Quinn's vision faded to black, and he once again found himself in the endless, black void.
However, this time, he noticed that there were three Crystals on the ground instead of one.
Like before, the back of the void transformed into a swirling vortex. Slowly, the vortex began to pull the three Crystals towards it. The three Crystals became caught in the cyclone and eventually met in its center.
As they did, they smashed together, the three Crystals exploding on impact. Just like before, there was a flash of white light.
When the light faded, the gauntlets could be seen.
They were a pair of grayish-silver gauntlets. The name "Best Standard" was quite fitting, as the two gauntlets didn't look like anything special. In fact, it was hard to even tell that they had been made from Beast Crystals in the first place. But Quinn really didn't care about their appearance. All he really cared about were their Stat bonuses.
When Quinn opened his eyes again, he was wearing the Gauntlets.
He smiled as he looked at them and activated his Inspect Skill.
A moment later, a System screen appeared in front of him.
[Best Standard Intermediate-Tier Gauntlets
+6 Strength
+4 Defense
When using Blood Skills that use the hands while wearing the gauntlets, the power of the Skill will be increased by 5%.]
Quinn then went back to his System Shop. But this time, something strange happened. As he looked for the Gauntlets to make another pair, the item was nowhere to be seen.
"If you're looking for the Gauntlets, they're already on your hands," the man's voice replied.
'I know that,' Quinn thought. 'It's just…I thought that I could make another one. If I got three more Intermediate-Tier Crystals, then I could make another pair and sell themon the Online Marketplace.'
A moment later, the man's voice responded.
"Unfortunately, each item in the System Shop is a one-time item," he replied. "Once you have created it once, the item can never be created again."
Quinn clicked his tongue in annoyance.
His gaze subconsciously turned back to the computer monitor. And when he did, something caught his attention. It was a pair of Intermediate-Tier Boots. Not only did the boots have pretty decent Stats, but they also didn't look too fancy.
Quinn clicked on the item and added them to his shopping cart. He then clicked on the "shopping cart" icon, which now had a digital "1" overlaying its lower-right corner.
As he did, he was brought to a new screen. It read "Check Out" at the top, and the only image on the screen was that of the Intermediate-Tier Boots.
Quinn pressed the "confirm purchase" bar at the bottom of the page. He was then prompted to input the coordinates for his "teleporter". He imputed the coordinates for the "Collection Center" on the base, where all the orders coming from the Online Marketplace for students were sent.
As the order was completed, Quinn heard a beep coming from his wristwatch. Looking down at it, he saw his "Credits Balance" dropfrom "56,380" to "48,380".
While Quinn was still on the Online Marketplace, he decided to see if he could find any of the specific Crystals for the other items in his System Shop. However, they seemed almost impossible to find. Seeing this, Quinn realized just how rare the items in his System Shop must be. Or at least, rare to Humans. Even when searching for a piece of equipment that was similar to one in his System Shop, there was nothing that matched.
Eventually, Quinn let out a sigh.
"C'mon," he replied as he stood up.
Tsukuru turned to look at him.
"Let's go to the Collection Center so I can get my new boots."
***
Back in the Eighth Family Castle in the Vampire Settlement, Faye felt a chill run down her back. She had no idea what a "Crazed Bloodsucker" was, and she had no intention of finding out.
"Alright, well, how am I meant to obtain this blood, my Leader?" she asked.
Muka turned to her.
"You will be given a special flask upon your departure," Muka replied. "Similar to your Beast Gear, it has a special Skill that allows it to keep blood fresh indefinitely as long as the flask is closed. However, it only contains 100 milliliters of blood. Once that runs out, you will be responsible for acquiring your own blood."
Faye tilted her head.
"How will I do that?" she asked.
Muka was about to answer when she saw two Vampires talking down the hall.
"Follow me," she replied.
***
Back in the school on Military Base 2, Tsukuru and Quinn walked down the hall towards the base's "Collection Center". As the two walked, Quinn had a noticeable skip in his step.
Finally, they arrived at the Collections Center.
Quinn walked up to one of the terminals and punched in the tracking number for his order.
A moment later, a large box appeared on the counter.
Quinn's smile widened as he opened the box. Inside, there were a pair of boots. They were solid blackin color, and the part of them that covered his ankles was curved backwards, imitating the ears of a wolf.
Looking at the boots, Quinn activated his Inspect Skill.
A System screen popped up in front of him.
[Intermediate-Tier Black-Horned Wolf Boots
+4 Agility
+2 Defense
Active Skill: Wind Walk
Once the Skill has been activated, the user's speed will be increased by 10% for 30 seconds. Skill will automatically deactivate if the user is hit while the Skill is in use.]
Quinn then closed the box back upand placed it under his arm.
"I'm going back to the dorm to try on my new Beast Gear," he said in an excited tone.
Tsukuru glanced to the side.
"You do that," he replied. "I've got...something else to take care of."
Although Quinn was curious about what Tsukuru needed to do, he was currently too happy to really delve too deep into it.
"Alright, I'll see you later then!" Quinn yelled as he sprinted out of the room and towards the front door. "Bye!"
Tsukuru stared at Quinn's retreating form, as well as the dust cloud that he had kicked up. He let out a sigh. Tsukuru then brought his wrist holding his wristwatch up to his chest, and looked down at it.
***
Back in the Eighth Family castle in the Vampire Settlement, Muka and Faye approached a pair of two conversing Vampires.
Upon seeing their Leader approaching, the two of them instantly stopped talking.
The eyeholes of Muka's helmet glowed bright red.
A moment later, the eyes of the Vampires began to glow red as well. Their faces developed a glazed-over look. As if they were deep in a trance.
"Kneel," Muka replied.
A moment later, the two Vampires fell to their feet.
Muka then turned to Faye.
"This is how you will be acquiring your own blood," Muka replied.
Faye raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Excuse me, my Leader, but I don't understand," she replied. "Don't your fellow family members do that anyway?"
Muka thought about this for a moment.
She then turned to Faye, her eyes still glowing.
Seeing the glowing eyeholes, Faye felt a sudden pressure.
"Kneel," Muka repeated.
A moment later, Faye felt her legs fall out from under her, and she was forced to her knees. It was as if gravity had increased its force on her.
A second later, the glowing light coming through Muka's helmet faded.
"Do you see now?" Muka asked.
Faye gulped and slowly got back to her feet.
"Y-Yes, my Leader," she replied.
"Good," Muka replied. "Now, what I just used on you is called the "Influence" Skill. Think of it like a form of hypnosis or mind control. It allows you to issue commands to others. And the more powerful your charm ability is, the stronger your Influence Skill. Not only can you use it to issue commands, but also make people answer questions and even erase memories."
Muka then turned towards the other two Vampires.
"Please, excuse me for my actions," Muka replied. "This is our newest family member, and I was just demonstrating the Influence Skill to her."
The two Vampires bowed their heads.
"No offense was taken, my Leader!" one of them replied.
Muka nodded.
"As you were," she replied.
The two men then got up and began walking down the hall.
Muka then turned back to Faye.
"Using the Influence Skill, you will seek out an isolated Human and order them to follow you," Muka explained. "Then, once you've reached a secluded area, you'll acquire their blood and wipe their memories. Just make sure you acquire the blood by creating a cut on their arm, not by biting into their neck. We've discovered that biting Humans creates a rather addictive feeling in Humans, and it leads to problems."
However, unknown to Muka, the last part of her statement caused memories to flash through Faye's mind.
Instantly, her eyes widened.
"I'm sorry," Faye replied, causing Muka to turn to her. "Did you just say…bites on the neck?"