The stall owner could not help but raise his brows slightly when he saw the skill scroll that Bob was showing him.
Still, he responded, "That skill is not really very important when it comes to dealing with the demons. While it is true that it can enable a person to be able to move silently, at least not make much noise, the perception of the demons is of a high level, and the effect of this skill is basically useless in front of a demon.
But more than that, the demons are capable of detecting the human scent, making it completely useless to approach them silently. So, the price for this skill scroll is only 300 star coins.
Though, young man, I would advise you not to take it. After all, it would be a waste of money if you spend the money on this skill scroll. I would advise you to take another skill scroll that would enable you to have greater combat capability." The stall owner gave a lengthy response.
Bob was slightly surprised by the words of the stall owner. This guy was a merchant. Back on Earth, instead of claiming that this skill scroll was useless, the merchants on earth would have promoted this skill scroll, taking advantage of the fact that a newly awakened person might not be possess the basic knowledge about demons.
It seemed that this was an honest merchant. And to be honest, if not for the fact that Bob currently possessed a system, and it was glitched, he would have actually spent the money on something else.
But now, he was more curious about this skill. Among this pile of skill scrolls, this was the only one that was related to anything about hiding. So, he wanted to find out what evolution this skill would undergo later on.
So, he responded, "Don't worry. This is something that I just want to try out. And, it is not the only skill scroll that I want to purchase."
As he said those words, Bob picked up yet another skill scroll. It was a skill scroll for a spear skill, Piercing Thrust. This was a skill, not a technique.
The stall owner simply shook his head, saying nothing more about the skill scroll. In his view, he had already advised this young man, and since he was not having the intention of listening, then there was no need for him to continue persuading him. In any case, it was not his money that was being spent.
He looked at the skill scroll that Bob had presented, before explaining, "This skill is better used if you have another method of attacking and defending yourself. Otherwise, just depending on a single attack pattern will lead to demons figuring out the way that you attack and counter you."
Just from the name of the skill scroll, Bob could already tell that this was definitely a skill that could be occasionally used in a burst of strength. It could be used occasionally, but not continuously.
But that was just for the common tier skills. He had no intention of using common tier skills, as he was going to upgrade this skill to the Epic tier.
"I already have a technique that I can use. This is just to increase the damage that I can cause." Bob responded, obviously lying.
The stall owner nodded before responding, "The price for this spear skill is 1,200 star coins."
Bob could not help but get slightly stunned. He had already anticipated that the price for skill scrolls was going to be high, but he had not expected that it was going to be this high.
He had Initially thought that 300 star coins was already a high price. But now, he was actually supposed to spend 1,200 coins on just a single skill scroll?
While it was true that getting the skill scrolls was difficult, but getting the star coins was just as difficult. The purchasing power of the star coins on food was very high. But when it came to things that increased the combat strength of the awakened, the purchasing power of the star coins reduced to such an extent?
One had to know that due to the influence of the demons and the demonic energy, food production had reduced. But it was also due to the presence of the demons that the entire population of the human race within this world had reduced as well.
It had already been over 800 years ever since the demons arrived in this world. But the number of people that died on a daily basis was extremely high. It was not just due to those venturing outside of the stronghold being attacked by demons, but also due to strongholds being breached by demons.
After over 800 years, special methods had been developed to increase the food production. It was for this reason that the price of food was not high. Using this as reference, Bob had thought that the skill scrolls, even if more expensive than food, would not be by a huge amount.
One had to know, the previous Bob only spent around 20 star coins on a monthly basis on food. And the total amount of money that he currently had was saved in a period of over 6 years.
Looking at Bob's expression, the stall owner could not help but chuckle slightly. He said, "Young man, the price for the skill scrolls that are related to combat is always higher as compared to other useless skill scrolls. While the skill scroll for Silent step might be useless in battle, but skill scrolls are always obtained after someone risked their life.
That's the reason why I told you that you are wasting money by spending 300 star coins on a skill scroll that is going to be useless in battle."
Bob finally understood, but was left slightly speechless by the stall owner, who was selling something that he was demeaning by himself.
As Bob thought about it, he realized that it actually made sense about the price of the scrolls. Still, he tried bargaining, but no matter how much he tried, the stall owner did not budge.
In the end, Bob had no other choice but to spend 1,500 star coins. The skill scrolls were handed to him, before Bob finally remembered something as he was about to leave.
He had not yet purchased a weapon. It would be impossible for him to use the skill that he had just acquired for 1,200 without a weapon.
He had decided on a spear skill as it was the only one available related to spears. And, it was also because he always imagined using spears back on Earth. While he had never used any of them before, he just liked the novelty of using spears.
"I wanted to purchase a weapon as well. Do you have any good spear, with a price range that falls within 300 star coins?" Bob asked, though he did not hold that much high expectations.
From the previous experience of how high the price was for the two skill scrolls, he understood that obtaining a good weapon would also require him to spend a huge sum of money.
"You cannot get any good weapon with such a price. But you can get some basic spears, and the price range falls within your budget." The stall owner said as he pointed towards the side where weapons were placed.
Bob went over, looking at the weapons that were displayed. He could see that most of the weapons were basic weapons forged from normal ores.
"The basic weapons here are forged by blacksmiths, using some of the best ordinary ores. But even then, they are infused with some special material that enhance the durability. That is the reason why the price for the spears is 160 star coins." The stall owner explained.
Bob was slightly relieved, even though he was disappointed by the quality of the weapons here. He could not help but think, after venturing out of the city, he would have to try and find a method of becoming a blacksmith.
That way, he could use materials that he could obtain outside or purchase using the star coins that he would acquire from selling the demon crystals, to upgrade his weapons.
That was a nice idea. But before that, he would need a weapon that he could use in order to kill demons outside. So, after hesitating only for a moment, Bob made a decision.
"I'll take it," he said after holding the spear and testing it out slightly. He could feel that it was okay, even though not good enough for a level 8 soldier like himself. But he understood that as his strength grew, he would need a better weapon.
Bob paid the required 160 star coins. After thanking the stall owner, he turned around to leave. But the stall owner gave him a reminder, "Don't usually carry so much money with you around. You can deposit the money, making it easy for you to avoid the money being stolen."
Bob nodded. It was a good thing that he had already spent the money. And this was also a reminder, as within the slums, criminal activities were quite rampant. Not many people wanted to venture out of the stronghold, understanding the dangers that were involved in doing that.
So, they mostly resorted to robbery and theft. Even though this was something that was harshly dealt with by the authorities within the stronghold, it was impossible to completely eliminate it.
Despite being a level 8 soldier, Bob could not help but tightly hold the bag that was containing the skill scrolls, before nodding to the stall owner. Holding the spear in his hand, Bob headed back to his residence.
He was quite eager to learn the skills that were contained within the skill scrolls, and upgrade them to the Epic tier in order to see what would happen.