“That’s a good number of points for survival,” Anthony stated, “I was expecting less.”

Alex hadn’t thought about it much, besides hoping for a windfall, so he just nodded. His distraction was justified, eyes already scanning the words that had appeared after he chose to open the shop.

Blueprints

Guidance

Attributes

Equipment

Competition Points

Trial Access (Available due to Prodigy status)

Nobility Upgrades (Available due to Prodigy status)

Society Upgrades (Available due to Prodigy status)

Planetary Upgrades (Available due to Prodigy status)

? (Available due to Prodigy status. Details concealed due to low tier)

As a Prodigy, 100% of your unspent points will roll over to future competition trials.

The screen didn’t come with many explanations, but Alex was more than capable of inferring the obvious. A mental nudge confirmed his thought, the screen was replaced by a list of equipment he could purchase with the points he’d earned.

The question mark drew his eyes, but Alex still hadn’t forgotten the Soul Sword he’d turned down after their Hell Mode trial. How could he look at anything else before seeing what something similar would cost him?

Jess and Anthony seemed to be exploring the store as well, the healer having abandoned his brief attempt at conversation after Jess proved just as focused on the store as Alex.

Common Soul Sword - 500 points

For those dedicated to the sword, a Common weapon can often be the best place to start. Improve your sword as you progress, walking your path in sync with your blade.

The first item, specifically its cost, immediately doused Alex’s enthusiasm. It looked like their performance would not be earning him anything worthwhile from the equipment category.

The description was interesting enough to stop Alex’s scrolling as he examined the tidbit of information. Would he be better served by a Common weapon purchased in this store than a high-rarity weapon earned in a future Hell Mode trial?

He would have to ask the Stirlings after they exited the trial. While the Trialbringer wouldn’t outright lie to him, the description read like a sales pitch. If a Common Soul Sword was a good purchase for a swordsman, why didn’t Dale Lemmings have one? If upgrading a Soulbound weapon was something simple, why was Chester Lemmings’ spear still Uncommon?

It was probably a good thing he couldn’t afford the sword, Alex told himself. There were too many questions he didn’t know the answer to.

Obviously, the fact that he couldn’t afford them didn’t stop his eyes from drifting further down the list.

Uncommon Soul Sword - 1300 Points

A sword that has been strengthened to accept greater energy throughput than a Common blade. Includes a self-repair Enhancement.

Yeah, Common wasn’t going to cut it. Alex’s biggest advantage compared to others of a similar level was the amount of mana he had access to, so a weapon that couldn’t accept a lot of mana wasn’t going to work out.

Also, self-repair sounded amazing. When Alex was Imprinted, he doubted weapons capable of keeping up with him would be anywhere near as easy to source as the blades the Stirlings had provided for his recent delves.

After seeing the flaws in a Common Soul sword illustrated so clearly, Alex had no choice but to look through the rest of the rarities. Information was power, after all. It definitely wasn’t so he could daydream about a future where he wielded the best weapon on Earth.

Rare Soul Sword - 10,000 Points (Available due to Prodigy status)

A blade with an alloy that accepts Attunement. Will take on additional properties reflecting your mana type.

The significant increase to the price was initially a surprise, but that description immediately dispelled any confusion.

Uncommon wasn’t a real option either, it seemed.

“Looks like our performance in the trial was only good enough for Uncommon rewards,” Alex noticed aloud.

“Not like it matters,” Jess replied, “The good stuff is too expensive anyway.”

Alex winced, he’d been hoping that equipment would be an outlier on price.

“We can afford a few good blueprints,” Anthony disagreed, “I’m surprised they’re so cheap, honestly.”

Alex almost closed the equipment tab to examine the promised affordable rewards. Almost.

He still had a few swords to look at before he started to examine the things he could afford.

Epic Soul Sword - 30,000 Points (Available due to Prodigy status)

A weapon fit for an Imprinted. Will take on additional properties reflecting your mana type and Imprinting stage.

Legendary Soul Sword - 100,000 Points (Available due to Prodigy status)

A sword capable of igniting a soul.

Mythic Soul Sword - 500,000 Points (Available due to Prodigy status)

One with the sword. One with the soul. A blade beyond the grasp of entropy.

Those descriptions were less helpful than the ones that had come before, leaving Alex to wonder if they were redacted thanks to his low tier. Would he be able to learn more if he came back at a tier that fit the weapon better?

He was a bit disappointed that higher rarity weapons seemed to mainly correspond with the tier the weapon was suited for. He might be missing something with the descriptions of higher rarities so brief, but it seemed like the benefit of a higher tier sword was not needing to upgrade it to keep up with you.

Then again, maybe that made sense. The Trialbringer didn’t give you a sword with fantastic Abilities, you had to create those yourself. The Uncommon Sword’s self-repair function was an exception, but the importance of such an Enhancement was obvious.

“The Blueprints look promising,” Jess interrupted his thoughts, Alex easily identified the disappointment on her face as she spoke, “We can’t afford anything better.”

