“If it isn’t my favorite customer,” Gob grinned as he saw them approach. “You’ve got the face of someone who made good coin today. Finally took down one of the big ones, huh?”

  Hope didn’t answer. He just exhaled, peeled off his shirt, and walked past the chairs toward the compact shower stall behind the canopy. Bought it two days ago from Gob’s bazaar—like everything else. Pre-assembled, self-contained, worked with some strange gravity-fed tanks and filtered rinse or whatever. One of the best things he’d ever spent credits on.

  He stepped inside, closed the curtain, and twisted the valve.

  A controlled stream poured down. He let it run over his head and shoulders, tracing down his chest, arms, and legs. Blood, dust, and whatever the hell that gunk was from inside the brute rinsed right off.

  By the time he stepped out, toweling his hair dry, Eve had already settled in her seat. She looked tiny in it, legs half-hanging, half-curled, already relaxed.

  Hope dropped into his own—reclined, padded, practically made for a post-fight body. The tented shade blocked the sky-glow just enough to cool the space, and the breeze coming through the gaps made it all feel earned.

  Gob, already moving, glanced back. “Same as usual?”

  Hope flicked the coin towards him, eyes half-closed. “Yeah. Orange juice, cold. Heavy on the ice.”

  Gob pointed with two fingers. “And for the lady?”

  Eve barely looked up. “Chamomile. Slight honey. No sugar.”

  “On it.”

  Hope leaned back, ribs still sore, shoulder stiff, but for now... this? This was peace.

  “Here you go, lad,” Gob said, sending the cold juice smoothly gliding into Hope’s lap with a flick of his fingers.

  Hope caught it, eyed the cup, and took a long sip. He’d never tried this so-called juice before—hell, he didn’t even know what an orange was until Eve explained it. First time, it tasted weird. Too sour, too bright. But it had grown on him fast. Now? He craved the stuff.

  The tea though… yeah, still didn’t get it.

  “Anything else?” Gob asked.

  Hope glanced at Eve.

  She shook her head without a word, sipping her chamomile like a noble in a storybook.

  His eyes drifted to the corner of his vision where the screen shimmered back into place. It hadn’t left since the fight, just hovered quietly in his peripheral like a silent reminder.

  He knew from Eve that no one else could see your screens. The only visible stuff was your ID, or name, and level. That was it.

  No matter how high-tier the sky-fuckers were… the System kept the rest locked down. That honestly felt really good.

  So it all came down to what he showed and said.

  He focused on the two unmet conditions:

  -Any two Magika Handling Skills equal or above Level 7 [Not Achieved]

  -Magika Sensing equal or above Level 7 [Not Achieved]

  The second wasn’t hard. He had it at Level 6 already. But the first…

  Closest he had was Heat Handling at Level 4. And honestly? Even with this whole region blazing with it… he just didn’t feel the knack for it. Pushing it to Level 7 would take way too long. Weeks maybe.

  Should he try a new one?

  That Kinety-somethin’, maybe? It was cool and would come in handy with his style, to be honest.

  Anyway, let’s not leave Gob hanging. What should he get, hmmm?

  He’d been eyeing a certain gear, priced at 8,000, that boosted Spear Handling and Close-Quarter Combat. He’d been saving for it, but that wouldn’t help him achieve any of those conditions.

  No...

  Right now, he needed something else.

  “Got anything that boosts Magika Sensing?” he asked, not even bothering to look up.

  Gob paused mid-step, one brow lifting. “You asking for gear or accessories?”

  “Gear.”

  “Well, of course, lad. What grade? What part? Let me know how you want it, I’ll deliver,” Gob said with a grin, sharp teeth flashing under the flickering torchlight.

  “Got any three-piece set? I need it boosted to five.”

  “To five?” Gob repeated, eyes narrowing. “Three-piece set? You’re asking for a lot, kid—and you don’t even have seven grand in this coin.”

  “Just show me what you’ve got,” Hope muttered with a sigh, knowing full well his purse was already bleeding.

  “Your wish is my command.” Gob gave a mock bow, then gestured to one of the smaller crates stacked behind his stall. It floated toward them, light enough to drift on its own, and landed softly in front of him. He flipped it open, sifted through a few layers, then pulled out a long, dark leather coat with a hood and reinforced shoulders—clean stitching, quiet material, smooth flex on the arms.

  “This is the best I’ve got for your needs,” he said.

  Hope leaned in as the prompt flared into view.

