Chapter 36

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 36

Chapter Title: The Entrance Toll

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"Y-Yes? What do you...?"

Ignoring the man with the dumbfounded look on his face, I quickly tested whether I could enter the store from where the shop door had fallen off. Earlier, just standing right in front of the entrance and thinking about going in had triggered the system window immediately, but now that I wasn't quite there, nothing appeared before me.

Once I'd confirmed that, I hurriedly drew a thick line on the ground with my foot, making it nice and visible to everyone.

"If you cross this line without paying me, I'll treat you as an intruder and kill you on the spot."

I'd already stepped outside and tested it quickly. As long as you didn't get right up to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entrance, the system prompt asking if you wanted to enter never popped up. That meant no one could ever get inside the store from beyond the line I'd just drawn.

And if anyone tried forcing their way in, I could just smash their skull in instantly.

I could see the people hesitating, not daring to step forward after hearing me. It was probably because of what I'd shown them before they even tried entering the store. I'd effortlessly taken out the gang leader who'd occupied it first, and when some guy threw a tantrum about going in ahead of everyone, I'd casually hurled him into the wall and killed him.

They were probably thinking they might actually die if they picked a pointless fight with me and threw a fit.

"This fucking... This is no different from those gangsters earlier!"

"No different? It's worlds apart."

"What?"

"Those assholes were heartlessly charging 100 coins just to step inside the store. I'm being super conscientious here—giving you an 80% discount down to 20 coins. How is that the same? That's more than fair, right?"

As the store owner, I thought I was being extremely fair.

The psychological gap between numbers in different digit places is huge when you're coming from a human perspective. 99 and 100 only differ by 1, but 100 feels like a massive jump, doesn't it?

Honestly, if I felt like it, I could've jacked it up to 200 coins. People who want in are gonna get in anyway. Judging by their faces, they had no clue what was inside the store.

"Oh, and if you're here to buy food, you should go first. There's not much food-related stuff in there. Items are limited quantity, so if you dawdle and it's all sold out, that's on you. I recommend paying up quick if you wanna get in."

Being a nice guy, I even warned them just in case.

At that moment, one person in the crowd shot their hand up high.

"If I pay now, can I go in first?"

Oh, finally—someone stepping up to actually pay and enter.

"Of course. Come here, hand over 20 coins, and you're in."

"Got it. Hey, make way!"

The guy who'd shouted about paying shoved through the others and dashed forward. He handed me exactly 20 coins.

"Okay, 20 coins confirmed. Enjoy your shopping."

I checked my status window to confirm the coins had come in, then stepped aside just enough for him to enter. The man hurried inside the store.

"M-Me next! Let me in!"

"No, I'm going in! Get out of the way!"

It's always the first step that's the hardest. Once someone paid the 20 coins and went inside, others started raising their hands everywhere, eager to pay and enter. Some had probably held back out of worry that even if they paid me, I might not let them in—but seeing me let the guy through convinced them they could too.

"Alright, alright. Anyone paying the entry fee to get in, line up in front of me. Hey! If you're not going in, get to the back!"

Anyone who'd survived the zombie apocalypse this long as a Combat Specialist trait holder probably had at least 20 coins to spare. Even if not, survivors who'd hidden without fighting zombies would have that much.

Plus, the fact they were crowding the store right as it opened meant they had coins to spend. No one without even 20 coins for entry would bother coming here.

And the price drop from the gangsters' 100 coins had helped too. 100 felt burdensome, but 20 was doable.

The loose crowd split into two groups.

One lined up to pay me and enter; the other huddled nearby, just watching—probably hoping I'd let them in for free. Fat chance.

Every time someone came out after going in, my coin count ticked up, flooding me with dopamine. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Who wouldn't love standing there doing nothing while money rolls in?

A few idiots tried picking fights despite everything I'd shown, but some got talked down by others before I even moved, saving their skins. Others ignored the warnings, lunged at me, and said goodbye to the world.

Just pay the damn 20 coins like everyone else—you'd feel good, I wouldn't kill you, win-win. Why skip something this easy? Beats me.

As time passed, more people gathered at the store. By the last one, I'd raked in over 2,000 coins today.

That meant more than 100 people had paid me to enter. I saw some coming out with food, others with weapons like guns or blades.

Once the last person was out, I went back inside.

Thanks to today's entry fees, my coins were stacked high enough to spend some.

Especially this—Zombie Infection Antidote.

The store only sold one. I figured it'd come in handy. Not for me, but surely someone whose loved one got bitten would beg for help. I could dangle this and get something worthwhile in return.

At 1,000 coins, they'd have to offer more than that in value, right?

Buying the antidote made it appear in my hand, just like with the trait earlier. It looked like a common pill—anyone clueless might toss it thinking it useless. Better keep it safe.

1,000 coins wasn't cheap.

Just in case, I checked skill and trait sales. Surprisingly, no one bought Sky Cleave. One guy got a greatsword, but skipped that.

Everything else... all traits sold out?

The Berserker trait, second priciest at 7 points after my Outpost Manager, was gone too. 7 points meant leveling to 8 or spending 1,400 coins—who bought that?

Probably leveled up for points, converted some coins, and snagged it.

Nothing else worth buying besides the antidote, so I headed back out.

"Uh, um..."

The ones who couldn't even scrape 20 coins were inching closer now.

"What? Can't pay? Scram."

No one left to enter, so they thought their chance had come. Nope—I planned to guard this spot until closing time.

No free rides. If they wanted in, steal the store from me or hit up one elsewhere. Their choice.

No shopping needs anyway, so while waiting for more payers, maybe upgrade some skills?

Skill upgrades meant picking one: bump Equipment Crafting Lv 4, or the new Outpost Reinforcement Lv 1?

Hmm... Tough call. Max out Equipment Crafting one more level and dump the rest into Outpost Reinforcement? Or go all-in on Outpost Reinforcement? With exactly 1,000 coins left, all-in gets it to Lv 5.

Okay, start with the sure thing. No matter what, Outpost Reinforcement to Lv 4 was locked in.

I poured 600 coins into Outpost Reinforcement Lv 1, and it shot up to Lv 4 in a flash.

Hmm... Up to here, Outpost Reinforcement Lv 4 didn't feel like a huge game-changer.

Now the real fork in the road.

Equipment Crafting or Outpost Reinforcement.

Which to push to Lv 5?

After agonizing, I picked Outpost Reinforcement. With the zombie wave coming soon, prioritizing defense over crafting made sense.

I could handle myself, but with Yejin staying home, beefing up the outpost was smart. My black magic auto-killed incoming zombies, but better safe than sorry.

Upgrading it immediately added new text:

Store electricity? Did that mean the outpost itself acts like a giant battery?