Off-Hand Proficiency has ranked up from (E) to (D)!
Off-Hand Proficiency has ranked up from (D) to (C)!
Thread Make has ranked up from (E) to (D)!
I smiled contently as I saw the upgrade indication in front of me, feeling pleased with myself.
It must be said, I had severely underestimated just how good the combination of Dragon Heart and Prodigy together would be. Now, I understood their true terrifying value.
After I woke up that morning, after a lovely breakfast created by Unum, I had decided to get some practise in with my left hand by trying to write. It was wonky and I had struggled at first. But, after only an hour, I had ranked up to D. And then, only two hours later, I had ranked up to C.
On top of that, Thread Make had gone up to D-Rank in only 30 minutes of continuous practice... It was the least messy magic I had at the moment, hence why I decided to train it first. But I hadn't expected such a fantastic result!
Still, I would not take this as the baseline for every magic that I learned. Thread-Make would also definitely encounter difficulties at the higher levels until I got a new arm. Still, once I got thread make high enough, I would be able to make my own clothes instead of needing to buy them...
Hm... That was a thought. If I got Thread-Make to a high enough level, then I could also make high end clothes, custom orders for huge amounts of money.
Damn, I really was becoming a money brained person. But what else could I do? I needed money if I wanted to progress in life!
I sighed and slowly got up, making my way over to the dining table where Unum had prepared me another lovely meal.
The dinner the previous night had been very good, especially for a beginner. Though I'd needed Unum to help cut up my food so I could eat, it was still very delicious.
Luckily, the breakfast that morning was very simple- scrambled eggs and bacon on toast. The bacon was even pre-cut, spread evenly across the toast.
Clearly, Unum had learned from their previous mistake and had been prepared this time.
"Thank you, Unum," I nodded at them.
While I couldn't see their face, I could feel their sheer joy at my thanks.
After that lovely breakfast, I took a seat behind the counter. I'd spent the night after finishing my meal deciding on the name of my shop, and I had finally made a choice.
This shop was more than just a shop. It represented something- unlimited possibilities for the people who entered. A chance to experience a world they'd never known, possibilities they had never considered.
And that was why I entered the name of the shop into my status panel.
Unlimited.
The shop glowed softly as I entered the name, as if acknowledging the name, it had been given and was now solidified.
I walked over to the door and flipped the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open.'
With a smile, I made my way back over to sit behind the counter and began to man the shop... I couldn't help but wonder who my first customer would be? Would it be Akeno? Would it be one of the Fallen? Would it be some hapless person who was just checking out his shop?
While I waited to obtain any sort of customer, I scrolled through the System Store and bought a mobile phone. Luckily, my shop came with internet- an expense I wouldn't have to worry about- and I quickly set up my phone and went online to find some trashy fanfictions to read.
Sadly, most of my favourite series had been absolutely bastardised in the DxD World- such as Dragon Ball to Drag-So Ball. But some had remained, like Pokemon.
"Well, Pokemon Fanfics are fine too- just gonna have to filter through to find a good one," I murmured as I began to scroll.
The sound of the door opening quickly caught my attention and I swiftly looked up, putting a smile on my face. "Welcome!"
My smile froze in place as I saw just who the person walking in was.
She walked with an air of elegance and authority, her long blonde hair flowing down her shoulders and back. Her purple eyes were piercing and strong, showing pure pride within them.
To say she was beautiful was an understatement. Even in her school uniform, she let off a presence that made her feel as though she were a princess of a foreign nation.
Nakiri Erina.
Walking in behind her was a girl of only slightly less beauty, with straight pink hair that reached down to her chin in a bob style. Her eyes were a reddish pink, focused on a tablet that she was holding as she trailed behind Erina- wearing the same school uniform.
Arato Hisako.
"Welcome, Young Miss, how can I help you?" I asked her, being polite... Like hell I was going to let this cash cow escape from me!
"I noticed your shop when I was walking through the grounds of Totsuki, I don't recall it being here before," she said crisply, in a firm voice. "What do you sell?"
I took a deep breath. "I believe, in this case, you will need to see in order to believe what I sell," I told her. "If I simply told you, then you would just not believe my words."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. "Go on."
"I am going to pull a knife out from under the counter," I told her. "I'm warning you, so you don't panic."
She blinked, but gesture for me to go on.
I carefully removed my jacket- now more thoroughly revealing my missing arm.
Erina blinked at the sight of it, and a look of momentary sympathy entered her eyes.
I slowly rolled up my right sleeve and then pulled out the knife from my inventory while my hand was under the counter... And then I brought it towards my arm.
Her eyes widened. "What are you-!?" She exclaimed.
I didn't answer and grit my teeth as I cut right above the stum of my arm, drawing blood.
"You, what are you doing!?" She asked, slightly horrified. "Are you insane!?"