  Windvein Cloak

  Rank 1 Gear (Grade: D, Type: 3-piece set – Chest + Arms + Head)

  Requirements: Air Handling (Level 5), Magika Sensing (Level 5), Magia 300

  Effect: +120 Magia, +3 Air Handling, +3 Magika Sensing

  Hope’s eyes widened—not just because of the boost, which matched the one he’d been saving for, but because this one… looked cool as fuck!

  “So, eh,” he cleared his throat, trying not to sound too eager, “how much?”

  “Ten grand, lad,” Gob said without missing a beat, grin only widening.

  “Te—ten?! Why not eight like the other 3-piece D grade?” Hope half-whined.

  “Magika gear’s always more expensive, kid. That’s just how it is.”

  Hope groaned, already knowing this was gonna mess up all his plans—but damn, he wanted it.

  Still, he had to be smart with his credits. A full boost to level five in Magika Sensing would need that 3-piece cloak plus two F-grade pieces.

  “So, ehm, what about plain single-piece F-grade gear for Magika Sensing?”

  “Well, that’s more in your range,” Gob grinned. “What parts?”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Foot and… legs?”

  “Yeah, got both. Each 400.”

  So... all together it’d be 10,800.

  Well… fuck it. He could save again later. Right now, he needed whatever help he could get to meet those Progress Gate conditions—and that coat was cool as hell.

  Hope exhaled sharp through his nose. “You said you’d take stuff for half price, right?”

  “Oh… interesting,” Gob leaned forward. “Getting desperate, huh? Alright, whatcha selling?”

  Hope stared at it a second longer. It was a solid accessory—but he could live without it.

  Gentle Breeze

  Rank 1 Accessory (Grade: D)

  Requirements: Air Handling (Level 5), Magia 240

  Effect: +30 Magia, +2 Air Handling

  He took off the ring he’d been ‘gifted’ after killing Hector and tossed it to Gob.

  “You said D-grade accessories are ten grand, right? So, five if I sell?”

  “Oh… quite the call, eh,” Gob said, flipping the ring in his hand. “You’re right. Selling then? It suits you. Harder to buy another later—”

  “Yeah, I’m selling. All my gear too.”

  “All-in? That’s bold, lad. But alright, I’ll take what you’ve got. All F-grade, so… five pieces? That gets you 750.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Let’s get it done. What’s the total I get?”

  “That nets you 5,750. Add that to your current balance, take away the juice and tea… puts you at 12,365.”

  “Right… so throw in the coat, and one F-grade leg and boot piece for Magika Sensing too,” Hope said, doing some quick mental math and checking the prices again just to be sure Gob wasn’t pulling a fast one.

  “Interesting choice, lad… switching to a full mage build? I had you pegged as the reckless brawler type. Anyway, that brings you down to 1,565. All good?”

  Hope nodded.

  Gob squinted at him with a grin. “I suppose you’re not plannin’ to stand naked in front of the lady, right?”

  Hope blinked.

  Then flushed. Shit—Eve.

  Gob let out a cackle and flicked his fingers. A rolled-up curtain zipped out, floating toward him before unfolding into a hanging drape, squarely blocking Hope from view.

  “Go on, change in there, lad. Keep your modesty intact,” Gob smirked, tossing the cloak and the boots and pants through the curtain.

  Hope grabbed them midair with a grumble and started changing.

  Seeker's Pants

  Rank 1 Gear (Grade: F, Type: Legs)

  Requirements: Magika Sensing (Level 3), Magia 120

  Effect: +10 Magia, +1 Magika Sensing

  Seeker's Boots

  Rank 1 Gear (Grade: F, Type: Foot)

  Requirements: Magika Sensing (Level 3), Magia 120

  Effect: +10 Magia, +1 Magika Sensing

  The boots slid on easy. Light and snug, but flexible. The pants weren’t armored, but had padded grooves where movement mattered. Then came the coat.

  He slipped his arms in and let the long leather folds fall behind him. The hood rested easily on his shoulders, the fabric surprisingly light. The entire thing moved with him like it knew where his feet were going before he did.

  He looked down at himself and flexed.

  Didn’t offer much in the way of defense—a clean hit to the ribs or gut would hurt like hell—but damn if it didn’t look badass.

  And it didn’t drag. He’d thought the cloak might snag or trail, but it swayed clean and smooth, barely brushing the ground, moving with the wind itself.

  Nice.

  However, he noticed his physical strength had taken quite a hit… but well, his Magia had increased by a much larger margin, so he was more than satisfied—especially with how clearly he could now sense the Magika around him. The difference was worlds apart.

  Yeah. This would definitely help.

