Chapter 7
- Shop Owner, please...!
- Could my daughter have just one sip of water...? [442]
- My wife has a baby in her belly, but she can't drink any water... Shop Owner, please [521]
- [Proof] My little sibling is infected. I want to at least give them some water on the way [677]
....
Tearjerking stories began pouring into the Survivor Gallery.
“Oh... You must have had it rough...”
I read through the stories and invited people one by one.
There was only one reason the gallery had become like this.
- [In the Mountain Valley Where the Sun Sets, Falling Leaves...] Me...! Me too! I've been invited!!!
The uncle's nickname was folksy, but his reaction speed was no slower than that of a teenage pro gamer.
The moment he was invited, he posted a proof thread saying, ‘I apparently got invited after telling them about my difficult circumstances as a man with a wife and children.’
The moment that post went up, the Survivor Gallery turned into a national contest for showing off one's hardships—or a human-interest documentary.
Title : [Head Mod] Hey...! What the hell are you doing!!
Post information threads too!!!
Post party-recruitment threads!! Post face-to-face trade threads too!
Your sob stories are drowning out people who are in immediate danger and asking for help...
I know the system updated and everyone's desperate!
But take it easy! At least act normal...!
Head Mod, I'm not sorry, but let me say one thing.
ㄴ [Head Mod] Go ahead.
ㄴ “Don't order me around.”
[Head Mod] ?!
ㄴ Don't order us around!!!
ㄴ Is that really what matters right now??
ㄴ “They say we can get invited to the shop.”
“They say our lives could change.”
ㄴ “The system is reviewing our stories!!!!!”
ㄴ “It's listening to us! Fuck!!!!”
These bastards immediately staged a coup lol.
ㄴ The Head Mod's finished lol.
ㄴ Boo-hoo, let the Head Mod who doesn't understand our feelings step down~~
ㄴ Booooo, shoo, shoo, shoo.
The Head Mod did seem a little overwhelmed, though.
But that wasn't my problem.
“Damn it... Why are there so many people suffering in this world...!!!”
I may not look it, but I'm Shin Sok.
I'm a man with a rich emotional sensibility and an extremely high empathy score.
It wasn't easy for me to sit there reading all those heartbreaking stories.
“Sniff... My emotional sensitivity is overflowing...”
These users' desperate circumstances had awakened the estrogen energy hidden deep inside me.
“But I'm Shin Sok. If I were going to be like that, I would've been TS'd.”
I wouldn't have awakened this shut-in clicker ability.
“Come at me with everything you've got!!! I'll read them with my testosterone energy fully charged!!”
- I'm a teenage Stalker caring for my widowed mother... [441]
“Daaamn!! Accepted! You're accepted!!”
What a devoted son.
“I don't even have parents to be filial to! I'm jealous, bastard!”
I can't say he's wrong.
[Member List: 32]
Good.
The unfortunate-neighbor quota system was successfully taking one step after another.
“First, I'll fill the roster and reopen the shop.”
To prevent the people who had been invited first from monopolizing it, I had left the shop marked as unopened.
-Starplex-
[Item: Oda Water 500ML]
[Price: 20 mana stones]
[Stock: 100/100]
[Currently not visible]
Apparently, settings like this worked too.
I looked at the gallery again.
Title : Shop... Thank you...
My mother hadn't been able to drink clean water for weeks, so she looked pale, you know?
I couldn't go farming either because of my injury,
but then the system updated and the shop appeared... When I told her I'd been invited,
she cried and asked, ‘So we don't have to suffer anymore...?’
Shop, thank you...
I got invited too, and my parents are happy.
ㄴ My little sibling cried.
ㄴ Me too...
I'm really glad I got invited;;
ㄴ Me too ㅠ
But, Shop?
ㄴ Fuck, is the system your friend?
ㄴ “Shop Owner.”
ㄴ Mm-hmm, yes, yes.
Fuck!! I just got invited too!!!!
ㄴ Me toooo!!!!!
ㄴ Did the system read my story?
Everyone who's having a hard time, hurry up and write a post.
ㄴ It really seems like the system is mainly inviting people in difficult circumstances.
ㄴ For real?
ㄴ Yeah, everyone who's posted proof of being invited so far is having a hard time.
Seeing posts like these appear one after another warmed my heart too.
“Mm-hmm, yes. I'll invite you right away.”
I kept scrolling down, pressing the invite button one after another.
And so the unfortunate-neighbor quota system continued taking successful steps forward.
Title : I'm blind... and my guide dog was bitten by a zombie...
What am I supposed to do all by myself...?
Shop Owner... Please show mercy...
?
ㄴ How is a blind person browsing the gallery lol
ㄴ How did they even post this...
