While everything was unfolding in Shen Bing's world,
[Shop]
Vicente was seriously thinking about something.
Vicente: "Ellie, what if we only use this system?"
(To avoid disrupting the reading since it's long and to not take up the word count, I'll leave it in an auxiliary chapter.)
Ellie asked, confused: "Master, are you talking about the level system used in debate battles?"
"Master, even if it really is something good for classification, how should I put it…"
"If beings of that level truly exist, then even the shop at maximum level shouldn't amount to much…"
"I think even chaos wouldn't be a big deal — just a puddle of ink…"
Vicente remained silent because that actually seemed true.
Vicente: "But what if they don't exist and we're the first?"
Ellie looked at her master like he was crazy.
Ellie: "Master, even if you call yourself crazy, you know what the chances of that being true are."
"They're almost zero."
"According to the information left by the former spirit, there were beings capable of stirring chaos."
"That alone already puts them on a multiversal scale — though I don't know which one."
"If a multiversal scale exists, what are the chances that across who knows how many eras no one advanced?"
"There's no way everyone just stayed still!!!"
"Even if you try to fool yourself, that doesn't change the fact that the chances are basically null."
Vicente threw himself backward and fell onto the sofa.
Putting a hand on his head, he began thinking seriously.
He knew it, but he didn't want to believe that beings of that level might actually exist.
What would his small, defenseless shop be against those beings?
Yes, he liked to judge unknown things as imaginary enemies.
Always think the worst of others, as a saying goes.
[When the alms are too generous, even the saint grows suspicious.]
One of the few proverbs from his homeland.
New fear unlocked +1
He really didn't know if they existed, but for Vicente, it would be better if they didn't.
He might someday reach their level too if points ignored everything and simply increased power by quantity.
One day he would get there, but…
If they existed, would they let him grow?
Obviously, he didn't think so. The reason would probably be slavery.
Right now he was very weak and had few points, but if large quantities of points ignored everything…
He seriously doubted that ancient and new powers wouldn't care about a new way to increase their strength.
As for whether they would care about his opinion?
Honestly, Vicente thought not. He himself admitted that depending on the owner's personality,
he wouldn't mind helping someone grow to repay a favor.
But knowing his own personality, he didn't know how others would see him.
He was still someone who clearly separated grudges and benefits.
If he was helped and could repay the favor, he would do it.
As long as his life wasn't at risk and it didn't involve getting "cuckolded."
Because if it did, they would instantly move into the enemy category.
He could also remember something for many years. Even if he forgot the person's face, their name would still remind him.
Grudges were always easier to remember.
But he really was, how should he put it…
unscrupulous.
He didn't know how the great powers would view him, but he was sure they wouldn't care about his opinion.
Coming out of his wild thoughts, Vicente knew there was no point panicking now.
He needed to calm down and wait for Shen Bing, his first real customer, to make purchases.
As for what to do while waiting, he should be playing, but he could only pass the time discussing theories with Ellie.
Ellie: "Have you calmed down, Master?"
Vicente: "Indeed, I've calmed down a bit.
Good thing Lisa is playing and can't see this…"
"Otherwise, the big brother aura would disappear."
Ellie: "Actually, she might not care about that."
Vicente: "But I care!!!"
Ellie didn't bother arguing with Vicente over something so trivial.
Ellie: "So what's your final conclusion?"
Vicente: "Let things follow their course, but I still hope no one has advanced enough to see chaos as ink—"
"And everyone inside it as paper."
Ellie nodded.
Even though she thought it was impossible for that not to happen, she didn't want to put more pressure on her master.
Just enough so he wouldn't become arrogant — that was one of the orders he had given her.
She remembered that day.
[Vicente: "Ellie, I don't know what I'll become when I advance in the future. I don't know if I'll lose myself and become arrogant."]
["So if one day you have the chance, remind me to feel enough fear so that I don't become arrogant."]
["But don't exaggerate enough to affect my thoughts."]
So now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she had no reason not to do it.
Ellie: "So for now we'll leave it like this and use the debate community's Power Scale system, right?"
Vicente: "Yes, it's the best for now. Of course, just as a reference. We still need to create our own systems so others can reach that level."
"Oh, it seems my qualifications will decrease or increase in level to some extent, right?"
"And will the prices go up or down along with the introduction of the new 'system'?"
Ellie: "I'm curious too."
"Let's see… it looks like they increased?"
Vicente: "Damn."
"Why exactly did it increase?"
He didn't even ask how much it increased. He just knew the prices were going up.
And rising prices were never good, even if it was just one or two points.
But the only good thing was that if they could find the pattern, maybe they could lower the price of points.
Ellie shook her head. "I'm not sure, but when I checked using the previous system's format, the price returned."
"So according to my guess, maybe it's higher because your new system is more detailed and raises everything."
"As for the old one… well…"
Vicente: "It was pretty weak, I know."
"So the prices increased according to difficulty. Our old system divided soul, body, qualifications, and so on."
