The gray mist was still chasing Fabian's footsteps when he reached the glass doors of the underground convenience store along Tottenham Court Road.The automatic doors were jammed half-open. The scent of disinfectant mixed with damp dust greeted him. The neon lights inside flickered weakly. Shelves were nearly empty. A few baskets lay overturned on the floor. In the cashier corner, a man in his forties stood wearing a red store uniform, his face pale."Store's closed!" the man shouted as soon as he saw Fabian walk in. "The mist has reached the street! Go find a pillar like everyone else!"Fabian pushed the glass doors shut with both hands, then pulled an empty metal shelf over to block them. "These doors won't hold back monsters if they stay open. Help me lock them.""I don't want to die here!" The man stepped back. "Everyone ran to Regent's Park. You should go, too!""I've already calculated the odds," Fabian replied while shoving a second shelf into place. "Outside, the death rate i

"How many people did you see die on Oxford Street this morning?"Fabian stared at the skinny young man who had just entered the convenience store with a scratch on his arm. Marcus stood behind the register, ready to take notes. The mist outside was still thick, but it was more stable compared to yesterday.The young man swallowed hard. "Seven... no, eight. Another one fell into a hole that suddenly opened up in the asphalt. A dark shadow-like monster crawled out of it."Fabian pressed the buttons on his pocket calculator. "Time of occurrence?""Around seven in the morning. I ran here because I heard someone was selling batteries.""What route did you take from Oxford Street to get here?" Fabian asked again."Through the side street behind the old bookstore, then turned onto Gower, and came straight down. Quiet. Only two bodies."Fabian jotted it down in the Ledger notebook. "Information logged. The price for a box of AA batteries is now 180 pounds. What do you have?"The young man pul

"The System just jammed a skill into my stats without permission!"Marcus's voice sounded panicked from near the register. Fabian, who was reorganizing boxes of mana batteries on the back shelves, merely raised his head. A blue screen had been floating in front of both of them for the past minute.[Coercion Protocol Level 1 Active][Individual: Fabian Hart][Coerced Skill Granted: "Critical Analysis Rank-B"][Warning: Rejecting the next Main Quest within 12 hours will trigger a permanent debuff to vital statistics][Follow-Up Quest Offered: "Secure three logistics points in Bloomsbury and register them as a Chosen Hero base chain"]Marcus stared at his own screen, which displayed a similar warning. "I got slapped with a warning too just for being near you! Fabian, this isn't a game anymore. A permanent debuff! You could die a slow death!"Fabian looked at the new skill appearing on his status menu. Critical Analysis Rank-B. He opened his pocket calculator and keyed in the parameters t

The emergency light in the corner of the convenience store flickered twice before stabilizing just as the sound of spell fire and a woman's screams cut through the mist outside.Fabian, who was updating monster coordinates on the wall map, raised his head. Marcus was already standing with a potion in hand. "That's close. Very close."The glass doors rattled. The shadow of a body slammed against the glass from the outside. Fabian unchained the door just wide enough for an adult to fit through. A black-haired woman with her hair tied neatly, wearing a military coat torn at the shoulder, collapsed inside. Blood flowed from a wound on her right arm. Behind her, two dark shapes resembling mist hounds were still in pursuit."Close it!" the woman ordered in a raspy yet firm voice. "Now!"Marcus pulled her inside. Fabian locked the chain and stacked extra metal baskets against the door. The sound of scratching on the glass lasted for a few seconds, then faded as the mana battery installed at