The commotion soon quieted down. Under the threat of death, every survivor's time was pressing.
The Sankuro's Mighty Hammer, valued at 20,000 Survival Points, and the Outcast: Brand Crush skill book, valued at 13,000 Survival Points, attracted the attention of many survivors.
Sankuro's Mighty Hammer was the weapon of Sankuro Yorozu from the Samurai Shodown world. Its innate skills were mouth-watering. It was already a weapon with exceptionally high attack power, and a fully charged strike doubled the damage. One swing of that hammer could truly determine the fate of a battle.
Furthermore, there was an equipment enhancement area in the Survival Space. Upgrading a weapon's level could increase both its attack power and the potency of its skills! It was hard to imagine the attack power after multiple enhancements; the damage at full charge would be unfathomable.
Of course, the 50% reduction in attack speed was its fatal flaw. A long-handled hammer was already slow; with a 50% penalty, the attack frequency would be slower than a snail. It was a tempting weapon, but its price was not something an average survivor could afford.
Outcast: Brand Crush was a powerful skill belonging to the demon Kusaregedo. In the game, being caught by Kusaregedo's Brand Crush dealt up to 45% of one's health in damage. Essentially, two hits would leave an enemy on the brink of death.
A man with short, pale blond hair and muscles straining against his clothes—clearly a high-strength survivor—pointed at the Brand Crush skill book and spoke in fluent Swedish.
"The price is too high. Can you make it cheaper?"
"..."
Cyan looked up at the Swedish giant but said nothing.
"How about I trade this skill book plus 5,000 Survival Points?"
Seeing that Cyan had no intention of talking, the Swedish survivor gritted his teeth and produced a skill book, displaying its attributes.
[Holy Flame]
[Type: Skill Book]
[Function: Learn the LV1 Active Skill Holy Flame. Holy Flame: Summons purifying holy fire to coat a melee weapon. Grants special damage bonuses against demons and ghosts.]
[Prerequisites: Intelligence 8, Spirit 8.]
[Note: Those bastards of the Belmont family! I curse your lineage with eternal exhaustion!]
"Even though this skill requires a melee weapon, you can see its attributes. This book is worth at least 8,000 Survival Points. Whether you are in The Grudge, Midnight Horror, or the Splatterhouse series, this skill is incredibly useful. The only downside is needing a melee weapon to release it."
The Swedish giant rambled on, translated by the Survival Brand into a language Cyan and Nishi could understand. He was prepared to be rejected; the skill was clearly meant for survivors who focused on Intelligence, but most "Mages" preferred ranged combat. Who would be foolish enough to go into melee? Melee weapons often had requirements for Strength, Constitution, or Agility.
The giant had already thought of offering two decent pieces of equipment to cover the 8,000-point gap if rejected. After all, a survivor who could obtain plot character equipment was no rookie. You could fool a newbie with this skill, but not a grizzled veteran.
Cyan didn't understand the specific worlds the man mentioned, but hearing his pitch, she thought the skill seemed decent.
"Fine. Agreed."
"I figured... wait, you agreed?"
The giant thought Cyan would refuse and was about to reach for his gear when he realized she had accepted the trade. He laughed loudly, quickly sending the trade request as if afraid she would change her mind.
"Brother, if we ever meet in a survival world in the future, I hope we can team up!"
Once the trade finished, the Swede impatiently learned Brand Crush. It was exactly what he needed—a skill that crushed enemies into the ground, allowing for follow-up attacks.
With the skill book gone, only the Mighty Hammer remained. Cyan used the Holy Flame skill book.
[Survivor No. 11766, you have learned the Active Skill Holy Flame.]
Holy Flame (Active), Skill Level: LV1.
Consumes 20 Spirit. Summons purifying holy fire to coat a melee weapon. Damage against demons/ghosts increased by 20%; damage against other types increased by 8%. Has a 15% chance to inflict Burn for 5 seconds, dealing Intelligence + 5 fire damage per second (stacks up to 3 times). After 1 second of activation, consumes 5 Spirit per second. Cannot be maintained if Spirit is below 15.
"Master, I feel like you got scammed," Nishi whispered, leaning in. She didn't think the book was worth 8,000 points.
"...Scammed?" Cyan tilted her head.
*You didn't even realize it!* Nishi looked at Cyan, who had taken the loss without knowing it, and covered her face with her hand.
Many people wanted the Mighty Hammer, attempting to bargain or offer trades, but their items didn't match its value. Plot equipment didn't drop every time a character died; it was a rare drop. You could kill Sankuro ten times and only get food or flintlocks.
Cyan had scouted the market before setting up her stall, so she wasn't about to make a truly bad deal.
"So, you guys are here!"
Erni's undisguised voice reached their ears.
*This woman is like a ghost... does she really want to stick to Master that badly?* Nishi stared at Erni with "dead fish eyes." Even without seeing her face clearly, she could guess her expression—undoubtedly swooning over Cyan again.
"Are you buying? Only the hammer is left," Cyan said, pointing to the weapon.
"I don't want that big hammer! I can't even use it! I heard we can create Survivor Squads. Do you want to team up?"
Erni wasn't here to shop; she was here to find a powerhouse to rely on. In the world of Samurai Shodown, she would have died many times without Cyan. Following that dimwit Kent had nearly resulted in her being assaulted by filthy ronins.
"Not interested."
"Eh?! Don't refuse so quickly!"
Erni didn't expect such a blunt rejection. She pleaded until her throat was dry, but Cyan didn't budge. Dejected, she finally left.
After a while longer with no buyers, Nishi sat with her chin on her knees, bored. She wanted to explore but didn't want to leave Cyan alone.
A man wearing jeans and a denim vest over a red long-sleeved shirt picked up the Mighty Hammer, checking its attributes.
"Friend, can you go lower on this hammer?"
Cyan glanced at him. Beside her, Nishi put her hands on her hips. "No haggling!"
The man called his companions over. The four of them huddled together, whispering.
*A team...*
Cyan thought of Erni's words. Her gaze lingered on the four of them for a moment before she closed her eyes, practicing her Mugen-ryu in her mind. She had no interest in their discussion. In Survival Town, you couldn't harm others, and items on display were protected by the system; they couldn't be taken without a proper trade.