James had been an orphan since birth, never knowing the faces of his parents. Growing up in a ragged orphanage outside the city, he was all too familiar with the hardships of poverty. Every corner held beggars and ruffians desperate for money, and he witnessed the desperate struggles of prostitutes selling their bodies. James believed his life would inevitably lead down the same path ever, fate had a different plan for him. One fateful day, monsters attacked the part of the city where the orphanage was located. In the midst of the chaos, heroic cultivators arrived to defend against the beasts. Many died in the battle, but one cultivator sacrificed himself to save the children in the orphanage – or so it seemed.
In reality, James had a darker secret. Filled with envy and jealousy over the cultivator's power, he allowed his inner demons to take control. He pushed the cultivator into the clutches of the monsters, leading to his demise. The look of shock on the cultivator's face haunted James to this day, and he often experienced nightmares.
However, that event changed his life's trajectory. As the monster that devoured the cultivator was weakened, James seized the opportunity to slay it and became the hero of the orphanage. This newfound recognition granted him a chance to become a cultivator, but he chose a different path from the slain cultivator – the path of an alchemist.
In the world of cultivators, alchemists held esteemed positions, but most of them struggled in poverty, much like James. Despite earning a substantial income as an alchemist, his life took a turn when he decided to open his own shop and took a loan. He naively believed that his luck would carry him through, but reality was harsher than his expectations. Rejections and hardships greeted him once again, challenging his dreams and determination.
"But it's all going to change once again," James said in his mind as he stared at his palm, where a small globe of shiny liquid floated above his hands.
"Sell me every one of them," James declared, shocking Kevin.
"You want them all?" Kevin asked, a bit surprised by the sudden request.
"Yeah, is there a problem?" James inquired, looking at Kevin nervously.
"No, no problem at all. You can buy all of them," Kevin replied, counting the number of petals in the jar. He already knew the quantity, but double-checking wouldn't hurt.
Counting each petal, Kevin smiled and said, "There are a total of 143 petals, making it 107,250 units in total. However, for you, dear customer, you can pay just 107,000 units."
James was pleasantly surprised by the offer, and relief washed over him. "Thank you! That's a great deal," he exclaimed, and paid the required sum.
Kevin handed him the petals in the wooden box, and James happily accepted it with a grin before going on his way. Kevin couldn't help but wear the biggest smile on his face as he heard the system's voice.
Without wasting any time, he closed the store, took a seat, and opened the system panel.
[Congratulations on completing the quest "First Sales Target"]
[Quest: First Sales Target
Target: Earn 500 Omni Tokens.
Reward: One Basic Material Knowledge Book.
Duration: 30 days.
Punishment: Loss of freedom.]
[Giving reward... The host has earned more than the target... The reward is upgraded... You got two Level 3 Basic Material Knowledge Books.]
[Congratulations on getting the book "100,000 Common Herbs Found in the Miyar Continent by Exlta"]
[Congratulations on getting the book "100,000 Common Ores Found in the Miyar Continent by Texlta"]
[Congratulations on getting the book "1,000 Common Monsters Found in the Miyar Continent by Rexlta"]
Soon, three brown-colored books appeared in front of Kevin. Two of them were about 1 by 1 feet big, while the last one, the book about monsters, was just a quarter of the size.
Kevin touched the smallest book, and a notification from the system popped up.
[Do host want to transfer the knowledge contained in the book for 50 Omni Tokens?]
"Huh, I can get the knowledge transferred directly to my mind?" Kevin asked with surprise.
[Yes, for 50 Omni Tokens, host.]
"But the price is too high," Kevin muttered, realizing that spending 50 Omni Tokens for knowledge he could read in his free time wasn't worth it.
Not wanting to use his Omni Tokens on this, Kevin wondered about other ways he could utilize them. "System, what else can I do with these Omni Tokens?" he inquired.
[The host can use them to upgrade the store or add more equipment to the store, like an Ore processor, herb processor, and more.]
"So they can only be used to upgrade the store, nothing more?" Kevin said, feeling a bit cheated, as he had worked so hard to earn these tokens. He can't even use them for himself.
The system remained silent, further adding to Kevin's annoyance. With a sigh, he looked at the title of the book he held in his hands and read it aloud. "'Thousand Common Monsters Found in Miyar Continent by Rexlta.' Where did I hear this word before? 'Miyar, Miyar, Miyar'." Kevin pondered for a moment, trying to recall where he had come across the name before, and then it hit him. It was just earlier today when he had read the description of the heart.
His eyes widened with shock as he connected the dots. "So this thing belongs to the ruler of a continent?" he asked himself in amazement.
The realization dawned on him that the item he currently held in his hand belonged to one of the most powerful monsters that lived on this continent. He couldn't fathom how this piece of a heart had ended up so far into the misty mountains, lying around on the ground waiting to be discovered.
"Well, who cares? Let's think about what I should do now that I'm free from this cheating system's quests," Kevin said with a smile, finally relieved of the burden of the system's demands.
However, just as he settled down, the system's voice echoed in his mind once again, making his face contort with annoyance.
[Ding!]
[Main quest...............