For some reason, the statues around the fountain were all panther serpent chimaeras. The implication was that Alepheria was most known for chimaeral transmutation, even though Adam associated her tower more with the creepy bone constructs and the Tome Keeper had said she was more about summoning.

Yenna switched to playing a trumpet as they entered the Market, but she still managed to make it sound sombre and longing like the violin.

"I was wondering," Adam started, "if someone gets two Grafted Wings, can they fly?"

"They can," Emelia confirmed. "You can also get a Grafted Arm to hold more Relics."

"Can you hold extra weapons too?"

"No, but you can have three arms holding the same weapon. It can be good for leverage on spears or for swinging heavy weapons faster."

"Gladwyn's tail seems to work quite well. I have been wondering if I should get a tail too, since I'm kind of lacking in ways to defend myself if enemies get too close."

Emelia laughed. "I can't imagine you with a tail, that seems so weird."

"Have you tried any of those Relics?"

"Last loop I had a Grafted Wing. When you have just one, it can help you jump higher and run faster, if you use it well. It's not a bad Relic, but I think you're still better off with more upgrades, so it's not worth hunting through Lucca's options to get it."

"Not even if you're guaranteed Rare at minimum?" Adam asked.

Emelia seemed to think about it. "You don't really need wings because of your barriers, and while a tail could be good to avoid falling off the islands or ships, I think you're better off spending the points on upgrades, especially since they're guaranteed Rare."

She does make a good point.

"What about the Damage boost from Luvicidix?" he asked.

"You already have the first step, right? So it's just 15% extra. It's not a bad thing to get, if you're looking ahead, but for that amount of Points you can afford a lot of upgrades that'll help you right now. The main benefit of Meta Upgrades is that they give you a much stronger start and allow you to snowball Points to get more optimised and powerful loops. I normally focus on getting strong enough in my current loop before I invest into Meta Upgrades. Stage Seven should give you as many Points as you already got from Six, if not even more, depending on how much bonus stuff we do, so I think you should wait until after."

Her strategy makes sense, but only when viewed from the perspective of how she has to make it to the Stage where she gets the Divine Relic in order to go back in time. It's not a bad idea for me to invest Points early, because if I die I go back regardless.

But… I don't want to die when everything is going so well. So, I think I'll take her advice.

Plus, I already got the Cheat Death Relic, so I should be able to make it far.

Investing my Points after Stage Seven is probably a good idea though, just in case whatever happens in Eight is impossible for me to survive.

"What are we focusing on first?" Emelia asked. "Weapon upgrades or general ones?"

"Actually, I have some Relics to sell," he replied, beelining it for Lucca's stall.

I should send the Choice Ring back to my storage first, since I won't be able to use it.

"Shitbox, send the Choice Ring to my Player House."

[Understood.]

The ring vanished from Adam's right hand and he suddenly realised that he'd actually been wearing it alongside Alepheria's Mandate, even though it normally wasn't possible to have both a glove and a ring on the same hand.

"Wait, why was it possible for me to have a ring and Alepheria's Mandate?" he asked.

"That's because the Legendary Relic replaces your real hand," Emelia answered before the cube could.

"What happens if I take it off?" he asked

"Don't," she replied.

Adam frowned. "Emelia… what the fuck happens if I take it off?"

She grinned. "You really shouldn't."

"Oh my God… It literally replaced my real hand!"

Emelia laughed. "Well, what did you expect?"

"I thought it was like the Slime Glove and that unequipping it would suck, but ultimately you'd heal your skin and flesh back."

"Just be glad you didn't pick a grafted limb and try unequipping it. I've heard it's like losing an actual limb and that people feel phantom pains for weeks afterwards. Also, if they're severed or injured, you can't heal them until after finishing a Stage, like with Relics and weapons."

"Fucking hell… You'd better warn Gladwyn about that."

Since Adam didn't want to sell the Chimaera Core, he stowed it in his house as well. Then he went up to the stall.

"Hello Adam," Lucca greeted, her eight eyes split between him and Emelia. "Are you here to browse my wares?"

He pulled out all the items in his bag and placed them on the counter one by one. "Yes, but first I wanna sell these."

"Excellent," the spider chittered.

"That's quite a haul," Emelia commented.

"Most of it is from the Players who died," he replied.

