CHAPTER 221: A TRIP TO THE VENDOR (2)

Reidar studied the five summoning options floating in front of him. His eyes moved from one description to the next.

The Steel Sentinel Squad offered protection. Five armored warriors who could lock shields and create barriers. They were strong and reliable. But limited to defense.

Not that it was bad. This skill was for his father.

The War Hound Pack was all about offense. Forty-five battle-trained hounds that fought using pack tactics to overwhelm enemies. They’d swarm and tear through targets, and that was going to help his father get more levels.

The Stone Juggernaut was a single massive construct that had high resistance and self-repair abilities but, most importantly, that could absorb massive amounts of damage.

The Field Medic Cadre caught his attention next as it summoned sixty sprites that possessed healing skills. The sprites could also provide a massive healing effect that functions as an emergency revival.

Dad’s a healer. He doesn’t need more healing powers, but some help during a battle will make his job easier.

"I’ll take them all," Reidar said.

Zix’s mandibles clicked. "Isn’t this a little overkill?"

"No." He paused. "He needs protectors that can keep up with him." Reidar paused again. "Now show me healing skills. Specifically ones that focus on the brain and mana channels."

The holographic display shifted. New skills appeared.

Zix’s smaller arms moved. "Mana channel restoration is specialized work. Few healers need this kind of skill."

Three skills emerged from the list, of which Reidar read the descriptions.

"All three," Reidar said.

Zix nodded, giving him a weird look.

"He needs to help someone. A friend of mine whose mana channels had been damaged by some kind of toxin."

"Ah." The mandibles clicked with understanding. "Then he’ll want these as well."

More skills appeared. General healing. Regeneration buffs. Cleansing abilities.

Reidar bought them without hesitation. Then he moved to equipment.

"Battle gear first," he said.

Zix’s eyes moved across the interface. "I have several sets that might work for someone as peculiar as Matthias."

The first set appeared. Heavy armor with skill cooldown reduction. Mana regeneration. Cast speed increases.

Each piece was designed to support multiple active abilities and to increase S.H.I.E.L.D., which made his father more durable, fast, and strong. That way he would be able to get over his handicap.

"This one," Reidar said, pointing at one of the many available options.

"And for healing?"

The second set materialized. Lighter armor. Healing power increases. Mana efficiency. Protection while casting. The equipment was designed to make sure there were no interruptions for Matthias while he healed.

"Both sets."

The purchases got submitted. Survival Points got taken from his total, but Reidar barely noticed.

"Now," the man said. "Show me skills suitable for my level."

The display was reorganized. The scale shifted. Tier 26 skills filled the space between Reidar and Zix.

—[«SHOP»]—

...

« Summon: Cinderheart Efreeti » — 2,500,000 SP

...

« Mark of Frailty » — 2,300,000 SP

« Bastion of Will » — 2,600,000 SP

...

« Summon: Terran Bulwark »—2,400,000 SP

« Summon: Tidal Saint »—2,400,000 SP

...

« Summon: Zephyr Muse » — 2,500,000 SP

...

« Font of Life »—2,700,000 SP

« Universal Panacea »—2,300,000 SP

...

« Summon: Bark Behemoth » — 2,800,000 SP

...

« Summon: Twin Boulderbacks » — 2,800,000 SP

...

« Summon: Shadow Swarm » — 2,200,000 SP

...

—[«END»]—

Reidar’s eyes moved across the list. The numbers were enormous. Single skills cost millions of Survival Points. He had the resources and could afford them, but his heart was bleeding.

I wonder how many Survival points I will get from killing a level 260 monster.

Those things were now on Earth, after all. He focused on the summoning skills first. He quickly noticed a particular skill.

Summon: Twin Boulderbacks. The skill summoned the very same creatures he had killed in the valley.

He pressed on it, and the Twin Boulderbacks’ description expanded. Two three-story-tall behemoths of living stone. Near-impenetrable defense. Seismic attacks, regeneration, and a four-hour duration.

Two of them. That’s fourteen floors of stone between me and whatever wants to kill me. This time it will be the monsters protecting me, rather than trying to kill me.

It would be cool to see Helga’s face when he summoned them. Anyway, there were other skills that he found interesting, mostly because the creatures they summoned were interesting themselves.

Cinderheart Efreeti, I wonder what it is.

He examined the Cinderheart Efreeti next. The description unfolded. The creature was a sentient inferno given form. It was a fire elemental, yes, but not some mindless blaze, and for sure not a Rift-Sprite.

This was a flying apex predator made of fire, a flying one at that, although it would be better to say levitating. It was humanoid with feminine traits, wreathed in living fire that shifted from crimson to white-hot as its mood changed.

The red-hot mask covering its face seemed less like armor and more like a constraint on the fury beneath.

Its arsenal of skills was terrifying, judging by what the summoning skill description said. Fireball for standard attacks. Incinerate for the devastating ones. This one was a focused beam that didn’t just burn but melted through most things.

Flashpoint was a debuff that built up with each hit before exploding the target like a bomb. Heatwave was an aura that bathed everything in slow-cooking agony. Scorched Earth turned the ground itself into a trap. Immolation converted any melee attacker into a screaming torch.

The conclusion was logical. This wasn’t just a summoned creature. This was a force multiplier. A floating artillery platform that could rain destruction from above while the Boulderbacks held the ground.

The debuffs would make enemies vulnerable to his other summons, and the mobility meant the creature could reposition instantly, harassing targets the Boulderbacks couldn’t reach.

The heat-based attacks would synergize with his own skills, creating a zone where enemies were constantly burning, slowing, and staggering. This was the perfect complement to his defensive fortress. Where the Twin Boulderbacks were the anvil, this Efreeti would be the hammer.

Fire damage. Range. Mobility.

What was funny was that there were many other kinds of elementals like this. Reidar saw three others: a wind one based on support, a water one based on healing, and a stone one based on defense. It was not the Summon: Twin Boulderbacks, though.

But while he was excited for the summons, Reidar still had many, so his focus was on something else; it was on some utility skills.