Isaac had already used up a portion of his lower-tier materials to synthesize higher-level ones. What remained wasn't much, but he'd held onto them—maybe one day, when he needed just one more shard to evolve, they'd come in handy.
But now, he had other plans. He wanted to check out the Reputation Shop. Not willing to go all-in, he exchanged only part of his stash. The exchange rate was terrible—felt like daylight robbery even for just one.
He exchanged 300 Tier 0 Talent Shards and 300 Star 0 Quality Points, getting a total of 60 Monster Reputation.
"Open Reputation Shop."
A menu appeared with a few items he could afford.
Tier 1 Talent Shards cost 10 Reputation each. As expected, the shop was still a ripoff.
"Unlock more equipment slots? Whoa—didn't expect to see that."
As a Hyenaman, Isaac only had one weapon slot. He'd been grateful to have even that. He thought it was all he'd ever get… but apparently not. The second slot required 50 Reputation, which was surprisingly reasonable.
"I'll save that for later. No point unlocking it without more gear." Isaac moved on.
"Huh? Legion Recruitment Order (Single Unit) [Unique]?" That one instantly caught his attention.
[Spend 10 Monster Reputation to purchase one Legion Recruitment Order (Single Unit) – Unique.]
[Allows recruitment of one creature. The recruit's level and Talent tier cannot exceed the recruiter's; Quality must be lower. All gear is wiped upon recruitment.]
[If the recruit dies, it disappears without dropping XP Orbs, gear, or items, but the Recruitment Order is returned.]
[Recruitment initiates a one-on-one combat trial. No healing items may be used. If the recruit is attacked by outside forces, the process fails. Upon defeating the target, they will be left with 1 HP and become "Recruitable."]
[Recruitment may fail. If it does, the target dies without dropping loot or XP Orbs. Success rate depends on the creature's species.]
[Recruited units can be upgraded using Reputation, Talent Shards, and Quality Points.]
Isaac read through every line carefully.
In theory, you could recruit any wild mob, but their attributes would be capped below your own.
But the process wasn't so simple.
You had to win a one-on-one fight without healing. So unless you were stronger, there was no chance. No shortcuts. No cheesing high-tier minions.
"Only one slot? That's not enough to beat that elite..." Isaac frowned.
Star 1 Quality boosted stats by 50%, Star 2 by 100%. Star 3? Maybe 150%—hell, maybe even 200%.
If that math held up, Greedy Daffino's stats would be absolutely busted.
"Even with two, it might not be enough. I need at least three." Isaac started doing the math.
He stared at the Legion Recruitment Order, and then a thought hit him like a lightning bolt.
"Legion" Recruitment Order? A single unit doesn't make a legion. There had to be a way to get more.
But the shop only sold one. That had to be the key—it was unique.
"Wait… maybe it can be upgraded!" Isaac's eyes lit up.
If so, buying this might unlock a path to more.
Ten Reputation wasn't too steep. Whether or not his theory was right, it was worth the gamble.
"Buy Legion Recruitment Order (Single Unit) – Unique."
A wooden plaque appeared in his hand.
It was rectangular, with the word "Legion" carved on one side, and "Order" on the back.
Isaac barely admired the craftsmanship before snapping open his character panel.
Sure enough, a new entry had appeared beside his Reputation:
[Legion Recruitment Order (Single Unit): 50/500 (Reputation)]
His face twisted into a mix of joy and pain.
"Hell yeah—it can upgrade! …Wait, FIVE HUNDRED?!"
"Ten Reputation to unlock it, but FIVE HUNDRED to level it up?! What the hell, you trying to rob me?!"
He ranted for a while, but in the end, there was no arguing with the shop.
"Okay, maybe the first 10 is just to unlock the system. The real cost kicks in later..." He tried to rationalize it.
Now came the hard part—scraping together the required Reputation.
Star 0 materials: 540 left → 0.1 per → 54 Reputation
Star 1 materials: 284 left → 1 per → 284 Reputation
Star 2 materials: 18 left → 10 per → 180 Reputation
Star 3 Talent Shards: 12 left → 100 per → 1,200 Reputation
"Sell all Star 0s. Keep the Star 1 Quality for now. I'll sell the Star 2s… and just one Star 3, god that hurts."
After the transaction, Isaac had 476 Reputation—add his leftover 110, and it was just enough.
"Upgrade Order!"
[Legion Recruitment Order (Two-Unit): 36/1000 (Reputation)]
"...Damn it." He groaned. Yes, it upgraded again—but the next tier needed 1,000.
That meant selling the rest of his Star 3 materials.
"This is crazy… if I still can't beat Daffino after all this, I'll have wasted it all."
He glanced toward the elite monster on the ridge.
That smug, oversized brute practically radiated arrogance—its glowing purple name screaming:
"Come on over. I drop gear. Really good gear. Worth lots of money~"
It was like a walking payday, taunting him.
"...Screw it. Do it!" Isaac ground his teeth. "Sell 10 Tier 3 Talent Shards!"
With 1,000 Reputation in hand, he upgraded again.
[Legion Recruitment Order (Three-Unit): 36/2000 (Reputation)]
He was tapped out. No more materials. No more bargaining chips.
"Three it is. Better be enough."
Isaac stood, fists clenched. Now that the Order was fully upgraded, it was time to recruit.
"Gotta find three strong ones. Let's do this."