[Ring of Life]
[Type: Accessory]
[Attributes: Constitution +2, Max HP +20]
[Equipment Requirements: None]
[Description: Is there anything in this world more critical than your health pool?]
With this ring equipped, Nishi finally met the attribute thresholds required to slip into the Heart-Protecting Fire Koopa Shell.
However, purchasing this specific accessory seemed to trigger a massive misunderstanding in Nishi's head. She stared down at the ring resting on her middle finger, her face entirely flushed with a bashful crimson.
"Master, does this count as... a... a marriage proposal?"
"No," Cyan answered flatly, instantly shattering Nishi's romantic delusions without a shred of hesitation.
"Oh, alright..." Nishi's head dropped in immediate disappointment.
[Windchaser Necklace]
[Type: Accessory]
[Attributes: Agility +3, Movement Speed & Attack Speed increased by 10%]
[Equipment Requirements: Agility 15]
[Description: I want to be as free as the howling wind~!]
These two specialized accessories cost 2,500 Survival Points and 5,000 Survival Points respectively, and Cyan had purchased both of them explicitly for Nishi.
Since Nishi was an Agility-specialized Rogue, Cyan naturally intended to maximize her growth along that trajectory. Every single piece of equipment she selected for her servant was meticulously curated to either ensure her survival or aggressively scale her Agility and movement capabilities.
"Master, you're honestly too good to me~!"
The Nishi who had been drowning in sorrow a literal second ago was now blissfully caressing the pale-green Windchaser Necklace resting against her collarbone, having already slipped into the heavy, crimson plating of the Heart-Protecting Fire Koopa Shell Cyan had handed her.
[Nishi's Current Status]
[Strength: 12 (10+2)]
[Agility: 21 (15+1+3+2)]
[Constitution: 12 (8+2+2)]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Spirit: 7]
[Perception: 7]
[Charisma: 9]
[Max HP: 140 (120+20)]
[Max Spirit Power: 70]
[Total Defense: 49 (24+5+20)]
(Note: The numerical values within the brackets represent Nishi's unequipped baseline attributes combined with her cumulative gear modifications.)
"Let's look for an open stall. We need to liquidate our unneeded inventory and scan the market for any high-tier skills," Cyan instructed calmly. She intended to sell off their extra skill books and miscellaneous items to see if they could pool enough resources to upgrade her core offensive matrix.
"Understood~!" Nishi scanned the immediate perimeter, spotting an vacant trading stall a short distance ahead, and quickly dragged Cyan over by the hand.
They unceremoniously laid out their wares: a Cape Feather, a Fireball Throw Skill Book, and Ippa's Secret Smoke Bomb.
That last item was an incredibly foul, universally toxic utility tool. Cyan had originally intended to deploy it within the Super Mario Bros. dimension to turn the tide of a desperate conflict, but the right tactical window never manifested. After all, it was a volatile asset that completely ignored the concept of friend-or-foe targeting. If she accidentally incapacitated her own companion with a cloud of weaponized stench, the resulting tactical blunder would be profoundly embarrassing.
Cyan fixed the prices firmly: 3,500 Survival Points for the Cape Feather, 15,000 Survival Points for the high-tier Fireball Throw Skill Book, and a flat 1,000 Survival Points for Ippa's Secret Smoke Bomb.
Beyond these three items, neither Cyan nor Nishi possessed any surplus gear they were willing to part with; their remaining consumable recovery items had to be strictly hoarded for the lethal uncertainties of the next survival arena.
The moment the two artifacts and the rare skill book were displayed on the cloth, a steady stream of wandering players began to anchor themselves in front of the stall, their eyes instantly locking onto the text profiles.
While the 15,000 Survival Point price tag on the Fireball Throw Skill Book was undeniably steep, a single glance at its system description revealed that it was an unrestricted, continuous-cast spell. For any survivor specializing heavily in Intelligence and Spirit, mastering this skill effectively elevated them into a walking, high-output magic turret. Whether for a lone-wolf predator or a structured team composition, a constant fountain of reliable ranged fire support was an asset no sensible player could ever reject.
"Hey, friend, any chance you can drop the price on this Cape Feather a bit?"
An interested buyer quickly stepped forward to negotiate. Granting a full 10 minutes of operational flight was an incredibly seductive property. Even though it was strictly a single-use consumable, deploying it at a critical tactical junction was practically equivalent to buying an emergency escape route.
"No bargaining!" Nishi snapped instantly, standing up with her hands planted firmly on her hips before Cyan could even open her mouth.
"3,500 points is way too expensive. Can't you take off 500?"
"Step aside! I'll take it!" Before the haggler could complain further, a separate survivor pushed past, cleanly paying the full sum to instantly secure the Cape Feather into their inventory.
"Hey, I was looking at that first..." The original buyer muttered gloomily.