“You’ve already looked through the other stuff?” Alex asked, surprised that she had the time. How much time had he spent thinking about swords?

“The pricing for Guidance is ridiculous,” She replied, “It scales too quickly for the normal stuff, and we can’t afford anything else.”

“Attributes aren’t worth it,” Anthony added, “And the conversion ratio for Competition Points is awful. A hundred to one.”

Alex took that in for a second. It seemed that while he’d looked over the swords, his friends had been scanning their other options. The Guidance category including a few rewards he hadn’t seen before was interesting, he’d have to look those over.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Do you guys have access to any of the other categories?” He asked.

“Just Trial Access,” Jess replied, “I didn’t see anything worthwhile in there.”

“All we can afford is access to a Hell Mode trial,” Anthony explained.

Alex pulled up that tab with a thought, and he immediately saw what they were talking about. Access to a Hell Mode trial was still listed for him, presumably in case he wanted to attempt more than one in a month, but spending 200 points on that would be a terrible decision.

The purchase was also individual, unlike the access that came with Alex’s Prodigy status. If they wanted a full party pass, that would cost 1000 points.

Alex wasn’t interested in tackling any of the higher difficulties so soon after Hell had gone so poorly, so he didn’t mind his inability to afford them. The names were new, but Alex’s gaze quickly moved on to something else.

Summon Competition Trial - Variable (Available due to Prodigy Status)

A Competition Trial will appear in your vicinity at a specified time in the future. Price depends on trial level, type and maximum number of participants.

Alex’s expression clearly gave away his interest in this reward, prompting Jess to speak up, “You have something else?”

“One second,” Alex wanted to double check the pricing before he made any promises.

Trial Parameters:

Maximum Level: 15

Type: Combat

Participants: 4

Cost: 230 Trial Points

A grin quickly grew as he noticed the price, easily within his range, “I can summon more competition trials.” As he spoke, a mental gesture revealed the screen with the price.

“Level 15?” Jess asked.

“Level 24 will take us a while,” Alex explained. A mental query pulled up the price for a level 24 trial for four, and he was surprised to see that it was only 200 points.

“That’s a bit weird, a higher level trial is cheaper” He said as he revealed that prompt.

“No, it makes sense,” Anthony replied, “A trial for the peak of Tier 1 is easier to summon than an arbitrary level.”

Alex was happy enough to accept that explanation, so he nodded and moved on, “Worth it? I could summon a trial for a month from now for us to tackle with Becca.”

“Some of these rewards are really good,” Anthony nodded, “But will Becca be Tier 1 by then?”

Alex frowned, “Maybe not this time, then?” This reward shop was proving to be a letdown. He could see why his friends would be interested in strong blueprints, but he had little to gain from those. A combination of lower-quality blueprints from the Academy library and Body Guidance would do the same thing without costing him anything.

Well, maybe the letdown was his purchasing power, not the shop itself. Those swords looked incredibly promising, he just couldn’t afford them.

“I get to keep all of the points I don’t spend,” Alex reasoned aloud, “So I don’t lose anything if I decide to save up for a Soul Sword.”

“Can’t you get a sword from a Hell Mode delve?” Jess asked, “I think the rewards we can’t get outside of competition trials would be better.”

That was true. Alex had already been offered a Soul Sword, turning it down to help his friends make progress on their mana types. Now that there wasn’t a massive time crunch, he’d eventually receive the opportunity again. Even if it took a few delves, that was only a few months spent at level 24.

“What are you guys looking at for blueprints?” Alex replied, pulling up the options as he asked. They had an hour for him to consider his options, so he wasn’t in a rush.

“Epic Enhancements and Abilities are only 100 points,” Jess explained, “I don’t have access to Legendary.”

“Legendary is 400,” Alex noted, “So we couldn’t afford any of them anyway.” The price was quite reasonable compared to Legendary items in other categories, but he was seriously feeling the consequences of their decision to play it safe the past few weeks.

The difference in power between an Epic and Legendary Enhancement might not be worth the quadrupling of price, but upgrading a blueprint once it was already Epic was nearly impossible without Guidance or genius.

Epic blueprints might not be necessary for Anthony, thanks to his dad, but for Jess picking up three Abilities that stood out could be a gamechanger.

Until she acquired a mana type she’d be able to easily find blueprints of at least Uncommon quality in the Academy library that suited her. Epic wasn’t so simple. New Chicago had a long tradition of sharing knowledge, but you couldn’t share what you didn’t have.

Actually, that was an important consideration. The blueprints were personalized, meaning that he’d get blueprints that fit Refine and Anthony’s purchases would match Restore.

Jess, on the other hand, didn’t have a mana type. Somehow, she could buy Epic Enhancements anyway.

“Any blueprints Jess buys won’t require a mana type,” Alex grinned, “She’ll be able to sell them to the city.”

