I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 41

EP.41 Before the Semester Starts (1)

Rebecca is busy with training, Shine has been out on an practicum for quite some time, and Fran left to overthrow the church after receiving the holy relic from me. Later, I received a letter informing me that she had succeeded in overturning the church. However, she mentioned that she would need time to reorganize the church before the semester starts. In the end, all the SSRs I had selected had left my side.

“Should I summon another one or not?”

Summoning SSRs irresponsibly is not a good idea. What if the scenarios for the SSR characters progress simultaneously? Trying to handle too many scenarios at once could lead to a breakdown. Since I had already sold their unique equipment, it would be beneficial for both parties if they graduated from the academy and performed well in the contaminated zones. The current stabilization ratio of the contaminated zones is 60 to 40, but this ratio won’t remain constant forever. Eventually, the contaminated zones will start threatening humanity again, and we will have to begin the process of sending nobles to purify them. I suspect that this time is likely not far off.

‘The main scenario will progress regardless of whether I summon SSRs or not.’

Before that happens, I need to summon as many SSR characters as possible to form a squad capable of clearing the contaminated zones. However, summoning SSR characters recklessly and ruining the scenario, resulting in poor stats, would be counterproductive. What is needed here is balance. I need to manage things so that I can intervene appropriately in each scenario. And now, with the semester about to start, I had to decide whether to summon the last remaining SSR character or not.

“I guess I should summon one more, right?”

Rebecca will grow on her own if I leave her to get used to her unique equipment, and I don’t need to intervene in Fran’s takeover of the church. I haven’t seen Shine in a while, and since I traded her unique equipment, I can’t guarantee that our connection will continue. It seems right to summon one more.

– Bang, bang, bang! –

“Hey, mister!”

– Bang, bang, bang! –

“Is the door open? It is. Excuse me.”

It seemed that the person I had briefly mentioned couldn’t be a gentleman, as they suddenly appeared in the shop.

“Hey, mister!”

“…What is it?”

“How have you been? I just got back from my practicum!”

The person making a noisy entrance was none other than Shine. I knew she had returned from her practicum, but I didn’t understand why she was so happy or why she had come here.

“So, what do you want? Should I have welcomed you?”

“I didn’t expect a welcome. Haha! But since you’re my benefactor, I thought I should at least let you know that I’m back.”

Benefactor?

Considering Shine’s scenario, it wasn’t surprising. During this practicum, she must have had a near-death experience, and the consumables I gave her would have been very useful.

“The things you gave me, mister. Without them, I would have died during this practicum and wouldn’t be standing here now.”

She talked about her near-death experience so peacefully.

It seemed she was trying to brush it off as if such a shock didn’t affect her much.

“Did something like that happen? You managed to come back alive.”

“Yeah~ I think it’s pretty impressive myself. And it’s all thanks to the things you gave me. You saved my life!”

Since she was making such an effort after experiencing something significant, what good would it do for me to make a fuss here? I congratulated her on her survival with a similarly indifferent attitude.

“If you’re that grateful, you should have brought a gift.”

“Hehe, I did bring a gift.”

“…You brought a gift?”

Going on an practicum meant going to a battlefield where life was at risk. So, it’s not like someone would bring back souvenirs as if they had been on a trip. Expecting such a thing was unreasonable.

“It’s not something grand. I told you I almost died, right? I barely survived using the items you gave me and managed to kill that thing, so I brought back a molar as a memento.”

“A molar could fetch a pretty high price.”

“Hehe, but I wanted to keep this as a memento. I kept one molar for myself, and this one is a gift to you as a token of my gratitude.”

“Hmm… This is quite a burden to accept as a gift. If I need money, I might end up selling it.”

I didn’t know what kind of creature she had taken down, but the molar was as big as Shine’s forearm. How long could I hold onto this thing? There weren’t any package deals in the shop that tempted me right now, but eventually, something would come along that would. I wasn’t confident I could keep this molar without selling it. It might be better not to accept it than to face awkward questions later about whether I still had it.

