A breeze swept through the street as morning light fractured through the shattered mall glass and broken windows. The scent of old smoke still clung to the husks of buildings. Above, the sky simmered with a haze of red mist and drifting ash—leftovers from whatever disaster had cracked the world open three days ago.
Inside the shop, Kaito sat behind the counter, staring at the glowing core Lio had traded. It pulsed with faint light on the system's registry panel. Small. Weak. But it was real. It meant someone outside had survived long enough to kill something. And barter.
[Zone Reputation: +1 | Ruin District 6]
[Meri: Congratulations. You've made your first real trade. Word will spread. Slowly, but it will.]
Kaito leaned back. "One core won't save anyone."
[Meri: A river begins with a trickle. Every reputation point increases your visibility. The tide will come.]
"I don't need a tide. I need a fortress."
Ayame descended the narrow stairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You monologuing again?"
"Meri likes to lecture."
[Meri: I provide insight. Not lectures.]
She rolled her eyes. "Still sounds like a smug anime girl."
[Meri: You're welcome.]
Ayame dropped her pack beside the desk. "That guy—Lio, or whatever—he's not coming back, right?"
"He might. He wants to live."
"Everyone wants to live."
Kaito didn't respond. He tapped the display panel again. The shop layout shimmered. Still minimal. Half the shelves were virtual placeholders, waiting to be stocked.
[Daily Inventory Refresh: 03:42:16]
[Meri: Cores increase trust. Trust increases traffic. You now have access to a new passive option.]
A faint flicker on the screen:
[Passive Upgrade: Warding Sigil Tier 1 – 600 Coins]
He didn't have the coin.
They needed something bigger. A new quest. A new lead.
[Meri: Side Quest Available – Establish Trade Link With Local Survivor Group]
Reward: 500 Coins
Kaito stared at the details. No extra features. No magic guilds. No impossible titles. Just coin, and a long walk into hell.
Ayame peered at the display. "That your next suicide idea?"
"I don't die easy."
She snorted. "Right. Must be nice."
She tilted her head toward the screen. "Hey… can I ask something?"
"Shoot."
"These monster cores… why are they so important to you?"
Kaito glanced at her, then pointed to the screen.
"They're the only thing that converts into coins. Not scrap, not salvage, not food. Just cores. It's how the system rewards me. The stronger the monster, the more coin I get."
Ayame frowned. "So you're basically running a monster-based economy?"
"Kind of. Cores fuel the system. Without them, the shop doesn't grow. And neither do we."
Ayame crossed her arms. "Sounds like a twisted loyalty program."
Kaito gave a humorless chuckle. "Maybe. But it's the only one we've got."
They waited. Long enough for the afternoon to dull.
Then footsteps. Four of them.
Outside, Lio returned — but not alone.
A woman followed him, shaved head and eyes like steel. She held a crowbar, stained and scarred. Behind her, two more survivors: a lanky teen with a makeshift drone pack and a man dragging a bag full of salvaged rations.
Kaito met them at the doorway.
"This is neutral ground. No fights, no threats. You walk in, you deal fair. That's the only rule."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think you can make rules?"
"I don't. The shop does."
There was a pause. Then she gave a small nod. "Hana."
"Echo," the teen added quickly. "Heard there's tech here."
The last man didn't speak. Just nodded once.
Ayame watched from the corner, silent.
Kaito stepped aside. "Come in."
They moved through the shop like people in a dream — staring at shelves that shouldn't exist. Bread. Water. Preserved meds. Not much, but too much for a dead zone.
Echo hovered near the drone parts. "Where the hell did this come from?"
Kaito shrugged. "Other world. Other rules."
Hana picked up a ration pack. Sniffed it. "Not spoiled."
"No catch?"
"You pay in cores. Cores, salvage, or tasks."
Lio stepped forward. "I traded yesterday. Got a medkit. Kept me alive last night."
That turned their heads. Quiet respect formed. Not trust. Not yet. But something.
Kaito scanned their items. Mostly junk, but a few decent cores. One was mid-tier.
[Meri: Estimated Value: 315 Coins.]
"Enough for two kits and one enhancement item."
Hana hesitated. "You're not price-gouging?"
"I'm not a warlord."
"You sure act like a spook."
Kaito smiled faintly. "Rumors help me more than facts. Let them wonder."
Ayame whispered, "They think you're immortal already."
"I didn't say it."
"You didn't have to."
They traded. Quiet, careful. Echo grinned at the battery pack he scored. The silent man — Kai, they finally said — took the food with shaking hands. Hunger turned everyone into ghosts.
Before leaving, Hana looked Kaito over.
"We've got others. Back in Canal Zone. I don't speak for them. But if your shop stays open... we'll talk."
He nodded. "No pressure. Just trade."
Lio lingered. "Can we... leave markers? Safe routes?"
"You want a caravan?"
"Eventually."
Kaito considered. Then nodded. "Bring cores. I'll keep the lights on."
That night, Ayame and Kaito sat beneath the upstairs window, watching the street fade into darkness.
"You think it's working?" she asked.
"A thread was laid today. Weak. But threads can become ropes."
She pulled her jacket closer. "You really think this can become something?"
He didn't answer. But the faint flicker on the map glowed.
[Zone Reputation: +3 | Ruin District 6]
[Shop Upgrade Unlocked: Inventory Slot Expansion (3)]
[Meri: Daily shop refresh will now include randomized local salvage. Scarcity adjusted by proximity data.]
Kaito whispered, "It's beginning."