Chapter 5 · 9 min
Chapter 5
Cola
“Hey, you guys. Eat a little slower. What are you going to do if you get indigestion?”
“There’s water too, so drink some with it. Hey, you over there! Who told you to take three rolls of kimbap at once!”
Inside the convenience store, the captains were going around calming their members down.
Before anyone knew it, the convenience store had become crowded with hunters.
Even if not every hunter in the Tower knew about it, it had become a famous spot among those who did.
This was partly because the hunters who knew about the convenience store were deliberately controlling the information.
After all, it was best to keep a sweet deal to yourself whenever possible.
Thanks to that, the convenience store had reached a delicate balance where neither too many nor too few hunters visited.
“Yes. That will be 50g of mana stone.”
“Oh my. Thank you, Store Manager.”
In the meantime, Kim Dohyeon had come to be nicknamed “Store Manager” among the hunters.
‘Now there’s enough drinking water and food.’
The hunters were already sufficiently satisfied with bottled water, kimbap, kimchi stew, and instant rice alone.
But Dohyeon had no intention of being satisfied with just that.
‘It would be nice if there were a product that could earn me even more mana stones.’
Dohyeon instinctively realized that it was time to change his way of thinking.
Until now, he had stocked products with survival as his main focus.
He had chosen products with replenishing drinking water and food in mind.
‘But now, I need to think not only about survival, but also about the hunters’ satisfaction.’
What kind of product should he add to accomplish that?
As Dohyeon carefully looked through the product list, his gaze suddenly stopped on one item.
‘Strictly speaking, this is a prohibited item inside the Tower...’
Depending on the circumstances, it was a product that could actually make survival more difficult.
But Dohyeon instinctively felt that this was exactly the kind of product he needed right now.
Above all, as long as it was consumed inside this convenience store, there would be no chance of it threatening anyone’s life.
___________
Park Junhyeok, the guild master of the Black Guild that managed the supply base on the 10th floor, scratched his head.
“This is strange. Why aren’t the hunters coming around anymore?”
Sure enough, the supply base, which should have been bustling by now, was completely deserted.
‘Could it be because we raised the price of water recently? No, even so, where the hell would those bastards get water from?’
“Hey, this is that thing, right?”
“I think so...”
With no hunters coming by, the subordinates sitting on boxes and leisurely chatting among themselves whispered.
Junhyeok’s expression twisted.
‘Are they talking about that ridiculous rumor again?’
The rumor that a convenience store had appeared on the 10th floor.
Among his subordinates, there was a rumor going around that hunters no longer came to the supply base because they were going to the convenience store to replenish their drinking water and food instead.
His subordinates seemed to believe it to some extent, but Junhyeok merely snorted.
‘Convenience store, my ass.’
According to what he had heard, the fluorescent lights worked at that convenience store, and they could even use a microwave.
Apparently, the refrigerator worked as well, allowing hunters to drink cold bottled water, but as someone who knew that electronic devices did not work inside the Tower, Junhyeok had no reason to believe such rumors.
“They say if you go a little way into the middle of the forest, there’s a place with thick undergrowth, and the convenience store is beyond that.”
“I heard they sell bottled water, kimbap, and kimchi stew too.”
But as the rumor became increasingly specific, even Junhyeok found it difficult to keep ignoring it.
‘Maybe another guild secretly built a supply base without telling our Black Guild...’
If that were true, it would be no different from a declaration of war against the Black Guild.
In the end, Junhyeok rose from his seat.
“Everyone, assemble!”
“...! Yes! Assembling!”
The members gathered in front of Junhyeok in an instant.
“Starting now, we’re heading to the convenience store.”
“...! D-Does that mean you’re going to let us have cold bottled water and kimbap too...?”
Expressions of emotion appeared on the members’ faces...
“Bottled water and kimbap, my ass. We’re going to smash that so-called convenience store to pieces.”
“What!?”
“From what I’ve heard, it looks like another guild secretly set up a supply base behind our backs. Everyone, grab your weapons!”
The members, who had trusted their captain for a brief moment, lowered their heads.
They listlessly picked up their weapons with expressions that seemed to say, Of course.
Even so, Junhyeok did not so much as twitch an eyebrow.
‘I don’t know who they are, but they’re going to pay dearly for spreading that ridiculous rumor and setting up a supply base behind our backs...’
____________
“The price for setting up a supply base behind the Black Guild’s back is going to be very high, but...”
Junhyeok was left speechless by the sight before him.
Bustle, bustle.
All the hunters who had been nowhere to be seen at the supply base were gathered around a rectangular building.
‘Tower Convenience Store - Main Branch’
‘I-It really is a convenience store!?’
