Lee woke up to an exciting foreday as the mellow-yellow sunshine fell in and out of the blinds.
He strolled down the stairs with light feet, cracked his knuckles, and opened the shop's front door to get things rolling.
A wave of fresh, humid air gushed into the shop. Lee took a deep breath and preoccupied himself with his surroundings.
It was the third day since he wound up in this world. He could tell he was becoming used to this simple yet pleasant way of life.
As if to disturb the wondrous atmosphere, a palsy-walsy mechanical voice ringed in his head.
*Ding*
[A new mission for the host has come!
Objective: Obtain more than 20 customers.
Task reward: New meal (Pizza), New drink (Mountain dew)
----------
Note: Failure to complete the task will result in the host's death
Time limit: 3 days ]
"..."
Seeing how the system always breaks the mood into ruins, to give him missions, Lee felt like someone had just taken a dump in front of him, and now his entire day is ruined by the stench.
Except, It actually felt like someone took a dump near him!
A nasty smell was lingering in front of the shop. With two fingers covering his nose, he went outside to check where this foul odour was coming from.
In front of the store, he saw a beautifully tight-dressed woman taking her adorable little pup for a morning stroll.
The lady was clothed in pretty penny fit-out, silky with margarite, and her puppy struck as an expensive breed. However, as his gaze shifted away from the woman,
He saw a pile of dogsh*t.
In contrast to the puppy's size, the package it delivered was huge!
Really, the woman was letting her dog do its business in the alleyway. She doesn't even care if it's right in front of a shop! How ignorant are people nowadays?!
She put up a front—as if she'd done nothing wrong—and hit the road as she noticed the shop owner approaching her.
Lee was rendered dumbfounded. What a scumbag that woman is!
He needed to retaliate against her, so he picked up a wooden stick from the ground, dipped one of its ends in the faeces, and tossed it at the fleeing woman.
It made a beautiful arc and landed neatly on top of her head.
*Splat*
The woman was clearly horrified and grossed out. She never imagined that a no-name store owner would have the nerve to do this to her. She turned around and yelled aggressively,
"Y-You dare to do such shameless things to me. Do you have any idea how powerful my family is in this area? I will absolutely repay you for the humiliation you brought to me, Otherwise, my name is not Feiyu Jihan!"
"..."
Lee returned to his shop before she could say anything else. He didn't care what gibberish that woman was talking about.
After seeing that the shop owner didn't even hear her out, she was utterly embarrassed.
Her cheeks turned bright scarlet, and little beads of tears sprang in her eyes.
Before anybody noticed her, she took off from that area.
- At this time, The Zhang family household
There was a pleasant smell of incense burning throughout the manor, its interior seemed like it belonged in a museum due to how ancient and large it was.
People gathering in the medical treatment area could be seen farther into the house.
An old man, presumably the house's elder, was busy giving instructions to the servants.
"How many times do I have to remind you that you must clean the wounds before applying medicine?"
"Come get me a pot of lukewarm water as soon as possible!"
While the staff were hurrying around, a man with a muscular physique lay motionless on the bed with medicines applied over his face.
His beard was crisply burned, his previously magnificent and proud face had been scorched in black, and his eyes were filled with fear.
The old man looked at his beloved son lying wounded and asked him with murderous intent in his words, "Chen, tell me who is the rascal that did this to you! I will see to it that he dies!"
Hearing his father speak about that mysterious store owner, he hurriedly said;
"Father, there's no need to act hastily. Yesterday I arrived at a shop and spotted my three little nephews there. I tried to beat up the owner since it appeared like they were being held hostage with strange gadgets on their heads, but who knew that modest shop's owner had strong artifacts? When the nephews told me everything, I realised it was all a misunderstanding. They were playing some games in the store and were not under any harm at all."
...
Yu Zhang, who was Chen's father, had a suspicion about this shop. He noticed something strange in the narrative his son had told him.
"Son, what kind of devices did they wear on their heads?"
People in this period haven't even figured out how to make sunglasses, let alone virtual reality equipment.
Chen remembered the crazy stories his nephews told him and informed his father about a gadget known as "'VR headgear" that gave them the ability to travel to another world and fight demonic beasts.
It was quite bizzare.
But that topic piqued their interest. They've never heard of something that allows you to travel across worlds!
Old Zhang noticed the three nephews leaving the house at this time.
He yelled from the window, calling out to them.
"Chun Kun, Luan, and Lei, are you heading to the same store you went to yesterday?"
The three fatties were taken aback when their grandpa inquired about the store. This shop seems to have piqued the old monster's interest.
One had to know that their so-called grandfather is a level-eight grand magician, and although he looks like he is in his early forties, he has already lived for over a hundred years!
They believed their grandpa would have some fun as well, so they replied,
"Yes, indeed! Grandpa, you are welcome to join us."
As a result, old Zhang and his three little grandchildren strolled toward the so-called Gaming Cafe.
- Right in front of the café
Lee glanced at the four customers that arrived early in the morning. He offered them a short welcome before returning to his game of 'Monster Hunter.'
Meanwhile, Old Zhang was astounded by the shop's interior. It appeared to be so futuristic and modern. The difference was like heaven and earth when compared to his ancient and rusted home!
He also noticed a wave of chilly air sweep past his face. He didn't observe any opened windows and was curious as to where the wind was coming from.
Nothing in this place made any sense to him.
The fatties displayed a pleased grin on their faces as they explained everything inside the store to their Grandpa.
For a moment, it was not clear who the grandfather was and who the child was.
To avoid wasting anymore time, one of the fatties approached the owner and paid him a large sum of 250 gold.
Old Zhang was baffled by the way Lee accepted the handful of money. Most merchants would be delighted to see a single gold coin once in their life, but this gentleman handled it as though he dealt with such money on a daily basis.
But, because it was such a small sum to him, he paid no mind.
As soon as the owner turned on their computers, the fatties jumped into their chairs and put on their headsets. They couldn't wait to go on an adventure with their renowned granddad. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness Old Zhang in action!
He tried on the VR equipment after watching his grandchildren do so excitedly.
*Ding*
The surroundings darkened. He saw a character selection screen emerge in front of him, where he could change the person's face in whatever manner he wanted. After making it seem nearly identical to him in his youth, Old Zhang hit the start button after choosing the "Mage" class.
In front of him, a massive line of text flashed.
[MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD]
-Loading rate: 15%...41%...79%...100%
*Woosh*
Old Zhang was transported onboard a gigantic ship, which would serve as the setting for the prologue.
The fatties had already finished that part and were relaxing on the beach with the women NPCs before their grandfather would arrive.
Meanwhile, the ship Old Zhang was on, collided with the famous Kraken.
How would a level-8 Grand Sage respond to the mythological beast?
Continue reading to find out!
--------- Author's Notes ---------
- This chapter progressed slowly because I wanted to introduce the grandpa and set up some events that will trigger future plots. So, the next one will make up for it.
- The meals (Pizza and Mountain dew) will become available in the following chapter.
- With so many new customers arriving, expect things to become a little crazy.