Chapter 49

Yessir I'm back from the dead. With a patreon.

pa.treon.com/FFAddict

Soon, midnight arrived unknowingly.

Abel didn't rush to check. Instead, after putting away the turtle shell, he took a bath first, and then returned fresh and invigorated to handle his business.

Opening the system shop, several new items were quietly placed there.

[Ando α Reagent Enhanced Version] (Purple)

Description: A superhuman drug refined from a contagious lethal virus, which has been modified to render the virus harmless.

Effect: After taking it, the body can break conventional limits, and physical fitness will skyrocket.

(Please prepare enough nutrients before taking, to avoid interruption during the enhancement process.)

Price: 1000 transaction points (crossed out)

Limited-time discount for the beginning of the month: 100 transaction points!

Quantity:

Time limit: 23 hours 59 minutes

PS: Still not perfect, what's missing?

...

Product: [Universal Capsule No.1] (Blue)

Equipment type item

Description: A miraculous piece of technology.

Effect: Compress and restore non-living items that do not contain special energy. (The current compression limit is 8 cubic meters.)

Price: 300 transaction points

Quantity:

PS: It's time for a spontaneous journey.

...

Product: [Bamboo Dragonfly] (Blue)

One-time consumable

Description: A second-hand item picked up from a certain blue chubby character, so it can only fly once.

Effect: Place on the head to fly for thirty minutes. (It will be scrapped after removal.)

Price: 100 transaction points

Quantity:

PS: The little flying stick is here

...

Product: [Basic Skill Upgrade Card] (Blue)

One-time consumable

Description: System-produced, assured quality!

Effect: Can upgrade a skill of LV3 or below by one level upon use.

Price: 300 transaction points

Quantity:

PS: Get it?

...

The goods refreshed this time were generally very practical, one purple and three blues!

The only regret is that the early-month flash sale product is relatively ordinary. The original price is only a thousand transaction points, which is less valuable compared to previous early-month flash sale products.

However, it can also be understood, after all, it's impossible to be so lucky every time.

Abel calculated, he now has a total of 1050 transaction points, enough to purchase all items.

So without further hesitation, he immediately bought the four items, spending 800 transaction points.

Now he had only 250 transaction points left, reserved for emergencies.

He first took out the [Basic Skill Upgrade Card].

Because this card only worked on LV3 or below skills, he directly used it on [Shura Aurora Slash], upgrading it to LV3.

After all, the [Shura Aurora Slash] is currently his only major destructive attack method, the stronger, the better.

As for other skills, there was time to train them slowly. Besides, similar products might be available in the future.

The [Universal Capsule No.1], appeared to be just like a slightly larger capsule, sprayed with the yellow number 1.

This was quite timely, as his system bag could only store system-produced items.

Therefore, he decided to make time to order a box a little smaller than 8 cubic meters, so that he could store items inside, then use the [Universal Capsule No.1] to compress it for easy carry.

As for the most expensive original price [Ando α Reagent Enhanced Version], Abel decided not to take it yet.

After getting the box ready, he would prepare enough food, nutrients and the like, to avoid causing trouble for himself.

Thankfully, a food festival was currently underway here. You might run short of anything, but not food.

The task of ordering the box went smoothly. Abel placed the order in the morning and it would be ready for collection by the afternoon. It wasn't anything challenging after all. Abel had chosen iron over wood for the material which made the process slightly longer. Otherwise, it could have been quicker.

With great enthusiasm, he went back to the stall that he had enjoyed so much the day before. Unfortunately, the generous lady was not there anymore. Instead, a bald man was selling dumplings.

Abel approached and asked a few questions. The man was completely clueless and knew nothing. He had only been notified by the organizers that morning that he could enter the festival. He was overjoyed and came without asking for any details.

Abel felt a sense of regret at hearing this. It seemed that the lady was frightened by his enthusiasm the day before. What's more regrettable was that they hadn't exchanged names and he didn't know where she lived. Naturally, there was no way to find her.

