Chapter 19 - 3A Shopping Spree! (4)

Hello, my fair readers. I am sorry (yet again 😓) for leaving you hanging for so long after my last chapter.

Due to a nasty combination of the hours I work, my chronic procrastination tendencies and my general unhappiness with the chapter in its original form (which had at least 11 000 words last time I checked), I decided to break it up into smaller chapters that I feel you as readers would find far more entertaining than scrolling down through a 30+ page chapter that would be more akin to a shopping list than anything.

For the readers that have tried to reach out to me during this time, I offer my sincere apologies for not getting back to you, as I felt that if I were to make you promises that I again won't keep, I would just be betraying your expectations even further.

But, enough of my shameless self-pity. I believe you've waited long enough to see how Gab will have her cake…and eat at least a hundred of them too!>

To understand why Gab is now more or less catatonic at this current, we have to wind back the clock by an hour.

After finally leaving Baccistern's Adventurer Store, her first call of order (or second, depending on how you view her shopping spree thus far) was to head on over to the Potion store.

Whilst she has already stocked up on a large amount of HP and MP Potions, they only restore a relatively small amount of both resources, potentially causing them to become redundant the moment she (A) gains too many points in both Vitality and Intelligence for them to make an obvious difference in the recovery process and (B) face's an enemy that can cause her to lose more HP and MP than the Potions can be reasonably be expected to make up for.

Plus, it wouldn't hurt for her to increase her options in terms of Consumables, such as receiving temporary buffs (which could be considered overkill in her case), recovering from Status Ailments (that she already could potentially recover from on her own, thanks to her Constitution Fixed Attribute) or even undergoing special changes (as if her very in-game existence wasn't special enough).

The moment Gab opened the door to the hut with a smoke-billowing chimney and a sign depicting a bubbling cauldron, she was greeted by a practical maelstrom of unidentifiable smells and the lovely store owner who goes by the name Caemale.

Wearing her dark brown hair in a simple ponytail, an unadorned black cloak that covered up her entire body from the next down and a light layer of soot on parts of her face (which Gab assumed was a result of working over a wood fire), she surprised the Freestyler when she saw that the store's proprietor was well and truly blind, to the point where her irises were completely clouded over!

And yet, she didn't seem to require any form of walking add or need to feel around with her hands to assist her in finding her way around her store. Hell, she even managed to greet Gab at the doorway without colliding with her. Sure, she would be familiar with the space since she owns it, but her movements seemed far more fluid and precise to merely handwave it away familiarity alone.

As if sensing Gab's confusion (although it seems far more likely that she had experienced similar reactions in the past), Caemale quickly explained that she possesses an Advanced Producer Class known as [Insightful Brewer], which has several Passive Skills, unique Fixed Attributes Class-related abilities that grant her an enhanced environmental awareness that isn't hindered by her ocular disability, especially when she was in the process of brewing Potions and other various types of concoctions!

Even though Gab was practically drooling as she listened attentively to this basic description of the store owner's Class, causing her to formulate rough outlines of Homebrew Classes she could make for future D&D campaigns (no, scratch that, she was definitely drooling, given that blind store owner took a step back in concern), she knew that she was on a time crunch, so she had no choice but to choose to speed this process up over her desire to ask (interrogate?) Caemale about her Class in more detail.

Well, for now, at least…

Anyway, with that in mind, Gab simply gave the store owner both her Player ID and her current amount of Funds, before asking if she could just simply give her recommendations as to what she should purchase.

As soon as the Freestyler gave both her personal information and consent to pretty much recommend whatever she felt would be necessary without the need to worry about how much her customer could afford, Gab could've sworn that Caemale's opaque irises were replaced with gold coins (although given that this is a fantasy VRMMORPG, it could have been the case)!

Before Gab had time to process the almost cartoonish change to Caemale's demeanour, the blind woman abruptly started dragging her by the hand around the store with a surprising level of strength and speed one would not typically associate with a blind woman who spends most of her days in her store to where various Potions and various other concoctions were displayed.

