Chapter 7
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A mere three days have passed when Jake received a call from the university. Their purpose was to inform him to take the refund for the resignation he submitted and come to the administrative office.
Jake was perplexed at the fast efficiency of the university. They, unexpectedly, didn't prolong the payment and called him as fast as possible. He assumed that it would take at least a fortnight before he received the money. It was a great news for him.
During the past 3 days, he has gotten used to a certain habit. It was to use the skill, <Inspect> whenever he had the chance. It was to increase his proficiency and level of the skill and probe for the average level here. However, he was a bit disappointed by what he saw.
The skill, <Inspect>, was different from a certain skill he knew. Aside from the target's detailed stats, the skill present a unique stats called <Potential>. The description was that it was a method of evaluating one's talent and was represented by a letter, with the lowest being an E, increasing each time the letter moved in reverse in the alphabetical order.
Another advantage was that he could view the person's <Proffesion>. <Profession> was a common term only to Jake, who received the <Sword Saint> in his journey in Aestes. However, no one would be aware of such term when they look into their own stats window. Basically, the term represents the person's interest and hidden talent and summarised it into a few words.
However, Jake's <Inspect> broke the balance in which it showed the <Profession> or in simpler term, the talent of a specific person. It enables him to estimate their daily activity and their fighting style, which could help greatly in battle.
The journey took a similar time to when he first came for resignation. The strength of people Jake scanned with <Inspect> was disappointing. The average civilian only had a strength of a grade 1 hunter with the strongest one he encountered being at the top of grade 2 hunter in strength.
Jake finally arrived at the administration office. He has already informed Lee and Kana about the refund and its amount so they can help plan the best course to use the money.
In the office, Jake had an unexpected company. It was a medium-build man with a small scar on his left cheeks. His muscles were bulging out of his black shirt as he sat in an upright position. The man had a messy textured top and an undercut fade. His well-trimmed beard, mixed within the equation, gave a domineering first impression.
Jake could feel the aura of the dead from the man's gaze. He was sure that the man has killed something not long ago. Out of curiosity, Jake's new habit kicked out again.
==
Roger Massey
Age: 20
Job: Knight
Level: 16
Strength: 56
Dexterity: 42
Constitution: 60
Perception: 43
Magic: 47
Potential: A-
==
'..!!'
The result was fascinating.
The man's potential was the highest one that he ever encountered for the past three days. The previous record was held by a rich middle-aged man he met during his trip to Mt. Odake. It was the same man with the highest level amongst the person he scanned. That man possessed the potential of B, quite a large gap from the man named Roger Massey.
"Hi, there. My name is Jake Atkins. Nice to meet you."
Roger was caught unprepared when Jake reached out towards him. He stared at Jake's hand for a good five seconds before getting a grip of the situation.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Haha, No. I just found you to be a bit interesting."
Jake still had his hand held out as he answered with a smile. This time, Roger finally took his hand and gave it a firm shake. He was a bit bewildered by Jake's strange action but Jake doesn't seem to have any bad intention inside his gaze. Roger was sure of his decision. However, he only gave his name and nodded before returning to his upright position.
The response was to be expected and Jake only gave a slight smile.
"Are you here to receive the refund for resigning too?"
"Yeah? How do you know that?"
"Me too, actually."
The conversation between the two of them continued with Jake taking the lead on the conversation. Roger was a man with few words as he answered Jake's question with great efficiency. He didn't even bother to ask about Jake's activity before.
There was one thing that Jake found out after the conversation. It was the regret he felt coming from Roger's expression when he talked about his resignation. He must have another reason that forced him to quit university. However, Jake didn't dare pry any further and avoided the topic afterward.
A piece of paper was held in Jake's hand as he exited the building. It was the proof for his resignation and a check for the refund. $30,000 for 3 years worth of studies. The paper soon disappeared into thin air with a flick of Jake's wrist.
Satisfied, Jake went to the bank to convert the check for actual cash.
Lee's timing was near perfect as Jake received a call for him after he was done with his business. Jake made another account on the same bank with his name to store the money. Lee called to informed him of a certain location that could be used to start his business.
