“Don’t you feel like something’s missing?” Harry was lazily letting his body drop on the counter. He was completely bored out of his mind.

Nue was directly in front, biting into a perfectly seasoned limb. If anyone normal were to see this then they would immediately recognize it as the meat of a Rank 8 monster. She ripped off a large segment with her teeth turned around and shrugged. “Dunno.”

“How about you, master?” Harry called out to Cain who was similarly lazing around doing nothing. He had already filled up the entire store to the brim with equipment, there was nothing else for him to do.

“Now that you mention it, I think we’re out of something but I don’t remember.” Cain was looking at his own status window. The sense of dread of not knowing how to proceed made him quite lethargic.

[Host: Cain Ex

Power Level: Super Weak

Cultivation: Rank 1

Mastery: Apotheosis Crafter - Basic Mastery Lvl. 1, Ambrosial Master - Basic Mastery Lvl. 1

Body: None

Points: 63,175 -> 13,175]

“Not a single skill leveled up all this time. This isn’t looking good at all. Just what am I doing wrong exactly?” Cain scratched his head trying to figure it out. He even tried to ask the system what this was all about but it didn’t respond at all.

[Quest Completed: Survive for a month.

Reward: Mystery Prize]

“Eh?” Cain suddenly stood up. He had forgotten about this very important mission. It had just been so quiet that the days started to blend together. Within the blink of an eye, an entire month had passed with him lazing around.

[Open Mystery Prize?]

“I wonder what this is all about. Yes.”

[Congratulations on accepting the rework for the system. Turning from System Version 1 to System Version 2. The confiscated power from before would not be returned and the suspicious amount of points are not given back.]

“Wait! What? Then what’s going to happen to us then? That’s so unfair!”

[Recalibration of the system requires the appropriate amount of power to do so. There cannot be reformation without an energy source to do so.]

“Meaning?”

[The allotted points and power taken from the party have been used to level up the system's capabilities. As the host is far too weak to handle the update, features would be unlocked as the host grows stronger. Currently, the Quest feature and Store feature have been improved. There are similarly two new features unlocked, the Level Up feature and the Salvage feature.]

Cain immediately wasted no time to check what had just changed. As it turned out, the quests that he had been haphazardly been doing from before was now properly showcased before him. There were a lot of missions.

[Quest (Repeatable): Create an item. Reward-based on quality up to Rank 10.

Reward: 0-10 Points]

[Quest (Repeatable): Defeat an opponent. Reward-based on quality up to Rank 10.

Reward: 0-10 Points]

[Quest (One-time): Sell an expensive item. The sold equipment must cost 1 High-Quality Mana Stone.

Reward: 1000 Points]

Looking further below, there were some missions that completely made no sense. Cain tried to make sense of them but he was completely lost on how to even go about it.

[Quest (One-time): Speak the name of an Unspeakable.

Reward: Feature Unlock]

[Quest (One-time): Grace the Spirits.

Reward: 1,000,000 Points]

There were even a few distasteful missions that Cain didn’t even bother looking at. He actively chose to look away despite how amazing the rewards were. Such an act wasn’t something that Cain was interested in doing at all.

[Quest (One-time): Erase a species from existence.

Reward: Passive Skill, Death’s Companion. Instantaneous death for being below a certain standard.]

Cain tried to explore the rest of the rest of the new features he had just received. The store didn’t seem to have changed that much except for one weird change. There was now a small icon by the side, once he pressed it a small phrase appeared.

[Choose an item to replicate.]

Cain took one of the cups on the kitchen table and chose it.

[Item: Unnamed Glass Cup

Power Level: Super Strong

Cultivation Level: Higher Rank 9

Description: A casual cup created from the sand of a long-lost civilization using perfect technique. Simple yet has a very aesthetically pleasing design.

Point Value: 10]

Cain decided to test it out. Learning about the limits of the new features he was given was important. He didn’t remember who it was but he heard from the otherworld that a proper warrior should learn about his weapon like the back of his hand.

[Points: 13,175 -> 13,165]

The cup he had selected now had an exact perfect replica. He tried to sell the replicated item back to the store yet it was declined. He then tried to sell the original copy and it was sold for exactly 10 Points.

[Points: 13,165 -> 13,175]

“The original and replica cost the exact same and are the exact same. There’s nothing different between them at all. It’s genuinely impossible to figure out which one’s which without testing it through the store. That’s… pretty amazing. I can just mass produce my work without actually working on it at all.”

Cain then checked out the new feature he was given. He had been stuck at the lowest level for the longest time, it was about time for him to actually make some progress. Being stuck at Rank 1 was unacceptable.

[Upgrade Rank 1 to Rank 2? Cost: 1,000 Points]

“Is that it?” Cain was slightly taken aback by how easy this was. Back then he had to create so many pieces of art before he made any progress. Now that he was allowed to level it up as he wished so easily then he wasn’t complaining at all.

“The current rate is 1 Low-Quality Mana Stone per Point. So 1,000 Low-Quality Mana Stones just to reach Rank 2? That’s such a waste, nevertheless, progress is progress.”

