C5 CHAPTER5

Sam, feeling utterly bored, suddenly sneezed. "I hope someone’s saying nice things about me."

Earlier, he had considered heading out like a traveling salesman to sell the rest of his pills. The idea of venturing into the wasteland to find desperate buyers seemed promising, but his pride wouldn’t allow it.

"As a noble and esteemed supplier, going out to solicit business is beneath you!" the system insisted.

With nothing else to occupy his time, he cleaned the shop for the second time that day: polishing the display cases, tidying the counter and floor, and even spending all his 400 coins to repeatedly open the level-1 pill supply channel.

Now, he had over thirty different types of level-1 pills, five level-2 pills, and nine walnuts ready for sale.

Just as he was dreaming about the freedom of doing business outside, a small group of people walked in.

"Is this the place? It looks as rundown as Chloe described."

"It's even worse than she said. I doubt a place like this, in such a remote area, has any miraculous pills. We might have been scammed out of a thousand coins..."

"We should at least ask..."

"Excuse me, is this where the divine pill that boosts strength and restores energy is sold?" one man asked, his voice tinged with hope despite his skepticism.

"A level-1 strength-enhancing pill can meet your needs!" Sam replied with a smile.

"Hello, Boss. I'm a fire element user. Can your divine pill help me recover energy?"

"Absolutely, the Energy Pill will meet all your needs!"

"This Godly Speed pill, what's it for?"

"This experience pill..."

Sam patiently answered all their questions, occasionally offering a smile and a compliment. While a large crowd didn’t guarantee big sales, having no customers meant no sales at all. Gradually, he began to showcase all types of pills, even offering walnuts.

If he could sell just one, his dream house in the city center would no longer be just a dream.

"10,000 coins for a pill? What a rip-off! How could a pill from this store help you level up?"

"That’s a level-2 pill. I assure you, the pills I sell deliver the results they promise."

"This is too expensive. Nobody would be foolish enough to fall for this scam, mixing real products with fake ones... who do you think you're fooling?"

"These pills are all the same; the only difference is the price..."

"How can a walnut be worth $10,000? Boss, if you want to make your shop look upscale, don't do it by jacking up prices like that."

Customers were hesitant to believe in high-value pills, not because they doubted the results, but because they couldn't afford to prove it. Yet, instead of admitting they lacked the funds, they defended themselves by criticizing what they couldn't buy.

Even though he wanted to kick out each of these rude customers, Sam kept a smile on his face since several of them still showed interest in the level-1 pills.

"Hey Boss, remember me? I'm here to buy more strength enhancement pills and the Godly Speed pill. Do you have any left?"

His first client, Cyril, had returned. The moment Sam saw him, he recognized him as the customer who had previously earned him his first reward from the system and a lottery ticket.

"How could I forget a good customer?" Sam said, approaching with an exaggerated smile. He placed his hands on Cyril's shoulders and pretended to dust off his shirt.

"Ding! The first customer has returned!"

"New mission: Increase profit tenfold."

"Mission Introduction: Make the first customer spend ten times more than the previous time."

"Time limit: One hour."

"Reward for Success: A lottery ticket."

"Punishment for Failure: The store closes for a month."

"Note: As a member of the great family of suppliers, promoting customer consumption is a sacred and historical duty. Don't dishonor your ancestors!"

The smile on Sam's face couldn't hide his emotional turmoil. This system was going to make him cry one day.

"How on earth am I supposed to make this poor guy spend $20,000 on pills when he barely spent $2,000 the first time?" Sam thought.

Without a doubt, this mission was set up for him to fail, but the temptation to get another lottery ticket...

He still remembered the taste and the incredible benefits he had gained from eating just one walnut.

"Boss, what's wrong? Why do you look like that? Don't tell me you ran out of strength enhancement pills, or is it the Godly Speed pill? Whatever pills you have left, I want to buy them."

"Haha, I just got a new batch of pills in at my store. Take this level-2 pill, for instance. I guarantee you'll level up immediately after taking it—swear on my honor."

"This level-3 walnut will boost your genetic talent, and you'll be on your way to becoming a genius. Becoming an Evolved won't just be a dream anymore."

Promoting their products seemed normal, but to the listeners, it sounded like a fanatic's pitch.

"No way those pills exist, Boss. Stop trying to fool us. How can you level up just by eating your pills?"

"And charging $100,000 for a walnut? That's outrageous."

"Exactly," most customers chimed in, criticizing the high prices, unable to afford anything over 1,000 spiritual coins. However...

"A pill that can increase your level? Boss, do those miracle pills really exist?" Cyril, a fan of the store and its products, didn't doubt the boss; after all, he owed his life to them.

"Did I lie to you last time?"

"No, it's just..." Without hesitation, Cyril pulled out 10,000 spiritual coins. "Boss, please sell me an experience pill."

"Don't look so glum. It's only 10,000 spiritual coins. Here, take this pill and tell me if I'm overcharging," Sam said.

Cyril eyed the pill for a few seconds before swallowing it, under the incredulous but expectant gazes of the other customers. When there was no immediate effect, the criticism resumed.

"This naive young man, wasting so many spiritual coins on a single pill."

"I told you, this was a scam by this con artist boss. A pill for 10,000 coins, tsk..."

Amidst the taunts, Cyril's face suddenly turned red, and he began to sweat profusely. He felt a surge of energy coursing through him. Stuck at four stars for so long, he felt a "pop," as if a bubble had burst.

To everyone's disbelief, he advanced to five stars, and the pill's power hadn't even fully unraveled. Several minutes later, with another "pop," he reached the six-star Awakened level.

Red-eyed and on the verge of tears, Cyril exclaimed, "Six Star Awakened! Boss, I've leveled up twice." A pill had allowed him to advance two levels in just a few minutes... now, not only was the big man's face red, but everyone else's in the store was too.

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