In the end, they agreed to meet at 5 PM at the location. Kana, too, was contacted afterwards and agreed to join them to look at the place.
*
"Jake! Over here"
Lee was waving his hands from a distance. He stood in front of an empty land amongst the modern building. He was exceptionally eye-catching as he waved his hand and shouted towards Jake.
Jake could feel the surrounding gaze fell on him and made him feel a bit embarrassed by his best friend's action.
The land next to Lee made Jake stopped in his track, dumbfounded. The size of the land could be described with anything but small. Its width was relatively small compared to its length, giving the land a long look. It was around the size of three-quarter of a tennis court. The soil looked a bit old but strangely, there was no wild vegetation that grew on it.
At nearly the same time as Jake arrived at Lee's position, a taxi arrived beside him. The door was opened, revealing a familiar figure.
"Am I late?"
Jake simply shook his head and let out a bitter smile. His gaze returned to the land beside Lee.
Intrigued, Kana followed his gaze and discovered the approaching Lee and the giant plot. It was her turn to make a shocked expression.
"Yo! Kana, you came at the right time. What do you think of the land?"
"Lee! Did you not take the capital into account?"
Kana was furious. She, as the daughter of a former conglomerate, had a rough estimate of the land's price. Looking at the size and location, it was generous to sell it at $100,000. However, she expects it to be more.
Kana had her suspicions from the beginning. The address, which Lee sent, was located at the busiest street of the city. It was due to the neighboring facilities, the Tokyo Station.
Although it was called as station, there were no trains present at the place. Instead, a circular-like gate was used as a method of transport. This gate was another creation of the infamous magician, Laura Marshall. The invention solved the problem of long-distance transportation.
The gate was called a <Space Gate>, which was powered by monster cores to distort the space and connected two places together. The technology were too complex and only a few people understood the theory behind it. It also used up a great amount of energy from the monster core before becoming functional. As such, the government restricted its usage for public.
The station was connected to the other 48 countries and their capital. Each country will have another gate to connect their capital with other cities. Another usage for the gate was to connect it with the wilderness, into the area left unexplored after the appearance of the monsters.
Lee, on the other hand, was not as panicked as Kana thought he would be. Instead, he had a mysterious smile and a sense of pride as he answered Kana's question.
"I did! Did you think that I'm an idiot or something? My friend recommended me this place when I asked for something cheap and a good customer flow. I also received a huge shock when I found out about the size. However, the price made me too excited."
Hearing Lee's explanation. Hope started to rose in Jake's heart. This piece of land was too tempting if he could afford it with his capital.
"How much?"
"$20,000!"
In contrast to Lee's prideful demeanor, Kana was shocked out of her wits after she heard about the price. It was a bargain, too great to be true. The amount was still within Jake's financial ability with some to spare. However, she soon calmed down after hearing Jake's question.
"So? What's the catch?"
"Hehe… As expected, you figured it out. I was about to tell you about it."
Lee scratched his head in embarrassment as he lowered his head. His previous prideful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. He appeared to be nervous about something.
"Actually… this place was rumored to be… cursed."
"What?!"
Kana raised her voice as her expression changed from one of delight to one of shock. The fair face started to pale as she took a step backward, trying to make some distance from the plot of land.
"Hey! That was only a rumor! It might not be true"
"But… still…"
Lee felt a bit guilty after he saw Kana's reaction. He knew that this best friend of his couldn't handle horror story since a young age. However, he couldn't pass out the offer since it was really a great bargain.
"Well… I don't think that this place is cursed or anything"
All the attention fell on Jake with that statement. Kana was a bit doubtful at Jake's words as she questioned the reliability of his claim.
"Simple! I never meant to hide this from you guys, but… actually, I can see ghosts!"
It was a big, fat lie.
However, the reaction he received was contrary to his expectation. Kana and Lee showed a surprised expression as they stared at Jake. Kana even swallowed her saliva as she asked Jake for confirmation, which he couldn't refute.
'I'm sorry! Kana.'
The trio agreed to purchase the piece of land and informed Lee's friend.
