After all, for the City Guard, Qin Ming could at best afford to equip them with Excellent-grade gear.

  But for the mercenaries, their eyes were fixed on the Rare-grade equipment. Because they operated in smaller, specialized squads, their individual wealth allowed them to aim much higher.

  Equipping an entire mercenary group with Rare-grade gear...

  Kael felt a stir of genuine emotion. They're working so hard for my profits.

  He offered a silent second of prayer for the magical beasts in the forest. They were about to have a very bad time.

  While they were chatting, the City Guards who had entered the Trial Room began to emerge one after another. The Hero-rank Trial was, after all, only the first hurdle—it wasn't exceptionally difficult.

  Of course, Kael’s standard for "difficulty" was a bit different from theirs.

  Since Qin Ming had hand-picked only the elite of the elite for this session, there were no failures. However, the baptism of world energy granted by a mere Heroic Seal didn't provide a massive stat boost; it was more of a solid foundation for their future growth.

  "I offer my deepest thanks to the Manager for today's assistance," Qin Ming bowed slightly after all his men had regrouped.

  "Don't mention it. It’s just a mutually beneficial arrangement," Kael waved a hand dismissively.

  By "mutually beneficial," Kael was referring to saving Cloud Mist City from the Beast Tide so he could complete his System quest. He had no idea how Qin Ming would interpret that statement.

  "It’s getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer. I must return and finalize the defensive formations for the coming tide. Please, stay inside," Qin Ming said, eager to put his newly promoted soldiers to use.

  "Then I won't see you out," Kael nodded.

  Qin Ming was a man of action. He promptly led the City Guard away, ready to give the incoming magical beasts a very nasty surprise.

  As they left, Kael followed and locked the shop doors. He reflexively focused his mind on the Popularity Bar that had appeared after accepting the Upgrade Quest.

  "Wait, it jumped?"

  Kael noticed that the bar, which had barely been a sliver before, had suddenly grown by a visible chunk.

  "Could it be the City Guards from today?" he mused. Technically, they counted as customers.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  System, how exactly is Popularity calculated? Kael decided to ask the source directly.

  [System: Popularity increases based on the number of people who have a certain understanding of the Host's shop, the items sold, or the services provided, and who also know the shop's physical location.]

  Kael understood now. Those City Guards had likely heard of the shop but didn't know exactly where it was until today.

  He rubbed his temples. "The shop's location is a real handicap, isn't it?"

  Tucked away in a remote, desolate alley, no one would find this place without a guide. However, he couldn't change the location now—God knows if the System would even allow it. This "Total Shop Renovation" was a hard-earned quest reward.

  "Whatever. Good wine needs no bush; I’ll just take it slow." Kael stopped worrying. There was no time limit on the Upgrade Quest, so he’d hit the quota eventually.

  As he was thinking, Shier approached him cautiously. "Manager... can I go to the Training Room to play for a bit?"

  "Hmm?" Kael looked up in surprise.

  "Is that... not allowed?" Shier lowered her head immediately.

  "You can. As long as it’s not during working hours, you can spend as much time there as you want." Kael had intended to discuss her monthly salary, but seeing her excitement, he decided to save it for later.

  Shier looked up, beaming. "Thank you, Manager!"

  "Just remember to be at the counter tomorrow morning," Kael added.

  "Yes!" Shier chirped before scurrying through the door to the neighboring room.

  System, add Shier to the Employee List, Kael commanded. Only by being on the list would the shop's defensive protocols cover her.

  [System: Employee List updated.]

  Kael glanced at the door leading to the Arena and smacked his lips. System, does staff usage of the Arena cost Spirit Crystals?

  [System: No.]

  Kael let out a breath of relief. Good.

  It seemed employees enjoyed similar perks to the Manager. Not that it mattered much to Kael—if the defense system was ever triggered, it was his power that would be temporarily boosted to deal with the threat. Shier would simply be protected. And all authority in the shop still rested with the Manager... or maybe the System. Either way, it worked.

  "Time to restock." Kael whistled, topped up his balance, and began pulling from the Alchemy Gacha.

  He had already unlocked most of the common pills, but he was curious to see what the expanded pool had to offer.

  New Additions:

  Minor Ward Pill (Common): Forms a protective shield around the user that provides a small boost to Physical Defense. Lasts 2 hours or until destroyed.

  Minor Soul-Spirit Pill (Common): Briefly boosts Mental Power and releases a single "Spirit Shock" pulse.

  Ward Pill (Excellent): Forms a shield that boosts both Physical Defense and Magic Resistance. Lasts 4 hours or until destroyed.

  Soul-Spirit Pill (Excellent): Mid-tier boost to Mental Power. Releases a Spirit Shock pulse and allows the user to trigger a second pulse within a short duration.

  Ironclad Pill (Rare): Permanently increases Physical Defense. Limit: One per person per lifetime. Class Restriction: All Knight classes.

  Flame-Soul Pill (Rare): Permanently increases Fire Magic condensation speed and power. Limit: One per person per lifetime. Class Restriction: Fire Mages.

  Mana-Spirit Pill (Rare): Permanently provides a minor boost to the speed and power of all magic schools. Limit: One per person per lifetime. Class Restriction: All Mage classes.

  Dragon-Ascension Pill (Rare): Permanently provides a minor boost to all attributes. No class restrictions. Limit: One per person per lifetime. Low chance to activate the user's hidden bloodline. (Note: Ineffective if no hidden bloodline exists.)

  There were eight new types of pills in total, and each one managed to give Kael a pleasant surprise.

  The final one, the Dragon-Ascension Pill, was a priceless treasure. Its name implied a transformation as radical as a carp jumping over the Dragon Gate.