Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: From Now On, Power Abuse Begins
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Huh?"
"W-What do you mean by that?"
"Where'd all the food go?"
"What are we supposed to do now?!"
Just as expected.
They couldn't grasp it right away.
Then again, there were still people who didn't even know abilities existed. If I started talking about creating or not creating food, it'd just sound like nonsense to them.
"...You can make food?"
"Is that a lunchbox...?"
"If that's real..."
Of course, if there were people who couldn't figure it out, there were others who quickly pieced together the situation.
The search team members mostly knew about abilities because of the paint, so they immediately understood that what I was doing was the result of an 'ability.'
Let me make it even easier for them to understand.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 1+1 ability has been activated. "Whoa...!"
"Th-That thing! Food! Food's coming out!"
"It's pouring out of his hand!"
I kept duplicating endlessly, and lunchboxes poured out of my hand without end.
In an instant, a massive pile of lunchboxes stacked up beside me. More than enough to feed everyone here.
"W-What is that? Is it real?"
"It's real. If you don't believe me, try eating one."
I handed a lunchbox to one of the wary search team members.
He cautiously opened the lid and scooped out some rice to eat.
"It really is..."
"What? Where? Me too!"
"Give me a bite too."
The search team members crowded around, tasting the lunchbox.
It was cold, but still real food.
Not like the cookie crumbs or canned stuff they'd been eating.
"Real lunchboxes..."
"This is it, right? The cheap ones."
"They only had these at the convenience store. How did you...?"
"As you can see, that's my ability."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 1+1 ability has been deactivated. As soon as I deactivated the ability, the mountain of lunchboxes vanished all at once.
"Ah! It disappeared!"
"Where'd it go?"
Some people panicked, while others carefully observed me, trying to analyze my ability.
This wasn't for the idiots who couldn't grasp the situation. It was for people like them.
The smart ones would do the math right away.
If I really had the ability to create food without limits.
How valuable that would be.
"I can create as much food as you need, and make it disappear too. Lunchboxes aren't the only thing."
I started producing other foods as well.
"Ice cream!"
"Salad, ramen... That's bread."
"You can make that much?"
"We're saved! We're gonna live!"
Some were already letting their hope run wild.
"Heh..."
Yoon Cheol-woo let out a hollow laugh as he watched the food pouring out.
I made a triangle kimbap and offered it to him.
"Want one? It's pretty good."
"......"
Yoon Cheol-woo's face twisted as he took the kimbap from me.
He crushed it in his fist.
"...Are you mocking me?"
"If you're not gonna eat it, fine."
I figured he wouldn't.
His goal wasn't just for the search team to gain the upper hand. He wanted to be the leader and seize power himself.
The search team could stage this coup and take control because they had production capability.
Of course, that 'production' was just looting from outside or scavenging discarded stuff.
In the apocalypse, that counted as producing resources.
But what if that wasn't necessary anymore?
What if they didn't have to risk their lives diving into those monster-infested areas?
No matter how tough the search team was, they'd have to rethink things.
No one here wanted to risk their life fighting monsters.
"Mr. Park Daebu."
Yoon Cheol-woo called my name but turned toward the others.
"You have this ability, so why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"...?"
"Right? Earlier, we went to the mart for food, and one person died! It happened after you arrived! If you'd just mentioned this ability beforehand, that tragedy could've been avoided. Isn't that right?"
People murmured at Yoon Cheol-woo's words.
I see.
Since denying my ability wouldn't work, he was trying to stir up the crowd.
Even people who weren't on his side murmured in agreement.
"That makes sense..."
"...Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"And he only shows this ability after all the food here runs out. Doesn't this mean he's doing it for some other reason!?"
"Yeah, he's got ulterior motives."
"Doesn't look like a good guy anyway. Just look at him."
Oh?
His words were taking hold. Some people glared coldly at me. Others started shouting.
"Answer us!"
"You got some hidden agenda, don't you?!"
Ulterior motives? An agenda? I couldn't deny that.
I responded refreshingly to their shouts.
"Yes. I do!"
"...?"
"Doing this for some other reason? Exactly."
"W-What...?"
They were all speechless, mouths agape.
I turned to face the crowd as well.
"There's no food left here anymore. The only food is what I create. I did this on purpose to control your food supply."
People looked stunned at my words.
"What...!"
"Isn't that too much?"
"What a crazy bastard..."
Tsking tongues. Glancing around nervously. Scratching their heads in thought.
All kinds of reactions.
"But what can you do about it? Even if I have ulterior motives, what choice do you have? All the food is with me. Or do you want to go outside? Someone mentioned monsters in the parking lot earlier."
"........."
The word 'monsters' shut them all up.
Not just the non-search team members—even the search team couldn't beat monsters.
They'd just mustered enough courage to slip through them.
"S-So... are you saying you're gonna hog all the food yourself, Mr. Park Daebu?"
