Chapter 123: Secret Store
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Secret Store
[ This is the Item Shop. Please purchase the items you need. ]
[ Verifying the points of Blood Dagger, Intermediate Gladiator of the High Demon race. ]
[ 705,000 points have been credited to Blood Dagger. ]
“Whoa…”
Honestly, I couldn’t help but be surprised. I hadn’t entered the shop in a while, so I expected some points to have accumulated, but this was an enormous amount. It was hard to believe I had earned this many. The species evolution to a Low Demon cost 400,000 points, and the one for an Ogre was 500,000, so this amount seemed somewhat reasonable for a High Demon like myself.
As I was smiling faintly in satisfaction, the goblin I’d always seen began to speak to me.
“Hurry up and choose. I’m a busy guy, friend.”
He looked as despicable as ever. The way he was tossing a coin somehow reminded me of the Green Goblin.
“You’ve saved up a lot of points. Feel free to take your time, friend.”
I’d suspected it, but it seemed this guy became a little kinder if you had a decent amount of points. For me, who had only ever heard him repeat the same lines, it was quite a surprising discovery. He probably wouldn’t answer if I asked, but it was an undeniable fact that his voice had become a notch softer.
For now, I approached the goblin and slowly opened the shop. I wanted to see if there was anything I needed before opening the Secret Store. Information about the items quickly surfaced in my mind.
[ Weapon Shop ]
[ Cheap Greatsword - 10 points ]
.
.
[ Fire Bat - 3000 points ]
.
.
.
.
[ Blood-soaked Axe of Orcish Honor - 15,000 points ]
The weapons I had once coveted now all looked like trash. With a whopping 700,000 points, I thought I might be able to find a weapon on par with the Ancient Flame or the Voice of Curse.
I also checked the Species Evolution and Unique Ability sections, but I was satisfied with both Weapon Switch and my High Demon form. Wondering if there was anything I hadn't checked yet, I slowly sifted through my thoughts, and soon, an interesting section appeared.
[ Equipment Smithing and Enhancement ]
[ Create new items using materials obtained on the continent or enhance items you currently possess. ]
The moment I thought of it, a small smithy began to materialize next to the goblin. This was, in essence, a place to upgrade equipment. I had looked for it wondering if I could use the bones and hides from the demonic beasts of the East, and it seemed even better than I’d thought.
[ Ancient Flame - Enhancement Impossible ]
[ Voice of Curse - Enhancement Impossible ]
[ Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword - Possible - 10,000 points ]
[ Giant's Mighty Axe - Possible - 20,000 points ]
I currently had four weapons in total. The ones I used most often were the Ancient Flame and the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword, but I had recently been feeling the limits of the greatsword. I was using it because of its advantage of not losing durability, but as I felt the difference in quality compared to my other weapons, I couldn't help but feel the need to enhance it.
I considered whether it would be better to just buy a new greatsword here and looked around a bit more, but it was hard to find one as efficient as my current one. Perhaps because it was a Tutorial limited edition, its performance was excellent. The fact that its durability didn't decrease was also a huge merit. It seemed I would have to open the Secret Store to find a greatsword that surpassed this one.
As if reading my mind, the goblin immediately spoke up.
“Want to try opening the Secret Store?”
I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn't just hoard points forever, so I decided to open it. There was a chance a similar opportunity might come again, and since I didn't know what items were inside, it didn't seem like a bad idea to go in with the mindset of just browsing.
“Yes.”
“Don’t regret it, friend.”
As he spoke, a warehouse on one side of the item shop I was looking at suddenly opened, and items began to appear.
[ As a reward for the quest - Collect Weapons, you have discovered the hidden weapons of the Item Shop. ]
When I turned my head, I could immediately see the information on the items… The lowest-tier item seemed to be on the level of the Ancient Flame.
“The items in the Secret Store are original items with limited quantities.”
For some reason, the goblin seemed much more talkative today. I ignored him and began to slowly look around. There weren't a tremendous number of items. Including accessories that weren't classified as weapons, there were about 100 types of items in total. Original items, like the Ancient Flame. My heart couldn't help but pound. This meant I could encounter items on the same level as the holy sword possessed by the Sword Saint.
The problem was… there were also items with absurdly high prices. I started by examining a spear right in front of me. It had an incredibly imposing appearance. But the reason it caught my eye was that it felt like I had seen it somewhere before.
[ Cold Queen's Breath ]
[ A spear cooled by the breath of the primordial giant, the Cold Queen. It is not known exactly who made it or when. Some say it flowed in from the outside, while others say it has existed for a very long time. No one who is not recognized as its master can touch this spear. It can emit a harsh frost in proportion to the user's magic power. It will never break. ]
[ Magic Power +10, Agility +7 ]
[ 5,000,000 points ]
Anyone could see it was a masterpiece. It was truly an item that anyone would call a masterpiece. The price was five million points. The functions were one thing, but the description that it would never break and the +10 to Magic Power were nothing short of overpowered. If the attribute were different, it would be a perfect upgrade to my Ancient Flame. I looked at it once more.
