"The food, the food! The difference between those who prepared in advance and those who didn't is too great!"

Derek pointed in every direction with his fingers and shouted.

"Those who brought food will eat well while others are stuck with steamed potatoes! It's unfair!"

Justin looked at Derek, surprised.

Was this guy actually saying something sensible for once?

What he pointed out was, in fact, a severe problem.

'It's not just about taste. Maintaining morale heavily depends on the quality of food.'

If survival zones existed in places other than their own it wasn't just an issue of preference.

If another survival zone, perhaps even a competing one, had stockpiled preserved foods…

"And if the food is plentiful and tastes good, then what would happen?"

'While some would curse as they gnawed on boiled potatoes, others would be celebrating with a feast, smiling in harmony.'

The emotional difference would directly impact their efficiency in whatever task they undertook.

Hearing the tattooed man's complaint, Algrim tilted his head with a smile.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Food that people brought in advance? Is there such a thing?"

"What? Are you messing with me right now?"

"I am not joking. There is no food that was brought in advance. None at all."

"You bastard…!"

The tattooed man gritted his teeth, thinking that Algrim was mocking him. The expressions of the other survivors weren't much better, either. But Justin's eyes widened, realizing the hidden meaning behind Algrim's words.

'No food brought in advance?'

Justin quickly opened his inventory and pulled out his bag. He hadn't brought much, but he did carry some preserved food. He promptly rummaged through the bag, and a bitter chuckle escaped his lips.

"So that's what it is."

The preserved food had turned into solid rock along with the containers it was stored in.

Out of curiosity, Justin threw the rock onto the ground and smashed it. There was no edible food left inside—it was a solid rock through and through. Only now did the other survivors grasp the situation, and screams erupted.

Most of the survivors had packed at least some preserved food.

'At least I didn't bring too much.'

While others might have been upset, Justin had only packed enough for two days. Most of the food focused on nutrition rather than taste, so he wasn't too disappointed.

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As a reference, all the food provided here has perfect nutritional value! You can stay completely healthy eating only boiled potatoes for ten years! Please feel free to enjoy what you want without worrying about the ingredients!

With that, Algrim summoned a shop right in the middle of the village. Justin had no idea what trick the merchant used, but a whole building appeared out of nowhere. Before anyone could say anything, Algrim entered the store, and a new quest appeared.

〈Income and Expenditure〉

Type: Main Quest

Details: The saddest kind of wealthy person is the one who has money but no way to spend it. Fortunately, that's not you. Spend as much as you earn and enjoy your wealth. Spend 50 magic stones in the shop within a week.

Reward: Skill - [Automatic Magic Stone Retrieval]

"Ha. I can't avoid this one."

Justin chuckled as he saw the quest reward. In World Rebuild, [Automatic Magic Stone Retrieval] was a minor skill. It merely saved time by skipping the 'harvest' process when collecting magic stones. But now that the game had turned into reality, its significance had changed entirely.

'To collect a magic stone, you need to cut open the monster's chest and extract it. Back then, it was just a setting, but now it's not.'

In the game, it had been a matter of a few clicks, but in real life, it would be a tedious task. There would be the pressure of searching a corpse, the repulsion of getting covered in blood, and the time lost doing all that.

However, with [Automatic Magic Stone Retrieval], it would be different. Killing a monster would automatically deposit the magic stone into the inventory.

'The reduction in labor is just the beginning. Whether or not you have the automatic retrieval skill could significantly impact your hunting efficiency.'

If you prioritized collecting magic stones, your hunting speed would suffer. On the other hand, if you focused on leveling up, you'd lose out on the rewards. With this skill, one could have the best of both worlds—capturing two birds with one stone.

It was a skill that could determine the success or failure of one's snowballing progress in the early stages.

"There's no choice but to do it… but doing it alone would be too difficult."

In an unfamiliar environment like this, moving alone was tantamount to suicide. Justin needed teammates who could cover the front and back defenses. Fortunately, one person had already been decided.

" Justin, would you like to do this quest together?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing."

Justin smiled and shook hands with Ethan, who had come over to him. Honestly, they were quite an ideal combination. With Justin being the firepower and Ethan providing protection and healing, it was hard to find a better pair for a two-person party.

"But the difficulty of this quest is too high for just the two of us. The environment has also changed, and we don't know what might come at us."

"I agree."

It seemed that Ethan had already considered this, as he immediately nodded. No matter how strong a two-person team might be, it was still just two people. If they coordinated well, having more people in the party would be best.

"The question is, would anyone want to team up with us? Honestly, everyone here… doesn't have the easiest personality."

"That's exactly the issue."

The survivors—no, the pioneers—were not the type to bow to anyone. The way they had fiercely responded to the tattooed man's threats proved as much.

In fact, they had survived thus far by dismissing others' opinions and moving swiftly on their own. They would likely be just as calculating, seeking to gain as much as possible for themselves.

'But if we approach them first, it might seem like we're the desperate ones.'

They might also want teammates like Justin and Ethan, but usually, in such situations, whoever bowed first lost. They might have to offer more than what they'd get in return.

As the two were deep in thought, a voice called out to them.

"Um… excuse me…"

"Huh?"

Justin and Ethan turned to the source of the sound. It was the younger son of the four-person family they'd rescued yesterday " Nathan " —the high school student who had called them from the window and started the rescue quest.

The boy approached them with a timid expression and spoke.

"Do… do you need someone to run errands?"