... This is different.
Welcome to your [Shop]!
As of right now, you only have the bare basics of inventory...
Level Up by selling items!
Exp is replaced with number of item(s) sold.
For example, 100 [Lesser HP Potions] will net you 100 exp, and 20 [Lesser MP Potions] will net you 20 exp.
However, any [Uncommon] or higher items, have a [Multiplier].
To summarize:
Sell items, gain exp.
... Well, at least my job got easier...
I think...
As a brief introduction... my name doesn't matter. I'm a minor, looking for a job. In an ad, there was an opening for a 'shop manager', and it had no requirements that were needed beforehand.
So, I registered for the job, got it, and went to the address... before a glowing blue semi-transparent screen appeared before me, and promptly made me question something:
What kind of shop is this?
Heading cautiously inside, I saw that the entire interior was... pretty much abandoned.
Shelves were empty, and racks for tools were left abandoned. Cobwebs, dust bunnies, cracked tiles, even splintered wool and 'horror' flickering lights... The entire place seemed like a weird abandoned ghost store.
No sign of anyone present.
Heading to the counter, the desk bell was still clean and shiny.
Looking around carefully, I rang the bell once, and got shocked at the new screen appearing.
Welcome to your new job!
You are now the [Shop Gamer]!
What is a [Shop Gamer], you're wondering?
Well, it can be summarized with this idea:
The [Protagonist] in all video games are the ones that save the day, fight the monsters, and adventure for the sake of... whatever they're adventuring for.
But unless they are on 'hardcore' or 'extreme'... how do they get the job done? Not on loot alone, that's for sure!
The answer? They buy [REDACTED] from the shop keeps! They buy items that restore HP, PP, MP, and stuff that help in the midst of battle!
Status effect? Use a 'status heal' item they bought at a shop!
Boss Fight coming up but the nearest town is 5 miles away? Hello, cheeky vendor!
Need better armor? Buy armor at the shop!
Need a better stand-in weapon? Buy it!
Yes, the [Shops] are the 'heroes' of the 'Players', and help them in their (future) possible time of need!
So, in short... I became a [Gamer]? That that one trope that was nearly skinned as many ways as the proverbial cat by anime, comics, and weird fan-fictions?
Yep!
... That might take getting used to, especially the fact that I was merely thinking of that question.
Well, I'm already in this deep... And considering I'm now the 'side' character...
Question to System: What are my perks and skills?
[Owner Perks]
Protection of the Store: Instead of the [Gamer's Mind] and [Gamer's Body], you merely become invulnerable whenever you're in this [Shop], making you impervious from attacks, status conditions, weather conditions, and all buffs. This extends to mental manipulation from an outside party.
Multilingual: What it says on the tin, in a sense. You can understand what your customers say, and vice versa, regardless of the language barrier. You speak English, they hear Orc-ish... albeit with improper mouth syncing, just so long as you're in this [Shop].
[Shop Perks]
Parasitic Insert: Due to [REDACTED], the exterior of this [Shop] automatically blends in with its surrounding environment, making it so it doesn't stand out that much to other people.
Null and Void: Any person that enters this [Shop] gets a VERY SEVERE debuff that makes them harmless to all current and future occupants of the [Shop].
Without a Scratch: No physical harm will come to the exterior or interior of the building. Can only be displaced or moved.
Infinetory: Infinite inventory for certain items in the store.
Karma Penalty: If a fool steals from you, even though it counts as 'selling' the item(s), their [Karma] will lower depending on what they stole, and how much they took from you.
[Skills]
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Find the [Janitor's Closet].
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Get a [Repair Kit] (0/1)
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Complete [REDACTED] quest.
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Arrive at [REDACTED], and meet [REDACTED] and [REDACTED].
Hm... it looks like I 'earn' my [Skills] in a different way... First, let's break down the [Perks].
[Protection of the Store] is actually a good thing, and makes sense. You can't exactly know what the vendor is selling if they're dead, and from the looks of things... the last bit involving mental protection means that any [Charisma] is quickly shot down, meaning bartering is a no-go.
[Multilingual] is very important. On the off-chance of meeting and interacting with a foreign speaker, at least from my perspective, I'll be able to easily communicate with them and hopefully make any purchases go by much smoother. With the concept of the Multiverse, I'm still waiting to meet aliens, if there are any.
[Parasitic Insert]... One one hand, it makes sense since something 'modern' stands out in 'ancient' times, and vice versa. On the other hand... it makes me worry about what's going to happen.
