Chapter:19 Shopping Spree

[Date: May 3, 2015]

Morning sunlight filtered through Renko's window, casting a warm glow on her room. As she slowly opened her eyes, the events of the previous night rushed back to her. The haunted cemetery, the curse spirits, the battles—it all felt like... a pain in the ass.

"So, that happened, huh?"

Renko sat up, stretching her limbs. The slight soreness in her muscles and the crackling of her joints felt absolutely amazing.

"Let's start the day with some research."

*Nah, she just didn't wanna get out of her bed.*

Renko, still stuck in her comfortable bed, reached for her laptop. The glow of the screen illuminated her face as she opened the browser and began to search for online forums regarding haunted houses, occult shops, and any other source related to curses or other supernatural elements.

As she browsed through various threads and articles, Renko stumbled upon a forum dedicated to paranormal activities and cursed objects. 

[Thread Title: Encounters with Cursed Spirits? Share Your Stories!]

TheStrongestSorcererGojo posted:

Hey everyone!

Had a crazy encounter? Spotted some sort of crazy creature in a cemetery or haunted house? Spirits, eerie atmosphere, disfigured creatures, missing acquaintances? The whole crazy package?

Share your stories, encounters, and accidents, and we can help each other navigate through this supernatural mess.

Stay spooky! 🌙✨

---

'Huh?'

Really though, who the hell posts this sort of question on the internet? And who the hell calls themselves the strongest sorcerer?

Anyway, that seems like some sort of scam so...

'Skip'

As she delved deeper into her online exploration, she found a somewhat more legitimate website. But...

[Pay To Enter: ¥1,000]

'Yeah... hell no.'

But she still paid to enter the thread, it featured articles on cursed tools, auctions, markets, and requests. However, the cheapest cursed tools' prices started at ¥10,000,000 and the costliest even reached a whooping ¥50,000,000,000. Not only that, even the requests started from Five hundred thousand Yens.

'Nope, not happening.'

Renko sighed, closing the browser tab. The idea of spending such exorbitant amounts of money on cursed tools or services didn't sit well with her. Instead, she decided to continue her exploration through more conventional means.

"I guess I'll have to find my own way through this mess."

Renko got out of bed and prepared for the morning, or at least what remained of the morning. She glanced at the clock, realizing that it was almost 10 and the sun was fully up now.

'First things first, breakfast.'

She made her way to the kitchen, feeling a bit more energized after noticing how much time she spent in bed. As she raided her fridge for breakfast options, she contemplated her plans for the day. She did plan to buy a lot of packaged food and some normal weapons along with a couple of other stuff before she decided to raid the dungeon again.

While thinking about her plans, she prepared a simple breakfast of toast and coffee.

[Toast & Coffee:

Description: A simple breakfast of Toast and Coffee, something that the user couldn't possibly ruin, and yet... the toast is burnt around the edges and the coffee is too sweet!]

[Cooking: +10EXP]

'Really?'

*Sip*

'Sweet!'

Renko savored her overly sweet-coffee and shrugged off the burnt edges of the toast. It was a reminder that not everything in life goes as planned, even a seemingly foolproof breakfast.

'The sweet things in life, huh?'

She chuckled at her own thoughts and finished her breakfast. As she cleaned up the dishes, Renko pondered her priorities for the day. A shopping spree for cursed chocolates, candy bars, high-calorie snacks, knives, and some sort of weapons. 

'But first, I need some cash.'

Renko opened the system panel and looked at the 'Money' section, 

[Money: ¥10,200]

[Bank: $3,500,000]

She realized it wasn't enough to purchase all the items on her purchase list. The only way would be for her to withdraw cash from her bank account or pay through a card.

After a moment of consideration, Renko decided to withdraw a reasonable amount from her bank account. She didn't want to deplete her funds completely, just in case she needed the money for something more urgent. However, the question was whether or not the system could withdraw some cash directly from her account.

With a devious smirk, she clicked on the money section, put in the number to be withdrawn, and tapped 'withdraw'.

[Withdrawal: $10,000]

[Processing Transaction...]

The system swiftly processed the withdrawal request, and Renko could almost feel the digital transaction occurring in the background. After a moment, a notification popped up.

[Transaction Successful]

[Bank: $3,490,200]

[Money: ¥1,210,200]

Renko chuckled at the ease of the transaction. It seemed the system had no qualms about handling her financial matters.

'Well, that's convenient.'

With that Renko proceeded to get ready for her shopping expedition. She wanted to make sure she was well-prepared for any future encounters with curse spirits. 

[Inventory]

[1*Inferior Cursed Bayonet(2.5/5): Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool]

[6*Junk: Broken Flintlock Pistol]

[1*Flesh-Cleaver(14/15) - Grade Four Cursed Tool]

[3*Junk: Broken Flintlock Musket]

[2*Junk: Broken Bayonet]

[8*Snicker Bars]

[24*Fly-head Wings]

[1*Undead Curse Spirit Flesh] 

'Should be interesting.'

