Very quickly.
One black Chevrolet after another snaked out of the Federal Building parking lot like a long dragon. Behind them followed two armored tactical vehicles.
Locke, hidden in the shadows, let out a soft chuckle. He chose to brush the dust from his clothes and vanish, hiding his merit and fame as he turned to leave.
...
Star Tower.
As usual, Locke had his clone drive the car back. He took advantage of a quick stop to buy pizza for a late-night snack to swap places with the clone, then carried a box of pizza back into his home.
A moment later.
Locke dried his wet hair with a bath towel, turned off the bathroom light, and entered the study. On the desk lay a peculiar book.
He had spotted this book on the desk in the master bedroom while he was at the Bell residence in Queens. It had no cover, and the pages were wrinkled in a way that gave off a distinct impression: it felt as if the book were bound in human skin.
In fact, it was made of human skin.
Locke hadn't expected to find such an accidental surprise during his visit. Considering that Nina Bell's entire family and their associates were about to be rounded up by the FBI, his civil lawsuit was definitely going to be shelved. He figured he might as well take the book as compensation for his mental distress.
Besides, setting up that grand performance for the Bells had cost him fifty thousand dollars. Trading one book for fifty thousand in cash and a theoretical ten million in emotional damages felt like a loss to Locke, while the Bells were getting a bargain.
But...
Sitting in his computer chair, Locke flipped through a few pages of the filched volume and realized he really had lost out.
"Shit!"
"Voodoo?"
Locke frowned at the contents. After a few pages, he could easily determine the book's origin.
Voodoo, also known as Vodou, was a cult practice specializing in various dark magics related to revenge, harm, hatred, and curses. Its specialties included summoning evil spirits to inhabit dolls and performing bloody rituals under the cover of night. It could even enslave corpses to serve the practitioner.
It was a typical cult, though in places like Haiti, it was practically a state religion. The most famous export, the Voodoo doll, originated from this practice.
Locke raised an eyebrow, flipped through more pages of recorded hexes, and shook his head, snapping the book shut. His penthouse was quite large; reading too much horror material late at night might make him afraid to close his eyes.
Since obtaining his Infinite Energy, he had spent a long time searching for ways to channel it. Naturally, he had read up on Voodoo during his research.
Voodoo practitioners called themselves Voodoo Sorcerers. But in reality, they should be called Servants of Hell.
Just as other supernatural beings had to sign "rental contracts" for power from different dimensions, Voodoo Sorcerers rented their power from Hell. Their contract partners ranged from the weakest wraiths to yellow-eyed demons.
The spirits of Hell lent their power to the sorcerers, and the price was their souls. Upon death, the demon who provided the power would collect the debt.
So, Locke had abandoned that path as soon as he understood the terms.
In a word: Hell contained nothing but lies and deception. Anyone who made a deal with a demon either had a head full of mercury or an IQ below thirty.
In fact, anyone who claimed to practice Voodoo usually belonged to a specific group of people. Even making a deal with Mephisto would be better than dealing with these minor spirits. With Mephisto, if you were careful, you might borrow ten dollars and actually receive five. With Voodoo demons? Borrow ten dollars and you'd be lucky to see fifty cents.
Locke smiled at the thought, looked at the Voodoo book, and with a thought, stowed it directly into his inventory. It was a loss, but maybe not a total one. He'd find a time to check with the King family to see if anyone wanted to buy secret Voodoo methods; he could at least recoup his costs.
Locke stood up, opened his shelf, and took out a bottle of bourbon and a glass. He poured a drink and downed it in one go.
The trivialities were over. It was time for real business.
"System!"
Locke refilled his glass. "Use the 90% Off Treasure Refresh Card. Refresh!"
Come on. Time for a shopping spree.
[90% Off Treasure Card used successfully!]
[Treasure Shop refreshed successfully!]
[DING!]
In an instant, Locke's eyes lit up as discounted items and props appeared one by one in his field of vision. First and foremost was the guaranteed 90% off item.
Talent Sublimation Card (90% Off): Sale Price: 100,000 Achievement Points (Original Price: 1,000,000). Can sublimate a talent and increase its quality!
Talent Upgrade Card (70% Off): Sale Price: 50,000 Achievement Points. Can upgrade the level of a talent (Gold Quality)!
