A/N: ... I'll be real... I had some trouble writing this chapter. My childhood is dying out, with Technoblade, Queen Elizabeth, the creator of YuGiOh...

They all just dying out.

Managed to get this out, though, and write something.

Sorry for the delay and for how late this is.

Rubbing my eyes (and ears) to regain some sanity (and hearing), I demanded, "Why? Just... Why?"

Death merely looked at me smugly before leaving Wiz, who blinked twice before looking nervous as Kazuma looked like his entire worldview as shifted 90 degrees on top of the 90 that had him surprised that his life is an anime...

Still at a loss for words, I tried to speak, "I... I... I don't even know what's happening anymore..."

Yuno sounded confused, as if a new side of her emotions had showed herself, "I'm saving myself for Yuki? But I'm a 'replacement' for someone... Yet Shop-kun is genuine with his manipulations and wants to help me..."

... No comment.

Esdeath was a bit pink, and I think she was panting as she hugged herself.

As for Astolfo... She was laughing at my misfortune, asking, "So you'll be having a shattered pelvis?! HAHAHA!"

I merely groaned before leaving, "Let me know when all of you are ready to clean-sweep this mission. Kazuma? Follow me, we'll be looking through the bows I've stored up."

Dragging Kazuma along with me, the others came to their senses as Kazuma quickly squirmed before walking along side me.

I asked as we sat down on a fallen log, "So, Kazuma?"

"Yes, I'm Kazuma."

I browsed through what kinds of bows I have in storage, asking, "From an adventurer's standpoint, what do you is something you need or want the most while on said adventures?"

He blinked, before thinking, "Well, aside from the free food we got, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have something to ward off the monsters. And maybe something to aid in storing the stuff we get..."

Noting them down, I continued looking through the bows. Kazuma is currently my (only) reference for adventurers in a fantasy setting. And right now? His views are invaluable to me. Say what you want, but despite the humor of KonoSuba, it's still an isekai in a fantasy setting. And believe it or not, but I find fantasy isekais more dangerous than sci-fi ones, with however few there are.

Humming, I continued going through the bows before finding something that's 'cheap' yet effective for Kazuma.

I pulled it out and showed it to him, "Got this from, in layman terms, a 'common loot crate'. It's a bow that, when firing an arrow, shoots three instead. As in, makes two copies of the arrow being fired. What do you think?"

Kazuma grabbed it and fiddled with it slightly, getting used to it before he eyed a log from far away. He seemingly had an idea come to mind before drawing an arrow and aiming at the log... before shifting the aim a few degrees to the right.

"[Snipe]."

The moment he fired the arrow, it turned into three before all of them glowed briefly, somehow curving in flight before striking the log and hitting it dead center... before two of the said arrows vanished a few seconds after being lodged in.

We stared at what we witnessed for a while, before Kazuma instantly bargained, "I'll give you my [Farsight] and [Blacksmithing] in exchange for this after you set up the 'Skill Currency' thing."

I counter offered, "Just [Blacksmithing] and 5 Giant Toad corpses from your world. The bow is of [Common] rarity, so I rather exchange it for something simple. As for the corpses, Yuno needs potion ingredients and wants to know if different worlds give different effects."

"Deal."

Later...

I began noting down what I needed to gather from this Zelda world as I looked through the latest batch of [Loot Seeds].

Magic Nuke Grenade
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Weapon
Using highly concentrated Mana, it one-hit kills all foes within range of the user in a massive explosion. The explosion would not harm the surroundings and the foes will drop all of their drops at their maximum default amount. After exploding, it reforms and returns to the user to be used again.
Cooldown: 40 days

... Keeping that and using it sparingly.

Tactical Fried Chicken
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Healing Item
A fried chicken bucket filled with 12 pieces of fried poultry. 6 wings, 4 drumsticks, and 2 breasts. If you throw it at someone and they successfully catch it, upon consumption, they heal 10 percent of their HP. If they catch it with their mouth, this effect is doubled.

... Why do I feel like there's a YouTuber joke in this? As in, the name itself belongs to the title of a YouTube video...

Combo Strike Sword
Rarity: Rare
Type: Weapon
A sword that deals damage. If the wielder hits their target(s) in succession within a time frame, the damage is multiplied by the 'combo number'.

OP and simple but balanced by the fact that it only multiplies the damage and nothing else. Plus, I think it still has durability.

Cursed Duel Disk (Arc-V Standard)
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Gadget
Your typical YuGiOh anime Duel Disk, but with a curse. What's the curse? Get it identified yourself.

... Oh, come on! Seriously? I mean, seriously? Setting aside how awesome the tech could be with holograms, the fact that it's cursed makes me worry. How am I supposed to make use of it when I can't identify what the curse does?

Is Fate/Destiny trying to tell me that I need to add a 'curse identifier' branch? Because I was going to do that anyway!

