I jumped.
More precisely, I threw the "meatball." Then I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again, determined. I leaped carefully, applying a slight push to avoid overshooting the lake, bending my legs and holding them by the knees with my hands.
Part of me now felt somewhat confident, since, in the worst case, I could transform into Smoke Mode.
As I fell, I tried not to scream, avoiding unnecessary attention. I had already gone through too much for just one day...
"Splash!"
"Splash!"
Sequential sounds echoed as the meatball dropped, followed by me.
My eyes shut during the fall. I felt my body sink into the water, descending at least four meters in depth. Regaining control of my body, I started swimming, moving my arms and legs. When I noticed that the meatball was sinking, I reached out, grabbed it, and pulled it along with me.
Moving my feet and using my right hand to swim while holding the meatball with my left, I surfaced.
"Huff..."
I gulped for air as soon as my head broke the water's surface and, with a single push, threw the meatball onto the lawn near the lake.
Floating for a moment, I bent my body in the water and soon swam over to the lake's edge, placing my hands on the grassy ground.
"Huh?"
I frowned the moment I felt a twinge in my left foot. Right after, the same little sting in my right foot. Kicking my feet around wasn't enough to shake off whatever was biting me.
Out of patience for more adversity, I pushed myself up with my hands and quickly climbed onto the grass. First I placed my left knee down, then my right, and saw what had bitten me.
Two fish, each about 30 centimeters long with piranha-like teeth, were latched onto my feet. Initially, I thought about shaking them off, but then I changed my mind. I sat by the water's edge, bending my left foot until I could reach it with my right hand, grabbing the fish that wouldn't stop biting. Although its teeth looked sharp, they couldn't pierce my skin very deeply.
Holding it around its middle, I squeezed near its head with my thumb and index finger, forcing its mouth to open.
With the fish thrashing around in my hand, I pried it free and tossed it further away from the lake, onto a higher patch of grass, near a tree bearing small, red, acerola-like fruits.
After repeating the process with the other foot, I nearly jumped back in fright when a kind of wolf fish lunged at me—at least two meters long.
Its teeth were pointed, like sharp needles. Its eyes were black as obsidian, fixed on me as it advanced.
However, I didn't panic. Although I was initially startled, in the next second I was surprised at how calm I remained.
Perhaps it was because I was used to fishing, and while a two-meter fish is large, it didn't seem large enough to scare me.
Regardless of the reason, I only knew that I didn't feel threatened. With my left hand, I spread my fingers wide and slapped the right side of the enormous fish.
"SLAP!"
"Crack!"
The sound of the slap was followed by a crack, and I soon saw the giant fish's head twist unnaturally as its body spun through the air toward the distant rocks.
"Bang!!"
The fish's body collided with the rocks, fell to the ground, flopped around a bit, and then stopped moving.
'Did I kill it, just like that?' I thought, looking at my own hand. At the same time, a prompt appeared in my vision.
[Alert! You have gained 2 EEP.]
'Huh?' I frowned as a translucent blue screen appeared before my eyes, with golden letters standing out. 'Was this always a thing?'
It didn't take a genius to understand that this had to be related to my unique class. If there was a shop—though I hadn't thought of it before—there must be a way to acquire EEP. However, I had assumed it would be through trading, not by killing something.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
'So, I earned EEP when I "killed" the Great Blue Crab...? At least, I think I caused its death...'
With that in mind, though slightly unnerved by everything that had happened to me in a single day, I tried opening the shop, extending my hand forward: "Selector Shop!"
"..."
[Alert! You must be in a safe zone for at least 1 minute without being targeted to access the Selector Shop.]
Seeing this, I nodded thoughtfully.
Backing away from the lake, I grabbed the fish I had killed earlier and walked over to the large half-eaten white mass of flesh. Then, I went to the two earlier fish and struck their heads with a rock.
Afterward, I leaned against the tree with red fruits I had spotted earlier and patiently waited for the required minute to pass. While waiting, I tried opening my status. Thinking of 'profile', it worked.
══════『☯︎』══════
Name: Noah Lockhart
Race: Tri-hybrid
Class: Selector
Rank: C
EEP: 139
══════『☯︎』══════
Unique Skill: [Selector Shop]
══════『☯︎』══════
Racial Abilities:
Noble Vampire: [Familiar (Silver)]
Elf: [Builder (Bronze)]
Smoke Dragon: [Smoke Body (Bronze)]
Tri-hybrid: [Immortality (Bronze)], [High-Speed Regeneration (Bronze)]
══════『☯︎』══════
Skills:
[Universal Speech (Gold)]
[Magic Manipulation (Bronze)]
[Charm (Silver)]
[Metamorphosis (Bronze)]
══════『☯︎』══════
'139 EEP?' I thought. 'Is that a lot or a little? What's the actual value of each EEP?'
Though my mind was brimming with questions and doubts, I understood that as soon as the Selector Shop became available, I would have my answers.
Another concern was my abilities. I thought: 'If I have the skill Magic Manipulation, I should be able to use magic, right?'
The problem was, it didn't seem simple. I tried to create a simple ball of water in the palm of my hand, or even form a small mound of dirt on the ground, but nothing worked.
'Is there some kind of basic rule or spell for using magic?' I pondered this for a moment until I realized I had already been in safe mode for an entire minute. Without further delay, I requested the Selector Shop to open.
══════『☯︎』══════
Suddenly, everything went dark, and soon my vision returned, as if I had woken from a dream. Upon "awakening," my mind felt hazy, but curiously, I was more focused than ever, as though anything was possible.
Yes, it was similar to the "Dream Mode" I had experienced before.
