He pointed towards the chart on top of his counter and proceeded to explain.

“Most of our foods could be labeled as ‘Gut Cultures’ that promote the kind of Microbes that help with augmenting, improving, or changing a person’s qualities through their Digestive System. The effect is not as immediate or noticeable as Elixirs or the like, it takes some time investment, but the growth potential technically doesn’t have a set cap like the Elixirs, which do, and unlike Potions their effect is not temporary, and unlike foods they are not of such low quality, although they are admittedly much less tastier. They also are for the most part side effect free, which is something most Potions, Elixirs, and like Concoctions cannot say.”

On the chart was what appeared to be something human-like except you could see the inside of his stomach.

Within the stomach were pictures of an innumerable amount of small creatures which were connected to lines that went to other different parts of the human body.

It seemed that each different creature affected a specific part of the body which the chart delineated.

The picture also showed the human drinking some liquid that was also full of the small creatures, which went directly to the stomach adding even more creatures into the man's stomach.

Between what the man said and the pictures I started to get a much better idea of the unique functions the store's items offered.

I entered a deep state of thought, I almost left upon hearing that the cultures' effects were not immediate or noticeable.

I was in urgent need of an immediate and powerful power boost since every day I saw how dangerous the Ranker world was.

But I also learned a lot from both of my Martial Arts teachers, mostly the importance of taking your time in improving the quality of what you consume, be it knowledge, food, or anything else.

I had heard of some horror stories involving potions and elixirs, but that was before I was a Ranker and I mostly had ignored them.

But now it was different; I was in a position where the consumption of some sort of performance enhancer was almost a requirement.

I needed to make the most educated and wisest decision.

The more I thought about the benefits of these cultures the more I realized these were the right items for me.

Right now I had nothing but time to improve myself as I didn’t have any immediate urgencies or business pending.

I was just enjoying traveling the world.

I also appreciated the lack of side effects these cultures had so I could just consume them as often and in as much quantity as I wanted.

What got me was that their effect was permanent and that there technically was no cap to the benefits it would bring.

Mowing it over and over only further convinced me that this was probably the right choice.

Most important of all they were also affordable or affordable in Ranker Terms which pretty much sealed the deal for me.

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They were not much more expensive than a low-quality potion about 1 platinum coin or 5000 Gold coins according to the exchange rate of the shop.

That national currency exchange guideline was a joke.

But I really couldn’t complain; I was more surprised gold was still accepted as a currency.

From the start of my journey until this moment I had managed to save up to 303 Platinum Coins other than the 4 I had stashed in the Bank; I got them through several different means, some honestly, some not so much.

Every time I looked at them an indescribable feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me that I couldn’t bring myself to spend any of it.

But in truth, I knew that wasn’t the right choice, to be a high Ranker Platinum was just a means to an end.

If I wanted to rise through the Ranks ownership of top-quality equipment was the right path; being a cheapskate wasn’t going to take me anywhere.

In all fairness though I hadn’t found the right opportunity or place to spend my Platinum coins.

I thought Martial Citadel would be adequate but everyone there was just as cheap as your average Volunterra Citizen.

The moment had come, here I was in my first Ranker event with a fascinating item in front of me.

I knew I couldn’t waste the opportunity that showed before me.

“Do you guys have Cultures that improve strength and stamina?”

“Not a problem young Expert, I got something you won’t be disappointed in.”

The clerk brought out two specific Cultures that were in white ceramic containers one in a bottle and one in a bowl.

“As you can tell by the labels this one is called ‘Muscle Fiber Increasing Cheese’ and the other is ‘Endurance and Stamina Yogurt’, these two products are somewhat special as they are not only good in their original purpose but can also ward off exhaustion when needed capable of functioning as an emergency consumable. They are both 1 Platinum coin.”

I purchased 30 of each item, which he conveniently combined into bigger containers, costing me a total of 60 Platinum coins, leaving me with a total of 243 Platinum coins.

I decided It was best if I didn’t waste all my money since being broke wouldn’t be of help in an emergency.

I was pleased with my purchase, I had a good feeling about these items, and about that store in general; I didn’t know if I would see that shop again so I asked the clerk for his business card which he kindly gave to me.

Upon it was a very peculiar design with many strange critters on which shiny bold letters were written.

“Genius Gut Laboratories, location Double Helix City”

I took note to visit that city in the future and hopefully make an important connection.

After thanking the Clerk for his help I left the shop and moved on to the next objective.

Having gotten what I came for, I decided it was a good time to look around and dig up some information on the Seeier Group before I went inside their facilities.