"The front shelves are looking a bit sparse. Let’s pull five more pieces of Superior-grade armor," Kael said, standing up to survey his shop’s layout.

  It seemed he’d need to find a way to expand the storefront soon. Otherwise, no matter how many supply channels he unlocked, having no place to display the goods would be a waste of effort.

  He tossed three Spirit Crystals into the system, and it even spit back fifty Gold Coins in change.

  Superior Armor Pool, 5-pull—Begin!

  [Refined Chainmail], [Wind-Spirit Light Armor], [Bracers of Might], [Anti-Magic Cloak], [Anti-Magic Cloak].

  [Wind-Spirit Light Armor]: Slightly increases Physical Defense. Includes the effect [Celerity]: Slightly increases the user's speed.

  [Bracers of Might]: Slightly increases Physical Defense. Includes the effect [Heavy Wrist]: Slightly increases the user's arm strength.

  [Anti-Magic Cloak]: Slightly increases Magic Defense. Includes the effect [Mana Shield]: When struck by magic, generates a shield that absorbs a small amount of damage. Once broken, the shield enters a one-day cooldown.

  The difference between Superior-grade and Common-grade was truly night and day. Then again, considering the price jump was twenty-fold, it made perfect sense.

  "But... System, can these bracers really provide the same defense as a suit of light armor?" Kael ran to the warehouse and picked up a bracer that was barely larger than a wristwatch.

  After a long pause, the System responded.

  [System: Special Armor Note: Provided defense is only effective on the area covered by the armor.]

  Figures.

  Although the item descriptions were very similar to an RPG, the real-world logic still applied. Wearing a bracer wouldn't magically buff your entire body's skin. To get the defense, you actually had to use the piece of armor to block the incoming blow. Any uncovered part remained as vulnerable as ever.

  Of course, gear like the Anti-Magic Cloak with its [Mana Shield] was the exception to the rule.

  "Fair enough. That’s enough armor for now. Next... the one I’ve been waiting for: the Superior-grade Pill Pool!" Kael could hardly contain his excitement.

  He had been eyeing those permanent stat-boosting pills for a long time. Even if one pill only granted the equivalent of three levels' worth of stats, three pills would add up to nine levels.

  More importantly, pills took up very little shelf space and were consumables, meaning he could move a massive volume of stock.

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  "Let’s start with a 30-pull on the Common Pill Pool," Kael said, hitting the button casually.

  The market for Healing Pills was massive. Unlike weapons or armor, where people always wanted the highest tier, consumables were all about utility. In many life-or-death situations, a basic Healing Pill was far more valuable than a high-tier stat boost.

  This batch didn't yield anything new, but the drop rate for Healing Pills remained high.

  "Now... twenty pulls for Superior Pills! Give me the good stuff!" Kael was starting to get addicted to the rush of the gacha-style restocking. You never knew what you were going to get.

  [Gale-Spirit Pill], [Blood-Bath Pill], [Might Pill], [Haste Pill], [Intellect Pill]... [Demon-Blood Pill], [Frost-Snow Pill]...

  The twenty pulls yielded five new Superior-grade pills and two Rare-grade pills—the first of their kind Kael had seen.

  The Might, Haste, and Intellect pills were simply upgraded versions of their "Lesser" counterparts, providing higher temporary stat boosts.

  As for the others:

  [Gale-Spirit Pill]: Permanently increases Agility by a very small amount. Limit: 3 per person. No level requirement.

  [Blood-Bath Pill]: Permanently increases Recovery Speed and Strength by a very small amount. Limit: 3 per person. No level requirement.

  And the two new Rare-grade pills:

  [Demon-Blood Pill]: Permanently increases Attack Power and Recovery Speed by a small amount. Limit: 1 per person. Requirement: Class-rank Berserker.

  [Frost-Snow Pill]: Permanently increases the speed and power of Ice Magic by a small amount. Limit: 1 per person. Requirement: Class-rank Ice Elementalist.

  "Class requirements, huh..."

  If anyone asked why Kael stopped pulling, the "Class restrictions" were the main reason.

  "What is this? Rare pills are restricted to Class-rank users only?" Kael clutched his chest, feeling a wave of bitterness.

  He’d had a feeling this was coming ever since he pulled the Dragon-Vein Greataxe, but it still hurt. Class-rank was a completely different world compared to the Brave-rank.

  "Forget it. My heart is broken. No more pulling," Kael sighed. He hauled the new stock out of the warehouse and filled the shelves.

  The entrance to the new facility—the Combat Strength Training Room—was now located to the right of the counter, separated from the Trial Room by the main desk.

  Night had fully fallen. After stocking the shelves, Kael dragged his exhausted body to bed. He only managed a few hours of sleep before the first light of dawn broke over the horizon.

  In the Cloud Mist Forest, the previous night's beast riot seemed like it had never happened. In Cloud Mist City, shops opened as usual.

  Kael, with messy bed-head, went out to buy two baskets of steamed buns and returned to his shop, slowly enjoying his breakfast behind the counter. He had just finished the first basket when the door swung open.

  "Manager! I'm back! I brought a new customer today. Say, can you give me a discount on that greataxe?" Tiger Hunt’s boisterous voice boomed, instantly scattering the last of Kael’s drowsiness.

  "No. My goods are worth every coin," Kael said flatly, setting aside his bun and regaining his stoic composure.

  "Still as stiff as ever, I see!" Tiger Hunt laughed. He was only half-serious about the discount; he was already more than satisfied with his Berserker Greatsword.

  "Blood Wolf, take a look around. This is the Manager I told you about. If you don't understand something, just ask." Tiger Hunt gestured to the man following him.

  "Understood," Blood Wolf nodded, his eyes already scanning the shelves.

  "Whoa, Manager! Since when did you start selling armor?" Tiger Hunt asked, picking up a piece of Refined Chainmail with a look of pleasant surprise.

  Kael began to explain the attributes of the armor. He often wondered when the System would include printed descriptions for the items, but the answer was always the same: Manager Level too low. For now, he had to be the walking encyclopedia for his own shop.