The Extreme Shop
The ruins that had filled my vision wavered and scattered apart.
Moving to the shop.
When I opened my eyes again, a clear, refreshing scent of grass washed over me.
The kind that lifts your mood the moment it touches your nose.
“Oh…”
Yuhwa looked around.
It was a peaceful forest where warm sunlight poured through the leaves.
Like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
Is that it over there?
In the distance stood a single wooden carriage, decorated with adorable little ornaments.
The carriage door was shut tight, and a crudely written sign reading “General Store” hung crookedly above it.
Step. Step.
Yuhwa approached the carriage and lightly raised her hand, knocking on the closed wooden door.
“Is anyone present?”
In that instant—
Crash!
“Waaaaah!”
The door burst open and something rolled out from inside the carriage, curled into a ball.
Roll, roll, roll….
What tumbled out was a small girl with pink hair tied in twin tails.
Perky ears stood atop her head, and a fluffy pink tail swayed behind her.
“Uwaaak! That hurt…!”
She scratched her head for a moment, then—
“Waaaaaaaaah!!!!”
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
“It’s been forever since I’ve had a customer!! Nice to meet you! Welcome! I’m so, so happy!!”
She spun in circles, radiating uncontainable energy.
Her frantic bouncing was so chaotic that Yuhwa could only frown.
“How noisy.”
First, she would find out who this was. She had received no information about a shop like this.
Could it be an Extreme-exclusive shop?
“Provide an explanation first.”
At Yuhwa’s words the girl cleared her throat, placed both hands on her hips, and thrust out her chest with dramatic flair.
“Ahem! That’s right! I am the owner of this magnificent shop and its greatest guide! My name is Rika! The great fox beastkin!”
“Hmm…”
Those pink ears standing straight up and that fluffy tail. No matter how she looked at them—
“Are you not a rabbit?”
“Wh-what! A r-rabbit?!”
Rika’s cheeks puffed out like steamed buns.
“I’m a fox! A fox! This is a matter of pride for the beastkin! Even if you grabbed a passing slime and asked, it would say I’m a fox!”
“Yes, yes, I understand, little fox. This is the shop, correct?”
Yuhwa gave a vague nod, and Rika, still snorting with excitement, continued.
“Yes! This is the legendary shop that only the great and mighty who have cleared Extreme difficulty may enter! And I am its owner!”
She struck a proud pose as she shouted.
“However…”
Her shoulders immediately drooped and she squatted on the ground.
“It’s been so long since the last customer that I can’t even remember… I’ve been so lonely here all by myself…”
What is with this rabbit beastkin? Why does she have zero sense of personal space?
“Hey. What are you doing rubbing your face on someone else’s clothes?”
Without warning she had pressed close, rubbing her face against Yuhwa to wipe away her tears.
…Well, she is cute, so I shall forgive it.
When Yuhwa gave her head a light pat, the girl beamed.
“Ouch! Hehe… You really are a cool sister. Cool and strong and pretty!”
Rika clapped her hands together.
“Okay! From now on this Rika will personally introduce the products!”
Flash—!
With her shout, dozens of massive translucent hologram windows appeared at once.
“Ta-dah!”
Rika proudly gestured at the windows and began her explanation.
“Our shop can do anything if you have enough Coins! Anything you can imagine is possible! Also, please remember that everything here is sold at prices far below original value!”
“Anything is possible, you say?”
“Yes! For example, with enough Coins you could rewrite the memories and common sense of every person on Earth! Or you could make the planet go boom and explode right now! Pretty great, right?”
That was… rather terrifying.
“Can one simply search for them?”
“Yep! Just think something like ‘I wonder if this exists’ and the price will appear!”
Yuhwa searched for the “common sense alteration” Rika had mentioned.
It existed. The price, however, was absurdly high.
Earth explosion.
It existed. This one was also absurdly expensive.
But the mere fact that both existed was chilling.
His name was Lucas, correct?
Yuhwa searched for “Hero Party” and it appeared.
Purchasing this would free their souls, apparently. But I have no intention of doing so right away.
As she pondered, Rika spoke brightly.
“From what I see, sister, you should invest in growth-type traits rather than immediate power!”
“Indeed. Little rabbit. Make your recommendations.”
“Hey! I’m a ‘fox’!”
“Yes, yes. Anyway.”
“Hmph…”
Rika pouted and headed for a small wooden table in front of the carriage.
She slammed her head onto the table with a thud, stuck her rear into the air, and began searching.
Twitch, twitch. Twitch….
The long rabbit ears (which she insisted were fox ears) on her head flapped in rhythm.
Hmm…
I wonder what they feel like.
Yuhwa suddenly grabbed the flapping ears.
“Uh, sister…?”
Rika’s shoulders jumped.
The sensation was far more pleasant than expected.
They were soft as cotton candy, like the finest rabbit fur.
“Oh… This texture is excellent.”
“Hngh, ah… Sister…!”
Strange sounds began slipping from Rika’s lips.
