Arther led Sam back through the main living quarters and out into the shop. He hadn’t noticed when they’d arrived, but the store looked more disorganized than he remembered. Stacks of weapons and armour, which had previously been neatly stacked, now lay haphazardly against their shelves or strewn along benches.

  “Everything alright in here?” Sam asked, lifting an axe from where it had fallen.

  “If you recall, you had me leave in somewhat of a hurry,” Arther chided, moving swiftly past and out into the center of the room. “And like I said, I’ve been busy. The start of the War is always the busiest time for customers. I’ve been struggling just to keep product on the shelves.”

  “Right. For some reason, I just kinda assumed you wouldn’t be selling to anyone but me.”

  Arther gave him a reproachful look. “I’ve still got to make a living here, Sam. I make nearly all my income in wartime. The rest of the cycle is mostly farm implements, and that hardly pays the bills.”

  “Remind me again why you have to pay bills in heaven?”

  “Best not get into it. Suffice to say, yes, I am selling to other Warriors.”

  Sam let out a chuckle. “Well, I want you to know, if someone kills me with one of your weapons, I will be extremely upset.”

  “If someone kills you with one of my weapons, you’ll have bigger problems. Or, er–no problems. Either way, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Arther scratched his chin and gave a lecherous grin. “That being said, if you happen to kill someone wearing my gear, try not to damage it. I can always resell it here at the shop, cut you in on the profits.”

  “What the hell, man. I’m not exactly thinking about killing other people just yet. Sentient monsters are bad enough.”

  “It does take some getting used to,” Arther replied, moving behind the counter and pulling out a set of items from his tafla.

  Sam shuffled over and took a look at the display, eyes lighting up when he realized that all of it was enchanted. Arther had been busy. The glow was much more refined than his [Enchanted Warrior Cuirass]; it was clear Arther had put more time into the magical enhancements.

  “Take a look around and make your selections. We need to factor in skill upgrades as well, as I’m sure you have a few you need to purchase. How much did you end up getting for the ogre, by the way? Killing a Bronze tier monster in Iron should have netted you a pretty penny.”

  “Unfortunately not,” Sam said dejectedly. “It looks like the Arbiter split the total with that Sylvan. I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong, she absolutely saved my life, but 850 spira still feels low.”

  Arther chuckled, “Sam, a week ago you were taking out dire-rats worth fifty apiece. 850 is still plenty considering you didn’t do it solo.”

  “Fair enough…” Sam replied, pulling up his tafla and taking stock of his inventory. “I also have a decent amount to sell, though candidly, I’m not sure how much some of this will be worth.” He set a few of the better-preserved Draug weapons down on the counter. “How much would you give me for these?”

  Arther picked up a few of the weapons and shook his head. “Normally, nothing. The steel is in pretty bad shape, and realistically it would take me more time to recycle it than the metal would be worth…but, given the circumstances, maybe a few spira.”

  “That’s what I figured. Otherwise, I have a good collection of bones, a few pelts, and a literal ton of ghoul meat.” Sam winced at the disgusted look on Arther’s face.

  “Did you say ghoul meat?”

  “Yeah, I dunno. I figured maybe one of the aliens might eat it as a delicacy or something. There’s no limit to the storage, right? I’m kind of a ‘loot everything’ kind of guy.”

  Arther shook his head. “It’s all fun and games until you need to find something quickly and have to scroll through pages of useless junk.”

  Sam shrugged, “It’s not that hard.” He displayed his tafla and zoomed through the various pages, creating folders and organizing the loot in a matter of seconds.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Arther muttered. “You’re already faster at navigating that thing than I was after centuries. Gods, I might not be that fast now.”

  “In your defence,” Sam replied, “I have a lot more experience with this sort of thing. Screens like this are commonplace in my time.”

  “Still,” Arther said, “This isn’t normal. You’ve taken to it faster than any Warrior I’ve ever seen. I’m not entirely sure how yet, but we’ll need to find a way to use that to your advantage.”

  “Good to know,” Sam said with a grin. “I need every advantage I can get.”

  “That you do,” Arther responded, gesturing at the screen. “Show me what we’re working with.”

