Chương 20: Chapter 19: Divine Encounter/The System Shop

Divine Encounter(Sidestory): Steven grew up in a small, run-downtown where opportunities were scarce, and hope was even scarcer. His father was a factory worker, and his mother juggled multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet. From a young age, Steven learned that the world was a harsh place where the strong preyed on the weak. The family's financial struggles and the constant stress of survival left a deep mark on him.

As a teenager, Steven became adept at reading people, he could sense desperation, fear, and vulnerability like a shark smells blood in the water. He realized that in a world full of struggling people, there was a twisted kind of power in being able to manipulate others. He started small, borrowing money from friends with no intention of paying it back, spinning tales of dire circumstances that tugged at their heartstrings. As he grew older, Steven's schemes became more elaborate.

He'd hang around outside payday loan offices and liquor stores, where people were often at their lowest points. He would approach them with a friendly smile and a story of his own, how he too was struggling but had found a way out. He'd offer them a chance to invest in a "sure thing" that would double or even triple their money in a matter of days. The "investment" was of course just a lie, but Steven's charm and apparent sincerity were hard to resist for those desperate for a way out of their troubles.

People would give him whatever little money they had left, hoping for a miracle that never came. Once he had their cash, Steven would disappear, leaving them worse off than before. He justified his actions by telling himself that if they were foolish enough to believe him, they deserved to lose their money. In his mind, the world was a place where you either took what you could or got taken. Then everything changed with the system's arrival.

He now had a chance to gain so much more, and he would get it all just as he had achieved everything else in his life. He had chosen the heavy warrior class, feeling it was the strongest for those who didn't know how to fight. His starting group was quite competent. He had a healer named Caren, a warrior named Andrew, and a mage named Mila. Their first fights went extremely well, even with Mila still a child. They found a wasp nest and were able to easily farm the insects.

Within three hours, everyone in his group had reached level 5 and was teleported to the next stage. But something strange happened during the teleportation. Steven found himself in a giant hall, as vast as a cathedral, yet even more awe-inspiring. The ceiling was so high, he could barely make it out, studded with sparkling crystals that refracted the light, casting a white glow on the walls. The throne was the centerpiece of the room.

Carved from a single, enormous block of white marble and adorned with intricate gold decorations, it pulsed with soft, white magic shining brightly. The floor of the throne room was covered in a thick carpet of pure gold. On the walls hung enormous tapestries depicting scenes of ancient battles and victories. The air in the throne room was filled with a solemn stillness. It was a place of power, authority, and history. Then before him, a man stepped out of nothingness.

Steven instantly felt that this man was not ordinary; he couldn't sense him, like the bugs before. The man radiated absolute power and ancientness.

"Is this a god?" Steven asked himself. Then the being spoke, and his voice echoed through the hall with determination and unbound power.

"I am Solarion, the Blazing Emperor. You have shown potential, so I will offer you the chance to join the great Solar Empire."

"Yes, yes, of course. Are you a god?" Steven stammered out.

"I am one of the first gods that emerged after the Apocalypse, over 500 eras ago," Solarion answered.

"I will give you a legendary blessing. It will open new paths for you and give you the ability to baptize others, granting them access to classes related to me. From what I've seen of you, I assume I don't need to give you more instructions on how to benefit from this situation?"

"Of course not," Steven answered, now smiling. He liked where this was going.

"Now, since you are new to the system, I'll give you a brief rundown of what you need to do. First, when I send you back, you will have the chance to change your class, and you will choose the Solar Sentinel, it's the one that fits you best.

"Next, you will kill your comrades. You need solo experience to level up fast, and the credits and experience you gain from killing them should bring you up to level 9. For skills, take the Light Wing skill. Most at your level won't be able to fly, which will give you a big advantage. Use it to hunt for weak parties you can kill alone.

"I have already given my divine blessing. My Chosen is currently in another tutorial. I want you to dominate yours and gather an army for when you exit the tutorial and reunite with my Chosen on the newly integrated planet."

"Yes, of course, I will do as you desire," Steven answered obediently.

"But wouldn't it be better to let my party live if my goal is to assemble an army later?"

"No. The most important thing is that you grow strong quickly. You can gather subordinates later when you find a strong enough group," Solarion answered coldly. With that, the god raised his hand, which glowed white, and Steven felt power rush through his body. Then the god handed him something, it looked like a white crystal.

