I found myself back in my personal space, and before I could get my bearings, a system prompt appeared.
The arena challenge is complete. Congratulations on a top 100 ranking. Please be advised that your time in this personal space is limited.
A countdown timer started up, placed right next to the gauge that normally told me how close I was to finishing a summoning series. I only had five minutes, so I needed to move with a purpose. I jogged over to the rewards chest, popping it open and the settings so it would display only new items.
New Inventory.
1. Copper coins, 1,188.
2. Silver coins, 466.
3. Gold coins, 10.
4. Mana Core Upgrade.
5. Foe Summoner Template.
6. Personal Space Expansion Token.
7. Personal Enhancement Token.
8. Arena Upgrade Certificate, Tier 2. (2)
9. MESS Key Duplicate.
10. Commemorative Arena Figurine Box.
There was a lot to take in and not much time to do so. I ignored the coins other than selecting 100 copper, 20 silver, and 1 gold to take back home with me. I’d need to replenish my stock of metals whenever I had the chance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the monetary rewards were great, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. First up I wanted to see my new Foe Summoner Template. It was a simple scroll and once I activated it, the new information populated in my interface.
Foe Summoner Template:
Teir 1, Rank 5. Mana Reserve Required, 75.
Orcish Warrior (Veteran).
Nice! I’d received a Veteran Template, and it didn’t cost any additional mana over a regular minion of the same tier and rank. As a veteran summoned creature, the new orc template would also be as powerful as a Tier 2, Rank 0 minion before any of my class and item bonuses were added in. The only downside was that the new template was for rank Tier 1, Rank 5, which meant I couldn’t quite summon it yet. While I was a bit disappointed to not be able to see what type of veteran orc warrior that I’d have fighting for me, at least it meant that I would have something ready to go once I hit rank five.
I could only hope there would be some way to mitigate the mana reserve cost, either through an ability or perhaps an item that might be available in the summoned market. By the time I hit rank five, I’d have gained another point in mind, bringing me up to 90 mana. I’d also get more points in Presence by rank five, which would reduce my total mana reserve by a couple points.
Unfortunately, it didn’t appear that arena challenges offered anything in the way of summoning or experience points. What it did give was another two arena certificates. If and when I hit the arena again at tier two, I should already have built up a number of upgrades. Next on my agenda was looking at my mana core upgrade. The only upgrade for my core that I had now was the Rift Travel Containment Field. Preventing me from returning home naked every time had been my favorite upgrade, and I hoped this one would be just as useful.
Mana Core Shielding, Stage 1.
The Mana Core Shielding upgrade for your mana core allows you to keep a portion of your mana pool protected from most forms of mana drain. Each stage of upgrade will keep 5 mana protected. Any mana stored in the shield will be consumed last when you pull upon your mana pool, and it will also be the first to recharge when your pool is low.
This was good news for me. If this upgrade worked as advertised, at least part of my mana pool would be protected back on Earth. My other mana would still dissipate rapidly when I pulled on it, but this would mean a small reserve would be available for emergencies. I activated the upgrade and could see that a small portion of my core was now separated from the rest by a glowing shield. With the upgrade active, I moved on to the next item.
Personal Space Expansion Token.
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Activate this token to add an additional room to your personal space. Be advised that when you use this token, you must select the type of addition you wish to make. At present, you do not have any design templates for additional rooms.
I didn’t have the designs for anything new yet, it was another thing I’d have to research when I made it back to Somhagen. It sounded like this expansion token was something I’d have to pay Lavelle to explain to me now that Minerva was gone. I had to think that expanding your personal space was going to be expensive, and this token was going to save me some cash, or maybe even summoning points in the future. I left it in the rewards chest and pulled out the next reward.
Personal Enhancement Upgrade Token.
Activate this token to add 1 point to any primary or secondary attribute.
This one was pretty straightforward. Having just finished complaining about my mana pool, I selected Mind for the bump in ability points. My Mind score was now 18, which bumped my mana pool to 90.
