He made a note to check them out when he went shopping for equipment. After what had happened inside the Gate, keeping one in his bag sounded like common sense. He thanked her and left the clinic.
After leaving the clinic, Max realized that evening had already settled over the city.
The streets around the Academy were crowded with students returning from lessons and Players carrying their equipment home.
Max walked among them for a while, enjoying the simple fact that he wasn’t limping anymore.
But then he caught the smell of roasted chicken drifting from a restaurant across the street. That immediately caused him to stop and look over.
A sign near the entrance advertised a limited supply of real poultry. The price was enough to make him hesitate, as it usually did.
Real meat had become a luxury long before he was born, and most days he’d been lucky to afford anything beyond nutrient paste.
Today was different.
Max walked inside and ordered a plate of roasted chicken with vegetables and sauce.
Fifty-five credits.
He almost winced at the price, but when the food arrived, his reservations disappeared immediately.
The skin was crisp, the meat was tender, and the sauce had just enough heat to make him want another bite.
"Mmm..."
He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the taste.
It wasn’t the strangest thing he’d ever eaten, especially after his recent adventures, but there was something wonderful about sitting down to enjoy a proper meal without having to kill it first.
’Maybe I should try cooking those monster meat some day,’ Max thought to himself.
While eating, Max opened his banking app and settled the 460 credits of rent he’d been putting off. He watched the overdue notice disappear from his account, then stared at the confirmation for a moment.
That was it.
No more worrying about the landlord knocking on his door. No more wondering whether he’d have to survive another week on the cheapest nutrient paste available.
At least for now, those problems were gone.
Max smiled and returned to his meal.
By the time he got home, the excitement of the day had finally caught up with him.
He put the sealed monster-meat samples in his small refrigerator, dropped his backpack beside the bed, and changed out of his torn clothes.
The E-rank Alpha core was next. He turned it over in his palm, studying the dark red mana shifting deep inside.
He could have sold it for thousands more. He could also consume it, or keep it until he understood what else such a valuable core might be useful for.
For now, he placed it in its padded case and put the case in a drawer.
’I’ll decide later.’
He showered, changed into clean clothes, and sat on the edge of his bed to check his finances.
[Available Balance: 4,389 Credits]
He’d had fourteen credits left before the sale. Now, even after paying his rent and treating himself to an expensive meal, there were still more than four thousand credits in his account.
Max stared at the number, feeling quite pleased with himself.
’I’m fucking rich, man.’
His gaze wandered to the gauntlet on his wrist.
Eight more kills before its next function unlocked. He was curious about what it could do, especially after seeing how useful Burst Step had become, but he had no intention of returning to a Gate immediately.
For one thing, he needed better equipment.
Max opened a few Hunter supply listings on his phone. A good suit of E-rank armor cost more than his entire balance.
Better weapons weren’t much cheaper, and a pair of movement-enhancing boots looked tempting until he saw their price.
But the healing potions were within reach.
He spent some time comparing grades and reading the warnings printed beneath them.
Basic F-grade potions were intended for cuts, bites, and muscle injuries, provided they were treated quickly.
The stronger E-grade versions could handle deeper damage, though nothing in the descriptions suggested they’d save someone from every possible injury.
He added several options to a list, then stopped. Too many shops used different measurements, and he didn’t want to gamble on a bottle that might turn out to be useless.
’I’ll go in person. I want to see what I’m buying.’
***
The next morning, Max ate the last of the nutrient paste in his cupboard. He could afford real food, but he didn’t want these ones to waste... This might just be the last time he’d ever taste them anyway.
He gathered his money and his Player card, and headed for the Hunter market.
The streets near the Academy were already busy. Players in armored jackets crossed between equipment shops, delivery carts carried sealed crates of harvested monster materials, and a group of students in training uniforms were arguing over the price of a repaired sword.
Max passed the weapon displays without stopping. There would be time to look at those later.
He followed the signs toward the medical supplies section until he reached a pharmacy with rows of brightly labeled bottles behind its front counter.
A small placard beside the door identified it as an Association-certified supplier.
A man ahead of him collected two potions and left after paying. Max stepped forward and studied the shelves.
The lower rows held ordinary F-grade healing potions in small, sealed vials. Higher up were more concentrated versions, followed by E-grade potions inside a locked glass cabinet.
Even farther back stood a shelf of elixirs whose price tags made him lose interest almost immediately.
"What injuries are you preparing for?" the woman behind the counter asked.
Max thought of the Alpha’s teeth closing around his calf and the cut across his ribs.
With his fighting style, it was most likely to engage his opponents in close type combats, so that should be his focus.
"Bites. Deep cuts. Anything that might stop me from getting out of a Gate."
The woman followed his gaze toward the row of basic potions.
"All right," she said. "Before you buy any of those, let me explain the difference between stopping the bleeding and actually repairing the injury."