"Please, just watch," I told her, grimacing. "As you can see, I am clearly bleeding from this wound... Now, watch," I reached under the counter and pulled a 5% healing potion out from my inventory and placed it on the table. I wiped away the blood so Erina could clearly see the cut, just so she wouldn't believe it was fake.
I slowly lifted the bottle to my lips and drank. A soft red light momentarily surrounded my body, Erina and Hisako's eyes widening as they saw the red glow around my body.
I placed the empty bottle down, and then wiped away the blood...
Not even a scar remained.
"That..." Hisako couldn't believe it and she moved forward. "May I-?"
"By all means," I nodded.
She began to examine where the cut had been. "... It's truly healed..." She gently touched the blood and sniffed it slowly. "... And this is definitely real blood, fresh- not preserved at all..." She looked at me in shock.
"Then..." Erina looked at the bottle. "That was a... Health Potion?" She questioned before her eyes widened as she looked around the shop. "Don't tell me, everything is-!"
"Yes," I nodded. "They're all potions. Healing Potions, Mana Potions, and Stamina Potions. I also have some Antidotes."
She swallowed slowly. "... You mean like in-?"
"Like in fantasy manga, anime, and RPGs, yes," I nodded and smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lynx Tiberius, the owner of Unlimited- an Interdimensional Shop for all your otherworldly needs."
Erina swallowed as she looked around, now with small stars in her eyes- clearly fascinated.
"Miss," Hisako whispered to her urgently.
She quickly regained herself and coughed. "Ah, yes..." She nodded. "Well, after a display like that, I certainly have no reason to believe you are a liar... I'll allow you to explain things in more detail."
I gave a nod. "As you can see, I offer Healing, Mana, and Stamina Potions. Of course, you don't have Magic in your world- and I imagine you don't really need healing potions either since your world is relatively safe... However, I believe the Stamina Potions have the most value to you."
Erina gave a nod at my words, clearly agreeing with my assessment. "How do they work?"
"You can drink them, or you can pour them on yourself," I told her. "You don't need to worry about getting wet if you do the latter, the potions quickly dry and leave behind no indication they were ever poured on you. I sell three varieties of Stamina Potions at the moment- Lowest, Low-Mid, and Low-High. Or, in more reasonable words, Ten Percent, Twenty Percent, Thirty Percent."
"I can gather from the percentages that the number must be the amount of stamina they restore, correct?"
"Exactly," I nodded. "There's no limit to how many potions you can use either all at once, though obviously your Stamina will cap at 100% and won't go beyond."
"How much?" Erina asked without hesitation, and I wasn't surprised that she did.
Cooking was a very exhausting process for chefs. It was why kitchen staff rotated around and had breaks- they just couldn't keep up with so many orders. Restaurants often left chefs feeling exhausted by the end of a shift.
And especially in the world of Food Wars, where Chefs also tended to heavily experiment with new recipes and dishes. With Stamina potions, they could stay up for far longer and work on recipes long into the night.
"Before you buy them, I'll give you a warning," I told her. "While the stamina potions may restore your energy, your brain will still need proper rest," I told her. "I recommend that if you've been up for anywhere from 24-32 hours, you stop taking the potions and get some sleep."
Erina nodded. "That makes sense... The price?"
I looked considerate... The 10% had cost 5 Gold, the 20% had cost 10 Gold, and the 30% had cost 15 Gold. So...
"For every Lowest, it'll be 20,000 Yen," I told her. "For every bottle of Low-Mid, it'll be 50,000. And for Low-high, it'll be 80,000."
I was jacking up the prices a lot, but I needed to make money if I wanted that dungeon.
She raised an eye, not bothered but curious. "Why does the price go up so much when it's only a 10% increase?" She asked.
"Because of the material and labour costs," I lied as easily as breathing. "But I understand maybe it's a bit daunting, so I don't mind giving you a 10% Discount if you buy 10 or more potions."
"Deal," Erina agreed, and Hisako quickly stepped outside before she came out with a box to store them in- each having their own individual slots.
She just casually walked around with boxes to store expensive glasses in? Money was powerful...
"How long do they last?" Erina asked as Hisako began to take the potions off the shelves.
"Forever," I told her. "They are made using magic, so..."
Her eyes lit up. "Right, Magic... Can you show me some?"
I paused... Oh damn... My greed was rising... Should I...? I mean, I wanted to test the skill out too, so perhaps Erina would be a good test subject...
"You seem like a well-educated young woman?" I smiled at her slowly. "Tell me, Miss... Are you familiar with the term 'System?'"
Erina paused for a moment. "I'm somewhat familiar," she said in a nonchalant voice, trying to hide her excitement. "Why do you ask?"
I grinned very slowly. "How would you like your own?"
I might be able to get that dungeon even faster than I thought...~