Fist, it was probable that one would gather Mana around their hand, which could probably be done with Mana Gather. So she would use the Skill, and try and focus on gathering the Mana around her hand somewhat, like a layer of it or something.
Mana Gather Experiment: 74 - 11 Focus = 63
Unfortunately, Selina couldn't really get it. She managed to gather the Mana around her hand somewhat, but making it work into a fist power up was just beyond her grasp. It was a valiant attempt that used 50% of her Mana. Of course, one good thing did come from her valiant attempt. The Skill leveled up at least. She could try again, or give it a rest for today.
When you first enter the site you are given a black screen which has either a login button or a button to register and make your own account as it is the only way to use the site. You are also told to put in how experienced you are in the Abyss and whether or not you are a Natural Ability User. It mentions that this info is kept private from other users and is only used to help you find purchases meant for your Rank and purchasing power. Whether you lie or not on this is up to you. Of course, you are also given a terms of agreement and all of that other stuff. If you take the time to read through it the basics of it are things like agreeing to let the auction know and store information on all of your purchases, agreeing not to attempt to break through loopholes in the Interference Law, and a few various other technicalities like not using the auction to troll or be mean to people on the site.
Of course, one final thing you are asked is if anyone referred you to the site and, if so, did they give you a Registration Code. This is where you would put Rei's name and then the code that Rei gave to the Gamers.
Once you register the place you are taken to is quite different from expected. Its all flashy and colorful like the website for an MMO's game store including with a big box that cycles through some very expensive, rare, and featured items. These items are way out of your price range for now, costing either hundreds of thousands or even millions of Yen. Even items that range in the billions of Yen are featured on the front page. Its quite incredible how expensive some of the stuff is. While the home page is filled with links to high reputation sellers, special and rare items (these being pictures you click on) and other such things that you would find on a very flashy game store site the left side is filled with various tabs. When you click on one it gives you some sub tabs. Clicking on one of those gives you a list of items with pictures and prices, all automatically sorted by price and even given a rank.
For Lucian, the Weapons tab would be his first stop. Since they needed new weapons to replace their old, crappy ones. Ones that would hopefully be alot better than the ones they have now.
Upon opening this tab you see many different tabs that show many different kinds of weapons. Some were more common weapons, others were more exotic like Scimitars, Kukri's, or even The purchases from Rank F were all just common weapons ranging in price from 7,500 Yen to 30,000 Yen, the ones of a higher price possibly being better quality or craftsmanship, a few of the F Ranks also being either higher or lower than that range, the highest being 50,000 Yen though. The E Ranked Weapons were a bit more expensive and looked alot nicer, but they ranged from 60,000 Yen to 100,000 Yen. There were also guns within the E Ranks, the range of their price being 15,000 Yen to 100,000 Yen as there were all types of guns that looked about like average firearms from their pictures, but a few looked nicer here and there or stated that they had a few unique customization in their listing.
There also seemed to be one time use weapons like smoke bombs, regular bombs, and other such things as well and of course ammunition for bows, crossbows, and guns alike. There were even implements here for magic users, non-enchanted of course, but things like staves or other such kinds of weapon style implements. Even some of the guns that were a bit higher than E Rank, being around D Rank, were said to be Magic Guns, but those were also very expensive.
Lucian would be looking for possibly something specific though. Perhaps something a bit cheaper. This would take a while, since there seemed to be tons of different options to go through.
Weapons Search: 93 - 2 LUK = 91
Unfortunately Lucian wouldn't really have any luck finding anything special no matter how long he looked, so if he wanted a weapon now he would have to settle on whatever fist piqued his interest and was within his price range, which right now was 15,000 Yen plus however much the Imp Horns would sell for.
Armor would come next, there actually being a tab for it. There even seems to be a tab for Armor. Rank F shows mostly just basic armors ranging from 10,000 Yen to 40,000 Yen for things like Leather, Iron, crude steel, chain mail, or other such basic armors of somewhat average quality. Rank E shows either nicer looking armors or more protective and harder to make types of armor ranging in price from 45,000 Yen to 100,000 Yen. Of course, normally it would be strange to wear armor in battle, but from when you all saw Ren change clothes in a single instant after opening his inventory it is safe to say that you can just use the inventory to instantly put armor on when you need it and instantly take it off when you don't.