  Sam increased the display size, highlighting his gains.

  Name: Samuel Lin

  Race: Human

  Patron: N/A

  Class: N/A

  Rank: Iron

  Titles

  [Child of Babel]

  [Deific Mark]

  [Rodent’s Resilience - Tier 5]

  [Apostate - Tier 5]

  [Giantslayer - Tier 1]

  Achievements

  [First Blood]

  [Frugal Beastslayer]

  [Frugal Usurper]

  [Skill Morph]

  [Mana Network]

  [Trailblazer]

  Enhancement Skills

  [Iron Skin - Tier 1]

  [Battle Healing - Tier 1]

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  [Basic Stamina - Tier 4]

  [Basic Strength - Tier 5]

  [Arcane Eyes - Tier 3]

  [Basic Mental Resistance - Tier 3]

  Martial Skills

  [Basic Shield Proficiency]

  [Simple Melee Weapon Proficiency]

  [Spear Mastery - Tier 5]

  [Longinus Strike - Tier 3]

  [Light Armour Proficiency]

  [Spira: 9,120]

  “Incredible,” Arther whispered, eyes wide as he reviewed the numbers. “It’s not uncommon for Warriors to begin solo, but it’s pretty much unheard of for one to completely clear a Dungeon. I can only think of one example in the last fifty Wars, and she was an absolute terror.”

  “Did she win?”

  “Gods no, thought she could take on a [Hr?svelgr Roc] by herself. It dropped her off the side of the Spire…on the fourth Ring.”

  Sam winced, “It must have been a long way down.”

  “Aye,” Arther replied. “Likely died of starvation before she hit the bottom.”

  “Is there a bottom?” Sam asked, curiosity piqued.

  “Supposedly, but we’re getting off topic. The point I’m trying to make is that you are well ahead in terms of your skill tiers. You’ll notice the levels will slow down quite a bit after the first evolution, but still, you’re in a fantastic position.”

  “I should hope so, given what I’ve had to do to get here.”

  Arther gave a small shrug before asking him to pull up his upgrade paths. He agreed on Sam’s choice to proceed with [One Man Army], increasing the power of [Roden’t Resilience] depending on the number of enemies. [Apostate] was a harder choice, and the two went back and forth between the options.

  [Title Upgrade: Apostate - Permanent - Iron - Tier 5]

  Elemental Antagonist

  Increases the effectiveness of [Apostate] against [Elemental] [Divine Skills].

  Cost: 2,500 Spira

  [Title Upgrade: Apostate - Permanent - Iron - Tier 5]

  Arcane Anarchist

  Increases the effectiveness of [Apostate] against [Arcane] [Divine Skills].

  Cost: 2,500 Spira

  “Both have their pros and cons,” Arther said, pulling up his own tafla and cycling through the selection of available gods. “You’ll encounter more [Elemental]-focused deities; they’re just more common. However, you’re less likely to be taken by surprise once you know who you’re facing. [Arcane] skills, on the other hand, are far more likely to trip you up if you’re not careful.”

  “That was my thought process,” Sam agreed, trying to get a sense of the nature of the various [Arcane] skills. “Honestly, anything to do with time scares the shit out of me. Chronomancy always seems so overpowered.”

  “You’re not wrong, but on the bright side, it’s not overly effective on its own. Those who worship Khronus, or others like him, are generally categorized as support or utility. It’s only on the much higher Rings that they’re capable of casting some truly dangerous spells.”

  “Lovely,” Sam replied, making his selection. “But we do have to play for the long game, and besides, I can always buy specific elemental resistances if I need them, right? This feels like the best of both worlds.”

  “It does,” Arther nodded. “It’s not uncommon to make those purchases based on the Honorum. At least once the top ten solidifies later on.”

  “Alright,” Sam said emphatically, adding the selection to the queue. “That just leaves [Basic Strength]. Part of me wants to wait to see if we can get another [Skill Morph], but I’m not sure how practical that is.”

  “Not likely, just based on what I’m seeing here. Let’s review the upgrades and make the call.”

  [Standard Strength - Iron - Common - Upgradable]

  Further increases overall physical strength. Grants additional resilience against muscle fatigue when completing repetitive motions.

