As the Food Pill came in contact with stomach acid and a tiny bit of its surface was scratched, it released a tremendous amount of energy, bringing a new profound vitality to Kenji's body.

  “I feel so full of energy!” In the blink of an eye, Kenji's tired eyes were wide open, his posture changed, and for the first time, he spoke a full sentence in public.

  “I would… like… 10 more.” Noticing that he was in public, Kenji's voice immediately reverted.

  “Here you go, Sir.” Hearing the words he was waiting for, the Fairy waved his hand, and a bottle filled with Food Pills appeared on the table.

  “…Thanks…” Handing over 4 Silver coins, Kenji thanked the Fairy and left the Sweet Perry Restaurant.

  Passing by the Sweet Perry Pill Shop, Kenji left the Fairy Market and headed back to the housing complex.

  Along the way, Kenji kept using his Ki, testing the limits of how much more Ki he could use.

  Returning to his room, Kenji carefully placed the Food Pills at his secret hiding place and got to work, breathing Ki.

  Before long, it was evening, and Kenji’s reserves had increased by 12 whole units.

  [Ki: 265]

  “I completely forgot about laundry and dishes.” As Kenji was taking his third break, he suddenly remembered that today he hadn’t done a single household chore.

  In a panic, he immediately left his room and headed toward the living room.

  “What’s… going on?” Kenji was confused as he checked the laundry basket, it was empty. When he entered the kitchen, everything was spotless.

  “Are they planning on kicking me out?” Seeing all this, a thought emerged in Kenji’s mind, and he started panicking. He didn’t want to return to the streets, where he had suffered extreme cold.

  “Kenji, I am talking to you.” While Kenji was in a daze, out of nowhere, a hand pressed on his shoulder.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Wh… wha… what?” Still lost in memories of his miserable days, Kenji turned to Kevin and asked.

  “Your food is in the fridge. Remember to wash the dishes after.” Reminding Kenji, Kevin headed out, as they were out of rations and needed to buy groceries.

  Watching Kevin leave, Kenji snapped out of it, and after some inner thinking, he ate something just for the sake of eating.

  After washing the dishes, Kenji returned to his room and went to sleep.

  [Ancient Calendar: 18 Feb 0001]

  The next day, after waking up, Kenji immediately started absorbing Ki.

  After a few hours, Kenji left his room and checked the laundry basket. Today, unlike yesterday, it wasn’t empty, so he got to work.

  While washing clothes, Kenji kept breathing in Ki to continue increasing his reserves. An hour later, Kenji ate some food, and after washing the dishes, he headed back to his room.

  Until evening, he continued absorbing Ki, with a few breaks in between.

  [Ki: 286]

  After completing the last cycle, Kenji collapsed onto the bed. In a single day, he completed 21 cycles of Ki, spending more than 10 hours.

  This drained him both physically and mentally, and as soon as he relaxed his body a little, he fell asleep.

  [Ancient Calendar: 19 Feb 0001]

  Bang Bang

  “Kenji, open up. Kenji?” The next day, Kenji woke up to the sound of someone banging on his door.

  With somewhat sore muscles, Kenji opened the door and saw Kevin standing before him.

  “What’s wrong?” Rubbing his eyes, Kenji asked.

  “Nothing much, just wanted to talk to you about food money,” Kevin said. Yesterday, when he went to buy groceries, he found out that the prices of items had risen again.

  After returning, he talked to Rex, who simply said he didn’t have any money left; everything was spent on pills and potions.

  So, he, Ryan, and Maya decided to split the expense.

  “Fo… food money? Oh… sorry about that.” Suddenly, Kenji remembered that he hadn’t paid the food money. He immediately went inside and brought out a whole Silver coin.

  “Well, this takes care of the last two days. However, according to recent grocery prices, your share comes to 90 copper coins per day. Remember to hand it over to Ryan or Maya later.”

  Putting away the Silver coin, Kevin left after telling Kenji the revised price to continue eating with everyone else.

  The initial price everyone had to pay was 120 copper coins per day; however, Kevin fought with Ryan and reduced Kenji’s share to 90 copper coins.

  After all, although Kenji was an orphan, his physique was too weak, which hindered his earning ability.

  “Kev… in, I will… manage… on my own.” As Kevin was about to turn the corner, Kenji spoke up.

  When Kenji heard that he had to pay 40 extra copper coins to continue eating food, he was about to break down. Why was the world so cruel to him!!

  But then he remembered the Food Pill and decisively stopped Kevin.

  “Don’t be… If you say so.” Kevin was about to remind Kenji that he shouldn’t do something as foolish as starving himself; however, seeing the determined look on his face, he stopped.

  As Kevin left, Kenji closed the door to his room and started breathing Ki. He wasn’t planning on coming out until the Monster Tide was over.

  After a few hours of Ki breathing, Kenji suddenly remembered his chores.

  “They are already dead, no need to worry about small things.” As he was about to head out, a thought emerged in his mind, and Kenji stopped.

  “But what if Rex starts coming after me.” Just as Kenji placed his head on the pillow, another thought emerged in his mind.

  After some tossing and turning, and for his peace of mind, Kenji decided to at least do the laundry.

  Leaving his room around midday, Kenji checked and found some clothes that needed washing. Spending an hour, he washed them and hung them to dry.

  Finally, the uneasy feeling he had disappeared, and he returned to his room with a fresher mind.

  Returning to his room, Kenji napped for an hour or two and then continued breathing in Ki.

  Before long, the day came to an end, and Kenji made massive progress.

  __________

  Author’s Note:

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