Chapter 4: The Shopping Spree of Doom
"Yuki! Where are you, Yuki?!"
Vee flew frantically through the trees, panic gripping its digital consciousness. "I can track your coordinates, you know! There is no point in running off!"
Ding!
[Warning: Host has taken critical damage.]
The floating entity froze in mid-air, completely stunned by the sudden notification. ’What the hell is he doing?!’ it screamed internally, pushing its propulsion to the absolute limit as it zoomed toward Yuki’s location.
But it didn’t stop there. Every few minutes, like clockwork, another soul-crushing notification pinged.
Ding! [Critical damage taken.]
Ding! [Critical damage taken.]
"YUKIII?!"
Vee shrieked as it rounded a massive frost-covered tree, completely losing control of its brakes and slamming directly into Yuki’s chest.
"You freaking idiot!" Vee yelled, bouncing off him and vibrating with rage. "What did I tell you about running off on your own?! Are you actively trying to get yourself killed?!"
"I was hungry," Yuki grumbled, crossing his arms poutingly. "And as you can see, I am not dead."
"You are covered in dried blood from head to toe!"
"Hmph. It’s not like you actually care anyway," Yuki said, turning his nose up at the floating entity. "Like you said, you aren’t even my real System. You’re just a familiar. So go away like you wanted to. It’s not like my death affects you anyway. You’ll just get assigned to a new, better master, right?"
"What? No—I... you know I didn’t mean that! I was just angry!" Vee stammered, its digital glow flickering nervously. "And besides, you need me..."
"No, I don’t," Yuki said proudly.
With a smug grin, he stepped aside and pointed to a clearance in the snow. Sitting there was a pile of slain snow wolves that had been completely harvested. Arranged in neat, orderly stacks were the wolf hides, the extracted essence cores, and the edible meat.
"...You did all this?" Vee asked, its voice dropping to a stunned whisper as it floated over to inspect the piles.
"Yes, I did."
The bodies had been skinned and butchered flawlessly, a level of precision that only a highly seasoned hunter, or an incredibly meticulous gamer who understood anatomy, could pull off.
"See? I told you I don’t need you," Yuki said firmly, putting his hands on his hips. "I have the core System installed directly in my brain. I’m completely set."
"Oh really? Do you even know how to activate the interface?" Vee countered, crossing its tiny digital nubs.
Yuki opened his mouth to boast, paused, and then slumped his shoulders. "Well... no," he admitted, thoroughly dejected.
Vee let out a long, heavy sigh. "You really are something else. Look, let’s just forget about our argument and move on, okay? First things first: my actual name is Vee. So please call me Vee, and not ’System’."
"K."
"Now, come over here so we can sell these materials for Store Points."
"Store Points?" Yuki’s emerald eyes lit up instantly. "Like... a cash shop?"
"Yes. You have a built-in Item Shop within your system framework."
"Cool!" Yuki cheered, entirely forgetting that he had been mad at Vee just a few seconds prior.
"To activate it, just clear your mind, think about the marketplace, and call out for it."
"Alright, let me try." Yuki closed his eyes, focused intently, and summoned the interface.
Ding!
A sleek, glowing blue holographic screen materialized in front of his face. Yuki’s eyes scanned the text, and a massive grin spread across his face.
"Whoa... cool! They have everything from Earth on here!"
"Yes, they do," Vee said, a sense of pride returning to her voice. "Now, sell all those wolf parts and buy something you actually need to survive. But listen to me very carefully: your first few purchases are crucial. The system categorizes your preferences early on, and you can only lock in one primary shop type. It’s final, so you can’t change it later—"
Ding!
[Purchase successful!]
"...Yuki? What did you just—"
Ding!
[Purchase successful!]
"Oooo, this looks absolutely beautiful on me!" Yuki squealed, completely ignoring Vee as he happily twirled in a brand-new, elegant winter gown and matching insulated snow boots.
"Yuki! Stop spending your points on cosmetics before you permanently lock the shop to housing and—"
Ding!
[Bunny Girl Avatar Package purchased successfully! Apply 70% discount on winter apparel?]
Ding-Ding-Ding!
[Warning: Permanent Shop Type Selected. Shop successfully upgraded to: Lifespan & Lifestyle. Permanent unlocks: Housing furniture, clothing, cosmetics, and accessories.]
The forest went dead silent. Vee’s digital form turned a stark, pale white.
"YUKIIIIIIII!!!"
"What?!
Why would you do that?!"
"What did I do?!" Yuki blinked, looking completely blindsided.
"You idiot! What use is a lifestyle shop?! Why didn’t you just listen to me?!"
"I bought what I needed," Yuki countered defensively. "I don’t need weapons. I need insulated clothes and actual cooking equipment."
"And how are you going to get or use any of those items without a proper base or essence cores?!" Vee shrieked.
"We’ll figure that out later! For now, it’s time to keep moving," Yuki said energetically.He happily hopped along the snowy path, completely forgetting that he had almost died just an hour ago, had to brutally cut off his own hand, and spent every ounce of his energy regrowing his arm.
Vee shook her head in sheer disbelief and floated after her master. The man who claimed to be an expert in survival and "seduction" was nothing more than a chaotically cheerful idiot.
’A freaking Bunny Girl Avatar Package... I mean, come on, why that of all things?’ Vee sighed digitally. ’Does he even know what this thing is, or did he just see "70% off on winter clothes" and blindly press buy?’ He had wasted all of his hard-earned points on stupid cosmetic items. Curious and dreading the answer, Vee pulled up the specifications for the Bunny Girl Avatar Package to read through it.
She scanned the specs, filtering through the text. It all seemed like standard stuff at first, high-durability fabrics, cold resistance, the usual, until she reached the absolute bottom of the description.
[This Leporidae avatar is perfectly equipped to satisfy your every need and can effortlessly keep up with their master’s infinite stamina. Note: The final physical manifestion of this avatar will adapt directly to the master’s bonded Familiar upon activation.]
"..."
Vee froze. ’Wait... what? Is this description talking about me?!’ She frantically scrolled down to the physical characteristics subsection:
[Physical Characteristics: Voluptuous bust, long fluffy ears, a cotton tail, wide hips, thick thighs, cascading white hair, crimson leg markings, piercing red eyes, sharp fangs, and flawless pale skin. Height: 187 cm, High stamina optimized for "extracurricular activities."]
"..."
Vee stared blankly at the floating holographic screen, deeply contemplating every single life choice that had led her to this exact moment.
At the very bottom of the interface, a small prompt popped up:
[Would you like to hide this embarrassing information from the Host?]
’Yes! Please, for the love of Chaos, do that right now!’ Vee thought, her digital core flushing a brilliant, mortified crimson.
[Of course you would. ;)] the core System text replied cheekily, before the window dissolved into pixels.