What does ‘please show mercy’ even mean...
ㄴ Did you commit a crime? lol
You have a guide dog in this situation too?
ㄴ You're not actually poor, are you?
Pffft-!
“Hey, hey, cut! Cut!”
It's the middle of an emotional moment, and you're going this far overboard?
Next, next.
- I'm completely paralyzed and surviving on a respirator... [42]
“...”
No, I mean, how are you browsing the gallery if you're completely paralyzed...
Title : [Head Mod] Hey;; Stop posting over-the-top stories.
Because of you, people who genuinely need invitations might not get one.
If this gets too bad, I'll ban you.
What can you do if you don't have a touching story...?
ㄴ People like us who are borderline dirt-poor are stuck in the gray area...
[Head Mod] Hmm...
ㄴ We want to get invited... but we don't have a story...
ㄴ We can survive, but life is still hard...
ㄴ It's ambiguous because we're ambiguous, mm-hmm.
The Head Mod seemed to be helping out tactfully as the over-the-top stories began appearing one by one, but it wasn't enough.
“Oh?”
Then suddenly, one post seized my attention.
Title : Hey, you fucking dirt-poor bastards
You don't have mana stones, but do you have no pride either?
Are you proud that a Stalker got invited by selling a sob story?
And what about the bastards without stories? No story, so you make one up and go overboard??
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Shop or system, get a grip, yeah.
Even if the Shop accepts these dirt-poor bastards all day, it's obvious they'll just sell loot for cash and survive a week.
So Shop, you get a grip too...
(Roughly, a photo of dozens of mana stones piled up. JPG)
Invite me ‘please.’
(Roughly, a business card. JPG)
I belong to a guild, so mana stones are deposited steadily every week haha.
A sob story? I don't have one. I just want to buy clean water without a hassle...
As a Shop-stalker, I'll kneel properly and wait for my invitation, yeah.
?
ㄴ Huh?
ㄴ This guy pulled a hard swerve lol.
Shop-stalker, my ass.
ㄴ So in the end, you're asking to be invited~~
ㄴ But bottled water only costs 20 mana stones, so of course we should beg for it, yeah.
But the poster isn't exactly wrong.
ㄴ The raggedy ones can't earn many mana stones either, yeah.
What the hell do you know?
ㄴ We're living hand to mouth too!!!!
ㄴ Do you know how precious this opportunity is?
The system's choice is crystal clear.
ㄴ The Shop Owner is on the side of the weak, mm-hmm.
ㄴ Nothing but light... nothing but hope...
They say a man's heart is like a reed.
My empathy score, which had just maxed out, came crashing down.
“Right. What the hell is this unfortunate-neighbor quota system?”
I'm not a charity worker, and it's not like there are any human-rights laws left here.
“Even if the world ends, society still runs on pure capitalism!!”
You? Accepted.
Title : Fuuuuuuuck, I got invited!!!
(Roughly, proof. JPG)
You fucking poor bastards!!!!
A sob story? I don't have one!!!
My circumstances? I'm not well-off, but I can support myself!!!
And I still got invited!!!
Thank you, Shop Owner!!! You recognized my abilities after all!!!
???!!!
ㄴ What?
ㄴ No way...?
So it wasn't only people in difficult circumstances who got invited....?
ㄴ Wai...t, then?
ㄴ Don't tell me...?
I muttered as I watched.
“Hmm, should I have ramen for lunch?”
****
Number of jobs received this month [Proof] [566]
Can corporate mana stones be verified too? [553]
Do you accept group guild memberships? [766]
Shop Owner, take a look at my mana stones earned this month [563]
My specs are 182, 79, 18.. [863]
Who am I? A Stalker who survived the Red Zone once, yeah [412]
With my one decision, the gallery changed from a competition for showing off hardships into a competition for showing off specs.
Trickle-!
I was filling my cup noodles with hot water from the working water purifier in the disaster-control room.
“Ow, hot!”
Even so, my eyes stayed fixed on the gallery.
Seeing the topics change so quickly with every decision I made, I felt like I'd become the gallery's maestro.
“Good. You're accepted too.”
I watched the gallery and filled the remaining membership slots with people in difficult circumstances, mana-stone proof posters, and users with clearly established occupations.
And finally.
[Current members: 99/100]
I had managed to recruit almost a full roster that met my standards.
“Hmm. There's one spot left.”
Who should I choose? As I looked around the gallery,
[Speedrun] (web message) Icompletedthe‘no-hitclear’ofSuwonStation’sundergroundmall.Whileyoullazyturtlesbeggedforashopinvitation,Iconquered‘time’andfinishedfarming.
