Muscle Development Elixir

At night, as George lay in his crib, his thoughts drifted to the system's shop. Since his cultivation was temporarily restricted, he figured he might as well explore other avenues of growth. With a small motion, he opened the shop interface and navigated to his mana crystal storage.

[Stored Mana Crystals: 19.9]

He tapped on the search bar and set the price limit to 19 crystals. The list of available items was extensive, but one item immediately caught his attention.

[Muscle Development Elixir] - 18 Mana Crystals Increases all physical stats (Strength, Stamina, Agility) by 0.02 per day. Does not affect Magic Power.

George's eyes lingered on the description. It wasn't much of an increase per day, but over time, it would add up. More importantly, it would gradually strengthen his body, which was currently hindered by his young age.

Then he saw the price.

Buying it would nearly reset his cultivation progress. His hard-earned mana crystals would be gone in an instant.

His fingers hovered over the purchase button. Would this set me back too much? He had worked diligently to reach this stage, and the thought of regressing so suddenly unsettled him. His cultivation was already at a standstill due to his body's limitations, but would losing this much mana hinder him in the long run?

As he debated, a system notification appeared.

[System Notice: While spending mana crystals will cause temporary regression, there will be no long-term damage. Cultivation progress can be regained through continued training.]

George exhaled slowly. That was a relief. The setback wouldn't be permanent.

Well, that's to be expected, he mused. This shop contains seemingly endless treasures. There's bound to be some good investments like this.

Still, he hesitated for another moment. This was nearly everything he had. But in the long run, a stronger body meant fewer restrictions, and fewer restrictions meant faster progress. That alone made the purchase worth it.

He made his choice.

[Purchase Confirmed!]

A small vial materialized in his inventory. With a mental command, it appeared in his tiny hands. The elixir had a faint golden hue, shimmering under the dim light of the room. George examined it briefly before bringing it to his lips and drinking it in one gulp.

The taste was surprisingly mild—slightly sweet with a hint of herbal bitterness. Almost immediately, a soothing warmth spread through his body, followed by a subtle yet distinct sense of reinforcement in his muscles. It wasn't overwhelming, but he could tell that something had changed.

[Effect Applied: Physical Stats will increase by 0.02 per day.]

Satisfied, George set the empty vial aside and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be a new day after all and he didn't want to be lazy in his training with Marcus.