Chapter 185: Smoker: My Reward Points… They're Gone Already?!
Smoker snapped out of his shock.
Pressing his lips together, he muttered hoarsely, "Even cursed Devil Fruits… can be created at will?"
Fang Yi asked calmly, "Would you like to continue?"
He looked at the contested Smoke-Smoke Fruit and the growing number of factions arriving in the East Blue, willing to risk the Soul Reaper descending into reality for a chance at power. Satisfied, he nodded slightly.
"Of course, Merchant."
Smoker quickly steadied his emotions. "I want to purchase that Venomous Centipede."
No matter how powerful the Game Merchant might be, once things surpassed his understanding, they weren't worth pondering.
As a captain of Loguetown, his priority was to become stronger—fast.
Then help the Marines take the Soul Reaper's head.
A crimson-shelled centipede landed on the ground, squirming and trying to burrow into a crack. But Smoker's toxic smoke hand grasped it and quickly absorbed it.
"Random key."
Smoker used another key to refresh the Fate Items.
This time, none of the five new items caught his eye.
Or rather—
If not for the [Random Key] mechanism, he might've gritted his teeth and bought a blue armor or accessory set to boost his stats.
But now, it only cost 200 reward points to refresh the inventory.
That tiny price stirred a gambler's mindset—he wasn't interested in settling for Level 10 blue gear that didn't fully align with his abilities and would soon be obsolete.
So—
Smoker used another 200 reward points to buy a Random Key.
Beside him, Fang Yi's lips curled slightly. He said nothing.
"More armor and weapons..."
After five refreshes, Smoker stared disappointedly at the latest Fate Items.
The most tempting option was a Level 15 purple armor piece, [Toxic Flame Breastplate], which doubled the area of effect of his poison smoke.
But it wasn't part of a set, and the price was steep. If he bought it, he'd be nearly out of reward points.
He hesitated—
then chose to use another key to refresh.
The Game Room flashed, and five new Fate Items appeared.
One caught Smoker's attention immediately.
A Level 10 purple weapon: [Purple Shadow Claw of the Poisoncat King].
Its passive effect: [Deals 20% bonus damage to poisoned enemies. Reduced effect on higher-level targets.]
Smoker's eyes locked onto the item.
"If I release smoke enhanced by my Venomous Blood, all enemies within range will be poisoned."
That meant—
As long as he had the stamina to maintain his Devil Fruit, he could boost his combat power by almost 20%.
Buy!
Without hesitation, Smoker purchased the weapon.
The purple claw weapon was crafted from the twin claws of the Poisoncat King, deep within the Glen Forest. Its surface still bristled with purplish-black fur, each hair saturated with venom.
He flexed his wrist with the claw equipped, visibly satisfied.
Fang Yi asked, "Shall we continue?"
This VIP whale spender still had over 20,000 reward points in his backpack.
"Continue!"
Smoker, high on the rush of growing stronger, couldn't stop.
[Venomous Centipede], [Fruit of the Poison Death Tree], [Blood of the Venomcat]…
The next several refreshes didn't bring top-tier items,
but they did yield poison-related materials, all of which Smoker bought—
raising [Venomous Blood] to the max: Level 19.
"Again!"
He bought yet another key, eager to find more fitting Fate Items.
Suddenly, one new item made him pause.
[Toxic Flame Technique]: A low-tier martial art from the Windcloud Continent, allowing one to cultivate toxic flame internal energy.
Toxic Flame Inner Power was a special form of poison energy—it burned like fire inside the enemy, causing excruciating pain, far more brutal than standard poisons.
"Toxic Flame?"
Smoker's brow furrowed.
This was internal energy—a concept that didn't exist in the pirate world. He had no frame of reference.
Fang Yi smiled. "Internal energy is similar to Armament Haki. It's a unique power drawn from body refinement."
"Armament Haki boosts offense and defense."
"Internal energy varies. Toxic Flame is one type, letting you cultivate poison-based internal power."
"You've got great luck. With your Street Fighter's Venomous Blood, if you combine that with Toxic Flame, even a Yonko would think twice before fighting you."
He wasn't exaggerating.
Fang Yi loved draining reward points, but he never tampered with the fate-rune guidance.
Smoker, with Street Fighter potential, was lucky to draw a power that synergized perfectly—
not some generic poison item, but a top-tier compatibility skill.
Smoker's face lit up. "Really?"
"Of course."
Fang Yi's smile didn't fade. "But cultivating Toxic Flame isn't cheap. You should think it through."
The power boost was real—Fang Yi wasn't lying.
What he didn't say was how grueling the training process would be.
Skill XP could be bought.
But proficiency—that was the real money sink.
Internal energy techniques were like Mihawk's sword seed: the hardest abilities to master.
Normal purple skills could be leveled up through repeated use, slow but steady.
But core class-defining abilities like [Internal Energy Techniques], [Sword Seeds], [Energy Cores], and [Arcane Hearts]—these couldn't be mastered without talent and understanding.
No matter how much you used them, if your comprehension was low, you'd never improve.
Mihawk had a natural advantage: he was already the world's greatest swordsman. His sword seed grew fast.
But Smoker?
He was a complete novice. A blank slate.
There were only two ways for him to master [Toxic Flame Technique]:
Train in special areas where toxic flame energy naturally gathered—accelerating proficiency.Or, keep refreshing the Game Room, find related items, and absorb them to raise both XP and proficiency.
He already had [Venomous Blood]. If he added [Toxic Flame],
he'd be walking both the Street Fighter and Poison Master class paths.
That kind of advancement?
Terrifyingly difficult.
"Buy it!"
Smoker gritted his teeth.
He clicked purchase.
Fang Yi's grin widened.
If you want massive power, you have to pay the price. There's no free lunch in the Reincarnation Game.
Smoker's eyes lit up—
[Purchase Failed.]
He froze.
"My reward points...?"
He opened his inventory. Only 500 points left.
His brain stalled.
Hadn't he started with 60,000?
Hunting corrupted monsters gave him around 10,000.
He'd bought a bunch of poison gear and one claw weapon—that couldn't have cost more than 30,000, max.
Where'd the rest go?
He began to suspect the Merchant was secretly skimming from his balance.
After all, only the mastermind behind the Reincarnation Game could pull off something like that.
Still smiling, Fang Yi silently pulled up the transaction log.
One hundred and fifty refreshes.
Each [Random Key] cost 200 points. That was 30,000 reward points.
Smoker went dumbfounded on the spot.
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