“Th-that… Ears are a sensitive weak point for beastkin, so…”
“Is that so? How sensitive?”
“I-I don’t know…”
Twitch, twitch….
Rika sat down, suddenly very polite. It felt like victory.
She shall not act out again.
“C-customer… I have prepared the catalog you desired…♡”
Yuhwa examined the catalog Rika had summoned.
Three product packages, perfectly matched to her Coin budget, were neatly arranged.
“Oh… These are perfect. Explain them.”
“Y-yes… The first, Trait Unlock, is a growth-type trait that draws out your latent power… Hngh! If you keep developing it, it will become incredibly helpful later…”
“Good. Next?”
“The second… Kin Creation… grants you servants who obey your every command without you needing to move a muscle…♡”
“And the last?”
“It allows your existence to blend into this world without discomfort… The System will fabricate a perfect identity and background as if you had existed on Earth from the beginning… Hyaah! It will create it for you…!”
Excellent. Perfect. These were exactly what she wanted.
Yuhwa smiled with satisfaction and released Rika’s ears.
“Hngh…! Haaah…♡”
The moment the touch vanished, Rika’s legs gave out. She collapsed onto the grass, trembling as she savored the afterglow.
“Can payment be made immediately?”
“Yesss…♡ Thank you so much…♡ Customer…♡”
Rika mumbled from the ground, still shivering.
Ding—!
Payment complete. 1,300,000 Coins deducted.
Growth-type trait has been opened.
Currently unlocked traits: 1 / Unlockable: ? (Additional payment required)
Yuhwa waited with anticipation as the System displayed her first newly unlocked unique trait.
And then—
What… is this?
She read it several times. The text did not change.
It was neither the essence of magic nor destructive breath reinforcement… but “breeding urge”?
Yuhwa’s gaze slowly turned toward Rika, who was still panting on the ground.
“Rika.”
“Y-yesss…♡”
“What is the meaning of this? Breeding urge?”
Rika smiled bashfully.
“Ahaha… Just watching how you touched my ears earlier…♡ It seems your breeding urge is very, very strong…♡”
“What did you say?”
How dare she reduce the noble pastime of a great dragon to the rutting season of a mere beast.
“You shall be disciplined, Rika.”
Yuhwa stepped closer.
“This time I shall scratch not the outside, but deep inside your ears.”
“Hiiieeeek…!?”
Rika immediately flattened herself on the ground and begged.
“I-I’m sorry! The System randomly drew it after reading your subconscious, so I couldn’t stop it! I was wrong, sister…♡”
“Good. Next time, perform your duties properly.”
This time she would let it pass with a warning, but if something like this appeared again, she did not know what she might do.
“Ouch! Yesss…”
“Farewell for now.”
“Goodbye…♡”
Would you like to exit the shop?
※ Upon leaving the shop you will return to the real world. You may re-enter the Tower in one week.
Good. Let us return to reality. A week of rest awaits.
Flash—!
A vast surge of light enveloped Yuhwa.
The place Yuhwa returned to in the real world was So-i’s house, where she had stayed right before entering the Tower.
Before the dizziness of spatial movement had even faded, a strangely noisy commotion from one corner of the living room reached her ears.
“Whoa…”
She turned her head.
The moment she saw the scene, Yuhwa’s eyes widened slightly.
In front of a full-length mirror stood a girl who resembled her, yet had softer lines and a slightly smaller frame.
Silver hair, deep blue eyes like the ocean itself, a grey tail and grey horns…
The girl pressed her face close to the mirror, turning her head at every angle, genuinely marveling at herself.
“Why am I so pretty? Seriously… No matter how many times I look, I’m just too beautiful.”
Seeing So-a dangling from the girl’s tail and cheering only made it more absurd.
“That’s right! Sister, you’re super pretty! Your tail is so fluffy too!”
“Hehe. Little one, you have good eyes. Praise me more.”
A glance to the side revealed So-i standing there, completely dazed.
The girl admiring herself in the mirror turned her head. Their eyes met.
“Master.”
“Master… is it.”
“Yes. I am ‘Yujin,’ now in your service.”
She walked over gracefully and gave a light bow.
Then she looked up, the corner of her mouth curling in a mischievous little smirk.
“This might be rude to say, but… compared to you, Master, I think I might be just a tiny bit prettier?”
Yuhwa recalled the cautionary note that had appeared in the System window when she created her kin.
Kin are created by reflecting the owner’s inner personality and desires.
Is this what self-loathing looks like?
“I look forward to serving you well, Master…”
Looking at the girl’s outfit, Yuhwa wondered if she had shaped it after scales, just like her own clothes.
“Perhaps…”
“Ah! Yes! I set the outfit according to Master’s tastes! Isn’t it pretty?”
“…”
If she said it was pretty here, it would feel somehow criminal.
“Do I… need to reveal more skin?”
Answering “yes” now would make her feel like complete trash.
“No. It is perfect as it is.”
“Hehe… I perfectly reflected Master’s tastes!”
Sigh… This feels trashy too.