Twins?

"Lumina seems close to you, Manager."

"Not at all. Close? Hardly..."

The manager denied it flatly.

But they seemed pretty casual with each other.

"Jinjo merely indulges that fool—nothing more. Heh heh."

She crossed her arms, denying any friendship, but the corners of her mouth were twitching upward.

She must've been embarrassed to admit they were close.

"How'd you two end up getting friendly?"

"Hm. If I must say, 'tis a deep-seated grudge of sorts. We rolled through the battlefields together during the old Mago War."

"The Mago War?"

"Aye. Now we're just delivery girl and convenience store manager, but once we climbed this Hunter Tower together, entrusting our backs to one another. Though from the start, she was such a loose cannon that Jinjo's hands were full keeping up with her."

A strange mix of nostalgia and pride flickered in the manager's red eyes as she reminisced.

I paused while shifting the logistics crates and tilted my head.

Having only recently arrived in Taepyeong City, there was still so much I didn't know.

"The Hunter Tower."

I glanced at the massive tower looming in front of the convenience store.

"What exactly is it? Back in my old neighborhood, I'd never seen a tower that huge. And the customers coming here all seem to work there."

"Hm, my minion knows naught of it. You're not a city folk, after all."

The manager cleared her throat with an ahem and plopped down on the counter chair, striking a haughty pose.

"Back when humanity and the demon king's army were still at each other's throats—the Mago War era—a colossal tower suddenly sprang up. Monsters of entirely new breeds poured out from it. Those beasts had forms we'd never seen, rampaging and destroying indiscriminately across the world. Nothing like what the demon king's forces wanted."

"So that's when you joined forces."

"Precisely. They were a calamity unto themselves. Ironically, that tower forged even stronger alliances between the races."

I nodded.

I could sort of picture it.

"A common enemy, right?"

"Spot on. Humans and demons, elves and orcs—who were slitting each other's throats just yesterday—had to band together to fend off the horrors spilling from the tower."

Her gaze drifted out the window toward the enormous shadow towering at the heart of Taepyeong City.

"It started as an alliance of necessity, but camaraderie is a fearsome thing. Bleeding together, lopping off monster heads side by side—the walls crumbled naturally. Lumina was demon king's army originally, but when climbing the tower, she and Jinjo formed the ultimate party."

"Weren't you with the demon king's army, Manager?"

"Hmph! Jinjo bows to no one! They extended invitations from the demon king's side several times, but Jinjo always wandered solo!"

The manager shrugged proudly.

She took pride in never serving under anyone.

I got the picture now.

The reason all these mismatched fantasy races rubbed elbows in this city.

It was all because of that tower.

"Of course, nowadays that tower's the golden goose keeping Taepyeong City alive."

The manager nodded toward the logistics box I was unpacking.

"Over half the goods we stock here are made from stuff harvested in the tower."

The Hunter Tower had turned from disaster to opportunity.

"But why don't you climb it anymore, Manager?"

"......"

Her shoulders twitched at my question.

"Ahem, fighting's just a hassle now. Absolutely! Ab-so-lute-ly not because Jinjo got hooked on mobile games and picked the easy job!"

"...I see."

"Anyway, hurry and check the goods. Jinjo will mind the counter. Finish that, and you're off for the day."

"Got it."

I moved the delivered items and checked the list.

They looked just like snacks, canned drinks, cup soups, and masks from an Earth convenience store—but the contents were totally different.

Wild.

And even...

A blood pack tailored for vampire customers.

"These items are really something else."

"Hahaha, surprised? Well, to human eyes, they're all mystical wonders. Even fertilizers popular with ents are in stock."

"We sell fertilizer too?"

"Jinjo's convenience store has everything."

After checking the last item at the bottom, I did a double-take.

"This is..."

A massive sword.

An enormous greatsword gleaming with a soft white light sat there, separately packaged.

"Ah, that arrived. Jinjo had her minion order it in her stead."

"You sell this at a convenience store?"

"Heh heh, hunters shop here too. Sometimes those who can't make it to the forge come to Jinjo's store for custom orders. We never handled holy-attribute weapons or items before, but with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a human minion now, we'll stock them going forward!"

"Where does this go?"

"Not the display shelf—that goes in the warehouse. Once you're done sorting, move it there."

"Understood."

It really hit me then.

This was a mystical convenience store, nothing like the world I'd known.

After confirming the final item—the greatsword—I started shelving the sorted goods.

