Chapter 82
True to its reputation as the nation that entered the recovery phase faster than any other in the shattered world, South Korea pressed on with reconstruction day after day. Under Choi Ah-rin's direction, they restored damaged railroads and roads to revive the transportation network, then swiftly rebuilt essential infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and power plants.
She's so damn competent at handling everything— no wonder her approval ratings keep climbing.
Ah, no! I'm really not good at this stuff! And finally... the Eterna headquarters, along with surrounding facilities and infrastructure, was complete.
So today was a mall exploration tour! They called it Eterna Mall. From the start, they'd planned it as the largest shopping complex in the country.
For people who've been parched for shopping amid all the monsters, this place is perfect.
With roads newly paved nationwide, getting around should be no issue. These places usually draw the biggest crowds right at opening, right? Alright, let's see how many visitors we have.
I started the day fresh as always, stretching in bed... at 4 p.m.
"I-is this... it?"
I widened my eyes in shock, staring at the desolate interior of the mall. A few people glanced my way as they passed, but they didn't seem too bothered. If anything, it felt like they were ignoring me.
And why wouldn't they? Right now, I was sporting the undisputed top disguise item from Astrius Online.
...A brown bear mascot head. My bottoms were just a white tennis skirt since there was no matching set, but whatever. As long as it hid my identity, it was fine. The update had even added a feature to conceal my status window name and info.
Walking around in my true form would be the real problem...
I wandered the mall, checking out every corner. My outrageous(?) fashion drew plenty of stares.
"Hmm, doesn't seem like any issues..."
As a brand-new build, it was spotless and stylish. The graceful curved designs evoked beauty and stability, while the floors and walls gleamed white, reflecting light everywhere. The carefully curated brands offered top-tier products, and the well-placed facilities provided satisfying sights for all.
Design benches for resting midway, lush potted trees and plants, marble water walls with cascading falls, golden chandeliers bigger than sedans, massive LED ad screens, and more. Some zones were even themed around Christmas or nostalgic 70s retro vibes.
This is the result of my capital poured in!
It wasn't just Korea's largest—it could rival the world's. Designed for Eterna Guild members' convenience, but planned so anyone, young or old, could enjoy it...
"Why is it so dead?"
It wasn't completely empty, sure. There were some people milling about. But it fell way short of even half my expectations—no, even less.
I put real thought into this.
It left a bitter taste. Maybe there was a reason for the low turnout. I kept up my stealth inspection.
"Waaahhh! Mommyyy!"
"...?"
I spotted a kid crying on a bench nearby. A little girl, barely out of kindergarten by the look of her tiny frame. Tilting my head, I approached.
"Why are you crying?"
She looked up at me, paused her sobs in surprise, and mumbled.
"B-bear... mascot...?"
"Uh, yeah, bear mascot for now. Got a problem?"
Tears welled up in her eyes again. In a quivering voice, she spilled her story.
"I-I lost my mommy... Waaahhh!"
The girl burst into fresh tears.
"Hmm..."
I scratched my cheek, unsure. I just felt the fluffy fur of the costume.
What to do...
Ah. If she lost her parents, they must be frantically searching for her too.
"What's your name?"
"Yuri... Lee Yoo-ri."
She answered through sniffles.
Lee Yoo-ri, huh...
I closed my eyes and focused, spreading my senses wide.
Ziiing.
The entire mall fell within my domain.
Yuri! Yuri?! Where are you?!
Found her. Not far from here. An adult woman's anxious voice calling desperately for the girl.
"Yuri. Looking for your mom, right?"
Yuri nodded through her sobs.
"Yeah."
"She's that way."
I took the little one's hand and headed toward the voice. ...It stung my pride a bit that I didn't even need to bend down for our hands to meet.
About five minutes later, we reached an escalator where a woman paced anxiously. She spotted us and rushed over, arms wide.
"Yuri!"
"Mommyyy!"
The small hand slipped from mine as she toddled across the marble floor in short steps. The woman knelt and scooped her up.
I smiled warmly at the reunion and turned to leave—
"Mommy! The bear mascot sister found you for me!"
"Oh, really?"
The woman approached, still holding her child, and bowed her head.
"Thank you so much. When she went missing, I thought the world was ending..."
"No, no. Just doing what anyone would."
I waved it off hurriedly. My heightened senses made it easy. If I could and had the time, why not?
After some prolonged thanks, I finally extricated myself and moved on to inspect other areas. To fix the low turnout, I needed to grasp the overall issues.
...Unaware that someone was watching me intently.
About an hour later?
"Hm?"
Something unexpected pinged my senses. A commotion on the third floor. And it didn't feel ordinary.
Trouble on opening day?
Even I was taken aback. I took the escalator up to assess.
There, in a clothing store on the third floor:
"How dare a lowly employee touch this? Do you know how much it costs?!"
A permed middle-aged woman was yelling at uniformed staff. In the back, two familiar suited figures: Lee Min-ho and Hwang Cheol-ho, now security.
As her voice rose, passersby stopped to gawk.
"Haa... what the hell?"
Like something out of a Nutube video—a total karen. Suppressing my rising anger, I headed to the source.
Eterna Mall was mine. I was the chairman; these were my employees. I had to protect them.
"Ma'am, please calm down and step aside—"
"You rude bastard!"
Her raised hand whipped toward the employee. I slipped in front, blocking them.
"Wh-what?"
Her hand froze mid-air. She scanned me up and down with bulging eyes, then sneered openly.
"Ha, what's this mascot part-timer?"
Mascot part-timer? I'm the chairman.
"Uh..."
Lee Min-ho and Hwang Cheol-ho exchanged confused glances—they'd guessed it was me. After all, Lee Min-ho was the one who'd given me this costume. I waved them back and stared down the karen.
"No disturbances in the store."
"Ha, you cheeky bitch. Who do you think you're talking to like that? Know who I am?"
Hmm... I studied her face seriously. Who?
Didn't ring a bell against my memory.
"I'm the wife of A-rank player Yoo Ji-cheol! Who the hell are you to butt in?"
No, I'm the chairman here. And who's Yoo Ji-cheol? Not in my memory—probably not important.
"Store policy: Cause a scene, you're out. Explain what happened first."
"This bitch talking back?!"
Thwack—
Her pointed finger jabbed through the costume. It was soft, not painful... but annoying.
"Ma'am! You can't do that here!"
Staff rushed in, but Lee Min-ho and Hwang Cheol-ho held them back quietly. Knowing my identity, they shook their heads at the baffled employees.
"If you're taking a paycheck, know your place and kneel. Must be those pets of that monster Sertina— all poorly trained. Where's the manager?! Get the manager!"
This creature doesn't understand words. Same language, same script, but defective input-output—like a subhuman.
Haa...
I sighed inwardly and lowered my voice coldly.
"Manager's right here."
"What nonsense? You, a mascot part-timer—"
BOOM—!
"Gasp!"
"Hup!"
The air around the store thickened with overwhelming pressure, like being crushed in a giant fist. Quietly, I dropped the disguise.
The mascot head vanished, silver-white hair with blood-red tips cascading down, blood-red eyes opening serenely.
"Say what you want to me."
"Uh...?"
The karen's eyes blinked dumbly in shock.