The next day, the agent came over to meet to transfer the rights to the land to them. They met at a coffee shop named Espresso Yourself or E.Y for short. They served unexpectedly good coffee.
Throughout the meeting, the agent seemed very uncomfortable around the three of them and glanced at the direction of the piece of land occasionally. The process went smoothly as the agent seemed to be in a hurry. A piece of land was left on the table, serving as a proof of his ownership.
[A mission has been completed]
[Please check the mission bar for the reward]
"Thank you for the help"
"Nah, it was nothing."
"Right, there is nothing to be thankful of. This is still the beginning of our journey. It was us who should be ashamed since we couldn't contribute any money for the capital."
Kana lowered her head in shame, causing the mood to be somewhat awkward. Fortunately, Jake wasn't affected by the gloomy mood and flicked Kana on her forehead.
"Silly girl, I am the one that wants to start this. It was only natural for me to pay for the capital. You guys have given me a huge help by accompanying me like this."
Kana's cheeks turned a bit red at Jake's sweet words. Lee just watched the scene as he was used to it.
"Anyway, let's talk about our next steps for the shop. Jake, do you have any idea for the name of the shop?"
At Kana's words, Jake heard another mechanical sound from his head.
[A new mission has been generated]
==
Naming
Find a suitable name for your shop
Reward: (Recipe) Short Dagger
==
A new recipe was very welcomed to Jake. Although he had enough money to buy other recipes, one that does not cost anything was the best.
Additional, Jake has a name prepared beforehand.
"How about <The Great Jake's Shop>? It sounds domineering."
Both Lee and Kana stared at Jake with a weird gaze as if looking at a freak. They both uttered the exact same words as a response.
Jake was flabbergasted. The reaction was too strong, causing him to lean backwards in reflex.
The discussion took the entire noon however with no results.
For the record, Jake was the one who proposed most ideas. However, it was rejected without any exception. The main reason was Jake's shocking naming sense.
<Jake's Palace>
<The Atkins' Treasury>
Those two were the best amongst the other ideas. However, it was still dead horrible.
"I think that we have to use Jake's unique attribute…"
Surprisingly, Lee was the one who came up with the brilliant idea.
"Right! But what exactly is Jake's uniqueness...?"
Kana and Lee turned their attention to Jake. Their eyes were starting to scan Jake's appearance and stopped at the exact same place.
Jake's silver hair.
"Its 'Silver'! We should attach that weird hair color to the name."
Kana supported Lee's suggestion as she nods her head. Now, they need something to add behind that word.
The word 'silver' reminded Jake about a specific figure, Sylphy's. The beautiful wings she possessed, too, had a silver color.
"Oh! Then what about <Silver Wings>?"
Lee and Kana were shocked at Jake's sudden improvement in naming sense. It was a great name for the shop. It was exceptionally true for Kana. The word 'Wings' could be interpreted as a symbol for hope. In her perspective, it was a new hope to reach new heights with her two best friends.
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A mere three days have passed when Jake received a call from the university. Their purpose was to inform him to take the refund for the resignation he submitted and come to the administrative office.
Jake was perplexed at the fast efficiency of the university. They, unexpectedly, didn't prolong the payment and called him as fast as possible. He assumed that it would take at least a fortnight before he received the money. It was a great news for him.
During the past 3 days, he has gotten used to a certain habit. It was to use the skill, <Inspect> whenever he had the chance. It was to increase his proficiency and level of the skill and probe for the average level here. However, he was a bit disappointed by what he saw.
The skill, <Inspect>, was different from a certain skill he knew. Aside from the target's detailed stats, the skill present a unique stats called <Potential>. The description was that it was a method of evaluating one's talent and was represented by a letter, with the lowest being an E, increasing each time the letter moved in reverse in the alphabetical order.
Another advantage was that he could view the person's <Proffesion>. <Profession> was a common term only to Jake, who received the <Sword Saint> in his journey in Aestes. However, no one would be aware of such term when they look into their own stats window. Basically, the term represents the person's interest and hidden talent and summarised it into a few words.
However, Jake's <Inspect> broke the balance in which it showed the <Profession> or in simpler term, the talent of a specific person. It enables him to estimate their daily activity and their fighting style, which could help greatly in battle.