Cain accepted the button and immediately felt his body turn slightly lighter than before. He felt his muscles reinforce themselves and his senses improved just a tad bit better.

“It’s not like anything really changed.” Cain was depressed that it was so expensive to level up yet the returns were so little.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

On the outside of the living area where Cain was in, Harry and Nue were minding their own business being bored out of their minds before their instincts were riled up unexpectedly. The shock of a sudden oppressive aura forced her to grip her meal into pieces.

Nue jumped back, immediately activating the threads on her gloves. Within the blink of an eye, the entire store was layered with traps behind traps. One wrong move could easily slice your limb apart.

Harry acted much more maturely. He reached out for a sword and was about to launch an attack behind him when he stopped himself. “Hah… that gave me a scare for a second. Nue, you can take your threads back. It’s just master finally breaking through.”

Nue’s eyes were still warily staring. She only moved after Harry said it was safe. Immediately, she broke out of her stance and let her face hit the floor first. “Cain. Scary.”

“That’s true. If not for Helena’s barrier then Pioneer City might’ve felt the coming of a… what do they call it around here? A Demon King?”

“Demon King? Hmph!” Nue still high and mighty. “I eat those for breakfast.” If it was a normal bystander then they would’ve only thought that Nue was acting cute. This was not the case for the people that understood who Nue really was.

Harry wore an awkward smile as he looked at the limb that Nue dropped. “You’re not exactly wrong.”

This continued on before they felt another surge of power rushes out from within their living quarters. Nue’s heart palpitated as the trauma of Cain’s casual attack from the other world returned. She meekly hid behind Harry.

Harry couldn’t blame Nue either. “That’s just master. Let’s get out for a bit, I don’t wanna be here for the next wave.” Nue vigorously nodded along, wanting nothing more than to leave this place as soon as possible. On the way outside, they saw a very familiar girl casually opening the door.

“I’m back.” Helena smugly returned. It was time for everyone to realize just how valuable she was. It was a perfect plan really. Too bad she thought of her companions too highly.

“Oh!” Lightbulbs were sparking up in Harry’s mind. “I remember now! You were missing! That’s why something felt-”

Veins popped up on Helena’s forehead as she smiled an unfriendly smile. She smacked Harry’s head. If the floors weren’t made by Cain then Harry would’ve been sent straight to the Earth’s core. No, if Helena thought about it harder, she had terraformed Earth into something that suited her needs. Harry would’ve been sent straight to the 2nd floor. Fortunately, he was only half-dead on the store floor.

“Rascal. Now where’s Cain? He should be showering me with treats by now.” Helena was expectant that even if these two were useless then she could always trust in Cain. Nue meekly tugged Helena’s dress. Helena sighed and asked. “What now, Nue?”

“Cain.” Nue pointed at the living area. “Breaking through.”

“Ha… Haha. You little… why didn’t you tell me?” Helena grabbed Harry’s ear and pulled him up. “Let’s get out of here!”

“Ow! Ow! I can walk, you know?” Getting dragged along by the ear was a very unpleasant experience. Harry was a very much grown man, at the very least, Helena should be dragging him by the collar. It would be less embarrassing by then.

“Then do you want to stay behind?” A simple yet effective threat.

“No, ma’am. Carry on.”

The trio quickly escaped the store. Helena was dragging Harry along in a very unfitting way while Nue was grabbing onto Harry’s back Out of the three, Nue was having the most comfortable trip.

Thus the three bonded in a very short but eventful trip. As Cain was figuring out what he should upgrade next, the three of them left Pioneer City and watched on from the distance.

Helena was watching on with an expectant look while Harry was still recouping from the abuse. He quickly recovered once Nue’s stomach started rumbling. It was not a smart idea to let a glutton like Nue stay on his back lest he does not want to see the light of day.

“Where were you? It’s been a month since you disappeared.” Harry pried Nue off his back.

“Just business.” Helena didn’t want to explain to Harry that she was actually kidnapped back by a power entity that not even her at her peak could fight against. It was even more annoying that for that entire month, she was forced to wait for proper procedures. If it was up to her, that meeting should’ve only lasted a single hour.

Helena had always been the mysterious kind. Harry didn’t want to push any further and watched the same scene Helena was in. “We didn’t manage to sell a single weapon, you know? Your barrier kept every single person out. No one even saw our little shop.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault! It was completely unexpected. Do you really think I would leave you guys behind?” Helena still acted haughty but her words made some sense. Nue even understood it.

Harry narrowed his eyes. He was not buying it for a single second.

“Ahem.” Helena was obviously lying. “Let me rephrase, do you really think I would let Cain’s cooking go to waste?”

“Fair, enough.” It was comedic that despite how ludicrous that statement was, it was the complete truth. “Then let me ask you, Helena. What are we looking at for the foreseeable future?”

“In around a while, we’ll be busy. Extremely busy.” Helena took out a High-Quality Mana Stone and threw it to Nue’s side. She obediently opened her mouth and ate it. It was an extremely nourishing meal. It was equivalent to 1,000,000 Low-Quality Mana Stones after all. That much was enough to strengthen her to the point of having a fraction of her strength back.

