─────────────────────────────
ITEMS:
Common Gear (Random) — 10 Souls
Uncommon Gear (Random) — 25 Souls
Rare Gear: Locked — Unlocks at Level 100
Epic Gear: Locked — Unlocks at Level 200
Legendary Gear: Locked — Unlocks at Level 300
─────────────────────────────
─────────────────────────────
SKILLS:
Grade 5 Magic (Random) — 50 Souls
Grade 4 Magic (Random) — 100 Souls
Grade 3 Magic: Locked — Unlocks at Level 100
Grade 2 Magic: Locked — Unlocks at Level 250
Grade 1 Magic: Locked — Unlocks at Level 350
─────────────────────────────
Enochia stared at the glowing panel floating in front of her like some budget gacha menu from a mobile game, and let out a long, appreciative whistle.
“Not bad… not bad at all, Roo! It was about damn time you let me take a peek at this.”
She flicked her wrist and summoned her inventory just to double-check the numbers.
192 Souls.
Her grin stretched just a bit winder.
“Okay, okay, math time. Two Grade four skills would be two hundred souls, which is almost exactly what I’ve got. Grade fours were the shit back on Earth. I remember getting those post level one hundred and feeling like a god. Compared to the garbage I’m working with right now? Well, you can’t even compare them.”
But then her eyes drifted back to the ITEMS part.
Her current total gear was basically: crab crown (god-tier luck drop) and iron-willed rosary (cute but doing approximately jack and shit for her). The crown was a miracle, sure, but she was certain she got lucky, and that that wouldn’t happen to that extent again.
She tapped the Uncommon Gear option once, twice, just to feel the temptation.
“Items sound… really fucking good right now too. They’re way cheaper, so I’ll have more chances to hit something actually usable. Imagine pulling another accessory with actual stats. But it’s randomized. That pisses me off a little…”
Her voice cracked upward into full outrage.
“Roo! What the fuck is this?! How am I supposed to find anything decent for me here? As far as I know I could waste half my souls on a stupid bow or some stupid crit-boosting skill that does nothing for a proud mage like me! Not to mention there are almost equal numbers of melee and ranger skills in the pool, right? I wouldn’t mind getting a tank or even a high mobility skill, with mage skills obviously on top, but what is this gambling hell?!”
[The Shop was designed to reflect the desires most prevalent among humanity during their observation period prior to descent. Gambling, in its many forms, ranked exceptionally high. Randomization provides excitement, risk, and the thrill of potential reward. It is, in essence, tailored to human nature.]
Enochia got a visible tick. Her left eye twitched hard enough that the crab crown almost shifted.
“So you’re telling me this entire system exists because humans are degenerate gamblers? And instead of giving me targeted mage upgrades like a reasonable divine cashier, you made it a loot box simulator?!”
[Precisely.]
She threw both hands up.
“Then why the hell wasn’t this integrated up there?! I know for a fact no one on Earth had a soul-shop gacha in their HUD! You told me this yourself, so don’t try to gaslight me into thinking I just forgot all about it.”
The next reply appeared almost instantly.
[Due to the involvement of a certain angel, many cursed skills and items were integrated into the possible drop pool. The Higher Order determined that unrestricted access to the Shop in the mortal realm would compromise balance and free will. Thus it was withheld.]
Enochia blinked. “…Higher order? What’s tha—?”
For the first time since she’d met the angel, Roo’s next window appeared almost aggressively fast, cutting her off before she could even finish forming the question.
[This conversation is over.]
The panel vanished.
Enochia stood frozen mid-gesture, mouth still half-open.
She had never seen Roo shut down like that…
She slowly lowered her hand. Her grin was gone. Replaced by something more curious then anything. Whatever “higher order” meant, whatever had made an angel clam up like that, was WAYYYYY outside of her weight division right now. Besides, she had a more immediate reason to be angry right now.
“Is this really it, Roo? This tiny little menu? Feels… Kinda underwhelming.”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
A second longer than usual passed before a reply appeared.
[No.]
She blinked. Then scrolled down.
“Ohhhhhh. My bad. I see I can scroll. Sorry!”
The panels shifted, revealing more tabs, and her eyebrows climbed.
─────────────────────────────
MISCELLANEOUS:
Random Item (Any Type) — 1 Soul
Random Food Item — 2 Souls
Random Drink Item — 3 Souls
Random Material — 5 Souls
Random Throwable — 15 Souls
Map Expansion Scroll — 200 Souls
Demonery Booster: +50 Kill Count to a demon species — 150 Souls
─────────────────────────────
She scanned it quickly, lips pursing.
“Okay… mid. Very mid.” She tapped the Random Drink option once, just to feel it. “Drinks would be nice. I’ll quickly get bored of that salty crab broth, so maybe I can get some iced coffee for it. But the rest?” She shrugged. “Demonery booster’s kinda cute, though not needed for me at this point of progression. Throwables are ass, map expansion is pointless with my drone babies, and materials… I don’t even know what I need yet. Pool’s probably huge, and it would be beyond pointless to get the items when I have no clue what is needed for any item, let alone some of those good ones.”
She dismissed the tab with a flick.
“Pass for now. Random items are dirt cheap, though… could gamble one or two just for fun.”
Then she scrolled again.
─────────────────────────────
BLUEPRINTS:
Common Blueprint (Random) — 50 Souls
Uncommon Blueprint (Random) — 100 Souls
Rare Blueprint: Locked — Unlocks at Level 100
Epic Blueprint: Locked — Unlocks at Level 150
Legendary Blueprint: Locked — Unlocks at Level 200
─────────────────────────────
Her eyes lit up.
“Ohhhhh now this is the shit. Thanks Roo, your creepy angel moment from earlier is fully forgiven, babe.”
