[Chapter 13: Black Cat]
"Should j really even be here?" Dawn pondered as he examined the store in front of him.
Albwin had left him to get the skill token, so the little dragon decided to go exploring. He didn't see anything noteworthy, no, that was a lie.
He saw a lot of impressive things... that were all way out of his price range. Dawn wasn't used to being on a budget. In real life, if he sees something, he gets it. He is many things and spoiled is definitely one of them.
He was hoping to get a trinket or two at the very least. Dawn had decided not to sell the accessory items he had obtained because he would be able to use them once he assumed human form. Albwin had stated that they were utter crap in comparison to the other players.
Even that elf's arrows were more valuable, but they belonged to Dawn, and he appreciates what he worked so hard for. That, and the fact that he's extremely greedy.
'Gacha Shop.' Damn thought as I looked at the sign. "Is this considered gambling? Probably. Who the fuck cares? I'm a self-sufficient dragon."
Dawn smirked to himself as he pushed the door open with his paw. The store itself was quite impressive. There were a lot of counters with small chests on them. Behind the counter, there was also a man.
"Hello there, traveler! Do you want to buy a Gacha Chest?!"
"Sure, sure. How much is it?" Dawn began to walk forward.
"We have a wide variety, ranging from Ocean Gacha to Desert Gacha. However, the most basic ones are Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Gacha."
Dawn was taken aback by the news he had just received. He had not anticipated the game having Gacha, let alone different types! The gacha themselves had different ranks ranging from Copper to Platinum. Of course, the higher the grade, the better the item. However, they were not well-liked.
They were too risky, and players could have spent their money elsewhere. Furthermore, in order to get something good, your luck stat had to be high. Plus, the Gacha stores were only open two days a week at random. Not very dependable.
"How much for a Copper Gacha?" Dawn asked.
"Twenty Copper Coins!"
"Two please." Dawn said rather eagerly.
[Player has gained: Copper Grade Gache ×2]
[Current Balance: 84 Copper Coins, 2 Silver Coin]
Dawn was approached by two small chests. He returned his gaze to the chests after looking at the man. Dawn braced himself for disappointment before opening both of them.
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Wooden Sword (Rarity: F)
Wooden Sword (Rarity: F)
+1 Sharpness
-1 Movement Speed]
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Towel (Rarity: E)]
"I... feel scammed" Dawn observed what he had just resurrected. I had hoped he'd get something a little... nicer. The EXP was excellent, but the sword was not. He'd be surprised if that thing didn't brake on the first hit.
Damn sighed, completely dissatisfied. Regrettably, I did not learn his lesson.
"Give me another four of these." He spoke softly.
[Player has gained: Copper Grade Gache ×4]
[Current Balance: 4 Copper Coins, 2 Silver Coin]
"Open them all."
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Wooden Arrows ×10 (Rarity: E)]
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Leather Belt (Rarity: E)]
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Book (Rarity: E)]
[Congratulations! Player has gained: Sakura Tree Sapling]
'Hm.' Damn carefully examined the items and came to a single conclusion. They were all useless. Maybe not completely worthless, but he didn't need them right now.
He had wooden arrows but no bloody bow to shoot them with. The other two were mediocre. The Sakura Tree, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. That meant that, despite the fact that it was set in the medieval era, they brought some really cool stuff here. And not just from other cultures.
It was, however, a welcome change. It could possibly be used for decoration later on. He was skeptical that it would fit in. What kind of dragon lives in a house surrounded by sakura trees?
"I should definitely stop," Dawn muttered to himself as he walked around the room. "However, what if I get something cool?"
Dawn was having an internal conflict before deciding it was best to leave while his pockets still had some weight to them.
He knew if he stayed any longer, he'd be leaving with dry pockets and a slight depression. As a result, he dropped out of the race before it even began. Better to be safe than sorry.
Dawn left the shop with his head down and his pockets empty, which was the worst way to leave.
"Is Albwin done?" Dawn was perplexed. "I think I should go back to where we were last."
The walk back was quiet, not only because he had no one to talk to, but also because the dragon was thinking about what they should do next.
They only had two days to get to the continent's capital. The action event was scheduled to take place in three days, but they wanted to arrive a day early. Dawn would have to do some research on it later because they were going to ride the place.
However, he remains skeptical. If they succeed, the two—or at least Dawn—will be on the run. The word would spread quickly, and some avaricious people would come after him for the goods.
He can't really blame the other players for being greedy.
"What a pain." The dragon spoke as he settled himself beneath a small tree near a lake. The same lake where the two friends had parted ways. "Perhaps I should take a break."
Dawn closed his eyes and listened to the distant sea and the breeze. He felt at ease for a while, but the game still amazes him with how little effort it puts into everything. Even the sound effects are impressive.
Nothing—and he really means nothing—could ruin this moment—
"Dawn!"
And the moment has been thoughtfully ruined by a bloody elf sprinting at him while screaming his name.
As the dragon opened his eyes and glared at his friend, who was now standing in front of him, one could almost see tears run down his scares.
"Where did you flee to?" Albwin inquired while sitting next to his friend. "It's a good thing I came back here, you know."
"Or you could have used the chat," Dawn said, trying not to sound sarcastic.
"Sure, whatever. In any case, here it is." The elf placed a gold coin with strange symbols in front of him. "Imagine using it while touching it."
"Okay." Dawn did as instructed and placed his claw on the token.
[Ding! Skill Token used!]
[Ding! Player has gained skill: Shape Shift Lv:1 (0/1000)
Shape Shift:
The player has the ability to "alter" their appearance. The player is not completely altering the body; rather, they are rearranging it and modifying pre-existing features. It costs 5MP to activate and 1MP every five minutes after that.]
"Uhm." Dawn turned to face Albwin, who was waiting for him to finish. "I don't think I'll be able to get a human form."
"How come?"
"It states that I can only make changes to pre-existing parts. For example, you can use it to make your ears look normal because you already had ears, but you can't use it to give yourself wings. Because I am not humanoid, I cannot transform into one."
"Really!?" Albwin yelled. When Dawn nodded, he groaned. He didn't do any research into the exact discrimination of the skill; he simply assumed they could transform into whatever they wanted.
"However," Dawn said, capturing his full attention. "I can transform into something resembling a dragons features. Just get rid of a few things and change one or two more, and I'll have something like this."
Dawn started to glow gold. The elf stood there waiting to see what Dawn would come up with. This size was significantly smaller than his previous form. He got a good look when the light went out.
Dawn had transformed into a small cat with black fur and blue cat eyes. His tail swayed behind him as he sat there, almost elegantly cat-like. The most noticable were the black hours on this head.
He was trying to brag, but Albwin saw right through it.
"How does this work?" The cat's (dragon's) tone was calm and low, but also sharp. "I doubt any player will notice a black cat, and I doubt the NPCs will either. Maybe the horns will attract some attention, but I couldn't get rid of them."
"It's flawless!" Albwin stated. "I was hoping for a human form, but this is definitely a better option in my opinion," He simply nodded. "This smaller form is also useful for sneaking around. It's ideal for robbing an auction house."
Dawn sighed as she walked away from the elf. He muttered, "This is going to be a long vacation."
"And thanks be to God!" Albwin screamed. Dawn was certain that if they had met in real life, his eyes would have been bleeding.