Imri gaped at the new item that was now up for bidding. While he wasn’t interested in this product, its implications were profound. The type of item was called an ability shard, and its function was simple: it was a one-use item that granted an ability. This differed from his recently purchased ability tome by not requiring any learning or aptitude. The shard simply gave the ability immediately. Imri wasn’t fervently bidding because of the trait granted, Light Melee Weapon Proficiency, which could be learned through practice. It also wasn’t particularly useful for Imri.


    Despite being a mundane trait, the bidding was similar to many previous items. It slowed around the four million credit mark before selling for just over that amount. Imri was surprised someone was willing to pay so much for a basic trait, but he supposed there wasn’t a downside to saving some time learning it instantly rather than through practice. He figured he would have spent a few million credits to learn a marginal ability if it saved him even a few hours. It was also possible the purchaser didn’t know the trait could be learned, though most should have figured that out from the wording of ability tomes.


    The auction produced a slew of ability shards for starting traits throughout the next few hours. After weapons came various crafting professions and then schools of magic. A few unique-sounding branches of magic had tempted Imri, but the starting trait only improved his ability to learn spells, and he didn’t have the time to diversify his spell list further.


    The shards transitioned into ones that granted resistance. These intrigued him more, as training them had proved far more challenging than any of the traits given by the other shards. However, it was still possible, and Imri didn’t want to waste his credits on random resistances. That wasn’t the case when a Mental Resistance ability shard was up for auction. While Imri possessed the trait, he wanted as many people to have it as possible. The price shot up faster than any other shards, suggesting mind manipulation was universally despised.


    As the price climbed over five million credits, Imri noticed one of the parties competing against him: the Azala Queen. As the amount continued climbing, he and the Queen were the only remaining bidders. He reconsidered if it was worth fighting over. In the end, hurting the Azala’s coffers would be more beneficial than someone possessing a single trait that made them slightly more challenging to mind control. Imri stopped bidding after the six million mark and watched in satisfaction as the Azala overpaid for an item they had almost no use for.


    The exchange did have one unintended consequence: the crowd had grown silent, thinking the Azala had won that exchange. Unprompted, Imri made his way back out. This time, there was no raucous cheering, only murmured whispers and concerned expressions. The announcers, who had been at this for hours, had noticeably less enthusiasm but retained a professional air. Imri quickly explained his strategy, with a few people nodding in understanding. He hadn’t universally won everyone over, but at least the crowd was split and arguing good-naturedly. The analysts debated the merits of both sides as Imri teleported back to his seat.


    The ability shards continued, now presenting with more exciting variants. It had returned to combat, but they were no longer starting traits. Instead, they appeared to be what he would classify as broad buffs: Efficient Striking reduced the stamina cost of melee weapons, Power Striking increased the damage, and Precise Striking improved attack skill. Imri noticed Zhaire bidding on these, but he didn’t secure any of them, as each sold for over seven million. The pattern repeated itself, but instead of ‘Striking,’ it was ‘Shooting’ for projectile weapons. Sylvi managed to secure Powerful Shooting, improving her overall damage by a few percent at the cost of almost eight million credits.


    Crafting was next, with Efficient Crafting reducing the material components required by five percent. While Imri didn’t consider himself a full crafter, he remembered the hoard of cores he had gone through in the last month. Whatever amount of credits this went for, he would make that money back in material costs. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only crafter with this thought, and the price ballooned to ten million credits. Imri still thought it was a worthwhile investment but decided to back down. He couldn’t justify that amount for an item that wouldn’t help immediately; no amount of saving credits would help if they all died in the war. He was forced to make similar hard choices for the following two crafting ability shards, increasing crafting efficiency and speed; neither was cheap enough to justify as a value purchase.


    When the casting variants were up, Imri had no such qualms. He gave no ground and purchased the entire set of three for just under thirty million credits.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9817%; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Efficient Casting (1F): Increases mana efficiency by 2.5%</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Distant Casting (1F): The caster is considered closer to the target by a factor of 1.05 for determining mana cost.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Empowered Casting (1F): Increases the maximum mana channeling rate by 5%.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Imri smiled as he reviewed his new traits. None were game-changing, but combined, they increased his spell-casting abilities nicely. More efficiency was always good, so Efficient Casting was a no-brainer, even if it wasn’t the most dramatic numerical Increase. Distant Casting functioned similarly to his Dimensional Waypoint''s cost-reducing effect, only much smaller but always active. He had been less interested in Empowered Casting, as the maximum mana used in one spell was rarely the deciding factor. However, it did have some uses, especially when trying to open a long-range portal or going all out with his domain spell. Still, he had only purchased it because it had been significantly cheaper than the previous two, with other mages similarly dismissing its utility. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Imri claimed his three shards from the nexus and looked them over. They were glowing prisms the size of Imri’s palm with intricate patterns etched on the surface that he couldn’t understand. His senses told him the entire thing was made of condensed essence, like a flattened core of an extremely high tier. Imri held them out and began absorbing them one at a time. A torrent of energy flooded into him, scorching his skin and leaving a complex brand that resembled a QR code, only three-dimensional and incredibly detailed. He could feel the energy being directed before it settled within him. As soon as it did, the markings disappeared. The pain was manageable, but Emelia cast a healing spell before he could say anything.


