The night was unusually quiet.
A soft breeze drifted through the open window of Evan's room, stirring the thin curtains and carrying the faint scent of pine from the surrounding forest. Outside, the estate slept peacefully.
Inside, however, a twelve-year-old boy sat cross-legged on his bed with the expression of someone calculating the fate of a small empire.
Evan rested his elbows on his knees, fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
His eyes were half-lidded, staring into empty air.
Of course, the air was not actually empty.
It was filled with translucent screens only he could see.
After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"Echo."
The familiar voice immediately answered inside his mind, cheerful as always.
[Yes, Master! Echo is here and ready to assist!]
Evan leaned back slightly.
"Echo, Status check. Current balance."
There was a brief pause—dramatic, as if the system spirit enjoyed building suspense.
Then the number appeared.
[Master, your current system points are: 47,450]
Evan slowly exhaled.
Forty-seven thousand.
Four hundred and fifty.
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
For a moment, his mind drifted back through the years that had led to this number.
The grind had been brutal.
Training under Lyra was not something a normal child would survive.
Morning sword drills until his arms went numb.
Running mountain trails with weights tied to his ankles.
Meditation sessions that lasted so long his legs lost all feeling.
Hours—sometimes entire days—spent studying ancient cultivation texts until the characters blurred together.
And that wasn't even counting the missions.
The wolf hunt alone had given him a massive boost in points.
Evan rubbed the back of his neck.
"Man… when I first got here, I thought leveling up would be easy."
Back then, he had imagined something closer to a video game.
Kill monsters.
Get rewards.
Become powerful.
Reality had been… different.
Reality involved Lyra standing over him with crossed arms while he attempted his thousandth sword strike of the day.
If he slowed down even slightly—
Tap.
A wooden training sword would smack the back of his head.
"Focus."
Lyra never raised her voice.
She didn't need to.
Evan shook his head slightly, forcing himself back to the present.
The grind had been worth it.
Because now—
Now he had access to something new.
Echo's voice chimed again, almost as if reading his thoughts.
[Master, Additional shop Items/categories are now unlocked.]
Evan's eyes lit up.
Finally.
He sat up straighter.
"Open the shop."
A massive interface expanded in front of him like a floating wall of glass.
Dozens of categories appeared.
Weapons.
Cultivation resources.
Rare artifacts.
Skill enhancements.
But one category glowed brighter than the rest.
Evan grinned.
"Alright, Echo. Filter items that help me operate independently from Lyra."
There was a tiny pause.
Echo's tone shifted slightly—almost amused.
[Filtering results…]
A new set of items appeared.
Echo presented them one by one.
[Unique Item]
[Mimic's Voice Box]
[Price: 6,500 System Points]
[A jade charm capable of altering the user's voice. Allows the user to speak with the deep, commanding tone of an experienced master.]
Evan blinked.
"Huh."
Not bad.
His eyes moved to the next item.
[Cloak of Maturity]
[Price: 8,000 System Points]
[A passive illusion garment that alters the perception of observers. The wearer will appear to be a fully grown adult.]
Evan leaned forward.
"Ohhh."
Now that was interesting.
Echo continued.
[Pill of Concealment (1 Hour)]
[Price: 40 System Points]
[Suppresses and masks the user's Qi signature, preventing others from accurately identifying their cultivation level.]
Another window appeared.
[Experience Multiplier Voucher (1 Hour)]
[Price: 12,000 System Points]
[Temporarily doubles training efficiency.]
Evan stared at the list.
Then he stared at the price.
Then he stared again.
Slowly, his mouth fell open.
"Twelve thousand?"
Echo responded instantly.
[Correct.]
Evan pointed accusingly at the floating screen.
"Twelve thousand?!"
[Correct.]
Evan blinked.
"That's robbery!"
Echo's tone remained perfectly calm.
[These are premium-tier items, Master. This can be used at higher tiers as well.]
Evan threw his hands into the air.
"Premium-tier?! I nearly died fighting forty-seven wolves for those points!"
Echo replied without hesitation.
[Correction.]
[You nearly died fighting forty-seven wolves while screaming tactical instructions to yourself and rolling on the ground.]
Evan froze.
"…That was a controlled maneuver."
[It was not.]
Evan groaned and collapsed backward onto the bed.