This also meant that his intention to settle the payment with her came to nothing. Looking at the black leather box he was holding in his hand, Abel sighed, "I guess we'll meet again if it's meant to be."

Then, following the principle of not wasting the money he had brought, Abel started buying large amounts of high-calorie, nutritious food. With the talent of [Fast Digestion], choosing this kind of food was the most cost-effective choice. After all, the aged medicinal herbs weren't cheap.

"What on earth are you doing? Buying so much food, are you planning to hibernate?" Senoir watched as Abel instructed people to move food into the temporary room he was renting, completely puzzled.

"Oh, I have a premonition that I will be very hungry tonight, so I'm preparing in advance."

Senoir was speechless. I also get hungry when it's mealtime, and I don't need to buy this much food in anticipation!

Then Senoir tried to recall the times back at the family home when Abel would single-handedly finish a table full of food, while everyone else dined at another table.

"Alright, no problem."

"Sometimes, I really wonder if you carry some part of a giant's bloodline. How else could you eat so much? It's just too strange." Senoir took a puff from his cigarette, voicing his perplexed thoughts.

"And have you ever seen a giant as short as me?"

"That's the problem. Is it possible that you were born to a giant and a dwarf? Or perhaps you carry some part of a giant's bloodline but just happened to have dwarfism?"

"Stop! Just stop it! I have nothing to do with giants. Both my parents were perfectly human. Senoir, sometimes I truly marvel at your wild imaginations. I just want to ask you one thing – how on earth would a giant and a dwarf mate? And a giant with dwarfism? What kind of hellish joke is that? That's quite the thought you had there!"

Abel was driven to madness by these ideas! Without a second thought, he flipped Senoir off.

But Senoir wasn't fazed. He tried to ponder over it seriously, even using his hands to portray the various body positions. In the end, he sighed and gave up reluctantly.

"You're right. No matter if it's a small horse pulling a large cart or a large horse pulling a small cart, it's too much of a stretch."

"But there's actually another possibility!"

Senoir seemed to have a sudden realization, his spirit lifting, "A Devil Fruit! If one of them ate a certain Devil Fruit that changed their size, it might be possible!"

Abel was so exasperated he ended up laughing. He weakly gave Senoir a thumbs up. The word to describe Senoir's imagination was: respect! It had already broken through the skies.

Well, breaking racial boundaries with a Devil Fruit, huh?

The most annoying part was that he couldn't refute it. Just the thought of such a scenario made Abel submit, feeling a bit sick to his stomach.

"You win. Can we get back to serious matters?"

Seeing that Abel had conceded, Senoir stopped his nonsense and became serious, "The five judges for the last day of the food festival are all either renowned veteran chefs from the North Sea or super foodies who've tasted everything the North Sea has to offer. Your little bribe won't work this time, I'm afraid."

There was another way, though. That was to invoke the name of the Donquixote Family and then use force to coerce them.

This trick is foolproof, because these 'ordinary people' are nothing but famous figures in the culinary industry; if they genuinely put up a fight, it would be their end.

So simple and swift!

If it were anyone else in the family, they might have already taken this action by now. After all, the Donquixote family itself is made up of pirates and mobsters. They don't discuss reason; they express their views with their fists.

However, being a man of honor, Senoir didn't wish to resort to such measures, so he didn't even bring it up.

Abel, knowing Senoir's character, had no choice but to find an alternative.

Then he came up with another unconventional solution and shared it with Senoir.

Upon hearing it, Senoir was utterly stunned, so much so that he didn't even notice his cigarette falling to the ground.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely, why? Can't we?"

"Technically we can, but...aren't you scared?"

"Scared of what?"

"The Young Master Doffy may find out that you're doing this under the family's banner."

"Don't worry about that. This minor issue, Captain Doflamingo won't mind."

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' Aren't we members of the family?"

"Yes."

"Then that's settled. If Captain Doffy asks about this when we get back, I'll take full responsibility."

