Business Interference (4)
Eun Wol's figure fully emerged from the darkness as she stepped over the shattered iron door.
"...!"
The Oasis hideout, which had been a chaotic mess of survivors packing their bags and screaming just moments ago, froze in an instant as if by magic.
Screams, ragged breaths, even the sound of rolling canned drinks—all evaporated into a perfect vacuum of silence.
That heavy, dreadful hush was broken by none other than Oasis guild leader Choi Tae-su.
Thud!
"J-Juddak-nim! I-it's all my fault! P-please spare me...!"
Choi Tae-su dropped to his knees, groveling in a pathetic whine.
"I-I'll revert the water prices to normal...!!! And keep the refugee camp rations the same too."
"Hmph."
"I'll hand over all the slush fund Magic Stones from that fat idiot too!!!! I'll obey every order like before. I'll roll over if you say roll, bark if you say bark."
The raging tyrant who had been flying into a fury just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
His life hanging by a thread.
Before it, Choi Tae-su cast aside all pride and face, crawling to Eun Wol's feet and clinging desperately.
"I was arrogant... Sniff, sob...! Just this once, please turn a blind eye...!"
His snot- and tear-streaked face was utterly repulsive, almost pitiable.
But.
"Everything you just promised me? I can do all that without you."
"Y-yes...? Huh?"
"I told you. The shop's here. You're not needed."
"Ah, ah..."
Eun Wol's red eyes showed not a flicker of hesitation.
"I'll find a proper manager for the Suwon Station you controlled and hand it over. Slush funds? I can recover those after I take your head."
"J-Juddak-nim...!"
She brushed off his hand clinging to her foot like an insect, driving the final nail with a voice as cold as the grave.
"...Eeeek."
At that icy death sentence, Choi Tae-su's groveling face twisted in an instant into vicious despair and madness.
"You fucking bitch!!! Fire! Kill her!!! Whoever takes her down gets all my Magic Stones!!"
At Choi Tae-su's frenzied outburst, the terrified guild members spasmed into action, raising their weapons.
Rat-tat-tat! Bang! Bang! Boom!!
Rifle muzzles spewing fire from all directions. Flame orbs and ice arrows from the magic awakeners.
The cramped hideout was instantly engulfed in a crossfire of lethal intent meant to tear Eun Wol apart.
"Die!!!"
"You crazy bitch!!!"
But Eun Wol's face, facing that horrific barrage, didn't twitch.
She simply extended her empty hand forward with mild annoyance and murmured softly.
Block
The moment that single word fell.
The space a meter in front of Eun Wol warped grotesquely.
Thud-thud! Pfft!
Dozens of bullets halted dead in midair. Warheads, flame orbs, ice arrows—every destructive force froze powerless before her, spinning futilely in place.
"Wha...?"
"W-what the hell is that...?"
The moment they witnessed that overwhelming, surreal gap in power with their own eyes.
Clatter!
A rifle slipped powerlessly from someone's hand to the floor.
"M-monster...!"
"Run!! Run awaaay!!"
The guild members scattered in all directions, realizing there was no hope.
"H-hey!! Where the fuck you going, you bastards!!"
Tae-su bellowed uselessly.
"S-save meee!!!"
"Gaaah!!"
They had long since fled every which way to save their skins.
Now, only Eun Wol and Choi Tae-su remained in the space.
Choi Tae-su's face, surveying the empty hideout, twisted in ultimate terror and madness.
"Ugh... ugh! Die, you fucking bitch!!"
He lost his mind, snatched a fallen rifle, and pulled the trigger at Eun Wol like a maniac—but it was futile resistance.
The bullets fired into the void still halted helplessly before her.
Step, step.
Eun Wol ghosted past the frozen projectiles, advancing slowly.
"Eek...!"
Overwhelmed by dread, Choi Tae-su backed away until he hit the wall and collapsed.
"As you said, Oasis is permanently banned. From reality and the Gallery both."
Eun Wol's cold, flawless death sentence.
