He shook his head at the screen. Being a Martial Warrior was basically just a way to burn money. Everything was astronomically expensive.


He checked the consumables. Origin Elixirs were going for a hundred thousand a pop. He searched for Spirit Enhancing Pills, but the search bar came up empty.


"Huh? Seriously?"


That was surprising. Why wouldn't they sell the mental boosters?


He kept scrolling. Fortification Elixirs—essential for body tempering—were also listed at a hundred grand.


"That price is just for Low-grade," Lucas whispered, clicking his tongue. "Middle-grade is a million? And High-grade is... ten million?"


He leaned closer to the screen. According to the description, the difference between grades wasn't just price. A Middle-grade elixir was ten times more potent than a Low-grade one.


He did some mental math. I don't have many Fortification Elixirs left. If I want to finish my full-body tempering anytime soon, my stash isn't enough. And if the Middle-grade stuff really is ten times stronger...


"Should I buy one? Just to test it out?"


He hesitated for a split second, then shrugged. It felt bizarrely casual, like buying sneakers on Amazon. He added the million-credit pill to his cart, entered his address, and hit pay.


The webcam light flicked on automatically.


Face Verification Successful.


A second later, the purchase confirmation popped up.


That was it?


He checked his digital wallet. The balance now read: 2,000,000. His phone buzzed on the desk with a notification from the bank, confirming the deduction.


"One million," Lucas sighed, slumping back in his chair. "I just blew a million credits in five seconds."


He wondered how long shipping would take.


"Lucas! Get your butt down here and cook!"


Luna's voice drifted up from downstairs, shattering his concentration.


Lucas logged out of the secure site and headed down. He found Luna in the kitchen, dumping grocery bags onto the counter.


"Cook what?" he asked, eyeing the raw ingredients.


"Uncle and aunt are at a wedding banquet for some coworker's kid," Luna announced, looking at Lucas who was walking down the stairs.


"They didn't tell me."


Luna smirked. "Well, I'm the favorite. Now quit complaining and come help me cook."


"Yeah, yeah. Coming."


Since their parents were often away, Lucas had practically become a self-taught chef. He could whip up some decent home-style comfort food without burning the house down, which was a survival skill around here.


He threw together a quick stir-fry. Once the rice was ready, they sat down at the kitchen table.


"You heading back to the Martial Academy tonight?" Lucas asked between bites.


Luna nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Hey, did you hear? Zack and Derek transferred to Clearwater City."


"Cough—really? I had no idea." Lucas feigned ignorance.


"And what about you?" She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you really going to fight Vance?"


"It's called a match," Lucas corrected, sounding dignified.


"Pfft. A fight is a fight." Luna rolled her eyes at his attempt to make it sound professional. Then, her expression softened into worry. "Are you sure you can handle him?"


"Please," Lucas scoffed, grinning. "Haven't you heard? I'm a certified martial arts genius."


"Genius, my butt!" Luna snapped, gritting her teeth at his arrogance.


Lucas laughed, feeling generous. "Anyway, thanks for the Origin Elixir earlier. Seriously. Is there anything you want in return? I’ll hook you up."


"...Are you serious? Anything?"


"Name it," Lucas said, curious now.


"You're cool with Wolfe, right? Do you think you could... maybe get some Xenobeast bones from his shop?"


Lucas blinked. "Xenobeast bones? What do you need those for?"


Xenobeast bones were incredibly dense and hard, usually used for forging high-end weapons. But processing them was a nightmare; average people couldn't do anything with them.


"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else, okay?" Luna looked uncharacteristically shy. Lucas had never seen her look so bashful before.


"I want to be... a Blacksmith," she admitted, her face flushing pink.


"A Blacksmith? That's brutal work..." Lucas was impressed. Blacksmiths were the elite artisans who forged weapons for Martial Warriors. It was a notoriously difficult trade to break into.


"Alright," Lucas said, puffing out his chest. "Leave it to me. Next time I have a free day, I'll head into the Rift, slay a Xenobeast, and bring you the bones myself."


"Pfft. Listen to you brag!"




That night, Lucas didn't hold back. He downed three Origin Elixirs, a Spirit Enhancing Pill, and three Fortification Elixirs.


It was a risky move. Taking too many Origin Elixirs at once could overload his body with Essence and cause internal damage, but he felt ready.


By the time he finished, his Origin Points cap had risen by two, hitting a total of thirty-three. He was pretty satisfied with that pace. His Spirit Power had also ticked up to twelve, though he could tell that raising it further was going to be an uphill battle—much harder than boosting his physical stats.


He began to focus, controlling his Origin Force to scour his body. He started Tempering the skin and muscle of his torso.


The pain hit him instantly. It was a stinging, burning sensation that radiated through his nerves.


Pain. So much pain.


Because of the three Fortification Elixirs, the Tempering process was moving at blinding speed. But thanks to his previous experience, he didn't panic. He rode the wave of energy, guiding it smoothly.


"Lucas! Lucas!"


He didn't know how much time had passed when a frantic knocking on his door dragged him back to reality.


Whew.


Lucas took a deep breath, exiting his cultivation trance. A quick glance at the clock showed it was just past eleven. In that short window, he'd managed to fully Temper the skin and muscle around his entire torso. It wasn't just the drugs; his control over the Origin Force was getting terrifyingly precise.


"What is it?" Lucas groaned, getting up to open the door.


Luna stood in the hallway. She looked like she'd just sprinted back from the Martial Academy, her gym clothes drenched in sweat and her hair a mess.


Her eyes were wide, manic with intensity. "You promised! You said you'd teach me the method to improve fast!"


Lucas leaned against the doorframe, studying her. "What are your Origin Points at right now?"


"Thirty-two!" she crowed triumphantly.


She had been training like a demon ever since Lucas had started outpacing her, popping Origin Elixirs daily to catch up.


Lucas's expression turned serious. He stared her down.


"So," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Do you want to become a real Martial Warrior?"


He could ask this with confidence. He had used his system Credits to optimize the Art of Cultivation, and the perfected technique was now burned into his mind, ready to be shared.


And the best part was, this optimized version of The Art of Cultivation wasn't just stronger—it was way easier to practice than the old one.