Chapter 5

As he scanned the shop, his disappointment grew. The shelves were lined with powerful runes, exclusive bloodline abilities, and art scrolls, each one more alluring than the next. But the prices were staggering, with the least expensive skill clocking in at a whopping 250 gold coins. He knew that even on the normal route, it would take him at least a year to save up enough to afford anything of significance.

But despite the hefty costs, he couldn't help but be drawn in by the selection.

******

Runes -

Runes of Agnor(Legendary)

Runes of maria (legendary)

Runes of Vordath (Legendary)

(open for more)

Skills -

Dragon breath (legendary)

Ice Castle (legendary)

Gabriel's wings (mythical)

(open for more)

***** 

Every single one of them was a top-grade, legendary ability that he had only ever heard of in passing before. He saw many skills from the games which are renowned throughout the community for their use, a few of the skills that he held ownership of before. Even the items were overpowered, with properties that could change the course of battle.

As he gazed upon the shop, he realized that if he could buy these items whenever he wanted, he would undoubtedly break the game. With a heavy heart, he accepted that he couldn't be an overpowered protagonist like in those novels. But, he knew that there were other ways to grow stronger in this world. He had heard of hidden pieces and quests that rewarded skills instead of gold coins, and he was determined to find them.

He licked his lips in anticipation, thinking about the possibilities. He knew that it would take time and effort to find these missions, but the rewards could be worth it.

Back to the topic as he stared at the selection of skills available to him, he knew he had a difficult decision to make. He had 300 gold coins and now had the opportunity to purchase a legendary skill. All the options seemed appealing, but he knew that he needed to choose wisely. Being a member of the human race, he had no natural defensive attributes and currently possessed no attacking skills. 

He understood that in this game, he needed defence but defence alone would only prolong the inevitable. He needed something that would allow him to strike back at his enemies if it was only to give him a momentary chance to escape.

"Escape?" he muttered to himself as a thought suddenly occurred to him. He quickly opened the shop and began scrolling through the options with a sense of urgency. "Please be here!" he whispered under his breath. And then, there it was. 

-Space jump (legendary)

Allow users to do short jumps through the space in a 20-metre radius consuming 1 MP (3-second cooldown)

Allows the user to jump through the space anywhere he has visited before, MP will be spent according to the amount of distance that is covered (15 minutes cooldown)

Allow users to teleport other people and objects as long as there is a physical touch, Cost of MP depends on the mass of the object and the distance covered (1-hour cooldown)

This was a skill he had encountered in his past as a gamer. It was awarded during an event that only the top 7 players had received, but he was the only one who had been able to fully utilise its potential. He remembered using it to save an entire raid team of 100 players. 

This skill would give him an advantage in both defense and offense. The best defense, after all, is to never get hit at all. And if things become overwhelming, he could simply escape. Furthermore, the skill's association with space elements was a rarity in this game, meaning that his enemies may not be familiar with it, giving him the element of surprise. 

But he put it on hold as he scanned the shop again, this time looking for any runes or arts related to the mind. He remembered that he had an advantage due to his Absolute Psyche when it came to mind-related runes and arts. However, he ultimately decided to put them on hold. Both runes and arts required time and mana to master, which he currently lacked. What he needed was something that would help him right now. He searched for any skills related to the mind, but to his disappointment, he didn't find any.

So, he decided to go with the dimension skills.

[Purchase of Skill completed]

<Congratulations! You have acquired Skill: Space jump>

<Notice! A higher rank skill interference detected>

<Warning! Alteration is starting>

<Processing… 4%… … … … 30%….....67%......87%....100%>

<Process completed> 

<Two new modes have been created for the Skill: Space jump>

'What the hell is going on? ' He exclaimed in surprise, staring at the message in disbelief. He surveyed the skill of opening the status window. 

