Chapter 5 I am more energy-efficient

How did this shop come into existence, what is the reason for its existence, and how long has it been around? Nine lives have no idea, and moreover, this shop does not possess any AI or smart assistants. Oh, perhaps that panel which can provide him with information could also be classified as a smart assistant

The mysterious shop is a neutral entity, indifferent to good and evil; the distinction lies solely in the actions of the shopkeeper. The mysterious shop is also unconcerned with your grievances; unless it is death, you cannot escape from here in any way.

What is this supposed to be? After the fact, you want me to eliminate my grievances about this place?

Ah? It seems to refer to energy conservation? Moreover, I have the sense of touch, the sense of smell, and I can easily make contact with things. I haven't tried the sense of taste, but it should be retained

It seems that I can continue to play the ghost for a while longer. Perhaps we will become colleagues in the future?" A strange smile appeared at the corner of Jiuming's mouth as he said to the frail young man, who looked as if he had eaten something unpleasant, "You aren't thinking of plotting to kill me later, are you?"

When Jiuming was in a daze, the lion had already charged forward. However, physical attacks... should not be effective against oneself. Then Jiuming was pounced on the ground by the lion, and after that... there was no "after".

After the lingering pain dissipated, the blackness before the Nine Lives faded away, and once again, I found myself on that grassland, where the poised lion remained ready to pounce

The official opening has begun, and the store manager must be prepared to respond to various customers at any time

In summary, it is a very peculiar shop. Aside from the counter in front of the nine-lived being, the rest of the space resembles a living room, entirely designed for guests to sit wherever they please. Yet, this is indeed a shop.

There are many ways to come here, such as when opening the door to return home, when walking through the door into the house, when going up or down the stairs, when falling into a pit, when sleeping, or when being unexpectedly swallowed whole by a gigantic beast... and so on, everything depends on fate

What? Nine Lives was momentarily taken aback as the surrounding white space instantly transformed into a vast grassland. Opposite him stood a lion with clearly hungry, bloodshot eyes. "Hey! This is happening too fast. At the very least, I need a moment to adjust my mood..."

The frail youth within the light membrane seemed to be undergoing some immense torment, screaming in agony. Here, only his contorted expression could be seen, as all sound was isolated by the light membrane. Gradually, the frail youth appeared to dissolve like a feather, slowly fading away.

The fourth time, the fifth time... The sound of slaughter unique to Dota has already faintly echoed in the ears of the nine lives.

The information conveyed from the mysterious shop has reached Jiuming, and this is not without reason. Firstly, as the manager here, martial power... absolutely cannot be lacking. As for the second point, it can be set aside; Jiuming will need to adapt to that on his own. After the mysterious shop recycles all remnants of the former, converting them into the power that sustains this place, the surplus will be provided to Jiuming for training.

Due to the circumstances here, I adjusted my mood, Jiu Ming inquired further

The protective light membrane that was originally meant to safeguard the frail youth has now become a factor that threatens his life. Observing his continuous struggles within the light membrane, Jiu Ming felt a twinge of hesitation. After all, he is a pitiable person, and it truly feels somewhat unjust to watch him like this

Now, since he became the manager of this mysterious shop in a daze, he has never conducted a single transaction

The Nine Lives defeating the opponents conjured by the mysterious shop will also grow stronger, as it is a form of training. Therefore, one will also rapidly become stronger in battle, which consumes a significant portion of the mysterious shop's power.

The Nine Lives' roar was met with a tremendous roar from the lion. Having died so many times, Nine Lives had figured out the lion's attack patterns. After dodging the initial attack, Nine Lives seized the opportunity before the lion landed from its pounce and delivered a punch to the lion's heart. Although the immunity of the soul body had vanished, the explosive power still remained.

Except for this store, everything here can be sold as merchandise, such as that magnificent sofa, that exquisite coffee table, and the cups displayed on it, all of which are available! ... Even the shopkeeper, Nine Lives ... well, at most, this is like an agency that accepts commissions, after all, many fortunate individuals who come here usually do not engage in buying or selling, and without special preparations, it is not easy to purchase items here ... well, at most, this is like an agency that accepts commissions, after all, many fortunate individuals who come here usually do not engage in buying or selling, and without special preparations, it is not easy to purchase items here ...

"... how is that possible?" A strained smile, twisted to the utmost, was forced out. The frail young man, despite his deep-seated hatred, could only endure it now. "From now on, let us take care of each other more."

