Eternal Thief
Chapter 11 - Rewards

River-Flower City, the slums area, inside a rundown hut.

A young boy laying on the floor face down like he was dead. He was of course Ace.

Ace opens his heavy eyelids, his eyes were hazy as much as his mind after he fainted for three whole days. After this deep slumber, he finally regains his strength. He felt pain in his abdominal it was clear that he's still injured but a lot better than before.

Ace felt intense hunger the moment he regains some sense. However, he didn't care about it because Alina was still missing and he has to replace her, or she might die because no one was clear about her condition other than himself.

Ace quickly tries standing and was about to succeed when his internal injury act and fell on his butt in pain. Ace grunts while grits his teeth and was just about to give it another try again when he suddenly saw a black pouch and a folded paper beside those two neatly arranged old blankets.

The last time Ace didn't see that little pouch and paper, maybe he was exhausted or shock by Alina's disappearance. Now that he was clear-headed he easily replaces them.

'What are those?' Ace gradually approached them confusingly. He picked up the black pouch and little paper.

The black pouch was pam-size just like any other money pouch, he opens the little pouch and instantly shock because inside were shinning Ruby Coins and they were ten.

'Where did so much money come from?' Ace didn't care about it and quickly opens the little folded paper, on it was very beautiful writing it was Alina's:

"Big Bro Ace I'm so sorry that I have to go with my grandpa in hurry. He came to pick me up and said, he was going to takes me to my parents. But don't worry he gave Alina a beautiful white pill and after eating it I'm all better now. So don't be sad without Alina ok! You have to take care of yourself Alina will come back sometime in the future to replace Big Bro when Alina grew up. I'll miss you, Goodbye your Alina!"

Ace read the note that Alina left for him and his nerve finally loosen and he sighed in relief. He spotted and felt some rough spots on paper, 'Was she crying while writing?'

Unknowingly two stems of tears also flow on Ace's face as he thought. 'So she left to reunite with her parents. Well, that's also good. This also means that grandpa of hers knows about her awakening of bloodline and he also has that special pill. Maybe he was also a hunter.'

Ace was very intelligent, with so few clues he now has some idea what has happened.

'But why didn't she said goodbye to me personally, it's not like I would've stopped her from going.' Ace was extremely puzzled by this fact. 'If she's alright that what matters the most.' He sighed there was a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

Now Ace was completely calmed as he stares at the black pouch with ruby coins. 'Well, she did leave me quite some money. If it was before I would've lived my entire life comfortably with this much money. Although, now heh..' Ace chuckles softly.

After placing the money bag in his pocket Ace was going to replace something to eat when he saw there was a bumpy spot between those blankets meaning something was there. He lifts them and saw there was another small piece of paper below a stone.

'Why is this hidden here? If not for this stone I would never notice it." Ace grabbed the small paper and open it with some expectation in his eyes.

Inside was totally different writing from Alina:

"Brat doesn't dare to tell anyone about Alina or you'll die, and most importantly forget about her you will never see her again in your entire life, you two are from different worlds!"

That was the only sentence inside the paper. The words used were quite strong if Ace has his former mentality he would've been quite heartbroken after reading it but now.

Ace read the sentence and he laughs out loud, "Hahaha two different worlds huh, well if it was before your words would have some meaning, but now just wait for me you old goat I want to see your face when I meet you in your own home." Ace declared with a sneer on his face.

In an instant, that old grandpa of Alina has turned into an 'old goat' in Ace's mind after reading his harsh words.

"This geezer was most likely to be the reason for Alina didn't say goodbye to me by herself. Just you wait old goat I'll show you just who lives in different worlds." Ace snorted in anger but there was clear happiness in his voice as well.

___________________

After reading little Alina's farewell letter he became untroubled because now he has a new goal and that was to become strong so he could meet Aline one day in her own home. He will give her and that 'old goat' a huge surprise.

Ace quickly goes towards the market and buys the most expensive meat he could replace. He was rich so he didn't have to spend like a poor person anymore. Afterward, he received some superficial treatment from a local doctor and returned home.

Ace felt quite invigorated after eating five pounds of meat.

"So that's how it feels to be rich." Ace murmured to himself because he was having a hard time believing that he was the same person five days ago.

"System shows the rewards that I received after I complete my mission." Ace said while smiling ear to ear, it was time for receiving his rewards of hard labor and he was quite excited about it.

Ace saw a familiar black panel form in front of his eyes this was the 'Mission Panel' with a hand holding a coin like symbol,

________________

[Mission Panel]

[Revenge Mission: Steal All the Treasure from Shop No. 8 in River Flower City Outer Region Pill Market and let Fat Shop Owner know that an Honorable Thief can't be cheated by anyone]

[Status: Complete]

"[Scanning Host Performance]

{1.2.3…100% Complete}

[Result: Low-Level Performance]

[Rewards will be 2X for the first 3 Honorable Missions]

[First 2X Reward will be given now]

[2X Reward: {EXP =100}, {Soul Points (SP) = 50}. {Thief Points (TP) = 150}]

[Rewards have been added to host status.]

