Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Chapter 157: Contribution Points (2)

Intermediate weapons such as the [Frozen Claw] were very rare. Kyle had even once gone to the mall in search for weapons of such grade and had learnt that there weren't available.

It turned out that not some equipments of a certain power level could not be present in the mall, as most weapons that were present there were usually made by the staff or students of the academy.

That made Kyle value his weapon greatly, he had come to the conclusion that his only means of getting a better weapon than it was through Orion yet now, as he stood in the Contribution Hall, Kyle found himself staring at a display screen showing katanas of the same grade as [Frozen Claw]—and they were priced at a surprisingly low price.

"Just 200 credits?!" Kyle repeated to the man after blinking multiple times.

"Well," the man lightly chuckled. "That was not the reaction I expected. Tell me. What did you do to have enough contribution points that you call 200 'just'?"

"Oh?" Kyle realized what was happening. It turned out that he had more contribution points than usual.

'It only makes sense considering how well I had performed in the mission,' Kyle thought, imagining how much more he would had been entitled to if he had revealed his influence in getting rid of all the beasts.

"..."

Kyle realized that he had left the man hanging as he pondered to himself. "I and my team were meant to assist a village to survive a tide, but we managed to clear the tide."

"Ohh... Makes sense," the man murmured. "Clearing a tide isn't easy due to strength of beasts that could make it up, especially the last wave. You must either be very strong or extremely lucky to have pulled off such feat."

"I guess it's the latter," Kyle said with a nervous chuckle.

"So... You've made your choice yet?" the man said, returning to the main point of their discussion as there were still other students lined after Kyle. He had been using a considerable amount of time with each of them due to having to explain some of their questions but he was wasting too much time on the boy before him.

"Give me a moment, sir." Kyle requested, receiving a nod of approval that permitted him to go deep in thought on his choice.

'I don't need any spells right now. Almost everything I'd want can be bought from the mall,' Kyle thought. 'And I don't need artifacts or magic items, thanks to Orion. Credits aren't a problem either, and I already have Void as my pet. Honestly, there's not much I truly need at the moment.'

Kyle went deep in thought. Honestly, he was really tempted at grabbing a flashy item, but he understood the importance of patience.

'If missions are the only source of contribution points then that makes it a scarce resource,' Kyle pondered. He knew it wouldn't be wise to waste them on something impulsive.

Still, curiosity got the better of him. With a swipe on the interface, Kyle searched for an advanced weapon. He wasn't planning to buy it. 'I'll just see the price.'

The interface quickly loaded, displaying a list of advanced-grade katanas, but their prices wasn't what he expected.

"One thousand?!" Kyle's eyes widened in shock. 'That's five times the price of the intermediate ones.'

That went to show the vast difference between weapons of the two grades and that made him crave them more. He stared at the screen, silently debating his options.

Kyle sighed and leaned back, letting the realization settle. 'If I rush into spending my points now, I might regret it later. Better to save them until I know exactly what I need.'

After a few more moments of contemplation, Kyle came to a conclusion. It was better to wait. He couldn't predict when an opportunity might arise that required contribution points, and wasting them now could cost him dearly later.

Kyle raised his head and gave the man behind the counter an apologetic look. "Sorry for taking so much of your time, sir. I think I'll hold onto my points for now."

"There's no need to apologize. That's a wise choice. You'd be surprised how many students rush to spend their points without considering the future. It's refreshing to see someone exercise restraint," the man replied with a warm smile.

Kyle nodded, appreciating the man's understanding. "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime. Good luck with your next mission." The man gave him a polite nod before turning his attention to the next student in line.

As Kyle exited the Contribution Hall, he felt a sense of relief. He hadn't wasted his points on something flashy or unnecessary, and that gave him a sense of pride.

Void jumped on Kyle's shoulder and broke the silence he had maintained since. "You didn't buy anything? That's surprising. I thought you'd at least get something shiny for me to eat."

Kyle laughed at Void's remark. 'You know that's the last thing I'll do. Spend these precious points on your food? Dream on.

Void huffed and rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

Kyle continued his short walk toward the dormitory, appreciating the familiar sights of the academy. When he finally reached the form gates, he couldn't help but let out a small sigh of contentment.

"Home sweet home," he muttered.

However, he had no intention of heading to his own house. He had already made up his mind of where he'll be visiting.

"Come on, Void. We're heading to House No. 6," Kyle announced, walking in through the gates and approaching the house.

It didn't wait too long for Kyle to locate the house he was looking for. He lightly knocked on the door and waited for a response. Kyle wasn't surprised when he got no reply and kept knocking, knowing fully well the nature of the occupant.

It took some more minutes of relentless knocking before someone opened the door. He looked haggard as usual. No, more than usual. With his disheveled hair, eye bags and dull eyes, it was easy to tell that he was barely getting any sleep.

Orion was about to scold the person that had woke him up from the short sleep he almost got to enjoy but recognized the person mid-way. He adjusted his displaced glasses, as if trying to confirm that he was seeing things right before saying words Kyle didn't expect to hear:

"Oh? You survived."