Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 2 The First Guest
After rummaging through the store for a while, Chen Xuan found a bright red notebook in the middle drawer of the bar. The notebook clearly had the words "Store Manager's Code of Conduct" written on it.

This cover... it's almost as if it was deliberately written for myself.

He eagerly flipped to the top and found that the first page contained only three sentences.

"We warmly welcome every guest."

“Take every ability seriously.”

"Let the world fall into madness, ...

At first glance, Chen Xuan thought he was seeing things, but after checking three times, he realized he wasn't mistaken.

What kind of nonsense is this? Did the person who wrote the rules eat Yunnan mushrooms while writing them?

He frowned and skipped directly to the next page.

From this page onwards, the content becomes more normal.

[Store Manager's Guide]

"Guests are our most valuable asset, and every request and thought of theirs should be carefully considered. Not all guests know what they want, and you must know it better than they do."

"I suggest you discuss this further with the guest."

"If the guests are unwilling to discuss in detail, then create an opportunity to do so."

"Enthusiasm and sincerity will always be your trump cards."

Chen Xuan realized that the "Notice" section was a further explanation of the rules, and this page clearly referred to the first rule.

Scroll down: "Abilities are the main business of this store."

"It is a means of creating value; if you put it in the right place, you can get greater benefits."

"Evaluation skills, collection skills, and trading skills—these are the key factors that determine your performance."

"Always keep an eye on inventory to avoid both overspending and overcapacity."

"You can view more details on the computer."

Uh... this part seems a bit strange.

Chen Xuan scratched his head. He initially thought the second item meant that the store manager should make the best use of each employee and make good use of their individual abilities, but the explanation in the document was clearly different from his understanding.

Trading ability...

Could it mean the literal meaning?
Regardless, he now understood the original intention behind opening this shop—although it had coffee machines and shelves, it was by no means a specialty coffee bar or a small supermarket.

With this question in mind, Chen Xuan turned to the fourth page.

Contrary to his expectations, the writing was surprisingly serious.

"The store manager's salary consists of a fixed salary plus performance bonuses, and all expenses for store operation are borne by the store manager."

"Under no circumstances is the store allowed to close down. The store manager should arrive at the store before 8:30 pm, with a minimum working time of 8 hours and no maximum limit. If the store is unable to operate due to injury or disability caused by an accident during business operations, the store manager will bear full responsibility."

Chen Xuan's lips twitched. This is a shady factory, isn't it?

Look at that last sentence, is that something a human being could say?
And why would someone get injured or disabled while simply running a shop? Is that reasonable?
But the requirement to arrive at the store at 8:30 pm reminded him of his experiences over the past two days—was he being forcibly dragged into the store after falling asleep simply because he hadn't clocked in on time?

Then, there was a series of illustrations demonstrating the trading process, as if the manual wasn't just writing these things to attract attention, but because it was actually true.

With a skeptical mind, Chen Xuan turned on the computer on the desktop according to the diagram and found that there was indeed a software called Ability Manager on the desktop.

Upon opening the app, you'll find it divided into three main sections: the left side clearly displays "Store Management," the middle section shows transaction records, and the right side shows in-store inventory.

It has to be said that this software is quite user-friendly; it even uses a graphical interface. He used to work in a fast-food restaurant, where he used databases, which were incredibly cumbersome to operate.

Click on the inventory; there is only one item available in the list.

Capability inventory: [0], available capability providers: [1]. The number 1 is followed by a name: Chen Xuan.

Am I a commodity myself?!
Chen Xuan almost burst out laughing.

Having lived for twenty-six years, he had no idea that he was a superhuman.

Speechless as he was, he still opened this option, wanting to see what was really going on.

A draggable dialog box popped up on the screen.

"Eat a lot" LV1.

—"Has a better appetite than the average person."

"Extra Sleeping" LV1. — "Sleeps better than the average person."

"Free Will" LV2.

