Chương 15: Level 5 Rewards

The night loomed on the horizon, only a few hours away from descending. The first night had already proven far more chaotic and perilous than he'd anticipated—what with zombies capable of rattling even a heavy battle tank. He expected no less from the second night. So naturally, it was wise to pour a substantial chunk of his wealth into the vehicle itself. True, slaying treasure guardians yielded experience points, and he could likely rack up more by hunting the various beasts roaming the forest.

But he harbored no illusions about the stat gains he could scrape together in just a few hours of monster grinding. They'd bolster him, and quickly too. But they wouldn't turn his flesh harder than iron, nor make him swifter than a motorcycle—not anytime soon, at least. Thus, investing in vehicles was paramount. Nyx also firmly believed that vehicles were far more than mere early-stage survival gear.

Considering their leveling mechanics, the drastic transformations each upgrade could bring, and the complete absence of any safe zones in this place, it was highly probable that vehicles would serve as their long-term sanctuaries—the only spots where they could unwind without dreading a zombie gnawing off their heads. So, he pulled up the vehicle panel and scanned the available parts for upgrades.

[Upgradeable Parts: Windshield, Engine Core, Tires, Outer Body, Headlight] He first tapped on [Outer Body], and a brand-new advancement panel materialized before him. [Outer Body] Upgrade Path: [Steel Shell Armour] — Fully defensive steel-armored outer body, complete with double-layered iron casings and a ballistic-proof surface. Comes with an additional layer of cream-colored paintjob as a bonus.

[Upgrade Requires: Gold x15, Steel Plates x50, Steel Beams x7, Rubber x50, Mechanical Parts x50] Upgrade Path: [Extended Shell Armour] — Double-layered steel-framed armor, complete with extra space and roof mounts for guns. Comes furnished with a premium matte-finish paintjob that aids in resisting zombies' spectral perception. [Notice: it's recommended to upgrade the tires too for better balance.] [Upgrade Requires: Gold x25, Steel Plates x100, Steel Beams x10, Rubber x100, Mechanical Parts x50] Nyx hummed for a bit, weighing his options. Technically, he wasn't some obscenely wealthy big shot yet, able to toss money around without a second thought. But funneling a significant sum into the vehicle—which was vital for his survival—wasn't something he'd classify as reckless spending.

"The second option also calls for upgrading the tires…" After a bit more humming, he threw up his arms and made a call.

"I'll go with the second one. But before that," he opened the [Exchange] and scrolled to his stock of fertilizers.

"Let me offload these." He quickly reached out to the one guy carving out a name for himself by selling farmed produce, offering his entire stock at a fixed price of 100 gold. And so the haggling commenced.

Private Chat [@CabbageGod Yo, big shot, are you trying to fleece me again? That price is downright outlandish!] [Well, then what's a less outlandish price in your book?] [@CabbageGod Hmm, how about 50 gold?] [Well, goodbye then.] [@CabbageGod Wait, wait, wait! I was joking! Yes, joking! How about 60?] [Not selling for anything under 80.] [@CabbageGod Come on, man, cut me a break here, that's still way too steep! How about this—I'll throw in some real, exclusive produce if you sell to me for 60 gold. I promise you won't regret it.] [Like what? I don't have enough cash to blow on fancy food.] [@CabbageGod Haha, fair enough, but let me tell you—plenty of big names, even the Green Ghost Fleet and the Heavenly Fleet, are paying top dollar for these goods! One of my bestsellers, Silver Cabbage, boosts your perception by 100% for five whole hours! And my other prized gem, Rainbow Blueberry, enhances reaction speed and reflexes by 50% while also offering resistance against the zombie virus! Yes! The zombie virus! Normally, I only sell this item to fleet captains in exchange for favors, and in limited quantities. But for you, it's available at a discount!] You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. [Alright then, sign this contract and send the cash over.] [@CabbageGod Thanks a ton, Sir Blacktail, I'll deposit the money immediately.] A moment later, Nyx received the notification that sixty gold had landed in his inventory.

With the previous sixty plus this, he now had a total of one hundred and twenty gold. He opened his inventory to check the parts he already had for upgrading the vehicle's outer body, and to take stock of what he'd still need to purchase.

