Two Days Before the End

Ding.

"Welcome!"

Justin instinctively flashed a practiced smile as the convenience store door swung open. A young man walked in, looking barely older than Justin, and wordlessly pulled out a card.

"Volvo Gold," the man said curtly.

"Yes, Volvo Gold. One moment, please."

The man's blunt tone didn't faze Justin. He was used to it. Over a year of working at the convenience store had conditioned him to endure all kinds of rude customers. Compared to others, this guy wasn't the worst—at least he didn't bark orders like he was commanding troops.

Justin handed him the yellow pack of cigarettes and processed the payment.

"Your total is ready. Here you go," Justin said politely.

The man snatched the cigarettes without so much as a thank-you. He ignored Justin's "Have a nice day" and walked out without looking back.

"Rude as always." Justin grumbled silently as he settled back into his chair behind the counter.

"Everything feels so normal here," Justin thought, scanning the quiet store. The familiar hum of the air conditioning, the routine transactions, the endless stream of similar customers—it was all the same as it had been yesterday, before everything had changed.

Yet Justin knew better than anyone that yesterday's events were no dream. To confirm it once more, he stepped outside, pointed a finger toward the sky, and whispered, "Magic Missile."

Zap!

A blue spark shot from his fingertip, arcing into the clouds above. Even now, Justin found it hard to believe. Magic—an impossible phenomenon in the real world—was now at his command.

He couldn't help but recall the words of the mage in the dungeon.

"In three days, your world will collapse."

One day had already passed, leaving only two days before the supposed "end." Maybe there was a little leeway—he doubted the apocalypse would strike to the exact second. Still, there was no escaping the mage's certainty.

"In three days, you must prove your worth through struggle. Fight to survive or align yourself with the strong to preserve your life.""Struggle? I assumed the apocalypse meant natural disasters.""In a way, it is. But there will be no overwhelming force sweeping everything away. You will always have a chance.""A chance? What are you talking about? Please, explain further.""That's all I can say within my authority. Consider yourself fortunate to have this opportunity to prepare for what's to come."

The mage had fallen silent after that, leaving Justin to piece together the implications of their cryptic conversation.

Three key points stood out:

The world's destruction wouldn't stem from natural disasters.Survival depended on fighting during the "end."Even the weak could live if they allied with the strong.

"It sounds like a monster wave," Justin thought grimly.

In World Breaker, monster waves were periodic events where hordes of monsters attacked players in overwhelming numbers. The events were triggered by celestial phenomena—eclipses, comets, and the like—and the type of monster varied depending on the cause.

Surviving these events required fortifying defenses, as there was no surefire way to predict or prevent them. Players either fought off the hordes or faced defeat. For those unable to fight, finding protection under stronger players was their only hope.

"It's just a guess, but it wouldn't hurt to prepare," Justin reasoned.

Despite having witnessed dimensional portals and magic firsthand, he still felt a pang of disbelief. The idea of Earth facing an actual apocalypse seemed far-fetched. But the mage's grave warnings were impossible to ignore.

And if the end was really coming in three days—barely enough time to prepare—Justin resolved to make the most of it.

His thoughts were interrupted as the store's glass door swung open.

Ding.

"Welcome to—" Justin's words trailed off.

"Yo. How's it going? Been a while," said the man at the door, his face split into a smug grin.

Justin's expression immediately soured. "Gavin Park."

It was the last person he wanted to see: the boss's son, a man who contributed nothing but irritation every time he appeared.

The urge to curse was almost overwhelming. It had been a relief when Gavin Park transferred to another branch in the city. Justin had hoped it would be the last he saw of him.

But here he was, leaning against the counter with a crooked smirk.

"Hey, hey. You think I can't see that frown? What's with the attitude?" Gavin Park said, tilting his head like a cocky delinquent.

"What's with the lecture? Are we playing military now?" Justin shot back.

"Nope. Just enjoying some good old-fashioned boss-son privilege."

Justin's fists clenched at his sides, trembling with barely restrained anger. This guy had always been infuriating—a natural talent for getting under people's skin.

For as long as Justin had known him, Gavin Park had been a constant thorn in his side. He showed up under the guise of "store management" only to laze around and make unnecessary comments. Despite being only two years older than Justin, he acted as if he deserved automatic respect.