"Eat this. It will boost your vitality and strength, as well as your light affinity," the god said. Steven did as he was told and felt another rush of power run through his body, though not as strong as the last one.

"One last warning," the god said.

"Many gods will bless beings from the newly integrated universe. The competition will be fierce on the last floor." With that, everything went black, and a system prompt appeared: Through unique circumstances, you are allowed to change your class Do you want to change your class now? Steven naturally chose the Solar Sentinel, a legendary class, and soon after, he appeared next to Andrew. He immediately drew his sword and stabbed it through Andrew's head from behind, instantly killing him.

"What are you doing, Steven?" Caren roared, though there wasn't much else she could do as a healer. Steven stormed toward Mila, who was too frightened to do anything. She pleaded with tears in her eyes, "Please don't kill me, please!" She couldn't say anything more before he plunged his sword into her left eye, ending her life.

"Why are you doing this?" Caren shouted.

"How could you kill a child?" Steven didn't bother to answer as he attacked Caren. She tried to run, but it was too late. He sliced her head off with a single stroke of his blade. You have killed a human Level 5 You have killed a human Level 5 You have killed a human Level 5 You have reached Level 9 Skill selection available He took the Light Wing skill: The caster's body becomes suffused with radiant energy, causing a pair of luminous wings to sprout from their back.

While granting flight, the wings also act as a conduit for powerful healing spells. The wings' healing power is directly proportional to the caster's mana reserves. With a big smile, Steven activated the skill and soared into the air. That day, he reached level 14. He got lucky, the survivors were just easy prey, most not even surpassing level 5. The bad news was that he didn't get much experience from killing them, but that wouldn't stop him. They had around 500 credits, which was his main objective.

In six days, the system shop would appear, and he would make sure to buy the best for himself. He already had over 5000 credits. So, he spent the days hunting low-level humans. In the last two days, many survivors had entered the second stage, which was great for him. The only downside was that he had to find the newcomers quickly before they had a chance to join one of the bigger camps of refugees. Nevertheless, everything was going well for him.

The night before the shop's arrival, he was at level 23 with 42, 310 credits. He only had to flee a few times, once from a group of elves and another time from three vampires, but with his wings, no one could catch him. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. So, he sat in a tall tree, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the system shop. Solarion sat on his throne, glaring into the vast multiverse. This time, he was lucky.

He found a good Chosen on the first day of the tutorial, and not only that, but he also managed to enlist 13 new followers for his Chosen to fight the other Chosen for supremacy after the tutorial. The reason gods were so adamant, at least the stronger ones, about giving out blessings was that with each evolution, the blessing would absorb a little bit of endless energy, which was a mix of vitality, stamina, and mana, but so complex and powerful that no god could recreate it.

The amount of endless energy that could be absorbed increased with the rank of the blessing, though the cost for the god also increased. It could even weaken them if their Chosen or higher blessed died. The tricky part was that a god couldn't extract the blessing after four safe evolutions. No, it would remain with the blessed until they became gods themselves. Only then could the god receive their reward.

Until now, most gods had held back their blessings because the only opportunity to bless someone came when they advanced in stages. Also, the system didn't allow gods to see much, and most didn't want to make such crucial decisions with so little information. But that would change with the appearance of the system shop.

"Let the war for the 501st universe begin," Solarion said, deep in thought. <-- The System Shop: Thalion waited the whole morning until it happened. System Shop is available for 11: 59 hours. You can only enter once. Finally, Thalion thought and entered the shop. Everything turned black, and then he stood in front of the voice of the system, in the same place he had been before the tutorial.

"Huh, a shapeshifter? Didn't see that one coming," the voice spoke in his head.

"Anyway, I will also act as the shopkeeper for the tutorial."

"Can you give me information on this Bud of the Sanguine Thorn?" he asked, taking out the item that had consumed the stronger vampire, getting straight to business.

"I am not allowed to tell you anything this time. Everything you want here, even information, you'll need to buy with credits," the voice concluded.

"I have an information scroll on the Sanguine Thorn. It costs 5, 000 credits."