Whilst she was stronger than Gab initially suspected, given that she was essentially a Lifestyler who just happened to be an NPC, she was shocked to realise that, if she wanted to, she could very easily break free from the excited store owner's grasp.

Given that NPCs are typically far stronger than Players, especially at the beginner stages, that was saying a fucking lot about how insane Gab's current Attributes and Stats were for someone of her Level!

That being said, Gab was so emotionally and psychologically drained from everything that has happened thus far that she simply allowed Caemale to show her the wares she recommended, absentmindedly adding just ten of each Consumable to her Taberna Fenestra (which the blind store owner pulled from God knows where and deftly slapped it into the Freestyler's free hand the moment she started dragging her around).

After all, Gab figured that, aside from the aforementioned personal information about heself that she shared, the store owner's energetically helpful behaviour was caused in part both her high Gravitas and Commitment Fixed Attributes, and the effects of her [Village Tycoon] and [First Century Shopaholic] Titles, so she didn't find her behaviour to be offensive in the slightest.

After being dragged surprisingly quickly around the store, Gab's checkout list looked like this as soon she purchased every thing listed on it:

Customer ID: Wanderer

Style: Freestyler

Funds: 31644 Gold, 68 Silver and 95 Bronze

Potions:

Tertius Mending Potion x10: 5 Gold (50 Silver each)

Dimidium Mending Potion x10: 10 Gold (1 Gold each)

Totum Mending Potion x10: 20 Gold (2 Gold each)

Tertius Invigorating Potion x10: 5 Gold (50 Silver each)

Dimidium Invigorating Potion x10: 10 Gold (1 Gold each)

Totum Invigorating Potion x10: 20 Gold (2 Gold each)

Vi Supplement Potion x10: 50 Gold (5 Gold each)

Vitale Supplement Potion x10: 50 Gold (5 Gold each)

Intelligentia Supplement Potion x10: 50 Gold (5 Gold each)

Dexteritas Supplement Potion x10: 50 Gold (5 Gold each)

Agilitas Supplement Potion x10: 50 Gold (5 Gold each)

Irascibilis Confortans Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Improbus Furor Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Altitudo Propono Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Unanimes Coniunctis Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Cogitatio Vivificata Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Mentis Arce Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Tractura Viverra Burst Potion x10: 40 Gold (4 Gold each)

Tonics:

Sterchea's Ballooning Muscle Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Livfore's Twilit Perpetuity Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Craburs's Pseudo-Enlightenment Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Stifcas's Oily Fingers Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Dopcut's Rocket Feet Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Dumck's Faint Hope Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Slepol's Rosy Mask Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Allnot's Bloodshot Eye Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Coctemp's Dizzying Flow Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Gutlecow's Passive Stance Tonic x10: 3 Gold (30 Silver each)

Remedies:

Sedare Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Oratio Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Auditus Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Confirma Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Colagulatio Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Antidotum Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Aspectum Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Evigilans Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Meliorate Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Sterilisatio Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Floreatis Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Effectio Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Vivificatio Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Contra Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Gaidium Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Exstinguere Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Confido Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Virilitas Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Amoenus Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Crus Remedium x10: 70 Silver (7 Silver each)

Poisons:

Wisp of War Fog x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Whisper of the Speechless x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Sound of the Void x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Grip of the Broken x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Well of Claret x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Tyrant's Last Taste x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Unseen Veil x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Dreamtime's Grasp x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Branch of Blight x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Seeds of Inhalation x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Decay's Accelerator x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Liquid Bonk x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Drop of Stagnation x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

The Grandfather's Harvest x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

The Masochist's Prized Vintage x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Pyrotechnic Cleanser x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

A Nightmare's Condiment x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

One Marriage Deteriorator x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Horrific Sensation x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

Metallurgical Torture x10: 60 Silver (6 Silver each)

As soon as she saw this hideously large list, Gab felt like she may have went…more than a little overboard in this store.

