164 The Change in the Shop
Hearing The Keeper's admonishment, Daniel quickly calmed himself down. His mind was not on the right track right now as he worried about his family, and he knew he indeed had trust issues, just as Ragnar had pointed out.
"Sorry, it's just a bad habit of mine. But this bad habit of mine has saved me many times, so don't think I'll try to fix it anytime soon," Daniel apologized, while still explaining why he preferred to keep it.
"Understandable, but that doesn't mean people would like it, especially those who trust you deeply. As for me, I'm fine with it. A healthy dose of suspicion and paranoia will keep you alive, as long as it's not too much, of course," The Keeper nodded, showing understanding.
"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Keeper," Daniel acknowledged before moving toward the vending machine. He noticed that he had 35,438 MP (Merit Points) available in the machine. Uncertain if this number was high or not, his restlessness didn't allow him to dwell on it. He quickly input the name of the card he wanted, and the vending machine immediately displayed it on the screen along with its price.
Card: Archmage
Price: 10,000 MP
Picture: The artwork depicts a sage-like old man in a flowing robe, raising his staff to the sky as blue, white, and red light shine on him. He stands amidst a sprouting forest, and his shadow gives off an ominous darkness.
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Enchantment - Profession
Mana Cost: 1 Wood, 1 Light, 1 Water, 1 Fire, 1 Dark
Description:
Level 1: Spells, Quick Spells, and Enchantments cost 2 less Non-Element to cast.
Pay 1 Water and 1 Light: Upgrade to Level 2
Level 2: When drawing a card, you may draw one more card, then discard a card.
Pay 1 Water, 1 Light, and 1 Fire: Upgrade to Level 3
Level 3: Pay 1 Water, 1 Non-Element: Draw a card.
Pay 1 Water, 1 Light, 1 Wood, 1 Fire, and 1 Dark: Upgrade to Level 4
Level 4: When casting a Spell, Quick Spell, or Enchantment, you may search your deck for a card and add it to your hand.
Pay 1 Water, 1 Light, 1 Wood, 1 Fire, 1 Dark, and 2 Non-Element: Upgrade to Level 5
Level 5: You can cast three Spells, Quick Spells, or Enchantments for free and cast them as if they are Quick Spells, up to 3 times each turn.
Flavor text: The Archmage, wielder of the pinnacle of magic. His magic could rival that of gods and perform true miracles. Whether it is to revive a deadland into a vibrant landscape full of greens or to sink an island in a fit of rage, like gods would do. The spell at the pinnacle of humanity is at the tip of his fingers.
Upon seeing the card on the screen, Daniel nodded in satisfaction. However, before he could push the purchase button, The Keeper's voice came from behind.
"Please wait, Mr. Emberweave," The Keeper's voice halted Daniel's hand, and he turned toward him.
"I need to tell you that the card's price you are about to buy is equal to the cost of an entire box. It has become that expensive due to its immense power and the forceful nature of the card's manifestation, along with some precautions to prevent any lasting consequences to the fabric of reality," The Keeper explained.
"Noted, thanks for letting me know," Daniel nodded, realizing he didn't have much time to contemplate gains and losses as he usually did. He decided to proceed with buying the 'Archmage' card. The card manifested and entered his mindscape, but instead of functioning as usual, it hovered within his mindscape without allowing Daniel to add it to his deck.
"Strange... I can't use it. I can't even put it into my deck," Daniel muttered in confusion before he turned toward The Keeper.
Observing Daniel's questioning look, The Keeper understood what had happened.
"Remember the changes I mentioned, Mr. Emberweave? This is one of them," The Keeper said, then walked toward a door that led to a new room and opened it for Daniel.
"I have prepared a special place for you to actualize that card, as it will heavily affect the fabric of reality, especially profession cards. They do more than grant power; they bestow actual skills, fighting habits, experiences, and knowledge that can change your entire being. These cards are considered to have a significant impact on the reality fabric. Besides profession cards, there are sentient creature cards that also heavily affect the fabric of reality. I cannot allow them to be actualized outside the space I've prepared for you," The Keeper explained.
Daniel nodded in understanding before deciding to buy another card, the avatar card. Initially, he thought about the Avatar cards of the Olympian Gods such as Zeus, Ares, Poseidon, and Hades, but their prices were exorbitant, costing 100,000 MP each. He could only imagine the chaos those cards might cause if he were to actualize them.