The journey took a similar time to when he first came for resignation. The strength of people Jake scanned with <Inspect> was disappointing. The average civilian only had a strength of a grade 1 hunter with the strongest one he encountered being at the top of grade 2 hunter in strength.
Jake finally arrived at the administration office. He has already informed Lee and Kana about the refund and its amount so they can help plan the best course to use the money.
In the office, Jake had an unexpected company. It was a medium-build man with a small scar on his left cheeks. His muscles were bulging out of his black shirt as he sat in an upright position. The man had a messy textured top and an undercut fade. His well-trimmed beard, mixed within the equation, gave a domineering first impression.
Jake could feel the aura of the dead from the man's gaze. He was sure that the man has killed something not long ago. Out of curiosity, Jake's new habit kicked out again.
==
Roger Massey
Age: 20
Job: Knight
Level: 16
Strength: 56
Dexterity: 42
Constitution: 60
Perception: 43
Magic: 47
Potential: A-
==
'..!!'
The result was fascinating.
The man's potential was the highest one that he ever encountered for the past three days. The previous record was held by a rich middle-aged man he met during his trip to Mt. Odake. It was the same man with the highest level amongst the person he scanned. That man possessed the potential of B, quite a large gap from the man named Roger Massey.
"Hi, there. My name is Jake Atkins. Nice to meet you."
Roger was caught unprepared when Jake reached out towards him. He stared at Jake's hand for a good five seconds before getting a grip of the situation.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Haha, No. I just found you to be a bit interesting."
Jake still had his hand held out as he answered with a smile. This time, Roger finally took his hand and gave it a firm shake. He was a bit bewildered by Jake's strange action but Jake doesn't seem to have any bad intention inside his gaze. Roger was sure of his decision. However, he only gave his name and nodded before returning to his upright position.
The response was to be expected and Jake only gave a slight smile.
"Are you here to receive the refund for resigning too?"
"Yeah? How do you know that?"
"Me too, actually."
The conversation between the two of them continued with Jake taking the lead on the conversation. Roger was a man with few words as he answered Jake's question with great efficiency. He didn't even bother to ask about Jake's activity before.
There was one thing that Jake found out after the conversation. It was the regret he felt coming from Roger's expression when he talked about his resignation. He must have another reason that forced him to quit university. However, Jake didn't dare pry any further and avoided the topic afterward.
A piece of paper was held in Jake's hand as he exited the building. It was the proof for his resignation and a check for the refund. $30,000 for 3 years worth of studies. The paper soon disappeared into thin air with a flick of Jake's wrist.
Satisfied, Jake went to the bank to convert the check for actual cash.
Lee's timing was near perfect as Jake received a call for him after he was done with his business. Jake made another account on the same bank with his name to store the money. Lee called to informed him of a certain location that could be used to start his business.
In the end, they agreed to meet at 5 PM at the location. Kana, too, was contacted afterwards and agreed to join them to look at the place.
*
"Jake! Over here"
Lee was waving his hands from a distance. He stood in front of an empty land amongst the modern building. He was exceptionally eye-catching as he waved his hand and shouted towards Jake.
Jake could feel the surrounding gaze fell on him and made him feel a bit embarrassed by his best friend's action.
The land next to Lee made Jake stopped in his track, dumbfounded. The size of the land could be described with anything but small. Its width was relatively small compared to its length, giving the land a long look. It was around the size of three-quarter of a tennis court. The soil looked a bit old but strangely, there was no wild vegetation that grew on it.
At nearly the same time as Jake arrived at Lee's position, a taxi arrived beside him. The door was opened, revealing a familiar figure.
"Am I late?"
Jake simply shook his head and let out a bitter smile. His gaze returned to the land beside Lee.
Intrigued, Kana followed his gaze and discovered the approaching Lee and the giant plot. It was her turn to make a shocked expression.
"Yo! Kana, you came at the right time. What do you think of the land?"
"Lee! Did you not take the capital into account?"
Kana was furious. She, as the daughter of a former conglomerate, had a rough estimate of the land's price. Looking at the size and location, it was generous to sell it at $100,000. However, she expects it to be more.
