Chapter 14
In the middle of the Oasis hideout, thick with the smell of blood, Eunwol let out a long breath.
“Phew...”
The space where the Oasis remnants had been screaming moments ago was now filled with nothing but silence.
Broken furniture and a twisted iron door. And blood soaking the floor.
It was time to return to the hideout, but she stared into empty space, lost in thought.
‘If... there had been no system.’
If the shop's stock hadn't increased to 700 at that perfect moment, causing water prices to fall.
And if the gallery's public opinion hadn't turned against Choi Tae-su.
‘Would I have been able to find another way?’
No. Without the system, it would have been impossible.
She hadn't found another group to manage the water source, and if she'd recklessly ventured into the Red Zone every day, wondering when she would die, she would eventually have met a gruesome end.
Even if she had survived the Red Zone, she would eventually have dragged these people down without a cause or a plan, while the other survivors slowly withered away.
That was why Eunwol asked herself a question.
‘Could all of this be a coincidence...?’
That wasn't it either.
It was far too perfectly timed to dismiss as coincidence.
It was as if some omnipotent being were looking down on the chessboard from above, opening a path and whispering to her at the perfect moment when she needed to move.
To Eunwol, the gallery's administrator and Head Mod—the system's greatest arrangement and one of its parts—that omnipotent being could only be one thing.
‘The system...’
The being that had kept Eunwol alive from the beginning and forced her to bear the heavy cross of being the Head Mod.
The being that had made Eunwol continue enduring here even now.
The system itself.
That system seemed to be whispering to her.
- Act without hesitation on what you have resolved to do. The path you wish to walk will ultimately be realized through me.
‘...Yes.’
This was a message.
A command from the system telling her not to hesitate, but to willingly carry out what she had to do as both an administrator and the last Hunter active in the capital region.
But perhaps because she had struggled alone in this desperate situation for far too long.
A single doubt suddenly brushed through her mind.
‘What if all of this is merely a delusion of mine?’
Perhaps the shop's inventory increasing at that exact moment and public opinion shifting were nothing more than coincidence.
Perhaps, isolated and driven mad, she was forcing meaning onto everything.
“...”
It was at that very moment, as Eunwol questioned her own mental state and grew confused.
Rattle-
A faint tremor came from beyond the closed basement door in the corner of the hideout.
“No way.”
Eunwol approached and smashed the door open without hesitation.
“Ah...!”
“Aaaaaagh!!”
Survivors huddled in the darkness emerged into view.
They were people who had been dragged there and tortured by Oasis simply because they had used the Gallery Shop.
“A, aaa...!”
“Head Mod...! You are the Head Mod, right?”
The survivors crawled out of the basement and bowed their heads before Eunwol.
“Thank you...! Thank you!”
“If not for you, Head Mod, we would have died without a chance to do anything...!”
Eunwol raised them with an indifferent expression and spoke quietly.
“...You don't need to thank me.”
“Huh...? What do you mean...?”
“If the system hadn't been updated, I wouldn't have been able to come here either.”
Eunwol had merely stated the facts plainly. Because that was the truth.
But no sooner had she finished speaking than.
Whiiiiir-!
The space in the air above Eunwol's crown began to warp.
At that moment, the light in Eunwol's red eyes changed.
‘An attack...!’
Sensing danger instinctively, she reflexively reached out and stopped the objects in midair, but.
“Huh...?”
Eunwol's eyes widened when she saw what they were.
A Spam can with a gleaming yellow lid.
A pack of instant rice radiating warmth, as if it had just been cooked.
And a bottle of blue Powerade covered in cold condensation.
Eunwol was flustered by this completely unexpected situation when.
“Th-that rift... It definitely appears when a delivery comes from the shop.”
“But those foods weren't even in the shop...!”
“This is a m-miracle... The moment Head Mod mentioned the system... it answered her!!”
When the invited members who knew the connection between the rift and the objects spoke up.
