Chapter 7: Buffet and Pantry

Chapter 7: Buffet and Pantry Showdown

After the chaos of the past two days, Latina's focus had narrowed down to a single, all-consuming thought: food.

"Boss, this is unbearable," she declared, clutching her stomach. "Let's just buy some groceries and cook at home. I can't work like this."

Her timing was perfect—probably too perfect. The hotpot restaurant owner, who clearly wanted us gone before we scared away more customers, packed half a box of shrimp balls and a frozen lamb roll into a bag and shoved it into my hands without blinking. Enough for several hearty meals at home.

On the walk back, I pulled up my updated status screen.

Lin Shou ♂ — Level 6HP: 28/31Attack: 31Defense: 31Special Attack: 31Special Defense: 31Speed: 31Weakness: Fighting ×2Entries (3/3): Momentum Cloak, Technical Master, Psychic Resistance +5%Skills (2/8): Fake Out, Aura SphereTerm Library: White (3), Blue (1), Purple (0), Gold (1), Orange (0), Red (0)

Not bad for a guy who, a week ago, couldn't even afford instant noodles. That last gold entry felt especially satisfying.

After the hotpot feast, I figured it was time to tackle the last of the novice missions. Once done, the training hall could finally start operating properly.

"Alright, team," I said, clapping my hands. "We're cleaning out the basement storage room. If it's not too bad, we'll finish it today."

Latina and Squirtle both agreed. They didn't need convincing—the whole place had been marinated in a faintly suspicious odor since before I took over.

The mission prompt hovered in the corner of my vision:

[Infrastructure (3/3)]: Clean up the Rotten Storage RoomTime remaining: 21:05:29

At the end of the hallway, the lone tungsten bulb flickered weakly, throwing jagged shadows across the iron storage room door. The handle was corroded to an unsettling peacock green—like some ancient relic dug out from ruins.

The moment I stood in front of it, I regretted my decision.

A thick, musty stench seeped through the cracks, curling into my nose like smoke. My stomach churned, threatening to eject the hotpot I'd just eaten. Squirtle pinched his nose with both paws, while Latina crouched in excitement, fiddling with a makeshift metal detector she'd built.

"Boss, can you smell it?" she asked with a suspicious sparkle in her eye. Leaning close to the lock, she inhaled deeply. "That… is the scent of history!"

"That," I corrected dryly, "is the smell of expired energy cubes that have been fermenting since the last century."

I raised the fire axe and swung. The blade struck the rusty bolt with a burst of orange sparks. "Gas masks on—ah, forget it, I'll improvise."

I tore open two packets of scented tea and stuffed the leaves between the layers of my mask. Latina followed suit, except she crushed orange peels into pieces and shoved them up her nostrils like makeshift filters.

Boom!

The moment the iron door collapsed, a tidal wave of rot burst outward. From the darkness swarmed dozens of Scatterbug larvae, their pale round bodies wriggling like living pearls.

They hit the protective net we'd installed earlier with rapid-fire pops, like corn kernels in hot oil. The sizzling was accompanied by the unmistakable stench of burnt protein.

[Bite—][Defeated 37 Scatterbug — White Entry Obtained: Bug Resistance +5%]

I prodded one of the twitching bugs with my broom. "Is this a 'buy one, get thirty-seven free' deal?"

Squirtle rolled his eyes.

We pushed forward, the flashlight beam cutting through the gloom. Rotting crates gave way to slimy cardboard, and mystery jars that hissed when we opened them went straight into the trash. After a sweaty hour of labor, the garbage heap outside could have qualified as a new ecological hazard.

Squirtle finished the job with a high-powered Water Gun, blasting away every trace of grime.

[Infrastructure (3/3) Complete: Rotten Storage Room Cleaned]Reward 1: Second-hand meditation device (Boosts Special Attack with continued use) ×1Reward 2: Underground Storage Room Renovation

A sudden rush of light engulfed the room, throwing us back into the hallway. Just like the shower room before, white radiance sealed the space off from the world. On the glowing surface, words appeared—visible only to me.

[Under Maintenance — Countdown: 23:59:32]

Latina didn't ask questions. But the way her eyes gleamed told me she was buzzing with curiosity. I couldn't blame her. A storage room transforming into… whatever this was? It was exciting.

I glanced at Squirtle, who was already poking the meditation device with interest. Between him, Latina, and the steadily growing pile of oddities from the system, I couldn't help but feel that the gym was finally—slowly—coming alive.

Of course, knowing my luck, this "buffet and pantry" mission was just the warm-up for whatever chaos was waiting around the corner.