The Supermarket System

Chapter 43: 43. Nightmare

[You have successfully completed your mission and earned an upgrade to your detection magic!]

[Your detection magic is now at the beginner level]

[If you want to improve your detection magic further, complete all the missions the system assigns you]

Kai smiled with relief. This time, his detection magic extended up to 500 meters in all directions—meaning 500 meters in front, behind, and to the sides. When Kai used it immediately after acquiring it, he didn’t find anything suspicious.

"I think I need to improve my detection magic even further," he muttered.

"Kaileon, it looks like I’m about to become filthy rich! I made a profit of 700 large gold coins!" exclaimed Jessica, who was being very loud as she counted her profits.

The girl managed to sell the dress and earned 1,400 large gold coins. Of course, that was a huge amount. Jessica paid Kaileon 700 coins, so she had 700 coins left for herself.

"Don’t forget to pay the people who helped you, Jessica," Kaileon replied.

"Oh, you’re right! I’ll give Angeline and Laura 50 coins each!" said Jessica, which was immediately met with excitement from Laura. Meanwhile, Angeline was overjoyed. Not only had she made many new friends and gained valuable social experience, but she also made a profit just by wearing the dress.

"But I just wore the dress—can I really keep this money?" asked Angeline.

Jessica laughed and patted Angeline’s delicate shoulder.

"Oh, my goodness, Angeline... you looked so beautiful in that dress that the girls wanted to buy it. At first, I didn’t believe in this trick Kaileon mentioned either, but now I get it. When we sell clothes, we need a beautiful and attractive model to wear them. A dress that looks beautiful when worn makes us interested too, doesn’t it? I myself was immediately drawn to the dress Kaileon was selling when I saw his maid wearing it at that hunt. One thing’s for sure, you deserve this, Princess Angeline!"

Seeing Jessica suddenly turn into such a kind girl made Kaileon feel strange. After all, before this, Jessica had been nothing more than a mini version of the Duchess.

But that could happen—perhaps because Jessica was still young, and her personality could still be reshaped. Or maybe the Jessica of the past wasn’t the real Jessica.

After all, ever since she was a child, Jessica had spent more time in Maustrine with her uncle and aunt than with her biological mother, Duchess Nathalia.

"Kaileon! I’m going to use my money to buy cheesecake and brownies from you!" said Laura.

Kai glanced at the girl and noticed that Laura was starting to put on a little weight. Perhaps she’d only gained a little, but in this cruel world, a noblewoman couldn’t afford even the slightest imperfection.

"I’ll give you just one slice of cake for today. If you want more, then you’ll have to exercise more. Start by taking a leisurely walk around the lake—no need for excessive exercise," Kai said.

Laura clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Why are you bossing me around? Are you my mother or something?"

Kai shrugged, "Well, it’s up to you. If you get fat later, it won’t be my fault, right? I’ve given you advice. By the way, you can buy as much as you want at my shop. But something good always comes with something bad."

After saying that, Kai left them to go to his own room. He’d been busy preparing a dress for almost the entire day.

"Oh, young master! You look tired—would you like me to cook something for you?" asked Peoni.

"I’m going to rest, Peoni, but... um—I think I’m in the mood for fried chicken. You know how to make fried chicken with spices, right? When I wake up later, I want to eat it."

Hearing that, Peoni became very excited.

"Certainly, young master! As it happens, we have plenty of chicken on hand!"

Kai went back into his room and lay down on the bed, which felt cold.

His eyelids closed automatically as soon as he lay down. It felt comfortable.

All the problems that had been making his head feel like it was about to explode vanished instantly.

***

When Kai opened his eyes, he felt very confused. Why had he returned to his old orphanage back on Earth?

Kai stepped out of the old building, and the night sky came into view. The sky was dark, with a bright moon shining and stars scattered beautifully across it.

The sky Kai would never see again after he was adopted by a mafia family.

"Kai, why are you sitting outside like this? It’s cold out here—come inside! I’ve steamed some sweet potatoes, and I also made a dessert with purple taro. You like that, don’t you? Come on in!"

Kai remembered that his childhood had been very beautiful, even with its many hardships.

