Author's Note: Did someone say I should post this at 1am? No? Well I did it anyway lol. Thank you guys for all of the support! I seriously appreciate all of the comments, it really helps me keep motivated to keep writing :D . Once again, I would highly recommend everyone reading this to add this novel to their reading lists, my uploads are completely random and it is the best way to keep track of when new chapters are released. Enjoy the chapter!

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Jimmy's vision returned, but he was no longer in the fountain.

A room shaped like a perfect cube enchased him; only a thin band of white lights on the ceiling illuminated its pitch black walls. 

[ User has entered Exchange Room ]

[ Battle Broadcast has been forcibly ended. All pending Battle Credits have now been awarded ]

"Alright... thanks I think, robot voice," Jimmy muttered as he lifted himself off of the cool, metallic ground.

Though he was not exactly sure what he was anticipating, it was clearly not a room as barren as this. There were only four things in the cube- a weird tablet connected to a screen, two objects that resembled slot machines, and a weird purple waterfall behind him.

The 'waterfall' was positioned in a frame sticking off of the wall. Though the purple liquid continuously flowed down, it did not spill out onto the floor. Though it could just be due to a simple drain, Jimmy wanted to believe it was some cool and futuristic technology. As the color matched the water from the fountain he entered from, Jimmy figured it was most likely the way out. 

Guess I should just check 'em all out.

He decided to investigate the tablet first and the giant screen popped on upon his approach. A massive catalog was presented with a huge variety of items. Jimmy was quickly able to figure out that the tablet was used to scroll through and purchase the items, while the screen gave details about them. He quickly noted that everything in the catalog had to be bought with Crystal Points. There were hundreds of different kinds of weapons including swords, whips, axes, and bows. Armor was in another section, with their abilities ranging based on the price of the piece.

Did they really have to put 'Crystal' in every name? I mean I guess it means they're not normal things, but they could still think of better titles.

With those bitter thoughts in his mind, Jimmy finally found the healing potions he was looking for in the support section of the catalog, and much like the other items, the original price was crossed out with a red line and replaced by the discounted version. There were a few different types of healing potions- some dealing with different statuses due to abilities, but Jimmy decided to buy two of the basic ones for Rodger and Dylan. Thanks to the discount, they were only 75 points each instead of the usual 150.

Two vials filled with red liquid suddenly appeared on the flat tablet in front of him. Jimmy stared at the potions curiously before stuffing them into his backpack.

This discount is too good to waste, I should probably see what else I can buy.

"Menu" Jimmy said after that thought.

Sector: 179 

Crystal User: 001

Evolution Stage: 1 (100)%

Title: The First - grants bonus crystal points upon absorption, featured battle broadcasts, [ ], and [ ]

Main Abilities:

Elemental Shield (100%): Summons shield of various elements. More elements become available and its strength increases as the ability levels up.

Assist Abilities:

Crystal Drainage: Automatically absorbs crystal from slain opponents. Grants Crystal User life force in proportion to its strength.

Crystal Points: 5342

Battle Credits: 53

Jimmy took a deep breath as he tried to process all of the new information he saw. Not only were there percents next to the evolution stage and Elemental Stage ability, but there was also the reveal of one of the black boxes in his title perks. He was still struggling to figure out how the whole battle broadcast thing worked, but Jimmy had a good guess on what the percentage things meant.

"Hey, robot voice, do the percentages in the menu being full mean that they can be upgraded?"

[ Affirmative. Users can evolve and upgrade abilities at Exchange Rooms ]

"Thank you!" he replied as he glanced over to the slot machines at the other end of the room.

Well, those seem like the only possible things that could do that. I should probably see what I can get for Crystal Points first though. This 50% off thing could let me get something insanely good if I go all out on it. 

Jimmy scanned through the tablet once again trying to see what he could buy. He quickly stumbled upon something in the support section that caught his eye. Listed on the screen was a wrist band called Dimensional Storage originally for 10,000 crystal points. According to the description, the band could store 15 different items inside of it, which would not spoil nor change temperature at all. It seemed an unlimited amount of each different item could stack inside of it, which was hard for Jimmy to even comprehend.

