Chapter 96: New Customers, Gaming Session "Thirty percent increase," the customer breathed, his voice carrying genuine awe. "Does the effect dial down the higher your rank is?" He asked, still shocked by the effect he was feeling inside his body. Noah smiled before dropping the bomb. "No. The effect remains constant across all ranks. Nothing reduces its potency—not rank advancement, age, or gender." His words made their jaws drop to the ground. It was a well-known fact that all kinds of potions, whether they were healing potions or mana potions, their effects reduced at the higher ranks, such as apprentice or adept. A tier 1 mana potion might help replenish a novice mage’s mana reserves, but if an apprentice took it, they would have significantly lower results. The remaining group members needed no further convincing. Golden coins changed hands with the demons, now fully convinced that the items in the shop were as advertised. "We’ll be back," the silver-horned demoness promised as they departed. "Regularly." "I will be waiting," He responded with the best customer service smile he could palster on his face. The morning continued similarly. Drakth’s recommendations had created a small surge of first-time visitors, each one departing as a converted customer who would undoubtedly share their own experiences with friends and associates. ... By midday, Noah’s shelves stood noticeably depleted. His shop points climbed steadily toward the 5,000 threshold while his bank account swelled beyond anything his old life could have imagined. Getting closer. Just two more days before I can finally upgrade my shop once again. — Host: Noah Carter Age: 28 Shops: 1 Daily Revenue: $5,000 Current Assets: $308,240.21 Shop Points: 3740 Attributes: Strength: 20, Vitality: 4, Intelligence: 20, Agility: 20 Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 5), Mana Control (Level 5), Cooking (Level 2), Programming (Level 2), Finance (Level 1), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3), Gaming (Level 1) — [Auto-IceTea] Level: 2 Production Rate: 1 Iced Tea every hour Max Stock: 24 Progress: 100/100 — [Auto-Baker] Level: 2 Production Rate: 2 Loaves every hour Max Stock: 24 Progress: 100/100 — Three hundred thousand dollars. The numbers still don’t feel real. Noah’s eyes tracked across the familiar display with satisfaction that transcended mere financial gain. His current assets had crossed into territory that represented genuine wealth rather than temporary prosperity. Five hundred and twenty shop points gained today. Word-of-mouth marketing is paying serious dividends. Both auto-makers had reached maximum progress, straining against the limitations set by the system, which only his shop upgrade could resolve. The capped production caused potential revenue to be constrained. As he could increase the cap from one per customer to two per customer, which would grant him more sales. Whilst he could do that with his current production, it would mean that many of his other customers would not be able to purchase his items, and he didn’t want that. It wasn’t only about profit, it was also about retaining those customers to constantly come back. 1,260 shop points to go. Maybe two or three more days if demon enthusiasm continues. His gaze drifted toward the door, noting an absence that had become increasingly apparent throughout the afternoon. No Lola today. That’s... unusual. She’s been quite busy, it seems. The succubus had become something approaching a regular customer; her dramatic entrances and constant teasing had almost become a part of his daily routine. Her absence felt noticeable in ways that the other customer couldn’t match. Probably dealing with whatever injured her yesterday. Master-level demons have complicated lives. Noah shrugged off the concern. Lola could handle herself, and dwelling on absent customers was poor business practice. Seeing the sun’s position, Noah decided to close the shop. After nearly two weeks of being in this world, he had learned how to calculate the time based on the shadows and the sun’s position. I need to head back to Earth. I have an appointment with the man to complete the setup. The portal welcomed him into his new house, where afternoon light streamed through the windows and bathed the furniture. A van pulled into his driveway as Noah checked his appearance in the hallway mirror. TechnoWorld’s logo decorated the vehicle’s side panel. The man emerged from the driver’s seat with an assistant who began unloading equipment cases. Professional setup crews moved with the punctuation that warranted their premium fees. "Mr. Carter?" Marcus extended his hand. "Ready to build your gaming setup?" The boxes from Noah’s shopping spree waited in the spare bedroom, still containing thousands of dollars’ worth of the world’s best hardware. "Absolutely. Everything’s upstairs." They climbed to the designated room, where Marcus began unpacking components with reverent care. Monitors that belonged in professional esports facilities, the best equipment was being unpackaged and placed. "Custom loop cooling for both systems," Marcus explained while connecting the water cooler. "These machines will handle anything you throw at them. For such a powerful PC, you need a strong cooling system. Otherwise, your hardware will be damaged." Noah nodded. Whilst he was a software engineer, he still knew about the hardware components of the computer. An hour later, the transformation was complete. What had been empty space now resembled a streamer’s desk. "Testing phase." Marcus powered up both systems simultaneously. The room was filled with the gentle hum of high-performance computing. Despite the powerful comments, the PC wasn’t making any loud sounds. "Performance benchmarks look perfect." Marcus nodded with satisfaction, everything was flowing smoothly with no unseen errors at play. "You’ve got enough processing power to run all the games you need at the highest resolution possible." Noah accepted the brief tutorial on system management to ensure the longevity of the setup. "Anything else you need?" Marcus packed his tools and stood up. "This covers everything. Thank you." The setup crew departed, leaving Noah alone with his new setup. With his new setup now ready for action, Noah took his phone out and sent Ethan a message. "Are you up for a few games? I just completed my setup." Noah texted his cousin with a smirk on his face.