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“What has this person done,” I asked.
“As you can, she isn’t human and hasn’t committed anything yet. I’m trying to find her before she does,” Alencia explained.
I understood; it seemed the woman in the photo was planning something. Though uncertain of her intentions, the fact that Alencia showed me this photo suggested she was someone to be cautious of.
I’m usually good at remembering people’s faces, so I can remember most customers.
But I haven’t seen any with such a unique appearance, so unfortunately, I can’t offer much help.
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I haven’t seen anyone with big horns on their head like that before.”
But I have seen someone with a sparkling light bulb on their head.
To be exact, it was the mysterious white mage who had brazenly entered the store with a gun.
Come to think of it, she had mentioned that she would come to pick up her package when it arrived in a few days. I hope she doesn’t insist on paying again, but I also hope she doesn’t bring a gun.
Money was nice, but guns were definitely not good for mental health.
“Yes, fortunately, there are no giants or goat-like creatures around here so it’s good that you haven’t seen them,” Alencia remarked, relieved.
What…?
“Hahahaha, I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want to get involved in any annoying business,” I chuckled nervously.
“That’s right. I hope you, Mr.Hyunwoo, don’t get involved in any troublesome matters either,” Alencia said, smiling as she waved goodbye and left the convenience store.
Either way, thanks to her, I spent my lunchtime happily.
I’m not one to judge people based on appearances, but there’s something comforting about a beautiful face.
It is said that the heart is more important than appearance when it comes to judging a person, and that may be true, but I still prefer faces that are handsome or pretty.
Having a lot of money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it can certainly open doors to various forms of happiness, right?.
“Oh, right. Excuse me! You left the photo…!” I exclaimed, noticing that Alencia had left without the photo.
But she was already far away from the convenience store. Despite my attempts to call out to her, my voice didn’t reach her, and I couldn’t leave the convenience store, so I had no choice but to let her go.
“Surely, she’ll come back to find it later, right?.”
In the end, I was left with only the photo containing the mysterious woman in my hands.
Alencia didn’t strike me as someone who would easily let things go. Could it be that she was still overwhelmed by the spicy taste of the fire chicken ramen.?
“Come to think of it, could this be…?,” I wondered aloud as I stared blankly at the photo.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I headed to Tree Wiki.
[♣The Universe of Knowledge Built by Everyone♣]
[Welcome to Tree Wiki!]
[Tree Wiki is a wiki that contains knowledge from the entire universe. Be cautious as unfiltered knowledge also exists here.]
The banner kindly welcomes those who enter Tree Wiki like me today.
If you scroll down a little, a special search box appears.
[Image Search⌕]
[Focus your screen on the image you want to search.]
Tree Wiki surprisingly had an image search function.
Following the brief description in the search bar, I aligned the photo with the interface window.
[Category: Intellectual Being, Demon]
[Erebos, the Master of the Black Mage Tower (Universe-1221)]
But then, a surprising name appeared, so I closed Tree Wiki.
Looking for something like this will surely lead to a bothersome and annoying classification.
I decided to keep the photo safely stored in the corner of the counter and show it to Alencia when she returned to the convenience store.
-Kim Hyunwoo-
[Can I buy something like purified water at the convenience store?]
-Store Manager-
[Why are you suddenly asking about purified water?]
Well, when I touched that photo it made me feel uneasy for some reason.
I tried to forget the woman’s appearance, but I tend to remember faces well.
-Store Manager-
[Purified water is just normal water unless it’s produced in that universe. And there is no reason for us to import and sell the purified water of Universe-1221 at our store.]
If convenience stores used to sell guns, they could at least sell purified water, right?
It’s even more strange to sell guns at a convenience store, isn’t it?
Oh, come to think of it, there’s nothing normal about everything that has happened since I came to this convenience store. And among them, the most absurd thing is the reason why I ended up here.
How can someone be hit by a tower of cola and die…?
***********
-Store Manager-
[In 10 minutes, it’ll be the end of your shift. How about it? Do you think it’s somewhat bearable now?]
I think it’s somewhat bearable, assuming there are no wild beasts carrying knives or crazy people coming into the convenience store.
In fact, I find it more comfortable than a typical convenience store job because there’s not much to do.
Ordering is also automated, so I don’t have to deal with ordering 180 bottles of Pepsi like some damn idiot.
-Kim Hyunwoo-
[I don’t think it’s completely unbearable. But I’m not exactly eager to do it either.]
There was a post about being able to work as a lighthouse keeper in Denmark for two years and receive $730,000 in cash.
[*Immediate payment of 1 billion Korean won upon the completion of a 2-year term]
[*Supply worth 150,000 won received weekly by helicopter]
[*Prohibition from leaving the workplace]
[*Job entails raising and lowering the lighthouse’s light switch daily]
[*Electricity available through a self-generating system]
[*Computers available, but no internet access]
[*Supplies can be chosen within desired common sense when restocking]
[*Usage of flush toilets through water tanks]
[*Mandatory individual work]
The reactions to this were broadly categorized into three.
Some said, “If you’re going to serve in the military for two years as a man and they offer 730,000$, why not go?.”
Others mentioned, “It’s hard to make 730,000$ in two years even working at a major corporation; so I would immediately rush for it.”
There were also those who expressed, “Even if they offer $730,000, having to live almost as a recluse for two years seems tough.”