-Space jump (legendary) 

       /Monarch Mode/ Ghost king Mode/ (open up for more details)

Allow users to do short jumps through the space in a 20-meter radius consuming 1 MP (3-second cooldown)

Allows the user to jump through the space anywhere he has visited before, MP will be spent according to the amount of distance that is covered (15 minutes cooldown)

Allow users to teleport other people and objects as long as there is a physical touch, Cost of MP depends on the mass of the object and the distance covered (1-hour cooldown)

Without wasting any time he opened the skills for more details. 

***** 

Monarch mode 

When traveling in Monarch mode, your allies will receive a 2% buff and a 2% damage to enemies. 

When traveling with allies they will bear 55% of the Mana needed for travel 

Recommended for Mass teleportation 

Ghost king mode 

When traveling in Ghost king mode, any person near you receives a 2% debuff on mental stats 

This mode comes with stealth features

Recommended when traveling alone

'Ha…Haha…..Hahahaha!'

He couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. He was ecstatic about the upgrade to his Skill: Space Jump. Not only had it been upgraded, but it now had two new modes, Monarch and Ghost King, each with its own unique abilities and benefits. The base skill allowed him to make short jumps through space within a 20-meter radius, consuming 1 MP with a 3-second cooldown. The Monarch mode, when traveling with allies, granted them a 2% buff and 2% damage to enemies, and they would bear 55% of the mana needed for travel. The Ghost King mode, on the other hand, granted stealth features and caused a 2% debuff on the mental stats of anyone nearby. 

But what really made him giddy was the prospect of getting every future skill upgraded. The chance for alteration to happen was a staggering 96%, and that meant that almost every skill he acquired in the future would be upgraded and enhanced. 

The future looks less grim now. 

Suddenly he heard footsteps outside, the silk curtain of the tent was suddenly swept aside, revealing a man dressed in a regal blue robe, flanked by a contingent of soldiers. Their eyes locked in a silent, tense stare-off as if each was trying to assert their dominance through sheer willpower. 

The air grew thick with the weight of their unspoken battle, but in his heart, he knew there was no match for him. In this world, there was no match for him when it comes to mind, who was he? 

The owner of a God skill specialises in mind!

His mental fortitude was unbreakable. His gaze was like a razor, cutting through the man's confidence until the man finally looked away in defeat.

It was his victory. 

"The guards told me that a great person had arrived at Bakistia, disguised as a slave," the man said. "Although I did not believe it at first, I can truly see now that it was the truth."

The man's words set off a firestorm of ideas in his mind, and he knew he had to take advantage of this misunderstanding. He would play the role of the dangerous, powerful figure they believed him to be. 

He said nothing, instead choosing to examine the objects hanging on the wall around him as if they were of more interest to him than the people in the room.

[Absolute psyche activated]

[Your presence has brought 'Wary' to the hearts of every person around you]

[Debuff 2% added to physical stats]

[Debuff 10% added to mental stats]

He felt the room grow heavy with the weight of these notifications, but he didn't flinch. God's skill did not allow it. 

So he stayed in character, inspecting the items on the wall and occasionally touching them.

"If you don't mind, may I ask for your name?" the man asked again in a polite voice. 

He searched through his mind for an answer, but in the end, he decided not to say his name yet. 

 He could hear the murmuring of guards from behind seeing that there is not even acknowledgment to his words. 

It seemed that they were not used to seeing their boss getting humiliated. From the corner of his eye he examined the leader of the group. 

He was not an NPC he came across in the game, which is bad as he had no idea what kind of personality characteristics he would show. But he has decided to play the role of a mysterious man with incomprehensible power, he has to go through it if he has to get out of this God-forsaken place. 

Suddenly, something caught his attention, sparking a new idea. With a mental command, he activated the 'Ghost King- space jump' skill. This was an active skill that required manual activation, and to his surprise, he knew exactly how to use it, despite never having seen it much less use it. The information about the skill seemed to have been dumped straight into his mind after acquiring it.

'A little Unsettling, but still neat,' he thought to himself.

Then he teleported, His field of vision went dark, and when it returned he was right before the mage who had a startled expression on his face. It was that simple! 

