Chapter 8
Swoooosh-!
The sky had been clouded over by acid rain for several days.
Grrr-!
Grk-!
The border between the Yellow Zone and the Orange Zone.
Beneath a half-collapsed overpass, zombies reeking of rot wandered in packs.
Bang-!
At first, the crack of a rifle had been faint beneath the sound of the rain.
Rat-tat-! Rat-a-tat-!
But as one second passed, then two, it began to grow clearer and louder.
KABOOM-!
Before long, it spread into a flash and roar that shook the very earth.
Grrrr-!!
Woooooah!!!
The mutants that had been clustered together quickly formed an even larger horde and charged toward the source.
“Hold them back! Hold them baaaack!!!”
“More are coming!!”
“Give me a magazine! A magazine!!”
“Reloadiiiing!!!!”
At the entrance to a subway station somewhere inside the zone.
A party made up of several Stalkers and armed ragpickers was engaged in a bloody battle, holding back the mutants pouring toward them.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-!
As the gunfire continued until the barrels glowed red,
the man who appeared to be the party leader stared only at the blue holographic window floating in the air.
“Boooss!! What the fuck are you doing right now!!! We have to pull out immediately!!!”
“No!! Just two minutes!! Hold out for just two minutes!! If I look away now, I'll miss the timing!!”
“You crazy bastard!!!! We're all about to fucking die, and you're going to stare at the gallery!?”
“Goddammit! Listen to me properly!!”
At the leader's vein-popping shout, the party member who had been about to spit out a string of curses gaped.
“Why the fuck did we crawl into this godforsaken deathtrap in the first place! We came here to get one bottle of clean water! But besides rainwater, have we gotten anything?!”
“Even so, here—”
“Are you going to make our deputy commander, who's dying from drinking polluted water, drink shit water again?! Can we buy bottled water after handing a hundred mana stones each to those big-guild bastards?! Goddammit!! They say we can buy bottled water for 20 mana stones!!!”
“...”
A brief silence followed.
“One minute. There's only one minute left now... I'll definitely buy it... Please.”
The desperation in the leader's voice as he released the man's collar was intense.
“Goddammit... Fuck!!! Everyone! One minute leeeft!”
The party member could no longer argue. He shouted and charged forward, raising a shield made from a signboard.
And this wasn't a situation unique to them.
Inside a tent in a Yellow Zone refugee camp filled with the musty smell of mold.
“Princess... Hang in there... Just a little longer.”
“Ugh...”
“Dad will definitely give you clean water to drink...”
Clutching the hand of his young daughter, who was hovering between life and death from dehydration, the man trembled as he aimed at the holographic window.
The twenty mana stones that made up his entire fortune, saved by selling scrap over the past two weeks.
It was his only chance to buy the bottled water that people in the Green Zone supposedly drank.
On the rooftop of a ruined building deep in the Orange Zone.
“Huff... huff...”
The veteran Stalker who had just returned from hunting swollen mutants was also sitting collapsed on the floor, covered in blood from head to toe.
“So the shop really exists.”
She had mana stones to spare, but in this hellish place, simply having mana stones didn't mean she could obtain clean water.
Her eyes gleamed far more sharply than they had when she was crossing the line between life and death moments ago.
The 100 survivors who had been invited to the shop were all staring intently at the window in the air, as if they had made a pact.
-Starplex-
[Item: Oda Water 500ML]
[Price: 20 mana stones]
[Stock: 100/100]
[Time until opening: 19 seconds]
One hundred people. One hundred bottles of water.
The meaning behind those cruelly suggestive numbers was clear.
A nerve-shredding clicking war like the ones people had experienced when booking holiday train tickets or tickets to a famous idol's concert before the apocalypse.
“Aaaagh! Hang in there! Hold them off, bastards!!”
“Trust Dad...?”
“Fuck, let me taste bottled water too...!”
They focused every ounce of their attention.
No matter the situation or how heartbreaking their stories were, the conditions applied equally to everyone.
It was endlessly ruthless, but paradoxically, it was fairer than any rule in the ruined world.
And so, the survivors accepted it.
They could seize a miracle with nothing but their own fingertips, without being crushed by the overwhelming might of the strong or the wealth of the major guilds.
If anything, they were sincerely grateful to the system.
[Time until opening: 2 seconds]
It was the moment the miracle began.
*****
At the same time, in the disaster-control room.
Slurp-!
“Cup noodles are only truly cup noodles when they're Yukgaesabalmyeon.”
I was slurping down the noodles while enjoying the crisp, dry 22-degree Celsius air blowing from the air conditioner.
Maybe because I was filling the water while watching the gallery, but I misjudged the amount a little.
It was slightly bland.
But that was all right.