Renko grabbed her phone, wallet, and keys, and stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. 

The bright morning sun greeted her as she stepped out of the apartment, and she hated it. The urban landscape was somewhat deserted due to it being a weekend, so the shops should also be free today. Immediately, she made her way to the nearest shopping district 

'First stop, the convenience store.'

[Notification]

[New Quest]

[Shopping Spree/Preparation:

Description: Acquire or purchase essential items such as high-calorie food, energy drinks, protective gear, tools, etc. Ensure you are well prepared for everything thrown your way.

Objectives:

- Purchase High-Calorie Snacks. (0/10)

- Purchase Drink Containing Stimulant Compounds. (0/10)

- Purchase Additional Edible Items. (0/20)

- Acquire Knives or any other weapons. (0/5)

- Acquire Protective Gears. (0/2)

- Visit A General Store Or Supermarket For Additional Supplies.

Rewards:

- +1 EXP For Each Item On The Objectives 1, 2 & 3.

- +5 EXP For Each Item On The Objectives 4 & 5.

- +10 EXP For Completing Each Objective

- +50 EXP For Completing All Objectives] 

'Well, that's convenient.'

Renko headed towards the nearest convenience store, her mind filled with plans for the day. She navigated through the empty street, passing by shops and cafes, 

'Why the hell does this have so many cafes?'

Of the three blocks she crossed, she noticed five cafes in total, each of which seemed to be almost completely filled. 

Arriving at the convenience store, she was greeted by a voice while the automated door,

[Welcome]

Renko wasted no time in grabbing a shopping basket and heading straight for the snack aisle, browsing through the shelves of snacks, chocolates, and energy drinks.

[Snicker Bars(Set of 10)

Description: An unhealthy goodness made of a satisfying, savoring mix of chocolate, caramel, and peanuts. 

- HP +20 

- CP +10

Price: ¥2,000]

'Ok, 10 Boxes it is.'

[Kit Kat (1 Bar)

Description: An otherworldly goodness made of satisfyingly savoring chocolate]

- HP +15

- CP +15

Price: ¥250]

'Hmm, 25 should do?'

[Red Bull (24 Cans)

Description: A type of drink containing stimulant compounds, which provides mental and physical stimulation.(Effect Lasts For 30 Min)

- HP Regen: +1HP/Per Min (10Min) 

- CP Regen: +1CP/Per Min (10Min)

Price: ¥6,250]

'Ok, 5 Packs would do.'

[Pocky Chocolate Sticks(1 Pack)

Description: Smooth rich chocolate and crunchy biscuit sticks covered in milk chocolate. (8 Sticks)

- HP +1 Per Stick

- CP +1 Per Stick

Price: ¥250]

'Eh, what the hell, 10 Packs should do it.'

[LOTTE Choco Pie(9-Piece)

Description: A popular snack cake made of two round, fluffy cakes with a vanilla marshmallow filling and a chocolate coating.

- HP +20 Per Cake

- CP +20 Per Cake

Price: ¥750]

'10 Boxes of that.'

[Baum Roll(7-Piece)

Description: Delicious, lemon-flavored mini rolls. Each bite gives you a taste of the yummy frosted exterior and light, fruity interior for the perfect sweet snack.

- CP +20 Per Cake

Price: ¥250]

'12 Packets... that's enough sweets for now.'

Next on the list were knives or some sort of weapons. Renko headed towards the household goods section, scanning the shelves for anything that could serve as a weapon. She wasn't looking for anything too fancy, just something practical for self-defense.

[Box Cutter

Description: A box cutter with a serrated blade. Not suitable for intense combat, but it can be a handy tool for various purposes.

- Damage: 5

- Durability: 5/5

Price: ¥500]

'Huh?'

This was worth pretty much nothing in comparison to her bayonet or a butcher's knife or any knife to be exact.

'I'll take five of these.'

But numbers are numbers, and she was pretty sure they wouldn't have any other type of blades except this and kitchen knives.

Now, Renko just needed to find a couple of protective gear. She searched the store for any items that could offer some form of protection. While she wasn't expecting to find armor, she hoped to discover something practical.

[Disposable Latex Gloves (Pack of 50)

Description: Disposable latex gloves for various purposes. Not ideal for intense combat, but they can provide minimal protection. 

- Defense: +1

Price: ¥5000]

'Hmm, okay, let's grab a couple of these.'

Renko added two packs of disposable latex gloves to her basket. While they weren't the sturdiest protective gear, they could still at least make up the numbers. And there was this too,

[Thick Knee Pads

Description: Durable knee pads designed for various activities, offering protection against impact and abrasion. 

- Defense: +2

Price: ¥1,500]

'Perfect.'

Renko grabbed a couple of pairs of thick knee pads, envisioning their usefulness in case she needed to knee someone or protect herself from low strikes.

[Safety Goggles

Description: Sturdy safety goggles that protect the eyes. Offers basic defense against debris and minor impacts.

- Defense: +2]

Price: ¥1,000]

'A couple of these too.'

And she took two of these goggles.