"Make a joint purchase?" Aahan asked Arjus as soon as the latter finished explaining his plan.
"Yes," Arjun confrimed. "Like I said before, if we pool our resources together, we'd be able to make better use of them and ensure nothing goes to waste. Not to mention the discount we would get for making a large purchase."
The more Aahan thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, with the discounted amount, they could purchase more resources than the others. In other words, by effectively managing their budget, they were increasing their chances for victory.
Aahan looked at Maya, who wordlessly took out her card and gave it to Arjun. Arjun took 250 KP from her card before returning it to her. Aahan shrugged and did the same. With 750 KP in his hands, Arjun turned to make the necessary purchase.
"Have you used your potions?" he asked with his back turned to them.
Maya shook her head, taking out the small bottle of green liquid the Instructor had given them.
'So that's a potion...' Aahan thought, pointing out that he had one on himself.
"Good, having those potions saved us 60 KP," Arjun mumbled while walking to the next machine. "What about weapons?"
"I don't have one," Aahan replied before turning towards Maya, who shrugged. "Yeah, neither of us have one."
"That's alright. The KP we saved before would get used up on this," Arjun mumbled while fixing his specs again. "What kind of weapon do you prefer?"
Aahan was clueless about the question. He had never used a weapon before, so he wasn't sure. But Maya confidently stepped up and tapped on the bow and arrow icon, making the purchase.
Aahan also walked right behind Arjun to take a look and see if something interested him. That's when his eyes fell on a Katar¹, a punch knife.
Though he hadn't used a weapon before, Aahan was confident in his fists, and since there were no gauntlets listed in the shop, he decided to go for the next best thing that would suit his fighting style.
"Good choice," Arjun mumbled before making the purchase. "Judging by your physique, the weapons should serve you well."
"You didn't get a weapon for yourself?" Aahan quizzed as they headed to the next vending machine.
Arjun confidently pointed at his head with a smile, "Mind is the only weapon a tactician needs."
Unlike Maya, who rolled her eyes, Aahan didn't know how to react to Arjun's statement. At the same time, it made him wonder how the hell Arjun even managed to clear the first round with only his mind.
But then again, judging by how smart he was, or at least acting his part, Aahan believed Arjun's absurd claims.
Finally, they arrived at the final vending machine. But unlike the others, they weren't allowed to choose items themselves. Instead, they would have to deposit an amount of KP, and the machine would provide them with random objects.
It was like a gacha machine and was placed to ensure two things—first, the motto of the test, fairness and second, to test the candidates' adaptability.
After all, once inside the fissure, no one knew what might happen and what might become helpful. A Rathi should always be prepared for everything and anything.
"You sure know a lot of things," Aahan nodded as Arjun explained the machine to them.
"I wouldn't be a Kripavanshi² if I didn't know these basic things," Arjun replied with a smile. "This vending machine is also why I wanted us to combine our finances, as we would be able to gain more items than usual if we use more KP."
When Arjun put KP into the machine, it whirled to life. It took a few seconds, but the machine soon spewed out four items for them when it usually gave one three items per team.
Maya got some sort of mirror in her hands while Arjun received a scroll. Meanwhile, there were two items in Aahan's hands. One was a small box, and the other was a bracelet.
"A repair kit and bracelet," Arjun mumbled, carefully staring at the gifts Aahan received before turning to Maya. "That's an all-seeing mirror, a perfect item for an archer."
"Repair kit?" Aahan asked.
"Yes, you can use it to repair your suit," Arjun explained. "You don't need to do anything. Just keep it on yourself; if your armour needs repairs, it will automatically do it without hindering you. The only downside is that it can only be used inside the fissure. That bracelet, on the other hand..."
Arjun squinted as he began analysing the black bracelet in Aahan's hand. "I have no idea what it is... well, it's supposed to be a one-use time only, so no need to dwell on it."
Before Aahan could have asked what Arjun got, Amrita approached them, notifying them that their time was up. Her face was expressionless as she approached them, but she smiled when she saw they had obtained four items from the machine.
"I take it you're a Kripavanshi?" she asked Arjun, who smiled. "Every time... oh well, let's get going."
As they headed toward the fissure, Aahan looked at Arjun as if he wanted to ask him what it was about. But Arjun replied before Aahan could put his thoughts into words.
"The trick you saw there is only known to us, Kripavanshis," he said. "While we're not explicitly told about it, it is heavily hinted that there's a 'cheat' one could exploit during the second round."
"Wait, I'm not a Kripavanshi as you call it," Aahan asked. "So what if I leaked your secret?"
"Valid question and the answer to that is quite simple," Arjun replied with a smirk. "You won't get a chance to interact with others after forming teams, so you won't be able to leak the information."
He continued, "Besides, even if you did, it would be impossible to convince others. After all, this round is based on 'fairness'. Come on, now it's time to get this over with."
***
Chapter Glossary:
1. Katar: The weapon is characterised by its H-shaped horizontal hand grip, which results in the blade sitting above the user's knuckles, thus giving it the name 'Punch Dagger'. (I'll include a picture of it so you get a better idea about the weapon.)
2. Kripavanshi: Members of the Kripavansh bloodline, who are known for their exceptional wisdom and intellect. (Read the Bloodline chapter for more information about them.)