Chapter 7

I could be wrong, but I’d rather be prepared than caught off guard.

Despite everything he had witnessed—dimensional gates, magic—the idea of an actual apocalypse still felt distant.

And yet, the old mage’s warning had been firm.

He could dismiss it. Pretend it wasn’t happening.

But that would leave him unprepared when the time came.

And with only three days to prepare, there was no room for hesitation.

The moment he made his decision, the store’s glass door swung open again.

“Welco—”

“Yo. Been a while. You doing alright?”

“….”

His face immediately soured.

Of all people.

Standing before him, grinning like an idiot, was the one person he hated dealing with the most.

Bastard.

Alex.

The owner’s son.

A useless parasite who did nothing but irritate him whenever he showed up.

Piece of shit.

He almost cursed out loud the moment he saw him.

Hadn’t this guy transferred to another store in the city?

What the hell was he doing back here?

Just when he thought he was finally free of him—

Alex tilted his head, a smirk playing at his lips.

“Hey, hey. You’re glaring at me, you know? Where’s your customer service smile?”

“What customer service? Are we playing the military now?”

“Nah. I’m just playing the ‘abuse my power’ game.”

This little—

His fist clenched involuntarily.

This bastard had always been an expert at getting under his skin.

He never actually did anything productive, but he still made sure to stop by under the guise of “managing the store” just to piss people off.

Despite being only two years older, he always acted like he was some superior figure, speaking in casual speech and expecting respect in return.

“Relax, man. It was just a joke. Are you mad, Justin?”

“You think I wouldn’t be mad? Stop getting in my way and get lost already. You’re annoying.”

“This little bastard, huh? You really don’t know your place, do you?”

“I know my place very well—in front of the boss, at least.”

Alex’s smug expression instantly twisted into a scowl.

It was clear he didn’t appreciate a mere part-timer talking back to him.

But that was just the kind of person he was.

He made a habit of dropping by different stores just to mess with the employees, treating it as some sort of personal amusement.

If they got angry? Even better—he’d find a way to fire them on the spot.

But he couldn’t fire him.

Not easily, anyway.

The workload at this store was insane.

Most applicants turned around and walked right back out as soon as they saw the store’s size.

If he left, they’d have to either hire two people to cover his workload or make Alex himself work shifts until a replacement was found.

And a selfish bastard like him would never want to do that.

Of course, there were limits.

Alex’s father was still the owner, and at the end of the day, he’d side with his son if push came to shove.

The only reason they let him stay was because replacing him would be a financial headache.

But if they found someone just as capable?

He’d be out in an instant.

“So, what do you actually want? My shift is almost over, and I’d like to start closing up.”

“What do I want?”

Alex’s lips curled into a sneer.

“I’m here to give you one last chance before you die.”

“…What?”

“Kneel.”

His voice dropped.

“Kneel and say, ‘I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,’ and I’ll forgive you.”

For a moment, his brain just… stopped.

What the hell was this idiot on about?

Where was this delusion coming from?

Even if he was in desperate need of money, he’d rather quit than bow to this guy.

And now?

Now that he knew the world was ending in two days?

The only reason he had even come to work today was to hand in his resignation.

“…Did you hit your head? You’re spewing nonsense.”

“Ha.”

Alex scoffed, like he had expected this reaction all along.

Like this was exactly what he had wanted.

“You just threw away your last chance.”

“Chance?”

“Yeah. Don’t come crying to me later.”

A laugh escaped before he could stop it.

This guy…

He actually believed he was some kind of big-shot villain from a drama, didn’t he?

That was the only explanation.

“You think you’re the heir to a corporate empire or something?”

“What?”

“You’re the son of a convenience store owner, not a chaebol heir. Get over yourself and quit playing your little power games.”

“Hey, Justin—!”

“Save it. My shift’s over, and I’m done here. I quit. Deposit my final pay whenever.”

“You little—!”

Alex was still sputtering in rage as he stripped off his uniform and tossed it onto the counter.

The next shift worker was already on their way in, so he didn’t bother staying for whatever nonsense the guy was about to throw at him next.

Not that money would even matter soon.

But just to piss him off a little more—

He threw in one last jab before walking out.

The moment he stepped outside, Alex’s voice rang out behind him.

“In two days, I swear I’ll kill you! You hear me?! Two days! You’re dead in two days, you bastard!”

“…!?”

His steps faltered for just a second.

Two days.

That was exactly when the world was supposed to end.

Alex had just coincidentally threatened to kill him on the exact day the apocalypse was meant to begin?

No.

The timing was too precise.

Could he be a beta tester, too?

If Alex was also a beta tester, it would explain his words.

One thing was for sure—when the world collapsed, law and order would vanish along with it.

There would be no police.

No consequences.

And Alex might actually try to kill him.

His hands clenched into fists.

This piece of shit.

He had spent his life harassing people, but the moment someone talked back, he was ready to kill them?

The sheer audacity.

The sheer lack of self-awareness.

But Alex had made one major miscalculation.

He assumed his target was still a powerless civilian.

He wasn’t.

Not anymore.