The next thing in the reward box was the duplicate MESS key. This one was a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t used it while in the arena, so the system had included it as part of my rewards. Just like the original, the duplicate key wasn’t taking up anything as far as gear cost was concerned. It also gave me the option to bring one of the keys home and leave the other one here in my loadout. I wasn’t sure how it would react or function on Earth, but it was worth it to have it on hand, just in case.
Time was ticking away so I grabbed the last item, in the reward chest, the purchase I’d made in the gift shop. Opening the box, I found a large figurine that consisted of ten smaller figures mounted on the same base. Just like the goblin raiding pair figurine I had, this one would summon multiple creatures when used.
Halfling Hit Squad (Elite). Tier 1, Rank 2. Gear Cost, 10.
This consumable summoning figurine will summon a team of veteran halfling warriors, led by an elite battlemaster.
Excellent. It was the best consumable I’d found so far. The gear cost was high, but it was also something that could potentially turn the tide of battle all on its own. Even better, it would provide a strong protection force back home. I added it to the coins and MESS key that I’d selected for my return home. It made sense to keep the most powerful consumables on hand where my battles were life and death struggles.
The dwarf at the gift shop had done me a solid, and the tip I’d left him had been more than earned. I felt bad now that I hadn’t caught his name. Next time I was in Somhagen, I’d have to check if he was working. Maybe he’d steer me in the right direction again if there was something similar offered for sale.
Time was almost up, and while I wanted to work on my loadout, I had less than a minute which made it impossible. Instead, I looked for Melvin. He was inside the training room again, and he wasn’t quite the same gelatinous cube that I remembered. He’d grown larger by at least a good 25%, and now was moving faster. Fast for Melvin was still about the speed of a human crawling, but it was better than the snail’s pace he’d started with.
“Melvin, have you been leveling up? Looking good big guy,” I told him, sending him a proud feeling over our connection. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought for a moment that Melvin bulged out part of his cube, and I got the impression it was akin to a human flexing his muscles.
“Keep at it, I’m going now, hold down the fort for me,” I told Melvin. He sent feelings of contentedness and excitement over his opportunity to stay here and play in the training center.
Prepare to return to your home world.
The system prompt hit as the seconds ticked down to zero, and my vision faded as I was sent back to Earth. There was the feeling of movement before a portal opened in front of me and stepped through and back into the dingy motel lobby where I had been standing when I had left.
“Grab him! Bind his limbs, gag him, blindfold him, and empty his pockets,” A shrill woman’s voice called as several bodies slammed into me, knocking me down to the threadbare, dirty carpet of the motel lobby. My hand-to-hand combat training kicked in and I freed one hand to slam the ear of an assailant, hopefully rupturing his ear drum. It was no use, there were at least four of them piling up on me, and my only option was going to be to use magic if I wanted out of this situation.
“Hey, you can’t do that in here, stop or I’m calling the police!” The front desk clerk shouted. I couldn’t see him, but I heard him gurgle in pain a moment later.
“Subdue him, I don’t want him wasting any of his precious mana,” the woman said again. I hadn’t caught sight of her or anyone else yet, except for a flew flashes of the burly men holding me down. My face was pushed into the carpet, and I heard a crackling sound as the weight on my back lifted. Before I could stand, the pain of a taser hit me in the small of the back.
“Want me to hit him again?” One of the brutes holding me asked. My mind wasn’t working right, and neither was my body after having suffered far too many volts of electricity entering it. As my head lolled to the side, I caught of glimpse of the motel clerk, a dagger had been hammered into his throat and the man was convulsing as the last of his life left his body.
“Yes, hit him again, and then give him the sedative. He may not look it, but this one may be as dangerous as the others,” the woman warned as another jolt of electricity hit me and the sharp pinch of needle poked into my butt cheek. Whatever it was they injected into me, it worked fast, and a feeling of comforting warmth filled my body as I drifted off into sleep.