< < Relics Sold > >

< Tainted Helmet (Epic) >

< Curse-Giver Necklace (Rare) >

< Duellist's Glove (Rare) >

< Forlorn Cuirass (Rare) x2 >

< Purple Slime Glove (Rare) >

< Rapid-Fire Bracer (Rare) >

< Vigilant Fighter's Vambrace (Rare) >

< Crystallised Mana Core (Uncommon) x13 >

< 14950 Points Remaining >

That's funny, it brought me back to the exact amount I got from Stage Six.

"I do feel kind of bad. Gladwyn, James, and I were supposed to split this. But because I was carrying it all and they accidentally finished the Stage, I just got to keep it. The Eye said I can't even give it back."

"No point dwelling on it," Emelia said. "Alright, now that you have a bunch of Points, let's get you some upgrades, starting with your weapon I think."

"Don't you want to see my wares before you go?" Lucca asked.

"Sure, let's see them," Adam said.

"I don't think there's anything useful you could get since you already got Alepheria's Mandate and the Wandering Eye."

"I'm just window shopping," he replied.

Lucca gestured to the black chest and it popped open to show four holograms. Two were Rare and two were Epic.

< < Relics For Sale > >

< Mana Shield Ring (Rare) — Consumes 75% of wearer's Mana to deflect an attack. 10-minute cooldown >

< Grafted Arm (Epic) — Grows an arm on your body >

< Chimaera Helmet (Rare) — Increases Movement Speed by 25% and imbues wearer with Bestial Agility | Reduces Health by 30% >

< Mage Aspirant's Cowl (Epic) — Allows you to see Mana and absorb it >

"The ring seems good," Adam commented.

"It really isn't," Emelia said. "I've seen quite a lot of Players die because of it. Also, deflection doesn't mean the attack goes away. If you deflect something explosive, it might just hit the ground next to you, or one of your teammates. Also, if you don't have enough Mana, it will consume Health."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Even if someone has 0 Mana?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It just takes 75% of their Health instead."

"Damn, that's crazy. Why wouldn't it list that?"

She gave him a "You know why" look and he frowned.

"Because it's a trap," he realised.

"Bingo."

Adam laughed. "I didn't think you were the type of person who'd use the word bingo."

She ignored him. "The helmet is probably the best Relic out of these four. Bestial Agility turns your jumps into leaps that can go really far, depending on how fast you are, and it makes you able to manually dodge better. But losing 30% Health is a pretty big issue."

"What about the Cowl?" he asked.

"It's very good against incorporeal enemies and magic wielders, but only if you know what you're absorbing. I've seen a few people blow themselves up because of it. If you have a magical catalyst, like your wand or spell-tome, the Mana you absorb goes into those. If you don't, the Mana goes into you. I don't need to tell you why imbuing fire into your own body is a bad idea."

"Christ, are any of these Relics not some form of trap!?" he exclaimed in dismay.

Lucca glared at Emelia. "You are scaring my customer," she hissed.

"You're the one selling things with missing descriptions!" Emelia shot back.

Adam pulled her over to Thea's stall.

"Good day, Adam," she greeted him.

Adam pulled out his spell-tome. "Can you sell me upgrades for this?"

"Certainly."

"How many do you need for the next evolution?" Emelia asked.

"Three more," he replied.

The anvil next to Thea glowed and four holograms appeared.

< < Weapon Upgrades For Sale > >

< Barrier Size (Epic) — Increases maximum barrier dimensions by 25% >

< Barrier Efficiency (Rare) — Reduces barrier summoning cost by 15% >

< Manipulation Speed (Rare) — Increases manipulation speed by 35% >

< Manipulation Effect (Epic) — Increases manipulation responsiveness by 50% >

"Effect," Adam decided immediately.

< < Weapon Upgrade Purchased > >

< Manipulation Effect (Epic) >

< 14500 Points Remaining >

The options scrambled and were replaced.

< < Weapon Upgrades For Sale > >

< Barrier Size (Rare) — Increases maximum barrier dimensions by 15% >

< Barrier Efficiency (Rare) — Reduces barrier summoning cost by 15% >

< Manipulation Range (Rare) — Increases manipulation range by 35% >

< Manipulation Effect (Rare) — Increases manipulation responsiveness by 35% >

He selected Efficiency since lower Mana cost was gonna come in handy if his idea of how to use his barriers as fire-and-forget projectiles in the next Stage was doable, since he could imagine quickly burning through Mana that way.

