Shop Upgrades
[Does the host want to update the system shop?]
[Update Time: 1 hour]
[Update Cost: 75 SP]
[Y/N]
Alex now had a sufficient amount of system points to upgrade the shop, and with each update, new items or features would be added to it.
'I can't wait to see what this update brings me.' Alex grinned with anticipation.
"What are you doing? Something new with the system, tell me, tell me also."
Aurora hovered beside him, unable to see the system, so Alex had to narrate what was happening to the ever-curious witch spirit.
"You are still far from the ranks of genius, but now you finally do have some decent magic regeneration speed."
'If we only look at the amount of time, his growth is monstrous!'
She wasn't trying to undermine him; it was just that he was already many years behind in learning magic. Nevertheless, he was growing at an astonishing speed.
Typically, people awaken their talent for magic at the age of 10, and some geniuses or children of noble families start training their magic as early as 8 years old.
"I totally forgot to tell you, but I brought back monster cores as you said. I'll use the F-rank ones for the system; you can teach me through the E-rank ones."
"We could start your training now if you want. What do you say?"
"Sure, let's start, as it will take time for the update anyway."
"Okay, like before, sit cross-legged and keep the core in the middle, in front of you."
Alex followed her instructions and took out the E-rank cores he had collected earlier.
"People usually prefer this method less because it is time-consuming and not worth the effort for the little amount of mana. What they are on about is right but wrong at the same time."
"Hmm, but why?"
"The mana inside might not be pure for absorption, but if you use this method to refine mana, your mana circuits will soon start to enlarge and become more robust, resulting in better mana flow. It also helps in better mana management and dissipation."
Alex then placed his hand on the E-rank monster core and started to refine it slowly, following Aurora's guidance.
What he was doing now was absorbing and refining mana from the monster core directly, using the method taught by Aurora.
It was almost the same as gathering mana from the surroundings, but here he needed to refine the mana, as it could not be directly absorbed by his mana core.
It was common knowledge that monster cores contained mana and were used to power things. However, people avoided trying to absorb mana directly from them because the mana inside was not pure and could be poisonous in a few cases if absorbed directly by their mana core.
If one wanted to absorb mana from it, they had to refine it first, which was not an easy task.
It became evident as beads of sweat formed on Alex's forehead while attempting it for the first time.
"Let me help you." Seeing Alex struggling, she decided to assist him in the process.
She moved behind him, pressing her hands against his back, guiding him in channeling and refining the mana by removing impurities.
This assistance made a significant difference. His distraught expression gradually cleared, and he finally got the hang of it.
With her help, he managed to refine an E-rank core in 15-20 minutes. An hour passed, and he had absorbed one third of the cores he possessed.
"Phew, that was exhausting."
"Now, check our mana pool; it must have increased a bit."
"Yes,...haa, it has increased barely!" Alex was slightly disappointed to see that his mana pool had increased by just 20 MP.
"What are you grumbling about? It's totally normal to increase this much. How much did you expect it to be?"
"At least 20-30 MP for each core. So, a minimum of 50 MP maybe?"
Hearing this, Aurora's lips twitched in annoyance. She had asked casually, but the amount he expected was only possible if it were a C-rank core or something similar.
'It's not like your system that improves things by leaps and bounds. His system is spoiling him.'
"These things are not easy. You need to progress step by step, slowly and steadily."
Suddenly, Alex had a wild idea, 'Why didn't I think of this? It should be a more accessible and faster way.'
"Hey, what will happen if I were to use <Mana Drain> on this monster core, will it work?"
'He really has some strange ideas. Well, he's not the first one to think like this.'
"Yes, it will work with anything as long as you touch it, but the effect will not be the same as what you might be thinking. Try it, and you will find out why not."
He immediately grabbed one of the cores and used <Mana Drain> on it, and it worked. Just like before, the blue color of the core dimmed until it was grey, signifying that all its mana had been drained.
"Huh?" He asked in astonishment when he found no changes in his mana pool.
"Refining and then absorbing mana is different from what that spell does. The spell just drains mana from the subject and fills your mana pool. It is not the same as exhausting your mana circuits by constantly channeling mana through it and refining it."
"So, this will never work."
"Well, it might if you drain a ton of cores. I don't know."
In the end, Alex sighed as he had just wasted a perfectly good E-rank monster core. His reserves were already full, so he just received the mana back that he used for casting the spell.
He could have recovered that much mana in just two minutes anyway.
[The shop has been updated!]
[New items are now available, and additional options have been unlocked.]
Just in time, he received a notification from the system announcing the update of the system shop.
He couldn't contain his excitement as he eagerly checked out the new updates.
----------------------------------------------------
[System Shop]
[Shop Experience: 0/1000]
[Shop Coins: 10]
[Buy/Sell]
----------------------------------------------------
The initial panel displayed identical Buy/Sell options, prompting him to move forward and explore the new items available for purchase in the Buy tab.
----------------------------------------------------
[System Shop]
[Shop Coins: 10]
[Magic] [Physical] [Skills]
----------------------------------------------------
After the Magic and before the Skills option, a new category caught his attention: Physical.
Anticipating exciting possibilities, he eagerly explored the new Physical option to see what upgrades it had to offer.