After a brief moment of internal hesitation, he reluctantly dumped 1,000 points down to purchase Ippo's Secret Smoke Bomb instead. The item profile made it clear that the cloud was utterly repulsive, but for a solo survivor like him, the concept of a 'team dynamic' didn't exist anyway. In the brutal economy of the survival games, one always had to sleep with one eye open to prevent other players from driving a blade into their spine. This weaponized psychological horror suited his tactical preferences perfectly.
If any bastard dares to stab me in the back, I'll make sure they swallow every last particle of this foul mist!
With two items successfully liquidated, only the premium Fireball Throw Skill Book remained on display. Cyan felt no pressure to rush the sale. Seeing Nishi looking visibly bored out of her mind, she gestured for her servant to explore the area freely while she sat quietly behind the stall, closing her eyes to enter a state of deep mental meditation.
In her past life, she could remain entirely motionless beneath a jagged coral reef for an entire day just to ambush a single target. Sitting calmly in a bustling marketplace for a few minutes or hours was a trivial exercise in patience.
Meanwhile, Nishi skipped happily into the vibrant Lifestyle Zone, navigating straight toward a highly reputable establishment known as Humble Tower Residence.
"Sister Meili~! Two orders of your Assorted Seafood Fried Rice! Make it to go!" Nishi called out familiarly as she slid up to the counter.
"Coming right up!" Meili offered a warm smile, shouting back toward the steaming rear kitchen, "Two orders of Assorted Seafood Fried Rice, packed for travel!"
"Understood!" a clear voice echoed from within.
"I haven't seen your face around here in a few days, little girl. Did you just get pulled into another survival game?" Meili chatted casually, clearly accustomed to Nishi's frequent visits.
"Hehehe, yep! I just wrapped up a highly intense survival round alongside my master~!" Nishi giggled, cupping her cheeks in her hands as her eyes practically sparkled with pure adoration at the mere thought of Cyan.
"Serving as a survivor's bound companion is an incredibly grueling path, you know. It's far too common for servants to face horrific, asymmetric treatment from their contractors," Meili noted softly, watching Nishi's innocent, bubbly demeanor with a trace of sisterly concern, worried the silly girl might get exploited without even realizing it.
"Oh, not at all~! Master treats me incredibly well! Look, every single piece of high-tier gear I'm wearing right now was bought entirely using Master's own point reserves!" Nishi proudly toggled her equipment data, flashing the impressive stat displays to reassure her friend.
Meili wasn't a standard combat survivor. Instead, she was a specialized civilian artisan explicitly invited by the system to establish a permanent business within the Survival Town. She and her husband, Mason, had been summoned directly from the legendary world of Cooking Master Boy—a dimension dictated entirely by the supreme laws of high-end gastronomy.
Because of Mason's legendary culinary status, he rarely manifested back in his original timeline anymore, choosing instead to dedicate his life to running the Humble Tower Residence kitchen within the hub. Virtually every single resident residing in the Survival Town had experienced the profound wonders of his cooking at least once.
The system granted these permanent residents an immense degree of personal autonomy, permitting them to return to their home worlds whenever they pleased. The only absolute, ironclad rule was a total ban on disclosing the existence of the Survival Space to outsiders. Any violation would result in an immediate asset seizure, a total memory wipe, and an unceremonious exile back to their native timelines.
"Just remember to remain hyper-vigilant out there, you silly girl," Meili smiled gently, reaching over to affectionately ruffle Nishi's hair.
"Two orders of Assorted Seafood Fried Rice, completed~!"
A tall, remarkably refined young man stepped out from the kitchen partitions. Mason's features were so delicate and clean that he looked entirely detached from the typical image of a grease-stained chef. Even his hands, which had wielded legendary kitchen knives for years, bore absolutely no trace of rough calluses. Since it was currently the slow afternoon hour, the legendary head chef enjoyed a rare pocket of absolute leisure.
"We'll catch up next time, Sister Meili~! See you later, Brother Mason!"
Nishi happily transferred a flat fee of 50 Survival Points across the counter, scooped up the two heavily insulated packages of fried rice, and skipped out of the restaurant. She was practically vibrating with anticipation, eager to witness Cyan's reaction to her very first taste of Humble Tower Residence's divine cuisine.
Back in the Trading District.
"Brother, would you be willing to part with this skill book for an even 10,000 Survival Points?"
Cyan slowly opened her clear silver eyes, casting a detached glance at the haggling player before pointing a silent, singular finger toward the small wooden sign beside her that read: Prices Fixed. She didn't possess the energy to waste breath on pointless negotiations.
A moment later, Nishi came rushing back to the stall. Cyan's tracking senses instantly picked up a highly concentrated, incredibly intoxicating aroma wafting from the packages in her hands.
"Master, this portion is explicitly for you! Hurry up and taste it! I bought it directly from Humble Tower Residence~!" Nishi proudly presented the container like a dog offering its favorite bone. Realizing Cyan was likely oblivious to the town's geography, she quickly elaborated, "Humble Tower Residence is hands down one of the most famous gourmet spots in the entire Lifestyle Zone! Every single dish they serve literally glows with magical light, and the flavor is completely out of this world!"
