The Beginner's Store greeted us with its familiar sterile glow, interface humming as if it hadn't just been surrounded by death two days ago. Nicole and I stepped through quietly. We'd been here before. This time, we weren't browsing. We were hunting for answers.
"Leaderboard first," Nicole muttered, already moving to the console. "Let's see if the ranking has changed."
The interface responded to her touch, and the ranking screen flickered to life.
[Regional Rankings – Top 5]
1. Marcus Veil – Level 8
2. Jasmine West – Level 8
3. Nadia Hightower – Level 7
4. Logan Greene – Level 7
5. Sloan Reese – Level 6
I stared at the list. So, Marcus was ahead of me in placement, but I wonder why, considering we are at the same level.
Nicole frowned. "You're tied in level, but he's ranked first. He is probably closer to level 9 than you."
"I'll catch up soon," I said.
We went back to the main menu, and we could see how much currency we had.
Currency Available
Bronze: 257
Silver: 41
Gold: 0
"Let's look at the skills first," I said.
Nicole nodded, already moving toward the tab, and the screen changed to display the available skills. Dozens of titles hovered midair, and we skimmed to find any skills that do mental attacks and/or defenses.
But two stood out. A cold blue aura wrapped around it, each letter etched in sharp, crystalline edges.
The only skill that the store had for mental attacks was Suggestion.
[Skill Book: Suggestion]
Common Tier – 40 Bronze
Grants the active ability to exert verbal influence over one humanoid target. The stronger the user's Willpower, the stronger the skill. Most effective on individuals with lower Willpower than the user.
Effect Duration: 10 seconds
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Limitation: Commands must be simple and non-lethal. Complex or contradictory instructions may fail.
"This must be the one Nadia has. I was hit with it once by one of the members of the Chosen. It stunned me for a second, but I shook off the effect," I said.
"That means we might not need to buy a defense skill, right?" Nicole said.
"No, we need to find one because we don't know how high her willpower is. It's better to be safe than sorry." I said, and Nicole nodded.
We kept looking, and Nicole stopped cold. "This one."
[Skill Book: Iron Will]
Common Tier – 90 Bronze
Grants passive resistance to minor mind-affecting conditions such as suggestion, verbal charm, and fear effects.
Effect: +1 to Willpower
I nodded. "That's the one we need."
She tapped the interface and purchased two books. The books vanished, syncing directly to her inventory.
She passed me mine, and we used it immediately. Didn't feel a difference, but something is better than nothing.
We browsed further, but didn't find anything else we needed to fight Nadia. We prepared as best as we could.
We walked away from the Beginner's store, the light behind us flickering before vanishing. The sound of teams prepping and weapons being checked echoed through the space.
The day had only just begun, but it felt like the pause before a storm.
And we were almost ready.
We were still near the Beginner's Store when I slowed down and thought of my Status Window.
---
Status Window
Name: Jasmine West
Level: 8 (0/12800)
Alignment: Neutral
Class: None
Title(s): Medusa
Health: 200/200
Stamina: 200/200
Mana: 130/130
MP Regen: +1 MP every 30 seconds
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 20
Luck: 6
Charisma: 7
Willpower: 10
Instinct: 8
Wisdom: 1
Free Attribute Points: 30
Skill Points: 8
---
Three levels in one night. I hadn't stopped to think about it until now.
The jump was fast, but nothing about last night felt easy. I'd lost count of how many goblins I killed. How many traps did I dodge? How many bodies did I see? Marco. His team. Jasper.
And yet, here I was, stronger. Not just physically, but sharper too. The system wanted me to be efficient. Wanted me deadlier. And I was giving it exactly what it asked for.
But that was the problem, there were always choices, and every one of them came with weight.
I stared at the 30 free stat points, fingers twitching. It was easy to hoard them. Easy to wait. But waiting wouldn't keep me or anyone else alive.
I slid five into Constitution. My health jumped. I could feel the difference already: stronger lungs, steadier breath, less strain on my frame.
Five into Willpower next. With Nadia's compulsion ability in play, I couldn't afford to be weak-minded. My mind should be a fortress, and only I should have the keys to access it.
And five into Strength. I didn't need to move mountains, but I needed to hit harder, especially if I was going to face another hobgoblin or Nadia's people.
Fifteen gone. Fifteen left. I exhaled slowly, feeling the subtle shift ripple through me.
I glanced at the skill points too, still untouched. Another puzzle. Another risk. I pulled up the Skills menu next. Scrolled past the passives and active skills until I hit the one that mattered now, Iron Will. I added three points to it, and again, there were no major changes.
The rest could wait. I'd spend more later—once I understood where this system wanted to take me. Because I could feel it, that invisible tug in the interface. The way it rewarded violence. The way it shaped you without ever needing to say a word.
Still, I couldn't argue with the results.
Every point counted.
And right now, I was counting on them to keep us alive. I brought up my Status Window once more.
---
Status Window
Name: Jasmine West
Level: 8 (0/12800)
Alignment: Neutral
Class: None
Title(s): Medusa
Health: 250/200
Stamina: 250/200
Mana: 130/130
MP Regen: +1 MP every 30 seconds
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 25
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 20
Luck: 6
Charisma: 7
Willpower: 15
Instinct: 8
Wisdom: 1
Free Attribute Points: 15
Skill Points: 5
---
I dismissed the panel and rotated my shoulder. No pain. No tightness. Just quiet strength waiting to be spent.
Time to get moving.