There was silence for a few seconds, both of his friends taking in that realization. It was immediately obvious once you realized the contradiction, but they were so used to an Epic Mana Body requiring a mana type that they hadn’t immediately noticed that detail.

“I’m going to buy one,” Jess stated, not an ounce of doubt in her tone, “Maybe the Trialbringer will explain how it’s Epic.” The faroff look in her eyes made it clear that she was moving forward with the purchase.

There was another period of silence as the two young men watched their friend with intense interest. If this worked, Jess was going to earn more credit with the Academy than most Neophytes could across an entire lifetime.

“It’s an Epic Enhancement, alright,” Jess explained, eyes scanning a seemingly lengthy system prompt as she spoke, “I won’t get an Epic Mana Body until I have a mana type, but the Enhancement is good enough to qualify.”

She revealed the prompt, which confirmed her words. It also stated that Epic was the limit for a T1 Enhancement that didn’t incorporate a mana type.

It was a weird distinction, but it was easy for Alex to see why he’d never heard of such a thing. If you were good enough to design an Epic Enhancement without a mana type, you were good enough to get a mana type.

There was plenty Alex still didn’t understand about how the Trialbringer rated Neophyte Mana Bodies. Becca could probably explain what had to be done to qualify for each level, but she wasn’t here.

“I’ll buy another two and save the rest of my points,” Jess declared, “I’m getting generally useful Enhancements, instead of tanking Abilities.”

Alex could see the logic. Epic Tanking Abilities would be worth a fortune to New Chicago.

Epic Enhancements that any fighter capable of the inscription could add to their Body?

She’d be the new favorite of every officer in the Defense Forces and every trainer in the Adventurer’s Guild. There were some things money couldn’t buy.

While she did that, Anthony turned to Alex, “You asked if we could see any of the extra categories. What else do you have access to?”

“I see everything,” Alex replied, “There are upgrades for nobility, society, and the planet itself.” He didn’t mentioned the question mark category. An attempt to see inside hadn’t revealed anything, leaving him to wonder why it was there in the first place.

“Nobility?” Anthony asked, “I didn’t think humans could qualify before Tier 2.”

Alex hadn’t even known that much, so he opened the list.

He was immediately assaulted with a list of options that made little sense to him. There was a leveling speed increase, for some reason, and several rewards that would boost trial defense.

Why Alex would want to make a trial more difficult, he wasn’t sure.

Luckily, there was one option that looked immediately useful.

Unlock Nobility as a Neophyte - 10,000 Points (Available due to Prodigy Status)

Nobles dominate trials, siphoning a portion of the stable mana used to power the rift for their own development and turning the rift in an environment well-suited to push themselves to greater heights. With this reward, you’ll be able to conquer rifts before your peers.

Alex hadn’t heard of human nobles before, so he had to assume that just reaching Tier 2 didn’t mean you were good enough to ‘dominate’ a trial.

A thought revealed the option to Anthony, who nodded, “I was right, then. I know my mom has a rift, but David is probably the only other noble in New Chicago.”

If Anthony had meant to dissuade Alex from chasing nobility, that was just about the worst thing he could’ve said. He didn’t even need a rundown on the benefits, although stable mana could only be good, his competitive spirit was immediately fired up by the realization that there was another type of Trialbringer reward he could earn.

He didn’t need to look over the other options. This was the winner. He’d be saving up, outside of summoning trials for more points, until he could buy this one.

“Anything interesting under Society or Planetary?” Anthony interrupted Alex’s plotting.

Alex opened up the Society Upgrades, immediately seeing several options to manipulate trials.

“Society seems to be about moving trials around, or changing the theme of specific trials,” Alex explained, “Nothing close to my price range.”

Anthony nodded, just as unsurprised by the realization they couldn’t afford any of those options as Alex.

Planetary Upgrades started out similar, with an option to increase the trial density on the planet. Earth already had more trials than they could feasibly clear, so Alex wouldn’t be purchasing that one. More appealing was an option to increase the density of non-combat trials, which would help the city’s many more peaceful residents.

With a pricetag of 300,000 points. Alex wouldn’t be affording that one any time soon.

“Wait,” Anthony interrupted Alex as his eyes moved down to the two most expensive items in the entire shop, “You can see everything?”

“Yeah,” Alex looked up, a bit annoyed by the interruption.

“What is the trial difficulty above Hell?” Anthony asked, “My parents won’t tell me. Something about bad ideas.”

“Asura,” Alex replied, “The highest difficulty comes after that, Sovereign.” An Asura delve for one person cost 2000 points, so he hadn’t looked at it too hard. If he was saving up, there were better options.

“Thanks,” Anthony smiled, “I’ve wanted to know ever since David mentioned higher difficulties.”

Alex nodded in response, looking down at the final items in the Competition Shop.

Planetary Upgrade: Tier 3 to Tier 4 - 10,000,000 Points

Planetary Upgrade: Tier 4 to Tier 5 - 100,000,000 Points

It looked like there would be a lot of summoned trials in their future.