A long list of various upgrades appeared in front of Alisa. Now, almost a third of the lines were shining as they had the option to buy them.
Ethan was in no hurry. They had half an hour to prepare for the next wave of monsters and choose the best from the list.
"Guys, I don't know if I have a say in this, but maybe we should take this one?" Alf uttered while pointing at an upgrade
[Protective Walls Around the Tower, Third Level: Stone walls covered with a mesh of iron chains on the front side. Also on the walls are two crossbow turrets with 500 bolts each.
No weaknesses, but they may not be able to resist a powerful blast.
Cost: 250 Points]
"Hmm... This is definitely much better than the wooden ones, but I don't think we'll need walls at all. I don't believe we won't be able to kill all the monsters, in which case we don't need a defense, that kind of plan." Ethan replied calmly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Alf shrugged, he didn't bother to argue.
"Here. We'll start by buying this one." Ethan said.
[Protective Hounds, Third Level: Two stone hounds that have been awakened by putting a living spirit into them. They will guard and protect their master and are also able to detect enemies within a radius of 50 meters.
Cost: 150 Points]
"Hmm? 150 Points for two dogs? If we add another 100 points, we can buy huge walls with massive crossbows! I'm against it!" Alisa exclaimed with a slight frown.
"You don't have a vote, only the three of us have one." Ethan calmly replied, making Magnus and Alf smile, "Furthermore, I'm doing this for your safety."
Alisa was ready to take offense at him, but the last words changed everything.
"What...?" Alisa muttered as her cheeks flushed.
"These dogs will act as radars, so no one will be able to rob us like I did towards Nitra. Also, for 150 Points, I'm buying a whole Knight." Ethan explained, looking at Alf, "Alf will be able to fight with us, and in case of danger he will be able to get back in time to protect you."
Magnus smirked, "Good, I like it."
Alisa sighed, pressing the button. Then, two stone hoops appeared in her hands, quite heavy as she struggled to hold them.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Two stone hounds with glowing eyes and powerful jaws emerged from the ground. They looked around as if trying to figure out who was their master.
"What are you waiting for?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, "Can't you see they are lost? Go ahead, you have your personal protectors now."
Alisa blinked a few times, then put the hoops around the hounds' necks, which were actually collars.
The collars flashed, then the hounds stood abruptly next to Alisa, staring intently at the others. Anyone could be a threat to their master.
"Good. Just what we need." Ethan nodded, "Let's get back to the list."
"Sure!" Alisa responded vigorously.
In the next five minutes, Ethan made several selections, all of which were small purchases, but combined they had already spent 350 Points out of 500.
They got a large medical kit with healing ointments and bandages, four bags of fruits and vegetables, and ten very long and thick chains, comparable to those that held the anchors of ships.
"Ethan... Why do we need these chains?" Alisa muttered in confusion, "I didn't even get a chance to ask how you got me to buy them."
"You'll figure it out now." Ethan turned to Alf, "Alf, take the guys and place these chains in front of the point where the portal appears. The distance between the chains should be no more than three meters."
Alf nodded, "Sure. I'll get right on it."
Seeing Alisa's puzzled face, Magnus decided to explain, "The chains will slow down the monsters' progress. Even if they're careful and don't fall, they'll still take valuable time to get around them. It's a great use of 70 points."
Alisa nodded with a deep gaze.
Ethan looked carefully at every upgrade available to them. The options were many, he could buy armor, traps, or simple walls, and there were even special defense creatures like Alisa's hounds on sale.
"Hmm... I think that would be the most useful." Ethan pointed to a line in the middle.
Alisa didn't even bother to read it as she bought and spent the last 150 Points.
Then, thirty harpoons appeared in front of the tower. Big and heavy, with single projectiles.
"150 Points for thirty harpoons... That's five points a piece! Why do we even need them?! We have swords!" Alisa exclaimed, clenching her fists.
Ethan waved his hand, "We don't need them to attack or defend ourselves. We'll use the harpoons to hold back particularly strong opponents.
"If thirty men attack a powerful monster, the monster will kill one of them and the others will run away in fear. However, if thirty people hold the monster at a distance, the situation changes completely."
"Exactly." Magnus chuckled, "If the monster can't move, I'll just break its skull and be done with it!"
"Well, in that case, we're finished. Let's rest and prepare for the next wave, we only have 20 minutes left." Ethan said calmly, heading towards the exit.
"Wait." Magnus stood in front of the aisle, "Ethan, I wanted to show you something."
"Hmm?" Ethan gave him a questioning look.
"Your veins are no longer black, are they?" Magnus gave him a serious stare.
Ethan nodded. He saw no point in hiding it from Magnus since he knew about this unusual effect.
Magnus sighed and took out a white orb from his pocket, small but unusual and familiar to Ethan, since he had already absorbed one such, as well as Magnus.
"This Black Hyena had the same core in its chest as the monster in Second Trial. It says that if I collect two more of them, I can use them to replace Angel Core or Demon Core." Magnus muttered, rubbing the back of his head uncertainly.
"And? What's your question?"
"What does it look like? You probably already did that when you absorbed that Angel Core, didn't you?" Magnus's eyes flashed with the hope of great things to come.
Ethan paused for a moment before giving his answer.
He looked intently at Magnus and uttered, "It's magic, strange, and beyond our imagination, but now it's part of our world, part of ourselves."
Magnus smirked, "Good. But, what about strength? How much stronger have you gotten?"
"Well, the effect of black veins is comparable to coins, it's on another level, a little more, and I could call myself superhuman." Ethan replied, then he extended his hand for a handshake, "Here, let's check it out. You were unrivaled in strength throughout the academy, has that changed now?"
Magnus looked at Ethan's palm, it was bleeding from the sharp spikes on the hilt of his sword. Scarlet trickles slowly flowed downward, turning into crimson droplets.
"Sure. Why not?" Magnus stepped forward confidently, clutching Ethan's palm tightly.
Then, he felt a bright pain when a chill went down his spine, and his eyes went wide.