Armor Search: 22 - 2 LUK = 20
Lucian's search, which took about an hour if he was willing to search for that long, actually turned out alot better than his search for weapons did. He found someone who was selling a suit of lighter chainmail, this being the more specific listing for this.
Listing Posted By: BigWarrior1010
I recently acquired some chainmail, which is pretty light and sturdy, but not sturdy enough for my taste. Its strong enough to stop most regular weapons and attacks, like knives or swords, so should be perfect for most beginners. I need some cash and thus am selling this for somewhat cheap since no one seems to be interested in chainmail meant for normal people.
(A picture of the chainmail would be posted here. It looked pretty well made, pretty polished, and overall just a well taken care of piece of equipment.)
Lucian typed away, by the looks of the site, it would take him a while to get used to navigating around, and he would be spending a few hours simply browsing before making the final decision to purchase some things. He cracked his knuckles, turned on some classic video game original soundtrack, and got to work. His search for a weapon...well...it didn't pay out to well, and if anything, it was a tad annoying, "I swear, this one posted the exact same thing five times, with different prices each time, is he an idiot or something?" Lucian typed and clicked away, he would leave the weapons section for the time being, finding nothing special. He then clicked on the books, but upon seeing their prices, closed it without further adu. Nope, even 20 000 is out of my price range, lets see what else I can find...armour, yeah, I like not being hit hard, so let me find one that is...on sale? Lighter Chainmail... Well, Chainmail is usually a good start, it isn't too heavy, so it doesn't impede speed too much, and it still gives a good range of motion... He sat back, arms crossed as he weighed the pro's and con's of the purchase. They say a good offence is the best defence, but with the junk I saw for my price range, this is certainly a better deal... He looked over to his clock, as if knowing how much time had gone by would aid in his making a decision. It did, as he noticed how much time had gone by, and how he still wanted to practice his new skill before calling it a day. He nodded, I'll just hope the horns sell for enough, and I'll get this armour before anyone else does, and I'll maybe buy a cheap knife or two, if I can get any dirt cheap things, they would be better than using up all of my kitchen knives any ways...if his wallet allowed it. He let out a sigh, and tried to complete his purchase.
Lucian decided now to see if he could find some cheaper knives of some sort. With a more specific search, it wouldn't take as much time as just looking through the listings for good weapons.
Knife Search: 31 - 2 LUK = 29
In this regard, he was a bit luckier. A decent looking listing appeared, one that was somewhat in his price range depending upon how much the horns would sell for.
Posted By: AssassinXI
Two light, sturdy combat knives great for beginners. These basic six inch combat knives are great for both slashing and stabbing your opponents in a quicker fashion. Selling two knives at once, great for either a dual wielder or someone who wants to just have one knife and a spare for emergencies.
A Picture of two combat knives were here. The grip itself was black, its blade pretty long and sharp. They looked pretty light and sturdy and would definitely be good for faster, quicker fighting, essentially for throwing alot of attacks.
Price: 10,000 ¥
There was an extra charge for fast delivery as he completed his purchase. However; since it was his purchase due to the code he used, his first fast delivery was free of charge. Once he clicked complete on his purchase, pressing the check box for having something to sell with his purchase, it would now be time to do whatever. After all, most delivery companies had to take a couple days delivering their purchases.
About two seconds after he completed his purchase though, he would hear a knock on his door (if there are no windows nearby) or outside of the nearest window he would hear a tiny tapping (or if he went to open the door for the no nearby windows option) and see... something.
A robotic voice would suddenly come from the UFO, it stating the following.
"The total price of your purchase comes to 20,000 Yen. Please deposit cash and/or small items for selling in the top opening. If the Items you are selling are larger, then please present them to this delivery unit". As it spoke, the white part on the top seemed to open up. Of course, he could aldo try to take the box and not pay, since it was a drone of some kind, but that probably was not a good idea.
