If you’re thinking of sharing my content, please give credit where credit is due! It takes a lot of time and effort to create something, so it’s always appreciated when people respect that and acknowledge the source. Thanks for being a responsible and considerate sharer!
Bibell[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-hee’s 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.
…It’s changed a lot.
Eunha looked around the vast space.
The overall atmosphere was similar before and after the regression.
‘Wow! That’s really cheap!’
‘Kyaa~! This is so pretty!’
He suddenly remembered the twin sisters who spent money like water.
They didn’t belong in a department store.
Yet, whenever they had money, they would swipe their cards, even if they didn’t have any.
Sometimes they’d 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, that’s not good.’
‘Leader, don’t live like that. We’re the only ones who take a crazy guy like you in, so you should be grateful.’
‘You’re right. So listen up.’
The twins’ stories of losing their parents, rolling in brothels, and turning into players didn’t scare him in the slightest.
‘Unscrewed bitches….’
‘Oh my God, we’re not the only ones who’ve 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 you’re a no-panty today?’
‘…….’
They were two girls who didn’t belong in a department store.
…But what were their names again?
It was memorable enough to remember their names.
Eunha couldn’t remember the names of the giggling twins in his flashbacks. Even their faces were a blur.
Maybe it’s okay if he can’t 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. It’s just been so long.»
«Long time?»
«Nah. It’s nothing. That’s not true.»
Shaking himself out of his reminiscing, Eunha smiled at the modestly dressed Euna.
She may be my sister, but she’s 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, don’t 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 wasn’t, her makeup was enough to make passersby take a second look.
«…I’m 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!»
Julieta’s eyes lit up as well.
There was no stopping them.
Eunha and Bruno sighed inwardly.
It had happened this morning. Julieta had burst through the door and talked about going to the department store.
But their parents weren’t in a position to go to a department store. His father had to work on weekends, and his mother had to take care of Eunae.
‘It’s okay, I’ll take care of them!
‘No matter what, that’s a bit….’
Julieta insisted on taking just the two children.
His mother didn’t feel comfortable leaving the children with Julieta.
Especially when she mentioned that she was going to buy Christmas presents for Eunha and Euna.
«Julie is doing this because she likes it.»
«Of course, Bruno!»
If it weren’t for Bruno’s intervention, the two would never have made it to the department store.
«I wanted to stay home….»
His mother patted Eunha on the back, asking for his sister to take care of him. It was an insurmountable task for Eunha, who had wanted to play with Eunae all weekend.
Especially with Julietta in the mix.
«…Where did my sister go, uncle Bruno? What about Julietta?»
«She went up to the fifth floor earlier.»
If you looked away even a little bit, they would disappear.
One look away and they’re gone.
Eunha already had a headache. He didn’t want Euna and Julieta to get into any trouble.
«They’ll be hard to find.»
On the first floor alone, there were tons of people coming and going.
Even if they deployed the mana detection net, it would take time to find the mana in their bodies. Moreover, Euna was in the process of exhausting her mana.
«Don’t worry. I have this.»
«A smartphone?»
No. It wasn’t a smartphone.
Eunha looked at the phone Bruno held out to his in disbelief.
The screen detailed the layout of the department store.
A red dot was moving toward the fifth floor.
Mr. Bruno, what are you?
Smartphones don’t provide detailed location information by default. In other words, Bruno had obtained the department store floor plan through illegal means.
«…Does Julieta know about this?»
«It’s a secret.»
Eunha nodded like a machine. He could see why Bruno had found it so easy to find the elusive Julieta.
Wait, so I can put a GPS on her too!
«Mister, I want to put one of those on my sister too….»
«Have a smartphone first.»
«Then you’ll do it!»
Eunha asked excitedly.
«…Then, I’ll think about it.»
Ha.
Okay. Eunha clicked his tongue inwardly.
Bruno stroked his hair, his eyes unreadable for emotion.
«Let’s go upstairs.»
«Yeah~»
The two took the escalator to the fifth floor.
The escalators to the second floor were at three and nine o’clock from where they entered.
Naturally, they had to walk through a quarter of the space.
What?
As they walked past people, Eunha sensed something was wrong and stopped.
«…Let’s go.»
A man walked by, calling to someone.
He was wearing sunglasses.
Wearing sunglasses in a department store, he was bound to stand out.
But people didn’t give him any attention.
Why is he here….
As the man passed by, Eunha couldn’t miss the tattoo on his left wrist.
Half hidden by his sleeve, the tattoo featured a skull surrounded by a black cloth.
<Noname>.
….
If he hadn’t seen it, he would have passed like everyone else.
«What’s wrong?»
Bruno called out to him as he stopped dead in his tracks.
Eunha didn’t answer, just stared in the direction the man had walked.
The man was gone.
That was his gift.
«Mister. Isn’t something wrong?»
Turning away, Eunha opened his mouth, sensing that something was happening that he didn’t recognize.
«Hmm….»
Bruno stroked his chin in silence. He rolled his eyes and looked around.
«…Three.»
«What?»
«Three. The one who’s 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 couldn’t see the players in the distance; he was relying solely on Bruno’s 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.
«Where’s the other one?»
«Keeping watch in place.»
Meanwhile, two of the players concluded that they couldn’t be traced back and quickly moved away, only to realize in hindsight that they had alerted their opponents to their movements.
The third player’s 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 Noname’s doing. With his gift for impairing perception, he could have fooled the eyes of a former player.
That wasn’t the problem.
It wasn’t 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 couldn’t understand ‘s purpose, or rather, his employer’s 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.
☆
«─Let’s 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.
