By the time the gray sun scraped across the rooftops, Kaito was already up, his breath visible in the store's cold interior. There was a scent in the air—like copper and smoke, faint but undeniable. Even the silence felt edged. He stood by the window, watching the empty street for too long, before turning back to the shop floor.
Today was the day they built their first defense. Not a wall in the traditional sense—but a declaration. The start of something larger. A claim.
Ayame was already working on the blueprint table, tying her hair into a knot with a piece of spare wiring. Her knuckles were scraped, and the left side of her jacket was blackened from the flare blast yesterday. She looked like a scavenger, but moved like a soldier.
"Material count?" he asked.
She didn't look up. "We're short by one anchor plate. But we can modify."
Kaito nodded. "Make do. We'll reinforce the storefront first. Then the back alley. If time allows, we'll lock down the roof access."
She smirked. "You make it sound like we're fortifying a castle."
"We are."
He opened his system window.
[Quest Complete: Portable Barrier Construction]
[Reward: +100 Coins | 1x Random Defensive Blueprint | Store Prestige +1]
[New Quest Available: Host a Trade]
"Meri," he whispered.
[Meri: Yes, Kaito?]
"Why a trade quest now?"
[Meri: Because you're ready. Your store needs its first visitor. Someone who walks in willingly. Not because they're desperate... but because they're curious.]
He stared at the storefront. A cracked windowpane reflected his tired face, stretched over ambition.
Let the world come. Let it test us.
They began with the metal brackets, affixing them to the reinforced pillars he'd set up on Day 1. The anchor spikes were driven into the floor with calculated precision, their design thanks to yesterday's reward. Each one clicked into place with a sound that reassured him—small victories mattered.
Ayame worked fast, heat-sealing the seams with a salvaged welding tool they'd modified from a broken food cart generator.
"So," she said between sparks, "how many customers are you expecting today?"
"One."
"That's a specific number."
He didn't answer immediately. He adjusted the barricade around the rear alley door, then finally said, "The first customer always finds the shop by accident. Or fate."
She tilted her head. "Or fate?"
"I think that's what the system wants. Not just coin. Presence."
He thought for a second.
"It's about belief. If someone chooses to trade with us, before the world knows the value of what we offer... it creates gravity."
Ayame gave a low whistle. "Philosopher and merchant."
He grinned. "I'm an entrepreneur."
By mid-afternoon, the barricade was complete. The shopfront now had a reinforced metal grate, sliding anchors, and a mounted distraction emitter disguised as a ventilation box. The sign above the door—previously cracked and faded—had been cleaned. It now read clearly:
The Merchant's Shelter
Ayame took a step back, arms crossed.
"Looks like an actual shop now."
"It always was," he replied.
He opened the system interface again.
[Shop Status: Secure | Functional | Unknown to Public]
[Random Trade Chance: 3.4%]
[Adjust Display: Available]
He tapped 'Adjust Display.' A small hologram shimmered in front of the entrance—an ad board with randomized items and their descriptions. Potions. Tools. One-time-use stealth cloaks. Even a beginner's skill scroll.
[Meri: The market resets in 12 hours. Use it well.]
"Are we ready?" Ayame asked.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled a single coin from his inventory—the very first he'd earned. He placed it beside the register like an offering.
"Now we are."
Twilight came fast.
The world outside dimmed not just from the setting sun, but from something far more sinister:
The Portals.
At first, no one believed it. Rips in the sky, floating like bleeding wounds. Some in the sky. Some grounded, bleeding across alleyways, sewer grates, forest edges. They shimmered with impossible colors—shades that didn't have names.
The first reports were quiet. Then the screaming started. Creatures—not just zombies, but monsters with armor made of bone, eyes that wept steam, and limbs that didn't obey biology—began flooding out. And people ran.
Police? Gone. Military? Fighting—maybe. But disorganized. Communication lines collapsed within hours.
Looters rose. So did those looking to crown themselves kings over ash.
Humanity hadn't fallen. Not yet. But it was staggering.
And Kaito watched it all from the barricaded window, as fires dotted rooftops.
Ayame said, "They're getting closer."
"Yes," he replied.
"Any plans?"
He smiled grimly. "Keep the door open. For the right people."
Then, a knock.
Both of them froze.
Kaito looked at Ayame.
She nodded once.
He approached the door slowly, peered through the side slit. A figure stood alone. Tall. Dirty, but not desperate. Wrapped in a heavy coat, with a duffle slung across his shoulder. He didn't look threatening. Just tired.
Kaito opened the door partway.
"We're closed," he said.
The man chuckled. "Didn't ask. I'm not here to beg."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you here?"
The man pointed at the glowing ad board. "Your shop's the only place in this whole damned city showing actual tech that works. I've seen glows before. Places people vanish into. Muted sounds. You're running something here. It ain't just barter. And it sure as hell ain't ordinary."
Ayame leaned on the counter, amused. "So you just followed the glow?"
The man shrugged. "I'm a courier. I move goods between safehouses. I keep my eyes open. Most places are chaos. This place... it has order. You got real lighting. Security. Hell, that sign outside even updated on its own. That means something."
Kaito stared for a long moment.
"You don't have a system," he said.
The man blinked. "A what?"
"Never mind."
He opened the door wider.
"Come in."
He introduced himself simply: Hiro. No last name. No faction. Carried goods between safehouses and rebel outposts. Occasionally dodged death. He laid out his trade on the counter without flinching—a small map of supply caches, two silver-grade monster cores, and a book on improvised explosives.
"I need something to keep me off radar," he said.
Kaito browsed the current stock.
The scroll was too valuable. Potions weren't unique enough. But there—third row, bottom shelf:
[Cloak of Momentary Silence – 1 Use | Erases Footsteps, Breathing, and Heartbeat for 60 Seconds]
He tapped it.
"Equal trade. Cores and map for the cloak."
Hiro studied him for a moment.
"You're new," he said. "But you already act like you've been here longer than the city's bones."
Kaito only smiled. "You'll remember this shop."
Hiro took the cloak, nodded once, and left without another word.
The door closed behind him.
A moment passed.
Then the system pinged.
[Quest Complete: Host a Trade]
[Reward: +80 Coins | Shop Reputation +1 | Unlock: Faction Interest Tier 1]
[New Quest: Establish First Contract – Optional]
Ayame leaned back, folding her arms behind her head. "So that's what it feels like."
"What?"
"To matter."
Kaito said nothing.
Outside, monsters tore into the sky. Humans fought back. Others hid. The city was becoming a chessboard for things not even the best soldier could name. But inside these walls, something else was being built.
A heartbeat had started. Not just survival. Not just preparation.
Commerce.
And with it, the future.
Tomorrow, more will come. He didn't know who—but they would come. And when they did, they'd find not just a shop.
They'd find the man who already knew how to rebuild the world.