With the leftover 200 stones, Silas pondered his options. If skill books were affordable, he might have considered getting one. But damn—when he searched the store, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Not all skill books were the same. A Fireball skill book was obviously of lower value compared to something like Armageddon, which allowed the user to summon a meteor. Even if both had high growth potential, a meteor would always be more powerful than a fireball of the same level and size. A skill like Armageddon would naturally cause far more destruction than a fireball of a similar tier.


    But even a Fireball skill book cost a whopping 1 million universal points!


    Silas, who had slaughtered thousands of iron- and bronze-ranked monsters, had only managed to gather around 40,000 points. He had completely cleared an entire dungeon, yet he still couldn’t afford a basic spell like Fireball. Meanwhile, high-tier skills like Armageddon were priced at a staggering 30 million points.


    And that wasn’t even the worst part. Simply obtaining a skill book wasn’t enough. One had to continuously train, improving their proficiency to unlock the skill’s full potential. Mastering a skill was a long and arduous process.


    Sighing, Silas muttered, “Alright, let’s check the price of a healing skill.”


    Obtaining a skill book was so rare that some hunters wouldn’t even find one after killing tens of thousands of monsters. The only reason he had been able to farm so many was due to the overwhelming strength of his Nyxian body. Most hunters could take months just to clear a single dungeon alone.


    Even if someone farmed dungeons day and night, it might take them years to obtain a single skill book—if they were unlucky.


    Still, he couldn’t complain. At least skill books could be purchased with universal points here in the shop. Back in the human world, that option didn’t even exist. The number of healers in the entire world could probably be counted on one hand, and each one was treated as a national treasure.


    Heal - 150,000,000 universal points.


    Silas stumbled backward.


    “150 what?! How many zeroes is that…?”


    He checked again.


    “…Damn it! 150 million points for a healing skill? Why don’t you just rob people instead—wait… why am I complaining? I’m the one who lucked out.”


    Silas sighed and made a mental note to build a memorial for the Giant Arachnite. Hell, he’d even be willing to be their ambassador at this point.


    “Young master, what’s with that expression?” Nina asked, tilting her head. “You look so weird… I didn’t know a person’s face could show so many expressions and colors at once.”


    Silas: …


    “Just wait until I get a transformation skill, little lass…” Silas muttered. “These hands were not made to deal with you.”


    Nina’s eyes widened, and she immediately dove into his mane, mumbling, “Young master always tries to bully me…”


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Silas shook his head as he rubbed his paws together. “Nothing beats a good spanking.”


    Nina, who had just peeked out from his mane, slowly slid back inside as if she hadn’t heard anything.


    At least transformation skills were affordable—only 2.5 million points…


    Affordable? Well, relatively speaking.


    Thinking back to the Shadow Terror, Silas couldn’t help but wonder what skills it had. That thing had been able to seamlessly slip in and out of shadows—an assassin’s dream skill. Too bad he hadn’t been able to obtain it.


    As he continued browsing, Silas discovered a selection of natural treasures that could enhance elemental affinities. His heart leaped with excitement—finding treasures that granted affinities was getting harder and harder. He had almost given up on acquiring the time and space affinities, but to his surprise, the universal store even carried treasures for them.


    But why are they greyed out?


    Out of stock? Damn it.


    As Silas was grumbling to himself, a new item suddenly appeared.


    [Ripple of Time] – An image of a water droplet appeared on the screen.


    Ripple of Time – A drop from the River of Time, containing the essence of the laws of time.


    Cost: 40,000 Universal Points.


    Silas didn’t hesitate for a second. That was all the points he had, but—Purchase.


    A small glass bottle appeared in his inventory.


    [Ripple of Time x1]


    Without a second thought, Silas gulped it down in one go.


    [Consumed Ripple of Time. Obtained 1 Time Elemental Affinity.]


    Silas breathed a sigh of relief.


    One point… acceptable. He would have been heartbroken if it had only given him 0.1 affinity points.


    So, 4 million points just to reach 100% in Time Affinity?


    It was expensive, but others wouldn’t even get such an opportunity in the first place.


    “I should find a place with a lot of dungeons and just camp there…” Silas thought.


    At one point, he had started to doubt whether he could truly acquire all affinities. Sure, he had unlimited time, but finding the necessary resources was an entirely different challenge. He might not run out of lifespan, but the mental exhaustion of constantly searching for treasures could still break him.


    But now, with the system store, at least he had a possibility.


    Silas paused and looked up at the sky.


    “How many years will this take…? Can I even find enough dungeons to clear?”


    Pushing that thought aside, he shifted his focus.


    “First, I need to forge a grimoire. Or find someone who can do it for me.”


    Silas scrolled through the Craftsman section and navigated to the Grimoire subsection.


    As soon as he clicked, a flashy pop-up appeared. Bright, colorful lights flashed across the screen, showcasing an array of ornate grimoires. A short, stout dwarf swung a hammer in the corner of the advertisement.


    [20% Discount at the Dwarven Tavern for the Dwarven New Year! Offer ends in 1 day. Priority given to first-come, first-serve customers!]


    Silas stared at the screen.


    “…Ads?”


    He never expected to see advertisements popping up in the system panel.


    “Should I install an ad blocker? Or do I have to pay a subscription fee?” he muttered. Then he sighed.


    “Well, guess I’m heading to the Dwarven Tavern.”


    Another notification appeared.


    [Would you like to enter the Dwarven Tavern?]


    Silas hesitated. He had assumed it was just an online storefront or video conference… but this was an actual teleportation option.


    How advanced are the people who built this system?


    Back in the human world, even with the emergence of mana, teleportation was still considered a myth.


    Silas pressed [Yes].