It would be wise to present the horns first, which could fit in the top hole pretty easily since they were pretty small. When he did so, the dome closed and the UFO had several blinking lights running along it light up as it beeped for several moments. The dome opened back up after that. "Items total value calculated to be 7500 Yen. Please deposit 12,500 Yen. You also have a 25% discount, would you like to use it?"
Lucian would be able to pay and still have 7,500 Yen left over, meaning he could save his discount for a more pricey purchase. If he chose to use the discount, then he would only have to pay 7,500 Yen. If he chose to save it, then he would pay 12,500 Yen. A 5,000 Yen savings wasn't really all that much considering how pricey some things were that were still Rank F and E. So saving the discount for later would probably be best.
Once he had paid the appropriate amount, which he would be able to do discount or not, he would be instructed to take the box and after that the UFO left. Inside of the box was indeed the suit of chainmail wrapped neatly up in cloth and the knives in a smaller box, a belt sheath that he could wear that had a sheath on each side of it, one for each knife. There was one more item inside of the box though and a note attached.
Dear Mr. Lucian Bonhert a.k.a. "The Gamer".
Thank you for making your fist purchase with the Abyss Auction. We are grateful that you have decided to use our services and hope that you continue to do so. Inside of this box is your new Membership Card, currently your card holding 200 Points, plus an additional 1,000 for making your first purchase as a special customer. Acquiring 10,000 Points will allow you to level up your membership and open up more rewards for you. This card can also be used as a debit card so that you do not need to perform cash transactions in the future. We have also prepared a little extra gift for you that we believe will aid you and hope that you will make good use of it.
The potion inside is a more rare version of healing elixirs, this one capable of instantly healing your wounds. I believe an apt term would be a 'Recovery Potion'. The ring has a very minute protection enchantment placed upon it. It should help protect you from a small bit of damage. While these gifts are indeed much more expensive than your purchase, they are simply gifts as we at the auction seek to aid and help our customers. With this explained, I hope that the rest of your endeavors go smoothly and that you'll continue to utilize the Abyss Auction to acquire whatever you need.
Sincerely,
Gin, Abyss Auction Dealer
'Gin' was the code that Rei had given the Gamers to use for a discount, so perhaps this 'Gin' fellow was indeed an actual person. Someone who somehow knew that Lucian was a Gamer. It was a bit strange how they would know this, considering that Lucian had never met with this 'Gin' person or anyone else from the Abyss Auction before. Still, he had his sword and an extra gift.
In the small extra box was a vial of red liquid that looked like some kind of health potion. It was most likely some sort of health potion perhaps, which would be heavily useful if that was indeed what it was. There was no way of telling, but also it was highly unlikely that they would send Lucian poison in such a blatant manner if they were the type of super powerful organization who knew a good bit about him already.
The other item in the small box was a ring. It was a simple brass ring with a small rune etched into it. This possibly could be some type of magic ring. According to the note though both the potion and ring were explained. Of course, the note could be lying, but there didn't really seem to be any need or reason for whoever wrote this note to do so. In reality though, it was up to Lucian whether or not he wanted to trust the note.
Ryuu spent a few hours looking through the listings on the Auction site. What he saw amazed and disturbed him at the same time. He saw exotic weapons like kukris, to mentions of magical items, but the most shocking was slaves. These seemed to be people born with Natural Abilities, but are not strong enough to fend for themselves... or at least not strong enough to fend off slavers. That page made him sick, so Ryuu clicked away. There wasn't anything he could do for any of them at the moment. Ryuu eventually found an area of the site where he thought he would be able to find a decent weapon around his price range. After a few hours of price checking and research, he thought that a listing for a bronze long sword was reasonable. It was a bit cheaper than most similar listings and it looked like decent quality.
Ryuu went through the purchasing process, and he was prompted to pick a delivery speed. He picked the quick one since he had some money left over and the imp horns. For today, he would save the discount for when he wanted to make a big purchase. Thus, Ryuu finished the order.
[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
After the defeat of the imps and Rei's brief explanation, Caleb also chose to turn in for the day with his imp horns deftly tucked away in his inventory. At home, his flatmates were still out, probably doing this and that. So, the teen chose to settled down at his desk with a juice box and boot up the auction site Rei had mentioned. He typed away idly through the registration process, finishing with the referral to Rei.
