Ace calms his nerves and acts arrogantly, “Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. I’ll immediately report back to my family and they will plausibly come here tomorrow to purchase all your pills. Now, I shall take my leave.”

Ace didn’t wait for Billy’s response and leave the secret room slowly. Ace pretends he has seen this kind of scene many times before, so Billy won’t suspect anything.

Just as Ace presume when Billy saw him leave after just taking a glance around all the doubts he has about Ace’s identity vanished and reflected, ‘Only a family from the inner region can pay for all these pills and if I form a relationship with this brat family, I can go to the inner region and move my business there!’

Billy snapped out of his daydreaming when he saw Ace was about to leave the shop. He chases after him to respectfully escort him out himself and bid farewell with a wide smile on his fat face.

Ace has just left the shop when a system voice buzzed in his mind,

“[Scan Complete.]”

Ace’s eyes shimmer with expectation after hearing the system notification because he was at a dead end now and didn’t know how to rob this shop with that mysterious door and those two guards around. Just that door is giving him a tremendous headache. So he was expecting good news from the system.

Ace quickly exited the pill market before opening the notification panel, which has an ‘envelope’ like a symbol. All the notifications of the system can be seen here.

_______________________

[Notification Panel]

[Target’s scanning report]

[Total net worth: Converting according to the current money system = 20,000 Ruby Coins worth of Pills, 2084 Ruby coins.

Security: 1 Trash Illusion and lock Array, 2 normal Mortal Warriors, and 1 Lowest-Level treasury.

Evaluation: Impossible to rob with host current skills.]

_______________________

Ace was speechless after seeing this report and cuss the system, “Thank you very much for your ‘motivation’, you money-grubbing scoundrel!”

‘That rich bastard’ He Also curses Billy next after seeing his wealth. Ace was truly perplexed by the number of Ruby coins and never would’ve thought that this shop was worth this much.

‘That fatty swindler makes this much money by cheating countless people!’

Ace’s guess was utterly right because Fatty Billy did cheat lots of common people who can’t do anything to him and he would never offend someone with status and power. That’s why he is known as a shrewd business owner in the pill market.

‘So that secret door called illusion array and those two guards aren’t cultivators? Well, that’s good news at least.’ He continues to think with a gloomy look on his face.

Ace returned with a grave expression and after seeing unconscious Alina, ‘Well I’ll die in seven days even if I didn’t take the chance and Alina would also die in three days.’ He becomes determined again. He has to succeed, no matter what.

Abruptly, Ace remembered he hadn’t checked the system shop completely last time because he was in a hurry and only checked the ‘Pill Shop’ not the other shops. He still has 12 TP left, so he opens the shop, hoping to find something there.

“System Shop.” Murmured Ace softly with full of anticipation.

_________

[System Shop]

[Available Skill Books]

[Available Cultivation Technique]

[Available Weapons]

[Available Pills]

______________

Ace saw the familiar black panel again, “Show me Available Cultivation Technique!”

He has never seen a real cultivator except for Alina before, much less a cultivation technique, and if not for the memories that give him some obscure idea about it, Ace didn’t even know what cultivation was. He only knows that common people call them ‘Deities’ and some even worship them. 

In Ace’s mind, he was about to see a ‘deity technique and was excited.

___________

[Available Cultivation Techniques]

[Heaven Stealer Technique {1st Vol}]

{Price: 100 Thief Points (TP)}

[Dual Shadow Swords Basic Technique]

{Price: 10 Thief Points (TP)}

____________

“So expensive!” The price of these techniques did not surprise Ace, since they can help someone become a ‘deity’. Ace still spoke annoyingly. “System why is ‘Heaven Stealer’ so expensive compared to the other technique?”

This system was a true thief just like its name and he’s sure of it after seeing this prize. He also remembered that Heaven Stealer Pill, both have the same name, and both were expensive as well.

“[The Heaven Stealer Technique is a special Technique for host Only the host can cultivate it and it’s tailor-made for a Thief.]”

After getting an icy answer from the system Ace mutters, “Specially made for a Thief huh, well I don’t have the thief points now and I don’t want any swords technique as well since it won’t be easy to learn in three days. What I want is a method to break that shop security. Open Skill Panel.” 

__________

[Available Skill]

[Stealth: Free]

{Description: An Basic skill for a thief once learned no one will be able to spot you,

Warning: Cultivators with 1 whole cultivation realm above you will be able to spot you.}

[Pick Pocket: Free]

{Description: Hand movement skill so fast that no one can see your hand movement, excellent for earning quick money.

Warning: Cultivators with 1 whole cultivation realm above you will be able to sense your skill.}

[Silent Steps: Free]

{Description: A Basic skill of thief. As the name suggests, no sound will be made even while walking. Once mastered, one can even walk on water with no sound.