Moving on...

Body Heat Regulation Suit
Rarity: Rare
Type: Armor
An under suit that allows the user to regulate their body temperature at a comfortable level.

... Yeah, I'm keeping this. With how climates vary from each other, it's a safe bet. This will prevent heatstroke and hypothermia, along with other things that may affect my body via temperature levels.

Name: Bow of Variety
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Weapon
Enchantments: The bow has a special dial just above where you would notch an arrow. Depending on the "Setting", the notched arrow will become a different type (Poisoned, On Fire, etc.).
Curses: The setting for the bow changes all arrows to that type, so be careful in how you use it.

Dip the arrows in a potion and you get even more variety...

Name: [Claws of the Hunter]
Type: Weapon
Enchantments: Once the Claws have drawn the blood of something, the wielder will always be able to find the target no matter where they are. The hunted will also be Marked for Death by the Claws, preventing any sort of defenses from stopping the Claws.
Curses: The victims actually need to have blood to draw, making them useless against mechanical opponents. Not to mention that you actually need to draw their blood in the first place...

Well, these pair of battle claws will most likely be paired with assassins and with visits to a blood bank.

Name: Rock'n'Rolla
Type: Weapon (Guitar)
Enchantments: When the weapon is played it will literally "rock everyone's world." As in it a single strum will create a shockwave running through the ground and a guitar solo will generate a magnitude 6 earthquake.
Curses: It doesn't matter who or what strummed the strings, if it even fell on the ground hard enough it could crater the planet.

Dante Redgrave, eat your heart out... metaphorically, not literally.

Name: Persuasion and Reason
Type: Weapon (Gauntlets)
Enchantments: When the user punches someone, they will be "persuaded" to see things the wearer's wear.
Curses: It works with any amount of force and cannot be turned off unless the gauntlets are taken off. Also, they don't cause physical harm to the receiver of the punches.

Nice. Esdeath gets a new torture tool.

Noting them all down before grabbing the [Body Heat Regulation Suit], I put it on before doing a final check for what Yuno wanted me to have.

All seemed right, so time to do some last minute 'free' shopping.

Seeing how I'll be busy with stuff, hm... maybe I should get Yuno, Astolfo, Wiz, and Esdeath some way to do 'Gacha' on a weekly basis?

Well, if I did do that, then I half expect them to take up gardening just to farm [Loot Seeds].

After making sure everything was ready and packed up, I made my way back to Yuno and asked as we warped to Breath of the Wild, "So, what's this 'skill' Lady D mentioned?"

?'s POV:

I noticed a beam of light 'whooshing' up into the sky, before pointing to it and exclaiming, "Light Beam! That way!"

My new friend Kuruto frantically nodded as we quickly ran in that direction.

After all, there were a bunch of huge spiders in wherever we are.

As we rushed through the forest, I felt the wooden tower shield strapped on my back jostle around.

... Why the shield was conveniently there, I have no clue.

Looking back a bit, I screamed and clung more tightly as I saw five of the giant spiders still chasing after us.

Suddenly, a bunch of white blurs went over us and attacked the spiders, driving some of them off as other white things gathered around.

They all looked like a bunch of rabbit-onesies that came to life.

Both Kuruto and I shared a look before collapsing, the exhaustion catching up to us as we saw the rabbit people surrounding us.

Glad that we are saved, I let out a weak cheer before passing out.

Later, when I woke up, I found myself in a hut made from sticks, Kuruto already next to me with a bowl of something.

He noticed me waking up and asked, "Oh, Kaede! How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. Where are we?"

"Some rabbit people led me to their village and gave us this hut to stay in. I don't understand them well, but they are basically saying that their leaders are doing something and will not be back for a while."

I pout, "Shame, I hope someone could explain where we are. So, when will these leaders be back?"

"They don't know, but in the meantime, they want us to help them around the town."

I began to smile, "Well, let's get to it!"

Weeks later...

As Kuruto helped make everything amazing, despite him claiming it isn't much, I built up my new non-VR life to be like how I played that game.

After all, if I have high enough-

BOOM!

The ground shook, making me squawk in surprise before I quickly got out. Kuruto waved me over before the Rabbit people quickly ushered us into the carriage Kuruto built and pulled us in a direction.

When we arrived, we saw a group of people that looked like they went through something... big. One of the pink-haired girls looked at the white-haired guy awkwardly as he hugged a black-haired girl. Meanwhile, the other pink-haired girl was chatting with a brunette and blue-haired girl, the three of them glancing at the other trio.

The white haired boy noticed us before getting an expression of 'tiredness', causing the two girls with him to be caught off-guard as he gently pushed them away. Walking towards Kuruto and I, before spreading his arms and hugging us.

I asked, a bit surprised, "Huh?! What are you-?"

