After returning home, David quickly washed up and collapsed onto his bed. Despite his exhaustion, his mind buzzed with excitement as he opened his system panel.
Right now, what he looked forward to most was sending the frog cub on a new journey.
But before that, there was something important to take care of.
Enhancing the frog cub's strength.
If his little companion was constantly at risk every time it traveled, that was unacceptable.
Without hesitation, David topped up his clover balance—loading in 200,000 eddies, which converted to 20,000 clovers instantly.
"Time to go shopping."
Skipping over the basic enhancements, David scrolled past [Violent Strength], [Armored Body], and other standard options. Further down the list, things got interesting—abilities like Haki, Devil Fruits, and high-end cybernetic implants were available.
And then, at the very bottom, were three must-have skills:
[Introduction to High Martial Arts]
[Body Tempering and Bone Refinement]
[David Refining Technique]
A notification popped up:
> [Unlocking "Frog Cub Training Extra Skills" requires purchasing the above three skills first!]
David's eyes narrowed.
"Wait... the frog cub has a structured training system?"
His curiosity skyrocketed. If he kept upgrading it, just how powerful could it become?
Something told him that these extra skills were even more valuable than things like Haki or cybernetic enhancements.
Without hesitation, David purchased all three skills at once!
> Being rich means being reckless!
[Introduction to High Martial Arts]
Price: 3,000 Clovers
Type: One-time use
Effect: Unlocks the frog cub's intelligence, allowing it to comprehend and practice various advanced martial arts techniques.
[Body Tempering and Bone Refinement]
Price: 4,000 Clovers
Type: One-time use
Effect: Enhances the frog cub's muscles, bones, and blood, refining its body into something as strong as steel. A necessary foundation for mastering combat skills.
[Qi Refining Technique]
Price: 5,000 Clovers
Type: One-time use
Effect: Opens the energy meridians in the frog cub's body, allowing it to sense and harness the energy of the world. Breathing in spiritual energy is the first step toward true cultivation.
David absorbed the descriptions in an instant.
These weren't just random stat boosts. These were the foundations of an entirely different power system!
Compared to something limited like Devil Fruits or cybernetic implants, this frog cub could be evolving into something truly extraordinary!
And the best part? Unlocking intelligence!
Would that mean the frog cub could now recognize him as its master? Communicate with him?
David's excitement skyrocketed.
Once the three core skills were purchased, the system refreshed, revealing an entirely new list of martial arts categories:
[Swordsmanship]
[Blade Arts]
[Daoist Techniques]
[Secret Martial Techniques]
Each category had three tiers: [Beginner], [Advanced], and [Mastery], with exponentially increasing costs.
David didn't hesitate.
"Time to max this out."
He topped up his balance again, this time loading 40,000 clovers.
First Priority: Weapon Mastery
David immediately purchased two top-tier weapon techniques:
[Perfected Swordsmanship]
Price: 6,000 Clovers
Type: One-time use
Effect: Achieve ultimate sword mastery—anything can be wielded as a sword, turning even leaves into deadly blades.
[Perfected Blade Arts]
Price: 6,000 Clovers
Type: One-time use
Effect: The pinnacle of blade mastery. Even a broken knife can become a fearsome weapon.
David couldn't help but grin.
"A frog wielding a sword and a blade? That's gotta be a sight to see."
With that done, he planned to buy all the other cultivation categories too.
But then…
A system notification popped up:
> [System Alert: The frog cub's strength has reached its current limit. Further enhancements are locked until the host increases their own strength and reputation.]
David froze.
"...Wait, what?!"
This system wasn't pay-to-win?!
He had assumed he could just keep throwing money at the problem, but the game was actually tied to his own growth?
That meant he and the frog cub were connected—its limits depended on him.
David sighed, feeling both frustrated and impressed.
"Alright, guess I have to level up myself too."
Since direct power-ups were out, he shifted his focus to combat techniques.
[Thunder Palm]
[War God's Fist]
[Azure Dragon Strike]
He unlocked a few powerful combat skills for the frog cub, spending another 30,000 clovers.
Then, he turned to amulets.
Since he couldn't boost the frog cub's raw power anymore, he figured increasing its luck might lead to better rewards from its travels.
[Permanent Luck Amulet]
Price: 8,000 Clovers
Type: Permanent Buff
Effect: Increases the frog cub's luck, improving the quality of items it brings back from its journeys.
David avoided temporary amulets—he wasn't about to waste money on one-time-use items.
Once that was done, he prepared a high-quality meal for the journey.
[Peking Duck]
Price: 300 Clovers
Effect: A delicacy from the East. Not only fills the frog cub's belly but allows it to share food with friends.
[Three-Delicacy Fried Rice]
Price: 120 Clovers
Effect: Boosts the frog cub's stamina, allowing it to explore for longer durations.
Finally, David packed everything into the frog cub's backpack and paid for the trip.
> [Ding! Travel payment of 400,000 eddies received. The frog cub is ready for a new journey!]
David smiled, watching his little companion prepare to leave.
"Take care this time, alright? Try not to get hurt."
The frog cub turned around and flashed him a grin.
David's eyes widened.
"Wait… did it just understand me?"
That was new.
Before he could dwell on it, the frog cub slung on its backpack and disappeared from its hut.
> [System Notification: The frog cub has departed on a new journey! Please wait for its return.]
[System Notification: Next travel cost: 1,000,000 eddies!]
David blinked.
"A million?!"
The system was ramping up the price fast.
With a sigh, he shut off the interface.
There were bigger things to focus on.
Tomorrow was going to be an important day.
And he needed to be ready.
---
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