The night had grown quieter.
Outside the convenience store, the rain had completely stopped. The clouds slowly drifted apart, revealing a pale moon hanging over the city. Streetlights reflected across the wet asphalt like golden rivers.
Inside the shop, Lucian leaned lazily against the counter.
Elena sat on top of one of the nearby shelves, casually swinging one leg while scrolling through Lucian's phone.
"Why do humans have so many useless apps?" she asked.
Lucian shrugged.
"Entertainment."
Elena looked up at him.
"This one lets you watch people fall off bicycles."
Lucian grinned.
"Exactly."
Elena shook her head and tossed the phone back onto the counter.
"You humans are strange."
Lucian leaned back and stretched his arms.
"Says the vampire."
Elena smirked.
"Fair."
For a few minutes, the store returned to normal.
The refrigerator hummed quietly.
A distant car passed down the street.
Lucian tapped his fingers on the counter.
"Still no fourth customer."
Elena crossed her arms.
"You sound disappointed."
Lucian shrugged.
"I want to unlock the next merchant rank."
Elena tilted her head.
"What happens then?"
Lucian pulled up the system screen again.
The glowing interface appeared in front of him.
Merchant Rank: Initiate Merchant
Narrative Value: 37
Customers Served: 3
Lucian sighed.
"Not enough points yet."
Elena slid off the shelf and walked toward the door.
"Well maybe your next customer is late."
Lucian chuckled.
"Customers from other dimensions probably don't worry about business hours."
Elena looked out through the glass door.
The street looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Lucian."
"Yeah?"
"Something's coming."
Lucian immediately felt it too.
The ground beneath his feet vibrated slightly.
His Earthsense stirred.
But this feeling was different from before.
He frowned.
"This one's… strange."
Elena slowly stepped away from the door.
"Strange how?"
Lucian focused.
The sensation was chaotic.
Like multiple energies colliding together.
Then—
The system alarm suddenly flashed.
WARNING
Dimensional Fluctuation Detected
Incoming Traveler: Unstable
Lucian blinked.
"That doesn't sound good."
Before Elena could reply—
A violent ripple tore through the air in the center of the store.
Shelves rattled.
Snack bags fell to the floor.
The space above the candy aisle twisted violently.
A portal began forming.
But unlike the previous ones, this portal looked unstable.
Lightning-like cracks spread across its surface.
Elena's red eyes sharpened.
"That's definitely not normal."
The portal exploded open.
A figure came crashing through.
BOOM!
The impact shattered several floor tiles.
Lucian jumped.
"Okay!"
Dust filled the air.
For a moment nothing moved.
Then the figure slowly stood up.
Lucian blinked in surprise.
The person looked young.
Maybe around Lucian's age.
He had messy white hair and wore strange armor that looked like a mix between medieval metal and futuristic technology.
A massive sword rested across his back.
The stranger looked around wildly.
His blue eyes widened.
"Where the hell am I?!"
Lucian raised his hand casually.
"Welcome to my store."
The stranger froze.
"…Your what?"
"Convenience store."
The man stared at the bright shelves of snacks.
The glowing refrigerators.
The soda machines.
His brain clearly struggled to process what he was seeing.
Elena leaned against the counter.
"Trust me," she said. "We're just as confused as you are."
The stranger pointed at Lucian.
"You opened that portal!"
Lucian shook his head.
"Nope."
The stranger pointed at the ceiling.
"Then how did I get here?!"
Lucian shrugged.
"Multiverse stuff."
The man stared at him.
"…That explains absolutely nothing."
Lucian smiled.
"Yeah."
Elena walked closer and studied the stranger carefully.
"You're not from Earth."
The man frowned.
"What gave it away?"
Elena tapped the strange armor he was wearing.
"That."
The man looked down at himself.
"Oh."
Lucian opened the system interface again.
The screen scanned the newcomer.
New Entity Detected
Name: Kael
World Origin: Terra-9
Class: Dimensional Warrior
Threat Level: Moderate
Lucian nodded slowly.
"Kael, huh?"
The stranger blinked.
"How do you know my name?"
Lucian pointed at the floating screen.
"System."
Kael stared at it.
"What kind of magic is that?"
Lucian shrugged.
"Merchant magic."
Kael looked completely overwhelmed.
"I was fighting a dragon five minutes ago."
Elena raised an eyebrow.
"A dragon?"
Kael nodded.
"Yeah."
Lucian crossed his arms.
"That sounds expensive."
Kael blinked.
"…What?"
Lucian smiled.
"Well, since you're here…"
He gestured toward the shelves.
"Want to buy something?"
Elena burst out laughing.
Kael stared at Lucian like he had completely lost his mind.
"I just got thrown through a dimensional portal and you're trying to sell me snacks?"
Lucian shrugged.
"Or equipment."
Kael frowned.
"What kind of equipment?"
Lucian opened the system inventory.
Several glowing items appeared on the screen.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…Those are enchanted."
Lucian grinned.
"Now we're talking."
He reached under the counter and placed a small object on the surface.
A metal bracelet covered in glowing runes.
Item: Titan Guard Bracelet
Effect: Temporarily multiplies physical strength
Kael leaned closer.
"That's powerful."
Lucian nodded.
"Perfect for dragon fights."
Kael looked tempted.
"How much?"
Lucian glanced at the system.
"Trade something interesting."
Kael thought for a moment.
Then he reached into a pouch on his belt.
He pulled out a glowing scale.
The scale shimmered with red heat.
Elena's eyes widened.
"That's a dragon scale."
Lucian's system flashed immediately.
Rare Material Detected
Item: Ancient Fire Dragon Scale
Trade Value: Very High
Lucian smiled.
"I'll take it."
Kael placed the scale on the counter.
Lucian handed him the bracelet.
The system chimed.
Trade Completed
Narrative Value Earned: +160
Lucian nearly fell over.
"ONE HUNDRED SIXTY?!"
Elena laughed.
"You're getting rich."
The system flashed again.
Narrative Value Total: 197
Lucian grinned widely.
"Almost enough for another upgrade."
Kael slipped the bracelet onto his wrist.
Energy pulsed through the runes.
He clenched his fist.
"…This is incredible."
Lucian nodded proudly.
"Quality merchandise."
Kael looked around the store again.
"You run a strange shop."
Lucian smiled.
"Best shop in the multiverse."
Kael laughed.
Then suddenly—
The portal behind him began reopening.
The unstable energy crackled again.
Kael sighed.
"Looks like my ride back."
Lucian waved.
"Come again."
Kael nodded.
"I might."
Then he stepped into the portal.
It closed instantly.
Silence returned to the store.
Lucian stared at the system screen.
Elena leaned over his shoulder.
Narrative Value: 197
Lucian grinned.
"Three more points."
Elena smirked.
"For what?"
Lucian looked toward the door.
"The next big upgrade."
And somewhere far away…
Another traveler had already noticed the store.