Adam hurried through town as the sun set on the horizon. He was still frazzled by the strange encounter with Ilya, but pushed it from his mind for now, since he had to hurry. The tesseract floated along behind him as he ran past the buildings.

  Belamouranthe remained in the Tavern, where Charlie watched over her as she slept.

  “Good evening, Adam,” greeted Yenna as he ran past the fountain next to her. She’d swapped out the hurdy-gurdy for a violin and was playing a spirited tune.

  He froze mid-step and spun around to face her. “Play me the theme from Schindler’s List.”

  “Of course, Adam.”

  As she started up the sorrowful melody, he continued on to Lucca’s stall.

  He took a long look at the options again, but he’d already decided on what he was going to do.

  < < Relics For Sale > >

  < Avalanche Boots (Rare) — All kicks inflict disorientation on normal targets for 2 seconds >

  < Yellow Trophy (Rare) — Increase Player Speed by 15% for 10 seconds. 2-minute cooldown >

  < Potion Belt (Uncommon) — Carries up to three potions and makes them indestructible | Uses the right-most potion when its associated resource is exhausted >

  < Blink Ring (Uncommon) — Charged attacks are performed instantaneously when you blink >

  “I’ll buy a reroll and use it immediately.”

  Lucca chittered sinisterly. “Excellent.”

  < < Relic Purchased > >

  < Reroll Die (Uncommon) >

  < 978 Points Remaining >

  The items were sucked down into the chest and it rumbled slightly, as new Relics were generated inside.

  Come on, give me something good!

  It popped open, showing mostly new Relics.

  < < Relics For Sale > >

  < Boomerang Pendant (Rare) — Returns thrown objects. 15-second cooldown >

  < Fiendbarb (Epic) — Imbues attacks with Blood Burst | Weapon becomes incapable of penetrating armour >

  < Fragile Impact Glove (Uncommon) — Thrown objects shatter armour. Breaks after 3 uses >

  < Echo Earring (Uncommon) — All trigger effects activate twice >

  An Epic, now we’re talking!

  The Fiendbarb looked like a greyish bone with spikes sticking out of it. From its description, he imagined it would slot right onto the tip of his spear.

  Echo Earring looks pretty good too, considering its only Uncommon. I wonder if that means there’s a drawback to it, like with the Blink Ring.

  Fragile Impact is also strong, which I guess is why it has limited uses, just like the Parry Bracers.

  He looked between the options, while trying to figure out what he wanted to do.

  If I sell my Bone Armour, I can afford Fiendbarb, but I think I’ll ask around about it in the Tavern before I decide. Question is, do I commit to that now and go and spend the remaining 128 Points with Luvicidix?

  The white moth was the reason he’d been running, but he didn’t like committing to buying the Fiendbarb before knowing what it did. After all, if the Relic wasn’t a good pick, he wanted to be able to reroll again.

  Hmm, I think maybe I’ll just skip the Meta Upgrades for today.

  I do still want to visit Alivida though, since I’ve got that Mastery Shard now.

  He suddenly felt kind of silly for having run here, when he was no longer on a tight deadline to make a purchase.

  I suppose the only good reason to spend my Points with Luvicidix now rather than later is that, if I die in the next Stage, I won’t lose those Points.

  Before he left the Market, he went over to the silverfish’s stone stall.

  Just like the first time, she was scrubbing down the countertop.

  “Hi! Nelly! That’s me! Are you looking for a new weapon?”

  “Just browsing,” he said, looking at what was on offer.

  I should probably check this more often, just to get an idea of what kind of options I might have when I go back to Stage One.

  He frowned to himself. If I go back… If.

  The stone block next to the silverfish came to life and showed four weapons, which floated above. There were twin daggers, what looked like the paws of a wolf, the good old sword and shield, and the gauntlets.

  < < Weapon Types For Sale > >

  < Backstabber (Common) >

  < Beast (Epic) >

  < Defender (Common) >

  < Brawler (Uncommon) >

  Well, shit, the Beast one is definitely new.

  Then he thought about the businesswoman with the tattoos.

  “Does one of the rarer options look like black ink on the Player’s hands?”

  “I can’t say!” Nelly replied. She sounded excited for some reason.

  Shitbox supplemented her answer before Adam could start complaining. [Vendors cannot inform Players about potential Weapons, Relics, or Upgrades that you have not already seen.]

  Oh well, worth a try, I guess.

  “Can I ask how the stats are and what kind of upgrades weapons can get?”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  [No, for the same reason.]

  So I’m just supposed to fumble in the dark and get lucky?

  Whoever is observing this horror show, they must really like random chance. I mean, if you get bad luck and don’t have rerolls, then you’re just screwed.

  Though I suppose that if I find a strategy that makes the Fool type viable, then I can tweak the odds in my favour.

  Adam paused, frowning.

  There I go again… Why do I keep planning around resetting?

