In a massive and empty, cubic, white-room, there were eight feminine golems. On the farthest right was silver, directly next to that one, was woman that seemed to be made out of glowing-green vines.

After that, was a figure that seemed to have been created out of fluffy, white clouds; then there was a ‘simple’ humanoid, that was constructed out of brownish-orange stone. Next in line, was a bright-blue Human-shaped ‘slime.’

The last three corresponded to their Elements in a similar way: Fire was made out of crimson flames, Chaos was constantly changing colors but maintaining the same shape, and Darkness was simply an obsidian metal.

“Ah, I remember now! It said that the Dwarven Republic was neutral!” Michael had deactivated his equipment, so he seemed to be standing there in black boxers, a white tank-top, and silver glove on his left hand.

Sarah was glaring furiously at him, while shouting “You better fucking buy me some gear! And don’t give me that Tanks and Healers first bullshit!”

The little cat-girl was holding pistols in her hands, as she glanced around in confusion. She asked “Meow~, where is this place? Woah~, such awesome robots!” Her frilly pink skirt bounced up and down, as she skipped towards the Vendor of Chaos. Jasmine’s dark-blue boots, and yellow t-shirt, combined with the purple belt, and white backpack, expressed her complete lack of color-coordination.

A monotonous feminine voice resounded throughout the room: “Welcome to the Neutral Armory. You will enter this sanctuary after every Neutral Battleground you participate in. While you are here, even if you spend an eternity browsing our wares, in your world, it would be as if merely a moment had passed. For your overwhelming victory over the Simon the Impaler’s army, you will receive additional rewards. Each kill has been calculated…

[Points Earned

Overwhelming Victory: 500
Level-21, Rank-E, Boss: 4,200
Level-19, Rank-E, Super-Elite: 1,900
Level-17, Rank-E, Super-Elite x 2: 3,400
Level-16, Rank-E, Super-Elite x 2: 3,200
Level-15, Rank-F, Super-Elite: 750
Rank-F Elites x 7: 700
Rank-G Elites x 19: 950
Rank-E x 15: 750
Rank-F x 193: 1,930
Rank-G x 1,159: 1,159
Unranked x 9,785: 100]

“The total has been rounded up to nineteen-thousand, five-hundred and fifty Neutral Favor. You may purchase gold at a rate of one coin for fifty Neutral Favor. Experience Packs are also available.”

Sarah and Michael both stared at each-other for a few moments, while Jasmine was happily riding on the Chaos Vendor’s shoulders. He suddenly yelled “Holy fucking unicorn cocks! We’re rich!”

The Goblin-girl grinned, while asking him “What should we buy? I have no fucking clue what that big-ass number means, but it’s good, right?” She obviously never had the opportunity to properly learn mathematics, or how to read and write.

He sighed dramatically, before turning to the Vendor of Darkness, “What are the prices for gear at level-ten?”

After a moment, it replied “The standardized cost of equipment is dependent on the item-slot, rarity, and level. At level-ten, two-handed weapons and chest-armors cost two-hundred for Rare, one-thousand for Epic, and ten-thousand for Legendary. Most other item-slots cost one-hundred for Rare, five-hundred for Epic, and five-thousand for Legendary. Sets and irregular pieces may vary in prices and overall stats.”

Michael asked “Okay then~, what kinda shit do you want? You can have a full set of Epics, but Legendaries are too expensive.” Even if Legendaries were ten-times better than their Epic counterparts, he thought that it was better to have a full set of equipment, rather than being naked except for a single overpowered sword.

Then he realized something important: “Wait a second… It’s probably really fucking difficult to get Legendaries, considering that I got one Epic from killing a Boss. Hmmm~, yep, I changed my mind. Oi, DV, this girl wants a Legendary short-sword!”

Sarah complained “No, I’d rather have a full set of gear, you dumb-fuck!” However, the purchase had already been made; in her right hand, a terrifying, pitch-black aura began condensing into a vague shape.

Michael asked “Hey, can you ‘Scan’ this for us?” to the Vendor. It appeared relatively plain at first, almost exactly the same as her level-five, Obsidian Wakizashi. However, once the golem revealed its secrets, he knew that he made the correct choice.