ㄴ This bastard is crying tears of blood inside because he's insanely jealous, yeah.
ㄴ While you were putting on your Speedrun dog-and-pony show, we'll live by clicking the shop~
[Speedrun] Youmustrespectme... What?
ㄴ [Speedrun] ...Is that really possible?
ㄴ Yeah, you've worked hard maintaining the character.
[Speedrun] Then could you invite me quickly too?
ㄴ ? I'm not the one doing it;;
[Speedrun] Invite me quickly Invite me quickly Invite me quickly Invite me quickly
ㄴ [Speedrun] No time No time No time No time
ㄴ I told you I'm not the one doing it, you crazy bastard;;
“Oh, this guy is kind of funny.”
Accepted for the entertainment department.
[Speedrun] Huh?! I got invited!
ㄴ ?!
ㄴ How is this real?
[Current members: 100/100]
Okay, it's full.
“First, I'll put up an announcement.”
Title : [★Starplex★] First Membership Recruitment Closed
[Capacity 100/100]
Despite the applicants' heartrending stories and impressive survival specs, our shop's limited capacity means that, regrettably, we cannot welcome everyone.
This result is not due to any lack of ability, a predictable story, or your level of wealth. You simply did not fit within the shop's available slots, so please don't be too disheartened.
Although fate did not bring us together this time, I hope we can meet as a better match at the next opportunity,
and I wish you continued survival in the days ahead.
Thank you.
[★Starplex★] - Sincerely
Aaaaaagh!!!
ㄴ Fuuuuuck, where's my spot!!
ㄴ Please increase the capacity by just one more spot!!!
I guess my story wasn't sad enough...!
ㄴ Damn, does that mean I'm less pitiful...!
ㄴ ;; A blind spot in welfare;;
ㄴ No! A blind spot in the system!!!
Well;; I think my specs weren't good enough...
ㄴ Whew... This is why Dad kept saying big corporations, big corporations...
ㄴ I should've joined a better guild...
No... If I'm self-employed, isn't my income proof sufficient...?
ㄴ I'm a fixer, so I'm considered a fairly specialized professional too;;
ㄴ ‘Stable income’
ㄴ ‘Not enrolled in the four major insurances’
ㄴ Ah
ㄴ Ah
Fuck, zombies are running around outside, and the system is conducting top-tier bank-level screening...
ㄴ The announcement, for fuck's sake...
ㄴ This suddenly brings back my job-hunting days!!!
ㄴ For real, I'm getting PTSD;;
ㄴ Maybe this Shop bastard isn't the system after all;;
Still, at least it was kind enough to write an announcement;
ㄴ True.
ㄴ Ah, yeah.
ㄴ That's true...
Young people of this era, stay strong.
[Oda Water Bro] Why won't you invite me again!!!!
ㄴ [Oda Water Bro] I'm sorry! I said I'm sorry!!!!
ㄴ LMAO
ㄴ Once you leave, can't you get back in?
ㄴ [Oda Water Bro] Noooooo!!!
What remained in the gallery now were the disappointed majority who hadn't been invited.
But why are you making such a fuss?
ㄴ For real, you fucking poor bastards.
That bottled water gets distributed once a month if you belong to a major guild, yeah.
ㄴ Exactly;;
ㄴ The mediocre ones are the ones clinging to it lol.
Later, first come, first served, for ten people at the Green Zone's west entrance security checkpoint.
ㄴ Oh!! It's a Hunter bro!!!
ㄴ It's a Hunter bro!!!
ㄴ I'll just hand out that bottled water, yeah.
ㄴ Thanks, thanks!
ㄴ Thank you!!!
They were high-spec users who hadn't been desperate for it in the first place, or people who simply weren't interested.
“Good. The setup's finished for now.”
It was a little funny that I'd gone through all this trouble just to sell bottled water.
I considered it an investment that would make selling easier once I increased the variety and quantity of goods later.
“Well, it wasn't really that hard.”
Being the interviewer is usually a sweet deal.
All that remained was to sell 100 bottles of water to the 100 members.
The important thing here was.
“Fairness. More fairness.”
Making each person buy exactly one was absurd, and I didn't want to do that anyway.
Every member had to receive a fair opportunity to purchase at the same time.
That was the operating policy I pursued—and my creed.
But how could I do it?
“Here, we'll use a timer...!”
-Starplex-
[Item: Oda Water 500ML]
[Price: 20 mana stones]
[Stock: 100/100]
[Time until opening: 9 minutes 59 seconds]
I peeled back the lid of the cup noodles, which had become perfectly firm after sitting for three minutes, and muttered,
“All right... From now on, buy fairly among yourselves.”
Apparently, all these settings worked automatically too.