Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 28: Energy Ore

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Energy Ore

"Can I just owe you for now?"

Moira Lynch lay on the sofa, her words a despairing grumble. She never expected the System to actually respond.

[You can.]

Hearing this familiar mechanical voice, Moira Lynch shot up from the sofa.

"You’re not planning to charge exorbitant interest, are you?"

’If that’s the case, then forget it. With interest compounding over and over, how many families have been torn apart and destroyed by loan sharks?’

’If the System really planned on charging exorbitant interest, she’d be better off just working hard to sell her goods.’

’Just like this time—as long as the things in her shop are rare enough, she’ll never have to worry about a lack of buyers. Besides, she could also sell food items. She could save up ten thousand Gold Coins eventually.’

...

Seeing Moira Lynch’s wary expression, the System fell silent for a moment before saying, [No interest.]

"That’s awfully generous."

Moira Lynch narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She didn’t believe there was any such thing as a free lunch in this world, even if the System had previously claimed to be a "support-type" game.

But ever since the second round ended and it was announced that the third round’s difficulty would be increased, Moira Lynch had noticed that the word "support" had vanished from the game’s description.

The System went silent again for a moment, seemingly organizing its thoughts. [As the first player to successfully awaken, you possess certain privileges.]

’I get it. It’s like being the first person in a game to get a specific achievement and having it announced server-wide.’

Still, Moira Lynch felt something was off.

’She recalled what the System Mall looked like before. There was no such thing as a Favor Gemstone. That means it only appeared recently.’

’Combine that with the Favor Gemstone’s function... wasn’t it practically tailor-made for her?’

’All things considered, this was very likely a trap.’

"I think I’ll pass. I don’t like being in debt to others."

With that, Moira Lynch stood up, ready to head to her room to wash up before starting her meditation and cultivation.

[Wait.]

The System’s voice rang out again. Compared to its previous emotionless, mechanical tone, this time it sounded noticeably more anxious.

[I have the authority to give you a 99% discount, but you must agree to one condition.]

The System had originally intended to offer a 90% discount, but considering the amount of Gold Coins Moira Lynch had, it realized she couldn’t afford it even then and might abandon the deal entirely. So, it jumped straight to offering a 99% discount.

"What’s the condition? Let’s hear it."

[The setting for the third game will be the Mocha Primeval Forest on Planet Mocha. You are to find ten Energy Ores for me.]

"What are Energy Ores?" Moira Lynch asked.

[You don’t need to concern yourself with that. You just need to find ten Energy Ores and give them to me.]

"How can you be so sure I’ll find them? I don’t even know what an Energy Ore is. What happens if I can’t find any? And another thing—ten is too many. I’ll do it for three."

This time, the System’s silence lasted even longer.

[An Energy Ore is a thumb-sized stone that exists only underground. Energy Ores emit a special fluctuation that can only be sensed by those who have awakened a spiritual power talent. And finally, the System does not negotiate.]

"Fine." Moira Lynch shrugged. "I have one last question. What happens if I don’t find all ten Energy Ores?"

[You’ll pay the difference for the number you fail to collect. And rest assured, there’s no interest.]

Hearing the System’s reply, Moira Lynch nodded in satisfaction. "I’ll take the mission. But can you tell me a little about the Mocha Primeval Forest? It’s just so I can complete the mission faster, you know, to avoid wasting time once I’m there. Makes sense, right?"

[Planet Mocha is an undeveloped world. Its Primeval Forest covers fifty percent of the entire planet and is known as a treasure trove of jungle life, nurturing many peculiar plants and animals.]

"So what’s our mission going to be?"

’The last two times, we had missions—one per day. Now that the game’s difficulty has increased, the missions are bound to get harder too.’

[You will know when the game begins in three days.]

With that, the System’s voice vanished completely. No matter how many times Moira Lynch called out, she received no response.

Moira Lynch wasn’t discouraged by her failure to get the information she wanted. After all, she now knew the next round would begin in three days.

Opening the System Mall, Moira Lynch had intended to buy the Favor Gemstone, but she was stunned by what she saw.

’She had assumed the 99% discount was only for the Favor Gemstone. She never imagined it would apply to the entire Mall!’

’To think she’d been so ungrateful as to haggle earlier. She really shouldn’t have.’

Her original three hundred Gold Coins couldn’t buy her anything in the System Mall, but after a 99% discount, it was a completely different story.

It felt like the three hundred dollars in her hand had suddenly turned into three million.

She bought the Favor Gemstone first. Then, Moira Lynch spotted another item she wanted—a weapon, the Thousand Feather Bow.

Like the Favor Gemstone, it could only be used by someone who had awakened a spiritual power talent. It used spiritual power to form arrows—the greater the spiritual power, the more powerful the resulting arrows, allowing one to kill without a trace.

The Thousand Feather Bow’s current price was two hundred Gold Coins. Its original price was twenty thousand.

She bought it without hesitation.

The instant Moira Lynch’s purchase went through, the prices in the System Mall returned to normal.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but pat her chest. "That was close, that was close. I can’t believe it was timed."

She almost missed out on the Thousand Feather Bow.

What she didn’t know was that at this very moment, a glowing ball of light was frantically bouncing around inside the System Space.

It had only made a momentary operational error, letting this person buy the Thousand Feather Bow. That was supposed to be bait—no, a gift—it had prepared for someone else.

Meanwhile, Moira Lynch put the Favor Gemstone on, letting it hang around her neck, and then took out the Thousand Feather Bow.

The bow in her hand looked like a child’s toy, a world of difference from the majestic and powerful weapon shown in the picture.

Sensing it carefully for a moment, Moira Lynch quickly understood why.

She was too weak. She couldn’t even form a single arrow. To use the Thousand Feather Bow, one had to be a Talent Awakened with at least level-three spiritual power.

Moira Lynch sighed and put the Thousand Feather Bow back into her System Space. Her spiritual power was only level one; she still had a long way to go to reach level three.

’For the time being, the Thousand Feather Bow would be nothing more than a decoration.’

Recalling the information she’d gotten from the System, Moira Lynch decided to make the most of it and play the part of an intelligence broker.

She took out her computer and printer, printed out the information about the Mocha Primeval Forest, and set the price: one gram of Gold.

She added a disclaimer to the item description stating that not everyone’s game instance would be the same, and that she would not be responsible if someone bought the info but didn’t get sent to that location.

Even so, the buyers came in an endless stream.

In no time, a pile of glittering Gold Beans stacked up in front of Moira Lynch.