Open Run Frenzy

Shwaaaah—!

The sky had been murky with acid rain for days now. Grrrruk—! Gruk—!

At the border between Yellow Zone and Orange Zone, zombies reeking of rotten blood prowled in packs beneath a half-collapsed overpass.

Bang—!

At first, the rifle cracks were faint, muffled by the downpour. Rat-a-tat—! Rat-a-tat-tat—! But as seconds ticked by—one, two—they grew sharper, more insistent.

KABOOOM—!

Soon, a crimson flash and earth-shaking explosion lit up the chaos.

Grrruk—!! Uwaaaargh!!!

The clustered mutants instantly formed an even larger horde and charged toward the blast.

"Hold the line! Hold it!!!"

"More coming!!"

"Magazines! Gimme magazines!!"

"Reloaaad!!!"

At the entrance to some subway station deep in the zone, a ragtag party of a few Stalkers mixed with armed ragtags fought a desperate, blood-soaked battle against the surging mutants.

Rat-a-tat-tat—!

In the hellish center, where barrels glowed red-hot from nonstop fire, the party's leader—a man leaning against the wall—stared maniacally at a floating blue holographic window.

"Daejang!! What the fuck are you doing right now!!! We gotta pull out NOW!!!"

"No way!! Just two minutes!! Hold for two minutes!! If I look away now, I'll miss the timing!!"

"You crazy bastard!!!! We're all about to die and you're staring at the Gallery!?"

"Fuck this shit! Listen to me!!"

The leader's vein-popping shout shut the cursing party member's mouth wide open.

"Why the hell did we crawl into this shithole in the first place?! To get one bottle of clean water, right?! But fuck, after half a day busting our asses, the only thing we scavenged besides rainwater is jack shit?!"

"Even so, not here—"

"You gonna feed our vice captain—who's dying from contaminated water—more piss?! You gonna kiss 100 magic stones to the big guild assholes for bottled water?! Fuck!! We can buy it for 20 magic stones!!!"

"..."

A brief silence.

"One minute. Just one minute now... I'll buy it for sure... Please."

The leader released the man's collar, his voice thick with desperate resolve.

"Fuck... fuck!!! Everyone! One minute!!"

The party member could only roar like a beast, gripping his signboard shield tighter and charging forward.

And it wasn't just them.

In a musty, mold-stinking tent in a Yellow Zone refugee camp.

"Princess... just a little... hold on a little longer."

"Ugh..."

"Daddy'll get you clean water for sure..."

The man clutching his dehydrated daughter's hand trembled, his scab-covered fingers hovering over the holographic window. It was his entire fortune—20 magic stones scraped together selling scrap over the past two weeks. His one shot at the purified water only Green Zone elites could afford.

On the rooftop of an abandoned building deep in the Orange Zone.

"Hoo... hoo..."

A veteran Stalker, drenched in blood from the mutants she'd just exploded, slumped to the filthy floor.

"The shop's real."

She had plenty of magic stones, but in this hell, they didn't guarantee clean water. Her eyes gleamed sharper than when she'd danced with death moments ago. She tossed her twin swords aside.

Thus, all 100 survivors who'd received the shop invite glared piercingly at their screens, as if synchronized by fate.

100 slots. 100 bottles. The cruel math was crystal clear.

It meant a bloodbath click war like the ones for holiday train tickets or idol concert seats back before the end.

"Uwaaaak! Hold! Hold the fuck on, you bastards!!"

"Believe in Daddy...?"

"Fuck, lemme taste that water too...!"

They focused every nerve. No matter their dire straits or heartbreaking stories, the rules applied equally. Inhumanly ruthless, yet paradoxically fairer than any law in this ruined world.

That's why the survivors embraced it. A chance to seize miracles not by overwhelming force or guild capital, but by their own fingertips.

They were truly grateful to this cold, impartial system.

The moment the miracle began.

*****

Same time. Security room.

Slurp—!

"Cup ramen's root is definitely Yuk Sabal Myeon."

I savored the crisp coolness of 22°C air from the AC while slurping the noodles.

For some reason, watching the Gallery while portioning water threw me off. A bit bland.

But no biggie.

"Season it with sausage?"

I bit into the crisped-up sausage I'd heated alongside and slurped more broth.

"Kuhhh... perfect..."

Ramen's always reliable. It was the variety that kept me going these past six months.

"If it was just mild Jin Ramen, I'd have gone out for lunch."

Might've even fought the zombies over it.

Chewing away, I glanced at the Gallery.

Members who snagged purchases started posting proofs one after another.

"Whoa."

Super fast? Proof pics right as the timer hit zero?

"That's skill...?"

"Aigoo, father dude. You pulled it off."

This guy's reaction speed is insane, just like his post.

"Pro gamer for real...?"

A bit stunned, but a warm smile ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crept on my face unbidden.

"Good for you."

Never had a kid, but yeah, it felt nice.

Those who succeeded were in full party mode.

"Nice. Real nice."

Business or not, nothing beats the right people getting what they need.

"Can't be helped."

I gave everyone a fair shot. The rest was on their reflexes.

"Gotta have an agile day."

But damn, one speedy motherfucker really did it. Eight? Really?

"For real?"

Delivery logs confirmed: eight to him.

"Kya, true speed demon..."

Not reselling, just buyers sharing? Fine by me. I chimed in too.

"Sage's still at it..."

Light reply and slide by. Too much aggro means questions I don't want.

This mild troll treatment was perfect for now.

Some grumbles from failures, but...

Most seemed content just not getting banned, moving on.

"Phew, good."

Worried the vibe might sour.

Alright. Stock sold out for today.

"Time for the notice."

One water and they're all "saved" this, "loyalty" that. Wild.

"Aigoo, embarrassing. You all paid full price."

I rubbed my nose sheepishly and chugged my Powerade.

"Well... I made magic stones, they got water. Win-win. Honestly? Felt pretty good."

Not just sappy savior shit, though.

Ding—!

A cheery alert ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drew my eyes upward.

Clatter—!

Glistening purple stones poured from a rift in the air. The moment their dazzling hue hit my eyes, pure joy exploded from me.

"Wooohooo!! This is iiiit!!!!!!!"

THIS was why I could truly grin.