It was past midnight by the time Nico was 'very impolitely' led into the room and told to sit on the simple wooden chair he's been sitting on for the past two hours.
[I can't feel my rear…] He grimaced before rolling his eyes across the room for the nth time.
In front of him was a simple wooden table upon which sat the Boomstick and the bracelet. And beyond the table was another chair.
All of which was lit by the single mana lamp hanging from the ceiling.
As for the cloak, it was confiscated.
[System… how's Nom doing?]
-Ding!
{Same as you. But she's getting increasingly impatient.}
[Bet they're integrating X-97 first… Or should I say Peko now…]
-Ding!
{That would be an accurate assessment.}
[Well, she does quite look delicate… so they probably thought she'd be the easiest to intimidate. Good thing, I practically forced her to swallow that spoofing ring…]
The Identity Spoofing Ring was an Epic-Grade enchanted ring that cost Nico 15,000 Credits.
It allowed the user to spoof whatever information he or she deemed they wanted to hide from just about every scanner.
And given his love for the fantasy genre and what he's seen in his 'scuffle' with Pantheon, he refused to believe they didn't have magical scanners or lie detectors of some kind.
The System had a built-in spoofer, so Nico and Nom-Nom were pretty much golden.
But Peko wasn't his Familiar, hence the ring.
Nico sighed, thanking his paranoia and his insistence that she swallow it as he looked at all his gear laid out on the table.
Had she worn it instead, the entire plan would've been jeopardized before it even began.
[Man, this is taking too long…] Nico sighed again, and that's when it occurred to him.
He had planned to purchase affinities and spells with the credits he had.
[Now's the perfect time for it… I mean, if I told them I have ice affinity, and then after a few days began showing off new ones… that may compromise the integrity of our cover.]
-Ding!
{Indeed.}
[Well then… which affinities would you recommend?}
With another 'Ding', System's |Shop| tab flickered into Nico's vision.
{
Fire (Common)
Allows creation and manipulation of fire and heat-based phenomena via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
Pure offense and area denial.
Price: 2,000 Credits
----
Earth (Common)
Enables the creation, reinforcement, and manipulation of soil, stone, etc via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
High utility and strong defensive applications.
Price: 4,000 Credits
---
Shadow (Epic)
Grants control over existing shadows via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
Utility, movement, and stealth.
Price: 15,000 Credits
---
Metal (Epic)
Allows manipulation, creation, and reinforcement of metallic substances via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
Utility, offense, defense, and crafting.
Price: 10,000 Credits
---
White Lightning (Epic)
An esoteric lightning variant.
Possesses lower raw destructive output compared to other esoteric lightning variants, but offers superior stability, precision, and controllability via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
Ease of usage and high reliability.
Price: 20,000 Credits
---
Nature (Epic)
Manipulation, generation, and reinforcement of plant life, biological growth, and natural ecosystems via spells.
Reason for Recommendation:
Utility, battlefield control, and crafting.
Price: 15,000 Credits
---
Telekinesis (Epic)
Allows direct manipulation of objects and forces through mental exertion and mana.
Reason for Recommendation:
Utility, offense, and defence.
Price: 35,000 Credits
}
[Damn… I want every one of these…] Nico thought as he read through them over and over again.
-Ding!
{I strongly recommend Nature and Metal}
[You just don't want me to blow shit up.] Nico scoffed at System's very obvious attempt.
-Ding!
{I indeed do not. Your Infinity worries me.}
That gave Nico a pause. He wasn't so dumb as to not understand the consequences of Infinite… anything.
[Hey, System… If I trust you… Can you promise me that I won't end up dead at the end of the path you'll take me? I won't be sacrificed to save the world… or for the greater good?]
What followed was a long silence.
And just as Nico's eyes began to dim –
-Ding!
{You are my Host, and my highest priority. Trust me.}
A small smile appeared on Nico's face. Then with a deep breath, he replied –
[Very well, buddy… I'll trust you. Now buy me those affinities!]
-Ding!
{Affinities: Nature & Metal, purchased!
35,000 Credits deducted.
Balance: 94 Credits.
Thank you, Host. You will not regret your trust in me.}
[That's the plan…] Nico replied. And just as he was about to pop up his status to check the Affinities –
-Ding!
{
Achievement Unlocked!
Purchase Affinity / Affinities for the first time.
Rewards:
Magic – Manifestation (Unquantifiable) for the Affinities purchased.
Allows the user to manifest their affinities.
Magic – Reinforcement (Common) for all existing System-acquired Affinities (Except Time) before the purchase.
Allows the user to imbue affinity-infused mana into the body to temporarily enhance it with the affinity's traits.
}
[Yoo... we got achievements too? Reinforcement sounds handy. And what's 'Unquantifiable'?]
-Ding!
{Unquantifiable means the magic's grade cannot be quantified.}
[No shit, Sherlock.] Nico chuckled, shaking his head before popping open his status with the next thought.
[Protocol: Chronos]
Name: Nico
Race: Human
Circuits: 9
Affinity: Infinity, Time, Ice, Nature, Metal
Level: 9
EXP: 8,836 / 38,437
Status: Normal
Stat Points: 0
Stats:
STR: 1
AGI: 1
END: 1
DEX: 1
MP: 55 / 55
MP Regen: ∞
LCK: ERROR
Magic:
Ice Pebble (Common) [2 MP] (Optimal at 2 Circuits)
Ice Reinforcement (Common) [5 MP minimum] (Optimal at 6 Circuits)
Nature Manifestation (Unquantifiable) [Varied] (Varied)
Metal Manifestation (Unquantifiable) [Varied] (Varied)
Skills:
Precognition (Legendary) [2 MP/sec] (Optimal at 2 Circuits)
Temporal Step — Aevum Trace (Rare) [60 MP] (Optimal at 6 Circuits)
Gear:
Credits: 94
Tabs: [Shop] [Inventory] [Map] [Crafting] [Familiars]
Nico couldn't help but grin as he stared at his status.
[It's all coming together just fine… Can't wait to try all these… Especially, Temporal Step! But man, that EXP Requirement is just unfair.]
It indeed was, because even after an entire day spent slaying Monsters his EXP only went up by 7,711, with 30,726 more to go before he'd have enough MP to use Temporal Step.
[Hey, System- ]
-Creak.
Before he could finish the thought, the creak of the door opening snapped his attention sideways.
And in stepped a middle-aged man into the room with a neatly groomed mustache curled upward beneath a stern, assessing gaze.
He was clad in immaculate samurai-style armor and carried Nico's Cloak of Flight in his hand.
Closely following behind him stepped a tall man with long, dark hair, with a set of wolf-like ears atop his head and a bushy tail swaying behind him.
He wore a deep red robe, embroidered with subtle gold, and carried a large crystal orb in his hand.
His cold, unreadable gaze swept the room before finally settling on Nico.
And Nico instantly felt cold sweat drench his back as the man looked at him as though he was looking at something… not someone.
Just as Nico opened his mouth to say something, the screech of the chair being pulled snapped his attention forward.
The middle-aged man pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down heavily with the armor shifting with a muted clink, before placing the Cloak of Flight onto the table between them.
A moment later, the long-haired man stepped forward and set the crystal orb down beside it.
The middle-aged man folded his arms and leaned back as he said, "Alright, kid… Let's get this over with."