The magical screen quickly proved even more useful than Percy had expected. Not only did It allow him to view dozens of rewards listed next to one another at the same time, but it also provided him with several useful options to navigate through the pool easily.
Under Gabe’s guidance, he discovered that he could choose to focus on or filter out entire categories of items either by asking the system directly or by pressing his hand on certain spots along the wall. He could even sort rewards by type, name and various other properties.
‘I’m not sure whether I should be happy or pissed off,’ he thought, causing his host’s lips to curl into a bitter frown.
He was glad that there was such a convenient way to sift through the list, of course, but he couldn’t help but lament all the hours that he’d needlessly wasted trying to figure out what had or hadn’t been available during his previous trips. Most of his hosts had been ignorant like him, though he was definitely blaming Gabe and Cassiel for not mentioning this.
‘Oh well… it’s better to use my energy productively,’ he reasoned, examining the available rewards more closely.
Sure enough, the Green pool was a lot more generous than the lower grades. It only took him a few seconds to find several interesting items – from divine mana of various affinities to obscure magiscript topics that he hadn’t come across before, to lots of Refined and even Masterful spells compatible with his affinities.
One was particularly tempting. It was a Refined spell that would apparently teach him the most efficient ways to spread ice in a wide area, to freeze large enemies or objects faster and with less mana.
It sounded especially useful for Percy, because he’d already used three-layered formations before to amplify the heating or cooling effects of his magic. The two methods could probably be combined to create some truly powerful attacks.
‘Okay, I might come back to this if I don’t find anything else, but this is the kind of thing I can probably figure out on my own,’ he thought, marking the item before moving on.
Funnily enough, he also found tomes on efficient soul-healing. Based on their overviews, the knowledge they contained wasn’t all that different from the tips that Sol and her father had given him on Melodia. Percy had luckily learned all of that for free from his friend, whereas the Vault was trying to extort a Green bonus reward for the same information.
All things considered, his Mend spell hadn’t been that special – at least not before his Weaving trait and runecrafting skills had elevated it to Soul Stitching – but he wasn’t surprised that it was valued so highly in the artificial world, considering how rare the soul affinity was.
Shrugging, he resumed scrolling, pausing whenever he found something even remotely useful to him. Asking the system for any additional information it was willing to part with, he slowly developed a respectable wishlist of his favourite rewards.
Gabe didn’t complain either, letting Percy take his sweet time deciding. Spending one’s resources effectively was the key to surviving longer in the Vault, so not bothering one while shopping was apparently a common courtesy.
Of course, Percy’s life had never been at risk – he was ultimately just a rich outsider practically earning freebies from the artificial world – but this mentality was probably deeply ingrained in the very bones of the Vault’s residents.
‘Well, either that, or he’s still feeling guilty over the screen.’
A few hours later, Percy was done going through most of the relevant categories, having narrowed the list down to fifteen or so items that he wouldn’t mind claiming. In all fairness, nothing stood out too much to him – at least nothing that could compare to the things that he’d used his Yellow rewards on.
This had nothing to do with the Green pool being worse than the Yellow one, but rather with Percy having bought things tailored to him: specialized spatial seals personally crafted by Metatron that he could carry in his soul, a spectral capacity test that would be practically useless to anyone else in the universe but priceless for him, and a modest alchemic principle that the Vault’s mortals didn’t really need. Unfortunately, the titan showed no intention of pitching in with suggestions this time.
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Right as he was about to circle back to the start and compare his handpicked choices, his eyes landed on a rather exotic prize that he recognized but hadn’t expected to see.
‘Thess’kalan mutation ingredients – A complete set of ingredients taken from a Greater Spring, coupled with instructions on how to use them. Under the right circumstances, they can strengthen a person’s physique, granting them a special mutation. This treasure is powered by an unprecedented bloodline unique to a certain sect on Thess’kala – a member-faction of the Void Hand.’
‘What the hell?!’ Percy’s borrowed heart skipped a beat upon reading the information.
