An unassuming small shop stood in easy view of the passerby, its front doing business as usual with customers coming and going every so often. Meanwhile, in the dusty backroom, a white-haired girl paced back and forth, her beautiful face marred with irritation that grew as the seconds passed. It seemed she was waiting for something.
"Where did that moron even go? Why hasn't he come yet? Did he no longer need the gene serum?!" Her face was twisted in annoyance. "No! That can't be the case… My information was supposed to be accurate, he really needed this serum."
Another figure stood next to her. His green, slimy skin glimmered under the light of the room.
"Kkrrrr… Niece… What did this boy do to you? It seems you really hate him so much! Tell me I will KUT his body apart and use each organ for my next experiments."
The girl's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. "No, no, Uncle Bob… It's not like that. Cutting him up seems a bit excessive."
"What is it then, dear? I've never seen you like this. He must have done something to you. If you have any problems, Kkrrr… don't be shy and talk to unkle Bob."
"Uncle! Thank you, but don't do anything to him!. I will give him a lesson myself and you can just go with my plan… Please, uncle." Silva answered and looked away. It was clear that, even though she regretted her words, she was not about to risk her own self-image by taking them back.
"Ah, alright then, dear niece, donk worry. But, if I see that this boy really did something to hurt you… I will make sure your father and the entire Oroboros klan hears about this! That kid kan hide with the shadows and we'll khase him to the ends of the universe!"
The green man's passionate threat was interrupted when the bell attached to the top of the door rang.
"That's him… Go get him, uncle. Remember the plan," the girl whispered.
The frog-like man gave the girl a conspiratorial wink, before walking towards the front counter.
"Kkrrr... You are LATE, boy!" He said in a booming voice.
The boy was shocked and he covered his ears, not ready for the sudden shouting.
"Ah, I sincerely apologize. I was occupied, Mr. Frog… Ah, I mean, Mr. Bob…" Emery scratched the back of his head.
"Hah! Anyways, you already made my nie-, I mean, you already made me wait too long! You're not the only person I have to see, you know!"
"Again, Mr. Bob, I apologize… That aside, is the product ready?"
"Damnit! Of korse they are… I am Bob the frog! What kind of dealer do you take me for?! When I promise something, I keep it. Unlike someone who kame late and wasted everyone's time!"
The frog reached down the counter, pulled a few vials with orange liquid inside and gave the liquid to Emery.
"The first one is on the house, kortesy of your patriarch! I suggest you try it right now."
Emery eyed the orange liquid suspiciously. The liquid looked as if someone decided to take orange juice and added even more food coloring into it to make it more vivid, but the result ended up being more off-putting than anything else.
"Okay, so…" Emery looked at the frog man. "Should I just drink this just like that?"
"Yes!! Do you need me to shove it down your throat right now, boy!?" The frog man smirked.
"Sorry, Mr. Bob." Emery shuddered and apologized again. "Anyway, why are you so angry with me?"
"ANGRY?!" The frog-man shouted again. This time, Emery didn't get the chance to cover his ears and all he could do was wince in pain while the frog-man took a big gulp of air to calm himself down. "I… NOT angry. This is the way frog people talk. Are you making FUN of us frog-people now, BOY!?" He narrowed his eyes.
"No! No! Of course not, Mr… I mean, Mr. Bob." Emery shook his head and willed himself to calm down.
"Then drink up and stop wasting my time!"
Emery took the vial, eyed it one last time, and uncorked the bottle before pouring it all down his throat. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, a girl at the back was peeking outside and watching their exchange from the storage room. She tried to suppress her giggling to no avail. If it wasn't for the frog-man's booming voice, she would have been discovered much earlier.
"Emery, Emery… Still foolish as ever!" The girl giggled and shook her head. "You moron, you should have checked it before drinking! What if someone decided to swap it with poison?"
As the orange liquid went down his throat, Emery felt a warm sensation spreading through his body from the center of his heart down to the tips of his fingers. Though the heat felt odd, it certainly was more comfortable than anything. The feeling was similar to hugging a pile of soft, warm fur.
