COZMART: Corner Shop of Visiting Gods

The first thing Eathan realized was that he hated boats.

The second thing was that he hated how quickly his life spiralled into chaos these days.

He clung miserably to the edge of his seat as the compact utility skiff bounced over the choppy waters, the engine roaring loud enough to drown out his internal screaming. The air was sharp with sea salt and ozone, and every jolt slammed a fresh sheet of mist into his already-soaked hoodie.

Ahead of him, Li Wei piloted the boat with an ease that suggested this was his third unpaid overtime job this week, looking mildly irritated every time a wave dared to mist his NASA jacket. The stabilizer drone clipped to his shoulder blinked a low battery warning. He ignored it.

Eathan shouted over the engine's roar, desperate for something—anything—to distract him. "Captain Li, what exactly is a tag-node again?!"

Li Wei deadpanned without missing a beat, his voice cutting cleanly through the wind. "Basically, giant Wi-Fi routers stabilise the balance between realms. If one breaks, reality gets spotty—imagine MeTube buffering, except instead of videos, it's your existence."

Eathan stared at him.

"...And we're supposed to fix that?"

Li Wei sighed in that slow, disappointed way that suggested his soul was being gently strangled.

"You're supposed to fix it. I'm here to make sarcastic commentary and hand you barcodes."

The skiff slowed, engine whirring down as they coasted into view of the objective.

Floating ahead was what looked, at first glance, like a large modern buoy—except no modern buoy should have been crackling with frantic silver runes, its edges glitching like corrupted AR textures. The surrounding water shimmered weirdly, rippling like a failed rendering of some video game. A little to the left of the buoy, Eathan spotted it—a rippling distortion in midair, like someone had tried (and failed) to photoshop reality.

Li Wei pointed lazily at the distortion site.

"That's a rift—an inter-dimensional glitch letting nasty things pop through from other realms. See it clearly? Good. Now close it before tentacles appear."

Eathan: "??????"

Just then, his [SYSTEM] politely chimed in:

[Side Quest (new!)]

Seal Rift L-1498

Reward: +120 Karma, +25 Qi Tokens, 3% Integrity,

Eathan stared at the hovering distortion, then at the battered receipt printer Li Wei had plonked onto the boat's deck.

"This is insane," he muttered, but even as he said it, he scrambled into position, trying to remember everything Taeril and Li Wei had drilled into his head the past few days.

He reactivated the barcode scanner in his pocket. The scanner launched into his hands like confetti, the grip molding around the shape of his fingers. Reminding himself to think outside the box, Eathan whirled his head around in a 360, hastily searching for something—anything—to use.

On his first attempt, he scanned an unopened bottle of soda rolling around the boat. The [Receipt Printer] whirred aggressively... and spat out a talisman that spawned a comical rain of tiny ice cubes, plinking uselessly onto the deck. Then, in a panic, he proceeded to scan Li Wei's spare waterproof jacket. The result was a gust of hurricane-force wind, immediately blasting the boat sideways and nearly knocking Eathan into the freezing ocean.

Li Wei, still holding the steering handle with one hand, facepalmed with the other. "Slow down," he advised dryly. "Pick something symbolically stable—think 'seal,' 'block,' 'anchor.' Not carbonated drinks or outerwear."

Heart hammering, Eathan spotted a roll of industrial-strength duct tape wedged behind the toolkit. He scanned it, steadying his grip on the handle amidst the roaring winds. This time, the [Receipt Printer] thrummed deeply. A shimmering talisman slid out, etched with dark silver runes pulsing with heavy, grounded energy.

[Sturdy-Looking Talisman: Patching Tape] has been generated!

Li Wei gave a short nod. "Now that's more like it."

Gripping the talisman like it was a lottery ticket to survival, Eathan aimed it at the rift and released it, half expecting it to miss. The moment the talisman shot through and made contact with the distortion, a brilliant light flared above the waters. The rift shrieked—an ear-splitting sound that rattled Eathan's bones—and collapsed inward with a sound like crumpling tinfoil. After a good five seconds, the spatial glitch sealed shut, leaving only faint ripples behind.