Checking the prices of other cards, Daniel looked at notable monsters and Titans such as Typhon, Cronos, and Gaia, but their prices were still beyond his reach, ranging from 70,000 to 40,000 MP. Finally, he came across a card that was unpopular, created from an obscure being in Greek myth and some of his own imagination. Despite being unpopular, the card's power and lore that he had written back then were still considered good and would provide significant help in both combat and non-combat situations.
Card: Hecatonchires - The Hundred Arms Sentinel
Price: 22,500 MP
Picture: The artwork depicts a towering Titan in black silhouette, standing above an ancient Greek city. His arms stretch out in hundreds around him, resembling a giant wheel, while his serene face changes appearance, depicting fifty bodies in the background.
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Avatar
Power 1: +2 Power Counters: Negate target creature's abilities until the end of the turn.
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Power 2: +1 Power Counters: Tap target creature and put 1 Seal Counter on it. **As long as a seal Mana Cost: 1 Light, 1 Dark, 4 Non-Element
Description:
Basic Power Counter: 4
Power 1: +2 Power Counters: Negate target creature's abilities until the end of the turn.
Power 2: +1 Power Counters: Tap target creature and put 1 Seal Counter on it. **As long as a seal counter is on the creature, it will not untap. Remove 1 seal counter at the end of the creature owner's next turn.**
Power 3: -1 Power Counters: Put 3 strengthen counters on a target creature or artifact.
Power 4: -4 Power Counters: Tap all opponent creatures and put 1 Seal Counter on each of them.
Power 5: -7 Power Counters: Destroy all creatures controlled by opponents on the field.
Flavor text: Hecatonchires was betrayed by the Olympian gods. The false promises Zeus made, that he would become one of the Pantheon governing Olympus after helping them win the war against Cronos, were engraved in his mind. He didn't seek revenge on Zeus and the other gods, not because he didn't dare to rebel or lacked courage, but because there was no need. He foresaw the end of Olympus approaching, brought about by the hands of humans.
The Avatar card manifested once again, and Daniel's MP was nearly depleted. He quickly walked toward the room that the Keeper had prepared for him and closed the door. As soon as the door was shut, the power residing within the two cards began to manifest. They immediately took effect, unlike the previous time when he needed to draw and use them after gathering enough mana.
The air within the room distorted as the power within the cards began to manifest itself and infuse Daniel's entire being. Knowledge about various types of magic, tales of magic, methods to manifest magic, and various rituals assaulted his mind, causing sharp headaches and immense pain. Simultaneously, his body and soul were bombarded by a massive surge of power.
Strength capable of crushing stones and mountains, the power to seal and imprison various beings, the ability to bring down calamity upon his foes, and the blessings of strength all manifested within him. He gained full control over this newfound power.
The agonizing ordeal continued for about an hour, but fortunately, Daniel's mind had been fortified into an unbending and unyielding state by the power of the Grand Hunter card, making him exceptionally resilient to the pain ravaging his body at that moment.
Unknown to him, that all of the profession cards that were residing within his body had also been melted into his being. Instead of the bestowed power from the card, now it had truly become his skill, experience and power, no one could deprive it from him even Daniel himself as it had already fusion into his being.
After the excruciating pain that had ravaged his body and soul subsided, Daniel fell to the ground, panting, with sweat covering his body. Slowly, he managed to get up and reached for a healing potion to mend his wounds before stepping out of the room.
"Looking good, Mr. Emberweave," The Keeper said with a smile, handing Daniel a mirror to see his reflection.
Daniel gazed at his reflection and noticed that his muscles had grown slightly bigger, but more importantly, he felt an immense surge of strength coursing through every fiber of his being. He knew now that his power was more than enough to crush stone and mountains with his bare hands. His toned and compact muscles exuded power that he could not have imagined before.
Returning the mirror to The Keeper, Daniel took a deep breath and headed toward the exit.
"I still need to introduce you to more changes in this shop. Once you've dealt with your pressing matters, please come back again soon. For now, godspeed, Mr. Emberweave," The Keeper said,
bidding farewell to Daniel with a smile.
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