Although he was bracing for some weird feeling to kick in after travelling through space for the first time, no such feeling came, he was perfectly okay. 

"Eeeek!"

"Dear lady of Lullua!"

The group of guards jumped back at my sudden disappearance and Reappearance which is understandable, as even in this world space travels are an extremely rare thing to happen. 

[Ghost king mode activated]

[2% additional mental damage has been added to multiple enemies' mental stats]

I eyed the notification and the expression the mage and his group had, it was filled with fear and anxiety. 

This was an opportunity, the plan can succeed, the stage has already been set by the skills and all it needs is an actor to spring the show into action. 

Memories of his old days in the military flooded his mind, he let out a sigh 

'It's Kandahar all over again huh!' he remembered a similar incident that happened during a mission

'I should have chosen an acting career' he lamented

***** 

'Why? '

That was the only question that was going through Mage Thryiom's mind looking at the being in front of him. 

Long black hair, a young handsome face, and a healthy body that is not too lean yet not too bulky, at first glance he seemed to be a Nobel from rich kingdoms in the south. 

The only things that seemed to be not normal is the dress he wore which is the standard attire of the slaves here and the eyes he had. 

For some reason it was mentally straining to look at them, his heart beat faster and faster whenever he made contact with those green gems. It was like looking at the eyes of a killer. 

No! 

He has seen killers before, he himself has killed many but the person in front of him was not like any average killer, he was something else, something very dangerous. 

Which is why the biggest question that was currently plaguing him was 'why today of all day?'

Despite not being a fan of the place, he had to come here because he received a direct order from the upper echelon to take charge of its management for the day. Upon arriving, he was informed of the presence of a mysterious and strong individual who had caused chaos in the market.

He did not take it seriously, he was sure that he can dispose of any strong man here, after all, he was a 4th circle mage, he was not a person you can brush off, and if the guy was stronger than a 4th circle mage how would he be in a situation where he is sold as a slave. 

At least that was his thought!

The moment he met those eyes that seemed to cut through his soul, not only he questioned his stupidity but he also questioned every choice he made since his birth. 

He couldn't help but question why this person was here, disguised as a slave. The idea of someone so strong being sold as a commodity was absurd and unheard of. 

He approached the mysterious being with trepidation who was studying the tent and artifacts hanging on the walls in the hopes of discovering something about the stranger's demeanor. He was seeking a cordial conversation, but the being appeared indifferent and uninterested. 

Despite the daunting situation, the wizard made a valiant effort to be polite, offering a slight bow as he spoke.

"The guards told me that a great person had arrived at Bakistia, disguised as a slave. Although I did not believe it at first, I can truly see now that it was the truth." He spoke with a slight bow. 

However, his hopes were dashed as the stranger remained silent and continued to inspect the objects before him. The wizard's heart sank as he watched the stranger ignore him, but he didn't give up. He made one more attempt to initiate a conversation."If you don't mind, may I ask for your name?"  he asked, trying to keep his tone respectful.

"...."

Once again, the stranger ignored the wizard's request, leaving him feeling humiliated.

"Look how arrogant this bastard is!" 

"Yeah he might be strong but does he think he can be this rude to the Head chief"

"Shhhhh you idiots shut your trap! Can't you see the Head chief being silent, this is way beyond him"

"Surely you jest!"

"Do you think this is a joke? My hands are shivering just by looking at him!"

Behind him, the guards whispered among themselves, speculating about the stranger's behavior and strength, but the wizard could only bite his tongue in frustration. 

Suddenly, the stranger disappeared into the shadows, and a bone-chilling cold swept through the tent. The torches that had previously burned brightly suddenly lost their luster, and a void appeared in front of the wizard. 

In an instant, the stranger stepped out of the void, leaving the wizard and the guards frozen.

The abyss that opened in front of him, looking at it he felt an overwhelming sense of fear and he wanted to run, but his feet felt rooted to the ground. He was trapped, just like the rest of the guards around him

Even after being a high-rank wizard, there was only one word that came to his mind. 

'What kind of sorcery is this? '