Kana had her suspicions from the beginning. The address, which Lee sent, was located at the busiest street of the city. It was due to the neighboring facilities, the Tokyo Station.
Although it was called as station, there were no trains present at the place. Instead, a circular-like gate was used as a method of transport. This gate was another creation of the infamous magician, Laura Marshall. The invention solved the problem of long-distance transportation.
The gate was called a <Space Gate>, which was powered by monster cores to distort the space and connected two places together. The technology were too complex and only a few people understood the theory behind it. It also used up a great amount of energy from the monster core before becoming functional. As such, the government restricted its usage for public.
The station was connected to the other 48 countries and their capital. Each country will have another gate to connect their capital with other cities. Another usage for the gate was to connect it with the wilderness, into the area left unexplored after the appearance of the monsters.
Lee, on the other hand, was not as panicked as Kana thought he would be. Instead, he had a mysterious smile and a sense of pride as he answered Kana's question.
"I did! Did you think that I'm an idiot or something? My friend recommended me this place when I asked for something cheap and a good customer flow. I also received a huge shock when I found out about the size. However, the price made me too excited."
Hearing Lee's explanation. Hope started to rose in Jake's heart. This piece of land was too tempting if he could afford it with his capital.
"How much?"
"$20,000!"
In contrast to Lee's prideful demeanor, Kana was shocked out of her wits after she heard about the price. It was a bargain, too great to be true. The amount was still within Jake's financial ability with some to spare. However, she soon calmed down after hearing Jake's question.
"So? What's the catch?"
"Hehe… As expected, you figured it out. I was about to tell you about it."
Lee scratched his head in embarrassment as he lowered his head. His previous prideful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. He appeared to be nervous about something.
"Actually… this place was rumored to be… cursed."
"What?!"
Kana raised her voice as her expression changed from one of delight to one of shock. The fair face started to pale as she took a step backward, trying to make some distance from the plot of land.
"Hey! That was only a rumor! It might not be true"
"But… still…"
Lee felt a bit guilty after he saw Kana's reaction. He knew that this best friend of his couldn't handle horror story since a young age. However, he couldn't pass out the offer since it was really a great bargain.
"Well… I don't think that this place is cursed or anything"
All the attention fell on Jake with that statement. Kana was a bit doubtful at Jake's words as she questioned the reliability of his claim.
"Simple! I never meant to hide this from you guys, but… actually, I can see ghosts!"
It was a big, fat lie.
However, the reaction he received was contrary to his expectation. Kana and Lee showed a surprised expression as they stared at Jake. Kana even swallowed her saliva as she asked Jake for confirmation, which he couldn't refute.
'I'm sorry! Kana.'
The trio agreed to purchase the piece of land and informed Lee's friend.
The next day, the agent came over to meet to transfer the rights to the land to them. They met at a coffee shop named Espresso Yourself or E.Y for short. They served unexpectedly good coffee.
Throughout the meeting, the agent seemed very uncomfortable around the three of them and glanced at the direction of the piece of land occasionally. The process went smoothly as the agent seemed to be in a hurry. A piece of land was left on the table, serving as a proof of his ownership.
[A mission has been completed]
[Please check the mission bar for the reward]
"Thank you for the help"
"Nah, it was nothing."
"Right, there is nothing to be thankful of. This is still the beginning of our journey. It was us who should be ashamed since we couldn't contribute any money for the capital."
Kana lowered her head in shame, causing the mood to be somewhat awkward. Fortunately, Jake wasn't affected by the gloomy mood and flicked Kana on her forehead.
"Silly girl, I am the one that wants to start this. It was only natural for me to pay for the capital. You guys have given me a huge help by accompanying me like this."
Kana's cheeks turned a bit red at Jake's sweet words. Lee just watched the scene as he was used to it.
"Anyway, let's talk about our next steps for the shop. Jake, do you have any idea for the name of the shop?"
At Kana's words, Jake heard another mechanical sound from his head.
