[Affection Points: 111,070]
"Holy shit… I really got a lot of affection points…"
"Alter, show me the shop."
["Okay"]
A translucent window appeared before Noah, floating in the air like an ethereal projection. The letters, a shimmering shade of violet, stood out softly against the semi-opaque background. The interface seemed divided into several organized sections, each identified by distinct titles: Potions, Skills, Cultivation, Affinities, Weapons, among other categories.
Noah clicked on the Potions section, curious about what he would find there. Immediately, a new tab unfolded before his eyes, revealing a detailed list of magical vials, organized by ranks, from the most common to the rarest. Each potion had a brief description beside it, glowing softly in hues that varied according to rarity.
Rank E – 10,000 points
Lesser Healing Potion
Temporary Resistance Potion
Diluted Night Vision Potion
...
Rank D – 20,000 points
Moderate Healing Potion
Muscle Stimulus Potion
Antitoxin Potion
Mana Recovery Potion
...
Rank C – 30,000 points
Enhanced Healing Potion
Body Strengthening Potion
Accelerated Regeneration Potion
Heightened Reflexes Potion
...
Rank B – 40,000 points
Instant Healing Elixir
Skin Hardening Potion
Perception Boost Potion
Mana Regeneration Potion
...
A whistle involuntarily escaped Noah's lips.
" Wow…"
He was impressed. Before him, an extensive and well-organized list of potions gleamed on the interface, and the cheapest among them, a simple Lesser Healing Potion, Rank E — cost 10,000 affection points.
Despite the initial shock, Noah already had some idea of how these potions worked. In his homeworld, they weren't exactly new. There were similar versions, produced by specialists known as Alchemites — rare individuals, highly trained in the art of magical alchemy. However, their creations were absurdly expensive and difficult to obtain.
Alchemites were almost legendary figures. Their names appeared on waiting lists that seemed endless. It was common for people to wait months — even years — just to have their order registered, let alone fulfilled. Lines would often form around their towers or workshops, frequently guarded by Awakened.
Despite the outrageous prices, the potions sold like water in a desert. Yet, there was a serious problem: impurities. As skilled as they were, the Alchemists in his world still hadn't mastered a pure and flawless technique. Their potions carried unpleasant side effects — nausea, temporary fatigue, dependency, and impurities…
Even so, no one dared to go without them, especially Awakened, adventurers, and politicians who could afford them. Rank A potions were the highest achievable by commercial means in the common market. Anything above that — Ranks S and SS — was considered a dungeon treasure, found only in dangerous, near-suicidal expeditions into the deepest floors of ancient dungeons.
Compared to that… the system shop Noah now saw was simply absurd. No lines. No impurities. And even the most legendary items were there, within reach of a click.
"Now this is hitting the jackpot…" — Noah murmured, laughing as he slid his finger across the interface.
With a curious click, he opened a new section: Weapons.
Rank E – 15,000
Shadow Wolf Blade
Barbed Beast Claw
Twisted-Root Staff
...
Rank D – 25,000
Rock Bear Axe
Cutting Wind Spear
Moon Mist Staff
...
Rank C – 35,000
Scarlet Salamander Sword
Swamp Widow Scythe
Hard-Root Bow
...
Rank B – 45,000
Crimson Roar Blade
Frozen Abyss Spear
Contained Lightning Staff
...
Just like the potions, the weapons also had a ranking system, and their creation involved a special class called Forgers. This class, like the Alchemists, was extremely rare and valued. Forgers were responsible for creating unique magical weapons, using the corpses of defeated magical creatures as raw material.
The process wasn't simple. Each forged weapon carried traits of the monster it was made from, as well as the signature of the artisan who crafted it. The result was living weapons of singular power, capable of channeling techniques or abilities related to the original creature — claws that burned like flames, blades that roared like beasts, spears thirsting for blood.
The stronger the monster and the more skilled the Forger, the more powerful the weapon.
As with potions, weapons were also ranked from E to SS. However, in the common market, forged weapons rarely surpassed Rank A — and that was already considered a miracle. Those of Rank S and SS were legendary artifacts, usually found only in high-level dungeons or secret auctions attended by high-ranking individuals and obscure organizations.
Noah observed all of this with eyes gleaming with interest. But what truly caught his attention was a topic he hadn't noticed until then, discreetly positioned in the upper corner of the interface, as if waiting for the right moment to reveal itself: [Affinity].
