Chapter 18: Loaded with Time and Money
"Boss! Boss! You went viral!" Ji-Hong burst through the door, leaving his entourage far behind in his excitement over the video of Donape taking down five men.
But his energetic grin instantly evaporated, replaced by pure shock as his eyes took in the drastic transformation of Origins VR Cafe.
"Whoa! All of this happened last night?!" Ji-Hong gasped, his excitement roaring back as he poked around the newly renovated interior. "Boss, you’re insane! First you put on a live martial arts show on the street, and now you completely revamped the entire shop!"
Donape rolled his eyes. ’What the hell is he talking about? That I went out of my way to make a viral video and renovated this place by myself overnight?! The heck?’
He couldn’t understand how Ji-Hong could come up with such a wild theory out of thin air. But setting that aside, Origins VR Cafe had indeed changed drastically.
The main counter had been extended, now featuring seven fixed bar stools, while three adjustable swivel chairs remained by the front window next to a small round table.
But what really made Ji-Hong practically hop around like a rabbit were the fifteen brand-new VR Capsules, neatly aligned at a sharp 60-degree angle along the left wall. Each capsule stood a sleek 2.2 meters tall and a meter wide, gleaming under the ambient lights.
Before Ji-Hong could jump into one, the shop door pushed open again. Butler Lee and nine suit-clad bodyguards filed inside with quiet dignity, their shoulders slightly damp from the drizzling rain.
Donape’s eyes twitched violently as his newly renovated shop suddenly filled with people.
’Great. They’re dropping in like a flash mob,’ he groaned internally, shaking his head. Then he paused, eyeing their thick leather wallets. ’Well... a crowd of paying customers is still a crowd.’
Meanwhile, Butler Lee and the others fell into an awkward silence. Confused, they tried to simplify the strange thoughts crowding their minds.
They had come to play The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts and ask about last night’s viral video, but a strange, nagging feeling made them pause.
Something about the shop felt... slightly off.
To the naked eye, everything looked totally normal and seamless. But stepping inside, their instincts picked up a subtle mismatch in proportions—a faint, unsettling depth that shouldn’t quite fit the building’s exterior.
Spatial Manipulation.
That was the exact phenomenon poking at their senses. Butler Lee might not have been a high-tier martial arts expert like A-Ji or Ji-Ga, but his instincts were sharp enough to sense something was amiss.
Yet, living on modern Blue Star, their minds couldn’t process such a thing. Concepts like spatial magic, spells, or dimensional tech belonged in fiction, not real life. Their logical brains refused to translate a subtle gut feeling into an impossible supernatural reality.
Besides, at Level 2, the interior expansion was only slightly larger than the outside—just subtle enough to confuse their instincts without giving them hard visual proof. It wasn’t drastic enough to break their logic... yet.
Unable to reconcile the faint oddity with modern common sense, Butler Lee and the others brushed that feeling aside and let it go.
"Your renovation team was surprisingly quick," Butler Lee noted, looking around. "Everything changed drastically overnight, yet it still keeps the original charm. May I ask which company you hired?"
Donape offered a wry smile, completely at a loss for how to answer.
If he told the truth—that a divine System rearranged the room with a snap of its fingers—he would sound like a lunatic making up bad excuses. But staying entirely silent felt like a cold refusal.
Between the two, staying quiet was at least less offensive.
"Hehe. Sorry, can’t say," Donape offered an apologetic shrug.
"Ah, no problem at all. Don’t worry about it," Butler Lee nodded knowingly, taking a seat on one of the new bar stools in front of the counter. "It’s only natural to keep a client list tight-lipped when dealing with a construction team of that caliber."
Satisfied with his own explanation, Butler Lee turned his attention to the sleek digital display hanging above the counter.
[AVAILABLE PRODUCTS]
- VR Capsule Activation: FREE
- Hourly Playtime: 20 BC
- Apps:
[The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts] – 80 BC Activation
[Counter-Injustice: Global Retaliation] – 120 BC Activation
- Food & Beverage (No Takeaway!):
[Origins Fountain Water] – 15 BC (Limit: 1 per day)
[Spirit-Clearing Dew] – 75 BC (Limit: 1 per day)
Ji-Hong strolled over to check out the new menu as well.
"Boss, what are Counter-Injustice: Global Retaliation, Origins Fountain Water, and Spirit-Clearing Dew? The names sound so celestial," he asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Since money was never an issue for him, Ji-Hong loved trying new things—even if they looked wildly suspicious.
