Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 37 First Exchange; First Encounter

Lars raised his eyebrows at that price, surprised. "Why is it worth so much...? I thought it has no abilities...?"

The penguin coughed then confirmed his understanding, "Yes, that's right, apart from being nearly unbreakable, that Memory Capsule in the form of a sword really doesn't have any abilities... But! The materials used to make it, the hidden magic formations engraved and the long-lost history within are worth a fortune!"

"Okay! Then, I'll exchange it, but only if I can get a replica that looks exactly like it."

Kizorik nodded, assuring him, "No problemo! Easy-peasy! If it's just the shape, look and hardness, that'll barely cost you 400 AP if it's already available or 1,000 AP for a custom job!"

Lars returned the nod, pursing his lips as he felt excited about the imminent power up available before him. "Alright... Then... What can 80,000 AP exchange for...? Can I see the list...?"

He instantly regretted his decision.

His eyes swam and began to grow blurry as the penguin showed him a projection of the full list of items - through a laundry list of thousands upon thousands of items, some sound nonsensical, some useless, some ominously powerful but too cheap to be really that great and some promising, seeming to be useful.

Dizzy from the flashing screen that moved so fast even his Insight-endowed eyesight and brain could not keep up, he changed his approach.

"S-Sir, Sir!" He cried out as he closed his eyes to save himself from nausea.

"Mmm?" The penguin was engrossed in looking through the list longingly as if it had very much missed its window shopping.

"Can you just recommend me what to exchange for...? Some things that will be useful for my journey and growth, and also helpful in this planet to find a way home...?"

At his words, the penguin stopped swiping the touch-screen projection, letting the Treasury list slowly scroll to a stop. It put a flipper to its chin and scratched, thinking.

Then its eyes lit up in glee.

"I have just the right things for you..."

It frenetically scrolled through the list dozens of times, causing Lars to wonder if it would be good for the Abyss Treasury to implement some sort of search or jump-to function in their list. Finally, the penguin stopped and beckoned for him to take a look.

I don't recommend you to purchase anything you can already buy with money somewhere in this world, no matter how expensive it may seem, because money you can just rob, kill and steal to get. While Abyss Points are slightly more precious... Okay, you'll also probably have to rob, kill and steal to get AP, forget whatever I said..."

"No, no, I agree with what you said."

Kizorik frowned in surprise. "You do...?"

"Yeah. What can be bought with money like runes or artefacts, I'll use money to buy. Since money is something I can just get more of while sacrifices may be hard to come by." He drew close to the demon to take a look. "So what are the things you want me to exchange for that can't be purchased normally...?"

The little penguin nodded slowly, surprised itself that what it said had made sense, then pointed out three items in succession: [Minotaur's Bone Marrow (Stem Cells)], [Lesser Mana Spirit's Core] and 2 units of [Phial of Forgery Liquid].

The mage did not hesitate; since he had decided to ask his contracted demon for advice, he wouldn't second-guess its choices.

He held the sword in two hands with the tip pointing towards the summoning circle then spoke the words, "I sacrifice Brightstar to the Abyss". Then he watched as there were no theatrics or spectacular displays of abyssal powers - the sword just gradually turned to mist from the blade down to the hilt and disappeared.

Then at his demon's encouragement, he spoke to exchange for the items they had chosen: "Exchange for [Minotaur's Bone Marrow (Stem Cells)], [Lesser Mana Spirit's Core] and 2 units of [Phial of Forgery Liquid]."

The summoning circle slowly exuded a dark purple-red miasma which swirled silently, so quietly that the sound of the one insomniac cricket still chirping in the middle of the night more than a 100 metres away could still be heard. A bloody-red dome formed around the border of the summoning circle, and the area within the circle turned into a murky black-grey void - one that made Lars feel like as he peered into it, a gargantuan eye in the void peered back into him too. He looked away in discomfort.