[A new mission has been generated]
==
Naming
Find a suitable name for your shop
Reward: (Recipe) Short Dagger
==
A new recipe was very welcomed to Jake. Although he had enough money to buy other recipes, one that does not cost anything was the best.
Additional, Jake has a name prepared beforehand.
"How about <The Great Jake's Shop>? It sounds domineering."
Both Lee and Kana stared at Jake with a weird gaze as if looking at a freak. They both uttered the exact same words as a response.
Jake was flabbergasted. The reaction was too strong, causing him to lean backwards in reflex.
The discussion took the entire noon however with no results.
For the record, Jake was the one who proposed most ideas. However, it was rejected without any exception. The main reason was Jake's shocking naming sense.
<Jake's Palace>
<The Atkins' Treasury>
Those two were the best amongst the other ideas. However, it was still dead horrible.
"I think that we have to use Jake's unique attribute…"
Surprisingly, Lee was the one who came up with the brilliant idea.
"Right! But what exactly is Jake's uniqueness...?"
Kana and Lee turned their attention to Jake. Their eyes were starting to scan Jake's appearance and stopped at the exact same place.
Jake's silver hair.
"Its 'Silver'! We should attach that weird hair color to the name."
Kana supported Lee's suggestion as she nods her head. Now, they need something to add behind that word.
The word 'silver' reminded Jake about a specific figure, Sylphy's. The beautiful wings she possessed, too, had a silver color.
"Oh! Then what about <Silver Wings>?"
Lee and Kana were shocked at Jake's sudden improvement in naming sense. It was a great name for the shop. It was exceptionally true for Kana. The word 'Wings' could be interpreted as a symbol for hope. In her perspective, it was a new hope to reach new heights with her two best friends.
A mere three days have passed when Jake received a call from the university. Their purpose was to inform him to take the refund for the resignation he submitted and come to the administrative office.Jake was perplexed at the fast efficiency of the university. They, unexpectedly, didn't prolong the payment and called him as fast as possible. He assumed that it would take at least a fortnight before he received the money. It was a great news for him.During the past 3 days, he has gotten used to a certain habit. It was to use the skill, Inspect whenever he had the chance. It was to increase his proficiency and level of the skill and probe for the average level here. However, he was a bit disappointed by what he saw.The skill, Inspect, was different from a certain skill he knew. Aside from the target's detailed stats, the skill present a unique stats called Potential. The description was that it was a method of evaluating one's talent and was represented by a letter, with the lowest being an E, increasing each time the letter moved in reverse in the alphabetical order.Another advantage was that he could view the person's Proffesion. Profession was a common term only to Jake, who received the Sword Saint in his journey in Aestes. However, no one would be aware of such term when they look into their own stats window. Basically, the term represents the person's interest and hidden talent and summarised it into a few words.However, Jake's Inspect broke the balance in which it showed the Profession or in simpler term, the talent of a specific person. It enables him to estimate their daily activity and their fighting style, which could help greatly in battle.The journey took a similar time to when he first came for resignation. The strength of people Jake scanned with Inspect was disappointing. The average civilian only had a strength of a grade 1 hunter with the strongest one he encountered being at the top of grade 2 hunter in strength.Jake finally arrived at the administration office. He has already informed Lee and Kana about the refund and its amount so they can help plan the best course to use the money.In the office, Jake had an unexpected company. It was a medium-build man with a small scar on his left cheeks. His muscles were bulging out of his black shirt as he sat in an upright position. The man had a messy textured top and an undercut fade. His well-trimmed beard, mixed within the equation, gave a domineering first impression.Jake could feel the aura of the dead from the man's gaze. He was sure that the man has killed something not long ago. Out of curiosity, Jake's new habit kicked out again.