And as if the rumors about electronic devices working were true, the fluorescent lights were on as well.
Hunters passing by recognized Junhyeok and each made a comment.
“Huh? Isn’t that Park Junhyeok from the supply base?”
“What are those guys doing here?”
“I heard the convenience store stole all their hunters, so hardly anyone goes to their supply base anymore.”
“Haha. Serves them right. All they ever did was raise their prices.”
The hunters passed by while mocking Junhyeok.
Junhyeok’s face turned red and blue with anger.
‘Those bastards. They used to bow and scrape in front of me without being able to say a single word...’
But even Junhyeok’s eyes widened when he saw what the hunters coming out of the convenience store were holding.
Bottled water cold enough to be covered in condensation, and kimbap held in one hand.
‘Th-They really sell bottled water? Cold bottled water at that? And kimbap too?’
Junhyeok stood there with his mouth hanging open, staring blankly at the convenience store entrance.
“Captain... Since we came all this way, maybe we should at least eat something here...”
When he turned around, the members were looking at him desperately.
Guild members stationed at the supply base did not have to worry about drinking water or food, but in exchange, they had to remain inside the Tower for long periods without leaving.
It was obvious how desperately guild members like them would crave the convenience store’s food.
Junhyeok grimaced.
“Hey, you idiots. Did we come here to have fun? What do you think will happen to our Black Guild if that convenience store keeps doing business here? We’ll go completely bankrupt!”
Junhyeok stormed toward the convenience store.
He felt like his anger would not subside unless he gave the store manager inside a piece of his mind.
“Welcome.”
As soon as he entered the convenience store, the store manager greeted him.
“Hey. Who gave you permission to do business here without the Black Guild’s approval...”
Junhyeok’s words trailed off.
His mind had gone blank after seeing what the hunters inside the convenience store were holding and drinking.
“C-Cola?”
“Yes. It’s a product we added this time.”
‘I thought they only sold bottled water, kimbap, kimchi stew, and instant rice...’
More products had been added in the meantime.
But that was not the only reason Junhyeok was shocked.
“Y-You’re drinking cola inside the Tower? Are you insane?”
Contrary to popular belief, drinking cola was not completely useless for hydration.
But the real problem with cola was that drinking it made thirst worse.
That increased thirst ultimately made people drink more water, which was a fatal issue inside the Tower, where drinking water was scarce.
Because of that, bringing cola while climbing the Tower was considered taboo among hunters.
The store manager tilted his head.
“Why? Is there some kind of problem?”
“Of course there is. Don’t you know drinking cola makes you even thirstier?”
“I do. But if you get thirsty, can’t you just drink bottled water?”
“Do you have any idea how much bottled water costs before saying something like...”
At that moment, Junhyeok noticed the bottles of water inside the refrigerator.
[Bottled Water 500ml: 1g of Mana Stone]
“1-1g!?”
Junhyeok’s eyes widened as far as they possibly could.
He had heard that the convenience store sold bottled water cheaply.
But Junhyeok had assumed it was obviously nonsense.
No matter how cheap it was, the nature of the Tower made supplying water difficult, so it was hard for the price to fall below a certain point.
Even if it was cheaper than the supply base, he had assumed the difference could not possibly be that extreme.
But 1g...
‘This... is seriously dangerous...’
Alarm bells rang inside Junhyeok’s head.
Junhyeok hurried over to the refrigerator, took out a cola, and brought it to the checkout counter.
“That will be 5g of mana stone.”
The moment the store manager finished speaking, Junhyeok gulped down the cola.
The sharp fizz of carbonation passed down his throat.
At the taste he had not experienced in so long, Junhyeok’s mind went blank for a moment.
‘If they sell things like this at the convenience store, our Black Guild will...’
Go bankrupt.
One hundred percent.
“By the way, weren’t you trying to say something earlier? Something about needing the Black Guild’s permission to do business...”
“It was nothing.”
Without hesitation, Junhyeok left the convenience store.
“Captain. What are you going to do?”
The vice-captain approached and asked.
He was asking whether they were still going to attack the convenience store.
“We’re going back as we are.”
“What?”
The vice-captain tilted his head.
“Didn’t you say you were going to stop the convenience store from doing business?”
“I did. But the situation has changed.”
Junhyeok narrowed his eyes sharply and said,
“Tomorrow, we’ll occupy the convenience store and seize it for ourselves.”
“What!?”
Without answering, Junhyeok continued walking forward and looked back at the convenience store one last time.
Hunters were gathered in small groups inside the convenience store, laughing and talking.
Starting tomorrow, that place would belong to the Black Guild.