Leaving the counter, Jiu Ming stretched his body. The mysterious shop placed no restrictions on his freedom; when there were no customers, he could leave at any time. There was no need to worry about watching the store. This shop did not exist in this world, resembling a semi-plane drifting aimlessly. Apart from those exceptionally lucky enough to arrive here, others could not find it at all.

training period

The existence within the realm of martial arts is also notable. Even with nine lives, one cannot fathom how this mysterious store, endowed with such vast powers, has managed to produce such a multitude of entities. When encountering some straightforward characters, one can engage in conversation for a while before the fighting begins. However, the feeling of being defeated by the opponent is rather unpleasant. While chatting is one thing, when it comes to combat, the opponents conjured by the mysterious store are anything but lenient.

The originally frail man, who had a score well above the nine-life assessment value of 20 points, was taken aback as he directly observed that the nine-life score had surged significantly, surpassing his by a full 13 points

The searing pain of his neck being bitten through, along with the lingering sensation of death etched in his memory, caused the soul of the nine lives to tremble. He did not die, yet he truly experienced death once. If he had died, it would have been over, but the torment of retaining all the sensations from that moment of death was too painful.

Beginning the retrieval and determination

No matter who you are, regardless of where you come from, as long as you step into this place, your fate may change. But what can you offer in return

An exception occurred during personnel selection

Aside from the training that leaves him utterly disheartened every day, the remaining time is his free time here. During this period, he also takes the opportunity to leave the mysterious shop and go for a walk outside

After the Nine Lives received another message, the panel once again concealed itself. Nine Lives shrugged; his mental fortitude had improved significantly compared to the beginning. As the store manager, he still held certain privileges. Even when faced with troublesome customers that Nine Lives could not handle, the mysterious shop would grant him a state in which he could ignore them.

[ ` BUG ' Target soul body state abnormal, can replace normal human to an extent of 84%, resource consumption lower than normal index 60% ... ... ]

The protective charm of the soul has failed, it must be the work of the mysterious shop!

For the third time, having learned from the lesson of being pursued after the second escape, Jiu Ming chose to confront head-on this time, ten seconds...

The extraordinary source of energy has been exhausted, and the training period has concluded

I want to commit suicide! The pain of death is not even constant; it is of the kind that increases with each death!

The current revenue of the Nine Lives store is understandably zero, and there are hardly any products in the entire shop. He is also quite curious about the nature of the products presented in the mysterious store. Most importantly, there is no source of goods for delivery; he relies solely on his own efforts to collect and compile books.

Seeing this scene, the notion that dying is merely a nightmare is simply a way to amuse children

Looking at his still somewhat translucent palm, Jiuming smiled faintly, as if this form could not be changed. Even those who are not blind can see his abnormalities. Although Jiuming has become much stronger, he cannot eliminate this flaw. However, being a ghost has its advantages; he can easily perform tasks like changing outfits with a single click.

All deaths here are invalid, but the feeling of death is preserved

Many small screens lit up in front of him, among which was the moment when the frail young man was bitten to death by the man. However, the scene in the screens depicted him in a gunfight with a group of people, ultimately being hacked to death by a flurry of knives

Dealing with it well, I am not unable to defeat this lion myself

There are no longer-term goals; what this store manager needs to do is maintain the existence of the store, while also gaining the authority to allocate the resources of the store.

Even if one is defeated, one will not truly die; however, experiencing that sensation akin to real death once or twice may be tolerable, but as the frequency increases, even a creature with nine lives cannot bear it. This is because the feeling of a genuine death experience escalates with the capacity to endure nine lives, pressing against his limits, making him unwilling to experience the sensation of death again, even though he knows he will not truly die.

Alright, the sixth time

Perhaps there is a turning point? The two of them still only have one? Upon seeing the evaluation score about himself, the frail man felt considerably relieved, just waiting for the count to stop to say goodbye to the Nine Lives, go die!

Can we let him off the hook? The subtitle master completely ignored Jiu Ming

Thus, he could endure the pain, and the buffering time was much shorter than that of the lion. As soon as he landed, he rebounded back, and the lion naturally met the Nine Lives without any courtesy. This attack was slightly weaker than the previous fierce onslaught, but there was hope

"Huh? Why is there nothing happening today?" Looking at the time, it was the moment when the mysterious shop routinely trained him every day. Each time, without his consent, he would be pulled into another space, which could be a plain, a desert, or any other possible scene.

At the moment of striking the lion, the nine lives were also swatted away by the lion's other massive paw

In summary, some virtual opponents are also quite formidable; when facing them, they behave just like humans, capable of thinking, strategizing, and even engaging in interactive communication

What is the extent of the substitution for Nima eggs? What does resource consumption mean!

