A Background Character’s Path to Power Chapter 212: Congratulations, You Have Won

I nodded in quiet satisfaction as I absorbed the implications.

Grade 7.

In a world where elental affinities were graded from 0 (nonexistent) to 9 (legendary peak), reaching 7 ant stepping into the realm of the gifted.

Most Resonators spent lifetis trying to push their affinities past Grade 5, yet here I was, already standing among the rare few who could claim mastery over Water, and by extension, its evolved states: ice, mist, and snow.

A soft exhale escaped .

The Ri Weaver truly was my lucky jackpot.

Not only had it granted a Mythical-tier bond, but it had also elevated my innate affinity to a level most could only dream of. And this was just the beginning. Grade 7 was strong, but not the limit.

With ti, training, and the Ri Weaver’s influence, who knew how far I could push it?

My fingers flexed instinctively as if testing the phantom weight of this newfound control.

Good.

Very, very good.

A wry chuckle bubbled up in my chest.

Well then... should we do so shopping?

With a ntal flick, I dismissed the Bonds window. The interface shimred, dissolving into particles of light before reforming into a new display, one adorned with sleek, minimalist icons arranged in neat categories:

◈ Potions

◈ Relics

◈ Arts & Techniques

◈ Materials

◈ Etc...

But my gaze imdiately snagged on the golden box hovering at the center, its surface emblazoned with a glowing question mark.

"Special Prize Box"

Huh.

Curiosity prickled at , like a gar’s instinct flaring up. I resisted the urge to tap it imdiately, opting instead to read its informational tooltip.

[You are guaranteed to receive a prize tailored to your current needs and progression. There are no refunds.]

My eyebrow twitched.

Need, not want. Interesting distinction.

And the "once a year" limit reinforced its exclusivity, hinting at its imnse value.

Then I spotted the price.

1000 Scenario Points.

I gulped.

So expensive?!

A quick glance at my funds:

Scenario Points: 400

...

Yeah, no.

Not happening anyti soon.

Still, I filed the knowledge away. If the System was willing to charge that much, the reward had to be substantial.

For now, though...

I turned my attention to the more affordable sections, already strategizing.

Let’s see what else this Shop has to offer.

Just as my finger hovered over the Potions section, a sudden pop-up materialized in my vision, flashing obnoxiously:

[CONGRATULATIONS!]

[You’ve won a 50% DISCOUNT on the Special Prize Box!]

My lips twitched.

...Are you kidding ?

This felt exactly like those shaless mobile ga ads, "Limited-ti offer! Buy now!", except the System was the one peddling it.

My apologies, I muttered sarcastically, but even at 500 points, I’m still 100 short. Nice try.

I swiped to dismiss it, only for another pop-up to explode across my vision.

[DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS!]

[You’ve been selected for a LIMITED-TI LOAN of 150 Scenario Points!]

...

I stared.

Deadpan.

The System had gone from "subtle nudge" to full-blown extortion.

Are you trying to scam ? I asked inwardly.

Silence.

Of course.

...Fine. I narrowed my eyes. Any interest on this ’loan’?

The ssage updated instantly:

[0% INTEREST!]

[No hidden fees!]

[Repaynt deadline: 30 days!]

I exhaled through my nose.

Unbelievable.

But...

Alright, I’m taking the loan.

Not that I’d rush into this. First, I’d browse the Shop properly. If nothing else caught my eye, then I’d gamble on the box.

With that in mind, I started with the Potions section, watching as the interface expanded to reveal neatly organized rows of shimring vials.

At the very top were the basic-tier options, nothing fancy, but practical:

[Basic Stamina Potion] (2 Points)

[Basic Aura Recovery Potion] (3 Points)

[Basic Healing Potion] (2 Points)

Scrolling further down, slightly more refined versions appeared:

[Enhanced Stamina Potion] (5 Points)

[Enhanced Aura Recovery Potion] (7 Points)

[Enhanced Healing Potion] (5 Points)

And then there were the rare basics, their prices jumping significantly:

[Elixir of Minor Clarity] (15 Points) – Temporarily enhances ntal focus

[Restoration Elixir] (20 Points) – Accelerates natural healing for a day

Hmm.

The pricing made sense. Stronger effects had a higher cost. But I wasn’t here to stock up on consumables. Not yet, at least.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder...

System, is there a search function?

A prompt flickered into existence:

━━━━━━━━━━━━

[Search Feature Locked!]

Unlock Condition:

- Make 3 separate purchases

OR

- Complete 1 major purchase (e.g., Special Prize Box)

━━━━━━━━━━━━

My lips twitched.

Of course.

It was still trying to sell that. And for a brief mont, I thought about buying the three cheapest potions to unlock it, just to ss with the system, but I stopped myself in ti.

No. No reckless spending.

These points were hard-earned, and I wasn’t about to waste them on convenience alone.

With that in mind, I closed the Potions tab and moved on to the next section.

[Relics]

This one was... interesting.

Most of the items here were low to mid-tier, their descriptions hinting at hidden potential but nothing ga-breaking:

[Frostforged Bracer] (80 Points) – Enhances ice-affinity techniques slightly

[Mistwalker Cloak] (120 Points) – Grants minor resistance to ntal interference

[Echoing Pendant] (150 Points) – Stores a single move for later use

Useful, but not essential.

And the truly powerful relics?

[Veil of the Arctic Monarch] (4000 Points) – Sealed

[Cryoheart Core] (4500 Points) – Locked

Yeah, no.

I didn’t even have half the points for those.

[Arts & Techniques]

Now this was where things got tempting.

From basic martial forms to esoteric circulation thods, the selection was vast, but again, my budget limited to the lower tiers:

[Frozen Palm Technique] (50 Points) – A beginner-tier martial art utilizing ice affinity

[Mist Step Movent] (70 Points) – Short-range teleportation within mist-covered areas

[Glacial ditation] (100 Points) – Enhances aura recovery in cold environnts

My fingers hovered over several particularly enticing options:

[Telepathic Resonance] (120 Points) – Enables limited mind-to-mind communication with willing participants

The cliche but necessary telepathy technique. I really wanted to learn it.

[Parallel Processing] (150 Points) – Allows simultaneous handling of multiple ntal tasks

This... this could be ga-changing. Multitasking at a new level? Wasn’t this exactly what I needed?

[ntal Fortress] (150 Points) – Defensive technique against ntal attacks and manipulation

Given my not-so-ssy life, this might be essential. But I already had high ntal fortitude, Crescent Mirror, and Virion’s Blessing. So I didn’t exactly need it.

I exhaled sharply, forcing my hand away.

Control the greed.

As tempting as these were, none were imdiate necessities.

Scrolling further, I finally found what I’d been truly searching for...