“Tasty.” Nue burped and laid on her back. “But not as tasty as Cain’s cooking.”

Nue similarly threw a Mana Stone at Harry’s side, the quality of it was unknown. The only thing that made it different from other Mana Stones was the fact that it shimmered an uncanny light. He fiddled around with it before grasping it in his hands. Within the blink of an eye, the High-Quality Mana Stone was consumed. Harry made rapid progress, to the point of actually reaching Rank 5 within the blink of an eye.

Both Nue and Harry’s breakthroughs caused quite a scene as the world begun to seek out them out. Fortunately, Helena activated a barrier that completely prevented any disturbance in the outside world. Not a single person, not even the Mistress of the Pavilion found out that Harry and Nue broke through.

“That was a decent one. What’s the deal?” Harry felt a tinge of his power return. It was quite freeing that he could finally act out in accordance with what he wanted. Playing around with his recently gained strength, he cast magic.

It was a simple one really, an amalgamation of mana condensed into a singular thin rod. It was a simple spear of mana created by Harry. He threw it out and as expected, it cleanly pierced through the ground without much resistance. A simple demonstration of what he could do to the point that anyone who was half-decent could do it.

“Hmm? I thought you would’ve used something more spectacular than that.” Helena giggled. She wanted to see just how creative Harry could be now that he could finally start acting out.

“There’s no point. I just wanted to see if I can still wield mana. Though it’s odd, I lost my strength but as I regain my cultivation base, everything I’ve learned just comes back to me. I don’t need to grind from the beginning.” It wasn’t like he was gaining new strength, it was as if it was a seal, slowly but surely getting unlocked as he progressed.

Nue was acting differently. She was sleeping on the grassy fields. Nothing might’ve changed for her mentally but her physical strength was evolving and developing rapidly.

“An interesting way to phrase it. Regardless, now that you feel even more confident, would you mind doing me a favor?”

“Depends on what kind.”

“You see, I just recently sold a sword and I still haven’t accepted payment for it yet. Would you be a dear and get it for me?” Helena’s words were extremely alluring.

“I don’t know what kind of person you think I am but-”

“There’s going to be cute girls there.”

“Ma’am, I am at your beck and call. Just say the word and I will traverse the seas for you. In fact, I'll go right now. I don't mind at all.” Harry kneeled and gratefully accepted. Very gracefully indeed.

“That’s good. Bring Nue with you. She’ll keep you safe.”

Harry’s hopes of finding his significant other were immediately dashed once he heard Nue was going alongside him. It was funny how Helena put it, Nue was technically their bodyguard but she was actually nothing more than a hassle. If she tagged along then it would just be babysitting at that point. Harry would already have his hands full making sure she doesn’t go wild.

“But I can do it myself. I don’t see why Nue needs to come along.” This was supposed to be a fun trip for himself but it was now turning into a chore.

“Listen, I was so gracious, benevolent even, to give you a Mana Stone. And this is how you treat me? Oh, woe is me.” Helena started acting hurt. Harry wasn’t buying it at all. He perfectly understood just how cold-hearted she was. “If you don’t want to go then I guess Nue’s going to go by herself.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Harry's tone was extremely grim. This had turned into a game of chicken. To think that Helena would be so cruel as to resort to such tactics. It was becoming of someone of her status.

Harry looked at the dumb look on Nue’s face as she was sleeping. He sighed. “Fine, you win. I’ll take her out to that poor guild. The least you can do is tell me what you’re planning to do.”

“Me? I’m going to sit back, relax, and wait until the customers start piling up. It’s just a matter of time anyway. I’ve been working far too hard and now a short little vacation awaits me.”

“Figures. Guess I’m leaving now. Come on, Nue, let’s get this over with.” Harry grabbed Nue’s leg and started dragging her along. He didn’t care if Nue’s head hit something, most likely, that something would be the one that broke.

Helena smugly achieved victory and entered their little shop. Cain had already finished choosing everything he wanted to level up and was waiting for everyone to return. On the table was a small cake that Cain made to celebrate his breaking through.

Helena casually went and took her share… as well as the other two’s share.

“Hey, Helena, what about theirs?”

“They’re on a business trip.” Helena brushed it off and started eating her fill. After licking the whipped cream off her cheeks, she dropped her utensils and leaned back extremely satisfied.

“Anyways, welcome back, what happened to that sword? Did you get paid enough? We’re kind of going through a rough patch right now.”

Helena took out the same type of Mana Stone he gave those to and gave it to Cain. He caught it and his eyes bulged. “Really?”

“Yeah, we made a lot of money from that customer. But don’t look so down, customers will start flooding in five.”

“Five? Five what? Cain was extremely confused.

“Four… three… two… one.”

Helena didn’t lie to Harry or Nue at all. They really were about to get busy. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t realize just how misleading Helena’s words really were.

Up in the skies, numerous portals were created as people of even higher standards from the last wave appeared. The surge of people that came around this time came from even higher-tiered worlds. People who have conquered their worlds, people who have reached the point of unbelievable strength, and people who have something new to offer to the world.

People from various walks of life showed up to welcome their world back.