Waiting for the Rabbit

The system remained the same old system.

The weekly random items were always caught somewhere between reliable and absurd.

With nothing much to say, Noah spent 2,000 points and, with practiced ease, bought the Iron Body skill scroll.

As for the remaining items, he needed to give them some serious thought.

"I recall the previous Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card, the 7-day one, was 1,000 points, right?"

He stared at the 60-day acceleration card, pondering silently, "And the 60-day one jumps to 10,000? Seven times eight is fifty-six, eight times eight is sixty-four—even if you calculate the days at an eightfold increase, it should only be 8,000 points at most, right?"

Hah, not only was there no discount for buying in bulk, but they had also sneakily hiked the price by two thousand.

What a profiteer.

If not for his superior mental math, he truly wouldn't have noticed the trickery hidden within.

But there was no helping it; even if the price had gone up, this item was essential, so he had to buy it regardless.

Ten thousand points spent, and the acceleration card was his.

"Only eighteen thousand points left..."

Just as Noah was weighing how to choose the remaining items, he inadvertently noticed a small, hidden button at the bottom of the shop interface. Clicking it revealed detailed information for each product.

He was certain this feature hadn't existed before; for the items from the previous two weeks, he had to wait until after purchasing them to view their details in his inventory.

It was a very practical improvement that would save him from being misled by item names and wasting points—a pleasant surprise.

"It seems that as the game progress advances, the system functions will slowly upgrade and improve."

If he were to compare this to an RPG, he was currently still in the newbie village stage, with too many things requiring him to reach the main city to explore and unlock.

Noah was quite looking forward to the system's future features.

The two items he had already purchased were old acquaintances, so there was no need to look at them. He proceeded to browse the specific descriptions of the other four items in order.

[Name: Gravity Training Field]

[Type: Permanent Item]

[Description: Can be activated or deactivated at will via thought. After use, the player can freely adjust the gravity acting upon their body. Using the current world's standard gravity as 1 unit, the minimum threshold is 1, and the maximum is 100.]

[Note: A treasure from King Kai's Planet. The reason it is priced so expensively is that obtaining it from North Kai is no easy feat.]

["Unless you tell a joke that makes me laugh, that is!"]

"Must buy."

Noah gave his verdict in a concise manner.

[Name: Blue-Eyes White Dragon Summoning Card]

[Type: Consumable]

[Description: After use, a virtual projection of an adult Blue-Eyes White Dragon can be summoned in any area within a five-hundred-meter radius. This projection can act freely under the player's control but cannot cause any damage or influence the real world. Total uses (3/3)]

[Note: A cheap, low-spec summoning card that doesn't seem to have much use. But, as a man, who could refuse a Normal Monster with an attack power as high as 3000?]

"Indeed."

Noah nodded in deep agreement, "In any case, this lord cannot refuse. This is also a must-buy."

[Name: Infinite Luosifen]

[Type: Permanent Item]

[Description: After use, the player will receive a large bowl of finished Luosifen. Only after finishing it all can the next one be summoned. No cooldown, no limit on usage.]

[Note: The deity who created this originally conceived it as a staple food to fill one's stomach, like a red bean bun. However, as everyone knows, there is always a slight difference between the first draft and the finished product.]

[At the very least, this thing can be used as a weapon. When angry, dumping it on an enemy's head might not have high lethality, but it is highly insulting.]

["It's the pickled bamboo shoots, I added pickled bamboo shoots!"]

An item that guaranteed he would never go hungry again seemed quite useful; he had to get it.

He just didn't know how spicy it was.

"..." Noah subconsciously touched his backside, his gaze turning sharp.

"If I could, I would rather choose an infinite red bean bun. Even if I ate until I felt nauseous, at least I wouldn't have to risk local hemorrhaging..."

Besides, there was still that moss-head in this world who would bring him a bowl of fragrant Japanese ramen whenever he got tired of eating buns.

[Name: Clock-out Reminder]

[Type: Permanent Item]

[Description: None]

"What is the meaning of this?" Noah was heartbroken, "Do cheap items worth five hundred points have no human rights? Do they not deserve a detailed description? This is blatant double-standard discrimination!"

He certainly didn't need this thing, but what if the person who activated the system turned out to be some lecherous, monkey-faced middle-aged man?

That would be an absolute necessity! How could it not even have a description?

Too much!

Summary.

Aside from the Clock-out Reminder, for which he had zero desire to purchase, the other three items were all must-buys.

However, his remaining points were pitifully few, so... the matter of the side quest could no longer be delayed; it was about time he went to make a withdrawal.

Noah closed the attribute panel, turned around, and walked straight into the ship's cabin, making his way to the second floor and stopping in front of a single suite reserved exclusively for high-ranking officers.

He didn't knock, simply leaning against the wall opposite the door, gazing silently at the familiar entrance.

Beside him was a porthole, the morning light filtered into countless tiny, fragmented spots that fell upon his face.

Some of the Navy girls passing by on the deck below, when they inadvertently looked up, saw the heart-stopping profile of the handsome, black-haired youth.

His expression was calm, though his brows were slightly furrowed and his gaze was lost in thought.

As expected, Noah looks so handsome even when he's thinking seriously. What is he thinking about? Is he troubled by something?

If only I could read his mind...

These blushing, heart-fluttering young marines were all thinking roughly the same thing.

They stopped in their tracks, only snapping out of it after a long while when urged by their companions, pulling their gazes away with lingering reluctance.

Noah hadn't noticed the scene unfolding below, because at that moment, he was indeed thinking about something seriously.

It just had nothing to do with being troubled.

"It's time for my second favorite part of the day: flirting with Momousagi..."

Noah mused to himself, his brow furrowing even tighter. "Hmm, wait, I seem to have been enjoying chatting up beautiful girls more and more lately. This isn't good."

Damn it, it seems like my favorite part—training—is even starting to lose its top spot.

Come to think of it, what do you call this behavior of lurking outside Momousagi's door, waiting for her to wake up?

Waiting for a rabbit by a tree?

A gentle sea breeze blew in from the porthole, making one feel inexplicably refreshed.

Noah finished stretching and had just let out a lazy yawn when the door in front of him suddenly pushed open, and a rabbit with a sleepy face, also in the middle of a yawn, appeared right before him.

Both yawning individuals froze mid-action, staring at one another.

The hallway fell into an eerie silence.

A long while later.

It was Momousagi who raised a dark eyebrow, breaking the silence first.

"This is rare, boy."

She eyed Noah, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Instead of heading to the training room for extra practice early in the morning, what are you doing running over to my door?"

The concentration of anime references in this chapter is quite high; those who get the jokes are clearly veteran otakus (laughs).