Kai scrolled further down the list, and he couldn’t help but smile after seeing the next entry in the list.

[ High‑Grade EMP Grenade ] [ 3/3 ]

[ Cost: 30 RP ]

[ Effect: Emits a concentrated electromagnetic pulse on detonation. Immediately disables drones, turrets, and mechanical units within a 100‑meter radius. Effective even against shielded constructs. ]

Kai remembered that the Gene Traders were selling some EMP Grenades for 10,000 Experience Points. Kai purchased a couple of them before, since he was level-capped anyway.

This time, however, a stronger version of it was being sold for a steep price.

Reputation Points weren’t easy to obtain. Using thirty of them for a single-use grenade was a bit too much in Kai’s opinion. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Of course, the range was definitely great, but in the end, he had other items he could choose to use in case of emergency.

For now, Kai turned his attention elsewhere.

Well, the next item intrigued him a lot.

[ Neural Gear Interface ] [ 1/1 ]

[ Cost: 200 RP ]

[ Effect: A device that allows the wearer to enter the virtual world through installed applications. Connection is untraceable and immune to hacking attempts. ]

Kai didn’t know what to say as he saw the icon of the Neural Gear.

"Virtual World? What kind? Why would I even need to enter it?" Kai muttered, clearly confused.

The System hinted that certain applications were required before entry was possible.

’Applications, huh... Where am I supposed to get them? Are they sold here in the Reputation Store? Or... maybe in the Human Cities?’

This guess wasn’t just something he came up with out of nowhere.

He had been thinking what kind of things he’d see in a human city that wasn’t brought down by the A.I. Army yet.

There, he was actually expecting too see more advanced tech that even Aria, the A.I. Rebel, couldn’t actually control.

Perhaps, there was actually a virtual world controlled by these high-level Survivors.

After calming down, Kai finally checked the fourth item...

[ Hair Growth Serum ] [ 5/5 ]

[ Cost: 5 RP ]

[ Effect: Guaranteed 100% success rate. Restores natural hair growth regardless of age, genetics, or damage. Permanent effect. ]

"Ugh~"

Kai chuckled while shaking his head. "Seriously? In the middle of an apocalypse, the System’s selling miracle hair cream? ...Still, I bet half the survivors would kill for this. Morale matters too."

Finally, the fifth item appeared. On its icon, it shows a vial glowing faintly with green.

[ Hundred Poison Immunity Serum ] [ 2/2 ]

[ Cost: 50 RP ]

[ Effect: Grants permanent immunity to hundred known toxins, venoms, and chemical poisons. Effective against both natural and synthetic compounds. ]

Kai gently nodded as he saw the serum.

This was definitely an interesting item... After all, even the food they eat could contain poison at some point. This Serum might also help them avoid contracting disease.

"This is nice... But for 50 Reputation Points? Even if I have 2 Vouchers that gives 50% discount, I don’t think this a priority..."

In any case, it didn’t change the fact that he was excited about these store items.

Each item wasn’t just rare... they were strange and undeniably unique!

Still, Kai decided not to purchase anything just yet.

With only 200 Reputation Points and two vouchers, he knew he had to be careful.

The store’s items were tempting, but the cost was steep, and his resources were limited. For now, patience was the smarter choice.

***

The following day, Victor approached him with a grin that Kai hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Good news," Victor announced. "I managed to repair two more Dragoons. That makes three modified units ready for deployment. They can operate for six hours straight using five C‑Grade Energy Cores as their power source."

Kai’s eyes widened. It seemed that Victor had also gained a lot after reaching Level 30 through the usage of Alpha Gene Enhancement Serums.

In any case, three Dragoons meant a lot for them... They could be used for mobility, air support, and a tactical edge against the A.I. Army. But the mention of the cores made him pause.

Originally, Kai had planned to absorb those C‑Grade Cores in his Inventory by himself. Each one would have given him valuable experience points, a direct boost to his growth.

But now, they were needed as batteries for the Dragoons... He even had to save more for the Barrier Generator that would be available soon.

Right now, the choice was clear... Their survival and strategy outweighed personal gain.

Still, as he reached this thought, he recalled his Inventory!

He recalled the Instant Experience Potions he had stockpiled.

’Right... I almost forgot about them.’

He had twenty vials in total, over the past month. Back then, the level cap had made them useless. But now, with the restriction lifted, they were exactly what he needed.

Kai then quickly went to his safe space and opened his inventory. He carefully withdrew all of the blue vials. They looked ordinary, almost like a juice drink, but only 10mL in size.

’Let’s go...’

He uncorked the first vial and drank.

Gulp~

A rush of energy surged through him instantly.

[ You have received 5,000 Experience Points. ]

Kai smirked. "Just as expected."

One after another, he consumed the potions.

The experience points continued stacking higher and higher...

By the time he finished the fifth vial, the System chimed again.

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ Level: 32 ]

[ Health Points +10 ]

[ Spirit Points +2 ]

[ Physique Rating has slightly improved! ]

’Seriously... I need 25,000 points to level up?’

That was an enormous amount of experience points!

Still, Kai recalled that he had needed 50,000 Experience Points just to reach the limit of Level 30.

At that time, when he finally hit the cap, only then did the System reveal what conditions he had to fulfill in order to break through the bottleneck.

Just like that, Kai continued consuming the fifteen more vials and reached level 35!

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ Level: 35 ]

[ Health Points +100 ]

[ Spirit Points +5 ]

[ Physique Rating has slightly improved! ]

[ Inventory Slots Expanded: +1 ]

[ Skill Point +1 ]

[ Reputation Point +1 ]