Unfortunately (for her?), the world of Arbitrium itself, in it's own way, more or less confirmed that she did exactly that!

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+10 to Intelligence and +100 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+10 to Comprehension and +100 Acclaim>

<+10 to Causality and +200 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

<+10 to Causality and +100 Acclaim>

<+10 to Magical Attack Speed and +300 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free and Fixed Attributes>

-One experimental Potion

-300 Gold

-2+ to all Stats

-6 AP

-100 Acclaim>

-One rare Potion

-600 Gold

-4+ to all Stats

-12 AP

-200 Acclaim>

-One tailored Potion

-900 Gold

-6+ to all Stats

-18 AP

-400 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

-One experimental Tonic

-300 Gold

-2+ to all Stats

-6 AP

-100 Acclaim>

-One rare Tonic

-600 Gold

-4+ to all Stats

-12 AP

-200 Acclaim>

-One tailored Tonics

-900 Gold

-6+ to all Stats

-18 AP

-400 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

-One experimental Remedies

-300 Gold

-2+ to all Stats

-6 AP

-100 Acclaim>

-One rare Remedies

-600 Gold

-4+ to all Stats

-12 AP

-200 Acclaim>

-One tailored Remedies

-900 Gold

-6+ to all Stats

-18 AP

-400 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

-One experimental Poison

-300 Gold

-2+ to all Stats

-6 AP

-100 Acclaim>

-One rare Poison

-600 Gold

-4+ to all Stats

-12 AP

-200 Acclaim>

-One tailored Poison

-900 Gold

-6+ to all Stats

-18 AP

-400 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

-One experimental Elixir

-300 Gold

-6+ to all Stats

-6 AP

-200 Acclaim>

-One rare Elixir

-600 Gold

-12+ to all Stats

-12 AP

-400 Acclaim>

-One tailored Elixir

-900 Gold

-18+ to all Stats

-18 AP

-600 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

-+5 to all of "Wanderer"'s Free Attributes

-600 Gold

-+5% in all current Resistances

-12 AP

-600 Acclaim>

-+10 to all of "Wanderer"'s Free Attributes

-900 Gold

-+10% in all current Resistances

-12 AP

-900 Acclaim>

-+15 to all of "Wanderer"'s Free Attributes

-1200 Gold

-+15% in all current Resistances

-18 AP

-1200 Acclaim>

<+1 to all Free Attributes, +1 to all Fixed Attributes and +10 to all Stats>

<+1200 to HP and MP>

…well, let it not be said that Gab ISN'T both a source of amusement for the Goddess who helped create this path for her, and the Bane of almost every Player in the game (to put it very, very, VERY fucking lightly) due to her ability to gain so much without even intending on getting any more than she wanted to get!

Probably due to having known Gab's identity right from the get-go, Caemale's only reaction was to offer the increasingly annoyed Freestyler yet another Sync Quest!

And, out of sheer resignation, Gab just accepted it, because why not!!

New Sync Quest: [Rigorous Product Test]

"This was the last time. The. Very. Last. Fucking! Time!!", Gab growled angrily under her breath as she started to leave to go to the local Herbalist store to get some ingredients for liquid-based Consumables , causing a confused frown to appear on the face of the blind store owner behind her, who seriously wondered if the (in)famous Freestyler was in the midst of experiencing a psychological breakdown.

Well, if Caemale were to have asked this directly, Gab would've found it difficult to not answer in the affirmative.

However, if she weren't in the midst of such an event already, she most definitely was after going to the other stores she hit up!