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This time Ace didn't bicker with the system because he knew he messed up in the end and nearly got caught by those two idiots.

If it was someone else with a brain, not those two idiots they would be suspicious of him and caught him for interrogation.

'Well, these rewards are also not bad.' Ace thought.

"System what are these 2X rewards mean?" Ace asked with a puzzled face.

"[First three Honorable Missions are for the host to learn the art of Thievery, so this is a kind of gift from system to encourage the host to work hard in future. Thereby for the first 3 missions, your rewards will be double.]" 

'So if I got the mission to rob someone really rich my rewards will be double. That great as well.' Unknowingly Ace has started to think like a thief. "System open my Status!"

_____________

[Eternal Thief System]

[Main Panel]

[Host: Ace White]

[Race: Human {No Bloodline}]

[Heaven: 1st Heaven Mortal Sky Heaven]

[Cultivation Level of 1st Heaven (Martial Cultivation): Mortal]

{EXP: 49/50} {51 Extra}

(EXP= Experience Points)

[Soul Cultivation: Mortal]

{SP: 19/20} {31 Extra}

(SP= Soul Points)

[Thief Points (TP): 152]

[Skills: 5]

[Cultivation Technique: 0]

[Current Mission: 0]

_____________________

Ace saw his status with a smile and nodded his head in satisfaction when he saw 152 TP.

However, when he saw his EXP and SP his smile froze, he asked the system hurriedly "System why aren't I'm leveling up I even have extra points but they didn't add up? You aren't broken are you?"

He started to panic because without system help, he has no hope of seeing Alina ever again in his life.

"[EXP and SP represent the QI-capacity of host body and soul. Consider your body like a water-glass, if it has more space it will be able to hold more water and if it's full it will overflow. So that's why you can't absorb more QI if you don't have more space. System Recommend for Host to buy the Cultivation Technique, it will help host body to build more space for QI and this way you will level up.]"

The system gave a long explanation for the first time. Ace was also amazed by this, he asks another question because the system was being generous today.

"So cultivation techniques are for use to make more space insides our bodies for Qi?" he asked

"[You can put it that way.]" 

"Then what is a skill? Aren't they are like technique as well?" it was another one of Ace's Biggest Questions.

"[Skills are for controlling the Qi. QI is like an open river inside your body, it will flow if you create a path for it but it will flow until it became empty so you have to block the path you open. The skill is like a water-gate it can control the flow of water however you wish.]" Another long answer comes from the system.

Suddenly the fog on Ace's mind lifted "So when I first activate the True and False eyes accidentally, it was like I made a path for the river to flow and I couldn't control it so my Qi became empty right." Ace asked happily as if he solved some big question.

"[Yes]" system agrees with his statement.

Just as he was about to ask another question he heard system cold voice in his mind again,

"[System can only answer two of host questions after the first mission was complete so your next question will cost you Thief Points.]"

When Ace heard it he frowned. He has so many questions he wanted to ask but he didn't know that he will get only two questions and even that after a mission. If he knows about it before he would've asked something more important.

'Thief Points are more important.' Ace thought while nodding.

At least now he knows that the cultivation techniques are a must-have thing if he wants to become strong. He opens his Technique panel.

________________

[Available Cultivation Techniques]

[Heaven Stealer Technique {1st Vol}]

  {Price: 100 Thief Points (TP)}

[Dual Shadow Swords Basic Technique]

  {Price: 10 Thief Points (TP)}

__________________

"System what is different in these two techniques in the store are they not for the same thing?" Ace has to ask this because one was prise at 100 while the other was only 10.

"[2TP]" system emotionlessly voice sounded in his mind.

"Just take it." 2 TP are nothing if he could save 90 TP.

"[Yes those two are very different Heaven Stealer 1st volume can only be cultivated by Host and it is made especially for a thief. Moreover, it has both 'Martial 1'and 'Soul' cultivation techniques. While Dual Shadow Swords is a Basic form of weapon cultivation technique it is for Host to train in the weapon, not for body and soul.]"

Ace was astonished by this answer. 'If it has both techniques and only I can cultivate it then that prize is reasonable.' He mused, 'I should buy both of them I also didn't know how to use weapons as well.'

Ace bites his lip and said in a mosquito voice, "Give me both Heaven Stealer Technique and Dual Shadow Swords!"

As he said those words with every bit of energy he has. With just one command his TP became [150TP] to [40TP]. His heart was bleeding.

  'My precious Thief Points!' Ace wanted to cry right now.

Body Cultivation