*Ding!*
[You received a new side quest. Check the Quest Panel for details.]
[You unlocked Revolver. Check the Gallery for details.]
[You received a new side quest.]
[You received a new side quest.]
Kiara straightened behind the counter instantly. The fatigue that had weighed her down moments earlier vanished, replaced by sharp anticipation. The quiet shop, once filled only with drifting dust and heavy silence, suddenly felt alive with possibility.
She opened the newly unlocked System Store without hesitation.
A prompt appeared before her:
[Please select a category: Skills, Items, Attributes, Bloodlines, Unique Weapons.]
Her gaze swept across the options. Only Items glowed softly. The rest remained dim and grayed out, like locked doors waiting for keys she didn't yet possess.
"So even Bloodlines can be purchased," Kiara murmured, a mix of awe and disbelief in her voice. "This system really defies common sense."
"System," she asked, leaning forward, "how do I unlock the other categories?"
[Upgrade the System Store to unlock remaining categories.]
"And how do I upgrade it?"
Her curiosity burned especially hot at the mention of Unique Weapons. If a basic pistol could already shock nobles, she could only imagine what lay beyond that locked threshold.
[Upgrade Stones are required. Upgrade Stones are obtainable only through emergency quests or high-difficulty side quests. Acquisition depends on host luck.]
Kiara's expression darkened immediately.
"Lucky…" she muttered flatly, resting her forehead against the cool wooden counter for a moment. "Of course it depends on luck."
After a beat, she straightened again.
"Fine. Let's see what's available."
She selected Items.
The interface shifted into a wide, neatly organized grid. The first section displayed various pills, each with glowing descriptions beside them.
Temporary pills promised faster Ether recovery, higher crafting success rates, or rapid wound healing. Permanent pills offered boosts to strength, agility, vitality, longevity, and even skill potency.
Kiara scanned the prices and exhaled sharply.
"One hundred credits for a basic pill," she muttered. "The system really believes in premium pricing."
She kept scrolling.
Next came accessories—rings, pendants, bracelets, and talismans that offered permanent enhancements to physical attributes while worn.
These were slightly more affordable.
"I have no Ether," she thought aloud. "Strength and agility mean little without a foundation."
Then something caught her eye.
"Hmm?"
A simple copper-grade ring. Its design was plain, without gemstones or elaborate carvings. But the price made her pause.
500 credits.
She selected it immediately.
[Ring of Luck]
Grade: Copper (Upgradable)
Description: Allows the host to steal luck from others temporarily.
Effect (1): Permanent Luck +1
Effect (2): Steal up to +2 temporary luck for 3 minutes. Cooldown: fifteen minutes per point.
Price: 500 credits.
"Stealing luck?"
Kiara's eyes changed.
If there was one thing her life had always lacked, it was fortune. Customers required luck. Upgrade Stones required luck. Even surviving danger often came down to luck.
Without hesitation, she confirmed the purchase.
[500 credits deducted.]
[Ring of Luck sent to inventory.]
Notifications continued ringing.
[Side Quest (1) completed.]
[Side Quest (3) completed.]
[New side quest issued.]
[Luck stat added to Character Panel.]
Kiara blinked, surprised by the chain reaction.
"Has fortune finally noticed me?" she murmured, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.
She retrieved the ring from her inventory. It looked utterly ordinary in her palm, like something bought from a roadside stall rather than a mystical system. She slipped it onto her left index finger.
"System. Open Character Menu."
The familiar panel appeared.
Name: Kiara (Kyra Phoenix)
Strength: 0.3
Intelligence: 0.7
Defense: 0.2
Agility: 0.1
Vitality: 0.8
Resistance: 0.1
Charisma: 6.8
Luck: 2 (+1)
Ether Quality: Nil
Ether Energy: 0
Available Credits: 187
Net Worth: 436 gold, 46 silver
She stared at the Luck value.
"Two," she muttered dryly.
Memories from both lives surfaced uninvited—kidnapping, betrayal, waking up in a powerless body, starting a failing business in a world ruled by cultivation.
