Ch 18: Securing the First asset- Part 3

The manager sighed as he watched Selene leave.

There was no use asking any more questions—

She wasn't going to answer.

She had made her purchase, and she had made it clear she knew what she was doing.

Even if, to him, it made no sense.

With the deed in hand, Selene left the agency and immediately set out for her newly acquired land.

It wasn't officially registered in the system yet, but she knew that once she stepped onto the property, it would recognize her as the owner.

To anyone else, it would seem like a meaningless purchase.

A barren wasteland.

A waste of money.

But Selene had a plan.

One that no one else in this timeline would ever see coming.

______

Selene remembered—

One of the emerging abilities after the apocalypse was related to shelters and fortifications.

And, just like every other power, it had been exploited.

People with fortress-building abilities were rare.

The few who had them were not appreciated—

Not until it was too late.

One person in particular came to Selene's mind.

Luna.

A pitiful soul who had once been a comrade to her. The other female was someone who understood Selene's loneliness and even became a partner to her…somewhat.

She had built fortresses and safe zones for her team—

Only to be abandoned when she became inconvenient.

Since she wasn't a combatant, they had left her behind. And in the end, she had died alone in a dungeon.

Selene's chest tightened at the memory.

Luna had often spoken to her during missions, venting her frustrations about how she felt trapped with her team.

How she felt like she had nowhere else to go.

Back then, Selene had been too weak to help her.

Too caught up in her own survival.

But this time—

She would save her.

She would pick Luna up as soon as the apocalypse began.

And together, they would build something better.

A place where no one could exploit them.

A place where they would be free.

With the land secured, Selene turned her attention to the next priority—

Food.

But before she went to purchase supplies, she decided to check what her system could do.

When she opened the interface, her title stood out immediately—

[Amplifier]

It wasn't something she had ever heard of before. It seemed like a new title and talent with no level attached to it.

The only description the system provided was that her ability allowed her to enhance the capabilities of others and even raise their rank when she used her title on them.

Selene's brows furrowed.

There was no skill tree for it or added skills she could unlock at the moment. So either this skill was broken and would not help her, or she was missing something.

No combat abilities listed.

It was an ability designed for others.

Not for herself.

She couldn't help but feel bitter. This kept happening and Selene wondered if it was her fate to be used by others.

'No! Don't think like that. This is not the same as in the past. This time, you can decide whom to use this skill on. You don't have to be dependent on someone else…what does this skill do exactly anyway?'

She had worked so hard to grow stronger in her past life—

To fight.

To survive.

And now, her power was one that relied on others?

She clenched her fists.

She hated that.

But—

She had to admit, it was useful.

There were plenty of powerful individuals she had encountered in her past life.

People who had potential but never had the opportunity to grow.

If she could amplify them—

Then she could create her own force.

A team of elites.

Her own safe haven.

Selene took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

Her combat power wasn't gone.

Her stats were still there—

Even though they were currently locked.

She skimmed through her status window for her other abilities, like strength, speed, etc.

[Overall Rank: S]

(Restriction: Locked until the apocalypse begins due to human body restrictions.)

Relief flooded her.

Her hard work hadn't been erased. And what was more, she still had a lot of room to grow them stronger later. 

It would return when the time came.

For now, she just had to prepare.

And the first step?

Stockpiling resources.

She couldn't help but feel excited as she thought about spending more money.

Selene made her way to the largest supermarket she could find—

One that specialized in bulk purchases.

There was a time when she had to fight tooth and nail for a single meal.

When she had gone hungry for days on end.

When she had watched people die over scraps.

But not this time.

Now, she had money.

And she was going to use it.

She grabbed a cart—then immediately abandoned it.

One cart wasn't going to be enough.

Instead, she got an entire row of them.

She started with non-perishables—

Rice.

Beans.

Canned goods.

Pasta.

Anything that could last years without spoiling.

Then, she moved to dried foods—

Jerky.

Powdered milk.

Dehydrated vegetables.

Next was medical supplies—

Bandages.

Antibiotics.

Painkillers.

She filled cart after cart, ignoring the stares of other customers.

Some looked curious.

Others looked concerned.

But she didn't care.

Let them think she was crazy.

She was going to survive.

At the checkout, the cashier hesitated.

"…Are you opening a store or something?"

Selene smiled.

"Something like that. Think of it as a business expense."

She handed over a thick wad of cash, paying upfront.

The cashier did not ask her anything more. She likely thought that it was for social media or something. It would not be a bad assumption to make since this was the age where people were controlled by their online image.

As Selene walked out, she caught a glimpse of herself in the glass doors—

A girl with determination in her eyes.

A girl who refused to be controlled by fate.

A girl who was ready for what was coming.

Selene exhaled.

One step down.

Many more to go.

Let the world burn.

This time, she would rise from the ashes.