Though the purchase would nearly wipe out all of his saved points, there was little hesitation in Jimmy's mind when he pressed the 'buy' icon. The storage would be both insanely useful for storing things like the potions he just bought and saving 5,000 points by getting it during the sale was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Similar to the healing potions, the band appeared on top of the tablet with a quick flash of light. The storage band resembled a miniature watch, except it had a transparent crystal where the clock would normally reside. Jimmy casually slipped the storage band onto his left wrist, but it suddenly sank into his skin the moment he let go.

"The heck!?" Jimmy screamed reflexively.

Now that the band was under his skin, only the transparent crystal remained visible. Jimmy cautiously rubbed the area that now covered the band, but there was not even a speck of pain.

My god, this stuff is insane! I guess I should probably move the potions into there.

With that thought, Jimmy grabbed the potions out of the bag and the moment they made contact with the transparent crystal, the two vials vanished. There was no extra weight in his arm despite the potions being added to the storage, causing him to slightly panic and tap the crystal. A small screen immediately appeared above his wrist displaying what resembled an inventory in the games he played. Only the first of the fifteen boxes was filled up with a potion icon; a small number 2 was in the bottom corner of it.

After a quick sigh of relief, Jimmy made his way over to the two slot machines. They looked like the ones inside fancy casinos- there was a large screen in front of a comfy-looking chair for both of them. Though their technology seemed to be extremely advanced based on the giant touch-screen, it still used a giant lever to activate the slot, which piqued Jimmy's curiosity. A small icon with a question mark was in the bottom right of each screen and some extremely important details were revealed after he pressed it.

Jimmy quickly read through them and made some mental notes about what was said.

One machine was for his Elemental Shield and the other was for his Evolution Stage. Once their progress reached 100%, Users could use Battle Credits to spin the slots and get random upgrade choices that they could then choose one of. Despite this basic system being in place for both machines, there were a few key differences between the two. Unlike the Elemental Shield with three lanes of possible upgrades, the Evolution Stage machine only had one. The shield slot also cost 50 credits pre-discount while the evolution one cost 100.

The last main piece of information he found was that there were different tiers of possible upgrades signified by the color of their background.

Gray - Common
Green - Uncommon
Blue - Rare
Red - Epic
Golden - Legendary

Set on taking advantage of the massive discount, Jimmy decided to use the Evolution Stage machine. Before that, he rushed back to the tablet and purchased 4 more healing potions for 300 points and 8 saturation cubes that he saw while browsing earlier for 40 points leaving Jimmy with only 2 crystal points left. The cubes were originally 10 points each and according to the screen, they instantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of whoever eats them. It was the perfect food for emergencies and could be easily stored in his Dimensional Storage in large amounts.

With everything stored away in his wrist, he sat down at the Evolution Stage machine and pulled the lever. If it wasn't for the moment being so intense, he would have instantly fallen asleep in the dream-like chair. His body sank into the material as colors rushed across the screen. Gradually, the icons slowed down until an icon of a fairy silluet with a golden outline came to a stop.

"... No freaking way" he muttered out loud, completely stunned at his luck.

A golden beam suddenly shot out from directly under the screen, hitting Jimmy in the shoulder.

[ Congratulations! User 001 will gain the legendary assist ability Pixie Guide upon Evolution! You will be unconscious as Evolution takes place. Would you like to undergo Evolution now? ]

"Thank you, robot voice, but I've spent too long in here. My boys are waiting back at the mall, so I'll evolve later"

[ Evolution has been halted. You may resume the evolution at any time ]

Jimmy's mind was completely hazy from everything that just went on, but he somehow managed to pull himself out of the chair of his dreams and hobble over to the purple waterfall at the side of the room. Similar to the fountain, the moment he made contact with the water his surroundings changed.

In front of him stood Dylan behind the badly injured Rodger who had his giant yellow hammer out in a battle stance. Three figures stood a few feet away from the two holding weapons of their own. A bloodied body dressed in a security uniform was limp and hunched on the wall a bit behind them.

What the heck did I miss?