Butler Lee, knowing his young master’s impulsive temperament all too well, offered a stern reminder. "Young master, instead of wondering about unfamiliar products, it would be far better to focus on practicing The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts like usual."
"Aish. There’s no rush! Let the others go first. I’ll jump in later when it’s quieter," Ji-Hong waved him off dismissively.
Hearing Ji-Hong’s evasive answer, Butler Lee could only rub the back of his neck in defeat. He glanced back at the entourage standing behind them. "You too, A-Ji, Ji-Ga. Go ahead and start playing. I’ll join with the young master later."
"Yes, Elder Lee."
Just like that, nine of the VR capsules hummed to life, filling the shop with a sleek glow on that drizzly, overcast morning.
Meanwhile, Donape sighed inwardly, glancing up at the digital board. His actual knowledge of these new items wasn’t deep enough to give a smooth, natural explanation, so he just gave up and decided to read the System’s textbook description out loud.
"Counter-Injustice: Global Retaliation is a mortal combat simulation. It’s a 5v5 tactical battlefield, similar to the FPS games on PCs and consoles."
"So what’s the difference?" Ji-Hong asked.
"It is..." Donape paused for a second before reciting the dramatic text verbatim. "...a domain where gods can bleed if their aim is trash, and mortals can slaughter emperors if their crosshair placement is divine. Here, your inner strength means nothing; only your raw mechanical discipline can uphold justice." He finished with a flat, solemn thumbs-up.
Ji-Hong, with his usual airheaded comprehension, blinked twice. "Wow! That sounds awesome! But... wouldn’t playing two different games back-to-back mess up my training?"
"I don’t recommend playing both, since it will devour your wallet and your time," Donape advised deadpan.
"No need to worry about that, Boss. I’ve been loaded with money since the day I was born. And time? I’ve got plenty of that too," Ji-Hong grinned confidently.
Donape rolled his eyes while Butler Lee massaged his temples in resignation.
Donape suddenly remembered that the boy standing in front of him was, in fact, the pampered heir of the Baek Family—a prominent conglomerate lineage descended from the country’s founders. Arguing about money or time with him was completely pointless.
"Well, suit yourself. But if you’re going to play both, it’s better to play Counter-Injustice first because it trains your focus and raw reaction speed. That mechanical discipline makes learning The Path of Heavenly Martial Arts much easier afterwards, yielding far better gains in the real world since Counter-Injustice can slightly increase the VR capsule’s synchronization rate," He explained.
"Geez! Such a thing exists?!" Ji-Hong rejoiced at the news, practically beaming. "Hahaha! With this, my training will be a breeze, and my mastery over martial arts will skyrocket!"
He immediately resolved to play Counter-Injustice first. Since money and time weren’t obstacles, why wouldn’t he take the shortcut?
Beside him, Butler Lee’s eyes widened. As absurd as it sounded, the shop had already defied reality enough times that he genuinely believed Donape’s words. Suddenly, even he felt a strong urge to try this Counter-Injustice game himself.
Donape exhaled a quiet sigh and pointed up at the digital display to continue. "Moving on. That first one is a Mortal Drink, and the second is a Fatigue-Recovery Drink."
"Oh! A Mortal Drink? Sounds cool!" Ji-Hong let out a small exclamation.
"Fatigue-Recovery Drink?" Butler Lee asked, his interest immediately piqued.
Donape sighed again. ’Whatever. I have to explain it eventually anyway. Best to ignore their weird reactions.’
"The Mortal Drink is an ultra-pure, crisp bottled water that completely flushes away bodily toxins and quenches an exhausted throat after intense gaming. Basically, it’s a heavily upgraded version of regular water," He clarified.
"Meanwhile, the Fatigue-Recovery Drink does exactly what the name suggests. It instantly clears mental exhaustion and completely blocks out drowsiness."
He wrapped up his semi-textbook explanation, completely unbothered by whether Ji-Hong or Butler Lee actually understood it. If they pushed for more details, he was fully prepared to repeat the exact description over and over like an NPC.
"I-It sounds a bit complicated, but I’m in! I’ll buy both!" Ji-Hong declared, pulling out his sleek black credit card.
"Wait, Young Master! Let me test them first," Butler Lee offered quickly. He had certainly grown to trust Donape and Origins VR Cafe, but that doesn’t mean he’s a blind follower.
Seeing their hesitation, Donape simply reached beneath the counter, pulled out a bottle of Origins Fountain Water, and drank it right in front of them without a second thought.
"Ah... so refreshing!"