The site seemed pretty complex, but Caleb felt at home with the MMO fashioned format. "First thing is probably a weapon, huh?" he thought aloud. Opening up his stats and talents, the teen began to assess them. He had chosen to opt for a tanky survivability on a bit of a whim and knew that he would probably continue the trend of investing in his vitality, so at least for the moment, armor didn't seem to be a dire concern. Well, at least he hoped not. Caleb thought along the lines that investing in his HP sub stat would probably give him enough survivability until he could invest in some high grade armor. As for weapon choices, he found himself a bit stumped. His strength and dexterity seemed okay and his talent in melee weaponry made him lean towards such. But specifications got in the way past that - one handed, two handed, weight, composition - the list was endless. Caleb rubbed his head, thinking back to the imps. So far, imps were the only type of monster he had come in contact with, with their power in numbers, sharp claws, puny height... "Maybe a spear or a lance?" he pondered suddenly. It was a melee weapon with a decent reach and some varying crowd control abilities. Or at least, he certainly believed that it would give him an advantage in fighting the smaller bodied imps. With a new focus, Caleb began to type away at his query for some lances or spears.
[/Fieldbox]
The Bronze Longsword it was. Not a bad choice of weapon for 10,000 Yen. Once Ryuu had entered in the necessary info, including asking whether or not he had anything to sell, it was probably time for bed. He would need to get a full night's sleep in a proper bed to get the full healing benefits of the Gamer Power, which would relieve him of his Mana Backlash ailment. Once his purchase was complete, he would most likely have to wait for it to get here, so bedtime would be imminent.
Not even more than five seconds had passed before suddenly a small tapping could be heard coming from the window closest to Ryuu. Just as what happened with Lucian, a UFO with more of an elongated box was floating there. If he were to open his window, it would speak to him in a robotic voice as the top, white part of it opened up.
"The total price of your purchase comes to 10,000 Yen. Please deposit cash and/or small items for selling in the top opening. If the Items you are selling are larger, then please present them to this delivery unit".
It was a very business like statement in a robotic voice, as if it was an automated message designed to play. Still, there was one thing about this. This thing got here in a matter of seconds. Not a matter of days or even a week or so like most normal shipping companies would take. No, seconds.
When Ryuu deposited the three Imp Horns, the machine's top would close and the lights along its rim would flash a bit as it beeped a few times. Once that was done, the top opened up once again.
"Items total value calculated to be 7500 Yen. Please deposit 2,500 Yen to complete the transaction. You also have a 25% discount, would you like to use it?"
Ryuu would easily be able to pay that amount. Once the cash was deposited into the machine, he would be able to take his package no problem and was actually instructed to do so. After that the machine left, leaving Ryuu alone with his package.
In the long box was indeed the bronze longsword he ordered sheathed in a leather sheath that was meant to be strapped upon the back. The sheath was pretty sturdy and made to fit the sword. The blade didn't feel too bad in his hand. With his sword though was another small box.
Dear Shiba Ryuunosuke-san a.k.a. "The Gamer".
Thank you for making your fist purchase with the Abyss Auction. We are grateful that you have decided to use our services and hope that you continue to do so. Inside of this box is your new Membership Card, currently your card holding 200 Points, plus an additional 1,000 for making your first purchase as a special customer. Acquiring 10,000 Points will allow you to level up your membership and open up more rewards for you. This card can also be used as a debit card so that you do not need to perform cash transactions in the future. We have also prepared a little extra gift for you that we believe will aid you and hope that you will make good use of it.
The potion inside is a more rare version of healing elixirs, this one capable of instantly healing your wounds. I believe an apt term would be a 'Recovery Potion'. The ring has a very minute protection enchantment placed upon it. It should help protect you from a small bit of damage. While these gifts are indeed much more expensive than your purchase, they are simply gifts as we at the auction seek to aid and help our customers. With this explained, I hope that the rest of your endeavors go smoothly and that you'll continue to utilize the Abyss Auction to acquire whatever you need.