If her drones were the baseline for Uncommon creations, then these could be game-changers. God, she hoped this also included blueprints for armors and weapons too, including some more creations! Maybe even an evolution for Steve the excavator!!! In all honesty, she didn’t exactly know what the drop pool here is as well, but it felt WAY more promising the rest.
“Skills or blueprints…” she muttered, chewing her lower lip. “Skills are instant power. Blueprints are long-term investment. Both unlock super early, too. Decisions, decisions.”
She kept scrolling.
─────────────────────────────
BOOSTERS:
Enhancement Token: Boosts one existing creation's stat slightly (random outcome) — 80 Souls
Recall Charm: Instantly recalls a summon to safety from anywhere (heals 50% HP on recall) — 15 Souls
Mana Siphon Crystal: Destroy one of your creations to absorb 15% of their MANA — 30 Souls
Wrath Ember Infusion: Grants +25% STR & AGI to one creation for 300s — 22 Souls
Phantom Veil Token: Makes one creation invisible for 45s — 12 Souls
Vitality Forge: Permanently +15% max HP to one creation — 55 Souls
Mirror Skill Rune: Randomly copies one of your skills to a creation for 1 hour — 75 Souls
Resilience Ward: Absorbs 500 incoming DMG for one creation once — 18 Souls
─────────────────────────────
Her breath caught.
“Ohhh, now this is also nice. Boosts for my babies! WAIT—WAIT WAIT, CERVAIN WILL LOVE THIS!”
She jabbed the Wrath Ember Infusion option so fast her finger almost blurred through the panel.
-22 Souls
A small red coin materialized in her palm, etched with draconic image. She giggled and curled her fingers around it.
“He’ll finally forgive me…” she whispered.
She tucked the coin into inventory, already picturing the moment she’d hand it over. The camp was getting closer with each second, and she was only a few minutes away from getting close enough to be able to see it. She’d use this soon. Very soon.
“Okay, I adore this shop. Never mind the earlier bullshit. It’s spacious, it’s stacked, it’s got everything.”
Then she noticed one last tab at the bottom.
─────────────────────────────
DAILY FLASH SALE (Rotates every 24 hours)
Uncommon Chestplate — 12 Souls
Phantom Veil Token: Makes one creation invisible for 45s — 12 Souls
Uncommon Blueprint (Knight) — 50 Souls
Uncommon Ring — 12 Souls
─────────────────────────────
“Chi chi chi chi! Now that’s more like it!”
Her voice exploded, way louder than anything she said before.
“Thanks Roo. I was getting genuinely pissed at all the randomness, but guaranteed stuff? On discount? Holy shit, don’t even ask me anything then!!!!”
She didn’t hesitate spending her not so hard earned souls.
-12 Souls
-12 Souls
-50 Souls
-12 Souls
Her inventory chimed four times in rapid succession, each new item registering with a soft, satisfying ping. After a second, a slow, triumphant, laugh escaped her.
“Okay. Okayokayokay.”
She flicked open inventory and started pulling them out one by one.
─────────────────────────────
[UNCOMMON ITEM ? DARKIGHT CHESTPLATE]
A hulking chestplate slapped together from jagged obsidian chunks, all pitch-black and brutal, with a twisted skull gouged dead-center on the front.
Effect:
? +10 Defense
? +25% resistance to piercing & slashing attacks
? Passive: When HP drops below 20%, gain a 3-second barrier absorbing 200 damage (30 min cooldown)
[Added to the Category: Equipment]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
She whistled. “Not too bad. I kinda wish I got something for casting, or for boosting skill power. I did say that I wanted a tank item, and that 10 defense is really, really nice hehehe.”
She quickly equipped it onto herself, realizing soon that it went right over her own armor. “Oh yeah, forgot that armor kinda acts as my skin… It feels weird thinking I have been naked this whole time.” She took a look down, to see the aforementioned skull in her chest, only to lower her eyebrows a bit. ‘Why the fuck do I keep looking more and more evil the more demons I kill?’
Second item was up, and it looked really similar to the red coin, instead it was almost see through. ‘Yeah, kinda makes sense if you think about it.’
She grinned so hard her canines flashed. “My drone babies are about to become literal ghosts. Stealth scouting an imp camp? Yes please! It could also work for Cervain, if I already managed to scout the area before. God, just imagine him showing up next to you out of nowhere.”
─────────────────────────────
[UNCOMMON ITEM ? SILVARA RING]
Simple silver band, inner surface engraved with tiny interlocking chain links.
Effect:
? +20 Faith
? +5% MANA
[Added to the Category: Equipment]
─────────────────────────────
She stared at it for a long second, then tried to slide it onto the finger.
But… It wouldn't go on. The damn gauntlets were fused to her hands like some cursed second skin, only to realize she remembered her hands were ‘Bound’ or whatever the hell that meant.
"Seriously?" she muttered, twisting her wrist in frustration. "What the hell, Roo? Can't even accessorize properly down here?" A spark of pissy annoyance flared up, but it fizzled out almost immediately against her buzzing good mood. She was too hyped to stay mad, hell, she'd just scored a shop's worth of loot. "Eh, whatever. I'll figure out a workaround later. For now? Still a win."
She tucked the ring into her inventory with a shrug, because the thing she was most excited about was coming next.
─────────────────────────────
NEW UNCOMMON BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED
Name: Knight
Tier: Grade 4
Function: An armored knight with thick black plates, a shield, and a basic sword.
Cost to Create:
? 10 Souls
? 20 kg Grade 5 Material
─────────────────────────────
Her heart did a funny little stutter. “Oh my god. Another knight. Like… a second Cervain? Nah, Cervain is a total badass, and he would be my second in command, always!” But it was super nice to have fighting units she could actually have more of.