"The more extensive a life's understanding of the mysteries of the universe, the freer its will. Note that forbidden knowledge is not included; it will only shorten your life."

"Knowledgeable of the Past and Present" LV2.

—"Local historical experiences, you think you can learn lessons from them, but you actually can't. Their greatest value is enriching your story library."

The first two abilities are grayed out, while the last two are white.

Chen Xuan instantly sensed the software designer's malice. Can you honestly say that gray and white don't symbolize rarity? Forget about legendary gold; gray is basically considered trash in any game, and it even gave him two of those? And literally speaking, these two abilities are indeed no different from garbage.

Pure fabrication?

However, upon reflection, he realized that he rarely worried about sleeping or eating. Even when working overtime continuously, he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow in the cramped staff break room. Even his boss praised him as a natural-born overtime workaholic.

Chen Xuan originally thought that his ability to endure hardship as a child made him appear resilient, but he never expected that it could actually be considered a skill.

Fortunately, there's a color option at the bottom of the page.

That's right... its border shimmers with multicolored light, and according to common sense, the rarity of this ability is definitely top-tier!
Chen Xuan moved the mouse over the ability with great anticipation.

"The ???th Store Manager" LV1.

"Most of the time, it's the only legendary ability you can acquire. Be grateful that even an unknown nobody can become famous with it, provided you live long enough."

"Not for sale, not for transfer. Store manager's current status: still active."

Thank you so much!
He slammed the mouse on the table.

So, is the store manager just a consumable item?

Ding-dong~~
Just then, the wind chimes rang.

Someone pushed open the curtain at the shop entrance.

"Welcome!" Chen Xuan instantly switched into hospitality mode, a sincere smile appearing on his face.

This is a habit he developed from doing odd jobs.

A refreshing fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted in on the breeze.

The guest was a young girl dressed in white, her dress almost reaching her ankles. She moved almost silently, as if floating on the ground.

The moment he saw her, a single word involuntarily popped into Chen Xuan's mind.

Fairy.

Not only was she dressed in an ethereal, fairy-like manner, but she was also remarkably beautiful. He didn't know how to describe it; even the most typical celestial beings in TV dramas paled in comparison to her. Her features were perfectly proportioned, her waist-length black hair was as smooth as silk, and apart from the wooden hairpin in her hair bun, she wore no other adornments, perfectly illustrating the saying that clothes make the person.

Although she was dressed in ancient style, she walked with a graceful and poised demeanor, taking a few long strides to the bar. Her clear eyes fixed on Chen Xuan, as if scrutinizing him. For some reason, Chen Xuan felt that her attitude was not very good, and there was a hint of coldness in her eyes, which made her seem even more worldly.

However, all who come are guests.

"Do you want to buy anything?" he asked casually, straightening the mouse he had just smashed.

"What kind of shop is this? How come it's located in the middle of nowhere?" Her voice was clear and crisp, but her tone seemed to carry a hint of questioning.

Is this guy out of his mind?

He had just been admiring her appearance, but these words instantly ruined Chen Xuan's mood. He even glanced outside the shop, thinking, "What do you mean, 'the middle of nowhere'? This is Tianlu Residential Area—"

He suddenly stopped halfway through his speech.

When did it become completely dark outside?

Even if there are no streetlights outside the shop, you should still be able to see the lights of the residential buildings in the distance!

"Wait for me a moment."

Chen Xuan strode out of the store.

The scenery outside had changed. The once rows of buildings were nowhere to be seen, only the rolling mountain ridges faintly visible under the moonlight. He wasn't standing on concrete, but on soft, sprawling grass. The chirping of some insects in the woods only accentuated the vastness and desolation of the place.

"What district did you just say?" the girl behind him asked quietly.

Chen Xuan turned his head, his gaze sharpening. Only then did he notice that a long sword was hanging on the other person's back, its blade dark red... and even this red color dripped down from the tip of the sword, forming small dots at her feet.

He realized that the red color was blood.

And the blood was still fresh and warm!
(End of this chapter)