I set aside the HyperPotion cans for the warmer.

Slime jellies and cup soups went up in the snack display corner.

Blood packs and milk went into the fridge, one by one.

While I organized the shelves...

Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!

The manager handled the influx of customers.

It was past 6 PM.

Shift change from the tower—hunters and construction workers rushing in after work.

"Hey! Gimme two energy drinks that taste like potions!"

"Cigarettes! The strong orc ones, one pack!"

In seconds, over a dozen crowded the counter, turning it into a marketplace.

The manager gripped the POS terminal, deftly serving them.

"No rowdiness—form a line."

The boisterous hunters and orcs fell into orderly single file at her command.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Her hands moved too fast to track.

Scanning barcodes, bagging, making change—it was like performance art.

And on top of that...

Vrrr—

A red silhouette rose from her back, grabbing barcodes like a living arm, scanning items one by one.

She manned three POS terminals solo.

Insane.

I could see how she'd managed the store alone all this time.

In just five minutes.

She cleared the chaotic mob, then dusted off her apron and turned to me.

"Logistics done?"

"Yeah, just the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rest to the warehouse."

"Hm. Then store that holy greatsword in the warehouse."

She hesitated, lips twitching.

"Hm, minion's never been to the warehouse, right?"

"First time. Anything to watch out for?"

She'd mentioned on my first day that the warehouse was huge.

But no details on size or location.

"Jinjo shall guide thee. First-timers might get lost."

"Get lost?"

No way you'd lose your way in a warehouse.

"I can step away briefly—follow me."

The red silhouettes that had helped at the counter earlier now manned the POS.

Confirming that, the manager led the way.

"Mind you don't wander off."

Following her to the store's back, we opened the steel door marked Staff Only.

Tucked in an unassuming corner inside the store, the door revealed stairs descending underground.

With the hefty greatsword slung over my back, I carefully descended.

"This... is the convenience store warehouse?"

An enormous underground bunker stretched endlessly.

The impossibly high ceiling glittered with floating orbs like stars, illuminating everything.

Iron shelves lined up infinitely.

It felt like a massive logistics center.

Now I understood the warning about getting lost.

"No need for awe. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Just a hefty space-expansion spell."

The manager strode ahead, hands behind her back, all haughty.

I trailed her, gawking around like I'd been hypnotized.

"This area's for long-term item storage. Unidentified artifacts mined from the Hunter Tower's depths, demon swords forged by dwarf artisans, top-grade magic reagents for the nearby academy—all kept here."

"We supply the academy too?"

"Naturally. Jinjo's convenience store boasts Taepyeong City's finest quality!"

She finished with her nose held high.

We arrived at our destination under her guidance.

Iron shelves housing artifacts.

"There—place the item and return. Jinjo waits here."

"Not coming with?"

"J-Jinjo loathes holy power! No reason to approach a force that turns her stomach just by proximity! You handle it, minion."

I carefully lowered the holy two-handed sword from my back and placed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it on the rack.

Whirr—

The moment the sword touched the rack, a barrier activated, sealing the light.

Only then did the manager, standing far off, sigh in relief and approach.

"Phew. Having a human minion sure is convenient for this."

"Can't you touch it, Manager?"

"N-Not that I can't. Just feels off. No need to do unpleasant work, right? Before you came, Jinjo boxed it in lead and rolled it around with kicks. Hunters complained about scratches, but whatever. Good job—let's head up."

She really does hate it.

Mission complete, we climbed the spiral stairs back to ground level.

"The weapon's buyer comes tomorrow morning. Payment's already received—just hand it over when they arrive."

"Got it."

"Now off you go. Good work today."

The next day.

Shortly after morning shift change, as I stood at the counter.

Ding-a-ling.

A weary-faced hunter entered the store.

Worn silver breastplate, shallow scar on his right cheek—textbook veteran warrior.

"Holy greatsword—it's in, right? I ordered it..."

"Ah, yes. Arrived in the basement warehouse yesterday. Name and order number, please..."

I was tapping the POS screen to check the order when...

Ding-a-ling!!

"Hold it! That holy greatsword—I ordered it!"

A furious shout.

I looked up from the monitor at the new customer.

And froze, breath catching.

Worn silver breastplate.

Shallow scar on the right cheek.

Even the hollow, fatigued eyes.

The hunter who'd just walked in looked identical to the first one at the counter.

"Huh?"

What the—?

Twins?