Lu Mingfei pressed Yes and froze.
He vaguely heard a soft hum, followed by faint laughter that was almost imperceptible.
It felt as though someone, far away and amused, had casually labeled him a loser.
Lu Mingfei nearly protested out loud. If he could not be called handsome, at least call him an idiot, not a loser.
Before he could finish complaining in his head, something was pulled out of him.
For a split second, an overwhelming sadness surged through his chest.
He instinctively clutched at his heart as grief flooded his senses, only to vanish just as quickly, leaving behind a hollow echo.
Cold wind mixed with rain swept into the shelter.
Lu Mingfei shuddered and immediately pushed the strange feeling aside.
He had always been good at not thinking too deeply.
Right now, what mattered was whether this screen was real, not whether his emotions were being messed with.
He stared at the interface, half hoping it was magic and half afraid it was proof he had finally lost his mind.
Could hallucinations even look this realistic?
The dialogue box abruptly changed.
The Yes and No options dissolved into streams of distorted symbols before vanishing entirely.
The screen expanded, unfolding into a complex interface, like a fully loaded website.
The background was dark gold.
In the upper left corner was Lu Mingfei's headshot, tagged with the ID 000002.
Below it was a status line.
Strength Assessment: Normal Human.
Under that was his balance.
Lu Mingfei leaned closer, counting silently.
"Tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands… three hundred thousand?"
His mouth fell open.
"Is this thing insane? It just hands out that much money at the start? How worthless are these points supposed to be?"
A new pop up appeared.
Do you need a beginner's guide?
Lu Mingfei tapped Yes without thinking.
This system is a Universal Trading System. The host may sell anything he owns to the system in exchange for points, which can be used to redeem items and abilities.
Lu Mingfei blinked.
"But I don't have anything. No money, no assets. What am I supposed to sell?"
A chill ran down his spine.
This was starting to sound suspiciously like a scam.
He had heard horror stories about pyramid schemes, places where people were worked half to death and forced to swear loyalty just to survive.
The system responded instantly.
If the host has no tradable assets, tasks may be accepted. Labor may be exchanged for points.
Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up.
"Oh! So I just do quests."
That sounded manageable.
It felt like a single player game with an absurdly realistic interface.
The system continued its explanation.
At the center of the interface was the item store, filled with abilities, tools, and resources. Purchase required only a click and sufficient points.
On the right side was the task board, which needed manual activation.
Lu Mingfei stopped paying attention almost immediately.
Because the moment he unlocked the store, his eyes nearly gave out.
Lumos.
Alohomora.
Wingardium Leviosa.
His jaw dropped.
"That's Hogwarts magic."
Then he kept scrolling.
Divine Tree Fruit. Zanpakuto. Devil Fruits.
He stared at the screen in disbelief.
If these were real, then whoever created this system was beyond terrifying.
He was about to speak when his finger slipped.
The interface for Expelliarmus opened.
Below the description and sample images, the price was clearly listed.
10 points.
"Ten points seems kind of pricey… wait."
Lu Mingfei's expression stiffened.
He glanced back at his balance.
300,000 points.
"Th-th-th-three hundred thousand…"
His mind went completely blank.
He clicked Buy.
Then Confirm.
Instantly, knowledge flooded his thoughts. The casting method, the intent, the execution, all of it settled naturally into his mind.
"I… I…"
Lu Mingfei stood there, drenched, trembling, unable to form a sentence.
A new prompt appeared.
Detected that the host has acquired magic but lacks magical capacity and a casting focus. Would you like to purchase the required enhancements?
"Buy everything."
He did not hesitate.
The interface shifted again.
Wizard genetic templates appeared, ranked from inferior to superior.
Below them were wand options.
Rotten Wood Wand.
Ornate Wand.
Elder Wand.
Cyber Wand.
Lu Mingfei swallowed hard and checked his balance again.
Then he selected the most expensive option.
A 1,000 point composite wizard gene package.
He followed it up with a 1,000 point Uru Metal Thunder Wand.
The moment he confirmed the purchase, warmth surged through his body.
Something solid appeared in his hand.
A heavy, metallic wand.
When the warmth faded, the wand remained.
"Is that it?" Lu Mingfei murmured.
The wand was entirely metal, far heavier than anything described in fantasy novels, yet it felt perfectly real.
The texture was flawless.
Holding it felt like gripping an extension of his own heartbeat.
On instinct, he raised it.
"Expelliarmus."
Thunder exploded outward.
A bolt of lightning tore into the concrete road, blasting out a crater more than three meters wide.
"What kind of Expelliarmus is this!?"
Lu Mingfei's hand shook violently, and he nearly dropped the wand.
If he were in Kassel College, he would have sworn this thing came straight out of the Equipment Department.
He stared at the crater in horror.
Windows around him flew open.
Panic shot through his spine.
He had messed up.
A calm prompt appeared.
It is recommended that the host purchase Reparo.
"Yes, yes, buy it!"
Lu Mingfei had never spent money so recklessly in his life.
He used to hesitate over drinks that cost a few Dollars.
Now he felt like a billionaire burning cash without a second thought.
He bought Reparo instantly.
"Reparo."
The rubble reversed itself.
Concrete reassembled, cracks vanished, and the road returned to its original state, smoother than before.
Before Lu Mingfei could relax, more startled voices echoed from nearby buildings.
His heart jumped.
"System, buy Obliviate. Right now."
Half a minute later, Lu Mingfei finally exhaled beneath the shelter.
Then his excitement came roaring back.
It was real.
He had really found a system on the street.
And that system, apparently built by Malrick, had handed him three hundred thousand points without hesitation.
He scrolled through the store again, his sense of reality slowly dissolving.
Divine Tree Fruit, 100,000 points.
Otsutsuki Main Family Bloodline, 80,000 points.
Mangekyō Sharingan, 5,000 points.
Zanpakuto Ryūjin Jakka, 80,000 points.
Devil Fruit, Rumble Rumble Fruit, 5,000 points.
"I could just… try buying a Divine Tree Fruit, Wood Release, Flying Thunder God, Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Ten Tails, just to see?"
Confirm Purchase.
The system did not hesitate.
"Hey, wait, I was joking!"
All rights of interpretation belong to this system.
_____
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