System Shop
Ace relaxed his nerves and behaved arrogantly, "Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. I'll immediately report back to my family, and they will plausibly come here tomorrow to purchase all your pills. Now, I shall take my leave, farewell."
Ace didn't wait for Billy's response and left the secret room slowly. Ace pretended like he had seen this kind of scene many times before so that Billy wouldn't suspect anything.
Just as Ace presumed when Billy saw him leave after just taking a glance around, all the doubts he had about Ace's identity vanished, and he thought, 'Only a family from the inner region can pay for all these pills, and if I form a good relationship with this brat's family, I might have a chance to enter the inner region and move my business there!'
Billy snapped out of his daydreaming when he saw Ace was about to leave the shop. He quickly chased after him, respectfully escorted him out himself, and bids farewell with a broad smile on his fat face.
Ace had just left the shop when the system's voice buzzed in his mind.
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[Scan Complete.]
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Ace's eyes shimmer with anticipation after hearing the system notification because he was at a dead end now and didn't know how to break into this shop with that mysterious door and those two guards around.
Just that door was giving him a tremendous headache. So, he was expecting good news from the system.
Ace quickly exited the pill market before opening the notification panel with an 'envelope' symbol. All the notifications of the system can be seen here.
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[Notification Panel]
[Target's scanning report]
[Total net worth: Converting according to the current money system = 20,000+ Ruby Coins worth of Pills, and 2084 Ruby coins in Treasury.
Security: 1 Trash Illusion and lock Array, two ordinary Mortal Warriors, and 1 Lowest-Level treasury.
Evaluation: Impossible to steal with the host's current skills.]
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Ace was speechless after seeing this report and cussed the system, "Thank you very much for your 'motivation,' you money-grubbing scoundrel!"
'That rich bastard.' He also cursed Billy after seeing his wealth. Ace was genuinely perplexed by the number of Ruby coins and never would've thought that this shop was worth this much.
'That fatty swindler made this much money by cheating countless people!'
Ace's guess was utterly correct because Fatty Billy cheated many ordinary people who couldn't do anything to him, but he would never offend someone with status and power. He was known as a shrewd business owner in the pill market.
'So that secret door is called illusion array, and those two guards aren't cultivators? Well, that's good news, at least.' He continued to think with a gloomy look on his face.
Ace returned with a heavy expression and, after seeing unconscious Alina, 'Well, I'll die in seven days even if I didn't take the chance, and Alina would also die in three days.' He became determined again. He has to succeed, no matter what.
Abruptly, Ace remembered he hadn't checked the system shop completely last time because he was in a hurry and only checked the 'Pill Shop,' not the other sections. He still had 12 TP left, so he opened the shop, hoping to find something.
"System Shop." Murmured Ace softly, full of anticipation.
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[System Shop]
[Available Skill Books]
[Available Cultivation Technique]
[Available Weapons]
[Available Pills]
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Ace again saw the familiar black panel, "Show me the Available Cultivation Technique!"
He had never seen an actual cultivator except for Alina, much less a cultivation technique. If not for the memories that gave him some obscure idea about it, Ace didn't even know what cultivators were. He only knows that ordinary people call them 'Deities,' and some even worship them.
In Ace's mind, he was about to see a 'deity technique and was excited a little.
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[Available Cultivation Techniques]
[Heaven Stealer Technique {1st Vol}]
{Price: 100 Thief Points (TP)}
[Dual Shadow Swords Basic Technique]
{Price: 10 Thief Points (TP)}
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"So expensive!" The price of these techniques did not surprise Ace since they can help someone become a 'deity.'
Ace still spoke annoyingly. "System, why is 'Heaven Stealer' so expensive compared to the other technique?"
This system was an actual thief, just like its name, and he was sure of it after seeing this price. He also remembered that a Heaven Stealer Pill had the same name, and both were expensive.
"[The Heaven Stealer Technique is a special Technique for the host and only the host can cultivate it, and it's tailor-made for a Thief.]"
After getting an icy answer from the system, he murmured, "Specially made for a Thief, huh? Well, I don't have the thief points now, and I don't want any sword technique as well since it won't be easy to learn in three days. What I want is a method to break that shop's security. Open Skill Panel."
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[Available Skill]
[Stealth: Free]
{Description: A Basic skill for a thief. Once learned, no one will be able to discover your position,
Warning: Cultivators with one whole cultivation realm above you will be able to discover your position.}
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[Pick Pocket: Free]
{Description: A thief's essential skill.
Warning: Cultivators with one whole cultivation realm above you will be able to sense your skill.}
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[Silent Steps: Free]
{Description: A Basic skill of a thief. As the name suggests, no sound will be made even while walking. Once mastered, one can even walk on water without making a sound.