    The crowd had come alive with the flurry of activity. Imri groaned as the analysts hyperbolically pumped him up, calling him the ‘greatest mage in the universe.’ While Imri was proud of his accomplishments, he knew he had a long way to go. He only needed to consider his encounter with the Azala Queen to dispel that notion, to say nothing of the tier four dragon or the Collective Intelligence that could teleport beings across the universe just to converse.


    Imri debated going out for another interview, but that thought immediately disappeared when he saw the next item. It was called an Ability Rank-Up Shard and did just what it said, with the limitation that it only worked on tier-one abilities. His mind immediately began going through his abilities in the first tier, especially those at rank E. It wasn’t that long of a list, considering most of his critical abilities had reached tier two. However, there were a few standouts. Primordial Intuition was one of his first abilities, giving him a general understanding of how the system worked and improving the rate at which all intelligence-based abilities were learned, which included all his spells and runes. The second was Locus of Mana, which increased his mana regeneration and resistance to all forms of magic. Imri eventually decided on the former, as it had essentially single-handedly catapulted him through the system''s early days, even if it hadn’t been as helpful lately.


    The bidding was fierce, easily eclipsing the most expensive item sold. It wasn’t surprising, considering there probably wasn’t a being on this planet that couldn’t use an immediate ability rank up, with the possible exception of Corrolth. Ultimately, it was too good for Imri to pass up, and he paid over fifteen million credits, which was by far the most an item had sold for, but still only a fraction of Imri’s wealth.


    Loud cheers erupted as the crowd went ballistic. Buying the ability shards had brought them out of their stupor, but this purchase pushed them over the edge. Imri cursed, knowing his worldwide anonymity was gone when he purchased four items in a row. However, he still had half his wealth remaining. Curious about what the tier-up would provide, Imri immediately absorbed the shard, watching it melt into his skin.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9817%; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Trait Rank Up</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Primordial Intuition E to D</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Primordial Intuition has improved to Omniscience of Gaia</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">Omniscience of Gaia (2F): Intuit understanding of concepts without prior knowledge. Increase the rate at which intelligence-based abilities are learned and improved by 6%. Gives an instinctive control over divination, helping improve the rate at which spells and abilities related to the concept of divination are learned and improved by 5.5%. Increases the effectiveness of divination spells and abilities by 2.5%. Allows you to commune with Gaia once per day.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Imri gawked at his new ability. The first half of the ability was essentially the same as it had been, with a marginal improvement in the learning and improvement percentage. The next clause was verbatim one of the schools of magic he had been considering, divination. It differed from the one he had passed on in that it had the wording of the tier two versions, like his Temporal Control and Spatial Control. Fortunately, this school of magic was at least tangentially related to his existing spells. Spells that allowed him to see through space and time would include all his related abilities: divination, temporal, and spatial. With the percentage buff to his understanding, he felt close to a breakthrough and was confident he could learn those spells with some contemplative meditation.


    The final part was the most intriguing: communing with Gaia. He had always felt connected to the world''s core like it was a part of him. He could tell it wasn’t simply a ball of energy but a living entity of immense power. However, he had been unable to determine anything more precise than that, let alone communicate meaningfully. He wasn’t sure exactly what he would be able to learn through commune, but it would surely be something profound.


    Imri almost activated the ability immediately. Fortunately, he managed to refrain, not wanting his mind to be whisked away while his attention was required for the auction. Already, bidding was taking place on the next item, which was a repeat of the previous. He debated purchasing the second one for his other trait, but the price was as high as the first one, so he refrained.


    When a third ability rank-up shard came up for bidding, Imri wondered if the system had glitched out. However, on closer inspection, he noticed a slight difference that made the item significantly better: it could rank up any ability tier two or lower. Imri went through his entire list to ensure he wasn’t overlooking something. Unfortunately, there were no tier two traits a single rank from tiering up. He could rank up Dimensional Portal or Dimensional Tear to tier three. However, it felt like a wasteful ranking up a spell, especially since he was sure they would eventually improve without using a shard. He had plenty of options, but there was one obvious choice, his ultimate skill: Manifest Domain. Even the three percent incremental improvement from a tier two rank-up significantly improved his overall ability. Conversely, he could purchase the shard and refrain from using it until he ranked up Manifest Domain to D rank.


    Imri debated the merits of both approaches as he watched the price’s continual ascent. It continued upward like it was attempting to reach the summit of Mount Celestia. It finally started slowing down as it approached the twenty-five million credit mark. This item warranted entire factions bidding on it, as he doubted many individuals had that wealth. He cursed, not knowing how many items remained. With the steep asking price and lack of ability to immediately benefit, Imri reluctantly backed down. Hopefully, he wouldn’t regret this decision.