Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Congratulations, You've Obtained...

"Smack!" Tom's bubble burst.

Adrian and Tom woke up simultaneously, rubbing their eyes and stretching lazily.

Checking the time, they had slept for over two hours. Adrian felt a sense of relief in his body. "Let's go, Tom. We should go out for a walk and experiment with recharging."

Tom yawned and obediently perched on Adrian's shoulder.

"Oh? You, are you Adrian?" Mrs. Molly looked at Adrian, who was walking out of the room, with surprise.

Adrian was momentarily taken aback. He asked, puzzled, "Yes, it's me. Is there something wrong?"

"Wait a moment." Mrs. Molly fetched a small mirror and handed it to Adrian. "Little brother, you've undergone a big transformation."

"Huh?" Adrian looked at his reflection in the mirror, incredulously touching his own cheeks.

He had been looking rather gaunt with sunken cheeks when he took a bath. How did he miraculously recover after just a nap? "I'm not sure how this happened," Adrian admitted. He had seen this kind of phenomenon in anime before. For instance, Luffy from One Piece could go from emaciated to plump after eating a meal.

Oh wait, even Tom transformed when he ate. Could it be that Adrian also gained a similar power? Some sort of life restoration ability?

"In any case, recovery is a good thing. Have you noticed any discomfort?" Mrs. Molly quickly accepted the strange occurrence. Odd people with odd abilities were a common sight in the open sea. This young man might turn out to be an extraordinary character as well.

"No, I'm feeling much better now. I want to go out for a walk," Adrian replied. He felt a lot more energetic than before.

"Alright, taking a stroll is a good idea. But there are a few things you must remember," Mrs. Molly said, adopting a serious expression.

"What are they?"

Mrs. Molly raised a finger, "Firstly, Goodman should have already told you that there are 79 islands in the Shampoo Islands. Each island's main trunk is numbered, and the islands are connected by bridges. You can roam freely in the area near our house, but never go to islands numbered 1 to 29!"

"Why not?"

"Because most of those islands are lawless zones that the Navy and the World Government ignore. They're filled with dangerous pirates and are very perilous."

Adrian nodded. He had heard of lawless zones. The human auction house was located in one such area, and so was Shaki's Bacchanalia Bar.

With his current tender, inexperienced physique, entering one of those islands was akin to handing himself over to be killed or sold.

Mrs. Molly raised a second finger, "Apart from that, Island 44 is where ordinary ships enter and exit the Shampoo Islands. Pirates often infiltrate through that route. Although newcomers usually act low-key, it's still best to stay away."

"Got it." Adrian understood. He didn't want to encounter pirates now.

Mrs. Molly raised a third finger, "Lastly, the most important point is that sometimes the Celestial Dragons get an itch to visit this place. If you encounter them, either hide as quickly as possible or kneel down with others. The less attention you attract, the better. Remember this."

"I'll remember. I'll just walk around nearby." The Celestial Dragons were a nuisance too. Adrian didn't want to kneel to those people. It was better to keep his distance.

Adrian walked out of Goodman's house, pondering whether he should save up some money and leave. He didn't feel safe in the Shampoo Islands.

However, leaving would require him to take a commercial or passenger ship, which made him anxious about potential robbery. Additionally, he had no idea where to go. In this world, it seemed unsafe everywhere without some degree of strength.

Even in the so-called weakest sea, the East Blue, there were nuisances like Arlong and Krieg's pirates. Not to mention that the Golden Lion was still lurking in some corner, planning his grand scheme.

Who knew, someday you could be sitting at home, eating hotpot and singing, and suddenly the entire island could lift off with a loud rumble. Or maybe the whole island would disappear after being smashed.

"So, I need to get stronger through training. Of course, I should also thoroughly study this magic array that my pathetic smartphone turned into. Let's see if it really charges through my movements." Adrian glanced at his hand and noted the time and energy levels.

"It's 3:07 PM now, and energy is at 72%. Let's start jogging!" Adrian began jogging along the street. Some passersby glanced at him curiously, while others paid no attention at all, probably accustomed to oddities due to Goodman's presence. They couldn't see the light in Adrian's hand.

At the moment, only Adrian and Tom could see the light. Perhaps only individuals summoned by him could see it.

After jogging for a while, Adrian noticed that his energy had increased to 73%. He quickly stopped and checked the time, which was now 3:08 PM.

"Does jogging for 1 minute increase it by 2%? Well... it might not be that precise. Let's try again."

This time, at the exact moment the time turned to 3:10 PM, Adrian started jogging. He stopped once his energy reached 83%, feeling a bit tired but still able to carry on. He checked the time, 3:21 PM.

"It seems that jogging for about ten minutes increases it by 10%. Maybe the previous time, my energy was around 72 to begin with, and my time calculation wasn't accurate."

"Once it reaches 90%, I can start summoning. Let's jog a bit more!" Adrian looked at the imminent goal and felt a burst of energy.

Tom watched Adrian exercise, running from his left shoulder to his right to help balance him.

After jogging back and forth for about twenty minutes, Adrian felt a bit of fatigue in his calves, but he wasn't as breathless as before when he occasionally ran three or four rounds around the track.

"My physical condition seems to have improved a little. But that's not the main focus now." Adrian was excited, watching the number on his hand display 91%. He was ready to summon.

Worried about making too much noise, he found an empty alley and clicked on the magic array on his screen.

[Energy is sufficient. Would you like to initiate summoning?]

[Yes (30s)]|[No]

Adrian couldn't wait for the countdown and directly chose "Yes."

Without any big commotion, without any special effects, his energy instantly dropped by 80%. Then, a window popped up:

[Congratulations, You've Obtained: Tom's Stylish Cigars *3, Tom's Magical Milk *1]

[Stored in your inventory.]

Adrian: ???

He looked puzzled, his expression reminiscent of a subway rider staring at their phone. What's all this?

Did consuming 80% of energy really result in this? And why did he have to wait until 90% to initiate the summoning? Was it some kind of battery protection?

Curious, Adrian opened his inventory and indeed found two new items: a cigar, labeled quantity 3, and a blue metal

basin filled with two-thirds milk, with bubbles gurgling inside.

[Tom's Stylish Cigars: When the first smoke ring is exhaled after lighting, it can take any shape you desire.]

[Tom's Magical Milk: Originally brewed as a poison, this milk grants the drinker a temporary boost in strength instead.]

Adrian: !!!

(End of this chapter)