“What if I season it with some sausage?”
I bit into a Ppudeuk sausage I'd heated alongside it, then slurped up the ramen broth.
“Krrrgh... Fuck yeah...”
Ramen was comforting no matter when I ate it.
The reason I'd been able to survive the past six months was that there were so many varieties of ramen.
“If I'd only had mild Jin Ramen, I'd have gone out for lunch by now.”
I might've even ended up fighting Zombie-sensei for real.
As I diligently chewed my noodles and glanced back at the gallery,
Title: Fuuuuuck!!! I bought ittttt!!!!
(Roughly, a bottled-water proof photo. JPG)
I bought ittttt!! I bought it, I bought it!!!!
I bought ittttt!!!!
I told you I bought it!!!!
I bought one too!!
ㄴ Goddammit!!
ㄴ Aaaaaaagh!!
The members who appeared to have succeeded in purchasing one began posting proof photos of their own.
“Oh.”
They're incredibly fast.
They posted proof of their purchases the instant the timer hit zero?
“Is this what skill looks like...?”
Title: [In the Mountain Valley Where the Sun Sets, on Falling Leaves...] I bought it... I bought one too...!!
(Roughly, proof. JPG)
As soon as I received it, I opened the cap and gave it to my daughter.
A bottle of water flew out of thin air... I hugged my child and burst into tears...
At least for now, I can breathe a sigh of relief... Her dehydration symptoms seem to have improved a little.
Shop Owner... Thank you so much!!!!
I'm so relieved... Thank you...!
Oh, this guy bought one too.
ㄴ He even got invited after the Head Mod.
ㄴ Congrats.
This guy's reaction speed is no joke;;
ㄴ For real.
ㄴ Is this the power of love...??
“Goodness, sir. You actually made it.”
His reaction speed was no joke when he posted his proof thread, either.
“Was he really a professional gamer...?”
I was stunned, but a pleased smile spread across my face before I knew it.
“Good for him.”
I'd never had a daughter, but I couldn't help feeling pleased anyway.
Title: Aaaaaah!! You fucking bastards, did you see that!!!!
I gave bottled water to our deputy commander!! Goddammit!!!
A space opened up right in front of me, and a frosted bottle of water flew out...
The whole party hugged each other and cried their eyes out... For real...
It smacked me in the nose, so I got a bloody nose;; So what about it!
Shop bro, I love you... I'll be a customer for life...!!!
Ah...
ㄴ This guy bought one too..
ㄴ Damn, I'm jealous ㅠㅠ
Shop bro?
ㄴ That's got a nice ring to it.
The people who had succeeded in purchasing one were practically in a festival mood.
“Good. Good.”
It might be business, but nothing made me happier than seeing something go to someone who needed it at the right time.
Title: No, why did I get pushed back when I was clicking like crazy?
I started clicking like crazy the instant it opened, but it said there was no stock left, fuck...
There was definitely some bastard running a macro, for real.
System, I know you monitor the gallery, so please investigate these macro users;;
This is seriously fucking unfair, I mean it.
It's a status window, and you're pulling this macro crap, lol.
ㄴ He's acting like the system is a person;;
Call for a special investigation.
ㄴ It absolutely must be investigated.
Invalidateeeee it!!!
ㄴ I couldn't buy one, so this transaction is invalid!!!
ㄴ Invalidateeeee it!!!
In theory, each person could buy one...
ㄴ It obviously wasn't going to work out that way.
ㄴ ㅠㅠ It's too bad, but we should try again next time...
ㄴ Is there even going to be a next time...?
ㄴ They said there's a shop.
Naturally, the gallery was also filled with complaints from those who had failed to purchase one.
“It can't be helped.”
I'd tried to give everyone as fair a chance as possible.
The rest had simply come down to the customers' clicking speed.
“What can you do? You just have to be quick.”
How many did you guys buy?
ㄴ I bought one.
ㄴ Me too.
ㄴ I bought two.
ㄴ Fuck, I'm jealous.
[Speedrun] (web message) Ideservetoberespected.Whileyouweretryingtobuyasinglebottleofwater,Iusedmyunmatched‘speed’totapthepurchasebutton‘8times’in‘1.32seconds’andsuccessfullybought8bottlesofOdaWater500ml.Thiswillcertainlyremaininhistoryasarecord-breakingachievement.
ㄴ No, you crazy bastard.
ㄴ Why would you do a Speedrun at an Open Run?
ㄴ You bought eight of them, you bastard, lol.
But there really was someone with incredible speed.
No way, he bought eight?
“He really did?”
When I checked the delivery record I'd sent out, I saw that I'd really sent him eight bottles.
“Damn, he really was Speedu...”
