The air smelled like rust and wet stone. I stood in the middle of a cracked road, hugging myself. Everything was wrong — the streets were empty, the sky was gray, and the silence was so thick it made my ears ring.
Then the words appeared.
Not on paper. Not on a screen. Just… floating.
> [Landlord System Linked]
Claim your first building within 60 seconds.
Failure will result in immediate termination.
"Termination… as in death, right?" I muttered, voice trembling. My legs were already moving, scanning the street.
There — a half-collapsed apartment complex, maybe four floors high, its walls covered in ivy. I ran inside without thinking.
The moment my foot hit the lobby tiles, a pulse of golden light spread outward.
> [Building Claimed: Ironwood Apartments, Floor 1-4]
Passive Bonus: Defensive Walls Lv.1
I blinked. "What… the hell?"
The sound of dragging limbs answered me.
Something was coming in from the street — a centipede the size of a car, its body plated in wet, gray chitin.
> Warning: Building under attack
Defend to maintain ownership.
"I… I can't fight that," I whispered, backing away. My knees were shaking so badly it hurt.
> Summon Menu Unlocked
Goblin – 5 Crystals
Bat – 3 Crystals
Crystals: 0
"Great. Zero… perfect."
Then something clinked onto the floor near the lobby doors — a small, glowing shard the size of a pebble, pulsing red. I didn't question it. I grabbed it.
> [Crystal Acquired: 1]
It wasn't enough to summon anything. The centipede was already halfway in, its mandibles clicking. My stomach flipped — I could almost feel its breath.
Another crystal dropped — this time from the shadow of the ceiling where a rat-like creature had just been skewered by falling debris.
> [Crystals: 3]
Bat. That was all I could afford.
I slammed the "Summon" button in the floating menu.
A puff of black smoke erupted in front of me, forming into a small, scrappy bat with glowing red eyes. It wasn't impressive — more like a puffball with wings — but it hissed like it wanted blood.
"Go… bite it or something!" I squeaked.
The bat darted forward, slamming into the centipede's eyes. The monster thrashed, screaming in a wet, chittering sound. My heart was hammering — not just from fear, but from something hotter, sharper.
> [+1 Crystal]
The bat bit again, this time tearing a chunk from the centipede's face. It screeched, pulling back out of the doorway before retreating into the street.
I stood there, chest heaving. I should've felt relieved. I should've been glad I survived.
But instead, I found myself thinking:
If I had two bats, I could've killed it.