“Cube, I want this! The Thess’kalan ingredients! Now!” he hurriedly yelled, not even bothering to think this over.
Was it a little impulsive? Perhaps, but he didn’t want anyone else to claim the reward – presumably the only one of its kind – before him.
“Choice confirmed. Delivery in 30 rits.”
‘What is that?’ Gabe asked, curiosity spilling through their connection.
‘Something that Metatron must have taken from that asshole host of mine that I mentioned,’ Percy said, giving his friend a quick explanation of the Thess’kalan ritual.
It was obviously not a huge mystery how the ingredients had ended up in the titan’s tentacles. Kassorith had claimed a second complete set after the semi-finals in the tournament, though he had never had a chance to use it before getting thrown into the Vault by Percy.
The treacherous Blue had mentioned his original intention to trade them for an equally valuable reward from some future tournament, but this was clearly out of the question now.
Percy didn’t know whether his former host had opted to give the set to Metatron in exchange for something, or whether the god had simply taken the ingredients from the mortal by force.
What he did know, was that he couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
Technically, the ingredients weren’t very useful for him. In fact, most of the other rewards that he’d singled out were objectively better. Kassorith had mentioned that a second ritual would have a greatly diminished effect on somebody who already possessed the Greater Thess’kalan Physique – let alone a human like Percy who had even needed two baths to acquire it in the first place.
Taking a third would be a complete waste, so Percy’s only option was seemingly to pass the ingredients to someone else – perhaps one of his friends in the Vault, or those at home. Even then, the ritual was unlikely to grant them more than the Lesser version of the physique, barely strengthening them.
One of the better candidates was the future mother of Percy’s children – should he ever decide to have any – to hopefully help him pass a weaker version of his own physique on. Without the Ancestral Lineage Sect’s bloodline, the mutation was bound to greatly degrade with every generation, but his kids might still inherit some of it.
Another option would be to give the ingredients to one of his familiars or aspects – which was essentially the same as doubling down on the mutation. However, his elemental body was already made of living ice, making it essentially immune to toxins and extreme temperatures. Even the minor physical component was unlikely to help much.
Nephthys would probably benefit the most, as the physique might enhance the potency of her venom slightly. Considering that she also had the acid affinity and would likely develop additional mutations related to it in the future, it might become one of her strongest weapons.
That said, Percy hadn’t claimed this prize for the reincarnated goddess either.
He had something more ambitious in mind. He wanted to study the ingredients at some point, to look for a way to unlock his own latent potential – the dormant traits that modern humans might have secretly inherited from their beast ancestors.
Was it a long shot?
Absolutely. Percy didn’t doubt that his own species had a special physique of their own hiding in their bodies, though he didn’t know whether he would ever possess the skills to embark on this quest. Even so, he felt that it was a good use of his bonus reward.
Everything else in the pool, he could find another way to claim in the future. As long as he kept coming back to the Vault, completing challenges and trading with Metatron, nothing would be out of reach. Meanwhile, the ritual ingredients were things that he might never have access to again if somebody else bought them first.
A hole opened in the floor with a burst of compressed air, three familiar-looking vials emerging from within. Percy stored them in his spatial seal before explaining his reasoning to Gabe. Not that the man needed to know any of it, but Percy didn’t mind satisfying his friend’s curiosity, seeing no reason to hide it.
Next, he went back to the list, pretending to oscillate between the ice spell and the seal-crafting books, before eventually “settling” on the latter. This one, he wasn’t as forthcoming toward Gabe about. He didn’t think that his friend would rat him out to the titan, but it was probably safer for both of them if he gave him the same excuse of being interested in the spatial seals.
Once he was out of Green bonus rewards, Percy then asked the cube to start the magiscript challenge as he walked toward the podium rising in the middle of the room. If he and Gabe made it to their stated goals, they would each be able to combine their next three rewards to claim a Blue prize, otherwise they’d have to grab more stuff from the Green list.
Given how much Percy had already earned, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he failed to get anything else, but he still intended to do everything in his power to make the most out of this trip.
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