Chapter 29: Shopping
Mateo was slightly worried that this kid might recognize him.
But contrary to his expectations, Alice suddenly clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the people near the mall entrance.
Kevin Baker looked surprised when he saw Alice.
Then he smiled and walked over.
"Sister Alice," he greeted.
After that, he froze when he noticed Mateo.
"Kevin, what are you filming this time? Didn’t I tell you to reduce your activities and focus on Magic World?" Alice said.
However, instead of listening to her, Kevin continued staring at Mateo.
"Sis, is he one of your subordinates?" he asked.
Alice was caught off guard by the question.
"No, he’s my boyfriend," she answered immediately. "Do you two know each other?"
"Boyfriend?"
Kevin looked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
He rubbed his ears, but there was clearly nothing wrong with them.
"Kevin, how do you know Mateo? Is there some problem between you two?" Alice asked again.
Strangely, she was staring sharply at Kevin, as though she had already decided that if there was a problem, it would definitely be his fault.
"No, it’s not like that. He just killed the Deep Earthworm that we had already pinned down," Kevin replied.
"What? Seriously? Isn’t the Deep Earthworm one of the hardest monsters to kill?" Jack exclaimed in shock.
"You managed to kill it? Don’t tell me it was only Level 1?"
He turned toward Mateo.
"Ridiculous. Do you think we hunt Level 1 monsters? It was Level 17." Kevin became annoyed by Jack’s words.
In the end, Alice remained calm.
She looked at Mateo with a faint smile.
"I only helped. Besides, I didn’t take its core," Mateo said, feeling the need to defend himself so he wouldn’t be accused of stealing someone else’s rewards.
"I don’t have a problem with what you did. But can you tell me how your fire burned that worm so quickly?" Kevin asked.
Mateo fell silent.
"Kevin, everyone has their own secrets. You shouldn’t be so curious. Alright, get back to work. We need to go," Alice said while patting the boy on the shoulder.
"Let’s go," she said to Mateo.
Mateo followed her into the mall.
Jack remained baffled, but Alice didn’t seem bothered at all.
Since Alice wasn’t asking questions, Jack didn’t dare continue either.
At this moment, Mateo found himself amazed by the mall.
It was filled with luxury stores.
The first floor was dominated by electronics and gadget shops.
There were even three luxury car showrooms.
He had never imagined a place like this existed—a place capable of refreshing his eyes simply by displaying so many dream items.
"Is there anything you want to buy?" Alice asked.
"No, no..." Mateo shook his head.
What would he even buy here?
He had always been satisfied with a single phone and didn’t feel the need for any other gadgets.
"Let’s go to the second floor," Alice said, leading the way toward a staircase that moved by itself.
The second floor was packed with branded clothing stores.
The right side was dedicated to men’s fashion, while the left side was for women’s clothing.
"Do you want to buy clothes, Alice?" Mateo asked.
"Yes, but not for me. They’re for you," she replied.
"For me?"
Mateo was stunned.
"I’ll pay. Pick at least five tops and five pairs of pants."
"Mateo, don’t be shy. This is from your girlfriend. You should accept it..." Jack started rambling again.
"Do I really have to?" Mateo asked hesitantly.
"Over there."
Alice pointed toward a clothing store and walked inside without waiting.
Compared to the surrounding stores, this one looked much more exclusive.
There weren’t even any other customers besides them.
"Gentlemen, is there anything you like?" one of the three employees asked.
All of them were even wearing thin white gloves.
Mateo couldn’t see any price tags on the clothing, but Jack’s reaction was rather dramatic the moment he entered.
The employees looked at the two young men strangely.
Still, because of Alice’s presence, they didn’t dare show any disrespect.
Although Alice dressed simply, they could tell from her jacket, pants, and watch that she was one of the truly wealthy people in the city.
In fact, it was their first time seeing someone wearing a watch encrusted with diamonds.
Since he was already inside the store, Mateo had no choice but to choose something.
"Alice, does it really have to be five outfits and five pairs of pants?" he asked.
He had hoped for just one.
"Yes, at least five. Of course, you can take more if you want."
The employees became increasingly confused by their conversation.
Meanwhile, Mateo started selecting clothes.
Two T-shirts.
Three shirts with simple, non-flashy colors.
After that, he picked jeans.
Two long pairs and three shorts.
Honestly, he wasn’t struggling to choose.
Everything looked appealing to him.
He was simply trying to pick the cheapest options.
"Wrap all of those up," Alice said to the employee as she handed over a black credit card with golden trim.
The employee swiped it at the register and handed the receipt to Alice.
However, she didn’t even look at it.
She folded it and slipped it into her jacket pocket.
If there had been a trash can nearby, she probably would’ve thrown it away immediately.
Just like that, Mateo ended up with two premium shopping bags filled with clothes.
Honestly, if there had been any more, carrying them would’ve become difficult.
"Where are we going next?" Mateo asked after they left the store.
"There’s a watch store I usually visit on the third floor—"
"No, no..."
Mateo shook his head before Alice could finish.
"Alice, I’m not used to wearing watches, so there’s no need."
That was the truth.
He didn’t like wearing accessories of any kind.
Alice nodded without forcing the issue.
"Then let’s go to a shoe store instead. You need better shoes."
Mateo nodded.
He had no objection to buying shoes.
In the end, he bought two pairs.
Afterward, he asked to go home.
It wasn’t anything specific.
He simply felt uncomfortable continuing like this.
When it was time to leave, they parted ways.
Mateo and Jack took a taxi back to the dormitory, while Alice took another taxi home.
Inside the taxi, Mateo let out several long sighs.
"Why don’t you look happy? Do you know those clothes Alice bought for you are the kind of things even rich people think twice about buying?" Jack said.
"Seriously?"
Mateo stared at him in shock.
"There’s no way Alice would buy anything below that level. Her father is the richest man in this city."
"Do you think she’s embarrassed that her boyfriend wears cheap clothes?" Mateo wondered aloud.
"You shouldn’t think like that. If she were embarrassed by your clothes, she would’ve told you to change before going out with her. I think she’s simply doing whatever she can to make you happy," Jack replied.
Then his expression turned serious.
"But Mateo, just how strong are you in Magic World? You’ve only been Awakened for a few days, yet you already managed to kill a Level 17 Deep Earthworm. That’s impossible if you’re still in the Initiate Realm."
"I don’t know..."
That was all Mateo could say.
There was simply no way for him to explain the source of his strength.
