"Hmm? Alf...? I didn't even know he was here..." Alisa was puzzled. She didn't have time to carefully observe who had joined her, so she only knew about a fraction of the participants.
Step. Step. Step.
At the same moment, a tall silhouette emerged from the crowd, people hurriedly parting to the sides.
"Are you sure about this? I think I'm more suited for the Sentinel or Guard role. If I understand correctly it has to do with the extra effects." Alf said politely. On his wrists were two red bracelets, obviously purchased from Dimensional Market.
Ethan smirked, "Don't worry, they're just titles, it's up to us to determine the specific tasks specific people will do. I want you to be in charge of defense. Considering that all points go to the Princess, meaning they're common, whether you kill monsters or not won't affect your progress in Trial. Everyone should do what they're best at."
Alf remained silent until he nodded, "I see... Magnus will be in charge of the attack... I'm on defense... Then what about you?"
Ethan smirked, "Let's keep that a secret for now, but let's just say. Monsters aren't the only source of the points, that's for sure."
Alf nodded deeply, accepting his new role.
Tap.
Alisa made Alf a Knight. He read the messages and without hesitation picked up his sword.
"Though I haven't fought with a sword before, it's never too late to learn something, right?" Alf uttered, swinging the sword slightly, testing the weight of his new weapon.
"Yes! That's another thing!" Suddenly, a joyful voice sounded, causing everyone to turn around.
Strangely enough, it was Magnus, bringing his hammer down on the dead ghoul. Each swing of his hammer turned the bones and flesh of the monster into a pulp, blood flying out to the sides, covering the ground.
There was genuine pleasure on his face, like a child or a working man who had finally found a way to release all his emotions and fatigue.
Ethan shrugged, what Magnus did was not his concern, the most important thing was for Magnus to do his job and kill the monsters.
"Alisa, we don't have much time. Let's deal with the tower improvement. Surely 50 points can buy something." Ethan said, approaching the girl.
"Okay... but, I don't know how to do that..." Alisa replied hesitantly.
Ethan shrugged, "Just think about it, touch the altar, do a ritual dance, do anything, it doesn't matter what exactly."
Alisa puffed up her cheeks and irritably placed her palm against the scarlet sphere on the altar.
Then, as if at her will, the sphere shone brightly, and the altar, along with Alisa, moved to the center of the tower.
The altar went underground, and the sphere floated in the air, rapidly increasing in size. Gradually, the sphere became huge, and on its surface were many honeycomb-shaped cells. They were empty as if something had to be inserted into them.
Whoooooooooooooosh.
Suddenly, Alisa saw her card, Queen of Hearth, with the number 50 on the back. Then, the card glowed brightly, and five flashes flew out of it. They turned into cone-shaped crystals with a suitable form for cells, entering the sphere.
"I see... Five crystals, 50 points..." Ethan muttered, stepping closer to the sphere. He examined the crystals closely. They were small, so tiny that he could fit ten of them in the palm of his hand, or even more if he clenched his fist tightly.
Then, a sly smirk appeared on Ethan's face, giving Alisa a slight chill down her spine.
'Damn... He's up to something again... I'm starting to get used to this and it's freaking me out.' Alisa thought, pressing her palm to her chest.
[Princess, choose one of the available upgrades!].
A long list of various upgrades appeared in front of Alisa, each line had its own small description, and the opposite was the price.
Only a few lines were shining, and the rest were dim since 50 points were only enough for a few items.
"Hmm... What to choose..." Alisa muttered thoughtfully, Ethan walking over to her.
"How about this?" Alisa pointed to one of the upgrades.
[Protective Walls around the tower, First Level: Wooden walls, can hold off monsters for a while, but are extremely vulnerable to fire or strong enemies.
Cost: 30 Points]
"Nah, no sense in wasting Points on something so useless." Ethan refused, rubbing his chin, "Monsters won't disappear if we hide behind walls. Walls can be useful when attacking, but we don't have archers, at least not yet. I think we should take this one."
"What...? Are you sure?"
[Water Fountain, First Level: A normal drinking water fountain that can be used by up to ten people at once. Capacity: 5,000 liters.
Cost: 50 Points.]
"Sure. Have you forgotten about asking me for food this morning?" Ethan glanced at her.
Alisa looked down guiltily.
"Yeah, it's your fault for not buying yourself food and water at Dimensional Market, but it really doesn't matter. You're definitely not the only one who decided to spend all the points on some gear instead of groceries, and this problem needs to be solved somehow." Ethan replied.
Alisa frowned, "I'm really glad you're suddenly concerned about someone, but can water feed a hungry person?"
"No, but it can relieve thirst, and for a while, it will be enough to satisfy hunger. It's better than nothing. There's no point in protective walls, traps, or armor if your warriors are so exhausted they can't even function properly, and all they think about is getting rid of their hunger." Ethan said calmly, glancing at the long list of upgrades.
"What's more, we'll solve the food problem pretty soon. That's necessary to last the distance."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Alisa gave him a questioning look.
Ethan sighed, "I mean that it sounds like this Trial is going to be a lot longer and more complex than all the previous ones. After all, we've moved on to the next Epos, so the scale is different. Look at the number of upgrades and the prices of some of them."
Alisa had a complicated expression.
"Right now the monster waves are short as well as the break between them, but I'm sure that will change soon." Ethan said calmly, as he glanced at the timer, "That's it. Talking is over. Buy the fountain."
Alisa nodded and quickly did as he said.
The five crystals in the sphere shone brightly, shattering into particles and disappearing. Then, a bright flash appeared in front of the tower, leaving a massive object in its place.