"Zaid, you're going to be expelled from the academy."
Professor Edgar's voice echoed in Zaid's ears in an office where neon lights illuminated the room in a neutral blue.
Zaid, a young man with yellow hair and green eyes who covered his hair with a cap, took it calmly, knowing that he could not achieve anything by getting nervous. He had been told this before, so he was not surprised.
"I understand." Zaid nodded.
"You're taking this very calmly," Edgar said, genuinely surprised.
Zaid shrugged with a hurt smile. "What else can I do?"
"Won't you ask for more time?"
"Would you give it to me, Professor Edgar?"
Edgar was silent. He had already given him three years to get a soul beast, but even in his third year, he was the only one in the academy without one.
There wasn't much else he could do to buy him time.
But...
"I'll give you one more month." He spoke suddenly.
Zaid wasn't surprised either; he smiled. "So the expulsion proceedings will take a month to complete, huh?"
Edgar sighed when he saw that he had noticed. "You're smart. That's the only reason I wanted to see you as a cultivator."
"But my time is up, isn't it?"
"Yes." Edgar nodded. "If you manage to get a soul beast before the end of the month, I'll help you keep your position. Do your best."
Zaid smiled; it wasn't a smile of joy. He smiled because he already foresaw a terrible future. He was fired shortly after.
After leaving the room, his steps became erratic as he walked through the city.
This area of Black River Sky, one of the many floating islands that make up the current world, is always full of life.
Bright colors adorn it, and its skyscrapers seem as if they will truly cut through the world. Numerous futuristic pavilions line the luxurious and prestigious streets full of life, while neon and metal predominate everywhere.
Flying cars soar through the skies at different heights, under perfect air traffic control that prevents congestion and accidents. Similarly, some beasts fly animatedly above them, ruling the skies with their respective riders.
The sun shines brightly and hits the roofs of the buildings, recreating magnificent views and fostering an energy of the purest quality. This, in turn, displays different holograms of enormous beasts at events for the wealthy.
In this futuristic city full of "life," Zaid feels lost.
Not because he doesn't know where he's going, but because he doesn't understand why he's here.
A year ago, he transmigrated into this body... He thought his life would change. The world should be more beautiful in the future, shouldn't it?
But it wasn't.
'Damn transmigration. You should have left me dead,' he complained.
Suddenly, as he was walking down the street, a car that wasn't flying past him splashed him with dirty water from an unknown source.
Zaid swallowed hard, swallowing the anger rising in his throat.
[The Host has been struck by misfortune.]
'Shut up.' Zaid wanted to hit the system window that appeared before him, but he resisted the urge to be treated like a madman. 'You are the main reason all this is happening to me.'
[You just need to sell one Soulbeast, and everything will be resolved. I am not to blame for your incompetence, Host.]
Zaid ignored the system messages and quickened his pace. He couldn't take this nonsense anymore. Along the way, an animal from the sky pooped on him, he fell into a hole, and to top it all off, a crazy old woman threw an egg at him from the top of a building.
He was used to it by now, even to the message that kept repeating itself before his eyes: [The Host has been struck by misfortune.]
There was nothing he could do; he couldn't get rid of the system that had brought him here or the penalty.
As he crossed the streets between neon-lit billboards and holographic beasts of the rich, the beautiful, futuristic city was left behind, and he was greeted by the most drastic contrast he had ever seen.
A city in ruins, where, although the houses are sturdy, the heat is unbearable. The smell is horrible, and thefts occur daily.
Walking through the entrance, he saw more than 35 people from the street doing terrible things. One seemed to be dead on the sidewalk, another slept peacefully naked...
Nothing to do. The world of the future was not what he expected.
Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over him as he walked, causing him to look up unconsciously.
The interstellar warship with the symbol of the Island, almost as big as a city, flew overhead. It was one of the few beautiful things Zaid had seen in this world.
But his eyes were fixed on those wyverns, hawks, and other soul beasts flying around it, protecting it.
Cultivators.
He longed to be one of them.
[If you complete the mission...]
'If you were more permissive...'
[Rules...]
'Then shut up.' After another brief argument between him and his system, Zaid started walking again, though unconsciously he looked toward the east. A huge piece of land floated there, calmly.
One of the many floating islands that make up the world today, after that catastrophe. 'All that remains is a world in ruins, but advanced, and a fallen society,' he thought.
He sighed and continued on his way.
Soon he reached his destination: the store his parents had left him... well, what was left of it.
-Skyline Store.
Although the name sounded impressive, inside it was just a small store, seven meters long and four meters wide, with few products for sale.
Things like rice, canned food, instant noodles, eggs, and little else.
He went inside and closed it while he bathed to wash away the dirt from being hit by so many misfortunes.
Later, he reopened the store and sat down at the cash register. But time passed, and no one came. More than an hour later, he sighed and got up to close the store, but first, he had something to do.
