Later that Evening – Capital City
On the 34th floor of a luxurious condo located in an affluent neighborhood, the young man from earlier, with tousled hair, fair skin, and a lean athletic frame, was immersed in battle. Not the real battle, but a virtual battle. In other words, he was playing a game.
"Summon: Flame Chameleon. Tactical flank, right now!"
A holographic battlefield surged with light as his virtual summon darted forward.
But then…
Ding-dong.
The door alert blinked red.
The man sighed and hit Pause, stepping away from the console.
"Must be the delivery."
Shang Wei approached the door, where a compact delivery drone hovered mid-air, blinking a holographic interface on its screen.
Order Delivery – Fang Fang Pets (COD) Fee for package opening already paid: 500 credits. Note: No Returns Permitted After Accept. Would you like to accept the delivery?
There was a Yes and a No.
The drone had scanned him earlier via facial recognition. His order details were already verified.
He didn't click the button. Instead, he tapped on the button on top of the crate.
The crate hissed open with a soft click, revealing the egg inside, sleek and round, its bottom half pitch-black, and the top half a smooth, radiant white. Thin strands of gold shimmered in a spiral pattern from top to bottom.
The man whistled low. "This isn't a scam…"
He finally tapped Yes on the screen.
Please pay the amount through the app or scan the QR Code and pay on the website. The words are displayed on the screen before a QR code appears on the screen.
He scanned the code and went through the payment.
[Confirmed the Payment. Thank you for shopping with NovaMart. Have a good day.]
The drone zipped away silently, fading into the night sky.
Meanwhile, Shang Wei carefully carried the egg to his couch and pricked his finger.
A drop of blood slid down his fingertip and touched the egg's top.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then, light surged outward in a circle. The egg pulsed, and the mana in his blood resonated, forming a soul bond with the creature hiding inside the egg.
And then the shell cracked.
A soft paw poked out.
Then, a fuzzy head peeked from the broken shell, blinking with innocent golden eyes.
"You're real," the man breathed as he curiously watched him. He reached for the bio scanner and ran it over the creature.
Species: Unknown
Element: Light
Potential: King Tier
Level: 1
The man's jaw dropped. "This is legit. This is fuc*ing legit! Indeed, it is a variant. It's not even registered in the monster database."
He stood up, holding the direwolf with both hands, and laughed out loud. "Hahahaha! I've hit the jackpot! I just picked up a King-Tier potential monster for 15k credits! What dumb newbie listed this?"
He looked at the seller's name again.
Fang Fang Pets
He grinned. "If you hadn't mentioned that it is a King Tier potential, I would have thought that you were trying to make quick bucks. I don't know who you are... but I'll be keeping my eye on you."
*
The next morning, Huaxi City;
The morning sun filtered through half-closed blinds, casting soft gold stripes across Lin Fang's desk.
The direwolf pup that was sleeping beside him on the same bed, continued to be in its dream.
Meanwhile, Lin Fang wiped the sleep from his eyes and opened his inbox with a couple of new messages.
[13500 credits added to your account] — From Lingshan Bank.
[Congratulations on your first sale with NovaMart. We hope our partnership to prosper further.] — From NovaMart
[Sale Complete. Credits Transferred to your account after standard deduction.] — From NovaMart.
He blinked, stared at the screen for a moment longer than necessary, then opened his System Character Interface.
He can see the change in Store Earnings: 13,500 Credits. These credits are eligible for the exchange for a standard 100:1 ratio.
His hand trembled slightly. Not because the number was decently high, but it's because it is his first sale online, and it was earned in one day.
How long had it been since he made money like this through a sale? A legitimate business deal that worked?
He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the skyline. "This is just the beginning," he murmured.
Clenching his fist, Lin Fang exhaled deeply and converted the entire amount without hesitation:
*Ding!
[13500 credits have been exchanged for 135 coins]
The phone buzzed, too, but Lin Fang didn't pay attention to it. He knew it was just from the bank, the deduction of the balance from the account.
With 135 coins in his hand, he immediately purchased another Luminous Direwolf Egg from the system's shop and listed it again on NovaMart.
Item: Luminous Direwolf Egg
Price: 15,000 Credits
Then he closed the laptop.
Five Days Later;
What began as a single ripple turned into steady waves in Lin Fang's revenue.
During the past five days, Lin Fang had sold 10 Luminous Direwolf Eggs, one after another, pricing them at 15000 credits.
After each sale, each one earned him a verified 13,500 credits.
And he used those credits to convert them into as many coins it's possible and buy Luminous Direwolf Eggs and then put them up for sale.
In the end, after the ten sales, he was left with a net profit of 40,500 credits and 45 coins.
Lin Fang sat with a small bowl of instant noodles and sighed, looking at his bank account that had grown by more than 40,000 credits in the span of five days.
He was happy.
But what's with the sigh?
Well, it was because he couldn't use any of that money. Or rather, he decided not to do it and invested the money into the business to make more sales instead.
*Ding!
[40500 credits have been exchanged for 405 coins]
*Ding!
[You purchased a Luminous Direwolf Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased a Blazing Direwolf Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased a Terran Direwolf Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased an Electral Direwolf Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[Items have been sent to the inventory]
Returning to the real world, his eyes on the laptop, the mouse cursor hovered around the product for a second. "Let's raise the price a little." Taking a deep breath, he clicked on the new product.
[Terran Direwolf Egg has been listed]
[Electral Direwolf Egg has been listed]
[Blazing Direwolf Egg has been listed]
He adjusted the listing to 25,000 credits for all variants.
Then, he waited. And waited.
As expected, the new listing didn't sell as quickly as the old listing at a lower price.
And Lin Fang felt... oddly... relieved.
He didn't want that frantic rush again. Not right now. The slowdown was exactly what he needed. Slow and steady growth is his new mantra in this life.
With that thought parked safely in the back of his mind, Lin Fang turned his attention to a more pressing matter: the moving.
Everything he owned, furniture, books, boxes, tools, old posters, even his collection of unused pet collars, was stored in his Inventory Space.
The direwolf pup was kept in a pet carrier even though he now finally had a Pet inventory.
To his new roommates, all he carried was a single large suitcase filled with clothes, toiletries, and some electronic devices. Just basic stuff.
Taking a last look at the residence he had lived in for the past seven years, Lin Fang heaved out a long sigh and turned around to step out of the door.
"It's a goodbye."