He interjected, "I just went through a lot, experienced some dread, and reaching the end of my rope. I'll answer questions later, okay? Just... let me have this, Maple, Kuruto." He then paused before looking to me, "You... do prefer Maple, right? Or do you prefer your real name?"

Kuruto and I shared a look, before gently patting his head as I answered, "You can call me Maple. But how did you know?"

He went back to hugging us, muttering, "Isekai minus death... with Gamer story cliche minus 'Mind' and 'Body'..."

Taking a moment to process that, I winced.

Looks like Kuruto and I are going to have to help this one.

Later...

The male, who told us to call him 'Shopkeeper' or 'Shop-kun', just told us about the multiverse and how he knows about our 'stories'... Kind of cool, in a way.

I interrupted while raising my hand, "So do you know my future?"

He looked thoughtful before asking, "Kind of? What's the last... 'event' that you remembered participating in?"

I instantly answered, "A celebration party in Maple Tree! Oh, and I almost defeated Mei by accident during it."

He nodded, "Yeah, you're the anime version. Manga is lagging behind. I'll let you watch them when you have the time."

Kuruto raised his hand, "Um, and what about me? The last thing I recalled was repairing a castle wall. I was about to go back to the guild, but I found myself here."

At this, Shop-kun suddenly put his hands together before thinking about it. He then sighed, "Okay, so before I get into it, Maple needs some slight background information. Simply put, Kuruto's world is the 'fantasy genre' using 'Letter Ranking' to evaluate skills."

Nodding along, I asked, "Well, what does that have to do with Kuruto? With his skills, he would be C, maybe B ranked, right?"

Kuruto nodded in agreement with my words, only to fall silent as Shop-kun stated, "Well, his combat skills might as well be C Ranked..." That got Kuruto sad, but stopped as Shop-kun continued, "It's the rest that's an issue..."

Both of us looked at him as he scratched his head, "It's because of the rank that I'm having a battle against my own morals."

Kuruto asked, "Then what are they? Aside from combat, what are their ranks?"

Shop-kun looked at Kuruto before holding up 3 fingers, "Triple S."

...

Kuruto weakly asked in disbelief, "Eh...?"

I also looked at Kuruto in shock, since I recalled various manga that used that ranking system. SSS is pretty much godly or immeasurable. Blinking as something connected in my head, I suddenly asked, "Is this what everyone feels like whenever I do something?"

Kind of embarrassing... I have to apologize to everyone if I run into them again.

SK's POV:

After setting up things for Kuruto and Maple, and waving Kazuma, his Party, and Eris/Chris goodbye, everyone gathered around in a clearing with some lumber piled up in a spot.

Ayano (pleasedontgoawayorfade) asked, "So, Shop-kun, what are we doing here?"

Gesturing for Kuruto to come over to me, I explained, "Well first, we're here to have a meeting. I'm sure that we all have our own things to do, but we need to meet up once in a while to at least inform each other what we are doing. Kuruto here will be making the place of these meetings."

Kuruto looked at me in disbelief, to which I added and admitted, "And because I want to see the insanity of his 'Perk' in action." At this, he nodded in understanding and confidence before I handed him a special belt I got out of the [Loot Seeds]

Ultimate Tool Belt
Rarity: Rare
Description: A tool belt that can manifest any hand-held tool the user requires. Can manifest nails, screws, staples, etc. However, cannot manifest objects that cannot fit inside a backpack.

It had a bunch of dull yellow pouches on the band, each a different size.

Telling Kuruto what this belt does, he eagerly put it on before asking as he pulled out a hammer, "So what do you want it to look like?" I brought out the picture of one of those 'picnic' areas. It had a bench/table underneath a roof with no walls, all on a stable concrete platform.

I pointed to what I wanted him to focus on, "We need a table and seats, for starters. Ideally, I want there to be no walls so that we can just walk in and sit down. The roof is for possible weather, like rain, snow, or even intense sunshine making it unbearably hot. Also, since I'm planning on expanding our group, we need plenty of space while also having the table be easy enough to pass things around." I switched the image to a simple cafe table with an umbrella in the middle of it, the table itself able to sit four people as a group at least. "Something like this, if it's easier to understand."

Examining it for a while, he nodded resolutely before getting to work... as I idly commented, "I seriously want to know how it works, by the way. Actual 'minor' reality warping where it shifts the materials and not the history? Or does it mess with 'luck'? I really want to know how it 'scales', and Kuruto is a good 'measuring stick' for how crazy things get."

Ayano and Yuno slightly clung to me, Ayano somewhat latching onto the topic, "In what way? I understand how the omniverse is vast, but what are you-?"
I interjected, "It's borderline probability manipulation, sort of like Yuno's world."
Yuno asked, "Probability? I was in a battle royal for the throne of 'God' using diaries that tell of the future."
I pointed out, "True, but 'routes' were merely the 'events most likely to occur' or have the highest 'probability' of occurring. Kuruto just... does things. I want to see how 'bullshit' his schtick is."

