Episode 81 — The Allure of New Products

Four hundred million.

The smartphone’s backlight illuminated my face with a pale blue glow in the dark room. The string of digits ending in "L" at the top-right of the screen had lost all sense of reality; it looked like nothing more than a bloated numerical value in some forgotten database.

My ten-million-L refrigerator was constantly filled with cold air, and my five-million-L printer translated my familiar language into the complex scripts of this world.

I had invested twenty million in "Spirit," which (presumably) increased my tolerance for this world’s irrationality. Another twenty million went into "Sloth," which (I believe) reinforced my automatic rejection of involuntary labor.

And now, I was letting the full weight of my body sink into the fifty-million-L "Throne of Sloth."

Just sitting in it made my attachment to the outside world fade away, as if the memory occupied by "responsibility" was being forcefully deallocated. The unknown material forming the seat kept my body temperature perfectly constant and distributed the physical load of gravity with absolute precision (probably).

(Still... I have surplus resources. As an engineer, leaving this much buffer idle isn't exactly a healthy way to manage a system.)

I flicked my finger over to the "Limited Items" category.

【Authority: Everything in My Hands — 100,000,000 L】

(Is that it? Just the title? Is this an administrative privilege grant? But it doesn't say what I can exercise "Authority" over in this bug-ridden environment of a world. I’d hate for the punchline to be me accidentally touching the realm of the gods and getting deleted by a system error.)

【Truth: It Is What It Is — 100,000,000 L】

(It is what it is, huh? What exactly is? "Truth" rather than "True." Maybe a patch that interferes with the laws of the most fundamental root layer. The information density is so high that the explanation has been stripped away entirely. Good code shouldn't need comments, sure, but this is taking it to an extreme.)

【Extinction: The Ultimate Silence — 100,000,000 L】

(Another hundred million. The ultimate silence. Is this a total wipe of audio logs? Or maybe it overwrites the physical laws around my house to construct a silent vacuum zone? Tempting, but incredibly expensive.)

“Mrrp. (Look at you, staring at that slab of wood again with the face of a snake sizing up its prey. You’re sitting on four hundred million, so what kind of trash are you planning to hoard next?)”

“Tama... do you understand the weight of the word 'Authority'? An absolute answer obtained by investing a hundred million. It might mean total liberation from every possible error.”

My finger hovered over the "Authority" entry.

(But I want it...)

The lack of user-friendliness in the description only hinted at the sheer number of hidden parameters.

It wasn't logic. It was that engineer-specific, almost religious expectation that something this expensive must contain a wealth of undisclosed specifications.

“Before that, I need this one...”

【Remote: It’s Fine From Afar — 80,000,000 L】

This was one of the items I couldn't afford before due to a lack of points.

I couldn't move forward while leaving a regret like that behind.

“And... click.”

The "Remote" item grayed out, becoming unselectable.

(I probably won't get any clear verification of what exactly became "fine." But even if I just feel a bit more sensitive to distant noises, that’s enough. There has to be some effect.)

Now, I could face the new products with a clear conscience.

(A hundred million. Spend and regret, or save and be bored. ...The answer is obvious.)

My thumb struck the "Buy" button on the screen without hesitation.

—Ding.

The same inorganic payment sound as always echoed through the living room.

The room didn't fill with light, and no mysterious knowledge flooded into my brain. However, the air in the room felt slightly more... "aligned." Or perhaps the sound of the wind outside stopped at the perfect moment to match my current mood. It felt something like that.

(I see. No dramatic change. But something has definitely shifted. A hundred million points wouldn't end in a mere placebo effect.)

I stared intently at the palm of my hand.

I didn't feel like I could suddenly do anything new.

“Meow. (What do you think happened with that purchase just now? You threw away a hundred million and you’re just sitting there in a daze. You really are a hopeless idiot.)”

“Oh, Tama. You feel it too? This sensation that the world is finally accommodating me. So this is the power of 'Authority'...”

To my ears now, even Tama’s meowing sounded like nothing more than a pleasant piece of ambient noise permitted by my "Authority."

(For now, I wonder if tomorrow’s breakfast will be prepared automatically.)

【Truth: It Is What It Is — 100,000,000 L】

【Extinction: The Ultimate Silence — 100,000,000 L】

In a burst of momentum, I grayed out all the limited items.

They were "Limited," after all. I couldn't let the opportunity pass.

I sank deeper into my Throne, basking in the "potential" sense of omnipotence that a three-hundred-and-eighty-million-point shopping spree had brought me.

Nothing happened. I heard nothing.

But that "nothingness" felt like a special privilege granted to me for paying such a staggering price.

“Mrow. (You’re just buying things that make no sense. Honestly, just watching you makes me feel lightheaded.)”

(As for the points... Gustav will probably bring me some new problem soon. I’ll just solve it then.)

Wrapped in a strange sense of satisfaction, I quietly closed my eyes.

Holding four hundred million and melting almost all of it in an instant.

That irrational act of consumption was, in this restricted world, the only form of freedom I needed.

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