  It’s like I’ve just accepted that I will die again soon.

  Is it really so hard for me to visualise my own victory?

  But he knew what it was. He knew that it took people like Willow and Ilya, those naturally gifted, to overcome the Trials. He’d had a leg up because of his knowledge of Stage One, but he was already behind both of them with his performance on Stage Two.

  Without a word, Adam walked out of the Market and towards Alivida’s tent in the garden. While he was deep in his own thoughts, the sun went down and the bright moon took its place.

  He thought about his sister, Helena. He didn’t know if she’d died in the first or second Stage. Part of him wondered if he could help her by going back in time again. Her husband, Christian, had been a car salesman and Adam was surprised that he hadn’t survived either. He’d always seemed like a reliable and strong guy. As for his aunts and uncles, he figured they hadn’t survived because they were all in their fifties and sixties, although it was possible they’d just gotten unlucky. It was only now that he realised how bizarre it was that they hadn’t been excluded like his grandmother, sick father, and niece.

  Adam recalled the words Shitbox had told him.

  Chosen because of my maturity and physique…

  At the time he’d thought it meant that he was above average, but that was clearly delusional. Thinking on it, he realised it probably just meant that he was relatively healthy. The question was how far that definition was stretched.

  The purple glow from the tent in the garden drew his attention away from his dark thoughts. He walked past the flowerbeds of black Dahlias and entered through the flap. Scented fog rolled out to meet him, but he quickly entered and shut the tent flap behind him.

  Alivida the Black Moth was perched atop her high-backed chair just like last time. She was staring deeply into the purple-glowing orb on the table, while her wing scales circled in the air. Shitbox froze once again.

  She looked up at him with her large compound eyes.

  “You have… what I seek,” she announced.

  “Show me your upgrades again.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Please give me the Shard you hold.”

  He frowned at the way she phrased it. It reminded him of the same weird way Lucca practically begged for his Points.

  I wonder what they actually get out of this.

  < < Mastery Upgrades For Sale > >

  < Hardmode — Unlock a toggleable Stage Hardmode — 1 Shard >

  < Second Sheath — Carry 1 additional Weapon — 2 Shards >

  < Orb of Insight — View info about the upcoming Stage — 3 Shards >

  < Visiting Stone — Visit the Dimension of a known Player — 8 Shards >

  < Vanity — Turn an Interim Island Denizen into a humanoid — 10 Shards >

  Hmm, okay. The only thing I can afford is the Hardmode.

  Since the upgrades can be paid incrementally, it might be a good idea to just commit my Shard right away.

  Question is: which upgrade benefits me most?

  “For the Hardmode upgrade, how does that actually work?”

  “Each Stage has different challenges added onto them. I cannot… give specifics.”

  That makes me think that it’s not the same kind of difficulty-spike. Which probably means it isn’t just more damage and health for the enemies.

  “Aside from a bigger challenge, what else does it change?”

  “You receive double Points for completing a Stage on Hardmode.”

  He blinked. Okay, that’s pretty awesome.

  “And it’s toggleable? How does that work?” he asked.

  “Yes. You must make the decision before a Stage begins.”

  That could actually be useful then. Double Points is significant.

  But making the upgrade this cheap probably means the System wants Players to pick it.

  It has to be a trap, somehow.

  He looked at the other options.

  “What does the Orb of Insight do?”

  “Insight will give you a look at… your future opponents.”

  That could be useful, depending on how much info it gives. If it has weaknesses included, it would be powerful.

  “Is it a one-time use?” he asked, figuring there was a reason it was relatively ‘cheap’ in terms of Shards.

  “No. After using the Orb… it must cool down for 2 Stages.”

  “What about the Visiting Stone, does it have limits?”

  “Visitation is only possible between Stages and only once per day.”

  It would be nice to meet another Player in person rather than as a hologram, but I’m not sure what the exact benefit is. Aside from…

  Adam shook his head.

  “The Vanity upgrade, how does that one work? If I apply it to a vendor, will they retain their ‘humanoid’ traits for the next loop?”

  “No. But you will be able to select them again. Or you can… select someone else. This upgrade can be purchased multiple times.”

  “What about the Visiting Stone, can I get more than one to skirt the limitation?”

  “No.”

  “Does the Vanity upgrade do anything aside from altering a Denizen’s appearance?”

  “No.”

  He frowned. “What’s the point of it then? It’s the most expensive one after all.”

  “The All-Seeing System believes that when Players get lonely, they may want—”

  Adam waved his hands in front of his face. “Stop! I don’t need to hear the rest!”

  The small moth tilted her head and gave him a strange look.

  “Would you like to hear about the Second Sheath?” she then asked. “You have inquired about the rest… after all.”

  He nodded. “Please.”

  Anything but the talk of the System’s creepy attempts to placate human desires with insect people…

  “It will not allow you to choose two of the same Weapon Type. You will not receive additional upgrades either.”

