The Shop
'Time-space fragment? What is that system?'
I asked in my mind.
[Time-space fragment can be obtained from completing optional objectives]
'What use does it have, and where is it?'
I probed deeper.
[Collecting all fragments will reveal its use, but for now, the system will store the fragments until you assemble them all.]
Surprised by the system's eagerness to answer my question. I tried a few more, unfortunately, with no more results.
"Near the entrance, there are no useful herbs. You should search a little deeper."
The first thing we heard as we neared the Elder leading the current classes were a few words of reminder.
"Techer, you misunderstand we are already done."
Natalie said respectfully.
"Is that so? Well, let me see."
Remarked the elderly woman. She may have looked old, but the glint in her eyes was still vivid, eager to teach the younger generation.
After a moment…
"Huh… indeed, these are the herbs I required you to gather. Did I make the exam too easy?"
Pondered the Elder aloud.
"Well, good job, but we still need to wait for others. Do you all enjoy tea? I brew it myself.
Said the Elder, offering us the place to sit next to her.
Time passed like that. We enjoyed our tea, and the Elder talked about some of her adventures from the time when she was our age.
So far, I haven't found any truly arrogant or corrupt elders. All of them appeared to be middle-aged or elderly age, treating us like we were their blood-related granddaughters.
The game never mentioned this fact, so I'm positively surprised.
- More than an hour later -
I hadn't wasted this hour doing nothing. I seriously contemplated my next move with the system panel that was conventionally open in my mind by closing my eyes.
I was aware that this behavior might be considered rude, but fortunately, the Elder didn't seem to mind it, as she was having a great conversation with Nico.
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Status screen
[Name: Rose Ling]
[Race: h?/4?af (error)]
[Points:315]
[Cultivation: Body reconstruction (7th layer)]
[Physique: Extreme Yin Body (unawakened)]
[Bloodline: The Enchanting Nine-Tailed Fox (sealed)]
[Shop]
[Tower]
[Missions]
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Three hundred fifteen points a whole year of my hard work. For every daily mission, I get only one point.
Completing the missions requires me to spend ten hours on it, leading me to sacrifice my sleep time. I haven't been socializing with friends outside of classes for this very reason.
People see me as some strange creature devoted to the Great Dao path, but in reality, I have been restlessly trying to complete my daily missions.
I have been pushing myself hard since that year, giving my all, and today, I will finally spend all these points.
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[Shop]
[5 points = 1% improvement in the below qualities]
{Spiritual energy quality} [0]
{Spiritual energy recovery} [0]
{Qi absorption rate} [0]
{Spiritual energy capacity} [0]
{Pheromones} [0]
{Charm} [0]
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Honestly, it's not the first time I took a look at the shop provided by a system, nor the first time I intended to spend the points.
Yet, I held back to this date.
The oddest thing in the shop is "pheromones". If I understand correctly, it says the improvement of the qualities mentioned, so does it mean that I already have these pheromones?
'System, can you explain what these pheromones mean?'
I have been contemplating and finally asked. Perhaps because the system often appears unreliable and does not answer my questions, I didn't think about this at first.
[Pheromones are the determinant factor in defining your attractiveness. They are not just the scent as you may have assumed, but other physical aspects.]
'So, I will be prettier if I put points into it?'
I asked, feeling baffled.
[Correct your physical aspects would improve]
'Do I even need to update my appearance anymore? I created this avatar with the intention of making it look perfect.'
I thought.
Yet, that was just the character customization lacking detailed options…
My nose could be a bit smaller…
'No STOP! Don't go on that route. I can't waste my points to satisfy my ego.'
I scolded myself in my mind.
'System, can you give me a brief explanation of charm, too?'
I asked if pheromones make me look pretty, what about charm?
[Charm determines how people perceive you. The bigger your charm gets, the easier it is for the people to compromise with you. Charm does not contribute to your physical aspects but more to your spiritual ones. Specifically, your aura.]
So, when I was late for class or didn't do my homework, teachers should have scolded me but didn't. Was it because of my incredibly high charm stats?
Other things are self-explanatory:
Spiritual energy quality = stronger spells
Spiritual energy recovery = faster energy regeneration
Qi absorption rate = faster cultivation
Spiritual energy capacity = bigger energy reserves
All these super useful upgrades are reliant on my pitifully below-average spiritual roots.
The shop gave away a percentage increase, not the basic one. If I want to see a visible improvement, I should focus on one thing.
I have all these points divided by five; it gives a sixty-three percent bonus.
The decision wasn't easy, but I gathered so much in the year, and I will start doing challenges, giving me even more points…
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[Shop]
[5 points = 1% improvement in the below qualities]
{Spiritual energy quality} [0]
{Spiritual energy recovery} [0]
{Qi absorption rate} [23]
{Spiritual energy capacity} [0]
{Pheromones} [20]
{Charm} [20]
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[Your appearance improvement will show itself after your sleep]
Despite my earlier words, my reason for distributing points like that comes from the fact that my appearance and charm are top-notch. The improvement should be massive if I put points into it. Selfish desire, nonetheless, but I will earn more points in the future, no big deal.
Besides, there exists a hidden mission in the game where you need high charm. I will try to look for it in my spare time. After all, the rewards for this particular quest were impressive when I was still a player.
As for the Qi absorption rate, it was an obvious choice; faster cultivation is always a good thing. With it, I will be able to keep the facade of genius for a bit longer.
Just as I was about to come to reality and open my eyes, a sudden headache assaulted me.
