Tsukuru then turned his attention towards the final piece of Beast Gear. Unlike the other three, which were all Basic-Tier, this one was Intermediate-Tier.
[Intermediate-Tier Cave Spider Chestpiece
Beast Armor
A piece of Intermediate-Tier Beast Armor forged using Glathrium and the Beast Crystals of the Intermediate-Tier Cave Spider.
+5 Defense
Cost: 3 Gold Coins]
It was dark-grey in color, and was segmented into two pieces. One covered the chest, and the other, the abdomen. Sprawling across the chestpiece's front, there was a large, white, spiderweb design. The chestpiece also had a set of pauldrons coming out of either shoulder which looked like a plated exoskeleton, as well as armor extending down to either forearm. Additionally, the bottom of the chestpiece also had faulds coming out of either side. Like the pauldrons, they looked like a plated exoskeleton.
Tsukuru narrowed his eyes at the four items. The only one that he absolutely didn't need was the Basic-Tier Black Centipede Gauntlets. He already had his Intermediate-Tier Knight Gauntlets. And they would just get stronger as his Haunted Knight grew in Grade.
However, he then looked down at himself. The said gauntlets were the only piece of Beast Gear he was wearing. The only thing else covering his body was his "Glathrium-Fiber Robes".
"Hmm…" Tsukuru thought. He brought his wristwatch up to his face so he could look at it. In the lower-left corner, he saw the number "20,730" being displayed. All together, buying the helmet, the boots, and the chestpiece would only cost him 6,000 Credits. 3,000 for the chestpiece, and 1,000 each for the helmet and boots. That would only knock him down to 14,730. It was still plenty.
"Alright, I'm gonna buy some Beast Gear." He replied. One by one, he purchased each of the items of Beast Gear, with the sole exception of the Gauntlets. He started with the helmet. As he pressed it, a System message appeared.
[Would you like to purchase the Basic-Tier Dunespire Helmet?
Cost: 1 Gold Coin
[Yes] [No] ]
'Yes.' Tsukuru thought. Instantly, a new System message appeared.
[Insufficient Funds.. Would you like to convert 1,000 Credits into 1 Gold Coin to complete the purchase?
[Yes] [No] ]
'Yes.' Tsukuru thought again.
Instantly, the "Credits Balance" on his wristwatch dropped from "20,730" to "19,730". The sound of a "cash register" rang in his head. On the screen, Tsukuru watched as the image for the Basic-Tier Dunespire Helmet vanished, causing all of the other images to move forward by one. Pixels then began to appear on the ground in front of him. The pixels clustered together into the shape that Tsukuru had seen in the item's image in the System Shop. However, now that Tsukuru was seeing it in real life, he could see that the horseshoe crab was indeed the size of his head.
There was then a bright flash of light. When it faded, the Basic-Tier Isopod Helmet was laying on the ground in front of Tsukuru. A System message appeared in front of him.
[You have purchased the Basic-Tier Dunspire Helmet.
The blueprints for the Basic-Tier Dunespire Helmet have been downloaded from the System Shop. You can now replicate the Basic-Tier Dunespire Helmet using the Skill Video Creation.]
Vorden stared at the strange "helmet" that was now on the ground in front of Tsukuru. It looked as if he had just manifested a horseshoe crab the size of his head in front of him.
Tsukuru looked down at the helmet. As he did, his System's "Vector" appeared over it, and his System's "Scanner" function automatically activated. However, the information it showed was identical to the item's description in his System's Shop.
Tsukuru let out a sigh, and picked up the helmet. He lifted it up, and put it on his head. He felt a sudden weight on the top and back of his head. A new System message appeared.
[You have equipped the Basic-Tier Dunespire Helmet.
+3 Defense
Defense: 7]
Tsukuru then turned, and looked at Vorden.
"I probably look so fucking STUPID right now." He replied.
Vorden just stared at Tsukuru. It looked as if Tsukuru now had a horseshoe crab as a pet, which he was carrying on his head. The "legs" of the "horseshoe crab" were wrapping around the sides of Tsukuru's face, forming the sides of the helmet, and making the "horseshoe crab" look like it was grabbing onto Tsukuru's head for dear life.
