Chapter 9 - An Amateur?!

"Are you serious, girl?" An old man stared at the girl from behind a counter. He looked old and senile. His face was wrinkly, and on his nose was a pair of dirty glasses with one side cracked.

Greasy stains were all over his white shirt, making him look as dirty and unmaintained as the store he owned.

The dust was everywhere, the lightbulbs were flickering, and the shelves were fully stacked with various vares without any system, all in chaos and disarrangement.

'This store is so impossibly shitty that it almost feels intentional...'

The long-haired, young female stood there, water still dripping from her soaked clothes, forming a small puddle under her. She was slightly shivering, the coldness slowly seeping deeper and deeper into her body.

Her gun was pointed straight at the old man, quietly humming and pulsing in blue light, "Yes, I am robbing you!"

The shopkeeper waved his wrinkly hand without any care, "Get a real job! You will get nowhere by robbing small stores... at least go rob a bank or something."

'Am I just getting lectured by my victim?'

The man rubbed his temples and rolled his eyes in exasperation, "For, fuck sake! You have just killed an entire group of armed people... and now you are robbing a grocery store? Is something wrong with your head? You know what... take this."

The man threw a plain, white paper card on the desk. On it was printed only a single line of black text with an address on it. There was no description or more information.

"What is it?" She looked at it confused, as her robbery didn't go as expected.

"Business card? You have on more than just being a petty, amateur, small-time criminal! You can become a professional criminal! Illegal fighting arenas, old good assassinations, and even classics like heists and robbing banks! We offer everything!" Suddenly the old man coughed, "I meant, they offer everything."

'He is right. This is far beneath me. I, the former great witch, am robing just for a few bucks and clothes to wear.'

Tia quickly snatched the card from the table with her free hand but still refused to go, "Still, give me all your money too."

Sometime later:

Tiariel stared at the ceiling with traces of water damage while lying in a bed, her body hidden under a white blanket. Her long hairs were wet and messy, but she was smiling. Finally, she had a place to live and a place where she could rest.

'It isn't much, but it is still better than my room in the hospital...' She looked towards a small and dusty window, '... and they are no bars on the windows. Well, I have to start somewhere.'

She spread her arms and legs before she closed her eyes. In the darkness of her eyelids floated the semi-transparent box of the options to modify her telekinesis.

<<<>>>>

Choose customizations:

Enchantments:

(1 EP): Increases the range of the telekinesis by extra 10%

(1 EP): Increases the overall force exertable by the telekinesis by extra 10%

(1 EP): Increases the ability of the user to control their telekinesis, allowing them to be much more precise

Techniques:

(2 EP): Creates powerful waves of telekinetic energy with a single gesture, using mana energy to empower it and make it more destructive.

(2 EP): Fires a small but highly concentrated pulse of telekinetic force empowered by the energy of mana. It has a high range and slight penetrating power

(2 EP): Envelopes a target with a concentrated telekinetic force empowered by the energy of mana to crush it with immense pressure. Has a short range but has an instantiations effect.

Body Adaptations (Warning: will cause the user to fall unconscious):

(3 EP): Forms a special organ allowing the user to freely levitate without a need to concentrate or actively use their telekinesis

(4 EP): Transforms and rearranges the brain, using similar mechanics that cause schizophrenia or split personalities, allowing utilizing telekinesis or other powers for multiple tasks at once much more easily

<<<>>>>

'I have six points.' She carefully read through them over and over.

Her eyes stopped at the last two and most expensive options, body adaptations, as she felt they had the most potential, 'Levitation... that would give me lots of mobility, but do I need it right now? Three points are quite a lot for a little fancier way of moving. Yes, I don't need it now.'

However, her eyes lingered on the single most expensive option, only the price stopping her from buying it, 'This is an essential item, maybe not right now. However, in the future, it will become necessary. It is expensive, but I can't risk not taking it.'

She knew how petty the systems were. So there was no guarantee she would see it again the next time just to make her rage.

With the two remaining points, she looked at the options left, 'I can either pick one special technique or two passives.'

She lightly stirred in her bed as her eyes moved under her eyelids, 'The bolt one is useless... I can just use a gun instead of it and save my points. Well, all techniques are not worth it. I still have some knowledge from my witch time. So, with enough time I could probably replicate them. Yes, I will throw my two remaining points into passives.'

She wasn't stupid to invest in some low-tier, basic techniques that probably weren't even that hard to create on her own. Instead, she would invest in raw power.

'I don't need more control. So I will take range and power.'

She confirmed her choices.

Beep!

<<<<<>>>>>

Your ability was modified:

Your body was modified:

<<<<<>>>>>

The room slowly darkened as her consciousness faded away, the reality and sounds becoming more distant as if her mind was submerged in a deep, dark sea.