See you Around
Seth was lying on Bastet's soft back, his body throbbing from the battle just ended, the blood drying on his torn clothes and the tiredness finally getting to his bones. But despite his exhaustion, his mind was still sharp. He opened the inventory panel with a lazy gesture of his fingers in the air.
[Inventory open]
A huge list opened up before him, holographic, translucent, floating in the air, with minute details of every item collected during the massacre he had just carried out.
[Items acquired: x76]
- Broken Orc tooth (common)
- Torn belt fabric (common)
- Reused femur bones (common)
- Dented Orc helmet (poor quality)
- Raw (Orc) meat (doubtful)
- Improvised Orc axes (poor condition)
- Tribal nose ornament (decoration)
- Piece of Orc barrel (???)
- ...
Seth narrowed his eyes as he scrolled through the names with his finger. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth.
"This is a garbage festival..." he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Really, I almost died for this? Raw orc meat and a piece of barrel?"
He turned his head to the side, speaking in a loud, half-sarcastic voice:
'Hey, system, what exactly do you expect me to do with this piece of junk?'
The metallic, ethereal sound of the interface immediately resounded, as if the system was just waiting for this question:
[Processing. ...]
[Items classified as "useless" have been automatically recycled]
[You have received: 5,920 gold]
[Automatic Recycling Function: Enabled]
(Low-rarity or unusable items will automatically be converted into gold or useful materials. Can be deactivated in the settings).
Seth blinked for a second and then let out a debauched laugh.
"Ahhh... now we're speaking my language." He rolled onto his side, resting his chin on Bastet's hairy back. "Did you see that? Five thousand gold coins for recycled garbage. It's like selling scrap metal and getting rich."
[Gold: 31,898]
Bastet let out a bored purr.
'I have the money to buy the [Queen of Storms], but I still lack level 35 and 80 Intelligence...'
He twirled his finger in the air and opened the trade tab. Icons floated before him, all with seductive visual effects. The store had been updated...
"Does it update when I level up?"
[Exactly]
Seth arched an eyebrow with a crooked smile on his face. "So that's it... the more I level up, the more the store shows the expensive toys, right?"
He began to rummage through the new list of items. The interface sparkled with new artifacts, weapons and grimoires that seemed to defy even logic. Each icon had a little animation, a vivid demonstration of the power they offered.
[System Store]
[Storm Queen - Long Sword - Rank A+]
[Type: Elemental Conductor Weapon]
[Description: Forged in the eye of an ancient storm and bathed in the tears of a betrayed goddess, the Sovereign of Storms carries with her the fury of heaven. Only those capable of mastering thunder can wield it without being destroyed by its will].
[Requirements: Level 35, Intelligence 80]
[Price: 24,000 Gold]
----
[Raven of Twilight (Rank-A): Dagger enchanted with curses of speed and poison, ideal for magical assassins. Causes "Silence" in targets hit in the back].
[Requirements: Level 30, Dexterity 70]
[Price: 8,000 Gold]
----
[Crown of Ancestral Judgement (Rank-S): Increases control over allied troops in the field and allows you to summon up to 3 subordinate entities per combat].
[Requirements: Level 50, 180 Intelligence]
[Price: 190,500 Gold]
Seth stared at the Storm Queen. It was beautiful, with the edge shimmering as if lightning were running through the blade. At the top of the screen, the item pulsed as if calling out to him.
"But what am I still missing... five levels and about twenty Intelligence points?" He sighed, crossing his arms behind his head. "Nothing a few good dungeons can't solve."
[System Tip: The selected item can be marked as "Desired". You will receive alerts about events or quests related to your requirements. In addition, the System updates have saved the items for later purchase...]
"Mark it then. Queen of Storms. It'll be mine."
[Item "Queen of Storms" marked as Desired.]
[Secondary Objective created: Reach Level 35 and 80 Intelligence]
Seth closed the store for the moment and opened the status tab. His eyes quickly scanned the numbers.
