Beggar Cultivation System

"F*ck you, you small piece of a human being who only knows how to bully us! I swear, once I become strong, the first thing I'll do is beat you into a pulp until you look more like a monkey than me!"

The pitiful cries of a monkey echoed through the Beggar Spot, his voice choking and faltering from time to time.

Bubba's face was covered in tears and snot as he tried his best to appear scared and helpless.

However, his words completely contradicted his appearance.

"I'll be the greatest monkey! And you'll be my slave!" Bubba declared, his eyes shaking in "fear" as he glanced at the small human.

Seeing the human staring at him with an emotionless gaze, Bubba couldn't help but let out a smirk, though it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Confident that his Companion couldn't understand him, he continued his rant and curses. Yet, deep down, despite his hatred for his Companion, some inexplicable force compelled him to stay by Apollo's side no matter how he was treated.

Bubba couldn't make sense of this feeling, unaware that it was the natural bond between Companions created by the System. Unless the Host willingly relinquished possession of their Companion, Bubba would never be able to escape Apollo.

Knowing this, Apollo wasn't concerned about his monkey's loyalty. But that didn't stop Bubba from running his mouth and saying whatever he wanted.

As the monkey's voice reverberated through the area, Bluetooth, who had been silent the whole time, struggled to hold back his laughter. In the end, the Water-Attributed Falcon could only cover his beak with his wings as his shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Hahaha, fool! Bluetooth thought, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"I may be weak now, but the day will come when you'll bow before me!" Bubba declared in a high-pitched voice. It was a declaration of war—though, in this war, only Bubba was aware it existed.

Or so he thought.

"Oh, really?" Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow and speaking in an emotionless tone.

"Oh, really? Hell yeah! I'll stomp on your head one day, and you'll fetch me food from that girl's re—" Bubba abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his pitiful expression freezing in place. Slowly, he turned to look at his Companion, his heart skipping a beat.

Though Apollo's face remained emotionless, his cold eyes pierced the monkey's heart.

"Why did you stop?" Apollo asked, grabbing the monkey by the nape and staring directly at him.

"You… you can… understand me?" Bubba asked hesitantly.

"Nope," Apollo replied.

"That's a relief," Bubba sighed, a smile spreading across his face. "I thought you could understand me."

Suddenly, Bluetooth, who had been silent all this time, couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. "Hahaha! Dmbss!" The Water-Attributed Falcon clutched his stomach, mocking the monkey.

"Who are you talking to?!" Bubba glared at the blue falcon.

"You're a fool!" Bluetooth pointed at the monkey with his wings.

"I'm not!" Bubba shouted angrily.

"Hahaha!" Bluetooth laughed even harder.

"You!" Bubba gritted his teeth, letting out a low growl.

"Enough," Apollo's emotionless voice cut through the commotion, silencing the blue bird and making the monkey stare back at the small human with a pitiful expression. "Bubba, I can understand you."

"I know you can't understand me, why else would I— Wait, you can understand me?!" Bubba's eyes widened, his body stiffening as though struck by lightning.

"Of course, I can understand you!" Apollo glared at his Companion. "I understood everything you just said! Every bit of it!"

"Oh, I f*cked up," Bubba muttered, his voice trembling. For a moment, it seemed as though his soul had left his body.

"You did, Bubba, you did," Apollo said. "And this time, I'll punish you so thoroughly you won't even dare to leave this place!"

"Please, no! I… I'll do anything for you!" Bubba begged, tears forming around his eyes. This time, they were real.

"You'll do anything for me?" Apollo smirked dangerously. "Then you'll take the punishment without complaining."

"No, not that!" Bubba shouted, but his struggles were futile. In the next moment, his mouth was stuffed with at least three Chilis of Intelligence!

"It seems like one chili isn't enough for you. Let this be a lesson," Apollo muttered as the monkey fell to the ground, his mouth stuffed with chili. His body turned as bright as a red sun, with smoke rising from him.

No matter how many times Bubba ate this cursed thing, he would never get used to it. The spiciness of the Chili of Intelligence always hit just as hard.

Apollo stared coldly at the monkey before glancing at Bluetooth, who was watching the entire scene with fear.

"You," Apollo said, his tone sharp and commanding.

The blue falcon immediately stood up straight. "Yes, Master!" Bluetooth responded.

"Cultivate," Apollo ordered.

"I will!" Bluetooth nodded vigorously, not daring to hesitate.

As the small human walked out of the Beggar Spot, Bluetooth let out a sigh of relief.

…

After spending 45 Alm Points just to punish that monkey, Apollo felt a sting in his heart. It prompted him to call out his Status Screen.

Name: Apollo Leone

Race: Human

Alm Points: 146.6

Spirit Cultivation: None

Physique Cultivation: 3rd-Step Qi Condensation Stage

Attributes: Lightning, Water

Companions: Bubba (Monkey)

Beggar Disciples: Don Blanc

Seeing his Alm Points reduced by 45 because of a casual punishment, Apollo couldn't help but sigh.

The production of Alm Points was painfully slow, and even a small whim of buying something from the System Store could drain them significantly. As these thoughts weighed on his mind, he stood behind his disciple Don, who was diligently begging for alms.

There were already a few coins in Don's palms. It wasn't much, but it brought in Alm Points every day. Still, Apollo realized this wasn't enough.

"Seems like I need to start hiri—recruiting more disciples," Apollo decided.

But he couldn't just recruit anyone casually. He needed to evaluate their personalities to ensure they were fit to become True Beggars, just like him. Don had the will and determination, so he met the criteria, but what about others? Apollo needed to select his disciples carefully.

Now, the only problem was: where could he find such disciples?

As his eyes lingered on Don, a thought suddenly struck him. Apollo didn't need to pretend to find beggars—he could recruit actual beggars. And there was a place where he could find them.

Technically, they weren't beggars, but they were poor, just like Don.

Apollo tapped his disciple on the shoulder, waking him from his cultivation.

"Oh, Master!" Don exclaimed, surprised. He quickly stood up and bowed.

"How's your cultivation going?" Apollo asked.

"I can feel the barrier breaking for the 2nd-Step Foundation Building Stage!" Don answered, his eyes burning with excitement.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Apollo's face. "Good," he said. "That's convenient because we're going somewhere."

"Where?" Don tilted his head in curiosity.

"To save the people you want to save," Apollo said.