If you’re thinking of sharing my content, please give credit where credit is due! It takes a lot of time and effort to create something, so it’s always appreciated when people respect that and acknowledge the source. Thanks for being a responsible and considerate sharer!
Bibell[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-hee’s 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.
…It’s changed a lot.
Eunha looked around the vast space.
The overall atmosphere was similar before and after the regression.
‘Wow! That’s really cheap!’
‘Kyaa~! This is so pretty!’
He suddenly remembered the twin sisters who spent money like water.
They didn’t belong in a department store.
Yet, whenever they had money, they would swipe their cards, even if they didn’t have any.
Sometimes they’d 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, that’s not good.’
‘Leader, don’t live like that. We’re the only ones who take a crazy guy like you in, so you should be grateful.’
‘You’re right. So listen up.’
The twins’ stories of losing their parents, rolling in brothels, and turning into players didn’t scare him in the slightest.
‘Unscrewed bitches….’
‘Oh my God, we’re not the only ones who’ve 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 you’re a no-panty today?’
‘…….’
They were two girls who didn’t belong in a department store.
…But what were their names again?
It was memorable enough to remember their names.
Eunha couldn’t remember the names of the giggling twins in his flashbacks. Even their faces were a blur.
Maybe it’s okay if he can’t 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. It’s just been so long.»
«Long time?»
«Nah. It’s nothing. That’s not true.»
Shaking himself out of his reminiscing, Eunha smiled at the modestly dressed Euna.
She may be my sister, but she’s 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, don’t 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 wasn’t, her makeup was enough to make passersby take a second look.
«…I’m 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!»
Julieta’s eyes lit up as well.
There was no stopping them.
Eunha and Bruno sighed inwardly.
It had happened this morning. Julieta had burst through the door and talked about going to the department store.
But their parents weren’t in a position to go to a department store. His father had to work on weekends, and his mother had to take care of Eunae.
‘It’s okay, I’ll take care of them!
‘No matter what, that’s a bit….’
Julieta insisted on taking just the two children.
His mother didn’t feel comfortable leaving the children with Julieta.
Especially when she mentioned that she was going to buy Christmas presents for Eunha and Euna.
«Julie is doing this because she likes it.»
«Of course, Bruno!»
If it weren’t for Bruno’s intervention, the two would never have made it to the department store.
«I wanted to stay home….»
His mother patted Eunha on the back, asking for his sister to take care of him. It was an insurmountable task for Eunha, who had wanted to play with Eunae all weekend.
Especially with Julietta in the mix.
«…Where did my sister go, uncle Bruno? What about Julietta?»
«She went up to the fifth floor earlier.»
If you looked away even a little bit, they would disappear.
One look away and they’re gone.
Eunha already had a headache. He didn’t want Euna and Julieta to get into any trouble.
«They’ll be hard to find.»
On the first floor alone, there were tons of people coming and going.
Even if they deployed the mana detection net, it would take time to find the mana in their bodies. Moreover, Euna was in the process of exhausting her mana.
«Don’t worry. I have this.»
«A smartphone?»
No. It wasn’t a smartphone.
Eunha looked at the phone Bruno held out to his in disbelief.
The screen detailed the layout of the department store.
A red dot was moving toward the fifth floor.
Mr. Bruno, what are you?
Smartphones don’t provide detailed location information by default. In other words, Bruno had obtained the department store floor plan through illegal means.
«…Does Julieta know about this?»
«It’s a secret.»
Eunha nodded like a machine. He could see why Bruno had found it so easy to find the elusive Julieta.
Wait, so I can put a GPS on her too!
«Mister, I want to put one of those on my sister too….»
«Have a smartphone first.»
«Then you’ll do it!»
Eunha asked excitedly.
«…Then, I’ll think about it.»
Ha.
Okay. Eunha clicked his tongue inwardly.
Bruno stroked his hair, his eyes unreadable for emotion.
«Let’s go upstairs.»
«Yeah~»
The two took the escalator to the fifth floor.
The escalators to the second floor were at three and nine o’clock from where they entered.
Naturally, they had to walk through a quarter of the space.
What?
As they walked past people, Eunha sensed something was wrong and stopped.
«…Let’s go.»
A man walked by, calling to someone.
He was wearing sunglasses.
Wearing sunglasses in a department store, he was bound to stand out.
But people didn’t give him any attention.
Why is he here….
As the man passed by, Eunha couldn’t miss the tattoo on his left wrist.
Half hidden by his sleeve, the tattoo featured a skull surrounded by a black cloth.
<Noname>.
….
If he hadn’t seen it, he would have passed like everyone else.
«What’s wrong?»
Bruno called out to him as he stopped dead in his tracks.
Eunha didn’t answer, just stared in the direction the man had walked.
The man was gone.
That was his gift.
«Mister. Isn’t something wrong?»
Turning away, Eunha opened his mouth, sensing that something was happening that he didn’t recognize.
«Hmm….»
Bruno stroked his chin in silence. He rolled his eyes and looked around.
«…Three.»
«What?»
«Three. The one who’s 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 couldn’t see the players in the distance; he was relying solely on Bruno’s 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.
«Where’s the other one?»
«Keeping watch in place.»
Meanwhile, two of the players concluded that they couldn’t be traced back and quickly moved away, only to realize in hindsight that they had alerted their opponents to their movements.
The third player’s 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 Noname’s doing. With his gift for impairing perception, he could have fooled the eyes of a former player.
That wasn’t the problem.
It wasn’t 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 couldn’t understand ‘s purpose, or rather, his employer’s 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.
☆
«─Let’s 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.