Of course, it was obviously a groundless, false claim floating around the internet, so it dissipated without a trace…
But oddly enough, it feels a bit similar to my situation.
I receive weekly pay instead of a monthly salary, can use the convenience store’s items freely, and cannot leave my workplace, just like them.
Electricity and the restroom facilities are available in the same way.
I haven’t really used much of what’s in the break room besides the bed, so I’m still figuring things out, and I can buy whatever I want from RocketPang if I have the money.
The work itself is almost the same as when I work alone.
-Store Manager-
[It’s not particularly important what Mr.Kim Hyunwoo thinks while working at our convenience store. If an employee of this store doesn’t follow the manager’s instructions, disposal can be arranged through the proper procedure.]
Do they really have to use the term “disposal”.”
Moreover, what exactly does “dispose” mean?
-Kim Hyunwoo-
[Come to think of it, what does “dispose” mean?]
-Store Manager-
[Do you not know the meaning of the word “dispose,” Mr.Kim Hyunwoo?]
Does the store manager have some prickly condition that spikes if you don’t talk to them in a certain way?
I can vaguely imagine what this boss looks like without even seeing them.
Surely, they must be inflexible, with a frustratingly closed-off personality—no doubt about it.
Of course, I know what disposal means.
But I’m curious about the disposal method employed by the U.C. convenience store, as it sounds quite different from what I’m used to.
–Store Manager-
[It’s no big deal. Anyway, once your 8-hour shift ends today, I was planning to explain the special tasks related to disposal.]
Special tasks?
I don’t know what they are, but it seems there’s more to it than the typical tasks convenience store clerks do.
– Store Manager –
[Please go to the dimensional disposal bin in the warehouse. Mr. Kim Hyunwoo, when you start your official shift, you’ll be assigned this special task during the early morning hours when there are no customers in the store.]
I followed the manager’s instructions to the dimensional disposal bin in the warehouse.
At first glance, it resembled an ordinary large trash bin, but its function was far from ordinary.
All disposals from the U.C. convenience store was processed here, requiring only proper cleaning without the need to replace the bin.
However, caution was necessary.
From its name alone, it was clear that the dimensional disposal bin was anything but ordinary.
– Store Manager –
[Some of the disposals generated in our store might be usable for you, Mr. Kim Hyunwoo, but that doesn’t mean you can handle all the disposals on your own. Therefore, you’ll use the dimensional disposal bin to dispose of expired items.]
Furthermore, there’s something peculiar about the ‘expiration date’ of products.
Not only food items but other items, like masks or stationery, also have an expiration date.
Of course, these expiration dates are measured in years, but it was somewhat surprising to find them on such items.
Hence, even if they’re not food, they must be disposed of properly once their expiration date has passed.
– Store Manager –
[However, very rarely, there are things that refuse to be disposed of and attempt to escape from the dimensional disposal bin.]
“What?.”
The store manager’s message sent shivers down my spine.
So, you mean the discarded products refuse to be disposed of and try to escape from that disposal bin?
–Store Manager –
[Discarded products must never, under any circumstances, escape from the disposal bin. If such a thing happens, Mr. Kim Hyunwoo, I apologize in advance for what may occur.]
[※Important Notification Received: 1 Message]
Following the manager’s eerie message, I checked the notification, finding not a message but new rules added to the U.C. convenience store’s employee manual.
“What is this?,”As I opened the interface window, and skimmed through the new rules, I was left speechless.
＜New!＞
[6. Once a product is discarded, it must never escape from the universal disposal bin, no matter what happens. If there is an attempt to escape, the U.C Support System will send a notification on how to deal with it. So please, for your own sake, do not ignore it.]
[6-1. If you fail to handle it within 6 hours, lock the store’s door and never leave the employee break room. If you hear the voice of a customer looking for you, that is not a customer.]
[6-2. If the warehouse door is already open, immediately run to the emergency exit. Do not look behind, ahead, up, or down. Keep your eyes closed. After entering the emergency exit, open your eyes and go to the rooftop.]
[6-3. If you find yourself unable to perform the above two actions, immediately remove your uniform and pretend to be a customer who has come to the convenience store. If you can deceive t͓͂h̷̢̹̯̺̣̤̠̠͈̩̜̫͕͚̞ͦ͑ͥͭ̓̆̓̆ͪ̀́̎̊̏̿́̑̔ͫͣ̎ͤͯ̃ͭ͘͡ḝ̷̼̲̖̲͕̮̩̩͔̤͌͌̏̔͟͜͝m̵̛͕̘̹̦͉̞̥̹̬̬̖̪̖͙̠͑̓̒ͮ̊̈́͊ͬͤ̏̓ͤ̒̒́ͭͯͧ̅͜͞͡ͅ into thinking you’re not an employee, they will ring up your purchases. After that, you can exit through the emergency exit. However, if you don’t have physical money, they will realize you’re not a customer.]
[7. Occasionally, you may hear voices or screams from the universal disposal bin. Never lend an ear or try to investigate. Notify the store manager, and they will take care of it.]
Out of the blue, I thought that if someone were to offer me $700,000 in 2 years, I could probably do even the work of a lighthouse keeper all by myself.
However, this convenience store job was different.
Unless the situation was more urgent than life itself, even if they offered me 2 million instead of $700,000, I wouldn’t do it.
At least, I believed my life was worth that much, even if it was a life that ended due to Pepsi.