Sincerely,
Gin, Abyss Auction Dealer
'Gin' was the code that Rei had given the Gamers to use for a discount, so perhaps this 'Gin' fellow was indeed an actual person. Someone who somehow knew that Ryuu was a Gamer. It was a bit strange how they would know this, considering that Lucian had never met with this 'Gin' person or anyone else from the Abyss Auction before. Still, he had his sword and an extra gift.
In the small extra box was a vial of red liquid that looked like some kind of health potion. It was most likely some sort of health potion perhaps, which would be heavily useful if that was indeed what it was. There was no way of telling, but also it was highly unlikely that they would send Ryuu poison in such a blatant manner if they were the type of super powerful organization who knew a good bit about him already.
The other item in the small box was a ring. It was a simple brass ring with a small rune etched into it. This possibly could be some type of magic ring. According to the note though both the potion and ring were explained. Of course, the note could be lying, but there didn't really seem to be any need or reason for whoever wrote this note to do so. In reality though, it was up to Ryuu whether or not he wanted to trust the note.
Ryuu began setting up his 2nd equipment set. For now, it would be his new sword, his lasso, and the ring. Hopefully, the ring would actually be of use to him and provide some protection. After getting his 2nd set prepared, he switched back to his normal 1st set. It worked like magic. The 2nd set disappeared. It was pretty late at night, so there wasn't much more that he could do. After all, he was pretty tired by this point. But, before he fell asleep, Ryuu wanted to take a few minutes to take a good look at the items he received. He saw one of his talents called "Appraisal", so he hoped that it would work like the observation talent. He hoped to determine exactly how what each item was capable of doing. But, after his attempt, he would call it a night regardless of the success of his appraisal attempts.
As Selina attempted to create a spell like Rei's, she tried for a while to make it, but... It just wasn't working out. I can get two criticals in a row during combat, but I can't make a spell like Rei's?Selina sighed. I could try again, but I don't feel motivated to do that again. It wasted half my MP, which really sucks. I'll try again tomorrow.Selina pulled up her inventory and looked at the imp horns. It might be time to go and look for a weapon now. Actually, what kind of weapon should I be looking for? I could go for a dagger or... Maybe a whip? Hmm... Selina thought for a moment on this. Well... I'll just have to see what the Abyss Auction has to offer up. Selina tried to break the empty ID and headed inside her house. Selina walked up to her room and got on her desktop and entered the site for the Abyss Auction. And with that, she began her search for a weapon of some kind.
There was really nothing to attempt. Ryuu had no idea how or way to test or identify what the ring or potion did, meaning that there was no way to appraise them. With that in mind, the only other direction was bed.
Caleb, in the meantime, was searching for a spear or lance that would give him some good reach.
Spear Search: 13 - 5 LUK = 8
It would take a while, alot of different listings and options to cycle through, but eventually he would come across a pretty good listing.
Listing Posted By: SmithySmith
An Iron Spear with an Iron Shaft. It was easy for me to make so I am selling it cheap. The head of the spear is sharp, packing some decent thrusting power while its iron haft, while making the spear heavier, makes it better for parrying with and makes it so that it will never easily be broken by anything.
Now Selina, who registered, was searching through the Abyss Auction as well.
Selina's Weapon Search: 9 - 4 LUK = 5
Selina, who may not have been lucky to make a new Skill did find something pretty nice. A weapon that actually would possibly be up her ally in both price and ability, something that was still light, yet still somewhat strong looking.
Listing Posted By: SmithySmith
I have been practicing with a new smithing technique to more easily make iron weapons and this was pretty easy for me to make, so I am selling it for a good price. This rapier was made so that even a beginner with not much physical strength could still wield it, so it is light, swift, and good for slashing and thrusting. Its blade is still pretty strong as well.
As Selina was looking for a weapon, she looked for quite a while. Ugh... This is so damn boring. And why are things so ridiculously overpriced?And right as that thought ended, Selina had nearly decided to quit looking. Then, she found a weapon that suited her perfectly. And it wasn't too ridiculously overpriced. A rapier listing by some person named SmithySmith. This is perfect! It's still extremely overpriced, but... I guess I'd much rather settle for that than some crappy kitchen knife that barely provides any damage. I'd much rather have a proper weapon. Plus, I'll look great with a rapier! As Selina decided to buy the item, it asked her if she wanted express delivery, which was free the first time she used it. Selina simply clicked 'Yes' and waited. She had the intention to use the imp horns to partially pay for her item, then use the cash she had to pay for the rest. Selina smiled as she waited.
