Lin Chen turned his attention to the equipment shop, hoping this one would show him some mercy and not be too expensive.
Fatalis Sword and Shield: 3,000. Xeno'jiiva Great Sword: 2,800. Nergigante Charge Blade: 2,500. ... Kirin Sword and Shield: 1,500. Deviljho Great Sword: 1,500. ... Zinogre Dual Blades: 1,200. Rathalos Sword and Shield: 1,000. ... ... Yian Kut-Ku Sword and Shield: 200. Dual Bone Blades: 150.
Expensive!!
That was the only word in Lin Chen's mind. Although the weapons were already cheap compared to buying monsters outright, the same problem remained: he couldn't afford the good ones, and he looked down on the cheap ones.
"Forget it. I've already got a samurai sword, and it even has a bonus against demons. It shouldn't be any worse than a weapon worth around two hundred exchange points. I'll make do for now, then see if I can join the Demon Slayer Corps and get a Nichirin Blade or something."
Lin Chen sighed. When the system had handed out exchange points three times in a row, he'd thought it was generous. Now it looked like a total rip-off.
Then he opened the combat techniques tab. At last, he found something he wanted and could afford.
Hunter's Notes: 400 exchange points. Smithing Notes: 400 exchange points. Cook's Notes: 400 exchange points. ... Valor Style: 500 exchange points. Bushido Style: 500 exchange points. Aerial Style: 500 exchange points. ... Great Sword Sweep: 300 exchange points. Super Shield Block: 300 exchange points. ...
Lin Chen was tempted. This was exactly what he wanted. With a thought, he said, "System, buy Hunter's Notes and Bushido Style."
[Ding. 900 exchange points deducted. Obtained Hunter's Notes and Bushido Style. Use them?]
"Yes."
In an instant, a tingling sensation spread throughout Lin Chen's body. A wealth of knowledge and some combat experience appeared in his mind, along with a basic understanding of Bushido Style.
Ignoring the fact that he had only 100 exchange points left, Lin Chen opened the everyday items category.
Potion: 15 exchange points. Mega Potion: 20 exchange points. ... Well-done Steak: 10 exchange points. Raw Meat: 7 exchange points. Bird Egg: 7 exchange points. Honey: 10 exchange points. ... Throwing Knife: 15 exchange points. Poison Knife: 20 exchange points. Paralysis Knife: 20 exchange points. Large Barrel Bomb: 20 exchange points. Pitfall Trap: 15 exchange points. ...
"At least these aren't too expensive..."
Lin Chen rubbed his belly, which was already feeling hollow with hunger, and bought a Well-done Steak. It was actually quite a hefty piece of meat, weighing around two kilograms. Without another word, he began tearing into it.
However, he hadn't seen anything like the Xeno'jiiva Assimilation Fluid for sale in the shop. Apparently, items like that were available only in limited quantities.
"Oh, right. I haven't used this Xeno'jiiva Assimilation Fluid yet. Might as well drink it now."
Lin Chen wiped his mouth without a shred of concern for appearances. After taking another bite of steak, he downed the bottle of Xeno'jiiva Assimilation Fluid.
"Holy crap... that's hot... damn, why am I catching fire?"
The instant he swallowed it, his entire body felt as though it had been scalded with boiling water. When he looked closely, blue-white flames were rising all over him. His grip slipped, and the roast meat fell from his hand.
"Ow!! It hurts like hell! Ow, ow, ow... system, you screwed me over! You never said drinking this stuff would hurt so much!"
[Ding. Host, you never asked.]
"Fuck! Aaargh! Owww!!!"
Lin Chen howled in pain and rolled around on the ground, trying to put out the white flames burning him. It did absolutely nothing. Rather than weakening, the flames grew fiercer and fiercer.
Hiss!!
The searing heat was unbearable. Without stopping to think, Lin Chen jumped straight into the lake ahead, hoping to extinguish the flames on his body.
But it brought him no relief. Although flames no longer burned on his skin, he could feel his organs and blood churning inside him. Even the lake water bubbled and roiled under his intense heat, sending up clouds of steam. His clothes had long since burned away completely.
Fortunately, it didn't last too long. After a while, Lin Chen lay in the water and tilted his head up slightly, realizing that his body had returned to normal. Relief washed over him. He'd genuinely thought those flames were going to burn him to death.
At the same time, however, he could feel immense strength in his body, along with powerful white flames hidden deep within him.
Lin Chen let out a soft breath and turned to look around. The small lake he was in was still steaming, and quite a few fish floated belly-up on its surface. Clearly, that burst of heat had turned the entire lake, which was over twenty meters across, into boiling water.
"Man, that's way too brutal..."
Lin Chen couldn't help marveling at it. Looking at the belly-up fish in front of him, he swallowed. Suddenly, he felt ravenous.
"Damn, no, no! I'm a man of principles. How could I eat something that hasn't been cleaned properly?"
Lin Chen hurriedly shook his head.
"System, buy me some Raw Meat."
A piece of Raw Meat weighing around two kilograms soon appeared in Lin Chen's hand. He felt a little regretful. The steak he'd bought earlier had fallen on the ground and was no longer edible. With so few exchange points left, he could only buy raw meat and prepare it himself. He waved his hand, producing a white flame. After he held it over the meat for a while, the aroma of barbecue soon drifted into his nose.
"How well done is it now? Whatever, who cares? I'm starving."
Lin Chen grabbed the cooked meat and tore into it. His table manners were truly a sight best left unseen. Before long, he'd finished the entire two-kilogram slab, but his stomach still felt somewhat empty.
"Have I turned into a bottomless pit? Did I inherit Xeno'jiiva's food requirements? How am I supposed to feed myself?"
The thought made Lin Chen miserable.
[Ding. Please rest assured, host. Your physique has only just been enhanced, so you need to replenish sufficient energy.]
Lin Chen had barely let out a groan before the system's voice sounded in his mind again.
"Damn it, system, you've got the nerve to show up again? You didn't tell me this stuff would hurt so much! You really screwed me over!" Lin Chen exchanged for another piece of Raw Meat, roasted it for a while, then resumed tearing into it, all while cursing the system in his mind.
[Ding. The host did not ask. Even if informed, you would surely have drunk it anyway.]
That was only natural. It might hurt a little, but who wouldn't take that in exchange for power? Still, Lin Chen was annoyed. "I don't care! You could've warned me so I could brace myself! I don't care! I want compensation!"
[...]
The system fell silent for a moment, then sounded again:
[Ding. The Daily Check-in System has been activated.]
Wait, what?! I was just running my mouth. Is this system really that accommodating?
Lin Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. Even the cooked meat he was wolfing down seemed to lose its flavor.
"Open the check-in system."
[Ding. Today's check-in was successful. Obtained 20 exchange points.]
"..." That's it? Lin Chen's face darkened. "Are you kidding me? Twenty exchange points? Even if I get twenty every day, that's nothing special! I don't care. I still want compensation!"
The system fell silent for another moment:
[Ding. The host's shameless request has been rejected.]
Lin Chen curled his lip, but he wasn't too disappointed. This check-in system was actually pretty decent. Twenty points a day meant around six hundred a month and over seven thousand a year. In other words, as long as he kept his head down and stayed alive, he would never run out of exchange points. All in all, keeping his head down was the way to go.
"Hmm, another twenty exchange points. Speaking of which, my clothes are all gone. System, buy me some Traveler's Clothes. Yes, the ones that cost twenty exchange points."