Morning came quietly. For the first time in days, there was no chaos waiting outside, no imminent danger pressing in from all directions. Light filtered through the small window, casting a soft glow across the simple room.
Roma was already awake. He sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes slightly narrowed, focusing inward.
The system. The new skill. Doctor.
He raised his hand slowly and focused. Something subtle moved within him—chakra, but different from before. Softer, more controlled, not meant to destroy but to understand. He looked at his own arm, and for a moment information surfaced, not as words but as instinct.
Minor muscle strain. Fatigue. Slight internal chakra instability.
Roma blinked. "…What?"
He pressed lightly on his forearm. The sensation deepened. He could feel it—not just touch, but understand.
"…Diagnosis."
He shifted his focus again and guided a small stream of chakra into the strained area, carefully, slowly. The pain eased—not gone, but reduced.
"…Stabilization."
His eyes widened slightly, then a grin slowly formed.
"…Healing."
He exhaled, leaning back a little. "…I have a healing skill."
For a brief moment, he felt something unfamiliar—relief.
Then an idea hit him.
Roma turned his head sharply. "Arun. Riz. Wake up."
Arun groaned. "…Why."
Riz opened his eyes slowly, still tired, still quiet.
Roma stood up. "I'm going to teach you something."
Both of them looked at him, suspicious.
Roma crossed his arms. "This is a hereditary skill."
Silence.
"…From my family."
Arun blinked. "…You never mentioned your family."
Roma didn't hesitate. "Because it's secret."
Riz frowned slightly. "…What kind of skill?"
Roma straightened slightly. "Medical."
A pause.
"Only talented individuals can learn it."
Another pause.
Roma pointed at them. "I'll teach both of you."
Arun immediately sat up. "I'm talented."
Riz said nothing, but he didn't refuse.
Roma nodded seriously. "Good."
He began explaining simple concepts—what he himself barely understood but now somehow knew. "Focus on the body. Feel the flow. Identify imbalance."
Arun closed his eyes tightly. "…I feel nothing."
"Try harder."
"I am trying harder!"
Riz stayed quiet, observing. Then slowly, he closed his eyes.
Moments passed.
Roma watched carefully.
Then Riz's fingers twitched.
"…I feel something," Riz said quietly.
Roma's eyes sharpened. "Good. That's it."
Arun opened one eye. "…I still feel nothing."
Roma frowned. "…Strange."
He tried again, explained again, demonstrated again.
Nothing.
Arun leaned back. "…Maybe I'm not talented."
Roma looked at him, then at Riz, then back at Arun.
"…Or maybe," Roma said slowly, "you're talented in something else."
Arun blinked. "…Like what?"
Roma pointed at him. "Food."
"…Food?"
"Yes."
Roma narrowed his eyes slightly. "Try to imagine creating food."
Arun looked confused. "…From where?"
Roma didn't hesitate. "From energy."
"…What energy?"
Roma paused for a second, then with full confidence said, "E = mc²."
Silence.
Arun stared at him. "…What?"
Roma nodded seriously. "Energy equals mass. Mass equals energy."
"…That explains nothing."
"Exactly. That's why it works."
Arun looked even more confused, but he still tried. He focused.
A strange fluctuation appeared.
Then a small piece of food formed in his hand.
Arun froze. "…What."
He looked at it, touched it, smelled it.
"…WHAT?"
Roma nodded calmly. "See."
Arun stared at him. "…You just made that up."
Roma didn't respond.
Riz, meanwhile, opened his eyes slowly.
"…I understand it now," he said quietly.
Roma turned to him.
Riz raised his hand slightly. A faint stream of chakra gathered, careful, controlled.
"…I can feel injuries," Riz said. "And… adjust them."
Roma smiled slightly. "Good."
Riz frowned. "…But I've never studied medicine."
Roma didn't even pause. "It comes preinstalled."
Silence.
Riz looked at him. "…Preinstalled?"
Roma nodded. "Yes."
Arun looked between them. "…I feel like I'm being lied to."
Roma ignored him.
Inside, the system reacted.
[System Notification]
Riz — Loyalty Increased: +5
Current Loyalty: 10/100
[Arun — Loyalty Increased: +7]
Current Loyalty: 19/100
Roma exhaled slowly. Good.
