The city hall was packed.
Tents had been set up in every open space around the building, makeshift tents stretched tight and anchored down with whatever people could find. Families clustered together, fighters gravitated toward the outer edges, and those who looked lost stayed near the center where the system terminals were strongest. My siblings and our small group settled in one of the nearby tents, close enough to feel the pressure of the point shop region without being crushed by the crowd.
Point shops are always placed in locations considered the heart of a city. Government buildings, plazas, ancient centers of authority. They act as hubs, not just for locals, but for anyone who survives long enough to reach them. That rule holds true in every parallel reality I can remember.
The point shop itself is not a physical structure. It is an interface, one that only becomes accessible in select regions like this one. A boundary drawn by the system, invisible but absolute. Step outside of it and the option vanishes. Step inside and the world reminds you what you are allowed to become.
Points can be used to purchase spell books, martial books, magical weapons, and items. Survival gear from the modern world sits alongside things that should not exist at all. Rations that compress weeks of food into inventory slots. Medical supplies that repair flesh faster than biology should allow. Deep into the apocalypse, even basic books can cost upward of ten thousand points. For now, everything is discounted.
Five thousand points per book.
It is the best time to buy them, though very few people can afford to. Most survivors are lucky to scrape together a few hundred points by the end of the first day. A thousand if they took risks. More than that usually means blood.
I had 11,835.
The extra points came from the monsters that got in my way on the trip to city hall. Encounters I could not avoid, fights that ended quickly and decisively. I did not waste time hesitating.
I bought two books.
The first was a spell book titled [Barrier Magic for the Aspiring Defense Mage.] It contained three spells. The first two were common, almost mandatory for spellcasters who wanted to survive.
Mana Barrier creates a layer of condensed mana around the user or a designated ally. It is flexible, adaptable, and drains mana steadily as it absorbs damage. Mana Shield is a smaller scale construct, denser and more focused. It guards against piercing attacks, magical projectiles, and weapons that would normally slip through a wider barrier. Most casters favor it as an emergency defense.
The third spell was not something beginners should have access to.
Protection Field.
A large scale dome that anchors itself to the ground and seals off an area. It suppresses corruption, reduces environmental interference, and blocks threats below a certain grade. Silver ranked spellcasters use it to protect strongholds, refugee camps, or critical facilities. Maintaining it is expensive. The mana cost is constant, and sustaining it alone is nearly impossible for extended periods. Most fields require multiple casters rotating shifts to keep it stable.
I committed the spells to memory as the book dissolved into light.
The second book was a martial arts manual titled [Spear Art of the Azure Storm].
Not a popular choice. Most people gravitate toward swords, or blunt weapons, or anything that looks simple. The Azure Storm is a mid tier art, rated three out of five stars. But it is compatible with the tendencies shared by most of my parallel selves. In every parallel life, I was a polearm user of some kind.
Martial books typically contain three or four base techniques designed to empower natural movement, along with one Special technique that ties them together.
Azure Thrust, a ki enhanced forward strike meant to pierce armor or scales.
Azure Sweep, a wide arc attack optimized for polearms, clearing space and controlling distance.
Leaping Azure Strike, a forward lunge combined with vertical momentum, useful for breaking formations or reaching elevated targets.
And the Special technique.
The Azure Flurry.
Five consecutive strikes executed in rapid succession, each building upon the last. Momentum stacks, ki circulation accelerates, and hesitation results in backlash.
With my specialty being magic and the manipulation of water, the Azure Storm was a suitable tool. It complemented my instincts rather than fighting them.
Like the spell book, the martial book vanished once its contents were absorbed. One time use items, but invaluable ones. Professions, once unlocked, will naturally grant techniques and spells over time, forming a foundation for growth. Books simply accelerate that process.
Professions also reveal innate talent. Someone gifted with spears can still learn sword techniques, but once labeled as a Spearman, their learning curve shifts. Efficiency increases. Adaptation improves. The system rewards those who follow the path that it shows them.
Even those with poor gifts can reach the Bronze grade once professions unlock. It is the baseline. The starting point for those with less than ideal gifts.
After finishing with the books, our group spent what points we could spare on equipment.
Martin chose a shield and a mace. It was practical and reliable, he said something about getting the "Knight" Profession in a past life.
Miss Vanessa purchased a shortsword and a dagger. Balanced, flexible, suited for quick engagements. If Martin and Alfred were the vanguard then she would be a rear guard or our scout due to her overall speed.
My younger sister Ara already had a wand, but still bought a sword. She understood that distance can always be closed.
Alfred equipped himself with metal gauntlets and reinforced boots. He favors close quarters and does not shy away from impact. Aside from he's the only other person who could afford a martial book, having bought a book titled [The Paws of the Red Leopard]
I bought a wand as well. My main weapon would remain the spear, but redundancy keeps you alive.
With a few hours left before sundown, I decided to hunt again. The day was not over yet, and points only mattered if you lived long enough to spend them. The group chose to come with me. No one argued.
We moved through the surrounding districts carefully, pulling smaller packs of monsters away from main streets and eliminating them quickly. Coordination improved with each encounter. Mistakes were corrected. Roles began to solidify without discussion.
By the time the sun dipped below the skyline, exhaustion had set in. We returned to the city hall perimeter just as the system prepared its announcement.
At the end of the first day, it always speaks.
A familiar blue screen materialized before my eyes.
[The rankings can be checked through the command word "Ranks"]
A ripple passed through the crowd as others received the same message.
Another followed.
[Parties can be formed consisting of a minimum of three members, with a maximum limit of fifteen. This function unlocks the Group Chat under the system.]
That one caused murmurs. Alliances would form quickly now.
The final line appeared last.
[Local rankings are based on continents. Overall world rankings will remain locked until the fourteenth day.]
I closed the interface and looked toward the city lights.