"This system has inflation problems."
Echo replied dryly.
[The Celestial System does not experience inflation.]
"Then explain these prices!"
[These prices reflect the value of the items.]
Evan sat up again, glaring at the list.
If he bought the Voice Box…
6500 gone.
The Cloak?
Another 8,000.
The Concealment Pill?
Another 40.
He quickly did the math.
"Fourteen thousand, five hundred forty…"
His soul practically left his body.
"That's still over fourteen thousand points!"
Echo hummed thoughtfully.
[You would still have 32910 points remaining.]
"That's nothing!"
[It is not nothing.]
Evan leaned forward again, squinting suspiciously at the screen.
"Echo."
[Yes, Master?]
"Do you have… cheaper options?"
A new item window popped up.
[Standard Steel Dagger]
[Price: 120 System Points]
Evan stared at it.
Echo added helpfully:
[Suitable for poverty-tier cultivators.]
Evan clutched his chest like he'd been stabbed.
"That hurt."
[Truth can be painful.]
Evan rubbed his face.
He had spent years hoarding these points.
Saving them.
Waiting for the right moment.
And now that moment had arrived—
—and suddenly everything was too expensive.
He paced around the room.
"Okay… think, Evan. Think."
Voice Box.
Cloak.
Concealment Pill.
Together, they would allow him to create the perfect disguise.
An adult cultivator.
A mysterious wandering master.
Someone who could move through the world without people realizing he was a twelve-year-old kid.
Which meant…
Less dependence on Lyra.
Evan paused.
His expression softened slightly.
Lyra had protected him for years.
She trained him.
Fed him.
Healed him.
Watched over him like a hawk.
But eventually—
He needed to stand on his own.
He couldn't stay behind her forever.
Evan looked back at the glowing system window.
"Man…"
Just as he was about to make a decision—
Click.
The door opened.
Evan immediately froze.
Lyra stepped inside.
Her black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her dark eyes scanned the room calmly.
She stopped when she saw Evan sitting on the bed.
Specifically—
She noticed the expression on his face.
That intense, focused look.
The one he always made when he was staring into empty space.
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"Talking to the air again?"
Evan coughed.
"N-no."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
She walked further into the room, observing him carefully.
The boy had grown.
Not just taller.
His posture was sharper.
His Qi felt steadier.
More refined.
There was a quiet strength forming inside him.
Lyra folded her arms.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?"
Evan hesitated.
Behind his eyes, the shop interface still floated.
Voice Box.
Cloak.
Pills.
He looked at Lyra.
Then back at the invisible screen.
Then back at Lyra again.
A dangerous idea entered his mind.
Maybe…
Maybe she could help.
After all—
Lyra had served powerful cultivators for centuries.
If anyone knew what a "mysterious master" should look like…
It would be her.
Evan slowly closed the shop window.
The screens vanished.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, Lyra…"
She looked at him calmly.
"Yes?"
Evan hesitated.
His brain screamed warnings.
Careful.
Do NOT accidentally reveal his plans.
He forced a casual tone.
"Hypothetically speaking…"
Lyra narrowed her eyes slightly.
That word always meant trouble.
Evan continued.
"If someone wanted to… uh… disguise themselves as a powerful adult cultivator…"
Lyra blinked.
"…What?"
Evan immediately regretted everything.
But it was too late now.
He pointed vaguely at the air.
"Like—you know—deep voice, mysterious robes, hidden cultivation level—stuff like that."
Lyra stared at him.
For a long moment.
Then she slowly spoke.
"…Why?"
Evan felt sweat forming on his forehead.
He forced a grin.
"No reason."
Lyra's eyes narrowed further.
Evan coughed.
"So… uh…"
He pointed awkwardly.
"What would that kind of person look like?"
Lyra studied him carefully.
Something about this situation felt suspicious.
But she couldn't quite figure out why.
Finally, she sighed.
"…My prince."
"Yeah?"
"You are a strange child."
Evan grinned nervously.
"Thanks."
Lyra shook her head slightly, still watching him with quiet curiosity.
And somewhere behind Evan's forced smile—
His mind was already calculating the cost of pretending to be someone he wasn't.
Because growing up, he realized…
Sometimes the hardest part of becoming stronger—
Was paying the price for it.