[The third mission will begin within the next 20 hours. Move to the city center immediately and find a place that can be made into a territory before the third mission begins!]
That was the system message that appeared not long after the second mission was successfully completed. The city center could be reached in less than an hour on foot, considering any form of transportation was unusable under the current circumstances. However, seeing the twenty-hour window given solely as preparation time, Shaden considered something else. There had to be some kind of sub-mission that would occur during that period.
"Do we only need to move to the city center? Thinking about how many tall buildings are there, it shouldn't be too hard to determine a territory like the system said," Ely asked.
But ever since the world became like this, nothing had been easy. Even just searching for treasure inside a building, they had to face various kinds of dangers. Let alone if they had to be in an open area with so many large buildings? For some reason, since earlier, Shaden kept thinking about something horrifying. Not about the third mission, because after all, he possessed a book that contained everything that would happen in the future. What he was thinking about was other variables. Like the appearance of scum humans like Dany.
"We need to prepare food supplies. Since everything is destroyed and the currency has inflated, we have no choice but to take food from some already-ruined minimarkets," said Shaden while observing the road they were walking on.
Judy was shocked. "You mean... we have to steal? I don't want to! Even though the world has become like this, I can't do that."
For a moment, Shaden was surprised as he turned to Judy, whose face was stern after saying that, but then he looked away again.
"In that case, you can leave the money you have at the cashier after taking the goods. Even though the money is useless and will just be trash among the ruins, at least your conscience will be saved."
It was clear Judy felt struck by what Shaden said. But he couldn't keep being soft on everyone when those kinds of things were no longer necessary. Sooner or later, it wouldn't just be them stealing food because as humans, even if their currency changed, they still needed food. If they didn't secure food first, then others would take everything, and their conscience would be of no use in the face of hunger. Worse yet, there could be people taking advantage of the situation by selling the food at high prices using coins that were hard to come by—even to the point of risking their lives to obtain them.
"Judy, what Shaden said is true. We still need to eat, and right now we can't buy it with the money we have. Besides, most likely the people working in food stalls or supermarkets didn't survive the first or second mission, so—"
"I know! So stop talking like that," Judy snapped, cutting Ely's words.
Ely immediately fell silent, her face looking as if she was holding back tears after being cut off harshly by Judy. Meanwhile, Leah could only let out a harsh sigh.
"Stop acting like a child! Right now, we have to do whatever it takes to survive—even if that means stealing or killing," Leah said angrily.
But her words only made Judy even more unwilling to accept it. The man stared at Shaden, Leah, and Ely in shock.
"You guys... I thought you'd be different from the people who take advantage of others in situations like this. But you're just the same! Just because everything has become like this, you think morality is no longer necessary?!"
Shaden chose to keep walking without paying attention to what Judy said. He felt leaving that matter to Leah was the right decision because from the beginning, Judy and Ely were people Leah brought along. He remembered Leah's words that Judy and Ely were two trustworthy people. That was indeed true. But if Judy's kindness had reached that level, then Shaden—who was the son of a criminal—couldn't understand it.
"I'll go on my own, and I'll prove that I can still survive without doing bad things like what you all suggested!" Judy exclaimed.
"Hey! So you think doing whatever it takes to survive is wrong?! Even the law is already dead in a city that looks like the carcass of a beast!" Leah shouted back.
Their steps were halted in the middle of the road due to the argument between Leah and Judy.
Rather than getting involved in an unnecessary quarrel, Shaden chose to continue down the street, searching for what he needed. Even several meters ahead, the argument between Leah and Judy was still audible.
"Ah, found it," Shaden muttered.
He quickened his steps toward one of the minimarkets visible to him. He stopped for a moment at the entrance because the glass door was blocked by debris and the corpse of a woman who appeared to be an employee of the minimarket.
Shaden stared at the corpse for a moment before lowering himself to close the woman's eyes. Then he passed her without hesitation and entered to collect some food, but several food shelves were already empty, leading Shaden to believe someone had already been there before.
"Well, this is still decent," he said while placing sausages into a bag he took from the cashier's desk. He also felt grateful when he found bottled water to take and share with his teammates.
What next? Shaden looked around for more food or drinks he could take, but instead, he found something else. A worn-out bow was lying in the corner of the room. Judging by the engraving in the middle, it seemed to be an item obtained after the second mission. Shaden looked around, ensuring there was no owner of the bow. After confirming it was unclaimed, he decided to take it.
Because the item he received as a reward from the second mission was five poison bottles that could boost his strength.
*
"I'm sorry because I failed to make Judy stay," said Leah, full of guilt.
Shaden smiled faintly. His eyes glanced toward Ely, who had looked dispirited all this time.
