Yun leaned back on his recliner, staring at the clear blue sky above the Redleaf Forest, a wide grin on his face.
He was genuinely happy.
In all those Xianxia novels he had read back on Earth, the 'people attacking for no particular reason' trope always seemed annoying and troublesome.
But now that he experienced it first-hand, he had to admit, it was pretty fun.
Especially considering he was completely safe inside the store.
'Wait! That's a wrong mindset. It will just make me complacent and lazy. This isn't your power, and you can't even use it properly.'
It was true that he could use the invincibility of the store to protect himself and the shop, but it had restrictions.
For example, he needed a proper cause to take action against someone; until then, they were just customers.
There was also the rule that he could only kill those who had drawn weapons or were ready to cause heavy trouble in the store.
That was why he had killed all those black-robed people and spared Chen Cho.
They had drawn weapons and were ready to kill him, while Chen Cho just caused a little trouble and only had intentions of continuing it.
Chen Cho himself hadn't taken any direct actions, so he was just banned from the store.
Yun was fine with the rules though, as he just needed to guide situations to make them favorable for himself.
As long as others viewed him as some hidden immortal, they wouldn't cause too much trouble and might even buy things from him.
It would bloom his business, ultimately leading him to become the strongest.
'That reminds me, system, what's the reward for completing the daily missions?' Yun asked.
[Daily Mission:
Sell products worth 10 Low Spirit Stones
Progress: 10/10
Reward: Heavenly Massage Chair]
"Ugh! System, I was hoping for some pill that allows me to start my cultivation journey," Yun groaned.
[Host, if cultivation were that easy, the world would be overflowing with sword-waving maniacs. Have some patience and work hard.]
"Lies! The majority, if not all, of the people of this world can become cultivators, even if it's at the lowest level of the power system. They have that potential," Yun sat up straight, ready to fight this evil entity named the system.
[…I meant in the whole multiverse.]
"Bullshit! You're just a fat glorified manager trying to squeeze free labor out of me." Yun glared at the hologram before him.
[Moving on…]
"Hey! No changing subjects!"
[…the massage chair will be delivered to you after the expansion of the store. Until then, the reward will be on hold.]
[Please work hard to expand the store, Host.]
Yun was speechless but decided to forgive the system.
It wasn't like he was really angry with it; arguing with the system had become a habit for him to pass the boring time.
As for the cultivation potential, he would get it eventually as long as he worked hard, so there was no rush.
'Wait! What if I grow old and die before even getting the talent to cultivate?' Yun was horrified at that thought. 'Is that your real plan?'
[…]
[Once Host completes the current quests, you will be given a hint of Cultivation Talent, or probably the talent itself, so there is no need to worry about dying of old age.]
Yun almost jumped out of his recliner in surprise and happiness.
"Finally! Thanks a lot!"
[It is a scheduled system function. Emotional appreciation is unnecessary.]
"Thanks anyway. Now, about the expansion, why do I feel like I've read this somewhere?"
[Current Quests:
– Complete 10 total sales to unlock Mall Expansion
– Serve a VIP customer to unlock Reputation Tier 1]
"I see. How many of them are completed?" Yun asked.
[6]
"Huh? Pretty sure I did more though?"
[If a person buys a certain product to its limit, it is counted as a single sale. Thus, you selling two mineral water bottles to a single person counts as one sale. That way, you have only done 6 sales by now.]
"That…" Yun was left speechless.
He shook his head and focused on the other quest.
"Serve a VIP customer?" Yun murmured softly. "What exactly counts as a VIP?"
[VIP customers are people of significant status, power, or influence in the cultivation world. Serving one would significantly boost the mall's reputation.]
Yun nodded thoughtfully. He had to admit the system's logic made sense.
A cultivator with great status visiting his small shop would indeed attract attention, customers, and further sales.
"But how would such an important person even find this small shop, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere?" Yun sighed, leaning back again.
"Guess I'll just have to rely on luck and hope some people stumble here by chance."
He glanced at the bright sky above him, noticing the sun slowly making its way down the horizon.
Despite his earlier excitement and the dramatic incident with Chen Cho, it seemed no more customers would arrive today.
Yun felt a sense of disappointment.
After all, completing quests meant progress, and progress meant becoming a cultivator.
After waiting until dusk and confirming no more guests were coming, Yun finally stood up from his recliner, yawning.
He turned around, closed the doors, and stretched lazily.
"I guess I'll call it a day. At least today was productive, unlike other days."
With nothing else to do, Yun quickly ate some instant noodles and mineral water from his fridge, then lay down in his bed inside the shop.
He closed his eyes, ready for a good, peaceful sleep.
But peace, it seemed, had no plans for him tonight.
It felt like he'd barely closed his eyes when a sharp alarm blared throughout the store, causing Yun to jump up, startled.
His heart pounded wildly, sleep instantly banished.
"What the—!" Yun shouted, covering his ears. "System, what's happening?"
[Intruders detected, Host. Unauthorized entry attempt at the back of the store. Immediate action required.]
"Intruders?" Yun was fully awake now, his mind racing. "But who would sneak in here? Why not just come through the front door like normal people? Wait! It's night…"
It wasn't like his store looked valuable enough for thieves to target it. Besides, why couldn't the system just deal with them directly instead of informing him?
[The system cannot perform the tasks and duties of the Host. This is your store, and it is your duty to protect it.]
Yun rolled his eyes and asked, "Who are they anyway?"
[Analyzing…]
"Forget analyzing!" Yun grumbled as he shoved on his shoes, half-ready to fight and half-ready to file a noise complaint.
"Let's go see who's dumb enough to mess with my store."
It was still within the store's range, so he was confident in dealing with any matter.