Innovation (2): The Toilet Revolution

The gallery was buzzing with excitement over the food the shop had released. Then, suddenly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a post with a word no one had seen in ages appeared.

Toilet. An incredibly ordinary word, yet now it referred to a place and concept that had vanished from their world. The poster claimed to have used that place to relieve themselves and even wash up. The reactions from other users were all eerily similar.

Reactions to posts like this were always ice cold. The toilets scattered throughout the ruins were a faint reminder of the infrastructure they'd once enjoyed before the apocalypse.

But now they were little more than mountains of who-knows-how-old waste and bloodstains, reeking and worse than the open street—a disgusting hazard and a breeding ground for infection.

While the mockery continued, one user who'd had enough finally posted proof.

With that single post, the mood in the gallery flipped completely.

And just like that, another massive wave of discussion exploded across the Metropolitan Area Survivor Gallery.

“...”

Baek Eun-wol, the head admin, stared at the system window floating in the air with bloodshot eyes and a dazed grin.

“Just a hundred more...!”

She could appoint a sub-administrator. She could legally split up the workload.

“Just a little more... suffering and I can finally rest...!”

Her heart swelled with hope as she opened the gallery out of habit. The moment she refreshed, a flood of posts flooded the screen and seized her attention.

Toilet, it's a toilet!!! [3334]

Legendary System Patch!!! [3322]

....

“T... toilet...?”

Baek Eun-wol muttered blankly.

Ding-! Ding-! Ding-!

“Kya...”

I grinned with deep satisfaction as I watched the magic stone revenue window update like popping popcorn.

The reason I'd chosen the toilet as the first two-tile copy was simple.

“First of all... you all have food.”

Everyone was surviving on low-quality stuff, but they were managing to eat somehow. That was only natural. Even before I showed up, they'd been enduring on terrible food. So while I earned magic stones, the problem I decided to solve was far more fundamental than hunger.

“Hygiene... infection... that's a serious issue.”

Even though I was a lazy, unemployed slob, I obviously understood the importance of staying clean.

“Of course, I don't experience it myself.”

I lived comfortably here, but they didn't. Even a simple needs survey had brought up a flood of complaints about infections and skin diseases.

“And you should handle your business in a proper toilet.”

I could relate to that on a deep level. Until I unlocked the toilet... you know? Anyway, those were the reasons I decided to copy one.

Luckily, the customers' reactions weren't just positive—they were explosive. Of course, being able to wash and take care of business was great. But the best part was simple.

That's right. For 10 magic stones, you could drink water for ten minutes.

There's even a bidet!

“Uh... but this is a bit...”

Well. If they're happy, I guess it's fine.

Fact: Unfortunately, it seems you can't take anything from inside out with you.

“That's something I can't do anything about...”

The System says no. Sorry guys.

While everyone was using the toilet in creative ways, I checked the magic stones.

“What? They're already earning this much?”

The speed at which the stones were coming in was on another level. I no longer had to wait three days to earn magic stones.

“So this is why they call people landlords...”

Well, I wasn't a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠true landlord. I still had to pay rent myself.

“Show me the rent once!”

“3,200 stones?”

Hmm. That's manageable, right? Forget about the old Shin Sok who used to tremble at 100 stones.

“Heh... This is plenty of breathing room.”

It was a little painful, but between what the shop earned and what the toilet earned, it was more than enough to cover. I could even install a few more.

I hadn't expected one toilet to completely solve the hygiene problem.

The more I upgraded, the more it would cost, but ten thousand stones was totally doable for now.

The quest was perfectly timed to tell me to copy more tiles.

“This is great!!”

The first toilet I'd installed was near Jeongja Station, in the village where the stalkers gathered. I'd asked the gallery members subtly before placing it so it wouldn't stand out. Since it was right between the Yellow Zone and Orange Zone, I figured it would be convenient for both sides.

And I didn't have to worry about installing it in the wrong spot.

I could retrieve or reposition the copied tiles whenever I wanted. It wasn't like I was building permanent structures or anything.

Plus, since the passive from my tile ownership was shared, I could kick out any troublemakers if they showed up.

“Though it doesn't look like there will be any problems right now.”

Everyone seemed to be following the rules and using it peacefully for the time being.

“Then where should I put the next one?”

I activated Tile Copy. A 3D map appeared before my eyes, showing detailed locations and terrain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠features for each area. It was drawn based on location data from users connected to the Metropolitan Area Survivor Gallery. For now it only displayed the floating population within the capital region covered by the gallery network, but that alone was an incredibly overpowered feature.

“This is seriously broken...”

I'd focus on installing toilets while the stock was refilling. The area around Jeongja Station where I'd just placed the tile was swarming with hundreds of glowing dots like a swarm of ants.

“It'd be better to install Toilet #2 somewhere that actually needs it more.”

I selected the location for the next toilet.

At that exact moment, while Shin Sok was installing toilets elsewhere.

Same time. The stronghold of the Ironclad Guild, the armed group responsible for security in the Yellow Zone refugee camp.

“The System installed a toilet at Jeongja Station?! That's right on the border between our territory and the Orange Zone!!”

The Ironclad Guild Leader's eyes flashed as he read the verification posts in the gallery and drew his weapon.

“Guild Leader! If we lose this we're fucked!”

“The Orange Zone bastards must have heard about this too. If the Myth or Ares guys come down and take over the toilet...”

“I know, you idiot!”

The leader shouted, veins bulging. The Yellow Zone had the advantage of being far more stable than the Orange Zone. That was partly thanks to Baek Eun-wol's hard work, but mostly because the zombie threat level was lower.

However, that also meant their guild's combat power was weaker compared to the Orange Zone guilds. After all, people who awakened in the Orange Zone usually got recruited into the guilds there.

“We can't let the Orange Zone bastards take that toilet. If we sit on our hands, we'll never even get a chance to see it.”

“You're right... We'll probably end up paying them entrance fees for the rest of our lives.”

At his cry, a murderous glint appeared in the officers' eyes.

“What do we have to lose? The Yellow Zone's toilet usage rights are ours to protect! Gather every single combat team member immediately!”

“Should we occupy the toilet building itself?”

The guild leader fell into brief thought at the question. The System had directly given them a convenience patch by installing the building. If the usage fees could only be paid through the System, they probably couldn't interfere with the building itself. But what if they exploited a loophole in the System?

“We'll completely take control of the area around the toilet and regulate it.”

“!!!”

“Regulate it!!!”

“Regulate!!”

At the same time, in the Ares Guild—one of the major guilds responsible for the Orange Zone alongside the Myth Guild.

“Jeongja Station, huh...”

Guild Leader Baek Gang-san's eyes lit up when he heard that a toilet had been installed at Jeongja Station.

“Should we make the first move?”

“We're physically closer.”

After a moment of thought at his vice guild master's words, Baek Gang-san spoke.

“Prepare.”

And so, the two massive guilds of the Orange and Yellow Zones began to move at the same time.