A few seconds later, the sensation dissipated and Emery saw a notification appear in his mind.
[Your bloodline just went through purifying process]
[Genes purified]
[Fey Wolf gene essence percentage increased to 21%]
"Mr. Bob, this is really effective! I can't believe I got one point increase in my gene essence percentage. This is really amazing!" Emery exclaimed, almost forgetting to contain himself. If no one was here, Emery would probably jump around in joy.
"Of kourse it is, I never let my klients down! Now, do you wank more?"
"Yes, Mr. Bob." Emery nodded.
"As I've said before, each serum kosts 10.000 spirit stones. As for the recipes, I am sorry to disappoint you, but it kosts higher than I thought... All you need to know is that it's a very difficult thing to make, really!." The frog-man explained.
"I see…" Emery frowned, but decided to ask. "If it's not too much trouble, may I ask how much?"
"200.000 spirit stones!"
The girl hiding in the back room let out a snort and almost gave away her presence. It was worth it to see Emery turn pale and lifeless."
"How… Mr. Bob, I don't have that kind of money… Is there no way I can get it cheaper?"
"Ho ho…" The frog-man rubbed his hands and narrowed his eyes. "I have another solution… Boy, I have a great opportunity for you."
The frog-man seemed to have been waiting for this opportunity, as he pulled a rolled parchment sealed with a thin piece of string from below the counter.
Emery looked at the parchment for a second and read it carefully. With each word, he could feel his heart sink.
"A 3-years contract?" Emery looked at the frog-man.
"Yes! Isn't this a great opportunity for you? You will get the recipe and in return, you are under kontract to work for the Bullfrog faction for three years."
The girl hiding behind the door to the backroom looked at their conversation with mirth dancing in her eyes. The bullfrog faction was a subsidiary of the Oroboros faction and if he signed the contract, the boy would work for her. She couldn't wait to finish her second year so she could bring him to her planet.
The plan was foolproof.
Or so she thought, until she heard the boy refuse.
"I am sorry, Mr. Bob, I really can't accept this… I will definitely find a way to pay you 200.000 spirit stones…"
"Are you stupid, kid?!" The frog-man shouted. "This recipe is your only way! You know that there is no better gene alchemist around than me and your gene bloodline is really difficult to make!"
The boy nodded and looked at him with a serious expression. Emery was grateful for the first serum he had received, but the terms for the recipe were just too difficult to fulfill. He decided to ask about the price of the second serum.
"Yes… For another serum, it would be… 10.000 spirit stones!"
"Hmm… Mr. Bob, I don't have that much with me, can you lower the price a little? You know… us being half-bloodline people and all…"
Mr. Bob glanced at the storage room, towards the girl hiding behind it. The girl nodded in response.
"Alright then, kid." The frog-man turned to look at Emery. "How much do you have?"
Emery slowly said... "Hmm… Ah, 1000 spirit stones."
"…@#%^ !! ARE YOU kidding me, kid?!"
Emery sputtered a quick apology and turned around to leave, but the girl behind the storage room door made a coughing sound and the frog-man instantly tensed up.
"Wait, kid!! wait... Kome here… kome."
"What is it, Mr. Bob?" Emery turned around and asked.
The frog-man seemed to be trying hard to calm himself down, then he said. "I decided, it's… Ah…"Give me… give me the 1000 spirit stones, okay? I'll give you the second serum."
"Thank you, Mr. Bob. Thank you!" Emery came to the counter and paid the spirit stones as he requested. Emery sputtered his gratitude several times before exiting out from the door, accompanied with the sound of a ringing bell.
The girl walked out from the storage room right as Emery left.
"He didn't take the offer, dear niece… what now?"
Silva gritted her teeth, glanced at the door, and said.
"Hah! I'm sure he'll come back for more serum sooner or later! No one would dare reject my offer!"
The frog-man smiled at her. "Now, that is more like the niece I know. You're the famous Silva Oroboros after all!"