The orphanage was located in a village in a tropical country. The village sat at a high elevation, so the air was very, very cold, but the soil was very fertile.

Kai stood up on his little feet, about to follow the orphanage director. But suddenly, another voice rang out very loudly.

Kai didn’t know what the sound was, but he looked around for its source.

"Kai, come inside, dear..." the orphanage director had taken his little arm to lead him through the door.

But when Kai looked up and gazed at the orphanage director’s face, it suddenly transformed into that of Duchess Nathalia.

Kai panicked and ran off as fast as he could.

***

"HHAAAHHHH!!"

Kai woke up from his sleep, panting heavily.

What kind of dream had he just had?

Then he looked his window and saw that it was slightly open. As far as he could remember, he had closed it tightly.

Kai activated his detection magic.

This time, he sensed something strange in the distance—more than a hundred meters away.

But that strange thing immediately fled, darting away at an extraordinary speed—far beyond what was normal.

"What just happened?" he muttered.

Kai sat back down on his bed after closing his bedroom window tightly.

A figure was approaching him, and it darted away the moment it was spotted.

Not wanting to just sit idly by, Kai left his room and headed to find Keith.

"Young Master, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’ve already eaten; let me prepare—"

"Keith!" Kai hurriedly cut Keith off.

Seeing his young master looking restless after waking up, Keith stopped talking. He invited Kai to sit on the sofa in the living room.

Apparently, Kai had slept for quite a while, so everyone else was already asleep. Keith himself often stayed up late checking on work. He also knew that Kaileon would surely wake up in the middle of the night, so he’d been waiting for Kai to wake up as well.

"I just had a strange dream... then, when I activated my detection magic, a figure was detected, but it fled quickly afterward. It was as if they darted away as fast as lightning. At first, they were about a hundred meters away, but once they realized they’d been spotted, they immediately darted off until they were no longer detectable, and I can now detect up to five hundred meters."

Keith’s jaw dropped when Kai said he could detect up to five hundred meters. After all, only legendary wizards could do something like that.

But Keith quickly came to his senses and considered his young master’s meaning.

"So, there really is a figure stalking you... your nightmares might be caused by it, but it could just be a coincidence. Then, a figure who can dart as fast as lightning... usually, someone who can move that quickly has above-average skills... oh, is he a demon? Couldn’t you see his figure clearly?"

Kai shook his head, "No, I can only see a dark figure. It’s unclear."

"A creature with black magic abilities that can also dart as fast as lightning is likely a demon. They can also disguise their bodies to look like nothing more than a black shadow," Keith added.

Causing someone to have nightmares is a branch of black magic. Black magic is indeed very powerful.

Kai said nothing; he simply regulated his breathing to calm himself down.

Keith stood up from his seat, then said, "Wait here, young master. I’ll make you a hot drink and bring you some food—I’ll warm it up first."

Kai just nodded, leaned back against the sofa, and closed his eyes again.

[Do you want to see more clearly without being obscured by black magic?]

[Then you must create something to dispel the black magic around you]

[Find the nearest ocean, then look for a black pearl there and make a bracelet from the black pearl imbued with your magical energy]

[Black pearls can absorb your magical energy, then become a strong defense for you]

Kai opened his eyes after hearing the system’s voice.

"Black pearls?" he muttered.

Then, a broad smile spread across his face. As luck would have it, Kai had already promised to take a vacation to Keith’s hometown.

"KAILEON!"

Kai nearly jumped out of his skin at the thunderous voice of Duke Arslan, who had suddenly appeared.

"Oh, you’re here, father?" Kai asked as he stood up, gesturing for his father to sit across from him.

The Duke had just been out running some errands, and it seemed he went straight to see Kaileon upon his return.

"Why did you come straight here, father?" Kai asked.

"I heard this from the commander—he said you have orange magical energy?" the Duke asked, sounding skeptical.

"Oh, Duke, you’re here?" Keith hurried over from the kitchen after hearing the Duke’s voice.

"I’d like to speak with Kaileon alone," the man said.

Keith then excused himself, leaving the two to talk. But it seemed Keith knew what they were going to discuss.

It was about the color of magical energy. Keith knew this was bound to happen.

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