Eunwol's red eyes began to tremble slightly.
“Ah... Aah...!”
The terrible doubt and skepticism she had directed at herself moments earlier melted away like snow.
“It wasn't a delusion...”
And in the empty space it left behind, firm conviction began to well up.
The system had personally answered the question she had been agonizing over with an unmistakable miracle.
*****
Upon returning to her hideout,
Eunwol knelt reverently before a table laden with food.
Gifts bestowed by the system.
Click, riiip-.
When she peeled off the yellow lid and pulled back the metal cover, the salty, rich aroma of the processed meat sealed inside spread throughout the hideout.
‘This smell...’
When had she last encountered processed meat in such a complete form after the apocalypse? Even Eunwol could barely remember.
Then she unwrapped the instant rice, still warm as if freshly cooked, placed a slice of Spam on top, and carefully put it in her mouth.
“...!!”
The salty, savory flavor melted the moment it touched the tip of her tongue.
And the sweetness of the warm rice perfectly embraced that stimulating flavor.
“Mmm... so good...”
The ecstatic harmony of flavors spreading through her mouth made Eunwol close her eyes without realizing it.
“...Has the forum calmed down a bit?”
As the Head Mod, there was one unforgivable act: browsing the gallery while eating.
She opened the gallery.
Title : [Trolling NEET] I knew my Oasis would end up like this someday ㅇㅇ
I knew it from the moment the brothers dramatically reconciled and reunited ㅇㅇ
They ended up completely wrecking themselves and disbanding like this lol. Sheesh;;
?
ㄴ What the hell are you talking about? Guild Leader Choi Tae-su is an only child.
ㄴ [Trolling NEET] Ah... So that's how it is... The Oasis here wasn't a band...
ㄴ ???
ㄴ ?!
Fuck, pure nonsense lol.
ㄴ What the hell is this guy, seriously? lol
ㄴ Is this a bit, or is he serious...?
Hold on... Could this Trolling NEET bastard...?
ㄴ Did this guy know the Head Mod was going to raid Oasis and break Choi Tae-su mentally, then time it perfectly?
Ah... this is ridiculously forced praise...
ㄴ For real...
ㄴ This is insanely excessive praise lol.
ㄴ Don't overdo it lol.
That bastard just likes stirring things up;;
ㄴ For real, that's it lol.
But it was funny, right?
ㄴ It was fucking hilarious, for real;;
ㄴ The GOAT of pure malicious trolling.
“Pfft...”
As Eunwol read down the post, she let out a small, incredulous laugh.
That mysterious fixed-handle user who had appeared a week ago. The account had a fairly funny side to it, more than she'd expected.
It seemed like nothing more than a malicious troll, yet it had a strange power that drew the eye.
Besides, hadn't that account made it possible for people to receive invitations?
“Is this one a genius...?”
Still, punishing malicious trolls was also part of an administrator's job.
“I'll keep an eye on you, Trolling NEET.”
The moment that account crossed the line, she intended to hit it with the ban train without mercy.
Of course, that moment wasn't now.
“Mmm, delicious... I can't stop...”
The flavor was so good that the Head Mod unconsciously began typing a post.
*****
Meanwhile, I stood there blankly.
“What the hell. No reaction?”
I had definitely sent the Head Mod nothing but delicious combinations.
So why hadn't there been any reaction?
“Don't tell me?”
Was there no way to respond? Right. In practice, there probably wasn't.
There was no one-on-one chat function here.
“The Head Mod could at least write a post...”
That was a little sad.
Just as I hit refresh to soothe my hollow feelings.
“What?”
A new post had gone up.
Title [Head Mod] From this moment on, the system and I shall be regarded as one
From today, I will move beyond merely supporting the system.
The system and I shall become one, completely united.
Any insult to the system will be regarded as an attack on me.
System, my salvation.
System, my light.
System, my truth.
