Chapter 2

"Ah~!" With a long yawn, Jiuming closed the diary in his hand, "Occasionally reminiscing about the past isn't so bad, right?"

Well, actually, it didn't feel that great. In the labyrinth, the first two days were relatively normal, but as Jiuming had expected, believing that the words left inside the labyrinth were true was naive. The labyrinth was indeed large at first, but its area began to shrink later.

Jiuming witnessed the various declarations people made in their desperate situations. Later, it seemed that everyone ignored the phrase "it doesn't matter if you die." He tried to stop them, but ended up being hated. If not for the special nature of his soul, he would have been the first to be eliminated.

There was a very peculiar shop. Apart from the counter in front of Jiuming, the rest of the place was like a living room, designed for guests to sit casually. However, this was indeed a shop, and it also had a component of an agency that accepted commissions.

Jiuming could sit here, which naturally meant the result in the labyrinth was simple. He felt a bit sympathetic towards the last survivor. Jiuming remembered the person's ecstatic expression when they learned they were the last one alive. Since Jiuming wasn't really human, that person was considered qualified, and logically, both should have "passed."

People don't die unless they seek death. Jiuming was like a "bug." When new words appeared on the wall, it seemed there was a "mechanism" watching, so he maliciously "reported" Jiuming.

As a result, the one who should have passed didn't, while Jiuming, the "bug," did pass...

The person's frustration can be imagined, but it's all in the past now. He is the current "shopkeeper" here.

As for why he, a "bug," was accepted while the one who should have passed failed, there are reasons. There have been many shopkeepers here, and the selection process has been conducted multiple times, not just for humans but for other intelligent beings. Jiuming was chosen because the mysterious shop saw his "energy efficiency."

A soul requires much fewer needs compared to a human. It's unclear how the shop measures these needs, but to describe the shop, using the Eighth Pawn Shop as a reference might be appropriate, though Jiuming doesn't have as many "benefits."

Jiuming doesn't know how the shop appeared, why it exists, or how long it has existed. The shop doesn't have any AI or smart assistants, though the information panel that provides him with information might be considered a smart assistant.

This world is not his original world; it's a world of superhumans with supernatural powers. Other aspects feel similar to his original world. The most frustrating thing is that the previous shopkeeper's inventory disappears when they die, all being reclaimed by the mysterious shop.

"Regardless of who you are or where you come from, stepping into here might change your fate. What can you offer?"

This is the shop's public declaration... of course, it's not just empty words; the declaration is real.

Additionally, Jiuming is forbidden from revealing the existence of the mysterious shop to outsiders and cannot bring them here. People can only come here by chance—commonly known as "luck"!

Now, after becoming the shopkeeper of this mysterious shop, he has never conducted a single transaction!

The information from the mysterious shop also revealed that there is a reason for this. First, as the shopkeeper, physical strength... is absolutely necessary. The rest can be set aside, and Jiuming needs to adapt on his own. After the mysterious shop recycles the previous shopkeeper's legacy and converts it into the power to maintain its existence, the surplus is provided to Jiuming for training.

The mysterious shop does not consume any additional power. After the previous shopkeeper dies, the next one's "training" depends on the richness of the previous shopkeeper's legacy. If there's no foundation, they have to accumulate it slowly. The eliminated candidates can also be converted into the shop's power, and the shop can also purchase souls.

The training methods provided by the shop are quite simple, tailored to the individual. Jiuming battles virtual opponents daily, from weak to strong. The opponents are not limited to humans; he has also fought monsters, beasts, and other strange creatures!

Even if he loses, he doesn't really die, but the realistic feeling of death is unbearable after a few times. The intensity of the death experience increases with Jiuming's endurance, pushing him to his limits, making him unwilling to experience it again even though he knows he won't really die.

Similarly, when Jiuming defeats the virtual opponents, he becomes stronger, even giving him the illusion that—ah, defeating the monster in front of him would give him XXX experience points... cough, cough.

