Essim and Aisha spent the next twenty minutes exploring the market with the focus of bargain hunters at a closing sale.
Their objective was clear: acquire equipment, boost their attributes, and prepare for whatever the next island held. With five hundred vials of water and a market where water was liquid gold, Essim's purchasing power was extraordinary.
He started by converting water to Energy Crystals. The exchange rate was simple: ten centilitres of water for one Energy Crystal. A hundred vials translated to a hundred crystals—and he still had four hundred in reserve.
Essim browsed the equipment section methodically, filtering by price and attribute bonuses. His first purchase was an Evo Bow, a sleek green longbow with feathered tips and a firm, elastic string. Its explosive arrows would be devastating against groups of weaker enemies.
(Evo Bow)
Strength: +10
(Explosive Arrow)
Arrows explode on impact, dealing +30 damage.
Cost: 20 Energy Crystals
He followed it with a Flowing Cloak, Wind Boots, Glass Gloves, and a Courage Headband. Each piece was the best available at this early stage—no one with better gear was foolish enough to sell it yet.
(Flowing Cloak) — Resilience +8, Agility +2
(Wind Boots) — Agility +9, Resilience +2
(Glass Gloves) — Strength +6, Resilience +5
(Courage Headband) — Resilience +4, Intelligence +1
Fully equipped, Essim checked his updated status.
[STATUS]
Name: Essim
Level: 1 (1%)
Attributes: Strength 19 | Agility 14 | Intelligence 2 | Resilience 23
Class: Beginner
Equipment: Evo Bow, Wind Boots, Flowing Cloak, Glass Gloves, Courage Headband
Talent: Infinity Duplicate (EX)
Seventy-two Energy Crystals spent. A solid investment.
"Brother, look!"
Aisha had been shopping too. She stood before him now with a mage's staff in one hand and a grin on her face, her equipment glowing faintly with residual energy.
[STATUS]
Name: Cute Cat
Level: 1 (1%)
Attributes: Strength 8 | Agility 9 | Intelligence 21 | Resilience 14
Class: Beginner
Equipment: Guine's Staff, Soft Boots, Midnight Cloak, Smart Gloves, Forgetful Cap
Her Intelligence stat was the standout—more than double Essim's. The staff she'd chosen clearly favoured spellcasting. Though the system had declared her without innate talent, it seemed she had an affinity for magic through equipment and raw aptitude.
"Not bad," Essim said, nodding approvingly. "You almost look like—"
He stopped himself a half-second too late.
"Like what?" Aisha's eyes narrowed.
"Like… an incredibly capable and mature young woman?" he tried, grinning weakly.
"That's not what you were going to say."
She raised her staff. A point of white light ignited at its tip.
"Wait—Aisha—"
An icicle the size of a pencil shot past his ear.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Stop!"
He dodged a second icicle and then a third, scrambling backwards across the grass while Aisha advanced, her expression caught between genuine annoyance and barely suppressed amusement.
"Aisha, have mercy—"
She relented, lowering the staff with a theatrical sigh. She flicked her long hair back with one hand.
"You're lucky I like you," she said flatly.
Essim approached cautiously, like a man offering food to a stray cat that had already bitten him once.
"You're incredible," he said, choosing his words with exquisite care. "That magic—I had no idea the staff could do that."
He meant it, too. Aisha's magic hadn't come from a talent—it came from the staff's innate properties and her own Intelligence stat. Equipment-based spellcasting. It was a discovery worth noting: in this world, even those without system-granted talents could find power through the right tools.
"Enough flattery," Aisha said, though a small smile betrayed her. She turned toward the island's edge, where the clouds had begun to thin. "Look. The next island is close."
Essim followed her gaze. Through the clearing mist, he could see the dark outline of another landmass, larger than the last.
"Alright then. Let's see what's waiting for us."
He raised his right hand, hoping for a rallying cheer.
Aisha walked past him without a word, her cloak billowing behind her.
Essim lowered his hand, sighed, and followed.
As they drifted toward the next island, Essim found himself reflecting on what they'd learned in the past thirty minutes. The market was more than a convenience — it was an equaliser. Someone without Essim's duplication talent could, with enough time and luck, assemble a loadout nearly as strong as his. The system rewarded effort and resourcefulness alongside raw power.
But it also rewarded speed. And right now, Essim had a head start that no one else in the region could match. Five hundred bottles of water every hour. An effectively infinite supply of the realm's most critical resource. If he played this right — if he was strategic rather than reckless — he could build something that would outlast any single fight.
The thought settled in his mind like a seed. He didn't know it yet, but it would grow into something far larger than he imagined.