Alexandre wanted to cry, seeing over a million dollars in his bank account. He'd spent nine years working hard and living frugally to save just $100,000 while also keeping his identity a secret, and now he'd received ten times that amount in just a matter of moments. Even though he'd told himself that he hadn't needed more money while living alone… it certainly felt good to have this much at once!
Owen gave a polite smile. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Here's your premium membership card. It entitles you to a 10% discount on all our products."
Alexandre cleared his throat. "Thank you. Now, I'd like to see all the weapons and armor. Could you show them to me?"
"Yes, of course! What is your combat class?"
Alexandre replied, "I'm a Boxer."
This made Owen pause. He knew very well that Boxer was the most dangerous class, and that most students who chose this class were fools who later had to fix their mistakes as best as they could. That didn't bode well for Alexandre's ability to pay back the loan… Oh well, it wasn't Owen's problem any longer!"
"Erm, please follow me!" said Owen, then rose and started walking toward a section of the store.
Alexandre followed Owen through the store's long aisles until they arrived at a large display area filled with various cases. A sign above the cases wrote, "Boxer: God of Destruction!"
There were several full sets of armor on display—not just modern military assault or SWAT gear, but what you might have seen in a medieval history book. This made sense, considering most Boxers wanted to protect their bodies from vicious Zombies in melee combat.
Alexandre analyzed the first suit of armor he saw, a gleaming set of what looked like iron or perhaps steel.
╔═══════Aurora Nexus: Inspection Mode ═══════╕
╟─╼[Armour][Set][Hunter][Boxer][Common]
╟─╼[Name] Common Boxer Armor Set
╟─╼[Price] $3,000,000
╠══════════════╡
╟─[STATISTICS]
║╰╼[Strength]: +8
║ ╰╼[Agility]: -0.5
║ ╰╼[Resistance]: +6
║╰╼[Dexterity]: -1
╠══════════════╡
╟─[EFFECT]
║╰╼[Gain resistance against Melee Attacks]
║╰╼[Gain resistance against Bites]
╠══════════════╡
╟─[SUMMARY]
║ "A set of metal plate armor reinforced with Zombie bone powder. Confers resistance to any physical melee attack, especially bites, but beware of being shocked!"
╚════════════════════════════════════╛
Alexandre's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the price. "What the hell!?" How was this possibly justified? It was just a suit of armor, a very basic one, not a palace by the sea!
Alexandre turned to Owen with a look of reproach. "I think we both know this is outside my budget. Can you show me something a little more… entry level?"
Owen gave a wry grin. "I'm afraid that, for Boxers, this is the entry level, sir! Allow me to offer a bit of friendly advice, just between the two of us—Zombies are quite powerful, and a single bite in the right place can be enough to incapacitate a novice Hunter. Boxers risk their lives more than every other class whenever they engage a Zombie.
"Only plate mail that fully covers the body is enough to protect a Boxer, and plate mail is quite expensive! You will find that this is a joke among the Hunter community… the so-called 'Boxer tax.' Boxers need to spend far more on defense and general avoidance than other classes, meaning they can't spend as much on making themselves stronger. Please keep this in mind for the future, sir!"
Despite this explanation, three million was still an obscene amount for any individual to pay. You could live a life of luxury with that much! But then it occurred to Alexandre that Hunter equipment was likely more often told to guilds who could afford these prices than they were sold to individual Hunters.
But, at the end of the day… Alexandre didn't really need a suit of armor, did he? "Forget that," he said. "Show me some weapons instead."
Owen nodded and led Alexandre away from the Boxer armor and toward an even larger area of the store. Apparently, the weapons weren't segregated by class like the armors were. After all, many different classes had overlaps regarding which weapons they used.
Owen said, "Let's save some time. What exactly is your budget?"
Alexandre said lightly, "Under a million works for me."
"And what characteristics are you looking for?"
Alexandre thought for a while. How best could he make use of the advantages of [Immortal] and [Steel Bones]? Finally, he said, "Something with very short range, but with very good strength and agility."
Owen smiled. "I know just the thing. Can I direct your attention to these brass knuckles?"