Maple instantly took out a glass jar, waving it in front of us and looking at my expectantly, to which I stared back... before asking, "What do I even pay? With how we are, it's non-monetary stuff since cash is useless."

Maple pouted, raising the jar stubbornly, "Small Favors! Things like 'help me with this' or 'give me that for a bit'! Everyone and anyone of us can cash in on them. We'll use marbles with our faces printed on them."

That's... just Maple doing Maple things.
I'm in.

"In that case, got some?" Maple merely took out two marbles with my face(?) printed on them before dropping them in the jar.
CLINK CLINK

Turns out, the Pikmin were into 'arts and crafts', painting small chibi faces of us on glass marbles.

Going back to watching Kuruto, we blinked as we saw him just finished up building... a giant pagoda with a set of seats in the middle of the platform, having small moat filled with plants and koi fish swimming about in it, completed with a small cooking area in the corner.

Esdeath stated, confused, "But- He just- We only looked away for a few seconds!"
Wiz, meanwhile, was rubbing her eyes in disbelief while Astolfo was merely looking at it in awe.

Maple just giggled, admitting, "I'm used to it. But at the same time, I'm not used to it."

Kuruto dusted off his clothes before coming up to me expectantly, asking with some excitement, "How is it?"
I merely patted his head in approval.
Not like he deserves anything else, because if anything, he's still humble and sweet.

I then spoke, "And for our first meeting, I want us to go over how to maximize Kuruto's potential on our 'market', so the speak." Everyone looked at me confused, to which I explained, "Using the 'tier' system of his world, barring combative abilities, everything else is 'immeasurable'. However, I don't want to mistreat him. So, how do we make use of his 'blessing'?"

This caused all of us to look at each other, thinking about how to go about this...

I politely requested, "Kuruto? Can you please fix us up some snacks? We're going to be here for a while."

Later...

After some time has passed and ideas were passed around, shot down, and even countered, before we got some sort of idea.

With Kuruto's combative abilities being pretty much non-existent in a way, we decided to use Maple's 'favor system' in order to better use Kuruto's abilities. Since it requires him to actually need something in order to do the actions, we can have him 'cash in' the favors for materialistic matters.

In terms of The Shop, we agreed on having 1 'Powerful [Skill Book]' of general skills on hand, as to not 'crash the market', at a time, only restocking once per week. That way, Kuruto would still be able to help us out while also still move around.

Concluding that topic, I then announced, "Alright, that's wraps up our first meeting. I have another topic, but I would like to have Kazuma's Party to be here for this. Wiz, think you can call them over?" She nodded before we all went off to do our own things.

For me, I had to decide what world we're going to next.

For the first three...

Options:
Miraculous Ladybug
RWBY
Skeleton Knight in Another World

Reroll all Three?

Breaking it down... I don't know the third one. RWBY is cliche... and minimal in terms of what I can get out of it. Miraculous Ladybug even more so, due to the fact that they have sentient embodiments of concepts.

Let's try again. Sending a quick prayer to Eris (KonoSuba) for luck on this 'roll', I rerolled the options.

Options:
Boku No Hero Academia
Overlord
Undertale

What world do you choose?

Geez... This is better, but also more difficult to choose from. If it was the previous three, straight up pick RWBY because of how simple it is.

[Boku No Hero Academia] will be a gold mine for powers. Especially the All For One power, since it allows the user to take away powers and give them to someone else. Overhaul and Creation are both in the same category since they involve the manipulation of atoms. And that's not even getting into the other powers available.

[Overlord], on the other hand, would give me more loyal customers, something I desperately need as this business is not much. If I show the 'Supreme Guardians' and Momonga their 'story' and 'universe', then it could possibly fix many things.

[Undertale]... I'll have to pass up on. Setting aside how I already have the power to reset timelines, Sans the Skeleton could potentially one-shot me since he fights me with my own sins. And given that I've killed many in the name of my own desires, a whole lot of damage would be coming my way.

So, should I go for the 'products' of [Boku No Hero Academia], or gain more 'customers' from [Overlord]?

Hm... Best go for 'products', as that's more important to attract loyal customers, but better tell the others about the worlds I have access to and hear their opinions.

That's why I had Wiz fetch Kazuma and his group.

What I could do now, though...

I headed to the entrance of [The Shop] and flipped the sign to 'Open'.

Time to actually 'Level Up' this place.

Unbeknownst to Shopkeeper, worlds would now collide...

Oh who am I kidding, you already knew that was going to happen.

SK's POV:

Sitting behind the counter, I awkwardly waited around while waiting for my customers to appear.

Suddenly, the bell chimed as a group walked in.