New Titles:

Title Name: [Potioholic]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase more than 500 liquid-based Consumables with a 24 hour period

Acquisition Rewards:

-+10 Endurance and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-Liquid-based Consumables will no longer have a cooldown period

-The user can consume more than one liquid-based Consumable in one sitting

Title Name: [Potion Connoisseur]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 10 different types of Potions in one purchase

-The user must possess the Metabolism Fixed Attribute

Acquisition Rewards:

+5 Vitality and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-When a restorative Potion is consumed, the half the amount of the resource that's been restored will be permanently added to that resource (i.e. HP and MP)

-When a enhancement Potion is consumed, that particular increase will become permanent

Title Name: [Defier of Bloating]

Acquisition Requirements:

-The user must have at least 50 Metabolism

-The user must have over 500 liquid-based Consumables in their Inventory

Acquisition Rewards:

-+10 Vitality, Endurance and Dexterity

Title Effects:

-The user can now consume 10 liquid-based Consumables at the same time

Title Name: [Tonic Connoisseur]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 10 different types of Tonics in one purchase

-The user must possess the Metabolism Fixed Attribute

Acquisition Rewards:

+5 Agility and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-When a Tonic is consumed, half of the Attribute/Stat value increases will be add to them permanently, and the negative side-effects will be halved

Title Name: [Naïve Consumer]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least one Tonic without reading its description

Acquisition Rewards:

+5 Strength and Endurance

Title Effects:

-When perusing the wares of a liquid-based Consumables producer, the user will be far more likely to be offered the chance to acquire Tonics that possess greater benefits than their more commonplace counterparts, but with exponentially more lethal side-effects

(Note: Said Tonics will more often than not have their negative side-effects hidden from normal appraisal Skills, meaning that the user will most likely only find them out once they've experiencing them)

Title Name: [Tonic Brewer's Prized Customer]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase more than 100 Tonics without reading their description

Acquisition Rewards:

-+50 Strength and Endurance

Title Effects:

-When the user buys at least ten different types of Tonics from a relevant provider in one purchase, there's a high likelihood that they'll offer a limited edition Tonic for a discounted price

Title Name: [First 4th Decade Achiever]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Become the first Player to acquire 40 Titles

Acquisition Rewards:

-+5% to all Immunities

Title Effects:

-For every 20 Titles acquired after the 40 Titles that resulted in the acquisition of this one, a random Immunity will gain +10%, and Acclaim will be increased by 400

Title Name: [Remedy Connoisseur]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 10 different types of Remediesin one purchase

-The user must possess the Metabolism Fixed Attribute

Acquisition Rewards:

-+5 Strength and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-When the user consumes a Remedy to counteract a Status Ailment, any resource loss that came as a direct result of said Status Ailment will be replenished

Title Name: [Justifiably Cautious Traveller]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase more Remedies than anyone would expect to need in a Pocket Village

Acquisition Rewards:

-+5 Intelligence and Endurance

Title Effects:

-Whenever the user consumes a Remedy to counteract a Status Ailment that occurred during battle that wouldn't have been expected by anyone else, gain +4 to all Free Attributes and +4 to all Stats

Title Name: [Poison Connoisseur]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 10 different types of Poisons in one purchase

-The user must possess the Metabolism Fixed

Acquisition Rewards:

-+5 Intelligence and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-When the user consumes a Poison or has a targeted affected by one during battle, the values related to the Status Ailments caused by said Poison will be increased by 50%

Title Name: [Planner of Ill Intent]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 10 each of 10 different types of Poisons

Acquisition Rewards:

-+5 Intelligence and Metabolism

Title Effects:

-When the user consumes or has a target consume more than 10 different types of Poisons, all the Status Ailments caused by the Poisons will become Synergised Status Ailments

Title Name: [Sketchy Customer]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 100 Poisons in one purchase

Acquisition Rewards:

-+50 Intelligence and Gravitas

Title Effects:

-When the user enters a Store of ill repute that sells Poisons under the counter, the owner will be far more amicable to show their deadliest Poisons

Title Name: [Brewed Concoction Connoisseur]

Acquisition Requirements:

-Purchase at least 100 Potions, Tonics, Remedies and Poisons in one purchase

Acquisition Rewards:

-+25 to all Free Attributes

Title Effects:

-Whenever the user purchases at least 10 of a new Potion, Tonic, Remedy or Poison, gain one Elixir