"I'll take the God Physical Body."
The moment the words left Jaune's lips, the nine coins in his mental interface vaporized.
A flash of blinding, cerulean energy erupted from the spot where the holographic product listing had been.
Jaune didn't feel pain, but a rapid, almost clinical restructuring of his entire essence.
His lingering spectral form was instantly absorbed, his very being woven into the fabric of something new, something perfect.
When the light faded, Jaune gasped, taking a deep, unfamiliar breath.
He looked down and saw a hand—it was his, yet it was not.
The skin was flawless, radiating a faint internal warmth, and every muscle fiber felt perfectly sculpted, humming with latent energy.
He was taller, stronger, undeniably more handsome, though his hair and eye color hadn't dramatically changed; they were simply rendered in impossibly sharp, vivid tones of gold and blue. He was solid. He was alive.
"This... this is incredible," he whispered, clenching his fists.
He felt like he could lift the entire store.
[Congratulations, Host. The acquisition of the God Physical Body is complete. While currently untrained, it possesses supreme potential and absolute vitality. The Host currently has 0 msc remaining.]
Jaune, now inhabiting his new form, finally pulled the Flight Necklace from the shelf.
It was cool against his fingers. He quickly fastened the delicate, wing-shaped chain around his neck.
"Alright, Ciel,"
Jaune said, the confidence in his new body bolstering his voice.
"I have a way to escape this forest, and I have a body the Grimm will ignore... for now. What's the protocol for moving the store? You said I had to open a new shop somewhere?"
[Correct, Host. The Multiverse Convenience Store operates via a Dimensional Anchor, which is the current building itself. To relocate, the Host must identify a suitable, permanent location—an empty building, a ruin, or even a cave—and formally designate it as the store's new branch. The system will then handle the dimensional transfer and anchoring.]
"So, I have to go out, find a place, and set up a sign,"
Jaune mused. He looked at the locked wooden door leading to the Grimm-infested forest.
"Sounds like I need a scouting mission."
He cracked the door open and stepped out into the gloomy twilight.
The hulking Beowolves and soaring Nevermores paid him no mind, wandering past his new form as if he were still just a trick of the light.
He focused his awareness on the necklace, channeling a sliver of his nascent power.
Scouting for a New Home
A gentle blue aura enveloped him, and the ground suddenly dropped away.
Jaune shot upward with dizzying speed, bursting through the canopy of the forest and into the clear night air.
Below him, the dark woods spread out like a wrinkled blanket, the endless patrol of the Grimm invisible from this height.
Jaune soared higher, his new God Body effortlessly acclimating to the cold air and the velocity.
He flew for hours, his destination unknown, until he spotted three distinct patches of civilization in the distance, each representing a unique opportunity—and unique danger—for a fledgling Multiverse merchant.
[Host, Ciel has analyzed the surrounding regions. There are three potential locations that could serve as the new Dimensional Anchor for the Multiverse Convenience Store. The selection of the first branch is paramount, as it will determine the initial pool of potential customers and the level of regional danger.]
Jaune slowed his flight, hovering in the cold air, focusing on the three glowing points of life below him.