[SYSTEM] NOTIFICATION

You have completed [Side Quest]:

Seal Rift L-1498

You have been rewarded: +120 Karma, +25 Qi Tokens, 3% Integrity

[Integrity] has increased by 3%! (17% → 20%)

Eathan gasped, slumping against the side of the boat in exhausted relief. Behind him, Li Wei nodded approvingly—at least, Eathan thought it was approval.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Congratulations, intern," he said flatly. "Reality survives another day."

As Eathan wiped his forehead, Li Wei pulled up the tablet again, flicking a few readings across it.

"Every successful fix nudges Area 003's equilibrium points upward," he explained. "When we drop below 55%... well, that's when auditors start sniffing around. Think of it as our reality's credit score."

Eathan, still panting a little, asked between breaths, "What happens if auditors find problems?"

Li Wei flashed a grim smile, the wind tousling his already messy hair. "They issue fines, demotions, maybe public humiliation. Honestly, I prefer the rift tentacles."

Eathan wasn't sure whether he was joking—and wasn't brave enough to ask. He checked his HUD again, feeling an odd swell of pride at the tiny boosts in stats and [Integrity].

"I'm at 20% [Integrity] now," he said aloud. "Also 2685 Karma and 89 Qi Tokens!"

Li Wei glanced at him. "Uh-huh. Now don't blow it all at once. This isn't a divine vending machine. Learn to hoard like your life depends on it—because it does."

Eathan made a face, stuffing his [SYSTEM] window closed.

The boat began humming back toward the shoreline under Li Wei's steady piloting, the chill evening air turning even colder now as the moon dipped low over the horizon. Just when Eathan thought he might actually survive the night, Li Wei's smartwatch pulsed red with an urgent, angry flash. He cursed under his breath, pulling up the alert.

[EMERGENCY AUDIT WARRANT TRIGGERED]:

NODE T-005

Li Wei's brows furrowed briefly, then relaxed into a grimly amused smirk. Beside him, Eathan leaned over to glance at the coordinates—and nearly toppled off the boat.

Because the location blinking red on the screen was unmistakable:

COZMART.

"What—?!" Eathan blurted. "That's the corner shop! Why?!"

Li Wei was maddeningly calm, adjusting the boat's course leisurely.

"Relax. Audits have procedural loopholes. We'll just say the node's undergoing 'preventive maintenance.'" He steered them smoothly over a low wave. "As long as Taeril hasn't broken anything important, we're fine."

Eathan stared at him, wild-eyed.

"You're serious?"

Li Wei gave a perfectly deadpan nod.

"Dead serious. The secret to surviving in bureaucracy: honesty is optional. Confidence is mandatory."

***

By the time they reached COZMART, the night air had thinned into a biting chill.

The first thing Eathan saw was the giant, glowing jade scroll floating ominously above the storefront, slowly rotating like some divine parking ticket. Gold characters shimmered across the surface:

[AUDIT WARRANT (PENDING...)]

It hovered there, pulsing smugly. Eathan practically launched himself off the boat the moment they docked, sprinting across the street.

"Mister White! What happened?!"

Taeril stood just outside the door, utterly unconcerned, sipping from a large cup of coffee as if studying wild squirrels after dinner. The fluorescent streetlamps bounced off his cream-white hair, and the sleeves of his dress shirt were lazily cuffed at the elbows. He glanced at Eathan with mild curiosity, lifting his coffee slightly as if in greeting.

"Nothing much," Taeril said. "Audit drone came, buzzed around, seemed confused, left after bumping into the glass door twice."

Li Wei stepped up behind Eathan. "The shop's space-stacking rune-tech must've bugged it out again," he muttered. "This place is basically reality's cheat code."

Eathan, clutching his knees and gasping for air, slowly turned to glare at Taeril. "You could've at least pretended to look worried!"