She let out a long breath. "No wonder."
The copper ring glinted faintly in the lamplight.
"With stolen luck, my total could reach five," she calculated. "Perhaps that will finally tilt fate in my direction."
She dismissed the panel and opened the Quest List.
[Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-Shot Pistols]
Progress: 15%
*
[Side Quest (1): Purchase an item from the store]
Completed → Reward: 50 credits
*
[Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Revolvers]
Progress: 0% → Reward: Semi-Automatic Pistol (10-round magazine)
*
[Side Quest (3): Spend 500 Credits]
Completed → Reward: Lottery Wheel
*
"Fifty credits for a simple purchase," she mused. "Equivalent to dismantling a top-tier silver weapon. Acceptable."
The Lottery Wheel intrigued her.
"A gamble mechanism," she said thoughtfully. "I should use it only after stealing some luck."
She claimed both rewards.
Two new quests immediately replaced the completed ones. Her eyes widened slightly.
[Side Quest (1): Earn 1000 gold from selling system-created weapons, excluding bullets]
Progress: 7.5%
Reward: Ether Particles
*
[Side Quest (3): Spend 5000 Credits]
Progress: 10%
Reward: Exchange Panel (Currency ↔ Credits)
*
Kiara clenched her fist, excitement threatening to break her usual composure.
"Ether Particles," she whispered.
That single reward could change everything.
If she obtained Ether, she would no longer be a powerless observer in a world of spirit warriors.
"As long as I keep selling," she murmured steadily, "I can step onto the cultivation path myself."
The copper ring gleamed on her finger.
"Anyway… now that I have the ring, it's time to test it."
***
Meanwhile, in the Inner Districts of the City;
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the courtyard of Silver Manor as an elderly man in soot-stained robes hurried through the gates. His beard was singed in several places, and his weathered hands still carried faint traces of charcoal despite having clearly tried to wash them before coming.
The servants didn't dare stop him.
He had been personally summoned by Lord Wester Silver.
A maid led him into the quiet study. Wester was already seated behind his desk, calmly reviewing documents. He looked up as the door opened.
The old man bowed deeply.
"My Lord."
Wester acknowledged him with a slight nod. "Master Darren."
Only after receiving permission did Darren straighten. His eyes were unusually bright, almost unable to contain his excitement.
"My Lord… where did you obtain this thing?"
Wester slowly set down the document in his hand. "What happened?"
Darren reached into the leather pouch at his waist and carefully placed a single polished shell casing onto the desk.
"I spent the entire night examining the other five of these..."
His fingers gently rolled one of the tiny brass cylinders across the polished wood.
"At first, I thought it was merely an unfamiliar copper alloy. But the more I studied it…" He shook his head slowly. "The less I understood."
Wester remained silent, waiting.
Darren picked up one of the casings again.
"It is primarily copper. That much I can confirm. However… there is another metal mixed within it to make an alloy. I have never encountered it before. It increases hardness without adding weight. It greatly improves resistance to corrosion. It even raises the melting point beyond what ordinary copper should allow."
He let out a slow breath.
"Yet… that isn't what astonishes me most."
Wester's eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."
Darren set the casing back down and tapped it lightly.
"My Lord… this alloy alone is already remarkable. Alloys can be discovered with enough time and resources. But what cannot be faked…" He pointed to the mouth of the casing. "Is the craftsmanship."
"Every single one possesses identical dimensions. The wall thickness differs by less than the width of a human hair. There are no hammer marks. No casting imperfections. No distortions whatsoever."
He looked directly at Wester, his voice carrying unmistakable admiration.
"I have forged weapons for over forty years." He lifted the casing once more. "I can confidently say that the one who made these things, without question… a master blacksmith."
The study fell quiet.
Wester's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair. A master blacksmith…
His thoughts immediately drifted toward the owner of the Nexus Weapon Store.
According to every report his people had delivered, Kiara had never once left her shop. Not even for a moment.
The man who lived with her only goes out for groceries and meat.
That means...
Someone must be delivering to her.
And that someone must be a regular.