Warning: Cultivators with one whole cultivation realm above will be able to catch you.}
---
[True & False Eyes Basic: Free]
{Description: A must-have skill for a thief. A Thief's principal weapon is his eyes and his sharp senses. Because a good thief can recognize or smell rare treasures from miles away, and if a thief can't even recognize a rare treasure, how can he be a thief?
Warning: Never use it on anything more powerful than you.}
---
[Treasure Opening Hands {Basic Art}: 10 Thief Points]
{Description: Open or disable any low-level arrays with your hands. It's a must-have art for thieves to open treasuries,
Warning: Don't open any '1st Grade Treasures'}
====
This time, Ace said nothing because he was in a daze after looking at so many "FREES." He rubbed his eyes to check if he saw it wrong, yet it was free, like really free!
"Hahaha, so you have a conscience, after all." Ace laughed out loud. Suddenly, his face was filled with happiness, and he nodded his head in satisfaction like an idiot.
"Give me every skill available, especially that Treasure Opening Hands. You can have 10 TP!" Ace said while smiling delightedly.
After reading every skill description, he finally realized that the system didn't send him to his death. These 'solutions1' were always available to him, but he was so anxious about Alina that he didn't even notice them.
After he gave his command, the 12 TP became 2 TP, and all kinds of information entered his brain like before. However, this time, he didn't feel any pain. Instead, he felt refreshed.
Five minutes later, all the information about those five skills transferred into his brain, and he remembers their particular stances and how to practice them to the last detail.
When Ace opened his eyes, his dark pupils were golden. He saw the world had become clear like never. However, the next moment, Ace suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes and screamed, "Ahhh!"
He kneeled on the ground with both hands, clutching his eyes. The golden color in his eyes vanishes, and they also return to normal.
"[Warning: Host is not a cultivator yet, so host only has a minimal amount of Qi inside your body, and your meridians are still closed. The system advised learning to control Qi with other skills before using True and False Eyes. If you overdraw your limited amount of Qi, you can die as a result.]"
Ace finally realizes what has happened to him and comes to his senses.
But he feels exhaustion and extreme hunger when he regains his senses. Ace had a feeling that if he ate nothing, he would surely die because of this Qi depletion.
It was already evening, and he hadn't eaten any lunch, so he quickly headed towards some meat stalls and bought some meat and other ingredients. After cooking meat quickly, he ate like a hungry ghost.
Now, Ace didn't dare to try those skills anymore because of the lingering fear from before. He could only activate it because, for some reason, that skill seemed easy to understand.
Ace wasn't surprised by this since he thought those skills were rudimentary and anyone could learn them like him. So he took the system's advice and practiced controlling that Qi thing first. Then try studying skills again.
"Show me Weapons Panel." He also hoped to get another 'free' from this last panel.
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[Available Weapons]
[Black Blade Swords Set (1 Short, 1 Long): 30 Thief Points}
[2 Face Mask: Price: 80 Thief Points]
[Invisible Bead: 50 Thief Points Per Bead] {5 Available: 1 Time Use item, Duration: 1 minute}
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When Ace saw the prices of the weapons, he hurriedly closed the panel. They were just too damn expensive.
If he could buy that Invisible bead, his chances of success would increase, though. But this damn money-grubbing system only gives him 1 for a whopping price of 50 TP, and that was also 1-time use only for one darn minute!
Ace quickly ignored weapons and focused on his 'free' skills. He waited till night and then went outside.
There was an open Park near the slums. This was the only Park in this remote region of the city. But it was not well maintained, and only poor kids played here in the morning.
Ace was currently trying this Silent Steps skill. This time, as per the system warning, he tried to control his limited amount of Qi and succeeded after trying a few times.
After gaining a little hang of his Qi, he practices stealth until midnight.
After practicing for a few hours, Ace felt highly exhausted. He dragged his exhausted body home, ate some leftovers from the evening, and fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning, Ace opened his eyes today. He feels different from before. He felt renewed. Little Alina was still in the same state as yesterday but looking paler than before.
'I have to do it tonight!' Ace has already decided.
Last night, he practiced with two skills until his Qi was drained. Then, he quickly went out and bought more meat.
He suddenly felt that if he didn't eat meat or other things with a high level of nutrition, he would die of exhaustion. And he was right because Ace wasn't a cultivator yet, so he only had a negligible amount of Qi like any other average person.
Moreover, Ace didn't know that the skills he practiced were the ultimate skills on their basic levels, so he needed more Qi than others. He might've died long ago just by practicing stealth if it was someone else.
After eating two to three pounds of meat in his breakfast, he again went toward the common market and bought a bag, a dirk, a full-body black suit with a hood, and a pitch-black mask. This much shopping cost him 40 silver coins.
After his little shopping, he practiced his silent steps skill because it was very hard to master, and this was the crucial skill he would use in tonight's foray!