  “How does upgrading work then?”

  “The weapon held while upgrades are offered will be the one which receives the upgrade.”

  He nodded. That makes sense.

  “Can I acquire it more than once?”

  “No.”

  Adam thought about it for a moment. Given that the Vanity upgrade could be acquired several times, it either meant that there were possibly dozens of Stages, maybe even a hundred.

  Or perhaps it’s designed for those who use the Self-devouring Eye to loop back again-and-again.

  I wonder if the person in the Tavern who blocked me was someone like that.

  It feels a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy in a way. After all, if they’ve found the Relic once and went back to the start of the exact same timeline, then they should be able to find the Relic in the same spot again.

  Finding the Self-devouring Eye might be my best shot at beating the Trials perhaps. After all, if you know the odds of the rewards, then you have such a massive advantage that any challenge can be overcome.

  It seems too convenient a setup though. Perhaps there’s some trick to it that I haven’t realised yet.

  Since my way of looping is different from what Luvicidix described, I probably won’t end up stuck in a loop like that unless I find the Divine Relic.

  He finally decided on what to do.

  “I’ll invest my Shard into Second Sheath.”

  “Thank you,” Alivida said.

  The pyramid gem emerged from Adam’s chest and floated across the table, before it was absorbed by the purple-glowing glass orb.

  < < Mastery Upgrades Progress > >

  < Second Sheath — Carry 1 additional Weapon — 1/2 Shards >

  “I’ll be back once I have another Shard.”

  “I will… look forward to your return.”

  After returning to the Tavern, Adam queried it for someone who knew about the Fiendbarb Relic and understood its effect.

  The tables emptied out until there were just two Players remaining. They were both in the middle of eating.

  One was a short dark-skinned lady with cropped black hair who looked somewhere around forty or fifty. A spear like Adam’s leaned next to her. He guessed she was from Thailand or the Philippines based on her appearance. The other woman was younger and looked maybe South American, with light-tan skin, thick dark eyebrows, and brown curly hair. He couldn’t tell what her weapon was.

  “I’m looking for someone who can tell me about the Fiendbarb and how it works.”

  Both women shifted their attention to him.

  “What are you trading?” asked the younger woman. She spoke with a New Jersey dialect, which almost blew him off his stool.

  I guess that’ll teach me to make broad assumptions based on appearance, he thought to himself. But damn, that dialect is rough coming out of anyone, let alone a young woman…

  “I’ve got info about Secrets and special Point bonuses.”

  “Point bonuses? I’m interested,” said the other lady.

  New Jersey girl gave the short woman a look, before answering, “I’d like to hear about Secrets.”

  Adam got an idea and turned to Shitbox.

  “Can I trade with both of them at the same time?”

  [Yes.]

  He turned back to face them. “Alright, I’ll just trade you both and you each explain what you’ve discovered about the Relic. Is that alright?”

  They both agreed.

  After introducing himself and finding out their names were Fah and Carol, Adam started off explaining the Secrets he’d found so far. Fah, who was Thai, had already found the Lucky Stone, which was how she got the Fiendbarb. Carol hadn’t found any Secrets, but she’d gotten the Speedrun achievement in Stage One. Her weapons were twin axes and the Weapon Type was called Berserker.

  A New Jersey Berserker called Carol… A more terrifying thing probably doesn’t exist.

  Once he’d upheld his end of the trade, Fah was the first to reciprocate.

  She showed Adam her spear, which was a lot shorter than his since she hadn’t picked any Growth upgrades.

  “You see this?” she asked, pointing to the tip.

  Adam realised that the Relic was the tip, as though it had replaced the end. It looked like a bone cactus.

  That probably explains why it lacks penetrative power.

  “Once you stab it into your enemy, a spike breaks off and poisons their blood.”

  “Which is how Blood Burst triggers?”

  She slapped her spear. “It is dangerous and can maybe hurt you. The wound pops, like Bang!”

  “It works a bit differently with my axes,” Carol explained. “Spikes break off like what she said, but my axes slice and chop, so I can actually see the ‘Burst’ when it happens. I’m assuming a spear will trigger it deeper within and maybe does more damage to organs.”

  “What does it look like?” he asked.

  “Like thorns of blood emerging from the wound,” Carol described. It sounded cruel, which was probably how it’d earnt its name.

  “It poisons the blood,” Fah repeated. “When I tested it, some blood spilled on the ground and popped like those slimes.”

  Adam nodded. “Okay, I think I have a good idea of how it works. Thank you both.”

  “Bye, Adam,” said Carol and vanished.

  Fah tried to reach over and clap him on the shoulder. “Be safe!”

  “You too. I think the next Stage might be to escort Belamouranthe.”

  The lady grinned, showing her teeth. “I will protect the girl.”

  Then she vanished.

  Well, I think that settles it.

  Adam left the Tavern and went to go buy the Fiendbarb Relic.