"Glows?"
Cyan accepted the tightly sealed package, curiously peeling back the outer insulation layers. The exact millisecond the internal seal was broken, a blinding, radiant column of golden light erupted violently from the container.
As she hastily unwrapped the rest, the brilliant luminescence joined forces with a massive wave of piping-hot steam, shooting straight into the high vaults of the marketplace ceiling and completely startling every single player within a fifty-yard radius.
"Holy crap?! What kind of high-tier trap is that?!"
"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!"
"Can you bastards seriously stop opening Humble Tower Residence takeout directly in the trading district?! Have some basic civic manners, for god's sake!"
A chorus of startled, deeply irritated outcries erupted from the surrounding crowd. Masked players shot furious, glaring looks straight through their pixelated mosaic facial blurs, zeroing in directly on Cyan's position.
Oblivious to the complaints, Nishi cheerfully popped open her own container of fried rice. Instantly, a second blinding pillar of golden light accompanied by billowing torrents of savory steam blasted straight into the sky.
"Where are your manners?! Do you people have zero decency?!"
"Completely shameless! Is this blinding flash-bang show ever going to end?!"
Cyan and Nishi completely tuned out the surrounding uproar, casually shifting their postures to eat their respective meals right behind the stall counter.
The moment Cyan placed a single spoonful into her mouth, her silver eyes flared with an unprecedented level of absolute shock. It felt as if perfectly fresh, wildly energetic shrimp were performing a synchronized, high-tempo dance routine directly across her tastebuds. The sudden, seamless integration of tender squid didn't disrupt the performance in the slightest; instead, it elevated the culinary symphony to its absolute structural peak, printing the words UTTERLY DELICIOUS in massive letters across her consciousness.
She demolished the entire portion of Assorted Seafood Fried Rice in a matter of seconds. A rare, profoundly lazy expression of pure bliss washed over her features as she slumped back against her chair in complete satisfaction.
Nishi had been hyper-focusing on Cyan's expression the entire time. Seeing her master inhale the food at such an alarming velocity, she let out a triumphant giggle. "Well? How was it? Incredibly amazing, right?"
I want to... kiss her so bad...
Nishi's gaze locked onto a single, stray grain of white rice resting right at the corner of Cyan's perfect lips. A sudden, dangerously intense impulse surged violently within her chest.
Wait, what on earth am I thinking?! Nishi frantically slapped her own crimson cheeks to snap herself out of it.
"Mhm. It is excellent," Cyan nodded slowly, offering a rare, highest-tier validation: "This is, without a doubt, the most superior food substance I have ever consumed in my entire life."
"Hehehe! Next time, let's sit down and eat directly inside the actual restaurant~!" Nishi beamed happily.
"Agreed," Cyan replied smoothly.
Suddenly, a survivor clad in a deep-blue magus robe and clutching a glowing crystalline staff stopped directly in front of their stall. After examining the Fireball Throw Skill Book for a long, quiet interval, he looked up and inquired, "Excuse me... would you be open to accepting a high-tier piece of equipment to offset a portion of the Survival Point cost?"
[Wrath of the Thunder Emperor (Right)]
[Type: Story Character Gauntlet Equipment]
[Attributes: Attack Power 12–21, Strength +2, Spirit +2]
[Skill: Inazuma Cannon – Consumes 30 Spirit Power to unleash a concentrated shockwave of compressed lightning. Deals lightning damage equal to the gauntlet's Attack Power plus a flat 40 to all targets in a linear path ahead. Grants a 20% probability to inflict a total Paralysis effect lasting for 2 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. This skill is fully operational while mid-air.]
[Set Bonus: Collecting both Wrath of the Thunder Emperor (Left) and Wrath of the Thunder Emperor (Right) will activate a specialized set modification.]
[Equipment Requirements: Strength 25, Spirit 15]
[Description: Jean is a boy who lives to chase the thrill of high-stakes adventure, possessing a volatile temperament that perfectly mirrors the wild lightning he commands.]
"What is the valuation of the trade-in?"
Cyan's eyes narrowed slightly at the item description. While the gauntlet's properties were undeniably exceptional, if this mage attempted to overvalue the artifact to shortchange her on hard currency, she would terminate the transaction immediately.
"I'll value it at a flat 10,000 Survival Points. That's already an incredibly generous bargain," the mage stated rapidly, his tone carrying a hint of genuine urgency. "Look, I don't have the luxury of time required to set up my own stall to liquidate this. My next mandatory survival game activates in a few minutes. Give me a straight yes or no right now!"
"Deal," Cyan answered instantly. She agreed to let the spellcaster use the Wrath of the Thunder Emperor to cover exactly 10,000 points of the transaction, with the remaining 5,000 paid out in cold, hard system currency.
Once the secure trading interface finalized the exchange, the Fireball book vanished from their stall. Factoring in their liquid sales, their recent gear acquisitions, and the minor deduction from their gourmet lunch, the shared balance between Cyan and Nishi sat at exactly 18,718 Survival Points.