The light faded completely, leaving the apartment exactly as it had been.
Only the screen remained.
The system interface hovered before Leo, no longer flat or simple. It felt deeper now, layered. Subtle panels rested beside one another, edges traced in thin silver lines that pulsed softly, like circuitry etched into the air itself.
At the top, a clean header glowed.
— — — — — —
SYSTEM SHOP
— — — — — —
Below it, sections arranged themselves in a calm vertical order, each divided by faint lines that breathed in slow, steady intervals.
— — — — — —
SKILLS
TOOLS
MATERIAL
— — — — — —
Nothing flashy. Nothing rushed.
Intentional.
Then the system's voice spoke, steady and neutral.
[As you can see, Leo, this is the System Shop.]
[The first section contains Skills.]
[Here, you may acquire skills directly. Their cost is determined by the system based on usefulness, complexity, and long-term impact.]
Leo's eyes lingered on the word skills, his mind already racing through possibilities.
The voice continued.
[The second section contains Tools.]
[These include consumables and auxiliary items designed to enhance performance.]
[For example, the Creativity Pen.]
[When used for writing, scripting, or ideation, it temporarily increases creative output, allowing ideas to flow more freely.]
[There are also potions available.]
[Potions provide temporary enhancement to specific attributes or skills for a limited duration.]
That sounded dangerous in its own way.
Useful.
But not permanent shortcuts.
Then the final section.
[The third section is Material.]
[From here, you may acquire physical items that exist on Earth.]
[All purchases in this section require System Points (SP). Monetary currency is not accepted.]
[This includes everyday goods, equipment, property, and land.]
[All acquired items will be legally registered under your identity. No additional procedures are required.]
The words settled one by one.
Leo felt a quiet weight press into his chest. Not shock in the dramatic sense. Something denser. More real.
The system had already altered the direction of his life.
This… expanded the scale of it.
It didn't just assist growth.
It removed entire categories of limitation.
Power like this didn't announce itself. It didn't demand attention.
It waited to see what kind of person stood in front of it.
If he failed now, with this kind of structure beneath his feet, there would be no excuses left. No one else to blame. No luck to curse.
Only his choices.
The thought didn't frighten him.
It grounded him.
Leo steadied his breathing and focused on the interface again, posture relaxed, eyes sharp.
He opened the first section.
SKILLS.
The list unfolded smoothly.
His reaction was immediate.
"…That expensive?" he muttered.
The prices weren't outrageous in an abstract sense, but they were far beyond what he could afford right now. He glanced at the corner of the screen.
SP: 0
Leo let out a quiet breath through his nose.
"Figures."
Still, curiosity won out. He scrolled.
The list went on and on.
— — — — — —
Vocal Control (Basic) - 100 SP
Stage Presence (Basic) - 110 SP
Micro-Expression Awareness - 140 SP
Rhythm Sense - 130 SP
Cinematic Movement - 120 SP
Modeling Posture - 210 SP
Dance Fundamentals - 200 SP
Game Sense: Tactical Shooters - 180 SP
Audience Engagement Instinct - 260 SP
.
.
.
— — — — — —
Some were straightforward. Others were oddly specific. A few made him pause longer than he expected.
This wasn't just about talent.
It was about expression.
Still, something felt… missing.
He leaned back slightly and asked, "Omni, why are there only skills related to creative or artistic stuff? Where's the technical side?"
The question slipped out naturally.
Even though he'd chosen a different path this time, he was still, at his core, a tech guy. He'd half-expected to see things like Advanced Programming, System Architecture, Machine Learning, maybe even something wild like Quantum Computation Models or LLM Optimization.
There was nothing like that here.
The response came without delay.
[The skills currently available are aligned with the Influencer Path.]
[Technical and corporate-domain skills will be accessible after unlocking the Sphere of Dominion.]
Leo's jaw tightened slightly.
'Again with the corporate nonsense,' he thought.
The word corporate alone made something unpleasant stir in his chest. Long hours. Narrow definitions of success. A life measured by output instead of breath.
He didn't want that again.
A flicker of unease crept in, and he asked, more carefully this time, "I don't have to use the Sphere of Dominion to access skills, right? I mean… I can still buy skills without committing to it?"
[Correct.]
[Skills associated with the Dominion Path may be purchased without activating the path.]
[However, core-defining skills for any major path are not sold.]
[Those will only be obtained through missions and progression.]
Leo exhaled slowly.
"Good."
At least that much freedom remained.
He wasn't boxed in.
With that settled, he went back to browsing and quietly marked a few skills for later. Not to buy now. Just… to remember.
When he finished, he switched sections.
TOOLS.
The prices jumped immediately.
Leo blinked once.
"Yeah… that tracks."
Unlike skills, these were consumables. Temporary. Powerful.
The list read like something pulled straight out of a cheat menu.
— — — — — —
Cognition Booster (Minor) – 200 SP
Temporarily increases Focus and Logical Processing
Creative Surge Draft – 300 SP
Boosts Creativity for one writing session
Calm Mind Elixir – 260 SP
Suppresses anxiety and mental noise for one hour
Endurance Tonic – 160 SP
Enhances Stamina and Recovery for physical activity
.
.
.
— — — — — —
Then there were tools.
— — — — — —
Creativity Pen – 700 SP
Enhances idea generation while writing
Resonance Microphone – 600 SP
Improves vocal depth and emotional capture
Presence Mirror – 1200 SP
Trains posture and micro-expressions in real time
Rhythm Metronome – 750 SP
Refines timing for speech, movement, and cuts
.
.
.
— — — — — —
Leo stared.
"…That's insane."
These weren't flashy weapons or godlike artifacts.
They were subtle. Dangerous in the way that real advantages always were.
He didn't scroll much further.
Everything here cost more SP than he had, which was zero.
So instead of buying anything, he did the sensible thing.
He added a few items to the cart.
Items he would need in the near future, which would help him to walk better on his new path.
The thought settled with quiet certainty.
Still, curiosity nudged him once more, and he opened the Material section.
The interface shifted, cleaner than the others. No mystique. No abstractions. Just reality, neatly catalogued.
Everyday items. Devices. Furniture. Vehicles. Property.
Normal.
Grounded.
A small indicator glowed at the corner of the panel.
Exchange Rate:
1 SP = 1 USD (Shop-Only Use)
So SP couldn't be converted into cash. It could only be spent here.
That made sense.
It wasn't meant to replace the real world. Just… bend it slightly.
Leo scrolled for a bit, more out of understanding than need. Phones he already owned. Laptops better than his current one, but not urgent. Clothes. Cameras. Even land listings, sitting quietly at prices so high they felt theoretical.
Nothing called to him.
Not yet.
He closed the shop tab, the interface folding away without resistance.
The room felt normal again.
Too normal.
His focus shifted naturally to the Status screen.
Five Attribute Points.
Unassigned.
That decision carried more weight than anything he'd just seen. Skills could be bought later. Tools could wait.
Attributes shaped the foundation.
Leo leaned back into the couch, fingers tapping lightly against his thigh as his mind began to sort through priorities, not impulsively, but with intent.
"Alright," he murmured, more to himself than the system.
"Let's think this through."