Looking at who it was, I greeted while idly curious as to what their reactions would be, "Oh, Leon! How's it going?"

My first... 'ally'? 'Friend'? I guess 'Robber'. He nodded back, "SK. It's been a while. You're on the clock?"

"Yeah, I'm right now working. What can I get you?"

He browsed around, "Nothing in particular, just browsing. It's a weekend, so I'm just relaxing."

Ring~!

Looking towards the entrance, I greeted in mild surprise, "Oh, Sebastian. What brings you to my abode?"

The demonic butler informed, "We are currently attending a Public School and have recently encountered the Undertaker. Not much has changed, and all of the books you have provided have been proven accurate. I wish to purchase the next segment for study."

Leon came over in interest, "Books? Like, what? Textbooks?"

The butler looked to Leon amused, "Story books, actually."

Shaking his head, Leon placed some gum, a first aid kit, and a roll of duct tape on the counter, requesting, "Can I buy these?" Nodding, he paid in cash before leaving the store.

[Shop Transactions until next level: 9]

Ah, yes... the update also messed with that as well.

Sebastian looked to me, "I take it that was one of your previous customers?"

I corrected, "Technically, my first 'robber' that was also a customer, but yes. He's part of the first world I had access to."

"Interesting. Regardless, can I purchase the next arc?"

Using the Shop Points to purchase the manga, I accepted, "You can. Cash, Talents, or Blood?"

Not even fazed by the options, he placed some vials of blood on the table, "Would these blood samples of Meyrin, Finnian, and Doll suffice?"

I bargained slightly, "Switch out Doll for Ran-Mao and you have a deal."

He promptly took one of the vials and replaced it with another, before we both took what we wanted as he nodded to me, "Pleasure doing business with you."

[Shop Transactions until next level: 8]

As he left, I was reminded of something and spoke up, "Oh, I just recalled something important! Despite human blood sharing the same color, they are actually all of different types. This difference is the reason why Blood Transfusion is risky and dangerous."

He paused, before responding with his tone calm with a tint of interest, "Oh? And why are you telling me this now?"

I answered, "You know how readers read faster than an author can write? The latest arc isn't finished, with the previous one being merely something to flush out the Young Master's past and rise to glory after you rescued him."

Sebastian exited without a single word.

I think that they'll only come and visit for information...

Continuing to wait around for something to happen, while also mentally reminding myself to get more receptionists/cashers, I promptly got a new alert from the System.

So, the Higher Ups are hating how slow things are and want to know what's taking so long.

Well, mainly? Resource harvesting rates and lack of 'products'. Not only that, but since the worlds I have access to are things I cannot repeatedly 'harvest' from, it creates quite the bottleneck in terms of customers.

In short, limitations on what you can 'harvest' from and what customers reside there?

That's about right. Ideally, Boku no Hero Academia would be a 'resource world' where I can pull an All For One and repeatedly harvest blood and Quirks/powers from. But with how everything is, I'm having a tough time balancing 'work' with 'customers'.

In that case, why don't you categorize each world separately between 'customers' and 'resources'?

Boku no Hero Academia has 'protagonist' Izuku, Pro Heroes, and Villains. It chocked full of Customers and Resources, with emphasis on Resources. How am I supposed to effectively harvest things so that 'supply' meets 'demand'?

That's... a good point... Adding in the fact that you can only 'level up' via trades/purchases...

Yep, I'm backed into a corner.

So you need to categorize 'customers' and 'resources' for every World...

Let me talk with the Higher Ups. In the meantime, tell Kuruto to start baking cakes.

The Void Being approaches.

The what.

Hey, what do you mean by 'Void Being'?

Answer me!

Dammit...

I yelled out while putting up a sign that says that I'll be back in a few, "Kuruto! System just told me we're having a guest, and that you need to start baking!"

Ayano's POV:

I continued to mix leaves before adding some flour.

...

I hate yet now understand why Shop-kun wants to overprepare for stuff.

To suddenly not exist, having it so that you're living a life that isn't true, it scares me.

For it to be so seamless, only noticeable when you think about it and have solid proof about the contradiction...

One moment, I was making a list of ingredients, the next I was back in school, murdering and plotting my way to 'Sempai's' heart.

Then, just as suddenly, I found myself naked while in the middle of an orgy, with my memories flooding back.

I'm pretty sure I spent the rest of our days in Hyrule next to him, and he with me.

Never left his side because of the pure fear that it would suddenly go away, that I would just be easily replaced.

It's fortunate that Yuno gave this 'branch' back to me and focused on information gathering.

Despite how awkward it was comparing 'backstories', we both have a solid agreement that 'once without our knowledge is enough'.

...

I... think Yuno and I need a therapist...

Later...

"I'll see what I can do, but we need a highly flexible mind that accepts things at face value while also being professional. I'm not sure if we'll ever have someone like that, so don't get your hopes up." Shop-kun admitted.

