This time, however, the location was a bit awkward—it was inside a fruit shop in town.
"Hello, sir. Looking to buy some fruit?"
Seeing Is walk in, the shop owner greeted him warmly with a smile.
"No."
Is shook his head.
"That's alright. Feel free to look around. Everything's fresh—if it's not, you can have it for free," the vendor said enthusiastically.
The man seemed honest and kind, so Is didn't resort to force. Though he was a Celestial Dragon, he still had his principles.
"To be honest, boss… I need to dig out a brick from your house."
Is got straight to the point.
"…Huh???"
The fruit vendor was completely stunned.
Anyone would be if a stranger suddenly walked in and said something like that.
"Y-you want to dig out a brick from my house??"
"Yes. Of course, I'll compensate you. Though… I don't have money on me right now," Is said calmly.
The vendor paused, sizing him up.
Even though Is wasn't dressed like a typical Celestial Dragon, just from his demeanor, it was clear he wasn't an ordinary person.
As for whether he really had no money or not—
The vendor didn't question it.
After all, he was a simple man. As long as things didn't get out of hand, he preferred to avoid trouble.
"…Alright, young man."
Though he didn't understand why Is wanted a brick, he didn't press further.
Is nodded.
Things were going smoother than expected.
If the man had refused, he would've had no choice but to take a harsher approach.
As long as the man didn't make things difficult for him—
He wouldn't make things difficult either.
Inside the house—
In the main hall, a woman and a little girl were sorting freshly picked vegetables.
Seeing her husband bring in a stranger, the woman asked,
"And this is…?"
"A passerby. Paid money—said he wants to buy a brick from our house. I agreed," the vendor explained with a smile.
Is simply nodded.
"Take a look, young man. Pick whichever one you want."
Is nodded again.
The brick glowing with a blue light was already within his sight.
Without hesitation—
A shovel appeared in his hand out of thin air.
He raised it—
And brought it down.
"Bang!"
With a crisp sound, the glowing section of the wall dissolved instantly—like fluffy sugar melting in water.
At the same time—
A mechanical voice rang in his ears.
[Notice: Obtained Character Card ×1]
[Notice: Gained Regenerative Creation Ability]
[Notice: Gained 30 EXP]
[Notice: Gained 30 EXP]
"Ding. Congratulations, host. Excavation level has increased. Current level: 2. Future excavations will yield greater rewards."
A new status panel appeared before Is.
Host: Aurelius D. Virel ·Is
Excavation Level: 2 (0/200)
Excavation Attempts: 0 (0/15)
Physique:
Advanced Martial Arts (100%)Regenerative Creation (10%) — enhances vitality and cell activity; at 100%, grants full regeneration
Characters:
Madara Uchiha (50%)Tornado (30%)Acnologia (35%)Retsu Unohana (25%)Yoriichi Tsugikuni (25%)
Abilities:
Paper-Paper Fruit (Awakened – Burning Attribute) (1668/5000)Flame-Flame Fruit (980/2000)Conqueror's Haki (850/1000)Armament Haki (930/1000)Observation Haki (907/1000)
Excavation Location: [Unavailable – insufficient attempts]
Storage: Character Card ×1
Compared to leveling up—
What interested Is more was the new regenerative ability.
Activating cells, boosting vitality—
And at full completion, achieving true regeneration.
It was an incredibly practical power.
As for the excavation level—
The refresh cycle had changed from 7 days to 15 days.
But in exchange, the rewards would undoubtedly improve.
How much better—
He'd only know after the next excavation.
To the fruit vendor and his family—
All they saw was Is standing there, occasionally smiling to himself.
Soon, Is closed the panel and returned to reality.
Looking at the vendor, he said,
"Write down your address."
"Y-yes!"
The vendor hurriedly found a pen, wrote it down, and handed it over.
Is glanced at it, tucked it into his pocket, and turned to leave.
"Sorry for the disturbance. What you're owed will be delivered."
At the doorway, he casually picked up an apple from the stall.
Sheets of paper began to swirl around him, forming wings behind his back.
The next moment—
With a single flap—
He shot into the sky and vanished from the streets.
Everyone nearby stood frozen in shock.
It took them several long seconds to recover.
"…Good thing I didn't refuse," the vendor muttered, swallowing hard.
He didn't even expect compensation anymore—
Just hoped he'd never see that man again.
As for Is—
He didn't care what the vendor thought.
Soon, he found a secluded spot and landed.
"Use the character card."
"Ding. Confirm usage?"
"Confirm."
No hesitation.
"Ding. Character card consumed successfully."
"Ding. Congratulations, host. You have obtained a character from Naruto—Hashirama Senju."
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