NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Obtaining a second monster
Two days later, long after the apartment had gone quiet as usual after past midnight, Lin Fang sat awake in his room with his spine straight and legs folded.
Outside, the wind gently brushed past the balconies, rattling a stray leaf against the railing.
Inside, Po slept peacefully on the bed, curling its body like a ball.
Meanwhile, Lin Fang's eyes were fixated on the familiar, faint-blue interface floating before him.
Or, more specifically, the store earrings, which are displaying the number 90,000.
Someone had purchased four Luminous Panda Eggs in one go, and the money had just landed an hour ago, forcing him to wake up in the middle of the night.
It's been an hour, but it has been quite difficult for him to relax.
He leaned back, fingers steepled at his lips. "Four eggs… that's not normal."
A Monster Tamer could only tame one monster under contract until their license rank increased.
That was common sense.
It wasn't like buying four backup phones. And while Lin Fang could understand if someone wanted to give them as gifts to their family, it still felt off.
"Who gifts legendary eggs like candy?" he murmured, frowning. "Unless…"
The thought crept in like a fog, quiet and unwelcoming, but impossible to ignore.
"Reselling."
Lin Fang's business instincts tingled. He was the one who priced them low. His plan had been simple: first, increase his sales numbers and build a reputation before selling them at the right price.
The last few days indeed went smoothly; someone is buying the eggs. However, he didn't pay attention before.
But when one purchased all available ones, suspicion crept into Lin Fang's mind.
What if… the same person was buying multiple eggs at the low prices he had set and reselling them for profit? If that were true, then the ten buyers from before might not be ten people.
It could've been one buyer.
A sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his temples. "However, there is no way to know. NovaMart doesn't give us any information about the buyer. Moreover, it's not illegal. It's just like buying things at a wholesale market and then selling them in your own shops."
Still, the thought of being someone else's golden goose left a strange taste in his mouth. "Since I can confirm that the Luminous Panda eggs could be sold at 25k, I could keep raising the price little by little and see when they stop," he muttered, eyes narrowing in thought. "But… earning too much in such a quick time might not be good for me either."
That was the real truth.
For most people, ten thousand credits was a good monthly wage, putting them slightly in the higher section of the middle class. But for someone like Lin Fang, who once counted coins to afford street noodles, money flowing in like this didn't bring relief; it brought anxiety instead.
"Let's… not burn out."
He nodded to himself and tapped open the settings on the product page.
[Limit Purchases per Buyer: 1]
A confirmation beep echoed in the app.
Then, without hesitation, he went back to the Character Interface, scrolled down, and clicked on Exchange.
[Exchange Store Earnings]
Ding!
[90,000 credits have been exchanged for 900 Coins]
Opening Summoner's Shop, Lin Fang scrolled past the Luminous Panda Egg this time and clicked on the next item.
[Growth Pill – 500 Coins]
"Okay, time to level up my little Po."
Ding!
[Growth Pill added to inventory]
"Po, my dear munchkin… wakey… wakey…" He poked the baby Panda a few times until it slowly opened its eyes, waddling up to him.
"Hey there, little guy," Lin Fang smiled. "Sorry for waking you."
Po squealed once and scrambled up into his lap, its fluffy face nuzzling against Lin Fang's shirt with affection.
But this time, Lin Fang gently picked him up and set him down on the floor.
"Hold still for a second."
He opened Po's mouth and slipped the shimmering golden pill inside.
The moment it touched the tongue, Po's body shivered, light bursting around it, filling the entire room like a bulb. Lin Fang shielded his eyes instinctively.
When the glow faded, the little panda grew. No, it didn't just grow… it grew huge.
No longer the chubby baby he had cuddled with. Now, it stood nearly his shoulder height, standing on two legs.
*Ding!
[Po has been leveled up to 10]
[Po reached Normal Tier]
[Po received a new skill set]
"Po?" Lin Fang blinked in surprise.
*Yawn*
However, the Panda wasn't very receptive to his call. It yawned while its eyes dropped to closure, while Lin Fang received another notification on the screen.
Ding!
[Side Quest 2: Raise a monster to Level 10 – Completed!]
[Reward: 100 Coins]
And just as the Panda was about to fall to the floor, light flared again.
When it dimmed this time, the panda had returned to its baby form, eyes closed, rolling in delight once again, letting out a cheerful "Squee!"
Lin Fang gawked at the scene. "What the…!"
He quickly inspected Po's profile, his eyes glowed in shimmering blue as a new window opened up.
Po
Species: Luminous Panda
Level: 10
Status: Suppressed to Level 1
New Skill Unlocked:
[Mimic Baby Form] – Conceals actual level and strength by reverting to baby appearance. Perfect for stealth and emotional manipulation.
[Radiant Veil] – Automatically generates a defensive light shield in moments of surprise attacks. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
Lin Fang broke into a laugh, his head thrown back. "Po, you trickster!"
He scooped the baby panda into his arms, pressing his cheek against its soft fur, rubbing gently. "I love this ability. Absolutely love it."
Po let out a happy squeal in return, its small paws wrapping around Lin Fang's wrist as it nuzzled closer, eyes closed, smiling like a satisfied cat.
For a long moment, Lin Fang didn't say anything.
He just held it, enjoying the cuddling.
*
After a while, Lin Fang sat back cross-legged, the soft glow of the interface lighting his face as Po dozed off again beside him, snuggled in a blanket like a child.
The baby panda's warm snore was oddly comforting.
Lin Fang, however, wasn't done with the day yet.
He pulled open his coin balance with a half-smile. With 100 coins received from the side quest, he now had 500 coins, just enough for either buying 5 Panda eggs or x11 Lottery Draw.
Lin Fang didn't purchase the Panda egg. Instead, he clicked on the lottery wheel.
Staring at the wheel, he took a long, steady breath. "I have 78 thunder eagle shards. I might be able to get it in one try, but right now, I would be more calm to have no coins in my hands rather than those 500 coins. Let's leave this to fate… if I get atleast 100 coins, I will buy that one panda egg and put it up for sale at a higher price. If I don't, then I'll take a break and then use my money from the bank and buy an egg later."
Click.
The wheel lit up and started spinning. It spun and spun.
And then…
Ding!
*Thunder Eagle Shard x2*
*Coin x12*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x1*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x3*
*Coin x5*
*Blank*
*Coins x7*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x16*
*Coin x44*
*Blank*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x2*
*Ding! You have obtained: 24x Thunder Eagle Shards, 68 Coins
Lin Fang's eyes widened in surprise. "Twenty-four shards?!"
Monster: Thunder Eagle (Wind + Lightning Affinity)
Rarity: Epic
Assimilation Requirement: 100 shards
Progress: 102/ 100
He clenched his fist, joy bubbling in his chest. "I hit the jackpot tonight… I did the right thing. Haha…"