The next morning, Arin stood in front of his newly purchased property.
He stared at it for a long moment, his expression blank. "Did I really make the right decision… buying this?" he muttered.
The building looked worse than he had imagined. The walls were cracked, paint peeled off in long strips, and thick green creepers climbed all the way up to the roof.
The windows were fogged with dust, and the front door looked like it hadn't been opened in years. From the outside alone, it really did look haunted.
"If it's like this outside," Arin sighed, "I don't even want to see the inside."
Still, he pushed open the creaking door.
The old wood and mold smells were still the main things that the room was filled with. Dust and cobwebs covered every corner, and the walls were dying with the wallpaper curling off. Not only that, but there were also signs of animals that had been there — poop in some corners and scratches to the floorboards.
"This place looks terrible…" Arin said under his breath while taking his steps slowly through the dust.
His gaze, however, was shifted to a large wooden trunk or a base of an old tree, as if it was a tree that had been cut down. "Such a strange oddity," he uttered as he got closer.
When the eye was caught by something different not long after, On top of the chest was a small bird's nest, with a green barbet sitting protectively beside two small white eggs.
Arin stared for a while then laughed. "So, this is the reason for the 'haunting,' huh?"
He figured out the fact — the strange sounds the neighbors heard were not ghosts, but birds. It was the little bird that was drilling holes into the wood.
"Well, maybe there is no ghost after all," he said with a big sigh of relief."Just a hardworking bird mom."
Then, as if to remind him that his problems weren't over, a blue window appeared before him.
Quest: Open a Store
Reward: Shop 1 (Level 1)
Penalty: System Deletion
Time Limit: 4 Days
The quest was still there.
SA's calm, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[It is still not a store, Host. It's just debris.]
Arin looked around again and groaned. "So, I have to clean it up and actually make it look like a store?"
[The system can help you with that.]
Do you want to establish the store here?
Cost: $800
Yes / No
Arin's eyes widened. "Wait… the system can do that?"
[Yes.]
He stared at the cost for a moment, hesitating. "$800 is a lot… but fine, do it!"
The screen flickered.
Establishment Time: 24:00:00
A timer began counting down.
Arin frowned. "Twenty-four hours? What does that mean?"
[After 24 hours, the store will be ready.]
Arin looked around. Nothing was changing. No construction crew, no sounds, nothing."Isn't anyone going to come fix it?"
[No. The system will handle everything.]
He didn't really understand how, but at this point, he was done questioning things. "If the system can exist, then anything's possible," he muttered.
With nothing else to do, Arin locked up the shop and returned to the small hotel where he was staying. He spent the rest of the day aimlessly scrolling on his phone, eating cheap instant noodles, and finally drifting off to sleep with the timer still ticking in his head.
The next morning, Arin hurried back to the shop.
It looked exactly the same.
"What the— Did I just get scammed by my own system!?" he groaned.
Then, a blue notification appeared in front of him.
Establishment Time: 00:00:20
"Twenty seconds left, huh?"
He crossed his arms and waited.
3… 2… 1…Click.
A blinding blue light exploded from the store, Arin was compelled to place his hand over his eyes. The light ran over the walls and ceiling, throbbing like energy waves, and then — in one moment — it disappeared.
Quite a moment, actually, when Arin had his eyes open again.
What was there, was a store no one could tell but brand-new.
The facade was now chic and up-to-date, consisting of big glass panels that mirrored the sun of the early day. At the middle stood a shining wooden door, crowned above it was a sign with bright words:
Idle Store
The change inside was the same as outside — even more beautiful. The walls were spotless and white, a glass showcase went down the front, and there was a neatly crafted wooden counter behind it. The old tree trunk was still there in the far corner — but now it looked like a feature, the perfect match with the shop's aesthetic.
As Arin stood there, speechless, the system's familiar chime rang.
Quest Complete!
Reward: Shop 1 (Level 1) – Unlocked
He quickly opened his system window.
Name: Arin
Money: $1000
Store Rating: 0
Shop 1 (Level 1)
Product 1: Empty
Product 2: Locked
Product 3: Locked
Shop 2: Locked
Abilities:
Idle (Level 5) – The ancient art of doing absolutely nothing!
Value Eyes (Level 1) – Can see the true value of all things.
SA's voice rang again.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the quest.]
Arin smiled weakly. "Thanks… I guess."
But as he examined the system more closely, a new line appeared under Shop 1.
Product 1: Select the Product
He thought about it, and a new message appeared.
[The first step is to select what to sell. You can choose any product – the system will create it automatically at a constant rate, and you can sell it for profit. To get a clearer picture, it's advisable to start small.]
Arin was a little puzzled by the whole thing but he was sure that this was his first move towards his dream.
His new store was his domain, and he felt the thrill of new possibilities.
"One step at a time," he mumbled. "Let's see where this system takes me."