  With the new set, he finally had Magika Sensing at its maximum possible enhancement: plus five. Air Magika also benefited, just one point short of maxing.

  ??Magika Sensing (Level 6 + 5)

  Magika leaves fingerprints on the world. You’ve learned to spot the smudges.

  ? 55% increase in Magika perception.

  ? +230 Magia permanently.

  ??Air Handling (Level 8 + 4)

  You feel the pressure in motion—the shift before the gust—and how to guide its path.

  ? 60% reduction in mental strain when manipulating Air Magika.

  ? +12% to Magia while in the presence of Air Magika (only the highest applicable Magika Handling effect applies at once)

  Physis: 3354 (+631) [+100]

  Magia: 725 (+168)[+150]

  The curtain lifted just as he was admiring the new set, and his old gear floated off the floor toward Gob, who casually stored it away.

  “Well, you look mighty fine, kiddo. That coat suits you. Maybe you were meant to be a wizard all along,” Gob grinned.

  Hope gave a small nod, then glanced at Eve.

  She smiled. “Looks rad.”

  Hope’s brow twitched. She needed a new favourite word… seriously.

  But Hope sighed inwardly. Truth be told, he was doing this for the Progress Gate—not seriously changing his style or anything.

  Heck, he had one way and one way only of killing stuff: a good thrust with the spear.

  And it’s not like it was gonna fight by itself… though, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. Still, long way to go before he could pull off anything like that.

  Alright. Time to get to work.

  “Hey Eve, you got some time now?”

  She nodded, her posture straight as always, eyes soft.

  “Well… I was thinkin’—now that I got more Magia and all… maybe I should give those other Magika types a shot. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s smart,” she said with a small smile. “While it doesn’t directly boost your stats, having proficiency—or even basic familiarity—with various Magika types gives you more flexibility in combat, and outside of it.”

  “I see… Any suggestions? You mentioned that Kinety one before, right?”

  “Kinetic Magika, yes,” she corrected gently. “It’s one of the Force types. Do you want me to walk you through them properly?”

  “Yes. I mean… wait—can you just, like… I mean, what are the twelve types, honestly?”

  Eve folded her hands on her lap. “There are four primary categories, each with two to four types. It’s quite structured.”

  “Got it.”

  She continued, poised as ever. “First is Matter: Earth—solids. Water—liquids. Air—gases.”

  He nodded along.

  “Second, Energy: Heat, which is thermal energy. Electromagnetic—think lightning, magnetism, and light. And Radiation—which covers high-energy particles like nuclear or cosmic rays.”

  Hope tilted his head. “Electro-what? And Radiation? Particles? Nuclear?” He frowned. “Eve… no clue, seriously.”

  She gave a small smile. “Sorry. Electromagnetic is the kind of energy you see in lightning. It’s also related to light, and to the invisible forces that make things pull or push without touching. Like magnets.”

  “Okay… light and lightning, I can picture that.”

  “Radiation is harder. Think of it as very dangerous energy that comes from certain kinds of materials. It can hurt you just by being near it. Like… poison, but invisible.”

  “Shit.” He blinked. “Alright, that’s weird, but I’ll stay away from that one then.”

  “Smart choice,” she said lightly. “Next group: Forces. That includes Kinetic—movement, vibration, physical force. Then there’s Spacetime.”

  Hope snorted. “That’s the one the fuckers in the sky use to bring things in and out, right? How does that work?”

  “It’s... a bit complex,” Eve admitted. “But here’s the simple version: Spacetime means space and time are one fabric. When something has mass, it bends that fabric. That bending is what we experience as gravity. And because space and time are linked, when space bends, time bends with it. That’s why time runs slower near strong gravity. Magika tied to Spacetime lets you influence those bends—change weight, shift motion, alter time perception. Even teleportation is just folding space between two points.”

  “That is in no way a simple version, Eve,” Hope chuckled. “But okay, go on.”

  “And the last group is Meta,” she continued. “These are more abstract. Life—healing, vitality, energy from living things. Soul—consciousness, identity, and willpower. Order—structure, patterns, rules.”

  She paused for a beat.

  “And Void,” she said softly. “The absence of all.”

  “I see…” Hope rubbed his chin. “Those last ones sounded pretty cool, to be honest. Especially that Void one.”

  “Well… I wouldn’t recommend starting with Void, Hope. It usually requires an advanced understanding of Magika itself to tap into. I won’t say it’s the hardest or the best—but it’s definitely not something you can grasp easily.”

  Hope exhaled. Figures.

  “So… which one would you like to pursue?”