  Cost: 2,000 Spira

  [Kinetic Discipline - Iron - Uncommon - Upgradable]

  Retains the properties of [Standard Strength]. Increases the speed at which muscle fibres react to electrical impulses and mental commands, resulting in more acute dexterity and fine motor control.

  Cost: 3,000 Spira

  [Titan’s Might - Iron - Uncommon - Upgradable]

  Passive: Retains the effect of [Basic Strength].

  Active: Creates a surge of power, invigorating muscles and allowing for incredible feats of strength.

  8 Hr Cooldown.

  Cost: 3,500 Spira

  “Tough choices,” Arther said with a frown. He did some basic math on his tafla and tallied the results. “You’ll spend 5,000 on both title upgrades, which leaves you with 4,120 for the [Basic Strength] evolution, as well as gear.”

  “It sure goes fast.”

  “It sure does. Let’s look at your gear options, then make a final decision.”

  Sam nodded and began inspecting the assortment of armour in front of him, putting them into a ‘must have’ and a ‘nice to have’ pile. After a week of near constant fighting, he had a good sense of where his body was taking the most damage, and he wanted to make sure he prioritized those areas.

  [Runic Warrior Chestplate - Iron - Uncommon - 750 Spira - 375 Spira]

  Armour imbued with runes of protection as well as temperature control. This beautifully crafted chestpiece provides significant protection against slashing and piercing attacks. Enchanted by the hands of a skilled smith, it also provides moderate protection from [Divine Skills] while allowing for additional comfort.

  [Durability 250/250]

  [Runic Warrior Greaves - Iron - Uncommon - 500 Spira - 250 Spira]

  Armour imbued with runes of elemental dispersion. These sculpted greaves provide moderate protection against slashing damage and weak protection against piercing attacks. Enchanted by the hands of a skilled smith, they also provide moderate protection from [Elemental Skills].

  [Durability 175/175]

  [Runic Warrior Bracers - Iron - Uncommon - 500 Spira - 250 Spira]

  Armour imbued with runes of Divine disruption. This rugged cuirass provides moderate protection against slashing damage and weak protection against bludgeoning attacks. Enchanted by the hands of a skilled smith, they also provide moderate protection from [Arcane Skills].

  [Durability 150/150]

  [Padded Metal Cap - Iron - Common - 150 Spira - 75 Spira]

  A single piece of metal can be the difference between life and death. This rugged cap provides moderate protection against bludgeoning and slashing attacks.

  [Durability 75/75]

  All of which went over a [Padded Gambeson] and [Simple Chainmail Shirt], which added another 150 spira to his running total. It was clear Arther had built the pieces to be a set, and Sam was pleased to see they all fit together seamlessly and were already tailored to his size.

  He was still missing a few items, specifically a second pauldron and a set of reinforced gloves. He also needed a new set of tunics, and his boots were a few durability away from [Ruined]. On top of that, he needed a new shield, as well as a solid option for a bludgeoning weapon. He’d come to appreciate the versatility the mace had provided against the Draug, and wanted to ensure he’d have the right equipment should he encounter similar enemies in the future.

  “Well,” he said at last. “We have a problem.”

  “Oh?” Arther replied, looking up from the dagger he was polishing. “What’s that?”

  “I’m not going to have enough spira for everything I want.”

  Arther laughed and set down the blade. “Yes, that is often the crux of the issues we face. In fact, I’d say it’s the most common problem in the whole damn War. The question for you becomes: what can you afford to live without?”

  “That is the question…” Sam responded, biting his lip as he made some quick calculations. “Don’t suppose you can give me any more of a discount?”

  “Don’t push your luck,” Arther grunted. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. And I want you to appreciate that you’re basically robbing me right now.”

  “Is that an option? I can put a bucket on your head and–”

  “Enough, Sam. It’s almost nightfall, and I have things to do. I can’t make this choice for you. Make your selection and please, for the love of all the gods, go take a shower.”

  “That bad, eh?”

  Arther wrinkled his nose. “Worse than bad.”

  “Here I thought the river would have helped…” Sam trailed off, locking in his purchases.