The shop was quiet again.
Ash still drifted past the barred windows like snow. Outside, the world was rearranging itself—one scream, one tremor, one scar at a time. Kaito leaned on the counter, staring at the quest panel flickering in front of him.
[New Quest: Beacon of the Ruins]
Objective: Attract First Customer Post-Rift
Reward: 200 Coins | Unlock: Zone Reputation System
"Meri," he said quietly, "how exactly am I supposed to attract anyone in a city full of corpses and monsters?"
[Meri: You are the only merchant with a stable zone. Your existence is the anomaly. Draw attention. Be needed.]
"And what, exactly, am I selling? False hope?"
[Meri: You're selling survival. Wrapped in trust. Buried in mystery.]
Kaito snorted. "Great. I'm a walking riddle with coupons."
Ayame was upstairs, resting. She had earned it. Kaito stood alone in the shop's lower floor, staring at the sparse shelves. It didn't look like a sanctuary. It looked like a poorly stocked convenience store with LED candles and a death wish.
But the shop had something no other place did: the system.
Every item sold here came from another world. And every survivor that walked in could be offered something they didn't even know they needed.
The problem?
No one knew he was here.
No one knew the shop mattered.
Kaito sighed and opened the side panel.
[Shop Features: Upgrades Available]
Trade Window Enhancer – 100 Coins
Reinforced Display Shelf – 75 Coins
Signal Beacon – 200 Coins ✅
He stared at the last one.
Signal Beacon — emits a low-range pulse that draws nearby survivors within 2km. Marked as a "Safe Zone."
Kaito checked his balance.
[Coins: 217]
Just barely.
"Meri. Install the beacon."
[Meri: Are you sure? It will reveal your presence. It may attract more than just customers.]
He nodded. "Let them come. Good or bad. If we hide forever, we die in silence."
[Meri: Understood. Beacon deploying.]
A pulse fired out.
Invisible. Silent. But it rippled through the air like a heartbeat. Anyone with a scrap of instinct—or desperation—would feel it. A place untouched by decay. A place that called to the survivors.
He stood still. Waiting.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
Nothing.
Ayame came downstairs rubbing her eyes. "Did you just light a flare with the shop system?"
He nodded. "Pretty much."
"You realize that might bring in psychos, right?"
"Yeah."
She looked at the empty shelves. "Better hope we don't run out of patience."
"We won't."
"Because you have a plan?"
"Because I'm stubborn."
She smirked. "Same."
The door didn't open that night.
But in the early gray haze of morning, while Kaito was restocking the front with potion flasks, a noise scraped against the outside panel.
Tap. Tap. Pause.
Not banging. Not moaning.
A pattern. Intentional.
He motioned for Ayame to stay hidden and carefully opened the sliding hatch.
A figure stood just outside the metal grate.
Wearing scavenger clothes. Torn sleeves. Blood on one hand. A hood. Eyes sharp. Cautious.
"Is this place... safe?" they asked.
Kaito didn't answer immediately. He let silence do the work.
"You saw the signal?"
The figure nodded. "Yeah. I was heading through the industrial zone when I felt something... off. Like a pulse. But not dangerous. It felt clean. Like the opposite of the portals."
"You have a name?"
"Lio."
Kaito unlocked the door slowly. "Step inside. No weapons drawn. No threats. This isn't a fortress. It's a shop."
Lio stepped in. No gun. No blade. Just a curious glance and a bleeding arm.
Ayame stood behind the counter now, her hand near the emergency flare launcher.
Kaito gestured to the shelf. "You need something?"
Lio didn't answer. He just stared. Then spoke, voice quiet.
"...I didn't think anyone was still trying to build something."
Kaito tilted his head. "Excuse me?"
"Everyone's scavenging, hiding, killing. But you... you lit a signal. Put out supplies. It's different."
Kaito exchanged a glance with Ayame.
Lio stepped forward. "I'm not here to rob you. I want to trade."
Kaito nodded. "What do you have?"
Lio pulled out a small black core. "From a mutant stray. Wasn't a full zombie. Didn't behave right."
Kaito took the core, turning it over.
[Core Registered: Unknown Variant – 4 Points]
"Good quality," Kaito said. "I'll give you a minor healing potion, 2 protein bars, and a reinforced boot sole."
Lio blinked. "That specific?"
"I don't haggle," Kaito said. "But I'm fair."
Lio nodded. "Deal."
Kaito handed over the items, Lio pocketed them slowly, and then lingered.
"Why are you doing this?" Lio asked. "You don't look like the kind that fights."
"I don't," Kaito said. "I trade."
"But why?"
Kaito gave a tired smile. "Because someone has to build while the rest burn."
Lio stared, then slowly smiled too. "I'll come back. There's a group near the canal. Half-starved. They need this."
"You bring cores, you get supplies. Simple."
And just like that, Lio was gone.
Ayame whistled. "That was smooth."
Kaito leaned back. "One customer."
"You're counting already?"
"You have to start somewhere."
[Quest Complete: Beacon of the Ruins]
+200 Coins
[Zone Reputation System Unlocked]
[Meri: Congratulations, Kaito. You are now recognized as a Safe Node within Ruin District 6. Reputation Points will now affect customer traffic, trade options, and local influence.]
He stared at the panel.
The map flickered. His shop now glowed faintly—a green dot among a sea of red.
A spark in the ruins.
But a spark was all fire needed.