[Null and Void] is only making my immunity of the occupants much higher.
[Without a Scratch] provides me with a much better protection from outside forces.
[Infinetory] is going to be a key player in 'leveling up' this store.
[Karma Penalty]... I'll get back to it. Sure, there are 'heroes' that buy stuff, but the same goes for 'villains'.
[Karma Penalty] removed from [Shop Perks].
... It's that easy? Huh...
Question to System: Upgrades available?
[Upgrades]
Self-cleaning: Everything cleans up after itself, reorganizing and rearranging to how things were before.
Requirement: [REDACTED] skill unlocked, and at Level 10.
Cost: 5 Shop Points
Expansion Pack: Allows you to expand the [Shop] to include more variety.
Cost: 50 Shop Points
Advertisement: For 30 days, [Shop] is advertised to the public area roughly around shop.
Cost: 3 Shop Points (Repeatable)
Living Quarters: Add an additional area that contains your newest living space.
Cost: 1 Shop Point
Current Shop Points: 0
...
Question to System: What are 'Shop Points'?
[Shop Points]
By completing certain quests, you gain [Shop Points].
You also gain a [Shop Point] for every 25 items sold.
[Shop Points] are in place of [Stat Points], allowing you to upgrade certain things about your shop.
With [Expansion Pack], you're able to purchase extra space for different types of items, or use them for a specific mechanic.
Sounds simple enough.
Quests?
[Active Quests]
None.
...
This may take a while to figure out.
Command: Pull up window for [Skills].
[Skills]
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Find the [Janitor's Closet].
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Get a [Repair Kit] (0/1)
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Complete [REDACTED] quest.
{LOCKED} - Requirements not fulfilled. Requirement: Arrive at [REDACTED], and meet [REDACTED] and [REDACTED].
The first one was right there... Seems easy enough to unlock.
Taking out my phone and using the torch function, I looked around, carefully walking around the holes and gaps before coming across a wooden door... that barely seemed stable.
You found the [Janitor's Closet]!
Skill [Cleanse] unlocked!
Cleanse (Level 1): All dirt, grime, and fragments within a certain radius around you is cleaned.
Area of Effect: 1.5 meters.
Cool-down: 10 Minutes.
Uses until next level: 0/15
Quest unlocked!
Everybody, Everywhere! (ACTIVE)
A clean shop is a presentable shop. Using [Cleanse], clean all of the floor of your [Shop] and have it become spotless.
Reward:10 Shop Points, [REDACTED] world unlocked, [REDACTED] skill unlocked, [Repair Kit].
After organizing my thoughts, I did some math.
The skill [Cleanse] has a 10 minute cool-down, as if it took that much time to physically 'clean' that area. The shop is pretty much big, so area will come later.
Assuming that the radius of effect increases with the level, and factoring in the 'level up' for the skill... 15 times 10 equals 150.
150 minutes until its next level up.
150 divided by 60 equals 2 and a half.
That means that it'll take 2 hours and 30 minutes to level up [Cleanse].
...
Cue the montage music.
2 and a half hours later...
DING!
[Cleanse] leveled up!
Cleanse (Level 2): All dirt, grime, and fragments within a certain radius around you is cleaned.
Area of Effect: 2 meters.
Cool-down: 10 Minutes.
Uses until next level: 0/20
Looks like the changes automatically show. But still... that now means that it still takes 10 minutes to clean.
20 times 10 is 200. 200 divided by 60 equals...
Taking out my phone and using the calculator app, I got 3 and a third.
Converting to hours, that's 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Cue montage... again.
3 hours later...
DING!
Quest Complete!
Everybody, Everywhere!
A clean shop is a presentable shop. Using [Cleanse], clean all of the floor of your [Shop] and have it become spotless.
Reward:10 Shop Points, [Resident Evil] world unlocked, [World Travel] skill unlocked, [Repair Kit].
Skill [Repair] unlocked!
Cleanse (Level 2): All dirt, grime, and fragments within a certain radius around you is cleaned.
Area of Effect: 2 meters.
Cool-down: 10 Minutes.
Uses until next level: 18/20
Only two more left... And the last two spots I cleaned were behind the counter... oh well.
To be fair, though, the wind blew some of the dust away.
Now, let's see my new tricks...
World Travel: Travel to a different world, provide help, even aid the story... by selling the stuff in your shop.
Conditions: Only owner and all employees present inside of [Shop].
Cool-down: 100 items sold in the world you pick.