“The Shadow of Death: Increases Agility by twenty and Dexterity by ten; raises Strength, Vitality, Endurance, Intelligence, Wisdom, Perception, Charisma, and Willpower by three. Increases Attack Rating by three-hundred and sixty. Stealth techniques become 50% more effective. The Aura stat doubles during Battlegrounds. Shape can be set to: dagger, tanto, wakizashi, gladius, rapier, dirk, cleaver, whip, sickle, machete, straight razor, shears, scissors, or a various assortment of kitchen utensils and knives. Soulbound to Sarah Carelia, and can only be wielded by her. Legendary Quality, requires level­-ten.”

“Hahahahahaha~, I don’t even… Oh wait, it isn’t quite as overpowered as I thought it would be. Actually, since it’s physical damage, it would be reduced by a shit-ton if the enemy was a Tanky-motherfucker. Well, whatever, it’s just one item, so the OP-ness is still pretty damn hardcore, but fortunately, we still have enough points left. Hmmm~, before you get anything else, I need boots and pants. Unlike you, people hit me… a lot, heh~.” Michael wasn’t particularly impressed with the low-level Legendary, but he was still relatively satisfied with his choice to buy it.

Sarah held the short-sword with both hands and suddenly kicked off the ground with her left foot. Her unreasonably light body soared forty meters into the air, before it finally started to come down. Regardless of how little she weighed, as long as gravity was the same, and she didn’t have enough air-resistance, her falling speed wouldn’t change.

However, the amount of momentum that she managed to pick-up on the way down, wasn’t enough to cause her any harm. Michael easily caught the little girl in his arms, and she snickered happily, telling him “You aren’t quite as much of a dumb-ass as I thought.”

He explained “Yeah, since I get so much Strength from gear, my base Attack Rating will increase a lot. You on the other hand, mostly rely on the weapon damage… Of course, it’s also possible that your other shit will give ya Attack Rating. Either way, you’re still gonna rely mostly on weapon damage. Hmmm~, well, I also wanted to find out the relative stats for Legendaries now, because later on, they’re gonna be way more expensive.”

After that, he walked up to the cloud-like golem, and asked “Oh hey, how much does it cost for a rank-F mana-core? Also, I’d prefer one from a humanoid that’s relatively small.”

A few moments passed, before the Vendor of Wind replied “All level-ten, rank-F, mana-cores require two-hundred and fifty Favor each. All size is ‘relative,’ please be more specific.”

Sarah complained “What the fuck do ya need one-uh those for? Shouldn’t we focus on gear?” The girl suddenly Shadow-Stepped out of his arms and was practicing, swinging around her new weapon. When it passed through the air, a stream of Darkness aura followed behind, creating strange patterns that lingered, even after she moved away from the area.

Michael told the golem “I’ll take a Wind-Elf mana-core.” and a tiny glass-like pearl appeared in his right palm. Then he walked over to the Vendor of Earth, “Can I have a rank-E~… are Fairies a thing?”

Without replying, a brown bead materialized in his hand, and when he ‘Scanned’ it, he saw: “Stone-Fairy Mana-Core: Taken from an ancient Rank-E, Level-10 Earth-Sage, who was renowned for her golem-manipulation techniques.”

He muttered “Hopefully, she wasn’t a hundred meters tall, or anything ridiculous like that…” as he walked over to the Vendor of Light and said “I’ll take some Epic level-ten boots and leg-armor. Ah, and can you ‘Scan’ them for me too?” As Michael sent the mana-cores into his inventory, a pair of glowing white ankle-socks, and thin white jeans appeared in his hands.

“Sabatons of the Angelic Guardian: Increases wearer’s Strength, Endurance, Vitality and Agility by four points; raises Defense Rating by eighteen points. In the shoe form, body-weight is reduced by twenty-percent; in boot form, body-weight is increased by twenty-percent. Soulbound to Michael and cannot be used by anyone else. Epic Quality, requires level-ten to wield.”

“Greaves of the Angelic Guardian: Increases wearer’s Strength, Endurance, and Vitality by six points; raises Defense Rating by twenty-four points. Reduces Darkness damage taken by ten-percent. Counts as shin and knee armor, can be worn alongside cuisses and tasset armor. Soulbound to Michael and cannot be used by anyone else. Epic Quality, requires level-ten to wield.”