Inventory: [Gold x120, Fuel x8, Leather x300, Iron Plates x130, Glass Panels x300, Mechanical Parts x50, Universal Bullets x9508, Mod Card x1, Skill Shards (Rare) x5]"Hmm, so I'm missing practically everything except gold and mechanical parts." He looked up the prices of these items on the [Exchange] and tallied a combined expense of twenty gold. Much of that was driven by the cost of steel beams and plates.

But when he compared their prices to the base cost of their iron counterparts, they were actually far cheaper.

"Hmm, kind of makes sense," he nodded to himself.

"Not many folks have managed to push their vehicles to tier 2 yet, so the demand for steel parts is low while the supply is high." One interesting facet of the [Exchange] market—and the goods listed there—was the desperation factor. A vehicle owner might have all the necessary components to upgrade tier-two parts, but since their own ride was still tier one, they'd have no choice but to offload those parts cheaply to afford the tier-one upgrade materials.

In that regard, the [Exchange] market was wildly irrational with its pricing. Nyx sold off his iron parts for a heft twenty-five gold, since their prices were nearly matching those of steel parts. He then used the funds to upgrade his vehicle's outer body to [Extended Shell Armour] by tapping the upgrade button on the holographic screen. In response, his vehicle was engulfed in a milky white light, and as the glow receded, it left behind a vehicle nearly five feet taller and ten inches thicker.

The thing now looked more like a jeep than a motorcycle. To give a sense of its appearance, Nyx found the structure oddly reminiscent of a dolphin—at least the upper body did. He opened the front doors to peek inside. In the back, the seating area had expanded into a completely flat surface that resembled a bed, furnished with a decent mattress-like rubbery bedding. Above, the roof now featured a squarish window; opening the steel hatch revealed the cave walls overhead.

Since the temperature inside the cavern was already cool, Nyx stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes. He next opened the panel for upgrading the tires. [Tires] Upgrade Path: [All Terrain Runners] — Comes equipped with super suspensions and a set of tires that glide over all terrains without issue. The tires are triple-layered, preventing easy punctures—even a zombie bite wouldn't faze them!

[Upgrade Requires: Gold x10, Rubber x300, Mechanical Parts x10, Steel Beams x20] Upgrade Path: [Plains Runner] — Specialized tires that glide over rough plains, unfazed by grass, stones, or hidden zombie corpses. Its ultra-suspension system ensures the driver feels no shocks or shakes even at 150 km/h! The tires are made of double-layered hyper-condensed rubber, making them lighter while offering high durability against wear and tear.

[Upgrade Requires: Gold x10, Rubber x200, Mechanical Parts x10, Steel Beams x20] The choice was pretty obvious, to be honest. He needed his car to traverse mountains and all kinds of terrain—he didn't want to be stuck hugging only the central plains while most of the resources lay in the mountains and deserts. So, he spent another ten gold on the Exchange to buy up all the necessary parts except the mechanical ones, since he already had fifty of those left.

Then he tapped on the [All Terrain Runners] upgrade panel and stepped out of the vehicle. Outside, the tires were similarly bathed in milky light before revealing the new, much darker ones—nearly twice as thick as the previous set. Right then, a fresh holographic screen popped up in front of him with a crisp chime. [Congratulations! Your vehicle has reached level 5!] [Choose one of the following Rewards.] [Skill Shards (Common)] [Modification Card] [Rare Weapon] Nyx frowned at this new reward panel.

"Odd, I didn't hear anyone mention this in the regional chats." He shook his head.

"I'm really underestimating how tough it is to push a vehicle to level five." Plenty of people were still securing the basics—a decent weapon, upgrading their windshield, stocking enough ammo for the next night. And only a day had passed since they'd been dropped into this bizarre place. Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on the rewards. Of the three, he figured skill shards were the obvious pick.

"Except it's of common rarity." He glanced back at his own inventory, where the rare variant shards still sat unused.

"I need a rare variety of skill shards. Besides, there's way too much I don't know about this." For instance, it listed skill shards as a reward, but exactly how many were they giving? One, two, or five? And common rarity was far below unique rarity—yet he hadn't seen these types of shards in lower-grade chests either. After more deliberation, he heaved a sigh and decided to contact the Archivist again, to gather more intel before making a call.