Convenience Store Villain Log
**
** When I pressed the **GIFT** button, a new window unfolded. **** **
** **
** **
** **
** **
** **GIFT** **** **
** Gifts are items obtained through special routes. **** **
** Each gift has its own unique effect. **** **
** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **
** Four gifts were already registered. Remembering back, they were the exact items I had received and kept. **** **
** I checked the details of each one, starting from the top. **** **
** **GIFT** » **Demon King’s Ring** **** **
** - Classification Dimension / Donor: γ-Nefriheserd / Hilde Bryant **** **
** - Description: The ring given by Demon King Hilde Bryant as a reward for killing Yu Jinho and as an apology. The glowing blue gem in the center looks like it holds infinite darkness. **** **
** - Held Effect [Intimidation Resistance]: Negates a significant portion of paralysis from facing high- and top-tier beings and ignores most spiritual attacks on the soul. **** **
** I remembered it all. It was the ring I received right after dying and resurrecting in front of the Demon King. The classification and donor were clear… but I wasn’t sure if the donor represented the dimension it originally belonged to. **** **
** Below it was a simple background explanation of how I had obtained the gift, and the most eye-catching part was the “Held Effect.” **** **
** The ring’s effect was “Intimidation Resistance.” It literally helped my body move when I was frozen by overwhelming pressure. I had expected it to help me *inflict* pressure instead, which was a bit disappointing, but still. **** **
** If this feature had been open in the Backroom, I probably wouldn’t have just sat there like a mouse when I ran into one. **** **
** Even without that, facing beings far beyond my own tension level with composure would have been a relatively big advantage. **** **
** But the Demon King’s ring was probably sitting in the drawer of the staff room right now. Did it apply its effect automatically even if I didn’t carry it? **** **
** “…It feels like I could just reach for it.” **** **
** The semi-transparent description window looked so realistic that I wanted to reach out and grab it, but the risk of being seen by everyone around was too high. **** **
** I’d have to experiment after work to check if it actually appeared and if merely being registered was enough for the effect to trigger. **** **
** Next. **** **
** I pressed the second gift. **** **
** **GIFT** » **Revised Operations Manual** **** **
** - Classification Dimension / Donor: Earth / Kim Gichan **** **
** - Description: Kim Gichan’s revised version of the CS25 employee operations manual. It massively strengthens contingency handling and tips, slashing the risk of death while on duty. **** **
** - Held Effect [Safety-First Work Environment]: The contents of the operations manual are stored, and real-time synchronization brings in everything needed for work and safety—weekly Backroom maintenance times, convenience store inventory levels, etc. **** **
** “…Oh.” **** **
** I hadn’t expected it, but the effect was pretty good. It basically meant I could efficiently understand the work environment. With this, no matter what, I wouldn’t get trapped in the Backroom again. **** **
** Kim Gichan… still, I was grateful he had gotten me this helpful gift. **** **
** The third one was the contract I received when I signed with Maria. **** **
** **GIFT** » **Debt Repayment Employment Contract** **** **
** - Classification Dimension / Donor: Sanctum City / Su Seonhwa **** **
** - Description: The employment contract detailing the agreement between Maria Anquines, Yu Jinho, and the CS25 Sanctum City branch. The crescent-moon ink sparkled green, proving the contract’s validity. **** **
** - Held Effect [Guarantor Responsibility]: Notifies the guarantor when the target commits an unexpected action violating special work rules. It also requires the target to prioritize the guarantor’s commands during work. **** **
** Because I was registered as guarantor, the item had an effect tied to that role. The donor was still President Su Seonhwa, probably because the contract listed her as the main party. **** **
** I glanced sideways at Maria. What exactly did notifying of an unexpected action mean? I wasn’t sure if it meant stopping her the moment she tried it. Since the wording wasn’t clear, experience was the only way, but the problem was that the moment I tried it, something might go wrong. **** **
** I dismissed it as a weird effect and checked the last gift. **** **
** **GIFT** » **Task Manager Badge** **** **
** - Classification Dimension / Donor: ??? / R-043 **** **
** - Description: The badge given as an apology by the Backroom task manager for treating the user as an impurity and crushing them. On the front is an illustration of the task manager’s tentacles. **** **
** - Held Effect [Friend’s Secret Mark]: Allows the task manager to clearly identify the user inside the Backroom and increases familiarity with other entities of the same kind. One-time summon of the task manager possible. **** **
** “…What is this?” **** **
** The task manager’s gift had a more outrageous effect than I expected. **** **
** One-time summon right of the task manager. **** Ideally, I’d never need it, but the sheer difference between having such a powerful option and not having it was night and day. **** **
** And other entities of the same kind… I really didn’t want to run into any of those. **** **
** I closed the gift window. The system probably decided the standard for what counted as a gift. **** **
** **
** **
** **POS** **** **
** » **Employee Information** **** **
** » **Gifts (Open!)