I nodded in agreement before reporting, "That's all I ask. Wiz is working on those 'Feast Rings' and 'Recharge Pillows', Astolfo is figuring out proper saddles for various creatures, and Esdeath is sharpening her combat skills. Any other projects we need to work on?"

Thinking for a moment, he took out some sheets of paper with some sketches, "Actually, this is the main focus. Not for our customers, but for us as a 'business'. Due to currency being different across the omniverse, I want to put in a 'trading system' that copies [Perks], [Curses], and [Skills] into books that could be exchanged for what we sell. Maybe they placed their extremity on a pad before copying what they are 'paying' us. I'm thinking of having it as another way to 'ethically' source our products."

I thought about what he said, "Okay... So what about the other ways to get them?"

"I'll admit, that's were it gets tricky. Boku no Hero Academia has two powers that I want to focus on: Copy and All For One. It's my hope that, if we rig it correctly, we can copy the powers with Copy, then move the duplicated power into a book with All For One. Sometimes, simple is better."

"So how do we organize them down, let alone 'retrieve' them?"

"Still trying to figure it out. For now, I'm waiting on System and Kazuma before making any decisions."

"Alright."

"..."

"..."

"... Shop-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you dealing with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Me and Yuno. Our situation. How do you manage to keep on moving forwards despite what caused her to be recruited?"

"Truthfully, Ayano? I knew what I was getting into the moment I got the System. I'm not someone that's 'all powerful', and I lack a common staple that other Gamers have almost consistently. In a way, as far as I'm aware, I'm the 'weakest' Gamer in the omniverse due to the fact that I lack [Gamer's Mind] and [Gamer's Body]. Respectively, they prevent emotional breakdowns and physical injuries."

I let out a gasp, "So... you always feel emotions, even though you're moving forwards?"

He shrugged, "Yeah. I keep moving forwards because, whether I like it or not, making progress is better than no progress. I still take time to process things, but I do it when I feel safe enough to do so."

"... Do you think that would work?"

"Maybe. You, Yuno, and I are all different that the others due to how we see things. What works for them might not work for others. Right now, just take things one step at a time."

Thinking about it, I finally nodded, "Okay, I will."

Ring-a-ding~!

Hearing the 'entrance bell' chime, we looked over, only to see something odd.

It was vague spherical, with stubby arms and pink skin, wearing red shoes.

It walked/waddled over to us before waving, greeting, "Hi~!"

I asked while looking to Shop-kun, "Is System sure that's a 'void bei-'?" I cut myself off as I noticed him looked at the creature in a combination of awe, fear, and respect.

He approached the being before greeting, "Welcome to my [Shop], Kirby. A friend is already baking some cakes, but I would like to first ask... Why are you visiting us?"

Kirby?

SK's POV:

Looking at the pseudo-eldritch horror before me, it tilted its 'head' before saying, "Poyo!"

Blinking, I frowned in confusion, "I'm sorry, what did you say? I don't understand you."

Pouting, he repeated 'Poyo!', not really making anything clear.

Thinking about how I can communicate with it, I recalled his ability to 'copy' powers.

I asked Ayano, "Ayano? Can you fetch some painting supplies?"

Later, after propping up an easel, Ayano became dumbfounded as she witnessed Kirby's 'inhale' and 'copy' abilities in action as he turned into 'Artist Kirby'.

He promptly began painting on the canvas, before showing the images he painted.

A cafe in a thought bubble. An envelope in a mailbox. A market stall. Kirby holding a plate with drinks and a slice of cake on it while moving around.

I summarized and guessed, "You wanted to open a cafe, so something invited you to come here so you can set one up and work here?"

He nodded before whiting out the canvas and doing some more drawings.

The outside of a cafe, completed with those umbrella tables, all inside of a thought bubble. Two parallel horizontal arrows, each pointing in opposite directions. Seeds next to a tomato with a capital 'M' on it. A graduation hat, grouped with a 'time lapse' of a plant sprouting.

"You're willing to trade Maxim Tomato seeds with me, as well as teach us how to grow them, just to have the cafe?"

A nod, follow by a shake. Whiteout.

The image of the cafe. A caterpillar, a cocoon, and a butterfly, with the caterpillar circled.

"So, you want the cafe, but want the 'start' of one?"

A nod. Whiteout.

The image of the cafe. A plus sign, with a table. A plus sign, with a square being one-fourth of a larger dotted square. A plus sign, with the 'mugshots' of multiple unidentified people.

"You want to actually develop the cafe yourself... why?"

Whiteout.

A race path. Finish line, impassive face. Starting line, excited face.

"You want to experience the fun of developing it yourself?"

A bunch of rapid eager nods.

Well, it would certainly make things more enjoyable. Plus, Kuruto's cooking is a concern in terms of how his schtick would affect others...