'Express' was an understatement. Normally express delivery for shipping companies was just one to two days. Necessarily no reason to wait around. Not but seconds after she finalized her purchase, she would see something outside of her window. More accurately a floating UFO with an elongated box strapped to its underside.
As what happened with Lucian and Ryuu, the UFO would tell her the price, open up its top, and ask her to either deposit the money or deposit/present what she wanted to sell. Once she did so, the three Imp horns totaled 7,500 Yen, so in the end she only had to pay 5,000 Yen, which was a good price. Now she had the rapier and the same extra gift that Lucian and Ryuu got, with a note addressed to her being the same one Lucian and Ryuu got.
Somehow this 'Abyss Auction' already knew who they were and the fact that she was a Gamer. That was pretty frightening one could suppose. How did they find out? It was hard to say. Still, she did get an extra gift. A Potion and a strange brass ring. Things that could possibly be useful.
After that bit of shopping though there was really no time left in the day for anything else, so going to bed would be her best option.
[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
Lances and spears, it appeared, were quite pricey. As Caleb browsed, many of the equipment were obviously well out of his fund range. Granted, there were also the imp horns he had, but he was frankly unsure of how much they would add up to. Still, as fate or whatever would have it, he found a nice listing. 'It certainly looks well made,' he mused. 'And if the claim over it's claim over it's sturdiness is true, then I'll probably be able to use it for a while before I have to replace it. I also doubt that my skill level would oust its capability.' With his contemplations out to the wind, he chose to buy it with the thought that the imp horns would cover the extra about that he didn't already have.
Or at least he hoped it did...
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For Lucian, Ryuu, and Selina it was school time. Ryuu and Selina would actually be able to meet each other at school if they wanted to. They could possibly also meet Rei if they wanted to, but that was if they really wanted to.
Ryuu Classes: 68 - 12 Knowledge = 55
Selina Classes: 95 - 15 Knowledge = 80
Lucian Classes: 51 - 16 Knowledge = 35
Ryuunosuke did alright that day, but Selina not so much. She didn't too terribly, but she didn't really make any advances in her studies either. Lucian did pretty well. Not great, but pretty well in its own right.
Caleb's Job: 58 - 10 Crafting = 48
Caleb did decent at work today for the four hours he decided to work, making four hours worth of salary that day. In reality, with how much the Imp claws were worth though, if the Big Imp wasn't such a daunting issue it could possibly be more lucrative to just grind those claws and sell them.
Regardless, it was time for grinding. Caleb, Selina, and Lucian would all meet up to grind some Imps. With the three of them, they could all grind Imps three times since the Pseudospaces took a long time to cool down. Then more grinding again once the cooldown ended. Of course, with the fact that monster IDs had a three hour cooldown they could probably only do about two sets of grinding for now.
The first sets of three battles were a little tough, but with their new weapons the 19 Imps that they fought together were soon vanquished. Of course, a bit of damage was indeed taken, so rest was required between battles to heal up HP and possibly a bit of fatigue. In total they managed to pick up 13 Claws, but also one of the Imps seemed to drop something else.
It appeared to be some kind of scroll. Unfortunately none of the Gamers had any means of identifying what it was or what it did, and unfurling it revealed text they couldn't read that surrounded a magic circle that was in the center of the scroll. It was clear that this was some kind of magic scroll, but with no way to identify it it would be best to just hang on to it for now. Rei seemed to know some magic, so perhaps he could figure out what it did.
Fortunately no Big Imps appeared, which was good since they had killed 19 Imps, gaining 19 EXP. Enough to be just one point away from Leveling up actually. So with that in mind, they would have enough time in the day left to grind probably one more set of three taking the cooldown of the ID create Skill for monster based IDs into consideration.
