BXBX NOVEL Chapter 107: The Cursed Tower - Entrace!
He looked at his current amount of Nexus Coins and opened the private terminal for the auction house that sold defensive gear, items from the tower and other goods that were created just for monsters in the Nexus.
'Hmm... there are some collector items from the human kingdoms that used to exist in the 1400s and remnants from the Second Great War?'
Because he didn't want to take too long, he began to think about what would suit him best.
Although his claws were the strongest weapon he had when fighting as a werewolf or devilwolf, he felt the limitations when fighting wraiths.
'Sometimes my claws might be too short...'
"Well, let's open the Weapons Tab and see if something pops out at me."
The moment he began to operate the terminal, pressing the weapon tab and sliding through the overly expensive items. Nikolai noticed this Nexus sold weapons from modern pistols and machine guns to old, refurbished swords and weapons that had no place being sold here for countless years in the past.
"Wow, blue bear's pistol? Is this a genuine item... Though those old-fashioned pistols were a pain to reload, and I am not a fan of guns anyway."
Although guns were the best tool to use against basic monsters, because of their evolution and changes over their growth, a bullet couldn't kill most breeds and races of monsters.
A silver bullet would cause significant damage to a werewolf, vampire and undead types.
However, it could never kill one with a noble bloodline or above. Thus, the SSS trained their bodies and used silver-forged weapons that could perform best with the physical enhancements of the SSS members.
[So, let's look. There are even strange weapons from the tower that fuse with your monster bloodlines. See there, a claw enhancement and modification!]
'Hmm?'
[Weapons] (Werewolf) (Sword) (Enhancement)
Silver Tips - 4000 Nexus Coins
Iron Claws - 1500 Nexus Coins
Silver Longsword - 5000 Nexus Coins
Bloodstone Broadsword - 7000 Nexus Coins
Blackguard Rapier - 10000 Nexus Coins
"It seems that I should buy something interesting, but I don't want to waste too much money. Nexus coins are hard to come by..."
He then checked his current bank balances on his identification card. The numbers are not surprising yet. Nikolai felt some freedom in his purchases thanks to the amount.
[Nexus Account: 20,000]
[Saver Accont: $10,000,000]
'What is the difference between weapons and enhancement? Let's see...'
Nikolai noticed a small plus sign beside each item that showed the previous prices and how many people were selling the item. It even gave information on where it came from and how to get it though it seemed normally you would have to pay for such information.
"I guess I have a first purchase trial."
[Silver Claw Tips]
Offensive Enhancement
Evolution Material
Modification - Damage Increased, Sharpness increased, Stops Regeneration
Cost: 4000-6000 Nexus Coins
[Silver Claws]
Offensive + Defensive Enhancement
Evolution Material
Modification - Damage Increased, Durability Increased, Penetration Up
Cost: 5000-8000 Nexus Coins
A sudden screen appeared, showing the detailed imagery of the two items. The strange thing was that both were not a metal item but silver blood.
The user would drink the potion of blood, and their claws would transform, gaining the abilities of each upgrade and the modifications that came with it.
[Would You Like To Buy?] (Total Cost: 10,000 Nexus Coins)
[Y/N]
"Of course, I'll take them!"
With a press of the green accept button, the screen began to buffer for a moment before a message came to his phone and the identification card, which seemed to use some type of Wi-Fi or magical signal that performed like the internet.
Beep!
A voice suddenly sounded from the speaker.
"Thank you for your purchase, Sir Volkov. Your product will be delivered discreetly within one hour. Please have a nice day."
The overly enthusiastic customer service voice made Nikolai feel quite amused, but thanks to the auction house delivery feature, it could be sent via Nexus Mail straight to the teleportation pad inside his room for an extra 10 Nexus Coins!
[Nexus Account: 9,990]
[Saver Accont: $10,000,000]
'Not only that but anything I buy in the next hour will be put on the same delivery, shouldn't I look for something to wear...?'
He wanted something that looked cool to him in the past, but because he would only wear it in the tower. Nikolai settled on an expensive Trench coat and black combat outfit that seemed to have been made from silk and materials found in the tower.
[Midnight Trench coat of The Wolf]
Defensive Equipment
Evolution Material
Modification - Self Repairing, Temperature Control, Self Cleaning
Cost: 1000-2000 Nexus Coins
[Spiderweave Combat Suit]
Defensive Equipment
Evolution Material
Modification - Self Repairing, Self Cleaning, Damage Resistant
Cost: 2000-3000 Nexus Coins
These two items dropped his coins to 6,990, and he bought some extra comfort boots for 500 coins that had the same modifications as his coat but also had special padding that would make his feet never ache or hurt.