You will now face today's routine training, which will continue until the additional resources left by the previous store manager are exhausted

Congratulations, upon verification, your current identity is that of the mysterious shopkeeper. Wishing you a long and prosperous journey ahead

Nine Lives underestimated the fighting spirit of this lion

So, does this mean I no longer have to battle against those increasingly formidable experts? Feeling a sense of relief in my heart, it is not that I am being negative, but the enemies I have faced recently have indeed become increasingly difficult to deal with. Not to mention the aliens and monsters like dinosaurs, there have also been instances of beings like the Predator. On a few of the most outrageous occasions, I even encountered a general from the Three Kingdoms era... someone named Pan Feng. Ahem, I must say, the opponent was indeed quite formidable.

The influence of the mysterious shop extends far beyond the visible world. Jiu Ming understands the last words Panel-kun said to him before officially opening: the arriving guests are not necessarily human, but regardless of whether they are human or not, they are all customers here

After the lion, as a hunter, swatted away the defenses of the nine lives with a paw, it effortlessly carried it away in one smooth motion

Uh...! This is the sixth time! Enduring the pain of death, Jiunming trembled slightly all over. It was evident that the mysterious shop had no intention of letting him go. Just as the pain had begun to dissipate, he saw your detestable lion again

Moreover, the existence of the mysterious shop is strictly prohibited from being disclosed, and one cannot actively bring outsiders here. Those who come here can only rely on fate—commonly referred to as "face value"

This is merely a declaration on the surface... Moreover, this declaration is indeed true

A light screen appeared between a person and a ghost, displaying a series of images depicting the experiences shared between the two. Additionally, two counter-like values emerged, with the slender youth's rate of increase clearly surpassing that of the nine lives by a noticeable margin

That is the destiny that belongs to each of them

At the same time, the mysterious shop does not consume any additional power. Therefore, after the previous shopkeeper's departure, the extent of 'training' for the next shopkeeper depends entirely on the wealth left behind by the former. Those without a foundation will have to accumulate slowly. In any case, the individuals who are eliminated during the selection process can also be transformed into the power of the mysterious shop. Moreover, this place is capable of acquiring souls, and it also has elements similar to an agency that accepts commissions.

Jiu Ming touched his painful shoulder; this time he wasn't defeated instantly. He discovered something: the arm that should have been fractured was not broken. Indeed, how could a ghost be fractured

The calm mindset of the nine lives has been shattered, and he now looks at the lion that has achieved a five-kill streak on him with a surge of anger, "Come on!"

Clothing is also a part of the soul, and can be altered with just a slight application of thought

"Sigh, is it really necessary to go this far for a double kill at the start?" A minute later, Jiu Ming returned to that black space. This time, the pain was not limited to his neck; his entire body bore various scratches and wounds. Even though the injuries were not bleeding, they still hurt immensely. The fact that he had wounds at all was truly abnormal for a soul body.

Hmm ... ? ... Is that so! ? In other words, my training has finally come to an end! Looking at the subtitles popping up from the panel, Jiuming let out a deep breath, finally relieved that it was over! As for the panel, just treat it as an automatic prompt or a log for recording information; personal attributes are really nonexistent.

What? The frail young man was silent for a while, confirming that he had not misread the situation. Can I accept this? Are you kidding me? So you mean the other party will be completely fine?

What frustrates him the most is that the goods accumulated by the previous owner will vanish without a trace as soon as the former owner passes away, all being reclaimed by this mysterious shop

For instance, the world he resides in is no longer the world he originally knew; it is a world inhabited by superhumans with supernatural powers. Well, it involves the existence of abilities, and in other aspects, it feels quite similar to the original world of Jiuming. This world serves as a dock for the mysterious shop, essentially a place for mooring ships. It also provides some conveniences for Jiuming. As for the next shopkeeper, that will be an entirely different world.

First of all, you do not need to be overly concerned; those who are brought here are individuals who are on the brink of death. Even if they were not brought here, they would still likely meet with an untimely demise for various reasons in a short period of time

Forget it, let's go out for a walk

Falling to the ground, this lion gasped for breath; the weight of its nine lives was heavy, and the blow struck right at its heart. It too needed a moment to recover

Of course, he can handle it himself...! ... It's just that if he chooses to take action, the 'invincible' status imposed on him by the mysterious shop will be lifted, after all, a villain is still a guest!

The mysterious shop also has a "universal currency," which is a form of transactional medium shared with customers, referred to as "source." In the context of the mysterious shop, "source" is defined as a fundamental power that exists within everyone, whether it belongs to oneself or is derived from one's existence in the world.