With a light touch, he opened each of the tabs, and new translucent windows appeared before his eyes, organized into categories like the previous ones.
Common: – 100,000 points
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
...
"Holy shit…"
Elemental Affinity.
It was one of the most important aspects in the path of evolution. Each person, upon Awakening, would manifest one or more natural affinities with primordial elements. This affinity determined what types of mana the body could efficiently absorb, what kinds of spells would be easier to learn, and which techniques could be taken to the limit.
Affinity wasn't a choice. It was like eye color or a heartbeat — something determined by the soul from birth.
At the moment of Awakening, the Akashic System would reveal which elements resonated with the individual's core. And from that point on, a person's magical destiny was sealed.
People with a Fire affinity, for example, would have an easier time with offensive and destructive techniques, while those with Water affinity could develop healing or fluid manipulation skills. Those with Shadow tended to stealthy or enigmatic paths.
Change it?
Impossible.
No one had ever managed to alter a person's elemental essence. Elemental affinity remained unchangeable until death.
"I can have any affinity… fuck" — Noah murmured, a smile of excitement and ambition forming on his face.
"Alter, what type of dungeon is the daily quest going to send me to?"
Normal dungeons had one thing in common: each tended to have a predominant element. Some were completely dominated by monsters of a single elemental attribute, while others presented varied creatures, becoming true unpredictable battlefields.
However, there was a simple way to identify the dungeon type even before entering: by measuring the density of mana emanating from the portal. The energy spilling from the dungeon's entrance carried elemental particles perceivable to those with magical sensitivity or specific instruments.
If the mana was saturated with watery particles, for example, it meant a Water elemental dungeon. If it exuded an invisible heat and sparks, it indicated Fire. And so on.
If the emanating mana carried no striking characteristic, it meant a diverse dungeon — the most unpredictable and dangerous type, filled with monsters of different elements and variations.
["Fire type"]
"Got it, thanks."
Noah began to think. The dungeon he would enter would be a Fire type, as Alter had said. If he played it right, he could make a good profit from this first dungeon, even if it was Rank D.
Noah decided not to buy any weapons for now, since he had an aunt who was the master of one of the strongest guilds. It was expected she would have some weapons at home. And about skills… he had one in mind when browsing through the skills section.
"Alter… if I buy an affinity, will it work normally? No restrictions?"
["Yes. Upon acquisition, the system will integrate the affinity directly into your core. It will manifest as if it were natural."]
Noah took a deep breath, feeling his heart pounding faster.
"And if I want more than one?"
["It will be possible, as long as you have enough points."]
It was too good to be true. Multiple affinities were considered legends in his world. Only divine creatures or dungeon abominations had the ability to master more than one element — and even then, it was rare.
Noah looked again at the names listed on the interface:
Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Lightning. Shadow. Light. Ice. Poison. Blood…
Each one represented a path, a unique form of power.
"Fuck it… I'm doing this."
With a touch, he selected Fire. A prompt immediately appeared.
[Do you wish to acquire Affinity: Fire for 100,000 points?]
Noah didn't hesitate for a second.
"Yes."
A wave of searing heat spread through Noah's chest, as if the very air around him had ignited. Amidst the scarlet light, the red stone embedded in his chest reappeared, pulsing with a vivid and intense glow.
The black tattoos that extended from the sphere began to shine in bright red tones, like incandescent tribal marks, winding across his skin. The previously dormant and silent markings now vibrated in sync with the energy being born within him.
Then, before his eyes, a small flaming sphere materialized beside the central stone. It was like a miniature star, slowly rotating, with red and orange flames dancing around it, illuminating everything nearby with warm, golden reflections. The energy emanating from it was dense and alive, as if it had a will of its own.
Noah felt as if scorching embers coursed through his veins, expanding through every fiber of his body. His heartbeat matched the rhythm of the energy, and for a moment, he had the distinct sensation that the world around him vibrated, as if reality itself responded to that awakening.
The heat was intense, but not painful — it was the heat of power. Of freshly conquered strength.
When the light faded, the small flaming sphere remained beside the stone in his chest, spinning silently, like a private sun, an extension of his own essence.
[Affinity: Fire successfully acquired.]
Noah smiled.
He could feel it.
The fire affinity was now part of who he was.