“Sell it if you need to. I don’t mind. I just wanted to repay your kindness in some way.”

She smiled broadly, saying it was enough for her if it was used when I needed money.

“You’re quite good at flattery. This is a gift, but isn’t it also partly a bribe?”

She already knew what kind of items I had. I was a suspicious merchant with rare scrolls that newly enlisted nobles couldn’t even dream of. She might want to keep buying items from me rather than prying into my identity. After all, she had just saved her life using my items during this practicum.

“You’re really quick to catch on. You figured it out already?”

“I’m not young enough to be fooled by such a simple trick. Anyway, I’ll gladly accept the gift. I’ll use it wisely.”

Since she said I could sell it, there was no reason to refuse. I quickly pocketed the molar.

“School starts soon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you improved your skills?”

“Of course! I met an amazing partner, so I had to grow. I made quite a splash this time.”

If she returned safely from the practicum, Shine’s main stats would have increased. No wonder she was excited.

“Since school is starting soon, you’ll be able to officially raise your rank. Congratulations.”

Officially, Shine was probably still a B-rank. Once the semester started, she would be officially recognized as an A-rank.

“I can’t wait for school to start. Hehe. I’ll go home, boast a bit, and come back with a hefty allowance. Mister.”

“Are you going to ask me to sell you the same stuff I gave you for the practicum?”

“Yes.”

“If you promise not to tell anyone where you got them, I’ll sell them to you. If a bunch of nosy people come demanding items, I won’t sell to you either.”

“Hey! Of course, I won’t go around blabbing. Do you think I’d do that?”

“Wasn’t it you who told all your friends about it?”

“Did my friend cause trouble for you?!”

“No, not really. But if they start bothering me, it could become a problem.”

Shine probably sensed that her friend’s behavior was unusual back then. I didn’t like how they kept probing about where these items came from.

“I’ll make sure to talk to them. I don’t want you to be inconvenienced.”

The best solution would be for that friend to never show up in front of me again. With Shine’s first scenario completed, the second scenario would soon begin. The second scenario would start after the semester began. Shine had a childhood rival who had advanced to A-rank while Shine was stuck at B-rank. When Shine finally reached A-rank and started taking classes with her rival, the rival would feel displeased and start to compete with her. Shine, having reached A-rank, would also want to beat her rival to prove herself. Eventually, they would get a chance to face off during a class, which would be the focal point of the second scenario.

‘Depending on whether she wins, loses, or ties, the rewards will differ.’

The best outcome would be for her to win. However, to achieve victory, she would need to be equipped with all sorts of items. Even then, a slight mistake could lead to defeat. If winning seemed too diffichurch, aiming for a tie wouldn’t be a bad option. A tie would offer better stat growth than a loss. But if she lost?

‘It would be better to just reroll.’

Therefore, she needed to grow enough to win the duel with her rival before the semester began.

‘But I don’t have a way to make her grow.’

Every second counted if she was to prepare for the duel with her rival.

“Hey, do you want to spend the rest of your vacation productively?”

“Huh? Spend my vacation productively?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“I have a private training facility I use. An academy instructor trains there.”

If there was anything among my possessions that could be used, I was willing to use it all. Knowing Rebecca, if I asked her to spare some time to train Shine, she wouldn’t refuse.

“I’ve built a bit of a rapport with her, so I could ask her to look after you for a bit.”

“???”

Shine looked puzzled, not understanding the situation.

“Don’t want to?”

“Oh… oh? No! I love it! Absolutely love it!”

Realizing the situation, Shine started jumping up and down.

“But who is it? Is it an instructor I know? Who is it?”

“Do you know Rebecca?”

“Gasp! Rebecca? She’s the A-rank senior instructor!”

She was supposed to be Shine’s training instructor once her rank was officially raised.

“Then it’s perfect. The sooner you start training with your assigned instructor, the better.”

“Of course!”

Shine nodded her head vigorously, full of excitement.