< < Weapon Upgrade Purchased > >

< Barrier Efficiency (Rare) >

< 14050 Points Remaining >

"I think range would be good," Emelia commented.

The next set appeared.

< < Weapon Upgrades For Sale > >

< Barrier Size (Rare) — Increases maximum barrier dimensions by 15% >

< Barrier Efficiency (Epic) — Reduces barrier summoning cost by 25% >

< Manipulation Range (Rare) — Increases manipulation range by 35% >

< Manipulation Effect (Rare) — Increases manipulation responsiveness by 35% >

"Hmm, I still think Efficiency is better."

Emelia looked sceptical, but didn't say anything.

< < Weapon Upgrade Purchased > >

< Barrier Efficiency (Epic) >

< 13600 Points Remaining >

No sooner had he selected the upgrade than the spell-tome in his hand started to glow with golden energy.

[Your Fusionist Weapon Type has reached Level 18.]

[At Level 18, your Weapon Type can be evolved in one of two possible directions based on your previous evolutions.]

The Eye inhaled his spell-tome as it turned into golden particles and then dropped to the ground, changing into the pyramid shape.

The left hologram of the spell-tome still had green-dyed leather, but the gold embellishments were now like ruby gem stones, and the signet with curled fingers had a diamond shape around them. The right one also had green leather, but the embellishments were blue gem stones, and the signet was surrounded by a circle. The clasps that sealed the books closed now had twist-turn locks, the left with a ruby and the right with a Mana crystal.

< < Select an Evolution > >

< Mana Manipulator — Unique Skill ( Spell Extraction ) | Violently expel the fused spell from the barrier, destroying the barrier in the process. 50 Mana cost >

< Infusionist — Unique Skill ( Mana Infusion ) | Infuse a fused barrier with Mana, doubling its effects. 100 Mana cost >

Double effects probably means both positives and negatives, but so far the negative effects from fusions haven't been an issue.

I wonder if I physically have to open the tomes to use the skill. That would be interesting.

"Think I'll go with Infusionist," he said.

"The other one seems a lot more versatile," Emelia commented.

"It might be, but I have no idea how it would work if I used it to expel a barrier from another barrier. It might not have any effect. And if that's the case, then I can basically only use it if I'm fighting enemies using magic I can absorb, or if I use my Blood Fist Ring or something similar to infuse it with a specific spell."

"What would the other one be able to do?" she asked.

"Well, given that triple-fusing a barrier was able to kill both the human mimic and bumblebee in one hit, adding Mana Infusion to the mix might make me able to one-shot airships in the next Stage."

"You got a human mimic?" she asked. "Even though you picked a different Patron?"

"Yeah, we got it because of James. Apparently he could hear whispers when it was close."

She nodded. "You told me about those whispers in the past. Well, the past you. There hasn't ever been a human mimic when we're together in Seven, so maybe that's the reason why you died in Stage Eight in the past? Because you got a mimic in that Stage?"

"Could be," he replied. "But it won't be a problem this time at least."

She smiled. "You're right."

"Anyway, I'm picking Infusionist."

"I'll look forward to seeing you shoot down airships," she joked.

"Just wait until you realise I was being serious."

Adam selected Infusionist.

< < Evolution Selected > >

< Fusionist => Infusionist >

The spell-tome appeared in his hands, and the first thing he did was twist the lock, popping the clasp and opening the tome to a random page. It was full of strange drawings and text he didn't understand. A pyramid gem appeared in the air and he grabbed it with his right hand.

< < Mastery Shard Obtained > >

A strange sensation flowed through him as he touched the gem in the split-second before it disappeared. It gave him a sense of where the gem had come from. For the briefest of moments, he saw a gigantic eye condensing the life force of hundreds of souls into the gem.

Adam shuddered.

But then he got an idea.

"What are you doing?" Emelia asked as Adam placed his obsidian hand flat against the page full of nonsense writing and drawings.

Adam blinked.

"Woah," he muttered.

"What?" Emelia asked, sounding worried.

"I think I understand what the pages say," he replied.

He flipped through the tome, but it was the same two pages repeated again and again the entire way through.

"And?"