On two of three battles they did pretty good, but the second of the three was a bit tricky. In total 22 Imps were fought. A total of 41 having been fought today. Luckily though no Big Imps appeared yet, the group being rather fortunate in that regard. Fifteen Claws were dropped this time, along with another of those Scrolls. It was the same as before, the group unable to identify it. Rei could have somewhat of a chance to identify it, although of the three Gamers there, only Selina would be able to meet with Rei more easily since she went to Rei's school.
As for experience, the group not only gained enough EXP to Level up twice during that fight, since they were so close before, but they also gained some special Skills after the fights were over. They were Skills that were 'Weapon Proficiency' skills for their weapons, making them better with them. It was quite handy (for filler day posts that deal with multiple characters, check front page CSs for gained Skills).
Ryuu, in the meantime, was exploring the city, looking for a kendo dojo of some kind to go to.
Exploration: 1 - 6 LUK = -5
It was a bit out of the way, more on the outskirts of the city, but he managed to find a dojo, the dojo for a sword style called Tamashii no Ryu (Rough Translation: Style of the Soul). Unfortunately the dojo was closed for the day according to a sign, the sign also offering sincerest apologies. He at least knew where it was though and could hopefully come back when it opened again in three days, the sign stating that they would be closed for the next three days. At least he found it though.
Ryuu, once he got home after exploring the city, would try once again to create a Pseudospace, meditating and attempting to connect with his energy as well.
Connect with Energy: 97 (Fumble)
Apparently he really just sucked at this Mana thing, as once again he suffered the same painful Mana Backlash. With nothing else he could do for the night after that, he would have to go to bed.
Selina in the meantime would try to duplicate Rei's special Skill.
Duplicate Skill (Attempt 1): 71 - 12 Focus = 59
Duplicate Skill (Attempt 2): 43 - 12 Focus = 31
The first attempt was not so successful once again, taking up half her Mana. The second attempt, on the other hand, was a bit more successful. The Mana was now wrapped around her fist as she gathered it there from within and without, it being a bit more maintained now.
A Skill has been created through a Special Action. By attempting to gather Mana around your fist and succeeding in doing so the ability to better do so, Mana Fist, has been created.
Mana Fist (Lv 1: 0%) (Active: 12 MP)
You gather Mana from within and without, wrapping it around your hand to augment your next physical strike. When you use this Skill you add an amount of Mana Damage to your next Unarmed Strike equal to 25% of your Focus Score. This will last for 10 Seconds or until you strike. You can use this Skill and strike at the same time, but this decreases the accuracy of your strike by 25. To Level: Use, Use and Strike, Hit a Foe, Defeat a Foe, Score a Critical Strike.
Caleb in the meantime practiced using his Mana Sphere Skill to possibly level it up a bit.
Mana Sphere Practice: 22 - 9 Thrown Weaponry = 13
He did pretty well with it, managing some pretty skillful throws using Mana Sphere. As such, by the time he was done, it Leveled up three times, which was pretty good.
Lucian was also practicing, with Mana Flow.
Mana Flow Practice: 57 - 13 Focus = 44
He did pretty good, gaining a single level with his Mana Flow Skill.
With this, the day was complete and it would be time for all of the Gamers to go to bed.
Now it was the second day of grinding. If Selina actually did indeed try and meet Rei at school, she would discover that Rei was not there today. Still, for now it was Classes for everyone, Selina having PE today actually.
Ryuu Classes: 27 - 12 Knowledge = 15
Ryuunosuke did actually pretty good in classes today. With how he did yesterday, he seemed to piece together the knowledge from the two days. As he did so, advancing a small step in his studies of the current material, he would actually receive a notification that his Knowledge had gone up by 1. Which was indeed nice, something to make up for the not so great day he had yesterday.
Lucian Classes: 30 - 17 Knowledge = 13
Lucian had the same thing. He did pretty well in both classes, having a quiz today as well which he did well upon. Doing well in his classes on both days seemed to actually have an affect, receiving a window that his Knowledge and Intelligence had been boosted by 1.
Selina Swimming: 4 - 10 VIT = -6
For Selina, swimming was the main attraction of her day. She may not have did too well in her classes yesterday, but with how she did in PE today that easily made up for it. With her newly enhanced VIT, she was making some decent strides in her swimming. Granted not by much bigger since it was just two points higher than before, but it was still something. In fact, she had such a great workout today while swimming, doing better than even the couple of swim team members that were there, that she actually got a notification that her VIT had gone up through the intense, vigorous exercise that was swimming.