** **** **
** » **Customer Information** **** **
** » **[ ? ]** **** **
** The employee information screen now had Maria registered as well. **** **
** **Employee Information** **** **
** » Kim Gichan **** **
** Contract Amount: 180,000,000 / 150,000,000 won **** **
** Debt: 1,196,000 LU (1,794,000 won) **** **
** » Yu Jinho **** **
** Contract Amount: 0 / 150,000,000 won **** **
** Debt: 1,160,000 LU (1,740,000 won) **** **
** » Maria Anquines **** **
** Debt: 1,536,000 LU (2,304,000 won) **** **
** Kim Gichan and I had similar debts, but Maria’s was the highest. Still, it was only a week as long as there were no incidents at the convenience store. **** **
** Once again, hourly pay of 5x was an absurd figure. Monthly salary just 800 won. **** **
** “Jinho-ssi~ Stock taking is finished!” **** **
** Just as I was about to check the customer information, Maria called out to me. **** **
** “Did you find everything and put it away properly?” **** **
** “Yes! I found the right place and displayed everything!” **** **
** Holding up an empty basket with sparkling eyes was exactly like a retriever waiting for its next command. **** **
** …The POS window was probably enough for now. It was work hours anyway, so I’d mess with it later. **** **
** While I was wondering how to close the window, it closed on its own. It seemed I could open and close it at will. **** **
** It had a vibe similar to a game system, but no quest or level-up windows appeared. It felt more like the real POS interface was copied directly. **** **
** “What should I do now?” **** **
** “Getting used to counter work comes first, so for the rest of the day, just work the counter.” **** **
** “Yes~!” **** **
** After a while, Mika emerged from the Backroom. **** **
** “Backroom repair is complete~” **** **
** “The doors are already fixed?” **** **
** “I’m really good at fixing things. One cup ramen coming up.” **** **
** Mika calculated the cup ramen while glancing at Maria. **** **
** “Oh. Were you also an employee?” **** **
** It wasn’t just “saw you.” It felt like a deeper analysis. If I had been Maria, the stare would have been unbearably piercing. **** **
** While Mika calculated for about thirty seconds, he observed Maria. **** **
** “…Heh. You’re an interesting person. Is this the power imitating your father’s ability?” **** **
** I was about to ask what that meant when a system window suddenly appeared right in front of my eyes. **** **
** **
** **Caution** **** **
** - Maria Anquines Stimulus Warning **** **
** …? **** What stimulus— **** **
** “What do you mean?” **LT__/p>** **
** Maria answered with a bright smile. **** **
** “It’s you who are just one of the heresies of the Outer God, right?” **** **
** Before I could even understand the warning panel, the chill in Maria’s suddenly calm tone gave me the creeps first. **** **
** When I looked at Maria, the sparkle in her eyes had vanished. Her pupils were now empty as she stared at Mika. **** **
** “Heh.” **** Even after hearing that from Maria, Mika just smiled as if he found it interesting and replied. **** No, Mika’s eyes looked a bit sharp too. Eventually he touched his chin and said, **** **
** “Wouldn’t it be better to thank the father’s grace that allows you to exist as a dimensional creation?” **** **
** “Those of you who don’t know the Outer God’s grace and deny its existence in other dimensions are truly pitiful, no matter how hard we try to understand.” **** **
** However, Maria didn’t back down. **** Right, that’s how these warning messages appeared. **** **
** I pulled out a stack of newspapers from under the counter and rolled them up into a tight cylinder. **** **
** “After all, all beliefs in the world are made up of the byproducts of the Outer God. You, too, are inside—” **** **
** BAM! **** **
** I slammed the rolled-up newspaper straight into the back of Maria’s head. **** **
** “Puhuk—!” **** **
** Maria’s head jerked forward and then snapped back. She clutched the back of her head with both hands and turned around, face full of shock and confusion. **** **
** Looking ahead, Mika had also opened his mouth in surprise at my sudden action. **** **
** Even if it looked suspicious, there was nothing I could do. If I didn’t follow the rules, I had no idea what could happen during work. **** **
** And that meant the debt between the two of us would keep growing. **** **
** “Work Rules 2.” **** **
** “J-Jinho-ssi…?” **** **
** The moment I smacked Maria with the newspaper, the warning window that had appeared disappeared. I had learned for sure that unexpected actions were warned about in this way. **** **
** Now all that was left was education. **** **
** “2.” **** **
** Maria shrank and rolled her eyes. She was probably trying to remember the clause. **** **
** “R-Rejecting a customer’s complaints…” **** **
** “Maria, in the dimension I lived in, there was a place where many people lived together for a set period and learned the same rules.” **** **
** It was called the army. **** **
** “A-Army? Was there a cult in Jinho-ssi’s dimension?!” **** **
** BAM! **** **
** “Auuuuueng…” **** **
** Maria clutched the back of her head. **** **
** “Apologize to the customer. And don’t scratch our employees.” **** **
** Honestly, I didn’t care about religious fights, but if we did this inside the convenience store, I’d be in trouble. **** **
** Maria looked conflicted, but after rolling her eyes around, she finally lowered her head to Mika and apologized in a mumble. **** **
** “Hiiii… I-I’m sorry…” **** **
** “N-No. I was rude.” **** **
** Mika seemed just as surprised and scratched his head while giving the same apology to Maria. He probably glanced at the newspaper I was holding by mistake. **** **
** Now that I looked, Mika and Rafa had one thing in common. They didn’t care about other people’s eyes. **** Well, Rafa’s face was probably the most laid-back. **** After apologizing, Mika said he’d come again sometime and greeted us cheerfully. **** After seeing Mika off, I looked at Maria. I grabbed her cheek that was trying to avoid my gaze and forced her to look at me. **** **
** “Why are you angry?” **** **
** “Uuu… I-It’s because I heard someone insulting the Outer God and I reacted without thinking…” **** **
** Ugh… **** **
** **Special Measure** **** **
** “Yes?” **** **
** “…Maria will work farther from the Outer God for one week.” **** **
** “Y-Yes?! Hahaha but!” **** **
** “Fine, let’s say I take one week off!” **** **
** Maria waved her arms wildly like never before after hearing my words, but I brushed it off. **** **
** “You have to work to pray, get blessings, eat, and survive!” **** **
** “Uue… uueeeeng…” **** **
** **Outer God. It’s been done.** **** **
** I’ll work hard and hand it back to you in one week. Just understand that. ****