"What will you take responsibility with? Your life?"

Senoir grumbled, then reluctantly said, "I just don't get why you insist on doing this. I'll explain this matter to Young Master Doffy myself when we get back."

"That's very helpful, Pica."

"Call me Senoir Pink, you impolite brat."

"Okay, Pica. No problem, Pica."

"Get lost. Don't let me see you today."

"Understood. Here, take this. This is the last of the stock. Use it sparingly."

Before Abel left, he tossed a half-pack of N95 filter cigarettes to Senoir.

Senoir took it, gave it a squeeze, then finally, satisfied, waved him off, wanting him out of his sight.

"At least the kid has some conscience."

Senoir thought to himself, then contentedly lit one up.

Then he saw the mischievous brat, who had just turned around and hadn't taken two steps, pull out a brand-new, unopened pack of N95 filter cigarettes - identical to the one he was holding.

He also contentedly pulled out a stick and put it in his mouth.

"Okay, I take back what I said earlier. This guy is a thoroughbred scoundrel!"

Senoir was so furious he was close to breaking his composure, thinking to himself, wait for it, kid, this isn't over!

[The rest of the text appears to be a website link and a reminder for readers to bookmark the webpage and switch off the reading mode for proper content display, which is irrelevant to the story.]

Chapter 62: The Unique Judge (Please follow! Please follow!)

During the night, Abel, fully prepared, no longer hesitated and directly took out the "Ando α Reagent Modified Version" and drank it all at once.

"Hmm? It's a bit sour, like under-fermented red wine."

Abel had barely finished making this comment when he began to feel a warmth spreading across his skin.

In a mere span of ten seconds, his body temperature rocketed from normal to 45 degrees Celsius.

Had it been an average person, they'd probably be in a daze from the fever.

However, Abel was as nonchalant as ever, only feeling slightly warm, so he decisively took off all his clothes.

At the same time as his body temperature soared to 45 degrees, the heat in his body began rapidly dissipating.

In a short while, the gourmet cells in his body actually sent hunger signals to his brain!

An insight suddenly flashed through Abel's mind.

He must maintain his current state; if he were interrupted and his body temperature returned to normal, the enhancement process would end!

So, he immediately started eating the food he had prepared, chewing and swallowing in large bites.

The standard method of taking the "Ando α Reagent Modified Version" would normally involve immersing the person in a high concentration nutritional fluid, which could both maintain body temperature and replenish the energy consumed as required.

Most importantly, it could monitor the health status of the individual and halt the enhancement process whenever necessary.

That was a significant advantage of the modified version.

But Abel didn't need to go through such trouble!

Because any food, once swallowed by him, would be digested rapidly and then converted into various forms of energy needed by the human body, even being stored for future use.

As a result, the side effects of the "Ando α Reagent Modified Version" after consumption had hardly any impact on him.

It was as though he'd just eaten a few extra meals.

An hour later, Abel could feel the medicinal effect inside his body declining rapidly, as his body temperature was quickly returning to normal.

He knew the enhancement process had ended.

So he simply stopped eating, clenched his fists hard, and sensed the changes in his body at that moment.

He was then a little surprised!

His body had already gone through one evolution of gourmet cells, which gave him, at his young age, the peak physique of an average adult, albeit one that hadn't undergone system training.

Now, after consuming just one dose of the reagent, his physical condition had been boosted quite a bit.

Abel specifically hoisted his shell, adjusted its weight, and had a feel of it.

In terms of strength alone, it had increased by approximately 1.5 times!

He guessed that the improvement in other aspects was probably similar.

Moreover, Abel's intuition told him that the potential of this potion had not been fully tapped. In the subsequent training period, there were likely to be pleasant surprises awaiting him.

That night, Abel didn't sleep but continued to train, acclimating to the rapidly enhanced body.

What he didn't know was that Senor was puffing on his cigarette outside his door all night.

It was only when he heard movement inside and was sure that the rascal inside was safe, he finally left, yawning, to get some sleep.