"We improved them separately, not all together."
"That's why I was creating a system so Lisa wouldn't go through that."
"But this one raises everything broadly. Why does it feel so much like an existential level?"
Ellie: "I'm not sure. Master, do you want to spend some points to advance to the next level and find out?"
Vicente started thinking seriously when suddenly he felt something pulling his sleeve.
It was Lisa pulling his sleeve.
At some point she had left the console and listened to everything.
Lisa:"I can be the tester, brother."
"I still have many points and can test it if you want."
"Wait a moment, Lisa." Vicente didn't agree so quickly, he still had doubts.
Vicente looked at Ellie and asked.
Vicente: "But it only increased the price, it's still the same as before, right? 100% safe?"
Ellie: "Yes, Master, it's still 100% safe."
"After all, the price increased, and the more points, the safer it is."
Vicente: "But in the end, what is the proportional improvement of this new system and the specific cost?"
"Let's see, it seems to improve everything, and when I say everything, it's truly everything."
"Whether appearance, talent,
comprehension, this breaks the previous system that paid to increase a single qualification."
"Soul cultivation, physical level, and qualities.
"Example: if you are level 1 A, everything would be increased to level 1 A."
"Physical cultivation and soul cannot be cultivated separately with points in this system."
"However, since everything rises, the points are expensive."
"But not as much as expected. In the first Five great realms, the prices will follow the talent cost."
"And just like talent, it will be at the maximum level of a certain classification, Master."
Vicente: "If that's the case, it's really worth it, but after the Fifth realm going to the Sixth…"
Ellie nodded: " When you upgrade to realm 5C, you will go straight to 5A, but that stops at 6C, then continues to increase 10x."
"Master, and the price of billions and trillions will be nothing in the future…"
Vicente looked at Ellie and stayed silent for a moment.
Even being "rich," he began to realize his poverty.
Vicente: "I won't deny that it's strong, but how do I say it, it's expensive…"
"I'm terrible at math, but to reach low multiversal level we would need a quadrillion???"
Vicente forcibly calmed down, turned around, and patted Lisa's head.
"Lisa, wait outside for a moment, I need to talk with your sister Ellie, okay?"
Lisa nodded: "Yes, big brother."
With that she left the room, she was very obedient.
After making sure she had left, Vicente adjusted things so no sound would escape and finally.
Vicente: "AHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"F***." "D***."
After that he materialized glass objects and threw them everywhere.
After destroying several things he restored everything back to normal.
As if nothing had happened.
He finally calmed down.
Ellie came floating: "Master, have you calmed down?"
Vicente let out a sigh of relief: "Yes, and now I understand people who break things to relieve stress."
"I know that compared to thousands of different protagonists I'm really lucky."
"And I never had difficulties, but how do I say…"
"I think this is a flaw of never having failed or lost."
"Never having been tempered by society's mockery."
Ellie: "Does Master want to try it?"
"I'm not a masochist, I still like my 'invincible' life, but it would be even better if it were cheaper."
"Anyway, in the end we have a clear path to transcendence. If by chance there's no one plotting against us, it will be even better."
"This way we just need to wait and wait, and one day with enough users we will harvest all worlds toward evolution."
"I just hope it's possible to gather money from faith, even Lisa can only offer 100 faith-made points monthly."
"I think there will be a very high threshold to convert points made of faith."
Ellie: "If it's pure faith like Lisa's it will be difficult, but I remember that Shen Bing's world has a theocratic country, right?"
Vicente shrugged: "I didn't observe that country for long since they eventually perished."
"But they are very strange, they give off a vibe similar to Lisa's world."
"They believe in any god in the literal sense."
"It's not the Catholic religion or anything like that, in that population's mind anything is a god."
"However, unlike Lisa's world, gods don't exist in that one."
"In the end their faith was in vain, they only prayed to their gods but received nothing in return."
"Since they don't exist, however the survivors of that time envied the dead."
"Because in their minds they had gone to the divine realm and escaped the mortal sea of suffering…"
"So after receiving no response, the survivors committed mass suicide."
"Because in their minds they were going to God's kingdom, and thus was the end of one of the five empires."
Ellie clapped for the explanation, and at some point Lisa had already returned while Vicente was explaining.
She also clapped.
Ellie: "Speaking of that, Master, it seems all human empires perished, right?"
Vicente nodded: "Yes, the theocratic empire was the first to fall, since, well…"
"The others also had their downfalls, but I didn't see whether the Xia Empire was the last or the second to last."
"But it was the only one exterminated by a single person, and you already know who that was, Shen Bing."
"I had the idea of turning permanent external avatars for Lisa and me."
"This way one of us would go after the faith of the theocratic empire, even changing the fate of a nation, an act that would generate many points."
"So what do you think?"
Lisa: "Everything depends on my brother."
Vicente: "Ok, ok, ok."
"Now let's test the power that charges exaggerated prices, but is worth it."
(End of the chapter)