"Does the scroll provide more knowledge on the Sanguine Thorn than my Identify already did?" he asked, expecting the typical "I'm not allowed to give such information." To his surprise, the voice said: "Yes, the scroll contains very specific information about the Sanguine Thorn, as well as short but crucial details about vampires and the god Tenebrice." Buying the scroll sounded appealing to him now, but first, he wanted to see what else the voice had in store, Thalion thought.

"How much time do I have to choose my purchases?" he asked.

"Oh, and how much time do I lose in the tutorial?"

"You have around five hours to choose your items before you get thrown out. Then you must wait seven days until the next time. The good news is, we are currently outside of time, so no time is passing in the tutorial," the voice said, amused.

"Huh, that's great," he thought aloud.

"So, can you give me a list of attack and healing spells for a mage?" With that, a prompt appeared before him, showing a wide array of spells. He quickly skimmed through the options, marking those he was most interested in for later consideration. Manablade (Epic): Summons a sword made of mana. [4, 500 Credits] Magma Ball (Rare): Fires a ball of magma. [2, 500 Credits] Shadow Mist (Rare): Summons a mist made of darkness. [4, 000 Credits] Shadow Shard (Rare): Fires a shard of dark mana.

[2, 000 Credits] Rock Shard (Rare): Fires a rock that explodes on impact. [3, 500 Credits] Water Shard (Rare): Fires a concentrated orb of water at the enemy. [2, 800 Credits] Bubble Trap (Rare): Conjures a watery bubble that encloses enemies and deals damage. [3, 900 Credits] Tidal Wave (Epic): Summons a massive wave that engulfs nearby enemies. [5, 000 Credits] Lightning Strike (Rare): Hurls bolts of lightning at enemies.

[3, 900 Credits] Electric Surge (Rare): Unleashes a surge of electrical energy, damaging nearby foes. [3, 200 Credits] Storm Burst (Epic): Conjures a storm of lightning around the caster. [8, 000 Credits]"Can you give me a list of spells for shapeshifters?" Thalion asked and glanced at a specific spell, which caught his attention.

Arcane Synergy (Epic): Allows a shapeshifter to permanently transfer a spell from one form to another, merging the magical abilities of different creatures into a single, more versatile form. When this spell is cast, the shapeshifter selects a specific spell from one of their forms and transfers it to another, enabling the new form to wield the spell as if it were its own. The original form loses the spell in the process, making this a one-way transfer.

[9, 500 Credits] This spell wouldn't help him at the moment, as each form needed its own spells, but for the future, he saw himself collecting the abilities of numerous creatures, transferring their strongest attributes to his other forms. He was already formulating a plan: buy the vampire scroll, acquire the Arcane Synergy spell for future growth, and add one or two spells to boost his human form, maybe even get some additional information if the shop offered it.

"Can I buy information on how I can upgrade the rarity of my spells, or even the rarity of a race?" Thalion asked. He had already seen how powerful an epic race could be with his two forms, so upgrading them further would be a significant advantage.

"Here's a scroll that covers both areas," the voice answered in its usual businesslike tone. Novice's Guide to Skill Mastery (Uncommon): An introductory scroll designed for beginners. It explains the fundamental principles of how to improve and enhance skills, offering simple, easy-to-understand instructions. The scroll also provides basic guidance on how to upgrade one's race, outlining the initial steps needed to evolve and unlock greater potential.

Perfect for those just starting their journey, this scroll serves as a foundational resource for anyone eager to learn the basics of skill and race progression. [1, 500 Credits]"That scroll is also a must-buy," Thalion thought while reviewing his choices. If he had done his math correctly, after buying the scroll on the Sanguine Thorn, Arcane Synergy, and Novice's Guide to Skill Mastery, he would have 5, 080 credits left out of his initial 21, 080 credits.

Initially, he considered buying two weaker spells for around 2, 000 credits, perhaps Rock Shard or Shadow Shard, but in the end, he discarded that idea. After some further thought, he decided to go with manablade. For a moment, he thought about checking the armory, but with time running out, manablade seemed the best synergy with the Novice's Guide to Skill Mastery, potentially allowing him to upgrade the spell.

He would likely need a weaponsmith to upgrade his staff or whatever weapon or armor he eventually bought. In the end, he purchased the Scroll of the Sanguine Thorn, Arcane Synergy, Novice's Guide to Skill Mastery, and manablade for 19, 500 credits, reducing his creditscore to 1, 580 credits. He was satisfied with his choices. In the final minutes, he browsed the armory for heavy warriors and magical swords, just in case he had to face one in the future. <-- Steven left the system shop with a wide grin.

