Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

Katya did not waste a single moment as she stepped in front of the store interface, her movements purposeful and precise, a stark contrast to the whimsical and meandering approach that Kazue and Drake had taken. Her face was a mask of grim determination, for she was not here to just browse; she was here to buy what she knew she needed, a plan that had been forming in her mind for a long time.

Her original idea of improving her Tulpas and gaining the ability to summon a third one had been temporarily put on hold before the last scenario because of Kazue's suggestion, a choice that had ultimately proven to be extremely useful, allowing her to acquire the Fusion Cards that had made her a far more versatile combatant.

However, a silent, seething fire of ambition still burned within her, a quiet determination to not just be a support, but to be a powerhouse in her own right. Now that they had such a large quantity of points at their disposal, she would finally buy everything she believed she needed. She was still bitter about her battle against the girl from the 'Noob Reapers' who controlled plants, a technicality of a victory that felt more like a loss. Katya knew that to truly protect Kazue, to be worthy of her admiration and to receive her praise more often, she had to become stronger, and she had to do it now.

She remembered her battle, specifically how her opponent's powerful defenses had left her helpless until she had used her [From the Past with Love!] skill to invoke the essence of the devil Bhaal. It was this devil's 'Almighty Element' skill that had finally allowed her to break through her opponent's formidable barriers and secure her victory.

She knew that she had been able to replicate it herself by using the essence of an enemy devil she had been lucky to summon, but she was not going to rely on luck anymore. She navigated the store interface with her eyes scanning for a specific skill. She did not need to search long, and when she found what she was looking for, her mouth remained agape in shock at the price. A screen, gleaming with an ethereal light, appeared before her.

The price was so astronomical that it was almost incomprehensible. She had known something like this would be expensive, but to think it would be to that extent... Even the entire team's bank was not enough to afford such a skill. Katya scoffed, a dry, bitter sound that escaped her lips. She supposed that was why it was not a skill that everyone had access to, which made it all the more surprising that a member of a team had been able to use it, even if it was through a deal with a devil. Thinking about it, an idea began to form in her mind, a mischievous, slightly malicious smile spreading across her face. She quickly searched for something else, a new path opening up before her, and she found it without delay. The answer, she realized, was not to buy the skill, but to take it.

She found what she was looking for almost instantly, a skill that resonated with her darker, more pragmatic nature.

The moment that particular skill appeared on the large, communal screen, the entire group tensed. A ripple of confusion and profound unease passed through them, a silent communication of their shared worry.

"What in the hell is she thinking?"

Adam thought, his mind racing with a hundred different possibilities, none of them good. He was worried, a look of profound concern on his face.

"Why would she want something like that? It's so... illogical."

Before anyone could say a word, the screen shimmered, and a line of text appeared, confirming Katya's purchase. 25,000 points were spent on something that no one, not even Adam, could truly understand the purpose of. From Adam's perspective, whose only concept of devils was the god-like Malzaphir, the idea of subjugating such an entity was unthinkable. It was an illogical skill for that absurd amount of points.

However, Katya had not finished. She quickly searched for something else.

The girl's grim smile deepened as she returned to her search. She found what she was looking for, an item she knew would exist somewhere, a tool that would turn her ambition into a terrifying reality. It appeared on the screen, its text gleaming with an infernal light.

This was even more confusing to the majority of the team. A collective gasp, a low murmur of unease, passed through the group. Drake and Kazue, who had witnessed Katya's fight against the girl from the 'Noob Reapers' and the creature she had summoned, understood her direction, but they were unsure of the specifics of her victory. They were not aware that Bhaal was a devil that she had invoked by chance during her fight, and that Katya could use this to her advantage. Meanwhile, Adam could only stare at the screen with a profound look of bewilderment on his face.

Katya, with a triumphant smirk, bought the object without hesitation, and a profound, bone-chilling cold filled the air. An enormous, obsidian-black collar and matching shackles, with runes written in what appeared to be glowing, red-hot fire, materialized before her, a symbol of her dark, pragmatic ambition. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the cold, smooth metal, and with a simple thought, she made them disappear with a satisfied look on her face.

Li, his voice a cold, pragmatic murmur, finally spoke, while his single red eye was fixed on Katya.

"I hope you know what you are doing, girl. That was a large amount to spend on an item that has no use to you unless you already possess a way to summon a devil. Are you planning on making a pact with a devil as well? That is a foolish thing to do if you don't know what you are doing."

Katya's response was a sarcastic smirk, a cold, sharp line on her lips.

"Of course I know what I'm doing… And I'm just getting started."

Her words were a chilling promise, a declaration of the path she was about to walk, and the entire team could only watch, a mix of fear and admiration in their eyes. She quickly placed the last of her items on the purchase list, a grim smile still on her face.

Katya bought it immediately, and a small paper ticket, that was shimmering with a faint red light, appeared floating in front of her. She grabbed it, and with a flourish of her hand, made it disappear as well.

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"If I counted correctly, I still have about 3,000 points left."

She said with her voice filled with a quiet triumph. She then used the remaining points to buy two [Skill Proficiency Boost Package] at 1,000 points each, which would be enough to raise her [Tulpa Manifestation] skill to level 9 and with this, unlock the possibility of summoning a third, and more powerful Tulpa.

She then used the last thousand to buy two new cards for her [Fusion Deck]. Upon confirming the purchase, a small pack, like a booster pack from a normal card game, materialized and landed in her hands. She opened it without delay, and two new cards, gleaming with an ethereal light, appeared on her screen.

Katya raised her arms in triumph, a genuine, powerful joy on her face. The new cards, especially the second one, were exactly what she had hoped for, a perfect tool to complete her new build. She finally stepped away from the store interface, a look of profound satisfaction on her face.

