Chapter 30: Bonus Rewards

  "Big Brother, you are so amazing!" Lan Zi'er cried out, lugging her massive tower shield over to Kael. Her eyes were shimmering with pure hero worship as she looked up at him.

  "It’s nothing special. There are plenty of people out there stronger than me," Kael said earnestly.

  This wasn't false modesty. If it came down to a true life-and-death struggle, Kael knew he wouldn't last three moves against that monster of a man in the Trial Space. After all, the Trial Space’s primary purpose was to train him, not to execute him.

  However, to the girls' ears, his words took on a completely different meaning.

  "Manager Kael, you are far too humble," Lan Qing'er said as she leaped down from her perch, speaking with newfound respect.

  "Sister, I'm hungry. Can we eat now?" Lan Zi'er immediately shifted her focus the moment she saw Lan Qing'er.

  "Um, Kael... was it?" Na Lan Qinqi hesitated for a moment, clutching the small ceramic bottle. "Do you have more of these pills?"

  Kael looked at the loli mage, then his expression turned solemn. "Speaking of which, that reminds me—you still owe me ten Spirit Crystals."

  That Healing Pill hadn't been a gift from the System. If Kael used it on himself, it was free, as it was technically his stock. But if he gave it to others, he was merely pulling merchandise off his own shelves. A sale was a sale, and he wasn't about to lose a single Spirit Crystal.

  The clearing went silent. The atmosphere turned incredibly awkward as Kael stood there with a completely deadpan expression, waiting for his money.

  "O-Of course. Here, ten Spirit Crystals." It took Lan Ye a good few seconds to snap out of it and hand over a coin pouch, finally ending the awkwardness.

  "Since we're settled, I’ll be heading back. I have a shop to open tomorrow," Kael said, counting the crystals before tucking them into his robe.

  "Manager Kael, will you have those pills in your shop?" Xiao Ya asked hurriedly.

  "Of course. My shop is in Cloud Mist City. Stop by when you have time." With that, Kael turned and vanished into the night. He was genuinely starting to feel sleepy.

  "Sister Ye..." Xiao Ya looked at her captain.

  "We’ll go tomorrow," Lan Ye said, knowing exactly what her teammate was thinking. "We’ll ask about weapons then. For tonight, we rest."

  "Let's set up camp here," Fei Xue said, sheathing her rapier. "This was the Flame Demon Wolf's territory. No other beast will dare wander near here for a while."

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  "Sister, are we eating wolf meat tonight?" Lan Zi'er asked, her mouth practically watering as she looked at the carcass. Monster meat was always edible, and because it was infused with mana, it tasted far better than common game.

  "Yes, yes. We're eating wolf meat," Lan Qing'er sighed helplessly.

  "Yay!" Lan Zi'er cheered, scurrying over to drag the massive wolf corpse toward the fire. Even though Kael had harvested the best parts, there was still plenty of meat left.

  "Meat again..." Na Lan Qinqi pouted, pinching her slightly chubby tummy.

  "Children need to eat meat to grow tall," Lan Qing'er said with a smirk, patting the little mage’s head.

  Nearby, You Jiu had already silently started the campfire.

  Kael moved swiftly on the return trip. Once back at the shop, he bolted the door and pulled out the Material Synthesizer.

  "System, begin synthesis." Kael watched with anticipation as the jar-like device began to glow, stuffed with wolf fangs, claws, and pelts.

  The synthesizer began to hum and vibrate violently. Then, under Kael's expectant gaze, it let out a massive BOOM and exploded...

  "I... you..."

  Kael’s face went dark. He wanted to curse, but he didn't even know where to start.

  [System: Synthesis Complete. Item: Wolf King War-Armor.]

  [System: Evaluation: Above Superior-grade, Below Rare-grade. Armor-type. Upgrade Quest Complete. Rewards are being issued.]

  "Wait, so the materials I spent all night sweating for turned into an item that doesn't even belong to me?" Kael’s mind was full of question marks.

  [System: The Host may choose to keep the 'Wolf King War-Armor,' but the 'Bonus Rewards' will be forfeited.]

  "Wolf King what? Never heard of it. Give me the rewards," Kael said with immediate, righteous conviction.

  [System: Upgrade Quest Complete. Manager Level increased by 1. Trial Room Level increased by 1 (Class-rank Trials unlocked). Superior-grade Pill Pool unlocked. Combat Strength Training Room unlocked. Profit share increased to 10%.]

  [System Bonus Reward: Common-grade and Superior-grade Armor Pools unlocked.]

  [System: As the 'Newbie Period' has ended, the supply price for the Common-grade Pool has returned to the standard rate: 10 Gold Coins.]

  "You set me up, System!"

  Even though Kael knew the price hike was coming, the reality of it still felt like a punch to the gut.

  [System: Upgrade complete. Please continue to work hard, Host.]

  "Open Status Window."

  Host: Kael Manager Level: 3 Stores Owned: 1 Supply Channels: Pill Pool (Common, Superior), Weapon Pool (Common, Superior), Armor Pool (Common, Superior) Store Facilities: Trial Room (Level 2), Combat Strength Training Room (Level 1) Evaluation: Junior Manager (You have gained some insight into running a shop and achieved minor success. Please keep trying.)

  "The System would be a lot better if it stopped roasting me," Kael muttered, rubbing his temples before opening the Armor Pool.

  The prices were the same as the Weapon Pool: 10 gold for Common, 50 for Superior. Since pills were consumables and gear was permanent, the price difference made sense.

  "I still have some spare cash. Let's stock some armor to diversify the shelves," Kael said, pulling a few Spirit Crystals from the register.

  He hit the button for a 10-pull on the Common Armor Pool.

  Common Leather Armor... Common Iron Armor... Common Cloth Armor... Common Heavy Armor...

  "Are you kidding me?" Kael groaned. "Does every single item in the Common Pool have to have 'Common' as a prefix?"

  Luckily, his 10-pull guaranteed a Superior-grade item: Refined Chainmail.

  [Refined Chainmail]: Slightly increases the user's Physical Defense. Includes the passive effect: [Hardened Shell]. [Hardened Shell]: Upon entering combat, Physical Defense is slightly increased.

  A standard description. Kael mostly cared about the passive effects now. While "slightly" sounded minor, for a Brave-rank fighter, a Superior-grade piece of gear could negate more than half of any incoming physical attack. In numerical terms, it was roughly equivalent to Level 30+ specialized equipment.