System, my life.
System, my joy.
System, my rest.
System, my soul.
System, me.
Argue against this and get the ban train.
?
ㄴ ㅇ?
ㄴ ?!
ㄴ What is this lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Did the Head Mod get hacked?
ㄴ ㄹㅈㄷ ㄹㅈㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Sudden system worship out of nowhere ㄷㄷ
ㄴ The extra stock of bottled water this time was insane though;;
ㄴ Head Mod, snap out of it.
ㄴ She tasted blood and lost her mind;;
“Pfft.”
Speak of the tiger, and she immediately writes a post.
But the content was anything but ordinary.
“Did she like it...?”
It was a combination I was starting to get tired of, honestly.
As for Spam, it must have been incredibly difficult to find, because it barely ever showed up when I checked the going rate.
“Well, at least it looks like she enjoyed it.”
But that wasn't the end of it.
Hey, Head Mod~~
ㄴ Did the system pay you off under the table or something, hey hey~~
[Head Mod] ...Don't speak informally to me...!
ㄴ [Head Mod] But I really did get some...
ㄴ [Head Mod] (Roughly, a food verification photo. JPG)
ㄴ Huh...?
ㄴ ?????
ㄴ Spam...? Isn't that Powerade???
ㄴ The system gave you that??????
[Head Mod] I got them after raiding Oasis and praising the system...
ㄴ Fucking hell, stop lying!!!!
ㄴ What a fucking lie!!!!
The Head Mod had gone so far as to post proof.
Good grief, what if she spoils food that might be sold in the future?
“It doesn't matter. I'm selling it all anyway.”
I didn't know what had changed her mind, but at least the goodwill had clearly gotten through.
Looking at the Head Mod's stance, I even felt like she'd grant anything I asked.
“Yeah, yeah. You've become my ally.”
It was one-sided, but if we'd reached some kind of mutual agreement, that was good enough.
How did you get it? How did you get it?!
ㄴ Fuck, I can't believe it...
[ShopWiki] It's not listed in the shop right now...!!!
ㄴ [ShopWiki] You didn't really buy it, right, Head Mod?
ㄴ [Head Mod] I really didn't...
ㄴ Whoa...
ㄴ This is the biggest piece of bait in history...
ㄴ Can the system send food too...?
...
“Kya... Now that's some skill at rolling out bait...”
The god of the gallery: the Swift-Trolling-NEET System Shop.
“But that's enough.”
I firmly shut off the comment section, which had descended into chaos.
“Because...! The long-awaited moment has finally arrived!!!!”
I manipulated the system UI and brought up the relevant window.
[I do not have control of the entire building. Secure ownership starting with the area you want]
[To own a new tile, upgrade ‘Blueprint Control (Lv.1)’]
[Mana stones required for the next level up: 5,000]
[Mana stones currently owned: 14,000]
After increasing the stock and selling bottled water, I had accumulated more than enough mana stones for a skill level-up.
“Heh heh heh...”
[Building Master Main Quest 2: Unlock and own a new tile!](NEW!)
“Let's clear it, let's clear it!!!”
The moment to clear the quest had arrived!
Without hesitation, I pressed the upgrade button.
[Spending 5,000 mana stones. The ‘Blueprint Control’ skill is upgrading to Lv.2!]
[Ownership of 6 additional tiles has been granted]
Ding-!
Along with a cheerful sound effect, a three-dimensional blueprint of Starplex appeared before me like a hologram.
“Yoshiiiiii!!!”
The tiles, divided with the precision of a Go board, emitted a bluish light as they waited for my choice.
[Current number of tiles that can be controlled: 6]
[I do not have control of the entire building. Secure ownership starting with the area you want]
I turned my attention to the sections adjacent to the bottled-water section.
[Meat Section]
[Seafood Section]
I selected one of them and claimed ownership without hesitation, then shouted.
"I've chosen youuuuu!!"