Both had grown. The group was stabilizing.
Arun looked at his hand again. "…I can make food."
Riz looked at his own. "…I can heal."
Then both looked at Roma.
"…What can you do?" Arun asked.
Roma paused, then said calmly, "…I can survive."
Silence.
"…Fair," Arun nodded.
The room quieted.
After a moment, Arun spoke again. "…So what now?"
iz also looked at Roma.
Roma leaned back slightly, thinking. Money. Survival. Low risk. High return.
For the first time, his mind wasn't panicking.
It was planning.
"I know exactly what we should do."
Both of them looked at him.
Roma smiled slightly.
And for once, it wasn't nervous.
The next two days, Roma didn't rest—not properly.
While Arun handled food and Riz recovered steadily, Roma moved through the city like a man on a mission. Streets, alleys, marketplaces—he observed everything, not like a customer, but like a survivor planning his next move.
He asked questions, listened more than he spoke, watched which shops had crowds and which didn't, which goods sold fast and which gathered dust, which streets had constant foot traffic and which ones were dead.
By the end of the second day, he had his answer.
"…The pill market is collapsing?" Roma asked.
The merchant he was speaking to nodded bitterly. "Two big alchemy stores started a price war. Undercutting each other. Small shops can't compete."
Roma's eyes sharpened. "…So what happens to the small shops?"
"They die."
A pause.
"Or they sell."
Roma smiled slightly.
That same afternoon, he found it.
A large store. Good location. Wide frontage. Previously a medicinal pill shop.
Now empty.
The owner, a tired middle-aged man, stood at the entrance. "…You want to buy?" he asked skeptically.
Roma looked around. Shelves still intact, storage space good, layout wide enough for flexibility.
Perfect.
"…At a reasonable price," Roma said calmly.
The man laughed bitterly. "…If I had a choice, I wouldn't sell."
Roma nodded. "I know."
Negotiation didn't take long. The man needed to sell, Roma needed to buy.
The deal was made.
By evening, the store was theirs.
Arun stood in the middle of the empty space. "…We own this?"
Roma nodded. "Yes."
Riz leaned against the wall, still recovering but watching quietly. "…Now what?"
Roma looked around, then clapped once. "Now we build."
The next day, work began.
They cleaned everything first—dust, debris, broken shelves, all gone.
Then renovation.
Roma directed everything. "Split the space here. This side—fruits. That side—medical."
The large hall was divided into two sections.
On the left, the spiritual fruits section. Shelves redesigned, display areas added, clean, attractive, simple.
On the right, the doctor section. A consultation desk, a treatment area, basic equipment.
Riz stood there quietly as it was built. "…I'll handle this," he said softly.
Roma nodded. "Good."
Outside, Arun was painting a large wooden board.
The name—
Food and Health Store.
Below it—
The only store where you get both nutrition and healing in one place.
Arun tilted his head. "…Isn't that too long?"
Roma shook his head. "No."
"…Why?"
Roma crossed his arms. "Because it sounds important."
"…That makes sense."
Then another line was added.
50% OFF — FIRST MONTH.
Arun's eyes widened. "…That's a lot."
Roma nodded. "Yes."
"…Won't we lose money?"
Roma looked at him. "…We don't have customers yet."
Silence.
"…Fair."
Inside, final touches were being completed.
Then upstairs.
The first floor had been converted into living space—four bedrooms, one kitchen, two bathrooms, one drawing-cum-dining room.
Simple, clean, functional.
At the back, an open courtyard.
Arun stood there, stretching. "…Training ground?"
Roma nodded. "Yes."
Riz glanced at it. "…We'll need it."
Everything came together.
By the end of the day, the store stood ready.
Clean, organized, alive.
Roma stood outside, looking at the sign.
For the first time, he wasn't running.
He was building.
Arun stood beside him. "…Do you think this will work?"
Roma didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Riz stood quietly behind them.
The wind moved slightly, the banner fluttering.
A new beginning.
Not through power, not through fighting, but through something else.
Strategy.
Roma turned. "…Tomorrow we open."
Arun grinned. "Finally."
Riz said nothing, but his eyes were steady.
The Food and Health Store was ready.
To be continued… 🔥