When Apollo opened his eyes, it was already morning. The night of cultivation had left him feeling energetic, so he stood up and stretched his body.
"Ah, that's good!" Apollo mused in relief. After stretching for a while, he heard his stomach growling. Time to get some food, but before that, let's see if my cultivation has changed.
With a thought, he brought up his status screen.
"Name: Apollo Leone.
Race: Human.
Alm Points: 26
Spirit Cultivation: None.
Physique Cultivation: Half-Step Foundation Building.
Attributes: None."
Nothing had changed in his cultivation, but Apollo had already expected this. The system had said it would take up to two weeks to reach the full Foundation Building stage. And if he really wanted to cultivate quickly, he would have to do it day and night without rest. But could he let himself starve to death? Definitely not!
"My Alm points have also increased," Apollo muttered. When he bought his second Wish Me Luck, his Alm points were 21, but now they had become 26, an increase of 5.
The beggar boy looked around his surroundings and noticed a silver coin beside his makeshift roof. He picked it up and couldn't help but smile. "An increase of 4% luck can also earn me this amount? This is really great!"
If he kept buying those lucky items, his Alm points would steadily increase. This thought crossed Apollo's mind before a frown appeared on his face. What if the luck didn't come as Alm points? Then he would only lose them! Besides, his luck increased randomly, so this was also a gamble.
With a hand under his chin, Apollo thought hard about this matter. Buying them too frequently, and if the luck came in a different form, he would only lose Alm points. But what if the luck that came in a different form surpassed the value of Alm points?
Apollo's eyes were about to brighten when another thought came to mind. There's also a chance I won't be able to gain a thing after using Wish Me Luck.
"Then I should avoid buying them too frequently," Apollo finally decided. After solving this 'crisis' in his mind, he stepped out from his beggar spot by the side of the restaurant. But the moment his small figure emerged, a man wearing a white long-sleeve polo and black pants, holding a trash bag, bumped into him.
"Ouch!" The man yelped in pain as he fell to the ground, the trash spilling everywhere.
"Sorry, my bad!" Apollo apologized and tried to help the man up. But the moment their eyes met, silence lingered for a while before they separated.
"You dare stay here!" Ned shouted, pointing his finger at the beggar. "You want another beating, huh?!"
"Beating? Haha," Apollo couldn't help but laugh at the man's words. The guy in front of him was the same one who had tried to make Apollo go away before.
"What are you laughing at, you beggar?!" Ned felt humiliated.
"Nothing," Apollo sighed with a smile on his face. "Gotta go!"
The beggar waved his hand and turned around to go in his intended direction. But Ned wouldn't let him have his way!
With his half-step cultivation, Ned sprinted in front of the beggar 'instantly'.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ned smirked.
"It is none of your business," Apollo responded with an annoyed expression.
"I think it is! I gave you a chance before, but you didn't treasure it!" Ned crossed his arms in front of him.
"So? What are you going to do about it?" Apollo asked with a daring expression.
"You! I will teach you a lesson until you won't even be able to move!" Ned shouted, grabbing the beggar by his collar. He started dragging the boy towards the nearest alley.
This again? Apollo shook his head, letting the man in the white polo shirt drag him.
Once they entered the alley, Ned threw Apollo to the ground. Apollo didn't let himself get dirtied; as he was about to hit the ground, he extended his hands and performed a simple cartwheel.
Seeing this surprised Ned for a moment before he dismissed it as a cheap trick.
"Hehe, boy, you are done!" Ned cracked his knuckles and neck before slowly walking toward the beggar.
"Sigh… Let's get this over with. I'm really hungry!" Apollo said, motioning for Ned to come at him.
"You are making me laugh," Ned remarked, though the anger and frustration in his voice were evident. "Don't blame me!"
With a shout, Ned dashed towards the beggar.
...
Apollo walked down the street with bread in his hands, his mouth full to the brim. He didn't buy the food from Big Chub; that guy probably already suspected him of stealing some bread, so Apollo wanted to avoid him for a couple of days.
"This is too bland," Apollo muttered after swallowing. The food in this world wasn't advanced, and there wasn't enough variety to choose from. Even the way they cooked some of the food was too simple, with only salt and a few common spices.
Why am I even worrying about this? Apollo shook his head to get rid of the thought before he looked around. After beating Ned until he passed out and foamed at the mouth, Apollo had bought some bread and decided to take a stroll.
He wanted to learn more about the city, and this was a great chance for a walk. Since he had changed his clothes, he appeared more 'normal' than before, though some of the rich people still looked at him with frowns and disgust.
Nevertheless, this helped him blend more with the crowd.
Apollo was currently on a street he hadn't visited before. This place had stores like weapon shops and armor shops. There was also an Alchemy building that a lot of people were entering.
That place must be a hospital, Apollo thought, glancing at the Alchemy building before he started walking in a certain direction.
After a while, he felt bored and wanted to go back to his spot and start his cultivation. Suddenly, a commotion caught his attention.
Apollo turned and noticed people watching something. Curious, he carefully made his way towards the scene. He squeezed through the crowd and saw two guards dragging a man wearing tattered clothes.
The beggar boy's eyes brightened for a moment before dimming. He finally met another beggar, but he was being taken away. I thought I was the only one in the city? Apollo watched the other beggar being dragged away before he noticed an instrument on the ground and some other items with price tags in front of them.
Apollo suddenly had a realization upon seeing this.
"There's also a beggar here!" someone suddenly shouted, pointing at Apollo. This caused Apollo to jolt awake, and he immediately ran away, not without glaring first at the person who had called him out.