LOSS System: Last Store Standing

For a few seconds, Jack seriously wondered if he had just become the owner of a Dustchuck buffet.

Fortunately, the Dustchucks did not ask for more food right away. Their attention shifted to the wooden basin instead.

The Dustchuck that had shaken hands with Jack earlier was the first to lower its head and drink. It lapped up a few mouthfuls of water, looked up at Jack once, then stepped aside. After that, the others came forward one by one.

Jack watched from behind the door as they took turns drinking. Each Dustchuck stepped aside after getting its fill, and a few even bobbed their heads at him.

He still wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“These guys…” he muttered. “They’re not actually getting smart, are they?”

The Dustchucks were still taking turns at the basin, so Jack finally stepped away from the door.

After the morning he’d had, Jack still hadn’t even washed his face.

Once he cleaned himself up, he pulled a few slices of bread from the cabinet and fried an egg with some bacon. He was putting the sandwich together when the system spoke.

“Human, you still haven’t claimed your mission reward.”

Jack stopped with the sandwich half-assembled.

“Right. Totally forgot.”

Last night, the Dustchucks had scared the hell out of him. This morning, twenty-three of them had blocked his front door. He had almost forgotten about the reward entirely.

“What was the reward again?”

“Basic supply permissions have partially unlocked. You may choose one existing resource and convert it into an unlimited supply.”

Now that got Jack’s attention. It was way better than simply getting a few boxes of supplies.

But choosing one was harder than it sounded. Water and electricity were already covered by the starter pack, so those were out. Beer was tempting, but surviving on beer was probably a bad idea. Bullets crossed his mind for about half a second before he dropped the thought. The last thing he needed was more encouragement to shoot holes in his own store.

Bread and crackers were useful, but he wasn’t sure how well they would hold up in the long run. Then his eyes landed on the small bag of potatoes in the corner of the kitchen. He had noticed it while cooking yesterday. There were only a few left.

Jack looked at the bag for a moment. Potatoes could fill a stomach. They could be boiled, fried, roasted, or thrown into just about anything. More importantly, the Dustchucks outside could probably eat them too. That made the choice a lot easier.

“Potatoes, then.”

“Selected resource: potatoes. Confirm?”

“Confirm.”

Jack looked toward the corner of the kitchen, curious to see what an unlimited supply actually looked like.

A plain cardboard box appeared beside the small bag of potatoes, with one word written on the side in black marker.

Potatoes.

Jack stared at it for a long moment.

“LOSS.”

“Was that whole conversion thing supposed to look this cheap?”

The system replied coldly, “Practicality matters more than flashy nonsense.”

Jack stared at the box.

“Wow. Straight to the point, huh?”

Jack walked over and opened the box. Inside, the potatoes were stacked neatly to the top. He took out two, waited, then frowned when nothing happened.

Not quite convinced, he took out a few more.

Still nothing.

“Okay, so where’s the unlimited part?”

“Conversion complete.”

“It’s already done?”

“Yes.”

“Then why isn’t anything happening after I took some out?”

“Unlimited supply does not mean instant refill. The current amount remains within the safe stock range. Replenishment is unnecessary.”

Jack looked at the cardboard box. So it wasn’t one potato out, one potato in. It would only refill when the amount dropped below a certain level.

Jack finished putting his sandwich together, then went downstairs with the sandwich in his mouth.

Outside the glass door, the Dustchucks had already finished drinking, but they still hadn’t left. More than twenty gray, round giants were scattered across the sand. Some lay on the ground, some pawed at the dirt with their front claws, and a few were looking up at the convenience store.

Jack took a bite of his sandwich and watched them from behind the door for a while.

“Still hungry, huh?”

Jack finished the sandwich in a few bites, then went back upstairs with a bag and filled it to the brim with potatoes from the potato box. The potatoes in the box rose back to the top almost immediately.

Jack glanced at the box. So that was the so-called safe stock line.

He tied the bag shut. This time, he wasn’t going to feed the Dustchucks through a crack in the door.

The temperature outside was still a problem, though. Jack put on a jacket, grabbed a hat, and carried the bag of potatoes downstairs.

When he reached the glass door, several Dustchucks lifted their heads and looked straight at the bag in his hand.

Jack took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stepped into the heat. A wave of hot air slammed into his face.

He hurried a few steps toward the Dustchucks and tipped the bag over. Potatoes tumbled out onto the reddish-brown sand.

The moment he finished dumping them out, Jack didn’t dare linger for even a second. He turned and ran back. After rushing into the convenience store, he immediately shut the door.

Only after the door closed did he tug at his collar. That brief moment outside had been even worse than he had imagined. His skin felt tight from the heat, and his throat was painfully dry.

Jack unscrewed a bottle of water and took a big gulp before looking outside again.

The Dustchucks had already gathered around the potatoes. The one at the front lowered its head, picked up a potato, and bit into it.

Crunch.

The sound carried through the glass.

The others quickly followed, dragging potatoes closer and biting into them.

Jack laughed despite himself.

“That should do it, right?”

The system answered almost immediately.

“Human, second mission issued. Mission objective: improve the environment around the convenience store. Time limit: seven days.”

Jack’s smile disappeared.

“Again? Seriously?”

“Mission failure: the converted unlimited-supply resource will be revoked.”

Jack looked upstairs.

“You’re taking back my potatoes?”

The system ignored him and continued.

“Mission success: you may choose another existing resource inside the convenience store and convert it into an unlimited supply.”

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again. So that was the deal: fail, and the potatoes were gone; succeed, and he would get another unlimited resource.

He swallowed the curse sitting on his tongue.

“Fine. Then give me the actual rules. What counts as improving the environment around the store?”

The system gave no answer.

Jack waited.

“LOSS?”

Still nothing.

Jack almost crushed the water bottle in his hand.

“Oh, so now you’re quiet? Every time we get to the important part, you just play dead?”

Outside the door, the Dustchucks were still gnawing on potatoes.

The wooden basin was already full, and water was spilling over the edge. It ran across the reddish-brown sand, soaking a small patch of ground into a darker color.

Jack was about to go back and turn off the faucet when he stopped.

Outside the door, the Dustchucks were still eating potatoes, and the water was still spreading slowly across the sand.

Jack looked at the damp patch.

Then he looked at the Dustchucks’ thick front claws.

A thought slowly formed in his mind.

“Improve the environment, huh?”

He looked at the ground outside again.

Then he smiled.

“Alright.”

His eyes moved back to the Dustchucks.

“Let’s see if you guys are good for more than eating.”