"Or do you have some conditions for sharing?"
A few quick thinkers raised their hands with questions.
I scanned the crowd and answered.
"I'll share the food..."
"Oh...!"
"We're saved!"
"But on one condition."
"?"
"What condition...?"
People turned to where I was pointing.
It was Yoon Cheol-woo.
"Mr. Yoon Cheol-woo. You said earlier that whoever brings the food gives the orders."
"......"
He didn't respond. He knew exactly what he'd said.
And he knew what I was getting at.
"I'm now the sole food supplier here. As you said, doesn't that mean you all have to do what I say? Goodwill doesn't last forever, or people start thinking it's a right."
"Y-Yeah..."
"........."
People reluctantly nodded or shrank back.
They'd already submitted to Yoon Cheol-woo once.
The only change was that it was now me instead. Nothing much different.
"So here's my proposal. The condition is the same as yours, Mr. Yoon. Do what I say, and you'll get food. The only difference... is that the search team's food has limits."
Before I even finished, people started glancing at each other or rolling their eyes calculatingly.
They might get food from the search team too. But no guarantee it'd be unlimited.
Me? No limits in sight. Even varieties.
The better choice was obvious.
Even the search team was eyeing each other. That said it all.
Finally, a search team member beside me quietly asked.
"G-Godfather. What about us...?"
"Of course. Do what I want, and you'll get food too."
"Then...!"
The search team member's face lit up. He signaled OK to the others nearby.
Only one person hadn't accepted.
Yoon Cheol-woo.
His face was fully crumpled as he started spewing curses.
"This is ridiculous...! Sole food supplier? Bullshit! Fuck. There's food everywhere outside. Why listen to a punk like you? Huh?!"
"Of course. As you say, there's still plenty of food outside."
He was right.
I wasn't the absolute supplier.
Outside, there was still unspoiled food to scavenge if you wanted. If so, no need to listen to me.
"If you don't want to listen, don't."
But people are weak.
Not many risk their lives to maintain independence.
Most do what others tell them for pocket change or a paycheck.
That's why we're all wage slaves, right?
People will roll like dogs, chew through their bodies and lives, endure humiliation—for enough money.
And in the apocalypse, where lives are on the line, people will do anything to survive.
"Fuck! Don't listen to this bastard! Who knows what he'll make us do! You... you'd crawl like a dog if he said so? Suck ass if he told you to!? Huh!?"
He whipped around to face the crowd.
But their expressions were ice cold.
You were gonna do the same.
That's what their eyes were saying.
"...Fuck...!"
Click—!
Yoon Cheol-woo's gun was aimed at my face.
"Fuckin' punk. Heh... Fuck, you didn't see this coming, did you, idiot? Hey! Forget the rest. Just threaten this bastard!"
Oh. Going that route?
He came so close I could clearly see the barrel.
M16. 5.56 rounds. No surviving a headshot from that.
"What're you gonna do with a gun in your face, huh? Hey, you pig bastard. Hurry up and make food. Or I'll kill you!"
"Go ahead and try."
Like Yoon Cheol-woo had done, I shoved my body toward the barrel.
"The other search team members know. If the ability user dies, everything created by the ability disappears."
"Oh... Yeah, we saw. The paint vanished earlier!"
"What? So even if we threaten him into making food... if he dies, it's all gone?"
"Fuck... Then what do we do?"
I could see the search team wavering.
Makes sense.
If I died, they'd have to go scavenging again.
And they'd be the ones risking their necks.
Yoon Cheol-woo wasn't gonna do it for them. Or bring the food.
Of course they didn't want to die either.
They weren't soldiers or protagonists.
Just ordinary office workers from nearby companies.
Click.
"Wh-What...?"
"Put the gun down, Cheol-woo."
Another search team member aimed at Yoon Cheol-woo's head.
A few others took aim at him from afar.
"Y-You fuckin' traitors...!"
"We finally have a chance to live without throwing our lives away. Why pass it up?"
It was the most obvious thing in the world.
But to Yoon Cheol-woo, it wasn't.
"Fuck... You fuckin' bastards...! Betraying me like this...?"
"What choice do we have? You always said it yourself. In situations like this, toughen up and do whatever it takes."
The other members nodded.
One. Two.
More and more guns trained on Yoon Cheol-woo.
Soon, nearly ten barrels were pointed at him from all sides.
"Fuck. Fuck...! I thought my world had finally come...!"
I see.
He just wanted power in this ruined world, like me.
If I hadn't shown up, his coup would've succeeded, and he'd be the leader here.
Too bad.
I'm here now.
I declared to the search team.
"Here's your first mission. Whoever kills the rebel gets double the food of everyone else."
"Fuck. Fuck...! If only you weren't here──!!"
Yoon Cheol-woo pulled the trigger.
⚔ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚔ Ice! Ability activated. Target: M16A1