The bell rang.
"Welcome."
At the sound of the store's door opening, Nether Magus quickly flashed his professional smile. The customer, a young man, pulled out a card without responding to the greeting and said:
"Marlboro Gold."
"Yes, Marlboro Gold. One moment, please."
Despite looking younger than him, the customer spoke without any respect. Still, Nether Magus kept his professional smile as he handed him the yellow pack of cigarettes.
After working at the store for a year, Nether Magus had grown used to rude comments. As long as the customer wasn't barking orders, that was considered polite enough.
"Your transaction is complete. Here you go."
As soon as the transaction was finished, the customer snatched the cigarettes without even acknowledging Nether Magus's farewell. Ignoring the goodbye was just the icing on the cake of his rudeness.
"What an unsociable guy."
Grumbling internally, Nether Magus returned to his chair behind the counter.
"It's the same as always," he thought.
The same store, the same repetitive tasks, and the same familiar faces. Everything felt normal, as if the strange events of the previous day were nothing but a dream.
But Nether Magus knew better than anyone that what happened yesterday was no dream. He stepped outside and raised his hand towards the sky.
"Magic Missile."
A spark crackled from his fingertip, shooting a blue beam into the sky. Magic, a miraculous force beyond the reach of ordinary humans, was now his to command. Even though he had used it several times since yesterday, the power still amazed him.
He recalled the conversation with the mage in the dungeon, who had warned him that the world would collapse in three days. One day had already passed, leaving only two more. Although he wasn't sure if the countdown was precise to the second, there might still be some extra time. The only certainty was that the apocalypse was coming, as the mage had insisted repeatedly.
The mage had said that after three days, everyone would have to fight to prove their worth or cling to the strong to survive. Nether Magus wondered what the mage meant by "fighting," as he had assumed it would be some kind of natural disaster. The mage clarified that while it might seem like a disaster, it wouldn't be an unstoppable force. Everyone would have a chance.
The mage couldn't explain further, but he assured Nether Magus that he was fortunate to have a chance to prepare for the coming end.
From their conversation, Nether Magus had deduced three things: the apocalypse wouldn't be a natural disaster, survival would be possible through strength, and even the weak could survive by aligning themselves with the strong.
With that in mind, Nether Magus began to see a clearer picture of what the end might entail. It resembled a "monster wave" from his games, where monsters would attack players in hordes at regular intervals. If players couldn't withstand the onslaught, they would lose the game.
Although it was just speculation, preparing for such an event wouldn't hurt. Despite witnessing the dimensional gate and magic with his own eyes, Nether Magus still found it hard to believe the end of the world was near. However, with only three days left, it seemed wise to prepare thoroughly in the short time available.
As he made up his mind, the glass door of the convenience store swung open again.
The bell rang.
"Welcome—"
"Oh, yeah. I'm back. How have you been?"
The smile on Nether Magus's face quickly faded as he saw who had entered. The man before him was the last person he wanted to see.
Gavin Park.
The son of the store's owner, who did nothing but irritate people.
Seeing Gavin Park made Nether Magus almost swear out loud. Despite Gavin having moved to the city branch, he had returned here, much to Nether Magus's dismay.
Noticing the look on Nether Magus's face, Gavin Park tilted his head arrogantly, a smirk on his face.
"Hey, hey, I can see that frown. Can't keep your face in check, huh?"
"Face check? What is this, a military drill?"
"Nope. I'm just playing a little power trip."
The rage inside Nether Magus began to rise, his fist trembling with the urge to strike. Gavin Park had always been good at pushing people's buttons. He didn't actually do anything productive but would drop by under the guise of "store management" just to annoy the staff.
Although Gavin Park was only two years older than Nether Magus, he constantly spoke down to him and expected to be treated with respect.
"Come on, lighten up. What's wrong, Justin Min? You mad?"
"Of course I'm mad," Justin replied, his tone sharp. "Stop wasting my time and get lost. You're just getting in the way."
Gavin laughed mockingly, tilting his head again in that infuriating way of his. "This guy just doesn't know when to shut up. Hey, you're just a clerk. You should know your place."
"Well, when your father's around, I know my place pretty well," Justin said, keeping his voice calm, but his irritation clear.
The smirk on Gavin's face twisted into a sneer, obviously annoyed that Justin wasn't backing down. Gavin loved to torment the employees, especially when they didn't grovel. He had even fired a few who talked back too much, taking pride in showing his dominance.
