Kael didn't have much of a choice. His shop was filled with legendary treasures; if he didn't become stronger himself, he feared he’d never be able to step out from behind the counter safely. He didn't want to live his entire life tethered to the System’s automated defense grid.

  And so, Kael endured a cycle of absolute slaughter within the crystal ball. He was crushed, countered, and pummeled until he was mentally exhausted. Fighting an opponent that actually hunted you down was on a completely different level than hitting a stationary target.

  "Boss? Boss, are you in there? Is the shop closed today?"

  After a long while, just as Kael was drifting into a trance from the repeated defeats, he heard a muffled voice calling his name. He quickly snapped his consciousness back to his physical body and rose from the leather sofa.

  "Sounds like someone’s shouting. Better check it out."

  Pushing open the glass doors of the Combat Strength Training Room, Kael spotted Blood Wolf standing by the entrance of the original general store with a squad of his mercenaries, pounding on the door.

  "Stop yelling. I'm over here," Kael said flatly, running a hand through his messy hair.

  "Whoa! Boss, you’ve opened a branch? Got any new weapons in there?" Blood Wolf immediately trotted over, eager to strike up a conversation.

  Behind him, a dozen or so mercenaries peered inside with intense curiosity. These were men who had just returned from the Cloud Mist Forest. They had heard that Captain Blood Wolf had somehow acquired a stash of god-tier weapons, armor, and pills to outfit the squad.

  When they had initially field-tested the gear in the forest, the results had been staggering. The quality of the equipment was terrifyingly high, easily doubling their overall combat effectiveness. It was unheard of. Driven by curiosity, they had grilled Blood Wolf, who eventually told them the truth: there was a small shop that sold gear even better than what they were wearing—like the Superior-grade equipment the Captain himself used.

  Now, Blood Wolf had brought them along with their latest haul of monster loot to go on a massive shopping spree.

  "New weapons? You could say that," Kael yawned, glancing toward the general store. He’d been so preoccupied with the Training Room that he’d forgotten to open the main shop. Not that it mattered; if Kael wasn't physically in the building, the door wouldn't budge anyway.

  "So, what do you sell in this new place?" Blood Wolf asked. His mercenary group had nearly fifty men, and even after his last visit, less than half were properly equipped. He’d been hunting day and night just to scrape together enough funds to gear up the rest. Currently, only he wore Superior-grade gear; his men were still making do with Common-grade items.

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  "What do I sell? Come in and see for yourselves," Kael said. Seeing how the System had designed the layout, he knew its sole purpose was to drain Spirit Crystals.

  "Alright, if the Boss is inviting us, we won't be shy!" Blood Wolf followed Kael into the Training Room, his men filing in behind him.

  "Wow, Boss, this new place is way classier than the other one," Blood Wolf remarked. The floor space was significantly larger than the general store—large enough to comfortably house twenty individual booths.

  "But what’s the product? Those crystal balls?" Blood Wolf asked, observing the equipment.

  "No." Kael walked lazily behind the service counter. He rummaged around and found a small notice board—likely placed there by the System.

  "System, how do we price this?" Kael asked internally.

  [System: Two Spirit Crystals per hour. Each user is limited to four hours per day.]

  Kael took a pen, wrote the price on the board, and set it by the door.

  "Boss, what on earth are you selling in here that costs two Spirit Crystals an hour?" Blood Wolf stared at the sign, aghast. "Or are you really a 'black-hearted profiteer' like Tiger Hunt says?"

  "A what?" Kael glanced up, hearing a rather suspicious nickname. He cleared his throat and maintained a blank expression. "Weapons and armor are in the shop next door. There’s a passage at the end of the aisle."

  He gestured toward the door connecting the two buildings. He wasn't worried about the general store being unattended. Stealing from this shop was a literal impossibility; the "iron-fisted" System would never allow such a thing.

  "As for this room... pay the fee, find a seat, and place your hands on the base of the crystal ball. You'll understand soon enough," Kael explained as simply as possible.

  "Captain, why don't you give it a try first? We aren't in a rush," one of the mercenaries suggested.

  "Yeah, the gear is right next door. We can just haul it back after you're done playing," another added.

  "Fair enough," Blood Wolf nodded. He slapped two Spirit Crystals onto the counter. "Boss, one hour for me."

  "Pick any seat," Kael muttered, pocketing the crystals. The drawer at this counter worked just like the other one—Kael took his 10% cut, and the System took the rest.

  Blood Wolf chose a booth close to the counter. His men huddled around him, eager to see what this "new trick" was all about.

  "Man, this is nice... so soft." As soon as Blood Wolf sat on the leather sofa, he sank into the cushions, his eyes fluttering shut in pure bliss.

  "Captain..." The men behind him felt a collective wave of secondhand embarrassment.

  "Ah, right. I’m not here for a nap." Blood Wolf snapped awake. He took a moment to look at the environment before placing both hands on the base of the crystal ball.

  [Welcome to the Combat Strength Arena.]

  The transparent crystal ball instantly lit up, revealing an arena inside. The synthesized voice began to explain the rules and functions of the Training Room directly into Blood Wolf’s mind.

  Blood Wolf listened intently while watching the images dancing inside the sphere.

  "Captain, what’s happening in there?" the mercenaries asked, crowding around the booth. They couldn't hear the voice in his head.

  "Basically, I can fight these figures to improve my combat techniques," Blood Wolf explained, his eyes fixed on the four shadowy opponents standing below the arena stage.

  "A sparring match? With your skills, Captain, you're a shoe-in for a win!"