==Roger MasseyAge: 20Job: KnightLevel: 16Strength: 56Dexterity: 42Constitution: 60Perception: 43Magic: 47Potential: A-=='..!!'The result was fascinating.The man's potential was the highest one that he ever encountered for the past three days. The previous record was held by a rich middle-aged man he met during his trip to Mt. Odake. It was the same man with the highest level amongst the person he scanned. That man possessed the potential of B, quite a large gap from the man named Roger Massey."Hi, there. My name is Jake Atkins. Nice to meet you."Roger was caught unprepared when Jake reached out towards him. He stared at Jake's hand for a good five seconds before getting a grip of the situation."I'm sorry. Do I know you from somewhere?""Haha, No. I just found you to be a bit interesting."Jake still had his hand held out as he answered with a smile. This time, Roger finally took his hand and gave it a firm shake. He was a bit bewildered by Jake's strange action but Jake doesn't seem to have any bad intention inside his gaze. Roger was sure of his decision. However, he only gave his name and nodded before returning to his upright position.The response was to be expected and Jake only gave a slight smile."Are you here to receive the refund for resigning too?""Yeah? How do you know that?""Me too, actually."The conversation between the two of them continued with Jake taking the lead on the conversation. Roger was a man with few words as he answered Jake's question with great efficiency. He didn't even bother to ask about Jake's activity before.There was one thing that Jake found out after the conversation. It was the regret he felt coming from Roger's expression when he talked about his resignation. He must have another reason that forced him to quit university. However, Jake didn't dare pry any further and avoided the topic afterward.A piece of paper was held in Jake's hand as he exited the building. It was the proof for his resignation and a check for the refund. $30,000 for 3 years worth of studies. The paper soon disappeared into thin air with a flick of Jake's wrist.Satisfied, Jake went to the bank to convert the check for actual cash.Lee's timing was near perfect as Jake received a call for him after he was done with his business. Jake made another account on the same bank with his name to store the money. Lee called to informed him of a certain location that could be used to start his business.In the end, they agreed to meet at 5 PM at the location. Kana, too, was contacted afterwards and agreed to join them to look at the place.*"Jake! Over here"Lee was waving his hands from a distance. He stood in front of an empty land amongst the modern building. He was exceptionally eye-catching as he waved his hand and shouted towards Jake.Jake could feel the surrounding gaze fell on him and made him feel a bit embarrassed by his best friend's action.The land next to Lee made Jake stopped in his track, dumbfounded. The size of the land could be described with anything but small. Its width was relatively small compared to its length, giving the land a long look. It was around the size of three-quarter of a tennis court. The soil looked a bit old but strangely, there was no wild vegetation that grew on it.At nearly the same time as Jake arrived at Lee's position, a taxi arrived beside him. The door was opened, revealing a familiar figure."Am I late?"Jake simply shook his head and let out a bitter smile. His gaze returned to the land beside Lee.Intrigued, Kana followed his gaze and discovered the approaching Lee and the giant plot. It was her turn to make a shocked expression."Yo! Kana, you came at the right time. What do you think of the land?""Lee! Did you not take the capital into account?"Kana was furious. She, as the daughter of a former conglomerate, had a rough estimate of the land's price. Looking at the size and location, it was generous to sell it at $100,000. However, she expects it to be more.Kana had her suspicions from the beginning. The address, which Lee sent, was located at the busiest street of the city. It was due to the neighboring facilities, the Tokyo Station.Although it was called as station, there were no trains present at the place. Instead, a circular-like gate was used as a method of transport. This gate was another creation of the infamous magician, Laura Marshall. The invention solved the problem of long-distance transportation.The gate was called a Space Gate, which was powered by monster cores to distort the space and connected two places together. The technology were too complex and only a few people understood the theory behind it. It also used up a great amount of energy from the monster core before becoming functional. As such, the government restricted its usage for public.The station was connected to the other 48 countries and their capital. Each country will have another gate to connect their capital with other cities. Another usage for the gate was to connect it with the wilderness, into the area left unexplored after the appearance of the monsters.Lee, on the other hand, was not as panicked as Kana thought he would be. Instead, he had a mysterious smile and a sense of pride as he answered Kana's question."I did! Did you think that I'm an idiot or something? My friend recommended me this place when I asked for something cheap and a good customer flow. I also received a huge shock when I found out about the size. However, the price made me too excited."Hearing Lee's explanation. Hope started to rose in Jake's heart. This piece of land was too tempting if he could afford it with his capital."How much?""