Talent Fusion Device (70% Off): Sale Price: 100,000 Achievement Points (Original Price: 3,330,000). Can purify skills and items to transform them into your own supernatural talents!
Shaco's Jack-in-the-Box (60% Off): Sale Price: 5,000 Achievement Points. Once placed, it becomes a trap and enters stealth. When triggered, a mindless Demon Jester pops out to frantically attack the first target it sees.
The Dancer (50% Off): Sale Price: 1,000,000 Achievement Points. The Dancer is the embodiment of darkness and charm, known on the battlefield as the Death Dance. Perhaps you can develop other uses for her?
Sandman Bloodline (40% Off): Sale Price: 300,000 Achievement Points. A terrifying bloodline created by a failed experiment, possessing immense physical power.
...
Locke tilted his eyebrow.
Sublimation? Upgrade? Fusion? Is this a Talent-themed special?
As for the Dancer he could summon for bedside service or the Sandman bloodline, Locke didn't even look twice. If you had too much money and nowhere to spend it, sure, you might buy those flashy, useless things.
As always, Locke immediately bought out the small items like Health Potions and Energy Vials to replenish his stock. Then, with a flick of his right hand, a shimmering golden card abruptly appeared.
Talent Sublimation Card! It could take one of his talents, sublimate it, and improve its quality. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Sublimate! Tenacity!"
[Selection: Upgrade (Tenacity / Red Quality / Level 3) to (Steel Body / Gold Quality / Level 1). Consuming Sublimation Card and 100,000 Potential Points. Proceed?]
[Confirm / Cancel]
"...Confirm."
Locke didn't even have to think about it.
[Confirmation successful!]
[Fusing!]
[Sublimating!!]
Voom!
Sitting in his chair, Locke's body suddenly jolted. With a loud bang, the computer chair beneath him shattered into splinters.
In the next second, a golden light appeared at the center of his forehead. From there, it spread out like countless swimming dragons, racing across his entire body.
Ache! Itch! Pleasure!
Locke felt his entire being ascending.
[Ding!]
[Sublimation Successful!]
[Supreme Talent: Steel Body (Gold Quality / Level 1): Your body is as powerful as steel. Ordinary firearms will no longer even feel like a tickle to you.]
Locke was ecstatic. It was here. Superman!
Well, almost. Looking at the description, it seemed to have no direct connection to the Man of Steel's actual powers, but at least the name was close. It was still a massive joy.
Locke looked down and squeezed his fist. Power! The surge of strength made him feel like he could flip a car with one hand—and do it effortlessly.
He turned his attention back to his hand. The Talent Upgrade Card he had also purchased appeared there.
Pop!
Suddenly, a cold female voice seemed to echo in his ear.
"More!"
"I can take even more!!"
[Upgrade Successful!]
[Supreme Talent: Limitless energy (Gold Quality / Level 2): Your energy is boundless. Furthermore, your energy has located a void; it is restless, appearing ready to carve out a dimension that belongs solely to you!]
"...A dimension?"
Locke raised an eyebrow. For some reason, he suddenly had the illusion that he didn't even need the Sun God or Superman bloodlines anymore. He could become a god through his own hard work!
But then he shook his head. What a joke. One was a Supreme God, the other a Dimensional God. The gap between the two wasn't small—it was the difference between Heaven and Hell. He hadn't traveled across worlds just to become a bottom-tier Dimensional God.
Nevertheless, the increase in energy allowed Locke to feel the infinite power in his sea of consciousness slowly exploring the space of a certain coordinate. If he estimated correctly, one more level and that dimension would manifest.
But that was with an Upgrade Card. Without one, upgrading a Supreme Talent would likely require a staggering amount of Potential Points.
Standard skills were 1,000 points per level.
Transcendent skills were 10,000 for level one, 20,000 for level two, 40,000 for level three...
As for Supreme talents? He didn't even want to check the price.
[Status Refresh!]
[Name: Locke Broughton (The Sole Player)]
[Identity: Assassin (Witch, None)]
[Achievement Points: 100,000]
[Potential Points: 120,000]
[Supreme Talent: Limitless Energy (Gold Quality / Level 2)]
[Supreme Talent: Steel Body (Gold Quality / Level 1)]
...
[Faction: Kingdom of Light (M78 Nebula)]
[Members: 1/2]
[Name: Carrie White]
[Profession: Witch]
***
Bonus for 100 stones.
Next one at 200 like usual.
***
Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666