The Vanished Convenience Store
I stepped out of the erased spot *** and walked down the familiar street. It was already a sparsely populated area, and with the gate break on top of that, not a single voice could be heard despite it not being all that late.
"Nothing ever changes around here."
I strolled along the quiet street toward the spot I'd had in mind. My destination was an empty lot at the edge of the neighborhood. People passed by occasionally, but it was such a deserted area anyway. And above all, no sane person would venture outside after a gate break. If someone did... well, they'd just be down on their luck.
"Ah, maybe I should swing by the convenience store on the way."
As I rummaged through my memories, I suddenly recalled that the Store Manager's convenience store was right on the path to the lot. I'd just dealt with the gate break, and with the sun setting in the evening sky, my stomach was starting to rumble a bit. Stopping by seemed like a good idea.
"No contact yet... but whatever, I can figure it out when I get there."
There hadn't been any word yet on whether the gate issue was fully resolved, but it seemed best to check it out first and decide then. If he'd come back but hadn't contacted me for some reason, it might be a good chance to say hello and tell him about my transformation.
Thump. Thump.
"Ahem, alright then, let's go."
I quickened my hesitant steps toward the convenience store, feeling a strange sensation I'd never really experienced in my life. My footsteps grew lighter as I went.
And what greeted me was...
"Where the hell... did it go?"
The small convenience store I'd always come to for my shifts was nowhere to be seen. In its place was nothing but ruins, as if it had never existed. The building where the store had been was still there intact. But the inside was completely empty. No glass doors, no display cases—just bare gray cement.
"What, did the damn convenience store grow legs and walk away?"
I was flustered. The store had been right there, solid as a rock, and now it was gone? Just like that, without any warning?
"No way, maybe I should at least try calling..."
I pulled out my phone to give it a shot. The Store Manager's number saved in my contacts. I tapped it quickly, my mind a mix of worry and confusion.
"The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
The cold, recorded voice of the machine came through after several rings that built a subtle tension. Hearing it completely shattered my composure.
No way, he's not the type to just vanish like this without a word.
He was someone who always left a message no matter what. Him disappearing like this, without even the store left behind—it just didn't add up. My head throbbed even though my mana wasn't depleted.
I barely held onto my crumbling mental state and asked an elderly lady nearby.
"Excuse me, ma'am, do you know what happened to the convenience store that was here?"
"Convenience store? What convenience store? This place has always been an empty room."
Her response only deepened my confusion. I couldn't even get a single clue; my head just spun more. I bowed politely to the lady and silently stared at the convenience store building.
The spot where it should have been. The glass door that had felt within arm's reach.
"......"
It was gone, as if deleted from reality. A sigh escaped me naturally.
If my brain could catch up to the situation, I could do something. But this wasn't some supernatural phenomenon or ghost story—it had just vanished, leaving me with no idea what to even think.
"Sigh, might as well get back to what I was doing..."
It didn't seem like answers would come right away. So, I'd just focus on what I needed to do now.
Whether climbing the tower or tackling gates, doing something might uncover clues about the Store Manager or the current situation. I shook my head to clear the stray thoughts, steadied my wavering mind, and started walking toward my original goal.
I made my way along the familiar street to the empty lot and arrived before long.
"...Alright, time to test things out first."
I took a deep breath and looked around. It was a decent-sized lot—not too big, not too small. Just as I'd guessed, no one was passing by, making it perfect for testing skills.
"Let's start with Cleansing then."
I extended my right hand forward. The activation should be similar to the other skills. If I could summon intense flames from nothing, water should be a breeze.
My hand is a hose...
I imagined my hand turning into a hose spewing water. It felt a bit cliché, but it was the first thing that came to mind for water. As long as it worked, right? I focused my mind, picturing water gathering.
Whoosh—
"Hah?!"
An unexpected jet of water burst out. But it wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. Not a high-pressure water jet that could slice or smash anything like a power washer. It was literally just hose-level pressure.
"Not firepower-based, huh? Way too weak."
The stream from my right hand kept flowing endlessly, but I couldn't imagine killing monsters with it. Getting hit would probably just feel like a shower.
So I changed my approach.
Splosh.
This time, instead of a continuous stream, I gathered a specific amount into a water orb at my fingertip. About the size of my head. Pretty satisfying.
"Now for a good test subject..."
I kept the orb hovering at my fingertip and scanned for something suitable.
"Oh, perfect."
It didn't take long circling the area. In the corner was a discarded rebar piece—decent weight and sturdiness, ideal for practice.
I moved the head-sized water orb toward it. Then—
Splash!
I clenched my right hand as if grasping the rebar with the orb. "Oh... it works."
The orb dispersed into a long stream that wrapped around the rebar like a hand, lifting it up firmly. Even with the slippery contact, I felt it grip solidly.
"This is way better than I thought."
I'd been a bit disappointed with the weak stream, but not anymore. Freely manipulable water that could lift objects? Like a robotic arm pulling anything in—high utility value.
The only issue...
"Does it transmit some of the weight?"
Faintly, but definitely, I could feel the rebar's weight through my right arm. Still, it was a solid skill. Even if some weight transferred, it wasn't burdensome or hard to move. And it would probably improve with skill levels later.
"Alright, set this aside for now..."
Splash!
Satisfied, I relaxed my arm, and the water reverted to its orb form, splashing cleanly to the ground. The tidy cleanup was a nice bonus.
"Okay, next up: Holy Endowment."
With a rough check done, I moved to the next skill. Holy Endowment. The name suggested it imbued something holy, but I couldn't even imagine the exact effect.
That's when—
Kieeeek—!!!
"Wha, fuck?!"
A familiar, unpleasant screech came from behind. I spun around and barely dodged a massive pincer flying at me by a hair's breadth.
"No, wasn't it all cleaned up? Why the hell is a scorpion popping up here?"
I steadied my startled breath and glared at the scorpion. Why was one from the cleared gate here? No clue. Well, maybe a guess.
Engwha Guild, with that famous ice chicken and Cheonhwa, wouldn't miss one. So...
"Ah, damn that incompetent Association."
The culprit was clearly the Association's negligence.
Kieeeek!
"...Well, free test dummy delivered to my door, so not all bad."
It wasn't entirely unwelcome. I'd been lamenting the lack of targets for skill testing. I slowly took in the scorpion charging at me. I'd beaten one before—its patterns and movements were all too familiar.
Kieeeek—!
Left side.
Splash!
Zigzagging to confuse me, but useless. I activated Cleansing along its predicted path. The incoming stream wrapped around its body, binding it tight.
Queeeek?!
"Gotcha, buddy."
The scorpion twitched helplessly, unable to move. Leisurely, I shifted control of the Cleansing stream to my left hand, drew my kitchen knife with my right, and...
"Like this, right?"
Fwaaah—!
I activated the skill, envisioning the knife wrapped in some kind of energy. A slightly awkward yellow glow enveloped the blade. Still rough around the edges, but I'd gotten the hang of it.
Satisfied, I slowly approached the scorpion.
And then.
"It's over."
I raised the knife high and swung down hard at its head. The moment the blade touched...
The empty lot was swallowed by an exploding burst of yellow light.