In the meantime, Caleb was having some practice of his own. More accurately, practicing with his Spear. With the Skill he got yesterday, practice would be a good way to level it up.
Spear Practice Endurance: 5 - 9 VIT = -4
Spear Practice: 0 (Critical)
Caleb was able to keep a good pace throughout the morning, practicing various forms of thrusting with his spear and various techniques. He made great leaps and strides in learning how to wield his spear that was a bit too heavy for him to wield at the moment. It had some decent stats, but he was 4 Strength off from wielding it when he first got it (whether or not, after Day 1, you fixed this is up to you, but it doesn't impact you right now due to the Critical).
After his practice, he not only managed to Level the Skill all the way to Level 5, but he also got a notification that, due to his impressive Melee display and making great strides in wielding this weapon he got a +1 to his Melee Weaponry.
For this Grinding Session it was only three Gamers once again, only this time Lucian was replaced with Ryuu. Unfortunately since Ryuu didn't have ID Create yet, they could only do two sets at a time instead of three. The first one they did really well. The second one, not so much. They still fought a total of 16 Imps. 12 Claws were dropped, as another of those Scrolls from before. Again though, none of them knew how to identify said Scroll though, so they would need to find someone who could.
Unfortunately they didn't do too well with the next two sets either. Granted they were able to win, they just didn't really do that well. Taking damage did have the benefit of leveling the Physical Endurance Skill, but still. Well with the second set 15 in total were fought, but five of them did manage to get away. Nine Claws were dropped though, as was another of the Scrolls. After that though, the Gamers would all go back home.
Lucian, in the meantime, during the day would have been practicing with Mana Flow.
Enduring Practice: 46 - 7 VIT = 39
Mana Flow: 31 - 13 Focus = 18
Lucian did pretty well with Mana Flow today. Granted he had to take a couple breaks whether it was for regenerating Mana or resting to restore his stamina, since it was quite tiring. Regardless, he did make good progress, managing to level the Skill three more times actually given the progress he already had towards Level 3 from the night before. It was a pretty slow leveling Skill, but it was that extra bit of effort and well done focusing that gave him that extra third level, the Skill now being Level 5.
As night rolled around, Lucian decided to experiment with Mana Flow to try and create a Skill of some kind.
Mana Flow Experimentation: 99 (Fumble)
Unfortunately though he seemed to have the same ill fated luck with his Mana that Ryuu had this night, that pain like something swelling then bursting appearing inside as he also contracted Mana Backlash. With that in mind, there would be no chance for experimentation and thus he would have to go to bed for now.
Caleb was catching up on his Crafting, attempting to try and experiment with the Skill.
Crafting Experimentation: 48 - 10 Crafting = 38
He was able to do pretty well. He managed how to figure out how to craft two different things and do so successfully, unlocking him two new Crafting Recipes (If you want, one of these can be Smoke Bombs, which you failed at before. Also choose two basic items you want to learn how to craft, you know how to craft them now). Furthermore, with the decently well work he did yesterday plus today's achievements, he suddenly received a notification that his Crafting Talent had gone up by 1.
Selina, instead of practicing, decided to study and do her homework so that she would do better in class tomorrow.
Studying: 34 - 15 Knowledge = 19
She did pretty well in her studies, well enough so that she would pretty much be completely prepared for class tomorrow. This was definitely a good way to make up for not doing well the day before.
As for Ryuu, he attempted to once again connect with his Energy and try to make a Pseudospace.
Connect with Energy: 25 - 11 Focus = 14
Connecting with Gaia: 65 - 11 Focus = 54
He was able to do much, much better this time, connecting with his energy pretty well. He even got a new Skill based upon how his thoughts were as he was meditating to connect with his energy. Furthermore, he was able to connect with Gaia as well and learn how to create and then after that learn how to break Pseudospaces, giving him the ID Create and ID Escape Skills.
With that, the second day of peaceful grinding was concluded.
