Vorden held the sheet of paper, examining it. He then looked back at Tsukuru.
"So…is there anything else this…'System' can do?" He asked.
Tsukuru put his hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"Hmm…well, there is one more thing." He replied. "My System also has the built-in 'Shop' that lets me buy things." He replied.
Hearing this, Quinn's head snapped up, him suddenly very interested in this conversation. His System also had a 'Shop' function, but it was currently "locked" until he reached Level 10.
Tsukuru smirked.
"In fact…" He started, as he flicked his finger up, bringing up the System's UI. As he pressed the first icon, the one showing his silhouette, his Status Screen appeared to the left, and the rectangular screen with the three bars appeared to the right. Tsukuru pressed the third rectangle, the one labeled "Equipment", causing the second set of bars to appear.
This time, he pressed the first bar, the one labeled "Weapons". As he did, the Weapons Tab screen appeared. It was almost completely empty, only having the first three squares of the grid occupied. In order, they showed a rusty knight longsword, a pair of rusted gauntlets, and his Black Obsidian Dagger. Tsukuru pressed his finger against the third square in the first row.
A System message appeared.
[Would you like to withdraw Basic-Tier Black Obsidian Dagger from the System's Weapons Tab?
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru thought the word "yes".
Instantly, pixels began to form in Tsukuru's hand. However, Vorden noticed that the typical electronic hum was missing. The pixels clustered together, forming the shape of the dagger. There was a bright flash.
When it faded, Tsukuru was holding the Black Obsidian Dagger in his hand. Tsukuru gripped his hand around it. Like before, the blade and grooves on the dagger lit up orange like lava.
"I bought this on my way back from the Head General's office." He replied. Seeing the dagger, Vorden held out his hand.
"Can I see it?" He asked. Tsukuru smirked. He honestly didn't expect Vorden to try anything. And even if he did, Tsukuru could always just return the dagger to his Weapons Tab. Seeing how it worked similarly to the System's Inventory, it should function the same way with removed objects.
Tsukuru reached his hand out, and handed the dagger to Vorden. During the brief period between swapping hands, the glowing parts on the dagger went out, as if the "lava" was being cooled. However, as soon as Vorden held the dagger, it began glowing again.
Vorden looked down at the dagger in his hand. He could feel the Beast Energy coming off of it.
"A Beast Weapon…" He muttered. He glanced up at Tsukuru. "How much did it
cost? These things aren't cheap." Tsukuru glanced to the side.
"It was…moderately expensive." He replied, as if trying to downplay it. "Truth be told, my System's shop uses a different type of currency, a set of four different types of coins." He explained, causing Vorden's eyebrow to raise in curiosity.
"That dagger, for instance, cost 10 silver coins, which roughly translates to 1,000 credits."
Hearing this, both Vorden and Quinn's eyes widened.
Instantly, Quinn jumped to his feet.
"1,000 credits?!" He exclaimed. "If you're that rich, how are you a Level 1?!?"
Hearing this, Tsukuru's eyes narrowed. He then let out a deep sigh.
"Remember when Shizuka took me to the Head General's office?" Tsukuru asked Quinn, while Vorden continued examining the dagger. Quinn raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?" He asked.
In response, Tsukuru held up his arm housing his wristwatch, holding it so the two could see. In the far-left corner, it showed a number reading '9,010'.
Seeing it, Quinn's eyes widened, before they instinctively went down to his own watch, which displayed a complete "0", the 10 credits he had received having been cleaned out from the uniform and towel he had bought in the supply store.
Tsuukuru glanced over at the watch.
"The Head General…comissioned me to make a small deposit of glathrium for him." Tsukuru explained. "In exchange for a 10-kilo chunk of metal, he gave me10,000 credits."
Hearing this, Quinn's jaw dropped.
It was at this point that Vorden had finished examining the dagger, and handed it back to Tsukuru.
Tsukuru repeated the process from earlier, placing it back in his System's Inventory. The two watched in amazement, as the dagger broke down into pixels.
A minute later, Quinn finally decided to speak up, now that Tsukuru's explanation was complete. He cleared his throat, causing the two other boys to turn to him.
"Well, I've actually found something interesting in one of these books." He replied, patting the top book on the large pile on the table next to him. "Have either of you ever heard of an Ability that makes someone weaker in sunlight?" He asked.
Vorden and Tsukuru exchanged looks.
"Well, I've never heard of something like that." Vorden replied. "Abilities are something our bodies can learn. Sure, some people have limits and can't adapt to stronger Abilities or can do less than others, but for one to make you weak because of the sun?" Vorden asked with an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure you didn't
accidentally grab a fantasy book about Vampires?"
Quinn let out a nervous laugh, feeling a little embarrassed from Vorden's reaction.
The two continued reading for hours. At one point, Quinn had completely read through every book detailing Abilities.
Quinn looked up towards the second floor, the one that only second-years could access.
'Maybe there's something up there, but I can't imagine what the school would do if I broke a rule on the first day.' He thought.
Then, Quinn remembered that Tsukuru's sister had mentioned that she was in charge of disciplining the first-years. A cold chill ran down his back as he remembered how that woman had made him feel like a wounded prey in front of a predator. Yeah, Quinn didn't want to see what would happen if he ended up breaking rules. 'Plus, I'm probably already on their radar for refusing the Earth Ability Book.' Quinn thought.