[Speedrun] Since this was simply for the record, I will share them with you.
ㄴ ?!!
ㄴ Really?
[Speedrun] Yes. Come to Exit 2 of Moran Station later.
ㄴ Damn.
ㄴ The benevolent Speedrun...
But how are we supposed to get to Moran Station?
ㄴ That's a danger zone...
ㄴ Ah.
[Trolling NEET] He's telling us to come somewhere only he can reach, lol.
ㄴ For real, lol.
ㄴ That's exactly right, lol.
ㄴ Lol.
Still, he wasn't reselling them, and it was fine for customers to share among themselves.
I played along and left a comment too.
What? Wasn't Trolling NEET the guy who told us to write down our stories?
ㄴ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
ㄴ Right.
I thought he was just a troll, but he was actually a sage who saw right through the system;;
ㄴ Most of the people who quickly wrote posts after listening to him got invited, lol.
[Trolling NEET] Sage, my ass;;
ㄴ Did you get invited??
ㄴ [Trolling NEET] No, fuck, lol.
ㄴ Gasp.
ㄴ ㅠㅠㅠ
The sage's defining trait: he couldn't save himself ㅠㅠ
ㄴ I pray you'll be happy wherever you are...
ㄴ Thank you... wise one...
ㄴ Ah, lol, I told you I'm not dead, lol.
ㄴ They're sending him off, lol.
“They're calling me a sage now...”
I gave a lighthearted answer and quietly moved on.
It would be troublesome if I'd drawn too much attention and people started asking me all sorts of questions.
For now, this level of being treated as a troll was perfect for me.
Ah, I couldn't buy one because of Speedrun, fuck.
ㄴ I couldn't buy one either.
ㄴ Ah, I'm jealous of the people who bought two each ㅠㅠ
The people who hadn't managed to buy one seemed to grumble a little, but.
Title: Fuck, upvote if the invited bastards have had enough, lol.
There are tons of people who never even got to stand at the starting line.
Upvote if you hate how the invited bastards are whining even though they all got to start together at the starting line, lol.
Upvote, lol.
ㄴ Big upvote, lol.
ㄴ For real, he's right.
These bastards don't understand that just being given a chance is something to be happy about...
ㄴ We can't even fail to buy one...
ㄴ For real, Speedrun bought eight and all that...
ㄴ We didn't even get invited in the first place;;
ㄴ Lol.
Ah... No, that's not what I meant...
ㄴ We're just saying it's a shame...
ㄴ You bastards were at least invited, even if you can't resell them anyway!!
ㄴ He does have a point;
[Oda Water Bro] ....
ㄴ It's okay, you're not the only one who didn't get in.
ㄴ Far more people didn't get in than did, so don't worry.
Most people seemed satisfied simply with having been invited, and the mood soon settled down.
“That's a relief.”
I'd been worried about what would happen if the gallery's mood took a strange turn.
Good. Then today's stock is all sold out.
“Let's put up an announcement first.”
Title: [★Starplex★] All Oda Water 500ML Sold Out Today
All 100 bottles of today's prepared stock have been sold.
Thank you to all our customers for your support, and to those who were unable to purchase one, please look forward to the next opening.
!!
ㄴ !!!
ㄴ Another announcement just went up!!!!
The system is so damn precise;;
ㄴ For real, its performance is the real deal...
Aww, what a shame!
ㄴ I swear I'll buy bottled water next timeeee!!
ㄴ Me too!
[In the Mountain Valley Where the Sun Sets, on Falling Leaves...] Thank you! Thanks to you, I was able to save my daughter...!
ㄴ Thank youuuuu!!!
ㄴ Niiice!!!
ㄴ Shop bro, that bottled water was so refreshing!!!
ㄴ I'll be loyal to you, shop!!!!
People were making a huge fuss over one bottle of water, saying they were relieved and promising their loyalty.
“Oh, come on, you're embarrassing me. You all paid the proper price for it.”
Awkwardly wiping beneath my nose, I took a refreshing swig of the Powerade I had set beside me.
“Well... I earned mana stones, and the people who needed it got to buy bottled water, so that's all that matters.”
To be honest, I wasn't exactly unhappy.
No—I felt pretty damn good.
Of course, it wasn't merely because of the shallow sentiment that people had been saved or that those in need had gotten to drink bottled water.
Ding-!
My gaze lifted toward the air along with the cheerful notification sound.
[Delivery completed]
[2,000 mana stones have been deposited]
Clatterrrrr-!
Glittering purple stones came pouring down in a rumbling cascade, tearing through the air.
The moment I saw that sight, an instinctive cry of joy escaped my lips.
“Woohoo!! That's what I'm talking about!!!!!!!”
That was the real reason I could truly smile.