***
Back in the dark space, Raten was rolling on the ground, laughing.
"Oh, you have no idea!" He cried, answering Tsukuru's question.
***
However, Vorden just gave his trademark smile.
"Hey, it's designed to protect your body, not to look cool, right?" He offered.
Tsukuru sighed, and moved to the next item. The boots. As Tsukuru pressed the image of the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots, a similar message as before appeared.
[Would you like to purchase the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots?
Cost: 1 Gold Coin
[Yes] [No] ]
As Tsukuru thought 'Yes', another similar message appeared.
[Insufficient Funds. Would you like to convert 1,000 Credits into 1 Gold Coin to complete the purchase?
[Yes] [No] ]
'Yes.' Tsukuru thought again.
Instantly, the "Credits Balance" on his wristwatch dropped from "19,730" to "18,730". The sound of a "cash register" rang again in his head, and the image for the boots vanished as well, causing the images to move back by one again. Just like before, pixels then began to appear on the ground in front of him.
Tsukuru and Vorden watched, as the pixels clustered into the form of a pair of boots. There was a bright flash of light. Once it faded, the boots were now sitting on the ground in front of Tsukuru. They looked exactly like a normal set of boots, except for the strange, curved blades on either sides of the spots where his ankles would be, mimicking boar tusks.
A moment later, another System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[You have purchased the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots.
The blueprints for the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots have been downloaded from the System Shop. You can now replicate the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots using the Skill Video Creation.]
Tsukuru looked back down at himself. He was still wearing his "Glathrium-Fiber Robes". He placed his hand on his chest, and imagined placing the strange set of clothes in his System's Inventory. As he did, a System message appeared.
[Would you like to place the Glathrium-Fiber Robes back in your Inventory?
[Yes] [No] ]
As Tsukuru thought 'Yes', the robes he was wearing began to break apart into pixels. Once they were gone, he was now just standing there in his shirt and the pants from his military uniform.
Next, Tsukuru reached down, and tapped his sneakers. He thought the exact same thing. Another System message appeared.
[Would you like to place the Sneakers back in your Inventory?
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru thought 'Yes', and his sneakers began to break apart into pixels, as well. Moments later, he was then just standing on the cold, metal floor of the Training Center's arena in his white socks.
Vorden then watched, as Tsukuru began slipping on the new boots. It was a strange sight for him. He was used to seeing Tsukuru use his System to put things on. Such as when he equipped and un-equipped his Knight Gauntlets.
Once Tsukuru had finished pulling the boots over his feet and halfway up his calves, he was greeted by yet another System message.
[You have equipped the Basic-Tier Blade-Tusk Boots.
+3 Agility. +1 Defense
Agility: 15 [+3]
Defense: 8]
Tsukuru then turned his attention back towards the System Shop.
"Alright, time for the chestpiece." He replied, causing Voden to turn to him.
"Damn, you're going for a full set of Beast Gear, aren't you?" He replied.
Tsukuru glanced over at him.
"Might as well." He replied. "I mean, if I have the options available to me, I might as well use them."
Tsukuru then pressed the image for the Intermediate-Tier Cave Spider Chestpiece. A System message appeared.
[Would you like to purchase the Intermediate-Tier Cave Spider Chestpiece?
Cost: 3 Gold Coins
[Yes] [No] ]
Since he still had yet to find a way to actually obtain coins in his System, giving him a zero balance, Tsukuru once again had to convert Credits into Coins. The System message soon appeared.
[Insufficient Funds. Would you like to convert 3,000 Credits into 3 Gold Coins to complete the purchase?
[Yes] [No] ]
Tsukuru sighed, and thought 'Yes'. As he did, he watched his "Credits Balance" on his wristwatch drop from "18,730" to "15,730". The sound of a "cash register" was heard again, and the image of the chestpiece vanished. Now, the screen only showed the four potions, as well as the final three items.
Pixels began to appear on the ground in front of Tsukuru. They clustered together into the form of a chestpiece on the ground. However, unlike most chestpieces Vorden had seen, which wore sleeveless, the armor on this one extended down past the pauldrons, reaching the end of the forearms. There was a bright flash of light. Once it faded, Tsukuru and Vorden saw the chestpiece appear on the ground.