"You can't give up on me now," Dara said, offering words of encouragement as she patted Ayo on the back.
They were in his private hospital ward, which had now transformed into an impromptu workout space. Shola had left earlier, unable to watch Ayo strain himself any longer.
~thud~
At a certain point, Ayo collapsed on his back, his muscles pushed to their limits. His abdomen ached painfully with every breath, even as Dara coached him on proper breathing techniques.
[Daily Quest]
> Complete 100 push-ups(33/100)
> Complete 100 pull-ups(79/100)
> Run 10km
> Quest reward: 10 stat points, 10 exp points, 100 points.
> Quest Failure: Survive ten hours on the first floor of the abyss.
'I still have a long way to go...'
"I get it; you're tired. Rest up. It's your first day, and we can take it slow starting tomorrow," Dara reassured him, smiling.
"I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine," she declared as she looked down at him, lying on the floor.
'I must survive this time... Multidimensional Online Store.'
[Welcome To The Multidimensional Online Store]
[You have a total of 101,000 store points]
[Opening Multidimensional Online Store]
[Note: In this store, you can buy and sell items, skills, and stat points for a certain number of store points]
[Multidimensional Online Store has four grades]
[Multidimensional Online Store(S)]
[Multidimensional Online Store(SS)]
[Multidimensional Online Store(SSS)]
[Multidimensional Online Store(X)]
[You are currently in Multidimensional Online Store(S)]
[You will be able to enter a higher grade when you make a hundred thousand sales or purchases or when you reach a store point of 1,000,000,000]
[Godhood(A)-100,000,000]
[Appraisal(C)-5,000]
[HP Recovery(D)-10,000]
[Gilded Claymore(High)-200,000]
[Dragon Power(B)-50,000]
[Darkheart(Low)-5,000]
[Booming Blade(F)-1,000]
[Frostbite(E)-500]
[Green Katana(Medium)-15,000]
[Green Flame Blade(D)-3,000]
[Minor Illusion(D)-10,000]
[Stopwatch(Unique)-400,000]
[100 strength stat(D)-100,000]
[Yang Strengthening Method(A)-10,000]
[Seal of the Finger(C)-8,000]
[Forged Lightning(Relic)‐750,000]
[Speed Boots(Relic)-50,050]
[Fist Of God(A)-100,000]
[National Soul(A)-100,000]
[Black Cape(High)-50,000]
[Bandages(Regular)-500]
[Golden Katana(Regular)-65,000]
[Shape Water(B)-65,000]
[Bandages(Low)-100]
[Shillelagh(C)-12,000]
[Vigor Juice(Low)-100]
[Sword Burst(B)-35,000]
[Theriac Juice(Low)-100]
[Thunderclap leg movement(A)-79,000]
[Oak Crossbow(Medium)-17,000]
[Butterfly Dance Flowering Art(C)-60,000]
[Skew Juice(Low)-100]
[Thousand Sea Step(S)-450,000]
[Fatal Edge(C)-200,000]
[Field(C)-150,000]
[The Brawler's brew(High)-80,000]
[Fortress(D)-80,000]
[Grey Candy(High)-1,500]
[Fourfold Light Slash(F)‐100,000]
[Lulu's Pancake(Unique)-350,000]
[God Flash(A)-800,000]
'Wow, there's so much stuff here...' Ayo was overwhelmed by the selection. 'Let's see Godhood.'
[Godhood(A)-100,000,000]
> The state of being a god, a state of divinity.
> Can be upgraded
> Will only activate when the User excels at something.
[User matches the activation condition: Do you want to purchase Godhood?]
Ayo rubbed his chin, 'Hm, I'll come back when I have enough points. Let's check Appraisal.'
[Appraisal(C)-5,000]
> Skill enables the user to appraise everything.
> Can be upgraded
[Do you want to purchase this skill?]
'Yes.'
[Passive Skill: Appraisal(C) purchased]
'Dragon Power...'
[Dragon Power(B)-50,000]
> Power of the berserk dragon from universe 0088, temporarily grants the user a 100-point increase in all stats in exchange for health points. Duration ends when user health points reach a minimum.
> Cannot be upgraded.
[Do you want to purchase this skill?]
Ayo grinned as he considered his options. "Yes," he muttered. Dara, who had been on her phone, briefly glanced at him and returned to her device.
[Skill: Dragon Power(B) purchased]
'I'd like to purchase HP Recovery too.'
[HP Recovery(D)-10,000]
> User gains 1 health point every fifteen seconds.
> Can be upgraded
[Do you want to purchase this skill?]
Ayo nodded excitedly.
[Passive Skill: HP Recovery(D) has been purchased]
'The rest here seems expensive; let's check the items... bandages.'
[Bandages(Regular)-500]
> Grants the user 50 health points upon use and permanently seals wounds.
> One-time use
[Bandages(Low)-100]
> Grants the user 10 health points upon use and permanently seals wounds.
> One-time use
[Which bandage would you like to purchase?]
'Regular.'
[How many Bandages(Regular) would you like to purchase?]
'Give me ten.'
[Bandages(Regular) X10 purchased]
[31,000 store points remaining]
'...I'll save the rest for now.' Ayo sighed and sat on the bed, feeling utterly exhausted from the day's workouts. "I'll take a quick nap and continue with the push-ups when I wake up in the night," he said, lying down.
It would turn out to be one of the worst decisions he made that day.
***
***
***
~whooosh~
~whack!~
~pow!~
~pow!~
Shola swiftly moved through the guards, piercing their defenses and striking vital points that rendered them incapacitated. She reached the door she was aiming for, her actions causing chaos throughout the building.
The door finally opened, and she stepped inside. The office was luxurious and spacious, with comfortable couches for receiving visitors.
"Please, make yourself comfortable," the man said, pointing to a chair a few meters away from him. He was seated at his desk and appeared to be preoccupied. He had fair skin and curly hair, clearly not a Nigerian by birth. His hair resembled Ayo's, with a small ponytail at the back, although Ayo had dark skin and brown hair, while this man had black hair.
"I didn't come here to get comfortable," Shola replied, her eyes filled with
anger, her fists clenched.
The man paused what he was doing and looked at Shola. "You took a six-hour flight to Germany, entered my company, and defeated my security. I assume you have a good reason, or else I won't hesitate to end your life, even if you are my late wife's sister."
"Abandoning him wasn't enough for you, and now you dare to threaten his life?" Shola confronted him.
"Threaten whose life? I'm not sure I understand, Shola."
"Shut up!" She shouted, "Don't tell me you're unaware of what's happening, just like you ignored Nini's death!"
~Thwoop!~
Before she could blink, the man's hand was around her neck. The table in front of him split in two, and even the glass floor cracked under his immense strength.
He lifted her by the neck, his grip crushing, then released her abruptly, allowing her to fall to the floor gasping for breath.
"The only reason I tolerate your insolence is that you're her sister, and your resemblance to her still affects me. But I won't allow you to question my love for my wife," he declared before leaving the room, leaving Shola gasping for breath on the floor.
"Alfie."
A man materialized behind him as he walked away.
"Yes, sir."
"Investigate this matter."
"Yes, sir," Alfie responded and vanished into thin air.