Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Sinister merchant’s master plan
Chapter 7: Sinister merchant's master plan*
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Kirito stood in the middle of his tiny, barely furnished room, dusting off the one shelf he had with the solemnity of a man cleaning his own execution chamber. His eyes flickered to the system screen hovering in front of him, where the mission log still displayed his mind on the aftermath of the selection process. In the end, eleven children had been chosen—two of whom had been his very own roommates.
Not that he even knew their names.
With an exaggerated sniff, he dramatically wiped away an metaphorical tear. "I will forever remember you… uh… Roommate #1 and Roommate #2," he proclaimed to the empty air. "Your sacrifice shall not be in vain."
Pausing for effect, he bowed his head for a solid three seconds before shaking off the melodrama and turning his attention back to the glowing system screen.
Mission Complete!
Reward Unlocked: Shop System Now Available!
Kirito's eyes lit up like a kid who just found out all-you-can-eat ramen was real. "Oh-ho! Time to see what kind of overpowered nonsense I can get my hands on!"
Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and, with the authority of a god summoning divine powers, declared, "Open shop!"
A translucent blue screen materialized before him, presenting three options:
1: Search
2: Hots
3: Everything
Kirito eyed the options suspiciously before tapping on Hots. Instantly, a ranked list appeared, and at the very top, glowing in golden letters, was:
1: Saiyan Bloodline
Below it, shimmering in silver:
2: Human-Human Fruit
And in humble bronze:
3: All Fiction
From rank 4 to 100, a variety of bloodlines and abilities filled the list in plain white text. Then his gaze landed on the prices, and his soul nearly left his body. Saiyan Bloodline and Human-Human Fruit—10 BILLION SP. All Fiction? 100 BILLION SP.
"WHAT KIND OF HIGHWAY ROBBERY IS THIS?!" Kirito choked, clutching his chest like an old man suffering from anime protagonist disease.
As he gasped for air, another thought struck him. "Wait… why is the number one option cheaper than number three?" Suspicion filled his gaze.
As if the system could sense his confusion, a small 'i' icon appeared next to "Hots." He tapped it, and a brief explanation popped up: These are the most searched abilities and have no relation to their price or ranking. They change periodically.
Kirito exhaled sharply. "Oh. So it's just a popularity contest. Great, that totally helps my broke self afford any of this."
He scrolled through the top 100, searching desperately for something remotely affordable. The cheapest item he found? One Cut Kill: Murasame, sitting at a humble 50 million SP.
Kirito's face twitched. "Fifty. Million. My entire net worth is 10 SP. I couldn't even afford a single pixel of this sword."
Depressed, he backed out of Hots and into Everything.
Instant regret.
It was a treasure trove of weapons, abilities, bloodlines, artifacts, and more. But there was one tiny problem… EVERYTHING WAS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE.
There was exactly one thing in his budget: exchanging SP for money. 1 SP = 10,000 Ryo.
Kirito groaned. "So much power, yet I'm basically window shopping in a store that only sells Bugattis."
Still unwilling to give up, he backed out and went into Search. With determination, he typed: Bloodline cure.
The screen loaded and revealed a ridiculous amount of results. Bloodline-correcting potions, pills, and even… gas?
Kirito blinked. "Wait, what? Gas? How does that even work? Do I just breathe in my way to godhood? Am I about to huff my genetic potential like a junkie?"
Mildly concerned but also intrigued, he decided to refine his search. This time, he typed: Bloodline cure Naruto world.
The results narrowed down to options specific to his current world. Cracking his knuckles, Kirito muttered, "Alright, let's see what kind of magic band-aid I can afford… or, more realistically, what I can stare at longingly before crying myself to sleep."
Kirito stared at the glowing blue window in front of him, his eyes flicking between the different options. His heart pounded like a dramatic anime protagonist about to unlock a hidden power—except in this case, it was just a shopping screen. But still, same energy!
With the solemnity of an ancient sage (or at least someone pretending to be wise), he hovered his finger over the first option
[Basic Bloodline Pill]
Then, like a well-timed advertisement panel, another window popped up:
[Hey, young man! Yes, YOU! Do you have more than one bloodline? Are they...]
Kirito nodded like a chicken pecking at grain and eagerly continued reading.
[......Are they not compatible with each other? Are they having a full-blown civil war inside your veins....?!]
His nodding intensified. If his neck weren't attached properly, it might have flown off by now.
"YES! THEY'RE AT WAR! MY BODY IS A BLOODLINE BATTLEFIELD!"
[...then you are at the right place! Come and buy the Basic Bloodline Pill for only 1000 SP! This miraculous pill can be yours today!
Stabilize your genetic chaos today!
]
Kirito's eyes sparkled with hope. Only 1000 SP? Finally, something within reach! But just as he was about to celebrate, another small "i" icon appeared beside the pill's name. With slightly trembling fingers, he clicked on it.
[Basic Bloodline Pill only works if you have two bloodlines. More than that, and it's about as useful as a kunai in a gunfight.]
Kirito's finger froze mid-air. His soul left his body for a brief moment before returning just to suffer.
"So… you're telling me… I can't use this?"
The system didn't respond, but Kirito could practically hear it laughing at him.
Today, Kirito understood the true meaning of despair. Taking someone to the seventh heaven only to drop them into the ninth level of hell? That was true despair. They dangled hope in front of him, only to snatch it away.
As if this was all part of some sinister merchant's master plan, yet another pop-up appeared. He clicked it hesitantly.
[Hey, young man! Yes, you again! Do you have THREE to SIX bloodlines fighting for dominance? Are you basically a walking science experiment gone wrong? Worry not! For only 100,000 SP, you can buy the Intermediate Bloodline Pill!! This life-changing pill can be yours today!]
Kirito huffed in relief—at least there was still a pill for him. But then his eyes landed on the price.
"100k?" Kirito choked. He rubbed his eyes Surely, he was hallucinating. Maybe there was a decimal point missing somewhere, he leaned in closer, and checked again. Nope. No extra zeros had magically disappeared. The price was still a whopping one hundred thousand SP.
He checked his balance.
[Total SP: 10]
A long, defeated silence followed.
Kirito closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and whispered, "I am but a poor man in a rich man's world."
Sighing, he clicked on the pill's description out of pure curiosity. A new panel appeared:
[Intermediate Bloodline Pill – A pill that stabilizes weak or incomplete bloodlines, removes minor defects, and improves overall potential. Valid for 3 to 6 bloodlines.]
Kirito nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds fancy."
Then, with the determination of a man about to beg for discounts, he scrolled down, praying for an installment plan.
There wasn't one.
"Figures," he muttered. "Even budget gamer systems have capitalism."
Quickly backing out before the price tag could personally insult him further, he continued scrolling, hoping—praying—for a budget-friendly option.
After all, he had 10 SP. There had to be something he could afford.
Right?
Right?!
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End of chapter 7~~
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PLEASE SMASH SOME STONES!!!!!!!!!!!1
THANK YOU OR READING ~~
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