Quinn began to walk around the library, while Vorden and Tsukuru stayed at the table.
Vorden was doing a very half-hearted job of reading his book. It looked as if he was just pretending to read it.
Tsukuru, meanwhile, had his System's Shop Tab open in front of him. He decided that since they were alone, it would be a perfect time to do some "bulk purchasing".
He soon discovered that on the side of every square, there was a small "upwards" and "downwards" arrow, similar to when he had set the "Do Not Disturb" function on his System this morning. A number could be seen between the two arrows.
As he increased or lowered the number using the arrows, the price shown for the item would change accordingly.
He ticked the "up" arrow on the side of the "Minor Health Potion" until the number read "10". He then pressed the square. A System message appeared.
[Would you like to purchase 10 Minor Health Potions? Costs 30 Bronze Coins.
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru thought the word "yes", and a new screen appeared.
[Convert 300 Credits into 30 Bronze Coins?
[Yes] [No] ]
He thought "yes" again.
300 of his credits were converted, dropping the number on his watch from "9,010" to "8,710". The sound of a cash register was heard.
Meanwhile, Vorden was attempting to appear like he was reading when he saw bright lights illuminating the area. Glancing up, he saw ten groups of pixels appearing on the table in front of Tsukuru.
The pixels clustered together into the shape of a narrow, glass beaker, similar to the ones used in chemistry class. There was a bright flash of light. When it faded, there were ten glass bottles filled with red liquid, with each having a stylized glass cork on the top.
Seeing them, Vorden raised an eyebrow.
"What are these?" He asked.
In response, Tsukuru picked up one, and held it in his hand. He used his System's "scanner" on it, but it only told him the same exact information it had shown in the shop, that they healed 10 HP when fully consumed, and that they could be taken internally, or applied externally.
"Health Potions." Tsukuru replied.
He placed the potion back on the table, and held his hand hovering over the bottles. He imagined placing them in his Inventory. Soon, the System Prompt appeared.
After thinking "yes", the ten bottles began to break apart into pixels.
After they were gone, Tsukuru went back into his System Shop. He repeated the same process, except with the MC Potions, this time. As he clicked on the square, a new System message appeared.
[Would you like to purchase 10 Minor MC Potions? Costs 50 Bronze Coins.
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru thought the word "yes", and a new screen appeared.
[Convert 500 Credits into 50 Bronze Coins?
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru thought "yes" again, and 500 credits were converted, dropping him down from "8,710" to "8,210".
The cash register sound could be heard by Tsukuru again.
The same exact process as before occurred, with ten groups of pixels appearing on the table, and then clustering into the form of slender bottles. The only difference was that they contained blue liquid instead of red liquid when they appeared after the flash.
Seeing the look Vorden was giving him, Tsukuru explained.
"MC Potions." He replied.
Upon hearing this, Vorden's eyes widened. Healing potions, he could understand. There were plenty of healing Abilities out there. But he had never heard of someone having an Ability that let someone regain MC.
"How much MC?" He asked, looking down at the potions, suddenly very interested.
Tsukuru had a bored expression, as he held his hand over the group of bottles, imagining placing them in his System's Inventory. The System message appeared, and he thought "yes" to it.
"Hmm…well I'm only a Level 1 Ability User and I have 20 MC, and these things only recharge 10, so I'd say it's a tiny, negligible amount." He replied, as the group of potions began to break down into pixels. "They'll help in a pinch, but it's nothing too major."
Tsukuru returned back to the System's Shop. The only item left was the "Minor XP Potion" which cost 1 Gold Coin, or a whole 1,000 credits, so it cost the same as his dagger. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that his credit balance was in the "8,000"s, so he decided not to bother with it.
He was about to close the screen, when he saw a bar at the top labeled "Sell". Quirking an eyebrow in confusion, he pressed it with his finger.
The System's Shop screen changed to a view of two square grids in the screen. The left showed the items in his System's Inventory, while the right showed the sword, dagger, and gauntlets in his Weapon Tab.
Tsukuru narrowed his eyes.
'So I can sellthings as well…' He thought. Looking at his inventory, he saw the five glathrium daggers and his glathrium knuckle. Both him and Layla had been allowed to reclaim their thrown ammunition in the wasteland before they were teleported out.
Tsukuru went to the square for his glathrium daggers. He ticked the bottom arrow once, a well-known time-saving cheat in video games to reach the maximum number in a shop. He then tapped the square.
A System screen appeared.
[Would you like to sell 5 Glathrium Daggers? Sell Price: 25 Silver Coins.
[Yes] [No] ]
As Tsukuru thought "yes", a new System screen appeared.
[Would you like to place the funds in your System's Shop Balance or on the Credits Card linked to your wristwatch?]
Underneath the text, there was a set of two rectangular bars right next to each other.
The one on the left was labeled "Shop Balance", while the one on the right was labeled "Credits Card".
Seeing this, Tsukuru stopped, thinking for a moment. While it would be great to just keep them in his Shop's Balance, that way he didn't have to worry about converting credits the next time he wanted to buy something, he had just spent quite a few credits on these last two purchases. It would probably be wise to keep the credits, especially seeing as how there might be some things he could buy in the real world that weren't in the System's Shop.
He pressed the second option. Instantly, a new System message appeared.
[2,500 Credits have been transferred to your Credit Balance.]