However, with Justin, things weren't so simple. Despite the power Gavin wielded as the owner's son, he couldn't easily fire him. The workload at the store was too overwhelming for any newcomer, and it was no secret that the turnover rate for this job was sky-high. Finding someone with Justin's experience wasn't easy.
Several applicants had taken one look at the store's hectic environment and run away without a second thought. If Justin were to leave, the store would either need to hire two people or force Gavin to handle the load himself, which wasn't something the self-centered son would ever want to do.
But Justin knew he couldn't push his luck forever. The authority Gavin had came directly from his father, and sooner or later, that could spell trouble.
"Why are you here, anyway? I'm about to finish my shift, and I'd like to wrap things up," Justin said, trying to move the conversation along.
Gavin grinned, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Why am I here? I'm here to give you one last chance before I make you regret everything."
Justin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "What are you talking about?"
Gavin leaned closer, his voice dripping with condescension. "Kneel down and say, 'I'm sorry for everything,' and I'll let it slide. Otherwise, you're done."
For a moment, Justin stood there in stunned silence. "Has he lost his mind?" There was no way he was going to beg for anything, especially not from someone like Gavin. Even if money was tight, Justin would rather quit than humiliate himself like that—especially after hearing about the end of the world.
In fact, Justin had come to work today with the intention of quitting anyway, given that there were only two days left until the apocalypse.
"Have you gone crazy? Get out of here with that nonsense," Justin replied bluntly.
Gavin smirked again, clearly expecting this response. "You're throwing away your last chance, you know."
"My last chance?" Justin couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
"Yeah, your last chance. Don't come crying to me when you regret it later," Gavin snapped, his tone laced with a threat.
The whole situation was so ridiculous that Justin couldn't help but laugh. "Does this guy think he's the CEO of a major corporation or something?"
"You're the son of a convenience store owner, not some billionaire heir," Justin said, shaking his head. "Stop playing this power trip game and grow up."
Gavin's expression darkened, his pride clearly wounded. "What did you say?"
"I said, you're just the son of a store owner, not some hotshot. Stop acting like you're in charge of the world," Justin repeated firmly. "You're not above anyone."
"Hey, Justin!" Gavin shouted, stepping closer in anger.
"Save it. I'm done here," Justin said as he began to take off his uniform. "Today's my last day. You can take that to your father and deal with it. Make sure my paycheck is deposited on time."
"Y-you can't just—"
Justin cut him off, tossing the uniform onto the counter and walking out. As he stepped outside, he saw the next shift employee arriving, signaling it was a good time to leave without any hassle.
Though the world was ending soon, Justin couldn't resist adding one final jab just to annoy Gavin. As he walked away, Gavin's voice echoed behind him.
"You're dead in two days, Justin! Mark my words! In two days, I'll make sure you're done!"
"...What?"
For a moment, Justin froze, the words catching his attention. Two days? That was exactly when the apocalypse was supposed to begin, according to the predictions from World Breaker.
Could it be just a coincidence? Or was Gavin also one of the beta testers?
If Gavin was a beta tester, that would explain why he mentioned the exact timing. After all, once the apocalypse started, laws and order would collapse, and Gavin might actually follow through on his threat.
Realization dawned on Justin, and a spark of determination lit in his eyes.
"So he plans to come after me when everything falls apart, huh?"
The sheer audacity of Gavin's behavior was beyond infuriating. He had bullied others his whole life, and now he thought he could get away with murder just because there'd be no one to stop him.
But there was one thing Gavin didn't know: Justin was no ordinary man anymore.
"Dimensional gate, open."
With a shimmering sound, the portal opened up in front of him, and Justin stepped through into the same place where he had met the mage the previous day.
The mage greeted him with a smile. "Ah, you've returned. Ready to begin learning magic?"
"Yes," Justin replied.
Now more than ever, he was prepared. Before, he had only seen the apocalypse as an abstract threat to prepare for. But now, he had a personal reason to grow stronger.
"He said he'd come for me in two days."
Knowing Gavin's personality, the chances of him actually showing up were high. He was the type who would never forget a slight and would go to extreme lengths to get revenge.
Justin resolved to be ready when that day came. He would be waiting for Gavin—and he wouldn't just survive. He'd crush him.
"You're done for, Gavin."
Let him come. When he did, he'd be the one begging for mercy.