Primordial Awakening: I Breathe Skill Points!-Chapter 39: Shopping. (3)

Chapter 39: Shopping. (3)
The next few hours passed in a blur of careful comparison and reluctant compromise.
Zeph moved through the various skill sections with his digital cart, scanning items and then removing them when he did the math on his remaining credits.
[Long-Range Skills]
He found himself staring at [Wind Blade - Rank D] for a solid ten minutes.
Cost: 10,000 credits
Effect: Swing weapon to release compressed air slash. Range: 10 meters. Damage: 40% weapon damage. Cooldown: 5 seconds. Cost: 20 MP.
"Basic ranged option for melee fighters. Won’t replace a proper ranged specialist, but provides tactical flexibility when closing distance is disadvantageous. Popular training skill at Academies due to low MP cost and quick cooldown."
It was practical. His axe was purely melee—this gave him at least some option for enemies that stayed at range or flew.
’40% damage at 10 meters. Not great, but better than throwing rocks. And only 5-second cooldown means I can use it frequently.’
He scanned it into his cart.
[Movement Skills]
Two options competed for his attention:
[Predator’s Advance - Rank D]
Cost: 10,000 credits
Effect: Move at 50% speed while maintaining complete silence. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 45 seconds. Cost: 20 MP.
versus
[Lightning Reflexes - Rank D]
Cost: 12,000 credits
Effect: Passive - Dodge speed increased by 25%. Always active, no resource cost
Both were good. Both fit his style. But he only had credits for one.
Zeph weighed the options with the calculation of someone who’d spent years making life-or-death resource decisions.
’Lightning Reflexes is passive. Always on. Better for sustained combat and general survival. But Predator’s Advance is active—I control when to use it. Perfect for stealth approaches and ambush setup. Combines with my existing preference for fighting from surprise.’
’I already have AGI 156. My dodge speed is decent. What I need is better approach options for getting into position undetected. Plus I need to be able run at high speeds for longer periods. Phantom step just can’t give me that.’
He scanned [Predator’s Advance] and watched [Lightning Reflexes] stay on the shelf.
[Defensive Skills]
[Iron Skin - Rank D]
Cost: 8,000 credits
Effect: Passive - 15% physical damage reduction. Always active.
It was boring. Completely, utterly boring. No flashy effects, no dramatic moments, just a flat percentage reduction to physical damage that would work every single time he got hit.
’Which will be often, because I’m a glass cannon who eventually gets caught.’
’Boring skills keep you alive. Cool skills might get you killed when they’re on cooldown.’
He scanned it, making a mental note to never, ever tell anyone his defensive strategy was "hope my passive damage reduction means they need one more hit to kill me."
-----
The cart was getting expensive:
[CURRENT CART]
[Cleaving Momentum - Rank D] - 8,000 credits
[Iron Woodsman’s Foundation] - 3,000 credits
[Wind Blade - Rank D] - 10,000 credits
[Predator’s Advance - Rank D] - 10,000 credits
[Iron Skin - Rank D] - 8,000 credits
TOTAL: 39,000 credits
REMAINING BALANCE: 9,460 credits
Zeph stared at the numbers with a mix of satisfaction and mild panic.
’39,000 credits. That’s... that’s almost everything Marcus gave me. Gone in four hours of shopping.’
’But I’ll be significantly more dangerous. Cleaving Momentum for damage scaling. Wind Blade for ranged options. Predator’s Advance for stealth approach and movement. Iron Skin for not dying like an idiot. And Iron Woodsman to fix my terrible self-taught technique.’
’Not bad for someone who was eating rats two weeks ago.’
But there was one more thing he needed. One more section he hadn’t visited yet.
The breathing technique section was tucked in a quieter corner of the ground floor, away from the flashy combat skills and weapon displays. It made sense—breathing techniques weren’t sexy. They were foundational, supplementary, the kind of thing serious cultivators invested in but casual fighters ignored.
The selection was smaller than other sections. Maybe thirty different manuals total, organized by complexity and benefit.
Zeph scanned the titles:
[Warrior’s Breath - Basic]
[Flowing River Method]
[Combat Circulation Fundamentals]
[Storm Breath Pattern]
But one manual dominated the beginner section with multiple copies on the shelf:
[Foundation Breath - Basic Manual]
Cost: 5,000 credits
Content: Fundamental breathing patterns for optimal mana circulation. 8 basic patterns, proper diaphragm control, rhythm maintenance during activity.