There were people near me, so I had to endure, clenching my palms and trying to appear normal.
Fortunately, it didn't last long, and I felt better soon after.
The cause of the said headache was the tide of information drilling into my mind. This knowledge contained information about the qualities I decided to upgrade.
How to absorb Qi efficiently without straining your spiritual roots, and more. This data was incredibly fragmented; I would probably have to keep spending points to comprehend it fully.
'Ha? So, it's not only about getting pretty and being more charismatic. It does have other uses and reinforces each other…'
I pondered, assimilating the precious knowledge.
'Should I test it on someone?'
I kept thinking. Yet suddenly…
"Rose! wake up."
The girl's voice resonated close to my ear, almost shattering my eardrums.
Somehow, distracted, I opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings.
All the disciples sent to the woods have returned, and a few people are still being graded. We should be heading back to the sect soon enough.
Looking at the side from which the thunderous voice attacked me, I grimaced.
"You really didn't need to shout so loudly."
I complained to the grinning Natalie.
"Ahh, is that so?"
She answered, smirking.
'Indeed, a small woman can hold a grudge.'
I thought, but I didn't bother too much; there is not a day without us bickering.
"You have been napping so nicely I couldn't help myself."
Natalie continued.
Hearing that, I suddenly stood up, swiftly and deadly. My hand landed on top of her head, messing with the hair that she cherishes so much, taking care of it every morning before classes.
"AAAAAA! I am going to kill you!!"
Enlarged, Natalie yelled.
"You sure do, little goblin."
I said, a faint smile grazing my lips.
"You're dead!!"
The angrier she got, the more visible my smile became. Her short legs thumping furiously, trying to catch me.
Our actions caught the attention of other disciples, yet we didn't care, as if we were in our own little world.
In such an atmosphere, our day passed like that.
- Next day alchemy classes -
"Yesterday, we gathered the herbs for the detoxifying potion. Today, we will be making it with these herbs. Disciples that didn't manage to gather the herbs do not worry. I will provide you with the needed ingredients."
The Elder began the lessons by officially addressing everyone as we moved to our designated worktables.
Taking out the herbs from my storage ring, I prepared everything that I needed before starting.
The first step is about herbs assessment; any damaged or rotten parts need to be removed.
Just when I was done with herbs…
[Only 79% of the plants are suitable for alchemy. Please remove the unnecessary parts.]
The processed herbs suddenly appeared on the system screen with a 3D copy, coloring red, bad parts.
Pleasantly surprised not knowing that the system even had this function, using the herbs in the system as a reference, I started to make the adjustments.
[Only 95% of the plants are suitable for alchemy. Please remove the unnecessary parts.]
Looking at a similar message and realizing that I missed something, I started again.
[Only 99% of the plants are suitable for alchemy. Please remove the unnecessary parts.]
'Just a little bit...'
[100% of the plants are suitable for alchemy.]
'Finally.'
So, when most people were already on the third step, I only completed my first one.
'There is no need to rush. I still have an ample amount of time.'
I reminded myself, looking at the several herbs processed by me to perfection.
The next step is about refining.
Grinding the plants in the mortar. I put them inside the small iron cauldron. Pouring the required amount of water and….
[Because you wasted most of the herbs, the amount of water is more than necessary…]
'Is the system mocking me?'
I thought, frowning my brows, but I didn't have time for that now and processed with the alchemy, anyway.
Examining the 3D visual animation of a cauldron. It clearly showed how much water I currently had inside and how much I needed.
Updated in real-time, it wasn't long for me to get the proportions right.
This low-level cauldron artifact had automatic heating as long as I poured enough spiritual energy into it. Just as I was to set the temperature specifically designated for this potion…
[You can set the temperature to 213 C and wait for 10 minutes or 150 C and wait 26 minutes. The first method is more dangerous and can result in failure, but it yields a better-quality potion. The other safer method ensures success, but the quality is likely to be average.]
'Should I risk it for a biscuit?'
Sure, why not? I feel lucky today. I weighed my options and decided.
This was just the entry-level alchemy. That's why the process could have seemed to be so simplistic.
Happy to be almost done, I let my eyes wander the class and caught several eyes annoyingly glaring at me.
I had noticed this for some time, but I focused on my alchemy and did not pay attention until now.
The people looking at me with hostility were obviously the scourge trio that tried to bully me when I had just transmigrated.
For so long, they lived under my shadow, even abandoning several episodes when I should face-slap them. Yet, today, being so openly hostile, it's easy to see that they are scheming something, and I know exactly what.
In the original story, they put poison into the protagonist's potion. The detoxifying potion we are creating actually contains one poisonous ingredient.
However, this ingredient becomes poisonous only when you are stupid and put too much, messing up the composition of the potion.
End results?
The protagonist has not only been hospitalized due to the incident. She failed the class and became the laughingstock of her fellow disciples.
After all, only someone stupid would ignore the repetitive reminders from the Elder and make their detoxifying potion actually poisonous.
Yet, the core reason that even happened was that the MC left for a moment to go to the bathroom, leaving their station without supervision.
There were still disciples in the room who still hadn't finished their portion and saw the whole accident of how the bullies messed with MC's potion, but nobody stopped them.
Reason?
The main character was a complete loner, a typical cliché hero. The pay-to-win mobile game couldn't seem to escape this fate like most games and novels at this age.
Obviously, after this accident, the hero became even stronger and finally….
'BUT if I mustn't suffer, it would have been perfect.'
I thought.
So, how do I deal with it?