Lucien lay on his bed, still feeling the remnants of the night's energy coursing through him.
They had just gotten back to the apartment after celebrating Illyana's freedom with a night out. Dinner at an expensive restaurant, followed by wandering through the city streets, visiting late-night shops, and just enjoying the feeling of having one less problem hanging over their heads.
It was already 2 AM by the time they'd returned, and everyone had crashed almost immediately.
Anna had fallen asleep on the couch before even making it to her room. Laura had simply walked into her space and shut the door without a word. Daniel had mumbled something about needing to work before crashing out on the bed. And Illyana had gone straight to her room with Laura.
But Lucien wasn't tired. To him, sleep was more of a choice than a necessity most days, and right now his mind was too active to rest.
He pulled up the system interface, the familiar translucent screen appearing in his vision.
It had been a while since he'd thoroughly browsed the shop section.
Most of the time, he just checked his stats, managed his shadows, and moved on to the next task. But tonight felt like a good time to see what was available.
This time, he thought of buying some weapons to boost his attack power.
The shop menu opened before him, displaying the usual categories of items, equipment, and consumables.
He scrolled through them casually, not really expecting to find anything particularly interesting. Most of the items were things he didn't need, given his current power level.
Then he noticed something new at the top of the menu.
[Limited Time Deal]
The section pulsed with a faint golden glow, drawing his attention. Limited-time deals were rare in games, and they usually offered items that wouldn't normally be available or were significantly discounted from their regular price.
Lucien opened the section.
Three items were displayed, each with a timer counting down underneath. He had roughly seventy-two hours before the deal expired, and these items disappeared from availability.
The first item immediately caught his eye.
[C-Rank Dungeon Keys]
Quantity Available: 3/3
Price: 100,000 Gold Each
It was surprising to say the least. Dungeon keys were never offered in the system shop before.
C-rank dungeons. He'd been thinking about the need for more dungeons just earlier today, after clearing the one with Tusk. His leveling had slowed down significantly despite the combat experience he was gaining.
Without hesitation, he purchased all three keys. The gold drained from his account instantly - 300,000 total - but he barely noticed.
He had accumulated around four million gold over the past weeks through various dungeon clears and quest completions. Spending 300,000 was nothing compared to what these keys could potentially provide in terms of experience and shadow acquisitions.
The keys materialized in his inventory, each one with slightly different specifications for where they needed to be used. One required a hotel room, another an abandoned warehouse, and the third could be activated anywhere.
With the keys purchased, Lucien turned his attention to the other two items in the limited deal section.
The second item had an intriguing name.
[Recipe: Potion of Resurrection]Price: 500,000 Gold
Resurrection. The name alone was enough to make him pause. He selected the item to read its description.
[Potion of Resurrection - A single drop of this potion can revive a recently deceased individual, restoring them to life with their body and soul intact. Time limit: Must be administered within ten years of death.
Note: This is a crafting recipe. Player must gather required materials and submit them through the system interface to receive the completed potion.]
Lucien read the description twice, processing the implications. A potion that could bring someone back from the dead. Not as a shadow under his control, but actually alive again, with their own will and personality intact.
The use cases for such an item were obvious. If one of his friends died during a mission or attack, he could bring them back. The tactical and personal value was enormous.
He purchased it without further deliberation. After all, who knew if this would be up for sale again?
The moment the transaction completed, a new interface window opened, displaying the crafting requirements.
The requirements were 1 kg of Uru Metal, Flames of the Phoenix, a Branch from Yggdrasil, and so on.
Lucien stared at the list for a long moment. Each item was either incredibly rare, incredibly difficult to obtain, or both. Uru metal was the stuff Thor's hammer was made from, found only in the realm of Nidavellir. Phoenix flames were the attribute flames of the Phoenix... a force of nature Lucien had no chance against currently, and Yggdrasil was the World Tree connecting all nine realms, and was being guarded by Asgard. Surely the Asgardians won't just let him take a pick.
And those were just the first three items.
There were many rare materials. Some of these materials would require traveling across galaxies.
Still, having the recipe was better than not having it. Maybe one day he'd need it badly enough to undertake the quests required to gather these materials.
He closed that interface and looked at the final item in the limited deal section.
[Orb of Avarice]Price: 200,000 Gold
The name was familiar. In the memories from his previous life, he remembered this item from Solo Leveling. The Orb of Avarice was a powerful artifact that enhanced the user's magical abilities, specifically boosting the power of any spells or techniques they used.
The description confirmed his memory.
[Orb of Avarice - A mysterious artifact that amplifies magical output by 300%.]
Three hundred percent magical amplification. That would triple the power of every spell Tusk cast, every magical ability his shadow mages used, and potentially even enhance his own mana-based attacks.
Lucien purchased the orb, bringing his total expenditure for the night to one million gold. In a single shopping session, he'd spent a quarter of his accumulated wealth. But the value of what he'd gained far exceeded the cost.
The Orb of Avarice materialized in his inventory as a smooth, dark sphere.
He closed the shop interface and leaned back on his bed, thinking about the items he'd just acquired.
Not a bad haul for a night's browsing.
Lucien then closed his eyes. He might not need sleep, but a few hours of rest would help ensure he was at peak performance for tomorrow's dungeon runs.
The apartment was quiet around him.
His team was safe. His power was growing. His path forward was clear.
Lucien let himself drift into a light meditation state, his consciousness remaining aware of his surroundings while his body rested and recovered.
A few hours later, Lucien's eyes opened automatically as his internal clock indicated it was time to start the day. The apartment was still quiet - it was only around 7 AM, and most of the others wouldn't be up for at least another hour or two after their late night.
He got out of bed, changed into workout clothes, and headed to complete his daily quest.
Within a few minutes, he had completed the daily quests.
After a quick shower back in the apartment, Lucien retrieved one of the C-rank dungeon keys from his inventory. This particular key required a specific hotel room to be activated, which meant he needed to book one immediately.
He headed out into the early morning streets of New York.
He found the hotel a few blocks away - nothing fancy, just a standard chain that asked minimal questions and took cash payments. The clerk barely looked at him as he paid for a room for the day, probably assuming he was there for reasons that weren't his business to question.
Room 347 on the third floor. Lucien took the stairs rather than the elevator, arriving at the door within moments. The key card worked smoothly, and he stepped into a generic hotel room that could have been anywhere in the country.
Lucien locked the door behind him and pulled out the C-rank dungeon key.
He walked over to the wall opposite the bed and held up the key.
The key began to glow brighter, the runes becoming more pronounced as mana built up within the metal. He pressed it against the wall, and reality began to warp around the contact point.
A portal formed, swirling with a red color.
Lucien stepped toward the portal.
.....
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