It didn't take long for the miasma to settle and solidify into 3 items, while the red dome faded away, along with the murky vision of the void. Then of the 3 items, two of them turned into bloody-red light and shot straight into his forehead; the shocked boy fell onto his bum as he felt two nuclei of intense warmth swim through his veins and lymph nodes to travel from his forehead; one to his heart where his existing mana core was while the other could be felt diffusing throughout his body to nourish and strengthen his bones and flesh.

The critter waddled over to pick up the remaining item - a small brown cloth pouch which *clinked* as the penguin picked it up, clearly containing the two glass phials of Forgery Liquid. It was a comical sight as the cute bird came over to him to hand it over, the pouch was nearly a third as big as the tiny demon!

Kizorik explained that non-preservable items like blessings, the Bone Marrow or the Spirit's Core would immediately be consumed by the contractor, while other discrete preservable items could be shared and given to others. Then the little house-pet explained the uses of what had been exchanged.

"Right now despite your grade 7 strength - I mean, in your terms, Legendary realm strength - you're just too weak! Most powerhouses at your grade in the universe could easily crush you to bits! And not because they're more powerful in their main area of abilities, no..."

"W-what?" He was incensed! He had worked tirelessly day and night and been accorded as a genius for breaking every known concept of "time needed to grow" by reaching the Legendary realm in just 2 years! And he was being called *WEAK*?

"Kizorik! I'm already considered a genius, right? Unless you're talking about physical strength, which though I admit I'm weaker in, I'm absolutely certain that no one in the universe is going to be perfectly balanced in all areas!"

Scoffing at Lars' indignant but also astonished face, Kizorik clarified, "I agreed, you're definitely right! Almost no being manages to have a perfect balance of physical capabilities and magical or divine capabilities, that is true... But it is even truer that no one would respect a Legendary Realm individual with such a weak physique! There are no powerhouses who are not also extremely strong and balanced in both physical and non-physical areas! At the very least, they'll be 2 grades behind in their secondary capability, whether it be physical or magical!"

The embarrassed mage blushed a deep red while the penguin sighed Sighing in disappointment at his so-called uselessness. "In conclusion, you'll need to develop your body from the basics. Right now you trainees at the arena are at most upper grade 2 - Adept-level practitioners! The Minotaur's Bone Marrow, once implanted into your own bone marrow, will nourish you slowly. The only reason it's so cheap is that this process takes years to bring you up to the adult Minotaur's full strength of grade 6 strength - the World-Class realm!"

Not bothering to ask if the mage with his mouth agape had any questions, the demonic bird continued on quickly, "The Lesser Mana Spirit's Core is also cheap as it works similarly - it is practically useless to you right now, but as you feed it mana and nourish it with you soul-imprint, it will grow to be a second mana core for you! Imagine what it would be like to have two times the mana pool, control and amplification! The only limit then would be your slow brain in your thick and dull skull!"

Satisfied that it had impressed the boy deeply and also added in a direct insult with no rebuttal, the penguin finished off its explanation to the sputtering and miffed boy, "Finally you should use those phials of Forgery Liquid on your ring and necklace-cum-birthmark. That way, the people who are mighty enough to pierce through your masking spells and aura would also notice the scent of Forgery Liquid on your items and think they are fakes!"

Letting out a deep breath after this long info-dump, the penguin wanted to continue but suddenly perked up, eyes darting back towards the camp not so far away.

"Trouble. Someone's coming; clear up and head back!" Then without waiting for a response, the cuddly razor-clawed and sharp-toothed penguin shrunk and turned into a plushie soft-toy the size of a keychain and attached itself to the boy's necklace.

A voice rang out in his mind, 'Remember! Don't reveal your powers too easily! You don't know yet how the apex beings of this world would react or whether they would detect me and your treasures! Be cautious!'

Lars hurriedly erased the summoning circle, dispelled his concealment spells and hurried back to the camp before his absence would be noticed. He cautiously cast his senses out and caught sight of the incoming visitors.

Bandits.

More than a hundred of them.

Chapter end