Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Star Bang (1)
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"Phew."
I returned to my hideout and washed off my sweat-soaked body.
Before diving properly into exploring Star Bang, I needed to first compose my weary body and mind.
"Heh heh heh."
By the time I finished washing up and came out, the comments had exploded in number.
I spent a good while browsing the new posts and comments that had piled up in the meantime before closing the gallery app.
'It's not originally from the tower, so no wonder it's unknown.'
There was no info on Star Bang in the wiki.
All Star Bang's appearance told me was that more 'internet' features like this could pop up in the future.
"Alright... now then..."
Info gathering via wiki complete—no usable intel yet.
I opened the Star Bang app, and the last category I'd been looking at caught my eye.
I quietly gazed at the multitude of modern foods laid out under the "Food" classification.
Grrrrowl.
I'd suffered to the brink of death yesterday and today. Hell, I might've actually died.
So, I figured I could afford this level of investment.
I'd climbed 40 floors when 2 would've sufficed.
I didn't know how much more TP I'd get going forward, but I was certain climbing the tower would keep supplying it.
I should save it, sure—but they gave a bonus, so a feast for one day couldn't hurt.
After risking my life at work, stick to this rock-hard bread and lukewarm water?
If there were no options, fine—but I'm not the type to ignore paradise right in front of me out of greedlessness.
Squeeze!
"Hesitation just delays delivery...!!"
I immediately bought the foods I'd pre-added to my cart.
I didn't yet know the value of this TP or how much I'd earn, but it was fine.
For today, this reward felt perfectly reasonable.
'Fast delivery.'
I grinned watching the coins—no, TP—drain from the top right.
I'd thought it'd appear right in front of me, but apparently not.
'Still...'
Five minutes at most? I could enjoy the wait.
Thud.
I was about to toss the rock-like bread into the basket and flop onto the bed.
"Ah."
One thought popped into my head.
A short comment from someone I'd seen in the gallery once.
I stared at the dwindling time and, as if entranced, opened the gallery.
The post list was still plastered with talk of me. I skimmed it lightly and hit the new post button.
Normally I'd check each one, but right now I had something more urgent.
Comments poured in the instant I posted, as if they'd been waiting.
One, two, three...
A ton of people, including the Manager, all giving the same answer.
Smirk.
"Knew it?"
I grinned wide at the replies I wanted, the answers I'd expected.
This was fun. I couldn't wait to see how they'd change from here.
'"Outside door" makes it feel just like a real mall.'
The arrival notice hit right then, so I slowly headed out of the hideout—
Gulp.
"Whoa... the smell is insane..."
I gaped, entranced by the chicken aroma filling the communal space outside the hideout.
Drool.
"Sniff..."
Gulp.
I wiped my drooling mouth roughly and refreshed the newbie's post.
My finger moved on its own, entranced by the long post and photos reappearing from the top.
"..."
I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.
Was this a dream? Or was I stuck wrong in the Tower of Mind?
Midway through the post, well over ten photos in.
Squeeze.
"Whoa, whoaaa......"
Ice cascades into the clear glass.
Jet-black cola—real pre-Apocalypse cola—fills the glass to the brim.
"N-No...!"
Brown foam overflows down the glass.
Cola spills out beyond the glass's capacity.
The video ended with the newbie's belated voiceover noticing the overflow.
Perfectly chilled S-rank cola.
'That one alone could've traded for weeks of creature cans...'
I still vividly recalled the era where cola cans wouldn't burst even if heads did.
I couldn't forget the old man who died hugging cola amid exploding streets.
Drool.
"Sniiiiff..."
This damn... no, evil newbie—what kind of person was he?
Was he really a newbie? Did he know what he'd done?
Did he realize the bomb he'd dropped on gallery dwellers who'd choked down hard bread and tepid water for centuries, millennia?
"Haa..."
He knew. Had to—he did it knowing.
Crunch.
If he'd been clueless, he wouldn't have posted this!
"Haa..."
I'm pissed. Understood "unfortunate" too late.
Should've ignored or kept him banned.
'Nah, that'd be too harsh...?'
Someone else would've answered anyway—no biggie.
No rules broken, nothing major.
Just a bit envious.
I'd resolved to stop watching, but my finger moved on its own again.
Replayed the dreamlike video, entranced.
I shouldn't.
Had to manage the gallery.
Newbie comments or posts? Couldn't do a thing.
'What... what kind of person is he...'
How does he drive people this mad?
"Ah...!!"
"Kabiii."
They caught me.
No concept of alt accounts here, but looks like they survive by style alone.
The chicken was incomparably delicious, even polished off desserts I rarely ate.
'Happiness over this?'
Back home, this was everyday.
But location and circumstance made the joy feel worlds apart.
Happiness doubled—no, multiplied tenfold.
Love thy neighbor—was this it?
Smiles bloomed just seeing faces. Nicks, but still.
I grinned at the gallery for a good while—
'Coming soon.'
Slipped out of the hideout just before delivery arrived.
Grip...!
'Escape with this.'
Feast enjoyed plenty—time to check Star Bang's experiment results.