When Graham walked into the store, he began hacking his lungs out because of all the dust everywhere.
There was literally a mountain of it, and as he forcefully waded through it, it rose up, quickly filling the air, and causing him to choke once more.
"Ehugh cough cough-"
"What kind of crappy place did that father of mine give me?"
As Graham coughed repeatedly, snot now dripping from his face and his eyes watering from acute allergies, he wiped it on his sleeve before glancing around.
"Where is the light switch?"
Jooom-
As if it were waiting, a golden globe of light rose from the floor beneath him and hovered in the air before him, before the light expanded and seemed to scan him.
[Intruder Detected!]
[Beginning Scan!]
[Scan Complete!]
[Descendant of Jonathan Kubera Found!]
[Registering New Shop Owner]
[Shop Owner Registered - Graham Kubera]
[Welcome to the Interstellar Merchant System, Graham Kubera!]
[Proceed With Protocol - Tutorial?]
"What is going on? Are you trying to talk? Yes?" to Graham's eyes and ears, the lighting was just flashing silently as if it were trying to communicate in Morse code.
[Confirmation Received.]
"What the hell is this?" Graham looked confused as the light suddenly rushed toward him, circling him quickly before it seemed to zap his ear with an electric shock.
"Ow! What the-?"
Then the golden globe of light retreated, circling once more before zapping his lips even harder.
"Ow! Stop that! "Graham did his best to bat it away completely, but the golden globe flew away and continued to hover in the air just out of reach.
[Interstellar Hearing Patch Installed!]
[Interstellar Speaking Patch Installed!]
[Graham Kubera, Can You Understand Me Now?]
Suddenly, a refreshing, feminine voice resounded through Graham's mind, and he froze immediately while staring at the golden globe of light.
"A-are you talking to me?"
[Yes.]
"… What exactly are you? Have I lost my mind from shock? Is this a hallucination?"
[Not at all.]
[I am the Interstellar Merchant System, aka Imes]
[I was previously bound to your great, great x10 grand uncle and was the one who helped him build the empire and wealth you, his descendant, get to enjoy today.]
[However, due to his untimely death and the unstable family dynamics, He wasn't able to pass me on to a suitable descendant, so I have been abandoned ever since then.]
"…okay. What does that have to do with why you zapped me and why my father sent me here?"
[As I do not know your father, I cannot be sure of his reasoning.]
[However, this was the very first storefront that your ancestor, Jonathan Kubera, opened up when he started his journey to build his empire with me.]
"This?" Graham looked around the dusty, tiny space in complete disbelief.
There was barely enough space to stretch his arms, with two bookshelves taking up two walls and the counter taking the third. On the fourth wall were two doors squeezed together.
[Looks can be deceiving, young descendant of Jonathan Kubera.]
[Since we have bonded, if you would like, with my help, you can follow and even go beyond your ancestors' footsteps, and build your own empire.]
[Or you can pretend not to know about my existence and continue to live your life.]
[The choice is yours.]
The golden light bobbed around as the voice spoke in his mind, and Graham stood there contemplating its words.
The thought of building a wealthy empire of his own tempted him, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility that this was just some random sham played on him by his siblings or his father.
"Let's say I go along with you for now. Am I locked in forever, or can I stop when I please? I'm the type to want to enjoy the good things life when things get difficult."
[As a system bonded to you, I can never force you to do anything. All choices are your own.]
[Always.]
"Hmmm, then one last thing. How can you prove your words to me? And what exactly am I supposed to do?"
[Do I have your permission to continue with Protocol - Tutorial?]
"Go for it."
[Continuing now.]
[Examining and Quantifying Users' Body as Body and Mind Stats.]
[Displaying Stats Now]
[Graham Kubera]
[Age: 21]
[Interstellar Merchant Store Lv 1]
Body Stats
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 3]
[Constitution: 3]
[Perception: 4]
[Magic Power: 0]
Mind Stats
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charisma: 7]
[Perseverance: 7]
[Free Stat Points: 10]
[Skills: N/A]
"What does this mean?"
[After analyzing your current body and appearance, your attributes have been quantified in an easily understandable way.]
[Your body stats may increase or decrease by training, elixirs, stat points, or other means.]
[Your mind stats may only increase through stat points acquired through me or extraordinary encounters.]
[Additionally, your mind stats are capped at 20, which is the current limit of the human brain.]
"And Magic Power? If I increase that…will I be able to use magic?" Graham brought up the single stat that stood out to him.
As someone with no abilities in a family filled with people who were unimaginably strong, he craved that strength for himself.
[Of course.]
[With the appropriate skills gained from the system or self-study, you may gain strong magical abilities.]
[Would you like to spend your stat points now, or continue the tutorial?]
Graham thought for a moment before speaking, "Let's continue. I'd like to know more about what this store entails and how I can build a supposed empire."
[Very Well.]
[The Interstellar Merchant System has the ability to open Doors to different worlds across a variety of galaxies from this store location.]
[Of course, these doors to different worlds need energy to open and maintain, and this energy comes in the form of payment that is valuable to that world. Whether it is 'Cash', Mana Stones, Life Energy, etc, you as the merchant may buy and sell goods of your choice in different world to make a profit.]
[When a profit threshold is reached, the Interstellar Merchant System can rank up, providing you with stat points, skills, unique items, and more, and opening a new door to a new world.]
[Do you understand?]
"So I can buy Earth goods here and sell them in another world or vice versa?"
[Correct.]
"Interesting. Continue."
[That's the gist for the theoretical explanation.]
[Shall we move on to the gifts and the practical explanation?]
"Let's do the practical first. I'm hoping it magically gets rid of this dust." Graham sneezed once more as he kicked his foot.
[Very Well]
[Initiating Cleaning Protocol]
The golden globe of light suddenly glowed brightly before zipping around the tight space in a circular motion, and every time it moved, the dust disappeared.
After about five minutes of movement, the small space was completely dust-free, and Graham examined it closely.
Dark wooden floors that shone as if freshly polished.
Two empty bookcases of a similar color lined the walls, and a small counter with a retro-style cash register and a bar stool was off to the side.
The two doors had transformed, and they both had locks and a chain bolt on them.
After spinning around and seeing nothing of note, Graham unlocked the right door, curious to see where it led.
He was fully expecting a hallway or bathroom, but as he stepped out, the stench of the air entered his nose, and his foot stepped on something wet and slimy.
As he tilted his head down to look at what it was,
THUD-
SWCHINGGGG!!
He heard the sound of something embedding in a wall behind him and felt hot liquid dripping down his cheek before the sting of pain came to him.
Almost instinctively, his hands yanked the door shut and locked it before his brain could process anything and-
THUD-
THUD-
THUD-
THUD-
He could hear the sounds of something hitting the door and somebody rattling the lock.
Graham quickly attached the chain before dashing to get the stool and holding it as a weapon while glaring at the glowing golden globe.
"Imes! What the hell is going on?"