Chapter Two: The First Guest

After rummaging through the store for a while, Chen Xuan found a bright red notebook in the middle drawer of the bar counter. Boldly inscribed on the cover were the words "Store Manager's Code."

This cover... it was almost as if it were deliberately written for him to see.

He eagerly flipped it open, only to find three sentences on the first page.

“Warmly welcome every customer.”

“Carefully attend to every ability.”

“Let the world descend into madness, yeah yeah yeah ha ha ha!”

At first glance, Chen Xuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. After triple-checking, he confirmed he wasn’t mistaken.

What nonsense was this? Was the person writing these rules high on Yunnan mushrooms?

Frowning, he skipped to the next page.

From here on, the content became more reasonable.

[Store Manager’s Guidelines]

“Customers are the most valuable asset; every request and every thought of theirs must be carefully considered. Not all customers know what they want, but you must understand this better than they do.”

“Engage in detailed discussions with customers.”

“If customers are unwilling to talk in detail, then create opportunities to do so.”

“Enthusiasm and sincerity will always be your trump cards.”

Chen Xuan realized this section was an elaboration on the code, clearly explaining the first rule.

He flipped further:

“Abilities are the main service provided by this store.”

“They are the means of creating value. When placed in the right position, they yield greater returns.”

“Assess abilities, collect abilities, trade abilities—these are the key factors determining your performance.”

“Always monitor inventory to avoid deficits or surpluses.”

“More details can be found on the computer.”

Uh... this part seemed a bit strange.

Scratching his head, Chen Xuan initially thought the second rule meant the manager should utilize each employee’s abilities to the fullest, but the explanation clearly deviated from his understanding.

Trading abilities... could it really mean what it said?

Regardless, he now grasped the store’s true purpose—it might have coffee machines and shelves, but it was far from a specialty coffee shop or a small supermarket.

With this question lingering, Chen Xuan turned to the fourth page.

It wasn’t filled with mad scribbles as he expected, but surprisingly serious.

“The store manager’s salary consists of a fixed wage plus performance bonuses, and the manager bears all operating expenses.”

“Under no circumstances is the store allowed to close. The manager must arrive before 8:30 PM, with a minimum of eight working hours and no upper limit. If an injury or disability prevents operation due to business incidents, the manager assumes full responsibility.”

Chen Xuan twitched at the corner of his mouth. This was a ruthless exploitative setup, wasn’t it?

Look at that last line—who in their right mind writes something like that?

And why would anyone get injured or disabled just from running a normal store? Was this reasonable?

Then the mention of arriving by 8:30 PM reminded him of the past few days’ experience—could it be that being forcibly dragged into the store after sleeping was simply because he hadn’t clocked in on time?

Further pages contained a series of illustrated examples of trading procedures, as if the manual wasn’t a joke but genuinely reflected reality.

Half skeptical, Chen Xuan followed the diagrams to open the desktop computer and found a program named “Ability Butler.”

Opening it, the software was divided into three main sections: store management on the left, transaction records in the middle, and inventory on the right.

He had to admit, the software was surprisingly user-friendly, featuring a graphical interface. His previous fast-food job had only database systems, which were cumbersome.

Clicking on the inventory, there was only one item listed.

Ability inventory count: [0], Available ability providers: [1]. After the number 1 was a name: Chen Xuan.

Am I the product myself!?

Chen Xuan nearly laughed out loud.

Having lived twenty-six years, he never knew he was a superpowered individual.

Though speechless, he clicked on the item to see what was really going on.

A draggable dialog box popped up:

“Especially Hungry” LV1.
—“Better appetite than average people.”

“Especially Sleepy” LV1.
—“Sleeps more soundly than average people.”

“Free Will” LV2.
—“The degree of understanding of the universe’s mysteries in life; the broader the knowledge, the freer the will. Note: forbidden knowledge is excluded—it only shortens your lifespan.”

“Worldly Knowledge” LV2.
—“Local history and insights. You might think you can learn lessons from it, but you actually can’t. Its greatest use is enriching your story repertoire.”

The first two abilities were grayed out, while the last two were in white.

Chen Xuan immediately sensed the designer’s malice. Gray and white—aren’t these indicators of rarity? Forget legendary gold, gray in any game is basically trash junk, yet here he had two? And judging by the descriptions, these two abilities were indeed useless.

Pure nonsense?

But on reflection, he realized he rarely worried about food or sleep, even during back-to-back overtime. He could fall asleep instantly in the cramped employee break room, and even his supervisors had praised him as naturally suited for overtime.

He had thought this resilience stemmed from a harsh childhood, but it turned out to be considered actual abilities.

Fortunately, at the bottom of the page was a colored ability.

Yes... its border shimmered with iridescent light, its rarity obviously top-tier by all accounts!

Chen Xuan eagerly moved the cursor over it.

“??th Store Manager” LV1.
—“Most of the time, this is the only legendary ability you can obtain. Thank fate: even an unknown nobody can become famous with it, provided you live long enough.”

“Cannot be traded or transferred. Current store manager status: alive.”

Thanks, but no thanks!

He slammed the mouse on the table.

So the store manager was just a disposable commodity?

*Ding dong dong*—

At that moment, the wind chimes rang.

Someone pushed aside the door curtain at the entrance.

“Welcome!” Chen Xuan immediately switched to customer service mode, wearing a sincere smile.

It was a habit he cultivated from his part-time jobs.

A fresh scent of osmanthus floated in on the breeze.

The customer was a young woman dressed in white, her gown nearly trailing to her ankles. She moved almost silently, as if gliding over the floor.

The moment he saw her, a single word sprang unbidden to Chen Xuan’s mind.

Fairy.

Not just her ethereal attire, but the woman herself seemed otherworldly. He found no words—she looked even more celestial than the immortal characters commonly seen in TV dramas. Her features were perfectly natural, her waist-length black hair silky smooth. Apart from a wooden hairpin in her bun, she wore no adornments, perfectly embodying the idea that clothes rely on the person wearing them.

Though dressed in ancient style, she walked with confidence and grace, taking a few long strides to the bar counter. Her clear eyes fixed on Chen Xuan, as if scrutinizing something. For some reason, he felt an icy chill in her gaze, giving her a hint of earthly coldness.

But a guest was a guest.

“What would you like to buy?” he asked, straightening the mouse he’d just dropped.

“What kind of store is this? Why open it in the middle of nowhere?” Her voice was crisp, tinged with an accusatory tone.

Is this person sane?

Just moments ago, he was admiring her appearance, but this comment wiped the smile from his face. He even glanced outside: “What nowhere? This is the Tianlu Residential Area—”

He suddenly froze mid-sentence.

When did it get so dark outside?

Even if there were no streetlights, the distant residential building lights should still be visible!

“Wait for me,” Chen Xuan said quickly, stepping outside.

The scenery had changed completely. The once densely packed buildings had vanished without a trace, replaced by a continuous mountain ridge faintly visible under the moonlight. Beneath his feet was not concrete but soft grass. Unknown insects chirped in the woods, only deepening the sense of vast solitude.

“What district did you say just now?” the young woman asked softly from behind.

Chen Xuan turned sharply, his gaze hardening. Only now did he notice a long sword hanging on her back, its blade dark red—red that dripped from its tip, leaving small drops on the ground at her feet.

He realized the red was blood.

And it was fresh, still warm!