Viktor and the group once again stare in unrestrained awe at the towering pitch black figure.
This particular one doesn't only stand far away from any major cities, but it was also protected by the foliage of a deep, dark forest. As a result, there weren't any settlements flourishing around it. In fact, there was no sign of any people being around the pillar before.
While watching for their surroundings, the group walked into the alien construct. Right as they entered, they saw the familiar hall.
When Viktor approach the stone cube, his first thought was to get one of the alien bracelet for his new companion. At first, she eyed the item reluctantly, but after she saw everyone has one of their own, she suddenly felt left out and finally agreed to wear one."
[Vasiliza]
[Female - 17 years old]
[Mortal Realm level 30 - peak stage]
[Spirit Energy - Ice]
[Spirit Talent - Level A]
That was the data that came out when Liza, the young girl, wore her bracelet.
"Whoa, talent level A… I thought so." Jessie muttered with a deep sigh, once again wondering why the world was so unfair. Viktor and Eva have a very rare A-rank talent, and now Liza is confirmed to have that as well.
Jessie explained that there are only about three hundred known individuals with A-rank talent all over the world, and most of them have become famous Saint figures. Finding three unknown ones together in one place was definitely a needle in the haystack situation, it was almost impossible.
For Viktor of course having a talented companion will definitely be beneficial. He can't wait to start exploring the pillars.
Realizing there were no stairs around, Viktor decided to tinker with the stone cube in the middle of the room once more. A notification appeared in his mind
[Doomsday Pillar 1st floor]
[Ready to open the staircase gate to the 1st floor?]
Seeing Viktor's hesitation, Jessie quickly explained that this proves that no one had ever gone up the stairs before. "This is exactly the ideal pillar for us" The girl explained, a cheeky smile gracing her features before whispering to Viktor's ear "A virgin pillar."
Afterward, Viktor follow Jessie's advice not to climb the stair, Instead, they decided to access the [Store] first.
Although the first 10 floors won't be too hard of a fight, this group however only has 8 members, which meant it would probably be better for the team to come prepared for the worst outcome.
Viktor gathered all the spirit stones they have collected and counted them.
They have 458 white stones, 62 yellow stones, and one red stone. In total, they are carrying [16658 spirit stones]
As this particular pillar has not yet opened its second hall, their options were limited to tier 1 equipment. Fortunately, most of them already have weapons given by the templars, hence Viktor decided to get them each a simple protective armor.
[Protective Vest - Tier 1]
[Light Armor]
[Weight : 8 kilograms]
[1000 spirit stone]
It was a set of armor made of what seemed to be synthetic light metal. It has a pair of shoulder pads, a chest plate, and arm and leg covers. This armor was definitely better than the Seal skin armored which is currently being tailored in Arkhangelsk, hence he bought everyone's a set
Viktor was actually tempted to buy a number of tier 1 weapons in order to upgrade his [Core of Anvil], but a quick calculation confirmed that even if he spent all his spirit stones to buy a tier 1 metal here, he might still not have enough, so it would be more logical to focus on their main goal - to increase the party's strength.
Besides, if he still needed those armor sets later, Viktor could just make up some excuse and loot them away from his companions.
Kosta, the Nenet kid, seems to prefer fighting with a spear, hence Viktor bought him one and gave the short sword he has to Liza. The girl stared at the blade, unsure on how to use it.
To be fair, even Eva and Barry also have no skills to use their weapons, hence, Viktor chose their next destination.
[Training hall]
First, Viktor purchased a [Realm Enhancement] for Liza. Right as light engulfed her body, Viktor couldn't help but feel curious about how strong the girl would become now that she finally broke through.
[Vasiliza - Battle Power: 28 - Earth Realm level 1]
Her stats indicated that she was a normal girl, and Viktor still can't believe the terrifying strength she has shown before.
To stop thinking about such things, Viktor went into a shopping frenzy. A defensive armor for protection wouldn't be enough for their next journey, and even a little increase in overall group power would go a long way. Hence he bought a few skills for each of the companions.
[Torri Helsinki] - [Crossbow Art - basic] [Battle Art- Agility up]
[Boris Oslo] - [Dagger Art - intermediate] [Battle Art - Agility up]
[Evangeline Amelia Bardott] [Sword Art - basic], [Water Manipulation], [Soothing Mist)]
[Barry Pennyworth] - [Sword Art - basic], [Fire Manipulation] [Fire Infusion]
[Kosta Nenet] - [Spear Art - basic] [Earth Manipulation] [Stone Skin]
[Vasiliza] - [Sword Art - basic] [Ice Spirit Manual - Initial Stage] [Ice Manipulation] [Ice Wall]
Viktor looked through the options for some time, before he decided to buy a few spells and two battle arts.
[Chain Strike] [Metal Shield] [Silver Body] [Axe Art - Intermediate] [Battle Art - Strength up]
Although Viktor has the means to create a shield in the middle of a fight and he was confident his [Metal Fusion] would be much better in practice than this [Silver Body], he believed that having stronger basics would only aid him to understand his control over metal better. Hence, he decided to purchase both of them.
As for [Chain Strike], Viktor bought it as it was a decent basic spell with a good range, it could trap his opponent or let him attack from a safe distance.
The same concept applies to his decision to buy the [Battle Art - Strength Up]. He hoped that it could replace his [All Might] when the situation doesn't warrant that much increase in strength.
After all these purchases, he was left with [4358 spirit stones]
In the grand scheme of things, that amount won't be much, but at least it was just enough to make him feel not poor.
Now that everything was finally set, the group returned to the main hall and accessed the stone cube once again.
[Doomsday Pillar 1st floor]
[Ready to open the staircase gate to the 1st floor?]
Viktor gave an excited grin and said. "Yes!"
In response to his answer, a light flashed from behind the cube, and the engravings on the wall started to move and slither around, before constructing itself to create a massive gate in the middle of the wall. The gate then opened, showing a row of stairs. Yet beyond that, there was only darkness.
Everyone waited with held breath as the doors opened, and they stared at it for a few moments, unsure of how to react.
"Let's go! Get ready, everyone!" Viktor shouted.
As the words left his mouth, the group cheered and entered the dark hall together, walking closely and cautiously for around a hundred meters. The staircase led to a hall-like room that seems to be dimly lit by the walls, still dark yet enough for them to see. The thuds of footsteps resounded until they could vaguely see some tiny figures running towards them.
The place was quite dark, but everyone could clearly see a group of green-skinned creatures running towards them. They are half the size of a human and ran towards them in a clear frenzy.
These creatures' red eyes seemed as if it was about to bulge out of its sockets on any second, while scraps of leather and fabric hung just enough to cover their modesty. They have long, bloodied claws and fangs stained in a shade of disgusting yellow.
Each one of them was holding different types of weapons. From swords, sabers, knives, bows, clubs, and so many more. However, it seemed like the weapons were barely intact, and some of them even almost broke due to rust. Their shields were also made of wood.
As he stared on the creatures, a message appeared inside his mind.
[Level One - Goblins]
[Battle power: 15]
[These are the lowest failed creations and possess little to no intelligence. However, their sheer numbers, combined with their madness when they were placed in a battlefield]
Dozens of those creatures came flooding out from the stone gate and began to run towards them. Their voices sounded like the piercing screeches of a dying bird of prey.
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