$20,000!"In contrast to Lee's prideful demeanor, Kana was shocked out of her wits after she heard about the price. It was a bargain, too great to be true. The amount was still within Jake's financial ability with some to spare. However, she soon calmed down after hearing Jake's question."So? What's the catch?""Hehe As expected, you figured it out. I was about to tell you about it."Lee scratched his head in embarrassment as he lowered his head. His previous prideful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. He appeared to be nervous about something."Actually this place was rumored to be cursed.""What?!"Kana raised her voice as her expression changed from one of delight to one of shock. The fair face started to pale as she took a step backward, trying to make some distance from the plot of land."Hey! That was only a rumor! It might not be true""But still"Lee felt a bit guilty after he saw Kana's reaction. He knew that this best friend of his couldn't handle horror story since a young age. However, he couldn't pass out the offer since it was really a great bargain."Well I don't think that this place is cursed or anything"All the attention fell on Jake with that statement. Kana was a bit doubtful at Jake's words as she questioned the reliability of his claim."Simple! I never meant to hide this from you guys, but actually, I can see ghosts!"It was a big, fat lie.However, the reaction he received was contrary to his expectation. Kana and Lee showed a surprised expression as they stared at Jake. Kana even swallowed her saliva as she asked Jake for confirmation, which he couldn't refute.'I'm sorry! Kana.'The trio agreed to purchase the piece of land and informed Lee's friend.The next day, the agent came over to meet to transfer the rights to the land to them. They met at a coffee shop named Espresso Yourself or E.Y for short. They served unexpectedly good coffee.Throughout the meeting, the agent seemed very uncomfortable around the three of them and glanced at the direction of the piece of land occasionally. The process went smoothly as the agent seemed to be in a hurry. A piece of land was left on the table, serving as a proof of his ownership.A mission has been completedPlease check the mission bar for the reward"Thank you for the help""Nah, it was nothing.""Right, there is nothing to be thankful of. This is still the beginning of our journey. It was us who should be ashamed since we couldn't contribute any money for the capital."Kana lowered her head in shame, causing the mood to be somewhat awkward. Fortunately, Jake wasn't affected by the gloomy mood and flicked Kana on her forehead."Silly girl, I am the one that wants to start this. It was only natural for me to pay for the capital. You guys have given me a huge help by accompanying me like this."Kana's cheeks turned a bit red at Jake's sweet words. Lee just watched the scene as he was used to it."Anyway, let's talk about our next steps for the shop. Jake, do you have any idea for the name of the shop?"At Kana's words, Jake heard another mechanical sound from his head.A new mission has been generated==NamingFind a suitable name for your shopReward: Recipe Short Dagger==A new recipe was very welcomed to Jake. Although he had enough money to buy other recipes, one that does not cost anything was the best.Additional, Jake has a name prepared beforehand."How about The Great Jake's Shop? It sounds domineering."Both Lee and Kana stared at Jake with a weird gaze as if looking at a freak. They both uttered the exact same words as a response.Jake was flabbergasted. The reaction was too strong, causing him to lean backwards in reflex.The discussion took the entire noon however with no results.For the record, Jake was the one who proposed most ideas. However, it was rejected without any exception. The main reason was Jake's shocking naming sense.Jake's PalaceThe Atkins' TreasuryThose two were the best amongst the other ideas. However, it was still dead horrible."I think that we have to use Jake's unique attribute"Surprisingly, Lee was the one who came up with the brilliant idea."Right! But what exactly is Jake's uniqueness...?"Kana and Lee turned their attention to Jake. Their eyes were starting to scan Jake's appearance and stopped at the exact same place.Jake's silver hair."Its 'Silver'! We should attach that weird hair color to the name."Kana supported Lee's suggestion as she nods her head. Now, they need something to add behind that word.The word 'silver' reminded Jake about a specific figure, Sylphy's. The beautiful wings she possessed, too, had a silver color."Oh! Then what about Silver Wings?"Lee and Kana were shocked at Jake's sudden improvement in naming sense. It was a great name for the shop. It was exceptionally true for Kana. The word 'Wings' could be interpreted as a symbol for hope. In her perspective, it was a new hope to reach new heights with her two best friends.
