Chapter 95: Satisfying Storekeepers

Kyle opened his eyes and glanced toward the corner of the room. As expected, Void was still curled up—cultivating.

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He directed his gaze to the comm on his wrist next. '7:11 PM.' He had been cultivating for hours and he had finished just in time.

[EXP: 3402/4000]

'Time to fix this mess,' Kyle decided, standing up quietly to ensure he doesn't disturb Void. He tiptoed to the door, so as not to alert the dragon, reaching for the handle and turning it slowly to avoid any sound.

Kyle threw one last glance at Void before he left the room, immediately making his way to the Arena.

His normal routine felt different tonight—more like a mission. He needed to win many fights in the quickest possible time, so as to rack up enough credits.

So, for the next few hours, Kyle lost himself in the rhythm of battle. He barely noticed his opponents as his focus solely lied on ending quickly.

His mind worked like it was on autopilot, and he defeated every single opponent he faced in rapid succession, ignoring his accumulating fatigue, he kept on going until the arena closed.

Kyle began heading out for the mall immediately after. Except for those who had stayed till the arena's closure and were already returning to their respective dormitories, the academy grounds were mostly empty, especially the path leading to the mall.

'It's most likely that the mall is closed by this hour,' Kyle mused as he trekked slowly. 'I could just come back tomorrow, there's no harm in that.'

He considered it seriously for a moment, stopping his walk completely. The idea of a warm bed was tempting, almost too tempting.

But then he shook his head, pushing the thought away. No, he had already promised himself he'd visit the store tonight. Besides, there was always a chance the mall was still open, he had never been there by this hour after all.

"I can't give up now," Kyle muttered under his breath as he forced himself to pick up the pace.

Finally, he reached the mall at last. Most of the other shops were closed or in the process of shutting down, but a few seemed to still be operating.

Kyle was about to step into a random store to make his purchase when something stopped him.

'Ah, yes... I promised that man.'A promise. Kyle's mind replayed the memory of his earlier visit, where he had promised to return to that specific storekeeper. He owed it to the man to keep his word. Turning around, he made his way through the mall, searching for the shop.

When he arrived, he was surprised on who he saw. The man behind the counter didn't look like the one he remembered. This new guy was slightly taller and dark-skinned, unlike the other.

"Good morning! Looking for something specific?"

Kyle hesitated for a moment, glancing around to confirm whether he was in the right shop and from the details he could gleam from his observations, he was.

"Yeah, I was here earlier, and... the guy from this morning. Is he still around?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, nodding in understanding. "Ah, you must mean Jared. We work in shifts. I handle the night shifts—usually from eight in the evening to around five in the morning. Jared takes over during the day."

"Hmm... Makes sense."

"Yes, it keeps things running smoothly," the shopkeeper replied, trying to drag the conversation. "We get all kinds of customers at odd hours, so having someone here around the clock is pretty necessary."

Kyle couldn't help but guess how his sleep pattern would be, wondering if he could accept such an offer, working all night, all alone.

"Anyway, I need seventy-five mana cores."

The shopkeeper's smile faltered, just slightly, before it widened again, this time with a hint of surprise. "Seventy-five? Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, seventy-five."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. He quickly grabbed a few storage containers and began packing the mana cores with care.

As he worked, he couldn't help but think about the earlier part of his shift. Jared had been bragging nonstop about his morning sales, going on and on about the huge purchases he had made.

'Always boasting about how much more he sells. But I'll show him. I'll show him when we compare tomorrow.'

The storekeeper grinned to himself, feeling a strange satisfaction settle over him. This was a massive sale, and he was the one who got to claim it. They worked on commission, after all, and the more you sold, the bigger the payout.

'Jared won't be able to say a thing when I tell him about this,' he thought smugly, already imagining their next conversation.

He finished packing the mana cores and slid the storage containers toward Kyle. "That'll be 15,000 credits," he said, still beaming with a smile.

Kyle tapped on his comm, transferring the credits with a swift motion. The shopkeeper watched eagerly as the transaction went through, the sound of the confirmation ringing pleasantly in his ears.

[Credits: 1788]

"Thanks for your business!" the shopkeeper said with an even wider smile. "And... if you ever need more mana cores, we've got some of the best quality around, and I'm always happy to help out a good customer."

Kyle nodded, offering a small, tired smile in return. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

As he turned to leave, the shopkeeper couldn't resist giving one last pitch. "And don't forget to tell your friends! We're always open, and we pride ourselves on great service."

Kyle waved over his shoulder, already thinking about the long walk back. He was exhausted, but at least he had managed to keep his promise and get what he came for. And as the mall's doors slid shut behind him, the shopkeeper stood there, still grinning. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

'Jared's gonna lose it when he hears about this,' the man mused, already planning how to rub his success in his colleague's face when they met again.

Kyle left the mall and made his way back to the dorm. He walked at a moderate pace until he reached home.

'It's late, but Void should still be cultivating,' Kyle thought as he quietly opened the door and slipped inside, taking a quick glance to confirm that Void was still curled up in the corner... And he was.

Kyle cleared his throat. "Void."

Kyle sighed, knowing full well Void had heard him. He had expected not to be answered, but that was where the mana cores came in.

"I'm sorry for the prank I played on you. I'm sorry for being selfish... Please forgive me!" Kyle begged with his hands cupped, but his plea failed to attract any response.

"I brought some mana cores for you... take it as an apology," Kyle added, dangling the bag of mana cores in the air, but still no response.

'Plan B then,' Kyle's lips curled into a mischievous grin as thought, reaching into the bag, he pulled out a single core and held it up.

"Since you're not interested, I'll just eat them myself," he said nonchalantly. He knew Void was listening, and sure enough, the dragon's tail twitched ever so slightly.

Kyle held the mana core close to his mouth. "I'll just take a bite then—"

Before he could finish, Void's eyes snapped open, and he darted across the room with alarming speed.

"Wait!" Void cried, standing before Kyle with his small chest heaving. "Okay, fine, I'm up. But only because you begged and apologized!" he added with a defensive tone, a last ditch effort to keep his pride.

Kyle chuckled, placing the bag of cores on the floor.

Void reached out, his small claws trembling slightly as he grabbed one of the mana cores. His demeanor shifted immediately.

Despite the casual front he was putting up, Kyle could see the hunger in Void's eyes. Without wasting another second, Void devoured the core with a swallow.

In the same manner, one after another, Void ate the mana cores, furiously and without pause.

Kyle watched in awe as Void tore through the stash. The speed at which he consumed them was remarkable. By the time Void had eaten his forty-fifth core, he finally stopped, wiping his mouth with the back of his claw.

"You can have the rest," Void said casually, as though it was no big deal.

Kyle blinked in surprise. "What? You're giving them to me?"

Void nodded, sitting back on his haunches. "You need them more than I do. I'm far from a breakthrough, but you… you're close. Use them."

Kyle felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. Void, despite everything, was being incredibly generous.

"Thanks, Void," he said sincerely, taking one of the remaining mana cores in hand. "You're an amazing dragon, you know that?

Void shrugged, feigning indifference, but Kyle could tell that the dragon was pleased with himself.

"Just don't mess with me again, okay?" Void grumbled, though there was no real malice in his voice.

Kyle smiled warmly as he began consuming the mana cores. The familiar rush of energy coursed through him with each core, and by the time he had finished, a surge of power hit him.

[EXP: 4000/4000]

[Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!]

[Beginner Mage: Lv 3 >> Lv 4]

[All stats: +10]

His status screen blinked into view, and Kyle grinned as he saw his experience bar shoot past the threshold.