"I'm done."

She said, her voice firm and resolute.

"I have spent exactly 44,000 points... But I'm not finished yet."

A mischievous, almost evil grin spread across her lips.

"I am going to use the items I bought immediately, but first…"

A profound silence descended upon the group, their faces a mix of confusion and profound unease. They all knew Katya well enough to know that an immediate action, especially one preceded by a grin like that, was never a good sign. But before anyone could say a word, the blonde materialized something in her hand, a strange reel of red thread that seemed to hum with an unusual, ethereal energy. It was a beautiful object, a simple, elegant thing that seemed completely out of place in the grim, utilitarian setting of the lobby. Immediately after, Adam used his 'Cursed Vision' to see what it was.

Adam's mind, which had been racing since Katya's purchase, finally caught up. He saw the description of the item, the [Warning] flashing like a red light in his mind. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that this was not the harmless love charm that Katya probably thought it was. It was something far more dangerous, a skill that could bind two souls together in a relationship that was not necessarily a good one. He opened his mouth to warn her, but it was too late. The girl, with a fierce, unwavering conviction, pointed the reel of red thread at Kazue, her eyes burning with a desperate, possessive affection.

"I choose you, Kazue!"

She declared, her voice filled with a powerful, undeniable certainty. The red thread, in a blurred motion, shot out from her hand, its trajectory a straight line toward Kazue's chest.

But then, to the profound shock of everyone, the thread, like a living entity of its own, suddenly veered away. It made a sharp ninety-degree turn, its bright red path slicing through the white air of the lobby, and to the utter disbelief of the entire team, it plunged directly into Drake's chest. The scene was so absurd, so profoundly unexpected, that a heavy, awkward silence descended upon the group.

Katya stood frozen, her mouth hanging open, a look of profound shock and disbelief on her face, her eyes wide and unfocused as she stared at the glowing red thread that had just betrayed her. Drake, too, was utterly bewildered, his eyes wide as he stared at the faint, shimmering thread that had just plunged into his heart; the sting of the impact acted as a phantom ache in his chest. He could feel a strange, ethereal energy spreading through his body, a warmth that was both foreign and deeply familiar.

"What in the hell did you do, Drake?!"

Katya shrieked, her voice a high-pitched, furious cry that shattered the silence. She was so angry and so utterly consumed by a mixture of rage that her hands instinctively balled into fists, the knuckles turning white.

"Give me back my thread, now! Give it to Kazue before I rip your head off!"

Her voice was laced with a venomous fury, and her blue eyes burned with a cold, murderous intent. But before Drake could even attempt a reply, both he and Katya felt a profound, agonizing pain in their heads. It was a pain so intense that it made them both scream, a unified cry of pure, unadulterated agony that echoed through the lobby.

It was like a hundred sharp needles were being driven into their skulls at once, a psychic blow so powerful that it threatened to tear their very minds apart. They both fell to their knees, clutching their heads, their bodies shaking with the force of the psychic assault. No one else could see what they were seeing, but in their minds, a torrent of images, a flood of memories that were not their own, began to cascade, a life that they did not recognize, but that was undeniably theirs.

They saw themselves in opposing teams, their forms in a perpetual state of combat, a brutal, unending war that had no clear end. They saw themselves fighting to the death on more than one occasion, their forms bruised and battered, their eyes filled with a primal, terrifying hatred that was born from a long time of conflict.

They also saw themselves fighting side-by-side, a grudging alliance formed in the face of a common enemy, their movements a dance of death that was both brutal and beautiful. They saw a moment of peace, a quiet conversation under the pale light of a moon, their forms riddled with wounds, their bodies tired from a long, brutal battle. They saw themselves fighting a gigantic, fire-breathing lizard, its scales a bright green, in a final, epic battle that left them both on the brink of death.

They saw a moment of quiet reflection, a conversation under the stars, looking out at a vast, silver sea filled with monstrous beasts, their faces illuminated by the pale moonlight, their words a quiet, poignant testament to a bond forged in fire and blood. They saw Katya extending a hand to Drake in the middle of a burning field, a silent gesture of camaraderie and forgiveness, a quiet peace in the middle of a brutal war. And then, the final, most painful vision of all. They saw a great war, a battle that shook the very foundations of their world. They saw their respective friends die, their forms dissolving into dust before their very eyes, and in a final, desperate act, they saw Katya throw herself between a wounded Drake and a mysterious, unknown enemy… A single, cursed spear piercing through her stomach. They saw Drake screaming in anguish and in fury, his tears blurring his vision, as Katya, filled with a profound, sad smile, slowly closed her eyes and disappeared forever.

The torrent of mental images ended abruptly, a final, crushing blow that left both of them on their knees, panting, their bodies shaking with the emotional and physical aftershocks. Adam, with profound concern, rushed to Drake's side, helping him to his feet. Kazue, also worried, did the same for a still-shaking Katya.

"What happened?"

Adam asked, his voice low and strained, his own mind trying to process the strange psychic residue that lingered in the air. Drake, his head still throbbing, shook his head in a daze.

"I don't know. I... I saw things. A life I didn't recognize, but for some reason, it felt real, like a memory from a long time ago, a life I had forgotten. But it doesn't make any sense... it was so painful..."

Katya, still too distraught to speak, simply sat on the ground, her face a mask of profound shock and a single tear rolling down her cheek. Kazue helped her to her feet and led her back to the group, where she sat in stunned silence, her body still shaking with a profound and unsettling fear.

Li, seeing the entire chaotic scene, let out a long, weary sigh. He saw his chance and stepped forward, his cold, self-serving voice cutting through the tense silence.

"If you are all going to sit there and have a collective mental breakdown, then I'm going to make my purchases. We don't have time to waste."