"Relax, man. I'm joking," Gavin Park said with a chuckle. "Our dear Justin, are you mad at me?"

"Of course I'm mad. Stop wasting my time and go inside. You're getting on my nerves."

"You've got a sharp tongue, huh? Hey, part-timer. Do you even know your place?"

"In front of the boss, I know my place perfectly well," Justin replied with a practiced calm that only seemed to irritate Gavin Park further.

The man's smug grin twisted into an angry scowl. Clearly, having a mere part-timer talk back didn't sit well with him. Considering Gavin Park's hobby of dropping in on his father's convenience stores to harass employees, Justin wasn't surprised. He'd heard stories of Park firing anyone who dared to lose their temper with him.

But Justin wasn't just any part-timer. His experience and ability to handle the grueling workload of this store meant Park couldn't dismiss him on a whim. Justin had seen applicants run away after one look at the store's demanding setup. If Park wanted him gone, he'd either need to hire two people to replace him or endure the chaos himself until a replacement with Justin's level of experience showed up.

"He's too selfish to make life harder for himself."

That didn't mean Justin could push his luck indefinitely, though. Park's father had given his son the authority to fire employees, and in the end, blood was thicker than water. Justin knew he'd be out the door as soon as someone else could fill his shoes.

"So, why are you here?" Justin asked, his tone sharp. "It's almost time for my shift to end, and I'd like to get ready to leave."

"Why am I here?" Park replied with a sneer. "I'm giving you a chance before you screw up your whole life."

"A chance?" Justin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Get on your knees and say, 'I'm sorry for everything I've done.' Do that, and I'll forgive you for all the crap you've pulled."

For a moment, Justin wondered if Park had completely lost his mind. The suggestion was so absurd it felt like a bad joke.

Even if Justin had been desperate, there was no way he'd stoop that low—especially now, when the end of the world loomed just two days away. In fact, Justin had come to work today intending to quit.

"Have you been hit in the head? You're insane," Justin said bluntly.

"Hah."

Park scoffed, his smirk returning as if he'd been expecting this response.

"You're throwing away an opportunity. Don't come crying later when you regret it."

Justin couldn't help but laugh. This guy had a talent for spewing the most ridiculous nonsense.

"An opportunity? You think you're some kind of corporate CEO?" Justin asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Newsflash: you're the son of a convenience store owner, not a chaebol heir. Stop playing the power trip game and grow up."

"What did you just say?" Park snarled.

"You heard me." Justin glanced at the clock. "Anyway, it's my quitting time. Consider this my resignation. Make sure my pay gets deposited, and have a nice life."

"You little—!"

Park tried to shout something, but Justin didn't stick around to listen. He pulled off his uniform, tossed it on the counter, and walked out. He spotted the next shift's worker arriving in the distance and decided to leave everything behind without looking back.

As he strode away, he called out one last remark, just to twist the knife.

"Oh, and don't forget to process my pay. Not that I'll need it when the world ends."

Behind him, Park's furious voice echoed through the street.

"You're dead in two days! Got it? Two days! I'll make sure you're dead, you little—!"

Justin froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing.

"Two days."

That was exactly when the mage had said the "end" would begin. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.

"Could Gavin Park be a beta tester too?"

If he was, his threat made sense. The mage had hinted that law and order would crumble during the end. With no police or legal consequences, it wasn't hard to imagine someone like Park taking advantage of the chaos.

Justin's jaw tightened. "He's harassed people his whole life, but now he wants to kill me over a few insults? Unbelievable."

But Park had underestimated one crucial thing: Justin wasn't the powerless part-timer he thought he was.

"Dimensional Gate, open."

Shhhhk.

The shimmering portal appeared before Justin as he reached his apartment. Without hesitation, he stepped through, returning to the dungeon where he had met the mage.

The old man greeted him with a warm smile.

"Ah, you're back. Ready to continue your training?"

"Absolutely," Justin replied.

For the first time, his resolve felt unshakable. Until now, his preparations had been driven by a vague fear of the coming apocalypse. But now, he had a tangible goal: to crush Gavin Park.

"He said he'd come for me in two days. Fine. I'll be ready."

Justin clenched his fists, his determination burning like fire. If Park showed up, Justin would make him regret it.

"Bring it on."

Justin smirked. "Let's see you beg for your life when the tables turn."