Because of this unique state I found myself in, my thoughts were clearer, as was my objective.
When I entered the Selector Shop, I found myself seated in a chair within a white, square room, surrounded by three floating screens. One screen displayed the Selling Shop, another the Buying Shop, and the last the Auction.
With a simple touch of my finger on one of the screens, I expanded the auction window.
In the auction, I noticed a search bar. Clicking on it, a keyboard appeared, and I quickly typed: Magical Storage.
In moments, several options appeared. However, before I could take any action, a different notification popped up in the corner of the screen.
[Alert! Each Selector has their own Expansive Magic Pouch. Would you like to obtain it now?]
Clicking "Yes," something dropped directly into my hands. I picked up the object and began examining it.
It was a rustic-looking bag made of shiny brown fabric with a bronze-embroidered symbol that seemed to emit a faint glow as I turned it under the light. The golden drawstring keeping it closed had an intricate knot, as if sealing something significant.
Holding it, I felt a warm energy pulsing in my hands, suggesting that this was no ordinary bag. On the front of the magic pouch, the embroidered symbol stood out the most, exuding an air of mystery and power.
The symbol depicted a stylized bronze hand in the center, delicately crafted with metallic threads. The fingers were extended toward a bright star at the top, stitched with metallic tones.
Around the hand, fine, interwoven lines formed complex circular patterns, resembling an astral map, precisely embroidered in bronze tones.
[Expansive Magic Pouch [10Kg] Bound to the Soul of Selector: Noah Lockhart]
With the item in hand, I was able to assess some of its information. In my current state, I didn't even seem to need to think deeply; I acted with absolute confidence and decided to increase the weight capacity of the Magic Pouch.
I quickly found the option. For each additional kilogram, 1 EEP was required until it reached 100 kilograms. After that, the expansion cost would double.
I spent 30 EEP and watched as my Magic Pouch began to glow.
The bronze threads of the pouch gained a few silver strands, and the star pointed to by the hand became brighter.
Incidentally, something caught my attention. In the bottom corner of the Buying Shop, there was a note: [Goal: 10,970]
As I didn't know the meaning of the message and chose not to speculate, my mind turned to something else: the auction. I searched for basic construction tools like hammers, nails, saws, and similar items.
Within moments, I purchased three different kits, spending 36 EEP.
Each kit contained a distinct set of tools, with more than ten items in each one.
After that, I bought a 500ml plastic claw kit, totaling 100 units for 1 EEP.
I didn't even know if it was cheap or expensive; I simply bought it. Then, I went to the shop and searched for: Book on magic.
Several options appeared, numbering in the thousands. However, among them, I clicked on the option labeled: That you can use / Origin world.
When I selected it, the options were drastically reduced. If there had been billions (or more) before, now the count was in the millions.
New options appeared to refine the search further. Among them, one caught my attention: The most useful for you at the moment. Another option read: Useful for your host, which briefly confused me since it displayed the number zero. I didn't quite understand what "my host" meant.
However, I didn't dwell on the thought. My actions were more decisive while in this state. I clicked on the option, reducing the choices to 99.
Soon, I purchased three books:
[Basics of Elemental Magic]
[Basic Methods to Increase Spiritual Power]
[Basics on Familiars]
The total cost was 14 EEP.
When I attempted to purchase another item in the shop, an alert appeared before me:
[!!! [WARNING!] The maximum weight capacity of your Magic Pouch has been reached! Would you like to expand your Magic Pouch's weight capacity?]
I clicked "No," and immediately, my mind went dark.
══════『☯︎』══════
When I opened my eyes, I realized I had returned to the present moment in the forest. Now, on my lap and held in my hands was the same brown pouch I had seen in my "Dream Mode" state while accessing the Selector Shop.
There were still many questions in my mind, along with a bit of annoyance at entering "Dream Mode" every time I accessed the Selector Shop. At least I didn't act foolishly and managed to buy useful and necessary things.
'Was my inability to continue buying due to the maximum weight capacity of my magic pouch being reached?' I thought. 'I assume that everything I bought earlier is inside it...'
No wonder that, despite being a relatively small pouch, it weighed a few kilograms.
Loosening the drawstring and opening the pouch, I tried to look inside. When I did, it was as if I were a spectator looking down from a rooftop, peering through a removed tile.
All the items I had purchased earlier were neatly organized inside the pouch, which seemed incredibly spacious.
'As expected of a magical item...'
Stopping my observations, I placed my left hand inside the pouch. The instant I did so, information about all the items was imprinted into my mind. Instinctively, I felt the ability to draw out any item I wanted from the magic pouch.
"Incredible...!" I exclaimed, gasping in amazement, with a touch of happiness that brought a smile to my lips.
I tested by pulling out one of the 500 ml water claws, and soon one appeared in my hand. I drew it out.
Once out, I opened it and took a sip.
"Ahh~"
After drinking all the water, I sighed in relief.
Even though I wasn't that thirsty, I still felt a bit parched. The water seemed to have a special taste. Perhaps it was because I was thirsty and still had the taste of raw crab meat and blood in my mouth?
Of course, due to being a Tri-hybrid, I didn't feel disgusted or anything similar about the taste of raw meat and blood. However, mentally, I rejected it somewhat. After all, it hadn't been long since I was a normal human.
Suddenly, I remembered something that made me lament: "... I should've looked for something like a sword, spear, etc..."
However, my regret didn't last long. I began taking out some items from the magic pouch and soon opened the shop again with the intention of buying useful survival items, such as a camping tent, a kitchen knife, a frying pan, seasonings, and, most importantly, a spear.
After all, a spear would be much more useful for a complete beginner when using a weapon.