The description was straightforward: "The most widely taught breathing technique in all seven Sanctuaries. Over 60% of awakened learn this method in their first year. Provides 20% faster MP and SP (Skill Points) regeneration and establishes proper habits for learning advanced techniques later. Cannot be skipped—all higher-tier breathing methods assume you’ve mastered these fundamentals. Estimated time to Master: 3-4 weeks with daily practice."
It was the equivalent of "Introduction to Breathing 101"—the absolute baseline that every serious awakened learned.
And Zeph needed it desperately.
Not because of the MP or SP regeneration, though that was nice. But because of his Primordial Architect.
Every breath generated 1 Primordial Point. That was his cheat, his hidden advantage, the thing that let him bypass normal System limitations.
But what if he could breathe better?
’If proper breathing increases MP regeneration by 20%, what does it do to PP generation?’
’What if optimizing my breathing pattern means I generate 3 PP per breath instead of 1? Over the course of a day, that’s...’
His mental math kicked in automatically.
’Average person breathes 15 times per minute. 900 times per hour. 21,600 times per day. If each breath generates 3 PP instead of 1, that’s 64,800 PP per day instead of 21,600. An extra
43,200 PP just from breathing slightly better!’
’And that’s assuming only a 20% improvement. What if mastering proper technique gives 50%? 75%?’
’What if there are advanced breathing techniques that multiply PP generation even further?’
The possibilities made his mind light up with possibilities.
He scanned [Foundation Breath] into his cart before he could second-guess the purchase.
Ding!
The cart updated one final time:
[CURRENT CART]
[Cleaving Momentum - Rank D] - 8,000 credits
[Iron Woodsman’s Foundation] - 3,000 credits
[Wind Blade - Rank D] - 10,000 credits
[Predator’s Advance - Rank D] - 10,000 credits
[Iron Skin - Rank D] - 8,000 credits
[Foundation Breath - Basic] - 5,000 credits
TOTAL: 44,000 credits
REMAINING BALANCE: 4,460 credits
Zeph looked at the remaining balance and felt the weight of poverty settle over him like a familiar coat.
4,460 credits. Enough for a month of food. Maybe some cheap equipment. Definitely not enough for any of the cool shit he’d seen today.
He’d walked past the weapons section without even browsing—what was the point? His goblin chieftain’s axe was crude but functional, and proper weapons started at 20,000 credits for anything better than "basic training equipment."
The artifacts section might as well have been a museum. "Please don’t touch the 100,000-credit spatial storage ring" vibes everywhere.
’I need a job. Like, immediately. Because this "being poor" thing is getting old fast, and I just saw at least twenty items I want but can’t afford.’
’Ghost Axe Style alone is 40,000 credits. That’s... how many dungeon runs? How many months of grinding?’
’How the fuck do normal people afford this shit?’
But despite the financial pain, he felt something close to satisfaction as he headed toward the checkout counter.
He was investing in himself. In getting stronger, more skilled, more capable. These skills and techniques would pay for themselves a hundred times over if they kept him alive long enough to earn more credits.
’First things first: learn what I just bought. Master the fundamentals. Get my fighting technique up to actually competent levels instead of "survived by being violent."’
’Then find work. Dungeons, probably. That’s where the money is for solo awakened. Clear dungeons, sell the loot, accumulate credits until I can afford the really good stuff.’
’And most importantly, figure out what the hell the Primordial Architect becomes when I combine it with proper breathing techniques!’
He approached the checkout counter, tablet in hand, and prepared to commit financial suicide in the name of not dying in his next real fight.
Behind him, the Union continued its endless commerce—hundreds of awakened humans buying the tools they needed to climb the levels, clear the dungeons, survive in a world that still wanted them dead even 197 years after the Descent.
Zeph was just one more customer in an endless stream.
But as he handed his tablet to the attendant and watched his remaining credits disappear, he allowed himself a moment of dark satisfaction.
’Two weeks ago, I was eating rats in ruins and wondering if I’d survive the winter.’
’Now I’m broke because I spent 44,000 credits on skills that will make me a more efficient killer.’
’Progress.’