I asked, just to have some details, "What do you want to start with? Something like that of a lemonade stand? One of those farmer's market stalls? What kind of building do you want as a starting point?"

Kirby looked thoughtful at what I asked, before quickly drawing a stall.

"Got it. Need anything when we finish building it?"

Whiteout.

A stove/oven combo, but with some dotted lines indicating for it to 'shrink'. A bunch of ceramic mugs. A bunch of liquid glass containers with a 'tap' next to them. A kitchen, with 'shrinking' lines.

"A small stove and oven, some mugs, those self-serviced drink dispensers, and a small kitchen?"

A nod.

"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, mind teaching Ayano how to grow Maxim Tomatoes?"

Another nod before he 'released' the artist powers and began tugging Ayano along by the hand.

She asked, confused, "What's the big deal with 'Maxim Tomatoes'?"

I bluntly replied, "From where Kirby's from? Full HP restoration item, regardless of how much is missing. Doesn't matter if they're missing 1 HP or down to 1 HP, it fills up."

That made her ramrod stiff... before eagerly letting Kirby lead her.

After making sure she's gone, I let out a breath of relief.

Kirby... someone that can destroy planets and is pretty much indestructible. One that could take on the traits of whatever he eats.

And he wants to be a chef/waiter combo, working for/with me...

Rubbing my face, I muttered, "What even is my life...?"

Hey, sorry for the wait.

Just came back from talking to the Higher Ups.

Due to the nature of your request, and the problem, it has been decided that your Customers will now be random.

At the same time, the World you get will be treated as Resources, with the ability to [Reset] them as you will.

Although any allies and/or Workers will instantly be recalled if alive, the [Reset] will bring everything to 'factory settings', or the beginning of the 'canon' for that world.

That's great an all, but I still can't handle the fact that I'm effectively turning people into 'cattle'.

Well, as the saying goes for that show, 'It's a Dirty Job, but someone has to do it.'

Too true...

Whelp, best get to work.

System, can you bring up the list of [Worlds]? Since they're now 'resources', some of them are not needed.

[Resource Worlds]

Resident Evil

Black Butler

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Boku no Hero Academia

Hm... Can I reroll them?

No, you cannot.

Shame... Looks like the Phantomhives will become a hive of phantoms.

Informing the others about the changes, I stretched before deciding to add a special room. Basically a 'customer complaint/explanation' room, where I can talk things out with any customers and discuss what needs to be done.

As I began setting it up, System alerted me.

So, what kind of Customer are you now looking for?

Hm... For now, they need to be from a 'fantasy isekai' world. Unlike KonoSuba, though, it needs to be more realistic. Also, they need a form of consistency that I can work with, with an open mind for testing any gear we sell while also said products also not interfere with their work style and life. Additionally, I would prefer to have them be part of a group that could be interested in the [Shop] as well. Finally, the most important thing...

They need to have a high level of imagination with an equally high level of realism.

Does their alignment and attitude matter?

No, because I need to be able to work with various different people from various walks of life.

Hm... I have just the one in mind, but I have to ask: do you still want time to be suspended for their world while they browse and shop?

Yes, I do.

Alrighty, let me get everything set up and you can get your new set of Customers.

Thanks.

Although, with my listed requirements, I have to wonder...

Who will it be?

Location: ?

"I have finished the Quest."

"Oh! Did you encounter any trouble?"

"No. Just the usual."

"That's great! Here's your Reward."

"Are there any others?"

"Just some higher ranked ones, but those three have taken them, so none have been listed."

"I see..."

"Actually, this came in just for you."

"... A Letter?"

"Yes. We've already had that mage check for traps since it quite literally appeared out of nowhere, but it's perfectly safe."

"What does it say?"

"Apparently, it says that there's a new shop for you to try out. The writer claims that the owner and his employees can provide you with some supplies to help you with your *ahem* namesake."

"... I understand. Location?"

"It's written in. But before I go, will you be bringing that girl along with you?"

"That's up to her."

Well, whoever it is, I best finish things up before reorganizing the front to better suit general products.

First, I shifted the shelves to be made from wood, while also minimizing the space taken up by them. They're now 'double sided' with three shelves, with the base of them resting on the floor.

I then stocked them up with different products: HP Potions, Rations, Mana Apple Juice, Rope, Lighters, Switchblades, Medical Bandages, Batteries, Flashlights, Foldable Metal Lanterns, Whetstones, Duct Tape, Water, and even Metal Buckets.

Maybe I should include string and wires...?

Well, I'll adjust to better fit whatever mistakes I run into. Right now, the products are generalized necessities for typical fantasy worlds, sort of.

Actually, better include some washcloths as well, just in case for dirty armor or plating.

Making mental reminders to add charcoal to the products, I mounted some basic bows and iron swords behind the counter before rolling a cloth over the surface of mentioned counter.