Warning: Cultivators with 1 whole cultivation realm above will catch you.}

[True & False Eyes Basic: Free]

{Description: A must-have skill for Thief. A Thief’s principal weapon is his eyes and his sharp senses. Because a good thief can recognize or smell rare treasures from miles away and if a thief can’t even recognize a rare treasure, how can he be a thief?

Warning: Never use it on anything powerful than you.}

[Treasure Opening Hands {Basic Art}: 10 Thief Points]

{Description: Open or disable any low-level arrays with your hands. It’s a must-have art for thieves to open treasuries,

Warning: Don’t open any ‘1st Grade Treasures’}

______________

This time Ace said nothing because he was in a daze after looking at so many “FREES”. He rubs his eyes to check if he saw it wrong, yet it was free like free!

“Hahaha, so you have a conscience after all.” Ace laughs out loud suddenly his face was filled with happiness while nodding his head in satisfaction like an idiot.

“Give me every skill available, especially that Treasure Opening Hands you can have 10 TP!” Ace said while smile delightedly. After reading every skill description, he finally realized that system didn’t send him to his death. These ‘solutions1’ were always available to him, but he was so anxious about Alina that he didn’t even notice them.

After he gave his command, the 12 TP became 2 TP and all kinds of information enter his brain like before. However, this time he didn’t feel any pain, rather he feels refreshed.

Five minutes later, all the information about those five skills transfer into his brain and he remembers every one of those skills special stances, and how to practice them.

When Ace opens his eyes, his dark pupils were golden. He saw the world has become clear like never before. He saw Alina and notice the same vague status above her head like last time when the system made him spend a TP. However, it was not as accurate as of the system status because he can only see her cultivation and race nothing else.

Although, the next moment, Ace suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes and screamed, “Ahhh!” He kneels on the ground with both hands clutching his eyes. The golden color in his eyes vanishes, and they return to normal as well.

“[Warning: Host is not a cultivator so host only has a very limited amount of Qi inside your body and your meridians are still closed. The system’s advice is to first learn how to control your Qi with other skills before using True and False Eyes. If you overdraw your limited amount of Qi, you can die as a result.]”

Ace finally realized what has happened to him and comes to his sense.

But the moment he regains his sense, he feels exhaustion and extreme hunger. Ace had a feeling that if he didn’t eat anything, he would surely die because of this Qi depletion.

It was already evening, and he didn’t eat any lunch today, so he quickly headed towards some meat stalls and buy some meat and other ingredients. After cooking meat quickly, he ate like a hungry ghost.

Now Ace didn’t dare to try those skills anymore because of the lingering fear from before. He could only activate it because, for some reason, that skill is easy to understand.

Ace wasn’t surprised by this since he simply thinks that those skills were basic and anyone could learn them like him. He took the system’s advice and practice controlling that Qi thing first. Then try studying skills again.

“Show me Weapons Panel.” He was hoping to get another ‘free’ from this last panel as well.

____________________

[Available Weapons]

[Black Blade Swords Set (1 Short, 1 Long): 30 Thief Points}

[2 Face Mask: Price: 80 Thief Points]

[Invisible Bead: 50 Thief Points Per Bead] {5 Available: 1 Time Use item, Duration: 1minute}

________________

Meanwhile, Ace saw the prices of the weapons and hurriedly closes the panel, they were just too damn expensive.

If he could buy that Invisible bead, his chances of success would go up a level. But this damn money-grubbing system only gives him 1 for a whopping price of 50 TP and that was also 1-time use only for one darn minute!

Ace quickly forgets about weapons for now and focuses on his ‘free’ skills. He waits till night and then goes outside.

There was an open Park near the slums, this was the only Park in this remote region of the city. But it was not well maintained and only poor kids played here in the morning.

Ace was currently trying his Silent Steps skill, this time as per system warning he tries to control his limited amount of Qi and succeeds after trying for few times.

After gaining a little hang of his Qi, he practices stealth until midnight.

Practicing for few hours, Ace felt extremely exhausted. He dragged his exhausted body all the way home and eats some leftovers from the evening and fell into a deep sleep.

In the morning Ace open his eyes today. He feels different from before he felt renewed. Little Alina was still the same as yesterday, but looking paler than before.

‘I have to do it tonight!’ Ace has already decided.

Last night, he practiced with two skills until his Qi was drained. He quickly goes out and bought more meat. He suddenly felt that if he doesn’t eat meat or other things with a high level of nutrition, he will die of exhaustion. And he was right because Ace wasn’t a cultivator yet, so he only has a negligible amount of Qi like any other normal person.

Moreover, Ace didn’t know that the skills he practices were the ultimate skills on their basic level, so he needs more Qi than others. If it was someone else, that person might’ve died long ago just by practicing stealth. 

After eating two to three pounds of meat in his breakfast, he goes toward the common market again and bought a bag, a dirk, a full-body black dress with a hood, and a pitch-black mask. This much shopping cost him 40 silver coins.

After his little shopping, he does some practice with his silent steps skill because it was very hard to master and this was the crucial skill he going to use the most in tonight’s foray!

skills