The slaughter of helpless survivors had paid off. He had been able to purchase a full set of armor, along with a shield and lance, all tailored to his class. He even acquired two additional skills, both linked to Solarian, the Blazing Emperor. This meant that no one else could access his weapons or skills unless they, too, were followers of Solarian, making them potential allies.

As a businessman, he had compared the available armor sets, and the difference between what ordinary people could buy and what he had access to was staggering. Even though the items shared the same rarity on the surface, his gear provided significantly more stats or came with special abilities. If he were to encounter his old self from just five minutes ago, it wouldn't even be a contest. Looking ahead, Steven planned to start fighting stronger enemies now that he was well-equipped.

Credits were no longer as crucial as gaining experience. He had also been tasked by his god to gather followers. While he would wait before baptizing anyone, if he encountered a strong group, he would try to impress them with his strength so they might eventually join him for safety. Either way, the time for killing the weak for credits was over—at least for now. He needed to present himself as a strong leader to attract others under his banner.

With a powerful beat of his light wings, Steven shot into the air, searching for a formidable beast so he could finally advance to stage three of the tutorial. <-- Lucius Valendris stepped out of the system shop, feeling fortunate that he had chosen to focus on acquiring better equipment rather than advancing to the next stage. Shortly after entering the shop, he received an unexpected invitation to meet Malphas, the Crimson Sovereign, a vampire god. Their conversation was brief but impactful.

Malphas bestowed upon Lucius a rare blessing that immediately increased his stats. Additionally, the god gifted him a small pearl of darkness, which Lucius swallowed. This pearl not only enhanced his stats further but also deepened his affinity with shadows. It seemed that while Malphas couldn't directly provide physical items, anything Lucius absorbed was beyond the system's interference.

Malphas had expressed frustration over Tenebrice, the strongest of all vampire gods, who had cultivated a plant that empowered his followers with immense stat boosts, almost resembling a soul-bound weapon. Despite this, Malphas warned Lucius that more blessed champions from other gods would now attempt to conquer the tutorial. But Lucius cared little for that. His mission was clear, to become as powerful as possible and eliminate as many of these god-blessed challengers as he could.

That was perfectly fine with Lucius, he would have done it anyway. With that, the divine intermission ended, and he found himself back in the system shop, now with more and better options available exclusively to followers of Malphas, the Crimson Sovereign. Now, standing under the sun, Lucius felt no discomfort, a testament to his newfound power. An aura of darkness surrounded him, further amplifying his strength. This power would be invaluable as he moved forward. So far, the third stage has been brutal.

He had already lost the two other vampires who had accompanied him. The beasts were formidable, difficult to kill, and any fight risked alerting nearby survivors, none of whom were pushovers, making the situation even more perilous. After losing his subordinates to an elven ambush, progress became even more challenging. But now, after investing 48, 000 credits into new equipment, spells, and blood, Lucius felt confident that he could once again become the apex hunter.

<-- Thorwald's grin widened maliciously as he exited the system shop, his newly acquired items, were more powerful than he could have imagined. With 31, 000 credits in his possession earned from slaughtering those imbeciles back at the camp, he felt unstoppable. Reaching level 19 in the process had only added to his confidence. He had splurged on a full set of armor, a movement skill, and three new attack spells.

If he had had those upgrades yesterday, he could have wiped out the entire camp single-handedly without breaking a sweat. Thorwald scanned his remaining men. Each one of them was now equipped with new weapons and armor, their faces reflecting the thrill of recent victories. They, too, had reaped the benefits of yesterday's bloodshed, leveling up and becoming even deadlier.

"It looks like we've all powered up significantly," Thorwald growled, his voice dripping with anticipation.

"I say we go back and finish the job we started yesterday." His men roared in agreement, their bloodlust palpable. The thought of returning to the camp to eliminate the survivors and claim even more credits fueled their excitement. They were ready—armed, dangerous, and eager to unleash their newfound power. Thorwald turned, his eyes gleaming with dark intent, and led his men back into the jungle, towards the camp that had no idea what was about to hit them.