"Sell me this pen."
"Uhm, sir, do... Do you need a pen?"
"No."
"Then why would I sell you this pen, sir?"
The interviewer sighed.
"A salesman can sell anything if he puts his mind to it. Is that the best you can do?"
'Only if the customer is an idiot like you, Julien thought, keeping a polite smile fixed on his face.'
"If there isn't a need, sir, then... no matter what I say, you wouldn't buy it, right? It would be dishonest."
The man who asked the question frowned, then turned to chat with the colleagues beside him, dismissing Julien entirely.
"We'll discuss your application and call you again. Thank you."
'I know that call is never coming.'
Julien, a black-haired youth in formal attire, stood up. He bowed to show respect he didn't feel, and exited the hall.
Four other candidates were sitting outside, waiting for their turn. Noticing his return, one of the younger guys ran over to him.
"How was the interview, brother? Can you share some tips, please?"
Julien looked at him, feeling a hint of pity. It looks like this is his first interview.
"Can you sell a pen?" Julien asked.
"Pen? Isn't this an interview for an accountant?"
"You won't pass if you act clever. Just do whatever they say."
The young guy looked confused, but Julien didn't stay to explain. He exited the building and immediately loosened his top button; it felt like the tight clothe was choking him.
I don't know how much 'lose until you win' I've got left in me.
His phone beeped. He pulled it out to see a message from his best friend.
[Chris: Mf I got the job finally whooo! what abt u??? Reply fast lets party tonight.]
Lucky bastard. A faint smile crept onto Julien's face. He wasn't jealous. He just felt hollow, wishing he could exude the same enthusiasm.
Suddenly, his phone let out a jarring, discordant shriek. He looked down. It was a screen he had never seen before.
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
'What?'
Then, every phone in the vicinity began to scream at once, creating a cacophony of digital sirens.
'What is happening?'
Confused and fazed, Julien ran toward the bus stop, just wanting to get the hell away from the city centre. His phone rang again. This time, it was a call.
"Hello? Chris? What is it?"
"Juli...en... somet...fa..." Static drowned out the voice.
"Hello? I can't hear you!"
"Loo... at... sk..."
'Sky?'
Julien looked up. His face went pale.
The sky, usually light blue, was red. It turned a bruised purple and black, dismissing the sunlight. A rift, a portal-like structure, tore through the clouds, and something massive fell from it, impacting the building he had exited only minutes ago with a loud thud.
[EARTH INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[PLAYERS, WELCOME TO THE MULTIVERSE]
[YOU WILL ALL BE AWAKENED SHORTLY]
[TRY TO SAVE YOUR WORLD]
What the fuck?
*******
And that was how the apocalypse descended on Earth.
You know what happens after that.
There were strong hunters. And some people got the "Jin Woo treatment", the pre-system weakling phase.
And me?
Apparently, I belong to the top 1%, whatever that means.
Special humans who awakened SSS-rank skills. With that many S's, you'd think I got some god-tier ability, wouldn't you?
That's not what happened.
'I got the most useless ability in existence. In fact, I'm sure this skill doesn't even exist in the rest of the multiverse. The higher beings just gave it to me as a cosmic joke to make the gods laugh.'
"Are you in your monologue mode again?"
Chris stood by the door, strapping on his heavy leather gloves. His armour was cracked and dented from use.
"Of course not," Julien lied, lying back on his bed.
"Then why are you still not dressed for the raid? I can power-level you, you know. You just have to be there to pick up the XP and some other foils."
"I wish, man. But if you saw my stats, you'd realise you're better off bringing a pet rock. At least the rock won't die of a heart attack."
"You can't keep living like this, Julien. It's time you got used to this world."
"I'm not doing this out of selfishness, Chris. I literally can't fight those monsters inside the gate. I would die if a goblin farts on me."
Chris was at a loss for words. It was true. Every test they'd taken, Julien showed nothing but pathetic results. In fact, his strength was currently lower than the average pre-apocalypse human male.
'How is that even possible for an Awakened?'
"Well, take care. It might take me longer to return this time. It's a B-Rank gate," Chris said, adjusting his sword belt.
"Be safe, Chris. Don't trust those S-rank bastards."
"You're one to talk." Chris waved and left the room, leaving Julien alone in the dim apartment.
Chris was only a C-rank hunter, but his potential was unlimited. He constantly developed new abilities every time he raided a gate.
And I haven't even set foot in one.
It had already been a year since the Earth changed. Governments fell to the strongest Warlords; society had reverted to survival of the fittest. Julien knew if he revealed his SSS-rank status, the world would go crazy hunting him down.
But there was just one problem.
He couldn't activate it.
"Status window."
Nothing.
"Window status."
Silence.
"Damn it! What is the point of an SSS-rank if I don't know what the skill is?"
Julien slammed his fist against the bed.
RUMBLE.
The coffee mug on his nightstand shook. Then, the floor shook hard.
An earthquake? No, we don't get those here.
BOOM!
The temperature in the room changed as the building slowly disintegrated.
Dust and concrete rained down as Julien was thrown off his bed, crashing hard against the far wall.
Cough! Cough!
"What...?"
He looked up through the hole where his wall used to be. Floating just outside his second-story apartment was a portal of black and red energy.
A Dungeon Gate.
And not a normal one. It had opened directly next to his building, its gravitational pull tearing the structure apart.
The ceiling above him creaked.
"Oh, sh—"
A massive pile of concrete collapsed, slamming on Julien's legs.
"AGHHH!"
Pain shot up in his body. He tried to pull his legs free, but he was too weak.
He was always too fucking weak.
From the swirling gate, a clawed hand the size of a bus reached out, gripping the edge of the building.
A creature pulled itself into reality, its glowing red eyes locking onto the helpless human in the cement.
It's stare pierced through his heart.
Julien stared at it, the pain in his leg slowly making the vision blur.
I'm going to die.
He looked at the creature, then at the cement crushing him.
"I don't want to die..." he screamed, blood trickling from his forehead. "I'll give anything. Someone... just take it! Save me!"
The monster lunged forward.
As the monster's jaws opened to tear him apart, a golden light erupted from Julien's chest, blinding the creature.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Desperation Detected. Transaction Parameters Met.]
[User is offering "Anything" in exchange for "Survival".]
The holographic screen appeared in gold, unbeknownst to what others say.
[Unique Skill: 'The Infinite Warehouse' (SSS) has been activated.]
[System Query: Do you wish to open the Store?]
"YES!" Julien screamed, blocking his face.
"OPEN THE FUCK UP!"
[Shop Open. Welcome, Merchant.]