Chapter 5

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 5

Chapter Title: Guardian Angel

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"Red bean bread's up?"

"Yeah. It's sold out now, but 404 went up."

Elisicia reopened the gallery to check once more.

Sure enough, an astonishing 404 red bean breads had been listed—and sold out.

"How...?"

A simple calculation meant the person called [Castaway] had over 700 red bean breads in stock.

"Do they have a sub-space artifact?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Normally, even 300 was a huge amount for one person to hold, but 700 felt entirely different.

Elisicia considered a sub-space artifact, but that didn't explain everything.

'Then where does all that bread come from?'

The obvious answer was another world.

But that would require free travel between worlds.

'The situation's probably just as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bad in other worlds.'

She couldn't read posts from other worlds—other channels—but photos told a different story.

Elisicia had browsed photos from other channels now and then, so she knew things weren't good there either.

As Elisicia pondered...

Ding~!

New items hit the exchange—two this time.

400 red bean breads and 400 milks each. A total of 800.

Elisicia's superior reflexes let her snap them up faster than anyone.

"I got some this time too."

Rubyel followed suit, announcing her purchase. Moments later, bread and milk appeared before her.

Elisicia did the same, snatching her items mid-air. The rest of the party followed.

"Is this made of paper?"

Rubyel examined the milk carton closely, then opened it along the marked line.

She took a sip, her eyes widening in surprise as she shared with the group.

"Whoa, it's so clean and fresh. Perfect with the bread."

Everyone tried bread with milk.

The bread's sweetness blended perfectly with the milk's creamy savoriness.

"...It's delicious."

Elisicia voiced her honest thoughts.

It felt like the first real meal since entering the labyrinth.

And then.

"Oh? More went up."

No sooner had the previous listings sold out than more bread and milk appeared.

"...".

Elisicia reached one conclusion.

The person called [Castaway] had the ability to supply massive amounts of food.

'And that could...'

Become a small spark of hope for this world.

With that in mind, Elisicia addressed the party.

"We need to change plans. Let's head back."

Her words drew looks from everyone.

Mage Rubyel spoke for the group.

"To check who posted the food?"

"To confirm—and maybe recruit them to our Hero Party."

Elisicia stated her intent boldly.

With [Castaway]'s abilities, unsavory types would surely come sniffing around.

'They might even get killed.'

So she'd bring them into the Hero Party for protection.

"More empty houses than I thought."

Avoiding prying eyes revealed just how many vacant homes there were.

'Lots of empty houses means lots of dead people, right?'

No idea how they died, but starvation seemed likely.

Anyway, plenty of empty spots, but I kept moving.

'Find somewhere really out of sight.'

Eventually, I spotted a unique space.

'Huh?'

The entrance was narrow.

Too narrow to even call it one.

A tiny gap between two crooked houses.

'I can squeeze in.'

I'm on the slim side, so with some effort...

I wriggled through. Inside was surprisingly spacious.

'About 4 or 5 pyeong.'

No windows in the surrounding walls—perfect.

'Come to think of it, no houses had windows.'

Wonder why.

Anyway, pitch a tent here, cover the entrance with a big cloth, and it'd be hidden.

'Red bean bread all sold out.'

Points looking good, I searched for tents.

Dozens popped up, but I decided quickly.

-UV-Blocking Blackout Tent (3-4 Person): 78 Points

"78 points..."

I could buy it now, but tents weren't the only thing.

Lots to get, so better save more points.

"Put up 404 red bean breads first."

Time to kill while they sell, so back to the gallery.

..................

......

The entire gallery was nothing but talk of my bread.

In other words, this world was that messed up.

'What are these people even eating?'

Something about channel 4...

I tapped the post with the most comments.

Castaway's identity? Bread source? Don't care, don't wanna know.

Just grateful to Castaway for cheap, tasty bread way better than 5-point jelly.

If Castaway keeps posting?

Point supply's an issue, but we'd suffer less.

'Points?'

Made me wonder how others got points.

Tabled that for now and read the comments.

'Hmm.'

I read the comments, pondering how to dig for info.

Fastest way: Post myself and ask.

'But reactions are already wild. My post would blow it up...'

Might make things messy.

But.

'No, it's already blown up.'

Gallery flooded with my bread posts—proof.

Might as well fan the flames.

'Staying low ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠won't improve things.'

Some were probably hunting me already.

If getting caught was inevitable, stirring chaos for variables seemed smart.

'Oh? Sold out already.'

I was about to relist bread when a post caught my eye.

'Something to drink?'

Bread's better with milk, sure.

But in a foodless place like this, demanding drinks seemed odd.

'No clean water?'

Made sense—no proper drinking water in the Great Labyrinth.

With that thought, I listed bread and milk as requested.

'Maybe list drinking water later.'

If no clean water in the labyrinth, why not supply it myself?

'Oh, and self-defense too.'

Shady types might come looking.

Needed protection. Scanned the exchange.

'No food, but weapons at least.'

Recall a dwarf hand axe...

"Tch. Pricier than expected."

With my current earnings, affordable.

But bread at 1 point, tent at 78? These felt steep.

'Don't even know damage or how to use. Worth it?'

I hesitated, then remembered other channels.

No clue what they meant, but worth checking.

'Ask the gallery?'

Relisted sold-out bread and milk first, then drafted a post.

[Hello. This is Castaway. I have some questions...]

"...".

It felt bland.

I wanted to escalate, so I thought more.

'What'd work?'

Recalled a cutesy internet style I'd seen.

Redrafted.