In short, some virtual opponents are very powerful. When facing them, they act like real people, thinking, strategizing, and even communicating.

This is the mysterious shop's "tailored training" for him. Since Jiuming seems to have no other talents, except for his naturally strong mental power, his talent is this soul that the mysterious shop misjudged. Ghosts are hard for ordinary people to see, but in the labyrinth, everyone saw Jiuming under the shop's influence.

A soul that leans towards physical combat, giving him the characteristics of a soul, allows him to produce substantial attacks when focusing his energy. Mental power is like physical strength, depleting with use.

Most importantly, he has no other special abilities. Whether he will have any in the future, the mysterious shop only looks at the present, giving Jiuming the ability to fight on his own, and the rest depends on his own development.

The universal currency of the mysterious shop, or rather, a kind of trading power, is called "source power." It is a fundamental force that everyone has, whether it belongs to them or to the world they are in.

Jiuming's current sales are naturally zero, and there are no goods in the shop. He is also curious about how the goods in the mysterious shop are presented, and the main issue is the lack of a supply chain, which he has to collect himself.

He has no long-term goals. As the shopkeeper, his job is to maintain the shop's existence, and in return, he can control the shop's resources.

"Huh? Why is there nothing today?" Checking the time, it was the usual training period for the mysterious shop. Each time, without his consent, he was directly taken to another space, whether a plain, a desert, or any other scene.

[Extra source power consumption complete, training cycle ended!]

Hmm... So that's it? It means his training is finally over! Looking at the message from the panel, Jiuming nodded, treating it as an automatic notification or a log of information. There are no personal attributes.

"Does this mean I don't have to fight those increasingly powerful opponents anymore?" He felt relieved. It's not that Jiuming is消极 (negative), but the enemies he has faced recently have become increasingly difficult. Not to mention strange creatures like aliens and dinosaurs, even characters from the Three Kingdoms era, like Pan Feng... cough, cough, who was indeed quite formidable.

In short, they are just normal versions, not the "Musou" versions.

There are also characters from martial arts, and Jiuming doesn't know how the powerful mysterious shop manages to create so many. When he encounters some outgoing characters, he can chat with them before the fight, but being defeated by them is not a good feeling. The opponents created by the mysterious shop don't hold back.

[Formal business begins, the shopkeeper must be prepared to deal with various customers at any time!]

After displaying another message, the panel disappeared. Jiuming shrugged. His mental fortitude is much stronger than before. As the shopkeeper, he has some privileges. Even if he can't handle a difficult customer, the mysterious shop will give him a state of invincibility.

Of course, if he chooses to fight, the "invincibility" state will be removed. After all, a difficult customer is still a customer!

Besides the shop, everything here can be sold as a commodity, such as the luxurious sofa, the exquisite coffee table, and the cups on it. Even Jiuming, the shopkeeper... well, the most he can do is rent himself out, which is the main business here. When he read the shop's rules in detail, he was speechless. How can a person be rented out?

Renting out is the main business! The mysterious shop's influence is not limited to this world. Jiuming understands the last message the panel gave him before the official opening: the customers may not be human, but they are all customers here.

"Whatever, I'll go for a walk."

Leaving the counter, Jiuming stretched his body. The mysterious shop doesn't restrict his freedom. When there are no customers, he can leave at any time. There's no need to worry about watching the shop, as it doesn't exist in this world, floating like a half-plane. Only those with incredible luck can find it.

There are many ways to come here, such as when opening the door to go home, walking through the door, going up or down stairs, falling into a pit, sleeping, or being swallowed by a giant beast... and so on, all depending on luck.

Looking at his still slightly translucent hand, Jiuming smiled. It seems this form can't be changed. Even though he has become much stronger, he can't eliminate this defect. But being a ghost has its conveniences, like easily changing clothes...

Clothes are part of the soul, and a slight use of willpower can change them. Appearance can't be changed, as Jiuming is evaluated as a combat type... not a transformation type.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends