Chapter 55
[Dawn Department Store].
Dawn Group is the fourth largest conglomerate in South Korea. Its main businesses are food and distribution and department stores.
Chairwoman Lee Yoon-hees ability to read the market has allowed her to dominate the food and retail sectors in a post-crash world.
Her management skills were also unrivaled in the department store sector. The story of how she had established Dawn Department Stores all over the country even before she took over was the stuff of legend.
Wow!
Euna exclaimed as she entered the revolving door and saw the huge dome-shaped space.
Even with so many people coming and going, there was not the slightest noise. On the contrary, upbeat music filled the place, as if the excitement was understated.
The Dawn Department Store they visited today was the first store opened by chairwoman Lee Yoon-hee, marking the beginning of her department store business. The first store, located in Seongbuk-gu, was the only one with a dome-shaped structure.
Its changed a lot.
Eunha looked around the vast space.
The overall atmosphere was similar before and after the regression.
Wow! Thats really cheap!
Kyaa~! This is so pretty!
He suddenly remembered the twin sisters who spent money like water.
They didnt belong in a department store.
Yet, whenever they had money, they would swipe their cards, even if they didnt have any.
Sometimes theyd be followed around by their adoring partygoers with their luggage.
He was no exception.
You want me to carry this?
The leader should carry it. Who else should be carrying it?
Is he crazy because he wants to die?
Oh, no, thats not good.
Leader, dont live like that. Were the only ones who take a crazy guy like you in, so you should be grateful.
Youre right. So listen up.
The twins stories of losing their parents, rolling in brothels, and turning into players didnt scare him in the slightest.
Unscrewed bitches.
Oh my God, were not the only ones whove been unscrewed.
Did we get our bra straps undone today?
Were you a no-bra today? I meant I took off my panties before coming here.
Uh-oh. So youre a no-panty today?
.
They were two girls who didnt belong in a department store.
But what were their names again?
It was memorable enough to remember their names.
Eunha couldnt remember the names of the giggling twins in his flashbacks. Even their faces were a blur.
Maybe its okay if he cant remember them.
After all, they died shortly after entering the party.
He had forced his companions to sacrifice until the very end, stepping over the corpses of countless others, and the number of those who had disappeared in his wake was uncountable.
No wonder it was so faint. The twin sisters impressions were so intense that it was the only thing that remained.
Are you sure I can buy this?
You said you wanted to buy it. Why are you talking about it now?
Sigh If only you could say things nicely. Fine, buy it for me.
By the way, this also happened at that time.
Yoo-jung.She had only come to look at clothes, dragged along by the twin sisters against her will.
She was a person who pursued efficiency and practicality like that.
Eunha, what are you thinking?
Oh, sorry. Its just been so long.
Long time?
Nah. Its nothing. Thats not true.
Shaking himself out of his reminiscing, Eunha smiled at the modestly dressed Euna.
She may be my sister, but shes really pretty.
Even objectively, Euna was the picture of beauty. She was about to become a junior high school student, and she had an unmistakable presence in the crowd.
Eunha, dont get tired already!
Julieta, was also paying attention to him.
This morning, having declared her intention to go to the department store, Julieta wore a light green dress that matched her eyes and was spritzed with perfume. Even if she wasnt, her makeup was enough to make passersby take a second look.
Im sorry. Eunha.
Just buy me something good.
Okay.
Bruno was the same, he was dressed in a white t-shirt, dark blue sweater, and a black coat over it, giving off a different vibe than usual.
It looked good on him.
Bruno looked better in a suit than he did in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Unnie, where are we going to look first?
Euna asked, her eyes shining.
Clothes, of course!
Julietas eyes lit up as well.
Mister. Isnt something wrong?
Turning away, Eunha opened his mouth, sensing that something was happening that he didnt recognize.
Hmm.
Bruno stroked his chin in silence. He rolled his eyes and looked around.
Three.
What?
Three. The one whos acting weird.
Unleashing a sensory net would only lead to backtracking.
The person Bruno was talking about was probably a player.
So Eunha shot mana in the direction he pointed.
Bruno immediately understood his intentions.
The two of them stepped up and made their way through the crowd like it was nothing.
As expected, all three were players, trained players.
They skillfully deflected the flying mana.
Moving. Two.
The short Eunha couldnt see the players in the distance; he was relying solely on Brunos information to organize the situation.
The players reacted quickly. Two players started moving in the direction the mana had come from.
Eunha and Bruno had already left the area. Moving to another location, they observed the players circling the area where they had been.
Wheres the other one?
Keeping watch in place.
Meanwhile, two of the players concluded that they couldnt be traced back and quickly moved away, only to realize in hindsight that they had alerted their opponents to their movements.
The third players actions were quicker than before. They had blended into the crowd and started to break away from the flow.
Eunga seized the opportunity to distract them. He approached the closest player.
As he walked away with his hands in his pockets, he dropped something along the way.
What was that?
A blue gemstone, rolling around on the sidewalk under the feet of passersby.
A gemstone.
No way, these bastards!
At that moment, Eunha realized their intentions.
Raising his head quickly, he looked around the entire space.
A song was playing. A cheerful one.
And like the song, mana was flowing around him.
Crazy.
He groaned lowly, noticing the omnipresence of mana only now. He gritted his teeth, remembering the man who had disappeared a moment ago.
This must be Nonames doing. With his gift for impairing perception, he could have fooled the eyes of a former player.
That wasnt the problem.
It wasnt the time to hide the location now.
Noh Eunha!
Bruno, still unable to comprehend the situation, called out to the mana-manifesting Eunha
Ignoring his shout, Eunha spread its sensors across the space.
Shit.
It had already begun. Too late.
A total of eleven gems had been caught by the sensors.
Maybe more.
Since there were currently only eleven mana omnipresent.
You crazy bastards.
He couldnt understand s purpose, or rather, his employers purpose.
Why terrorize a department store?
No, this is not the time.
It was none of his business who was doing it, or why they were doing it.
Uncle Bruno, get upstairs!
The important thing was to get Euna out of there.
Otherwise.
Aaaahhhhh!!
Eunha heard a scream that overshadowed the singing voice flowing in the hall and covered his eyes.
This is.
Bruno deployed his sensory nets as well, taking stock of the situation.
Mana was everywhere.
Monsters were being born from the omnipresence, and then monsters were being born from other omnipresences.
It was happening on every floor.
Lets go.
He hung up the phone amidst the music that filled the space.
The man nonchalantly walked past people screaming and running away.
No one noticed his presence.