World Options:
Resident Evil (Resident Evil 2)
{LOCKED}
{LOCKED}
{LOCKED}
The next... twenty worlds were locked, nothing much after them. Bummer...
Well, aside from the weird cool-down, might as well see what else is there.
I got a [Repair Kit]... It was a medium-sized leather bag, sitting behind the counter. It had a bunch of handheld tools in it, all non-electronic.
Repair Kit: A tool kit that allows you to repair your shop. Needed in order to use [Repair] skill.
Repair (Level 1): Fix up your shop, and make it more easy on the eyes. Go to an area, and provided that you have the right materials, repair it.
Caution: When using [Repair], time will be taken up when doing action. While using [Repair], you cannot do anything else until action is over.
Cool-down: 5 minutes after you're done.
Usable Materials: Metal, Wood, Concrete, Glass
Uses until next level up: 24 hours.
This is... different.
So far, it seems like the current skills have different ways to level up. Instead of the typical 'grinding', different methods are needed to do so.
For [Repair], it seems like the amount of time while spent in [Repair] counts as the 'exp' to level it up.
Not sure where I'm supposed to get the materials, though...
Shaking it off, and questioning if I'm actually set for [World Travel], I looked back at [Upgrades].
[Upgrades]
Self-cleaning: Everything cleans up after itself, reorganizing and rearranging to how things were before.
Requirement: [Cleanse] Level 10.
Cost: 5 Shop Points
Expansion Pack: Allows you to expand the [Shop] to include more variety.
Cost: 50 Shop Points
Advertisement: For 30 days, [Shop] is advertised to the public area roughly around shop.
Cost: 3 Shop Points (Repeatable)
Living Quarters: Add an additional area that contains your newest living space.
Cost: 1 Shop Point
Current Shop Points: 10
Instantly purchasing [Living Quarters], due to not knowing what will happen when I [World Travel], I scrolled through other upgrades, eventually stumbling upon a good one.
Jack of all Merchandise: Allows the 'front' shop to suit the (general) needs of the customer(s) automatically.
Cost: 7 Shop Points
That... is a steep cost.
Question to System: If I 'trade' with the customer, does it count as the customer 'buying' from me?
Yes
Good to know...
Question to System: How do I obtain new items for the store?
By obtaining new objects and returning to [Shop], you are able to add said object to the list of what you can sell.
Really good to know.
Purchasing [Jack of all Merchandise], I did one final scroll...
Material Fabricator: Located in the [Janitor's Closet], a single [Material Fabricator] allows you to set a materials, make it as many times as you want, and store it within itself.
Cost: 2 Shop Points each
Current Max: 3
Current Amount in [Shop]: 0
So that's how I get it... Well, I have two points left, anyway...
Purchased.
Time to actually see how to work it...
Heading towards the [Janitor's Closet], I looked inside to see a meter-cubed cyan machine. Slowly poking it, a new screen appeared before my very eyes.
[Material Fabricator 1]
Current Material: None.
Available: Wood, Concrete
Storage: 0/999
Upgrade Cost: 20 Metal
Warning: When switching to a different material, all current material stored inside will be destroyed.
That's... not quite what I expected.
Just to check...
Question to System: Do I have the common [Inventory] that most 'adventurous' [Gamers] have?
No.
Huh... That means that this 'game' I'm in has a different set of rules from the cliche. No 'Inventory Slots'.
Walking around the store once more, I didn't see anything to fix. Picking up the [Repair Kit], however, it showed many red highlighted objects. One of which was a nearby wooden shelf, the major one being the floor.
Floor
Repair Cost: 25 Concrete.
Repair Time: 2 hours.
Shelf (1/30)
Repair Cost: 5 Wood
Repair Time: 30 Minutes.
Note: For each shelf you [Repair], more items will be available for the customers.
Hm...
Question to System: Am I able to use my skills while the 'customers' are present inside the store?
No, at least, not while it's open.
That makes more problems in regards to speeding through it... but I'll take it.
[Material Fabricator 1]
Current Material: Wood
Making: 999
Storage: 0/999
Rate: 1 Wood per 2 minutes.
Upgrade Cost: 20 Metal
Time for this game to begin.
Command: [World Travel: Resident Evil]
Travel to the world of [Resident Evil]?
Y/(N)
(Y)/N
A bright light shined... before the store vanished.
Blinking to refocus my eyes, I managed to stumble to the back of the counter as my sight returned...
And appreciated the items that were stocked up.