Just for fun, and a bit of details, I also grabbed a mug before filling it up with lollipops.

Grabbing a stool to sit on, I dragged it behind the counter while getting 'dressed' in my uniform.

It consisted of a beige cotton shirt with navy blue pants and black boots. Over it, I wore a green apron with some pockets in front of it, with some notepads and pens tucked inside.

Wiz: Shop-kun! I'm back with Kazuma and the others, and I brought some of the potions I had in my store over there!
SK: Okay, I'll be right over.

Leaving a 'be right back' sign on the counter, along with a bell for the customer(s) to ring to let me know that they're waiting, I went on over to Wiz.

After arriving, I explained to Kazuma and the others the latest predicament, with the 'resource worlds' that I now have access to as well as the situation for the 'payment method'. In turn, they told me what they've been up to.

Kazuma, upset by the perpetual lack of funding, decided to recreate the games he had on his Earth after missing out on video games. Darkness, meanwhile, has been training on accuracy... surprisingly ditching the sword and going for brawling/fist fighting since she can relish in the pain of her hands hitting things. Megumin had dived into science... or rather, decided to look into how to cause explosions in different ways. Aqua tried something Wiz made, with the entire party following the result like lemmings after finding out what they did: erase their 'level' and bring them down to 'zero', skill points included/also erased.

They just 'cycled' though many toads to get what they wanted.

Speaking of Wiz, she brought 'failure' potions that: can attack monsters wherever its spilled, but only monsters that are individually physically weaker than the one that spilled it, meaning they could be overwhelmed by numbers; can easily ignite any 'dead' plant matter like wood or cloth, but is highly volatile and ignites near instantly; could speed up the growth of whatever plant it is sprinkled on, while also speeding up the water and nutrients consumption rate; will rapidly evaporate and summon a miniature yet still powerful thunder storm; and that 'hard reset' one.

She also surprisingly has the recipe and instructions to brew each of them... to which Ayano instantly snatched and began reading over.

Wiz shyly added that she has some 'dumb' flavoring potions that could make anything taste like a specific fruit... but is 'dumb' since it only changes the taste, not the nutrition or what it actually is. I swear, Kazuma almost ranted about why she never sold it... only to then hear that the taste is 'pure', meaning that the consumer will only taste that fruit and nothing else. Doesn't make the drinker stronger or does anything special, just makes it taste different.

Deciding it was better than nothing, I asked for her to head to the 'front' and stock the shelves with those 'flavor' potions as I proceeded to ask Kazuma and his party about what 'Quirks' they want and what they would trade for them:

Kazuma wants 'Copy' as a way to have a 'free trial', despite it being for 5 minutes. In exchange, he now owes 2 Snipes and a Blacksmithing.
Aqua wants 'Electrification' to better use her water to attack. In exchange, she owes 3 future experiments with her Holy Water.
Megumin, at first, wanted 'Explosion'... but canceled after realizing what it would mean for her love life, and instead went for 'Lizard Tail Splitter' as a way to further her casting range. In exchange, she owes 5 spell Explosions.
Darkness, after looking through them, went for 'Shield' because she still wants to be a 'Crusader that protects the weak'... whatever that meant. Anyways, in exchange, she owes a Decoy and some Debuff Resistances, the actual debuf resistances yet to be determined.

Noting them down so that way we can recall who owes what, the guests decided to hang around. Kazuma and Megumin went over to help Wiz with setting up her new store/stall. Darkness went to Esdeath to keep up her training. Aqua... was dragged around by Ayano to see if her Holy Water could change the outcome of her Potions as a substitute for regular water.

Shaking my head at the shenanigans, I made my way back to the 'front', hearing the table bell being rung.

I spoke out loud while entering, closing the door behind me before looking at the Customer, "Sorry, had to prepare some stuff. So, what can I get-?"

When my eyes fell on who was at the counter, I cut myself off as I stared. The two people staring back, I looked at the armored one, before noting, "Well... they didn't say who they were going to invite to my Shop, but this is certainly a surprise."

The leader asked, "Can you help me with my goals?"

I confirmed while putting my hand to my chin in a thoughtful manner, ignoring how his companion became flustered and embarassed by his bluntness, "I can, but knowing who you are, and your 'worst case scenario' conditions... This will be a fun challenge, because your battles just became my battles."

After all, it's not every day you work with a fellow 'background hero' from across the omniverse.

A/N: BOFURI's Maple has been added, as well as Kuruto from 'Kanchigai no Atelier Meister' manga!

If you don't know about Kuruto, I highly recommend that you read the story. It's highly comical yet entertaining... well, to me at least.

So, guesses as to who SK's second group of 'true regulars' are?

Review, and wish me luck with job hunting... the reason why this update took so long.

Posted: 9/12/2023