"And I think I know how to summon a barrier without using the spell-tome."

"Really?" she asked sceptically.

"Yeah."

Adam switched to his wand and started moving it through the air in a three-dimensional pattern that was like a maze shaped into an orb, with its meandering halls starting from the centre and leading out.

Even just holding the wand in his magical hand was making him understand how it worked a lot better than before. He had struggled a lot with casting spells using it, but he realised now that it wasn't because he had screwed up the patterns, or at least not entirely because of that. A large part of it was because he hadn't fully envisioned the spell in his mind, and fed that image the Mana it desired.

After half a minute, a circular barrier floated in the air in front of Adam. It was the size of a dinner plate and midnight-blue.

"Holy shit," Emelia muttered in awe.

Adam wasn't entirely sure how he'd done it, but he understood that Alepheria's Mandate and the Tome Keeper's Relic had helped a lot.

"Can you shape it?" she asked.

Adam tried to imagine it shaping into something different, but unlike with the spell-tome, it was completely ineffective while he held the wand.

He switched to the spell-tome and the barrier remained. However, he could not command it like any barrier summoned by the tome.

"Damn," he muttered.

"What about Alepheria's Mandate? Can't you control it with that?" she asked.

Oh, I didn't even think of that.

Adam gestured at the barrier, but nothing happened.

"Spin," he said.

Still nothing happened.

That's a shame. I was hoping I could give it a command to shape itself…

But maybe there's a different spell I can cast with the wand to let me shape it somehow.

"I don't think it counts as a summon, but still, this opens up so many possibilities," Adam said. "I'll need to practice a lot though."

"I had no idea this was even possible," Emelia admitted. "I guess I underestimated the wand quite a lot."

Adam summoned three new barriers with his spell-tome and they were all still midnight-blue even after the evolution. What surprised him most, however, was that they could exist simultaneously with the wand-created barrier.

"I think this will come in handy," he said. "If I can figure out how to cast the spell a lot faster."

"You could buy more upgrades for the wand," Emelia suggested, no doubt realising its potential. "How many Points do you have left?"

"13600," he replied.

"And what level is it?"

"It's level 8. If I wanted to max it out, it would cost me 4500 Points. I also want to get the Rewards upgrade from Luvicidix, and I need about 3400 for that, which leaves me with 5700 for general upgrades, enough for 19 in total."

"I think you should get at least two medium healing potions, which would cost you 1000 Points."

Adam still had one weak potion in the Potion Belt strapped to his right arm, but after the many close calls in Stage Six, he agreed that he definitely needed more. Not to mention, Seven was supposed to last 3 whole days.

"So, that means I'd have 4700 to spend on general upgrades, which is enough for 15. Do you think that's a good way to spread my Points out?" he asked.

"You could also buy housing upgrades from the Builder," she said. "I think investing into the wand is worth it though. If nothing else, you'll get two more Mastery Shards out of it."

"Speaking of, what's the new upgrade from Alivida after Stage Six?"

"There isn't one," she replied.

"Luvicidix told me her sister had a new upgrade for me."

Emelia looked confused for a moment, but then she said, "It must be because you used the Lucky Stone. You can buy more from Alivida after you use it, but they cost 3 Shards each."

"That's super expensive."

"Yeah, but I guess if you eventually buy everything else it's a good way to spend any Shards you've got left over. I haven't gotten any new ones in this loop yet though, so seems like it might take forever to get to that point."

"What do you mean? Didn't you evolve both Brawler and Priest?" he asked, confused.

"You only get the Mastery Shards once per weapon evolution. You can evolve them in a different direction and get new ones, but I'm pretty reliant on the specific evolutions from those two weapons, so I won't get any new Shards until I swap them out. There's a weapon in Stage Eight I might try this time around though. It's similar to the Beast weapon, but apparently one of the evolutions lets you go incorporeal, which makes it possible to avoid almost all forms of damage."

"I had no idea it worked like that," he replied. "I've started with different weapons every time, so it didn't come up."

"I wish my time-looping powers worked like yours," she commented.

"Trust me, you've got it much better," Adam replied seriously.

Emelia looked away for a moment, not saying anything. He wanted to reach out with his obsidian hand and feel what she felt, but then she turned back to face him with a smile.

"Let's start with the wand upgrades since we're already here, shall we?"

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