He pressed a small bracelet on his hand, which displayed a menu of apps from his cell phone in the form of a hologram in front of him. He chose one of the messaging apps and sent a message: "Wait for me. I'm on my way."
The destination said: Little Sister.
[Host, aren't you going to open the store today? At this rate, you'll never complete the mission.]
'What's the point?' Zaid replied, clearly annoyed to see this message appear before his eyes. 'I've spent a year opening it daily, but your rules are absurd. Your way of selling them is impossible to be successful. No one will buy.'
[Patience is the virtue of the strong, Host.]
"And time is the glory of the powerful, but you steal my time with every misfortune you bring me."
Truly, he just wanted to enjoy his last days, but as he answered this, he passed in front of the store mirror and couldn't help but stop.
He turned around and took off his hat to reveal a head with receding hair.
Despite his good looks and young age, his lips were white from anemia, and he was getting thinner and thinner. But the worst part...
'See? I'm even going bald because of you!'
[It will grow back when you complete the mission.]
'To hell with the mission!' He put his hat back on and prepared to leave, but the store door opened just then.
Diring~
'A customer? At least something good will happen today.' He thought and turned to welcome them.
"Welcome..." But he frowned halfway through and fell silent when he recognized the other party.
"Yo, Zaid, I have come to see you!" exclaimed a young man with yellow hair standing at the door. His pompous clothes and exaggerated movements made him look arrogant.
He was Loid Zachary, Zaid's cousin... responsible for the death of old Zaid. He was not alone.
"I don't remember inviting you," Zaid said coldly, but his body suddenly lost its balance.
It was as if his knees had been struck.
'When?' Although he tried to maintain his balance, his body soon fell to the ground.
His eyes met four small legs running before him. It was a wolf-like soul beast, and it looked at him mockingly.
'Bastard.' Zaid thought about getting up, but suddenly felt a strong hand pulling him by the back. When he realized what was happening, the sharp pain in his back spread throughout his body as he was thrown against one of the shelves displaying items for sale.
Zaid got up as soon as he could and, with determination, punched the man in front of him, but his punch was easily dodged, and suddenly his eyes bulged and he vomited blood when his stomach was hit.
Loid mocked his attempts and grabbed him by the hair.
"What do you want?" Zaid asked, knowing he didn't stand a chance.
"To kill you. Don't you know?"
Zaid sneered. "Why are you hesitating, then? You already did it once."
"Hmph." Loid hit him again.
"Buagh." Blood stained the floor.
"The day I find out where you hid that damn woman will be the day you die," he declared, then threw him aside, slamming him against the floor.
Zaid endured the pain, but the humiliation he felt made his blood boil. Unfortunately, he could only watch as those bastards left after doing whatever they wanted.
There was nothing he could do. They were cultivators, and Loid was one of the most prominent of the new generation. He... was just a nobody.
With difficulty, he moved his arms to push himself up and wiped the blood dripping from his lips.
He pressed the bracelet again.
"It's okay, brother. Don't be long, I'll wait for you, hehe!"
His sister's cheerful message, accompanied by several happy emojis, hit him in the face, but he had to swallow his helplessness to send another one.
"Customers have arrived; I'll be a little late..."
Then he closed the apps and leaned on the shelves to get up and close the store.
"Show me the mission again," he whispered with incredible difficulty.
A window immediately appeared as if the system had been waiting for him.
[Starting Mission: Sell a Soulbeast from the Interstellar Dragon Superstore.]
| Complete a sale of a Soulbeast of any rank to earn rewards and avoid consequences.
| Rewards:
-A Soulbeast of your choice who will sign a contract with you, making you a cultivator.
-New items and Soulbeast for sale.
-The Mountain of the Store God.
| Consequences of not completing the mission: The more time passes, the more misfortune will befall you.
| Soulbeast sold: 0/1.
Although he clenched his fists in anger as he remembered everything that had happened to him because of this mission, such as losing his Soulbeast, losing his sister's medicine, being expelled from his family, and almost being expelled from the academy, he still endured it.
This was his only way to get revenge on these bastards who had been terrorizing him since he arrived here...
He turned around, headed for the back door, and opened it. On the other side was a mysterious hallway and a door. He walked towards it and opened it.
As he opened it, the old store was left behind, and he was greeted by a store of unknown mysteries, where every object exuded energy. Although there were empty display shelves, the few with something on them naturally attracted attention.
Soulbeasts, including large wolves, tigers, and lions, are displayed for sale. Herbs that appear to be priceless treasures and panaceas are also on display.
It was little, but they were treasures.
He walked across the store to the door, which had a small wooden sign hanging from a thin chain, and turned it around, revealing the word "Open" to the outside. It had been closed for the last three days, but now he was determined to open it.
Afterward, he returned to the counter to sit down.
The windows facing the street did not reveal a recognizable futuristic world... quite the opposite. They revealed a darkened world, with a constant echo carried by the wind and reaching the ends of the earth.
Diring~
As he was lost in thought, the sound of the doorbell ringing as the door opened echoed in his ears.