Tanuj's excitement quickly turned to disbelief as he stared at the screen before him.
"What the…? Is this price real?" he muttered, his eyes widening. "You need 100,000 points just to upgrade a skill from Level 1 to 2? System, do you run a black market or something? This is daylight robbery!"
He glanced at his current balance, his heart sinking further. "I only have 5,011 points, and they've stopped increasing."
*DING*
**['LUCKY' is a Super Rare Skill. It requires more points to upgrade than normal skills.]**
Tanuj threw his hands up in exasperation. "Forget this. System, open the Store!"
The familiar shop menu appeared, but this time, there were new options.
**[Shop - 1 Random Status Point (Cost: 1000, Max 5 per month), 1000 Experience Card (Cost: 1000, Max 5 per month), 1 Water Bottle (Cost: 10), 1 Fruit (Cost: 10), Unlocked: Skills, Locked...]**
Tanuj's eyes caught on the newly unlocked section. "Oh, a new option. System, show me the Skills."
The list of available skills appeared, and Tanuj felt a mix of intrigue and despair as he scrolled through them.
**[Beginner Swordsmanship: 500 Points, Haste: 1000 Points, Summoning: 5000 Points, Invincibility (Broken): 100,000 Points, Forgotten Eye: 100,000 Points.
REFRESH: 100 Points. Discount: 0%]**
"What's with these high prices?" Tanuj groaned, rubbing his head. "System, do you have kids to feed or something?"
The system remained silent, and Tanuj could almost imagine it shrugging in indifference.
"What's with your reaction?" Tanuj sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, let me think. I've got a little over 5,000 points. So, I can either learn Summoning or go for Swordsmanship and Haste."
He paused, doing some quick mental calculations, mumbling to himself as he weighed the pros and cons. The idea of summoning creatures to fight for him was appealing—he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty, and it would give him an edge in a world where he knew he was at a disadvantage. On the other hand, having a solid foundation in swordsmanship and the ability to boost his speed with Haste seemed like a smart investment for survival.
"Okay, I've made my decision," he finally said, feeling a sense of determination.
--