"It's not your fault. From the beginning, we joined forces only for the second mission, so everyone has the right to separate after it ends."
Hearing that, Ely flinched slightly. Shaden's guess was correct—that Ely actually wanted to go with Judy but missed the moment, which made her lose her spirit after the separation. Whatever relationship they had, Shaden didn't want to know. He just didn't hope Ely would become a hindrance later on.
"Here," Shaden shared some of the food he had with Leah and Ely. "Put it in your pocket and don't tell anyone else, because if others find out, it could become a problem," he warned.
The two thanked him just as they arrived at the city center. Surprisingly, the area was bustling with people—even more crowded than before the city fell. Only, the situation was clearly different.
Some of them ran back and forth, trying to find a place to stay while waiting for the third mission to begin. But with just one glance, Shaden could immediately tell that someone had placed red marks on each location. Meaning, someone had claimed all those places and turned them into business fields amid the chaos.
"What's going on? Why is everyone standing outside and not entering the buildings?" Leah asked, confused.
With his finger, Shaden pointed at two large-bodied men guarding the entrance to each building.
"Are they expecting payment or something?! You've got to be kidding!"
But that was the reality. Since money was now useless, those people likely demanded payment in coins—and not a small amount. Probably as much as the reward from the second mission: 5,000 coins.
"Shad, we're not just going to stand by, right?" Leah asked angrily.
Ely looked scared. "Wouldn't it be better if we just paid? Those people look terrifying, and we could get beaten by them."
Leah shook her head. "Did you forget? We're stronger than them now. Instead of giving up our coins, we'd be better off enhancing our power by buying items or poison and then beating them to a pulp."
Shaden thought that was also a good option. But it wasn't effective because he believed those involved in this power play weren't just one or two people.
"It's better we first find out what they want, although it's likely they want coins. We just need to figure out how much they're asking."
What disturbed Shaden was the sight of many people crying in front of buildings, begging for mercy to be let in with the coins they had. Chances were, many had already spent most of their coins on items or other tools.
"You're not allowed in!" one man prohibited them.
Shaden stood staring at the building in front of him. An office building with shattered windows and a broken glass door.
"Why aren't we allowed in?" Shaden asked.
The two gatekeepers snorted with laughter. "Nothing's free in this world, kid! Besides, this building belongs to the Jarish Clan. So you have to pay to enter."
Jarish Clan? This chaos hadn't even lasted a full day, yet there were already people forming gang-like groups. Such impressive adaptability.
"How much do we have to pay?"
"5,000 coins."
Just as Shaden expected.
"Are you insane?! Do you think this will kill everyone?! Are you doing this without knowing that everyone must have a territory before the third mission starts?!"
One of them shrugged indifferently. "What else can we do? Didn't everyone need money to survive before too? The only difference now is the currency used."
"These thugs are really—"
"It's fine, Leah. We don't have to go in there anyway," Shaden said.
That confused Leah. "Why not? Don't we have to establish a territory before the third mission begins?"
Shaden was just about to explain when Ely's voice rang out.
"Judy? Judy! Why are you in there?!"
Judy, who had chosen to separate from them, was coming out of the building with several others.
"Why are you asking? This guy is in there because he paid without much fuss, unlike you guys!"
Shaden looked at that face, which then turned away quickly.
"Leah, Ely, let's find another place," Shaden suggested.
But one of them stopped. Ely was still staring at Judy inside the building before looking at Leah and Shaden with a guilty expression.
"I-I'm sorry, Leah, Shaden! I… I choose to go with Judy and pay the entrance fee."
That surprised Leah greatly, but she said nothing and only let out a rough sigh while turning around.
"Let's go, Shad!" she said to Shaden.
Shaden followed Leah's steps. The woman seemed very disappointed with Ely's decision but didn't want to talk about it in front of Shaden.
"Leah, we don't need to walk far," said Shaden.
Leah looked at him with a frown, clearly not understanding what he meant.
Then, without a word, Shaden stepped away from Leah and struck the ground with his staff, causing a strong tremor.
Everyone looked at him in shock and curiosity. Soon, blue transparent cubes formed in several places.
Shaden smiled as he stepped into one of the cubes. He extended his hand to Leah, who still stood there in shock.
"In the system's instruction, it never said the territory must be inside a building. These cubes formed are outdoor territories. As long as we're in here, we'll be safe while waiting for the third mission to begin."
Leah looked even more surprised than before. But then she smiled and took Shaden's hand.
"I suspected there was something different about you since the beginning because my sponsor told me to stay close to you if I wanted to survive. But the more I got to know you, the more I felt like you already knew what would happen to the world. Is that a sponsor's power given to you?"
Shaden was silent for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. "You could say that."
**