Taeril offered him an unapologetic smile, tilting his coffee cup. "Worrying is a boring pastime," he said lightly. "Besides, Captain Li looks worried enough for both of us."

At that exact moment, Eathan's HUD blinked into life again:

[SYSTEM] NOTIFICATION

[Side Quest (new!)]

Speed patch Node T-005!

Reward: +150 Karma, +25 Qi Tokens, 3% Integrity

Eathan groaned internally but forced himself upright, determined not to let Taeril's terrifying chill rub off on him. He whipped out his barcode scanner and rushed through the doors.

Inside the shop, faint distortions wavered like heat haze. Small cracks in the structure of reality revealed themselves if he squinted hard enough—the ceiling tiles blurring at the edges, the checkout counter slightly too symmetrical. Frantic but focused, Eathan moved through the store, activating [Minor Reconstitution] where needed.

5 Qi Tokens have been subtracted from your [PROFILE]! (89 → 84)

Streams of gold flowed from his fingertips as he weaved around the aisles like a security scanner.

A small runic glitch near the fridge section? Patched.

An unstable spatial seam across the snack aisle? Restabilized.

A floating receipt near the ice cream freezer that somehow became self-aware and started echoing insults?

...Ripped to pieces.

Meanwhile, Li Wei leaned against the counter, checking his tablet with a professional frown. By the time Eathan finally sealed the last irregularity, sweat dripping from his forehead, the man gave a curt nod.

"Crisis averted," Li Wei announced, flicking his wrist to dismiss the holographic scroll. "Congrats, Taeril. Your shop's existence remains technically legal for another day."

At the same time, Eathan's [SYSTEM] updated with a satisfying chime:

[SYSTEM] NOTIFICATION

You have completed [Side Quest]:

Speed patch Node T-005!

You have been rewarded: +150 Karma, +25 Qi Tokens, 3% Integrity

[Integrity] has increased by 3%! (20% → 23%)

Host [Level]: Lv. 5 → Lv. 6

Taeril gave a polite little nod from where he leaned against the doorframe. "Your hard work is noted and appreciated, Captain."

"Too bad 'appreciation' doesn't pay my mortgage." Li Wei sighed, strapping his bag across his shoulder.

Eathan, still a little frazzled, couldn't help blurting, "That was an audit! It could've fined us—or shut us down—or—or—"

Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "Shut down reality itself, maybe," he said dryly. "They wouldn't even know where to start with this place. It's a walking bug report."

Taeril smiled faintly, the picture of calm mischief. "I prefer the term 'experimental architecture.'"

Eathan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You rigged the shop, didn't you?"

Taeril's smile deepened, utterly unapologetic.

"What gave it away?"

"I'm surrounded by lunatics with cheat codes," Li Wei grumbled darkly as he secured his jacket. "And I still get audited like a minimum-wage mortal."

"Then why do you stay, Captain?" Eathan asked as Li Wei adjusted his bag, genuine curiosity seeping through his voice.

At the door, Li Wei paused, glancing back with a crooked, tired grin.

"Someone's gotta keep reality duct-taped together. Might as well be the guy who knows where the receipts are."

Taeril called lazily after him, coffee cup raised in half-toast. "Don't forget to expense your existential crisis."

Without turning around, Li Wei raised a hand over his head. "Already filed it under 'occupational hazards,'" he said. "Next time, warn me before triggering an audit crisis, yeah?"

Taeril sipped his coffee.

"Where's the fun in that, Captain?"

The door chimed softly as Li Wei disappeared into the night, the jade scroll dissolving into mist above the shop. Eathan finally collapsed into a chair, dragging both hands through his hair, still feeling the echoes of adrenaline buzz along his skin. He looked up at the white-haired man skeptically.

"So... are all your friends like that?"

Taeril smiled slightly—an inscrutable, almost fond look flickering across his obsidian eyes.

"You'll meet worse," he said.

Eathan wasn't sure if that was supposed to be reassuring.

It absolutely wasn't.