[STATUS]
[Name: Seth (Rank-E)
[Class: [None]
[Title: [Desert Sovereign (Equipped)]
[Level]: 30
[Strength]: 87
[Speed]: 95
[Intelligence]: 62
[Stamina]: 65
[Extra points: 0]
Skills: [The End (Rank-SSS)] [Killing Blow (Rank-E)] [Presence of the King (Rank-D)] [Fleeing Instinct (Rank-E)] [Storm Spear (Rank-A)]
[Storage] [Skill Vacancy: (2 of 3)]
[Temporarily stored copied skills: [Electrokinesis - Rank-D], [Titan's Fury (Rank-C)]
[Next Slot: Level 50]
[Gold: 31,898]
"Yeah... if I don't start investing a bit more in brains, I'm going to continue with builds that only know how to blow things up," he muttered, looking at his almost shameful intelligence. "But dammit, blowing things up works."
Bastet opened one lazy eye, noticing a stir in the movement. "Your little group is coming," she said as she dissolved into my shadow.
Seth just smiled, almost as if he had been expecting exactly that reaction. He sat casually on the body of the Boss of the Dungeon - a three-meter Superior Orc, now reduced to dead flesh, with a frozen expression of surprise and pain. Blood still flowed in lazy streams down the stone altar where the creature had fallen, creating thick puddles around Seth. It was there, as if on the throne of carnage, that he awaited the group.
Footsteps came, first echoing like distant echoes. Then the sound of heavy breathing, boots crushing bones and mud, and finally - faces. The first to emerge was the wizard with the disheveled hair. He stopped the instant he saw the scene: the mutilated bodies of the elite Orcs, their armor reduced to scrap, limbs scattered like dismantled dolls.
"W-what happened here...?" muttered the wizard, his voice almost gone.
Behind him, the healer gasped, pale. As soon as the smell of blood and burning reached her nostrils, she turned her face away, struggling to hold back the vomit. Vaali's [Jackpot] - summoned by Seth moments before - had left the chamber looking like the inside of a divine meat grinder. It was brutal. Devastating. A spectacle signed by Valentina Wykes, and few, very few, were even capable of summoning that freak of skill.
And then Garran appeared.
The leader of the group. The arrogant paladin. His armor now dented, dirty with blood and mud. His right arm was missing, just a badly manicured stump covered in a poorly tied cloth. He stopped when he saw Seth smiling, sitting as if he owned the place.
"You..." he whispered, as if he had swallowed his tongue.
Seth raised his eyes lazily, still smiling.
"Hi, boss. How's that little toe there?" he said, pointing with his chin to the missing arm.
Garran shuddered, and the rest of the group froze. Silence. Until he spoke, between his teeth:
"Who are you?"
Seth stood up slowly, the smile still embedded in his face like a blade.
"Who am I?" He pretended to think. He pretended to think. "Oh, I'm just that useless Rank-E in your group. You know? The one you treated like dirt just because of a useless rank."
The silence thickened.
"You're a fake Ranker," growled Garran, anger exploding in his voice. "You lied. You hid."
"Lied?" Seth laughed. "I just didn't go and reassess my rank. And let's face it... you never wanted to see it, right? It's easier to treat someone like dirt, isn't it?"
Garran gritted his teeth. Seth took a step forward, still relaxed.
"Reassess huh... maybe I should do that before Connie gets back." He raised a finger to his chin, theatrically. "But then the system might say I'm Rank-S. Or more."
He passed Garran, heading towards the exit of the dungeon - a magical rift slowly pulsing behind the group, indicating that the place would soon collapse.
But as he passed the paladin, Garran grabbed him hard by the shoulder, pushing him back slightly.
"Who do you think you are?" he growled, trying to maintain some dignity.
Seth stopped.
The smile faded.
For a second, the room seemed to cool down. The energy around him changed - as if the air had become heavier, denser, and even the sound of the others' breathing had become silent. Seth turned his face slowly, his eyes fixed on Garran's. A metallic sheen - almost silver - flashed across his irises.
"I guess I'm someone who lets you live."
Garran hesitated. His grip weakened.
Seth leaned closer: "But if you want to test me again... I might rethink that."
The silence turned to ice.
The healer almost fainted with nervousness.
Seth released Garran's arm with a simple gesture and continued walking, his back straight, the calm of a satisfied predator. The gap in the dungeon widened as he approached.
Before crossing it, he spoke, without looking back:
"See you around. You asshole," he said before passing through the portal.