[Affection Points: 79,000]

Judas stared at the glowing blue number floating in his vision. The session in the Couple Space had been productive. Extremely productive.

He rubbed his chin, glancing back at the bed. The four women were sprawled out in various states of undress, deep in a restful sleep. The air in the room was warm.

"Time to spend it," he whispered to himself.

They were heading into the First Zone soon. The difficulty spike would be vertical. While their skills had evolved, their gear was still trash.

They were wearing rags scavenged from low-level monsters or basic clothes they had sewn themselves.

Against Apprentice-level monsters, cloth wouldn't stop a blade.

He opened the System Shop.

"Show me equipment," he commanded mentally. "Filter by Rare quality."

The holographic interface shimmered, populating with rows of glowing icons. Just like skills, equipment in this world was strictly graded: Ordinary, Common, Uncommon, and Rare.

Rare equipment was the dividing line. It wasn't just sharper steel or harder leather; these items possessed their own minor skills and attribute modifiers.

"Nine thousand points per item," Judas muttered, wincing slightly.

It was steep. A full set for five people would cost him over sixty thousand points. It would drain nearly his entire savings.

But hoarding points was useless if they died because a monster horn pierced a vital organ.

He started with the frontliners.

As short-range attackers, he and Ezra took the most risks. They needed durability and lethality. Ezra, specifically, acted as their shield.

He selected a heavy, jagged blade for her.

[Item: Glacial Cleaver]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Permafrost - Each strike applies a 'Chill' stack. At 5 stacks, the target is frozen for 2 seconds.]

[Effect 2: Weight Adjustment - The weapon feels weightless to the owner but retains full mass upon impact.]

[Cost: 9,000 AP]

"Perfect," Judas nodded. She could swing that thing like a twig, but the enemy would feel a falling tree.

Next was her armor. He chose the [Guardian's Ice Plate], a silver chest piece that increased Physical Resistance by 20% and generated a passive frost aura that slowed nearby enemies.

Then, he turned his attention to Luna.

The elf was their artillery, but her fighting style was inefficient. Currently, she used her mana to construct both the bow and the arrows.

It was a massive drain on her mental focus. She needed a physical medium to channel her power.

He found a sleek, recurve bow made of white wood.

[Item: Moon's Whisper]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Mana Catalyst - Reduces the mana cost of creating elemental arrows by 50%.]

[Effect 2: True Shot - Increases projectile velocity and accuracy by 30%.]

[Cost: 9,000 AP]

With this, she wouldn't have to strain her mind to maintain the weapon's form. She could focus entirely on the payload.

For the casters, the priority was amplification.

Summer's blood magic was powerful but limited by the volume of blood available. He bought her a wand tipped with a crimson ruby.

[Item: Sanguine Scepter]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Hemorrhage - Amplifies blood manipulation skills by 25%.]

[Effect 2: Blood Bank - Stores up to 1 liter of blood for emergency use.]

[Cost: 9,000 AP]

Nina required raw healing output. Her Intelligence was high, but a dedicated tool would make her unstoppable. He selected a staff made of twisted oak with a green gem embedded in the top.

[Item: Lifebloom Staff]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Rejuvenation - Healing spells linger for an additional 5 seconds.]

[Effect 2: Cleanse - Removes one negative status effect from the target upon healing.]

[Cost: 9,000 AP]

Finally, Judas looked for his own gear.

He didn't need a shield. He didn't need heavy plate armor that would slow him down. He needed speed. He needed to be a ghost.

[Item: Shadow-Weave Tunic]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Blur - Increases evasion rate by 15% when moving at high speeds.]

[Effect 2: Nightshade - Enhances the effectiveness of Stealth skills in dim light.]

[Cost: 9,000 AP]

For his weapon, he chose a katana with a blade that looked like captured lightning frozen in steel.

[Item: Thunderclap Edge]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect 1: Conductive - Increases Lightning elemental damage by 20%.]

[Effect 2: Paralyzing Cut - Critical hits have a 10% chance to paralyze the target.] [Cost: 9,000 AP]

He confirmed the purchase. His point balance plummeted to 16,000. Seven glowing orbs of light materialized on the bed, hovering above the sleeping women.

"Wake up, ladies," Judas said, clapping his hands together. "Shopping is done."

Ezra was the first to stir. She sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her gaze landed on the massive sword floating in front of her.

"For me?" she asked, her voice groggy but excited.

"Grab it."

She reached out. The blue light faded, revealing the Glacial Cleaver. She swung it experimentally.

"It's light," she marveled, her eyes widening. "But I can feel the cold radiating from it. This is incredible."

Luna sat up next, picking up the white bow. She pulled the string. It hummed with a pure, melodic note that resonated in the quiet room.

"This..." The elf ran a hand over the smooth wood. "My mana flows through it effortlessly. I can fire twice as many arrows now without getting a headache."

Nina hugged her staff, looking at the stats floating in her vision. Her tail started wagging. "Cleanse? I can cure poisons now without learning a new skill! Thank you, Husband!"

Summer inspected her scepter, twirling it between her pale fingers. She licked her lips. "A blood storage... smart. Now I don't have to bite you every five minutes during a fight."

"You can bite me whenever you want," Judas smirked, pulling on his new black tunic. It fitted him like a second skin, light and breathable. He strapped the katana to his waist.

He looked at his team. They were no longer a ragtag group of survivors. They were fully equipped, heavily armed, and dangerous.

"Get dressed," Judas ordered, his hand resting on the hilt of his new sword. "The First Zone is waiting. And I want to see if this Rare equipment is worth the fortune I just spent."

*

* *

The First Zone was as silent as a ghost town.

Judas walked with his hand resting on the hilt of his katana, scanning the dense fog that coated the forest floor. He expected an ambush.

He expected a horde of elite monsters guarding the path to the core.

Instead, there was silence.

"This feels wrong," Ezra whispered, the frost from her Glacial Cleaver misting in the air. "Where are the enemies?"

"Maybe they are asleep?" Nina suggested, clutching her Lifebloom Staff tightly.

"Monsters don't sleep when intruders are nearby," Summer countered, looking around with bored, red eyes. "They should be swarming us by now."

They walked for another ten minutes. Still nothing. The tension was worse than a fight. It felt like walking into a trap that refused to spring.

Judas stopped. Wasting time here was dangerous. If the monsters weren't coming to them, they had to find the monsters.

"We split up," he announced.

Luna frowned. "Is that wise? We are stronger together."

"We are blind right now," Judas replied. "We need to find the Boss or the mob density quickly. I will take Nina. Ezra, you lead Luna and Summer."

He pointed to the dense thicket on the left.

"Search that quadrant. But listen closely." He looked at each of them, his gaze intense. "Do not go beyond five hundred meters. Our metaphysical link has a range limit."

He tapped his chest.

"If you get ambushed, I can activate Damage Sharing. I can sense your fear and pain through the bond, and I will absorb half the impact for you. But if you run too far, the link breaks. You will be on your own."

Ezra nodded, her face serious. "We understand, Husband. We will stay within range."

"Good. Scream if you see anything."

"Cough..."

"I mean, contact me."

The group diverged. The three women disappeared into the grey mist, their silhouettes swallowed by the trees.

Judas turned to the right, gesturing for the healer to follow.

"Come on, Puppy," he said, moving into the shadows. "Let's see what this zone is actually hiding."

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