[There are more items to choose from, but if you take too long, then will you ever be on time for your date with Nikita?]
'Yeah, yeah... I understand.'
In reality, there were provisions and potions he could buy, but right now, he wanted to keep the current amount of coins just in case something happened and to bet on himself.
***
Not long after the sound of the teleportation device sounded while Nikolai walked out of his room after a quick shower and wearing a towel.
"My things are here. I should get ready to go and look into the tower, then..." he opened the metal capsule inside the teleportation room, and it was like those you'd find at a bank.
A black case with various items, the two potion bottles were wrapped in a black foam to keep them safe, while the clothes were vacuum sealed and untouched.
First, Nikolai opened the foam casing to the left of the box and opened the vial of Silver blood.
"This smell of silver is incredible. Is it because I am a vampire? The scent reminds me of a medium rare steak with low seasoning and a peppercorn sauce. But will they affect me that much when I have my black claws? I guess I'll find out now! Bottoms up!"
Nikolai drank both bottles of the strange silvery red potion that looked like thick goo. The scent was delicious, and the taste... wasn't bad... It was close to a Sunday meal with roasted potatoes, chicken, carrots, mash and gravy,, a very savoury taste. Suddenly, an itch began to bother him, and his fingers were getting uncomfortable.
"It seems this is beginning..."
His nails were itching and growing with a sudden feeling, like getting pins and needles throughout your whole body. Then, his nails began to bleed. It felt similar to an ingrowing toenail he once had as a child, as the smooth human nails dug into his flesh for a moment before they started dropping from his fingers.
"ARRRRRGH!" Nikolai growled with pain as his human hands turned into devilish, distorted claws as the nails grew outwardly, becoming sharper and longer until finally turning a silvery black. His newly enhanced black claws didn't turn silver but became edged and gained a shimmer to them like the gleam of a sharp knife.
'What?!'
It caused great pain in his black deformed claw, the monstrous shape slightly adjusted as now the claws seemed normal—they were just double the length of his Volkov-formed claws.
[Oh, my? Did the potions cause your deformed hands to adjust themselves slightly? Now your hands don't look so eerie, but they are still brutal and nothing like a normal werewolf...]
"Ha... it hurts.... like I poured... hot oil into my hands...."
[Are you alright?]
Elizabeth's voice became concerned when she noticed that even when his body returned to human form, the changes to his hands remained in the devilwolf state.
This enhancement didn't disappear, also, unlike normal enhancements, which were just evolutionary objects that stayed in a monster's bloodline and affected its original appearance. This was permanent, and now Nikolai would keep the strength of his Devil form's claws even when using his father's bloodline.
"Phew... it's starting to pass." Nikolai muttered with sweat dripping from his brow.
He then scooped up the new clothes and pulled out the black combat suit. It was smooth and sleek. The inside felt close to lycra, but the outside was soft and smooth, like spider silk. When wearing it slowly, it felt cool, as if lowering his temperature the moment he wore it.
The self-cleaning aspect seemed to apply to his body as the sweat and slightly dirty feeling vanished.
His Trench coat slipped over his body smoothly, and it sat well on his shoulders. It had a slightly military look, like a jacket from the First Great War or the Second Great War of the G-Empire without the same icons. Instead, they seemed to have been replaced with Werewolves and wolf faces.
He could use some straps along the inside of the waist, which seemed to be for hidden weapons or arms.
Nikolai stretched in the new outfit and found it looked rather great in the mirror, black as the main colour and silver accenting his military trench coat and fitting his boots, which fit perfectly.
But that was because he noticed all the items adjusted slightly.
The coat's shoulders widened and grew longer while the suit clung to his body like a body suit.
***
[You look so amazing, like one of those handsome duke of the North characters from the S-Kingdoms Manhwa! Mother wants to take pictures, please~ give me a camera!]
'...'
While he set the teleportation device to take him to the lowest difficulty area of the tower, his mother seemed excited about his current outfit.
He knew what kind of man she meant, the type of hero from a female Korean manhwa set in Western medieval settings.
"I can always wear it again, don't be silly. It's time to leave."
Nikolai then sent a message to Selene and Nikita before pressing the teleportation button.
[The Cursed Tower]
(A tower for beginners and weak monsters. Common enemy: Undead, Goblins.)
In moments, he appeared within a white space with just a door standing opposite. Nikolai, a stranger to this scene, opened the door. He found himself in a place with one path with a spiral staircase heading upwards and leading to a single arched doorway.
There was only one way up the stairs and into a new section likely where the entrance of the Tower's first floor started.