The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 215: Shopping

[Seoul, Myeongdong Shopping Street - Garcia's Potion Pharmecy]

As we joined the end of the line, I scanned the crowd, my eyes searching for anything unusual.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, that the story was veering further and further off course.

But it seems that things that have been changed for good is the relationship between those two.

Looking towards Jan and Camila I think it's very clear who he'd be ending up with.

It wouldn't be Yuka or any of the other females showing up later on in the story.

So I guess it saves the trouble of the romantic side of the plot at least.

The line moved surprisingly quickly, and soon we were inside the pharmacy.

It was a bright, airy space with gleaming glass display cases showcasing a variety of potions, their colourful contents shimmering in the light.

A steady stream of customers browsed the shelves, their conversations a low hum in the background.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Jan exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.

"I've never seen so many potions in one place."

"My mom's the best," Camila said proudly, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

Jan, always the one to be enthusiastic, started to look around at all the potion displays.

"Hey, Rel, check this out! It's a mana recovery potion!"

[Mana Recovery Potion: $2,500 per potion]

I glanced at the price list, my eyes widening at the exorbitant cost of just a recovery potion.

[Perceptive Mind Has Been Activated!]

[Analyzing Item: Recovery Potion]

[Item: Recovery Potion [Grade 4] [Condition: Well-Made] - [Contents: Upon consuming this item you will recover 12.5% of mana.]

These potions were far off from being perfect but at the very least I found a business I could invest my money in.

Originally these recovery potions were actually way below it's price range and to think it would be the same now is amazing for me.

12.5% mana recovery per potion is a lot more than you think since most potions in this world barely even reach 6-8%.

"I think I'll just stick with the regular ones," I mumbled, trying to act disinterested.

As we wandered through the aisles, my eyes fell upon a display case featuring a set of rare, glowing potions.

A small plaque beneath the case read, "The Revitalizing Elixir – Limited Edition."

My interest piqued and I leaned in closer examining the delicate glass vials.

FWANG!

[Analyzing Item: Revitalizing Elixir]

[Item: Revitalizing Elixir [Grade 3] [Condition: Great] - [Contents: Upon consuming this item you will recover 15% Stamina.]

Interesting... another new item to the shop then.

Well I wouldn't be complaining since I'll be a regular customer from now on.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" A voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to see a young woman in a crisp white lab coat, her eyes smiling warmly at me.

"I'm just browsing," I replied kindly trying not to dose off too much but since the employee was already here I might as well ask.

"Actually," I said, straightening up and adjusting my glasses, "I'd like to purchase three mana recovery potions and three healing potions."

The saleswoman nodded and directed me towards the appropriate aisle.

I grabbed a basket and quickly located the items I needed.

As I was perusing the shelves, Jan and Camila appeared beside me, their eyes widening as they saw the contents of my basket.

"Whoa, Rel, you're buying all that?" Camila asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Of course," I replied, shrugging. "Gotta be prepared for anything."

Camila let out a small cough and gave me a knowing look.

"Well," she said, a sly smile playing on her lips, "you know, I happen to know the owner of this store. I might be able to get you a little discount."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her offer. "Really? That would be helpful, but—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Camila grabbed my arm and led me to the counter, catching me off guard.

Jan followed after us with a wide grin plastered on his face.

It seemed his mood had lifted even more, but I didn't really mind.

Good for him, I guess.

As we watched Camila whisper something to the saleswoman's ear.

A few moments later, the woman returned with a revised total.

My jaw dropped. The original price of $22,500 had been slashed in half, leaving me with a much more palatable $11,250.

Not bad, I thought, though I wasn't exactly hurting for money.

I was rich after all and had my platinum medal rewards to claim, which included a hefty sum of cash and a million-dollar property.

So in the meantime, I decided to hold off on buying a house for now, figuring I didn't really need it yet.

I could stay in my dorm until next year, and I had no intention of getting any pets either.

A few minutes later I ended up paying half price for the potions, thanks to Camila's help and headed back to the dorms.

Jan and Camila continued their day out, and Jan even offered for me to join them, but I was content to spend the rest of my Saturday alone.

I wanted to try out this new skill and see if it really worked.

***

[Pinnacle Academy, Male Dorms: Room 4-A]

Back at the male dorm room, I dumped a variety of items onto the floor: crates of fruit, the potions I'd just purchased, and a few other random trinkets I'd found lying around.

This was my impromptu laboratory, and I was eager to conduct a little experiment.

Ever since I'd gained the Pocket Realm ability, I'd been under the impression that it could only store weapons.

But after some careful consideration, I'd started to wonder if that was really the case.

After all, the skill description didn't explicitly state that restriction.

[Special Ability: Pocket Realm [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]

I activated Pocket Realm, a familiar blue portal shimmering into existence in my palm.

I reached out and grasped a crate of fruit, focusing my intention on storing it.

[An Item Has Been Marked!]

SWANG!

[The Item Has Been Transfered!]

To my surprise, the crate vanished into the portal, the blue light engulfing it completely.

Success...

A wave of excitement washed over me.

I hadn't realized this entire time that Pocket Realm didn't require the items to be weapons at all.

And even more intriguing, the fruit remained perfectly fresh when I summoned it back out of the portal.

To confirm my theory, I decided to push the limits.

I grabbed a fruit that was supposed to expire tomorrow and stored it in Pocket Realm.

When I retrieved it a few days later, it was still as fresh as the day I'd bought it.

So the items are essentially frozen in time, I realized. Like they're on hold.

A day after...

To conclude my experiment, I grabbed a box from my cabinet and filled it with all my potions.

With a confident smile, I activated Pocket Realm once more.

[Special Ability: Pocket Realm [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]

SWANG!

The box vanished into the portal without a hitch.

Jackpot.

Pocket Realm was far more versatile than I'd ever imagined.

This opened up a whole new world of possibilities, not just for storing weapons, but for preserving items, transporting goods, and who knows what else.