MREs
Meals, Ready to Eat. Add water and wait, then you're good to go.
Restores half of HP.
20 per shelf (Automatically restocks every 30 minutes)
Water Bottles (24 pack, 13 liters each)
It's water. H2O... something we need to be kept hydrated.
Restores 10 HP.
Handheld Ammo Boxes
Guns, Guns, and more Guns... Any gun needs ammo to shoot.
10 Ammo Boxes per shelf. (Automatically restocks after customer leaves)
Medpack
Heal up, now!
Restores 3/4 of HP.
3 on one shelf (Automatically restocks every 2 hours)
Dagger
Where's the cloak?
STG + 10
Shotgun
Shotgun! ... [REDACTED].
Comes with 4 shotgun ammo boxes.
Backpack
It's a backpack... It stores stuff.
Storage space: Play Tetris with it, then tell us the limit.
Question to System: Can I toggle select items to stay during different world travels?
Yes.
Command: Select [MREs] and [Water Bottles] as fixed items. Oh, and inform me when the first customer arrives.
I rather not go starving.
Stretching a bit, I grabbed my [Repair Kit] before checking in on the wood production.
[Material Fabricator 1]
Current Material: Wood
Making: 994
Storage: 5/999
Rate: 1 Wood per 2 minutes.
Upgrade Cost: 20 Metal
Seems about right. Time to do the math... [Repair] for a single shelf costs 5 wood and 30 minutes.
I get 1 wood for every 2 minutes.
30 divide by 2 equals 15... meaning 15 wood made during [Repair].
Subtract 5... and I get a net-increase of 10 wood per 30 minutes, accounting for no breaks and it being back-to-back.
Going back to total number of shelves, being 30, and each requiring 30 minutes to be fixed... all would take 15 hours to fix all of them.
Time to get to work.
Approaching the nearest shelf to the [Janitor's Closet], I used [Repair].
1 and a half hours later...
Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stretched my back and took a break.
Have you ever watched a video going in fast-forwards? Well, that's what it looked like to me. The moment I use [Repair], my body went on auto-pilot and I watched from a third-person perspective... with time being 'sped up' during each use.
First Customers are 1 mile away and closing.
Thanks for the heads up. Stretching a bit, I made my way behind the counter, noticing how my clothes gradually transitioned into a vaguely familiar outfit... but I can't put my finger on it.
Shrugging it off, I pulled up a seat before looking around...
I finally spoke, "Question to System: How can I see who my 'customers' are?"
Would you like to toggle 'Name Display'?
"Yeah, it'll make it easier on me... or harder."
Grabbing a random magazine, I flipped through it to pass the time... Only to pause as I read what the city's name was:
Raccoon City
...
Quickly getting up, I ordered as I grabbed a shotgun, "System, spread the layout and domain of [Shop] to the point of being a common site among the city, and integrate its history into a chain dollar-corner-store. Modify exterior by having windows barred up."
Query: Why?
Pumping the shotgun, I merely answered, "It's the best way to get new items into the store. Plus, might as well stack the deck in the favor of the customers..."
Grabbing a backpack, I loaded it up with [Water], [MREs], [Medpacks], and ammo.
Just in time, too.
The door swung open with a bang as I quickly aimed the shotgun at the 'intruders': a boy and a girl, both seeming to be in their teens. The girl was brunette, wearing a red jacket, slim jeans, and brown boots. The boy was also brunette, but in a police uniform.
The boy yelled, holding his hand up, "Don't shoot, idiot!" I fired back my eyes fixed on the monster behind them, "Out of the way, idiots!"
The duo quickly ducked as I fired, flinching slightly at the recoil as the zombie behind them exploded.
Quest Unlocked!
The old cliche: Zombies! (ACTIVE)
Survive Raccoon City, and survive Resident Evil 2.
Rewards: [REDACTED] world unlocked, [Zombie Apocalypse] items set unlocked, 100 Shop Points
A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry about the inactive account. Been having too many ideas, with too little time spent to express them.
Anyway, I'll get some things out of the way for this story:
This character's name will remain unknown.
This character WILL sometimes come off as a 'Mary Sue' from a third person perspective, but only because of [Shop] and the supplies.
This story will NOT follow the typical dime-a-dozen 'Gamer' stories.
This character WILL screw with the canon of the universe he arrives in.
This character WILL have some development.
This story will be centered around the [Shop].
This story is a CONCEPT, and will sporadically update.
With that out of the way... Review?