"Alright, let's see what we've got here," Zuol-Ki muttered to himself, squinting at the floating screen before him.
The shop was far more extensive than he had anticipated, containing numerous items, some of which Zuol-Ki couldn't even begin to understand their functions or purposes. Elixirs of different hues, ancient scrolls with mystical symbols, weapons of all shapes and sizes, and even what appeared to be soul crystals, were all listed with their corresponding prices.
"Holy shit, is that... a Phoenix Feather?" Zuol-Ki gaped, his eyes wide as he stared at the glowing The Holy Secret Arts of the Demonic Crimson Phoenix priced at a whopping 1000 coins. "And Han sect's secret art—Misty Steps of 1000 for 500 coins? Who the hell would have that kind of coin just lying around? And wait... Didn't Elder Han give this to me last time? I guess I really did get lucky last time"
He shook his head, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of items available. His gaze then landed on a few other tabs at the top of the screen, labeled 'Coin Base' and another one that was locked and unreadable.
"Coin Base, huh?" he said, flicking his finger over the option. He felt a buzz of excitement, wondering what this could possibly contain.
As the Coin Base loaded, various kinds of coins appeared on the screen, each with a brief description of their functions.
[Life Coins - Give's The User An Extra Life] [Price: One Regular Coin]
[Idiot's Coins - Grants A Random Roll For A Skill Or Power-Up To The Player] [Price: Five Regular Coins]
[Note: Skills Might Be Implemented In The System For Permanent Use!]
[Memory Coins - Unlocks Past Memories Or Scenarios But Not Limited To The User] [Price: Fifteen Regular Coins]
[Note: Certain Requirements Has To Be Met Before They Could Be Used]
[Echo Coins - Replays Certain Past Events (The Player could even choose the date and time of the event they wished to revisit)] [Price: Fifteen Regular Coins]
[Fate Coins - Alters A Character's And Or The User's Destiny Or The Overall Storyline In Unexpected Ways] [Price: One Thousand Regular Coins]
The first option was Life Coins. According to the system, one could exchange a single regular coin for a Life Coin. Zuol-Ki snorted. "So these Life Coins are my lives in this game..."
Next were Idiot's Coins, costing five regular coins for an exchange. These rolled a random skill or power-up to the player. The note attached to these coins caught his eye, "Skills might be implemented in the system for permanent use!" Zuol-Ki raised an eyebrow. "That's... pretty neat."
Memory Coins, requiring fifteen coins for an exchange, were intriguing. These could unlock past memories or scenarios, providing clues or insights into the story. But the catch was that certain requirements had to be met before they could be used.
Echo Coins, also priced at fifteen coins each, could replay certain past events. The Player could even choose the date and time of the event they wished to revisit. "A time travel token of sorts, huh? Now, that's something," he muttered.
Last but not least were the Fate Coins, priced at a whopping 1,000 regular coins for a single exchange. The description said they could alter a character's destiny or the overall storyline in unexpected ways. He whistled, "That's... a lot. I mean, who the fuck would have a thousand coins just lying around?"
Zuol-Ki let out a chuckle. "Well, I guess we're in for a long game. Let's see what the other tab has in store." He navigated back to the shop screen, his gaze falling onto the locked, unreadable tab.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
[Shop]
[Coin Base]
[ [] [[]]] [][][] !LOCKED! [] [[]]] [][][] ]
Zuol-Ki stared at the locked tab on his system screen. His curiosity was piqued; after all, the other two tabs had been eye-opening to say the least. He reached out to touch it, half expecting an error message, but to his surprise, the tab lit up in response.
"[Please select an option:]"
▶ [Unlock with 10 coins]
▶ [Back to main menu]
The humor wasn't lost on him. "Ten fucking coins to unlock a tab? Getting dragged to this hell wasn't enough it seems" He sighed, glancing at his remaining coin balance of three. He was far off from the required amount to unlock the mysterious tab.
Zuol-Ki found himself once again at the beginning of what felt like a never-ending loop, the world resetting itself around him. Even as he dwelled on the newly revealed mysteries of the system, he couldn't help but feel an odd sense of anticipation.
His gaze landed on Jeok-Myung, now minus the "+6" icon that had hovered above his head. A grim reminder of the life that Zuol-Ki had just taken.
"[Please select an option:]"
▶ [Befriend Jeok-Myung again]
▶ [Avoid Jeok-Myung]
▶ [Confront Jeok-Myung about his real allegiance]
There was no decision to be made this time around. Zuol-Ki selected the second option. The memory of their deadly confrontation was still fresh in his mind, a stark reminder of how quickly the so called allies could turn into enemies.
"Jeok-Myung," Zuol-Ki greeted, keeping a safe distance between them.
"Zuol-Ki," came the reply, a hint of surprise and confusion flashing across Jeok-Myung's face. Zuol-Ki's demeanor was different from the friendly tone he had used in their past encounters.
As Zuol-Ki retreated from Jeok-Myung's unmoving body, he decided to explore the newfound features of the system. Among the intriguing shop items and coins, the Idiot's Coin sparked his interest. With a sense of anticipation, he muttered to himself, "Alright, let's see what this Idiot's Coin does."
He promptly selected the Idiot's Coin, spending his five hard-earned coins in one go. The system processed the transaction, presenting him with the opportunity to use the Idiot's Coin.
"[Use The Idiot's Coin now?]"
▶ [Yes]
▶ [No]
With a shrug and an eyeroll, Zuol-Ki exclaimed, "Fuck it. What's the worst that could happen?"
He pressed 'Yes', and the system's response was immediate.
"[Rolling for skill...]"
"[Skill Has Been Unlocked!]"
"[A.I. Combat Has Been Implemented!]"
"[New Feature Added! Combat Types Has Been Unlocked!]"
"What the fuck does that mean?" Zuol-Ki scratched his head, frowning at the words on the screen. He pressed the highlighted 'Combat Type', and a new interface popped up.
"[Current Combat Type: User Type]"
"[Available Types: A.I.]"
"[Warning! The switching of combat type is only allowed once during a rest time, or during a day's time!]"
"Great, another cryptic message. Can this day get any weirder?" Zuol-Ki sighed, the bizarre happenings of the day only adding to his perplexion. But, somewhere in the back of his mind, excitement bloomed - this new addition to his system was bound to change things in his upcoming fights.
Just as Zuol-Ki was taking in the changes, but then suddenly the door slid open to admit a panting messenger, his eyes wide with urgency.
"Zuol-Ki, Jeok-Myung," he said, a touch of surprise evident in his voice as he noticed Jeok-Myung's absence. "The second strategist calls for both of you." His gaze darted between Zuol-Ki and the empty spot where Jeok-Myung should have been.
"[Please select an option:]"
▶ [Proceed immediately to the second strategist]
▶ [Insist on finishing your inspection of the training hall before meeting the strategist]
▶ [Confront Jeok-Myung about his real alliance]
Barely managing to suppress a sigh, Zuol-Ki nodded, "Understood. I'll make my way there immediately." ▶ [Proceed immediately to the second strategist]