Only then did I realize why it looked so familiar.
It was her weapon. None other than the spear the Queen of the North was said to always carry. A blue frost was constantly emanating from the blade, and at the end of the shaft, a figure resembling a goddess was engraved. It was exactly as I had seen in descriptions and drawings.
I had thought that human items and the items in the Green Skin shop didn't overlap, but it seemed that wasn't always the case. I didn't know when the Queen of the North obtained this weapon, but I couldn't help but be astonished. Not only did she open the Secret Store, but she also managed to gather five million points and finally succeed in obtaining it.
Without realizing it, I reached my hand toward it. But for some reason, I couldn't grasp it. It wasn't a repulsive force strong enough to shatter my body, but a wave of cold air continuously pushed me back.
“Damn it…”
It was only natural that a curse escaped my lips in this incomprehensible situation where not only talent, but even items discriminated against people. Since my primary weapon was a sword, I wasn't interested in it anyway, but I started to feel a bitter taste in my mouth for no reason.
This meant that the method of stealing her weapon when I fought the Queen of the North was now blocked. The same went for the holy sword possessed by Sword Saint Ha Yuri. I had already thought that Weapon Switch wouldn't be very useful against a holy sword that could be freely summoned and unsummoned.
As I looked around again with a bitter expression, a hammer also caught my eye. The grip felt exceptionally good.
[ Hammer of the Gods ]
[ A hammer used by a continental hero who inherited the power of five giants. It is unknown how it came to be here, but it wandered for a long time while retaining the hero's power, and as a result, the hammer's functions also became deified. In addition to Forest, Volcano, Wind, and Wave, it also possesses additional sealed attributes. ]
[ Strength +30 ]
[ 10,000,000 points ]
I felt glad I had come in to look first. Of course, it was a shame, but ten million points was an absurd amount. For someone like me who needed to keep growing, letting ten million points sit idle would be foolish. I decided to buy the items I needed right now and store the ones I could aim for later in my memory.
I felt a sense of urgency, but it was fine to acquire items after I had achieved satisfactory growth. I figured a quest to open the Secret Store again would probably appear by then.
Besides that, there were several other weapons worth committing to memory. As I turned my head toward what was drawing my gaze, the most impressive weapon was, by far, a greatsword. It was slightly larger than my Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword. It wasn't just its size that captured my attention. It exuded a strange aura. It felt like it was pulling me in.
[ Sealed Greatsword ]
[ A greatsword created to seal someone. It was forged with the flames of hell and a blessed hammer. It can summon large chains. These chains, which react to the user's magic power, can bind enemies or tear them apart. No one who is not recognized as its master can touch this greatsword. Increases resistance to dark attribute. ]
[ Magic Power +6, Vitality +6, Strength +6 ]
[ 5,000,000 points ]
A jet-black greatsword. The price wasn't bad either. It was the same as the spear the Queen of the North possessed. I started to reach for it, then stopped. I felt that I was still lacking for it.
Wuuuuung.
As if in response to my resolve, the body of the sword vibrated with a hum. I didn't know when it would be, but I would definitely have it. I made that vow and started walking again.
Just as there were expensive items, there were also suitable ones I could afford. They were mostly concentrated among the other items rather than the weapons, but there was definitely something that suited me. It felt like I was taking a long time, but since I didn't know when I'd be back once I left today, I began to meticulously examine each and every item. In the end, I found two that I liked.
The first was this.
[ Orc Swordsman's Ring ]
[ A ring engraved with the vengeful spirit of a legendary Orc swordsman. Increases the probability of landing a critical hit. ]
[ Agility +2 ]
[ 500,000 points ]
It might not seem like much, but it was incredibly efficient for me to use right now. No, I even thought it might be more than just efficient. My unique ability, ‘Weapon Switch,’ increases the probability of landing a critical hit on the swing immediately after switching weapons.
If the probability from my unique ability and the probability from this ring stacked well, it wouldn't be 100%, but I thought a large portion of my attacks could register as critical hits. The +2 agility stat was by no means bad either, and at 500,000 points, the price was something to cheer about. I actually wanted to decide on this one, but the second item, a dagger, also had an incredibly appealing function.
[ Archmage Isaac's Throwing Dagger & Summoning Necklace ]
[ A dagger created by the Archmage Isaac out of boredom. It is a set made with a necklace, and it has the additional function of being able to be immediately recalled to one's hand after being thrown. ]
[ Magic Power +1 ]
[ 600,000 points ]
As someone who often used the tactic of throwing a dagger and switching to a greatsword, I couldn't help but be drawn to this weapon as well. If there were weapons around, I could certainly keep up a relentless assault, but if the situation was limited, I obviously couldn't use that strategy continuously. Using this weapon would not only make future battles much more convenient but could also be utilized in various ways.
I only had 700,000 points… I was 400,000 points short. I had no choice but to pick one of the two.