At that merciless word, all hope severed.
His eyes burst red with injustice and inexpressible hatred.
"This is... bullshit... total bullshit..."
Why had the System updated right now of all times!
Why had the shop stock jumped to 700, leading to this!
"Eeeek... eeeeeek!!!!!"
He took a deep breath and unleashed his final death rattle.
"Fuuuuck!!! You fucking System bastard!!!!"
Meanwhile, I was laughing in the control room.
"Kuhuhu, now that's what I'm talking about."
Current status of the super pissed veteran stalkers;;
...
Most of the troll posts I'd made had ended up as insightful posts.
"This hits different..."
I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the users were loving it.
Even if the world ended tomorrow, I'd troll one more time—Buntang Baeksu.
"The world's already ended."
That's what happens when you live too comfy; you keep forgetting shit.
"Hmm... but where'd he go?"
Tae-su Ham's freakouts in the comments were hilarious, but suddenly no more replies.
Something happen?
"Must be busy..."
Defending Dirty Water prices must give him headaches. Time to troll elsewhere.
"Let's check how the Dirty Water prices are doing."
Truth be told, even without my trolling, Dirty Water prices were structurally doomed to drop.
Honestly, I just did it for fun.
"Alright! Show me the prices!"
The moment I refreshed the Gallery.
[Notice] [Juddak] Oasis Guild Subjugation –Complete– and Future Distribution Update
"What the."
Click immediately.
Title: *[Notice] [Juddak] Oasis Guild Subjugation –Complete– and Future Distribution Update
This completes the subjugation of Oasis Guild base, which had been gouging prices even before the purified water issue.
Guild leader Choi Tae-su dismissed (physically).
Remnants scattered.
Yellow Zone offline distribution temporarily halted, but the 700 bottled waters from the shop have put out the immediate fire.
I'll assemble alternatives soon to redistribute even Dirty Water at fair prices, so survivors stay calm, drink shop water, and hold tight.
"Oh ho."
So that's why Tae-su Ham went quiet—permanently.
"Makes sense."
Hot-tempered type, comments cut off abruptly.
Whoa! Live water price 30 Magic Stones!
With the post, water prices were normalizing bit by bit.
"Nice, worked out great."
Keep it up, survivors! Spend more Magic Stones on me!!!
But something felt off.
"Juddak solo cleaned them up?"
From my trolling investigations, Oasis was a pack of real heavies in Yellow Zone.
That's why they could pull that bold crap.
How'd Juddak solo that?
And why hit real-life raid all sudden.
"Hmm... Juddak that strong?"
Muttering to myself, scrolling down, I spotted posts from survivors with similar doubts.
Title: But like why'd they even act up in the first place?
That Suwon Station they controlled wasn't prime water, just barely drinkable, Juddak could've wiped them anytime, why let them gouge Dirty Water prices all this time while tiptoeing around?
"W-wait, that's how it was?"
The heroes everyone dreamed of called "hunters" didn't exist.
Just fragile humans, despairing and cynical, merely delaying the end.
"Didn't know calling 'Hunter-ham hunter-ham' hid this shit."
Only Juddak remained alone, upholding that noble mission.
"Kuh, Juddak's got romance..."
Thought she was just a basement-dwelling pain-in-the-ass posting troll daily, but carrying a way heavier cross than expected.
"Hmmm..."
Usually Juddak's the cliché shut-in type, right?
Turns out our Juddak's a scary real-life raider badass.
"Well... anyway, we helped each other out."
Not intentional, but we allied to wipe each other's enemies.
I crushed Oasis distribution with the shop; Juddak exploited the gap to physically erase them.
"Strange connection."
Stroking my chin, deep in thought.
"Someone that strong could be useful later...?"
I'm not staying in this control room forever; expanding territory means variables.
This is premium insurance money—or Magic Stones—can't buy.
"Might be worth recruiting...?"
I picked up a stray can from the floor and murmured.
"Juddak. Time for a reward, yeah?"